Mark Hofmann wrote to Roy Witt:


 RW>  MH>> Have not run into this yet, but what happens when the battery
 RW>  MH>> in the key fob goes dead?  Is there another way to start the
 RW>  MH>> car?
 RW>>
 RW>> Dunno. The alarm system on my older Z28 had a key fob like that and
 RW>> when the battery went dead, all you had to do was put up with the
 RW>> alarm going off until you could turn the ignition key and flip the
 RW>> hidden switch to turn off the alarm. Reas the owner's manual and let
 RW>> us know how to get around it.

 MH> Will have to check this out when I got to my car, but found the
 MH> solution.

 MH> My Charger keyfob has regular key inside of it (once you access the
 MH> opening and take it out).  They call it a "Valet Parking key", so you
 MH> don't have to give your keyfob to anyone.  That will allow you to
 MH> open the driver's side door. Once inside the car, you can start it by
 MH> taking the key and inserting it in an access panel behind the
 MH> glovebox.

Hmmmm. Behind the glove box. Do you have to remove the box before
accessing that panel?

 MH> Will have to check that out later.

 RW>> What I'm wondering about that 8 spd is how does an underpowered
 RW>> engine pull the load when it is in 8th gear?

 MH> If you floor it in 8th gear, it will just downshift.

I'm thinking of my friend, Fred. He has a 2007 Tahoe, that downshifts out
of 4th (OD) when climbing a small grade. Especially when he's towing his
boat. That motor is the same as my pickup, which has no downshifting
problem like his; a 4.8L V8 with about 300hp and the same torque values.
Both vehicles have the same trans, same rear end gear ratio, but the Tahoe
weighs slightly more than my short bed pickup. Another differnce is that
I've re-programmed the trans to use more hydraulic pressure when shifting.
99% vs 90%

 MH> Even the 3.6L V6 is very fast and responsive in the Charger.

Yeah, but what is the torque spec on that 6 banger and at what RPM does
it peak?

 MH>   It is rated around 300HP.  I am still very suprised how fast that
 MH> car is compared to my Monte Carlo, which is a 3.4L V6 and around
 MH> 180HP.

Computers do wonders for old technology. That 3.6L wouldn't perform as
well as it does without it. GM's 4.3L V6 was vastly improved once they put
a computer in the car to manage fuel, etc.. Then they deleted that option
(in pickups) in favor of a small V8.

 RW>> A high school friend of mine had a RH tank-shifter, can't remember
 RW>> whether is was right or left foot clutch HD...It was that foot
 RW>> clutch linkage that was his demise, as he was adjusting it while
 RW>> driving along and running out of road. He ended up a paraplegic and
 RW>> never rode again.

 MH> I have watched my friend shift that old Panhead and it looks very
 MH> awkward. I can see how someone could have issues with that.

Jim was more mechanically inclined when we were in high school than I was.
He had taken that HD engine apart, bored it to use flathead ford pistons
and up the HP quite a bit. It nearly drove out from under me, as I sat on
the back of it. If I wasn't hanging on, I probably would have ended up on
my butt in the street. He also stripped the bike to have a smaller tank,
bobbed fenders and not much else.  Still, it wasn't speed that got him,
but the need to adjust the clutch linkage, which he had done several times
on the fly, even though it was easier to do while the bike was parked...

The kid that got my Honda 4 was adjusting carbs on the fly when he ran
into the back of a parked car. Lucky kid who flew over the top of the car,
but broke his collar bone when he landed.

Worst case I ever got was running into a 59 Cadillac sitting in an
intersection pointed left, but with the right turn signal flashing. I went
to the left and he began to move left. I swerved right but he stopped and
I hit his rear tail light with my knee. Damn glad I didn't hit that tail
fin or I would've been punctured through the middle. Got a new trans and
front end on my Triumph bike because the driver was drunk driving.


         R\%/itt


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 * Origin: Texas Lone-Star - Texan, American, USAian  (1:387/22)