8/18/12 Saturday Stroll

Went for a walk this morning before heading to do some car stuff. Luckily I've been reunited with AY's old DSLR.

Plus a hint of what's to come with my car.

8/14/12 Getting Out

I love New York City. It’s a wonderful city with more interesting places to eat, see, and things to do than one could experience in two lifetimes. It also has the best public transportation system I’ve ever used. You can get from one end to the other of the sprawling 5 boroughs for $2.25. As a result, car and motorcycle ownership is relegated to a luxury, at least in Manhattan. I’ve been stubborn enough to keep a car in Manhattan for an extended period, but soon grew frustrated enough to retain only the motorcycle.

The other problem is that in NYC, motorcycles can very easily be brought down to pure utility vehicles. Lately I’ve ridden the motorcycle more for practical reasons rather than for the pure enjoyment of riding itself. There are a few causes of this.

Because I’m poor, I park on the street. This means my bike gets knocked over about once a month and, as a result, I’ve got little dents and scrapes and a broken front fender. Knowing it’ll get knocked over again in a few weeks, I’m not inclined to fix the cosmetic issues with my bike, so it starts falling into the ‘streetfighter/rat bike’ territory. Don’t get me wrong, I love my little SV. It’s the perfect city bike and it has served me very well. I’ve even upgraded the suspension and brakes, things that are unlikely to get ruined by someone parking by feel, but I can’t justify repairing it to a point that I’d be proud of it at a bike night.

Another problem is created by the nature of traffic in NYC. It can certainly be fun to dice it up with the cabbies, trucks, and delivery guys on electric bikes. I love weaving through a somewhat crowded street, particularly on a summer night when the air is cool and the lights flashing by add to the sensation of speed. The problem is that, while you get a great traffic sense and grow eyes on the back of your head, you really never get a chance to explore the limits of the bike. I might get wide open throttle for a total of two seconds at a time, and that’s on a relatively underpowered bike. A liter bike would never be able to use its power in the city, unless on one of the highways.

The real problem, though, is that there is no way to do any serious cornering. The traffic and roads are simply too unpredictable to ride anywhere near 7/10ths, let alone higher. Swing around a corner with a knee down, and your likely to be rewarded with a cab stopped to pick up a patron or a slick steel plate covering a recently cut hole in the earth.

Knowing I needed to exercise myself and my bike, I planned a trip into the country to visit Kevin in upstate NY. Kevin recently bought and restored an old bolt-action shotgun and was itching to try it out. I was a little late on the way up, so I took the Taconic Parkway. It’s pretty boring until you get to the Fahnestock State park, which has some great, higher speed corners that are fun if traffic is light. It was nice to get out on the open road and stretch the legs of the bike, though. The SV, being naked with GSXR clip-ons, isn’t the best highway tourer in the world, but the windblast was welcome after spending so much time in stop and go traffic.

Kevin and I spent a few hours walking around in the woods ostensibly hunting turkey, but in actuality we shot a great deal more tin cans than birds. There is something very satisfying about a big, heavy, bolt-action weapon. I have the same appreciation for old guns as I do for old machine tools. There was a time when things were built to last forever. Cases and parts were made out of cast iron rather than thin stamped steel. Sure they were heavy and cumbersome, but they still work long after their original owners have passed on. My mill and lathe are from the 1940’s and they still work incredibly well. Somehow I don’t think the lightweight mills coming out of China now will manage the same feat, but I digress…

After I had topped off both the SV’s and my body’s fluids, it was time to do some more hunting, this time for corners. Rather than take the straight shot down the Taconic, I took Rt.84 to the Western shore of the Hudson where I picked up 9W going South. 9W, being a river road that follows some mild mountains, tends to have great twists and turns. It also is much less populated than the Taconic, allowing for some faster riding. Having scoured my iPhone map for windy roads, I also spotted this little section of 202 back on the east side of the river. Unlike similar roads in Harriman state park, there was no traffic whatsoever on this road when I was riding on a Sunday afternoon, and the corners were tight enough to give me a great workout. I will absolutely be returning here soon.

Cruising back into Manhattan, I remembered why I love riding so much. When I got off the bike and sat on the couch with a well-deserved beer, it felt like the volume on everything else in the world was turned down three notches. I wasn’t dreading going back to work on Monday as much as usual, and my goals for the week seemed to be much clearer and easier to achieve.

