Category Archives: Family

Business, Family, National News, Political

WWDD?

What Would Democrats Do

Can you imagine either of these Space Cadets being in charge of a Pandemic?

We are currently in the middle of the worst crisis since the Bombing of Pearl Harbor bringing the USA into World War Two. The China Virus has shut down America tighter than WWII ever did. This will most likely go down as the worst crisis to date for America because of the deaths and the long term financial result.

  • Today, the Governors of Florida, Georgia, and New York have issued Statewide “Stay at Home Orders”. More states will start to fall like dominoes and order their citizens to stay at home for 2-weeks, to a month, based on the compliance from the selfish.
  • Many small businesses, like the one I own, will not survive being shut down for a month or more. I intend to survive, but mine was healthy and has financial backing.
  • It is doubtful that 50% of the restaurants will return without filing Bankruptcy.
  • Trillions, (I know that sounds like a number but if you divide 100Million tax-payers into a $1Trillion, it is $1Million per taxpayer – per $Trillion) have been spent – and that will cripple the USA for decades to come when interest increases.
  • The airline industry has been crippled, as are the 401Ks and IRAs having that stock in the portfolios.
  • So far, my personal net worth has decreased in value by 38%. It took me many decades to earn what I’ve lost because of the China virus. It is an even higher percentage for many others.
  • Our Hospitals are swamped, and medical staff are dead on their feet.
  • Ships, both military and Cruise, are stuck at sea with their infected passengers stranded on them.
  • But most importantly, it is projected that hundreds of thousands of Americans — mostly in my age group, will die in the next few weeks because of the China Virus. It is also projected in models that it would be millions, had Trump and Pence not taken immediate charge of the situation. It still might hit millions of Americans who die, if the selfishness of younger people placing money over the health of the Seniors, don’t stop their irresponsible behavior.

Ask yourself, What Would Democrats Do?

  • Obama couldn’t even get a web site to work after spending billions on it. Obamacare is now a horror story. Thousands unnecessarily died due to his putting his golf game over American lives. History has shown that he’d most likely propose “Cash for Clunkers” and “Shovel Ready Spending” plans. Or maybe he’d give billions to startup Solar companies to funnel back into the DNC for his re-election. I’d bet he’d send a trillion in cash on a plane to China, just to reward them for crippling the US. Most likely he’d let the UN decide how to solve the problem after shoveling a couple $Trillion to them to pass around to the Middle East.
  • Hillary? She’d appoint Wild Bill as her Virus Czar and give $Trillions to the Clinton Foundation to solve the problem. You want a contract to sell thousand dollar masks or million dollar ventilators, you will need to “wet the beak” of the Clintons with a donation to the Clinton Foundation. There has never been a pair of more crooked Americans than Bill and Hillary.
  • Joe? If he could remember that Hunter is his son, he’d appoint a newly formed company figuring it out? However, the real truth is that Creepy Uncle Joe has not only lost his fastball – he’s lost his “Folly Floater”. He never possessed a curveball or slider. More important to America then that he’s always been corrupt, is that the man suffers from dementia. The Deep State pulling his strings would all just go underground into the special bunkers they had built under Fort Knox – and re-emerge in a. couple of years after all of the bodies have decayed. George Soros would be their Dr. Strangelove.
  • Bernie? He’s never done a single productive thing in his life. God only knows what his response would be, but we all know we’d be dead from whatever action he took.
  • Pelosi? After restocking her liquor cabinet with VSOP, her “Pelosi Stimulus Doctrine” would be to send a case of 2-month-old Scotch and a cake to every American – they could eat cake and have a terrible hangover. She’d then increase the gifts to abortion shops by 100 fold, pass the “Mother of all Green Deals”, and lowering the voting age to 5.

All of the Trump Hating “Looters (Politicians)” and their “Communist Trained” MSM will spread their sheep dip to their low information Democrat Moochers. However, Trump was born to be a problem solver. I understand that “Moochers” hate “Producers” so much that they’ll never understand (as long as their Federal & State credit cards are reloaded every month) and so this message is geared to those who are actually observant and can think for themselves. The Moochers are hopeless.

