Wednesday, April 15, 2026

clever use of scrap metal art






https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=10164223988312829&set=pcb.35821098554156339

interesting comparison of now and then, the location of the opening scene from Three’s Company 1976


I get a kick out of now n then photos of Hollywood locations

A-10 Warthog nose art with humor



it looks familiar, and I can't recall if I posted it already. Nothing turned up when I tried to look for it

photo from 1983 shows the space shuttle piggybacking a Boeing 747 with the Concorde taking off in the background

 https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=1576828114446707&set=a.510407961088733

I bet you recognize this


The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), under the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, has rolled out what it calls India’s first “table top red marking” on a highway as part of a 3 pronged method to reduce vehicles colliding with animals


At the heart of the idea is a 0.2 -inch thermoplastic red surface layer placed across a 2.0-kilometer danger zone. Officials say the bright red color and the slightly raised feel are meant to alert drivers and “naturally” bring speeds down without harsh braking.

A change in pavement texture can make you lift your foot off the gas before you consciously decide to.

NHAI is leaning into that psychology. It says the raised red surfacing provides mild tactile and audible feedback, with lower noise than conventional rumble strips

the markings are paired with 25 dedicated animal underpasses placed along the 7.4-mile corridor at identified movement locations.

The press release also describes continuous chain-link fencing along both sides of the highway, designed to prevent animals from entering the roadway and to guide them toward the underpasses.





https://www.ecoticias.com/en/india-is-inaugurating-its-first-red-road-to-save-wildlife-and-the-trick-is-not-fences-or-speed-cameras-but-a-surface-that-forces-drivers-to-slow-down-almost-without-realizing-it/30825/

Happy Birthday David K!

For the last seven years, a car show known as "Supercar Saturday" has been entertaining automotive enthusiasts in Omaha, Nebraska. However, the 2026 show is banning Nissan and Infiniti VQ-platform vehicles from attending.

the host and organizer of Supercar Saturday. He told us that it was a difficult decision, but said that Supercar Saturday is meant to be a free, family-friendly event, and that safety is most important. So, after repeated incidents by those behind the wheel of vehicles like the Nissan 350Z and 370Z and the Infiniti G25, G35, G37, Q40, Q50, and Q60, the organizers decided it was in everyone’s best interest to ban those vehicles from attending the show.

According to Rahmanzai, many younger folks who own these cars refuse to adhere to the rules and are constantly during burnouts, revving their engines and generally being reckless. A video of a Nissan 350Z crash taken at their event went viral a couple of years ago; the driver, a 16-year-old who had gotten his car roughly a week and a half prior, wrecked the Z, took out a fire hydrant, and nearly hit some spectators.

Rahmanzai said he was under pressure to cancel the show all together; he didn’t want to do that, but he said had to do something—so the VQ ban was put in place.


original owner of an immaculate 58 Impala just sold it. No info on how much, or the mileage


Amelia bought this car brand new off the showroom floor at Central Chevrolet, in downtown Columbia, SC. Her dad loaned her $500 for the down payment. Then went and ordered the cruiser skirts at Kenny's Auto Supply in Columbia when the car was new.

Tuesday, April 14, 2026

a "closed 4" Hurst T-Handle was only available on the 69 GTO Judge


the significant design aspect that makes it a open or closed 4, is the top of the four.... and the 4 you just looked at in this sentence, twice, is a closed 4. 


compare that to this open 4


By the way, this info is coming from a shifter handle collector... and WOW does he have an extensive collection





have you heard of the art car parade in Houston? Thank you Doug! April 11th, 250 art cars wound their way through Houston in the 39th annual Art Car Parade.


what does it take to keep racing a rare car? A lot of frames, and other parts of course. But, George was just telling me how many chassis he built for the Grand Sport Corvette, and getting mentioned in the book about them



George writes:

Shortly after I opened that shop (new one after moving from Texas) I got a call from the Grand Sport people wanting me to build them more frames which I agreed to do. 

I built a dedicated fixture to build their frames that was light years better than their flat table. Things went along pretty good for a while. 

I always required them to bring a check in full for each frame. Then, they sent the driver with no check. Since it was about 500 miles one way I told the driver to have his boss just send me a check. 

Took a while for that to happen so I decided that I would never let a frame leave my shop building without a check in my hand.

That's the other take away from this, not only do race cars go through a lot of frames, but they might not be ready to pay for them on time every time. Always get paid first. No matter how bad they need what you have, some people won't blink and stabbing you in the back. 

I built a dedicated fixture to build their frames that was light years better than their flat table. My fixture built with the bottom side flat so I could flip it over to build a roadster

Another take away is when building a frame jig, put it on a plate you can flip over, and build something else with on the other side! 


Thank you George!

If anyone has a copy of this book, and you find the page that mentions George building the frames/chassis, can you take a photo of it and send it to me? I want to make sure I get George credited for this! Seriously, imagine you constantly get to talk to a race car frame and 9" rear cases, and get to blog about it?  So, hell yeah I'd like to post that page

the fastest lap for an American OEM on the Nordschleife has now been set by the Ford GT Mk IV, and it set a lap at 6:15.977 (thank you Dale! ) So, the only competition, is what, a Corvette? Cadillac doesn't have a factory race car anymore, do they?



