Vote early, vote often...

Today I did the early voting thing. The line wrapped halfway around the library. It only took one and a half hours. I was planning on two.

Sure, I could have done absentee voting, but what fun is that? Had an interesting conversation with a woman that was in line in front of me, which made the time in line go a lot faster. Besides, when you GO to vote, you get one of these neat stickers each time you vote.




Unless of course you only vote once, but talk the poll worker into giving you more than one sticker!

Dog sitting

After a hard day of dog sitting Gizmo we had to try out Skype.
I talked to Gizmo, and showed him his favorite squeaky ball with a few squeezes. He looked for it behind the monitor, but it was not there. About 30 minutes after we hung up skype, Evelyn called to tell me Gizmo would not leave her alone. He NEEDED to come visit me. Dogs can have one-track minds when they set their brain on a goal.

Jaguar project - progress

More feathers and bones. Shift lever shortened for a sports car vs. a sedan.



Going with a single 12Volt battery vs the original dual 6Volts. The driver side battery well will become extra storage.

Jaguar project - progress

Fuel pump and filter under driver side floorboard. 90 PSI regulated to 35 PSI. New fuel lines to engine injector rails, and return excess back to tank.



Drive shaft installed, floorboards, transmission and drive shaft covers installed.

Jaguar project update

Quite a bit of work completed this week. Mufflers came in and installed with tail-pipes. New floor boards are being coated and painted.



Radiator and electric fan with associated hoses.

New brake master cylinder.

New fabricated drive shaft should be coming in today.

Jaguar project - progress

The Jaguar is back on the floor with the engine back in and bolted in place. Just got the radiator back from being re-cored. Note the air intake going over to the fender well.



Other side of fender well, shiny plumbing is the cold air intake.



Cockpit view of feathers and bones. Not quite ready to run yet, but there is progress. More parts on order, should be coming in this next week.

Target Tuesday

Today was "Target Tuesday" at Shoot Straight in Apopka. I took my grandson, Justin, for his first time on the range. He liked the .22 Rugar without the Red-Dot sight the best. The 9mm Glock was a bit scary for him, but he did alright.

Jaguar project - progress

Visited the old Jaguar today. In the process of sandblasting the engine compartment. Next step is painting the compartment, and bolting in the engine/transmission. I have all the chrome back from the platers, and storing in my garage.

Shoot Straight

About time I put something in my blog :-) Not that I have not been doing anything, just that I have been doing a lot. Today was my scheduled shooting practice day at Shootstraight in Apopka. I am a member, so I try to get there at least once a week. I bring along 100 rounds of .22 long rifle for the Ruger. I got a Red Dot sight for it, and am still tweaking and adjusting it. I like the .22 for cheap; $12 for 550 bulk rounds at Walmart.

The target above is with the fun, a lot louder, more kick, Glock 9mm. About 20 feet away 20 rounds. It is kind of hard to judge the actual distance, as there are only some numbers on the wall: 7, 15, 20 yards. Either the Glock is getting broken in, or I am improving, or both. I'll have to try adjusting the sight a bit, as it is off to the left a bit. The 9mm rounds are about twice the cost of the .22, so I only shoot half as many.

When Justin gets out of school, AND if he has good grades, then I will take him with me. But first we have to do a lot of dry firing and going over the 4 basic laws/rules:


The 1st Law of Gun Safety - The Gun Is Always Loaded!

*All firearms are loaded. - There are no exceptions. Don't pretend that this is true. Know that it is and handle all firearms accordingly. Do not believe it when someone says: "It isn't loaded."

The 2nd Law of Gun Safety - Never Point A Gun At Something You're Not Prepared To Destroy!

*Never let the muzzle of a firearm point at anything you are not willing to destroy. - If you would not want to see a bullet hole in it do not allow a firearm's muzzle to point at it.

The 3rd Law of Gun Safety - Always Be Sure Of Your Target And What Is Behind It!

*Be sure of your target and what is behind it. - Never shoot at sounds or a target you cannot positively identify. Know what is in line with the target and what is behind it (bullets are designed to go through things). Be aware of your surroundings whether on a range, in the woods, or in a potentially lethal conflict.

The 4th Law of Gun Safety - Keep Your Finger Off The Trigger Until Your Sights Are On The Target!

*Keep your finger off the trigger until your sights are on the target. - Danger abounds if you keep your finger on the trigger when you are not about to shoot. Speed is not gained by prematurely placing your finger on the trigger as bringing a firearm to bear on a target takes more time than it takes to move your finger to the trigger.

Sure, there are a lot more rules like keeping your ammunition dry, clean weapon, no obstructions in the barrel, etc. But none are as important as the above 4.

Jaguar project - progress

After several weeks off, some additional progress.


Mock up of frame cross member. Hand brake interferes with Universal Joint.


A lot of work on the center frame cross member. Hand brake lowered to clear Universal joint. Fabricated rear engine/transmission mount.




Clutch reworked for cable, and brake master cylinder moved forward to clear other engine bits.

Chrome sent off for refurbishing. Still waiting for all the shiny parts to come back.

Gizmo vs Gecko

Dogsitting Gizmo, he found a Gecko in the screen room. He just had to play with it, and the Gecko won?

Wheels and tires

Orginal (spare) and New wheel and tire.

Picked them up yesterday at Discount Tire. Quite a bit of difference between the 600-16 bias ply and the low profile 205/40 Radial tires. They both weigh 40 pounds, so there is no unsprung weight advantage.
Comparison Old/New:
86/73.5 inch circumference.
736/862 revolutions per mile.
2782/3258 engine RPM at 60 MPH in 4th gear SWAG calculation.
4.5/8 inch tread width on the road.

Wheels and tires

Test wheel came in today. Immediately went to visit the Jag and check out the clearances. Everything looks good, both front and back.

A bit larger than the original 16" wheels, but look a LOT better. Going to have to change the full lock stops to make sure there is no interference with the tie rods at full lock.


Low profile BFGoodrich 205/40ZR17 rubber to meet the road. This should give a nice large footprint to handle the extra power and torque.

Nippondenso Alternator

Back from holidays on the left coast. Some more progress.


Front view.


Side view.

Bit of a job finding the right length serpentine belt. The idler had to be modified for the modified path. There is NO air conditioner or power steering pump in the belt path.

Adapter for oil filter to clear frame.