about a 82/83 Datsun.
Tuesday, January 20, 2026
completely out of no where, and with zero words to explain, I was sent two photos, and one is my 69 Super Bee when I drove it from Michigan to California in 1995. The other is sorta what it looked like when I bought it in 94
Above, Candy Apple red, which I paid for in 94, new Weld rims, new tires, new vinyl top, but I couldn't afford the back bumper replacement, and replacing the crummy exhaust, not after the engine rebuild, trans rebuild, rims, tires, and e brake cable (was cut off when I bought it). I replaced the bumper (some previous owner painted black) and the exhaust, the 2.76 gears, (with 3.23 posi) and the leaf springs with some out of a 69 Coronet Station Wagon (6 or 7 leaves per side, vs 5 that a 383 Bee came with. Super Stock were 5 and 6 on opposite sides, the wagon springs were STOUT!) new steering gear that was rebuilt, and front disc brakes I had rebuilt. Plus I added 906 heads. All in 5 years. That car was doing real good when I sold it in 2002, but it was rusting out, since it was from Michigan
well, that's twice in about 2 hours, that people told me don't know something about cars, that's VERY fundamental. The 1st was my sister, on the phone, so this 2nd time, in my comment section where I can get a snapshot of it, I can show you
And when dealing with the radiator issue on the commuter, I learned today what all the cost and broken parts were... and told the dealership service advisor to also replace the water pump, when hearing that, my sister decided I was being stupid to waste money on a new waterpump when the one on my car hadn't failed yet.
Then, copped an attitude when I pointed out the facts of car maintenance: you don't wait for the tire to be bald before replacing it, you don't wait for the engine to seize before replacing the oil, you don't wait for the brake rotor to get destroyed before you replace the brake pads, and when you are replacing the radiator at 103,000 miles, because it cracked, you do not ignore the upper and lower hoses, nor the water pump - because you're already tearing into the system and with the radiator OUT, there will not be an easier time to replace the parts that wear out, and PREVENT your car from stranding you, causing another week of renting a car while the or mechanic, or myself gets the water pump, hoses, and probably on a Monday morning when you are commuting to work, or during a holiday weekend when the parts stores are closed, and tow trucks are unavailable, etc etc. Murphy's law has been riding me like I'm a herd of fat cattle and it's a day from the railhead.
Somehow she could not find enough space between her ears to ponder the wisdom of preventative maintenance, and installing a new water pump at 100000 miles, similar to replacing the timing belt, and clutch, when the engine and trans were torn out and those were easy to replace. Versus 75 thousand miles from now when all the cost or trouble of labor would be at my expense, and not during the warranty work when the engine went bad, and was rebuilt under warranty (the water pump was not replaced at that time).
That's just closed minded of her... to not listen. Hence, no space between the ears for wisdom.
EMD M-16 power car. One of 68 built between 1954 and 1960, to sell to municipalities as backup generators, and had a 16-567C inside with an AC generator. This one is located north of San Antonio
to see what one looked like when newish, https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=936169725734208&set=p.936169725734208&type=3
Monday, January 19, 2026
It's been a couple years, but about not so long ago, I was out walking nearly every day to get enough exercise to lower the blood pressure, the heart rate, and increase my general circulatory health. (It worked) But it's time to get at it again, so, there will be frequent photos, as there were in days of yore, of what I saw on walkabout
For 7 years, these VWs have been under those car covers, not a thing has changed.
Nissan Juke. Not ugly, just odd looking.
When's the last time you saw a military decal on a windshield?
This neighborhood has a LOT of wheel barrows on display!
I found this a refreshing change from the tiny libraries I normally see... free fresh produce!
the insurance company that didn't bother checking the security of Lockwood Leasing in Canada is learning how expensive it was to not verify that the cars couldn't be driven away by thieves. Some just did. Either the alarm wasn't switched on or there was no alarm of any value installed.
thieves broke into the dealership, pried open a lock box full of keys with a crowbar, then drove away a Ferrari 812 GTS, a Porsche 911 GT3, two Mercedes-Benz S580s and two BMW M4 models.
