Topic: What did you do to your non-motorcycle vehicle today?

[grcamna2]

Went o see the Mustang today. Not as clean as it looks in the pictures and the roll cage is legal for the rule books but less than well engineered. I’ve always liked my race cars to be as tough as possible.
      Despite being rough around the edges, lots of potential. The fuel cell is too small to run a two hour driver stint (very important in an 8 hour Enduro so we only have to make 3 pit stops) and it would probably consume cdn$800 of gasoline/race. Tim and I agreed to sleep on it for a few days and then discuss next week.

If you decide to purchase it,I hope the seller will negotiate.

[BenelliSEI]

Went o see the Mustang today. Not as clean as it looks in the pictures and the roll cage is legal for the rule books but less than well engineered. I’ve always liked my race cars to be as tough as possible.
      Despite being rough around the edges, lots of potential. The fuel cell is too small to run a two hour driver stint (very important in an 8 hour Enduro so we only have to make 3 pit stops) and it would probably consume cdn$800 of gasoline/race. Tim and I agreed to sleep on it for a few days and then discuss next week.

If you decide to purchase it,I hope the seller will negotiate.

I’m sure he will. Just not feeling we need this!

[Terry in Australia]

I drove my little truck 420 miles on the weekend to visit my 95 year old Ma and have a late Christmas with her and my sister. The weather was awful, 90 degrees F on Saturday, and my poor little "Poverty Pack" truck has no aircon, so drove all the way with the windows down. Could have been worse, I saw quite a few guys on bikes with all the safety gear on, they must have been melting. The road to one town I usually pass through was blocked by the police and we were detoured around the town. Turns out a motorcyclist and a car collided and the rider was killed.

Anyway, arrived safely and had a good night with my Ma and big sister, who'd just come back from Hawaii where she'd had Christmas with my American niece, who lives in California. Drove back early to miss some of the heat, and had a much more enjoyable drive back, as the temps had dropped 10 degrees or so. The little truck drove like a champ and I was happy that it was averaging 33 MPG, as fuel is super expensive at the moment because it's still the holiday season and of course the oil companies like to gouge us for every penny, whenever they can. I probably could have made it there and home on one tank, but filled up again on the way home because fuel was cheaper in the country than in the city.

By 11am, with an hour left to drive home, the rain came crashing down. It's flooding in several areas here, so I'm glad (again) that I decided to drive the truck than ride any of my bikes. Hopefully the rain will go away by Wednesday and I'll get some rides in. I brought back a little electric/hydraulic wood splitter that I'd bought for my dad when he was still alive, I'm thinking of using the hydraulics to convert my bike lift to electric, rather than have to pump it up by foot, or take forever to raise it using the compressed air option. Regardless, the little truck is still going great. I need to strip the horrible black paint off the rims and paint them the original silver, I might do that this week when the sun comes out again.

Triton Sunday 7 January 2024 by Terry Prendergast, on Flickr   

[madmtnmotors]

Finished up a regimen of long term maintenance on a 92' Camry I recently picked up. 72,000 on the odometer with the 2200 4 cyl engine. Struts and tires were shot, along with all the plastic door handles inside and out. One of the tires was eighteen years old with plenty of tread left! Window regulators (electric) were struggling in all four doors and the power steering pump was demanding new seals. Did the timing belt, water pump, tie rod ends, and accessory drive belts. Tracks like it's riding on rails now and no more "bouncy castle" going down the road. New capacitors in the tachometer (speedo too for good measure) and the gauges now work as they should. I get to drive it back and forth to work for a one week shakedown and then it becomes the wife's daily driver.

[Terry in Australia]

Finished up a regimen of long term maintenance on a 92' Camry I recently picked up. 72,000 on the odometer with the 2200 4 cyl engine. Struts and tires were shot, along with all the plastic door handles inside and out. One of the tires was eighteen years old with plenty of tread left! Window regulators (electric) were struggling in all four doors and the power steering pump was demanding new seals. Did the timing belt, water pump, tie rod ends, and accessory drive belts. Tracks like it's riding on rails now and no more "bouncy castle" going down the road. New capacitors in the tachometer (speedo too for good measure) and the gauges now work as they should. I get to drive it back and forth to work for a one week shakedown and then it becomes the wife's daily driver.

They were a great car mate, I had a 91 "Holden Apollo" (Camry with GM-H badges) that a mate gave me, was a fantastic little car, and if I hadn't made the mistake of giving it to my oldest son, it'll still be going great now. If I could find another one in the same condition I'd buy it.

[grcamna2]

Terry,do you need to squeeze into the truck slowly with your height,then keep the seat all the way back ?

[Terry in Australia]

Terry,do you need to squeeze into the truck slowly with your height,then keep the seat all the way back ?

Thanks Bill, I don’t have to squeeze in, but yes, I do have the seat all the way back. I think if I’d bought the “Dual cab” version I could probably move the seat further back but I wouldn’t have the long bed, which will easily take a full sized motorcycle. It’s a compromise, if I needed a truck every day I’d probably sell it and buy something roomier, but the last time I drove it was November, so I can live with the seating position for the occasional drive. It’s fantastic in winter as the cab heats up quickly, but not so great in summer.

