For those who drive, what was your first vehicle?

[Rayner]

They were only made for 3 years. They all have 2.5 inline 5 cylinder engines. Gobs of toque, wonderful suspension. His Vigur will will Cruze at 80 MPH in 4th gear when driving through hills just leave it in 3rd.
The Redline is 8,000 RPM so you 2nd and 4th will cover 80% of driving down the road.

It's a high end Honda,so it rates well in my book

 

[Nitro]

I don't get this Nitro? Does it mean the cars were flammable or made of fiberglass?

Owens-Corning supplied the glass fibers that were held together with an epoxy resin. Their trade name for the fibers was Fiberglas. The Chevy Corvette body was made of the stuff. From 1955-58,Chevrolet offered a shorter pickup truck called a Cameo Carrier that utilized the same technology for the bedsides on it

 

[Nitro]

I'm so sorry for basically hijacking this thread,but the motor vehicle has always been my special interest that I turned into a profession that still exists today

 

[midlife aspie]

He had to open the hood to put gas in the VW bug. I find that funny for some reason. Did the VW bug have a air cooled rear mounted engine?

Yes it did. The later bugs had the gas filler door on the outside. The rear hatch over the engine was different on the earlier ones as well.

 

[Nitro]

They were only made for 3 years. They all have 2.5 inline 5 cylinder engines. Gobs of toque, wonderful suspension. His Vigur will will Cruze at 80 MPH in 4th gear when driving through hills just leave it in 3rd.
The Redline is 8,000 RPM so you 2nd and 4th will cover 80% of driving down the road.

When I find a picture of it,I will show you a 1985 Toyota 4x4 with an early revision 4 cylinder 22R overhead cammer carbureted engine mated with 22re electronic fuel injection that was highly modified that I used to rev to 8 grand that was generally shifted at 7. The stock Toyota fuel pump didn't have enough volume to feed the pig at top end,so I installed a Chevy pump out of a V-8 car in a modified fuel pump mount made out of the factory one. A 22R engine in stock form usually quits making power at 4500 rpm,but with my mods,was capable of running at highway speeds in second gear on a 5 speed truck with 4.10 gears. It seemed very brutal to run it that hard during tuning,but also lasted for 100,000 miles as my shop truck,so it proved to me exactly how sound they were built from 'yoda. The silly little truck still got 20 miles per gallon after the mods

 

[Nitro]

Yes it did. The later bugs had the gas filler door on the outside. The rear hatch over the engine was different on the earlier ones as well.

Type 1 body panels did change over the years including the hood. The most sought out models are the pre 1953 split rear window cars that are extremely rare in the USA because not many made it across the shores and we were still kinda pissed at Hitler as a country

 

[Destination Unknown]

Type 1 body panels did change over the years including the hood. The most sought out models are the pre 1953 split rear window cars that are extremely rare in the USA because not many made it across the shores and we were still kinda pissed at Hitler as a country

In the 80's I bought a '56 that had been sitting for years in Ishpeming MI. Drove there, fired the car up, and started driving. Outside of town I stopped along the road and drained out about 2 gallons of water and a gallon of oil out of the engine, and freed up a stuck front brake. Got pulled over once for dim headlights, and broke a valve spring about 50 miles from home, but it made it home.

 

[Rayner]

So really it only needs a 3 speed tranny, then 1st and 5th could be used for those just in case times?

Among other things, I'm a big time DIY auto mechanic and an armchair automotive engineer.

When I find a picture of it,I will show you a 1985 Toyota 4x4 with an early revision 4 cylinder 22R overhead cammer carbureted engine mated with 22re electronic fuel injection that was highly modified that I used to rev to 8 grand that was generally shifted at 7. The stock Toyota fuel pump didn't have enough volume to seed the pig at top end,so I installed a Chevy pump out of a V-8 car in a modified fuel pump mount made out of the factory one. A 22R engine in stock form usually quits making power at 4500 rpm,but with my mods,was capable of running at highway speeds in second gear on a 5 speed truck with 4.10 gears. It seemed very brutal to run it that hard during tuning,but also lasted for 100,000 miles as my shop truck,so it proved to me exactly how sound they were built from 'yoda. The silly little truck still got 20 miles per gallon after the mods

 

[Nitro]

When I find a picture of it,I will show you a 1985 Toyota 4x4 with an early revision 4 cylinder 22R overhead cammer carbureted engine mated with 22re electronic fuel injection that was highly modified that I used to rev to 8 grand that was generally shifted at 7. The stock Toyota fuel pump didn't have enough volume to feed the pig at top end,so I installed a Chevy pump out of a V-8 car in a modified fuel pump mount made out of the factory one. A 22R engine in stock form usually quits making power at 4500 rpm,but with my mods,was capable of running at highway speeds in second gear on a 5 speed truck with 4.10 gears. It seemed very brutal to run it that hard during tuning,but also lasted for 100,000 miles as my shop truck,so it proved to me exactly how sound they were built from 'yoda. The silly little truck still got 20 miles per gallon after the mods

