Saturday, September 01, 2012
Bugatti owners better bewarned that the meek are inheriting the earth, and the German cars are conquering the French!
After another year of 'fine tuning' Team Isetta returned to Hillsborough on the 26th of August 2012 to participate in the Parade D' Elegance.
The real surprise came when the Team Isetta car was awarded both The Chairman's Award (“presented to the exhibitor most deserving of recognition by the Concours Chairman and Vice-Chairman.”) and The People's Choice Award (“This award recognizes the automobile you would most like to drive right off the field this afternoon.”)
Last year the People's Choice Award was given to Mozart's 1937 Bugatti Type 57 Corsica (valued "in excess of $25 million")
http://www.morethanthecar.com/
Thursday, August 30, 2012
This is a co-workers car front tire. I have a question for all of you who comment
So I told him. He may not have been aware that his alignment was out of whack, and that his tire is now dangerous to himself and the other people on the road.
He already knew.
My question... is it wrong of me to contemplate taking the air out of this tire so he will be provoked into replacing it.
My concept is that nothing short of a blowout, flat tire, or causing a problem that might be serious enough to injure himself and unknowing fellow commuters, will get him to replace this dangerous tire.
Anyone think I'm nuts? Or am I doing the right thing. I already let him know it's dangerous, likely to blow out at speed, and cause a traffic collision that will hurt himself and innocent others
JW commented: I wouldn't just let the air out. I think (depending on other circumstances of course) I would take my pocketknife and make a small cut, just enough to let the air out that way. Make it small enough to look like he got it on the road however, then offer to take him and the tire to a shop to get a new one.
Don't feel guilty...you would probably be saving him, and someone else, lots of pain and misery down the road.
Andrew at
http://www.tripsandturns.com commented:
I am highlighting your post about your co-workers tire on our site tomorrow. That guy is really nuts.
YrHmblHst Tough question... as one of the more Libertarian types you'll likely meet, I would at first say that it is his business. BUT, I would tend to say that your deflating his tyre would be done out of care and compassion for him, as well as out of concern for other road users. So, as he refuses to be responsible, and your motives are certainly pure, I would say that you would not be wrong to do so nor are you nuts. It may be the only way to get your point across in this instance.
Robert L commented YES! After smacking him upside the head. If this blows at 70mph on the front tire he can easily swerve into someone. If he can't afford to get a tire replaced, he shouldn't be driving.
Gerald V commented I can only hope the tire goes flat while he's on the freeway. It will teach him about false economy.
YrHmblHst Tough question... as one of the more Libertarian types you'll likely meet, I would at first say that it is his business. BUT, I would tend to say that your deflating his tyre would be done out of care and compassion for him, as well as out of concern for other road users. So, as he refuses to be responsible, and your motives are certainly pure, I would say that you would not be wrong to do so nor are you nuts. It may be the only way to get your point across in this instance.
Robert L commented YES! After smacking him upside the head. If this blows at 70mph on the front tire he can easily swerve into someone. If he can't afford to get a tire replaced, he shouldn't be driving.
Gerald V commented I can only hope the tire goes flat while he's on the freeway. It will teach him about false economy.
Cities are getting desperate to raise money, Poway California hired a company to monitor road speeds to see where to put their cops
Wednesday, August 29, 2012
I bet this chop saw is cheaper than the fines... if you've watched the tv show "Parking Wars" you'll agree.
http://www.norcalminis.com/2012/08/i-dont-deserve-this-officer-and-i-wont.html for the full video, but I can save you the time and tell you the sop walked away from the outraged truck owner when this power saw was pulled out of the pickup bed.
Being raised in the Michigan woods, I recognize the orange and white colors as Stihl company so here is the saw http://www.stihlusa.com/products/cut-off-machines/
and dealers sell them new for about $1200 USD, and they go for about $500 on ebay http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_nkw=stihl+cutoff+saw&_sacat=0&_odkw=stihl+ts+500&adpos=1s3&MT_ID=69&crlp=11728041381_2416792&tt_encode=raw&_osacat=0&geo_id=9232&clk_rvr_id=381409948748&keyword=stihl+ts+500&adgroup_id=3721779861
Tuesday, August 28, 2012
Book review: Art Of The Hot Rod, by Ken Gross and photography of Peter Harholdt
above is the softcover edition cover, below, the 2009 hardcover cover
by the number (thank you John for that phrase!)
20 Chapters
122 pieces of paper between the covers
Quality photos. Well, this is my usual location to tell you how many hi def, hi res color images you'll find... normally I have to count between old black and white and new hi res hi def. Not this time. Every single photo is a stunning image by Peter Harholdt and without getting every car into a controlled studio environment. Amazing photographer, stunning photos that earn your respect as delivering on your expectations that were formed when seeing the cover, and reading the title
But you aren't reading this review to see that I think it's a deal. You already know I ain't gonna waste your time with a book I don't like and recommend.
So what's inside that's got my admiration? Photos of hot rods that are awesome, both the photos and the hot rods.
