FUCK YOU, STOP CALLING ME - November 2012

Just when I thought we could go an entire month without a call...I get a text.  Okay...technically, it is not a 'call'.  Fuck it, I was contacted through my phone by a lesser life form that wants to sell me something.  Like I said, texts cost me money. Since it has been a while, and I have a little time, we are going to have fun with this one.  At least, I am going to have fun.

26 November 2012
   213-442-8574  Los Angeles, CA  Here is the message that cost me twenty cents:

Sent by unregistered version of SMSCaster:
Hey its vicky havent talked to u in forever msg me here www.justhookup1up.com i put pics on my profile my username is s

Let me break this down.  "Unregistered version of SMSCaster"?  What the fuck is SMSCaster?  Obviously, I do not know that it is.  Therefore, I should not be 'signed up' for it...and I sure as fuck should not be getting any messages from them.  On top of that, an 'unregistered version'...so, we are both not registered.  How is it possible that you can obtain my information through some third party that neither of us are a part of?  Fuck you!

"Hey its vicky havent..."  Really?  No use of upper case for a name?  Using contractions without the use of an apostrophe? I hate when people use "u" instead of "you".  I guarantee that this cunt is unable to distiguish between "your" and "you're".  Vicky vicky could also use a few punctuations like commas and periods, perhaps a even a colon.  Fuck you!

I am going to take a wild guess that the site had more virusess than vicky's snatch.  Fuck yo...well, ah, carry on.

"my username is s"  Really, your username is one letter?  Why "s", why not "vicky" or some derivative of "vicky"?

Update:  There is a neat little function that allows me, a 'blog owner', to see statistics of traffic sources by keyword search.  One of the search entries was, "hey its vicky havent talked to u".  That led them to here...awesome.

Someone searched for 'hey its vicky havent talked to u'

DeLorean Luggage Rack

Parts of the DeLorean Luggage Rack (A30000010)

I finally found the time to install the Luggage Rack on the DeLorean.  Time was not the only problem I encountered while doing this very simple project.  The Luggage Rack comes with instructions that are easy to follow, even for me.  Here are the steps I went through, including some 'extra' steps that I did not plan on.

Removal of Support Buffer (108720/108721)

The Luggage Rack brackets are mounted to the rear quarter panels, where the foam rubber Support Buffers are.  So, first thing to do is, to remove these buffers.  Be careful not to damage these, as you will reuse them later.  Keep in mind that these are over thirty years old and if they are cracked, it is a good idea to get a new set.  Mine were in good enough condition...or as some would call it, 'too cheap to spend $100 for a new set, condition'.

Layout template

Punching a dimple in the rear quarter panel

The kit comes with a template to help you layout the hole that need to be drilled out.  I found that these measurements were a little off, the brackets should be mounted about a quarter inch closer to the rear of the car.  Or, perhaps my panels are a bit off.  I marked where the holes should be with a trusty Sharpie, then used a punch to mark the center.  The instructions ask for a punch to make a dimple, so your drill bit does not travel.  This is a good idea, also a good idea to have a sharp drill bit. 

Custom punch made by Ted Lubin

That brings me to my first delay in the project. I did not have any 'sharp' drill bits.  Luckily, we have a shop at work that has an endless supply of drill bits...and tapping fluid.  I recommend some tapping fluid to keep the bit from overheating.  Also, have an extra bit or two in case they overheat and get dull.  And, if you do not have a punch, get a buddy that can make you one out of a large drill blank.

Holes drilled

Once the first set of holes are drilled out, I mounted the bracket.  This part is trickier than it seems.  There is very little room to hold the screw plate that the screws go into.  The screws tend to not want to catch on the the threads...which leads to the plate falling to the pontoon.  Ah, this leads to another delay for me.  There is a gap between the pontoon and the rear quarter panel.  This gap it the perfect width for the backing plate to fall into...never to be seen again.  Ask me how I know that.

