A new game... Post pics from your cel phone V.1.0

[Mudhen]

I've said this before as well!  Even something as simple as a seatbelt law - I never wore one on my bike!   

Just don't want to say it or they'll take those away from us too.

[94touring]

I've been trying to learn more about cafe standards to make sense of some of this. I vaguely was aware of them but not all the finer details. A couple things I found interesting so far was it started in the late 70s during the fuel shortage. Certain car companies just pay the fines to produce cars they (we the buyer) want, which of course gets passed onto the buyer. Some of the roll backs need to go back prior to 2012 to help reduce truck prices, which isn't the current rollback policy. The emissions standards and associated equipment on current trucks is just very expensive. Car companies plan ahead in design years in advance to comply with standards so either way will take awhile to see a change in price on trucks if they roll back those standards.

[Dan Moffet]

I seem to recall that the CAFE standards referred to "Corporate Average" and something about larger vehicles (trucks) being rated differently, so they produced larger vehicles en mass to lower their corporate average. Maybe something about consumption or emissions per weight?

[94touring]

I posted some info a page back on it. The "footprint" rule which is how the wheelbase effects it to fit within a category that doesn't get hit with penalties for MPG. If you dive deeper the emissions standards are extremely high. So you end up with a big truck that has all this special stuff to keep it under a certain percentage of emissions. The next set of Cafe standards that were about to take effect made it virtually impossible for the gas engine to not be fined the fuel mileage standards were so high. 

[MiniDave]

There also was a weight limit, if your vehicle was over a certain weight (6K lbs?), it was exempt - another incentive for bigger vehicles.....

[94touring]

Yep!

[BruceK]

Some unusual things from a car show this morning.

Drift trikes!

[BruceK]

More

[BruceK]

Ready for the desert. 4WD and miles of suspension travel. 

[BruceK]

Tempting. If for nothing more than garage decoration. Or a flower pot.

[BruceK]

I love some of the features of old cars. On this '56 Ford the back of the back of the speedometer binnacle facing the windshield is clear plastic, letting light shine through to illuminate the speedometer numbers.

[94touring]

Gas was down to $2.19 here this morning. No complaints from me.

Saw 2.17 and a 2.19 today.  Most are still in the 2.20s.

[MiniDave]

$2.79 for regular at the local Shell here today.

[94touring]

Xmasy pic

[Dan Moffet]

I dunno... it just doesn't seem Christmassy to me with green leaves on a tree. Our forecast says we get 10 to 15 cm tonight.
The little "gift" under that tree is gorgeous though.




















'

[94touring]

Got it back to the parking garage. I like how the vespa looks big in front of it.

Son of bitch burnt another coil though. I had just swapped alternators thinking that was an issue since I was having a variety of electrical issues. Nope.  Time to swap distributors and hope it's module related.

[MiniDave]

I found out why my left tail and brake light weren't working.....brand new tail light assemblies (I used to run the clear lenses) not just the lenses too. New LED bubs....

I soaked the socket with WD40 and then Kroil for a couple of hours and finally got the stuck bulb to move so I could get it out - broke it of course. Then I got my Dremel out with a tiny wire brush and was able to get all the rust out of the socket and get the base to move in against the spring again. Some more Kroil to clean things out and the new bulb lights up just as it should.

I didn't see anything wrong with the gasket and the only time this car gets wet is when I wash it, so next time I do I'll pull the lens off and see if I get water in there again. If I do I'll at least get some new gaskets behind the lens.

Dan, I'm surprised you don't have a cover on the Vespa, seems like it's in the weather in that spot?

[BruceK]

Wow Dave, that's a lot of rust there. I use double gaskets on my rear tail light lenses.  Not sure it helps, but I feel better about it.

Are you planning to get some chrome spray paint to make that area reflective?

[MiniDave]

No, it was just a coating of rusty water, it wiped right out....that entire section of the taillight was full of water, the others were dry, so at least that part of the gasket was holding! The socket was rusted badly (where the orange came from I assume) so I took my Dremel with a tiny wire bush in it and it cleaned up perfectly. I put a regular bulb in first to make sure it worked, then put in my last remaining red LED double bulb. I'm going to order in a few extras to have on hand.....I wasn't keen on driving it with only one brake light and one tail light, cops love to stop you for stuff like that. I also put some silicone paste on the inside of the bulb holder just in case.....

The only time this car sees water is when I wash it, so I'm going to check it next time after the wash, if I find more water I may do as you suggested and double up on the gaskets. I had planned to maybe put the lens gasket in place with a few spots of RTV, but maybe double gaskets is a better strategy.