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Tools Part 1

Tools we have all used

Sep 27, 2008 - Racer, actor Paul Newman dies at 83

He was a racer who supported his racing habit by acting. That's how he wanted to be remembered. Racer/actor Paul Leonard Newman, who managed to succeed in both fields, died Friday, Sept. 23, after a long battle with cancer. He was 83.



Newman came to racing late in life, driving his first race car in his 40s. Bob Bondurant trained him to drive for the 1969 movie Winning at the then-brand-new Bondurant School, which at the time was using Datsun 510s and roadsters at Orange County International Raceway in California. Newman was the fourth student at the school. Costar Robert Wagner was the fifth.



"I asked him why he wanted to go to my school and he said, 'I had two other movies I could make quite a bit of money in, but I wanted to see if I could drive a race car.' " Bondurant said.



Newman fell in love with racing from the start. "The first thing that I ever found I had any grace in," he once said.



After that, Newman raced the rest of his life. Many of his first rides were in Datsuns prepared by Bob Sharp, who was an accomplished racer himself and who became a Datsun dealer in 1969. One of Newman's earliest rides was a Bob Sharp Datsun 510. He piloted BSR Zs, too.



Newman's first race win came in a Lotus Elan in Thompson, Conn., in 1972. He co-drove a Porsche 935 at Le Mans in 1979 with Dick Barbour and Rolf Stommelen to first place in the IMSA class and second overall.



Newman raced sports cars in endurance events, which meant he had a lot of co-drivers over the years. Among them was Sam Posey.



"Paul was guided in much of what he did by the attitude, 'Why not?' " recalled Posey, who remained a friend throughout Newman's life. "He embraced projects that called for a leap of faith. Become a racing driver, starting in your mid-40s and putting your acting career at risk? Why not? Turn a few cases of salad dressing made in your basement into a commercial-food empire--and then use the profits to create camps for sick children? Why not? If this sounds naïve, it wasn't. He calculated the odds. In real life, he never asked, 'Who are those guys?' He knew."



From the mid-'70s to the early '90s, Newman drove for the Bob Sharp Racing team, racing mainly Datsuns and Nissans. He won four SCCA national titles: D-production in 1976, C-production in '79 and GT-1 in 1985-86. He raced in Trans-Am and the Baja 1000.



As a team owner, he joined Carl Haas in 1983 to form Newman-Haas racing, which went on to win 97 races and seven championships.



Newman never seemed to tire of the other side of the sport, though, staying behind the wheel long after most reasonable men had given up even playing golf. At 70, he co-drove a Mustang to victory in the GTS class of the 24 Hours of Daytona, the oldest driver to win a major sanctioned race. A decade later, he was still at it.



"My last recollection of him was a few years back when Panoz was just finishing the front-engined LMP racer," said designer Peter Brock. "The Panoz crew had the new car out at Road Atlanta for test with a couple of notable shoes who were looking for the ride. Since PL was there, he was offered the chance to test the car. He hadn't been in a race car for over a year and in truth looked pretty frail. The shoes had just put up some pretty impressive times, so the bar was set. PL got in and within five or six laps had matched 'em! He got out and quietly thanked the crew for the opportunity and left. Just amazing."



Recalled Posey: "He drove less frequently in the last few years. But his car was a brutish Corvette which had his age as its number. I remember when it was No. 81 and he was racing at Lime Rock. It was raining and the track had standing water at several places. Any sensible 81-year-old would have put the thing on the trailer, but Paul got out there, out-braked the field into turn one, got into a slide at about 120 mph, corrected deftly and shot through into the lead, which he never lost."



On Saturday, Indianapolis Motor Speedway CEO and Indy Racing League founder Tony George said: "On behalf of my mother Mari Human George and the entire Hulman-George family at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and IndyCar Series, our thoughts and prayers are with the family, friends and loved ones of Paul Newman. To all his fans world-wide and those close to him in our racing community, we share a deep sense of loss, but cherish the many fond memories we will forever carry with us."

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Sep 9, 2008 - WHERE TO BUY OUR GAS!!!

WHERE TO BUY YOUR USA GAS

 

THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT PLEASE READ ON

 

Gas rationing in the 80’s worked even though we grumbled about it

It might even be good for us now!

