notebooms useless nonsense

Whitney must have mistaken crack for single track, but i suppose they both take you downhill….. (drumroll– what a fucking lame, corny wise crack– must be the meds.)

Anyway, it’s getting to be nice outside. I just posted the other day that i’ve been craving to ride my motosickle– and i just ordered the battery i need last night. Well, i also have really been craving some mountain biking….

Haven’t thought or talked about it much, but i used to ride a lot and race cross country mountain bikes back in the 90’s– and loved it. Was a fairly good amateur (expert) who would have made a very mediocre professional (i dont have superman genetics, and my hard drinking back then got in the way.) I spent a lot of hours on the bike and it was good for me.

Since injuries seem to be my theme lately, i’ll mention that i stopped racing bikes because i was hit head on by car while training one day. Caved in the old A-Pillar of the windshield and fucked myself up enough that my body was done spending hours on a saddle (several broken lumbar, etc.)

Thus my lifelong hospital role call…. 1) Tonsils out as kid; 2) Broken arm on Quad (ATV); 3) Bike accident above; 4) Infamous ball injury kickboxing; and 5) My latest drama. Not too bad of a list, i guess. I hate the hospital though. It fucking annoys the hell out of me that it seems like this year i’ve spent about 5% of my time typing about and dealing with injury. Fuck that– im done and it’s about health for the rest of the year.

Anyway– I’m jonesin’ for some mountain biking. I think it’s about time to get a new bike (mine went missing about 2 years ago.) I’d love to get one for my daughter too, go on rides with her and get her into it….

-scott noteboom

“It’s been said that politics is the second oldest profession. I have learned that it bears a striking resemblance to the first.”

- Ronald Reagan
(P.S.- Won’t comment on Reagan policy or presidency. Personally he seemed like a neat guy though, and i appreciated his writing and communication skills.  An old, dear friend, Harriet, used to live next door to him… only story i heard was that he was cheap.)

I thought the combination of this guys Hilary advertising and the above quote kinda combined nicely to send a good message of the day….

-scott noteboom

Finished paint on my wifes 1940 Ford Pickup, so now it’s going back together.  Next i doing front drop axle w/ reversed eye spring + splitting wishbones.  In the back im raising spring mount.  End result will be traditional hot rode lowered stance.

Look im going for in this truck is 1948-1951 Bonneville push truck….. for my future project– The Famous in Peace, Distinguished in Battle Flathead Caddy powered Model A Roadster.

Speaking of the Roadster project…. It wont begin for quite a while, but i’ve been collecting parts. For those that dont know, Edmunds flathead Cadillac intake and heads are rarest of the rare. Im stoked…

‘31 Roadster body:

Lastly, i really need to get the battery that i need as im itching to ride this week badly….

feeling better in recovery.  good to be home.

-scott noteboom

My pal Iowahawk may not have known it, but that mutha’ fucka’ did worse than call me the “N” word. He took it to the next level and called me the mutha’ fuckin’ “M” word!

Oh no he didnt!

Oh yes he did– and i felt like beating his ass like Reginald Denny for saying that shit. You can talk about my Mamma, but don’t you dare call me the “M” word…..

You see, we hung out a bit in Texas recently at the Lonestar Roundup and it was a good time. After we got home, he wrote all about it in his blog, and i was enjoying that good read, when i noticed the he referred to me as a person of “MIDDLE AGE”.

He may have not known it (and i normally wouldn’t admit this “mid life crisis” embarrassment,) but those two words fucked with me. I still thought of myself as a youngin’. Hell, it wasn’t long ago that i was fighting in the ring (im a retired Golden Gloves boxer / Muay Thai kickboxer.) I still skateboard. Damn it. Middle Aged?….. Fuck that, my glass isn’t half empty!

Then this week the brief mid life crisis ended and my viewpoint on life has changed completely….

On Cinco De Mayo i was noticing that my crap was looking funny– black and tar like. From my past as a fighter (when i was knocked senseless and consumed so much blood into my stomach,) i knew it was old blood. I was also getting bad stomach pains by that night. Concerned, i reached out to my doctor– and she told me to immediately get to the emergency room…

Yeah….. i’ll admint it– the doctor stuck his finger up my ass for a fecal sample. But that really isn’t shit compared to what’s to come….

