48F and wet. A dreary end for a dreary year.
Last day of the year. We no longer go out, too many amateurs on the road, and too many kids at home…. I won’t be able to sleep until I see that we got through another Times Square Ball Drop without an attack. It’s just the way I’m wired.
To my mind, that’s the biggest target in the US. Much more visible than a building or concert. No way it can be adequately secured. Every year I’m grateful when it’s over. This year, all it would take is a dozen people infecting revelers who go home to infect others… and you have The Night When Everything Changed ™.
Enough gloom for this morning.
I was dreaming about using reanimated dead people as fighter pilots, and attack helicopter pilots and that was fine. But when I thought of using them as restaurant workers, my sleeping brain went “That’s not right!” Strange way to wake up, and it set my mood.
But the normal rhythms of life call, breakfast needs cooking, wife and kids need feeding. Those are the things that tie us here, don’t let them pass unnoticed.
n
Proof that our WA State legislators have gone to…
https://futurism.com/washington-first-state-legalize-human-composting
So another year passes. This next year will bring new lows in the world of politics and more “immigration” nonsense.
It is about time that we reverse the trend of the good old days being the good old days. It seems the more “progress” we make, the more inhuman and uncaring our lives become. We can strive to make our own little part of the world better, or at least tolerable, but the stench from the cesspool all around us does not look like it will cease.
Hold your loved ones close and persevere.
Peace and goodwill to all, but don’t tolerate the intolerant.
Yes, @DadC is melancholy, but I still harbor a spark of hope deep within.
Heavy rain and 68f on the commute this morning.
I am finding driving on dark, wet roads more of a chalenge that it used to be. Eyesight doesn’t have the dynamic range it used to I guess. Glare is more of a problem. My brother has given up driving at night alltogether. But he has macular degeneration so there is that. My wife quit night driving a few years back but since her cateract surgery will chance it now and again.
I had decided to spend the last day of the year at work having taken most of the previous 2 weeks on PTO. But when I pulled up to the building I found the gates closed and the car park all but empty. I got in through the guard gate house and was the only person on my floor for over two hours. Now it’s getting busy, three more people have showed up. The manager is off so who do I think I am impressing. I will head home when the rain lets up and finish the day on-line. Our UK HQ is tightly shut and all manufacturing on holiday. The Brits take their holiday time seriously. When I started at MCI WorldCom London offices in 1998, I showed up for work on Monday, Dec 21. My new manager was surprised. He asked why I was there. I said I was supposed to start work that Monday. He said “Well, certainly, but no one really works between the week before Christmas and New Years, so why don’t you come back then.”. I told him I rather hoped to be paid for those two weeks so I would start now. Working in the UK I discovered I had more PTO than I knew what to do with. We got 4 weeks holiday to start, not counting bank holidays and Boxing Day and the Queens Birthday and such as well as Black Friday and Easter Monday. We took regular 2 week vacations in the South of France and still had plenty of time to kill. And after 3 years in service I received an extra week vacation.
I was on a project in Aberdeen Scotland, which was way behind. I was installing some gear in what could be considered corporate boardroom environments. The previous installer had literally spent all his time drinking and whoring, only doing enough work to look like progress was being made, ie. putting gear in place but not connecting it.
Anyway, I flew in with my co-worker and our mandate was rescue the project, get it done, save the customer. As such, we worked sun up to 10pm or later. We eventually got a visit from security and Health and Safety about working too much. That was not an idea I was particularly familiar with… I argued that we were down to the commissioning stage, all the work was basically office type work (done hanging heavy things and working on ladders) so there wasn’t a safety issue. We got it done but it took a toll on us. That sort of work always does. As far as I could tell, no one else in the whole division worked particularly hard. The atmosphere was VERY laid back. The food was good. The offices and employees were stylish and “smart” in the british “smart looking chap” way.
I found the same thing in Norway. Very short work days. Very casual attitude toward getting anything done or scheduling. LOTS of time off. Even the security desk staff had lots of paid vacation and had traveled all over the world.
Canadian employees were constantly telling us the Americans work too hard, don’t take enough time off, take their jobs too seriously, etc.
You didn’t see that in the third world. Everyone who had a job there HUSTLED. They might stand around for hours waiting to be TOLD what to do, but once they were set a task they jumped on it. Those guys were hungry.
It comes down to socialism, hard or soft. If you don’t get to keep the result of your effort, why make any extra effort?
n
The Vegas NYE on The Strip is supposed to be extra huge this year. A-Z List Celibritards in all the big casinos. The family will spend NYE at the Red Rock Casino avoiding the Strip crowds. The cops will start blocking off The Strip around 3:00 pm. At that point you better have your car checked at the hotel or it is going to be a long walk. MrsAtoz and I attended about 15 years ago. That was the largest NYE event I ever attended. Never again. What a mad house. Plenty of bathrooms to pee in, but, nope, drunk pissing on lamp posts. No thanks.