[grcamna2]

Terry,do you need to squeeze into the truck slowly with your height,then keep the seat all the way back ?

Thanks Bill, I don’t have to squeeze in, but yes, I do have the seat all the way back. I think if I’d bought the “Dual cab” version I could probably move the seat further back but I wouldn’t have the long bed, which will easily take a full sized motorcycle. It’s a compromise, if I needed a truck every day I’d probably sell it and buy something roomier, but the last time I drove it was November, so I can live with the seating position for the occasional drive. It’s fantastic in winter as the cab heats up quickly, but not so great in summer.

I've grown-accustom to driving a vehicle which is too small,similar to my circumstances all through life:they've been 'too small'    I can't make much out of them. 
I do like that small truck;no need to stretch too far if something slips off the seat while you're driving 

[Terry in Australia]

The good thing is that the engine is a gem. 1600 RPM @ 60 MPH and while it struggles up steep hills it has a “Power” button on the shifter that allows it to rev up and take hills easily. I rarely need to use it, but it’s handy when I do.

[grcamna2]

The good thing is that the engine is a gem. 1600 RPM @ 60 MPH and while it struggles up steep hills it has a “Power” button on the shifter that allows it to rev up and take hills easily. I rarely need to use it, but it’s handy when I do.

4 speed automatic ?

[Terry in Australia]

The good thing is that the engine is a gem. 1600 RPM @ 60 MPH and while it struggles up steep hills it has a “Power” button on the shifter that allows it to rev up and take hills easily. I rarely need to use it, but it’s handy when I do.

4 speed automatic ?

Yes mate.

[grcamna2]

The good thing is that the engine is a gem. 1600 RPM @ 60 MPH and while it struggles up steep hills it has a “Power” button on the shifter that allows it to rev up and take hills easily. I rarely need to use it, but it’s handy when I do.

4 speed automatic ?

Yes mate.

Did you hold-off on installing the turbo kit ?

[Terry in Australia]

Yeah mate, I realised that the Mitsubishi doesn’t rev hard enough to produce enough boost. The Subaru starts making noticeable boost around 3500 RPM, and makes full boost @ 4500, but the Mitsubishi rarely goes over 2500 RPM, and cruises at only 1600 RPM @ 60 MPH. To make any worthwhile boost I’d have to convert it to a manual gearbox so I could hold it in a lower gear while I give it the berries, which would be fun, but a big job, and my poor old knees aren’t up to changing up and down in traffic.

Yes I could “manually” shift the automatic transmission I suppose, but not sure how long it’ll last if I flog it. Fuel economy is another factor, the Subaru, driven as it was designed, is good for maybe 20 MPG, whereas the Mitsubishi was returning 33 on the trip to my Ma’s place and as I only really use it for longer trips picking up bikes and going to swap meets etc, I’d rather have better fuel economy than more power.

[Stev-o]

I was happy that it was averaging 33 MPG, as fuel is super expensive at the moment because it's still the holiday season and of course the oil companies like to gouge us for every penny...

Hey Terry... curious, how much is fuel down there now?  Fuel here in Texas has gotten cheap, only $2.39/gallon at my fav station today. But, it is crap fuel for bikes as it's 10% ethanol. 
I havent checked my truck's fuel economy in years, just dont care.

However, I do buy the cheapest gas for the cars and truck, we have a website showing the prices...

https://www.gasbuddy.com/gasprices/texas/cedar-park

[Terry in Australia]

G’day Steve, it’s still “Holiday Season” here in Oz so fuel prices are artificially inflated to maximise profits for the big oil companies. Average fuel prices in Melbourne on Saturday was $1.93 (AUD, around $1.30 USD) per litre for 91 RON, which is the lowest grade fuel here. That would be around $4.81 USD per US gallon, so yep, much cheaper (like everything else) in the US.

I bought fuel from the “cheap” independent gas station near my place that was $1.68 AUD per litre, 25 cents per litre cheaper, so I was happy to save $9 on only 36 litres required to fill it up. After 430 Km (268 miles) I filled it again and it only took 37 litres. The independent gas station I filled up at was $1.80, still better than city prices, but not as cheap as my local independent.

[spotty]

I was happy that it was averaging 33 MPG, as fuel is super expensive at the moment because it's still the holiday season and of course the oil companies like to gouge us for every penny...

Hey Terry... curious, how much is fuel down there now?  Fuel here in Texas has gotten cheap, only $2.39/gallon at my fav station today. But, it is crap fuel for bikes as it's 10% ethanol. 
I havent checked my truck's fuel economy in years, just dont care.

However, I do buy the cheapest gas for the cars and truck, we have a website showing the prices...

https://www.gasbuddy.com/gasprices/texas/cedar-park

at the moment its $2(aus) a litre on average which works out to about $6 US for a US gallon ( 3.8 litres ), my Vmax has a 3 gallon main tank and i can sometimes get 70 or 80 miles from that, great touring bike.....