Being a motorcycle guy in the city can be hard. Because we can’t just lock the bike up safe and sound in a garage, we deal with more negatives during the off-season than most riders. I know I’ve spent more time in the past year wrenching on my bikes than riding for pure pleasure. Occasionally, I forget why I push the damn thing across the street every other day for alternate side of the street parking.

Mercifully, all it takes is clear weather and a good road to bring it all back. 

6/18/12 Massive Transition Period Update

I need to apologize for not updating this sooner. I guess I got a bit disheartened when we lost the shop in the Bronx and didn't want to write about it. Now, however, the next space is in the works (likely in Brooklyn) so I'm in a good mood again. I'll write about the new space when some of the details are ironed out, but in the meantime I need to catch up on the past few months.

When I last posted, I was finishing up some details on the car to get it road-worthy by the time the shop was to close. Coincidentally, I was signed up for a track day at Lime Rock around the same time. There were numerous little things that had to be done on the car to get it to pass the tech inspection at the track, namely I had to button up my fuel system, properly mount my battery, and figure out my seat belt situation.

T-2 days till Lime Rock:

 The fuel system was easy enough, I borrowed a gas cap from CB and reused the gas cap base from my car. I just needed to block off some vent hoses and tighten some hose clamps. On a run to the parts store, however I realized that the sound I thought was my alternator belt being loose was actually the water pump bearing failing. Luckily, I had just bought a spare engine (it was an L24, that the owner thought was an L28, but I took it anyway because it was just rebuilt). I hopped in the Miata and scavenged the pump from that motor and started installing it on my car. Around the same time CB came over with a buddy and they installed my gas cap/base.

I also needed to install my seat belts. The car came with seatbelts, but I didn't have a complete set. The ones from my old car were junk, and I couldn't use the racing harness I bought from CB because the track had a rule that the driver and passenger have to use the same equipment. I picked up a set of rear belts from a 240sx very cheap, and wrestled with my car for an hour or so to get them in.

T-1 day till Lime Rock:

CB had been struggling with clutch issues with his car for the past couple of weeks, and with one day left he was still having issues. I went to his house late and helped him put the trans back in his car for what we hoped would be the last time.

Lime Rock travel day:
We decided to drive up to Lime Rock the on Sunday for our Monday trackday. We had a connection with a local B&B and it was certainly the better way to do the trip.

That morning we had an early wrenching session to check the last issues that might pop up with the cars. I was tightening a hose clamp on my gas tank when the fuel return spout broke from its weld. This resulted in a  slow but noticeable fuel leak when stationary, and a substantial one when the engine was running. Panicking, we drained the tank and I drove to an auto parts store with CB. Twenty minutes and a tube of JB weld later we were in business.

JR also showed up with a proper battery tie down for me that he stole from his turbo car. About as long as I remember I had been using bungees and ratchet straps to hold my battery, and that would apparently not pass tech...

My left rear wheel bearing was still making a slight noise, but I checked the tightness of the stub axle nut and all seemed well so I just tried to ignore it.

It was a rainy drive up to CT. With the exception of an actual squealing alternator belt when the lights and wipers were on, the car performed perfectly on the drive. This was shocking to me considering that the car had driven about 20 miles in the past 35 years.

In the morning, it was frosty cold. The chokeless 240z started hard, but did start. We made a quick fuel run then got to the track just as the safety meeting was ending, in true Top Gear style. My car flew through tech and I was soon waiting for my instructed session to start.

After I had borrowed a helmet from JR, my instructor and I set up our helmet-talkies and headed out to the track. I have to admit I was a bit nervous, but it definitely helped to have an instructor in the car. I don't think there was any way I could have figured out the line on my own, but he did a good job of showing me when to turn in, where to aim and when to get on the gas. After a few laps I was starting to feel comfortable and getting on the car a bit harder. To my surprise, it performed shockingly well. Somehow, despite my eyeball alignment, it handled easily and controllably as as you approached the limit of grip. Once I stiffened up the illuminas, it even transitioned from corner to corner very flat and stably.

In my third session out, my instructor was pushing me to go faster and faster. I was actually passing the other cars on the track (mostly Porsche's as it was a PCA event), though many would retake me on the long front straight as I don't have very much power. Just as I was doing really well and going pretty quickly...I spun.

