Brakes unable to stop runaway Lexus in California?

"AZ Nomad" > wrote in message
...
> On Wed, 18 Nov 2009 19:17:24 -0600, hls > wrote:
>
>>"Vic Smith" > wrote in message
>>> Don't know what doing a clutch on a FWD entails, but I'm pretty sure
>>> it's more labor than a RWD.
>>> Have to ask my kid. He converted his '93 Corsica from auto to stick
>>> and knows way too much about it.
>>>
>>> --Vic
>>Depends.. Some are a piece of cake.. Others are not
>
> In any case, it'll cost at least ten times than trading to a MT car.
> Unless, of course, your time is worth nothing and want to engage
> in an expensive pointless project.

Ive seen a number of conversions to MT, and your observations are right on.

On Thu, 19 Nov 2009 08:00:40 -0600, "hls" > wrote:

>
>"AZ Nomad" > wrote in message
...
>> On Wed, 18 Nov 2009 19:17:24 -0600, hls > wrote:
>>
>>>"Vic Smith" > wrote in message
>>>> Don't know what doing a clutch on a FWD entails, but I'm pretty sure
>>>> it's more labor than a RWD.
>>>> Have to ask my kid. He converted his '93 Corsica from auto to stick
>>>> and knows way too much about it.
>>>>
>>>> --Vic
>>>Depends.. Some are a piece of cake.. Others are not
>>
>> In any case, it'll cost at least ten times than trading to a MT car.
>> Unless, of course, your time is worth nothing and want to engage
>> in an expensive pointless project.
>
>Ive seen a number of conversions to MT, and your observations are right on.

I'll add it wasn't expensive at all. But he's pretty special as a
mech, and knows how to haunt boneyards.
The most expensive thing was getting the sized halfshafts, and those
were less than $200. Think the Getrag cost him 50 bucks.
I thought it was silly when I heard what he had done. That was when
he called from down the street with the dropped halfshaft.
He had miscalculated the lengths of what he needed and had bought for
a few bucks at the boneyard. I gave him a dressing down about doing
it - he did it over one weekend 100 feet away from me in the garage,
but hadn't told me what he was doing. Probably knew what I would say.
Then seeing his depression I supported him and put him onto a
halfshaft shop that set him right up with proper length halfshafts.
Next day he was all set, and drove the car another 4 years before rust
got it.
It was his first car, and he didn't have the money to replace it.
Didn't even look like a Corsica. Think rice.
Not my style, any of it, but nobody says your kids have to be like
you. I'm proud of him.
He did a nice job taking of taking care of those 3800 LIM and UIM
problems on his Bonneville too. Before they became a problem.
So he doesn't waste money on cars.
Wastes it on computers.

--Vic

"Vic Smith" > wrote in message
news
> On Thu, 19 Nov 2009 08:00:40 -0600, "hls" > wrote:
>
>>
>>"AZ Nomad" > wrote in message
...
>>> On Wed, 18 Nov 2009 19:17:24 -0600, hls > wrote:
>>>
>>>>"Vic Smith" > wrote in message
>>>>> Don't know what doing a clutch on a FWD entails, but I'm pretty sure
>>>>> it's more labor than a RWD.
>>>>> Have to ask my kid. He converted his '93 Corsica from auto to stick
>>>>> and knows way too much about it.
>>>>>
>>>>> --Vic
>>>>Depends.. Some are a piece of cake.. Others are not
>>>
>>> In any case, it'll cost at least ten times than trading to a MT car.
>>> Unless, of course, your time is worth nothing and want to engage
>>> in an expensive pointless project.
>>
>>Ive seen a number of conversions to MT, and your observations are right
>>on.
>
> I'll add it wasn't expensive at all. But he's pretty special as a
> mech, and knows how to haunt boneyards.
> The most expensive thing was getting the sized halfshafts, and those
> were less than $200. Think the Getrag cost him 50 bucks.
> I thought it was silly when I heard what he had done. That was when
> he called from down the street with the dropped halfshaft.
> He had miscalculated the lengths of what he needed and had bought for
> a few bucks at the boneyard. I gave him a dressing down about doing
> it - he did it over one weekend 100 feet away from me in the garage,
> but hadn't told me what he was doing. Probably knew what I would say.
> Then seeing his depression I supported him and put him onto a
> halfshaft shop that set him right up with proper length halfshafts.
> Next day he was all set, and drove the car another 4 years before rust
> got it.
> It was his first car, and he didn't have the money to replace it.
> Didn't even look like a Corsica. Think rice.
> Not my style, any of it, but nobody says your kids have to be like
> you. I'm proud of him.
> He did a nice job taking of taking care of those 3800 LIM and UIM
> problems on his Bonneville too. Before they became a problem.
> So he doesn't waste money on cars.
> Wastes it on computers.
>
> --Vic