[Terry in Australia]

Ha ha, my old Sporty has a 12 litre tank and I average around 120-150 miles out of it. I filled it up once and the guy behind the counter asked why I’d bother only putting 7 litres in it until I explained that it only holds 12. I had a “Roadster” tank on my first Iron head sportster which held 15 litres so was good for close to 200 miles, but it didn’t suit the bike, and really unnecessary as I like to stop every hundred miles or so to get off and have a walk around.

[Kelly E]

G’day Steve, it’s still “Holiday Season” here in Oz so fuel prices are artificially inflated to maximise profits for the big oil companies. Average fuel prices in Melbourne on Saturday was $1.93 (AUD, around $1.30 USD) per litre for 91 RON, which is the lowest grade fuel here. That would be around $4.81 USD per US gallon, so yep, much cheaper (like everything else) in the US.

I bought fuel from the “cheap” independent gas station near my place that was $1.68 AUD per litre, 25 cents per litre cheaper, so I was happy to save $9 on only 36 litres required to fill it up. After 430 Km (268 miles) I filled it again and it only took 37 litres. The independent gas station I filled up at was $1.80, still better than city prices, but not as cheap as my local independent.

Lucky you, my little truck only gets 16mpg. The motor is about 3.2L but makes around 240hp. The torque curve starts just off idle and continues until 4k rpm. It will pull the hill up to the house at 1200rpm in second gear.
With 3.73 gears it's pretty damn quick out of the hole. I think quick is way more fun than top end, how often can you go 160+mph? Good thing I don't care about mileage when I drive it, I'm usually flooring the GO pedal anyway.

[Terry in Australia]

G’day Steve, it’s still “Holiday Season” here in Oz so fuel prices are artificially inflated to maximise profits for the big oil companies. Average fuel prices in Melbourne on Saturday was $1.93 (AUD, around $1.30 USD) per litre for 91 RON, which is the lowest grade fuel here. That would be around $4.81 USD per US gallon, so yep, much cheaper (like everything else) in the US.

I bought fuel from the “cheap” independent gas station near my place that was $1.68 AUD per litre, 25 cents per litre cheaper, so I was happy to save $9 on only 36 litres required to fill it up. After 430 Km (268 miles) I filled it again and it only took 37 litres. The independent gas station I filled up at was $1.80, still better than city prices, but not as cheap as my local independent.

Lucky you, my little truck only gets 16mpg. The motor is about 3.2L but makes around 240hp. The torque curve starts just off idle and continues until 4k rpm. It will pull the hill up to the house at 1200rpm in second gear.
With 3.73 gears it's pretty damn quick out of the hole. I think quick is way more fun than top end, how often can you go 160+mph? Good thing I don't care about mileage when I drive it, I'm usually flooring the GO pedal anyway.

Is that your turbocharged truck Kelly? Have you got a boost gauge fitted? My Subaru isn’t making any boost under 3500 RPM, then around 14 psi @ 4500 RPM, but by that time I’m slowing down because that’s over 60MPH in second gear and speeding fines are really high here in Oz. I drove my little truck to do some errands today and the tach never went over 2500 RPM, so probably not worth turbocharging.

[Kelly E]

My little truck is not turbocharged, my big diesel truck is. At the lower rpms a supercharger would probably work better for your little truck.
The motor in my little truck is a GM 60° 2.8L V6 bored .030" over with a stroker crank, ported big valve heads with 1.6 roller tip rockers, double roller timing chain, Edelbrock 2 piece aluminum intake with a Holley 390cfm 4bbl carb, a custom curved distributor, headers and running 9 to 1 compression.

When it was new the 85' 2.8L V6 was rated at 110hp. Now it's actually fun to drive.

[Terry in Australia]

That’s a good point, I might try to find one of those compact blowers for it, it’d be a lot easier than the piping for a turbo. I think mine is rated @ 147 BHP and there’s no weight in it, but a blower conversion would be fun.

[grcamna2]

That’s a good point, I might try to find one of those compact blowers for it, it’d be a lot easier than the piping for a turbo. I think mine is rated @ 147 BHP and there’s no weight in it, but a blower conversion would be fun.

A small blower kit that will fit your stock engine application.

[Tintop]

Interesting comments re fuel prices.  Where I'm at in Canada it's currently $1.35/litre.  It's been up to $1.39, & down to $1.28 over the past couple of months.  My Chevy Silverado with a 5.3 V8 is getting around 12l / 100km average, although I can see 10 on the highway.  Best was 9.2 on a trip on 80km/h roads.  Not sure what the 427 (6 spd manual) in the 93 GMC Topkick horse van is going to be getting, I'll find out in the spring.

[Stev-o]

Interesting comments re fuel prices. 

Yes, it is.   I feel sorrow for those guys in Oz, $6/gallon would make ya think twice about going for a Sunday joy ride and burning up a tank of fuel in a vehicle that gets 10 miles/gal.

[seanbarney41]

Interesting comments re fuel prices. 

Yes, it is.   I feel sorrow for those guys in Oz, $6/gallon would make ya think twice about going for a Sunday joy ride and burning up a tank of fuel in a vehicle that gets 10 miles/gal.

that is why I got out of cars and into bikes back in 2008 when gas was $4 a gallon and I was only making like $12.50 an hour.  I literally could not afford to enjoy my hobby.