The Saudis are boycotting American goods.

We should return the favor.

An interesting thought is to boycott their GAS.

Every time you fill up the car, you can avoid putting more money into the coffers

of Saudi Arabia just buy from gas companies that don’t import their oil from the Saudis.

 

Nothing is more frustrating than the feeling that every time you fill up the tank, you are sending your money to people who are trying to kill you, your family, and your friends.

 

I thought it might be interesting for you to know which oil companies are the best to buy gas from and which major companies import Middle Eastern oil.

 

These companies import Middle Eastern oil:

 

Shell……………………………………..…205,742,000 barrels

Chevron/Texaco…………………………..144,332,000 barrels

Exxon/Mobil…………………………..……130,082,000 barrels

Marathon/Speedway…………………..…117,740,000 barrels

Amoco…………………………………..…...62,231,000 barrels

 

Citgo Gas comes from South America, from a Dictator who hates Americans

 

Do the math when oil was $30/barrel, these imports amount to over $18 BILLON!

With oil at over $100/ barrel you can figure it out.

 

Here are some large companies that DO NOT import Middle Eastern oil.

 

Sunoco……………………………….…….0 barrels

Conoco……………………………….…….0 barrels

Sinclair……………………………………..0 barrels

BP/Phillips…………………………………0 barrels 

Hess………………………………………..0 barrels

Arco…………………………………..……..0 barrels

Pilot…………………………….…….……..0 barrels

Flying J……………………….………....….0 barrels

Love’s………………………………………0 barrels

Race Trac………………………………..…0 barrels

Valero……………………………………….0 barrels   

 

All of this information is available from the Department of Energy. Each company is required to state where they get their oil and how much they are importing. 

 

To have an impact, we need to reach literally millions of gas buyers. It’s really simple to do.   

 

Now don’t wimp out…. Keep reading and I’ll explain how simple it is to reach millions of people!!

 

I’m posting this note on my blog and sending it to all the people in my address book. I think I have at least 30 people in my address book.

 

If each of you cut and paste this information at least 10 people (30 x 10 = 300)….. and

 

Those 300 send to at least ten more (300x 10 = 3,000)…… and

 

So on, by the time the message reachs the sixth generation of people,

 

We will have over THREE MILLION consumers!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

If those three million get excited and pass this on to ten friends each, then 30 million people will have been contacted!

If it goes one level further, you guess it……. THREE HUNDRED MILLION PEOPLE!!!!

 

Again, all you have to do is send this to 10 people. How long will that take.

 

If each one of us sends this information out to ten people within one day, all 300 MILLION people could conceivably be contacted with in the next eight days!

 

To have self respect is everything. Without it, we are nothing but unwilling slaves, at everyone’s mercy, especially those who fear or hold contempt. Without self-respect, we give ourselves away and make the ultimate sacrifice; WE SELL OURSELVES OUT!!!!!  

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Aug 23, 2008 - Paul Newman's Last Ride

From ApexSpeed forum



    
        
            
        
    

            
            
                
                    
                        
                    
                
            
LimeRock was closed down today Wednesday for an hour and a half so Paul Newman could take a few last laps there in his GT1 Corvette and say goodbye. He was diagnosed with cancer 18 months ago and is not expected to make it past September.
                        Hearing this has left a sick feeling in my stomach. Newman was and will always be one of my racing hero's. Bob Sharp Racing being our local 'big race team' and the fact that my Dad raced with Bob Sharp back when he was racing Sprites in G Production in the 60's was my 'connection' When Bob got the Datsun deal and showed up at LimeRock with those Red White and Blue 510's, it really but the bug in me for racing. I was a bit too young to remember the Datsun Roadsters but for some reason the 510's made a big impression on me. When I was 7 years old in 1972 my Dad and I walked into the old timing tower at the Glen and met up with Bob and Paul who were standing there eating peanuts. My dad said to say hello to Mr. Sharp and Mr. Newman They drive the Red White and Blue cars you like so much. All I could do is stand there and stare. Newman said hi, took my hand and filled it up with peanuts and said 'have some, there good for ya'. From that moment on all I could think about is driving race cars and someday having my own Red White and Blue 510. It was one of those defining moments in your life that you will never forget. 32 years later at the 2004 LimeRock National I drove my first GT race in a 77 Datsun 200SX. Newman was the first GT1 car to lap me. As he went past I gave him the thumbs up and he did the same to me. Surreal !

