MV8

I was confused. I thought the car was essentially near completion and you were teasing us with short clips between long commercial breaks with "a message from our sponsor". Must have been thinking about something else. My mind wanders...

Stick-on weights will always be much heavier than the equivalent clip-on. The weight is radially closer to the wheel axis of rotation (less leverage) and since the weights are very thin, to get the required amount of weight means spreading it out. The further away from the point the machine says to add the weight, the less effective the weights are. If the machine cannot differentiate between clip on and stick on, the weight shown will be less than is actually needed, resulting in more spins and extra weights or wasted weights that need to come back off. There is a ruler that protrudes from the balancer to measure the weight location within the rim laterally and must be entered but it does not take into effect a radial measurement. I'm sure there are machines that do but I have no experience with them. A square tire can be perfectly balanced and smooth on the machine. Some servicing companies used to remove or true out of round as an up sell but this is a bad idea as the tire when installed has been sitting on a rack (hopefully) and like any cold rubber, will hold that shape until hot and under pressure. The road loading method should address that. None of these balance methods last for the life of most tires and need rebalancing with wear; especially typical wear along one shoulder due to a camber that doesn't "align" (see what I did there?) with the actual use.

Around here, out of boredom, four guys from the football team would just pick it up and carry it to the roof. I suggest adding an apple air tag you can track with your phone and be notified when the car moves. https://www.pcmag.com/how-to/apple-airtag-tips

I misunderstood the dip stick hose temp fix. I see the breather replaced with an oil return for the head but I don't see an opening in it or the valve cover to vent crankcase pressure in the pics. You mentioned an existing vent on the back of the head?

Nice labels! I like to print on paper then cover with clear, 3 inch packing tape to protect them.

Before modifying the valve cover, I'd make a new fuel pump block off plate with a pocket and oil deflector plate, then add a 1/2 inch hose fitting to connect a hose to a remote breather tank, mounting the tank bottom higher on the engine or chassis than the fitting on the block off plate. Sealing the oil filler tube creates that much more pressure against the oil pan and valve cover seals.

There are at least a couple different tapes out there, but the common, white foam tape here doesn't allow removal of the weight from the tape and re installation with the same grip if any. It tears in the middle of the tape instead of releasing the fully cured (on the weight side) adhesive. Adhesive weight tape stretches and the adhesive is much stronger than the tape. The weights are not ordered or limited on the rim size. The installer gets one shot in applying the weight tape. If it has to come back off, it's not reusable without a lot of work to clean and install on new tape.

The wheel was not clean and/or the weight installer was in a hurry. You can mark the center of the weight strip on the wheel, remove the strip, scrub (fingernail, plastic scraper, sharpened tooth brush "shank") and wd-40 to soften the residual tape (safe for the rim paint), cut a strip or replacements with the same total, clean the wd40 off with a good cleaner that won't remove paint, and align the center to the strip. You could completely clean the existing weights then apply to a strip of 3m body molding doublesided tape to reinstall. No rebalance needed if it was right to begin with. You will likely do a better job than to take it back. I change and balance my own tires at home. Not plum crazy purple with a 340 six pack sticking out but the car looks great.

Completely apples to oranges of course, but it is interesting to compare to a mildy tweaked slant six with a single carb. Very similar hp curve up to 5500 rpm but the torque curve is more like a table around 160 ft lbs. Much heavier engine too (high nickel blocks) though some were aluminum.

One of the best 442 v8 versions I've seen for half the price. Mustang II IFS but otherwise mid-late '80s ford roller cam donor but with a carb and adapted to use the more reliable, low cost gm 4-pin HEI ignition module. Uses mustang quadrant adjustment type clutch cable system, as big a radiator that will "fit" (not covered by the nose), mustang application long tube headers, self-tensioning serpentine belt system with an AC delete bracket so it uses the standard belt, and manual brakes with adjustable prop valve. I'm sure it isn't perfect or ideal but a great job for 2007 and lots of great choices were made. The hard parts been done.

"Visible particles" is vague. Manual and automatic transmissions usually have magnets in the bottom/pan. I've seen magnets placed on engine oil filters to help catch and retain as well as magnetic drain plugs. That is one reason to change oil every 3-5k no matter what type it is or at least change the filter. There are smaller particles carried continuously by the oil that pass through the filter media and occasionally, some oil bypasses the filter entirely. Long ago, the EPA forced mfgs to rewrite the book on normal use, pushing longer intervals between recommended oil changes (with no change it in the oil itself). Don't fall for it. Synthetic is great but it still carries particles past "normal" oil change intervals if not changed. I'd rather have fresh, clean dinosaur oil and change it and the filter every 3k.

