Life as I know it is over

Post by **dasein668** » Tue Nov 14, 2006 7:24 pm

The Patriots lost two games in a row.

They are ripping out the sod at the stadium and installing artificial turf.

And they just signed geriatric quarterback Vinny Testeverde.

{sob}

We now return this forum to it's regularly scheduled programming...

Ancient Race · Post by **Ancient Race** » Tue Nov 14, 2006 9:10 pm

I feel your pain Nathan. Well, at least as a Brown's fan I empathize.

Even at the - heighth? - of his career, Vinny was a floundering QB who made the offensive line look bad.

OTOH, I'm glad to see Belichick saddled with him again.

Best of luck,

your friend,

Greg

Robert The Gray · Post by **Robert The Gray** » Wed Nov 15, 2006 12:45 pm

try living in oakland.
It's like watching a blind child wrestle a mad bull in a wet stock yard.
2-7 ouch. i think we have made less than 20 first downs all season.
we do have a really good punter.

I to feel your pain nathan.
my eyes have tears of masculine frustration and despair.
I am going to go hit something with a hammer.
r

Jason K · Post by **Jason K** » Wed Nov 15, 2006 3:13 pm

(Present season excluded) you'll get no sympathy from me.

We didn't even make it the playoffs until 2001. I mean our logo is a FLOWER! OK, I actually really like the Fleur-De-Lis, but you know what I mean.

Figment · Post by **Figment** » Wed Nov 15, 2006 5:32 pm

The artificial turf is the real crime. Don't blame the FIELD for the outcome of the games!

I caught the pats-jets game on the radio as I drove through the monsoon on sunday (fetching my latest "project"). I should do the radio thing more often, but remember to change the station as soon as the game is over. The whackos who call in to the post-game show are just disturbing.

bcooke · Post by **bcooke** » Wed Nov 15, 2006 6:28 pm

Whoa!

Figment wrote: ...(fetching my latest "project")...

...And you are looking for some paint that works on flexible surfaces like wooden planking...

Something you want to share with us Mike?

-Britton

P.S.

Football is that game where the ball is sort of squished and oblong and the players stop every thirty seconds to rest right?

Figment · Post by **Figment** » Wed Nov 15, 2006 6:56 pm

Almost. It's the game where the players START every 30 seconds. They usually stop to rest 6-8 seconds after that....

Robert The Gray · Post by **Robert The Gray** » Wed Nov 15, 2006 8:56 pm

Let's seee,
If a triton weighs about 8,000lbs, that means each player on a 12 man teamwould have to leg press about 666 lbs each. Thats easy for them. If you made friends with a whole team some of the hauling costs might be eliminated. hmmmmm. Then again the average annual salary must be like 7 million dollars sooo to just cover these guys transpo costs it might be cheaper to use a helicoptor. well never mind.

r

Post by **dasein668** » Wed Nov 15, 2006 10:00 pm

Mike: Yes, the field turf is, indeed, a crime. If they ever put a dome over them (after all, Brady is undefeated in a dome) I might show up on the news next to a picture of the stadium going up in flames. I mean I don't care how many games you lose because of the weather... that game against Oakland, the last at Foxborough?stupid tuck rule notwithstanding?has got to be one of the greatest games in the history of football.

Britton: They have to stop every 6-8 seconds to remove the broken bodies from the field.

Greg: Yeah, you Clevland fans really hate BB don't you? Understandably so, from a fan's perspective!

Robert: Who is that stick figure you guys are calling a quarterback down there these days? The Monday night game last week was just plain painful to watch! I've always sort of hated Al Davis, but geez, even I wouldn't wish that guy on him!

Jason: Hey, at least you have two great rookies this year!

Ok, ok. People like me are the reason everyone hates New England fans! ;-P But thanks for listening... I guess it's just that when the Patriots stank the place out, year after year, you just didn't really care that much. But now it really seems like the (football fan) world is crashing down when our team loses two in a row. How odd is that???

I'm sure that Packers, 49ers, Steelers, and Cowboys fans of previous decades can relate.

DPTrainor · Post by **DPTrainor** » Thu Nov 16, 2006 12:39 am

Losing to the colts was bad enough - They should have kept it on the ground and not force the passing game - 5 turn overs - 7 point spread - they could have won the game. I think Belichek was out coached for the the first time I can remember. But to the Jets last weekend was pitiful - no excuse. But I am an eternal optimist - Patriots will go to the super bowl. Back to regularly scheduled programming....

