Parker Johnstone's Blog - Wilsonville Honda

Workshop Project

2011-04-06T23:21:00Z

I've long admired the work of the many racing craftsman I've been associated with over the years, and so I naively set off to replace a broken trim piece and its concertina-wire-like vent. Sure, I could have simply mended the broken pieces, painted the part, and reinstalled it on our beloved 1968 Bonanza 36, but with thoughts of carbon fiber pieces dancing in my head, I traveled down the path of no return. Sure, carbon fiber wasn't even a gleam in the eyes of the Beechcraft designers way back then, but hey, nothing like introducing a little modern material to a classic aircraft.

So here are a few "before" shots of the front and back of the broken trim piece:

Drawing up the template:

Part weight, and a good look at the nasty edges on the metal vent screen:

Template overlaid on the fiberboard that will act as the mold for the carbon fiber layup:

I don't have a table saw, so it's a straight edge (bubble level) and some clamps to hold the line as desired:

Here I'm using the family's 40+ year-old radial arm saw for the end cut:

Cutting the plywood base on which the fiberboard mold will be mounted:

A quick trip to the belt sander to radius the mold's edges:

For the smaller door latch guard, it's a bit of free forming with the jigsaw:

The door latch guard ramps up where it's fastened, so here I'm checking the mold piece I've cut to ensure it matches the original piece's slope:

The ramps:

The original piece and the new mold:

The simple (in comparison) fiber board mold for the larger vent piece:

$65-a- yard carbon fiber... ugh....:

Here's the larger mold, mounted, waxed, and ready for the carbon fiber:

I used the West Marine epoxy system for the resin and hardener... good stuff:

I laid up 3 layers of carbon fiber on the first go... I'm embarrassed looking at this photo that I didn't trim the pieces better, but I figured I'd clean up the part afterward:

Peel ply going down first on top of the carbon mat:

Pre-preg sheet and absorbing cloth:

Everything sealed up with the vacuum pump running:

Although it's a brisk 55 degrees in my little workshop, almost immediately the temperature is rising on the part due to the chemical reaction that's occurring with the resin and hardener:

12 hours later, the bag is opened and here's what I found:

It just needs a bit of trimming and a little "ventilation:"

Using EXCEL, I laid out a pattern of "X"s and then printed it out an 11"x14" piece of paper. Here I've attached the paper to the part after trimming:

Drilling the holes on the drill press:

Back to the door latch... mold waxed and ready for the carbon mat:

The door latch mold with wetted mat ready for its 12 hours of vacuum bagging:

The original piece, the mold, and the resulting carbon fiber part:

And here's the final vent piece being installed:

Well, as usual with something like this, I learned a ton and was quietly reminded that the craftsmen I worked alongside during my sports car and IndyCar days, were really talented. I hope you enjoyed riding along with me as I learned a little bit about vacuum bagging and forming carbon fiber parts.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2009-11-26T17:09:00Z

Over 147 years ago, on October 3, 1863, Abraham Lincoln stated: “The year that is drawing towards its close, has been filled with the blessings of fruitful fields and healthful skies. To these bounties, which are so constantly enjoyed that we are prone to forget the source from which they come, others have been added . . . They are the gracious gifts of the Most High God . . . It has seemed to me fit and proper that they should be solemnly, reverently and gratefully acknowledged as with one heart and voice by the whole American People. I do therefore invite my fellow citizens in every part of the United States . . . to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next, as a day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens.”

Although Lincoln made Thanksgiving an official holiday, the practice of setting aside a day of thanks was a longstanding tradition in the United States. Moreover, Lincoln's writings, as well as those of other American leaders long before him, frequently reflect a deep sense of gratitude to God, both for His providence in national matters and in their own lives and families. It's evident that Thanksgiving extended beyond a national holiday to lives that were characterized by gratitude to God.

I wish you and your family a most blessed Thanksgiving!

