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-rw-r--r--posts/wheels/2019-07-04-yabs-yet-another-bad-shop.html241
-rw-r--r--posts/wheels/2019-08-30-keep-right-except-to-pass.html114
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diff --git a/posts/wheels/2019-06-07-how-to-start-and-drive-a-hudson-hornet.html b/posts/wheels/2019-06-07-how-to-start-and-drive-a-hudson-hornet.html
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+ <article>
+ <h1>How to Start and Drive a Hudson Hornet</h1>
+
+ <p class="description">
+ My understanding is there are a lot of people out there for whom driving
+ a car from the mid-20th century is an oddity, a curiosity, or a life
+ experience they can't relate to. This is for the non-experts, and
+ non-Hudsonites to get an idea of what it's like.
+ </p>
+
+ <p>
+ There are some significant differences between driving the Hornet and
+ most other cars you come across today. Some of them are just because
+ there are sixty-six years between the Hudson and the 2019 model year.
+ Others are Hudson-specific. Many people who I've talked to have said
+ that they would feel intimidated driving my car (whether that's because
+ of its perceived complexity or obvious value to me). So, for those who
+ just want to know how it's done: here is how you start and drive a
+ Hudson Hornet.
+ </p>
+
+ <h2>The Gauge Cluster, Switches, and Controls</h2>
+
+ <p>
+ Open the door, slide onto the bench seat, and sit behind the [massive]
+ steering wheel. For those who haven't experienced it before, it feels
+ like you have a whole lot of room at your disposal, almost like there
+ <em>should</em> be more matter occupying the space around you. In front
+ of you is probably the shiniest dashboard you've ever seen. It's simple,
+ and probably slightly familiar.
+ </p>
+ <p>From left to right above the steering wheel you have:</p>
+ <ul>
+ <li>
+ A speedometer that tops out at 120 mph (with 99K odometer inside)
+ </li>
+ <li>
+ Fuel and coolant temperature gauges (and two dummy lights; more on
+ those later)
+ </li>
+ <li>A clock</li>
+ <li>An AM radio</li>
+ <li>A glove compartment</li>
+ </ul>
+
+ <p>From left to right under the steering wheel you have:</p>
+ <ul>
+ <li>A 2-speed wiper control knob</li>
+ <li>A weather control (heater) temperature slider</li>
+ <li>A 2-speed weather control fan knob</li>
+ <li>The ignition barrel</li>
+ <li>A headlight switch</li>
+ <li>
+ A cigarette-lighter (the owner's manual calls it a cigar lighter!)
+ </li>
+ </ul>
+
+ <p>
+ Also, underneath the dashboard on the left there is a parking brake
+ handle and hood latch release and on the right there is an arm which
+ raises and lowers the fresh air cowl vent. Think of it as "recirculate"
+ in more modern vehicles. If you're looking for the turn signal lever
+ it's the tiny stick to the left of the steering wheel. The indicator is
+ the little yellow light on the far left of the dash. There's only one so
+ it flashes when you're signalling left or right. We also added our own
+ air conditioning system, something Hudsons never came with from the
+ factory.
+ </p>
+
+ <h2>Dual-Range Hydramatic</h2>
+
+ <p>
+ The first thing that might confuse some folks when they first see the
+ car running is the shift lever. Many Hornets came with three-speed
+ manual transmissions that were shifted from the column (overdrive was an
+ option). However, lots of owners paid extra for the optional "Dual-range
+ Hydramatic", a fully automatic transmission from General Motors. Truly,
+ this car has a 4-speed automatic that requires no manual shifting during
+ normal use, making it that much easier to take a boatload of people to
+ get milkshakes.
+ </p>
+
+ <p>
+ Behind the steering wheel is a shift indicator that deviates from the
+ "PRNDL" pattern most folks are familiar with. From left to right (shift
+ arm fully at the top to arm fully towards the bottom), the 'gears' are:
+ </p>
+ <ul>
+ <li>N (Neutral)</li>
+ <li>4-Dr (Drive, all four speeds)</li>
+ <li>3-Dr (Drive, three speeds only)</li>
+ <li>Lo (Low gear)</li>
+ <li>R (Reverse)</li>
+ </ul>
+
+ <p>
+ Neutral isn't just a mid-way point between reverse and drive in this
+ car. It's a necessity. With automatic Hornets (and Hydramatics in
+ general), neutral is used to start the car. There is an electric lockout
+ preventing the car from being started in any gear but neutral, so you do
+ have to put the car in neutral before you turn the key (if you're on a
+ hill put your foot on the brake or engage the parking brake).
