Saturday, May 12, 2018
The Curtiss Motorcycles building in New York 1909, was made famous by an unsolved murder of a young missionary woman, her body found stuffed in a steamer trunk (thanks Graham C!)
An advertisement in Aeronautics on August 1912 read, "Builds all kinds of wheels for Aeroplanes and Monoplanes. Standard or special sizes at very low prices."
The venerable building survived into the 21st century when it and the rest of the block--other than Ladder Company No. 4's station house--were demolished for the 51-story The Biltmore apartment building.
The venerable building survived into the 21st century when it and the rest of the block--other than Ladder Company No. 4's station house--were demolished for the 51-story The Biltmore apartment building.
the squirrels seem to think this one is a good food pantry, they packed 50 pounds of pine cones in there
It took two people about 45 minutes to clean the engine of all the pine cones, Awrey said.
"I'm going to strangle that squirrel with my bare hands," Moore cracked in a Facebook comment on the post
http://carmechanicfails.tumblr.com/
https://www.kgw.com/article/news/local/michigan/squirrels-stash-50-pounds-of-pine-cones-in-michigan-mans-car-engine/69-552219420
Learning something new every day! There is a Bronco gathering that drew 4-500 Broncs, and there is a Bronco Driver magazine
Thank you Al! Much appreciated!
C/S there are pliers in the driver seat. Please remove.
I bet the factory assembly line people don't loose too many tools in the cars they are building
http://carmechanicfails.tumblr.com/
Friday, May 11, 2018
What Cadzilla looked like before becoming a legendary custom
I've only come across Cadzilla in person once, at the NHRA museum
good grief, do you remember Sissy Bars? How the hell they got that name I don't know, however, here's an even worse application of them
A sissy bar, also called a "sister bar" and sometimes "passenger backrest" is an addition to the rear of a bicycle or motorcycle that allows the rider or passenger to recline against it while riding.
Thanks Steve! Thanks Gary!
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sissy_bar
There is a temporary halt to F150 production at Ford, due to a fire at a parts supplier company, it may last a couple weeks
Seems like both plants that make the trucks are going to lay off workers for a bit, but the good news is that they get most of their regular pay during such rare occurances.
The two plants that make the F150 are in Dearborn, Michigan and Kansas City, Missouri.
https://powernationtv.com/post/ford-is-suspending-production-of-f-150-trucks
The two plants that make the F150 are in Dearborn, Michigan and Kansas City, Missouri.
https://powernationtv.com/post/ford-is-suspending-production-of-f-150-trucks
so ridiculously spot on, I'm serious, that I giggle like a little girl at this exhibit of 580 to 1 reduction! (maybe I chortle more than giggle... whatever)
that is such effing fantastic demonstration of confidence and moderate pride (my term, not their ego, I got total respect) in the simple perfected capabilities of the products they stand behind...
Wow. Thanks to Big Mike at Marlin Crawler for tipping me to this video!
https://www.marlincrawler.com/
a '69 Z/28 barn find, sitting for several decades, collecting dust and acting as an involuntary rodent hotel in the back of a warehouse since 1981.
they are still out there, and somehow, this car escaped the last 3 decades of auction fever that has caused thousands of investment minded flippers to lose their minds looking for a forgotten 1969 Z/28 Camaro
http://www.automobilemag.com/news/1969-chevrolet-camaro-z28-real-deal-barnfind
compliment of the day...
I come for the posts, the car porn, the bikes, the trains, planes, etc.
I stay because of the man. Thank you, sir, for sharing this (the recent PSA post about suicide awareness)
Snoopy.
I stay because of the man. Thank you, sir, for sharing this (the recent PSA post about suicide awareness)
Snoopy.
One of only 3 extraordinary women who achieved the Gold Star in Brooklands for completing a lap on a motorcycle at over 100 mph averaged speed, (on a 350cc single-cylinder Norton), Theresa Wallach
She was half of a team that rode from London to Cape Town in 1935, but that's another post some other day. She wrote a book about it, "The Rugged Road",
and though no photos were known to exist, her teammate's slides were discovered by accident in Jan 2018, and sold at auction
During WW2 she served in the Army Transport Corps, first as a mechanic and later she became the first woman to be a despatch rider in the British Army, where she served for 7 years.
After the war she rode across the US, Mexico, and Canada by motorcycle, with a sleeping bag and full saddlebags, travelling some 32,000 miles in the process.
The tour lasted for two-and-a-half years and was funded on the long trek by stopping and taking 18 odd jobs – everything from airplane mechanic to dishwasher – just long enough to earn enough money to get back on the road. In that era, there was no Motorcycle License, or "endorsement" needed, there were no CBs, and seemingly, no limits to a travel visa.
After her trip, she returned Britain only to find a depressed economy and returned to live in Chicago and made a living as a motorcycle mechanic. Eventually, she established a motorcycle shop selling and repairing mainly Norton and Triumph, incidentally becoming the first unmarried woman to own and operate her own motorcycle business in the United States.
