Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Miscellaneous/2013 July 27

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July 27

What is the medical term for suddenly bucking or jolting when you're falling asleep?

It happens to me sometimes and I'd like to find out what it is and what it means. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 174.65.3.227 (talk) 07:20, 27 July 2013 (UTC)

Restless leg syndrome, and there are some other phenomenon similar to it. The connection between them all is unclear. But if you search pubmed for it you should have a good start. Shadowjams (talk) 08:06, 27 July 2013 (UTC)

Nope, it's a hypnic jerk, although not much is know about that either. Fgf10 (talk) 08:37, 27 July 2013 (UTC)

Right. More information at Myoclonus, as well. Dominus Vobisdu (talk) 08:46, 27 July 2013 (UTC)

How to fix this break?

A break in an aluminium casting (1)

A break in an aluminium casting (2)

This is part of a classic car engine to be restored to running order. DreadRed (talk) 11:25, 27 July 2013 (UTC)

Find a junkyard and buy a working replacement. --Jayron32 13:24, 27 July 2013 (UTC)

Agreed, a repair should only be attempted if there's no possibility of finding a replacement. Perhaps you want to be able to brag that the car has all original parts, but I think a repair like that would reduce the value even more than a replacement part. Also, if this break happened with normal use, it implies that the part is defective anyway, to break like that. StuRat (talk) 20:41, 27 July 2013 (UTC)

Is this part of a hydraulic braking system? It helps to identify the part when asking questions. It looks like an aluminium (as opposed to Zamak/Mazak) casting. Don't to forget identify: make, model and year of manufacture.--Aspro (talk) 13:29, 27 July 2013 (UTC)

The break occurred under abnormal stress during restoration work. It is not part of a braking system. The aluminium casting is one of a few made in Italy in the 1970s and it is not replaceable. I do not identify the car, its owner or its high value. DreadRed (talk) 21:20, 27 July 2013 (UTC)

You _might_ be able to braze it (or, rather, someone skilled in such matters might be able to braze it) - TIG welding is also possible on aluminium. However, getting a new part made up is probably better in the long run. Without straying into legal advice territory, it might also be a good idea to let the owner know what's happened and see what their preferred option is. Tevildo (talk) 21:40, 27 July 2013 (UTC)

A welder has a clear plan for the joint geometry and is competent enough to notice that the fracture line runs close to a machined bearing. A thick walled aluminium structure is a strong thermal conductor and is liable to soften and distort under welding. Attempting to weld the break looks like a bad idea. DreadRed (talk) 01:43, 28 July 2013 (UTC)

Indeed, which is why I wouldn't recommend it - it is, however, not impossible. If you can't get a new part (have you tried the owner's club? Most classic cars have very active clubs, which will know where to source parts), you'll have to get a new one manufactured. Tevildo (talk) 11:55, 28 July 2013 (UTC)

Well, you really only have three choices: Buy a replacement part, Fabricate a new part from scratch - or mend this one.

1. If you've explored every avenue for finding a replacement then that's out - but I'd be surprised if the part was truly that unique and unobtainable though. Even in very rare cars, it's typical for a majority of the parts to have come from some other, more mainstream, vehicle that the manufacturer also makes.
2. Since the part is unusable as-is - it hardly matters if you damage it more - so attempting to fix it is the most obvious option. You can't glue it, bolt it or anything else - so you really have nothing to lose by getting someone to try to weld it. But if the part is literally irreplaceable - you'd better find the best aluminium welding expert that money can buy because you really only have one chance at doing that!
3. Remanufacturing is an interesting possibility. With modern technology, you can scan what remains of the part - or simply measure the critical dimensions and have someone redesign it in a CAD program. Then you can use a 3D printer to make a replica in plastic and use that to make a mold to cast a new one. But if there are very exacting dimensions (and we don't know unless you tell us what the heck it is!) than you'd have to machine the casting to get a perfect fit. More directly, you could have someone with a six axis CNC milling machine make you a replica part. Unfortunately, you'd find it harder to replicate the exact appearance of the original part...in a sense, the remanufactured part would be "too good". I would strongly advise getting exact measurements and a comprehensive set of photos of the part BEFORE you send it out to be welded...just in case!

I don't see that you have any other choices though...buy/repair/re-manufacture are really the only games in town.

Actually, I have seen one other approach taken in an antique car whose fuel pump was dead and unfixable/irreplaceable. The owner basically made the pump look cosmetically like it was still working but disabled it completely and put a modern fuel pump inside the gas tank to do the work of pumping fuel. The result was a very drivable vehicle that looks 100% stock unless you examine it VERY carefully. But serious car nuts would say that it's definitely cheating!