Facts are:

  • Trump stopped flights from China and Europe when “Monday Morning Quarterbacks” (now saying he was way too late) were screaming “That’s Racist!”
  • Trump works 18-hour days, 7-days a week on this problem. Less than 1% would have the energy he’s shown. Bernie, Biden, Hillary and Pelosi wouldn’t have spent 10% of awake time (which is minimal) on this – and they’ve never solved a problem in their lives.
  • Trump insisted on “Social Distancing” early on, and Democrats said he was creating a fake crisis to keep Biden from campaigning.
  • The group that he put together to find solutions is top shelf, and Apolitical. Democrats put their political hack family & friends in positions like this.
  • Every evening he and that comes out and stays until every question is answered. Obama would have sent a Press Secretary.
  • He’s personally negotiated with businesses to immediately produce items of need, and they have quickly responded.

I could go on and on, but you get the point. This is a crisis that will go down in history in the way the Plague had. Trump Haters will tell you he’s doing a horrible job, and that the previously mentioned Looters could do better. But most intelligent people will know that there was no better President to have resolve this Crisis.

Just imagine what the Democrats would have done.

Business, Dave's News, Family, National News, Technical

Corona Virus Scare Have you Holed Up At Home?

Read a Book

The following is a list of books I’ve read, which strongly influenced me or motivated me to do the best I could to move from an uneducated poor kid to earn a decent living.

If you are in lock down, maybe download and read at least one of the five books I’ve listed below. I guarantee it will help you earn more and become a little better of a person. Many of these were written a long time ago, but are absolutely timeless in the education provided.

1. Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand
2. Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill
3. Up The Organization by Robert Townsend
4. Dress for Success by John Malloy
5. How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnagie

Dave's Cars for Sale, Dave's News, Drag Racing, Family

Shop Goin’ Ons Late February

Coach & Stacker all polished up and ready to head to Bradenton, FL

The first NMCA race of 2020 is in Bradenton, FL, which is south of Tampa. Since the Stacker trailer is brand new, the thrash was on to finish outfitting it for racing. My coach is 3′ longer than the last one, so the trailer was ordered to be 2′ shorter. That requires optimal space usage in trailer. Below are photos of the finished product.

With the Stacker finished, it was time to load up.

Since the Screamin’ Woody has a new and untested motor, I put the Texas Thug – which had the bugs worked out, on the Lift. I’ll rent the track Wednesday to test the Wagon, but if it doesn’t cut it – then I’ll run the Thug. It was an incredibly tight fit getting both cars and the golf cart into the trailer – requiring many steps. I’ll chop the top of the golf cart 4″ when I get back. That will eliminate one of the steps.

Petty Tribute 1960 Plymouth

I took the Petty Tribute car on it’s first drive after preparing the front tires and getting tires mounted.

As you would expect, there were a few bugs. The clutch lever had to be modified, the shifter adapter needed to be modified, the collectors needed their gaskets changed, as did the headers. The pipes scrape on turns, so I called Laura at Espo Springs and Things to order a pair of new 5-leaf springs with a 1″ height increase and some other rear hardware. The radio antenna sux – so I ordered a windshield antenna. It should be ready for me to enter into the car show at the Atlanta race.

I also have an aluminum 24′ trailer from the 90’s that I’ve been refreshing. I put a front straps hangers, a tire spinner holder in the rear, and some shelving to hold plastic jars of nuts bolts and other hardware. I’ll finish up when I get back from Bradenton.

My son and I own Bloomin’ Blinds of The Woodlands, through our company Daldavco, LLC. Its been a record month in sales, plus we had Dock Side Magazine out for a feature they will run in their March issue. We also have a double size booth at the Montgomery County Home & Garden Show this coming weekend – so a lot of time has been spent preparing for that.