Post by **Tim** » Thu Nov 16, 2006 7:53 am

Figment wrote:...(fetching my latest "project")

Mike, are you aware of the forum penalty for holding out on project information? I'd hate to have to take such drastic action.

I believe we require additional information within 24 hours. Fess up, mistah!

bcooke wrote:Football is that game where the ball is sort of squished and oblong...

There's a ball involved?

(Oh, I guess I could have figgered that out too; it is part of the name, after all.)

Figment · Post by **Figment** » Thu Nov 16, 2006 8:40 am

oh, you guys are just too easy!

Details will come in time.

It's not a Nutshell. That much I can tell you.

Ceasar Choppy · Post by **Ceasar Choppy** » Thu Nov 16, 2006 10:34 am

dasein668 wrote: I'm sure that Packers, 49ers, Steelers, and Cowboys fans of previous decades can relate.

Being a long-time Packer fan of sorts (thats what happens when you grow up there), I've learned not to watch too many Sunday games. Mondays are bad enough as it is.

Post by **Tim** » Thu Nov 16, 2006 1:07 pm

Figment wrote:It's not a Nutshell.

Is it bigger than a breadbox?

Figment wrote:Details will come in time.

T-minus 19 hours and counting...

Figment · Post by **Figment** » Thu Nov 16, 2006 7:42 pm

Remember this old suspenseful thread?

Yes, bigger than a breadbox.
and that's all I'm saying until next week. :)

bcooke · Post by **bcooke** » Thu Nov 16, 2006 8:54 pm

Next week!

That is not fair at all.

-Britton

Summersdawn · Post by **Summersdawn** » Fri Nov 17, 2006 12:45 am

I know. Is it shaped like a bread box?

I think the LPU should work fine on it...

Case · Post by **Case** » Fri Nov 17, 2006 1:25 am

I really, really do love the interiors of those Airstreams. The new ones, I mean... I don't know what the interiors of the older ones look like.

To see what I mean, I suggest you go and visit the Airstream website and look at the interior photographs. The interiors are an excellent example of a lovely minimalist interior in a small space. The photographs of the smaller trailer versions are particularly inspiring to me.

http://www.airstream.com

I think the LPU should work fine on it...

Sacrilege! All that Airstream needs is a good polishing. I like them mirror-like so I can blind my fellow road travelers!

Besides, paint chips are a pain to repair... bare is better! (I find this ironic because I varnish teak wood... shoulda have left it bare but I guess I'm just too numb.)

Figment... I think I have an idea what the "project" is but will stay mum for now...

- Case

Post by **Tim** » Fri Nov 17, 2006 7:28 am

Figment wrote:Remember this old suspenseful thread?

Yes, bigger than a breadbox.
and that's all I'm saying until next week. :)

Oh sure, turn my own words against me...that's a fine thing.

I suppose I have no choice but to wait patiently now. Sigh.

Post by **Tim** » Fri Nov 17, 2006 7:32 am

Case wrote:
I think the LPU should work fine on it...
Sacrilege! All that Airstream needs is a good polishing. I like them mirror-like so I can blind my fellow road travelers!

No one should ever paint an Airstream. Why would anyone do that? (Does anyone do that?) The aluminum skin is the whole purpose, and, along with the unique styling, defines the look; it's what an Airstream is, after all.

Painting an Airstream would place one in the same purgatory as one who knowingly buys a wooden boat with a bright hull, and then decides to paint it.

Summersdawn · Post by **Summersdawn** » Fri Nov 17, 2006 6:39 pm

Tim wrote:
Case wrote:
I think the LPU should work fine on it...
Sacrilege! All that Airstream needs is a good polishing. I like them mirror-like so I can blind my fellow road travelers!
No one should ever paint an Airstream. Why would anyone do that? (Does anyone do that?) The aluminum skin is the whole purpose, and, along with the unique styling, defines the look; it's what an Airstream is, after all.

Painting an Airstream would place one in the same purgatory as one who knowingly buys a wooden boat with a bright hull, and then decides to paint it.

I dind't say he should paint an Airstream, I said

I think the LPU should work fine on it...