Third world folk do often work really hard. Hunger is a great motivator. The problem is, often, that there’s nothing for them to work on. Or that they have the education forfor and are capable of doing.
Between the US and Europe, though, I disagree that it’s anything to do with socialism. Capitalism is alive and well here, in most respects, with some variation by country.
I think the difference you observed is more philosophical: do you work, to live? Or do you live, to work? More people here want to enjoy life outside of work, and this is accepted and supported by society – for example, in that everyone has at least four weeks of vacation, and often five.
What I saw was very much like heavily unionized industries here, only white collar work. As if the dentists had a union, and would only work when they wanted to work.
No one wanted any overtime. There was social pressure not to work too hard, or show any of your co-workers up. There was a strong “manana” attitude- it’ll get done tomorrow. Lots of time for extraneous ‘safety’ measures and training and gear though. A lot of it felt like they were just showing up for the free lunch, and to hang out a bit before going back to their hobby farm, or whatever else occupied their time. Putting in a days work for a days wages was not on their minds.
But again, why do the work if you don’t benefit? At 65% tax rate, there isn’t much incentive to stay late (Canadia). In the US even, I’ve had times when my overtime pushed me into a higher tax withholding bracket, and I had LESS take home pay than without the overtime. Plus, with white collar work, especially support staff, there is a huge disconnect between the work done and the benefit to the company (or yourself.) If you are making widgets, you can see that you made 5 extra. If you are IT watching guys rack servers and configure machines, there is no direct feedback. If you are reviewing well logs, or worse, simply collecting and collating them for storage, you don’t really see what an extra hour does, or what effect fewer hours of work has.
I’ll argue further that if the company functions fine while you are gone for a month or more, you are probably surplus to requirements. If you can go home early all the time, and what you do is completely disconnected from your unit’s performance, you are probably surplus. Most of the people I saw in those offices could have been let go without any real effect on the company overall. Some reports wouldn’t get written. Some compliance docs wouldn’t be filed. 4th largest oil company didn’t really need a satellite office in Scotland, but it makes things easier in some ways, and they are fat with profits, so it continues.
A lot of people are going to discover their true worth to their employers in the coming unpleasantness. Most of them will be shocked to discover that the companies DON’T exist to pay their wages, but to make a profit for their owners.
n
Scheduled Lyft rides to & from daughter’s house 12 miles away to watch Holiday Bowl, NU vs. Utah, with SIL and teenage grandkids. Got my NU cap on now and put t-shirt on after shower.
Happy New Year to All!
CowboySlim, BS Chem Eng, NU, 1962
@Nick: Sounds like a dysfunctional company, as much as anything. You said Aberdeen – was this in the oil industry? I have no experience with them – when we lived in Scotland, we were both in university positions (my wife studying, me as a post-doc).
That’s where our whisky business started – it sort of followed us home to Switzerland. Doing business with the British (I don’t say “Scots”, because nearly all of the managers were English) was…um…interesting. First, they had an incredible “island” mentality – even the ones who claimed international experience. Second, missed deadlines and forgotten commitments were the rule. To a punctual guy like me (ex-military, and now Swiss), that was incredibly frustrating. I’m told by others in the industry that our experience was pretty normal. Dunno if that’s specific to the whisky industry, or entirely British…
Anyhow, after taking a few well-deserved months off, my wife is now looking around, to see what she wants to do next. Ideally, she’d like to find a job where she can largely work from home. Given the Internet, it seems like there ought to be a lot of jobs like that – and she has a wildly diverse set of qualifications: translator, interpreter, accountant, IT, and most recently managerial.
So what can you find, where you can work mostly online? There’s brain-dead click-work for stupidly low pay. You can go onto the free-lance sites, with their own huge set of problems. But real jobs? It seems that nearly all companies still expect their workers to do 8-5 in the office. Somehow surprising – you’d think at least the tech companies would be moving more online.
I’m off to pop the cork on a bottle of fizzy stuff. We’re having our usual low-key family celebration for New Year’s. Talk to y’all next year!
I think she should find something she likes, and probably not look to sign on with another company… Consulting is a good title, it allows a wide range of activities.
Usually have to give something away to establish yourself in a new situation, the modern way is blogging/social media/forums/youtube…. but old fashion person to person works to. Networking in person seems to be good too.
n
BC: 2019 resolutions !
https://www.gocomics.com/bc/2018/12/31
My resolution too !
Lynn, condolences on Lady. I’ve been away from this site for a little while, so catching up and sending best wishes now. As many have said, she is now free from her pain. Dogs are part of our families, and give us much comfort. Hopefully, you will be reunited some day.
Who’da thunk it….
