Saturday, March 15, 2008

Why?


Hood scoop... really needed?

Spray paint primer gray, and expired tags, on a BMW? How the once great have fallen.


There is a lot going on here,

Wing, wheelie bars, and a flame job grab my attention right away... but this has so much more.

Bruce's huge '95 Peterbuilt 357, custom

The tires alone are taller than my daily driver car, and EXPENSIVE! 1700 apiece, from Michellin of Australia... the front axle has a 21,000 GVW rating, and this had a past life as a mixer truck in a Florida mine.

Now it does special jobs, like movie location wetting, construction site watering down for foundation compaction, is (or has) worked some local fires, and soon a couple of accessories will be added to allow for remote controlled water cannon projection of up to 1/4 mile.

Nice!

Hand held cell phone while driving... not yet against the law

Click on the photo for the full, easy to view size Just torques me. If it's so unsafe that the DMV makes a law against it, if it's that unsafe, why are the cops holding a cell phone while driving on the 805 Southbound at about 5pm?

http://www.dmv.ca.gov/cellularphonelaws/index.htm

"Two new laws dealing with the use of wireless telephones while driving ...

Q: When do the new wireless telephone laws take effect?
A: The new laws take effect July 1, 2008

Q: What is the difference between the two laws?
A: The first prohibits all drivers from using a handheld wireless telephone while operating a motor vehicle. (Vehicle Code (VC) §23123).

Q: Can I be pulled over by a law enforcement officer for using my handheld wireless telephone?
A: Yes. A law enforcement officer can pull you over just for this infraction.

But here's where corruption shows its face :

"Q: What other exceptions are there?
A: Operators of an authorized emergency vehicle during the course of employment are exempt"


I conclude that the DMV clearly infers that unless you have a badge, you are considered a 2nd class driver who can't be trusted to drive safe and talk to a cell phone at the same time.

The corollary seems to be that the only people who can safely talk to a cell phone and drive at the same time are such exceptional 1st class drivers they are hired to police the 2nd class drivers; and given police cars and badges because they can simultaneously DRIVE, HOLD A CELL PHONE AND TALK, and PULL YOU OVER FOR TALKING ON A CELL PHONE.

What a farce, a conjured up excuse to raise money for the overspending government.

Instead of citing you when you cause a collision, accident, or harm others... they are omnipotent enough to foresee that all drivers talking on cell phones without a hands free device (not driving an emergency vehicle), are going to harm others, and must be issued a citation and fined by a exceptional (able to hold a cell phone and talk at the same time while driving) 1st class driver. What arrogant pomposity.

Friday, March 14, 2008

From the San Diego Union Trib Wheels car calendar author... the car calendar is a partial list, here's a link to the rest

My Car Calendar runs in part in the Wheels section, but I run it in full at Maynard's Garage, http://weblog.signonsandiego.com/weblogs/garage/

Ever wonder what a "2+2" fender callout was about?

I haven't seen many, just one of each, but I'd wondered and finally remembered to look them up, thanks Tere!

From Wikipedia : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2+2_(car_body_style)
The 2 + 2 means bucket seats in the front and dual exhaust.

The term 2+2 is a phrase used to describe the configuration of a car with seating for two passengers up front, plus two seats for occasional passengers in the rear. Many vehicles fall into this definition, and there is no official body offering a strict definition, but cars called 2+2s are generally of a more sporting nature than the average vehicle (at least in theory); they tend to have coupé bodies, and sources conflict as to whether they must have only two doors.

Many convertible and targa top cars are strictly within this definition, but are rarely called 2+2s.
While the "plus two" seats in the back are generally not very spacious, they may be effective in bringing down the owner's insurance premium, and are sometimes suitable for children or a dog.

Only a few cars have ever been specifically marketed as 2+2s — most prominent are the classic 1964-73 Ford Mustang Fastbacks, Jaguar E-type fixed-head coupé 2+2, the Lotus Elan +2, the Nissan 300ZX 2+2 and the various Pontiac 2+2 models, including the aerodynamic Grand Prix of NASCAR fame.

