Wednesday, October 04, 2023

Dave MacDonald's undersized Corvette? Dave MacDonald and team owner Jim Simpson collaborated with legendary car builder Max Balchowsky (Old Yeller fame) to create a custom one-off lightweight racer called the Corvette Special / Old Yeller X.


In September of 1961 MacDonald and sponsor, Jim Simpson, got together with famed “Old Yeller” builder and racer, Max Balchowsky.

 They set out to build a lightweight custom one-off Corvette. They started with one of Max’s 95-pound tube frame chassis, then made a mold of a stock ’61 Corvette body to use as a template. Then they poured a lightweight razor thin 1/16” fiberglass shell. 

After cutting the shell in two they went to work shaving and shaping until it was seventeen inches shorter, five inches narrower and four inches shorter in height than a stock Corvette. The entire headlight assembly was also molded into the fiberglass shell for additional weight savings. 

The finished car weighed just 1750 pounds — 1,200 pounds lighter than a stock Corvette


MacDonald entered 20 races in '61, taking 13 victories and three Second Place finishes. His last win of the year was in his lightweight, tube-frame Corvette Special. But 1962 was the year the spotlight really shined on MacDonald. While he didn't dominate the season, he did finish on the podium in 16 races, including 10 victories.



do you remember when a couple guys could have a lot of fun with junkyard parts making a car raceworthy, and together, could get a truck and trailer to bring it to the track for a fun weekend?

 I guess those days are gone forever. A pair of tires now cost more than these guys spent on racing for the weekend. 

Seriously. 

https://lateral-g.net/forums/showthread.php?t=56177&page=35

the guys who wrecked their Birds at the dirt track races, must still be upset at missing out on these Plymouths being worth 100k


Tuesday, October 03, 2023

the # 25 March 82G of Red Lobster Racing is caught on the track in 1983 @ the IMSA Lumbermen's 6 Hour race @ Mid Ohio in June, 1983.


attempted murder? OR ignorant driver not having a clue where the competition was?

 https://www.tumblr.com/luisonte/730182616786108416?source=share

turn your volume down, trust me. Then, if you dare to see absentminded mistake turn into smashed fingers in a door, click the link. She'll never make this stupid mistake ever again in her entire life, no one makes this mistake twice

https://www.tumblr.com/viejospellejos/730185263920398336?source=share

the 2023 Harbor Freight Tools for Schools Prize for Teaching Excellence have been awarded


Some aircraft crash a lot better than others... helicopters do not crash well at all (thank you George!)


1927 Fisher Body brochure: Color Creations From Nature's Studios








When I saw these I wondered what the reason was for making tires black way back in the 50, before car shows and "detailing" then I read the top of the 2nd can





 it's all about selling used tires

https://check_the_oil_promotions_llc.liveauctioneers.com/catalog/301940_november-advertising-online-only-auction/?page=4

the result of people with no clue not hiring some one who is familiar with the automotive world

https://check_the_oil_promotions_llc.liveauctioneers.com/item/160957603_henry-hanson-co-of-worcester-mass-advertising-cap-and-die-countertop-display

Banksy has featured shopping carts a lot more than I realized


In another artwork, Banksy has used the shopping trolley as a symbol for destructive and wasteful capitalism: Show Me the Monet features two discarded shopping trolleys thrown into Claude Monet’s famous waterlily pond at Giverny.


Though Banksy has faithfully captured the impressionist style of the original masterpiece, the jarring addition of two upturned shopping trolleys reflects how damaging consumer culture can be to the beautiful natural world.


This mock cave Painting by Banksy went unnoticed in the British Museum for 3 days.

In 2005, the British Museum in London discovered a mock-cave painting of a man pushing a trolley among their exhibits, complete with a fake title plaque and ID number. The piece was created using black marker pen on stone, and went unnoticed for 3 days, only being discovered after the prank was announced by Banksy via Twitter.

Thirteen years later, Banksy’s cave painting was entered into the British Museum’s exhibition on the global history of dissent and protest


Shop Till You Drop

One of Banksy's most famous social comments was his artwork, Shop Till You Drop, painted in November 2011 on the side of an office building on Bruton Lane in London's West End. It is also known as the “Falling Shopper” and depicts a woman falling from the top of a building, clutching a shopping trolley containing a few items. His aim was to point out the perils of consumerism.

Using scaffolding and a tarpaulin to make sure he wasn't caught in the act; he painted the graffiti in daylight. It was painted more than two storeys up and the tarpaulin made it appear that renovation work was taking place on the office block.