There is much variation from one led assembly to another. Brightness is offset by chip density and heat generation that causes them to fail or very long lasting but not as bright as the bulbs. The chips need to be arranged based on the fixture they are going into, which limits how much room there is for chips facing the right way. Often, the leds have no corrosion protection for the terminals and don't fit as well into the bulb socket. I've had good results with marker/parking, instrument, and interior lights. ATC has had led lamps assemblies on the cab and towers for about twenty years. Huge clusters of discrete leds in parallel. After a certain percentage has failed, the assembly is replaced. None last as long as they say they can due to crowding/heat. Pre-covid, I sampled a dozen or so different design led bulb replacements and found the glare increase was increased while the distance the light reached was decreased, and little to no difference between high and low beams but fewer amps is nice. There is also lot of marketing spin to sift through so a crap shoot. They generally need to be adjusted with the key slot to make the most of the chip arrangement. I eventually went back to good quality halogen bulbs. The best head light assemblies I've seen are single element bulbs/leds in a projector with a servo door to block/control the HI beam. Hella makes universal stand-alone sealed lamps and there are cheap retrofit kits designed to go within an existing oem head lamp assembly.

It looks like the defective catalyst is only accessible after cutting at the case weld. They are fragile; easily broken up to smaller pieces that can fall out. Dyno tuning can shorten the life and like 02 sensors, they don't last forever in a best case scenario.

How is the crankcase vented on this engine? Valve cover and side of the block? Was this a rebuild or bore rehone (raising crankcase pressure until the rings seat)? Dip stick tube extension into the pan is not an issue. Many engines have cable/wire rope dipsticks with a gauge strip crimped to the pan end. These require longer tubes to ensure the flexible rope can't touch the rotating assembly.

The easier way is to replace the bulb with an led, keeping the original fixture and wiring. If it flashes at a higher rate, then the flasher is a traditional load based rate versus modern "electronic" flashers. Many different configs/designs and some have a knob to adjust the rate. If you don't solder or want to do some arts and crafts, making your own board assembly, consider an off the shelf solution or just don't have the DRL function on these lights. I've found incandescent bulbs are better for brake, turn, and head lamps than leds designed to swap with a bulb base/socket for an existing fixture. I upgraded an old mig welder by replacing the button diodes with schottky diodes intended for a high voltage battery charger and fit a more substantial heat sink. It was a significant improvement. If you want to make the diode/resistor assembly, consider putting them somewhere they won't get damaged or wet. I've used popsicle sticks, drilled holes to pass the leads through, and taped/heat shrinked the assembly. The components can be separated to be anywhere along the wires that is convenient. I miss Radio Shack.

I don't know. A person with no fire training that suddenly has a fire to put out probably won't read all that while their pride and joy is melting. Could also be human factors of having an extinguisher that I don't have to worry about/read the label of for the next ten years.

Proprietary, but I'd expect some instruction on the clean up process after discharge and an MSDS in case of eye or skin contact. This would help determine what it is.

Decide for yourself.

Well..., he seems very passionate to a fault. What a nice young man. Halon is a numbering system to describe the make up of halongenated agents. It is not one specific extinguishing agent but 1301 is well known and common. There have been corrosive halon numbered agents. The regulations do not prevent the use of many different agents except in the cabin where Halon 1301 is not allowed on large aircraft. Halon 1211 is specified based on seating capacity in transport category aircraft, but that's about it. Traditionally, it has been CO2 which is effective on most everything but metal actually burning versus being on fire from something on it. Don't see many flammable metals on cats except for you high roller racers who should have a halon system anyway if our priorities are in order. Just my thoughts. Halon 1301 is the successor to CO2 but CO2 still works and is not corrosive as are some other agents. Dry powder creates CO2 when heated and the residue helps keep the fire out. It is corrosive but it is not so aggressive that it can't be cleaned off with a chlorine solution after a few days unless applied to a surface over 1000f or so; then it needs to be removed that day. Happy to help anybody unload their cat covered in dry powder. Let me take care of that eyesore. Clear as mud?

All those part numbers don't actually interchange for brightness and glass size. You can compare on mcmaster.

I heat a large pot of water, then hold it above the bottom with a wire and watch it expand to the size of the pot, then hold it straight with clothes pins as it cools to room temp. As long as the tube is well protected, they last for decades. I've never had to replace one but I have replaced the tube because I nicked it. The tubes and hardware were about $10 last I checked.

What was the issue with the gauge tubing? Can you post a pic of the bulb? That must not be a part number they use anymore. I would expect to see a ba9s base (9mm/0.355"od, 180 pins), 13-15v rating, short globe top, and around 3w for an incandescent replacement. Part number 57 is typical. Led replacements usually list a lot of bulb part numbers based on the bayonet base shape and bulb size. Different led placements are also available. It depends on where the light needs to shine. Incandescent s are not directional.

I see the new gauge is back lit led where the others are flood lit. I fit leds to replace the bulbs and provide a more white light. The led replacements are polarity sensitive so they only work when plugged in one way. Should have a number on the bulb you can cross reference. The leds are not dimmable.

It would be interesting to know what the source is for the molding around the boot. More likely a very well done locost than a lotus/cat but anything's possible with enough effort. The vintage toyota wheels seem to be perfectly sized and offset. Ambitous price for something un-titled/registered/marked.

Too bad you don't have the gauges. It would be easy to be build a table with a potentiometer based on indication. If it is programmable, why use a sensor you can't get specs on?