Quick question on Titors’ Time Machine box construction. Why would hinged, one-handed grab bars be built into a single 500lb cargo case? That’s forklift cargo, all day. Additionally, butterfly flight case, latch locks, made out of stainless steel, are only rated up to 450lbs.
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that is an excellent question, I wish I knew where he mentioned the unit was made out of steel? But i can’t help but ponder, coming from the furture… well, we can certainly create mixed metals stronger even now? Is it possible it is moved with more than just a hand, it is also possible he could have had a openable top vehicle to chain “engine drop’ it in, or “engine lift” it out… after it was put it in. Like in the future for/with him to make sure it was being done correctly.
Not as good at adding links but this might interest you for reading? Weird story indeed! Titor’s ’67 Chevrolet Corvette – John Titor Research Project
I did read that article and it’s fascinating. Wouldn’t there be a paper trail of title transfer all the way back to Titor? Probably would have used a different name when he sold the vehicle. However, the size of the C204 unit was longer than the passenger seat accommodations of the car, in stock condition. So substantial custom modification would have had to be done to the passenger area, especially since the corvette was only a 2 seater vehicle.
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You have to think post-apocalypse. Would beauracracy stil exist? Would finding the right materials be difficult?
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Great point!
Finding replacement materials for the 1967 Corvette probably wouldn’t be to difficult in the United States, even after a nuclear war. There is lots of collectors of these types of machines. Plus, a certain number of years, before and after a single year production model (gm vehicles), typically include the same parts, with a few newly designed components or changes. With larger interior and exterior remodels happening on a longer period scale. Additionally, the Corvette would mostly likely have needed to be modified, suspension-wise, if not brakes as well, at least on the side where the “distortion unit” is as installed. Mainly, because the car was not likely engineered to accomodate a 500lb person riding shotgun. A better choice of arrival vehicle would be a 1972 Gran Torino station wagon. However, initial vehicle selection, would be probably decided on a few factors, that would be inline with the choice to use Titor, for the mission because he was a distant relative to one of the engineers who help design the IBM 5100. Namely, older corvettes, in American culture, is produced every year, is considered a collectors item, and a store of value, to a certain degrees, this would have a higher likelihood of surviving a total nuclear attack. Because most of those vehicles would be stored in protective buildings, garages, or collections, at the very least protected from “normal” environmental conditions. So would be likely to survive nuclear blasts, and radiation contamination, in a sudden attack and in the years after.
The other thing I can think of is. It’s easier to sell a classic, collectors, American sports car.
I absolutely agree with all you said, I just have one thing I would like to interject on your thoughts to consider.
From what I understood, the car sits still while time traveling.
He probably started his journey where he needed to end up closest too!
Why i bring this up, if I traveled time, I would do this, I would also NEVER, drive anywhere with the unit in the car after getting there, I would immediately pull it out & store it somewhere safe, which is why i would want to start closest to that place! The risk of being pulled over/robbed, is a risk I am ceratin NO Time Traveler would ever want to risk.
i.e. losing the machine or being questioned about it! Hope that seems reasonable?
Sincerely ~QS
Ima go out on a limb here because I have recently been made aware of this story, after 49 years of life. Mainly through the Metallicman blog post, which I believe to a foundational primer for this incident. So my thoughts are relentless in trying to understand the significant components of the message delivered. I have a condition which makes me hyper focused on information which does have a readily discernible resolution. ‘While the irons are still hot’, in my mind, as they say. I’m going to do a deep dive on the construction of the Time Machine, in a later post. I am a metal fabricator by primary trade, but I also an electrical/mechanical engineer. Technical manuals are my jam. Especially laser manuals from the 80s and 90s. Not sure why I like them so much, but I collect high powered gas lasers from that time period as a hobby. One thing i can say for sure, is that “all” manuals produced during that time period, were printed on paper, with a combination of isometric diagrams, circuit diagrams, and main block component/simplistic overviews. . Obtaining copies or originals, of the technical manuals that came with the lasers from the manufacturers is basically impossible, mainly because as the units were phased out, or replaced with newer more modern systems, nobody bothered to digitize or scan the old manuals, and the paper copies remaining at the companies were generally just disposed of. Being that the products were no longer supported, and thus, considered garbage.
I have copper vapor laser produced in the 80s by Oxford Lasers, out of the UK. It came from the Max Plank Institute, and was used for Uranium Isotope enrichment experiments. I have digital scans some of the manual pages, that are as rare as they get, since these types of lasers were used experimentally in the Alvis uranium enrichment program. As an alternative to centrifuge based enrichment.
I’m working a “deep dive” technical and mechanical evaluation of the Titor Time Machine itself, which will include the Oxford copper vapor laser technical manual page scans, which are not available anywhere on the internet. There is absolutely “something” here to this incident. I believe the key lies within a comparison of the the photos provided of the Time Machine box itself and a few scans of the manual, which contain pictures of the unit.
I do have other info for you, just not tonight, probaly tomorrow, most likely after 8’ish pm? Darby posted it along time ago!
If it is still in working order, it will be really valuable info! I do not know exactly how long he has been on here, wuite yet, but almost from the very beginning from what ican tell & he posts even now, 20+ years, He is way smarted than I!
Judas Titor is a wealth of info also… if asked to help, He also mentioned some pages could be missing that were posted initially, but he was of the mind if you asked around, they may be available still?
Yeah it seems people tend to get rid of things that were/are important to this conversation, like out paper copies made back then & didn’t digitaly save all. But just maybe someone here did?
~QS
P.S. sorry didn’t check for mistakes in typing, a bit of a hen~pecker & make spelling errors often when rushing to reply
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I do agree with you about the vehicle disposement. You basically would need the transport car to be only for limiting potential bystander observational awareness during initial timeline ingress. Probably need to ditch it quick as possible after unloading the time machine. Why drive around with the beast?
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Ok, gonna be honest, I do not know what some of those words mean! Not the sharpest spoon in the crayon box! xD I will look them up & maybe once I grasp all that you said… I will re~reply! 
Ok that should have been obvious, but well… ehem.
oh ok, makes sense, so embarrassed! Ok I got ya! Yes I agree… concur! xD
I promise others on her are certainly very intelligent, i had a bit of a different life than others on here. But i’ll help where I can? 
I used to remove passenger seats from cars to move equipment around. That 500lb box is designed to be rolled around on a dolly. The handles are for scooting it on and off the dolly.