Parkour

2009-09-20T04:57:00Z

You may be familiar with Parkour - urban gymnastics where buildings, railings, and other features of the city are used as the apparatus. My daughter calls the participants "Urban Ninjas." Check out this clip for a sampling of Parkour skills:

Of course there's a reason that I've led you down this path. Hopefully you're familiar with The Office. Episodes of The Office and Dilbert are always at the back of my mind when making decisions at Wilsonville Honda. I never want to give anyone any thoughts that might lead them to find similarities of our operation to either one of these spoofs of life at work... Enjoy this short!

Attitude and Focus

2009-09-07T17:44:00Z

Although we all start life with different circumstances (gender, race, culture, etc..), we are all given the same amount of time in each day. What we do with that time determines where we end up. No matter what life has thrown at us, there is one area that we have control over and that's our attitude. Attitude combined with focus on goal attainment is a powerful force. To illustrate my point, check this video. You can hear what's going on before you see it. Even though he and his bike are battered, he remains keenly focused on his goal.

Your Job

2009-08-29T16:36:00Z

I know that people have the tendency to complain about their position in life or how things are progressing (or not) with their plans. Sometimes it takes a small reminder to point out that maybe life isn't so bad after all. Take this fellow's occupation:

I hope your day is improved now that your prospective has been realigned!

Cash for Codgers

2009-08-26T17:31:00Z

As badly as the "Cash for Clunkers" program was and continues to be administered, the following caught me "just right."

Introducing "Cash for Codgers".

In order to address public concern with the federal government's
proposals for health care reform and building upon the success of the popular
"Cash for Clunkers" program, the Obama administration is proud to announce
"Cash for Codgers".

Each senior in your household (aged 65 or above) may be turned in for a
$4,500 instant cash reward at a conveniently located Senior Turn-In
Center near you.

Each Senior will be disposed of humanely, using an intravenous drip
consisting of a saline, morphine, short-acting barbiturate and
single-malt scotch.

This saves the Social Security Administration and Medicare from spending
between $40,000 to $80,000 for an average end-of-life treatment.
President Obama praised the proposal, calling it an "elegant and humane
way to solve the health care crisis, Medicare spending deficits, and the
'overwhelming number of right-wing zealots' who are seniors -- all at
the same time!

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Portland Historic Races and Other Stuff...

2009-07-16T17:49:00Z

During the course of any given day, I come across things on the internet that crack me up. You're probably familiar with astronaut Buzz Aldrin. Did you know he was a legendary hip-hop artist? I didn't think so... Here's one of the most unlikely pairing I could have ever come up with:

On the stranger things that I have uncovered at the race track, how about this Ferrari-powered Citroen parts hauler. Make sure you turn up the sound when the "road test" begins.

Speaking of Ferraris, here's a shot of the business end of a lovely Ferrari sports racer I've seen at the historic racers the last few years. Magnificent V-12!

My partner at Wilsonville Honda, John Dimmer, participated in this past weekend's Baxter Historic Races in his 1971 Tyrrell Formula 1 car - a car which helped take Jackie Stewart to the 1971 World Championship. I decided to roll out the 1988 Spice Acura/GTP/L car that I won the 1991 IMSA Championship with as well as taking a class win at the Daytona 24-Hour in the same year. Here are the two of our cars waiting to go out:

We were both at the track at 5:30am on Friday in order to do all three local morning TV shows: Alana Kujala of KOIN Channel 6, Drew Carney of KGW Channel 8, and Joe V with Fox 12.

Here's a shot of Joe V. sitting in the Tyrrell interviewing John:

The best part of the day was taking Joe V. for a couple of laps at speed. It's something that very few people have experienced -- being flat-out in a IMSA GTP car. It was quite the way to start the weekend. Here we're shoe-horning Joe into the car (it's not meant for two people - at all...):

Here's a short clip of the "out" lap, or warm-up lap, that I drove with Joe V. aboard. I think the ride got his attention!

John and I had a great time during the race weekend, but that wasn't the case for all the competitors, like the driver who slammed into the Safety Truck. Very bad. Out of respect, I didn't take a picture of the driver or his totaled Sunbeam Tiger...

To keep life in balance, as we were packing up and watching many of the historic cars being carfefully loaded into very expenses truck-and-trailer rigs (like the Dennison International transporter in the background), Neal Shelton rolled by with his Porsche 962 on an open trailer. Amazing. I've never seen such a valuable race car being towed in such an inauspicious manner.