After testing the sample and confirming blood, i learned i needed to get a tube down the nose and into my stomach so that they could pump my stomach & check for blood. Getting that tube sucked, and as it went down it triggered my gag reflex and i puked…… what seemed like a gallon of blood all over myself and others. I looked down at the blood, and the portrait of my daughter on my forearm– and that was it….. i thought i was going to die. While i made my best effort of a brave face, inside at that moment i was thinking the worse– and i was scared.

That night the bleeding stopped, my stomach was pumped and i was put to bed in ICU so that i could await the joy of the next days “camera down the throat” test to determine my destiny towards life or death (my fear was cancer.) I didn’t sleep a wink, and i prepared myself for tomorrows judgment– all the while listening to my roommate barely hang onto life.

My neighbor in intensive care was Don, a gentlemen who was about 80 years old. Cancer was deep into it’s evil deed and he was here preparing for his last trip home to die. The next morning he was chipper and told me stories about his service in World War II. Later that day hospital staff closed the curtain between us so that they could talk to him about his “do not resessitate” paperwork before he went home. I cried as i heard him bravely say he was ready to go when god comes calling for him, and told his wife that she was beautiful and that he loved her.

The end was near for Don, and at the same time he prepared to die, i learned i would live– i just had esophagus ulcers, and they can heal easily w/ medication and diligence.

Somewhere along in my world travels over the past year i caught the h.pylori bacteria and it’s been secretly helping eat away at my lower esophagus. I had no idea of what was happening until this week, when it finally hit a large blood vessel and i started bleeding from both ends.

The next day i left ICU to stay in the “regular” part of the hospital. As i left, Don tried his best to smile and told me how great it was that i was leaving, because i sounded in bad shape the night before. God bless you Don. I don’t even know your last name, but i will never forget you.

My next room mate was Eduardo, a 72 year old man with late state Alzheimer’s. He took this trip to the hospital because his son and family can no longer care for him. He’s now completely delusional and doesn’t know who he is, where he is or who his family is. He’s trapped in a dark world, afraid and the life he once knew was over.

Whenever someone tried to touch Eduardo, he’d panic and attack. I smiled for him as i watched him punch one lame hospital orderly in the face. He fought his restraints through much of the night. For 72 yrs old, his body looked healthy, but his mind was gone. We didnt bond like i did with Don (because i think he thought i was there to kill him,) but I’ll always remember Eduardo too.

I’m glad to be home. I’m on medication that will help heal my esophagus– the doctor said in about 3 months it’ll be completely healed if i follow directions. In 5-6 weeks my red blood cell count will be back to normal (it’s very low for a while, since i lost so much blood and refused transfusion.) I’m not going to die, like i thought i was 2 nights before– and im on the mend to being back to my former, healthy self.

Sitting here thinking about my experience and Iowahawk’s comment, i now have to say that I’M STOKED if i’m really middle aged and i’d love nothing more to be. Hell, i don’t even remember 1971 when i was born– and my glass of life could still be half full? Fuck yeah!

When you look at things via the right perspective, how could you not LOVE being called the “M” word ?

-scott noteboom

BTW: Disclaimer– According to my Mamma, we’ve got color in the family tree. Thus, in this case i believe i gotta pass to use the ‘M’ word as necessary in appropriate places. Besides i just almost died and am still half way delirious. So, no need to beat ME like Reginald Denny….

iowahawk somehow convinced a gal to join us goons that work on Bolus– so we’re no longer just all about balls anymore. More good stuff coming soon, so go check it out…

-scott noteboom

Your illustrious author ended up in the hospital with internal GI bleeding coming out both sides. After losing about 4 pints of blood, it was decided by management that Kaiser couldn’t fucking kill me– so they let me rest a couple days in their dysfunctional hospital and sent me home this morning.

Details and pictures to follow.

In the mean time, I stole this picture from Max / 4Q, who i’m sure stole it from someone else. Party likes it’s 1971…

-scott noteboom

The price of anything is the amount of life you exchange for it.
-Henry Thoreau

I’ve always said i can to do everything on my cars except: auto transmissions, bodywork and paint. Well, cross body and paint off the list, as i decided to tackle it myself on my wifes 1940 Ford pickup. I’m stoked on it so far.