My instructor didn't see anything I had done wrong and seemed to be as surprised as I was about the spin. After a quick drive through of the pit lane to talk with the controllers about it, I was back on track. It took a couple of laps to get the confidence to go hard through that particular turn, but eventually it came back. The only damage to the car was a lost center cap to one of my wheels.

Unfortunately my spin did direct the attention of the corner workers to my car, and I was black flagged for some reason. It turns out my brake lights hadn't been working (this was probably true the whole weekend, but no one noticed until after I spun). In between sessions I did some electrical detective work to determine the cause of the fault and was ready in time for my last session, which went well and without incident.

In addition to Porsches, there was our club and some other serious iron. All in all, I really enjoyed the day and I definitely have the track bug. I also have the bug for more power, as doing all the work to pass a car in the bends, just to have him walk by me on the straights was frustrating to say the least. I think there is a 1JZ-GTE in my future...

Pretty much immediately after this event, the boys and I moved out of the shop. JB got a PODS storage unit and we loaded whatever we could in there. The rest of it went to my mom's house in Newark, including the 240z. It was a sad day indeed.

As a result, all work that I needed to do on my motorcycle has taken place in AY's building with the help of KY. I had been having an intermittent stumbling issue with the bike that I couldn't track down. It seemed to break up at higher speeds and when turning, so I assumed it was a fuel issue. In fact, I thought was was the same water-in-the-tank issue that I had before. One afternoon, I hopped on the bike to go fix it. Once I got there, I drained the tank, cleaned the tank and front plug drain tubes, and drained the float bowls. This did nothing. A later day, rode over again so I could swap the spark plugs. One the ride over it was running great.  I figured I should do the plugs anyway because they were past due. Did all the work and....it started stumbling again. Frustrated, I ordered new coils for the bike while I was away on vacation. Once I got back, I went to install them when I noticed that the bike stumbled when I turned the handle bars, even when I was stationary. I investigated and saw that the wire I had run to the tachometer of the Vapor gauge had been rubbed raw and was occasionally coming into contact with the frame...when the wind would push it back or when the handle bars were turned. I taped up the wire, re routed it and was back in business. Sometimes it's the simple things...

Around the same time KY was solving an issue with his friend's BMW Z3. This guy had bought 19's for his small car along with a set of lowering springs. As you might expect, it now rubbed it's tires pretty much everywhere. Even after removing the inner fender and massaging the hood (which is also a fender on these cars) it still didn't have enough clearance. The solution was to add a spacer between the upper spring perch and the body. Spacers were cut from 3/8" plastic and inserted, along with longer studs to clear the longer distance. This did the trick and the car can now brave the pothole-ridden streets of NYC without fear.

The only other time I've had my Z on the road since losing the shop was, unfortunately, for a pretty sad reason. One of the members of the New York Z club, Tommy Sullivan, passed away in early May when his house burned down, claiming the lives of his wife and two daughters as well. Tommy was able to get his son, Tommy Jr., out before going back into the blaze to try to save the rest of his family. In order to remember our friend and try to raise some money for his son, the local Z clubs did a cruise and sold T-shirts and stickers. It was a great day, and a memorial Tommy would have loved.

I know it's been a long time, but a new shop in is in the works so expect more regular updates soon!

- W.W. SBSS

2/21/12 President's Day Weekend Progress

I did quite alot of work on the car this weekend so it's hard to remember where I started. I'll just be following the pics on my phone. Saturday morning when I went to the shop I found AY's uncle..AY... doings some woodwork. This piece he made by gluing many small pieces together then turning it on a lathe is pretty impressive. Soon after this he started to move his operations out of the shop because of the impending move.

Saturday I spent much of the day sectioning my rear struts. This process is pretty similar to the front so I didn't go quite so overboard with pictures but a couple are below. I think my pipe cutter is dying, because I had a bear of a time getting the cuts straight. 

I also installed the taillights in the car for no apparent reason.

In another random act, I decided to hang one of the front fenders. Looks good!

And I also mocked up a seat in the car. Ignore the stain...

