Saturday, January 17, 2009

 

A flathead V8 Ford Story...
A few days ago, a few of us Ford V8 guys got together to talk and tell stories and the good old days, and how we remember them. And try to live them today.

One fellow ask us how fast we had every drove a Flathead Ford on the road.
We had lots of diferent speeds told about. He heard about speed from 55 to over a hundred mph. My story was about an uncle of mine and not me. He was about 50 years old at the time. I guess this was about 1954 or 1955. He had a 46 Ford. He told Dad that he got that Ford up to 70 mph on a long stright away. That was a record for him at the time.

I knew this was a great question, in mixed company (where everybody doesn't know their Flatheads),

A young guy told a more interesting story. There is Nothing like being young.
He was about 30 years old, that wasn't young to him, but it was for a lot of us.
If he started driving at 16, the new cars was 93 models, and a twenty five
year old car at that time would have been a 68 model.


His Story:
I like to say that I've had Abagail up to 90 MPH. The truth is though if I did, I didn't actually see the speedometer reading that. I DID, however, glance down long enough to see a little over 70, both hands on the wheel at the 10 o'clock and 2 o'clock position.

Fenders a'bangin', I'm hunched over, my senses on "high alert" listening and feeling for any problem, watching those white lines fly under my butt "like dots". Right here is where you think of disasterous things like the hood flying up or a tire comming off the front wheel. This is warped speed, captain, and "I donno how much longer I can keep her together".
I really feel that I gained enough speed to make 90, but man, this is crazy! I'm too old for this. I got a loving wife at home and a couple of kids, and a job (with people depending on me), and a little bit of a 401K left, lots of unfinished projects, and that stash of quarters in the jug under the basement steps that no one knows about!
After I got her shut down, I stopped, and sat out there in the middle of the country by myself, smiling, for a loooong time...
Looking at my GPS, the fastest my '50 has gone so far was 76 and that was on a trailer behind my truck! jack........

.

Labels: flathead

posted by Johnnie 3:55 PM

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Wednesday, January 14, 2009

 

I have been hobbled for a few days.
Yesterday I had a minor surgical procedure on my big toe.
I had hurt it hiking the week after Christmas. I will be back out
and doing some walking by the end of the week. I should be at full stride
by the end of the month. Right now I have a sore toe..

posted by Johnnie 7:14 PM

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Thursday, January 08, 2009

 

scary.
This afternoon I set down here to write a post. I was going to say we haven't talked since we said our happy new years to each other, but she did it again. You ant't gonea believe what happen next. The phone ring and I was asked what you doing? Ok She has done, done it again. What and who you ask? Never mind, forget it, I was just thinking thru my fingers.

I went back to work this week, and what a week so for. Yes retired people work. Work all the time. When I retired the last time at the end of Sept. 08, I plan to take some time off, for myself. Like weekends and holidays. I did just that, and took three weeks for the Christmas holidays. That last week I got in some real caching by hiding a new one and hunting some that I didn't find, and a few I didn't log, and on a trip to the mountains, Sunday I logged a FTF.

This week I took a stress test and it came back normal. No stress. Good for me.

At the start of last year (2008) I had no debt and some investments.
I had to buy a car in June, and then the economy turned south and carried the investments
with it. Now I am just buying what is needed and all the wants had to go south for a long vacation. So here I am getting my house in order to pay bills and working on new ways to cut corners and get the most out of the spending dollar.
OH I lost a little more ground this week. I was going to be out of a tv in Feb. because all we have is rabbit ears and just get three chanlers, due to cuts backs I made a few years ago. I got cable hookup this week and now I got one more bill each month. My tags will be due very soon too.

I won't go with out food, thats for sure, but the doctor said to cut back on the good stuff. But even the oatmeal cost a bunch.

I did save up some gas money for the past 60 days. So if it don't go all the way back up the 3.50 a gallon for a while, I can ride for a few miles.

Now while I am working out the piggy bank stuff, and get a little health problem fixed, I am going to have some fun. Geo-caching at its best, just maybe some bicyling, and some back road traveling in the fifty.

I'm ready to go camping, and my heart ( and soul ) is happy too.

Labels: Happy Happy

posted by Johnnie 8:06 PM

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Thursday, January 01, 2009

 

Bubba's rule numbers 18,21,21,26,27,and 28.
About old folks, like your Grand pa and Grand ma, Old Fellow down the road,
and Old Lady crossing the street.

Don't ask an old person how do you feel? Don't say your looking good. Don't ask How was your Doctor visit? How you doing? How is the family? Don't say I see you are kicking!

I don't blog much about my health, and wasn't ask but hey you can just skip this one. I bet Bubba has already left.

que boring.............

My body is like a car. Now an old car, wore out. My heart is the engine.

My Cardiology Doctor is in charge of keeping it running.
My oil channels were cloged up, so she is cleaning them.
My oil pressure was high, so she is lowering it.
My RPM was high, so is lowering it.
All that to made my engine run smoother.

My compression was too high, so it had to be lower.
That was to lower the work load.

The same with the torque.

The firing order has been reset.

The fuel intake has been lowered.
And now I will have lower the load.

All this has the result of a engine that purrs along as smooth as
a 1930 Model A Ford. But I need a 2004 F-150 Ford Truck.

I went hiking this week, and my engine would not pull a greased string out of a hogs ass.

Labels: old and slow

posted by Johnnie 5:32 PM

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