Thursday, April 30, 2026
how Trans Am hood birds were installed at the plant.
The GM plants were cranking out 58 cars/hour at the peak of F-body production, so installers at each station had just about a minute of actual working time to complete their task.
When Van Nuys first started building Firebirds, decal installation was done as the cars were emerging from the paint curing ovens. Jon said the sheet metal was so hot they had to douse the car with three 5-gallon buckets of water just to be able to touch the surface. Even so, the water evaporated so quickly the decal immediately fused itself to the hood wherever it touched, so the defect rate was over 50%.
They eventually moved the decal installation operation further down line just before the doghouse was installed.
Workers pulled a hood off the overhead conveyor, set it on a jig attached to a turntable that allowed them to spin the hood 360 degrees while using a squeegee to displace air and water trapped under the decal.
Once the decal installation was complete, the hood was hung back on the conveyor hook (in the same spot) where it would remain in proper production sequence to be mated with the car for which it was intended.
I only just learned of Stagecoach Country Music Festival, because I don't follow country music (haven't listened to it since the Mandrell Sisters, Alabama, and Jerry Reed) and this came as a surprise
48 people were cited for the unlawful use of a disabled person's placard.
On Monday, more than 2,000 people turned up to see Babs at Pendine (thank you Paul!)
the Ford Total Performance Show rig
The May 3, 1969, event featured Ford Drag Team members Hubert Platt and Randy Payne plus a traveling "supercar clinic" that included competitive drag runs, a specialty car display, and an exhibition of hi-po equipment.
The Going Thing Mustangs were available in special-order Petty Blue (remember, the King was with Ford in 1969) or white, all built with both pedestrian and performance Ford engines; they also featured an unusual stripe that resembled the Boss 302's yet included "THE GOING THING" stenciled at the bottom of the stripe, plus a huge Ford decal on the trunk lid.
Wednesday, April 29, 2026
another idiot tried to roll the odometer back on a Ferrari before dad got home...
The local media reports that the silver exotic fell into the Simme River in Garstattlast, Switzerland, on Tuesday (May 14, 2024) afternoon. In his defense, the driver didn't lose control of the wheel due to excessive speeding, as is often the case with such crashes, as his pride and joy (himself included) supposedly ended up in the water as a result of an accident on the road.
to comply with the Real ID Act, which set requirements for accepting state identification in federal facilities like airports, California has to renege on the promise to illegal aliens to hide their immigration status from the federal govt.
if state officials don’t turn over the data, the Department of Homeland Security may refuse to accept California licenses and IDs at airports
The state plans to provide the information to the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators, a nonprofit organization whose governing board is made up of DMV officials from across the country.
The information given to the association will go into the group’s State-to-State Verification system and its platform, known as SPEXS, which allows DMVs and contractors that work with them to verify if someone has more than one license issued in their name.
If/when federal immigration officials gain bulk access to the data they can use the fact that a person doesn’t have a Social Security number signals that they’re deportable.
Because California recorded their social security numbers as 999-99-9999 it's simple and easy to pull all the names and addresses of everyone without a real social security number.
The information given to the association will go into the group’s State-to-State Verification system and its platform, known as SPEXS, which allows DMVs and contractors that work with them to verify if someone has more than one license issued in their name.
If/when federal immigration officials gain bulk access to the data they can use the fact that a person doesn’t have a Social Security number signals that they’re deportable.
unleaded 88 octane vs 87 octane... an informative article on the difference
the major difference between Unleaded 88 and Unleaded 87. Unleaded 88, also called E15, contains 15% ethanol and 85% gasoline, whereas the Unleaded 87 you are familiar with is a blend of 10% ethanol and 90% gasoline.
that increase in ethanol content may result in a reduction in your MPGs. It's simply because gasoline is more energy-dense than ethanol, so the lower gasoline content can result in lower fuel economy.
pre-2001 vehicles should not use Unleaded 88 or E15 gas is that their fuel systems are not designed to handle the higher alcohol content of these fuels. Some issues related to the use of higher-ethanol-content fuel in vehicles not designed for it include clogged fuel filters, fuel tank corrosion, swelling or cracking of plastic fuel system parts, difficult starting, and failed fuel hoses.
a Chevy Camaro owner spent thousands of dollars and waited six months only to discover their car parked outside a local bar one day.
To make matters worse, the son later discovered his Camaro parked outside a downtown bar, with evidence that suggests that it had been driven for personal use, including items left inside and potential signs that had been exposed to winter road conditions, raising concerns about how the car had been used.
here's a new one to me
Three Georgia State Patrol troopers who intentionally bumped vehicles or performed other maneuvers to stop vehicles during pursuits sought payouts afterward from the other driver’s insurance, claiming personal injuries to supplement their paychecks, an internal investigation found.