I bought a Gear Vendors overdrive unit for Ginger, my daily driver 1978 Magnum. Got that installed and ordered a new yet shorter Victory Driveshaft. Took it for a 50 mile drive and I’m real happy. Before installing the overdrive, my tire (275/65-15) and gear (3.55:1) combination had me turning 3100 RPMs at 70 and if I cruised at 85 my temperature would shoot up to 220 degrees quickly. My Trans team would also rise to 225-230 degrees. Now I’m at 170 degrees at 85mph and maybe 2100 RPM. At 70 I’m at about 1900 RPM. The Trans oil temp never got above 140 degrees in the 50 mile drive documented below.

The Speedometer reacts slowly as its GPS and the satellite calculates speed. There’s a delay.

OldHippie.com

As many of you know, we typically live at the lake Thursday evening until Monday morning, and then commute (100 miles each way) to our home next to my shop in Beasley. I have 4 containers and a 12×16′ shed full of cars parts, 30+ vehicles, and an attic full of furnishings from the last two homes we’ve sold. The goal is to down-size my life, buy some land close to my lake house, build a shop there to stop commuting, and later build a home to rock on the front porch on. I’m not going to build anywhere near the number of buildings I currently have — and need to dramatically downsize my life by selling what I don’t need and won’t use.

I had an eBay store and all was going well, until they wanted me to charge sales tax and file with every county I collected it from. That’s just not practical. So I’ve created a Craig’s List Style (only even easier to use) classified ad web site, and started to list my stuff. In a purely selfish move, I’ve made it available to anyone in the United States to use COMPLETELY FREE AND WITHOUT ANY CATCH. The reason I’m paying for this for everyone to use is SEO (Search Engine Optimization). The more ads listed on the site, the more visitors (potential Buyers) are bought to the site. I’ll pay for you to help me sell quicker.

So this is you official invitation to register at https://www.oldhippie.com securely and free, and like me, to clean out your attic, shed, garage backyard, storage locker… and convert stuff you don’t need into cash.

When you register, you are immediately emailed a confirmation link to verify that you’re not a robot spammer. Clicking that link makes you ready to post ads. The knuckleheads at GOOGLE are putting that email in your Spam folder if you use Gmail. The email is sent immediately. If you don’t see it in your Inbox, you’ll most likely find it in your Spam folder.

Spring Cleaning

So I moved four of my bikes so I can move my Street Rod to the garage I keep my ready to drive cars. However, my Shop Rat has not been starting and running every Friday like I asked, so the battery won’t take a charge. New one is on the way.

I have black rolling carts for various jobs. Electrical work, power Tools, sanding and grinding, small detail work… They tend to get disorganized quickly – with crap thrown on them and stuff not put back where it belongs. I straightened out the electrical cart.

I also have red rolling carts that has just about anything from used parts, to mail, to garbage thrown on. I consolidated it to one by throwing out garbage, photo and listing for sale usable parts I won’t need, and putting away stuff I will need.

My 1979 Magnum GT has its drivetrain pulled, and the bumpers pulled. It will get prepped for new paint under the hood and door jams (to match new paint on the body) and the bumpers blaster and powder donated flood black.

Finally, I reorganized where we store new and used hardware and supplies I use at the shop.

So that’s it for the February. I’m about to head to the lake to do some puter work, accounting, and setting up at the Home & Garden Show. This Sunday morning we’ll come back, hop in the motorhome, and get to the NASA rest area in Mississippi to find a spot for the night. Monday morning we’ll finish the trip Bradenton.

Oops

I almost forget. About two weeks ago our family grew by two.

Meet Ole Black Bettie and Billy Sue. Bettie & Billy are sister Black American Labs with a good lineage. Yes that means we currently have 5 dogs, and will be bringing them all to the track.

Buster, Smiff & Wessin are not impressed.

Business, Dave's News, Family, Memes, National News, Technical

Like Craig’s List

Only Better

Oldhippie.com is a new 100% free to use classified ad site. No catches or ulterior motives.

So I’m wanting to build a smaller shop close to my lake house, and stop the 100 mile each way weekly commute. But to do so I have to sell most of my 31 cars, four containers of parts and an attic full of household item I’ve horded over the years. I was selling a lot of it on eBay, but all of a sudden they now want me to charge and file sales tax in the buyer’s home. That’s not practical.