You'll think that some of these are museum quality, of course they are. But the So Cal Speedshop Belly tanker wasn't built to be a museum piece. Neither was the So Cal Speedshop 3 window "Kong", the Norman Timbs Special, James Hetfield's 37 Ford 5 window coupe by Rick Dore, the Nuemeister 29 roadster, the Bell 303 Crankshaft Special, the Berardini Bros deuce roadster, the Dick Flint 29 roadster, Eddie Dye's 29 Roadster, the Doane Spencer deuce roadster, and Billy Gibbons' 66 Chevelle and 35 pickup are most definitely not museum cars. They are frequently near museums... http://justacarguy.blogspot.com/2011/02/nhra-museum-in-pomona-has-rat-rod-out.html as the 35 truck was at the front of the Wally Parks NHRA Museum during the 2011 Grand National Roadster Show.
Not museum cars in this book. Not Chip Foose cars. Not Boyd Coddington's cars.
See the connection? Well maybe not yet.
The book is 20 interviews/write ups from Ken Gross (ought to be given a doctorate in hot rods and writing in my opinion, he's all that and a tank of nitro) when he went around the US and got talking with car makers and put into each chapter the interview, opinions, and pages of photos of the cars they've made. Not every one, but ones that you can see demonstrate the masters touch at building, restoring, painting and designing hot rods.
Ridler winners? Probably a couple in here. Out of the 20 builders, a couple have won the Ridler, and the Grand National Roadster award, and the AMBR award, and other awards. These builders are that exquisite in their finished cars, that perfect in their designs.
You know most of them by name, Troy Trepanier, Rolling Bones, Don Orosco, Pete Chapouris, Roy Brizio, Rick Dore, Posies, Bobby Alloway, Alan Johnson... and maybe you know the others, but they were either new to me, or I don't recognize the names but know the cars. You know.. like the car, never meet the builder? I have a lot of those. Thousands.
Back to the book, you can sum up the feeling I got when reading the interviews, with remembering that way some easy going down to earth type of people have when you get a moment to chat with them. No pretentious or unsettling conversation, just satisfying and enjoyable. Ever talk to some one like that? They are famous, genius or accomplished more than anyone else at their skills, but seem as cool as the guys at work? That's the way the interviews read.
I talk to Gene Winfield every time I see him, just to say hi, and damn it's good to see you again. He's that nice, and so are the guys interviewed here. Vern Tardel is maybe a bit like a "What are you doing here" flathead traditionalist in his interview when approached to be in a book about cars that are this beautiful, but I get the sense he's one of the hardworking old timers that is fed up with Boydsters, people wanting to buy his cache of treasured impossible to find hot rod parts, and fiberglass wanna be's. I got no problem with this approach to hot rodding at all.
The others are a bit more business casual, but all seem to have the deep values of made in the USA, no billet, and master craftsmanship that you expect from the best in the business. For guys like Trepanier that can make million dollar rides, or 100 thou hot rods... to Don Orosco who went back to the bench to build Ardun Heads and Veda Orr knockoffs... or Chapouris who has Thom Taylor and Chris Frogget doing the artwork to set the wheels in motion.
These are the best, with the most incredibly rich traditional ways of not knocking the competition, regarding the 40's and 50's ways of building, and making cars ride like bimmers and benzs when it's apropos.
How they took such great photos without a studio is demonstrated at http://lowreysautorestoration.com/coverage/hotrodart.html
Monday, August 27, 2012
TM9-803, the training manual for the 1/4 ton 4x4 Willys Jeep model MB and Ford model GPW
all of it is a free website
http://jeepdraw.com/images/jeepdraw/ADOBE_ACROBAT_FILES/TM9_803_1944.pdf
for a bunch of unrelated manuals for sale online http://www.amherst-depot.com/truckman.htm
If you are anywhere in South America, and need an Isetta .. the OldCarStore has some to sell!
Dear friend,
Invite you to visit our enterprise, we are dedicated to track, recover and restore micro cars,
motorcycles classic garage and various ornaments, vintage pieces of unique features, attractive and rich history.
Meet us in running our hobby, we strive to make each day more friends who share our passion.
by http://www.oldcarsstore.com - Photos : http://www.facebook.com/Oldcarsstore
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Querido amigo,
Invitamos a visitar nuestra empresa, nos dedicamos a rastrear, recuperar y restaurar los micro coches,
motocicletas, clбsicos y diversos adornos de garage , piezas vintage de caracterнsticas ъnicas, atractiva
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Sunday, August 26, 2012
Cost of trucking inforgraphics
both are full sized and legible at the source: http://www.transportgooru.com/2012/04/trucking-infographs/
Auto theft in the USA infographic
this might only be large enough to be useful on the original site,
http://www.transportgooru.com/2012/06/an-infographic-view-of-auto-theft-in-the-united-states/
Motorcycle safety in England infographic
Infographic by Bennetts
found on http://www.transportgooru.com/2012/05/british-motorcycle-safety-infograph/