Wednesday, March 12, 2008

Anyone up for a car show wish list? Here are the biggest, most expensive, and websites for them

SALON DE L'AUTOGenève (Switzerland), March 6-16, 2008 http://www.salon-auto.ch/
TECHNO CLASSICAEssen (Germany), March 26-30, 2008 http://www.siha.de/
TOUR AUTOParis-Marseille (France), April 14-19, 2008 http://www.tour-auto.com/
CONCORSO D'ELEGANZA VILLA D'ESTE Cernobbio (Italy), April 25-27, 2008 http://www.concorsodeleganzavilladeste.com/
GRAND PRIX DE MONACO Historique Monte-Carlo (Monaco), May 10-11, 2008 http://www.acm.mc/
1000 MIGLIA Brescia-Roma-Brescia (Italy), May 15-18, 2008 http://www.1000miglia.eu/
LOUIS VUITTON CLASSIC CHINA RUN May 23-June 2, 2008 http://www.vuitton.com/
GRAND PRIX DE MONACO F1Monte-Carlo (Monaco), May 25, 2008 http://www.acm.mc/
LE MANS CLASSIC Le Mans (France), July 11-13, 2008 http://www.lemansclassic.com/
GOODWOOD FESTIVAL OF SPEED (United Kingdom), July 11-13, 2008 http://www.goodwood.co.uk/
MEADOW BROOK CONCOURS D'ELEGANCE Rochester, Michigan (USA), August 3, 2008http://www.meadowbrookconcours.org/
CONCORSO ITALIANO Monterey, California (USA), August 15, 2008http://www.concorso.com/
THE QUAIL - A MOTORSPORTS GATHERING Carmel Valley, California (USA), August 15, 2008 http://www.quaillodge.com/
MONTEREY HISTORIC AUTOMOBILE RACES California (USA), August 15-17, 2008 http://www.montereyhistoric.com/
PEBBLE BEACH CONCOURS D'ELEGANCE California (USA), August 17, 2008 http://www.pebblebeachconcours.net/
GOODWOOD REVIVAL (United Kingdom), September 19-21, 2008 http://www.goodwood.co.uk/
MONDIAL DE L'AUTOMOBILE Paris (France), October 4-19, 2008 http://www.mondial-automobile.com/
LONDON TO BRIGHTON VETERAN CAR RUN (United Kingdom), November 2, 2008http://www.vccofgb.co.uk/
LOS ANGELES AUTO SHOW (USA), November 21-30, 2008 http://www.laautoshow.com/

AMELIA ISLAND CONCOURS D'ELEGANCE Amelia Island, Florida (USA), March 13-15, 2009http://www.ameliaconcours.org/

Louis Vuitton Classic - May 3rd to June 1 in China

The next run is scheduled in China in May 2008. The Concours Award and the Concept Award replaced the concours which used to be organised in such places as Paris, London and New York and are temporarily suspended. http://www.christianphilippsen.com/EnglishVersion/LVC.htm

45 Classic cars will compete between Chengdu in the Sichuan province to Kungming in the Yunman province

For a magazine article in pdf (also in German) with a couple of pictures: http://www.barbara-schaefer.de/publikationen/img/31china.pdf

http://www.louisvuitton.com/web/flash/index.jsp;jsessionid=OCKXVBCWWZGKGCRBXUDVAFYKEG4RAUPU?buy=1&langue=en_US

The Louis Vuitton Classic Awards
Louis Vuitton may have suspended their concours, but they are keen to keep in touch with the automobile enthusiasts. Every year, a special team of judges attribute a Louis Vuitton Classic Concours Award to a car chosen from the Best of Show winners of the most famous concours in the world, including Cavallino Classic (Florida), Amelia Island (Florida), Villa d'Este (Italy), Meadow Brook (Michigan), The Quail and Pebble Beach (both in California) and some carefully selected other events.

More updates to the Car show calendar

Buicks at Bates nut farm, .............................................June 1
Heartbeat Chevy at Bates ............................................Apr 27
Pontiacs at the Embarcadero (Seaport Village)........June 15
Prowlers at Bates ..........................................................Sept 28
Fallbrook Vintage Car Show........................................May 25
Cops and Rodders..........................................................June 21
Antique Automobile Club of America Picnic ...........July 4
Mustangs at Simpsons..................................................May 18
Antique Automobile Club National Convention......Sept 26-28

For the full calendar: http://justacarguy.blogspot.com/2008/02/2008-san-diego-car-show-season.html#links

Mopar VIN decoder website

http://www.southernbushmotorsports.com/vin.htm

great reference website! auto.howstuffworks.com/collectible-classic-cars

http://auto.howstuffworks.com/collectible-classic-cars-channel.htm

here's some excerpts from http://auto.howstuffworks.com/1968-1970-dodge-coronet-r-t3.htm

Really good indepth article on the Coronet (plus Super Bee and R/T) evolution from the 68 to 69 design changes... both how and why.

