|
|
Post by doornail on Apr 28, 2012 5:14:24 GMT -8
Well, never thought I'd be interested in birds, always thought of myself as a mans man always looking for cool stuff to do and occupy my little free time with, like rebuilding engines/transmissions and squeeezing more ponies out of a Chevy V8 or getting something running after it's been pronounced DOA. I'm kind of a grease monkey like that, my tools are my money maker for the most part and I've come near of getting violent over a pair of vise grips one time  Anyway, my neighbor has had Purple Martins for years and I thought I'd build a house for some this year. Had some trouble with Starlings at first, so I went with the starling resistant entrance holes(SREH)..I've had a pair of Purple Martins move in that have been around for about a week, they're a young pair going by thier color but they've definatly moved in and have built a nest. They are such an awesome bird to have around, they have a pretty song and they fly around like jet fighters eating bugs. They are always together and they even share thier meals. If one catches a larger bug, they'll kill it then hop over to the other and they'll split it. They've gotten used to me enough now that I can walk by and they don't fly off. The female has been sitting on the nest, taking breaks to join the male in feeding. I do enjoy watching them and regret that I hadn't put up a house sooner here's a link about Purple Martins and a pic I snatched from a forum(my camera took a dump, but if I get some pics I'll post them). This pic is of a mature male, they don't get dark like that till about 3 years old. www.chuckspurplemartinpage.com/overview.htm |
|
|
|
Post by Amarynth on Apr 28, 2012 6:53:13 GMT -8
Awww pretty! I loove birds! I have never heard of purple martins though...and I admit I read purple martians at first. I was like..ohhhhhhh aliens! Cool! I like watching birds. My favorites are the blue jays and cardinals. Sooo pretty. We didn't have much of a winter this year, so I didn't see as many as I'm used to.  I've a question for you: What's the difference between a clutch kit from Autozone for 115.99 and ah...this thing for 296.00?? www.horsepowerfreaks.com/partdetails/Clutch_Masters/Clutch/Clutch_Kits/Stage_1_FX100/9683 |
|
|
|
Post by doornail on Apr 28, 2012 8:01:42 GMT -8
lol, if I see any purple aliens, they had better make an offering of some sorts, like galactic whiskey or some space weed or something cause odds are they'll be looking at the loud end of my gun barrel don't really care much for Bluejays, they're noisy and they are a predator to smaller birds, they are a cousin to the Crow, which is also a predator bird/noisy. Cardnials are a good bird, but really shy to humans..they stay together as a pair for life, think they are safer than most other birds cause of thier bright red color, don't know much else about them even tho it is my State bird. Purple Martins eat, drink and bathe on the fly, they depend on humans for housing and are a migratory bird flying all the way from South America for the summer months. They are quite a treat to have around for thier aerobatics and flying insect catching. There's some vids on youtube where people are feeding them by flicking crickets up in the air with plastic spoons, I guess if it gets too cold or it rains for a couple weeks straight, they can't find any food and can starve. Autozone clutches are a replacement for the original, it wont be the same quality as the original, but cheaper and should work just fine..that link you posted is for a stage 1 performance clutch, is mostly used for racing or higher than stock horsepower needs. It clearly states "increased peddle pressure", which means it's going to be harder to push the clutch in and for everyday use/stop and go driving, that can get tiresome on your clutch leg. they add better material and are made to closer measurement specs for added performance. You get what you pay for with parts, if you want quality it's going to cost more, depending on the vehicle those quality/aftermarket parts may actually be cheaper and better than the stock part, especially if it's a common vehicle that alot of people drive. The downside of Autozone parts is sometimes they don't take alot of care in thier manufacturing(usually from China) and sometimes thier parts wont fit or work right, so when it comes to a clutch that's not easy to change for everyone(have to separate tranny from motor) and not everyone can or wants to get that involved as it's a big job and having a certified mechanic do it will be alot on labor alone, as far as replacing a clutch, one would be better off going with a more quality part. Keep in mind tho that most performance parts aren't designed for comfort, so you sacrifice some comfort for increased performance usually. If I was on a tight budget, the autozone part would do just fine, if I wanted the exact replacement I'd go to the vehicle manufacturer for the part, it's going to cost more but it's the exact part that it came out with from the factory. If I wanted the vehicle to hold up to more work/abuse I'd look for an aftermarket/performance part. I'm just guessing here, but to get a shop to change a clutch, you're looking at atleast $500.00 in labor alone(average replacement clutch and slave cylinder is around $200.00 just for the parts) so if you're spending that much, might as well put a good part in. That's not counting any hidden costs like a warped/burnt flywheel that if they can't resurface it, it'll have to be replaced. There's also other parts that can give the impression of a bad clutch, like a bad/leaking slave cylinder or even the gears themselves broken inside the tranny. |