This is really my first shot at end to end paint and body from metal. I figured out my game plan by talking to people that know what they’re doing (thanks to Ernie Layacan and Alex Gambino,) reading books (”Kustom Painting Secrets” by Jon Kosmoski was good,) and reading on the Internet / HAMB. I am self taught, with good influence. Here it goes…

This is a step by step of what i’ve done with a couple progress pics (sorry i dont have more– i regret that) and where im at.

MY GOAL: Driver quality bodywork (80%, as the last 20% takes 80% more time than i have) w/ green suede paint job.

THE VICTIM (soon after i got it and did a couple things:)

Above is a picture of how the truck looked like when i got it. I wrongfully assume that hidden under that primer was *just* the original paint and no body work. LOL– i was very wrong.

STEP ONE– TAKE TRUCK COMPLETELY TO BARE METAL.
Did this step by hand with a DA and 80 grit discs. Off came the old primer, off came paint… then came major bondo. I was instantly afraid, as i knew i had more body work that i had assumed. Lesson one– when you dont have the experience, and you assume– you’re likely wrong.

I took all the old bondo off too. I now had my starting point.

STEP TWO–
After cleaning the truck, and masking completely and going over with Eastwood PRE Paint Prep (worked well,) i did a light dusting with metal etch and then applied two coats of Xtreme 2k High Build Primer/Filler/Surfacer. This is a two part primer w/ an activator. I mixed 4:1:1 with primer:activator:reducer

STEP THREE-
The primer i applied allows filler to be applied direct to it (after scuffing lightly w/ 80 grit to give it gription) and its supposed to have better adhesion than to bare metal. The applied several very light coats of filler in the areas i deemed unworthy. The filler i used was Evervoat RAGE gold.

My primer gun is a SATA MC93. I use a Home Depot 5hp compressor with a dryer system and a disposable filter at the gun. My gauge and pressure dial is at my gun. Spray at about 25psi with gun open.

After drying, i sanded down the majority of the filler with a MUD hog and long board sander using 80 grit to start. Once i got close to final shape, i went to 120 grit. Where necessary i applied more and repeated.

STEP FOUR-
Applied primer in spots where i did body work and made sure to even application throughout. Used guide coat to check body work, and sanded to check my work. Several times went back and worked my filler more.

STEP FIVE:
Applied three more coats of primer/surfacer, once body work was done.

STEP SIX;
Removed my masking and block sanded with 280 grit. Lots of block sanding. Accidentally went to bare metal on a couple spots / edges.

Wet sanded to 400 grit

Washed truck down well with lightly soapy water, followed by rinse.

Masked entire truck again (masking in this project took a lot of time)

Mask everything, as overspray gets everywhere…

Cleaned and tacked.

STEP SEVEN:
The primer i used above allows you to mix it 4:1:2 with more reducer and use it as a sealer. At this point, i didnt seal the whole truck– just lightly went over the spots i went to bare metal.

Here’s the truck at that point, almost ready for base paint:

NOTE: My spraybooth is my garage. I surrounded an area by my lift with clear plastic, and put lights on every corner. Rigged up an exhaust fan using a cheap box fan. My the way– i cant promise that your neighbors will like you if you decide to paint in your garage and exhaust outside like i am. I dont think my neighbors do…

STEP EIGHT:
This is where im at now…. Base Coat.

First of all, for suede im using the technique of going only single stage on a two stage paint job– thus no clear. No thanks– i dont need the lecture on UV, wear, etc…. i know. I just havent seen a flattened clear turn out the way i like.

My color is Lochaven Green, an old Ford color. The old paint codes ended up only showing mixing data for laquer paint, so PPG had to do some kind of scan to come up with the mix. Alex Gambino helped figure this out with me and got me my paint. PPG Deltron 2000 DBC base coat. Mixed 1:1 with PPG DT870 reducer.

My base paint gun is a GEO FX97.

NOTE: I got all my paint guns and body work supplies from an old timer who retired, for a great deal. Im dialed in with all the good shit.

The first coat i sprayed, i layed on really light to see how it would react. It went on great.

The I applied one more full coat. Right now i’ve got several spots with some dust that im going to wetsand out, before i continue.

