All of us, to one degree or another, have to drive or get from place to place. With the rampant increases in gas prices, and me not wanting to finance the Arabs any more than I have to, I've come up with my own version of urban transportation.
I figure it'll save me some money, and get a few pounds of unneeded lard off my butt at the same time.
What, if anything, are you doing? Posted by Darcy Baker (Member # 8262) on :
I plan my days more carefully lining up client visits in one drive so I assume the position less often. Posted by Jon Butterworth (Member # 227) on :
Definately doing Darcy's trick!
I plan a single trip each day around town to deliver, pick up, job sites. etc Anything missed or additional after I get back waits until next day.
WALK 1/2 mile to the local shops for cigarettes, newspapers, milk etc.
Use Sues Honda where ever possible rathar than the van ... diference is 10 miles/gallon.
Considering buying a motorcycle/side car!
Thought I would add a few more comments to Darcy's cartoon:
[ May 24, 2008, 09:37 PM: Message edited by: Jon Butterworth ]
Posted by old paint (Member # 549) on :
i got a freind of mine here, we was discussing HHO, WATER ALCOHOL INJECTION ADD ONS...still lookin at em. got a guy here in pcola, now iam not realy taken by what hes doin as we did something similar back in the mid 60's at the drag strip. http://www.weartv.com/newsroom/search/story.shtml?/2008/04/80G65YWA.xml Posted by Stephen Deveau (Member # 1305) on :
I don't understand!
We have around 80% ocean water that can fuel a H2O engine but we still look for more oil sources.
Look at Alberta....They call this the dirty sands of Canada.
Sure we need oil for products. But not everything has to be made or used from it.
Now we are talking about stealing food (Corn/Soya/Sugar) to grease the wheel of our life style. Bio fuels. As the rest of the world will starve.
This is not right!
We know how to produce 'Nuclear Powers' for energy and yet in my own provience there is no mining of uranium, but we love to burn 'Coal' to power our needs.
It is time to change our why of thought.
Remember it is now 6.5 billion people today but shall rise to 7.25 in ten years.
Posted by Dale Feicke (Member # 767) on :
Man, Darcy, that's gotta hurt!Have you noticed any difference in the "enema effect" from regular to ethyl?
John, those are cool cartoons....except the one with the gas gauge will have to have vinyl numbers on it so they can be changed every day or two.
I agree with the need to do more research on alternate energy sources, Steven. But, thanks at least to our government's beaurocracy, not nearly enough research has been done in this area; so for awhile yet, we are going to be dependent on oil. We have it, in numerous places; but the damn tree-huggers won't let us go get it. It's already proven in Alaska to have been more of a benefit to wildlife than harmful.
We also have millions of acres of farmland in this country that sit untilled while their owners get billions each year from the government NOT to grow the crops that could so easily be made into ethanol and biodiesel. There is also technology available that will make fuel out of recycled plastic....the answer to the problem of how to get rid of old plastic stuff. Will it ever happen? It could, but I have doubts. Unfortunately, many in Washington are more interested in lining their pockets from special interest groups, than serving their constituents.
Posted by Darcy Baker (Member # 8262) on :
yep,and that corn ethanol burns a bit too. gives me gas.Technology is also here to build ceramic engines which would run more efficiently and forever, but car manufacturers want your return business.This will get a bunch of nay sayers but a couple ozs. of acetone in a tank of gas makes it burn more efficiently and gives dramatic increase in mileage.There are studies out there.Do your own research on this.Here's the flip side of that one http://neubranderinc.com/blog/2007/01/03/acetone-in-gasoline-busted/
[ May 25, 2008, 10:04 AM: Message edited by: Darcy Baker ]
Posted by Russ McMullin (Member # 5617) on :
Dale, I'm right behind you:
With the rising cost of gas it doesn't make sense to drive everywhere. Not that it ever did.
With the doctor's assurance that my heart is in good shape, I can get in better shape and save on gas at the same time. Work is only a half mile away, so I've been riding quite a bit further to get a workout. Although, the first time I rode to work I was amazed how out of shape I was. Muscles burning after a half mile = seriously out of shape.
edited to say: I forgot to mention how much I like having the fenders. I rode to work last week in a light rain, and didn't catch any splash from the tires.