            

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Apr 15, 2008 - Tools

I have more than a passing familiarity with common precision tools. When
I got the information below, I immediately recognized it as being
amazingly accurate.

DRILL PRESS: A tall upright machine useful for suddenly snatching flat
metal bar stock out of your hands so that it smacks you in the chest and
flings your beer across the room, denting the freshly-painted fender
which you had carefully set in the corner where nothing could get to it.


WIRE WHEEL: Cleans paint off bolts and then throws them somewhere under
the workbench with the speed of light. Also removes fingerprints and
hard-earned calluses from fingers in about the time it takes you to say,
Oh sh*t.

ELECTRIC HAND DRILL: Normally used for spinning pop rivets in their
holes until you die of old age.

SKILL SAW: A portable cutting tool used to make studs too short.

PLIERS: Used to round off bolt heads. Sometimes used in the creation of
blood-blisters.

BELT SANDER: An electric sanding tool commonly used to convert minor
touch-up jobs into major refinishing jobs.

HACKSAW: One of a family of cutting tools built on the Ouija board
principle. It transforms human energy into a crooked, unpredictable
motion, and the more you attempt to influence its course, the more
dismal your future becomes.

VISE-GRIPS: Generally used after pliers to completely round off bolt
heads. If nothing else is available, they can also be used to transfer
intense welding heat to the palm of your hand.

WELDING GLOVES: Heavy duty leather gloves used to prolong the conduction
of intense welding heat to the palm of your hand.

OXYACETYLENE TORCH: Used almost entirely for lighting various flammable
objects in your shop on fire. Also handy for igniting the grease inside
the wheel hub out of which you want to remove a bearing race.

TABLE SAW: A large stationary power tool commonly used to launch wood
projectiles for testing wall integrity.

HYDRAULIC FLOOR JACK: Used for lowering an automobile to the ground
after you have installed your new brake shoes, trapping the jack handle
firmly under the bumper.

EIGHT-FOOT LONG YELLOW PINE 2X4: Used for levering an automobile upward
off of a trapped hydraulic jack handle.

E-Z OUT BOLT AND STUD EXTRACTOR: A tool ten times harder than any known
drill bit that snaps neatly off in bolt holes thereby ending any
possible future use.

BAND SAW: A large stationary power saw primarily used by most shops to
cut good aluminum sheet into smaller pieces that more easily fit into
the trash can after you cut on the inside of the line instead of the
outside edge.

TWO-TON ENGINE HOIST: A tool for testing the maximum tensile strength of
everything you forgot to disconnect.

CRAFTSMAN 1/2 x 24-INCH SCREWDRIVER: A very large pry bar that
inexplicably has an accurately machined screwdriver tip on the end
opposite the handle.

AVIATION METAL SNIPS: See hacksaw.

PHILLIPS SCREWDRIVER: Normally used to stab the vacuum seals under lids
or for opening old-style paper-and-tin oil cans and splashing oil on
your shirt; but can also be used, as the name implies, to strip out
Phillips screw heads.

STRAIGHT SCREWDRIVER: A tool for opening paint cans. Sometimes used to
convert common slotted screws into non-removable screws.

PRY BAR: A tool used to crumple the metal surrounding that clip or
bracket you needed to remove in order to replace a 50 cent part.

HOSE CUTTER: A tool used to make hoses too short.

HAMMER: Originally employed as a weapon of war, the hammer nowadays is
used as a kind of divining rod to locate the most expensive parts
adjacent to the object we are attempting to hit.

MECHANICS KNIFE: Used to open and slice through the contents of
cardboard cartons delivered to your front door; works particularly well
on contents such as seats, vinyl records, liquids in plastic bottles,
collector magazines , refund checks, and rubber or plastic parts .
Especially useful for slicing work clothes, but only while in use.

DAMMIT TOOL: Any handy tool that you grab and throw across the garage
while yelling DAMMIT
at the top of your lungs. It is also, most often, the next tool that you
will need.

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