Saturday, April 08, 2023
1923 Studebaker Big Six Speedster, had a 353 cu in, which was the biggest motor Studebaker made, resulting in this being a good car for bootleggers during prohibition, and cops that chased them
Twelve of the 14 Arizona counties issued these Studebakers to their Sheriffs, including Pima County. Known for its rugged reliability, the Big Six patrolled the back roads to keep the peace in Pima County.
Studebaker even commissioned and published a book “The Arizona Sheriff", by Grover F. Sexton, highlighting the exploits of Arizona Sheriffs in their Bix Six patrol cars.
there's no question WHAT is going to happen when you see a rich moron, with a golf club and ball, on a tee. WHY remains a mystery, because we all know the obvious is inevitable
by the way, I don't think it's a real Ferrari. The license plate is NOTLEGIT
the video of this is on this compilation, at 1:54
Friday, April 07, 2023
The dealership selling this 79 Trans Am with only 682 miles, would like 120,000 more for it than when it was fresh from the factory. 40k more than they paid for it 4 months ago at auction.
maybe there is some rich guy with a midlife crisis, who just watched American Beauty, who will trade his life savings for the car to spite his soon to be ex-wife. But I doubt it
Frankly it's ridiculous to pay more for this than a new Hellcat or Corvette, either of those will out perform this, and depreciate less in the next 20 years if treated the same as this if it were bought instead, as a low mile never driven investment
Oh my god, what is WRONG with people? A sheriff's office was delayed in tracking and finding a stolen car with a 2-year-old boy inside, when Volkswagen's Car-Net service demanded a credit card number to reactivate the expired subscription tracking device in the stolen VW. thank you Paige and Double Nickel !
Volkswagen uses a third-party vendor to provide the Car-Net service
"While searching for the stolen vehicle and endangered child, sheriff's detectives immediately called Volkswagen Car-Net, in an attempt to track the vehicle," the Lake County sheriff's office said in a statement posted on Facebook about the incident on February 23. "Unfortunately, there was a delay, as Volkswagen Car-Net would not track the vehicle with the abducted child until they received payment to reactivate the tracking device in the stolen Volkswagen."
Volkswagen Car-Net lets owners track and control their vehicles remotely. According to a Chicago Sun-Times article, "the Car-Net trial period had ended, and a representative wanted $150 to restart the service and locate the SUV." The article continued:
The detective pleaded, explaining the "extremely exigent circumstance," but the representative didn't budge, saying it was company policy, sheriff's office Deputy Chief Christopher Covelli said Friday.
"The detective had to work out getting a credit card number and then call the representative back to pay the $150 and at that time the representative provided the GPS location of the vehicle," Covelli said.
By the time officers say they paid the $150 and got the location of the vehicle, it had already been located by other means. "About 30 minutes had passed, and 'we had already located the 2-year-old child and located the vehicle before they even provided us the information, so it was at that point worthless,' Covelli said
Shortly after the Volkswagen was stolen with the child inside, "a person working at a business in the 2200 block of Lakeside Drive, Waukegan, called 911 to report they just saw two vehicles enter the parking lot, and the driver of one of the cars abandoned a small child," the sheriff's office said. The perpetrators fled, and the person who called 911 "rescued the child from the parking lot" before the boy could wander onto the busy roadway.
New Zealanders Steve and Sue Keys have spent the last five years in a spectacular resurrection of what may be the last Texaco Diamond T Fuel Truck
Texaco, Standard Oil and Socony had their own small fleets of Dodge Airflow trucks
But not all Texaco trucks were Dodge Airflows. Mack and International chassis reportedly served as the basis for other Texaco tankers of the Thirties, as did Diamond T.
Detroit-based Garwood Industries, Kansas City-based Standard Steel Works and Milwaukee-based Heil Co. all built trucks for the Texaco fleet - and each built the tankers slightly different, making the restoration of the Diamond T anything but straightforward.
