On 2024-02-08 18:06, Thomas E. wrote:

On Thursday, February 8, 2024 at 6:30:16 PM UTC-5, -hh wrote:

On Tuesday, June 5, 2018 at 4:46:21 PM UTC-4, Thomas E. wrote:

On Monday, June 4, 2018 at 4:54:55 PM UTC-4, Alan Baker wrote:

On 2018-06-04 1:50 PM, Thomas E. wrote:

On Monday, June 4, 2018 at 12:04:52 PM UTC-4, Alan Baker
wrote:

On 2018-06-04 6:37 AM, Thomas E. wrote:

On Tuesday, May 29, 2018 at 3:10:04 PM UTC-4, Alan Baker
wrote:

I know that there are people eager for news of my new
RF98, so I thought I'd provide an update.

Yesterday, in return for offering road racing
instruction to novice trackday participants, I ran my
Van Diemen RF98 Honda during the lunch break at Mission
Raceway Park. I thought it would be better to discover
any issues with the car three and a half weeks before
the next race, rather than discover them during the
practice session Saturday morning with the need to have
them resolved before qualifying just 115 minutes
later.

So after going through the car's systems, fixing a few
minor issues (such as a little extra slop in the gear
linkage cured by adding more appropriate, shanked bolts
and proper saddle washers), completely replacing the
brake and clutch fluid, flushing and replacing the
coolant, we packed up the car for an initial shakedown
run.

With only 20 minutes running time, this wasn't a
session for trying changes to the car; just a chance to
find any problems with time to resolve them before the
first race.

Only... ...there weren't any problems! The car was
exactly as advertised. OK... ...there was a tiny amount
lateral instability at top speed which is probably just
a fresh alignment away from correction, and the shop
which installed the new engine before the car was sold
to me definitely put in too heavy a weight engine oil,
but we took care of that before we'd even finished
unpacking the trailer back at the garage.

Oh! There was one Dzus fastener that had been replaced
with one that wasn't the proper length, so we had to
temporarily tape that panel into place.


However, I would run the car without hesitation as it
sits in the garage right now. I have good information
from an experience prep shop for starting settings for
spring rates, anti-roll bars, ride heights, camber and
caster, and the car will be taken to a specialty shop
to get its first alignment; mostly because I need to
fabricate a few things before I can do an alignment
myself (new brackets for the alignment bars, most of
all).

And... ...it feels fast.

One area where the Honda-engined cars differ from the
Kents is that the Honda has a rev limiter which cuts in
at 6750 rpm whereas most Kents are run without a rev
limiter. So when selecting a top gear, Honda cars must
choose a ratio which will keep the car below the rev
limiter in every conceivable situation, while the
Kent-engined FFs can choose a slightly shorter ratio,
knowing that if they do happen to get a good "tow"
down the longest straight, they can allow the engine to
rev past the optimum for short lengths of time. This is
one of the reasons that Kents have a small advantage at
tracks with long straights (along with slightly greater
top-end power).

But even having to choose that slightly taller gear,
and even before trying to put together a full-on lap, I
was seeing speeds very near the rev limit before
braking for turn one.

If I'm in town to enjoy it, I think the rest of the
racing season could be a lot of fun!

:-)

"If I'm in town to enjoy it, I think the rest of the
racing season could be a lot of fun!

:-)"

Already making excuses for no-shows!!!!!

No, Liarboy.

I've got an opportunity for a six month contract overseas.
If it comes through, I'm taking it.

Chicken-shit Baker is afraid to run the new toy! He will
probably find a way to break even a Honda engine!

You simpleton, what do you think the video was?

And miss the whole season. How utterly convenient.

Very inconvenient in point of fact—not only would it mean
missing the racing season, but at least half of my hockey
season, and Christmas with my family in all likelihood, but
also very lucrative. About $1,000USD a day, 6 days a week for
about 6 months.

Do the math. That will pay for a lot of future racing.

:-D

$156,000 is bit less than I made all last year, and a pretty darn
good 6 months for a college drop-out.

I just signed a contract for project that could pay about $2,000
a day + expenses for at least the next 6 months, and I can do it
from here. At 5 days a week you do the math. Then add in my $145k
pension and investment base income.

2018 taxes could be pretty awful for both of us. :)

Just in case Tommy wants to deny that he made this claim... /s

-hh

Actually, we don't know if Alan's project came through. Mine did, but
it fizzled because the multiple clients could not agree on an
approach. Income was on that one was nominal. I did land a different
project though. It did not kick off until late 2019 and ran over into
2020. Total billings were over $100k. It was my last major project.

You are very good with excuses... ...dick.

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On 2024-02-12 08:32, Thomas E. wrote:

Actually, we don't know if Alan's project came through. Mine did, but it fizzled because
the multiple clients could not agree on an approach. Income was on that one was nominal.

Not the point. The point was that here in 2018, you claimed “my $145K pension
and investment base income.”, yet in 2024, you claimed that your pension, plus your
wife’s pension, and both of your SS checks combined now sum to only $100K. >>
As ed pointed out to you, WTF?

The slight of hand appears to have been the just-ambiguous-enough phrasing which
implied a pension of $145K, plus an unspecified additional amount of investment
income, instead of the reading of it as a pension & investments income(s) which
taken together sum to $145K.

Given your propensities, the latter is more likely. Particularly as 2018 would have
around the onset of RMDs of former employer 401k. Plus the phrasing allows for
counting of discretionary (& greater-than-RMD) transactions, and of “one-shots”,
such as the exercising of an old/expiring stock options, Roth conversions, etc.

I did land a different project though. It did not kick off until late 2019 and
ran over into 2020. Total billings were over $100k. It was my last major project.

Which was much lower in total vs its prior potential, plus “billings” is a gross, not net,
so it is not actual real, take-home income like the other numbers. Deduct off a few
business trips, add overhead, and the balance left remaining for real net income is …?
/s

-hh

OH MY GOD! Ask questions before you make assumptions.

You have GOT to be kidding, dick.

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