Bat Trick

2009-06-29T00:06:00Z

The staff at Wilsonville Honda had a night out where we saw the Portland Beavers this past week. Since I had baseball on my mind, I came across this clip that you might find interesting:

Star Trek - The Final Frontier!

2009-06-28T21:50:00Z

After being sidelined by the busyness of life the last month or so, my wife and I were finally able to carve out an evening for a "date night." My wife has one of the very first Honda S2000s

ever brought into the United States - back in the fall of 1999. It has just over 5,000 original miles. Every once in a while, we slip off the cover, unplug the battery trickle charger, and take it out on a spin. Last night was the perfect night to do so. We haven't been to the movies as of late, other than to see Pixar's new offering Up (two thumbs up), so off we went in great anticipation of seeing the latest
Star Trek

episode. I won't attempt to describe the plot or give any sort of detailed review, other than to say that since we both grew up watching the original series on TV, we were greatly entertained and amused to watch the forming of the relationships and the backgrounds of this young Star Trek crew. There were a number of times that I laughed out loud, although I was aware that at least on two occasions I was the only one laughing in the theater. So be it. Character and plot development, special effects, the assumed nuances of the cast to resemble William Shatner,

Leonard Nimoy, etc... - we loved it. After the movie, we headed over to one of our favorite local restaurants, Abellas, and enjoyed the selections we had made off their new menu. Much in opposition to my cycling training schedule, after eating way too much carpaccio, garlic bread, soup, and chicken piccata, we shared the pear/pastry/caramel dessert, accompanied by vanilla sorbet. Unbelievable! Go for a long workout to relieve any guilt, and then head over to Abellas and spend the evening enjoying getting fat!

Basketball PR Oops!

2009-04-25T17:28:00Z

We have a number of Portland Trail Blazer fans here at Wilsonville Honda (including myself). We're always taking about what's going on around the league, and guess what we came across while looking at Twitter?:

From the Trail Blazers' Twitter:

"Laker coach Phil Jackson will not accompany team to Portland for Friday's game at Rose Garden. Ass. Coach Kurt Rambis will fill in"

14 minutes later: "That's ASSISTANT coach Kurt Rambis. No disrespect to Coach Rambis"

AHEM!!

Recent Findings - Blazer Playoff Tickets

2009-04-24T18:20:00Z

My General Manager Ted Davis just told me that we'll be giving away a pair of Blazer playoff tickets for game 5 (game 3 at home)! They're in the 111 section -- awesome. I'm not sure what Ted has planned exactly, but call the store at: (503) 218-4844 and ask the Sales Department about how to win these tickets.

I recently renewed my Certified Flight Instructor certificate, and as happens each time during my studies, I once again came across a bit of aviation wisdom that I thought I'd share:

"Try to stay in the middle of the air. Do not go near the edges of it. The edges of air can be recognized by the appearance of ground, buildings, sea, trees, and interstellar space. It is much more difficult to fly there." - Anonymous

Speaking of the need to get out and do something:

I really have nothing to add...

After the drama with my shoulder injury last year, I found this great picture of Lance's shoulder after his recent crash:

As always, Lance wins...

Although the staff at Wilsonville Honda is immensely talented in many areas, I have yet to find someone who can sing with the best of them. So while searching for singing talent, I found this:

It's that time of year when German Shepherds become German Shedders. The warming temperatures cause their undercoat to "release," which is known as "blowing their coats." I spent no more than 15 minutes yesterday grooming Tag and this is the result (the brushing occurred in two different spots as evidenced by this picture). Keep in mind that I didn't get all of the undercoat out, just some of it. This is from ONE dog! I've had German Shepherds pretty much all my life, having as many as four at one time. Multiply this mess of fur by four and you see why you don't want to own a GSD if you have issues with dog hair.