What the hell was preventing the cars from driving away? Wet noodles? There were no blockers
10 thieves in the crew, simply smashed the glass door to the premises, used a pry bar to open the key safe, moved the furniture, and drove the cars away.
https://carbuzz.com/ferrari-812-gts-porsche-911-gt3-cars-stolen/
Sunday, January 18, 2026
then there was the time when the mayor of Springfield Illinois lost his marbles and used his police department to torment the newsies. All stemming from him not getting 2 cents change back when paying for a paper with a nickel
The short-lived imbroglio began on May 12, 1921, when Mayor Charles Baumann gave a newsboy a nickel to pay for his 3-cent newspaper, but the newsboy stiffed the Mayor out of 2 cents change, so the Mayor retaliated by ordering city police to dismantle every news stand in downtown Springfield.
The next morning, however, Baumann ordered police officers to overturn the news stands. Police, acting on orders of the mayor, this morning forced all newsboys to take their papers from the downtown news-stands and working in pairs overturned every stand.
https://sangamoncountyhistory.org/wp/newsboys-vs-the-mayor-1921
Winton, the topic of the day (so far) came up with a compressed air starter, and the tank of compressed air was able to double as a reservoir for inflating tires
Winton's compressed-air starter enabled advertising of “The Self-Starting Winton Six-Teen-Six”.
That starter system also enabled Winton, from 1911, to offer tire inflation using the same compressed-air reservoir.
Until 1911 there were only a handful of self starting cars that didn't require grabbing a crank handle, and Winton and Chalmers both used compressed air systems. In 1912, 60 manufacturers were including a self starter in their equipment lists, but only two were electric
In the Jan 1912 Automobile Magazine the variety of starters was listed as acetylene gas, electrical, compressed air, spring and lever starters
https://www.delcoremyhistory.com/images/Moments%20in%20Time/Starter%20Types%20Automotive_Industries%20Jan%201912.pdf for the details on how the systems worked
https://www.thesahb.com/snapshot-467-1908-winton-six-teen-six/
For a great article on how the first cars were made, written by the first American car maker, enjoy the information in the Saturday Evening Post article by Alexander Winton, who sold cars in 1898
Above, the 1st car Winton made went on it's first outing with a five-mile run from the Winton works to the main square in Cleveland and back carrying five passengers
On radiators:
These cooling devices were nothing more than banks of tubes through which water could flow.
During summer months, after school and on Saturdays, we used to have boys come in and string tin washers on tubes. When the washers were all in place we would dip the tubes in solder so as to make them one part.
On customer service:
One day I received a frantic letter from a Brooklyn doctor who had purchased one of my cars.
A few days later I was standing in his barn, looking at the machine, which, he said, wouldn’t run.
I examined the gas tank. It was all right. I looked over the spark plugs. Tested the batteries. Got down under the car and stared up underneath. Everything seemed all right, so I went around in front and spun the motor.
Finally I ran my fingers under the mixer.
Then I broke in on the physician’s sarcastic twitterings with this question: “Why did you plug the hole in the bottom of the mixer?
“To keep the gasoline from leaking.”
A few days later I was standing in his barn, looking at the machine, which, he said, wouldn’t run.
I examined the gas tank. It was all right. I looked over the spark plugs. Tested the batteries. Got down under the car and stared up underneath. Everything seemed all right, so I went around in front and spun the motor.
Finally I ran my fingers under the mixer.
Then I broke in on the physician’s sarcastic twitterings with this question: “Why did you plug the hole in the bottom of the mixer?
“To keep the gasoline from leaking.”
It was my turn to be sarcastic. "It happens that gasoline has to be mixed with air before results can be obtained.”
I punched another hole in the mixer, drained off the gasoline which had flooded the cylinders, put the fluid back in the tank, turned the crank, and started the motor.
That was one thing we pioneers in automobiles had to do that presidents of companies miss today. We had to give personal service to our customers. Many times I have piled out of bed on a winter’s night to aid a stranded driver. A good many times, too, I left my telephone receiver off the hook so I could get some sleep.
