so anyone going to this? or has anyone gone to it - anything worthwhile to see?

I got an email from Coleman - $5 off admission if you use the code word COLEMAN at this Link

the offer is good until 10am 1/10/10

Well break is finally over and school starts back up Monday.... Anyone interested in getting together for some grub, bullshit about nothing, and show off whatever cool swag we all got for X-mas sometime this weekend?? :thumbup:

When I bought the car back in July, the engine bay looked... pretty skeezy. It was missing the front air duct, caps for the engine cover, strut tower caps, and everything was caked in a good decade of grime. It's hard to see really how much it improved in the pictures, but in person it looks sooooo much better.



The first thing I did was replace the air duct on the top since it was so noticeable, and then I didn't bother with it until this break.



I started with the valve cover, new ones are way way out of my budget, so I figured a good deep cleaning and a few heat resistant rattle cans would help me out.







You can see how flaky this crap they coat the <1995 valve covers with. :tsk: The M/S52 ones hold up much much better.



Cams!! :yumyum:



^This is sad, but the underside of it is what's really gross.



So I took it off and took it to work to sit and think about what it did wrong for an hour or so in the parts washer.



And got the underside all cleaned out.



I let it dry from the parts washer and hit all the high and loose spots with sand paper. I wasn't able to spend much time on it, because I needed to sqeeze my prep work into a lunch break so I could paint all afternoon and get my car back so I could get to a new years party.

The rough spots on the front are some kind of ungodly stubborn, they weren't going anywhere without a very aggressive power sander, and I didn't have the time or the desire to mess up my valve cover to get into it.





Apparently I forgot to take pictures of it after I painted it. Whoops. Anyways, here's a pic of it on the car with the coils back in.



I took the opportunity to clean the grit off the valve cover bolts with a healthy dose of brake clean.





It's in the little things.

I may need a couple folks to help me move a Rotary 9000 lb. car lift this weekend. Free use of it for a while if you assist. I may also be obtaining a Coats wheel balancer and a Coats tire mounter. 5 free sets mounted and balanced (OBO) if you help out. Lunch and Beer (or alternative beverage) included.

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You know you want it Evan!

Seen this on a few auto blog sites... Their thoughts were all pretty asinine.

The Prius gets my nod.

Honorable mentions [in no order]: Mazda3, WRX, Ford GT.

So I've been in the home buying market for a few months now and I want some advice from you guys. I have a steady job with decent income and I want to buy a "starter house." I am in no hurry to buy and I won't be settling on a place just to have a place. My living situation now is fine and I want to take it slow. I did my first walkthrough of a property today and I know I won't be making any offers on it for various reasons (needed to have the basement finished, bedrooms were too small and the pool would need a good bit of work). I have my financing lined up and already have approval for a loan whenever I find a place, but I want some advice from you guys that have been there before. I have already started getting my paperwork lined up so I know what I need to fill out and what I need to have ready should I find a place I like. My girlfriend and I have been looking at a lot of places; however I am not calculating her income into what I can or can't afford because women are fickle, but I do appreciate her input. She gave me my best piece of advice so far; when we left the house today she said, "if you leave talking about the faults in a place, don't buy it."

My question is what were your dealbreakers/what should I look for? I have more than my share of experience in homebuilding and remodling as I've done a fair but of it, but I'm open to any thoughts/advice. I know any changes are going to cost money and that should all be looked at before I buy a place. I've already set my limits for price and location and such. I'm just looking for things that were dealbreakers or any advice you might have. It is much appreciated.

as stated in the title - roll bar padding

i have 3 'sticks' of i *believe* 3" roll bar padding

black in color, foam material

i do not need this anymore and just seeing if anyone wants it before it goes in the trash

so I'm moving and am looking to "de-clutter" my life

I'm putting stuff up on craigslist, but figured I'd offer it up here 1st.

its all negotiable, lemme know if you want pics of anything

IKEA coffee table with glass top $30
IKEA coffee table ~ beech venner $20
32" TV its old but it works well enough $50 TV & Stand Link
TV Stand - $20
Lazy-boy recliner link- $75
IKEA Poang chair I've been using it outside on my covered porch, but its quite obviously been outside for a while-free
Kitchen rack - $75
Love seat with pull out bed - $100 LINK
Foozeball table - $150 LINK
Beige Microfiber Sectional (needs to be cleaned and one area is sagging a good bit)- $650
IKEA Malm bed thing (its basically this long shelf/table on rollerblade wheels)- $50
Desk - $75
Red Reclining "Wingback" chair - $75 LINK
Dining room set 4 chairs - $60/table $50
Kenwood 600W amp - ?
Audiobahn sealed/ported box with 2 10" subs - ?


I also have a whole bunch of random "stuff"
2 desk fans
original xbox that is fried and controllers
a couple desk lamps

EDIT - updated with some links to pics

so I've decided to retire the desktop and move into the 21st century.

I'm also moving and won't have room for my desk/chair so a lappy seems like the way to go.

I probably use my desktop once a week to sync my iPhone, pay some bills, and uhhh other stuff I can't do on my work laptop.

Any reason something like this wouldn't work. for $350 - minus some GC money that seems solid, unless someone has something else that works for less.