And finally, the required current picture of my grandson Kael:

March Madness

2009-03-30T16:21:00Z

What a month March turned out to be. It was the toughest month the automotive industry has ever experienced. Despite the horror stories of bankruptcies, banks pulling flooring lines, and massive dealership layoffs, the staff at Wilsonville Honda dug deep and pulled out the equivalent of a basketball buzzer beater. The changes the store has made, which began over 6 months ago, in the form of expense reduction and a detailed examination of each and every process that is performed, allowed us to continue to grow (as unbelieverable as that may sound) by leaps and bounds in our Service Department while the Sales Department doubled its market share in the Portland Metro area during the same time period. I have been greatly blessed by a tremendous staff that has worked its collective butt off while always prioritizing all that they do around the needs of the customer.

Since we are in the last throws of March Madness, I thought I'd provide a few links to some good ol' basketball-related humor:

The first clip is over the Lakers Kobe Bryant jumping over a Maserati. You have to check it out:

Now that you've been sufficiently impressed with that feat (or Kobe's feet...), here's how it was done before the special effects were added:

The NCAA Final Four is upon us, and with the competition on court, there is always much debate among the pundits as to how to improve the format. This cracked me up:

NCAA Expands March Madness To Include 4,096 Teams

If you have a little extra time, I leave you with the ultimate form of punking someone using basketball as the backdrop. If you've ever been to a game, you know halftime usually presents the opportunity for someone (or some group of people) to display their lack of basketball skills (much to the delight of the crowd) while trying to win something -- appliances, a car, cash... This clip has them all beat.

As a last minute addition to this post, my daughter Caitlin insisted I share this:

All Hail K!

2009-03-28T17:05:00Z

I'm in sooooo much trouble for not updating this blog... My sincerest apologies. As usual, a lot of things have happened during the interim, and, I've come across more plain-old goofy stuff on the web -- how can you not?

First, the quick Kael update ("All hail K! All hail K!" - check out MIB if the reference is missing from your cerebral CPU...). This dude has three primary modes of existence: eating, sleeping (having become exhausted from his endless eating...), and pooping (a direct result of his endless eating...). He's gained almost 4 pounds in five weeks! On rare occasions, we, the collective circle of care givers, get to experience the non-eating, non-sleeping, non-pooping, mode of just hangin'.

This is when Kael ("All hail K! All hail K!) coos, smiles, blows bubbles, and is just checking stuff (the world) out. These moments are fantastic. Much to the dismay of all the collective care givers, for some reason that has eluded all (except me), I can make Kael smile just about whenever I want much to the jealous protestations of everyone. This assembled crowd of Grandpa-haters hasn't figured out that, being the most childlike member within the circle of trust (Meet the Parents reference...), Kael just relates to me better. End of story.

There are a number of wild things going on at Wilsonville Honda (which captures most of my conscious processing time): potential closure of the main road (Parkway Avenue) that leads to the store and the arrival of hundreds of new Hondas to our facility pretty much top the list. I can't go into details about the road closure right now, but let me say that this issue is far from being concluded. Ahem. The hundreds of new Hondas arriving right in the middle of the worst retail environment our generation has ever experienced is very much planned and greatly welcomed. As a result of a great deal of research and subsequent hard work, we've been able to double our market share in the Portland area in the last few months. This is at a time when Honda (like every manufacture) has greatly reduced its production of all its models. Big rewards require big risks, so as a result, my management team decided to do the unthinkable in this economic climate -- acquire as many cars as space and financing will allow in order to meet what we believe will be an increasing demand for ultra-reliable, fuel-efficient, cost-effective, Hondas. At the same time, we've managed to locate some unbelievable pre-owned Hondas that fit the same criteria. So here we are at Wilsonville Honda with the new Honda Insight and the original Honda Insight (70+ miles per gallon!!). It's an interesting time indeed!

In the middle of all this, I realized that I hadn't spent time with my family away from the daily responsibilities of the dealerships since last August. So we packed up and headed over the mountains to Sisters. After living in Central Oregon for almost 20 years, it was fantastic to be back. Crystal blue sky provided the perfect relief for the snow-covered Cascades. The smell of the pine forest in the cold fresh air was intoxicating. Since my shoulder surgery, I've spent very little time on my bike, but I decided to drag it along on this trip and try to do a little riding. So early in the morning while the family was still sound asleep, I slowly pedaled up McKenzie Pass until the snow said, "No! You may not continue!" I didn't put in many miles, but the miles that did pass were wonderful.