I punched another hole in the mixer, drained off the gasoline which had flooded the cylinders, put the fluid back in the tank, turned the crank, and started the motor.
That was one thing we pioneers in automobiles had to do that presidents of companies miss today. We had to give personal service to our customers. Many times I have piled out of bed on a winter’s night to aid a stranded driver. A good many times, too, I left my telephone receiver off the hook so I could get some sleep.
The air starter:
It came about in a simple way. I was looking at a car one day when one of my men came along and began cranking it. The motor was cold and it was hard work.
“Next year we are going to equip our cars with starters,” I told an associate, standing with me.
“You mean so cars won’t have to be cranked?”
“Yes.”
I went inside, made a drawing of the idea that had come, built a mechanism that could be operated by pressing down a foot, and we had the starter that took the pressure from the cylinders, stored it in a tank, and kept it ready for use. This air starter was the forerunner, in a sense, of the present electric starter.
“Next year we are going to equip our cars with starters,” I told an associate, standing with me.
“You mean so cars won’t have to be cranked?”
“Yes.”
I went inside, made a drawing of the idea that had come, built a mechanism that could be operated by pressing down a foot, and we had the starter that took the pressure from the cylinders, stored it in a tank, and kept it ready for use. This air starter was the forerunner, in a sense, of the present electric starter.
For the rest of his article, as I only want to show a couple examples, read
“Get a Horse,” The Saturday Evening Post, February 8, 1930 https://www.saturdayeveningpost.com/sep-keyword/winton-motor-carriage-company
FYI, the 12th car was sold to someone who was very upset, and for the first time in automotive history, but not the last, the legendary phrase "then why don't you build a better car?!" and James Packard did.
the first man to buy a car, Robert Allison, a mechanical engineer of Port Carbon, Pennsylvania. Here's the account of the event, from Winton
We did not know where our customers would come from, but we were sure they would come. We started building four machines, and when one was finished, Robert Allison, hearing that I was manufacturing automobiles, came to Cleveland.
He wanted a ride. I told him to hop in, and then proceeded to give the first of many millions of demonstrations that since have preceded the sale of automobiles.
We started out about noon and did not return until after supper. During the afternoon he had me drive to a dozen places where friends of his were working, and from each he sought advice.
After each stop he had a new set of questions, but apparently I answered them satisfactorily, for when we returned to the factory he asked: “How much do you want for this carriage?”
“One thousand dollars.”
“I’ll buy it.”
Within a short time we sold the other three machines, getting $1,000 apiece. Our profit on each was $400.
“One thousand dollars.”
“I’ll buy it.”
Within a short time we sold the other three machines, getting $1,000 apiece. Our profit on each was $400.
The exact date of the sale was March 24, 1898, and about a week later — on April 1, 1898 — payment was received and the car was shipped
Winton bought it back after Allison had used it a few years, and it is now in the Smithsonian Institution
Believe it or not, I think I'm related to Robert Allison. I'll have to dig into the family tree project to find out
the first car tires.... were ordered by Winton, from Goodrich, Here is his account of how getting car tires made, for the first car, went.
I went to the Goodrich Company, in Akron, and told them I wanted something bigger than their biggest bicycle tire, something that would fit the wheels of a horseless carriage.
“That’s a new one on us,” cried a man to whom I had been directed.
“A horseless carriage, eh? Hmph! Will it run?”
“You bet it will.”
“Well, I guess we can make them, although we never have.”
“That’s fine.”
The man hesitated, rubbed his chin, and observed: “We will make them, but you will have to pay for the molds.”
“Do what?”
“Yes, sir. There won’t be enough call for tires for horseless carriages, and we can’t afford to pay for the molds. Also, you will have to pay for them in advance — and the tires too. We’ll have them on our hands if you don’t get them.”
I paid.
They were single-tube affairs, and were pretty expensive. It wasn’t long before I got a puncture, and while I thought of patching the tire I figured out what I considered a better idea. Molasses was heavy and would stop leaks if they weren’t too large, so I began pumping it into the tube. I pumped too hard. The rubber gave way and the molasses came out too quickly to be dodged.
an interview with Thomas A. Edison from the New York World newspaper of November 17, 1895,
“Talking of horseless carriage suggests to my mind that the horse is doomed.
The bicycle, which, 10 years ago, was a curiosity, is now a necessity. It is found everywhere.
Ten years from now you will be able to buy a horseless vehicle for what you would pay today for a wagon and a pair of horses. The money spent in the keep of the horses will be saved and the danger to life will be much reduced.”
“It is only a question of a short time when the carriages and trucks of every large city will be run by motors.
“It is only a question of a short time when the carriages and trucks of every large city will be run by motors.
The expense of keeping and feeding horses in a great city like New York is very heavy, and all this will be done away with.
You must remember that every invention of this kind which is made adds to the general wealth by introducing a new system of greater economy of force. A great invention which facilitates commerce, enriches a country just as much as the discovery of vast hoards of gold.”
Alexander Winton established the Winton Motor Carriage Company in 1897, among the earliest American automobile manufacturers (Duryea and White were the others)
In 1898, the first automobile on Erie Pennsylvania's streets, was a creation of Alexander Winton from his Cleveland, Ohio shop. This was the 1st shift from horse-drawn carriages to cars.
The buyer, Jackson Koehler, an Erie brewery owner, had the car personally delivered by Winton, a journey that spanned 5 hours.
Winton stayed a week, instructing Koehler on vehicle operation.
Winton was a Scottish immigrant with a fervor for engineering and racing, Winton crafted his inaugural car in 1896, founding the company the following year in Cleveland. The company thrived until 1924.
Thomas Henderson immigrated to the United States from Scotland in 1881 and
became the business partner of Alexander Winton
He married Alexander's sister, Catherine Winton, also Scottish, and
they had eight children.
Alexander Winton (b. 20th June 1860, Falkirk, near Glasgow) son of a blacksmith who specialized in the manufacture of farm implements. Alexander went to school within earshot of the Clydeside shipyards. He learned the rudiments of mechanics from his father, then perfected his knowledge working in those shipyards, and from there it was a logical step to a job as a ship's engineer. He emigrated to New York and is in the 1880 census for Manhattan, aged twenty.
Alexander's sister, Catherine Winton and her husband, Thomas Henderson, were also in Manhattan at this time. Thomas was some eleven years older than Alexander. Alexander may have followed his sister and brother in law to the US.
His first work was as a machinist with Delameter Ironworks in New York. A year later he left to take up a position as an assistant engineer on a cargo boat plying between New York and South America. He endeavored to learn as much as he could about steam ship engineering.
He left the sea a couple of years later and married Jeanette Muir McGlashan (b. 3rd September 1861, Glasgow) in Manhattan on 18th January 1883. Jeanette had arrived two years earlier but they had known each other from childhood in Scotland. Jeanette was the daughter of foreman engineer's patternmaker William McGlashan and Jean Muir.
In 1884 he was working at the Phoenix Ironworks, and by 1881 was foreman but was again listed as a machinist the following year.
In 1891, he was superintendent of the Cleveland Lock Company.
He opened a bicycle repair shop and this was incorporated as The Winton Bicycle Co in 1892 with a share capital of $25,000. Thomas Henderson, Alexander's brother in law, was President.
The motorcycle Henderson Brothers, Tom & William, were grandsons of Alexander Winton and their father was a Winton President of some sort.
Henderson made in-line 4-cylinder motorcycles from 1912 until 1931.
They were the largest and fastest motorcycles of their time, and appealed to both sport riders and police departments.
Police favored them for traffic patrol because they were faster than anything else on the roads.
The company began during the golden age of motorcycling, and ended during the Great Depression
(Another Willie G... that's noteworthy)
Two years later, in 1899, his grandson William Henderson came to work as a designer and draftsman at the factory, helping develop the Winton during its meteoric rise.
Carl Stearns Clancy became the first person to ride around the world on a motorcycle, and he did it aboard a Henderson. The press took note. Riders took notice. Dealers couldn't keep up with demand. The Model B improved braking. The Model C added a two-speed hub. The Model F came with a kick-starter and a tighter wheelbase for nimbleness. Year by year, Henderson machines got better, faster, and smarter.