Better than wasting it on dope and red headed women, IMO.
If you have a good source of parts, many of these jobs are simple
changeouts.
If you have to hang pedals, custom fabricate a lot of things, then it can be
a
bummer.
For my part, the only thing I like less than trying to work under a dash
(pedals, etc)
is working on exhaust systems.

hls wrote:
>
> "Vic Smith" > wrote in message
> news
>> On Thu, 19 Nov 2009 08:00:40 -0600, "hls" > wrote:
>>
>>>
>>> "AZ Nomad" > wrote in message
>>> ...
>>>> On Wed, 18 Nov 2009 19:17:24 -0600, hls > wrote:
>>>>
>>>>> "Vic Smith" > wrote in message
>>>>>> Don't know what doing a clutch on a FWD entails, but I'm pretty sure
>>>>>> it's more labor than a RWD.
>>>>>> Have to ask my kid. He converted his '93 Corsica from auto to stick
>>>>>> and knows way too much about it.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> --Vic
>>>>> Depends.. Some are a piece of cake.. Others are not
>>>>
>>>> In any case, it'll cost at least ten times than trading to a MT car.
>>>> Unless, of course, your time is worth nothing and want to engage
>>>> in an expensive pointless project.
>>>
>>> Ive seen a number of conversions to MT, and your observations are
>>> right on.
>>
>> I'll add it wasn't expensive at all. But he's pretty special as a
>> mech, and knows how to haunt boneyards.
>> The most expensive thing was getting the sized halfshafts, and those
>> were less than $200. Think the Getrag cost him 50 bucks.
>> I thought it was silly when I heard what he had done. That was when
>> he called from down the street with the dropped halfshaft.
>> He had miscalculated the lengths of what he needed and had bought for
>> a few bucks at the boneyard. I gave him a dressing down about doing
>> it - he did it over one weekend 100 feet away from me in the garage,
>> but hadn't told me what he was doing. Probably knew what I would say.
>> Then seeing his depression I supported him and put him onto a
>> halfshaft shop that set him right up with proper length halfshafts.
>> Next day he was all set, and drove the car another 4 years before rust
>> got it.
>> It was his first car, and he didn't have the money to replace it.
>> Didn't even look like a Corsica. Think rice.
>> Not my style, any of it, but nobody says your kids have to be like
>> you. I'm proud of him.
>> He did a nice job taking of taking care of those 3800 LIM and UIM
>> problems on his Bonneville too. Before they became a problem.
>> So he doesn't waste money on cars.
>> Wastes it on computers.
>>
>> --Vic
>
> Better than wasting it on dope and red headed women, IMO.
> If you have a good source of parts, many of these jobs are simple
> changeouts.
> If you have to hang pedals, custom fabricate a lot of things, then it
> can be a
> bummer.
> For my part, the only thing I like less than trying to work under a dash
> (pedals, etc)
> is working on exhaust systems.

I converted my '55 Stude from an automatic to a 4-speed, I probably
wouldn't do it again, but I really had to have a stickshift to be happy
with the car. I'm thinking about converting it to a column-shift
3-speed with overdrive for vintage coolness and more gear spread (or
maybe a modern 5-speed, but most aren't rated for the torque of a Stude
V-8.) BUT I can't honestly say that I'd recommend anyone to do it,
there's no logical reason to other than "I want to." Unless you have to
have a certain exact hard to find car you're probably better off just
buying a car with a stick in the first place.

nate

--
replace "roosters" with "cox" to reply.
http://members.cox.net/njnagel

On Thu, 19 Nov 2009 20:42:46 -0500, Nate Nagel > wrote:

>I converted my '55 Stude from an automatic to a 4-speed, I probably
>wouldn't do it again, but I really had to have a stickshift to be happy
>with the car. I'm thinking about converting it to a column-shift
>3-speed with overdrive for vintage coolness and more gear spread (or

Automobile design has changed a bit in the last 50 years.

AZ Nomad wrote:
> On Thu, 19 Nov 2009 20:42:46 -0500, Nate Nagel > wrote:
>
>> I converted my '55 Stude from an automatic to a 4-speed, I probably
>> wouldn't do it again, but I really had to have a stickshift to be happy
>> with the car. I'm thinking about converting it to a column-shift
>> 3-speed with overdrive for vintage coolness and more gear spread (or
>
> Automobile design has changed a bit in the last 50 years.

yeah, mostly for the more complex, making a swap even less of a good
idea unless you're really committed to it.

nate

--
replace "roosters" with "cox" to reply.
http://members.cox.net/njnagel

AZ Nomad > wrote:
>On Thu, 19 Nov 2009 20:42:46 -0500, Nate Nagel > wrote:
>
>>I converted my '55 Stude from an automatic to a 4-speed, I probably
>>wouldn't do it again, but I really had to have a stickshift to be happy
>>with the car. I'm thinking about converting it to a column-shift
>>3-speed with overdrive for vintage coolness and more gear spread (or
>
>Automobile design has changed a bit in the last 50 years.

Sadly not anywhere NEAR enough.
--scott

--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."