Saturday, February 15, 2020

Finding that a friend from 25 years ago hasn't changed all that much through the years, just like me, and still has the same cool ol muscle car, just like me, is pretty cool.


See, all I remember from 1996-97 about Vito was that he was cool guy, in the Marines, stuck in the same barracks I was, and he had a cool 70 Nova witht eh license plate "Vitos 70". Yes, my memory is good with car related things.

So, recently a lot of history stuff popped up, like my 30th high school graduation anniversary, family tree research on ancestry .com, and I got to wondering what some guys I was in the Navy with were doing, and I remembered Vito, and his 70 Nova.

Notice way down that driveway in front of the 2 door garage, is a 70 Nova.

Pretty cool to find out that someone hung onto, either the same, or a similar, kick ass car that he had back when.

Yeah I tried a message on Facebook, and it didn't work, I think that just like me, he never notices the "message requests" tiny damn notification on Facebook. Serious, months go by without seeing that damn tiny check mark.

Or, like most people, he's like "Who the fuck is that?" when not recalling who the hell someone is after 25 years.

But that's not what this is about. This is about the cool factor of learning that some cool friend you had 25 years ago that you remember like, 4 things about, still has his kick ass Nova.

Seriously, if you were ever in the military, broke because you had a cool car (Car payment plus insurance plus gas = most of the bi-monthly paycheck. I think I was getting 350 every two weeks) and living in the fucking barracks, back when a vcr or tv cost a couple hundred bucks you didn't have plus cable was too damn much every month.

Call it the price you pay to be in the enlisted military, that shitty broke existence that people who understand just say, "yep, been there done that" cause there weren't credit cards, there wasn't shit to do except put your shitty paycheck into one thing. Beer, video games, clubbing to meet women who want to meet douchebags that club to meet women, or a cool old car that not only is fun to race at the local drag strip, it's also your daily commuter.

So you waste evenings watching tv in the barracks tv room, or shooting pool when no one has screwed up the pool table, busted the sticks, or torn the green. You hang out with other similar solid examples of the broke but cool guys with nothing to do. And now and then find some one who talks cars!

You know, there really aren't that many of our tribe. It's good to find a brother of the busted knuckles and cool cars tribe, and even better to see that he's kept his Nova since then, that time before the internet, when keeping in touch meant sending mail to weird invented military FPOs. So, not a lot of letters ever got written. People came and went and got transferred to other bases. 

Friday, February 14, 2020

Trivia... here's a one year only option on the 1969 Monaco and Polara, that didn't get any traction with customers, and was not brought back for 1970. I've never seen or heard of it before (thanks to Dennis for pointing it out!)




Designed in partnership with Sylvania, the Super-Lite was optional on the already well-equipped 1969 Dodge Monaco and Polara lineup.

The controlled-beam Super-Lite utilized a quartz-iodide bulb for laser-like lighting accuracy. It focused its precision cast of light onto the road for forward visibility, designed to match the power and speed of small- and big-block V-8-equipped full-size C-body Dodges.


The Super-Lite worked like a film projector to illuminate the void between the low- and high-beam settings. Light focused through a rectangular aperture and glass lens that cast light wide and long but not high. The 85-watt Super-Lite was a production option precursor to modern projector headlights—a commendable attempt to improve on the sealed-beam headlight that by 1969 had been in service largely unchanged since its inception three decades earlier.


https://www.hagerty.com/articles-videos/articles/2017/10/25/space-age-dodge-super-lite

Brought up by http://justacarguy.blogspot.com/2020/02/ive-never-seen-dodge-polara-with-this.html
https://a.d-cd.net/_AAAAgDhjuA-1920.jpg
https://a.d-cd.net/l4AAAgNhjuA-1920.jpg
https://nickmix01.livejournal.com/629716.html#cutid1

70 Judge warming up on it's own before the driver comes out to go somewhere. It takes a while for 400 pounds of iron engine to warm up enough to make that heater do anything effective


Sadly, cars look GREAT against snow for better photos than grass.... but damn few people want to deal with trying to take good photos in the winter

https://prova275.tumblr.com/page/16

And now, for something a little different, a 1923-24 Jean Gaborit built Louis the 14th interior, Sizaire-Berwick, a French car maker active between 1913 and 1927. Levallois-Perret, France




Jean Gaborit was the son of a high-ranking politician and was only 19 when his father gave him the financial backing for his venture. He designed and built closed bodies on Delaunay-Belleville, Farman and Sizaire-Berwick chassis in 1924


Sizaire-Berwick was French President Poincaré’s preferred transport to the Front during the Great War.

After the war, production of the Sizaire-Berwick shifted from France to Park Royal, London. In 1922, Austin took it over, and killed it by 1925

Item of note and importance, the coachbuilding firm of Park Ward, was set up in 1919 by former Sizaire-Berwick employees William McDonald Park and Charles W.Ward.

https://frenchcurious.tumblr.com/page/359
https://www.bonhams.com/auctions/11095/lot/171/
https://www.coachbuild.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=720&t=10375

This BMW really suffered the wrath... makes me wonder what the issue of contention was, parking? Cheating on a wife?