The three troopers and their supervisor were fired for violating Georgia Department of Public Safety policy and ethical standards
After using their patrol vehicles to stop a chase — including a “precision immobilization technique,” or PIT maneuver — the troopers would send crash reports to a specific private attorney who would file a personal injury claim, the department said. Then the troopers would receive money when an insurance company settled out of court.
BUSTED! Fox 8’s NOPD overtime investigation after cameras found two high-paid sergeants at home while timesheets showed they were on the clock for regular shifts.
Fox 8 found thousands of edits tied to the officers’ timesheets, including more than 900 actions on one timesheet under another sergeant’s user ID and more than 1,600 actions on another timesheet under another sergeant’s user ID.
On March 3, March 5, March 8 and March 9, Boone’s timesheets show she was clocked in for her scheduled shift at 6:25 a.m.
On all four days, Fox 8’s camera recorded her leaving home hours after she was on the clock.
On March 8, video shows her leaving her home in uniform at 9:39 a.m., more than three hours after her timesheet showed she was clocked in.
The next day, video showed her walking to her car in uniform around 8:30 a.m., more than two hours after records showed NOPD was paying her.
scam alert, thieves now “utilize a fraudulent transportation company to acquire luxury vehicle transportation ‘jobs’ by legitimate auto dealerships"
“Essentially, the seller/buyer will solicit a vehicle for transportation, and will unknowingly be contracting a thief, utilizing a fraudulent transportation business, to transport their newly sold/purchased luxury vehicle,” Anca wrote. “Once the thief is in possession of the vehicle, the thief will completely cut ties with the victim, depriving the victim (of) their vehicle, essentially stealing it.”
Authorities said suspects frequently sublease the jobs on purpose to “create confusion and layers to protect themselves and thwart law enforcement investigations.”
“In most cases, the subcontracted drivers are innocent and do not realize they are transporting and dropping off a luxury vehicle to a thief, posing as a legitimate car carrier/transport company,”
“In most cases, the subcontracted drivers are innocent and do not realize they are transporting and dropping off a luxury vehicle to a thief, posing as a legitimate car carrier/transport company,”
A Wisconsin road has added a decimal point to its speed limit — in the hope that the unusual traffic sign will catch attention.... but it's pointless... the speed limit is 17 mph, it's a rare person that pays ANY attention to a speed limit under 20 mph
what makes this even more absurd, is that it's inside a city dump facility in Appleton Wisconsin.
It's not even on normal city streets. So, this is just stupid.
Ford and rugged clothing brand Carhartt (Carhartt has produced apparel for Ford factory workers dating all the way back to the 1920s) announced a new partnership, one aspect of that is the Detroit ToolBank which will loan out equipment nonprofits, community groups, and schools to support neighborhood projects, disaster response, and workforce training.
Ford and Carhartt are supporting the project by creating a $25,000 "Re-Tooling Detroit" start-up fund, which covers lending fees for the Toolbank's initial community projects. Nearly 200 volunteers from Ford and Carhartt gathered at Belle Isle for National Volunteer Week, too. Using brand-new tools and custom wood kits provided by Detroit ToolBank, the team spent the day assembling picnic tables and Adirondack chairs that will remain in the park to serve the community for years to come.
Seriously, the site chosen to fix up was the wealthiest park in the broken down bankrupt city? The orphanages, juvie halls, prisons, homes for unwed mothers, Becky's House, homeless shelters, etc weren't in need?
It's got to be similar to doing charity work in a park on Coronado Island in the middle of San Diego Bay, or off the coast on Catalina Island.. or some other millionaire's neighborhood.
Tuesday, April 28, 2026
does that Cobra Daytona trailer look way too nose heavy? Or just plain wrong? I got the instant reaction from seeing this that the trailer tongue is too low, the bumper hitch is too low, or something... wrong
The #2 Daytona and trailer on the left is easy to compare with the #1 Daytona and trailer on the right, which is level
But I really am posting this because of the truck towing the trailer
the New York Times reports that the FAA is making a recruiting push aimed at avid video game players to fill a national shortage of air traffic controllers. (or, they could simply off to pay them a lot more money to get more applicants!)
The FAA’s new campaign aims to reach young adults who possess useful skills that are transferable to a career in air traffic control, including:
Demonstrated high cognitive functions
Multitasking
Spatial awareness
Strategy and problem-solving
With only about 25 percent of controllers holding a traditional college degree, this effort is focused on reaching talented young people pursuing alternative career paths, many of whom are active in gaming. Feedback from controller exit interviews reinforces this, with several controllers pointing to gaming as an influence on their ability to think quickly, stay focused, and manage complexity. Approximately 65 percent, more than 200 million, of Americans regularly play video games.