This wasn't meant as an endorsement on painting a classic peice of history, but rahter an agreement that LPU would probably work on it...

I agree, Airstreams are cool, and should be left polished.

Just out of curiosity, I wonder if there is a Classic Aluminum site kicking around out there, dedicated to the rebuilding and preserving of Airstream trailers?

bcooke · Post by **bcooke** » Fri Nov 17, 2006 7:01 pm

I know there was a tv series based around the rebuilding of an airstream trailer. I imagine there are freaks out there that get there kicks tearing down and rebuilding RV's. What a silly thing to do though :-)

-Britton

Summersdawn · Post by **Summersdawn** » Fri Nov 17, 2006 7:09 pm

Yeah, you know they would never get there money out of it ;-)

Post by **dasein668** » Fri Nov 17, 2006 7:23 pm

Summersdawn wrote:Just out of curiosity, I wonder if there is a Classic Aluminum site kicking around out there, dedicated to the rebuilding and preserving of Airstream trailers?

I didn't look past the first page of results but there is this resource to get you started:

vintageairstream.com

Post by **dasein668** » Fri Nov 17, 2006 7:24 pm

Adding?duh?"forum" to the search query returns:

airstreamforums.com

Case · Post by **Case** » Fri Nov 17, 2006 9:16 pm

Wow! I already knew how lovely those old Airstreams could look polished but those links given by Nathan drove that point home. Re-remindation, you could say (not sure if that word actually exists).

I find it amusing (and not that surpised) to find that there are indeed websites devoted to old Airstreams, just like websites devoted to older Plastic Classics.

Now I feel like I want an Airstream. But on the other hand, I personally don't understand using a trailer... I feel that a hotel is far easier and more fun. I like driving a sporty car and a trailer back there sucks...

Now staying overnight in a boat... that I understand and love. I guess I am truly a boater. I simply don't understand the RV life myself... why not use a car and use hotels? I suspect that spending my entire life stuck behind 400K 10 mph RV buses when they wend thru the narrow, curvy roads near my home during the summers permantely ruined my tastes for the RV life. (I live near the Phippsburg Campground... one of the top RV areas in Maine...)

Even though I don't really understand the RV life, I love those old Airstreams. To me they are truly lovely working pieces of art and a symbol of America. Airstreams only really exist in America and I feel they are true Americana. Right now, the biggest new market for Airstreams is in Europe. Europeans like to drive small cars and I have seen VW Golfs haul trailers twice its size in the Swiss Alps so I think Airstream is smart marketing its lightweight aluminum RV-trailers to the Europeans.

- Case

bcooke · Post by **bcooke** » Fri Nov 17, 2006 9:26 pm

RV's really shine on extended trips. I lived in an RV for a couple of years when I had a job that kept me traveling all the time. The advantage was that it was always "homey" unlike a generic hotel room. For a couple of nights, hotels are okay but for extended stays I liked having my familiar home with me. You can also pick some very scenic spots to park if you aren't tied to a water/electricity/cable/telephone hookup. Finally, ten years ago when I was doing it, I could pay $20 a night for a campground and maybe $300 a month. You can't find a hotel for anything like that.

I could definitely see starting an RV project after the boat. My ultimate dream is a big shop for my toys, an RV parked next door to live in and the boat moored down the road, ready to go. That's all I need...

-Britton

Post by **Tim** » Sat Nov 18, 2006 7:24 am

Case wrote:I suspect that spending my entire life stuck behind 400K 10 mph RV buses when they wend thru the narrow, curvy roads near my home during the summers permantely ruined my tastes for the RV life.

Once you become one of those slowpokes with an RV yourself, your attitude quickly changes!

MikeD · Post by **MikeD** » Tue Nov 21, 2006 12:21 am

bcooke wrote:My ultimate dream is a big shop for my toys, an RV parked next door to live in and the boat moored down the road, ready to go. That's all I need...

Anyone seen The World's Fastest Indian with Anthony Hopkins? I recently rented it and was pleasantly surprised. I ask because, though I've never met him, Britton's "ultimate dream" somehow reminds me of the main character, messing about on his 40 something year old vehicle...

This is the Rambling section, right? :)

dmairspotter · Post by **dmairspotter** » Tue Nov 21, 2006 10:09 am

Great movie. Based on a true story, though I'm sure it was souped up for the big screen.