Pieter put together some cars that are similar: (Nissan Tiida, Opel Corsa, Hyundai i20, Geely MK, Toyota Yaris, Renault Clio, Suzuki Celerio, Chev Sonic, Nissan Pulsar, Mitsubishi Mirage, Renault (Dacia) Sandero, Peugeot 307)


Proof enough that no matter what name a car manufacturer has, they simply do not have much individuality anymore.

No one built a car like Checker, Studebaker, etc.

Maybe that is why those companies no longer exist, but, we certainly remember them well.

Does anyone remember the Tempo? The Ford Tempo? Anyone? Probably not. It was so similar to other cars

Thanks Pieter!

a rough road, or a barely useful air strip in Guatemala used only by cocaine smugglers? *** Thanks Kim!

For those looking for an automotive Valentine’s Day, the Buffalo Transportation/Pierce-Arrow Museum is opening its doors to showcase an exhibit titled “Tokens of Affection”. *** Thanks SixSeven Wheels!

The Jenin collection of Tuckers, on a transporter to make an appearance some where


Tucker chassis 1046 after recently being restored to its original state,  Monterey auction 2018 - RM Sotheby's $ 1,820,000



By 1964, his interest in cars began to fade, and he put the collection on sale. He offered to sell the entire collection - all 7 Tucker Torpedo cars, an experimental chassis, 2 Dodge trailers and a Metrovan minibus, a huge amount of parts, audio recordings, documents and photos for $ 38,000.


https://nickmix01.livejournal.com/628894.html#cutid1

I've never seen a Dodge Polara with this side stripe

album covers from way back 50 some years ago... Richard Wagner, Die Walküre, 1972.... Bob Marley’s Babylon by Bus, 1978..... Thelonious Monk: Monk´s Music, 1957.

Thursday, February 13, 2020

as was common until the 90s, vehicles were used up, then parked off to the side... then forgotten. Well, these 'field finds' were just rediscovered when the family farm was inherited... wow. How come that doesn't happen to me?


Manitowoc Wisconsin's since 1847



Kingsbury's main offices remained in Manitowoc until 1963, when it merged with G. Heileman Brewing Company, which brewed and distributed Kingsbury label products until 1974.

The Geo. Wiedemann Brewing Company of Newport, Kentucky, brewed and sold Kingsbury Beer and Kingsbury Near Beer between 1967 and 1983. The Sioux City Brewing Company of Sioux City, Iowa, brewed and sold Kingsbury Beer from 1959 to 1960.

 The Stroh Brewery Company later, after it bought the G. Heileman Brewing Company, brewed and distributed some Kingsbury labels. Stroh's ceased operation in 1999-2000, and the Miller Brewing Company bought the Kingsbury Near Beer label, which is still brewed and distributed by Miller.

https://www.yumpu.com/en/document/read/6427969/history-of-the-kunz-family-in-the-brewing-industry-in-manitowoc-




This '53 Stude has 1965 plates


this 46 Pontiac has 1959 plates

and doing the math, that 6 years apart on the plates, and 6 years apart on the model years of the cars... sequentially used cars!

by coincidence, I just found this in some tumblrs archives

Fun paint names from the 60s and 70s ***thanks Burkey!

Anti-EstablishMint
 Hulla Blue
 Original Cinnamon
 Fruedian Gilt

Ford paint names for the '70 Maverick


Lone O ranger (Orange)
Lettuce alone
Strike me pink
Purr Pull

From Holden



https://www.ssforums.com/threads/the-day-australia-turned-day-glo-1972-holden-torana.78433/

and for 73 to 75 Leyland Motor Corporation Of Australia

http://www.ozcooper.com.au/paint_codes.htm

Lynda Carter waves from her trailer during filming of Wonder Woman (1976)

Check out this homebuilt Teardrop... they used a droptank for the trailer fenders! Pulled by a '47 Buick Special (thanks Steve!)

cool tire armor

a photo of a time when there were far more two wheelers than 4 wheelers, and here was a typical variety of what was predominant

hi def hi res beauty of nature in motion


wouldn't you think that if you're going to land at some bush air strip, they'd at least clear out the hazards that will snap off your landing gear? 'Cause that airplane, now? Ain't ever leaving. Bad piloting choices on landing



August 1, 2019. A DC6 Everts Air Cargo tore off starboard landing gear at a remote location in Alaska

the airframe was a total loss. They salvaged what they could for parts.

https://darkdraggon.tumblr.com/post/190795046750
https://twitter.com/OnAviation

Don't lift !


Damn right that driver is caffeinated!

https://darkdraggon.tumblr.com/