Saturday, May 27, 2017

Nascar inspired 1960 Starliner build... every car looks better with 60s racing numbers and a sponsor down the quarter panels



Ryan’s Starliner started off as an unfinished project, he swapped out the tired old 325 for a 390 sporting 3 Rochester 2 barrels. Replacing the engine was just the start of this primarily mechanical restoration as Ryan added air ride suspension, four-wheel power disc brakes, custom side pipe exhaust that runs through the frame, new wheels and tires and a floor mounted shifter. The interior looks mostly original as he left the bench seat and didn’t install a roll cage. He did, however, make some of the neatest door panels around.


https://www.picasta.com/post/59603442/sonoma-raceway-in-northern-california-with-this-thing-this-should-be-a-fun-one-episode-6-of-the-house-of-muscle-will-be-live-on-mtondemand-t

Thanks Lucian!

Friday, May 26, 2017

Bob wrote a great article about tools in the Model T forum on Facebook, and mentioned he has inherited tools from his dad, who was given them by his grand dad... that is so cool!


(and here is what he wrote:)
What Dad Taught Me About Lending and Borrowing Tools

The loan of a tool is a sacred, holy thing, especially when it involves that kind of rare, extremely hard-to-replace, vintage implement that does the job oh-so-much-better than anything manufactured in the last half-century (and you know the type I'm talking about; they're always rust-colored without actually being rusty). Man, that's an expression of trust!

I was brought up by a second-generation, Italian-American Dad in a paper paint hat, shoulder-strap undershirt and leather tool-belt. Grandpa wore the same uniform. Both made their livings as disciplined craftsmen and both treated their tools like a priest treats golden altar utensils. When he gave me my first bicycle, Dad, in ceremonial solemnity, withdrew from his tool cabinet, a satchel-grip of ancient hand tools—and with laser beam eye-contact, gave me permission to use them as I needed, explicitly conditional on their diligent care and return. One made certain to be careful with the tools Grandpa had handed down to Dad. Respect.

Well, Dad has been gone for a number of years and his tools are mine, now (and they sure as hell don't go in the plastic bucket with my Harbor Freight junk). Some of them have the Ford imprint, for Giuseppe and Conrad were Ford men; and when I reach for one of those wrenches to use on my Model T—

which is identical to the car in the sepia-tone photo of Dad and Uncle Lou, for they two went partners on a 1915 Touring just before the war—I get a feeling of heart-tugging nostalgia. I gaze at that tool in my hand and from the archives of my memory, a video is selected much the same way an old Wurlitzer juke box would extract a single record from a horizontal stack of 45’s. As it plays, there’s Dad looking not quite forty years old, and he smiles patiently as he tells Bobby, not yet Bob, "Before you screw on the nut, turn it backwards till you feel the click; THEN spin it on."

https://www.facebook.com/groups/Fordmodelt/permalink/10158638924515548/

"Rocket" Bob Gullickson, 1966 - 2013., put in a wheelchair by a motorcycle accident, but built one of the fastest wheelchairs ever back in 2010


 Bob Gullickson's kind-of wheelchair resembles a high-tech go-cart more than a wheelchair, but both Gullickson and inventor Ky Michaelson agree that a standard wheelchair isn't safe for that kind of speed.

I can't find any info about him except this and his obit. If he ever did get this on the dragstrip, there isn't any mention of that escapade on the internet. His facebook account is closed.


In 2001 he entered the National Veteran's Wheelchair Games traveling to New York City and earning 2 gold, 1 silver and 2 bronze medals.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/futuresonics55chev/permalink/1904432179826118/
http://www.startribune.com/rocket-bob-aiming-for-a-fastest-wheelchair-record/98687614/
http://partmanpartcar.blogspot.com/2010/06/bob-gullicksons-rocket-powered.html
http://www.robertsfamilyfh.com/obituary/98075/robert-bob-gullickson-of-forest-lake-minnesota/

1948 Chevy woody


reamarkable how good the artist was at drawing the car... this comparison shows his good work on the proportions, and change in perspective as he went from the back to the front as he drew it, instead of sitting back and not moving, as the camera does, which makes the wheel base look smaller



Thanks Doug!

https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/1948-chevrolet-sports-coupe-woody.1061667/

Biggest mudslide in California history wipes out state Highway 1, also known as the beautiful coastal highway, near Big Sur


The mudslide the crashed on California State Route 1 on Saturday has resulted in $1 billion dollars in highway damage. The weekend slide buried parts of the coastal highway under a 40-foot layer of dirt and rock. Recent aerial shots from above show a massive mud dome that created a wide skirt over the road, down the cliff, and onto the shore below.