It originally was a fuel truck in South Carolina, where the Texaco distributor used it for local fuel deliveries before eventually selling the truck to an adjacent lumber mill.
The lumber mill then used it as a water tank truck in its yard until 1980, when the lumber mill closed and a salvage yard bought it.
The operator of that salvage yard then stored it at a friend's place and had to buy it back from that friend's estate before offering it for sale on eBay in 2010.
A couple owners, one cross-country trip, and a trans-Pacific boat ride later, it ended up in New Zealand
With everything coming together in the fall of 2022, the Keys scheduled the Diamond T's debut for the Ellerslie Concours d'Elegance in February 2023. Unfortunately, Cyclone Gabrielle hit New Zealand's North Island that same weekend, leading the concours to be postponed. While they still plan to present the Diamond T at the concours, they've since privately unveiled the completed truck and have arranged to place it in the Classics Museum in Hamilton, New Zealand, until the concours's new date in late April.
Greg Martin’s Iconic Rod and Custom in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, is set to hand craft an aluminum Coupé Simone body over a wooden buck
in February 1997, Automobile magazine ran a six-page feature story on a fascinating “barn find” discovery of a “lost” one-off Duesenberg bodied in 1939 (it was all a made up hoax, and it got a LOT of interest) created by FRanklin Mint designers, who were drumming up interest in a model they were going to sell, and it worked.
https://justacarguy.blogspot.com/2013/07/a-duesenburg-that-didnt-get-past.html I learned about it in 2013
Hagerty reports that the Iconic Rod and Custom shop is going to craft the body... what they are going to mount it to isn't mentioned. The engine, trans, and the rest are all speculative. Noting is decided yet
Thursday, April 06, 2023
Polaris donates ATVs to the Boy Scouts, and ASI Safety training at Philmont Scout Ranch (New Mexico) and Summit Bechtel Reserve (West Virginia)
Employees at Polaris, which began in Roseau, Minn., in 1945, also provide mentoring for classrooms in Roseau and Minneapolis through eMentors, an online mentoring program for high-school students.
Additionally, Polaris sponsors STEM programming for Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Greater Twin Cities, the Boys & Girls Club of Indian River County, the University of Minnesota Foundation and the Robettes, Minnesota’s first all-girls high school FIRST Robotics Competition Team.
Partnering with Code2College, a college-prep organization that aims to increase diversity in STEM undergraduate studies, Polaris supports students at Grape Creek High School in San Angelo, Texas, to find internships at Polaris dealerships, helping them gain valuable experience in automotive and information technology.
At least six people have been renting equipment from Home Depot in central Florida, and selling it on social media, at least 61 pieces of equipment, which cost Home Depot a loss of more than $1 million.
According to Fox News, utility loaders, stump grinders, trenchers, mini-excavators, and trailers were stolen in at least 50 separate incidents across 16 counties. The total value of the equipment closes in on $600,000.
The investigation began in late 2021 when Home Depot investigators began reviewing large equipment overdue rentals and found a pattern of activity in the southeast region, which includes the Tampa and Orlando area stores. The overdue rentals and thefts had several similarities: they were one-day rentals by renters with Orlando addresses, and the GPS devices installed in the units were disabled within hours of the equipment leaving the store. The stolen equipment was then posted on social media sales sites, such as Facebook marketplace.
According to Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd, Byron Johnson was tied to several thefts via video surveillance, social media messages, and text messages. He often used his own identification when completing the rental agreements and his own Facebook page to post the equipment for sale. Johnson told the unsuspecting buyers that he was a "construction worker going out of business," or "my father passed away and I need money."
