Saturday, January 30, 2021

Ford Gran Torino Starsky & Hutch Edition, a special edition for 1976.




After a 1975 Gran Torino Sport Coupé was used in the TV series, Ford made the special edition to sell to customers

Basically a special paint option, the package included the deluxe bumper group and dual colour-keyed sport mirrors as mandatory options. 

The TV car’s slotted mags were not offered, the only sports wheel option was the Magnum 500 wheel. 

The cars came equipped with wheel covers as standard equipment.

 To produce the 1000 limited edition replicas, Ford used white cars, then masked off the stripe and painted the rest of the car the shade of bright red (code 2B) used on the 1972–75 models (and subsequently the TV cars) because it was not longer available on 1976 models. 

this guy either is fearless, needs to kiss the trophy girl more than anyone ever has, has done some stuff in his life that instilled a 'no quit' drive in him to rival any SEAL to survive hell week, or he's the Stig showing off at a local country fair race


the quick method car dealerships use to clear the snow off the new cars

https://ogdaa.blogspot.com/2021/01/tuesday-gifdump_12.html#more

It's been a dozen years or so since I've seen one of the early seasons of Top Gear, I'd forgotten about the cool wall! Thanks Paul!

Now that he's parked, he's calling a tow truck to deal with the idiot's car he moved into the street


full video (the beginning was cut off this version) at https://ogdaa.blogspot.com/2021/01/parking-101.html

there are some things out there on the road to be careful of, and they aren't what you might expect


https://ogdaa.blogspot.com/search?updated-max=2021-01-14T01:00:00-06:00&max-results=20&start=300&by-date=false

Hot Lips in a Gremlin X with Cragars... looks like a fun car chase!


I just learned that unlike the B Bodies, the C bodies got a lighter in the back panel of the center console, because the culture of smoking in that era of cars was incredible.

Some didn’t have a radio, most didn't have a clock, but a lot had a half dozen ashtrays (some cars had 4 to 6 lighters)

https://www.facebook.com/groups/996045710517424/permalink/3485376794917624

proof that back up cameras would benefit drivers that don't have them

https://ogdaa.blogspot.com/2021/01/fucking-mondays_25.html#more

set her down gentle and you'll walk away, no matter if it's on the wheels, or belly pan


https://ogdaa.blogspot.com/2021/01/fucking-mondays-gifdump_25.html

this driver is fed up with bullshit, has some place to be, and no time for this game

https://streamable.com/o/seu69s  for the video

but this car? Earned what they get. Clearly

https://ogdaa.blogspot.com/2021/01/fucking-mondays_25.html#more

tip of the hat to Ozzy Man for keeping spirits up by spreading good news and humor


one cool little muscle car, the Hurst SC/Rambler... dual quad, dual exhaust, dual awesome autographs








https://www.mecum.com/lots/FL0121-444500/1969-amc-hurst-scrambler/

Friday, January 29, 2021

seems to be having a good time


https://ogdaa.blogspot.com/2021/01/friday-gifdump_29.html#more

ummm, that's only going to be towed like that until you reach asphalt. Then you better come up with a plan to flip it over.

 

https://ampervadasz.tumblr.com/post/641627591353253888

If I had an Airstream, or any trailer, I'd be hanging out and shooting the breeze, and probably frying some bluegill and sunfish

but, instead, I'm staying employed because that's the only way I know to have a steady income so I can afford food. 

I guess you have to be rich to live your dreams. It probably helps a hell of a lot if your family is rich, and you simply inherit a fortune from grandparents. 

Anyway, I hope you're going to do something cool this weekend, and enjoy something a bit out of the ordinary

https://dailytimewaster.blogspot.com/2021/01/friday-open-road_29.html

Edelbrock HQ is closing. Bob says that Edelbrock HQ is moving to Mississippi, as California has it in to ruin businesses and the internal combustion engine

In a recent notice sent to the state Employment Development Department, the company said employee layoffs would begin Jan. 15 and end March 31. The closure will affect 217 hourly workers and 53 salaried employees.

 I didn't know that Edelbrock sold out in 2010, so, I guess that either there was a decision made by Vic Jr, Camie and Callie to sell, or, they were taken over by the investment firm that has owned Edelbrock since 2020 - Industrial Opportunity Partners (IOP), a private equity firm... who in Feb 2020 bought out Comp Performance Group, which includes Comp Cams, and TCI

I suppose the facts are probably clear, the era of hot rod upgrades is over. Not many people have muscle cars and hot rods, and fewer are upgrading them (you only need to do that once) and the prices are ridiculous anyway. 

For example, if you buy a Chevy, are you going to day two it, and put on Cragars? Nope. Are you going to put on a better looking air filter housing? Nope. Are you going to change the heads? Nope. 

Probably because the cost of living is still increasing pretty bad, well, increasing unexpectedly worse than you thought it would now that Biden is president (I'll let you look those facts up) and you aren't getting pay raises to keep up with inflation, and new cars have a pretty darn nice set of heads, rims, and no one lifts the hood on new cars now to look at how cool the engine is... because it's not a good looking engine anymore, and it's covered by a clip on engine cover. No, I don't know why, but I think it's because engines are ugly now. 

