whoa...

I just stumbled across this fellow in a random search on FleaBay:

http://cgi.ebay.com/Dolch-NotePac-A...goryZ177QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Definitely has that industrial post-apocalyse look about it; makes my CF-28 look like a bit of a pretty boy pansy sort...

But I LOVE the thumbscrew-removeable handle... that is just SO anti-chic!

mnem
Recipe for destruction: mnem + (1) BFH; poke with stick until snarly!

 

Those notebooks are awesome... I would have to rate them as a step above Toughbooks in terms of ruggedness. They're re-badged Getac notebooks, by the way.

For many years I worked for a company that had the local Dolch distribution contract.. We could've sold the he** out of those, but with a $12K pricetag, it was a tough sell in the automotive industry. I think the only ones we ever sold were to the local water and sewerage authority..

 

EEEEEP!

$12K!!!

*Faints*

*THUDDDDDDD!*

mnem
*Imagining himself in a nice 3 year old PT Cruiser, with enough left over to start restoring gramma's old Studebaker...*

 

Man, that thing looks like a 25 but with the specs of a 28.

 

Did he say that looked like a '25 Butt ???

Was that like a Model T or something?

mnem
What? No cheese?

 

A set of wooden chariot wheels would look good on it.

 

I'm tellin' ya man, those are nice machines. If they had HD caddies, I probably would have bought them. I'm thinking I should find out how much replacement caddies for those are!

 

PT Cruiser???? Yick...

 

PTTTTTTTTTTTT!

I'm a brammy-new daddy dewed... I NEED a station wagon, and unlike the majority of the SUV-driving public, I'm not so narcissistic that I can't admit it.

I spent 6 years working in a Dodge dealership; I can tear a PT Cruiser down to the axles & put it back together if I have to; I know their strengths & weaknesses & they are about as cheap on gas as you're gonna get for their functionality.

Plus, I like the looks of them a EFF of a lot better than anything GM has to offer except maybe the SSR, which is pretty much the antithesis of what I need... we can save THAT for my mid-life crisis.

mnem
He said "I want to buy a motorcycle." She heard "I'm in the mood for a really big fight."

 

Have you considered getting a PT Loser ... errr ... Cruiser with a bad engine and converting it to electric?

Lots of neat ev conversions happening out there - I'd sure love to do one!
http://www.evalbum.com/wip

Conversion kits here:
http://www.kta-ev.com/

I thought of converting a Land Rover but discovered that only the body is aluminum, the frame is really heavy ladder steel making it 4500lbs curb weight! I had located one for only $2500. Sigh.

 

Cool site.

 

Yeah, well I spent a lot of time experimenting with "alternative powered" vehicles as a teenager... I had a solar/electric dunebuggy, and a CNG-powered VW Rabbit P/U for a while; but it's a young man's game, and I barely have time for my paperwork & an hour or so before bedtime with my son. If I had the time for THAT kind of project, I'd be building my 390 Big-Block powered '84 F-150 that's been in storage for almost 2 years... or, I'd be collecting grandma's Studebaker & FINALLY Getting to THAT.

But if you want a SUV, you might look into the Ford ( I know - YUCCCK!) Escape - they use the venerable 3.0 Taurus FWD drivetrain (YES - FRONT WHEEL DRIVE) and unibody design, which brings their curb weight down to about 3300 LBS AND makes converting powertrain a LOT simpler. There is room for everything in the EC, and there are already people making motor/plate kits to go with that transaxle.

mnem
You want Li-Ion with that?

 

Mnem,
What flavor Studebaker is Granny's? I very fondly remember the '53 Commander I had in high school, 327 Chevy, 4 speed, 3-2's on an Edlebrock manifold, etc. Man were those cars ahead of their time!
View attachment 19640

 

I converted a ford ranger to diesel with a 4 cylinder Nissan SD22. I get over 40 MPG and that's with a bunch of junk in the box and a cap. Weight of the truck is is 3675 on my friends junkyard scales...

N_R

 

To go really way of topic here.... I say that with the brilliant minds we have here and with the availability to have our own planets so we can run things the way WE would want.... That WE should be able to come up with an alternate energy source! Things I'm thinking about exploring...

1. Joe Cell - If you don't know what these are... Google it! (Sounds dorky but you never know!)
2. Hydrogen - A cheaper way to get it MUST be found and I just KNOW it is out there!
3. DIY Methanol - Set up YOUR still today! With all the organic garbage that goes into the landfill... there MUST be a way to turn it into something usable... I mean something other than just a big hill once you put dirt on top of it. There are methane farms out there that harness the gas that comes from landfills... But I'm talking more of a DIY project.

Now.... Back to your regularly scheduled programming!
<queue music>

 

'64 Studebaker Golden Hawk. About 2000 away from the last ever built. 289 Packard V8, Automatic. Wish it were the '63 Gramma had before, with the 2 speed rear & Paxton blower... *SIGH*

Anyhoo... It's far away & needs lots of money thrown at it... I want to get after it, but I'm living paycheck to paycheck right now & can't afford the time out of work, much less the expense of the trip & hauling, etc. It simply has to wait...

I see now that I officially a Notebook Deity... I wonder if that explains my recent acquisition of a Sony C1VPK Picturebook. This thing is SO tiny - and the video is SO sharp its scary. Now if I can just scrounge a 128 or 256 MB RAM module (Proprietary) for it...

mnem
Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans...