the coolest thing that happened today? I got to help push a car across an intersection... you know how RARE that is anymore? A Mopar, a 68 Charger, a car a lot like my 69 Coronet R/T

I happened to be getting gas at the intersection, and looked up to the see Charger sitting in a very strange way... do you know how long it's been since I've seen a car dead in an intersection? Over a decade I think

 

So, I took a couple photos on the way over to help push, and one photo after he got it started again... the carb needs a rebuild, idle is about 100 rpm too low, and the gas tank seems to be leaking. 

But a bit of starter fluid, and it fired right up

this is something coincidental... ANOTHER Austin Healey 3000 in a movie this month alone...

this was in the 1st transformers movie... a simple easy pleasure to watch

If you even think of watching it, remember, the amazing casting of John Turturro, Josh Duhamel, Tyrese Gibson, a fun scene with Bernie Mac as a used car salesman, and the perfect casting of young Shia Lebouf 

Before I forget, the casting in Transformers Dark Side of the Moon (3rd movie) is equally terrific, Buzz Aldrin in a cameo, Ken Jeong as a crazy guy, Frances McDormand, John Malkovich, and one of the best actors at playing a funny crazy guy, Alan Tudyk... and voicing Megatron is Hugo Weaving, and Leonard Nimoy voiced Sentinel Prime

the 4th movie has Stanley Tucci (what a hoot), Kelsey Grammer, TJ Miller, and Mark Wahlberg. John Goodman voices "Hound" and Ken Watanabe voices "Drift" 

the 5th movie has Stanley Tucci as Merlin the magician for Pete's sake, Josh Duhamel, Wahlberg, and Anthony Hopkins, John Turturro, and Steve Buscemi voives "Daytrader" 

but one thing struck me as very off... why the hell did they have the line about a high rise double pumper under the hood of the old Camaro Bumble Bee (before he switched to new Camaro) and then, they show THIS under the hood:

I don't even know what these are for sure, fuel injection Webers? 

What moron wrote the line for the Mikaela character: "Whoa, nice headers. You've got a high-rise double-pump carburetor. That's pretty impressive, Sam"

OR was it simply that instead of showing a typical carb'd Chev 350, someone screwed up and used the above instead, but... still, high rise, everyone knows that the intakes are high rises, and fuel injectors are not built like a Holley carb, the 750 double pumper.

https://www.tfarchive.com/movies/movietranscript.php

someone has already decided they want nothing to do with the problems with keeping the Tesla Truck clean and shiny... they either wrapped it or painted it

cool tool art, probably inspired by Doug Dorr's awesome series of "Cool Tool" art from a decade or so ago

found in the new tv series on Netflix, the Dead Boy Detectives

there is a WHALE in their scoreboard!

https://www.vintageleatherjackets.org/threads/random-cool-photo-thread.26448/page-77#post-404283

Karen, the New York DA who will see you next Tuesday, blew a stop sign, did 55 in a 35, and refused to stop for cops, then called the police chief to complain about the “a–hole” officer who pursued her home

When the cop tells her she was doing 55 in a 35, she tells him “I don’t really care,” clearly irritated.

She gets on the phone and calls Webster Chief of Police Dennis Kohlmeier and asks him “can you please tell them to leave me alone?”

Doorley refuses to step outside her garage to speak with officers. She dismissively hands the cop the phone to speak with the chief and tells him “just go away.” The officer can be heard explaining what happened on the phone.

She then storms inside the house against the officer’s orders.

He explains that he’s trying to conduct a traffic stop, and she shoots back “I know the law better than you,” footage shows.

“What is it your so against me? I’m doing my job. You say you’re a DA?” the cop asks at one point.

“I am THE DA,” she emphatically snaps back, and fetches her badge out of her car as she calls him an “a–hole.”

At one point the officer asks her why she was going so fast she responded that she “didn’t feel like stopping on Phillips Road at 5:30,” to which the officer responded, “That’s not your choice; you know that.”