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/minimum-wage-rising-20-states-154604768.html
Lynn, that’s why I NEVER let anyone else touch my battery terminals. Since I always buy used cars, I have been the proud recipient of some pretty mangled battery connections. Some are easy to fix, and some, like yours require… ingenuity. To be polite, Ford didn’t have a better idea with the design shown in the video you linked. That video got off to a slow start, but the guy who did it did the best I could think of to fix a poor design. His safety warnings, although obligatory, were also good. I would add that you should be sure of overhead (hood) clearance, and add some sturdy insulation if necessary. Don’t forget what might happen in a collision; you don’t want a fire to add insult to injury 🙂
This is probably too late to make a difference, but with all those exposed connections, corrosion protection is paramount. Before you do the final assembly, coat everything with Dow Corning DC4 Dielectric Compound, AKA silicone grease. This includes all fasteners, the terminal lugs, any exposed wire strands, the battery post, and the inside and outside of the new post clamp. Your goal is to have a gas tight coating to keep all moisture and acid fumes (if applicable) from creeping into the connections. You can wipe any excess off after assembly. It’s messy, but it works. DC4 is probably no longer available by that name, but the same compound is still around under the Molykote brand. Auto parts stores sell a good dielectric compound for Ford distributor cap spark plug cable connections, and the small amount is pretty cheap if you can’t find the real thing at a decent price. I like it because it has great water resistance, important where I used to live, and where you still live. Real DC4 can be used in RF coax connectors because it has good high frequency properties; definitely one of the greatest things ever invented. Lacking that, probably any decent grease will last a year or so. I know people who use petroleum jelly and claim it works fine. Just don’t leave the faying surfaces dry.
Just remembered, if you already assembled things dry, at your earliest convenience use a small brush to apply ATF to the area. Most types of ATF will creep into crevices and protect them from moisture. No ATF handy? Engine oil is almost as good. Adding a little acetone to either will help penetration, but be careful around plastics.
Added, if you work around lead acid batteries, baking soda is your friend. A solution in warm water neutralizes the acid, and can even remove light corrosion. Don’t rinse, just let the cleaned areas dry; a heat gun might be necessary in your location. Once I have mechanically fixed and treated battery connections with DC4, I have never had any corrosion, even when I lived in the rust belt and Florida. The peace of mind is definitely worth it.
Lynn, that’s why I NEVER let anyone else touch my battery terminals. Since I always buy used cars, I have been the proud recipient of some pretty mangled battery connections. Some are easy to fix, and some, like yours require… ingenuity. To be polite, Ford didn’t have a better idea with the design shown in the video you linked. That video got off to a slow start, but the guy who did it did the best I could think of to fix a poor design.
No freaking joke, that is a bad design by Ford. It did last 200,080 miles though. Not the Autozone dude’s fault though, the battery acid did in the screw weld.
I called the Ford dealer service dude. He said the correct fix is to replace the engine wiring harness, about $1,000. Talk about your overkill.
He said nobody does that though. His guys run over to the local parts store, get a battery terminal connector with a splice kit, and install in. I am going over there Wednesday for a quote.
He said nobody does that though. His guys run over to the local parts store, get a battery terminal connector with a splice kit, and install in. I am going over there Wednesday for a quote.
Someone tried to hot wire my 93 Probe about 20 years ago, and they stripped several wires in the engine compartment trying to bypass the ignition cutoff. The Ford dealer quoted me $1200 for the wiring harness and then offered the option of splicing the damage for $100.
I can see the point of replacing the entire harness if chasing mystery shorts, but, like mine, your problem is obvious so it is overkill.
That’s a surprise, that a dealer would do such a repair. Not that it is bad, but common sense. Just guessing, but probably two hours labor, plus parts. The trip should not cost you, because parts stores often deliver to shops at no charge. Hope they do it right, but if the splice kit is intended for the application, it should be fine.
I didn’t elaborate, but my 68 Mustang has a simple positive cable from the battery to the starter relay, about a foot, and just a few dollars for a brand new one. That part is similar to the ground cable from the battery to the engine block. Best setup I have seen, so proof Ford can have better ideas TM.
The worst was an 80 Dodge that had three cables molded into the positive lead battery clamp. Of course, some cretin overtightened it before I got the car, and cracked the clamp. I just bought a cable similar to the Ford one mentioned above, and spliced it into the harness. I needed my 250 watt soldering iron to splice three #6 cables and a #8. This put the splice away from the battery fumes. I always encapsulate such splices in DC4 under heat shrink tubing. Keeps the bad stuff out. I didn’t like the service battery clamps in those days. I might have a different opinion today.
Oh, the distance we go for our convenience!
I’ll look for the silicone grease…. I’ve always used wheel bearing grease.
Chickens don’t like wheel bearing grease. Have a chick being pecked on? Dab some grease on the spot. Sure “they” say to use Vaseline. But I already have wheel bearing grease.
A friend had the ballast resistor fail on a ’78 Dodge pick-up. Melted from there to the fusible link. I spent an afternoon sitting on the air cleaner cutting the harness open to replace a few wires.
I don’t think it would be possible on my 2002 Dodge.