The Japanese manufacturing competition became too much in the 70s, about the same time her 2nd book "Easy Motorcycle Riding" was published and became a top seller.
"The opportunity of seeing America came as a contrast to my journey through Africa, from London to Cape Town, before the war. It is interesting to compare “old” Europe with “young” America and “undeveloped” Africa" you can read an except here
http://www.mostlybymotorcycle.com/tag/theresa-wallach
So she sold her shop in '73 and moved to Phoenix to open the Easy Riding Academy, a school training motorcycle riders.
She continued to ride until the age of 88, when vision forced a halt.
http://cybermotorcycle.com/euro/brands/wallach-blenkiron.htm
http://www.motorcyclemuseum.org/halloffame/detail.aspx?RacerID=309
http://themotolady.com/motorcycling-pioneer-theresa-wallach/
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5297289/The-British-women-conquered-Sahara.html
and remarkably, I missed a post on one of my favorite sites http://progress-is-fine.blogspot.com/2017/12/remembering-theresa-wallach.html while looking there for tool and car source info
1956 Dodge service station truck
https://jacdurac.tumblr.com/post/172452531829/1956-dodge
The bed is probably from the many 1948 Bell Telephone repair trucks, reused as they were built to last. (thanks Gary!)
Biking safety alert, there is someone with a huge grudge against mountain bikers near Mount Galiñeiro, near the city of Porrino, in Spain
The above is one of three spike strips with big nails in its upper part and two huge metal rods below as an anchor.
And be warned that Galicia is one of the areas of Spain where the presence of traps in the forest has been reported often in the past couple years, including the above impaling spear
reminder, some people are dealing with a lot of problems, and if you know of those people, let them know you're available for them to VENT to, and get some relief from life's pressures
The above showed up on a Jeep enthusiast tumblr I was looking through this morning.
She opted out at age 29, when she might appear to be living the dream. Great looks, body, Jeep, frequently on the mountain trails, also was into shooting pistols, rifles, drinking beer, and cheering at baseball and football games.
How come, right? Well, a moment looking at her facebook page peels back the shiny happy life appearance, and a recent or ongoing divorce, plus complete bankruptcy due to her dog's predictable (Great Danes are famous for hip dysplasia) health problems, on top of a recent pregnancy that didn't work out.
So, keep in mind that people are often buried under a mountain of problems, and those problems are often of the brief and solved with cash variety. Be a compassionate friend, not a part of the problem.
There are simply far too few military vet medical career women hitting the gym who will Jeep, drink a beer, enjoy a ball game, and can group their shots, for any of them to figure that there's no reason to live anymore. (I just described the perfect woman to more than half the guys and women reading this)
www.suicidepreventionlifeline.org
The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is a United States-based suicide prevention network of 161 crisis centers that provides a 24/7, line available to anyone in suicidal crisis or emotional distress.
No matter what problems you’re dealing with, whether or not you’re thinking about suicide, if you need someone to lean on for emotional support, call the Lifeline.
https://www.facebook.com/800273talk
1800 488 3000
The Boys Town National Hotline is a free hotline available to kids, teens and young adults at any time. We provide help when you need it most. Call, chat, text or email. We are here to talk if you're depressed, contemplating suicide, being physically or sexually abused, on the run, addicted, threatened by gang violence, fighting with a friend or parent, or if you are faced with an overwhelming challenge.
http://www.yourlifeyourvoice.org/Pages/home.aspx
and if anyone knows of a philanthropic charity, that realizes lives change for as little as a thousand or 2 dollars, spread the word. That's really all it takes in a lot of cases to make the difference between getting through, past, over, or around the block in someones world that keeps them from hoping any more.
It's a bit of a long shot, and I don't have them on speeddial, but, Dave Shelly and Chainsaw are a radio station morning show, and in December have a 12 days of Christmas, where they give away a thousand dollars a day, and I'm pretty sure they do the same for Christmas In July for the military, when a thousand dollars will make the difference for 12 people nominated by you, anyone, for someone, even including you. http://www.kfmbfm.com/category/192804/dsc
Calling up a radio morning show isn't a bad idea, as was proved when Becky called into Jeff and Jer Show one morning in 1999. Now, Becky's House is a place for victims of domestic violence. I shit you not. I was listening that morning when Becky called in. There were massive efforts in motion PDQ believe me. Then they funded it with a god damn amazing concert called Jingle Ball, and again, I shit you not, superstar singers and bands volunteered a bit of time to perform so they could sell hundred dollar tickets to a limited crowd of fans.
in 1999 Def Leppard, Duran Duran and Big Bad Voodoo Daddy
in 2000 98°, Bon Jovi, Christina Aguilera, Macy Gray, and Third Eye Blind
in 2001 it was Stevie Nicks, Barenaked Ladies, Alanis Morissette, Blondie, and Sugar Ray
in 2003 there were the Counting Crows, Seal, Melissa Etheridge, Jewel, Donna Summer and the Bangles
http://www.stevenlmontgomery.com/jingle-ball-2003/
in 2004 Chris Isaak
in 2005: Alanis Morissette, Los Lonely Boys, Switchfoot, the B-52's, Train and Hootie and the Blowfish
in 2007 Lenny Kravitz and Matchbox 20
in 2009 among other were Uncle Cracker and Michelle Branch
in 2010 David Archuleta, and Sara Bareilles
in 2012 among others were Chritina Perri and Jason Mraz
They raised crazy money by auctioning tickets, for about a dozen years or so.
