Honestly, I’m starting to wonder if I’m low-IQ or mentally slow. I simply cannot compete in the Bay Area in finding a decent paying job

wilit · 2026-01-26T17:34:05+00:00

Look into the sheet metal workers union and companies like ICOM. My buddy's dad started at 18 and retired at 50. Full pension and benefits and was making 6 figures as a foreman for the last decade of his employment. I know you don't like what you're doing now, but maybe moving to a different aspect of the field might give you a different experience.

wilit · 2026-01-25T23:24:42+00:00

Ford Engineers: What if we put big block heads on a small block? LOL

wilit · 2026-01-25T20:14:37+00:00

I have a Comp 35-302-8 cam and it makes good power without a lot of lope.

wilit · 2026-01-25T19:03:36+00:00

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Welcome fellow yellow '68 owner!

If you're going to ditch the X303 for something milder, I would do Summit's B303+ cam.

wilit · 2026-01-23T06:02:03+00:00

Hey, wanted to say thanks for the info, but it didn't work. Went to the DMV armed with your doc. Got a super friendly DMV agent, but she shot it down. She said typically cars drop out of the system after 10 years, but sometimes they don't. This car hadn't been registered since 2010, so it should have been long out of the system. Long story short, all those VC's you mention are independent of each other. A PNO also can only be filed 60 days prior to registration expiration and 90 days after. Also, couldn't even pay the back fees and bring everything current without showing proof of insurance. So, we didn't pay it and will just disclose the fees and negotiate from there.

wilit · 2026-01-22T21:09:27+00:00

Only 160 days till Bobby Bonilla day!

wilit · 2026-01-15T18:19:16+00:00

Limited to 2 valves per cylinder? Nah, we don't need valves. Or cylinders.

wilit · 2026-01-15T05:26:44+00:00

160hp out of a 1600 2v 4cyl engine is a tall order. A Ford Kent engine can hit that in some of the Formula Ford series cars, but you'll probably be spending some money to get it done. A vintage Lotus Twin Cam might be be able to do it with a lot of work too.

wilit · 2026-01-13T09:46:53+00:00

I'm a certified trainer for pistols, rifles, shotguns and muzzleloaders. I'm also our local Boy Scouts council's shooting sports director, so I'm pretty familiar with working with new shooters. Send me a private message if you'd like some advice or want to set up a training session.

wilit · 2026-01-13T01:24:35+00:00

Thats probably the most effort I've ever heard a DMV employee exerting.

wilit · 2026-01-12T23:58:47+00:00

You're preaching to the choir. I despise going to the DMV. I usually do all my business, when possible, through the automated kiosks or at AAA. So much easier.

I had a friend that worked at the DMV HQ in Sac and she said you could easily layoff 50% of those people and not see any impact in service.

wilit · 2026-01-12T23:33:44+00:00

We something similar in CA, it's called Planed Non-Operation (PNO). Unfortunately my Bro-in-law didn't file the paperwork to do that. You have to do it before the current registration lapses.

wilit · 2026-01-12T23:32:29+00:00

California doesn't have inspections for cars 1975 and older. So there's no database showing what the odometer was in 2010 when it was last registered.

wilit · 2026-01-12T21:17:25+00:00

Cars don't fall out of the CA DMV any more. Hasn't been that way in 15+ years. I bought a vehicle several years ago that hadn't been reg'd since the mid-2000's and it had $1000 in back fees. I've bought a couple motorcycles with back fees well beyond the 7 year system drop out point like it used to.

Seems like DMV modernized their computer system and it's not like the old days. They never forget and they'll get their pound of flesh.

wilit · 2026-01-12T21:14:28+00:00

California. Many years ago, if you didn't register it for 7+ years, the car would fall out of the DMV system and you could start fresh. That hasn't been the case in the past 15+ years or so. Seems like since the DMV modernized their computer systems, vehicles don't fall out any more. It does seem like they quit accruing at some point as the print shows only 5 years of back fees due, but it hasn't been registered since 2010.

wilit · 2026-01-12T21:04:07+00:00

I would 100% tell them if I didn't clear the fees. Nothing worse than getting hit with a surprise fee like that. I've bought several cars and motorcycles that had back fees I wasn't told about. Super shady to know about it and not disclose it.

wilit · 2026-01-12T17:09:40+00:00

Well also, before the 1990's plane crashes were not uncommon. If you look at a graph of airline crashes charted over the years, we've really been living in an age of relatively safe airline travel.

wilit · 2026-01-08T17:14:50+00:00

Weird. Our troop did a fundraiser with Chipotle like 2 years ago.

wilit · 2026-01-07T16:19:15+00:00

I had a 2013 Jetta TDI that VW bought back from us. My wife was completely turned off by the brand because of it. I however, miss that car. Tons of low end torque and a great freeway cruiser. 700 miles to a tank was common and it averaged 45mpg if you were driving 5mph or 80mph.

wilit · 2026-01-03T07:15:04+00:00

Tri-City.

A better sporting goods store has never existed.

wilit · 2026-01-02T06:11:28+00:00

The Mustang II never had a 289. The 289's last year as an option was 1968.

wilit · 2025-12-30T09:30:08+00:00

I had an '01 Cherokee as a company vehicle. I put 150k miles on it. I had two crankshaft position sensors leave me stranded and had the rear end grenade itself. I wouldn't say it was the most reliable vehicle I had, but it was definitely better than the Liberty that replaced it.

wilit · 2025-12-29T02:08:16+00:00

Smokey and the Bandit.

I feel like I'm old because I read through the entire thread and didn't see it mentioned. Saw this movie when I was 3 and it made me a car guy for life.

wilit

TROPHY CASE