Fusible links have a “smell” when they blow. We were in a ’68 or ’69 Chrysler 300 one night. Hauling ass back to Pflugerville after running up to the railroad tracks in Hutto / wide spot in road. The back road out of P’ville that went toward Hutto after you crossed the train tracks and turned right. Two lane and straight as a fence line. Ran about 60 MPH out. Stopped, smoked a cig, finished off a beer, and back to P’ville….. car is running like a Singer Sewing Machine at 110 MPH and climbing. All of a sudden, dead car. I slowed it down and eased off the pavement. Popped the hood and the exhaust manifolds were glowing like electric stove burners. Kind of trippy. I found the bad link and spliced in a piece of speaker wire I had in the trunk. With a Bic lighter for light.
Oh yeah. And some starlight. There was no moon. Good time.
When I bought the truck last year, in Hutto, that road is now four lanes plus a left turn lane. Then again, at the time Pflugerville had one 2A High-school.
I need to figure how to remove the positive terminal on the truck. I see how the clamp works but it doesn’t budge at all. It’s pretty nasty. I slopped on some water and baking soda followed with a couple of buckets of water. Because where’s the fun of doing something like this near a water faucet? Get some exercise and tote the water a couple of hundred feet!
The brisket turned out great. On the Trager set to Smoke at 6:30AM for a few hours and then into the oven on a wire rack in my turkey pan. With a cup or so of water. 225F or so by the dial, call it 250F by the way pizzas cook, from about 10AM to 6PM. Yeah, someone had to get all fancy with wireless temp probe. I covered the pan with foil at 4PM. Wow. Great flavor. Perhaps the best brisket ever! But we say that every time.
BBQ sauce on the side. Always.
That was for New Year’s Eve. And no one showed. One had to work, another got sick, and no word from the third. Heh. I heard about her being sick before I deviled a dozen eggs and cut up a bunch of cheese and a summer sausage for snacks so, that’s a plus. Maybe next year. The bottles of champagne in the spare fridge can stay there another year.
Happy New Year y’all!
I didn’t elaborate, but my 68 Mustang has a simple positive cable from the battery to the starter relay, about a foot, and just a few dollars for a brand new one. That part is similar to the ground cable from the battery to the engine block. Best setup I have seen, so proof Ford can have better ideas TM.
I’ll bet that 68 Mustang has a 45 amp alternator. My Expy has a 140 amp alternator. So they split the wire into four wires to cut the loads. And one of those wires goes directly to the starter motor.
What motor and tranny do you have in your 68 Mustang ? Coupe, fastback, or convertible ?
For replacing corroded battery terminals, I recommend these from McMaster-Carr:
https://www.mcmaster.com/7980k53
No soldering needed, and no crimp tool; you tighten a nut into a tapered hole to clamp down on the wire. There are different sizes for different wire gauges; the above link is to just one size. Also, positive and negative terminals are of different diameters, so pick the right one.
And yes, putting some sort of grease on is always a good idea.
I’m watching TV. Actual over the air tv. So far the best coverage and least annoyance was the chinese network showing clips from everywhere that is ahead of us. No chat, just pictures and people celebrating. Even paris and the Arc’ looked good- not a yellow vest in sight.
Then the wife found the network stations. Holy crap the cleansing fire can’t come soon enough. New Kids On the Block did several numbers. Fat fackers with no talent, but probably still getting paid. Horse face- man jaw Jenny Mcarthy is still alive and hosting the show. NBC doesn’t have a single hetero man working for them apparently. And fox has some fat asian ?comedian? running some horrible 3rd rate skit. Flogging a dead horse still popular I guess.
That’s an hour I’ll never get back.
n
@norman, thanks for that link! I’ve never seen that style and I WANT for my ham and solar stuff…..
n
For replacing corroded battery terminals, I recommend these from McMaster-Carr:
https://www.mcmaster.com/7980k53
No soldering needed, and no crimp tool; you tighten a nut into a tapered hole to clamp down on the wire. There are different sizes for different wire gauges; the above link is to just one size. Also, positive and negative terminals are of different diameters, so pick the right one.
Hey, I like that ! I wonder if I could drill a hole in my current battery clamp plate and connect that plate and the other three wires to that bolt ?
I bought a battery clamp crimping variant from the Autozone last night kinda like this:
https://www.mcmaster.com/69645k56
I figure that I can flip that crimping bar over and attach all four wires to the bolts for the crimping bars like this excellent video. I am wondering if my existing wiring harness is long enough for that slight move closer to the battery.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S1iWUTpzN2A
That was for New Year’s Eve. And no one showed. One had to work, another got sick, and no word from the third. Heh. I heard about her being sick before I deviled a dozen eggs and cut up a bunch of cheese and a summer sausage for snacks so, that’s a plus. Maybe next year. The bottles of champagne in the spare fridge can stay there another year.
Siblings ? Kids ? Friends ?
Brisket and deviled eggs sounds awesome. The wife made pulled pork on Hawaiian rolls and home made cole slaw for us. And peanut butter fudge that I got into before I was supposed to.