I'd recommend it for all the old farts on this forum!

Summersdawn · Post by **Summersdawn** » Tue Nov 21, 2006 1:33 pm

Is it next week yet?

Figment · Post by **Figment** » Tue Nov 21, 2006 6:11 pm

Yeah, I guess it is.

Case wrote: Figment... I think I have an idea what the "project" is but will stay mum for now...

Boy, that'd be impressive. It would freak me out a bit, actually.

This all started a few weeks ago, the day before Haulout Day. We went for our lovely Last Sail of the Season, but had to cut it short because I had some strange allergic reaction (and I'm not an allergy-prone person) and was insanely itchy and covered in hives. Of course, by the time we gotthe boat put to bed and were on the way home past the emergency clinic, it had mostly cleared up so we continued home to a bottle of benadry.
And it was a good thing we did, because when we got home we found the alarm system blaring. At first I thought it was the new CO detector I'd just installed at the heater, but no, it was the fire alarm, but no fire, no smoke, just a strange smell and a VERY freaked-out dog cowering in the corner of the living room. Long story short, blown hot water heater in the attic flooded the ceiling of the room below, shorting the smoke detector. Everyone should have the experience of spending their saturday night replacing a water heater. Bedroom-cum-walk-in-closet flooded, actual bedroom holds contents of closet while a dehumidifier and a set of MONSTROUS fans dry out the room, and generally give us the sensation of living in an airliner as we live on the sofabed for a week.
$1000 deductible out the window, on top of some significant hassle.

The following week, the day we get to move back into the bedroom, I get a Check Engine light in Julia's beetle. I knew exactly what it was (I have VW diagnostic software on my laptop), but also knew that I didn't have time to take care of it, and it needed some other dealer-only attention as well, so we bit the bullet and sent it in to the dealer.
Another $1000 out the window in a heartbeat, plus the hassle of being down by one car for 3 days.

On that third day, as I'm driving Julia out to the stealership to pick up the repaired beetle, I smell gasoline coming from my much beloved and beleaguered 4runner. J later confirms that she can see gas dripping underneath at a stoplight. Again, I know exactly what the problem is (rusted out fuel line), but have no time to deal with it, so off to the mechanic it goes. The mechanic calls my cell the next day and says "Are you sitting down?".
That's never good. Long story short, it's a bucket of rust that needs $2000 in dealer-only parts. Book value on the car is $1400. He wants to know what I want him to do.
Thankfully, he's an old friend, and is willing to let me hunt junkyards for a few days.

Meanwhile, the beetle's Check Engine light has returned, along with a whistling turbocharger. I cursed quite a blue streak on that one, I can assure you. The way my luck was going, this was going to cost another thousand.

The junkyard hunt is not going well because the 4runner's fuel tank is positioned such that it gets crushed whenever the junkyard moves the car with the forklift. Four days later I find one in better-than-what-I?ve-got condition. I still needed a handful of dealer parts, but at least I saved the money on the tank and pump, and got out of the whole deal for about $1200, plus the huge hassle of borrowing a car from my father for a few days because the Beetle is back at the stealership.

This ramble (in the Ramblings section) is all by way of saying that I spent a string of several weeks tearing my hair out over miscellaneous hassles, positively HEMMORHAGING cash all the while.

I really do love my 4runner, but after spending 17 years and 250k miles in New England winters, rust is doing what rust does and the car is clearly not long for this world. Brake lines may be next, or possibly this one funky spot on the frame, etc. It?s been rock-solid reliable until about 8 months ago, but clearly the rock is crumbling and I need to start looking for something else.

A good buddy of mine had his much beloved and beleaguered blazer rust out from under him a few years ago. He wound up in a 2wd Ranger extracab, which I thought was a really great move so I started to follow the same path. Good utility, good fuel economy, cheap enough to buy with what little bit of cash I have left on hand. But then Julia peeked over my shoulder one night while I was browsing ads online and put the brakes on HARD. She absolutely HATES the idea of a little 2wd pickup. Not a fan of pickups in general, she detests the little ones because they?re just as ugly but less capable. I think the line that ended the discussion was ?well if you get one, you?re never trading cars with me again for your business trips?. Her car gets 40+mpg, so I do borrow it a lot.

