Loafer

Beta Don, I've read your comment about a programming tool. I'm interested in knowing more. Does Ford sell one?

Cool rig Zarticus Welcome to the forum. There are some really nice folks here so enjoy your time with us. People are knock yourself out helpful here too.

Did he turn increasingly orange and shrivel up? Just askin?

I've followed along Alvin, not that I've understood everything. Some of you auto mechanic/tech/engineers seem to have the super abilities of a Marvel Comic Hero. It's incredible what you can do. Many thanks for sharing.

I've enjoyed every effort you have made to share your build with us. Thank you. Continued good luck....

Yah I understand. I spent a lifetime learning, now I want to loaf and play.

Thanks jrm223! My sound is on the fritz so I bookmarked the response until I fix it. I'm looking forward to it.

Well, that was quite a build...lots to know! Someone is going to enjoy life in fine fashion. Thanks for sharing.

mrtn, our lil' 2012 TC has a pro stereo system in it, top notch amp and speakers all around. My son who drives across the U.S. swears by music as the elixer of the road. It seems to feed his road readiness. When he gets tired or sleepy, he just pulls off the road and climbs into his elevated bed and ZZZZzzzzzzz. He is vending on Venice Beach today. The kid knows how to live, yes? Anyway, to each his own

Yah, I've had good luck with them too. Aside from the automotive stuff, I also used some automotive products to create lighted crafts that I sold. I have since stopped creating them. My last creation was a uv angel eye that I used to effects light a mid-century french crystal chicken that I dubbed The Fukushima Chicken. Here is a mid-century depression glass eagle on youtube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N7XJLTmR3QI

For those looking for automotive LED kits for sale, I have had good luck with this company, http://www.superbrightleds.com I list this as one of many others available that others may wish to share as well.

Your wheels look great Beta Don, especially for the price. Good things come to those who shop

I sense there are changes afoot among us natives. The question we must all be asking ourselves is why, groups of private home garage mechanics and engineers haven't designed a vehicle that is safe, modular and more easily repaired, with a quality engine, and transmission, that can be reasonably built from a kit, and designed to accommodate easily installed after market extras, from a company that does not owe it's soul to investors and can price the vehicles much more reasonably. Reasonable people understand the underbelly of the auto manufacturing business and the risks involved, but have we become such lemmings that we do not try? Decentralization is the way, with people across the globe working toward a solution. The intent is not to replace the auto industry, but to supplement it for those who can see past their eyelids. If the internet can have public sphere software that people around the world work to improve, why is that not possible for a car or truck It is. Co-op's can be established to build the parts in intelligently selected resource rich locations, making them more affordable and sustainable. Shipping co-op's can be established to deliver the parts at more reasonable prices. In the current economic environment where incomes are declining and prices are rising, what choice do we have but to innovate and rely on ourselves.

Very cool wheels James

You've got it goin' Steve Gina

Beta Don, yah I went to borla.com and watched their videos, very interesting. Now I know what a cat-back is and how they sound. I like the deep touring sound. Now that James Stanley is on their R&D list maybe there's hope on the horizon. Keep us posted James Thanks Beta Don

Fantastic James! Might there be a chance to slip them the water drum muffler idea for 4 cyl. engines. Not sure what a full cat-back is, please explain. Thanks!

Beta Don, I was thinking during the quiet hours how fortunate I was when I started driving. Many of the younger folks today have no sense of how things were back then. When I was in high school I purchased a 51' Ford Coupe in good shape for $100.00. Gas at that time was 17 cents a gallon. Older model hotrods from the 30's and 40's were everywhere. My friend had a 49 merc coupe painted bright yellow with the sweetest sounding glass packs imaginable. Fords especially the 40 coupe and the mercury coupe were everywhere. 1937 Fords were hot too, some stock, some not. Speed shops were prolific where work could be done reasonably. Every kid had a job and sunk all his or her money into their cars. Well, almost all of it anyway, we had to have stove pipe jeans, tee shirts, and bleached wing tip shoes. Most of us tried to do our own mechanical work before taking it to the speed shop for more advanced stuff. Even me, with the mechanical ability of a frog, did my own work. Cars were simpler then. Life was simpler then. Cruising was affordable and enjoyable then. The music of that time was too. Chuck Berry was a fixture in the area here and would often be seen driving along St. Charles Rock Road on his way to a gig. A great hangout was The Club Imperial where Ike and Tina Turner played and the Imperial was the swing dance we did. Pink and black were the cool colors and the Pink Mr. B. shirt was the thing. Black pants, pink belt, white shoes was dancin' dress. When the cops caught us for speeding, if we were polite, would just take our beer and give us a warning...LOL. It was the sweet sound of mufflers that brings it all back. You having owned two 57' chevs, a vette, and a 396 Chevelle SS would know that. Things were not much different no matter where you lived in the States. It seems almost an obligation to the younger folks of today that we somehow design a muffler for today's 4's that could carry on that sweet deep sounding tradition. When I mentioned the water drum I wasn't kidding. A small drum, filled about 1/3 to 1/2 with water sounds like a much bigger deep sounding drum.. This clearly has application to the muffler industry. Some home garage guy somewhere will figure it out. A sealed container of fluid properly engineered into a muffler likely would do the job. It's just not cool when your muffler sounds like a bee fart.