Among the amazing sights, here's a herd of Elk I rode past:

Here's what the road looked like at the beginning of the ride:

And five or six miles later:

And here's a picture of a really stupid guy standing next to his bike that's equipped with really skinny tires and about the dumbest thing you could ride in the snow and ice:

During our stay we visited friends and in each case I was reminded why moving away from the place were my children were born and the friends we had made was so hard. To give you just a small sampling of what we miss, here's a picture of the view from the kitchen from one of the aforementioned friends. They are 3rd generation owners of a this deep (320'+) high-mountain lake and the land that surrounds it -- which is surrounded by national forest. They are the only home around. It's difficult to express how beautiful this area is. I have other examples, but I told our friend that there might be a family or two in the Swiss Alps or other such locations that enjoy a similar view when washing their dishes, but I doubt it!

Here's a shot of the view from their dining room:

I have pictures of the panaromic view from their deck, but I don't won't you bolting out of your home or workplace trying to hunt this family down and steal their view!

Since no one in my immediate family is anything close to normal, while downloading the pictures you've seen so far, I came across this shot:

I have no idea why there is a bunny in the dish rack or why there is even a bunny in my kitchen or... Of course, I'm not much surprised either....

I'm not sure if this is politically correct or not. I'm not really sure if it's appropriate. I do know that it made me laugh... I also know that Kael has blown his diaper out while I've been holding him and subsequently "Pooped on my Knee." So that's the connection to this video. Here you go:

Welcome Grandson!

2009-02-24T22:06:00Z

I'm not sure where the last few days have gone, but our entire family is whupped. At 1:17am on February 19th, Kael Matthias Johnstone (nicknamed "Tico") was born. He was 7lbs 10oz at 20.5 inches long. Caitlin and Kael are back home and doing well. We're all worn out because Kael is nocturnal -- he sleeps all day and partys all night long. Caitlin worked at Wilsonville Honda right up until the day she went into the hospital and is already doing some e-work from home. Here are a few photos:

Caitlin Update

2009-02-18T21:26:00Z

It's just after 1pm and Caitlin has become extremely bored. As a result she's whipped out her laptop and is working on a few e-projects for Wilsonville Honda. I asked if she was going to e-mail someone at the store to clock her in. She said, "No, I logged the time I started." I think she's aware that babies aren't cheap...

Did you happen to catch last night's American Idol?! Having worked for ABC/ESPN for six years, I can tell you that whoever was responsible for the audio and tape rolls last night is most likely not working for the network anymore. They forgot to open mikes, had the volumes set wrong, and the lip sync was waaaay off. Bad. Bad. Bad...

Grand Baby Kael!

2009-02-18T17:56:00Z

It looks like today is the day that I'm going to become a Grandpa.

Here's the final "before" shot as we were getting ready to leave home this morning at 8am.

At 10am, nurse Meagan reviews release forms and other pertinent information with Caitlin. Caitlin dreads IVs, but unfortunately, that's what's coming next.

And the Winner Is?!

2009-02-17T02:19:00Z

The excitement has been building since we at Wilsonville Honda announced that we would donate a 2009 Honda Fit Sport with navigation to the Children's Cancer Association.

During the "Valentine's Day for the CCA," Nelson and Terry and Stacey of the morning show on 105.1 The Buzz really put their hearts and souls into the 28-hour radio-a-thon that raised well over $250,000. Here's Nelson, Terry, and me, on the air towards the final hours of the broadcast. We're all quite whupped.

$50,000 of that amount was donated through the selling of 2000 raffle tickets at $25 each to win the Fit. At noon on Valentine's Day, I drew the lucky ticket. There were a lot of people at the store since getting a brand new car for $25 is a pretty big deal -- especially in this economy. 40+ members of the Cascade Sports Car Club were also on hand since their annual race driving instructor's seminar was held the morning of the same day (I can't believe they keep asking me to speak...that's me at the front of the class yakKing away).

Anyway, Nelson and Stacey were on hand at the dealership for a live broadcast of the announcement of the winner.