I have been missing my friend watching tv in the game room today. Usually she watches about 20 or 30 seconds and then crashes on her dog bed. I’m going to have to something about that empty dog bed, it is a constant reminder that she is gone.
I am watching my Aggies beat up on NC State in the Tax Slayer bowl on ESPN. Nice ! We may drop DirecTV in the new year, I have found out that I can get Hulu with Sports for $40/month that includes the ESPN channels and the Houston Astros network.
Only one terror attack reported so far- no fatalities
Knifeman ‘shouts Allahu Akbar’ in station rampage: Anti-terror police in Manchester quiz man for attempted murder after two people and one officer are stabbed as suspect is pepper sprayed and Tasered
shit, when I went for the URL–
Car slams into crowded New Year’s celebrations in Tokyo leaving at least 8 people injured – as the driver is taken into custody
A car has slammed into pedestrians during New Year’s Eve celebrations in Tokyo
Police say a man aged in his 20s was driving the car ‘with intention to kill people’
and I forgot about the airport thing–
Amsterdam’s Schiphol airport is evacuated as armed police tackle man ‘with knife who said he had a bomb’
The man was said to have entered Departure Hall Three of the famous airport
Soon after he claimed to have a bomb he was wrestled to the ground by police
The Dutch armed police later said in a statement the situation is ‘under control’
n
Much better than watching the fags and hags on tv tonight,
beautiful girl, beautiful music, stunning videos
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QAD0BtEv6-Q
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RrutzRWXkKs
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pWn7PYm-W90
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=11S5tcT2Tm0
n
Well, got thru the Ball Drop without someone walking mortar rounds thru Times Square. Thank God. Again.
Now I can go to sleep.
n
Oh, and some other interesting music to listen to. (safe for work, not freaks)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jM8dCGIm6yc
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KhkeqeUX4tk
there is a whole universe of music out there, so why do we get New Kids On the Block?
A happy, safe, and prosperous New Year to us all….
n
Happy New Year !
Happy New Year. I went to bed early last night (around 9) and got up shortly after the kinder went to bed (around 1). Tried to go back to sleep, but the wind & my thoughts made it a white night. I’ve been working since 3 to get ready for today’s race and to help get ready for the NYD dinner we always have. (Pork & Saurkraut – yum!)
This year my family is doing a “good things” jar. Any time something good happens, we’re going to write it on a piece of paper with the date. At the end of the year we’ll see what good things happened to us. I believe in optimism.
May your days be filled with sunlight and your hearts be filled with joy.
2018 sucked. 2019 will not be any better. Bah Humbug.
there is a whole universe of music out there, so why do we get New Kids On the Block?
I’d blame Ryan Seacrest, but even he can’t be that oblivious.
OTOH, he works for Disney.
Plus, the record industry is pathetic in this country anymore due to consolidation of media and the retail music chains.
If I want the new Cats In Space CD, I have to shell out 12 Pounds ($15) … plus another 12 Pounds for shipping from the UK. That’s what happens when the lead single from your last album cr*ps all over Facebook — doing what rock stars are supposed to do.
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6u18E3uWblUypQJu8_UAcA
Why are they publishing in traditional media at all?
n
BTW, playing in the traditional music industry is a sure way to go bankrupt. The accounting and contracts, basically every step of the process, are designed to keep the artist working, while strip mining them for money and work….
Their accounting is even worse than movie accounting, and the deals even more exploitative.
n
BTW, playing in the traditional music industry is a sure way to go bankrupt. The accounting and contracts, basically every step of the process, are designed to keep the artist working, while strip mining them for money and work….
The UK still has a independent music scene which works.
Why are they publishing in traditional media at all?
CDs are still big in Europe. And bands which make their money touring and moving merchandise at shows do not have a really decent alternative for selling music at events.
I’d never trust a flash drive I bought at a concert. IIRC, 50% of the drives floating around overseas have malware targeting Windows, even if purchased new.
Sorry, I didn’t mean the media carrying the music, I love physical CDs. I meant within the traditional music publishing structure. I assumed that when you talked about buying and importing the physical CD. Why are they not self publishing, and/or offering d/ls that can be burned to cd? In other words, moving the atoms in order to move the bits is old school, usually has to do with restrictive distribution schemes involving the legacy publishers, and with rights management from the traditional music industry.
I look at youtube artists with 90 MILLION views and I don’t see traditional publishing helping them in any way.
n
Being a resident of Canadia (I think, not quite sure where that is) I am clearly a scofflaw since I pay far less than that in taxes, including sales taxes. Gross income tax rate (percent of income actually paid in federal and provincial income taxes) is around 25%. Add in a about 5% for payroll taxes. If I spend every last cent I make after taxes on items that are subject to sales taxes (which would be a gross exaggeration), that’s another 13% of 70% of my income so roughly 9%. So far I am at 39%. Taxes are much higher on fuel and liquor but I doubt that adds even 5% (unless you are drinking whenever you are not driving). Sorry, but 44% (which I would prefer to be lower because who doesn’t want to pay less taxes) is not close to 65%. I am in Ontario. In Alberta, the tax burden would be much less. In Quebec and the Atlantic provinces, somewhat more but 65% sounds very wrong. Where did you come by that figure?