This is a follow on to the news I posted the other day of a guy renting a Hellcat, then selling it on Craigslist... to let you know, there is a LOT more bullshit scam sales going on out there than I had any clue about
McPherson College's 1953 Mercedes-Benz 300 S is the college’s first car fully restored by its students to be accepted at Pebble Beach this August
“We set a bold vision 10 years ago to show a car at Pebble Beach, and I was confident our students and staff could attain it,” said Amanda Gutierrez, provost and vice president of automotive restoration. “The goal was to get invited to compete at Pebble Beach, but there is a significant process that makes that happen, especially at a small college with students working outside of class hours. This project has been a valuable learning experience for our students as they study toward their bachelor’s degree in automotive restoration.
After an exhaustive search for the right car, work on the project began and has incorporated classroom curricula, expert guest lectures, and senior capstone experiences. The restoration was completed by teams of student interns who worked over the course of the restoration.
Be On The Lookout For a stolen Demon... Brown Dog Welding (Josh Welton) parked his car in a Detroit locked gate parking lot, and it was gone in under 10 minutes
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The car’s plate is HLYSMOK. The color is one of 32 made in Maximum Steel. The VIN is 2C3-CDZH93JH-100040. Black interior, red seat belts, leather seats.
Stolen Monday afternoon in Detroit, in broad daylight, within a ten minute window, from a gated lot, it was snatched. They cut the gate’s chain and they either cloned the key or did some other Fast and Furious cyber wizardry and drove it away.
If you've got a facebook page or blog or twitter, please spread the word and keep an eye out, trying to find stolen cars is just a matter of checking on that rare example of similar car that MIGHT be the stolen car. Josh is a great guy, and the welder I've posted about often https://justacarguy.blogspot.com/search?q=Josh+Welton
Craig Breedlove, first to 500 and 600 mph at Bonneville, died on April 4, 2023, at the age of 86.
I really don't know what to say when one of the legends dies of old age.
Breedlove, Shelby, Mickey, Roth... there are many others but I just want to set the context of what I mean, those few guys were legends IN their own life!
Not many ever achieve half the fame, cult celebrity, or whatever it is that these guys have.
Neil Armstrong, John Glenn, John Wayne... there are probably only a hundred or so in my life that have made their mark like this. Evel Knievel and Craig Breedlove were effing hero worshipped by young guys like me in the 70s.
What the hell can I articulate in a head line, that conveys the respect for their accomplishments? Some gutted it out, like Breedlove, in a car they made in the garage. Some, like Knievel, rode the wave, hyped their reputation, dared again and again to try for a mark just a bit past what they'd already risked their life for, and often failed.
But they all went into the history books. None were forgotten until their obit was splashed in the news.
Not only did Breedlove hit the 500 and 600, he pushed every other wanna be to try for the next number, the next record, and then he went and did the AMX records, and kept kids entertained in the magazines like Hot Rod and Car Craft. He was one of the few to cause the country to wonder, what IS the highest speed that can be conquered at Bonneville? And then the others came to race on the salt. Arfons, Thompson, etc.
I am just a car guy, those guys were legends, and when we learn they've died of old age, what the hell can I say to show respect, and a bit of appreciation for all the motivation and good will they created for so many car guys?
I went with what another guy I respect immensely would probably say, in what I think was the way Walter Cronkite used to speak, when I was watching the CBS evening news regularly, impressed by what a straight shooter and outstanding anchorman Cronkite was, such a grandpa like guy who told you the news, and ended the show with "and that's the way it is"
So, Craig Breedlove, first to 500 and 600 mph at Bonneville, died on April 4, 2023, at the age of 86.
Did you know you can browse through the patents, by description, and see if there's stuff in there that you're interested in? Thanks to Google for scanning them, and putting them all in a database, with an image viewer!
Just an example at random, above, of the patents issued in August of 1916 https://www.google.com/patents/sitemap/en/Sitemap/Unknown_Category/1916_164.html
and the example of one I found interesting, a spring actuated wheel.
