First let me ditto Dale's "Merry Christmas" to one and all. Then let me say that when the Thorley installation instructions specifically state to be VERRY careful of wire routing.....they know of what they speak! That distinctive smell of burning insulation is a dead give-away. Finally found the little bugger and corected the situation before any damage was done.

To my surprise, however, I did not have to siphon off any excess fuel during my first test-trip. Fuel milage topped out at 8MPG, which matched the best I had attained so far. Then I recalled a post by someone (billh?) which suggested that with the added responsiveness of the free breathing engine, we tend to get a bit lead-footed. I realized that I was driving 5-to-10 MPH faster than I normally drove the coach and still matched my previous best milage.

The FlowMasters are noticably louder than the stockers. Still haven't gotten her to a drag strip to check my times though. :-)

ron, THAT SMELL???? It wasn't that famous Male/Male cord was it? It is snowing here, so kids should have a WHITE one tomorrow. Going to FL. Monday in Barth for 2 weeks, and will miss site. Sugar's haven't bought me a system like their's yet. I don't understand why they haven't. Keep us posted ron on drag strip times. Take a regular wrist watch to check, cause it AIN'T going to be heart stopping for sure. "Got to love that ron". Dale

Have a safe trip to FL there Dale. We'll be hitting the upper part on Tuesday for a few days.

We have lots of liquid snow here. About to drain off now and the sun is peeking through.

No, it wasn't the M-M cord. :-) First had the starter wire close enough to melt. (whew!) Then found a 18 or 20ga wire was blowing into the header while driving.

Ron, which Flowmasters did you use?

A dual exhaust can be toned down quite a bit by installing an H-pipe. Instead of each pipe having the pulses from only four cylinders, all eight are coming through each pipe, so they tend to sound smoother. And a slight gain in mid range throttle response, I believe. Summit has a kit.

An HO HO HO to you all. I will be working tonight. Enjoy your families.

BTW, ty raps fail from heat.

bill h. Oh so it's you about to land on many ROOFS tonite? Cookies, milk,and carrots will be your snack. Dale

CARROTS?

FOUR legged DEERS. Yes CARROTS. Just going by what Mother said over the years, she is resting in PEACE. dale

You mean all those years I have been lugging those bales of alfafa up on the roof for the deer when I could have just left carrots with the cookies and milk?

From our home to YA'LL HAPPY HOLIDAYS :Jay&Shelby:

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br2409

Christmas Cutbacks:

The recent announcement that Donner and Blitzen have elected to take the early reindeer retirement package has triggered a good deal of concern about whether they will be replaced, and about other restructuring decisions at the North Pole.
Streamlining was appropriate in view of the reality that the North Pole no longer dominates the season's gift distribution business. Home shopping channels and mail order catalogues have diminished Santa's market share and they could not sit idly by and permit further erosion of the profit picture.

The reindeer downsizing was made possible through the purchase of a late model Japanese sled for the CEO's annual trip. Improved productivity from Dasher and Dancer, who summered at the Harvard Business School, is anticipated and should take up the slack with no discernible loss of service. Reduction in reindeer will also lessen airborne environmental emissions for which the North Pole has been cited and received unfavorable press.
I am pleased to inform you and yours that Rudolph's role will not be disturbed. Tradition still counts for something at the North Pole. Management denies, in the strongest possible language, the earlier leak that Rudolph's nose got that way not from the cold, but from substance abuse. Calling Rudolph "a lush who was into the sauce and never did pull his share of the load" was an unfortunate comment, made by one of Santa's helpers and taken out of context at a time of year when he is known to be under executive stress.

As a further restructuring, today's global challenges require the North Pole to continue to look for better, more competitive steps. Effective immediately, the following economy measures are to take place in the "Twelve Days of Christmas" subsidiary: - The partridge will be retained, but the pear tree never turned out to be the cash crop forecasted. It will be replaced by a plastic hanging plant, providing considerable savings in maintenance.

- The two turtle doves represent a redundancy that is simply not cost effective. In addition, their romance during working hours could not be condoned. The positions are therefore eliminated.

- The three French hens will remain intact. After all, everyone loves the French.

- The four calling birds were replaced by an automated voice mail system, with a call waiting option. An analysis is underway to determine who the birds have been calling, how often and how long they talked.

- The five golden rings have been put on hold by the Board of Directors. Maintaining a portfolio based on one commodity could have negative implications for institutional investors. Diversification into other precious metals as well as a mix of T-Bills and high technology stocks appear to be in order.

- The six geese-a-laying constitutes a luxury which can no longer be afforded. It has long been felt that the production rate of one egg per goose per day is an example of the decline in productivity. Three geese will be let go, and an upgrading in the selection procedure by personnel will assure management that from now on every goose it gets will be a good one.

- The seven swans-a-swimming is obviously a number chosen in better times. The function is primarily decorative. Mechanical swans are on order. The current swans will be retrained to learn some new strokes and therefore enhance their outplacement.

