Farrar's car blog

[Farrar]

Time to call the CarbHotline

I think it's time to replace all of my rubber vacuum hoses with silicone vacuum hoses.

Farrar

[sean]

I think it's time to replace all of my rubber vacuum hoses with silicone vacuum hoses.

Farrar

Did you not replace your vacuum lines when you converted?

[Farrar]

Did you not replace your vacuum lines when you converted?

Yup, with rubber hose. But it's been almost four years since then.

Farrar

[sean]

Yup, with rubber hose. But it's been almost four years since then.

Farrar

Well I would expect the vacuum lines would last longer than that but if it helps you sleep at night replace them again. Still, I'd contact the crabmaster. It might be a simple adjustment.

[Farrar]

I'd contact the crabmaster. It might be a simple adjustment.

I have got in touch with him. He told me to spray brake cleaner all over the intake manifold with the engine running. I hesitate to do this for two reasons: 1. my car still has catalytic convertors on it and 2. I do not want my car to catch fire again.

On second thought, maybe I should try it. If I set the car on fire using Bill's technique, he will have to come down here and help me repair the damage.

[sean]

I have got in touch with him. He told me to spray brake cleaner all over the intake manifold with the engine running.

Ask him if propane is acceptable. When I look for leaks I use one of these:


I just open the valve enough to allow the propane to trickle out and when a leak sucks it in the idle jumps. I've had success with this without engine bay ignition.

[Farrar]

I will be occupied with the mundane task of killing the misfire for quite some time. Nonetheless, I have had this idea kicking around in my head for quite some time, and I finally got to the point where I am not absolutely horrible at drawing and was able to sketch it on Friday. This is what I would eventually like to have as #2613's dashboard/kneepad/console assembly:

dashboard-kneepad-sketch.jpg

Like Steve's ProtoDeLorean, the height of the console will be raised in order to accommodate the 7" carputer touchscreen. The dashboard itself will be in one piece. Instead of two centrally-located HVAC outputs and two door-located HVAC outputs, there will be one pair for each passenger. The glove compartment will be underneath the passenger's kneepad and will open down/frontward so that the contents will be visible when it is opened.

On the driver's side, you will notice the kneepad is a single piece. I am only five foot seven inches tall, so the steering wheel is always at its tallest. Therefore, a one-piece kneepad with an opening in the center for the steering column to pass through will be fine for me.

When I get my own garage, I will be dangerous.....

[sean]

If you want to keep your existing knee pads, "just in case", you can contact DMCH for some of their off the car knee pads. I purchased a set a while back, at a very fair price, because I have similar plans and didn't want to ruin a good set of knee pads. They wont be perfect, i.e. torn and or faded and stained covers but the frames are good. This way you can modify a poor set and recover with whatever you want while keeping a good set on the shelf.

[Farrar]

If you want to keep your existing knee pads, "just in case", you can contact DMCH for some of their off the car knee pads.

That's good thinking. Actually, however, my kneepads will be shaped differently anyway, and will need to be made from scratch. Bear in mind we're talking years in the future -- I have no garage, and therefore no way to make anything out of fiberglass, right now, and we probably won't be living in a place with a garage for some time yet. I just wanted to put the sketch up so I wouldn't forget about it, and also see what other folks thought of it.

Thanks!

[Farrar]

I guess no one thought much of the sketch.

I have not driven the car in a couple of weeks. The humidity has taken its toll already: look at how corroded the intake manifold bolts are! Those are zinc-plated 8.8 steel bolts, but the intake manifold is, of course, aluminum.

I will need to fire up this car soon and get rid of some of this corrosion!!!

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