Luggage Rack bracket, one of four

Pro Tip:  Place a towel (or similar) against the pontoon and glass/panel to catch any falling debris.  This will prevent the loss of critical mounting parts, like screws and backing plates.  Also helps with ease of clean up as it catches shavings, and protects the finish of your pontoon from tools that you may have laying close by.

Luckily, the shop has an endless supply of screws and nuts.  This works just as well as the backing plate, but does not look as clean.  Meh.

Once one bracket is mounted, the other ones are a lot easier.  I started with the top left (looking at it from the rear), on to the top right.  I suggest measuring where the hole is in relation to the end of the quarter panel. My first bracket is 14.25 inches to the bottom hole.  Like I said earlier, it should be about a quarter inch lower.  Hopefully, if you need to do this, the measurements in the instructions work for you...and your panels are mounted in harmony.

'Dry mounting' the Luggage Rack

With the two upper brackets installed, I 'dry mounted' the Luggage Rack to mark the holes for the lower brackets.  Hard to see in the picture, but my upper mounts are too close together.  There should be more play for the upper mounts and the elongated holes of the rack.  I recommend dry mounting the rack before hand and mark where the upper brackets 'want to' go, use the included template as reference only.

Marking location of lower mounting bracket

Brackets mounted.  Fitting that I use a DeWalt on a DeLorean

Since there is no strut in the way, the lower brackets are much easier to mount.  Same steps as before, mark, punch, drill, and mount.  Hey, that sounds like steps for something totally different.

Marking Support Buffer for cutting

Remember that Support Buffer?  Time to do some trimming and put it back onto the rear quarter panel.  We do not want the louver banging on the quarter panels.  I used s silver Sharpie to mark the foam rubber.  Always good to have two contrasting colours of Sharpie handy.

Trimming the Support Buffers to fit

This is should be the easiest part of the project.  Cutting thirty year old foam rubber is quite easy.  Use a sharp blade to avoid injury.  Remember, 'measure twice, cut once'.

Trimmed and replaced Support Buffer

The genius of the design is it puts all the weight onto the pillar of the stainless steel rear quarter panels, and not on the fiberglass louvers.  Also, the brackets fold down when not in use, therefore not interfering with the body lines.  You do see the brackets dangling in the rear window, but very few will notice this.

Close up of lower mounting brackets

Close up of upper mounting brackets

Luggage Rack project finished...finally

When not in use, the Luggage Rack goes in the luggage compartment.  The Luggage Rack was an 'add on' item to address the fact the the rear wheels will not fit in the limited space of the luggage compartment.  If one was to get a rear flat, the only place to put the rear wheel was in the passenger compartment.  If you had a passenger, it would be an uncomfortable ride to the tire shop.  The 'dealer option' of the Luggage Rack gave owners a place to put that large/wide rear wheel.  Hopefully, I (or any owner) will never have to use it for that purpose.  I just wanted to have it, just to have it.  I doubt I will ever use it.  Although, I have toyed with the idea of mounting a bike rack on it, or use it to strap down my hockey bag if needed.

There you have it, a sort of how to for installing a Luggage Rack.  Time of install, not including delays, was about two hours.

On to the next project.

The Magic Castle

This place is really awesome.  Pretty much everything about it adds to the ambiance.  You have an old building with a lot of history, people dressed up, possible celebrity sightings....oh, and the magic.  If you are ever in the Los Angeles area and you can get tickets, spend an evening at the Magic Castle.  It is a little pricey, but it is worth it. 

Entrance to the World Famous Magic Castle

Once you valet your car, you are directed to the lobby.  The lobby and the outside are the only places that cameras are allowed.  Apologies for the lack of photos.  To enter the castle, you must say "Open sesame" (or is it "Open says-a-me"?), and the faux book shelf slides open to reveal a secret passageway.  Yeah, kinda like the library at Wayne Manor...to the Bat poles!

There are a number of shows that you can see throughout the night, ranging from close-up, parlor, and stage.  Usually, there will be a member willing to give you a tour of the castle.  This is highly recommended as you will get a brief history and wonderful stories.  You may even get a quick impromptu magic performance.