“What do you want us to do, not do our jobs because it’s you?” the officer then asks Doorley.

“That’s not a traffic ticket; that’s an arrestable offense, Sandra. You know this,” the cop says.

https://nypost.com/2024/04/26/us-news/ny-da-refuses-to-stop-for-speeding-drives-back-to-her-house-and-gives-cops-hard-time/

There you are, great cops doing their job, unlike the following 3 news items. I post both! There are just far fewer great cop stories in the news for obvious reasons

Follow up on the Indiana Sherriff posted about 2 weeks ago, among all the other 24 felony charges against the corrupt POS (perfectly ordinary Sherriff)

Noel is charged with 25 felonies. He’s pleaded not guilty. His wife and daughter also face felony charges of their own related to their spending on credit cards. They’ve also pleaded not guilty. The Noel’s spent $3,5 million on credit cards.

Indiana State Police were back on Jamey Noel's property Friday, seizing classic cars

Noel is still sitting in jail after being found in contempt of court earlier this month and sentenced to 60 days in the Scott County Jail.

In one instance, Noel allegedly stole money from the fire department, and transferred money into his deceased brother's estate, only to write a check from that account on the same day to buy a 1969 Road Runner.

State police also accuse Noel of lying on car titles, altering the purchase amounts and buying and selling dates.

Someone applied for duplicate titles for the cars just two weeks ago, catching the attention of investigators.

Noel is facing 25 charges for theft, tax evasion, public corruption, ghost employment and more.

https://justacarguy.blogspot.com/2024/04/sheriff-from-indiana-is-facing-25.html

https://www.wdrb.com/news/crime-reports/isp-seizes-classic-cars-from-property-of-former-sheriff-jamey-noel-accused-of-buying-them/article_7098399a-043d-11ef-9d9e-8337d60a8770.html

https://www.wave3.com/2024/04/26/indiana-state-police-seize-6-additional-classic-cars-belonging-jamey-noel/

https://www.insideedition.com/how-a-local-sheriff-allegedly-stole-millions-of-taxpayer-funds-for-cars-designer-clothes-and-a

huh... how about that, what a shocking surprise, another Riverside Country Sherriff's Deputy was busted by DEA for trafficing million of dollars in meth, fentanyl, and cocaine while helping the Sinaloa cartel. Anyone else expect to see that annually at least?

DEA and police have arrested 15 people, including a Riverside County correctional deputy, in connection with a Sinaloa, Mexico, drug trafficking .. seized 376 pounds of methamphetamine, 37.4 pounds of fentanyl, 600,000 fentanyl tablets, 1.4 kilograms of cocaine 

The agents and Riverside police provided their investigative leads to the Riverside County Sheriff's Department and ultimately assisted in the arrest of the deputy while he was allegedly in possession of 104 pounds of fentanyl pills.

Men would package fentanyl at the stash house for shipping through the mail. Aranda and Alva would take the packaged fentanyl and mail it to customers from post offices in and around Riverside County

Nice to know the post office has drug sniffing equipment that isn't being used in the Los Angeles area, huh? 

https://www.hastingstribune.com/ap/national/californias-riverside-county-deputy-14-others-arrested-in-drug-trafficking-bust/article_6eac0e2a-51a1-585c-9671-7859cf3598c1.html

https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2024-04-26/drug-trafficking-inland-empire-arrests-and-seizures

Deputy Rojas, of Houston area, Harris County precinct 4, in Texas was arrested a month ago (news is REALLY slow on cops that get busted for doing stupid shit they arrest anyone else for, and the police try to cover it up, seriously - they always do) busted racing a Camaro on the freeway – in full uniform, in his Mustang

Rojas' vehicle and a black Chevrolet Camaro were pacing next to each other on the Sam Houston Parkway before they accelerated and surpassed 100 mph.

