I like eggnog. I probably wouldn't like it if it was available at the grocery store year round.
It is still weird to me that I can spend a week or two poking and prodding at a computer and then one day get a package weighing 800lbs and containing real life versions of something that up till that point was just 1s and 0s
Mrs AAZCD just stepped in the garage, looked around and asked if I was getting high on the fumes. I just pointed to my ear buds, "shhh Pink Floyd."
I keep seeing 7th and 9th gen Impala SS' at what I think are really affordable prices and can't help but think that they're bound to get stupid (like everything else) soon.
I can safely shim my glass cooktop with soft toilet shims so that it's freaking level, can't I?
Just watched John Wick 4 last night. The homage to The Warriors was a little jarring, but by the time the movie was over, I was kind of bummed they didn't play "In The City" during the closing credits.
Why should I look for a Fit to do a K20 swap in when I can buy a Sonic hatchback and just, like, drive it?
RevRico said:I can safely shim my glass cooktop with soft toilet shims so that it's freaking level, can't I?
Honestly, I don't see why you couldn't.
I really wish I could just take the summer off and work on my big Dodge.
In reply to Pete. (l33t FS) :
I think you're on to something there, I'm a big fan.
I've always thought it was an underrated platform, and they're good cars for people like us who can do their own work. Maintenance can get a little expensive for non car people, which would normally make them cheap, but they're not. I wanted to build one with a screaming 1.8, but I don't think I'll ever get around to it at this point. Big brakes? There are off the shelf options. Transmissions? Five speed, six speed, pick a final drive. Like GM's of old, there are lot's of off the shelf parts available for a build
Recon1342 said:I really wish I could just take the summer off and work on my big Dodge.
I wish I could take the rest of my life off and do whatever I want. Too bad I need health insurance in the USA. Only big question I have mark in my financial/life plan.
Edit: Well that and my expiration date...
In reply to Peabody :
The key thing is that, apparently, the 5 speed auto that attaches to a K series is so large compared to a manual that it would require a lot of chassis surgery, and poking around a 2nd gen Fit yesterday, I realized that the front chassis rails are already so narrow that it may entail cutting out the inside of the box entirely and then having to build a new box on the strut side, which would interfere with the minimum turning radius.
I already have one car in my life with a turning radius like a crew cab longbed truck. It sucks in parking lots, or driving downtown.
Trying to find more info than that for K20/auto swaps in Fits is mostly just "lern 2 drive stick, dumbass" so the questions of making it emissions compliant and keeping the Fit Sport's paddle shifters are kind of moot.
Automatic is mandatory, I left too much left knee cartilage behind driving a bridge ported rotary as a daily driver for years and years and my commute to work is mostly highway and still takes about 45 minutes to go fifteen miles. I want to be able to walk around the shop once I get to work in the morning, you see.
So, my current jam is that you can get a nice Sonic LTZ hatch with a 1.4t/auto for the same price as a 2nd gen Fit that is two or three times as old. Keep the small brakes, as they allow small wheels and lots of sidewall height because constantly replacing impact damaged tires and bent/cracked wheels sucks (well, technically it blows). I could fold my ears over my face with 9.4 rotors and drum rears with my Golf, the huge stock Sonic brakes are more than sufficient given decent pads.
In reply to Pete. (l33t FS) :
Don't know much about ownership hassles, but when I was traveling for work, Sonics were my jam at the rental counter. They seemed to ride softer and absorb bumps better than any of the other compacts that were available. They were pretty good at darting around Toronto traffic, too, especially the 1.4T models. The only rentals I had that seemed better at it were Nissan Micras, and they definitely were a lot slower and tinnier.
In reply to eastsideTim :
I happened to have driven both a 2nd gen Fit and a Sonic hatch yesterday.
The Fit IS a much nicer car, don't get me wrong. But the Sonic comes with the engine/trans combo I want.
The thing with the 1.8 is, any time I see one, the oil cooler is leaking externally and also into the cooling system. This is a roughly 9 hour repair job between accessing the cooler, replacing the thermostat that it damaged, and cleaning the oil out of everything. Also it isn't turbocharged and is pretty rare. If you told me that GM sold ten 1.4ts for every 1.8, I'd believe you.
The 1.4t on the other hand mainly suffers from PCV blockages, which can be dealt with prophylactically without too much drama, and you have to regularly clean the throttle body.
In reply to Pete. (l33t FS) :
I'd guess the cost of that repair on a car that already has low value contributed to the 1.8 models disappearing faster than the 1.4T. IIRC, didn't the 1.8 have other issues that led to increased chances of popping the engine?
I'm really surprised to hear you say the Fit is a nicer car, let alone much nicer. The 1.8 is the same Motor used in the Astra, is closely related to the 1.6 in the Aveo, was widely used in Europe, and is fairly common in Canada. The cylinder head design is also easy to work with. .
The 1.4 PCV problem, and that's really the only big problem is not blockage but failure. The check part of the valve is a little silicone disc inside the intake manifold that has a 100% failure rate. It breaks up and gets sucked into the combustion chamber, then the pressurized top end blows the diaphragm out of the valve cover. It was a nice idea but it doesn't work long term. So for normal people it becomes intake manifold and valve cover replacement. For people like us it involves bypassing the OEM system and installing a check valve that never fails. 180hp is just a tune. 200 is possible but apparently drivability suffers. With a bigger turbo 300hp is within reason, the motors are stout.
The cheap and easy brake upgrade involves using rotors and caliper bracket from the Trax, and anything from stock to Z06 calipers. It's cheap, easy and not really very big
I drove a 2016 RS auto. It moved along pretty good. The upgraded suspension, better tune and final drive made a big difference. Get one of those if you can over an LTZ. I wish I'd bought that RS but we were $1000 apart and neither of us were budging. We bought a 2014 LTZ which we still have.
In reply to Peabody :
The RS suspension would be a downgrade.
To give an idea of the local roads, I broke a fuel filter from hitting one of the potholes in the area.
As far as the PCV goes, I've had to pull a couple engines to replace the rear main seal after the PCV system froze up and the seal blew out. Vacuum leaks and trouble codes can be dealt with, but having to pull the engine to repair an Exxon Valdez level oil leak is something that I'm going to address before it happens.
If there is goose down, why do I never hear about goose up?
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