Recent content by Green Bean

I have been autocrossing on and off for 40 years in FWD, AWD and RWD cars, front and rear engined. I am decent at it, not great by any means. I do have one SCCA regional championship. I have no idea who Randy Pobst is without googling him. Rotating the car for the purposes of this discussion is...

There is absolutely nothing wrong with lifting a tire in autocross, especially FWD. Sometimes you want the car to rotate, not stick. Some bad assumptions in your thinking.

1. Note that “sway bar” is kind of a slang term for an anti-roll bar, which is more descriptive of its function. I don’t really know what the term “sway” actually means, so pedantry aside: 2. Front sway bars transfer weight from the inside front tire to the outside front tire. Trying to lift the...

I recently bought a 383 (69 335 HP) 727 auto swapped 68 Valiant so you know where I stand. It already had the Shumacher shorty Tri-Y headers on it easy plug access. I have an aluminum intake, water pump and housing awaiting paint and installation sitting on the floor in the living room. Battery...

I have a new road Atlas, and a Garmin GPS (with backup camera). Here is a picture of the lightweight (~35 lb) jack, the two piece handle is underneath. The service manual is shown for size reference. It is not very large, but is very functional and easy to use.

I am retired and have lots of time and I like to drive. I am planning to see at least 3 new national parks and 3 new states on the trip. I was a Boy Scout way back when and “Be Prepared” is still etched in my brain. The 100 lb limit is a good thing. If the car fails, then I call the auto...

It’s a Valiant with a 383 and a 2.9 8-3/4 rear end. I am sure that it will go a lot faster than I want to drive it. I will be buying at least one 5 gallon gas can. It has been a while since I drove coast to coast, but I figure that it can still be a ways between open gas stations.

I want to be able to tighten anything that comes loose. Replace belts, thermostat, hoses, electrical repairs, water pump, alternator, tires. I am planning on driving to Polson, MT (Dr Diff) and Glacier National Park. If I feel good about the car a that point, I will continue along a northern...

Thanks. I am going to buy screwdrivers when I get there, pointy objects in luggage are frowned upon and my 45 year old Craftsman screwdrivers are decomposing anyway. I don’t use bumper jacks anymore. I have a 1-1/2 ton aluminum Pittsburgh floor jack with a large tire conversion and skid plate...

I am preparing to travel to Washington state to pick up my 383 Valiant and was wondering what size sockets and wrenches to take with me. I am driving back to Florida. I am limited to 100 lbs of luggage on the train so eliminating unneeded sizes would be good. The aluminum floor jack and jack...