So I created my own version of Craig’s list that I’ll be listing my stuff on. I’ve already sold a bunch on it in just the week its been up.

For Search Engine Optimization to work its best – more is better. The more ads that get listed, the more buyers are brought to the site. As such, it is in my best interest to allow others to post their free of charge.

So from cars to walking dogs, from land to landscaping, from RVs to baby sitting — what ever is legal and ethical can be listed. It operates like Craig’s list — only easier to use and better organized. So clean out your attic, shed, garage. Advertise the products or services your business offers. It’s all free and my only ulterior motive is to bring more buyers to the site so I sell my stuff faster.

Dave's News, Drag Racing, Family

Shop Update Late January & Tool Time With Jake

Time for my bi-monthly shop update.

Screaming Woody

The new motor is in the Screamin’ Woody and I took it for a blast down my nasty rural road. Appears to be fine, but I didn’t take it above 4500 RPM as we’ve had a lot of rain and the 35mph road is pretty rough. Changed the preload a little to help it launch straighter – but haven’t test that. I’ll come to Bradenton a day early and try to work out the wrinkles.

Back at the shop I put it on the rack. Changed the breakin oil for racing oil, cleaned the underside, and found a crimp in the fuel line making a 90 degree turn – so it was cut out and replaced with a couple 45 degree hose ends and a m/m fitting. Polished the wheels, put it back on the ground to clean under the hood, interior and exterior.

She’s ready to go into the Stacker when I finish out-fitting it.

The Thug

Because the Screamin’ Woody will be untested before the race in Bradenton, FL in early March, I’m gonna throw the Thug on the Lift as a backup, in case there’s an issue with the Screamin’ Woody. So it too had its oil changed, wheels polished and a through detailing.

Tool Time with Jake

In the above photo, you see Grandson #2 – Jake. He and his twin sister Elwood spent a few days with Deb and I, as their mother was having a medical procedure. Jake spent a 1/2 day in the shop learning a little about tools and cars.

He naturally wanted to grab a seat (including back seat) in the three cars in Shop 1 – where most of the work is done. Afterwards, he learned how to mark a 1/2″ impact wrench holster level on the Stacker door, drill through one panel while stopping before going through the outside skin, and riveting the holster on the door.

As I was trying to show him how to mount and wire up a 9000# winch in the Stacker, I found that a 5-year-old boy’s 1st tool-time (keep in mind I have two sons and three handy daughters – so this isn’t my first rodeo) has limited patience. To get him to stop rummaging through the tool drawers in the Stacker, I used the “Ole Tape Measure Trick” and had him measure some stuff.

After he got bored of that, he decided Tool-Time was over and decided to play on the playground I built in front of my house a couple of years ago.

Stacker

So speaking of the new Stacker, I need to finish out-fitting it so I can load the cars up. Check a couple of previous posts to update yourself where I’d gotten by mid last month. Most is done, but the winch (to get the cars in and out of the trailer) was not.

When I ordered the Stacker built to what I’ve learned about trailers over the years, I had them build an in-floor compartment for a winch with 1/2″ platting. There’s a door that covers it to make for a flat floor. I test fitted the winch and drilled some 1/2″ holes through the plate. The winch was then mounted by bolting in from the under the trailer, using Grade 8 hardware.

Once bolted in, it became obvious that Intech didn’t make the well deep enough for the relay box that sits on top. I took it apart to remove the mount, and the only place it would fit was in back of the winch – only if I removed the lower mounting rod off the winch.

Even then, I only had about 1/2″ clearance from the now neatly rolled spool. Since we all know this will be the last time the spool will be neat – that wasn’t going to work. I removed the relay and rolled under the trailer with it and a mount I had made from aluminum bar stock. After tearing out a clump of hair caught in the creeper’s wheel, I remembered that now that my hair is again Long – that I have to have hoodie up when on a creeper.

I then drilled a 2″ hole through the 1/2″ plate, almost breaking my wrist many times when the broch stopped moving but my big Dewalt drill still wanted to turn.

