Date:         Mon, 2 Oct 2000 23:01:46 -0700
Reply-To:     Kw <kokopellis@ATT.NET>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Kw <kokopellis@ATT.NET>
Subject:      Re: ok, so it's not Fryedaye :) Circus, Gets better (Longish)
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii

Talk about a circus out there...........
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last week i watched as the tow cable came unhooked and my van rolled off
the flatbed and started rolling down the shoulder/median along I-205
just south of portland.  luckily, it came to a slight incline 30-40
yards down the road.

talk about horrifying...
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AND
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On Mon, 2 Oct 2000, Bradley Flubacher wrote:
>
Just thought I'd pass this along,

When my transmission went (classic 91/01 symptom), I called for a
flatbed. They hooked underneith the front end to pull it onto the bed,
then proceeded to "torque" it down using these same "hooks" under the
front end.  Once it was too late,  I notice he "hooked" the front end in
the body, where it isn't double-thick.  As a consequence, the eyelet's
got ripped open. My vanagon is at their body shop now getting the metal
bent back and seam welded.

And now for Joel's mention of these fabulous spark plugs.

one can do a search for US patent numbers at:
http://164.195.100.11/netahtml/srchnum.htm

I did a quick patent search at the US patent office for the above
referenced patent number.  ( 5,610,470 ) The search reveals this info:

STRAIGHT FROM US PATENT OFFICE SEARCH:
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 United States Patent 5,610,470
 Wofsey       March 11, 1997

Spark plug for an internal combustion engine

                    Abstract

A spark plug has a base with a bottom end portion adapted to be received
and retained by a cylinder head of an internal combustion engine. An
insulator retains a central electrode within the base with a combustion
chamber end of the electrode extending into a combustion chamber of the
engine when the plug is installed in the cylinder head. The central
electrode combustion chamber end includes a combustion chamber end face
with a hole having the physical characteristics of an acoustically tuned
pipe with an open and a closed end formed in its surface. A ground
electrode is attached to the base and defines a spark gap between its
inner surface and the central electrode face. The ground electrode has a
hole passing through it which has the physical characteristics of an
acoustically tuned pipe with two open ends.
Inventors: Wofsey; David (5287 W. Louisiana Ave., Lakewood, CO 80232)
Appl. No.: 364175
Filed: December 27, 1994
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It should be all clear now.
It gets better.

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Claims

I claim:

1. In a spark plug having a first electrode and a second electrode
defining a spark gap there between, the improvement comprising:

the first electrode has a face and a surface of said face forms a hole
with a bottom said hole having the physical characteristics of an
acoustically tuned pipe closed at one end; and, the second  electrode
includes an inner surface, said inner surface defining a hole passing
through the second electrode said hole having the physical
characteristics of an acoustically tuned pipe open at both ends.

2. The improvement of claim 1, in which said inner surface and said face
surface have a common central axis.

3. The improvement of claim 2, in which the first electrode has a
longitudinal first electrode axis, further comprising:

said inner surface axis is coincident with the first electrode axis.

4. A spark plug comprising: a base, said base having a bottom end
portion adapted to be received and retained by a cylinder head of an
internal combustion engine; a first electrode with a combustion chamber
end including a combustion chamber end face, said end face
having a surface including a hole defining portion defining a hole with
a bottom said hole having the physical characteristics of an
acoustically tuned pipe with an open and a closed end;  an  insulator
for retaining said first electrode within said base with said combustion
chamber end extending into a combustion chamber of the engine when said
plug is received and retained by the cylinder head; and, a second
electrode attached to said base end in set apart relation to said
combustion chamber end face to define a spark gap therebetween, said
second electrode including an inner surface defining a hole passing
through said second electrode said hole having the physical
characteristics of an acoustically tuned pipe having two open ends.

5. A spark plug as in claim 4, further comprising: p1 said hole defining
surface portion and said inner surface surround a common axis.
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AND ON AND ON AND ON.............................
You can read more if you do a search for this and are really interested.

Keep smiling, frydaze coming early this week.
ken