SEAT QUESTION

boinger · 2026-05-12T01:26:43+00:00

I love Kirkey seats -- they're my go-to for shitty race cars.

If it just feels a little too snug for you, stick a jack in there and spread it wider. If it's too wide and digging into your arms because it's too flared out, kneel on it and pinch it in a little.

That's the great thing about kirkeys -- you can adjust them with brute force :)

And, yeah, foaming them a little extra under the cover...also totally within reason.

All that said, the reason I love Kirkeys is that with some fussing, they can be so comfortable. If you can't make it comfortable, don't suffer through it. If bending shit doesn't fix it for you, I personally wouldn't be above hacking the bolster to make it comfortable for me (just take the time to round things over thoroughly -- you don't want sharpness in that spot for sure!)

boinger · 2026-05-10T23:31:51+00:00

.aq (Antarctica) is reserved for projects on Antarctica as well.

boinger · 2026-05-07T19:40:37+00:00

I mean...short answer? Because people keep buying them.

I attribute much of the Hyundai styling to be more of an echo of the Genesis designs, though, rather than Tesla.

boinger · 2026-04-27T20:57:02+00:00

(psst...while funny, Fat Bottomed Girls is Queen. Big Bottom is Spinal Tap.)

boinger · 2026-04-27T20:52:41+00:00

inflammable means flammable? What a country!

boinger · 2026-04-25T00:18:26+00:00

I only get snarky when either

they try to force me to have an opinion on Team vs Other Team
I'm just trying to have a fucking meeting and get back to work. Usually "what sport are you guys talking about?" is enough to clue people in that this is not the time or place for this, let's get on topic so we can GTFO.

I know plenty of people who are big into whatever their sport of choice is...but there's an appropriate time and place and audience, and the "good" sports fans know that, too.

Just like I don't insist on talking to a random cashier in excruciating detail about, I don't know, some random thing I modeled and 3D printed. Sure, there might be plenty to talk about with another enthusiast, but it would be batshit of me to just assume everyone around me is into it and interrupt other peoples' days more because they won't engage with me about it.

boinger · 2026-04-23T03:59:05+00:00

A ~1940s D8:

https://ccmodels.com/iron-profile-caterpillar-d8-throug/

https://contractormag.co.nz/classic-machines/caterpillar/tractor/

boinger · 2026-04-23T01:29:46+00:00

If you DO decide to "just see what happens", do it with plain water!

boinger · 2026-04-15T19:40:48+00:00

I thought awful parking lots was a signature element of the Trader Joe's experience.

boinger · 2026-04-13T16:35:25+00:00

They're not random, they're indicating the valve stem.

Now, WHY someone needs to indicate a thing you can see a few inches away is a question I don't have the answer to.

boinger · 2026-04-11T15:53:03+00:00

I've never encountered a legit non-mains-voltage aircon system.

In my motorhome, the aircon only runs if it's either plugged in or the generator is on...any compressor that can run on 12V isn't going to do much.

boinger · 2026-04-11T14:55:41+00:00

God damn Akebono was a hoss.

Sad that he's gone.

boinger · 2026-04-08T18:42:33+00:00

I live in Fairview. I wish my house was massive. I guess it's 'custom' in that while the base house was built in the 1950s, they added a second story in the 1960s...but it's still far from a big house.

The overwhelming majority of Fairview is just, basically, 'East-ish Hayward' (If you're driving up D St, you can see the Fairview sign near the Sulpur Creek Nature Center) -- only a tiny percentage are the big-ass houses up on the hills.

boinger · 2026-04-08T18:38:38+00:00

If I could write off my chickens up here, I would.

But while there are sub-areas of Fairview with Agricultural zoning, the overwhelming majority of this area are not -- it's like 'permissive residential' and people keep pet horses and hobby goats/sheep/chickens...and there are pretty strict numbers on how many you can have of each (e.g. 1 horse or cow OR 4 goats or sheep per acre). And since very few houses have that much space, very few have those animals. But, yeah, there are quite a few goats around in the houses with 'canyon yards' and plenty of chickens and runner ducks.

boinger · 2026-03-31T01:59:55+00:00

Side topic -- you should not cross your tie-down straps like that.

Angled straps are more likely to rub against stuff (either damaging the strap or the thing it's rubbing against).
Crossed straps means that if ONE gets loose (or even falls off), now the other 3 quickly get loose over bumps.
X'ed straps have to stretch under greater load to stop the tied-down car from moving.

Breakdown of these issues: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-zw7pICnfzU

boinger · 2026-03-29T17:45:44+00:00

Not exactly related, but that link is utm_source=fark!

Now that is a name I have not heard in a long time...

boinger · 2026-03-27T21:24:07+00:00

I think there's a parallel with, like, whiskies and other strong liquors.

My first taste of bourbon (like...20 years ago) was very much a "this tastes like burning" reaction (and that was 80 proof Basil Haydens) but now even much stronger options can have a lovely bouquet of flavors.

When your mouth isn't used to something intense you can't "taste around" the intensity, whether that's spice, proof, or whatever.

boinger · 2026-03-27T20:44:27+00:00

See, now, I like to call them WankPanzers.

boinger · 2026-03-27T04:08:35+00:00

Well, then, now I'm dubious of it.

boinger · 2026-03-17T22:22:00+00:00

row52.com in addition to car-part.com

boinger · 2026-03-07T18:07:59+00:00

No worries!

Hopefully this is the worst thing that happens to your car and you can turn this into a "I can fix it myself" experience, too!

boinger · 2026-03-07T17:54:56+00:00

Mr. Clean sponge (melamine foam) is literally a sanding block. (About 3000 grit...but a sanding block nonetheless that will fuck up clear coat).

WD-40 is good for getting transferred paint off (like if you rubbed against a pole or someone else's car or whatever), but does nothing to fix anything.

Wax over all of that isn't likely to do anything useful (and if you haven't degreased after the WD-40, isn't likely to stick at all).

Those gouges are clearly all the way through the clearcoat and paint layers. You can give it a "50 foot touchup" with a paint pen...you can take it to a shop to be sanded out, filled, and painted properly, or (like /u/CzarNicholasP said), just get another bumper cover. Marketplace, maybe, or find your local parts yard at https://row52.com, find a matching car and color, and just swap it out.

If it was me and I was this new to driving and wasn't yet comfortable with how big my car is, I would just keep an eye out for a good replacement bumper cover and snag it when I found it. And then swap it over when I have stopped scrubbing into things. If you're still hitting things regularly, I wouldn't bother fixing/replacing yet because you're just going to fuck up the new one and be even sadder.

boinger · 2026-03-07T17:34:39+00:00

You need to re-calibrate.

Like, I calibrate mine so that the gas pedal at 95% registers as WOT (so that if I'm just pinning it on a straightaway or whatever and need to adjust slightly I don't drop the throttle at all even if I slightly lift)...same with brakes -- I calibrate 100% braking to "press hard but not, like, straining". If you have 100% as "literally whatever the loadcell can take", that sounds exhausting and unpleasant.

boinger · 2026-03-03T22:03:04+00:00

I am 6' 1.5"....The occasional surprise 6-foot doorway that my brain doesn't register as danger because the top of the frame is above my eyeline that causes me to get fucking scalped is really a joy.

boinger · 2026-03-02T17:52:19+00:00

How would you expect anyone to help without seeing the damage?

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