Random Thoughts Thread

[A Horse With No Name]

21 minutes ago, Drew Dowdell said:

Feel so sick and gross today.  I got my second dose of the covid vaccine last night and it's hitting me bad. 

Lucky you got it, they are hsaying here in Ohio another 2 months before 55 plus gets a chance...I am 55...

[G. David Felt]

Interesting the New Stellantis site and how they are pushing the Alfa crap front and center.

At least JEEP gets two of the 16 spots on the Home page. One other spot is for Fiat otherwise everything is Alfa.

Homepage | Stellantis

[A Horse With No Name]

Buick, Gorgeous. 

 

[G. David Felt]

Just now, A Horse With No Name said:

Lucky you got it, they are hsaying here in Ohio another 2 months before 55 plus gets a chance...I am 55...

If you live in a multigenerational household then 50 and above can get it along with everyone else in that household. My sister has 3 generations in her household, so they all got the vaccine ahead of my wife and I.

[Drew Dowdell]

2 minutes ago, A Horse With No Name said:

Lucky you got it, they are hsaying here in Ohio another 2 months before 55 plus gets a chance...I am 55...

I got it because I'm management and work with first responders in the Police Department and Fire Department. 

[G. David Felt]

3 minutes ago, Drew Dowdell said:

I got it because I'm management and work with first responders in the Police Department and Fire Department. 

Which one did you get? Pfizer or Moderna?

Both my sister and her partner are front line nurses at Evergreen Hospital where the first case happened in the US and got the Moderna. The Moderna 2nd shot seemed to be very mild as they felt yucky for a day and then fine.

My middle sister and her 3 generation household got the Pfizer and their second shot had strong reaction, but after 2-3 days they were fine.

Wishing you all the best for a speedy recovery Drew.

[Drew Dowdell]

4 minutes ago, David said:

Which one did you get? Pfizer or Moderna?

Both my sister and her partner are front line nurses at Evergreen Hospital where the first case happened in the US and got the Moderna. The Moderna 2nd shot seemed to be very mild as they felt yucky for a day and then fine.

My middle sister and her 3 generation household got the Pfizer and their second shot had strong reaction, but after 2-3 days they were fine.

Wishing you all the best for a speedy recovery Drew.

Moderna.  The side effect profile seems to vary greatly.  I'm running a slight fever, chills, headache, and body aches. I'm not 24 hours in yet (that will be tonight at 6pm) and I'm told hour 24 is the worst. 

[G. David Felt]

18 minutes ago, Drew Dowdell said:

Moderna.  The side effect profile seems to vary greatly.  I'm running a slight fever, chills, headache, and body aches. I'm not 24 hours in yet (that will be tonight at 6pm) and I'm told hour 24 is the worst. 

Yes, Lisa and Renee said hour 24 was the worst but then it just settled down and they slept solid and woke up feeling pretty good.

Hang in their my friend, you will get through it and come out on the other side much stronger. ?

Interesting read on why the auto companies are having to shut down due to the surge in all things electronic for use at homes due to the pandemic.

Carmakers have been hit hard by a global chip shortage — here’s why (cnbc.com)

gm is shutting down another 3 plants due to the chip shortage and this is showing why chip companies need to ramp up production outside of Taiwan. Like Ford, GM is not shutting down the truck or full size SUV plants, but rather this will impact all car production, sub-compact and compact CUV production.

GM is idling for 3 months the Kansas plant, a plant in Mexico and a plant in Canada. They are also going to half production at their South Korea plant.

GM has idled the Corvette plant in Bowling Green Kentucky due to Transmission shortage, not semiconductor shortage.

GM to Temporarily Shut Three Plants as Chip Shortage Pinches - Bloomberg

GM extending plant shutdowns at three plants due to chip shortage (cnbc.com)

[G. David Felt]

? Thinking on this, I wonder if more auto companies will consider killing off certain models earlier due to the chip shortage that is NOT expected to change till some time in late 2023? ?

OUCH, Ford is now having to cut production of the F150 Trucks due to the chip shortage and the fact that unlike GM which uses a universal chip set across all cars, trucks and SUVs. The F150 uses a different chip set compared to the SUV/CUVs and the cars, aka Mustang.

Quote: Ford Motor this week was forced to cut production of its highly profitable F-150 pickup trucks due to the chip shortage. The company said it was not able to prioritize production of the pickups because they use unique chips compared with other models.

Ford F-150 production cut due to semiconductor chip shortage (cnbc.com)

[Robert Hall]

54 minutes ago, A Horse With No Name said:

Lucky you got it, they are hsaying here in Ohio another 2 months before 55 plus gets a chance...I am 55...

My sister is wondering when she can get it, she's 63...I'm 50, so it will be a while for me I assume.   Just started my new job WFH so not going out any more than I was previously.