Actually, Ford claims 38 amps, compared to the original Chrysler 35 amp alternator that debuted in 1961. Much, much higher output! I think it uses something like a #10 wire to feed the battery through the ammeter shunt. I have noticed that alternators have steadily grown, but wonder how much is really needed. Given the manufacturers’ penchant for frugality, probably all of it.
I searched, but couldn’t find the highest OEM alternator rating, but the Prestolite Leece-Neville J-180 (aftermarket) puts out 320 amps. Alternators are usually rated at 15 volts, so that’s 4800 watts or 6.4 hp. Given the low efficiency of most alternators, it would take a BIG belt to drive it!
Remember Ford’s Quick Defrost? It was an option beginning in 1974 on the Thunderbird and Continental Mark IV. It used a gold conductive layer in the windshield and backlight to heat them. It also used a second alternator to power them. Ratings unknown to me. One estimate claimed 500 watts, but didn’t say if that was for each or total.
289 2 barrel with a C4. Sedan, or as more popularly referred, coupe. Back seat is def a coupe 🙂 One of just 233,000, so really not worth much based on rarity. Third owner, bought in 1979. Reason for getting was necessity at the time: we needed transportation. Also, the wife had owned a 66 and liked it a lot, so it was a no brainer to buy this one. Our 68 has factory air, but little else. It had been repainted (color change) by Earl Scheib (I’ll paint any car for $99.95 at the time,) and the original color was still visible behind the front license plate and of course on the door jambs. Real meatball job. Have since renovated it inside and out. Now looks pretty good, but still a daily driver.
Didn’t like the non power brakes, so I converted it to power discs with salvage 67 four piston calipers and other parts. First experience with a Ford, and it was rough. The hard lines had three different size tube nuts, and I had to cut off and re-flare all of them, some in tight places. Worst, the booster bolt pattern was different, and I had to modify the firewall to fit. For comparison, Mopar uses the same bolt pattern on both sides of the booster, so it is just a bolt-in job using the same master cylinder. Finished job worked well, but a little too sensitive, so I found some harder linings that gave better feel.
Now wish for more power: the little 289 is smooth and quiet, but can’t get out of its own way. Feels slower than some Chrysler Slant Sixes I have driven. Thinking about what to do. One extreme is to buy a donor car and drop in a 5.0 and AOD trans. That gets fuel injection for that modern feel, plus maybe enough more power. Lot of work, though, for a car we will probably just drive around town, so I will probably take the easy way out and just put in a crate Windsor with a carb. Those can be had in a variety of displacements, can make lots of power, but don’t have the manners of a modern FI engine, important to my wife. Decisions… next big project in a year or two.
You mentioned convertibles. Had one once, didn’t like it. Waay too much trouble for the occasional top down experience. Much prefer a motorcycle for the wind in face experience. Just me.
I once wanted a two seat T Bird, but saw a side view of a T Bird superimposed over a Mustang in a book. The Mustang IS a two seater! Later preferred the 64-65 square Birds. Should have bought one: they are really beautiful luxury cars. Once cheaper than Mustangs, believe it or not. Not any more.
In my view, the Mustang is a nice little car, but there are others that can be as nice, IMO. Some of the Dodge Darts or the original Plymouth Barracuda come to mind. I can legitimately claim to have Mopar blood in me. People forget that the Mustang was introduced as a sporty compact economy car. When I bought my only new car, a 65 VW beetle, a fellow student bought a new 65 Mustang fastback. His car cost only a couple of hundred more, and was much nicer all around. It didn’t hold its resale value as well, which was important to me at the time. Of course, a nice survivor of either car would fetch a pretty penny these days.
There are many ways to do this. If you have a big soldering iron or a propane torch, consider using ¼ or 3/8″ copper tubing to make lugs. Strip and poke the wire about half an inch into the tube and crimp with Vise-Grips. Solder. Smash the other end of the tube flat and drill for the bolt as illustrated in the video. The tube can be long enough to add the required length to the cable. Lots of other ways. I have also used ~0.060″ brass to make odd-shaped lugs sometimes found on cars. Just depends on your skillz and patience. You can also buy those things, but the big ones are not readily available at the corner Radio Shack XXXXX XXXXX store. Some are crimp only; I doubt you would be interested in buying a crimping tool that big. Just make sure whatever you do is solid and secure.
I poked Google a bit and my ’02 Dodge has a 136 amp alternator. Seems like a lot. A bit more looking and it seems a 1975 Chrysler Cordoba had a 130 amp unit.
I’m thinking apples to oranges here.