[ May 25, 2008, 02:34 PM: Message edited by: Russ McMullin ]
Posted by Lee McKee (Member # 3533) on :
Here is a link to a car that I used to own. I sold it before it got restored but I have all the support documents that were left for the museum by the Shell scientists.
It achevied high milage through such modifications as a vapor injectors and heated air intake. They also inflated the tires too 100+ lbs. and did away with any suspension.
Here is a picture of Me and the car. I'm the one on the right. The other guy is just a ButtHead I used to work with.
[ May 25, 2008, 03:34 PM: Message edited by: Lee McKee ]
Posted by Darcy Baker (Member # 8262) on :
Thats pretty neat Lee. If it's a Hawk I want one!There's a guy here who built a Studillac but it sucks gas.Russ, those skulls make your Schwinn look mean.
[ May 25, 2008, 03:10 PM: Message edited by: Darcy Baker ]
Posted by Mike Pipes (Member # 1573) on :
and stripped it down to the frame, cut, grinded and welded to fit larger (and more) batteries, swapped out the slightly less than 1HP electric motor for one that's rated at 8HP, which incidentally was designed to be used as a CNC spindle, ie: torque out the ying-yang, and installed a 400amp motor controller.
The mods turned a 17MPH toy into a 40MPH death trap. We toasted the brushes in the motor in short order, probably from running twice the voltage it was designed for and it's since been stripped down for return back to its original toy status. It was just too much torque and speed for that small frame, and the brakes weren't up to par for 40MPH.
A new version is in the works, using the same controller, batteries, a larger frame, tires and better brakes all to make it a safer ride, but we now have a 15HP electric motor waiting to be installed. It'll be pretty similar to this motorcycle from thunderstruck motors, actually using pretty much all the same components.
Posted by Darcy Baker (Member # 8262) on :
looks like a lil pocket rocket.400 amp looks right.make sure you have a high capacitive suppressor on the brushes if the motor doesn't have one built in to keep arcing down.Post pics of it.
Posted by old paint (Member # 549) on :
[ May 25, 2008, 09:47 PM: Message edited by: old paint ]
Posted by Darcy Baker (Member # 8262) on :
My next car is a BMW. Think the cops will catch me? Posted by old paint (Member # 549) on :
in ark they will tell you to turn it around..small end needs to go forward)))))
Posted by Darcy Baker (Member # 8262) on :
OP, a friend of mine had a body shop and did this conversion when everybody was stuffing small blocks in Vegas. This thing was way sweeter. mid engine handled awesome and scared ya silly. Got hot though with the engine right behind ya. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pPkByKChdEc Posted by Mike Pipes (Member # 1573) on :
Darcy, the new motor is brushless, thus making it completely maintenance-free, aside from taking care of the bearings.
The motor with the toasted brushes has the arc suppression built-in because of its intended use with sensitive electronics, we just put that little thing through hell. I plugged the controller into a computer (real nifty feature) and removed all power constraints to test it to its fullest potential. The controller is really slick, it gives full independent control over torque curves, top speed, throttle response, etc. plus you can log performance data on the fly while in operation for analyzing later.
Posted by Dale Feicke (Member # 767) on :
Thanks OP for the trip thru the past. Those old little cars bring back some memories. I never knew Sears sold cars. I knew about the motorcycles, but not the cars. Did you ever see anything about the King Midget? A guy in our town had one when I was a kid. Cute. I used to ride to jr. high with a friend in a Crosley. They were a bit primitive, but definitely got the job done.
Darcy, those Corv-8's were (are) awesome. I had planned to buy one that was already built, but it got wrecked before I got it. Crown Manuf. started their adapting with putting Corvair engines in VW's. I had a '57 Karman-Ghia with a slightly modified 110 horse 'Vair engine for a couple years. Would run right with most late 60's muscle cars. Drag racing, that thing would hardly spin a tire...just leap off the line,before those big blocks could get going. It got 27 mpg on the road on regular. It was a fun little ride. Traded it in on a new '69 FIAT 850....how bout that Lee? It never got that kinda mileage though.
![[Smile]](smile.gif)
We toasted the brushes in the motor in short order, probably from running twice the voltage it was designed for 
Think the cops will catch me? 