+ </p>
+
+ <p>
+ Drive is split into 4-Dr and 3-Dr, which basically decides whether the
+ transmission utilizes high gear. In the owner's manual, Hudson
+ recommends using 3-Dr for driving around town (as the low RPMs delivered
+ by high gear means unnecessary shifting in and out of 4th gear) and 4-Dr
+ for highway driving. It really depends on what speed you're going to be
+ driving at but there isn't anything wrong with driving around in 4 all
+ the time. I typically leave it in 4th at sustained speeds above 45MPH.
+ You can switch between these gears any time while moving.
+ </p>
+
+ <p>
+ Low gear basically locks the transmission in 2nd gear so you don't spin
+ the wheels. The owner's manual says this is for pulling out of sand or
+ dirt if you get stuck.
+ </p>
+
+ <p>
+ Reverse works just about how you might expect but with an added catch:
+ if the engine is off it acts as park. That's right. When you turn the
+ car off you can put it in reverse and the transmission will engage a
+ lock pin to prevent the car from rolling. You can't start the car in
+ this gear because of the lockout however so you have to shift into
+ neutral to start the car. So for starting, put it in neutral, for
+ stopping, put it in reverse.
+ </p>
+
+ <h2>Choke and Gas</h2>
+
+ <p>
+ For cold starts, our Hornet (and I believe this was common for other
+ Hudsons of the time) is equipped with an automatic 2-stage choke. Push
+ the pedal all the way to the floor once to set the choke. After the car
+ has started and has warmed up, kick the gas quickly to the floor and
+ release to cancel the choke.
+ </p>
+
+ <p>
+ For warm starts the engine doesn't need the choke but likes to be given
+ just a little bit of gas while cranking.
+ </p>
+
+ <h2>The Keys, Ignition, and Warning Lights</h2>
+
+ <p>
+ Hudsons like mine come with two keys. The octagonal one is for starting
+ the car, it's used in the ignition. The round one is used for the door
+ and trunk locks (and I believe in my case the glove box). My
+ understanding is this is actually reversed from the majority of Hudsons
+ and is due to a locksmith error at one point or another.
+ </p>
+
+ <p>
+ The ignition switch sits so that the teeth of the key enter vertically.
+ Turning the key left powers accessories like the radio. Turning the key
+ right once switches the car to "ON" which will allow the engine to be
+ started and remain running.
+ </p>
+
+ <p>
+ Here's where some things may vary depending on the year of the car. For
+ '51 Hornets, there's a separate starter button located all the way on
+ the left control pod. For these cars, you put the key in and turn it to
+ "ON", and then press and hold the button until the car has started up.
+ For '52 Hornets onwards, the ignition switch also activates the starter
+ if you turn the key past "ON" (like in most modern vehicles).
+ </p>
+
+ <p>
+ If you turn the key to "ON" you'll see two red warning lights appear on
+ the dash next to the indicators marked "AMP" and "OIL". These are
+ [alternator] charging status and oil pressure status lights. Our car is
+ equipped with a 12-V alternator system so the AMP light really comes on
+ if there is low voltage while the oil pressure light comes on when
+ there's low oil pressure. These lights will only appear with engine off,
+ key "ON" or if something has gone very wrong.
+ </p>
+
+ <h2>Starting and Driving</h2>
+
+ <p>
+ So now that I've gone over the basics of all the components, here is the
+ normal starting procedure. It actually varies depending on whether the
+ engine has been warmed up. That's life with carburetors.
+ </p>
+
+ <h3>From cold:</h3>
+
+ <ul>
+ <li>
+ Put your foot on the brake, and shift the lever into neutral. Just
+ push it vertically, pulling towards you slightly if you need to.
+ </li>
+ <li>
+ Push the gas pedal all the way to the floor once and let your foot
+ back up again to set the choke.
+ </li>
+ <li>
+ Put the key in the ignition and start the car (the "AMP" and "OIL"
+ lights should switch off.