"Lacking tooling money, however, for a new hood, Dodge stylists imaginatively accomplished their task by grafting a stamped metal skirt onto the forward edge of the carryover hood."

"The recessed area above the bumper was filled with a bright-edged black panel that contained three slim horizontal rectangles. The left and right sections housed the taillamps. The middle rectangle, though not illuminated, contained red reflective material."

"In '69, Dodge also offered special performance packages for the 440- and 426-cubic-inch engines. Track Pak included a heavy-duty four-speed transmission with Hurst linkage, a heavy-duty 9.75-inch Dana axle with a 3.54 ratio, Sure-Grip nonslip differential, 26-inch high-performance radiator with fan shroud, seven-blade torque-drive fan, and dual-breaker distributor. The Super Track Pak included all of the above plus power disc brakes and 15-inch cast-center road wheels."

A couple of errors on this website are the description of the ram air switch, it actually is a pull handle to a cable that moves the flap, and the side marker reflectors didn't have light bulbs in 69... the 68's were just lights without reflectors, and the 69's went to just reflectors, then in 70 they went for a combo to offer "protection even with a burned-out bulb."

I believe this exemplifies why researchers who aren't into a subject personnaly should be fact checked by a fanatic, an expert, or both. I know I've made similar mistakes that I dodn't realize simply because I don't have a fact checker

Mopar website extra-ordinary!

http://www.mymopar.com/tools.htm

VIN Decoding

Production Numbers

Electrical Specifications
Mopar Wiring Diagrams
Wiring diagrams for all Mopar cars from 1955 thru 1976 and some various trucks.
Mopar Battery Guide 1966-1974

Casting Numbers

Fender Tag/Build Sheet Decoding
An excellent downloadable fender tag decoder for 1969-1974 Mopar vehicles. (454 kb)

Chassis & Drivetrain Specifications

Bad lift arm placement, or sudden localized gravity storms?



Putting the "Monster" back in monster trucking


How ugly is this? Was it just not brought before a test audience?



http://rides.webshots.com/album/442497996fpVgZd?start=0 for how this guy made this table Just interesting stuff found on http://blog.cardomain.com/blog/ very wide variety of auto related stuff there, from humorous to new cars (they aren't funny), from hot rods to sports cars, SEMA coverage and audio sysytem reviews

1960 Nash Rambler and 2002 F360 mash up


The Ralph Lauren Car Collection



Why is this so rare to find on the roads? Dit the Dukes of Hazard destroy so many that these are now rare?


The MCAS Miramar Auto Hobby Shop, has this cool tow truck

What's the coolest about this?; that this '31 Ford tow truck is still around?, that it's used as a display at the auto hobby shop, or that the authentic hoist mechanism is a couple of rear diffs? That the culmination of using whats hanging around for the most you can get out of it....






Monday, March 10, 2008

Nascar drivers give scorching critisism about the Goodyear tires at Kobalt Tools 500

Tony Stewart "If they can't do better than that, pull out of the sport. I guarantee you that Hoosier or Firestone could do a better job than that."

"That's the worse tire I've been on in my life in any professional form of racing," ... "Look at when they exited Formula One and the IRL and CART and World of Outlaws, USAC, you name it, because they can't compete, they can't keep up, they don't have the technology and they don't have the people smart enough to build a tire. This was pathetic today."

“Goodyear can't build a tire that is worth a crap. If I were Goodyear, I would be really embarrassed about this weekend and what they brought here.”

