I’m not sure if you’ve noticed, but the Autopian Mainframe, recently upgraded to a fully-expanded Mattel Aquarius (we’re talking 16K, AI-inflated memory priced be damned) soaking in a tub full of experimental Compute Enhancement Fluid (the composition of which is still unclear, but based on the earthy bouquet, seems to be mostly pregnant elephant urine) has been experiencing some severe issues. Specifically, we can’t seem to upload any new images to the server, so we’re forced to find already-uploaded images that may work, at least roughly. It’s not ideal, but we’re trying to get it fixed.
Well, some of us are trying; I’m here in Los Angeles trying to get everything ready for our big trip – and hopefully convoy! –from our starting point by Galpin Auto Sports all the way to the RADwood location, the Gold Bar Hangar, where we can (hopefully) drop off the Mazda 787bb.
The plan right now is to leave by 10:30 at the latest – we wanted to go earlier, but I have to wait until the car-shipper comes to pick up the ravenous terrormachine that is the Vector M12 that I’ll need to drive in front of the assembled and delighted crowd at RADwood.
I drove the beast around the parking lot a bit, and learned some of it’s quirks: visibility isn’t great, I just barely fit well enough to get that clutch all the way in; the synchros in the transmission are, let’s say, unreliable narrators, and shifting is best done kind of slowly and deliberately, and the whole thing is, to be charitable, a handful in the same way that having a heaping ladleful of hot chowder plopped into your cupped hands is a handful.
So that’ll be exciting!
David and I also had to secure our trailer for the 787bb, and, as usual, it was a mild fiasco. First, we somehow lost the keys to the matching Mazda CX-90 and scrambled around like idiots looking for it, eventually – and thankfully – finding them under…something.
Then, there was some confusion about which U-Haul facility we needed to go to. U-Haul very nicely agreed to give us a trailer for this trip, and it’s frankly astounding how many U-Haul locations there are. These guys make Mattress Firms seem like rare and strange things. There’s a shocking number in a 5-mile radius!
Happily, we finally found it and staff was very helpful, and we have the trailer.
Getting the 787bb on and off the trailer is always an ordeal, too. Because of how low the car is, the whole front clip has to be removed before we can drive the car onto the ramps, and then replaced when it’s on the trailer. It’s not the most complex operation, but it is an ass-pain. I’m hoping we can minimize the number of times we have to get this thing on and off.
So, anyway, we have to do all of this in the morning. That means if you want to join us in our convoy, there’s likely time to find us! We’ll be leaving from Orion Ave in Van Nuys, just down from the intersection of Orion and Roscoe Blvd., roughly across the street from Galpin Auto Sports.
We’ll be taking the faster route to Alameda, the 405 to the 5 North then to the 580 West then the 238 North and finally the 880 North, if you want to try to find us en-route. We’ll try and update our location on the way, too.
And then, remember, tonight about 7 pm we’re having our Autopian Reader Pre-RADwood Meetup, which may turn into a little Salon des Refusés car show of cars rejected by RADwood!
We’ll be meeting at this Target/Jollibee parking lot around 7 pm, likely tired and cranky but still delighted to see everyone. It’ll be me, our own legendary Mercedes, our video/social champion Griffin, and my kid, Otto, who may or may not be sick of us by then.
Maybe I’ll show you the real, vintage 1984-era Apple II I’ll have with me for the event! Or maybe I’ll just complain to you about how we can never seem to do things without them becoming a minor fiasco!
Which brings me back to our site tech issues! Why aren’t image uploads working yet? What broke? Does this have something to do with that PHP vulnerability I’ve heard about? Why are we even using PHP? We should have migrated to LISP long ago. If we move to LISP, I can move us to a Jupiter Ace for the Autopian Mainframe, and that should solve everything.
Why is nothing easy? We’ll have fun, anyway. Maybe I’ll see some of you in the morning?
Top photo: The Autopian
Have you guys considered the ol’ 2’x10’x16′ trick? put the dinky ramps on the U-Haul down, then lay a pair of 2x10x16’s down over top of them so you get a nice gradual slope. that should be enough length to avoid pulling the clip off the car. If you need to support them in the middle, grab a couple of cinderblocks or 4×4’s to stuff underneath. Then stow it all under the car for the trip to Radwood so you can unload.
Go Go Galpin!
You could just drive the Vector up there.
In LA rush hour traffic.
What could possibly go wrong?
Also the top bar is brokeded on Mobile, but that’s ok, the Internet had that huge security update Wednesday and I imagine it borked stuff.