A Couple Cool Ones At SEMA

SEMA=Specialty Equipment Manufacturors Association

Every year SEMA holds their annual convention and show out in Las Vegas. It is always held this time of year and is open only to SEMA members.

The stuff they have out there runs the gammet from super custom muscle car related stuff to billetproof related items. And virtually everything in between.

Over at Autoholics.com, this olelongrooffan spotted a couple pretty cool creations by Jonathon Ward.

One was this vintage custom four door Toyota FJ Landcruiser.

And the other was this olelongroof.
Go ahead and click here to see more images of them.

And seeing that olelongroof really lets this olelongrooffan

Celebrate Life.

Another Milestone

Well, Counters, this olelongrooffan has been reaching a bunch of milestones over the past few months.
It all started with By The Numbers celebrating its birthday back in May of this year.

If you have been Counting Along With Me, you will remember that this olelongrooffan let his longroof go on down the road to that Hoon on the Space Coast.

Subsequent to that sale, this olelongrooffan, after several vetoes of my vehicle choices, was able to acquire my latest daily driver, the Indian. An interesting note about my latest and greatest four wheel drive. As was mentioned in that blog, this is the second six cylinder MJ this olelongrooffan has owned. In the comment section of that blogpost, thehorsefarmer revealed that he too owned a six cylinder MJ back in the day. Well from all of the search results I can find, there were only around 30 of the six cylinder versions of the MJ produced for the initial 1986 model year. Between thehorsefarmer and this olelongrooffan, we have owned 10% of the production total for that version of the iconic MJ! I know that is a trivial fact but hey that's why By The Numbers works for me.

Just a short time later, my 89 year old neighbor, yeah he had a birthday on October 4th, bestowed upon this olelongrooffan "Bert's Car" which I was able to flip overnite for a cool six Benjamins. The milestone here? It was the shortest time I have ever owned a car and the shortest distance this olelongrooffan has ever driven a car I owned!

Ironically, the same day this olelongrooffan sold "Bert's Car" to sweet Mary, I met up with Mr. Williams who hooked me up with a new job in a new industry, gave me the sorely needed break this olelongrooffan was looking for and for that I will be ever grateful to him.

I also have moved into the modern ages and have gotten a touch screen cell phone.

Now lest you Counters think this olelongrooffan is squibbling precious fiscal resources, know there is a story behind my acquisition of this piece of modern technology.

And of course I am going to share it with you.

Last year, 2009, I knew I was not going to be able to afford a trip to Fantasy Land to spend Christmas with my daughter, Jessica, in addition to buying any type of gift for her. I had been down just before Thanksgiving and we talked about this and she was okay with it. "Heck, Dad, it is just a few weeks away and I totally understand the situation we are in." I love that girl.

Anyway, on my drive back to the Birthplace of Speed, I did some mental calculations on how much I could spend on her gifts, while still meeting my monthly expenditures, and it amounted to about fifty bucks. Sh*t! Fifty Bucks for a fifteen year old girl? What a pittance.

Well, lo and behold, as always seems to happen to this glass half full olelongrooffan, on that very same drive across the hinterlands of the great state of Florida, my cell phone vibrates with notice of an incoming call. It was from a client to whom I had submitted a proposal for Manuel Labor and this olelongrooffan to work some wonders on their kitchen. I was awarded the contract but the catch was it had to be done between Christmas and New Years as they were going to be out of town that week. I hemmed and hawed, did some mental calculations while following an orange toting semi truck, and ultimately agreed but at a cost premium to my clients. They were so elated they agreed and Jessica's gift budget was greatly increased.

When I was down there visiting with my beautiful Jessica, I got to meet several of her 15 year old girlfriends, all of whom are really sweet. This olelongrooffan did notice that all of them had touch screen phones, except for Jessica whose daily driver cell phone was a basic, camera equipped, provided by Dad, flip phone.

So this olelongrooffan knew what Jessica's gift for Christmas, 2009 would be. The touch screen phone you see in the above image.