+ </li>
+ <li>
+ Wait for the engine to smooth out so you know that it's warm enough to
+ cancel the choke, and kick the gas pedal once to cancel it. (If the
+ RPMs are still higher than idle then it's not quite at operating
+ temperature yet)
+ </li>
+ <li>
+ Pull the shifter down into 4-Dr or 3-Dr (or R), and release the
+ parking brake by twisting the handle towards the steering wheel
+ </li>
+ <li>Let off the brake and you're off!</li>
+ </ul>
+
+ <h3>From warm:</h3>
+
+ <ul>
+ <li>Put your foot on the brake and shift into neutral.</li>
+ <li>
+ While giving just a little bit of gas, start the car. Both warning
+ lights should disappear. When the engine fires up you can let off the
+ gas and let it idle.
+ </li>
+ <li>
+ Pull the shifter into 4-Dr or 3-Dr (or R), and release the parking
+ brake by twisting the handle towards the steering wheel.
+ </li>
+ <li>Done.</li>
+ </ul>
+
+ <h2>Stopping and Parking</h2>
+
+ <ul>
+ <li>
+ Hold your foot on the brake and twist the parking brake handle towards
+ the door of the car, and pull it towards you
+ </li>
+ <li>
+ When you're ready to shut off the engine, you can shift it into either
+ neutral or reverse and turn the key off. Shift it into reverse if you
+ haven't already to lock the transmission.
+ </li>
+ </ul>
+
+ <p>
+ Note: I usually engage the parking brake AND put the car in reverse,
+ just to be safe. If you had to pick one however I would use the
+ transmission in case you're on a steep hill and your brakes fail for
+ whatever reason.
+ </p>
+
+ <p>
+ And there you have it! Not much is different from most cars around today
+ but there are one or two quirks (more about old cars than about Hudsons
+ in particular). The only major thing to keep track of while driving is
+ that you have no power steering, so get ready to anticipate turns sooner
+ and use more of the wheel with every turn.
+ </p>
+ </article>
+ </body>
+</html>
diff --git a/posts/wheels/2019-07-04-yabs-yet-another-bad-shop.html b/posts/wheels/2019-07-04-yabs-yet-another-bad-shop.html
new file mode 100644
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--- /dev/null
+++ b/posts/wheels/2019-07-04-yabs-yet-another-bad-shop.html
@@ -0,0 +1,241 @@
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+ <title>53hornet ➙ YABS: Yet Another Bad Shop</title>
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+
+ <article>
+ <h1>YABS: Yet Another Bad Shop</h1>
+ <p>
+ Today I received a text message from a local mechanic/auto shop asking
+ me to leave them a Google review. It was an automated message from a
+ shop that I know well and have used many times in the past.
+ Unfortunately, I have had several poor experiences (at the time they
+ seemed horrific) with them in the past year and I can honestly say
+ they'll never receive my business again. Now I could have used this as
+ an opportunity to leave them an anonymous nasty-gram but instead I'm
+ going to do the opposite. I'm going to write about everything I don't
+ like about them without telling you who they are or hiding who I am. Why
+ would I do that? Well for one, they were an excellent shop for many
+ years. I believe a recent change in management is to blame and I'm not
+ going to ruin their chances of making a comeback (because frankly I
+ would like for them to rebound). And secondly, I don't believe in
+ hiding. This page and its author are public knowledge. Now, in no
+ particular order: a sample of awful work from yet another bad shop.
+ </p>
+
+ <h2>Mom's Truck -- Balls Out</h2>
+
+ <p>
+ Mom's truck is a 2007 Chrysler Aspen that she loves very much. Dad does
+ a whole lot of work on it himself (the both of us do pretty much
+ everything we can in-house so long as we have the right equipment).
+ We've been taking her truck into this shop for years because we've found
+ them to be reliable, efficient, and economical. As I said before, at
+ some point in their recent history they changed hands -- either
+ ownership or management, I can't remember which. It was around this time
+ that Dad decided to overhaul Mom's front suspension. He replaced the
+ ball joints, tie rod ends, and a few other worn out parts. He then did
+ his own best-guess front-end alignment, but left everything loose so
+ that YABS could finish up the alignment and tighten everything. Now read
+ that again because it's important. Dad did his own alignment in our
+ driveway (as a cost-saving measure), got it decently close, but then
+ instructed this shop to finish the job and tighten everything up.
