blueknight0517@yahoo.com

Lawson, I have air asssist on my 1969 Mack R-600. When I rebuilt the truck, I found some problems as descirbed with the unit. I contacted the manufacturer and replaced the worn parts and I am very pleased with the reuslts. Air-O-Matic is the manufacturer. They are still in business and provide after markes power assist systems. I belive that the original system was designed for the Army and was installed in their trucks as an add on. If the system should fail, you still have manuel steering. The system works off your air supply system. An air powered ram is attached to the tie rod and then anchored to the frame. The ram is powered in both directions. A valve system is installed in place of the drag link. When steering force is applied to the drag link via the steering wheel (either push or pull) the valve directs air to the approperate side of the ram while releasing air from the other side. force is applied to the tie rod and the assist is completed. There is a lag time and only shows up in tight quarters as previously mentioned. The system may not be as smooth as a hydrolic system but any assist is better then none. I have had no problems with the system. Jim

The first picture of a B-52 gives you more "Bang for your buck!" rather then the last. (sorry.....I couldn't resist) Jim

"well, there you go again...." I belive that health insurance should only be for castrophic problems. Routine check ups and minor problems should be paid in cash between you and your Doctor. This would do a number of things. First it withdraw that large "pool of cash" that everyone belives is there (it isn't). It would make a person more responsible for their care. The Doctors would be forced to be more conmpetative as people would watch their dollars and shop for the best price. Same goes for medication. Once the cash and carry is installed , the market will dictate the price. With insurance, private or (God forbid) Government, everyone doesn't care about the price because 'I'm not paying for it." The Doctors don't care what the charges are becuase there is a "huge pool of money out there and I gonna get some." Even minor surgeries and elective surgery should be paid for in cash by the consumer. Again you vote with you dollar and go for the best deal. The other problem is the protection that the insurance companies have. Open up the states so that insurnace can be sold Nation wide. This will increase competition and as the companies chase the dollars price goes down or the policey would inprove and you would get more for your dollar. Anthame Blue Cross of Connecticut can not sell insurance in Indiana or Idaho. Remove these barriers and open up the insured pool and prices would drop. If you are forced to buy insurnace you can not vote with your dollar. Car insurance can not be compared to Health Insurance. Not everyone is forced to have a car and not everyone is forced to have a license (Though that is changing with Homeland Security requiring everyone to have a license ie National ID card.)A person can live without a car. He can work, buy goods and get buy without ever having a car and thus no car insurance. If the Hospitals, Insurance Companies and Pharmaceutical Companies had to chase the dollars, in this case the consumer, you would be supprised how fast prices would drop or the more service or product you could buy. I belive we, as a Country, are very close to the tipping point. Once that point is reached, over we go, the way of the Soviet Union. Then we will have Change. Just not the change we thought because "he" and "we" were not on the same page. Remember the words of President Regan when he asked; " what are the ten most terrifying words in the English language?" "HELLO, I'M FROM THE GOVERNMENT AND I'M HERE TO HELP!" Jim

Gentlemen - - - - Gentlemen, Please do not argue amongst yourselves about the media, after all it is aimed at the most common denominator of the people who actualy watch it for meaningful information ...... which is forth grade. The rest of us seek out information from relible sources and verify the information and then conclued our opinions. This process is called "Old School" by some and is laughed at by those who watch the media. When I am confronted with frivolous information, such as Michael Jackson, the switch is moved to "Off". Jim