It would only be Natural that after taking two shots of mounting the relay box under the trailer that the cables to the winch would all be 1″ too short. So work stopped on the winch while I placed an order for 4Ga copper cable butt connectors and a couple options on 2″ hole grommets.

However, there was other work to be done.

Like a couple door baskets, disposable glove holder, magnetic bars for wrenches, and a couple Velcro straps to hold a yoga mat for me to lay on when under the car.

Mounted power tools, batteries and charger on bench splash board, and an oil pan holder on the wall under the oil rack. I should have the Stacker finished and the cars loaded in by the end of next week.

The Old Aluminum Trailer

If you’ve been following along, you’ll know that I have a 25 year old aluminum trailer I’m making new again. A few posts back I showed how the inside and outside was stripped and painted, new LED tail and marker lights, reflective Red/White/Blue stripes, Texas Flag painted on door, and about half of the out-fitting done. Since then:

I cut a 1″ square 3/16″ steel plate into four 6″x6″ plates, punched 1/2″ holes in them, primed and painted White to match the trailer. They’ll be backing plates to the Puck lock, to spread the stress on the inside and outside of the door, inside and outside of the trailer. I’ll be mounting the Puck lock next week.

At the rear of the trailer I mounted a jack pouch, spare tire, and blower on the curb side. On the street side – I mounted a strap holder with a cut down yoga mat as a wall protector. A broom holder and a holder for my director’s chair – in the black bag. Also hung a couple cord holders. I mounted some small D-Rings for bungee cords – to keep stuff from flopping or falling onto my car – as this is a very narrow trailer. I also secured the basket holding the jacks with bungee cords and D-Rings. That’s for in case the car gets too close winching out and I need to get them out of the way. The plan is to be able to quickly get to the spare, two bottle jacks and tire spinner by just opening the rear door – and not having to climb over stuff. I have much experience with flats as I drive fast, for long periods of time, on hot southern roads.

Moving to the front curbside of the trailer, I have a door cabinet with drop down table top, wrench/oil rack, fire bottle holder and a disposable glove holder on the door. On the side of the cabinet, I have rubber hands to hold the Weather station pole that extends above the trailer. Outside the door I have a White Board to leave and receive messages when I’m not in my pit. Inside next to the door is a strap rack with a yoga mat protector.

On the front street side:

I have hangers for my power tools, racks for papers and my log book, double helmet rack with stereo under and speakers to the side, a couple magnetic bars and some hand tools mounted. I still have to wire in two batteries, an inverter, a charger, the roof fan, the stereo, a pair of charging lugs and other incidentals. I also need a cover for the radio and plumb for compressed air receptacles under door and rear of trailer.

The Petty Tribute

The gas sending unit in tank was swapped so the gas gauge now works. The shifter was hitting the steering wheel in 1st and second, so a spacer was made to fix that. The retro tach still doesn’t work, so I need to deal with that. The car was cleaned up.

I dug up three old 15″ Mopar wheels for the front, and spare. I took them down to Discount for my bud Gregg to dismount the rotted tires. They were cleaned up, prepped and I hit with rust colored primer. Next week I’ll play around with cream paint and primer to make look rusty like the back wheels and then take to Discount for some new Goodrich T/As to get mounted. Then the car is done.

Ginger, my Magnum XE

The Gear Vendors overdrive is in the car, just waiting for the Driveshaft from Victory. It arrived yesterday, and that car should be back on the road next week.

The Skipper – My Magnum GT

The engine and Transmission was pulled.

All of the under hood parts were pulled.

Under the hood will get cleaned, wire brushed and scuffed before receiving a fresh coat of urethane to match the exterior. The engine will cleaned resealed and painted – as will the transmission. Then gets stabbed back in. The AC compressor cleaned and painted. The wiring cleaned – maybe replaced if I can find new authentic. Power steering pump replaced, hard lines either made to look new or replaced. I want under the hood to look as new as the exterior.

So I think that catches me up on the shop reporting. Next report in about two weeks.