What did you do to your non-G body project today? [2021]

[ck80]

And an Envoy is considered small? Hate to prognosticate but the list you mentioned doesn't include a Prius or Smart Car or a Buick "parks itself", yet. Given that "Bawston" qualifier, and probably the accent to go with it, I guess riding trains and hugging trees could be a non-starter too. Almost sounds like she could be buying according to whatever is presently in fashion or socially accepted in her circle. The Envoy does have the virtue of being a four door meaning that her baby can go in the back in whatever currently state approved baby seat is being offered by???

Not going to say you're wrong on any account. Very possible. According to her a tahoe/burb/yukon is just too big. Its not about eco friendly. She's short and just doesn't want the biggest. Instead buys every option on whatever seems of interest.

We grew up in the Berkshires in a town under 500 people. But she forgets where she comes from, and how she got where she is, and acts like the prototypical masshole, and a NE Patriots lovin stereotype people love to hate to boot.

that is good cheese though..

Hahaha. What, no spray cheese in a can?

 

[melloelky]

Not going to say you're wrong on any account. Very possible. According to her a tahoe/burb/yukon is just too big. Its not about eco friendly. She's short and just doesn't want the biggest. Instead buys every option on whatever seems of interest.

We grew up in the Berkshires in a town under 500 people. But she forgets where she comes from, and how she got where she is, and acts like the prototypical masshole, and a NE Patriots lovin stereotype people love to hate to boot.

Hahaha. What, no spray cheese in a can?

 

[Wageslave]

Yo, Wageslave: High sided in a snow bank? You in the middle of that mess out in Kansas or ?? Arctic Vortex is supposed to abate by the coming weekend around her but the East Coast weather forecast, I think, calls for freezing rain so if you are anywhere between Texas and Maine best be getting out of that snowbank soon or you could be a popsicle until spring.

I finally got dug out by a backhoe after a squarebody 4x4 gave a few good yanks and decided he didn't want to get stuck too. The backhoe actually decided to dig the road out to us as it was that bad the whole way down.

We are probably in the 12-15 inch range here and it is still coming down. Guess I will have to leave early for work tomorrow...

 

[Supercharged111]

Not going to say you're wrong on any account. Very possible. According to her a tahoe/burb/yukon is just too big. Its not about eco friendly. She's short and just doesn't want the biggest. Instead buys every option on whatever seems of interest.

We grew up in the Berkshires in a town under 500 people. But she forgets where she comes from, and how she got where she is, and acts like the prototypical masshole, and a NE Patriots lovin stereotype people love to hate to boot.

Hahaha. What, no spray cheese in a can?

Our Envoy with the 5.3 gets 15-18. Makes me pine for a Tahoe. I'll give credit where it's due though, it's probably got the tightest turning radius out of anything I've owned.

 

[scoti]

Jeez Wageslave..... Not sure how you guys live w/that year-in/year-out.

We're getting hammered (by TX standards) w/'winter mix ' & sub zero temps here in Dallas. Maybe 2-3" of accumulation so no big deal. But there's minimal support for everything except the highways/over-passes. It's a freakin' hazard to drive anywhere because of all the yahoos that insist on doing 40 in a 40mph zone even w/snow covering the road ways. Seems they don't understand there's some ice hiding under there as well.

 

[Supercharged111]

Jeez Wageslave..... Not sure how you guys live w/that year-in/year-out.

We're getting hammered (by TX standards) w/'winter mix ' & sub zero temps here in Dallas. Maybe 2-3" of accumulation so no big deal. But there's minimal support for everything except the highways/over-passes. It's a freakin' hazard to drive anywhere because of all the yahoos that insist on doing 40 in a 40mph zone even w/snow covering the road ways. Seems they don't understand there's some ice hiding under there as well.