Why don?t you get a jeep? You?ve always wanted one!
That line rang in my ears for a while. She was right. I?ve wanted a Scrambler since I was 14, but the logical/reasonable side of my brain has always prevented it. Of course, a 25 year old Scrambler won?t serve as a reliable daily driver, so it?s still ruled out, but it did get the wheels turning in my head, and I did find a banged-up ?97 4cyl that seemed affordable. Plunge I took.

I?m not getting rid of the 4runner just yet. Insurance and taxes on it are chicken feed, and because they?re so unreliable and it doesn?t have AC this whole jeep thing might just turn out to be a REALLY bad move. But I figure it?s time I allowed myself a potentially bad decision.

ANYWAY, I kicked around the idea of getting a hardtop for the jeep. WHOA! They?re expensive! $1500 used! Jeep people are just nuts, I swear.
But wait, what?s this I see on ebay? A hardtop that?s wicked cheap because it has a big ol? crack in it???
Well, as it turns out I just so happen to be equipped with the tools, materials, and knowledge to repair such a crack, so last Sunday I zipped up to NW mass to fetch the new project?.

Which is now a guest in the boatshed?

Grind, grind, biax tape, quickfair, and a new coat of ?platinum? Perfection. (apologies for the crappy cameraphone pics, but my little cybershot has grown legs)

Why couldn?t I just buy a few cans of black rust-o-leum and leave it at that? Because I?m ME, that?s why. I can never just leave things be.
I had preconceived that I would paint the hardtop white?. go OldSchool with it?. but again my lovely wife intervened. She thought white would look silly (she clearly hasn?t spent enough time studying classic jeeps), and couldn?t understand why I wouldn?t paint it khaki like the soft top. As a compromise, she suggested a grey to match the wheels and (faded black) plastic trim pieces. Reluctant though I am to admit it, she was absolutely right, hence the platinum paint.

I had to hustle to take advantage of that window of warm weather we just had, but with two coats on I?m going to call it ?good enough?. I?m just giving the paint some time to harden up before I try squeaking it out of the shed and onto the jeep. I used leftover Alexseal primer under the Perfection, and man I still say that stuff is WONDERFUL. If it had any UV resistance at all I wouldn?t have bothered with the Perfection.

The day after I bought the jeep I went into my old office for a ?quick? color-decision meeting on a house I?m doing, and 4 hours later walked out with a job. It wasn?t the path I?d planned to take but they made an offer I couldn?t refuse, which leads me to the punchline of all of this is?.. Now that I own 3 cars, I?ll be commuting via train again!

And the pats beat up the poor helpless packers. Feel better, Nathan?

bcooke · Post by **bcooke** » Tue Nov 21, 2006 7:56 pm

Ouch!

Hang in there Mike; Rain clouds always pass eventually.

Curiously, my '93 Toyota pickup (226k miles) went down hard early this spring and I too wound up with a Wrangler in my driveway ('91 Sahara). It was a struggle getting the Wrangler to pass inspection. New valve job along with a new catalytic converter and muffler... In the meantime and many dollars later I got the pickup running but just like yours it is on borrowed time.

Anyone seen The World's Fastest Indian with Anthony Hopkins?

I guess I will have to rent that!

-Britton

Post by **dasein668** » Tue Nov 21, 2006 10:01 pm

Ouch, Mike!

So will we all be enjoying rides in the Jeep at the 50th Anniversary Scouting Party?

Figment wrote:And the pats beat up the poor helpless packers. Feel better, Nathan?

Oh, yes. Much! Even if it was the Pack and we have a real test this week. It was still fun!

Figment · Post by **Figment** » Wed Nov 22, 2006 10:03 am

Well, thanks for the "ouch", fellas. I hadn't really intended to write it as such a tale of woe. More of a "isn't life funny?".

y'know, as often as I whine about the costs and hassles of living in CT, I must say that they make the whole car-registration thing pretty easy. How many other states will let you register a ten year old car without any kind of inspection whatsoever? Stand in line, fill out a form, pay a few hundred bucks, and here are your new plates.
(I really don't approve of this system. I favor the far more responsible MA/RI style inspection system)

I too needed a new cat, and since it isn't worth the bother to salvage the old one, a new muffler as well. I got all-stainless parts for about $225, man jeep parts are CHEAP! I think I paid $300 for muffler alone for the 4runner last spring, and that wasn't even stainless!