I have battled several times with the local "govement" both over vehicles and land usage. I was given some very speical advise when going up against the "govement"........"The one with the most information....WINS!" Research.....Research......Research! Know the law. Resarch the orignins of the law and try to find out any rulings of the old or superceded law. Look to the definition of "Antique" or "Special Intrest" or what ever the designation of your vehicle is refered to. If the definition does not appear in the law then the law does not apply to your vehicle. That's how I beat the local "Govement" with zoning reg's ( they told me my truck was "Too big and Too ugly for the neighborhood. I told them: "It may be too big and it may be to Ugly but it's too bad!) (Oh, I won because it had antique plates the zoning spoke only about "commercial vehicles) And last but not least. DO NOT STOP AT THE FIRST PERSON. Ask for the supervisor and keep going up the chain. You will find some one with common sense. (belive it or not) I have worked for a municipality for the last 38 years. I am firmly convenced that only 20 to 25 % of all Local, State and Federal employees know and do thier jobs. The other 75-80% is "Govements" answer to welfare reform. Please do not let the State of Mass. tell you your antique vehicle is required to met Federal regs. If it starts there it will spread throughtout the country. Your best resources are the paper work the state has already given you. The registration (passenger designation) Your insurance papers (non commercial) DO NOT BE AFRAID TO CHALLANGE THEM. THEY ARE NOT THE FINAL SAY. Join your local club and start a pertition. I belive that they are looking everywhere for a new and different revenue stream to help shore up their bloated budgets. This might, in thier eyes, be a new gold mine. The last time the "Govement" did something stupid was a 10% luxury tax on yachts. That tax forced more the 10 businesses to close and put out of work of 1500 people here in the US. The rich bought their boats over seas. Allways remeber what Ronald Regan said: "The nine most terrifying words in the English languane are ""Hello, I'm from the Government, I'm here to help."" Jim

Well, I guess that answers that! Doesn't It?

Other Dog. Ok, I got lost in my own logic aftert rereading my post. Each man paid $10 10 X 3 = $30 Manager told clerk to give back $5 clerk kept $2 so....3 X 9 = 27 plus 2 is 29 Short one dollar. But if each were charged equally for the 25 it would be $8.33 when the clerk gave them one dollar they would have been carged $9.33. 9.33 X 3 = $29.99999999 (etc). The confusion begins with the $25. They each paid equal amounts, so they would have paid 8.33 to equal 25. The .33 times 3 is the missing dollar. beisdes who pays $30 for a room for three in this day and age! I'll keep the light on..... Jim

Other Dog The three men did not in fact pay 25 dollars for the room. the only paid 24. The manager gave the clerk 5 dollars making one assume they paid 25 dollars. In fact, each paid an even amout (10 each) carry through that assumption: they each paid 8, which makes 24 Plus five, makes 29 plus the dollar lost in the even split. if you divide the 3 into the 25 in becomes 8.3333, the 33 cents is the lost dollar. Jim Happy New year.

WHO?

Hartford Ct. Diesel went to $5.18 per gallon last week. Dropped back to $5.09 and then to $4.99....gee I feel soooo good. Jim

I noted the CITGO logo in the above cartoon. Did you know gas is 12 cents a gallon in the home country of CITGO! (I would spell it but my spanish is bad but it is that country in South America run by a communist dictator.) Jim

