Archive for October, 2003
October 19th, 2003
Misc.
I found my long lost little brother at Starbucks!
Just wanted everyone to see what a friendly “kitty” Dooley has turned into.
I gotta get this monkey off my shoulder.
The Big Canoe
Some things were made to go together – pizza and beer, chocolate and peanut butter … a 15,000 lbs. boat and a 75 GMC C3500 isn’t one of them. My friend built both. The truck has a blown 496 and a built Turbo 400 (I don’t know how it was built, but you can bet my next Turbo 400 will be built the same way!). I drove behind him for 2 hours up windy hills and the truck didn’t miss a beat, granted it didn’t stay in its lane either at 9′ wide or stop any better than an elephant on ice skates. The temp. never got over 200 degrees either … no kidding, my buddy sat next to him the entire trip up and had his eyes glued to the guages as he was sure a piston was coming through the hood or a torque converter through the floor! Heat was a problem for the first engine. Yes, it took him 2 trys to build an engine to tow this big canoe, the first one did toss a piston …. and ran at about 250 degrees (I’m surprised the piston vented the hood instead of welding itself to the block). Now for the boat … or ship … I’m not sure where to draw the line. A 30′ off shore racer, 2 more blown 496 GMs (bigger blowers than the truck) and an engine compartment that looks like a cross between a nuclear submarine and a top fuel funny car. 110 MPH at full throttle (6200 RPM). I sat between the engines wearing the same ear protection I do when I shoot a 45 … and this was louder. We got up to about 90 MPH in a smooth, flat lake. I don’t think I wanna go any faster than that in water. I like having a seatbelt around my waist, a roof over my head, 4 tires on solid asphalt and more clothing than just swimming trunks.
You have no idea how much fuel 3 blown 496 engines use. The guy at the gas station does, I’ve never seen such a big smile … both going up and coming back.
Center axle for 6×6
Platform for 6×6
Just the sort of thing you wanna see when you roll up to your job site!
It’s almost as if they’re having a competition of sorts …
eric | 8:14 am | Misc | No Comments