Couple more coats to go. After truck is done, bed goes next.

Here’s how it’s looking so far (sorry for the flash spots:)

SO FAR: Im pretty happy with the way my body worked turned out, and the paint is coming along pretty good. Not bad for a first timer. Couple more coats to go…..

-scott noteboom

Good day today. Slept in. Went on garage sale adventures– bought a beautiful granite machinist / bench top, a very high quality air compressor drying system, a couple gauges, quality magnets and a wire brush– over $1000 bucks new; all for $80 bucks. Found a nice CNC enabled Bridgeport too that im thinking about…

Next stopped to have a burrito and picked up some better lighting for my garage at Osh (i’m painting the ‘40 Ford and need to see better.) On my way home, i was surrounded by a gang of Puch mopeds– all hopped up. Nothing like the smell of race fuel coming from two strokes…

Back when i was a kid, i’ll never forget being in the car on the highway– when all of a sudden a huge gang of Hells Angles blew by. It was amazing… i loved it. You know what— these Puch mopeds were hell on wheels too, full throttling, swerving through cars agressively and open exhaust screaming. I like it.

By the way– i must be in the dark regarding whatever sub culture is going on here. Moped Hells on Wheels. I love it.

Oh yeah– and im currently painting the ‘40 Ford pickup in my garage.  DIY paint and body, and im pleased– so far, so good.  Progress pics will be shown soon

-scott noteboom

Fellow “Americans” put your hand on your chest and repeat after me….

“I pledge allegiance to the flag– of the Chinese States of America. And to the Republic, for which we sold out. One World, Under Greed, divisible by “diversity,” and liberty and justice will fall.”

In our former pledge we pleaded to be “indivisible”– a unified nation. Today, “unity” seems to be discouraged and “diversity” is what it seems to be all about. Im all for respecting diversity, but unifying has always been our secret sauce as a country– and that seems long gone right about now. The results are showing, and heres just one example….

(thanks to Chopdtop) on the HAMB for the pic.)

Wonder where the above classic cars in the above picture are going ? Understand the following:

- China was the “cheaper” place to get steel. Thus, since before 1980 our U.S. steel production went stagnant. Production slowed and a lot closed. Today, we need about 100 million tons in the U.S. every year– and a lot of that comes from China.

- China offered cheap, so we sold out for cheap. Since 1980, China’s steel production has increased from about nil to 800 million tons a year. Between Asia and Russia, they pretty much own the market for steel / aluminum. I weld and can see the shitty quality. So does our schools: http://www.dailybreeze.com/news/ci_9126922?source=rss

- That said, over the past years, China’ own need for steel has increased massively. Since 2005, China passed the US as the Worlds Largest Consumer. They’re on steel usage like Mayor Barry was on crack cocaine.

- Being that we’re owned by the Chinese with steel, our costs here have increased massively. I build data centers for a living, and i’ve seen our steel costs double this year.

- DID YOU REALIZE THAT THE U.S. EXPORTS GOODS TO CHINA? Think that’s good? Well, it’s all our “scrap steel”– and the crooks that do the books make it look like a real export. You see, China needs steel so much, that the price of scrap has gone from $200 to up to $700 per ton lately– and America is selling out anything metallic to back to China– so they can “recycle” it and then either use it for themselves, or sell it back to us for a profit.

Thus, don’t let your guard down just because you hear the words “recycle” and “diversity.” Those words don’t always mean good. You can’t have a melting pot unless all the ingrediants of the pot can melt together as one. As just one example, is China really a friend in our International Diversity Melting Pot?

As for me– i’m protecting my old cars. Raise the fuel prices. Turn steel into gold. I’m keeping my big iron.

CLOSING THOUGHTS: As part of “diversity,” China has been the country buying our US Treasury Securities that fund our rising debt. In exchange for our jobs and soul, they are funding the war, the IRS refund checks, etc (aka the largest financial debt in world history.) If we don’t behave like good bitches, China will divert our welfare checks. What happens to our economy then? No matter the case, better to be bled almost dry than to be bled completely dry.

-scott noteboom

BTW: Don’t try to play the race card on my thoughts. This isnt about race, its about country. Our American family is all races– im ok with that. It’s about being loyal to ones family….. Hell, being loyal to some form of community, not just ones self.