Rojas was pulled over by deputies late Friday night after allegedly racing down the Sam Houston Tollway, according to senior deputy Thomas Gilliland, spokesman for the sheriff’s office

It was the deputy’s second arrest on reckless driving-related charges since 2021. Rojas was a Harris County sheriff's deputy in the detentions dept at the time of that prior arrest and was fired as a result, the sheriff's office confirmed. https://www.linkedin.com/in/jose-rojas-76a30b96/

https://fordauthority.com/2024/04/deputy-arrested-after-racing-his-ford-mustang-video/

https://abc13.com/texas-deputy-street-racing-harris-county-precinct-4-constables-office-christopher-ricardo-rojas-sheriffs/14569571/

https://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/houston-texas/crime/article/harris-county-constable-racing-uniform-19368818.php

you've likely seen this original image of the farmer seeing a plane about to crash and the pilot ejecting... but did you see the recent redux?

it made me smile, I figured you might get a kick out of it too

Sadly, it looks like a great website of photographic variety has quit posting.

 https://lecontainer.blogspot.com/

will be missed. Who ever made it posted such a variety of cool stuff for years. No text, no articles, just a pleasing look at what ever that blogger found worth sharing for the sake of art

using a big hydraulic press, and a pie of railroad rail... to straighten a bent frame. Skip the first two minutes of the video, they are just a quick preview of the whole thing. Watch at 1.5 speed or faster

this video shows the hydraulic press used to straighten out the frame, unlike the previous videos I've posted where it was all hammer work

a smashed up semi gets taken apart, what can be saved set aside, then the panel taken apart at the seams, but cutting out the spot welds and using a cutting torch, and using an interesting modified chain hoist to pull the crushed cab open

Skip the first two minutes at least, and change your speed setting to at least 1.5 time

I am in awe of the hand craftsmanship, the fundamental mechanics, and the basic tools used to get the smashed metal panels made right again.... body shops in the USA? Might, but I haven't seen any do this type of work. 

Notice that they don't have a socket wrench, a spot weld drill from Eastman, and no vice grips, just basic blacksmith tools

1957 Porsche Speedster being hoisted by a crane 58 stories in the air over Vancouver to get a new residence in a living room

most owners of these rare cars don’t drive them anymore anyway, so parking it in a luxury high-rise is not much different than storing it in a ground-level garage.

https://www.roadandtrack.com/news/a60604805/vintage-porsche-speedsterhoisted-58-stories-for-move-into-luxury-high-rise

I like the focus on a theme in a neighborhood's street names. This one is Greek: Trojan, Olympic, Spartan, Corinth, Athens

 

what ever I did to get 10x as much traffic today as yesterday... is a mystery

the Yesterday count of 15645 versus today so far of 163058? Wow! 

A decade ago there was an app that showed you were all your traffic was coming from, but after that company had been putting that on for a decade, they folded, as they hadn't made a going profit with it yet. So, now I have no way to see where traffic is coming from and why. 

That had been a really great way of looking at what sites referred people my way, and I would then look through their content to see what they did and what we had in common to interest readers. Then, thinking it would be great to send some traffic their way in appreciation, I'd post the things on their site and let all of you know where else you can find cool stuff 

Jeremy Clarkson surprises a young fan at his Oxfordshire farm with a special tractor ride and more.

Ahead of the third season’s release next month, Jeremy had Joshua and his family over on the farm to create a special day for the young boy.

The family were given a tour of the farm, seeing the animals, and even met land agent Charlie Ireland who also stars in the popular streaming show when raining on the Diddly Squat shop parade with bad news about regulations and such that hinder the ambitions of Clarkson

Joshua then received some farm shop gifts and held the Stig’s helmet from Top Gear and rode in the Lamborghini tractor.

