Car Thread - VROOM VROOM

[Car Won't Crank]

I like the way you think. I said earlier I'm thinking of selling one to get a sports car or something dumb and fun

A sports car is fun and all but man actually flying without a PPL is whole other bag of adrenaline. Another option is an ultralight autogyro.

 

[Torque Wheeler]

A sports car is fun and all but man actually flying without a PPL is whole other bag of adrenaline. Another option is an ultralight autogyro.

Do you have experience with ultralights? Sounds really interesting, and maybe a good way to one-up my biker bro friends. I've only been on a plane once, but I used to fly model planes and quad copters in the park as a teen

 

[Doppelmonger]

It's a heavily modified bug engine I rebuilt during lockdown. The carb is an Italian designed Weber, and I can confirm the idle circuit and vacuum lines looks like pasta. Changed to mechanical advance so I wouldn't have to deal with that crap

I had my doubts and thought that you were working on an old Fiat or Lancia engine, it is been so long since I have seen a bug's one but I did not wanted to assume it was one. Good call on making it mechanical!

 

[Torque Wheeler]

I had my doubts and thought that you were working on an old Fiat or Lancia engine, it is been so long since I have seen a bug's one but I did not wanted to assume it was one. Good call on making it mechanical!

I've sacrificed top end performance for reliability. I think it'll be okay. My setup is exactly the opposite of what the boomers on the samba forum like. They lose their shit if you bore out past 1776 cc, use a single progressive instead of dual carbs, and use mechanical advance. Oh, and I'm using a generator instead of an alternator and I'm not heating my intake manifold.

 

[Doppelmonger]

I've sacrificed top end performance for reliability. I think it'll be okay. My setup is exactly the opposite of what the boomers on the samba forum like. They lose their shit if you bore out past 1776 cc, use a single progressive instead of dual carbs, and use mechanical advance. Oh, and I'm using a generator instead of an alternator and I'm not heating my intake manifold.

Your car must work lile a charm then!
If I can get 10 more years of daily use on my Ka (or in any car) by changing the set up, so be it.

Reliability and ease of fix are kings, everything else is vanity imho.

 

[Torque Wheeler]

Your car must work lile a charm then!
If I can get 10 more years of daily use on my Ka (or in any car) by changing the set up, so be it.

Reliability and ease of fix are kings, everything else is vanity imho.

Just follow the maintenance schedule in your owners manual and you'll likely be fine. If you're in a climate where they salt roads like here, invest in an undercoating. Replace your timing belt when you need to. Carry a spare serpentine belt. Keep a basic tool set on hand. Eurofords seem to hold together pretty well in my limited experience. I will probably never see a Ka in my life

 

[Car Won't Crank]

Do you have experience with ultralights? Sounds really interesting, and maybe a good way to one-up my biker bro friends. I've only been on a plane once, but I used to fly model planes and quad copters in the park as a teen

I've only done some basic research and shopping to see what the options are. There are quite a few ultralight options you can buy from the manufacturer but they get expensive up to 20k easily. On the other end you can buy plans, the raw materials, the engine from Rotax, and build your own. In the middle there's a company that sells a kit version so you just assemble and fly. I'll update with names and links when I find them in my bookmarks.

Speaking of engines, Rotax is basically the go to for modern ultralights. In the olden days people used to take VW air cooled engines and use those but I think that was before the 254lbs weight limit on the airframe to comply with the FAR 103 regulations for experimental aircraft.

 

[CHARizard]

Wife just bought a 2021 Impreza hatch and I wanted to get her a decent dashcam. Any good recommendations?

 

[Car Won't Crank]

Wife just bought a 2021 Impreza hatch and I wanted to get her a decent dashcam. Any good recommendations?

I quite like the 70mai lite dashcam. It's cheap, inconspicuous, records 1080p, and has a parking monitor. Only thing that sucks is there's watermark you can't remove. But, it's not an actioncam so I don't care about the watermark. The 70mai A400 seems to be the replacement to the 70mai dash cam pro as both record in 1440p, with the A400 including a second camera for rear recording. I'd hardwire it into a 12v fuse that's always hot.

 

[CHARizard]

I quite like the 70mai lite dashcam.

Thanks! The price is exactly around what I wanted to pay, will probably try to grab one!

 

[Torque Wheeler]

Thanks! The price is exactly around what I wanted to pay, will probably try to grab one!

Report back with your findings if you end up getting it. I keep buying used dashcams off eBay like an idiot and they barely work.

The light prop aircraft engines share a lot of similarities with air-cooled porches and vws, just beefed up to handle running at a mostly constant load and rpm. Normally larger displacement, specialty heads, aluminum blocks, redundant ignition systems.

Don't listen to me though. I adhere to the laws of gravity and keep my projects on terra

 

[Torque Wheeler]

It's fact-tree

 

[Falcos_Commisar]

Wife just bought a 2021 Impreza hatch and I wanted to get her a decent dashcam. Any good recommendations?

Viofo A119 v3 is probably the best for around $100

VIOFO A119 V3 - DashCamTalk

The VIOFO A119 V3 is one of the best all around cameras. Excellent video quality, good parking modes, discreet and reliable.

dashcamtalk.com

 

[TiggerNits]

A sports car is fun and all but man actually flying without a PPL is whole other bag of adrenaline. Another option is an ultralight autogyro.

I've flown a few ultralights, but they were all built by dudes who didn't want to test them themselves and wanted someone with hours in the thousands. My only rule is the engine has to start on the first attempt and it can't be pink

 

[WhatInTheActualFuck]

Viofo A119 v3 is probably the best for around $100

VIOFO A119 V3 - DashCamTalk

The VIOFO A119 V3 is one of the best all around cameras. Excellent video quality, good parking modes, discreet and reliable.

dashcamtalk.com

Another option is a GoPro style camera. I got tired of dealing with dodgy fuse taps and running cables around the windshield, so having something completely self-contained was a nice alternative.

 

[Torque Wheeler]

Another option is a GoPro style camera. I got tired of dealing with dodgy fuse taps and running cables around the windshield, so having something completely self-contained was a nice alternative.

The cheaper go pro knock-offs, in my limited experience, are impressive for the price, but lack image stabilization, overheat easy, and can only record in 30 minute files. If you only park in the shade and have a smooth ride then it's probably fine, and then you can use it for other things.

Mine stays in storage

 

[Doppelmonger]

VolksRamen Kombi



Found it on my way to work.

 

[SpookNuker]

It's fact-tree
View attachment 2517482

Hey, it even has safety wire! That’s the work of a professional.

 

[Car Won't Crank]

Another option is a GoPro style camera. I got tired of dealing with dodgy fuse taps and running cables around the windshield, so having something completely self-contained was a nice alternative.

That used to be a popular solution years ago with cameras like the Mobius action cam, but dashcams these days are pretty cheap and have features that make them preferable. It's also not that hard to run those 12v to 5v hard wire regulators from a fuse tap to power the camera. Wires easily tuck into the headliner where the windshield meet and removing the A pillar trim to tuck it in the side is ezpz.

 

[Torque Wheeler]

That used to be a popular solution years ago with cameras like the Mobius action cam, but dashcams these days are pretty cheap and have features that make them preferable. It's also not that hard to run those 12v to 5v hard wire regulators from a fuse tap to power the camera. Wires easily tuck into the headliner where the windshield meet and removing the A pillar trim to tuck it in the side is ezpz.

The 12V outlet in my daily stays on all the time, making it super easy to use my dash cam. From my math, it would take several weeks for the dash cam to drain the battery below 12V