To Death Valley

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Amskeptic
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To Death Valley

Post by Amskeptic » Sun Jul 19, 2009 2:29 pm

It was merely scorching hot outside of Hawthorne Nevada:
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. . . . when I spied this nutty contraption in the desert. It looked like the ADHD Refinery Engineers Remedial Training Company:
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So I pulled off the road and drove up to the gate. Up the hill was this:
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. . . . and rather more hilarious, this:
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Those cabovers are a bit spooky, there is nothing in front of you and you are several feet up. This was a Chevy Titan:
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. . . . way back from whence I came, my own little pocito Titanette:
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In the other direction was a beautifully enigmatic:
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We had been talking about the 2 cycle engines over in Williams CA, and here are your intake ports along the cylinder walls that blow the fresh air in and shove the old exhaust out (through the four little valves in the bus example):
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The exhaust manifold is huge.
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. . . . Connecting rods are not just a VW problem:
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This whole big old engine just runs a generator (used to) :
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(oh alright, this is the data plate off of its service generator, the main one is more like 800 volts and 3,000 amps!)

. . . . with some pretty big brushes that run a diesel locomotive's wheel motors.
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Then I had a thought, here at the ADHD Refinery Engineers Remedial Training Company:
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Maybe they were hoping to install the diesel locomotive engine in this:
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They were upgrading the brakes:
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. . . and putting in the "Big Train" JC Whitney air horns:
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. . . . but then again, maybe not:
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Later, I visited the Post-Apocalypse Motel:
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. . . . with the recent Extreme Makeover treatment:
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The only guest there spake "Nevermore":
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. . . so I bid "fare thee well" to the raven and drove back into the hot desert:

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BobD - 78 Bus . . . 112,730 miles
Chloe - 70 bus . . . 217,593 miles
Naranja - 77 Westy . . . 142,970 miles
Pluck - 1973 Squareback . . . . . . 55,600 miles
Alexus - 91 Lexus LS400 . . . 96,675 miles

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RZAR
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Post by RZAR » Sun Jul 19, 2009 2:48 pm

Its amazing that scraper even has brakes. 80% of the scrapers I work on don't have brakes. Once the brakes ware out nobody ever fixes them. Its about $4,000 to $6,000 per wheel for a brake job on a 657 push-pull type scraper done in the field. How do they stop such a massive machine you ask? They drop or drag the bowl on the ground, which by the way is the recommended and most effective way to stop them.
77 Bus. Stock 2.0 FI with Computronix ignitor and coil

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Amskeptic
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Post by Amskeptic » Sun Jul 19, 2009 2:59 pm

RZAR wrote:Its amazing that scraper even has brakes. 80% of the scrapers I work on don't have brakes. Once the brakes ware out nobody ever fixes them. Its about $4,000 to $6,000 per wheel for a brake job on a 657 push-pull type scraper done in the field. How do they stop such a massive machine you ask? They drop or drag the bowl on the ground, which by the way is the recommended and most effective way to stop them.
That old thing had the cam-actuated drum brakes and a large external-contracting band on the transmission output. The skinny lever/rod actuation made me think this was all pretty tough on the operator back in 1948.
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. . . at least the operator got to enjoy the sunny day without those stupid parasols and air-conditioned cabs that came later.

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BobD - 78 Bus . . . 112,730 miles
Chloe - 70 bus . . . 217,593 miles
Naranja - 77 Westy . . . 142,970 miles
Pluck - 1973 Squareback . . . . . . 55,600 miles
Alexus - 91 Lexus LS400 . . . 96,675 miles

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Cindy
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Post by Cindy » Mon Jul 20, 2009 9:42 am

i like the little rabbit.

cindy
“No one can tell what goes on in between the person you were and the person you become. No one can chart that blue and lonely section of hell. There are no maps of the change. You just come out the other side.
Or you don't.” ― Stephen King, The Stand

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dtrumbo
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Location: Mill Creek, WA
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Post by dtrumbo » Mon Jul 20, 2009 11:54 am

Cindy wrote:i like the little rabbit.
Where see rabbit?
- Dick

1970 Transporter. 2015cc, dual Weber IDF 40's
1978 Riviera Camper. Bone stock GE 2.0L F.I.
1979 Super Beetle convertible.

... as it turns out, it was the coil!

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zblair
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Post by zblair » Mon Jul 20, 2009 12:16 pm

dtrumbo wrote:
Cindy wrote:i like the little rabbit.
Where see rabbit?
9th photo down on the left hand side
1974 T1 Super Beetle "Fweem"
2017 Honda HRV "Domina"


"Love something? Serve it."
~Roshni Mitra

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dtrumbo
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Location: Mill Creek, WA
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Post by dtrumbo » Mon Jul 20, 2009 1:46 pm

zblair wrote:
dtrumbo wrote:
Cindy wrote:i like the little rabbit.
Where see rabbit?
9th photo down on the left hand side
Got it! Thanks!
- Dick

1970 Transporter. 2015cc, dual Weber IDF 40's
1978 Riviera Camper. Bone stock GE 2.0L F.I.
1979 Super Beetle convertible.

... as it turns out, it was the coil!

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