Joshua and his family were visiting with Taylor-Made Dreams which was founded in 2014 and aims to “bring dreams to life for children with shorter lives”

https://www.oxfordmail.co.uk/news/24277200.jeremy-clarkson-surprises-clarksons-farm-fan-visit/

24-year-old dealership employee was driving an F40, a $3 million supercar, when he crashed in a tunnel

German luxury car dealer Mechatronik trusted a 24-year-old employee with driving a $3 million Ferrari F40 to “Motorworld” in Böblingen but with just 11 miles remaining on the trip, the driver lost control in the middle of the Engelberg tunnel near Stuttgart.

Prior to the crash, this F40 was listed for sale with an asking price just north of $3.2 million.

https://www.roadandtrack.com/news/a60579791/dealership-employee-reportedly-wrecks-ferrari-f40-in-tunnel

how has a '68 AMX lasted this long without getting sucked into the barnfind reselling trend? This was so far off the radar and removed from car people, that it sold in ebay for 3900.

and all the cans? Not beer, so, that's a good sign. No hood? Well, that's clearly a no engine situation

https://www.ebay.com/itm/196350949953?mkcid=1&mkrid=711-53200-19255-0&siteid=0&campid=5337851298&customid=716278&toolid=10001&mkevt=1

After lying dormant for 25 years, this beast of an engine gets the full treatment: a deep clean, some serious machine work, a slick paint job, and a meticulous assembly in time lapse and stop motion

https://boingboing.net/2024/04/24/watch-a-classic-1966-chevy-engine-go-from-rust-to-revival-in-mesmerizing-stop-motion-and-time-lapse-video.html

it's been two years since the last one I posted. That was also from "Redline Rebuild"

someone is out of their mind thinking they are going to find a fool looking to trade 22,000 dollars for a 1953 cut a away hemi

 

https://barnfinds.com/1-of-1-1953-chrysler-hemi-v8-cutaway/

this looks like it's a forest crawling machine! Olofsfors tracks over tires on a John Deere 1270G 8x8 tire forest processor

https://forestmachinemagazine.com/new-alliance-tyres

thank you James G for ringing my tip jar!

rich people's kids are so lucky nowadays

https://www.thedrive.com/news/even-marios-kart-is-being-recalled-for-unintended-acceleration

The world's oldest surviving toy, about 6000 years old

 https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=751149100461779&set=a.506694438240581

Happy 426 day!

Bomonster is selling his (was also his dad's, and his grand dads) 64 Continental (when a buddy is selling, I'll help by spreading the word)

 Complete stock restoration in 2001: Paint, 430cu motor rebuild, transmission, exhaust, shocks, interior. It's been sitting outside under a cover since. 

Paint is faded, small rust bumps on passenger rear 3/4 panel. 

Needs tires. Dash is cracked. 

New fuel tank and Hollry carburetor has been installed recently. 

There is currently a vapor lock issue - probably needs a new radiator and fuel pump. 

With some minor mechanical fixes and surface updates, this car is a good candidate for an awesome full custom or classic stock restoration. 

Car is in Las Vegas. $26,000. email  bo@bomonster.com for photos and details.

Bomonster is a good guy, if you meet him, you'll agree. 

impressive

 https://www.tumblr.com/thetursithan/748813651147882496?source=share

The 2023 California Concept provides a preview of what the upcoming Multivan-based California camper van will look like, but will it be available in California?

the last time I looked, these weren't getting sold in the USA https://justacarguy.blogspot.com/2023/06/volkswagen-finally-showed-off-its-long.html

https://newatlas.com/automotive/new-volkswagen-california-camper-preview/

That's All, Brother and Placid Lassie are two of the airplanes participating in the D-Day Squadron’s airshow

https://vintageaviationnews.com/warbirds-news/pdk-airshow-to-host-d-day-squadrons-aircraft-heading-to-europe.html

It's so annoying that corporations are run by people making millions annually, and they best they can do to improve their business is getting young people hired to be social media experts. Now, John Deere is trying this

John Deere has launched a campaign, a celebrity-driven social media campaign for the first time in its 185-year history, to find the next Chief Tractor Officer, whose main job will be to create Tik Tok and Instagram content to reach younger consumers, and get Gen Z interested in buying John Deere products.