- As you know, the eight maids-a-milking concept has been under heavy scrutiny by the EEOC. A male/female balance in the workforce is being sought. The more militant maids consider this a dead-end job with no upward mobility. Automation of the process may permit the maids to try a-mending,a-mentoring, or a-mulching.. - Nine ladies dancing has always been an odd number. This function will be phased out as these individuals grow older and can no longer do the steps.

- Ten Lords-a-leaping is overkill. The high cost of Lords plus the expense of international air travel prompted the Compensation Committee to suggest replacing this group with ten out-of-work congressmen. While leaping ability may be somewhat sacrificed, the savings are significant because we expect an over-supply of unemployed
congressmen this year.

- Eleven pipers piping and twelve drummers drumming is a simple case of the band getting too big. A substitution with a string quartet, a cutback on new music and no uniforms will produce savings which will drop right down to the bottom line.

- We can expect a substantial reduction in assorted people, fowl, animals and other expenses. Though incomplete, studies indicate that stretching deliveries over twelve days is inefficient. If we can drop shipping to one day, service levels will be improved.

- Regarding the lawsuit filed by the attorney's association seeking expansion to include the legal profession ("thirteen lawyers-a-suing"), action is pending.

- Lastly, it is not beyond consideration that deeper cuts may be necessary in the future to stay competitive.

Should that happen, the Board will request management to scrutinize the Snow White Division to see if seven dwarfs is the most cost-effective number

very good Bill......but i am thinking that you might have too much time on your hands. LOL

I sit before my screen this early Christmas morning, contemplating the gift of a positive medical report that will allow olroy & spouse to load up the S.O.B., and head out tomorrow for points South. All that mars this picture is that it will be in S.O.B., not a B.

There, I shall unfurl the awning, pour a cool drink, and sit in the warm breeze, admiring the scenery, while I contemplate at length the "Dark Sucker Theory", and lament "Christmas Cutbacks." (To think I once made my living writing such things in a serious vein).

Were I younger, I'd suggest to bill h that we exchange roles,and I become the wrench-turner, and he, the crap artist, he does that so much better than I ever did.

But I cannot complain. However useless my past endeavors seem from this pinnacle of age, they paid me well-enough so I haven't had to work for money since age 50.

So I count my blessings this day, and wish a Merry Christmas to all. I pray that you are equally-blessed, or better.

well-spoken oleroy. i put the "unfurl-and-pour" plan into action this week. worked quite well even if i do have to go back into the RodentRace come monday. :-)

In Minnesota we live vicariously through the graciousness of those who actually experience warmth from September to May. If any of you ever listen to Garrison Keillor you have learned that this constant chill that we experience most of the year is what we deserve and we wear it like a badge. Of course, we have all perfected the Minnesota stroll, where as we walk like penguins and are always slightly bent at the hip.

So those of you who have ventured south serve a great purpose by letting us know for sure that there is hope. However, we too hold dear the ultimate reality that we live in a place that the all time high for today in 1902 was 43 deg. I am so proud of that. Now if Deb would just quit turning the thermostat down.

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Opportunity always knocks at the least opportune moment.

1985 28 foot Regal
Dave and Deb Bowers

[This message has been edited by davebowers (edited January 03, 2004).]

For the Great White North contingent:
Day one..300 miles in monsoon rains. Discovered that the compartments will leak under these circumstances. Set up camp at Dauphin Island under stressful, wet conditions. Used an ounce of eggnog to dilute 3-fingers of Crown. Situation vastly improved.
Day two..awoke to the
"I gotta go for a walk" sounds made by a desperate Golden Retriever. Beautiful day, early forties at daybreak and warming to the upper sixties. Brisk breeze made the ferry ride across Mobile Bay an interesting experience.
Day three..another gorgeous, sunny day and low fifties at Gulf Islands National Seashore (near Pensacola, FL). Pine trees and sand....and sand-spurs! The Scottish Terrier grabbed an armadillo by the tail and commenced to do The Dance. I had the leash but was laughing so hard it took a little while to get him to let go.
Day four..more sun and sand at Ft. Pickens. T-shirt and shorts were in order.
Day five..heading home. Had to run the AC for awhile. Tired of driving after only 3-hours. Stopped at Ft. Toulouse campground. No one at the reservations place, so we just set up and plugged into a 50-amp post. Moss-covered oak and cypress trees were the decor of the day. Located on the Coosa river, this was a nice quiet and spacious campground. At $11 per night, it was a plesant find for us.
Day last..overcast and warm. Dogs decided to get me up at a quarter of six! Easy to de-camp when you've had this much recent practice. Arrived in Huntsville and found that I'd left my gate unlocked, the keys in my Jeep and my wallet laying on the dash! Thank the Lord for good neighbors.

Lessons Learned:
-Always carry a poncho.
-An umbrella does not work well in 30mph winds
-storage compartments need to be checked for dampness
-the Thorley and FlowMaster is a great addition for the 454. Consistently above 8MPG!
-Crown and Nog, when liberally applied, will soothe even the most annoying seat-butt!

Sure wish it would cool off a bit here. I hate running the AC in January. :