Geri wasn't present when I pulled the ticket, but wow was she excited when we called to give her the good news! A few hours later, her sister, husband, and three sons, came to the store to pick up their new car. Geri was levitating she was so excited! Even though things are tough for just about everyone these days, my entire staff at Wilsonville Honda was extremely supportive of our donation of the Fit to the CCA. What a great organization! Congratulations Geri!

Things That Cracked Me Up Today...

2009-02-13T00:57:00Z

My daughter Caitlin and I were making our way along our daily commute to Wilsonville Honda, when Caitlin said, "Hey Dad, check that out!" She was pointing to this:

The sign case is locked. It's obvious that the "h" didn't fall off of the word "scool." It's nice to know that our tax money is being well spent towards furthering the education of our kids...

<< !! UPDATE !! >> This sign has been left uncorrected for well over a week now -- with teachers, parents, and students seeing it each and every time they enter or leave the school.... whoops! I mean "scool!"

I caught last night's Late Show with David Letterman. I was stunned and greatly amused at Dave's interview of Joaquin Phoenix. The full interview was on YouTube this morning, but got pulled by midday due to copyright infringement issues with CBS. If you have a few minutes, sit back and enjoy... Here are a few of the highlights:

Children's Cancer Association Wall of Courage

2009-01-28T04:14:00Z

I was just about to upload a new post, when something of far greater importance occurred today. The Children's Cancer Association Wall of Courage made its annual journey to Wilsonville Honda where it will now be on display for the next few weeks. CCA is raffling a new 2009 Honda Fit Sport with navigation which we have donated to this most-worthy cause. Please go to CCA's website for details. Here's what took place today:

Cherished Posessions - Old Photos and Friends

2009-01-23T23:55:00Z

Imagine walking down into your basement and discovering that it was flooded... for more than a week. Add the realization that just a week earlier you had moved all your family photos -- and I mean all of them -- your parents baby photos -- your childhood photos -- those of your children -- your high school prom pictures -- wedding photos -- honeymoon memories and more. Now add to that an extensive collection of racing memorabilia gathered during a 20-year racing career span; personalized photos from Mario Andretti (when you raced with him), Dan Gurney's autograph on a photo from the 1967 Belgian Grand Prix (which he won in a car of his own design), Rick Mears signature on a limited edition piece of art produced after his 4th Indy 500 win... the list goes on... like pictures of family friend Dave Brown, a NASA astronaut who lost his life aboard shuttle Columbia. Lifetimes of memories ruined because of a dog's desire to trench along a wall -- during a snow storm -- I can't make this stuff up. Here's my wonderful bride, trying to peel, separate, save, thousands of photos (spread along every piece of available real estate inside our home):

They're everywhere...

Besides the photos, I had 20+ years worth of qualifying and race results, test notes, and other assorted race-related documents (including the only copy of Honda's "secret" Indy test of 1968 performed with one of their F1 cars that had just competed in the Mexico Grand Prix).

Here's a photo of Paul Page, NASA astronaut Dave Brown, and myself, while we were broadcasting for ABC/ESPN at an IndyCar race in Texas. Dave decided to film the entire shuttle Columbia crew experience and was gaining insight from our ABC staff. I pulled him into the broadcast booth because the IndyCar drivers at this particular race were having serious issues with the high g loading. Dave, being both a doctor and a fighter pilot, spoke on air about the physiological issues of high g stress as it relates to human performance.

While walking through all the drying photos I came across a few that I had forgotten I had. I'm often asked if I ever get to drive any more. Here's the quick answer; sometimes I get to sneak away from Wilsonville Honda and drive some fairly cool race cars. Here's a shot of me in a Formula 2 car:

And my partner's Brabham Formula 1 car:

Speaking of my partner John Dimmer, here he is as we chat about my impressions of his Brabham:

I'm nut sure what I said to get John's face to look like that... but it must have been good!

Although my wife and I were saddened by the loss of so many photos, pieces of art, and other documents, it was a reminder that it's all just stuff. As the days passed and we continued to sort through the wreckage looking for what we could save, it occurred to us both that if all this stuff was so important, why was it in the basement in the first place?! You can't take it with you. Love one another and get rid of the "stuff" in your life.