I reaped the predictable result of applying too big a breaker bar to too cheap a ratchet extension (see below). The culprit was a head bolt that had been torqued down hard and then drowned in a solidified pool of JB Weld. After working at it with Simple Green to soften the epoxy (weird: that actually works), I chipped away most of the stubborn blob, but the bolt still wouldn’t let go. I had to get a length of steel pipe to put over my breaker, transforming it into a 4-foot oar. That eventually did the job, and so this weekend I was able to make incremental baby steps toward my diesel Escort head swap.

How about you—what did you do this weekend?

Ah yes, the weekend is finally here. I’ve got friends coming up from Portland for the weekend, so we’ll probably go hit downtown Seattle or something. But we can’t party the entire time while they’re here (or can we?), so you know what we’ll do in the mean time? That’s right… Check out the SoundDomain news:

• Part Two of Alpine’s Million Dollar Demo Car video series posted up on SoundDomain. In this episode the guys strip the car down to the skeleton of the Benz R-Class and start the prep work for the install. I don’t know about you, but there’s something about seeing a $40,000+ car stripped down to nothing that gets me kind of excited!
• Jensen also came through with a boatload of new free MP3s to download, and it’s a pretty cool mix of music genres, a little something for everyone. Check it out!
• Have you ever slipped and "ventilated" a subwoofer while trying to mount it? I have… A few times actually. Or how about have you aver wobbled while trying to drill or screw something into sheet metal and ended up scratching the paint? DOH! I have. That’s why this new drill concept is a pretty interesting idea.