This truck had an 70s Pontiac TranAm shaper hood scoop mounted to the cam cover so it shook properly when the truck was running. Because I had Chrysler Corp. bucket seats in it that were taller at the cushion,I had to put a tiny steering wheel in the truck so it cleared my legs that blocked the turn signal and high beam indicators,so I put LEDs in the scoop so I could still see them. The scoop had to be removed to add oil to the engine,so the electrics were wired with a common flat four trailer plug so it could be taken off the truck.
The first week the truck had it's new scoop,I almost crashed it several times watching the shaker do it's lil dance

 

[Nitro]

In the 80's I bought a '56 that had been sitting for years in Ishpeming MI. Drove there, fired the car up, and started driving. Outside of town I stopped along the road and drained out about 2 gallons of water and a gallon of oil out of the engine, and freed up a stuck front brake. Got pulled over once for dim headlights, and broke a valve spring about 50 miles from home, but it made it home.
View attachment 27106

Cold as the deep arctic in winter and no usable window defrosters too. If it wasn't for the Johnson bar emergency brakes,often times it was the last resort for stopping them after the second pump on the brake pedal didn't work.
The battery was located under the rear seat and had a plastic cover for the positive terminal so it wouldn't short out to seat springs if they contacted them. I had a 6 volt battery explode inside the car once getting a jumpstart. Made me deaf for about a week and destroyed the interior with acid bath that followed

 

[Rayner]

I must ask. Would the nitro I know ever drive an electric car? I think it would be cool to own a car that uses an unconventional fuel such as propane or even some extremely high octane gasoline.

Cold as the deep arctic in winter and no usable window defrosters too. If it wasn't for the Johnson bar emergency brakes,often times it was the last resort for stopping them after the second pump on the brake pedal didn't work.
The battery was located under the rear seat and had a plastic cover for the positive terminal so it wouldn't short out to seat springs if they contacted them. I had a 6 volt battery explode inside the car once getting a jumpstart. Made me deaf for about a week and destroyed the interior with acid bath that followed

 

[Nitro]

I must ask. Would the nitro I know ever drive an electric car? I think it would be cool to own a car that uses an unconventional fuel such as propane or even some extremely high octane gasoline.

The electric car is too early to be fully explored until good battery technology catches up. Consider the fact that you have to haul a load of batteries around at all time that decrease in power the entire time the vehicle is running down the road. Batteries can be recycled so some will say,but at a cost to polluting water with heavy metals and some form of electrolite that keeps them active. The FIA now has a Formula E class of racecars that only produce 170 horsepower for under 50 miles. They are allowed to run them at 200 horses during qualifying. The teams must have two cars to finish a race. Yes,it is something different,but not time yet

I have run a VW diesel on Wesson vegetable oil right out of the retail bottle and have played with bio-diesel. Bio is cool,but time consuming gathering used fryer grease,requires methanol to produce it along with electricity. The stuff gels at about 30 degrees,so winter use is hopeless without heating it.

I have a ton of the design work done for a dual fuel system that will start the engine on common commercial diesel fuel with anti-gel then switch to the fryer grease after the engine warms up. I will tap the engine cooling system to a method of heating insulated fuel lines in conduits and the veggie tank.A centrifuge will be necessary to clear the particulate out of the oil,but used ones are easy to find or can be built. It will require switching back to commercial diesel to clear the veggie oil from the fuel system before shutdown so it can be cold started again. Most restaurants will pay you to take their dirty oil away,so in the end,they pay you for your fuel

 

[Destination Unknown]

Cold as the deep arctic in winter and no usable window defrosters too. If it wasn't for the Johnson bar emergency brakes,often times it was the last resort for stopping them after the second pump on the brake pedal didn't work.
The battery was located under the rear seat and had a plastic cover for the positive terminal so it wouldn't short out to seat springs if they contacted them. I had a 6 volt battery explode inside the car once getting a jumpstart. Made me deaf for about a week and destroyed the interior with acid bath that followed

I spent many mornings driving to work scraping ice on the inside of the windshield.
The good thing about the 6V system is that when everything was converted to 12V except for the starter, it really cranked over the engine.
I blew up one of those batteries too. Like a bomb going off. My ears are still ringing.

 

[Nitro]

I spent many mornings driving to work scraping ice on the inside of the windshield.
The good thing about the 6V system is that when everything was converted to 12V except for the starter, it really cranked over the engine.
I blew up one of those batteries too. Like a bomb going off. My ears are still ringing.