Award winning magicians perform these shows.  Live magic is more fun than televised performances.  Most of the rooms seat about 20-25 people, the large theater seats about 70-80.  So, it is an intimate setting and great audience/performer interaction that you cannot get with television.

Magic Castle Drive - Why do they not sell these in the gift shop?

In one of the shows, I was volunteered by the magician to help out with his performance.  Being a fan of magic and someone who know a little of how things worked, I tried to figure out how he would do the trick.  You want to see how the trick is done, yet not expose it, Magicians' Code.  Even with my knowledge, I was stumped (mostly).  I also felt I needed...okay, I wanted to provide some comedy for the audience and magician.

Here is the trick.  Magician picks me from the audience.  He asked me if I have ever played "hot hands", the slapping game we all played in grade school.  Some of us still play.  I fake with my right and slapped with my left.  This got a good reaction with the audience. 

I would freely chose a card from the deck. Yes, freely.  Show it to the audience, it was the two of hearts.  Then, he gave me a small stack of card, about 6-8 cards and had me shuffle my card into it.  That way no one knew where the card was in the mini stack.  Actually, I knew where it was, I purposely put it second to the top.  The mini stack was placed into the rest of the deck and he shuffled the deck.  Most likely a false shuffle.

Now, here is the game.  The hot hands set up a speed game.  He would flip over a card, call it out, then place it in my hand.  At this point, my left hand was face up, with my right hand face down hovering above my left.  I was to slap down as fast as I could while he tried to reach in and grab the car.

He called out about four cards and placed it in my hand.  Each time, he would fake grab the card.  When my card was called, I let him place the card in my hand.  He did a little fake, and was about to call the next card.  Bam, I slap down.  At this point, the audience, including myself, thought I had beaten the magician.  Everyone knew what card I had.

I turned over the card, and it was not my car. Awesome!  I did and did not expect this.  I checked all five cards in my hand and none of them was the two of hearts.  The audience was amazed, I was amazed.  Again, awesome!  I was played by the magician. 

He made a joke that the card was in my wallet.  Funny thing is, I do not carry a 'wallet', just a money clip card holder thing.  He hand me do one more thing.  Take my right hand and point to my watch.  A card was folded into quarters and shoved between my wrist and watch.  I took the card out and there it was, the two of hearts.  Awesome!

From the beginning, I knew he selected me for my watch. I was thinking that we was going to steal my watch and I was prepared for that. I tried to feel him steal my watch, but he was slipping the card underneath...I was not feeling for that.


He forced the card, and I have no idea how he did it. I was paying close attention to everything he was doing and he got me. Again, I must say...it was awesome!

The Magic Castle welcome mat.

Because of the no phone, no photo policy, it offer a sense of privacy for the magician and guests.  There is a chance that a celebrity or two will show up.  I did spot one celebrity, the Amazing Jonathan.  He was walking into the private library, a library for members only.

I also spotted 'teller' in the lobby. 
  

Teller at The Magic Castle.  Should have snagged a 'pen' and completed the picture.

We had a great time and plan on returning sometime in the future.  I highly recommend a visit, whether you are a fan on magic or not.  

Bob Gale with Time Machine Restoration Update

Hot Wheels Segment on CNN Money

CNN Crew equipment

On September 19th, the CNN Money crew stopped by the Mattel Design Center to shoot a segment on  Hot Wheels.

 

Alec Tam being interviewed by Peter Valdes-Dapena for CNN Money

The interview focused on Bad to the Blade, a custom Hot Wheels car that was made into a full-sized car.  CNN Auto Writer, Peter Valdes-Dapena and his crew, interviewed a few of the team members for the segement.  Luckily, I was not left on the cutting room floor.

Larry Wood happened to stop by that day.

The segment follows how a Hot Wheels car is 'born', form concept to design, to 3D modeling to rapid prototyping, to final product...to making a full-sized car.

Behind the scenes of a CNN interview

 You also get a rare look of inside the Mattel Design Center.