Just a few observations. A convoy or strike wont do anything except make a small splash for a brief second and then it's back to business. Votes wont last until Nov. The mass media will make sure something else occupies the front page and evening news. Maybe Polar bears or ice sheets melting or some other nonsense. A poll is nothing but a measurement of how well the mass media is "selling" it's story. When a story is high in the polls the media re-enforces the story. If the story is low in the poles the media "pushes" the story until the numbers come up. The only way to beat this thing is organized education. Learn more about the subject and then verbaly educate those around you and those in power. The Sierra Club sends out flyers with the junk science and helps produce movies like Al Gores "A Stupid Truth" If you shout a lie loud enough and long enough it becomes truth. The destruction of a lie is truth. Truth in science and truth in facts. If Carbon Dioxide is such a bad green house gas and the earth is warming because of it.........why are we still making SODA. The bubbles in soda are carbon dioxide. If Nuclear power is so bad (only 20% of Americas electricty is produced by Nuclear power) and we should be more like Europe because......"they are true leaders in envirometal protection, Mass Transit, small cars, ect, ect." Then perhaps we should build more Nuclear power plants. France has 76% of their electricty generated by Nuclear power. Oh, there is no green house gases released by nuclear power and what a way to cut our foreign oil dependance. Oh, and we should drill for oil in Anwar, the Dakota's, the Gulf of Mexico, the Atlantic and Padific oceans. Based on those reserves we could put Suda Araiba out of business. And lastly lets build and least twenty new refineries and stop importing gasoline. Did you know gasoline in Venazula is 12 cents a gallon. That is TWELVE CENTS A GALLON! Gasoline in Iran is 34 cents a gallon. Oh and both countires are dictatorships. HMMMMMMMM. Educate yourself and then educate those around you and those in power. If enough of us scream about the lies and the hoaxies and the grab for power then the light of truth will shine on a world out of control . I just got a load of home heating oil, 201 gallons for a total of $753.00. I brought my entire weekly paycheck to the oil man and told him I was two dollars short on his bill could he carry me until next week when I get paid. Oh, I had to get eight quarters out of the coffee money my trucks consol. Jim.

Just a little observation. Back in 1980 when inflation was running at a solid 12%, I had a Certificate of Deposite that was earning 16% intrest. That still was not enough to purchase a house. Credit card intrest was running at a solid 22% and car loans were running around 16% The man from Plains GA. had just been tossed out (Jimma Carter). The hostages from Iran were just about to be relased and the USA image was in the crapper. It was a big thing to "Be American.....Buy American!" Well, I did. I went out and bought a brand new Mercury Zepher station wagon. It was a little Four door wagon with a 4 banger and a 5 speed. Gas was real expensive and we had to conserve. (Today diesel is $4.49 Hartford, Ct.) After a year or so, the tranny fell out of it. While I was making repairs I found that the "American" car body was made in Canada, the engine was made in Mexico and the tansmission was made in Germany using Italin bearings. Some of the electronics were made in Japan. So, much for "Be American.....Buy American!" The point I'm trying to make is this, this is not a new problem. Stuff is made all over the world and come to gather where it is assembled. The market drives the price. AS LONG AS IT IS A FREE MARKET!! The stuff that is killing us is the Global Warming crap.....oh, I'm sorry the corect term is Climate changing (or some other crap!) The US Governemnt under orders from the senile congress demanded that Ultra low sulfer diesel only be sold as of June of 2007. The price of diesel started to rise in July of '07 and has not stopped! News flash this week. An oil field in North and South Dakota, if drilled could fill all of our fuel demands for the next fifty years. This also includes a field that is off of the Atlantic coast. These two fields would make the US totaly independant of all foriegn oil. Oil is our life blood, without it our entire country and it's economy will grind to a halt. OK, I have ranted enough.....sorry......but I do fill better. oh, maybe it is about feelings! Nuke the whales! Jim.

$4.33 a gallon Hartford, Ct. 16 March 2008......Just an observation, the first entry at the beginning of this string...April 4 2007 was $3.00 a gallon. $1.33 increase per gallon in less than a year! Just thought I would point that out. Jim

Red Horse, To have those parts rechromed is expensive. I had the cab lights on my Mack rechromed and paid $100 a light. Chrome is not cheap. If you do have a shop do the job make sure the price includes filling the pit holes. The entire piece is cleaned and each hole has to be soldered. Once that is done the piece is polished and then dipped for chrome. Once the chrome is done the part has to be hand polished to give it that bright "chromed" look. The process is very labor intentsive and the chemicals are very unfriendly to the enviroment. This all equates to a very high price. I found a NOS dog on Ebay and bought it for under thirty dollars. Good luck Jim

Hartford, Ct. 9 March 2008 $4.09 9/10th's. Jim

$3.99 9/10ths/ gallon. In Hartford, Ct. 1 March 2008. Billy Shakespear was right, the only way to clean this mess up is to......"Kill all the lawyers!" Jim