[dwightlooi]

1 hour ago, Drew Dowdell said:

I can't get 110 Octane race gas conveniently near me.  I can get E85 at a 50c+ discount on 87. ($2.15 v. $2.65 locally). I get miserable MPGs no matter what I put into it because max speed on my ~8.5 mile 45 minute commute is about 45mph. So, do I get 13mpg or 9.5 MPG....? it doesn't really matter. At least the truck feels a bit more spritely when I put the E-85.

I did the spreadsheet when I first bought it and I figured out that as long as I have about a 40c/gallons savings, the reduced fuel economy is a wash.

If you think you are getting miserable MPG in a Cobalt, you should try a bicycle... LOL!

[balthazar]

My son works in the blood bank of a NYS hospital and he got his 2nd shot last week. I believe it was the Phizer. Felt crappy for 2 days, low fever for 1, totally fine after that. He’s 23.

[A Horse With No Name]

3 minutes ago, balthazar said:

My son works in the blood bank of a NYS hospital and he got his 2nd shot last week. I believe it was the Phizer. Felt crappy for 2 days, low fever for 1, totally fine after that. He’s 23.

Good to know he is doing okay!

7 minutes ago, dwightlooi said:

If you think you are getting miserable MPG in a Cobalt, you should try a bicycle... LOL!

I think Drew has the Avalanche and Dave87Rs has the Cobalt. 

However, I love being up on two wheels so a bike is fine by me, motorized or not. 

10 minutes ago, Robert Hall said:

My sister is wondering when she can get it, she's 63...I'm 50, so it will be a while for me I assume.   Just started my new job WFH so not going out any more than I was previously.

I am just so ready for all of this to be over. 

[Robert Hall]

6 minutes ago, A Horse With No Name said:

 

However, I love being up on two wheels so a bike is fine by me, motorized or not. 

I am just so ready for all of this to be over. 

Ya...getting cabin fever being inside in the winter.   And starting a new job where every meeting is virtual is really strange.  I did work 100% remote at my last job for 3 1/2 years, but I'd worked in the office for 3 years before that.   These are strange days...maybe by fall I can meet up with my new team at the office in scenic downtown Cuyahoga Falls (down by Akron, an area I was pretty familiar with 30 years ago). 

Edited February 9, 2021 by Robert Hall

[A Horse With No Name]

13 minutes ago, Robert Hall said:

Ya...getting cabin fever being inside in the winter.   And starting a new job where every meeting is virtual is really strange.  I did work 100% remote at my last job for 3 1/2 years, but I'd worked in the office for 3 years before that.   These are strange days...maybe by fall I can meet up with my new team at the office in scenic downtown Cuyahoga Falls (down by Akron, an area I was pretty familiar with 30 years ago). 

It's hard to be seperated from people. A boat and Tow vehicle for our "Boldest" member. 

[A Horse With No Name]

For Oldshurst 442...

 

1961, love this year Corvette...

Chevelle...

Interesting....

[A Horse With No Name]

Blue for OCNblu...

How I would fit into the vintage scene...

One final one....back to work....

 

[Drew Dowdell]

56 minutes ago, dwightlooi said:

If you think you are getting miserable MPG in a Cobalt, you should try a bicycle... LOL!

You're getting the two of us confused.  I run E85 in my Avalanche and get the miserable mileage. @daves87rs has the Cobalt. 

[A Horse With No Name]

4 minutes ago, Drew Dowdell said:

You're getting the two of us confused.  I run E85 in my Avalanche and get the miserable mileage. @daves87rs has the Cobalt. 

As you said to me about the Ranger, you can have Eco, or you can have boost...just like Kennedy said we choose to go to the moon....I choose boost. 

 

Listen to the exhaust note...worthwhile video. 

 

Edited February 9, 2021 by A Horse With No Name

[G. David Felt]

2 hours ago, Robert Hall said:

Ya...getting cabin fever being inside in the winter.   And starting a new job where every meeting is virtual is really strange.  I did work 100% remote at my last job for 3 1/2 years, but I'd worked in the office for 3 years before that.   These are strange days...maybe by fall I can meet up with my new team at the office in scenic downtown Cuyahoga Falls (down by Akron, an area I was pretty familiar with 30 years ago). 

Congratulations Robert on the new Gig, wishing you all the best.

In Auto News, seems OLD is NEW again at Jaguar.

The Jaguar Type C race car is going to be built again pure to the original in a limited run (yes no number stated so how limited is probably by how many are sold). This is the 1953 disc brake specification version Jag with a 3.4 Liter Straight 6 and triple weber carbs for 220 bhp can be yours.

Jaguar Classic C-Type Continuation | Jaguar Classic

[balthazar]

2 hours ago, A Horse With No Name said:

Listen to the exhaust note...