Goodyear doesn't have any competition on the track, they have an exclusive rights contract with Nascar until 2011, .....each tire costs $389.00.

http://www.nbc5i.com/sports/15553237/detail.html
http://sports.espn.go.com/rpm/columns/story?seriesId=2&columnist=blount_terry&id=3285299
http://www.globeinvestor.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20080310.r-goodyear11/GIStory/

Shelby Mustang Production figures, 1965-1970

SHELBY PRODUCTION NUMBERS

Model Year Body Style Description Produced Total
1965 GT350 Street Prototype 1
Street Production Models 521
Drag Cars 4
Competition Prototypes 2
Competition Production Models 34
562

1966 GT350 Prototypes 2
Standard Fastbacks 1,365
Paxton Prototype 1
Hertz Prototypes 2
Production Hertz Fastbacks 999
Drag Cars 4
Convertibles 4
2,378

1967 GT350 Fastbacks 1,175
GT500 Fastbacks 2,048
GT500 Notchback Prototype 1
GT500 Convertible Prototype 1
3,225

1968 GT500 Notchback Prototype 1
GT350 Fastbacks 803
GT350 Fastback Hertz Cars 224
GT350 Convertibles 404
GT500 Fastbacks 1,044
GT500 Fastback Hertz Cars 2
GT500 Convertibles 402
GT500KR Fastbacks 1,053
GT500KR Convertibles 517
GT500KR Convertible Hertz Cars 1
4,451

1969-70 Barrier Test and Prototype Pilot Cars 3
GT350 Fastbacks 935
GT350 Fastback Hertz Cars 152
GT350 Convertibles 194
GT500 Fastbacks 1,534
GT500 Convertibles 335
3,153

Total Units Produced 13,769
NOTE: Of the 3,153 Shelbys produced in the 1969-70 timeframe, 2,361 were considered 1969 Shelby models and 789 were considered 1970 Shelby models. The remaining 3 were prototype and test cars. ALL PRODUCTION FIGURES SUPPLIED BY SAAC

Via: http://www.karmustang.com/shelby_production_numbers.php

Sunday, March 09, 2008

If you know the days and locations of these car shows, please email me

jbohjkl@yahoo.com
I still have more car shows to add to my calendar and will research these, but if you already know, please fill me in so I can get the word out

The Porsche Club Concours
Gillespie Field, El Cajon Military Vehicles, Warbirds, and Collector cars
OverDrive Hot Rod News Annual Tech Fair & Chili Cook-off
Santee rat rod car show (wasn't held last year)
The Clairemont Neighborhood Park car show
Army Navy Academy car show

'70 Challenger R/T convertible being raffled off

Ronald McDonald House Charities of the Central Valley is raffling off a restored Plum Crazy purple 1970 Challenger R/T convertible with a 440 4 barrel, automatic, and luggage rack,

http://www.ronald-mcdonaldhouse.com/

http://www.ronald-mcdonaldhouse.org/gallery.html for the pictures

It appears that the drawing will be November 8 at the Banker’s Ball Room Downtown Fresno

Via this months Hemmings Muscle Car Magazine in the first dozen pages. Left side.

Motorcycles Are Invisible

Capt. Melvin Warren, commander of the Ohio Highway Patrol, Troop Five

"People aren't really looking for motorcycles. People commit violations in front of them that they wouldn't in the presence of a cruiser"

Via : http://www.bikernewsonline.com/

Found out too late for this show, but look for it next year

And if you appreciate cool websites, check out http://www.dublinmobchoppers.com/

Dublin Mob's PADDY RIDE & BBQ
They are having a rod and chopper run this morning starting out at Hooley's pub... and an Irish rock and honkeytonk music too, with The Farmers, The Downs Family, and the Deere Johns

For a gallery of last years show : http://www.suede37.com/images/2007/dblnmb/index.htm

Video interview that also shows highlights of 2 choppers Dublin Mob built : http://www.whipnotic.com/need-to-know/dublin-mob-choppers.html
I like the wrenches formed for fender struts.

http://www.streetchopperweb.com/features/0706_stcp_2006_belfast_bombshell/photo_06.html

How To Service Your Hot Rod DVD

Learn what it takes to professionally service your classic hot rod!

Go through a professional inspection and service procedure you can apply to your own classic road machine.

If you own, or plan on acquiring a hot rod, you need this fantastic How To guide brought to you by the legendary Hot Rod Surf garage. Follow Hot Rod Surf founder, hot rod builder, and motorcycle racer, Mark Whitney Mehran (MWM) as he inspects and fully services a 1932 Ford five window coupe at the Hot Rod Surf headquarters in San Diego, CA.
Filled with tech tips, professional mechanical procedures, and safety checks for traditional hot rods, this entertaining and easy to follow service guide is universally applicable from early 1930’s hot rods all the way up to 1960’s muscle cars and covers wheel bearings, brakes, tires, engine, fuel & carburetor, transmission, cooling, drive shaft & rear end, suspension & steering, and electrical service.