Yeah, Britton bring your jeep to the scouting party and we can have a contest to see who can get the worst fuel mileage!

Post by **Tim** » Wed Nov 22, 2006 3:08 pm

Wow, Mike. That's quite a tale and series of events! Isn't it funny how life turns things around on you despite your best intentions. Fortunately, things come in threes, as they say, so you should be all set now. It's worse when you have two annoying things happen and all you can do is wait for the third that you know must be on its way!

Certainly your new "project" isn't what any of us anticipated, but how nice to be able to pick that thing up and have the easy ability to repair damage that would turn away many buyers. Now, we expect photos of it once you have it in place on your Jeep.

I have to say, though, that your story makes me feel a lot better about the truck payment I have! (not happy, mind you, but better at least!)

Figment wrote:Everyone should have the experience of spending their saturday night replacing a water heater.

I'll pass on that, thanks. If you're planning a new reality show based on this event, I don't think you'll do very well.

Figment · Post by **Figment** » Wed Nov 22, 2006 11:59 pm

Well, a key component of the joyous saturday night spent replacing the water heater is the saturday night trip to home depot, complete with the stop at taco bell!

The silver lining of the water heater deal is that we've captured a lot of efficiency in the swap, and have already seen a dip in our electric bill. When we renovated the house a few years ago we went with all super-efficient appliances, except for the water heater, which was new enough to be left alone. We took the opportunity to downsize from 50 to 30 gallons, and got a much more efficient unit.

Of course, photos shall come. I think the top-swap will be my Black Friday entertainment.

rshowarth · Post by **rshowarth** » Thu Nov 23, 2006 7:28 am

Mike-

You switched from 50 to 30 gallons!?

You must not have teenage girls in your home, I went from 50 to 75 gallons and I am wondering if I went large enough. :-(

Post by **Tim** » Thu Nov 23, 2006 11:06 am

Figment wrote:except for the water heater, which was new enough to be left alone

Not to Monday-morning quarterback, but apparently it wasn't! ;<)

Figment wrote:a key component of the joyous saturday night...is the saturday night trip to home depot

I normally avoid these places on weekends as if they were infected with the plague, but several times recently I've had the "fun" opportunity/requirement to endure the Friday/Saturday night crowds. It's a whole 'nother world, I tell you...especially in Augusta, ME. My wife comes just for the entertainment of people watching!

They usually have a single register manned by a real person, and then all those ridiculous "self-checkout" aisles, which don't work with half the stuff in the store.

And we don't even have Taco Bell to offset the pain of these trips. Rats.

Figment · Post by **Figment** » Thu Nov 23, 2006 11:14 am

With the tank set at 125degrees, we have precisely enough hot water for two very hot showers even if the dishwasher is in cycle, and then we're OUT. If the dog wants a bath, he's SOL. we may need to ootch that temperature up a bit in the really cold part of winter, but otherwise I think we hit the nail on the head.

I hear ya barking, though. When I was a kid we had a 100gallon tank, which was later supplemented with a 50gallon backup slaved off the main burner around the time my sister turned 14..... :)

Figment · Post by **Figment** » Thu Nov 23, 2006 11:29 am

taco bell is it's own kind of pain.... the kind that hits you 3 hours later.
I LOVE those self-checkout lines (unless buying lumber or other such hard-to-scan product), what I HATE are people who can't seem to figure out the process. they need a separate line for those who are still learning, and that goes double for the self-checkouts at the grocery store.
It's about SPEED, people! if you can't manage to make it happen at least as fast as a regular cashier, then just get in the normal cashier line!!!!

yeah, our insurance company is plenty pissed that a 5year old tank failed. After I replaced it, i did some headscratching and realized that we don't have an expansion tank anywhere in the system..... BINGO!!!! I'll tend to that on some bitterly cold no-boatwork weekend this winter.