The Cordoba and the ’74 Imperial had power everything. Big honkin’ solenoids in the doors to work the locks. Plus the relays in the passenger kick panel. Power window motors that looked like re-purposed windshield wiper motors. Ditto for seat motors.
Now, in my ’02 Dodge truck, it’s all different. No solenoids or relays for the locks, it’s a little motor spinning a gear real fast. Window motors are almost as small. Everything seems to run on “getting a ground from the computer”. Power seat motors are also much smaller. I have a keyfob to work the door locks…. so, something is always on….
Better magnets? I don’t know.
The wiper motor and linkage seems to be the same size as it was in the ’70’s. I suppose when dealing with ice and snow the old big motors with torque are the way to go.
Blower motors for the A/C seem to be the same size.
The ’74 Imperial and ’75 Cordoba had a (now) simple electronic ignition module with a sensor in the distributor cap to replace the points. It got “crazy” with the ’81 Imperial and the whole “hydraulic support plate”…. Chrysler’s version of a throttle body fuel injector….. Fun stuff. No, really, it was very cool.
I forget where I was going. Someone sent pictures of a puppy from Penny’s bloodline. Too cute. 🙂 Looks like Penny but tan.
Anyway, the old cars had big motors to work the locks and seats and windows. The new cars have small motors to do all that plus a computer running the fuel injection and dimming the interior lights and I dunno what the transmission is doing with all the clicks and zzzttts I hear.
Kind of a wash. Until the computer dies.
And then? I guess you start walking.
@tv, the 65% was what the contractor I was working with in St. John Newfoundland told me.
My nominal income tax rate was 28% federal, and 9% of that for state income, but don’t forget state disability, and social security/medicaid which added about 15.25% – half paid by me, half by my employer. I didn’t own property, but California had sales tax of 7-12% depending on where you lived. In reality, my EFFECTIVE ADJUSTED NET federal and state income tax, ie. what I actually paid, was about 9% of my gross salary. It looked like I would pay about 45% of my salary, and another 10% of the half that was left in sales taxes (as I had nothing left at the end of the year.) As I said though, outside of sales tax, my real net income tax was about 9% of gross earning due to deductions and investments.
The guy was so stunned by how little I paid (and the whole discussion came about because he was bragging about the “free” healthcare in Ca) and I told him by paying so little in tax I could afford to pay for my own health insurance, he first got very quiet, then later very angry. It was the last I heard from him about how great it was getting that “free” stuff.
It’s been a while since I had a green card for Ca, and I was always paid thru our US offices anyway, but I’d be stunned insensate if the only deduct from your paycheck was federal and provincial income tax…
(I looked it up and the same year US taxes listed above, Newfies paid 41.50% combined tax at my income level at the time, Ont paid 43.41%.) He was starting a bit higher than you…
Did you mention GST? In GTA it was additional 25% iirc on everything you buy [sorry, 13%- sure seemed higher].
My current situation is different of course. Now I own property and pay tax on that to fund schools and local .gov. I don’t make enough income to pay much tax, and Texas doesn’t tax income at the state level anyway, although our HOUSEHOLD pays federal tax at the max rate.
Anyway, Canada specifically may not end up at 65% (and thanks for calling my out on that) but there are plenty of other socialist countries where that is the effective rate (saw the article last week, can’t find the link.)
My main point being, if your work is taxed egregiously, especially if you are taxed MORE for additional work, that is a disincentive to doing more work. Everywhere I’ve been that had more socialist policies than the US had people who seemed to not value work very highly, and did as little as possible, with a very relaxed attitude toward work. (this is certainly the case in some areas and some industries in the US too. Try getting union carpenters to work hard in Detroit for example.)
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Now wish for more power: the little 289 is smooth and quiet, but can’t get out of its own way. Feels slower than some Chrysler Slant Sixes I have driven.
My 79 Volare wagon was sluggish. A Super Six. Two barrel carb. I rebuilt the carb. That helped. Set the timing. That helped. Sparks plugs and wires and get the transmission serviced helped. But what the hey, it was a $1000.64 car.
Then I did the valve lash thing. My slant six was a year or two too old to have hydraulics. It was pretty cool to get all adjusted and be able to balance nickels on edge on the air cleaner. Made the car much peppier.
Just a thought. I know about a hair above zero about Fords.
Fords, Schmords. All IC engines like to be in good condition, with their settings optimum. The 289 certainly is in decent condition, and is a very (what I call) happy engine. I might not be able to balance nickels on it, but it is smooth and quiet, and it starts instantly under practically all conditions. I know that doesn’t say anything about its power output, but it’s a start.
The 289 is handicapped by small exhaust and induction systems. There was a version that year with a hot cam, a four barrel carb, bigger exhaust system, and many other changes. It was rated at 271 hp compared to mine, which was rated at 195. These ratings are the older (actually more meaningful from an engineering aspect) SAE gross horsepower, and are higher than achieved installed. But, the higher output engine was short lived, superseded by larger displacement engines. It is easier and cheaper to make more power and improve gas mileage with more displacement and lower numerical gear ratio rear axles, as proven by the transition to big blocks in many of the muscle cars.