On Sunday I drove first to my mom's place in Newark to borrow her focus and then to Little Ferry to a new friend DV's house to buy a set of wheels from him. I didn't think to take pictures, but he has one of the most impressive collections of motorcycles that I've ever seen. He also has a very clean 240z that he is turning into an all-out race build. Full Arizona Z Car track pack, LS3, this car is gonna be crazy. The reason he is selling these wheels is that they won't work with the 5 lug track pack. Because of this, I got a set of wheels and tires for less than half price with 30 miles on them! DV is also an incredibly friendly guy and seemed happy to help out another biker and Z guy. Thanks DV! 

A late Sunday night in the shop, with my SV, JB's new A7, and AY's new Cherokee. 

After having a big fight with one stubborn bushing, I got the rear suspension together and ready for installation. 

JB was working on a speaker mount for behind his couch. It is amazing how practical the A7 is. 

Monday morning I installed the Ron Tyler Diff mount. It's actually backwards in this picture, but ignore that. 

Then I threw the suspension in the car. I was gonna pull the stub axles out, but couldn't even get the nuts to loosen. I can't install the brake brackets until I get them off. I've called in the cavalry on this one so hopefully this gets solved soon. 

Starting to look like a car! At least now I can roll it out if I need to.

Unfortunately I got some bad news on Monday. I left my G35 at my mom's place in Newark for one night. Overnight, someone decided to break into my car. They took a screwdriver to my lock, beat up the door panel and somehow managed to break both of my window mechanisms (but not the windows, strangely). Since I can't get my passenger window closed, the car is out of commission for a while, locked in my mom's garage. We'll see how this goes dealing with insurance. 

Gotta take the bad with the good I guess...

-W.W. SBSS

1/23/12 In with the New

There has been some shuffling of the bikes in the shop recently. For one, there is now a cute little Peugeot 103 moped in the shop. I am fixing some small issues (and possibly modifying it to hit 50mph from it's current top speed of 20 or so) for a friend.

Yesterday a guy came by to look at the CB650 and put down a deposit. I'll be delivering the bike to him tomorrow. It's a bit sad to see it and the 700 go, but it makes room for a new project to be named shortly...

On Saturday it snowed for the first real time this season. This made the city very pretty, even the subway was improved by the flurry.

This also gave me an opportunity to behave like a child in the snow on the moped. All in the name of 'testing'.

I also installed sound deadening in the floor of the Z. I still have to do the cargo area and possibly the doors. and rear fenders. I also have to install my heat insulation on top of it. The interior is coming together though.

-W.W. SBSS

1/10/12 Back in the Saddle

The bike is back together. I rode a good few miles this weekend, and it was great to have the wind in my helmet again. I still have some little odds and ends to take care of, though. I ordered some new bar end mirrors. I also ordered some Delrin stock to make a new frame slider for the right side. I still need to extend the speedo pickup and trim the rear fender, but the bike is alive and well.

I also found out from the company I ordered my struts from that they will  be delayed an additional week or so, which is frustrating. I ordered from them because they were 25 bucks cheaper than everyone else. I guess I learned my lesson...

In order to keep working, I went on a bit of a shopping spree! Luckily, I am ordering only from my paypal account, which is funded by the sale of old parts, so I don't have to feel bad about it!

I want to get the interior put together while I wait. Now that the frame rails are welded and the floors are painted, I can move forward with this. There are two things I want to reduce in my car, road noise and heat. I don't mind having a loud car, but exhaust noise is very different than the drone of road noise. To kill the noise, you, unfortunately, need to add weight. This weight keeps the sheetmetal from vibrating and transmitting the noise into the cabin.

To kill heat from the engine, you need an insulating material between you and the heat source. Often these two tasks are combined into one product, which either doesn't deaden noise well, or adds excessive weight. I will be using two products together to get the desired effect without adding too much weight.

For noise, I chose to go with Fatmat, mainly because the price was right, and because it was an automotive-oriented product, it shouldn't give off the smell that some of the other budget solutions do.

For heat, I went with EZ Cool because it is quite cheap, VERY light and has proven results as a heat barrier. 

At 2lbs a roll I don't have to feel bad about putting this everywhere, and because it has some sound deadening properties, I can go lighter on the Fatmat in areas that are of somewhat less importance, saving weight. Both of these products are intended for automotive use and will not retain water, though  the POR-15 should protect me from that anyway.

On top of that I'll lay some standard Home depot carpet padding and carpet. This should provide me with a low cost, reasonably low weight solution for the NVH in my car. 

-W.W. SBSS