Anyway, there it is, the news. Edelbrock's shutting down, because the people that ran it, aged out, and the people that own it, are only interested in profit. 

https://www.dailybreeze.com/2021/01/28/auto-parts-maker-edelbrock-with-270-employees-closing-torrance-facility/amp/  via  https://www.thedrive.com/news/39011/legendary-auto-parts-manufacturer-edelbrock-is-closing-its-california-headquarters

2010 – Industrial Opportunity Partners strategically invests in the Edelbrock Corporation 

2018 – Don Barry, from ISN, joins Edelbrock as the President and CEO

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edelbrock

the patent drawings, maybe, or just good marketing to sell posters




https://vintagraph.com/collections/cars-trucks

https://www.jalopyjournal.com/?p=10169

washout on Highway 1 about 15 miles south of Big Sur... that is NOT going to get fixed anytime soon. I hope there is a detour nearby


And just two years ago they fixed that massive landslide just south of Big Sur. 
 


https://twitter.com/stevesilberman/status/1355209935043219459  via https://www.thedrive.com/news/39004/chunk-of-california-highway-1-crumbles-into-the-pacific-after-storms-trigger-landslide

1945 - Milwaukee Road

https://www.facebook.com/imbuedwithhues/photos/a.204047289763366/1739874566180623/

1939 - Erie steam shovel, Ford truck (blue), Chevrolet truck (red). Ann Arbor, Michigan

https://www.facebook.com/imbuedwithhues/posts/1741593209342092

1931 Ford Model A Town Car Delivery. Bacon, Stickney & Co. Ford’s failed attempt to enter the higher priced car market.

https://www.facebook.com/imbuedwithhues/photos/a.204047289763366/1742101885957891/

Railroad depot, Silver City, New Mexico Waldo Twitchell c 1920

https://www.facebook.com/groups/382299802350675/permalink/814942715753046/

Thursday, January 28, 2021

Dan Gurney racing a VW bug in the Bahamas for EMPI

Just how cool was it to be a famous race car driver? I suppose he was invited, was paid to drive, got a hotel room for free, etc. 

And got flown to the Bahamas to race. Damn, that's not bad!

https://murdercycles.tumblr.com/post/183071120883/vwgp-nassau-bahamas-foreign-car-guide#notes

the 1954 Ford Treasury of Favorite Recipes?

http://www.codex99.com/illustration/36.html

a 32 soapbox derby car made by woodworker Peter Vivian of Dorset, England

https://www.jalopyjournal.com/?p=14594

just moments before achieving the minimum velocity for time travel

https://www.jalopyjournal.com/?p=14760

Nickey, Thomas, and Harrell... this is a whole lot of famous names

https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/altered-wheelbase-picture-thread.393460/page-72#post-12077025

probably the first time strippers were airbrushed on a race car, definitely not the last

https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/altered-wheelbase-picture-thread.393460/page-72#post-12055134

Five people were arrested and 19 bikes were impounded after hundreds of cyclists took over the roadways in Modesto.


Police say it wasn’t long before they started taking 9-1-1 calls about the bicyclists not stopping at stop signs and taking up all lanes of the roadway, blocking vehicles from moving.

First gathering at a local park, the group steadily grew to around 300 cyclists who then rode out into the streets, according to the Modesto Police Department, for a bike-riding event organized by the Rippers bike group.

Jared Garrett, a member of the 209 Rippers, says the police “started grabbing people off bikes. They’re chasing kids and running them off roads.”

In a video obtained by CBS13, a Modesto police officer can be seen riding a motorcycle on neighborhood sidewalks before a squad car speeds past the group.

“They started sending motorcycles through our crowd at 30-40 miles per hour,” Garrett said.

https://sacramento.cbslocal.com/2021/01/25/modesto-cyclist-group-troubles/

https://sacramento.cbslocal.com/2021/01/26/bike-group-modesto-police-event/

a U.S. Military Caboose located in Germany


https://www.facebook.com/RWRRMuseum/posts/4936540283082677

There was no information with these photos



https://www.facebook.com/RWRRMuseum/posts/4653476418055733

Wednesday, January 27, 2021

go cart racing, 1960, Indiana

http://www.overdrive.fi/forum/threads/vanhoja-valokuvia-ameriikan-raitilta.267070/page-1031#post-3270820

once upon a drag racing golden age

https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/vintage-shots-from-days-gone-by.428585/page-5952#post-12895761

torque monster (thanks Paul!)


Shaker, the 1st funny car made in Australia, won the 1970 nats, and with a 10.45 @134. Was neglected on a farm for years, but when discovered, was restored, and races again - still running low 10s. (Thanks Paul!)

A "Captain Cook" meant "have a look" Thanks Paul!


good looking car though!


Horn cars was a name given to a range of dealer-modified passenger cars, usually Ford Falcons, sold at Australian Ford dealers in the 1970s.

 The term "Horn car" comes from the Horn Car Accessories company which supplied the parts used to modify these cars. 

 Horn cars were an initiative taken by Max McLeod, who owned a Ford dealership in Rockdale, New South Wales, a suburb of Sydney. 

McLeod would add a range of visual modifications to his Falcons - typically spoilers, sunroofs and wild tape striping along the side of the vehicle - in order to make them stand out from the crowd and give his customers the chance to buy a "unique" vehicle. 

The concept proved popular and was soon employed by other Ford dealers around Australia.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horn_car

How about that, I learned of "horn cars" today! I'd never heard of them before!

1959 photos of the Fond Du Lac train station depot


Fond du Lac – Soo Line By the 1880s, Fond du lac was the state’s second largest city and already a railway center. The Wisconsin Central began building southward from Menasha at that time and in 1882 built a unique and very modern (for 1882) station in Fond du Lac.

It was built in the then-emerging Queen Anne style, popular from 1880 to around 1910 as a residential style. However, it was difficult to adapt Queen Anne to commercial and special-use buildings and therefore there are few examples of these, making the Fond du Lac station a unique structure.

Skipping a discussion of the architectural details, it is sufficient to say that Fond du Lac was a well-done example of this style in a non-residential building. However, it should be noted that there are details in the drawings that were not executed in construction, notably the decorative chimney and the balcony railings in front of the dormers.


https://www.facebook.com/groups/1497865573757127/permalink/1553327891544228