In 1917, as America entered the Great War and industry shifted gears, the Henderson brothers sold their company to Ignaz Schwinn, the bicycle baron behind one of America's most successful "Big Three" motorcycle manufacturers, Excelsior. Production moved to Chicago, and the bikes were branded Excelsior-Henderson. For a time, it was a golden partnership. William Henderson stayed on as a chief engineer
Kim just shared a fun song with me that I've never heard of.... Dear Dad
Dear Dad, don't get mad,
What I'm asking for
Is by the next semester
Can I get another car?
This one here is sick'ning
On a wide dual road.
I might as well be walking
As to drive this old Ford.
Is by the next semester
Can I get another car?
This one here is sick'ning
On a wide dual road.
I might as well be walking
As to drive this old Ford.
Almost everytime I try
To go and pass a truck,
If I ain't goin' down hill,
Dad, Im, out of luck.
And even if I get by,
It's still a rugged risk,
The way this old Ford
Keep a hitting and miss.
To go and pass a truck,
If I ain't goin' down hill,
Dad, Im, out of luck.
And even if I get by,
It's still a rugged risk,
The way this old Ford
Keep a hitting and miss.
Last week when I was driving
On my way to school,
I almost got a ticket
'Bout a freeway traffic rule.
It's now a violation
Driving under forty-five,
And if I push to fifty,
This here Ford will nosedive.
On my way to school,
I almost got a ticket
'Bout a freeway traffic rule.
It's now a violation
Driving under forty-five,
And if I push to fifty,
This here Ford will nosedive.
Dad, I'm in great danger
Out here trying to drive.
This Ford wiggles
When I'm approaching forty-five/
I have to nurse it along
Like a little suffering pup,
And cars whizzing by me,
Dad, look like I'm backing up.
Out here trying to drive.
This Ford wiggles
When I'm approaching forty-five/
I have to nurse it along
Like a little suffering pup,
And cars whizzing by me,
Dad, look like I'm backing up.
She just don't have the appetite
For gas somehow,
And Dad, I got both carburetors
hooked up on it now.
I tried to hook another
To see if I'd do a little good,
But ain't no place to put it
'Less I perforate the hood.
For gas somehow,
And Dad, I got both carburetors
hooked up on it now.
I tried to hook another
To see if I'd do a little good,
But ain't no place to put it
'Less I perforate the hood.
So Dad, send the money,
See what I can see,
Try to find a Cadillac,
Sixty-two or three.
Just something that won't worry us
To keep it on the road.
Sincerely, your loving son,
Henry Junior Ford.
See what I can see,
Try to find a Cadillac,
Sixty-two or three.
Just something that won't worry us
To keep it on the road.
Sincerely, your loving son,
Henry Junior Ford.
Saturday, January 17, 2026
this is interesting... sueing for mental anguish, distress, and such - because an airline lost his luggage, and like all airlines, won't find it even when you tell them the location via Airtag
On December 28, 2023, American Airlines had a failure to deliver his checked luggage, which caused a severe mental health decline, due to the absence of essential clothing and prolonged stress from the baggage loss
According to the lawsuit, the traveler was exposed to the extreme cold of a Zurich winter without appropriate clothing, as all winter wear and personal items were inside the missing luggage.
He claims this situation directly contributed to a rapid deterioration of his mental health.
During his stay in Switzerland, which lasted several months, KR states that he was admitted to 3 different psychiatric hospitals. He spent more than one month as an inpatient receiving treatment.
Without any form of health or travel insurance, he received medical bills totaling over $50,000 from the Swiss healthcare system.
He had placed Apple AirTags inside the bags and shared precise location data with the airline.
Despite providing this information, KR alleges that the airline did not act on the tracking data to recover his belongings in a timely manner.
Because, airlines have not decided to be careful with your luggage, as they really don't care to be responsible for what happens at an airport. They have enough to deal with just flying airplanes, and getting maintenance on schedule, and past inspections.