Scaffolding was set up at some point on Saturday 19th November by two men who looked like construction workers. Once the scaffolding was erected, tarpaulins were draped over it. At around 3pm on Sunday 20th November, the workers went back and began taking the scaffolding down.

By 5pm that day, all of the scaffolding had been removed and passers-by realised Banksy had stopped by and created his latest graffiti, which was quickly dubbed, Shop Till You Drop.

Art critics believe the woman is depicted as contributing to the big corporations, but the shopping cart is pulling her down, making it a controlling authority. Shop Till You Drop is still visible today, although it has become quite damaged over the years.


I wonder why more hotels aren't teaming up with classic car rental businesses. The Sunset Tower in Hollywood has partnered Hollywood Classic Cars so guests can go cruising in a 68 Mercedes 280, a 67 Porsche 912, a 69 Ford Torino GT, a 82 Rolls Royce, and a 86 Mercedes 560



“Sunset Tower is renowned for its combination of old Hollywood glamor and sexy sophistication. I’ve always loved vintage architecture and cars, and have thought about how cool would it be to marry the two. 

What if guests could experience a kind of fantasy — a throwback to a different era — as they pull up to the iconic art deco hotel in an automobile from the last century. I brainstormed the idea with my team and we created this package. Judging from the reactions on social media and the direct feedback we’ve received, people are loving the concept.” hotelier Jeff Klein. 

it's a nice day for a bikeride


a 1955 Mercedes-Benz 190 in Ohio gets it first cleaning in decades, is an interesting video to watch if you're interested in seeing things get cleaned up


there are probably websites for everything, but, if you don't know of them, can you even find them? Here's one that makes sense, that I never would have thought of


the monorail track switching in Japan is impressive


Monday, October 02, 2023

videos taken Monday show self-driving cars stopped and blocking an intersection in Houston

"Three Cruise autonomous vehicles (AV) with no drivers were stopped at Hawthorne and Montrose," said Alexander Spike. "The vehicles did not understand that it had become a 4-way stop.

a thunderstorm knocked out power… all the traffic lights were stuck on red

Investigative journalist Edward Niedermeyer discovered that America's largest EV charging station, the Harris Ranch station, is powered by diesel generators hidden behind a Shell station.

what California EV advocates boast is the largest EV charging station in the country, the Harris Ranch Tesla Supercharging Station, boasts a total of 98 Tesla supercharger modules.

To provide that kind of power for nearly 100 bays takes something solar can’t provide — diesel generators.

Investigative journalist Edward Niedermeyer discovered that the station was powered by diesel generators hidden behind a Shell station. Reporters at SF Gate tried to find out how much of the station's electricity was from the generators, but couldn’t get a response from Tesla.

The station isn’t connected to any dedicated solar farms, which means that absent the diesel generators, the station is powered by California’s grid.

https://blackmon.substack.com/p/mondays-energy-absurdity-americas

the temps have finally resumed near normal for fall, 70 degrees, and I'm back to walking around the neighborhood (anything over 72 is just sweaty and uncomfortable for getting back in the car after the walk)

an Alfa I think

a Chevelle I think

a 72 Dart Swinger 340






the F1 race in Las Vegas is on city streets next month, here is the route


https://www.f1lasvegasgp.com/

a museum I haven't heard of until now, the FWD Seagrave museum, in Clintonville Wisconsin




The FWD Foundation began with the original Machine Shop where mechanics Otto Zachow and William Besserdich invented and patented the first successful four-wheel drive concept automobile.


museums often have extensive libraries, here are two I hadn't heard of


Saturday, September 30, 2023

did you ever hear about I-90? And the golden stripe?


The tinted-concrete stripe debuted in 1978 as the final piece of I-90, which runs more than 3,000 miles from Seattle to Boston!

The color pays homage to the golden spike in Utah, which marks the spot where the transcontinental railroad came together in 1869.

In 2006 this stretch of interstate had to be repaved and most of the golden panels were paved over.

Now, as part of the 2023-24 construction project for I-90, MnDOT is restoring the stripe in the original locations. Crews installed the panels on the eastbound lanes in July and will install the stripe on the westbound lanes in 2024.

interesting invention if you refuse to by jack stands, and will trust your life to the axle of a floor jack when you don't trust the hydraulics


 
transforms a floor jack into a jack stand, prevents it from letting the failure of a floor jack from allowing the vehicle to crush you under it


shocks me to see a 1957 Air Float for sale on Facebook Marketplace for only 8k, it's crusty and roached though





https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/625616242976068/

September's banners