"fourvalleys" (fourvalleys)
07/13/2016 at 11:47 • Filed to: classic mini, autocross, magnets, vinyl, fourvalleys
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"fourvalleys" (fourvalleys)
07/13/2016 at 11:47 • Filed to: classic mini, autocross, magnets, vinyl, fourvalleys | 0
| 13 |
I think they look pretty sharp.
How I made them
I bought some white magnetic sheet from an art supply company, and had a friend make some black vinyl. The letters were made with a small black outline that I laid onto magnetic sheet, and then carefully cut out by hand. A little sharpie to mark the edges works wonders for cleaning them up.
The lettering
Finding the right font was surprisingly difficult. I ended up taking the easy way out. Look familiar? Here’s a clue:
But why?
Well, because I needed autocross numbers, and painters tape (or !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! ) isn’t a good way to live.
Curious about the inspiration? Check out the video below. Obviously the 12" x 16" white sheets are much smaller than the original, but I wanted this to be usable on my Fiesta as well. Plus, the door starts to curve just below the handle, so it would be hard to get a magnetic sheet to stick reliably.
I think they turned out okay!
Shout out to
!!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!!
for the vinyl work!
TractorPillow
> fourvalleys
07/13/2016 at 12:06 |
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Awesome. Only car id consider owning twice. Been trouble free recently? Paint looks great
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fourvalleys
> TractorPillow
07/13/2016 at 12:38 |
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The paint is actually pretty underwhelming! It’s a respray the previous owner did in his garage. If I showed you a picture of the overspray under the hood (and everywhere else, honestly) you’d probably be amazed.
I scraped some gunk off the back of the block a few weeks ago and I learned that the layers went something like this: Gunk > red paint > primer > blue paint > metal. At some point my engine was blue! Now it’s just kind of ugly, but that’s okay. It runs.
Well, kind of. Right now it’s running... fine. Actually, it’s probably better than it’s ever run before, but I don’t trust it yet because of the work I just did.
You may have seen a post I made awhile back about a big parts order . All of that is installed, but I couldn’t get it running right. Turns out my replacement carb jet was the wrong size, and the shop I took it to (after I gave up) figured it out. They got it running but said they couldn’t fine tune it because the clutch was slipping too badly. I was actually excited to hear that, because (1) the clutch was already slipping and I have a spare in my garage and (2) that must mean BIG POWER!
I picked up the car and the big news - no BIG POWER. It wasn’t really slipping any worse than before. In any case, I decided to make use of that spare clutch that’s been sitting in my garage since last spring. It took 14 hours thanks mostly to some truly horrible placement of the clutch cover bolts - right up against the subframe. When we did finish, we realized that the Haynes manual does an awful job of suggesting how to adjust the clutch.
The first drive did NOT go well. In fact, it didn’t even really happen. I couldn’t get the car into gear, and starting it in gear meant you were rolling, even with the clutch in. Adjusting the clutch is a lot of fun, because you need to remove the grill, fresh air intake, coil, and solenoid just to fit a wrench in there. We did that. Then we did it again. THEN we went for a test drive. It went even worse.
I have never heard any car I’ve owned make a sound so ugly. It sounded like someone dropped a thousand screws into the clutch housing. You know that sound when you get a pebble in your brakes? Like that, but mixed with the sound when you drop a spoon down the garbage disposal. That truly awful mix of screeching and grinding from the clutch cover meant we made it about 50 yards before shutting it down. We started to push it back, then I realized I’d need to drive it uphill into the garage. The noise was back... for about 10 seconds. Then it was gone. I’ve driven it about 80 miles since then, with no noises. Wait, that’s not actually true...
My motor mounts are shot. Like, REALLY shot. Here’s what they’re supposed to look like:
And here’s what one of mine looks like.
Notice that half of it is, uh, missing - it’s still attached to the subframe. That’s a problem.
So, I had to drive about 50 miles to get the car back home. It made it, but not perfectly. I realized that under acceleration, it sounds like my dashboard is vibrating pretty seriously. I figure that has to be the carb hitting my firewall due to the worn engine mounts, but there’s a stabilizer bar right next to the carb... I don’t really know what to say. It almost sounds like there’s a problem behind the dash, but of course, there’s nothing there but wires and the firewall... with the carb on the other side.
Anyway, I put in an order for new motor mounts, which should be here by the weekend. This could turn out to be a very fun weekend! I’m hoping to get my new adjustable suspension installed - plus new tie rods and motor mounts - before autocross on Sunday. Wish me luck!
After that... the change to 10" wheels! That might require new front brakes, but we’ll see. I’m definitely keeping busy!
Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
> fourvalleys
07/13/2016 at 13:19 |
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Nice, I see people that spend A LOT on their autox magnets. Never makes sense to me. What you did here is just as professional but a ton cheaper. I took the easy way out and just bought a roll of white magnet on amazon for $10 and then cut out the numbers and letters. I don’t really care for them to be perfect, only that they don’t fall off.
Most hilarious way I have seen is someone using some sort of crayon to number their car. It started raining and the numbers were gone after the first run lol.
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fourvalleys
> Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
07/13/2016 at 13:27 |
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Hah! I always try to surprise people in my Fiesta. Nothing better than getting beaten by a Fiesta with a roof rack and all-seasons. Tape numbers really help sell the illusion.
Anyway, these weren’t especially cheap. Total was maybe $40 plus about two hours of my time. Not too bad... but I used good quality magnetic sheet, and I take care of my vinyl guy since he takes care of me. I’m happy with how they turned out.
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TractorPillow
> fourvalleys
07/13/2016 at 13:58 |
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Yikes thanks for the update. I had seen the post about all the parts, was hoping everything would go smoothly with the install. Here's to hoping that it's as reliable as can be now and good luck at autocross!
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Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
> fourvalleys
07/13/2016 at 13:59 |
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For the result, those are really good. I have talked to people who spent like $80 to have them made. I only made some magnets because I have to clay my car every time I use tape which is annoying.
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fourvalleys
> TractorPillow
07/13/2016 at 14:11 |
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Thanks! It was down for about a month longer than I’d hoped, but I’m glad it’s driveable again. Just a few kinks to work out and it should be golden. I’m looking forward to it!
Nimbus The Legend - Riding on air like a cloud
> fourvalleys
07/13/2016 at 18:13 |
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i hate you, and yes that IS the jealousy talking....
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fourvalleys
> Nimbus The Legend - Riding on air like a cloud
07/13/2016 at 21:10 |
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Come drive it! Seriously.
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Nimbus The Legend - Riding on air like a cloud
> fourvalleys
07/14/2016 at 14:53 |
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Dont tease me!!!
Where are you from?
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fourvalleys
> Nimbus The Legend - Riding on air like a cloud
07/14/2016 at 15:54 |
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Too far away, if your posting history is any indication!
I’m in the midwest.
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Nimbus The Legend - Riding on air like a cloud
> fourvalleys
07/14/2016 at 16:18 |
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oh cotdamnit!!!!
As soon as i have a trip out your way, YOU WILL HEAR FROM ME!!!!!!!!
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fourvalleys
> Nimbus The Legend - Riding on air like a cloud
07/14/2016 at 20:24 |
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Come out for Oppo Meet (8/6-8/7), I'll pick you up at O'Hare!