+ </p>
+
+ <p>
+ Now here's where things fall apart. This shop full of professional
+ mechanics took one look at the alignment Dad did and decided it was good
+ enough. Hooray for Dad and supernatural mechanical skills, but the shop
+ didn't even touch the car. They called Dad back to come pick up the car,
+ telling him it was already good to go. They never tightened a thing,
+ even after Dad explicitly told them everything was loose and needed to
+ be tightened but they didn't to touch a thing. So what happened? Dad
+ picked up the car assuming everything was A-OK and Mom drove the car for
+ about a week before the two front tires wore down so badly they had to
+ be replaced immediately. Everything fell out of alignment as things
+ loosened further and further and the tires wore unevenly until they
+ ripped themselves to shreds. The worst part? These weren't tires with 6+
+ years on them. These were brand new tires. So YABS got to install two
+ more front tires and then tighten everything. They did not cover the
+ costs, presumably because it was Dad who had done the alignment. Strike
+ one.
+ </p>
+
+ <h2>Friend's Minivan -- Crude Necessities</h2>
+
+ <p>
+ A good friend of ours drives a 2005-2006 Chrysler Town and Country. It
+ was actually Mom's car before upgrading to the Aspen (the minivan was
+ perfect in every way but it couldn't tow). Our friend has been using
+ YABS for just a long as we have. Once again, things started getting
+ kinda strange after several years of good service. She started getting
+ charged extra for simple repairs she had them doing very consistently.
+ They also started tacking on extra items for routine jobs. She would go
+ in for an inspection and they would claim she needed a new Part X. Now
+ this in and of itself isn't an uncommon or even strange request to make.
+ As cars age they need things and sometimes you don't know what they need
+ until you visit a professional mechanic. They remember the things you
+ forget about.
+ </p>
+
+ <p>
+ One day they did all the forgetting, and they forgot a pretty important,
+ nay, crucial engine component: motor oil. Our friend took her minivan
+ into YABS for a routine oil change. Good diligence on her part. And
+ she's not the type to do that change on her own. She's too old to get
+ under a car anyway (no offense!). So she took the van to YABS and they
+ did a job they've done thousands of times: drain oil, replaced the
+ filter, and gave her back the car. Easy peasy right? Now I know I'm not
+ a professional but I'm thinking someone might have wanted to
+ double-check that several quarts of synthetic had left the shop shelf
+ and gone into the car they just backed out of the bay door. Now this
+ part of the story I'm a little fuzzy on so take it with a large, heaping
+ grain of salt, but I can say for a fact that they failed to
+ <em>completely</em> refill the engine oil before returning her car.
+ Supposedly there was enough in there such that the minivan survived long
+ enough for them to realize it before she drove off.
+ </p>
+
+ <h2>Monty, My 2013 Ford Focus -- Nut Allergy</h2>
+
+ <p>
+ I decided to give YABS another try after a long leave of absence. I
+ needed new tires all around for my daily driver. I also needed an
+ inspection and an alignment. A simple set of tasks for any shop (you see
+ where this is going). I initially tried to go to another local shop but
+ they were all out of the tires I was looking to get so I caved and went
+ to YABS. About halfway through the job they gave me a call and told me
+ they had some bad news. They said that there were some issues getting
+ the lug nuts off my wheels and that they had all been stripped, warped,
+ or otherwise destroyed in the process. They told me the only fix was to
+ get new ones from a supplier in town for about $160. Keep in mind the
+ entire job (inspection, tires, etc.) was going to cost $650.
+ Furthermore, dad and I had no problem getting those lug nuts off and
+ back on again just a few weeks prior when we changed the transmission
+ fluid.
+ </p>
+
+ <p>
+ They didn't have an explanation that I could reconcile with. Joe Schmo
+ over the phone told me this is typical of Fords and Chryslers these days
+ and that they'd like to keep my lug nuts for a class action lawsuit
+ they're participating in. Now why on Earth would any sane mechanic, with
+ full knowledge they are dealing with a defective set of lug nuts, take a
+ high power impact wrench to those wheels without speaking with the owner
+ about it first? Smelled fishy to me honestly. But what was I gonna do?
+ Dad went out and grabbed twenty new lug nuts for cheaper than they
+ wanted to sell them for.
+ </p>
+
+ <p>
+ Oh the tires were Cooper GTs by the way and they're amazing. They're
+ smooth and quiet and came with a very nice warranty. They're also made
+ in the USA, which is very important to me. 10/10 would recommend.