Now I am sure you Counters are wondering how this olelongrooffan came to be in possession of it?

Well, Jessica lost it once in April and again in August. The first time I forked over the insurance deductable and Fed Exed her that phone. The second time, her Mom had changed her email address and when she emailed me about the loss, that email went straight to spam and it was promptly deleted by this olelongrooffan. As I did not respond, her Mom switched up her family plan and got Jessica her own touch screen via the process. As, by this time, this olelongrooffan had over three hundred bucks invested in this piece of modern technology, I simply filed another, legitimate insurance claim for Jessica's lost phone and had Metro PCS activate it with my phone number and filed my old daily driver flip phone in the cabinet with six, or so, other cell phones. But as this was an insurance claim, no operations manual or accessories were included. Luckily this olelongrooffan has alot of patience to figure it out and a charger for one of those obsolete phones fits my new one.

As an aside, thejeepjunkie showed up at Happy Hour today with a new company provided Blackberry, replacing his daily driver flip Nextel.

Finally, this olelongrooffan fan was able to survive another year and reached a milestone 51 years of age one week ago today. It was a quiet celebration but know there was one.

So, anyway, what is the latest milestone in the life of this olelongrooffan?

Well, Counters, some time between around 9 Eastern Daylight Time last evening and around 4 this afternoon, October 6, 2010, the number of visitors to By The Numbers passed the total of

100,000.

That's right. 100,111 to be exact.

As By The Numbers was first published on May 19, 2008, that means that on the average day, By The Numbers gets 115 hits. I would suspect that many of them are from my rather large family but I am still stoked. Last time I checked, I was getting around 30 hits a day.

Thanks Counters.

And where would these potential Counters be from? The last few on this list this olelongrooffan got for free from somewhere says they are from:

Springfield, Missouri...I know that is family...
San Fernando
Waterford, Michigan
Oberschefflen, Baden, Wurtenberg
Monterrey, Nevada
Albany, California
Wasilla, Alaska...I sh*t you not. I guess she really wants me.
Amsterdam
Lexington, Kentucky
Knoxville, Tennessee
Toronto, Canada
Willington, New Jersey

Man, what a variety of locations.

But know this Counters, having all of these milestones occur, plus the fact it is one of my two Friday nights per week at my new job, sure lets this olelongrooffan

Celebrate Life.

One Hundred Fifty Bucks A Mile

In my last blog post this olelongrooffan explained how a couple days spent with Manuel Labor netted me a pre rusted 92 Toyota Corolla from my neighbor, Bert.

Well, I was internally debating whether to replace that broken CV axle prior to putting this olerustbucket up on Craigslist. Last evening at Happy Hour this olelongrooffan proposed that very same question to thejeepjunkie, TheGoodAttorney and theracedude. It was unanimous to replace it. I asked thejeepjunkie if he thought this olelongrooffan could perform that repair at his shop. Yeah, he commented, I got some building maintenance you can do in exchange for bay rental time.

Hot D*mn. Anyone who has done under car work knows it is a h*ll of a lot easier on a lift.

So last evening, around 6:30, this olelongrooffan logged onto Craigslist via Firefox (just so you know, when you are one the real Craigslist, there is a Peace Symbol in the URL, if you, well at least it happens to me, when I log on through IE it is not a secure site, just saying) anyway, logged on and put up a listing for Bert's Car with a sales price of $750.

This is the content of that ad:

Up for sale is Bert's 1992 Toyota Corolla. I received this car as payment for a bath remodel job for my 88 year old neighbor. He bought it new and has been the only driver of it. It has 188,000 miles, near new brakes, near new tires, a timing belt and water pump was installed less than 30,000 miles ago. It is rusty, has manual windows and an automatic transmission. A new driver's side CV axle will be installed prior to sale. Not pretty to look at but good dependable transportation. The oil stains on the concrete in the images are from my black convertible. This car has no leaks. I have priced it at about what the remodel job was worth and I think it is a fair price. This car runs strong, was babied its entire life and whatever needed repairing was repaired. Give me a call to set up a look/see time. Cash on the barrel. John 386-868-xxxx.