The snow that lives on the roads at 32 degrees is the worst, it's snot and it's as bad as glare ice or worse I swear. The stuff I've driven on the last few days in the single digit and sub zero temps is worlds better. We never get that here so I forget how not terrible winter roads can be. Typically though I still do 5 over regardless. I brake way early, turn way slower, maintain a much longer following distance, but once I'm up to speed it's the same old 5 over. Guess how many times I've wrecked in the snow? Zero. Not saying I'm perfect, and it could be that my day is coming, but it's all calculated risk, paying the F attention, and car control skills. I'd be lying if I said I hadn't had some close calls, but I bet you guys who take it slow could also say the same.

 

[Supercharged111]

And now for some actual non-G progress. And not pertaining to a lame house! It's time to get cracking on the race car! As some may know, I've been chasing an inconsistent brake pedal for some time now. After about 3 laps the car gets sketchy. I used to pad certain brake zones and just live with it, but the competition has stepped up forcing me to as well. I tried a couple different iterations of better sealed brake ducting with no change. Eliminated rear knock back in 2 phases with no change. Went up 1 in front brake compound with no change. Tried a firmer brake fluid that was firmer for 3 laps then the same old same old. Upgraded from C5 to stiffer C6 calipers to no avail. Upgraded from Camaro hubs to C7 SKF x tracker hubs to no avail.

Time for the Stoptechs. I had to pull my pants down and unload over $1100 for these 2 piece rotors last year to play with the calipers I already had. The rotors showed up the day I went to the track for practice, the Friday leading into the race weekend. Ended up being a moot point as the caliper pistons were trashed.

The other 4 were worse. Maybe I would have been OK? But there's very little send left with my approach to setting up and equipping this car. Thanks to my friend who's been learning from a pro, there's nothing I can leave on the table. Here you can see the newer pistons are more thoughtfully designed. I'm genuinely curious as to what's up with the inner surface of the piston. The diameter being cast in is an excellent detail. An old piston is pictured in the bottom for clarification.

One or both of the calipers was leaking and I got them for basically free with new seal kits. I traded tires I won for them. The old seals didn't look hammered, but the dust boots were gone.

While they are radial mounted 4 pot calipers, they're not true racing calipers. I wonder if I should have left the boots off. I bet they're roached within a season.

Rebuilding was easy peasy though. My compressor died so I couldn't split the hubs from the adapters to relocate the spindle cooling duct shrouds. I'll swing by the hangar tomorrow and handle that to mock it all up and see what I'm missing. While this brake kit is a bolt on when you buy it from Stoptech, I've tried to piecemeal it together on the cheap with moderate success. I anticipate a couple issues I don't see just yet, but that's why I do this now and not the weekend before the first race.

 

[Wageslave]

Jeez Wageslave..... Not sure how you guys live w/that year-in/year-out.

We're getting hammered (by TX standards) w/'winter mix ' & sub zero temps here in Dallas. Maybe 2-3" of accumulation so no big deal. But there's minimal support for everything except the highways/over-passes. It's a freakin' hazard to drive anywhere because of all the yahoos that insist on doing 40 in a 40mph zone even w/snow covering the road ways. Seems they don't understand there's some ice hiding under there as well.

This stuff is heavenly by normal Illinois standards. We had a hard freeze for like a week before all the snow came. Not a lick of ice anywhere on the roads. This stuff is only a little slicker than sand for the most part, but if you get high-centered there is no helping getting stuck. We are at probably about the 12-15 inch mark now and it is still coming.

 

[Supercharged111]

This stuff is heavenly by normal Illinois standards. We had a hard freeze for like a week before all the snow came. Not a lick of ice anywhere on the roads. This stuff is only a little slicker than sand for the most part, but if you get high-centered there is no helping getting stuck. We are at probably about the 12-15 inch mark now and it is still coming.

Bring it! I'd love nothing more than to watch this town take on a good 3 footer. They'd probably declare a state of emergency and I could wrench for a week in my garage while they figured out what to do with the snow or just waited for it to melt.

 

[CopperNick]

On those pistons, couple of possible explanations for that number. Throw a mike at the piston diameter and measure it in metric mode; could be 36mm in dia. Second poss might be the alloy from which they were machined. Third, it could be last two digits of their part number. Just me noodling aloud here.


Nick