Captain Obvious

Thanks for the input guys, but don't get me wrong... I'm probably willing to pay the toll, but I'm not sure I'm going to be able to. Steve, are you saying that the toll roads that are electronic collection only with no provision for cash? I've seen that elsewhere, and they have a "retroactive" payment scheme where they take a pic of the license plate and bill you later. But I'm not sure if that will work with international travel. Any input from the locals?

So what about road tolls? I'm planning to take highways from Niagara Falls up to Toronto and I'm not sure it the highways have tolls. Stuff like the QEW? And if there are tolls, I'm assuming there are still "cash lanes"? The reason I ask is that some places are completely doing away with cash and are going to wireless electronic payment only.

Returned the favor. I literally lol'd when I read that. I had a similar sports injury a number of years ago, but it was the finger NEXT to the driving finger. Anyone else ever seen the bumper sticker "Horn broke. Watch for finger"?

Nice pic.

You could easily get them to me before I leave and I could take them along. Only problem with that Blue will have to make it to the event on his old bearings because I'm not going to be there until Thurs. But if there is no other better plan we can do that.

Wow bud, You are cutting it beyond close! Are both of you riding in the Z, or do you have a chase vehicle? I'm planning to bring a small pouch of tools, and you know I'll give you a hand if you need it once I get there.

Thin piece of sheet metal with some black textured paint from the big box store? Might keep you satisfied until you get a better replacement?

Oh, and I added a third light bulb in the speedo to fix that 1:00 position dark spot up by 80 mph. My nighttime speedo is now completely awesome!! I think of reasons to go driving at night because I just like looking at it!

I've been working hard to get my car ready for the trip as well. This will, by far, be the farthest road trip this Z has ever made with me at the helm. I put in a new rear diff mount with customized easy to wrench hardware - I took lots of pics and I'll get to the details sometime when I get a chance. While I was back there, I also sewed myself a replacement upper strap - Again, lots of pics and details. I put in new fusible links - Old links seemed looked and worked just fine, but looks can be deceiving. I got voltage and current measurements to discuss later. The last project I'm trying to get done is some homemade bumper ends for my newly retracted front bumper. They are Dilbert quality beta units at this point.

That is just awesome. I love the camaraderie. Did SteveJ have oil of Aphrodite and the dust of the grand wazoo?

Thanks guys. I know all the driving impressions are subjective, but the descriptions sound perfect. It's been a long time since I pulled a transmission out of a Z. Long time. And I'm sorry for the thread detour as well.

Yeah. that's the kind of picture I wasn't allowed to post. I'm glad you can laugh at the situation and I'm also glad it was just a couple stiches. So how long did the Dr. say until you are allowed to give other driver's the finger again?

What exactly do you mean by that?

Thanks guys, I'm not really concerned with the ethanol as I can't get away from it where I live. I haven't been able to buy no-ethanol fuel for a number of years now. Gas prices in my area are maybe $2.50 per gallon right now, so it seems a little cheaper on the US side. Of course, I have no idea (yet) what the prices will be in the Buffalo/Niagara NY are which is where I'll probably cross over. As for $$, I'm thinking that I'm going to use my credit card for most things and let them hash out the exchange rate, but I think it would be a good idea to have some Canadian pocket $$ for things like Tim Horton's, etc. I don't want to get the dirty looks like SteveJ got. I get enough of that already for lots of other reasons. I'm thinking that if I get a chance, I'll stop at a bank for the conversion. So Namerow, You're planning to be at this event?

So any idea what was the overall change in mass? The reason I ask... I put a lightweight flywheel in my POS Civic (because that's what all the cool kids do), but I made sure to use the stock style pressure plate and clutch disk. With my Civic, the stock clutch and pressure plate together weigh almost as much as the stock flywheel, so going to a lightweight flywheel wasn't that dramatic of a change. I didn't need a tricky to drive in traffic quick spooling stab at the throttle nightmare. I just wanted something where the engine would decelerate at the rate the transmission wanted it. Prior to making that change, when I up-shifted gears in the Civic, by the time I let the clutch out, the engine RPMs were still way higher than where they should have been for the new gear. I think the flywheel was designed with too much mass for the system and by going to a lighter flywheel and slightly reducing the entire mass of the system, I think I better matched the RPM drop between gears. And I get the same feeling from my Z. Not as bad as the Civic, but a little bit. Or maybe I just shift too fast and work my synchros harder than I need to?

Whatever it takes! Sorry that you slipped. Just take care of yourself and keep it clean and dry. You'll be better quickly. And don't do that again!!

And also for any of you seasoned travelers... If I need gas, would it be better to fill up on the American side, or the Canadian side? And how about money exchange? If I want some Canadian money, should I get that on the US side, the Canadian side, or not bother at all?

Thanks for the tips about the emergency vehicles. Some states here have that law, but I don't think anyone enforces it. So what if you're boxed in and can't move to the left? Do they let you slide for that, or do you have to come to a complete stop and wait until you get a break in the other lane traffic and move over?

Site, Thanks for the info. So when you put his 10 lb flywheel in, did you put in a light pressure plate as well, or did you go stock weight there?

I was cutting carrots tonight after you started this thread and my wife wouldn't let me take a pic of a bunch of carrot slices on a cutting board with half a hot dog... Took the camera from me.

Ummmmm.... Really?

siteunseen, You're running a lightweight flywheel in one of your cars, right? What's the detail with that? What brand, etc?

Jims, Wow you've still got a long way to go. Hope it's smooth sailing! And Granny, Thanks for that weather forecast! Looks good so far!

Umm... Why? What happens if you don't? (I just want to hear you say it..... )

Yes, Having a bunch of Jims together is crazy fun. If you're the only one this time, maybe you can claim multiple personalities to cover the field? I'll do my best to cover the gaps. Rule 1 - No Pooftas, eh? So JimK, when are you getting there?