JetStream · Post by **JetStream** » Fri Nov 24, 2006 9:16 am

Hey Mike, This is probably out of place even in ramblings but I was wondering if you checked your latest hot water tank installation for a "heat trap". It surprises me how many installations don't have them and lose more than 10% of their energy by thermosiphon into the piping. They are simply a "U" plumbed into the copper pipe where it leaves the tank so hot water would have to go down to go up. Heat rises and doesn't go down on its own. Some of the newer tanks have heat traps built-in, but definitely not all of them do. If you can feel hot pipes leaving the hot water heater, going up to the ceiling, after you haven't used hot water for a while, you probably need a "U" heat trap. I also stratify my tank by setting the upper element temperature higher than the lower element, so the bottom element doesn't get all the work and wear out sooner. 23 years so far with 5 teenagers, so I guess it's working.

Figment · Post by **Figment** » Mon Nov 27, 2006 7:07 pm

pics as promised. yeah, I could have gone a few shades darker. oops.

Jet,
The water heater is actually the high point of the house's plumbing system, so it is its own heat trap. The stratification is handled by the heater's "smart" controller. Good thoughts, and I'm perfectly happy that I don't have to think of them!

So how much did they spend on that instant-astroturf job at Gillette? Whatever it was, it's just plain obscene.

Post by **dasein668** » Mon Nov 27, 2006 7:18 pm

Nice! It will be at the scouting party, right?

Figment wrote:So how much did they spend on that instant-astroturf job at Gillette? Whatever it was, it's just plain obscene.

About 750k. At 8 bucks a square foot, I'm thinking of having it installed here at home.

Summersdawn · Post by **Summersdawn** » Mon Nov 27, 2006 7:33 pm

Did you paint the top with Perfection? If so, what was it like to work with?

I debated using this when I painted my cabinsides, but opted for Brightsides.

bcooke · Post by **bcooke** » Mon Nov 27, 2006 7:57 pm

Yeah, Britton bring your jeep to the scouting party and we can have a contest to see who can get the worst fuel mileage!

Hmmm... I have the inline six cylinder. I guess I know who wins that contest! On the plus side the new valve job should make the engine run more efficiently.

$1500 for the hardtop?! If I sold mine I could get a new boom for the boat...

-Britton

Figment · Post by **Figment** » Mon Nov 27, 2006 7:59 pm

NO WAY!!!! That must simply be the raw material cost. There's no way they got a 6-week job done in one week for only $8/ft.

jeep at the scouting party? well, really I hardly see the point. what's fun about riding around in a hardtop jeep in the middle of winter?
100 miles at 40mpg or 100 miles at 14mpg..... that's a toughie!

I would have been perfectly happy going with Toplac, but I would have had to custom-mix the color, which meant buying twice as much paint, so Perfection won the dollar decision.
Perfection performed as advertised. More user-friendly than Alexseal or Awlgrip. Good initial gloss (so glossy that I had to buy flattening agent for the second coat, which erased the cost savings. such is life.) easy workability, cured well at low temperatures.

bcooke · Post by **bcooke** » Mon Nov 27, 2006 11:16 pm

well, really I hardly see the point. what's fun about riding around in a hardtop jeep in the middle of winter?

I wasn't going to say it but I was thinking that too. As I have told some here, a jeep is only fun with the doors and top off. I have an older version so maybe this doesn't apply but my jeep drives more like a farm implement than a car. Still, it is a blast to drive around in when it is all opened up. Maybe it is a Jeep thing, you wouldn't understand...

-Britton

Post by **Tim** » Tue Nov 28, 2006 7:30 am

Figment wrote:I could have gone a few shades darker. oops.

Looks like you got your white top after all.

bcooke wrote:...a jeep is only fun with the doors and top off...

...$1500 for the hardtop?! If I sold mine I could get a new boom for the boat...

From what you're saying, it sounds like there's no reason not get rid of your hardtop and get the boom instead. Ebay, baby!

Post by **dasein668** » Tue Nov 28, 2006 8:17 am

Figment wrote:NO WAY!!!! That must simply be the raw material cost. There's no way they got a 6-week job done in one week for only $8/ft.

That was the report on the Patriots' website. I didn't actually see the invoice, of course!

Figment wrote:jeep at the scouting party? well, really I hardly see the point. what's fun about riding around in a hardtop jeep in the middle of winter?

Britton wrote:I wasn't going to say it but I was thinking that too. As I have told some here, a jeep is only fun with the doors and top off.

Man, you southerners sure are soft. Who said anything about leaving the top on?

Figment wrote:100 miles at 40mpg or 100 miles at 14mpg..... that's a toughie!

Yeah, yeah. Maybe we can have TDI fest instead!