|
|
|
Post by Amarynth on Apr 28, 2012 13:18:18 GMT -8
lol, if I see any purple aliens, they had better make an offering of some sorts, like galactic whiskey or some space weed or something cause odds are they'll be looking at the loud end of my gun barrel LOL! If I had a gun, that would probably be the same for me.  I know Rand has my back in that area. hehedon't really care much for Bluejays, they're noisy and they are a predator to smaller birds, they are a cousin to the Crow, which is also a predator bird/noisy. I never knew that about bluejays! They eat other birds? That's horrible....now I don't like them so much anymore. Cardnials are a good bird, but really shy to humans..they stay together as a pair for life, think they are safer than most other birds cause of thier bright red color, don't know much else about them even tho it is my State bird. Purple Martins eat, drink and bathe on the fly, they depend on humans for housing and are a migratory bird flying all the way from South America for the summer months. They are quite a treat to have around for thier aerobatics and flying insect catching. There's some vids on youtube where people are feeding them by flicking crickets up in the air with plastic spoons, I guess if it gets too cold or it rains for a couple weeks straight, they can't find any food and can starve. All of the above, SO very interesting. I look forward to more posts on your bird interest. I've kept Cockatiels, but never have much luck with them...no time to train them and it's just too much work for me. I should definitely take up bird watching though...I'm sure there are many more species that I don't know of here in the NY area. Autozone clutches are a replacement for the original, it wont be the same quality as the original, but cheaper and should work just fine..that link you posted is for a stage 1 performance clutch, is mostly used for racing or higher than stock horsepower needs. It clearly states "increased peddle pressure", which means it's going to be harder to push the clutch in and for everyday use/stop and go driving, that can get tiresome on your clutch leg. they add better material and are made to closer measurement specs for added performance. You get what you pay for with parts, if you want quality it's going to cost more, depending on the vehicle those quality/aftermarket parts may actually be cheaper and better than the stock part, especially if it's a common vehicle that alot of people drive. The downside of Autozone parts is sometimes they don't take alot of care in thier manufacturing(usually from China) and sometimes thier parts wont fit or work right, so when it comes to a clutch that's not easy to change for everyone(have to separate tranny from motor) and not everyone can or wants to get that involved as it's a big job and having a certified mechanic do it will be alot on labor alone, as far as replacing a clutch, one would be better off going with a more quality part. Keep in mind tho that most performance parts aren't designed for comfort, so you sacrifice some comfort for increased performance usually. If I was on a tight budget, the autozone part would do just fine, if I wanted the exact replacement I'd go to the vehicle manufacturer for the part, it's going to cost more but it's the exact part that it came out with from the factory. If I wanted the vehicle to hold up to more work/abuse I'd look for an aftermarket/performance part. I'm just guessing here, but to get a shop to change a clutch, you're looking at atleast $500.00 in labor alone(average replacement clutch and slave cylinder is around $200.00 just for the parts) so if you're spending that much, might as well put a good part in. That's not counting any hidden costs like a warped/burnt flywheel that if they can't resurface it, it'll have to be replaced. There's also other parts that can give the impression of a bad clutch, like a bad/leaking slave cylinder or even the gears themselves broken inside the tranny. Thank you for this. My 19 year old son needs a new clutch for his car and he wanted that one ordered from online. See, the thing is...his grandma is letting him borrow the cash for this and I have an issue with him spending her money like it's his own. A friend is helping him to put it in next week which is saving him a ton of money. It appeared to me as if that clutch was for like...drag racing and crap...and he's Sooooo not going to be drag racing with his car. I feel that later on, when he has the cash (after he's finished paying his grandmother back for the current clutch and his paying off his aunt for the car) and if he wants a high performance part like that, then he can go and buy it with his own money. This kid is ridiculous. He doesn't even have a credit card and he's in debt. He just has no concept of money... Either way, I think the clutch from autozone will work good for him. Thanks SO much! You wanna be my mechanic? I don't need one yet with the new jeep but still.... |