The slop in the steering was useful so you didn't weave all over the road when you were scraping with your other hand

Bugs were often my backup cars for the gearhead game and winter beaters.
I made quite a few boxes that added a secondary six volt lawn tractor battery with a switch and wiring system so I could run a 12 volt 8 track underdash and radio to the low volter cars.You could run the music until the second battery started to die,then switch it to charging mode until it came back up. I was usually too el cheapo to buy parts for a bug

 

[Rayner]

One day I would love to build an gasoline engine with A high compression ratio, now that would require a High octane gasoline. I would make it entirely from scratch, I'm not sure what I would call. Maybe 'Rayner's go to go fast maker' ... It seems like a good name for an engine.

The electric car is too early to be fully explored until good battery technology catches up. Consider the fact that you have to haul a load of batteries around at all time that decrease in power the entire time the vehicle is running down the road. Batteries can be recycled so some will say,but at a cost to polluting water with heavy metals and some form of electrolite that keeps them active. The FIA now has a Formula E class of racecars that only produce 170 horsepower for under 50 miles. They are allowed to run them at 200 horses during qualifying. The teams must have two cars to finish a race. Yes,it is something different,but not time yet

I have run a VW diesel on Wesson vegetable oil right out of the retail bottle and have played with bio-diesel. Bio is cool,but time consuming gathering used fryer grease,requires methanol to produce it along with electricity. The stuff gels at about 30 degrees,so winter use is hopeless without heating it.

I have a ton of the design work done for a dual fuel system that will start the engine on common commercial diesel fuel with anti-gel then switch to the fryer grease after the engine warms up. I will tap the engine cooling system to a method of heating insulated fuel lines in conduits and the veggie tank.A centrifuge will be necessary to clear the particulate out of the oil,but used ones are easy to find or can be built. It will require switching back to commercial diesel to clear the veggie oil from the fuel system before shutdown so it can be cold started again. Most restaurants will pay you to take their dirty oil away,so in the end,they pay you for your fuel

 

[Nitro]

I have an electronic valvetrain design that uses solenoid type valves in combinations that will eliminate the parasitic friction losses from the valvetrain.Commonly used valve systems rob a lot of power from an engine.All of the mechanical valve action monkey-motion will be eliminated ,so it opens up design areas that will allow aiming the actual valves in nearly any configuration necessary. It will create variable valve timing,volume and speed limiting with multiple valves that will control combustion chamber swirl properties and promote efficient flame front propagation. A hemispherical combustion chamber would benefit from this addition and eliminate the side piston drag losses from a wedge style combustion chamber,so once again,performance will come up as longevity is added.

With this design,I can give an engine valving that will allow it to run at peak performance or make it restrictive when someone else gets a hold of the vehicle. Imagine a supercar that can be de-tuned so a novice first timer or valet driver only get a little bit of power.

 

[Rayner]

Like BMW's valvetronic engines where the throttle body is always open and the only reason BMW put a throttle body there just as a fail safe. You have some ideas for something similar only Nitro style.

Is the right?

I've got some ideas for an engine. I'm a numbers and drawings guy.

I have an electronic valvetrain design that uses solenoid type valves in combinations that will eliminate the parasitic friction losses from the valvetrain.Commonly used valve systems rob a lot of power from an engine.All of the mechanical valve action monkey-motion will be eliminated ,so it opens up design areas that will allow aiming the actual valves in nearly any configuration necessary. It will create variable valve timing,volume and speed limiting with multiple valves that will control combustion chamber swirl properties and promote efficient flame front propagation. A hemispherical combustion chamber would benefit from this addition and eliminate the side piston drag losses from a wedge style combustion chamber,so once again,performance will come up as longevity is added.

With this design,I can give an engine valving that will allow it to run at peak performance or make it restrictive when someone else gets a hold of the vehicle. Imagine a supercar that can be de-tuned so a novice first timer or valet driver only get a little bit of power.

 

[tachyon]

First car was a 1959 Standard 10 with no back seat (bought in 1970).
First bike was a (new) 1971 Suzuki Hustler.

 

[Nitro]

Like BMW's valvetronic engines where the throttle body is always open and the only reason BMW put a throttle body there just as a fail safe. You have some ideas for something similar only Nitro style.

Is the right?

I've got some ideas for an engine. I'm a numbers and drawings guy.

My design was protected about 20 years ago,so they may have to pay me

 

[Rayner]

Speaking of protected Ideas my paternal grandfather has two and a half patients. The half patient he shares with other co-inventor. The patients are for radio and telecommunications related things.

I'm begaining to suspect Mr. Nitro is a renaissance man well aHead of his time. After all 2016 is the 20th year OBD-2 has been in cars. I'm sure 20 years ago the idea of electronic valve timing had never crossed any automotive engineers Mind.

The engineering behind BMW's valvetronic Is simply fascinating. I watched a YouTube video where it explained how it works. I will try to find the link for you to watch it. I'm also impressed with Hondas I-VTEC.

This is a neat thread I think because you can everybody looking back on the past,then see how they could improve what they had to make it better. If that makes sense.

My design was protected about 20 years ago,so they may have to pay me