Anyway, I hope you can help those who need it. If you need help, I hope you don't stop til you get it.
an old Jeep truck abandoned in the forest... dang, that's sad
https://pig347.tumblr.com/page/23
back in the 80s or 90s, I bet you could have seen a lot of these. I know where I grew up in Michigan it was such a long distance to the nearest junkyard that most people just left their old cars behind their barn, along the back fence, or on some forgotten road in the woods behind their home. They've all gotten bought for scrap metal and hauled out now.
you can lease a Pagani Huayra... but it might be cheaper to buy one instead, and sell it after a year or two
I just was emailed (blind marketing I suppose) that to lease a Pagani, you will need a down payment of $700,000 and contract for a 60-month lease term at $25,339 per month.
So... really, anyone who can afford to give away 3/4 of a million, to lease a car... is probably just going to buy it instead. Just my opinion, but with the factual numbers
So... really, anyone who can afford to give away 3/4 of a million, to lease a car... is probably just going to buy it instead. Just my opinion, but with the factual numbers
When the Hot Wheels Twin Mill debuted at 2001 SEMA, the other items in the booth received significant attention as well, they were just props, but had so much demand, they became licensed products!
The above photo was found on http://www.watsonsoftware.com/cars/index_2k1.htm
The above photo, a moment later shows the opening of the roof, and off to the right, the rims display, photo by the kindness of Carson Lev
When I was at the 50th Anniversary Hot Wheels event, I learned about the pivotal role Carson Lev played in the Hot Wheels merchandising and licensing programs, which started with his job interview, and how he was central to the Twin Mill being completed as a full size real car, from the moment he was hired.
When Carson interviewed for his dream job as Hot Wheels Director of Design, his new boss said
“Great interview, the job’s yours… do you have any questions?"
Knowing the Twin Mill had been stored outside for over a year and it's iconic place in Hot Wheels history as the 1st originally designed Hot Wheels car, he responded, "what about the Twin Mill?" and bingo, the exec interviewing him saw an enthusiast with gumption and moxie.
He was given the Twin Mill project, and no budget, as the exec was sure that anyone that enthusiastic would work miracles and complete what had fallen by the wayside and forgotten about.
It wasn't a risky decision, Carson was exactly the right person to take on the challenge.
It was nearly the 35th anniversary of Hot Wheels, and making the Twin Mill concept prototype a reality, would be the shiny crown jewel of future anniversary events.
So, Poof! Instant Presto Chango, Carson went from the newest employee, to Director of Design for Hot Wheels. Well, he was under the gun to resurrect what had been accomplished so far at Hot Rods by Boyd, which had started on it in 1996 by making a frame, subbing out the body etc, (but Boyd's went bankrupt in 1998 due to a half million dollar build going unpaid). They had to rescue the car in an early morning collection before the bankruptcy receivers arrived to snag all the Coddington's business stuff.
About 2 years passed since the Twin Mill was parked behind the warehouse at Hot Wheels, rusting, and getting weathered.
Carson took the Twin Mill to the Barry Lobeck hot rod shop for completion of the build, then back to Carron Industries for the signature Candy Apple Spectraflame and other finishing touches, then Bob Larivee, godfather of the car show car circuit was engaged to do promotions for a car show tour agreement.
Realizing a full scale, fully operational Hot Wheels car was a marketing goldmine, Carson contacted friends at SEMA and arranged for the unveiling to take place there. You know how I love SEMA booths and innovative booth displays, well, more than just showing it at SEMA, Carson brainstormed further, working from the premise "What if we made Hot Wheels motor oil, wheels, tools, custom paint, clothing, and car wax....what would it look like?” That's lifestyle marketing in place of product marketing, and it's genius for booth displays!
So, instead of a just free publicity for the Twin Mill on display, it doubled up as an anchor for a booth promoting Hot Wheels as not just a cool toy company, more as a lifestyle for the 45 million men that grew up with Hot Wheels.
Boom! Great idea in action, at the right place, time, and with the key target demographic... SEMA people! It suddenly appeared that Hot Wheels was in the aftermarket business from the booth props, and licensing contracts were signed, bringing these products to life.
That is how Hot Wheels was launched into the collateral products world.
Once more, Carson had changed careers, from Director of Design to being appointed the Director of, and inventor of, Hot Wheels Adult Licensing, growing the business to new levels and reinforcing the tagline “World’s Coolest Car Company”.
http://www.hotrod.com/articles/0307sr-milestone-twin-mill/
