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Things are slow. I over spent the car budget BEFORE it broke so now.....I'm designing a set of wheels for a guy, that will help some.

Yesterday I read the CAN data going to the power steering controller. I lost the damn instructions, for the second and only kind of remember how the three settings work.....but it kind of doesn't matter because its getting the OBDII channel that has rpm, throttle...and speed. So my plan its setup the ecu to send that data and test the steering then adjust as needed. I set the car down on the ground to give the steering some load hoping I can feel it change.

Then, I want to play with the front to add more caster. Wade pointed out I can move the balljoint shims and I can also change how I shimmer the spherical bearings on the upper a-arm.

The I might fix the paint on the rear panel.

Then maybe ill have budget and head gaskets for the rngine.

Have you considered Patreon or similar? Plenty of people following over the years…

I opened a patreon account years ago but never actually set it up. A whole lot of people have helped along the way in other ways like advice and tool loans.

Tonight though I did setup a gofundme page for anyone who'd like to buy parts or parts of parts to see this move a little faster...get it? move faster? its a pun

https://gofund.me/012e7f36

but please no one feel any pressure, it will all work out in time. Plus its spring and there is also yard work so that needs my attention.

Hey, while we're checking in here - I just picked up a metrology-grade 3D scanner. If you have anything that you're willing to ship to Toronto for scanning, I'm happy to help.

I don't think there is any to get people or goods from the US to Canada anymore is there?



How big is the scanner? kind of curious.

I just finished up the 17" dino-esque wheel design project, now waiting for the final go-ahead in the form of a deposit.


With that out of the way I'm free to get back to trying to sort the steering CAN stuff this weekend. Also the replacement tig torch I ordered a couple weeks ago is here so I'm about out of excuses to get back to the heads...I still need a plan for leak testing the ports I guess.

It's sure feeling that way. I hope we can get back to some kind of more normalized national relationship, but it might never be the way it was before. Oh well.


It's a Revopoint MetroX. The scanner itself is about the size of an 80's cell phone. It's sold as being capable of scanning "small to medium" volumes. The test object provided is a little Roman bust that's about 2" tall. Accuracy on small objects like that is supposed to be as good as 30 microns. For bigger stuff (like meter scale), it's more like 100-500 microns, I think.

Looks sick AF!

The piston coating people called today to say they e-billed me a week ago and wondered if I planned to pay.....hmmm...no email but I do very much want the piston back. Billing person was gone for the day when I got the message and called back so I'll take care of it Monday I guess.

I haven't really worked on the CAN stuff for the steering. I played a little and I only see 1 message coming from the dongle thingy. I think I can set up the reading software to transmit so I can try a few things on the laptop before trying to code anything into the ECU.

I've decided to have a go at a push to start setup. The inexpensive setups on amazon appear to be not very useful....I can't be sure because there are no description of function for most of them but I decided to not bother figuring even if it actually is what I wanted I'm not sure I trust it to not leave me stranded. Probably the nicest option is to just put a latching on/off push button where the key was and let the ECU handle the starter.....and I may still do that at some point but I'm feeling KISS is the answer so I'll leave the ECU out of it for now.

I ordered a momentary push switch, 2 actually because the one I like I'm not certain is a momentary switch so I ordered a back-up that for sure is.



Then I ordered a 12v push button self-locking relay. This will go to ignition. push the button, ignition on, push again ignition off.


For the starter I orders dual standard 12V relays. One will be triggered by the brake pedal, 1 by the dash button.


so, $53 (but $10 back if I return whichever switch I don't use so $43) and if I've thought this through correctly it will function like this:
push = ignition on, push again = ignition off, no brake no start just ignition on/off

push and hold the brake + push and hold the button = ignition on and starter cranking, release brake or button starter stops but ignition remains on.

So not TRULY push to start because you need to hold the button for the starter but mostly. I'm a little concerned about turning off....I usually pull in, hold brake and clutch, engine off and that would cause the started to try to engage for as long as the button is held. I might add a timer, pretty sure I have one up stair on the shelf or learn to set the parking brake so I can release the brake pedal

it also leaves me with no actual key or locking anything preventing theft so that is something

Totally unrelated there the rear window defrosted switch had been broken I think since I've owned the car. I found a used one for $250 and did not buy it, which is why I never fixed it. My 1st car was a very sad 1966 austin healey 3000mk3 (which is where my user name mke - mark E kind of like 3 comes from and I thought it funny the same way I chuckle every time I initial anything "me") and I would swear the overdrive switch looks like the ferrari switched so I bought 1 on ebay for $20, the lever is wrong so I'm betting the $20 I can pull it off and slip on the ferrari lever and once again have a working switch sitting in the console designed for no useful purpose but perhaps if I think really hard I can come up with something.

I decide to buy the cheapest shift light I could find, $18.59



The plan is to use it as starter lock out. It says 1k-11k rpm and 4, 6, 8 cyl settings. A normal 4 cyl tach is 2 pulses per rev, but my Tach is 2.6 pulses per rev so 1k setting should be about 750 rpm which is just about right. So rip it apart and wire it into my starter relays and pressing the button when the engine is running should not engage the starter. In theory....if I wire it all correctly.

So you all probably already know I ordered a timer relay because that is the last piece to make this a true push to start. $5.98 for a 2 pack so with all the bits I've ordered I think I can assemble:

Push the button, (no brake) is ignition on, push again ignition off

Push an hold the brake, then push push the start button and ignition on then like a 1/2 sec delay so the ecu boots and fuel pump starts before it cranks, then crank until engine starts or like 5 sec of cranking.

So it can be a fully functional modern push to start but built mostly with 1950s technology