Demonstrated high cognitive functions
Multitasking
Spatial awareness
Strategy and problem-solving
With only about 25 percent of controllers holding a traditional college degree, this effort is focused on reaching talented young people pursuing alternative career paths, many of whom are active in gaming. Feedback from controller exit interviews reinforces this, with several controllers pointing to gaming as an influence on their ability to think quickly, stay focused, and manage complexity. Approximately 65 percent, more than 200 million, of Americans regularly play video games.
one step closer to a terminator robot... but - is this also one step closer to robots being used as bomb defusers, deep sea welders, and other high dollar and high danger work (but it's not likely, as human labor is often dirt cheap... robots like this will never clean hotels)
Japan Airlines will introduce the robots for trial run at a Tokyo airport amid country’s surge in inbound tourism and worsening labour shortages, with a view to deploying them permanently as a solution to the country’s chronic labour shortage.
The Chinese-made humanoids will move travelers' luggage and cargo on the tarmac at Haneda, which handles more than 60 million passengers a year.
The president of JAL Ground Service, Yoshiteru Suzuki, said using robots to perform physically demanding work would “inevitably reduce the burden on workers and provide significant benefits to employees”, according to the Kyodo news agency.
This will be the first time No. 4014 has ever steamed east of Chicago
June 3 – West Chicago, Illinois
June 10 – Buffalo, New York
June 15-16 – Scranton, Pennsylvania
July 4-5 – Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
July 9-10 – Altoona, Pennsylvania
July 14 – Fostoria, Ohio
July 19 – St. Louis, Missouri
the Union Pacific Museum will be selling tickets for rides in vintage passenger cars pulled by Big Boy through the Poconos Mountains in Pennsylvania on June 14
I bet it's not going to matter to anyone if a corporation does charity work for the free publicity, the tax write off, or the virtue signaling... as long as the charity is a kids or pets type. So, in that context, it's still cool that the Boys and Girls Club benefits!
Bridgestone Retail Operations, a subsidiary of Bridgestone Americas, is marking the10th anniversary of its Driving Great Futures partnership with Boys & Girls Clubs of America (BGCA) with major donations, special giving campaigns and engagement opportunities for Club kids throughout the remainder of the year.
Passenger vans are among the most vital resources a Boys & Girls Club can have, providing a solution to transportation challenges and enabling safe travel for young people to and from Club locations. These grants also enable Boys & Girls Clubs to provide more learning experiences for youth off site, such as field trips, college tours and other enriching activities.
Plaintiffs who paid John Deere’s authorized dealers for large equipment repairs from January 2018 to now, will recover somewhere between 26% and 53% of overcharge damages, now that JD settled, and agreed to pay $99 millio
The ag manufacturing giant will also make digital diagnostic, maintenance, and repair tools available to third parties for 10 years.
the price of used equipment skyrocketed in response to the infamous service difficulties. Even when the cost of older tractors doubled, farmers reasoned that they were still worth it because repairs were simpler and downtime was minimized. $60,000 for a 40-year-old machine became the norm.
A judge’s approval of the settlement is still required, though it seems likely. Still, John Deere isn’t out of the woods yet. It still faces another lawsuit from the United States Federal Trade Commission, in which the government organization accuses Deere of harmfully locking down the repair process.
A tool “The Gas Index,” originally made to track beer prices (It was called the “Guinndex.”) started as a tool to track the price of a pint of beer in Ireland.
The Gas Index factors in your vehicle and location, how far you’ll have to drive, and what octane it requires.
Monday, April 27, 2026
the Daily Timewaster finds some really cool stuff, the YB-35, YB-49 and the B-2
the first volume of A.J. Foyt's biography is 656 pages, and there’s a second volume on the way, Octane Press is taking pre-orders for the book
Foyt is the only driver to win the Indy 500, the Daytona 500, and the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
If I win the lotto, I might not tell anyone, but the mansion I have built and the matching brass era car will be obvious signs. (this is a real 1916 photo, of a Massachusetts home, just pure awesome design, I would certainly get this one recreated!))
Nathaniel Sanders owned Boston Motor Company and was a dealer for Acme Automobiles. This was his home in Haverhill MA built in 1881, designed by Ralph Emerson.
The picture is from 1916, the house had 33 rooms.
It was torn down in 1946, when the family left Massachusetts and owed taxes on it. The city was having trouble with youths going into the abandoned house, partying and lighting fires.
The family sold the estate and land to the city, used the money to pay the back taxes and the city made the land conservation area.
https://haverhill.pastperfectonline.com/Photo/83456724-64EC-40B3-A716-462470667023See lots more photos of this place, exterior and interior at https://haverhill.pastperfectonline.com/bysearchterm?keyword=Birchbrow
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