+ </p>
+
+ <h2>Ol' Blue -- Tunnel Vision</h2>
+
+ <p>
+ This was the real kicker. And this one doesn't really have any trailing
+ narrative. I got four new tires on Ol' Blue, my 1953 Hudson Hornet. They
+ were delivered to our house: four brand new Diamond Back wide white wall
+ radials. Super nice tires, with a super nice road hazard warranty (as a
+ side note I totally recommend you
+ <a href="https://dbtires.com/">check out Diamond Back's website</a> if
+ you're looking for white wall radials). So we brought the car to YABS
+ with the new tires and asked them to mount them on the car.
+ </p>
+
+ <p>
+ When we went to pick up the car everything looked great and I drove off.
+ I made it all the way to the Monitor Merrimack Memorial Bridge Tunnel
+ before I heard a loud rattling and a bang. I looked in the rear-view
+ mirror and swore I could see my precious hubcap rolling off to eternity.
+ When they replaced the hubcaps they didn't fully press one of them on.
+ And it's not that difficult. These hub caps are very secure when pressed
+ on the rim, we've never had problems with them. Oh and we're talking
+ about Hudson hubcaps that came with the car, and aren't super easy to
+ find. And I couldn't stop to get out and grab it because I was right at
+ the mouth of the tunnel. We went back later to try and see it but we
+ couldn't. And it was probably destroyed getting thrown from the car
+ anyways.
+ </p>
+
+ <p>
+ The worst part is, the hubcap took a chunk out of my white wall on its
+ way out from under the wheel skirt. So the day I got the tires I had to
+ take a picture and redeem my road hazard warranty. Luckily, Diamond Back
+ were true to their word and sent me a new one no questions asked. The
+ beat up tire is now my spare.
+ </p>
+
+ <h2>Not All Bad</h2>
+
+ <p>
+ Like I said before, YABS used to be a very nice shop with friendly
+ people that did good work. And they didn't charge exorbitant prices for
+ their work. Times have changed, and I believe management has as well.
+ I've stopped visiting their shop completely. I found a new one that I
+ trust and will be taking all of my cars to. They've already done a
+ safety inspection on Ol' Blue and didn't put up a fuss. They're clean
+ and friendly and don't seem to be out to screw me. But as with
+ everything else, your mileage may vary.
+ </p>
+ </article>
+ </body>
+</html>
diff --git a/posts/wheels/2019-08-30-keep-right-except-to-pass.html b/posts/wheels/2019-08-30-keep-right-except-to-pass.html
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..61f329f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/posts/wheels/2019-08-30-keep-right-except-to-pass.html
@@ -0,0 +1,114 @@
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+ </ul>
+ </nav>
+
+ <article>
+ <h1>Left Lane is for Passing, Not Cruising</h1>
+
+ <p>
+ Greetings fellow drivers of Hampton Roads. You may have noticed a new
+ sign on I264 today that befuddled or confused you. It went something
+ along the lines of
+ </p>
+
+ <blockquote>LEFT LANE IS FOR PASSING NOT CRUISING</blockquote>
+
+ <p>
+ Believe it or not this has been the law throughout Virginia for years
+ (<a
+ href="https://law.lis.virginia.gov/vacode/title46.2/chapter8/section46.2-804/"
+ >read about it here</a
+ >
+ and
+ <a
+ href="https://law.lis.virginia.gov/vacode/title46.2/chapter8/section46.2-842.1/"
+ >here</a
+ >). The law states you keep right except while passing. In most other
+ states things work this way but in Virginia, especially around here, the
+ left lane is treated as a moving, cruising lane. If you're in the left
+ lane and you've completed a pass please be mindful of the cars behind
+ you and move back over into the right-hand lane(s) so that other drivers
+ can do the same.
+ </p>
+
+ <p>
+ It's really nice when this is practiced (like I said, I've experienced
+ it in other states) because you can easily move over when there are slow
+ vehicles ahead and then continue on your merry way. It reduces
+ congestion and prevents people from having to pass in the right lane,
+ which is both annoying and dangerous. Especially since this is typically
+ the lane cars from entrance and exit ramps are merging with.
+ </p>
+
+ <p>
+ Don't forget too that it isn't rude or road-rage-y for someone behind
+ you to honk their horn or flash their lights if you're moving too slowly
+ in the passing lane. This is a perfectly polite request to pass you. You
+ don't set or enforce the speed limit. The correct (and legal) thing to
+ do, believe it or not, is to move over and slow down to let them pass
+ you. It's all about safe and sane driving etiquette. If you aren't
+ actively passing other cars, move on over to the right. It goes a long
+ way.
+ </p>
+ </article>
+ </body>
+</html>