So, yes, unlimited funding and engineering expertise can make a winner. Ford proved that in 65 with the GT 40s beating all competition at Le Mans. 

But, does it really mean anything useful? So, Ford can build a race car... what, that's supposed to be news? or some accomplishment? 

A track-only vehicle classified in the prototype category — is the fastest car currently available for purchase, to lap Nürburgring . 

It's cheaper to buy a race car that can get around it faster, that's something I'm pretty sure of...




Ford has a production schedule for 67 of these, I'm guessing 2/3rds of them are going to be investment only purchases, never taken to a track, and flipped in less than 5 years. 

https://www.fromtheroad.ford.com/us/en/articles/2026/ford-gt-mk-iv-nurburgring-record

round 1 Winter Nats, Top fuel, James Stevens had a nasty crash @ 270 mph. The dragster went sideways, then slid over the K rail, then flew backwards down the trackside. He's in the hospital

 video at https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=959720213108864

the crash resulted in a broken forearm, broken left wrist, broken C-7 [vertebra], bruised lung, rib fractures, and possible broken back (again).

a home made forklift!

 

a C6 Corvette Z06 lost control at a Goodguys event in Pleasanton, and crashed through concrete barrier, a fence, and ended up against a planter box. The only thing it didn’t hit was the crowd. An arial video of the crash was also posted on Facebook.


https://www.corvetteblogger.com/2026/03/30/accident-c6-z06-crashes-during-autocross-event-at-goodguys-event

The story is that the brakes failed however the video shows that the brake lights never came on.
 An aerial video of the crash was also posted on Facebook, skip the 1st 8 seconds
 https://www.facebook.com/reel/864883439939312

32-year-old Paul Hogan working as a bridge painter in 1971 – 15 years before he became famous as Crocodile Dundee

 

https://dailytimewaster.blogspot.com/2026/04/32-year-old-paul-hogan-working-as.html

Monday, April 13, 2026

never let a chance for good free publicity go to waste!


A KitKat truck in Canada was flanked by a security escort through Toronto, on Wednesday (8 April), following the theft of more than 400,000 bars in Europe.

 Nestlé confirmed that thieves had made off with around 12 tons of the chocolate, after a vehicle carrying its new chocolates set off from central Italy bound for Poland but did not reach its final destination.

 The stolen vehicle and the merchandise remain unaccounted for.  The food giant said they are working with local authorities and supply partners to investigate.

 KitKat Canada leaned into the headlines, transforming a logistics nightmare into a marketing bonanza!


Last month, approximately 12 tons (over 413,000 bars) of KitKat chocolate, specifically a new Formula 1 line, were stolen while in transit from an Italian production site to Poland. The heist occurred just before Easter, and both the truck and the cargo remain missing.

The company, based in Vevey, Switzerland, said in a statement Friday that “the vehicle and its load are still nowhere to be found.” “Whilst we appreciate the criminals’ exceptional taste, the fact remains that cargo theft is an escalating issue for businesses of all sizes,” KitKat said in a statement.

coolest thing I saw today? Bruce building a kit airplane in his garage.

 

Bruce is a cool guy, and did time in the Coast Guard, and got stuck at Adak Alaska for a year, keeping diesel generators going that powered Loran. 

Then he was an aircraft mechanic and inspector. 

His dad was a P38 pilot in WW2! 

ever see an ad for a dining car before?

 the poster / advertising art of AM Cassandre

seen on todays walk






Best condition I've seen a Mitsu 3000 in yet


Cool looking tach popped up on facebook's Vintage Moroso

I haven't seen anything by the PI brand before, but, compared to an RAC it's a dead ringer. 

PI must have licensed the tachs

https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=891377060599638&set=gm.4626799294263979&idorvanity=2695731877370740

ever hear of a fold down back seat for a 67, 68 and 69 Camaro? I hadn't until now












electric seems to have cost less than the amount of gas it would have taken, to drive 52k miles

According to the app, after driving across several states, the Tesla used just under 7,000 kilowatt-hours of electricity. Based on the average cost per kilowatt-hour he cited from public charging of 34.5 cents, a quick calculation showed that the total spent for charging came to $2,385.34. As a comparison to his claim, a non-hybrid Toyota Corolla getting a strong 33 miles per gallon across 50,000 miles would require over $6,000 in fuel costs at $4 per gallon.

But according to the article, his numbers are off. 

Even with a more generous estimation of 4.5 miles per kWh, that's 31,500 miles of driving, so the data he got from the Tesla app was likely incorrect or missing times the vehicle was charged, or the 50,000 miles accounts for driving done before he took ownership of the vehicle.

just kids having fun... before tv sets and video games

 

https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=10162386854670778&set=gm.1688394865671676&idorvanity=319578812553295