Wow, it looks like that Chinese Silk Road will have a lot of Fords on it.

Cool that Ford is supporting music culture in Detroit. There once was a street called Hastings Street there where a rich cultural history of Detroit Blues existed. I remember enjoying the piano playing of Detroit Jr. in a club called B.L.U.E.S. in Chicago. I think it would be great to also support Detroit's roots music that gave birth to motor city rock and R&B, ie., Motown. Detroit has a lot to be proud of.

Thanks Beta Don, Ospho looks like it will work. I want to have things ready when my son gets home. He can use my Xterra while I'm taking care of the Connect. Then I'll look for the next project. Hmmmmm.

There is rust on the underside of my Connect. A little of it is heavy and needs to be scraped off. In addition to undercoating there is rustproofing. Spraying a chemical on the rust that is supposed to chemically interact with the existing rust in such a way that it stops additional rusting. I don't know about the legitimacy of these claims. I do feel that I need to do something to stem or slow down further rusting. I have not priced the various methods yet, wanting first to determine other people's experience. It may be that both rustproofing and undercoating are used in combination. It's not clear in my head yet just what to do. There is a rust removal and undercoating shop in Southern Illinois near Scott Air Force Base, that claims to use military grade undercoating. I have not investigated that yet either. I'm just looking for a way to extend the life of the 2012 Connect. With the raised ceiling it fits our needs perfectly, and since Ford is not making them anymore I want to make this one last. Anyway I thought the Forum would be a good place to explore this issue further. Chong, I am going to look into Ziebart. Thanks. Beta Don, yah I hear you. I do live in an area with frequent snows, although the last couple of years there was virtually none. And since I am planning to keep the vehicle longer term it might be worth my while. I am wondering about the extra weight added by undercoating and wondering how much weight is added. I'll have to look into that too. Like most things today it's a personal compromise that determines the outcome. My son is either heading to Colorado or Oregon next so I have a window of time before he returns to figure things out. mrtn, good thought regarding protecting the body cavities, I'll look into that too. Thanks. My more immediate concern is how to stop the woodpecker that returns each year to peck a hole in my siding without killing it. Rubber siding might work I may try an inflatable owl, or some kind of whirly gig. I might have to have them all over my house. I have cedar siding and my neighbors all have either vinyl or steel siding. So my home is woodpecker heaven.

Yah, four cylinders don't know how to sing. I was hoping against hope that someone somewhere had solved that problem. My stereo too will knock the fleas off a dog, but there's nothing as sweet as a low rumble. The guy or gal who invents one will be a saint to me. We need to send out a message along the home garage telegraph. Maybe Ford would sponsor a contest with a prize for the best one. I know a water drum makes a deep sound. Maybe a water muffler? Hmmmmm.

I'm looking for advice on the pro's and con's of undercoating. I'm going to power scrape the rust off the underside of my 2012 Connect. Then I am considering undercoating it. I don't have enough bubble gum to complete the job so I was wondering what the Connect Guru's have to say.

Glasspacks on my 51 Ford Coupe flathead 8 sounded wonderful. My 55 Chevy V8 sounded great. My 57 Chevy 283 sounded awesome. Even my Olds Cutless 6 sounded good with a deep rumble. Now I'm wondering if my 2012 Connect 4 banger could possibly have a rich deep muffler sound? I'm wondering what talented muffler guy has figured that one out yet, or, am I doomed to the rice burner bumble bee sound?