Within two hours, the massive communications system in the Taj Mahal lights up and it is a sweet young lady inquiring about Bert's car. The absolute first thing out of my mouth was that Bert's car was thoroughly rusted out. She said that she understood but was interested in seeing the car anyway.

I asked where she lived and she was located just across International Speedway Boulevard from the Daytona International Speedway. I told her to meet me at thejeepjunkie's shop around 11 am on Saturday and she could check it out.

She agreed and all was well.

So this beautiful Saturday morning down here in The Birthplace of Speed, this olelongrooffan loads a mess of tools and supplies into Bert's car and head down to thejeepjunkie's shop to get done whatever he needed done in exchange for that free bay rental.
After I had finished loading some stuff in the backseat, I shut the door and parts of rusted metal dropped to the parking lot below!

When we picked that car up on Wednesday evening, thejeepjunkie had driven it back to Taj Mahal. So this morning was the first time this olelongrooffan drove Bert's car. And that knock-knock-knock happened during the entire 4 mile trip to that shop.

I arrived and commenced to getting my share of that free bay rental portion of the transaction completed.

Meanwhile, today, thejeepjunkie was handling the sales portion of the shop while his boss, Mr. Happy, was handling the service end of operations.

Mr. Happy and this olelongrooffan get along pretty well and he always gives me a ration for wearing oxford shirts. But I don't mind. If he didn't like me he wouldn't give me that ration.

So anyway, thejeepjunkie has this olelongrooffan pull Bert's car into the esteemed place of honor which is Bay One, directly in front of the service desk, today occupied by Mr. Happy. We get it lifted in the air and I remove the driver's side front tire to inspect what there is to be seen.

I then head over to TomP's (RIP) tool box that is now thejeepjunkie's and gather up what is needed for wrenching on Bert's car. When I returned to that broken CV axle bearing machine, Mr. Happy steps around that service desk and observes this olelongrooffan in action.

After watching me for a few minutes, he grabbed the tools from my hands and had that CV axle out in two shakes of a bunny's tail. And it was put together in almost as quickly a fashion. I commented thanks a bunch Steve. His response was that this olelongrooffan had hung those paper towel holders in his bathrooms in about the same time so all was even!

So, I put that front tire back on and dropped Bert's car to the ground.

I then headed up front to that water cooler to get a cold cup of water. On the way across that showroom, a young lady walked in and asked for thejeepjunkie, as I had told her to do. I asked if she was Mary and she replied in the affirmative. Come on back.

So we went out to Bay One, this olelongrooffan showed her the car and handed her the key to take it out for a spin.

When she returned, I noticed that knock-knock-knock was still present. I asked her if it had done that the whole time. Again, her response was in the affirmative.

Hey JeepJunkie!

He comes over, assesses the situation and drags that olerustbucket back into Bay One and lifts it up. He and thePatdude rotate a couple tires, same problem. thePatdude then gets under Bert's car with a flashlight and it is determined the wheel is rubbing on the brake caliper.

thejeepjunkie pulls that wheel off, instructs thePatdude to get him the biggest hammer from Tom's tool box and, after receiving said hammer, commenced to beating on that wheel with all his might.

It seems one of the welds on that wheel had rusted and that is what was causing that knock-knock-knock the whole time.

Meanwhile this olelongrooffan headed out to tell Sweet Mary what was up. I asked her why she was interested in Bert's car. Well, the timing belt went out of my 91 Escort wagon and screwed up the valves and it is out of commission. The history of this car is excellent and it feels as if it has good karma!

thejeepjunkie has now reattached that wheel and backs Bert's car out of Bay One. Mary gets in and takes it for another test drive.

Meanwhile, thejeepjunkie is all apologies for the misdiagnosis. I tell him that the CV axle was broken and all is good.

She returns a short time later and it was relayed that all is well.

Mary, you want this car?

Yes.

What are you willing to pay for it.

Would you take $600.

Sold.