SteveBaker (talk) 19:23, 29 July 2013 (UTC)

Methacrylates and epoxies are routinely used to bond aluminium to aluminium in the aircraft industry, and to bond the aluminium chassis of the Lotus Elise car. Is the claim "You can't glue it" based on a reliable source or awareness of the technology? DreadRed (talk) 09:06, 30 July 2013 (UTC)

If you actually read the article you linked to - you'd know that the chassis of the Elise had to be specially designed for a glued solution. They use a special tongue-in-groove construction and in places require rivets to help things along. Their design avoids the main structural forces from being born by the glue - the tongue-and-groove takes the majority of the force and the glue merely prevents them from sliding apart. A similar deal applies in the aircraft industry where large surface areas are available for bonding and the design avoids forces being exerted in the directions where the bond would be weak. In both cases, the systems were designed to be held together with glue. Here, the surfaces are not designed in any way for bonding - and looking at where the mounting points are, it seems that the bond would be in tension and probably have twist forces on it - both of which are very bad for bonded solutions. Furthermore, the area available is pretty small. Bottom line is that there is no way on god's green earth that you're going to be able to glue this successfully. SteveBaker (talk) 14:52, 30 July 2013 (UTC)

What's the main Russian entry port for the semi trucks and semi-trailers?

Many tractor-trailers, (e.g. Volvo VN, Freightliner, etc.). are very popular in the country.

I don't know the both American exit and Russian entry ports for the semi-truck and semi-trailers. Please tell me.

Is they are imported by independent importers, natural person or other? --Kiel457 (talk) 18:53, 27 July 2013 (UTC)

I would expect that a Volvo would be taken directly from Sweden to Russia, possibly over the Baltic Sea. No idea on the rest of your question. --Stephan Schulz (talk) 19:18, 27 July 2013 (UTC)

What's the main U.S. entry port for the Japanese/Asian Cars such as the Infiniti FX?

I need to know about what's the main U.S. entry port for the Japanese cars such as the Infiniti FX, Nissan GT-R, etc. --Kiel457 (talk) 19:32, 27 July 2013 (UTC)

This article lists the top 20 ports for 2011. It would appear that most Nissans go to Los Angeles. Tevildo (talk) 20:04, 27 July 2013 (UTC)

How to swap a 5.9L Cummins and a 5-speed manual on a 1965 Ford F-350?

I need to know about how to swap a 5.9 L (360 cu in) Cummins and a NV4500 from a 1998 Dodge Ram into a 1965 Ford F-350 Crew Cab.

Other options to install: 12,000 lb (5,400 kg) Warn winch, subwoofer enclosure made of wood, behind the rear seats, backup camera integrated into the rear view mirror, aftermarket square taillight/brake light, off-road capable four-wheel drive.— Preceding unsigned comment added by ‎Kiel457 (talk • contribs)

A checkbook and someone who knows what they are doing is how I usually handle problems like this. --Jayron32 20:00, 27 July 2013 (UTC)

What exactly are you trying to do? If it's an engine swap, then why does it matter if it has a winch or cameras? RudolfRed (talk) 20:55, 27 July 2013 (UTC)

How to import and register a vehicle in the Republic of Georgia?

Can anyone tell me about how to import and register a vehicle in Georgia, for information purposes only? I'm not a Georgian citizen. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Kiel457 (talk • contribs) 22:25, 27 July 2013 (UTC)

No legal advise here. Go away. OsmanRF34 (talk) 20:37, 28 July 2013 (UTC)

Assume good faith. And from his other questions it seems this is an area of general interest to the guy, not a personal question. -Elmer Clark (talk) 09:56, 29 July 2013 (UTC)

... and it is quite possible to provide some guidance, with references

Apparently, previous United Transport Administration (Georgia) was transferred to the Ministry of Regional Development and Infrastructure which is now responsible for "Automobile Roads Department of Georgia [and] Transport Administration" - the usual kinds of government agencies which look after things like vehicle and driver registration. However, maybe it is the Ministry of Finance (Georgia) which would look after the legal (ie. taxation) issues of vehicle importation. Unfortunately, neither ministry's website (MRDI or MOF) seems too keen to provide information and the old UTA website is dead. There might be more on the Georgian language versions of the websites, or maybe what you need is a different ministry altogether. This page has a list of ministry websites. Astronaut (talk) 18:21, 29 July 2013 (UTC)