This truck should satisfy BOTH camps; the throaty growl of IC and the 'electric' whine sound of a blower, all in one vehicle! 

 

 

[G. David Felt]

Seems after the 6 million truck / suv recall last year for Takata airbags, gm is now adding an additional 2.6 million auto's to the recall.

GM Takata airbag recall kicks off with 2.6 million trucks and SUVs - Roadshow (cnet.com)

[G. David Felt]

Amazon has teamed up with Mitsubishi to unveil the 2022 Outlander. Watch the teaser here: The World Premiere of the All-New 2022 Mitsubishi Outlander (amazon.com)

Mitsubishi to unveil 2022 Outlander SUV on Amazon Live | Autoblog

Carb and the US Justice department has decided to not move forward with Ford over their economy and emissions for 2019 / 2020 trucks and suvs. Yet the EPA and Canada are still investigating and a class action lawsuit is moving forward for deception in the proper economy of the Turbo motors.

Investigations into Ford fuel economy and emissions processes have ended | Autoblog

[oldshurst442]

4 hours ago, Robert Hall said:

Ya...getting cabin fever being inside in the winter.   And starting a new job where every meeting is virtual is really strange.  I did work 100% remote at my last job for 3 1/2 years, but I'd worked in the office for 3 years before that.   These are strange days...maybe by fall I can meet up with my new team at the office in scenic downtown Cuyahoga Falls (down by Akron, an area I was pretty familiar with 30 years ago). 

 

Ive been reading many  posts of yours in these last few years Ive been a member here.  Enjoyable.

There is a common theme to some of these posts. The bolded part.  I am quite amazed and maybe a tad envious that you had a chance to live in many places.  Although I personally dont like moving from one place to another all that much, I also kinda wish I did...  (does that make sense?)

Anyway....  I just thought of a song that maybe, just maybe...describes you perfectly.

 

 

[Robert Hall]

It is interesting going back to an area you used to live in or hang out in and see what has changed after a few decades...sometimes very recognizable and familiar, sometimes very different.   I've lived in 5 states, and this is my second time in NE Ohio (previously in the area '88-94).    Lived in 4 different Ohio towns over the last 50 years. 

[oldshurst442]

3 hours ago, A Horse With No Name said:

As you said to me about the Ranger, you can have Eco, or you can have boost...just like Kennedy said we choose to go to the moon....I choose boost. 

 

 

 

3 hours ago, A Horse With No Name said:

For Oldshurst 442...

 

 

Did I hear somebody say Rocket V8s and the moon?

I got a song JUST for that!

 

[trinacriabob]

I wake up every February 9 and realize that's an important day in the history of the city if a person is an Angeleno. Today marks the 50th anniversary of the big 1971 Sylmar quake. The original movie "Earthquake" with Charlton Heston and Genevieve Bujold was based on this event. 

The Northridge quake of 1994, aka the MLK quake of January 17, also had its epicenter nearby in the San Fernando Valley, but was stronger.

One thing these quakes had in common is that the especially high and long span ramp from the California 14 freeway to I-5 collapsed.

They are bizarre events. There's a muted rumble like a distant freight train in addition to the shaking, and you instinctively run to put yourself under a door frame or something structural.

They're definitely working on it, but we really need some think tanks like Stanford, Caltech, and Berkeley to come up with more reliable seismic prediction technology.

 

[balthazar]

[A Horse With No Name]

9 hours ago, balthazar said:

Certainly makes them out of sight out of mind for theft...

DC-4 over NYC, 1939

 

[A Horse With No Name]

This is wild and wildly cool. 

https://www.itv.com/news/anglia/2021-02-01/a-knights-tale-riding-a-penny-farthing-from-london-to-paris-dressed-in-full-armour?fbclid=IwAR1L_9XcsSX8pMJDWlH78fh1tXCMaYn9av3fFj3ClKeYi0WMTvuVV7kvYt0

Dude is cool but not wrapped real tight...

This is a positive story!

https://www.dispatch.com/story/news/local/2021/02/09/childrens-book-parents-in-prison-ex-con-artist-gahanna-lancaster-ohio/4371474001/?utm_source=dispatch-News Alert&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=news_alerts&utm_term=news_alert

 

[A Horse With No Name]

Madison square in the snow. 

13 hours ago, oldshurst442 said:

 

 

Did I hear somebody say Rocket V8s and the moon?

I got a song JUST for that!

 

 

[Drew Dowdell]

10 hours ago, balthazar said:

Was that an actual factory option?

[A Horse With No Name]

42 minutes ago, Drew Dowdell said:

Was that an actual factory option?

I don't think so, I think it's just clever fabrication. 

 

[balthazar]

Correct; custom fabbed.