|
|
|
Post by Randalla on Apr 28, 2012 14:53:24 GMT -8
LOL I gotya covered with the gun thing.  Also, yep Jays are very territorial. Pretty to look at, but mean sonsabitches. LOL Also noisy as all hell. BUT they have a certain noise they make when predators (cats) are nearby, so when mother hears it, she goes stalking around the house to shoo away the strays. LOL Love cardinals, that little chirp is unmistakable even to a novice. And I'm no expert bird watcher, mind you. But I do also like the martins. Traveling in the motor home for a couple of years was educational, if not a bit of torture mixed in, living in a Pace Arrow with the folks, eating a whole lot of ramen noodles and hamburger helper for 2 whole years.  Anyhoo, I love how my dear Ama derails HER OWN REPLY. LMAO Adorable. |
|
|
|
Post by doornail on Apr 28, 2012 15:22:48 GMT -8
lol, it's all good..why make another thread when ya can just add it all into one? efficient use of space IMO here's a link for the Purple Martin range, they came early this year but there's still time to put up housing in the NY area. purplemartin.org/update/10(1)breeding.htmlthere's gobs of info online about Purple Martins, mine seem to be happy with what I've put up and I read they return to the same place every year, along with thier young that were born here. oh boy! good luck with the teenager already having clutch problems, expect bald tires and more replacement parts needed, if it's front wheel drive those half shafts will probably need changed soon lol unless the car is built for performance, they just wont hold up to much more than normal driving. If he's wanting to race, introduce him to legal racing like at the local dragstrip or circle track, there's alot more safety involved and it wont get your drivers licence taken away or risk damage to property and others. lol, everybody wants a good honest mechanic when thier car breaks, I'm not certified but I've worked on just about everything from Jaguar to bulldozers. |
|
|
|
Post by Randalla on Apr 28, 2012 17:51:13 GMT -8
Yessss it's all coming back to me.  Traveling through, I remember seeing these EVERYWHERE. Literally, almost everyone had one, to the point where we were always wondering, why on earth does EVERYONE have these?  The houses were more popular than the gourds where we went, at the time. Not sure if styles have changed much at all since. Anyway, awesome, carry on. |
|
|
|
Post by Amarynth on Apr 28, 2012 19:32:02 GMT -8
I did derail my own reply didn't I? LMAO See? I'm good at derailing. hehe Thanks bunches Doornail! I don't even think he would be out there drag racing, but he does think his car is some kind of souped up I don't know what. He's trying to turn it into some customized hot little civic or something. So of course the high performance parts would be like...totally cool to have. lol Actually, I can kind of relate. I've been looking at all sorts of chrome doodads for my Jeep. All the accessories are just SO tempting. Jeeps are FUN!!!!! lmao As for the birds...I'm definitely going to check out this purple martin thing...they sound awesome! I just realized I am sounding like a teenager. lol Uh...I blame the percocet. |
|
|
|
Post by Randalla on Apr 28, 2012 20:43:36 GMT -8
You're only as old as your drugs make you feel.  |
|
|
|
Post by doornail on Apr 29, 2012 2:40:06 GMT -8
you're not going to believe this..all week long I've been excited and telling people about my "purple martins"..I've been researching and trying to see how they live and take care of them. but the more pics of purple martins I looked at,the more I began to wonder "why in the hell are my purple martins... blue?" so umm yeah, I don't have purple martins in my purple martin birdhouse...those are friggin Eastern Bluebirds! shows how much I know about birds eh? lol..oh well, they've already took up in there, might as well let them stay, they are kinda cool, guess there's always next year for the martins unfortunatly I don't have anything to blame it on, at first I was mad then sad, but now I start laughing everytime I think about it never did care much for flashy, shiney things on my rides, chrome wont get you home..I remember guys decking thier engine bay out and the rear-end covers, tranny/oil pans and many other parts to look good..thing is, chrome holds heat so it only adds to wear in vital parts of the vehicle, plus you have to work by polishing it to keep it shiney |
|
I know Rand has my back in that area. hehe