They've recruited Brock Purdy, who has the most wins of any quarterback in Iowa State history, leading the program to a 30-17 record, which resulted in him being drafted by the NFL into the 49rs, and in his video are influencers, including Indiana Pacers point guard Tyrese Haliburton, Olympic gymnast Gabby Douglas, tennis player Anna Frey, business influencer Natalie Marshall and agriculture content creator Laura Farms.

the next Chief Tractor Officer's main job will be to: "create face-melting social media content that shows all the incredible and unexpected ways farming and construction work hits different." 

The gig comes with a face-melting salary close to $200,000.

https://www.npr.org/2024/04/24/1246780874/the-winner-of-a-john-deere-competition-will-help-launch-tiktok-channel

I'd have done that the old fashioned way for 1/2 that, without social media. 

But corporations gave up on the old fashioned ways of doing business, probably because the marketing and advertising companies that used to make commercials that last forever in memory (dog chasing a cat sized chuck wagon through a kitchen, don't squeeze the Charmin, Budweiser frogs, etc) are worth it, but, they charge the same for the lame flops 

And magazines are tanking. 

But just sending someone around to farms and talking to people that use tractors, to logging sites, to construction sites and talking to excavator operators, and talking to lawn and garden workers, and ATV users, and getting their stories, no matter how cool, how old, or how many that I or anyone else who digs tractors, construction equipment, and perfectly mowed yards and lawns, comes up with...  isn't what corporations want to pay for unless it's going to result in the desired amount of internet traffic. 

That just isn't going to sell more NEW tractors, probably not even attract new investors into buying John Deere stock. 

I don't think John Deere wants to face the marketing problem head on, and make nice with farmers and ranchers, after all, they (John Deere) pushed for that proprietary law to prevent farmers and mechanics from fixing John Deere made products less expensively than the dealership hourly rates.

It's all about the videos for tik tok and Instagram traffic, just like the Dodge marketing campaign looking for a new Chief Donut Maker... when Dodge already has Goldberg as a spokesman, and after that nothing else hit the media. 

Learn more about the job at https://www.JohnDeereCTO.com and get your application in by April 29!

https://www.adweek.com/creativity/john-deere-seeks-a-chief-tractor-officer-to-be-the-face-of-its-tiktok-channel/

https://forestmachinemagazine.com/

the winner will find ways to grab attention and tell unexpected stories about the brand’s technology;

for example, some people use its equipment to clear snow from stadiums, 

while its autonomous tractors and herbicide sprayers with built-in cameras can precisely target weeds

how the grounds crew at Wrigley Field maintains their iconic ivy-covered outfield wall? How about watching a world-class roadbuilding crew paving a street in a day?

But do you think social media influencers know of Norman Borlaug? Not a chance. 

The Gremlin Special (C-47) crashed with a small crew of 5 and 19 passengers, during a sightseeing flight over New Guinea, over the Shangri-La valley, then things got BAD... on May 13th, 1945 (Iwo Jima conquered, mothers day)

At the time of World War II, much of the island was uncharted — hundreds of planes crashed there, and few were ever found.

This is one of the few crashes in New Guinea where survivors lived to tell the tale. The flight began as a sightseeing tour with 24 men and women stationed in New Guinea boarded the Gremlin Special to fly over a hidden valley that had been nicknamed "Shangri-La."

An enormous valley 40 miles long, 8 miles wide, and inhabited by anywhere near 100,000 to 120,000 tribesmen who were living basically a Stone Age existence."

Five days after V-E Day that celebrated the end of the war in Europe, the C-47 left the base in Hollandia on New Guinea’s northern coast about 2:15 p.m. on a morale flight over Shangri-La. It crashed into a mountain near the valley entrance 45 minutes later, killing all but six instantly.