[G. David Felt]

12 hours ago, balthazar said:

This would be a cool Professional Grade option for the GMC trucks with that cool new tail gate that is on everything.

[G. David Felt]

I see that Chevrolet will have a Pace auto Trilogy for the Feb 14th Daytona 500 as they show off 1,370 HP of V8 power.

Corvette LT2

Camaro SS

Silverado RTS

More details here: Chevrolet Will Set the Pace at Daytona with 1370 Total Horsepower (gm.com)

 

gm is also doing some really cool stuff with moving to 3D printed parts.

[Drew Dowdell]

40 minutes ago, David said:

This would be a cool Professional Grade option for the GMC trucks with that cool new tail gate that is on everything.

It probably isn't the best structurally. 

[balthazar]

There's been a bunch of custom & I believe aftermarket alternatives. Would love to see GMC come out with something along this line- with the CabonPro & MultiPro bed features, perhaps.

  

[A Horse With No Name]

Nice recovery work...

 

[A Horse With No Name]

Really cool pciture of a Bird...

[G. David Felt]

Some of you might cry over what the UK police did to this auto due to no insurance and a flimsy excuse that it was not road worthy.

Ferrari 458 Spider Crushed By Police (msn.com)

Another tragedy of a barn find, Shelby GT500 cubed for art.  

Barn Find Hunter Locates A Cubed Shelby GT500 (motorious.com)

[G. David Felt]

Toyota built it's 30 millionth auto on their on their Princeton, Indiana assembly line. 

The honor of this auto was the all new 2021 Toyota Sienna Hybrid Minivan.

Very cool video to watch of the assembly at the press release below. Who knew they had a multi-lug torque wrench that quickly puts all nuts on at once to the right torque. Very cool to see the assembly line in action.

30 Million and Counting! - Toyota USA Newsroom

Kenworth Truck makes history at Pikes Peak with help from Toyota in the form of a Fuel Cell Class 8 Semi truck that is wicked fast!

The video below shows this truck demolishing the 150 turns and elevation run to 14,115 foot summit.

This is one bad ass T680 Class 8 Semi!

Kenworth Truck Makes History at Pikes Peak With Help From Toyota - Toyota USA Newsroom

 

[balthazar]

3 minutes ago, David said:

Toyota built it's 30 millionth auto on their on their Princeton, Indiana assembly line. 

Travesty. Damn toyoter.

[G. David Felt]

Could the existing way of buying auto's in the US be on it's death bed?

Earlier this year, I posted about how Lexus was re-defining what luxury buying was about and how you could use online ways to make the buying experience more pleasurable.

Toyota has now also kicked off their all new re-image of the New Car buying experience and it starts with being online, NOT at a dealership. Toyota's own research according to them is that 2 out of 3 buyers would rather pay a set price and buy via online than go into a dealership and negotiate a price.

Toyota Reimagines the New Car Buying Experience with Complete Online Retail Solution - Toyota USA Newsroom

Quote: Toyota’s SmartPath technology puts the car buying process in the hands of the customer, providing an integrated user experience across Toyota.com, buyatoyota.com, the dealership website and the physical dealership store. Customers can choose the path that works best for them by starting their journey online, saving their progress in the “digital garage” and picking up where they left off at the dealer, or completing their purchase with their SmartPath dealer entirely online.

[balthazar]

Buying a car, sight unseen like a bag of parakeet food via Amazon, seems to me to be the very OPPOSITE of a "luxury buying" experience. So that wouldn't be a "redefined luxury buying experience" in as much as it would be the elimination of a luxury buying experience. The automobile continues its undeniable march toward being a total disposable appliance.

And this is coming from someone who places zero weight on "the buying experience"; walking across a marble floor or a vinyl tile floor for 30 minutes has zero effect on a vehicle I may well own for over 10 years.

Edited February 10, 2021 by balthazar

[balthazar]

[balthazar]

[G. David Felt]

WOW, Icy winter conditions cause a 1 mile long 70 plus auto / semi accident with 5 dead. Crazy and this is in Ft. Worth Texas.

Horrifying Footage Shows 70-Plus Vehicle Pile Up in Ft. Worth That Killed at Least Five (thedrive.com)

 

[G. David Felt]

Many here will be happy to hear this, Stellantis has bailed on bringing Peugeot to the US at least for the next 10 years and instead will focus on putting money and R&D into putting new products into the Chrysler, Dodge, Ram and Jeep.

CEO Carlos Tavares has committed to re-inventing Chrysler with an all new product lineup. Watch for details.

Stellantis CEO Says Chrysler Will Get U.S.-Market Attention, Not Peugeot (caranddriver.com)

[balthazar]

If Chrysler is "all new" by being badge-engineered fiats or Peugeots, don't bother. You already F'd it up.