And she heads to that bank next door, returns and gives this olelongrooffan a handful of Jacksons, give me a firm handshake and a thumbs up and
heads to points west.

Yeah, that's the explanation of the title for this post for you Counters. I had driven Bert's car 4 miles and sold it for 600 bucks. One Hundred Fifty Bucks A Mile.

And that let's this olelongrooffan really

Celebrate Life.


Wait, you Counters think that's it?

H*ll it's not even time for a Japanese dental appointment, yeah, you know 2:30.

thejeepjunkie gives this olelongrooffan a ride, in his new ride, back to the Taj Mahal and unloaded all my tools from the bed of his new ride into the bed of my new ride. He grabs a cold pop and heads home to paint a couple sides of the outside of thesungoddess's abode.

Meanwhile, this olelongrooffan secures a whole bunch of those Jackson's while retaining a few and head out to compensate some wireless companies for yet another month.

Since my wireless internet provider is out there beyond the Daytona International Speedway, this olelongrooffan decided to stop in and check out the progress of the repaving of the track.
Today, it was pretty cool as they were working on the installation of pavement on Turn 4, almost directly in front of the Oldfield Tower which provides free observation of the work being performed.
Not alot of commentary here except to note this machinery is huge. The tires on that crane down there on the entrance to pit road are nearly six feet tall!
And that tracked machine is driving on the road this olelongrooffan saw being constructed here. That arm off the side of it is supporting the actual paving machine on those 33 degree banks.
In the image above, they are disconnecting that dozer from the paver and the paver, at a glacial pace, followed the crane below around to turn 3.
It was about this time this olelongrooffan decided to head back to the Taj Mahal, grill up a brat and Celebrate Life.

Unfortunately, before I was able to do that, I spotted today's version of a Biker Babe out on A1A.
But all was well, that vision was washed from my eyes as I spotted my neighbor flying this around the neighborhood. (Language in that link is NSFW.)
Now that really allowed this olelongrooffan to

Celebrate Life.

Bert's Car

This olelongrooffan's neighbor here at the Taj Mahal is Bert Crow and he is 88 years young. The best part is that he is a retired fertilizer and animal feed salesman from The Ozark Mountains area. The day I met him is the day I came over from Slocala to inspect the Taj. The aforementioned career was disclosed and I mentioned my upbringing on Haven Lee Farm, Halltown Edition. This olelongrooffan was sure I was approved to move in as when I left his company, he said, "It'll be good to have another Missouri boy around."

He has been here for the 8 years since his wife went on to join Mom and TheGentlemanFarmer. Bert has been the defacto manager for the owner who lives down in South Florida. The first time the owner, after I moved in, drove the four hours one way to trim the bushes around the Taj Mahal, I told him I could, and would, take care of that duty. And slowly Bert's responsibility has been redelegated to this olelongrooffan.

A couple weeks ago, Bert had minor surgery and his daughter was lamenting his after surgery care. She commented that Bert was having difficulty stepping over the side of his tub and she asked me if there was kit to convert that tub to a shower. There is and they are around $400 but told her I could remove the tub and tile the area where the tub was so it would be, effectively, a walk in shower. She was elated! I mentioned to her I would talk to the owner and get his approval to do this. I had, after all, replaced Bert's water heater last year.

And yes, I ruined the twelve dollar heating element on that brand new water heater by turning on the power to it prior to bleeding the air out of it. Yeah, I know, Dumb*ss.

So anyway Bert went off to surgery and this olelongrooffan hooked up with Manuel Labor and commenced to tearing out that tub. I had mistakenly thought it was a case iron tub, the removal of which merely involves busting it up with a sledge hammer. Unfortunately, it was a metal tub and the extensive use of these were involved.

But it got done, turned out real nice and Bert is especially grateful and mentions to this olelongrooffan all the time how much he appreciates the things I do for him, you know stuff like get his mail from our remote mailbox station, pick him up some Preparation H, set out his recycle bin. Small stuff for this olelongrooffan but big stuff to 88 year old Bert Crow.