Just looking through the descriptions I found a girdle, a pop-gun, a submarine whistle, a hog oiler, etc
Wednesday, April 05, 2023
I've never seen this before, a Model T accessory, the 1916 Automobile Telescoping Apartment (this is a replica) on a 1925 Model T Runabout
coolest thing I've seen in weeks, and I just learned (when looking for more info) that Autoevolution.com posted about it last year https://www.autoevolution.com/news/in-1916-100-got-you-a-ford-telescoping-apartment-the-world-s-first-slideout-camper-182664.html
an original was found, and is on display in the RV Motorhome Hall Of Fame Museum in Elkhart Indiana https://ladailypost.com/posts-from-the-road-rv-manufactured-home-hall-of-fame/
there is one month left to get in an application for the Harbor Freight Tools for Schools Prize for Teaching Excellence, there will be $1.5 million in cash prizes to 25 outstanding skilled trades teachers and their programs.
5 grand prize winners will each receive $100,000, with $70,000 going to the public high school skilled trades program and $30,000 going to the eligible individual skilled trades teacher.
20 prize winners will each be awarded $50,000, with $35,000 going to the public high school skilled trades program and $15,000 going to the eligible individual skilled trades teacher.
Car and driver has a comparison report on car cleaners, but also, a link straight to the winners of those comparisons without bothering you with the next best that didn't win them over
https://www.caranddriver.com/shopping-advice/g42246787/best-car-glass-cleaners-tested for window cleaners, the one test I was interested in.
all the tests are by the same staffer, and can be found at one link https://www.caranddriver.com/author/228074/collin-morgan/ he compares wiper blades, vacuums, etc etc
if you don't want to read the comparisons, and each individual products comments, you can use this link https://www.caranddriver.com/shopping-advice/a41692115/car-and-driver-gear-team-tested-and-trusted to just see the best in each of 17 categories
undoubtedly a unique display
Norton was the primary motorcycle supplier to the British Military during WWII, almost 100,000 of the Norton 16H Model were built for service. Due to the relatively high ground clearance and solid reliability the Norton, it was favored for despatch work, it was also used for training, reconnaissance, convoy control and escort duties.
The Norton 16H simply means “Home”, the Nortons that were built for service overseas with the Australian, New Zealand, Indian and the Canadian Armies were denoted with a “C” for “colonies”.
The SS Thistlegorm was part of a convoy of 16 ships heading to Alexandria resupplying the British 8th Army at Tobruk. The convoy was halted at Sha’ab Ali (Safe Anchorage F) because a tanker had run into a German mine at the entrance to the Suez canal, and the convoy had to wait until the wreckage was cleared. The Thistlegorm was sunk during a surprise attack by a pair of Heinkel He-111 bombers dispatched from Crete. The German bombers were originally ordered to search for, and sink, the RMS Queen Mary.
Most of the cargo remained on board following a long period of disinterest. Until Dr. Adel Taher, the founder of Sharm’s Hyperbaric Medical Centre, ‘rediscovered’ the wreck in the early 1990s with three friends and dived it in secret for a few years.
Today the ship is one of the most famous wreck dives in the world, a virtual museum showcasing motorcycles, jeeps, weaponry, locomotives, and more.
Then growth of sport diving took off in the Red Sea and Sharm El Sheikh became a popular scuba diving destination. The depth of the wreck is around 100 feet and makes it ideal for diving without the need for specialized equipment and training, but dive operators didn’t practice social distancing and word spread as the location became the most popular scuba diving and tourist destination in Egypt and the Red Sea. Now there are severe issues with preserving artifacts and the history of the ship wreck.
Then growth of sport diving took off in the Red Sea and Sharm El Sheikh became a popular scuba diving destination. The depth of the wreck is around 100 feet and makes it ideal for diving without the need for specialized equipment and training, but dive operators didn’t practice social distancing and word spread as the location became the most popular scuba diving and tourist destination in Egypt and the Red Sea. Now there are severe issues with preserving artifacts and the history of the ship wreck.