Low-lying clouds obstructed the pilot's view and the plane slammed into the side of a mountain, 165 miles from civilization

 One of the few survivors, John McCollom, was an Army lieutenant, he led the two other injured survivors, Cpl. Margaret Hastings of the Women's Army Corp and Sgt. Kenneth Decker, on an arduous trek in search of a clearing, where they would have a better chance of being seen. After a journey through a dense jungle and down a steep, treacherous gulley, they finally reached an open area where they were spotted by rescue planes.

the only survivors: Sgt. Kenneth Decker (from left), Cpl. Margaret Hastings and Lt. John McCollom

After much consideration, it was decided that the only aircraft that could get in and out of the valley were gliders. At first, it seemed an unlikely choice, says Zuckoff. "Who among us said, 'OK, we have no way out, let's drop gliders into this valley a mile up off the ground?' "

Not ideal, but it was the best solution they had. Multiple gliders were sent down into the valley, and the survivors and paratroopers were strapped into them. 

The rescue mission then sent tow planes overhead, with hooks on their bellies, to snatch the gliders up into the air and bring the wounded survivors to safety.

Cpl. Margaret Hastings (right), the lone female survivor, was a media favorite. At a press conference after the rescue she quipped, "I'd like a shower and a permanent."

She received a hero’s welcome when she got back to New York, and gave over 200 speeches on her Victory Bond tour.

After leaving the U.S. Army, she attended Syracuse University for two years then married, lived in Rome, New York, and worked at the Griffiss Air Force Base in an administrative position.

She was named an honorary member of the National World War II Glider Pilots Assoc.

A new historic marker was dedicated in Owego New York, honoring the life and service of Cpl. Hastings. The marker is located at Cpl. Hastings former residence in Owego. 

It is the first historic marker in New York State honoring a female veteran.

https://www.wskg.org/history/2016-08-11/corporal-margaret-hastings-tbt

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/74445683/margaret_julia-atkinson

https://www.iowapublicradio.org/2011-04-26/a-wwii-survival-epic-unfolds-deep-in-shangri-la

one of the recon soldiers wrote a LOT about the rescue: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/earl-walter-5217-recon-bn-led-one-most-interesting-jumps-phillips-avaje

Everyday, we would get an aircraft in that would aerial resupply us. Some of the drops were good drops; some of the drops were bad. We usually got a plane everyday, unless it was fogged in. Supplies and radios were dropped, along with food and clothing. That was kind of funny because Decker and McCollum wanted clothes, but all the clothes that came in were for the WAC Corporal.

After this was over, I asked Alec why we got so much press. He said it was a dead news time since, at the time, the Philippines were under control and Okinawa hadn't taken place, yet. He said, "You, also, had a WAC that was on the plane, so the press thought this was unbelievable copy."

On July 2, 1945, after having spent forty-two days in the jungle and after we hacked out the landing area, we were ready for a glider to land. We only used one glider at a time. The Army Air Force was concerned because they had to get up to about 10,000 feet once they snatched the glider from the ground. It was one of the highest recorded glider pickups; it was over 5,000 feet. (Editor's note: It was, also, only the second Glider Landing in the PTO

The crew of the Gremlin special were the first people in the world, outside of other local tribes of course, to encounter the Dani tribe.     

https://bushcraftbuddy.com/the-survivors-of-the-gremlin-special

https://news.prairiepublic.org/2011-04-26/a-wwii-survival-epic-unfolds-deep-in-shangri-la

https://www.airmanmagazine.af.mil/Features/Display/Article/2566216/impossible-rescue

https://www.airmanmagazine.af.mil/Features/Display/Article/2566216/impossible-rescue/

https://www.mitchellzuckoff.com/lostinshangrila

Several years ago, journalist Mitchell Zuckoff came across the story and tells that epic tale in a new book, Lost in Shangri-La

Zuckoff tracked down the only surviving key player in the story at a retirement home in Oregon and got his hands on journals, photographs and scrapbooks of the adventure, but it was an interview with the son of the Dani tribesman who befriended the survivors.

Thank you John S!