It would be incredibly interesting if someone found a legal way into getting the airlines, and airports, to be vigilant about taking care of everything they are responsible for, and not losing luggage
1965 Meteor Montcalm, a Canadian car
I wondered where the hell did the word Montcalm come from? He was the general that lost the Battle of Quebec in 1759, sort of setting the course of Canada to British conquest instead of French rule
Joseph Ganz ( editor-in-chief of Motor-Kritik magazine) and his "Standard", in Switzerland in 1935 or 36 ( the air scoop is for the rear engine ) prior to Porsche using his design to make the VW Beetle
This is Switzerland, where Ganz went to live when escaping Germany, and Ganz sitting on a Standard Superior, made in Germany between 1933 and 1935, it is widely considered a predecessor to the Volkswagen Beetle.
The tires, those are SKINNY!
Introduced in 1933, the Superior was based on Ganz' prototypes made for the Ardie motorcycle company (1930) and the Adler automobile company (1931) where he finalized his fundamental design concepts: tubular backbone chassis, mid-rear mounted engines, and independent suspension with swing axles at the rear.
Standard hired Ganz to design their new cheap people's car based on the strength of those prototypes and his published writings. Ganz' design for the Standard Superior included all of these traits, along with a somewhat streamlined body design.
Here's his great grand nephew recreating the photo, in the same location, and the car has the same license plate
this lucky knucklehead spent WW2 riding a Harley around Lake Michigan, I kid you not. LIFE Magazine Archives - Charles Steinheimer Photographer WWP-PDA
US Navy Shore Patrol on a Harley-Davidson Servi-Car patrolling along the shores of Lake Michigan near Chicago Illinois - 1943
Luella Bates, the first female truck driver to receive a New York driver's license.
Ms. Bates and the other women tested each of the behemoth trucks by driving them over a 75-mile course. These runs had to be completed before a truck was delivered or shipped
In January 1920, Bates drove a Model B to New York City, where she attended the New York Auto Show.
Bates was such a hit in New York that Four Wheel Drive decided to use her skills even further. Later that year, they sent her on three transcontinental tours throughout the United States.
Luella would undergo several whirlwind tours across America in her trusted Model B truck. Her first tour would take her to approximately 25 towns, beginning in Kansas City, Missouri, and finishing in Bellefontaine, Ohio
descending Laurel Hill grade between Bedford and Chambersburg, Pa, July 9, 1919
entering Chicago Heights in 1919
F.W.D. in city parade in Sacramento California September 3, 1919
The advertising scheme introduced the idea that the FWD truck was easy to steer, as evidenced by a woman driver.
Luella would undergo several whirlwind tours across America in her trusted Model B truck. Her first tour would take her to approximately 25 towns, beginning in Kansas City, Missouri, and finishing in Bellefontaine, Ohio
These 3-ton trucks (chassis #8044, #8175, #13325) distinguished themselves by navigating challenging terrains in Nebraska, Wyoming, Utah, and Nevada without assistance. Their ability to traverse muddy and sandy stretches unaided set a commendable record.
descending Laurel Hill grade between Bedford and Chambersburg, Pa, July 9, 1919
the F.W.D trucks are seen only occasionally in the 1919 military convoy films because of their reliability.
F.W.D trucks rarely broke down, making them less dramatic for film scenes. In contrast, scenes of other trucks struggling in mud were more visually entertaining, leading to more screen time for less reliable vehicles.
entering Chicago Heights in 1919
F.W.D. in city parade in Sacramento California September 3, 1919
During her final tour of 1920, Bates took the southern states by storm. She was now known as "our girl driver."
In Pennsylvania, they swapped the carbs from Model G to Model M Strombergs, and found a 25% increase in mpg
In Oklahoma, she defied the police and took her truck across a flooded road, hauling meat for a packaging plant. This courageous venture led to the sale of ten trucks for Four Wheel Drive and much admiration for Bates.
In 1922, Luella left the FWD Auto Company and moved to Milwaukee. She later married Howard Coates and had two sons. She died in 1985 at the age of 88.
Her granddaughter is the actress Ashley Hinshaw, who married Topher Grace
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