The mudslide is being billed as the biggest in recorded state history. "It's one of a kind," Susana Cruz, a spokeswoman with the California Department of Transportation, told Associated Press. “We haven't been able to go up there and assess. It's still moving," Cruz said.


http://m.sfgate.com/news/us/article/Massive-slide-covers-stretch-of-Highway-1-near-11165911.php
https://twitter.com/abc7newsbayarea
https://sf.curbed.com/2017/5/24/15686966/mudslide-big-sur-landslide

To celebrate the 50th anniversary of Burt's land speed record, Indian Motorcycle is teaming up with his great nephew to recreate the historic run at Bonneville on August 13.


For the publicity attempt, Lee Munro will pilot a modern Indian Scout with a powertrain modified by the Indian Motorcycle engineering team in an effort to become the world's fastest modern Indian motorcycle.

 The attempt will not break Burt's record, but instead will honor his storied legacy in the world of motorcycling. Fueled by their own ambition to push beyond boundaries, Indian's team of engineers volunteered to be a part of this historic attempt, working on the project "after hours."

The team will undergo several test runs in El Mirage, Calif. before Lee Munro takes to the Salt Flats of Bonneville.

http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/indian-motorcycle-pays-tribute-to-the-50th-anniversary-of-burt-munros-historic-land-speed-record-300463228.html

Trump talked yesterday about the trade deficit with Germany, said he wants a 35% import tariff to force them to build BMW, etc in the USA instead of Mexico

"Look at the millions of cars they’re selling in the US. Terrible. We will stop this,” Trump reportedly said of the Germans.

Here's the thing: the U.S. can't negotiate a deal with Germany alone. It has to deal with the entire EU, since Germany is a member state. Merkel reminded Trump of this when they met in March, noting that trade agreements with the U.S. have "not always been all that popular in Germany either."

While Trump's irritation over German car sales isn't new – Trump told a German newspaper earlier this year he wanted a 35% import tax on BMWs assembled in Mexico to encourage manufacturers to move to the US

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/onpolitics/2017/05/25/president-trump-calls-germans-very-bad-and-promises-stop-car-imports-report/102162310/

the best un-restored example of a '68 Belvedere coupe just sold at auction, it was driven by the owner for a year before he died of cancer, his widow and son only drove it rarely after that until 1974 when it went to long term storage. 18k miles are all it ever covered


the usual things have been replaced, voltage regulator, water pump, gas tank, brake pads.



About a year after purchasing the car, Roland sadly died of cancer. The title was transferred to wife and son. It was driven very little after his passing but the journal mentions his son Joseph driving it to the hospital in Ann Arbor several times to visit his dad. From 1969-1974, it was stored every winter and pleasure driven only. From 1974 to July 24th, 2008, the car was kept in dry storage and the engine was turned over by hand.

In 2008 his wife passed away his son took the car out of the garage and into daylight with only 17,640 miles on the clock. Once Joseph got it home,  he worked to put it back on the road over the next few years by replacing the gas tank, rebuilding the carburetor, new brakes, re-coring the original radiator and installing a new water pump to make sure it would be reliable.



http://moparconnectionmagazine.com/one-for-the-books-unrestored-18000-mile-1968-plymouth-belvedere/

Thanks Stephen! Here is some inspiration for the week end, and hell, use it the rest of your life too. Adolfo Almarez lost his legs at age 12. It's not slowing him down. Sooooo... what can be slowing you down if you can be inspired?


At the age of only 12, in Dec 2000, leaving a basketball tournament in Argentina, the school bus suffered a serious wreck. Three of his companions lost their lives and Adolfo his two legs.

He focused on finding a discipline that would allow him to be competitive, but not in the Paralympic sphere. He wanted the big leagues and he got it. "I am the only rider in the world that is racing in the Elite category with two prostheses."