Take a slightly larger displacement small block engine with a hydraulic roller cam, better heads, hotter but still mild cam, better exhaust, and fuel injection; and it is possible to make close to the magical one hp per cubic inch SAE net rating on pump gasoline. That engine is docile, smooth, and quiet. You and I own a couple with the Mopar brand. I would like to put something like that in the Mustang. Using a carb can make about the same hp as EFI, but is not as civilized with today’s gasoline. It is simpler, however.
That’s my dilemma in a nutshell. Another aspect is that I will never turn my old car into the better handling fire breathers available today, but no surprise there. I still like the older, simpler cars with some selected improvements. That used to be called hot rodding.
What motor and tranny do you have in your 68 Mustang ? Coupe, fastback, or convertible?
289 2 barrel with a C4. Sedan, or as more popularly referred, coupe. Back seat is def a coupe One of just 233,000, so really not worth much based on rarity. Third owner, bought in 1979. Reason for getting was necessity at the time: we needed transportation. Also, the wife had owned a 66 and liked it a lot, so it was a no brainer to buy this one. Our 68 has factory air, but little else. It had been repainted (color change) by Earl Scheib (I’ll paint any car for $99.95 at the time,) and the original color was still visible behind the front license plate and of course on the door jambs. Real meatball job. Have since renovated it inside and out. Now looks pretty good, but still a daily driver.
My grandmother drove a 1965 ??? Mustang coupe with no options on it at all with the 289 and C4 auto. No power steering. No power brakes ??? No power anything. My grandfather had the dealer add an aftermarket air conditioning to it. When the non power steering got too much for my grandmother in 1976, he sold it to a college student at TAMU (Grandad was a professor at TAMU) for $700. I was getting ready to turn 16 and Dad has his eye on the Mustang for me. Would have been a great ride.
Forgot to mention power steering. Primitive linkage booster on the tie rod, where it is vulnerable to road hazards. Also has no feel of the road, plus play on center. AFAIK, the space for the gearbox is too small for any integrated PS unit, but I need to look some more. It is popular (and expensive) to convert to rack and pinion. That would be my last resort.
Hi Nick – We don’t have free health care here (no matter how many silly Canadians call it that). We pay for it by significantly higher income taxes (your 9% vs my 25% effective or gross rate) and while the health care system works pretty well in general (nothing is perfect) and covers everyone it is certainly not free.
Newfoundland is not a “rich” province and taxes there, both income and sales, are significantly higher than in Ontario to cover government services. The HST (harmonized sales tax) is a combined provincial/ federal sales tax (harmonized in that they agree on what should and should not be taxed). The federal rate is 5%. Provincial rates vary from 8% in Ontario to 0% in Alberta to 10% in Newfoundland (combined rates of 13%, 5%, and 15% respectively). If an individual has low income, they get a rebate (based on income) paid quarterly over the next year. (I don’t qualify, and I am also in a higher tax bracket so others may have a lower effective tax rate than I do.) Tax rates seem to bite the worst in Europe where the government services are a bigger portion of the national economy and then need to be paid for. In the end, while no one likes paying higher taxes, it is about whether you believe you are getting value for your money. My concern in Ontario is that in spite of the tax burden, the prior government has managed to spend more that they have collected for many years (provinces can run a deficit – in the US I believe many states must have a balanced budget). I am waiting for the next provincial budget to see if the new government of Ontario will finally live within its means or if we will continue to go the route of California.
My concern in Ontario is that in spite of the tax burden, the prior government has managed to spend more that they have collected for many years (provinces can run a deficit – in the US I believe many states must have a balanced budget). I am waiting for the next provincial budget to see if the new government of Ontario will finally live within its means or if we will continue to go the route of California.
Yes, USA states must have balanced budgets by each of their constitutions. However, any bonds sold by the state count against that budget. So, Texas has an indebtedness of $284 billion. I dare not look at Illinois or California. And that figure does not include state promises for pensions and retiree health care (those numbers are mind staggering).
http://www.usdebtclock.org/state-debt-clocks/state-of-texas-debt-clock.html
Hi Lynn. So maybe not so different on debt though it looks to me like Texas has a lot more “tax room” available (room to raise taxes) than Ontario does if it has to address it’s liabilities. For all of these governments, it usually takes what are minor adjustments to spending to get back to balance, and then a touch more for an annual surplus, at which point you get a virtuous circle going of reduced debt, leading to reduced debt payments, and a larger surplus each year if you keep spending level with economic growth (tax revenues). Problem is always political: convincing people they want less from their government at current tax rates or willingness to pay higher taxes to get to balance. I don’t trust the rascals with more tax dollars, so they need to cut spending. That is often a hard sell at election time as people see government services as “free” (as per the free health care comments from some Canadians) and don’t want less of a good thing in the short term.