Jokes anyone? -

[Nick]

 

[Rick Muck- Mark IV]

A lot more of this please......

Cheers
Mike

I wonder where they get tires for a Shadow these days?

 

[Neil]

I wonder where they get tires for a Shadow these days?

I can't comment on their tires but I can relate a story about the Shadow team back in the Can-Am days. I was working on the crew of Bob Peckham's M8C MacLaren. In practice at Laguna Seca on Saturday, the engine in Bob's car broke its timing chain and, fortunately, George Bolthoff, the fellow who had originally built the engine was there at the track and he offered to rebuild it back in his shop in Los Angeles if we could remove it and haul it there. We set about immediately pulling the big aluminum block Chevrolet out of the car in the paddock garage and into another crew member's van. We drove down to LA, found Bolthoff's shop and unloaded our cargo.

By the time we finished unloading the engine, it was late Saturday evening and all the stores were closing. After tearing down the engine, we found a few damaged parts but the block was spared. George found a few replacements from his parts bin- a TRW forged piston, rod, a couple of pushrods, new bearings & timing chain, etc. but no roller rocker arms. One or two pushrods had been pushed up and destroyed their rocker arms. We needed two or three to complete the build but it was past midnight and there were no speed shops open at that late hour. We buttoned up the engine, set the timing and hoped for a miracle. We were back on the road just before dawn on Sunday- race day. We made a mad dash back up to Laguna Seca in the van with our rebuilt (sort of) engine. Fortunately the LA traffic was light at that hour on a Sunday so we arrived about the time that the sun was coming up.

We worked as fast as we could to get the engine back into the car and bolted up to the LG600 transaxle. Finally, while the electrical and plumbing connections were being connected, I cruised through the paddock garage, looking for teams that were running the same ZL-1 Chevrolet that we were. There were quite a few since that engine was very popular in Can- Am at the time. The Shadow team was kind enough to lend us a few of their spare roller rocker arms and we hurriedly installed them and set the valve lash just as the track announcer called the cars to the grid. Bob was standing by, suited up and wearing his helmet, so he jumped in the car, fastened his harness and hit the starter. The engine fired up! By this time all the cars were spotted into their starting positions on the grid and they were holding up the start of the race for us. Bob shot out of the garage, only to be greeted by a sea of spectators blocking the way to the track. Finally, he smoked the rear tines and with a loud roar, the crowd parted like the Red Sea and Bob took his place, watched by about a hundred thousand spectators.

At the finish we were thirteenth, a satisfying performance for a low-budget shoestring effort with only a volunteer crew. The Shadow... DNF.

We were grateful to the fellows on the Shadow team for making it possible for a competitor to race against them. That was an example of true sportsmanship.

 

[flatchat(Chris)]

A lot more of this please......

Cheers
Mike

1000 hp to exillerate and 1000 hp to slow down with - what could go wrong

 

[Randy V]

 

[Randy V]

 

[Nick]

View attachment 140583

If he can find a way of reversing the process he will make a fortune!!!

 

[Larry L.]

 

[Randy V]

After every flight, UPS pilots fill out a form, called a "gripe sheet" which tells mechanics about problems with the aircraft. The mechanics correct the problems, document their repairs on the form, then pilots review the gripe sheets before the next flight.
Never let it be said that ground crews lack a sense of humor. Here are actual maintenance complaints submitted by UPS pilots ("P") and solutions recorded ("S") by maintenance engineers:

P: Left inside main tire almost needs replacement.
S: Almost replaced left inside main tire.
P: Test flight OK, except auto-land very rough.
S: Auto-land not installed on this aircraft.
P: Something loose in cockpit
S: Something tightened in cockpit
P: Dead bugs on windshield.
S: Live bugs on back-order.
P: Autopilot in altitude-hold mode produces a 200 feet per minute descent
S: Cannot reproduce problem on ground.
P: Evidence of leak on right main landing gear.
S: Evidence removed.
P: DME volume unbelievably loud.
S: DME volume set to more believable level.
P: Friction locks cause throttle levers to stick.
S: That's what friction locks are for.
P: IFF inoperative in OFF mode.
S: IFF always inoperative in OFF mode.
P: Suspected crack in windshield.
S: Suspect you're right.
P: Number 3 engine missing.
S: Engine found on right wing after brief search.
P: Aircraft handles funny.
S: Aircraft warned to: straighten up, fly right, and be serious.
P: Target radar hums.
S: Reprogrammed target radar with lyrics.
P: Mouse in cockpit.
S: Cat installed.
P: Noise coming from under instrument panel. Sounds like a midget pounding on something with a hammer.
S: Took hammer away from midget

 

[Randy V]

 

[Randy V]

 

[Randy V]

 

[Nick]

 

[Randy V]

 

[Randy V]

 

[Larry L.]

View attachment 140982

Note the 'entity' captured in the lower left corner... ;-)

 

[flatchat(Chris)]

Love these "fusion" restaurants .....
Went to a Chinese German one and we had sweet and sauerkraut
and then --
a Jewish Japanese restaurant where we had so Sueme

 

[flatchat(Chris)]

Winter in my home town with early morning frosts of -6°C -sharpish
radio reported that it was so cold that the local flasher was caught describing himself in front of the ladies

 

[flatchat(Chris)]

View attachment 140982

Now that's an American screw driver

 

[Larry L.]

Now that's an American screw driver

True dat!
In a pinch it works really well, too!