But as this olelongrooffan relates every time he mentions that, "Bert if we were neighbors on farms up in the Ozarks and you needed some help, I'd be doing the same thing."

Last winter, Bert decided to hang up his driving gloves and his rusty 1992 Toyota Corolla went off to his daughter's home for use by one of her sons. It recently developed a knock in the front end and she was going to have it hauled off, much like my olewreckedragtop.

Bert and I were chatting it up on the expansive veranda of the Taj Mahal last week and he mentioned his daughter was coming by to pick up he title for that transfer. This olelongrooffan mentioned that, "H*ll Bert, I'll give her a hundred bucks for it."

He responded with "You want that car?"

"Yes sir."

"Well John, it is yours and you are not giving us any money for it."

So now Counters, this olelongrooffan is the proud owner of a NUMMI built Toyota Corolla and that knock in the front end? A 40 dollar CV joint, as diagnosed by thejeepjunkie.

So, for 40 bucks and a couple hours labor I got this:

In the above shot, it looks pretty good.

thejeepjunkie and this olelongrooffan picked it up tonite after Happy Hour from the daughter's home about ten minutes north of the Taj Mahal, Beachside. We got it started and thejeepjunkie was driving down the street toward the Atlantic Coast trying to field diagnose that knock. He stopped at the end of the street at A1A and got out. "I'm pretty sure it is the CV joint. But hey longroof, if it dies and I pull off to the side of the road, we are not parking it, we are abandoning it."

But believe this Counters, it is definitely "pre-rusted."
Yeah, it is pretty bad all over.
The paint on the roof, much like the hair on the head of this olelongrooffan, is getting pretty thin.

The interior doesn't look to bad until
you look a little closer.
It is a one owner, one driver, adult driven 188,000 mile bearing olerustbucket.
Plus, it has the standard cracked dashboard for pretty much any car here in The Sunshine State over 15 years old.

And yes Counters, it will always, at least to this olelongrooffan, be known as "Bert's Car".

But it is knowing Bert is happy for finding a way to repay me and this olelongrooffan has a $500 Craigslisting just waiting to happen, allows me to

Celebrate Life.

Not For The Faint Of Heart

I found this over here. It is a pretty cool site and full of off road videos.

And finding this site sure helps this olelongrooffan

Celebrate Life.

Camping Australia Style

Unsafe At Any Speed, Revised Edition

So, this olelongrooffan expects that pritt-near all of you Counters out there are aware of the problems Toyota is having with reference to the sudden acceleration of some of their vehicles.

And that includes that Prius out on the left coast yesterday.

Yeah, it seems like that Prius got up to, a supposedly, 94 miles per hour before the deceleration process started.

Well, tonite at Happy Hour, thejeepjunkie, TheGoodAttorney and this olelongrooffan were discussing this latest development and came to the conclusion this olePriusdude was too composed with his comments on video and the fact it sounded a bit rehearsed.

Suddenly, thejeepjunkie shoots this olelongrooffan a look across the massive living room of the Taj Mahal.

"Longroof, you have to go rent a Prius. You should sue Toyota. Just tell them you experienced sudden acceleration in that Prius, it shot up to 36 miles per hour and you missed the World's Largest Orange Juice Strainer during your 8 hour trip to MickeyMouseLand. The emotional damages alone would be worth millions."

Of course, by this time, the three of us are laughing our *sses off.

This olelongrooffan enjoys being the b*tt of their jokes, even though most of the time they are correct.

But, not so good news for Toyota.

And the best is a comment this olelongrooffan lifted from a post over at Jalopnik about this matter.

If a Prius is out of control, couldn't you just get out of the car, walk a few hundred feet in front of it, plant a tree, wait for it to grow, and then the Prius would come to a stop when it crashed into it?

And Counters that is the silly way, down here in the Birthplace of Speed, with BikeWeek over and Spring Break starting, we

Celebrate Life.

This olelongrooffan Has It From Inside Sources

that Toyota has got their problems fixed.



And knowing this lets me

Celebrate Life.

Toyota