During his recovery he received a powerful message, full of values ​​and tools, that motivates him to return to normal life. Today Adolfo uses the motivational talks and his bicycle to share the message to the world and demonstrate by example that there are no limits.






http://www.adolfoalmarza.com/
https://www.facebook.com/AdolfoAlmarzaOficial/
http://www.datoavisos.cl/datos-entrevistas/adolfo-almarza/

Maybe most of you don't need inspiration, but I do. So, I'm sharing what I find inspirational, not to flood the blog with story after story of wheelchairs, amputees, and struggles to overcome trauma.... but to boost my mood with some awesome stuff. Some days that is Ken Block, or Travis Pastrana, or monster truck drivers doing insane stunts for the 1st time, and then there are weeks like this one, where it's BMX riders who don't have 2 legs.

For anyone reading this that is annoyed by the heavier than usual biking posts, or amputee inspirational story posts, just stick around and read on to the rest of the post, no doubt I'll be back to the usual stuff for quite a while.

For all the rest of the people reading along that are saying to themselves, wow, I had no idea this many people were out there working past the challenge of being without a leg, or stuck in a wheelchair but going off road in a Polaris RZR, then for you readers I want to let you know that I post awesome inspirational stories like this when I can find them, just click on the "Awesome" tab for more.

Chrysler-Plymouth service department, Ralph Morris, ca.1955


this is seriously nicer than a new dealership's service bays. All this art deco shelving and tool box storage was tossed in favor of new junk. No style, no built to last forever quality.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/michaelryerson/11436370733/

Polaris and its partners are offering up the chance to win a variety of prizes, including a Diesel Brother's Polaris RZR Turbo.

Above, Juan Dominguez and the Diesel Brothers Polaris RZR turbo

The Polars RZR Salute to Heroes campaign is an important fund-raiser for the Warfighter Made (WFM) organization.

The Warfighter Made leads several powerful programs for wounded veterans. The goal and focus is the customization of combat wounded veteran’s vehicles, so they can continue doing the things they enjoy.



"The greatest thing about Warfighter Made is helping a vet who is very closed off to the world,” says Dominguez. “To see a vet go out on a recreational therapy trip and basically come back with a smile - that’s everything to us. Our campaign is to stop all the (veteran) suicides.”


Polaris RZR has also been a huge part in helping promote and support this amazing organization and this year they went to the next level with the RZR Salute To Heroes Campaign. Polaris kicked this campaign off alongside all of their partners to help raise dollars and awareness for Warfighter Made and in the process have put together some amazing prizes to encourage and reward those who donate.

This is the last week to donate through the “RZR Salute to Heroes”­ website. Those who donate will be entered to win one of 17 prizes, including the custom military themed RZR XP Turbo EPS grand prize!  DONATE HERE with paypal
In addition to donating, for every picture of a RZR, a RZR Life story, and #RZRLife or #RZRSalutetoHeroes post on social media, RZR will donate $5— up to $25,000 — directly to Warfighter Made!

The “RZR Salute to Heroes” campaign ends at 11:59 p.m. CST, on May 29.


The Diesel Brother’s inspiration for the build came from the Polaris DAGOR and a few other DPV (desert patrol vehicles). They wanted to build something similar to what the military has used for years to quickly maneuver through off-road obstacles and insert troops. To make the vehicle as durable as possible, they coated the entire exterior in a Coyote Tan LINE-X bed liner.

The vehicle features:

Sparks Motors/Diesel Brothers (design/build)
UTVUnderground.com (sourcing/design)
CageWRX (cage, suspension, tire carrier and bumper)
Walker Evans Racing (shocks and wheels)
BEARD Seats
Heretic Lighting
BFGoodrich Tires
Nav-Atlas (navigation and stereo)
Assault Industries (mirrors, fire suppression and accessories)
SPARKS Racing (exhaust)
Switch-Pro’s
RCV Axles




https://www.facebook.com/PolarisRZR
https://www.knfilters.com/news/news.aspx?id=7103
https://rzr.polaris.com/en-us/warfighter/
http://www.rzrsalutetoheroes.com/
http://www.utvunderground.com/feature-vehicle-warfighter-made-polaris-rzr-xp-turbo-48902.html
http://www.rzrforums.net/polaris-rzr-news/421625-polaris-unveiled-grand-prize-rzr-salute-heroes-campaign-custom-military-themed-rzr-xp-turbo-eps-built-diesel-brothers.html