A man after my own heart . This one shows skills I wish I had but the general idea and application is what I've been doing since the 1960's and it's nice to see some are still doing it . -Nate ... View more

Another great article . My 1982 Mercedes 240D base model is still chugging slowly along as it approaches 500,000 miles, I think I'll keep it . -Nate ... View more

All this is -SO- true ! . I'm a Journeyman Mechanic, never wanted to be anything else, I've enjoyed my long career but agree that it's rough on your body . Being a competent and honest Mechanic who understands older vehicles makes you welcome at fancy-schmancy events, Blue Collar be damned when the car won't go =8-) . -Nate ... View more

Just one more American doing what he loved, nice that it helped the entire world too . -Nate ... View more

Well written as always, I'd just go buy some beater from the impound lot, if it was good enough for a drunk to get around in, it'll prolly last until your new truck shows up... -Nate ... View more

A man after my own heart ! =8-) . Lovely countryside . I'm lucky in that my Sweet doesn't mind me finding junkyards and derelict Motocycles every where we go, I usually find nice people too and chat with them, learn more about the locality . Tomos MoPeds are pretty sturdy and well regarded by the local MoPed Army folks . -Nate ... View more

The Ving Rhames situation looks absurd and humorous until it comes to _your_ home.... -Nate ... View more

Yabbutt ; the free radio is mostly trash as is broadcast TV apart from the news . I've been a radio lover since I was in short pants and that was a _long_ time ago ~ the 'fairness doctrine' meant one corporation couldn't buy up most radio / TV stations and so control the programming . It really was very different back when every town had a small "peanut Whistle" radio station or TV channel . Again these are facts not opinions . -Nate ... View more

Cautiously agreed with . -Nate ... View more

Excellent writing as always . I don't fear electric cars as much as I fear the lack or spare parts or fuels to keep running my ICE's . -Nate ... View more

? "ticky-tacky" ? =8-) . I love this car . -Nate ... View more

That certainly looks like fun ! . Bummer about the collision and damage, the kid needs to be set down and talked to if not taken back for better training . You're right about the 'chauffeur fracture' ~ the knob on the end of the lower arm bone snaps *right* off and it's no fun to get it fixed . I also managed to break every bone in my hand so I'm lucky I can still ride & spin wrenches . This sort of thong is why I'll never go racing . -Nate ... View more

Dig it but, _Bakersfield_ California ? . Talk about out of the frying pan and into the fire . -Nate ... View more

Glad you enjoyed your visit here ! . I moved out to So. Cal. decades ago and still love riding / driving the twisty back roads . It really doesn't matter what road when you're trying to explain to other flat landers why you had so much fun . Do come back and visit please , part of what makes this interesting state so much fun is meeting other people . To day's old British car run was a hoot ~ my vintage BMC product is broken (I know, how unusual for an elderly British car) so I drove my forty year old Mercedes 4 cylinder Diesel taxi and had no trouble leaving the Sports Cars behind, at least on the level and down hill parts =8-) . -Nate ... View more

And now, the circle is complete . I remember old camp and C.C.C. rigs like this in rural New England in the 1950's and 1960's, a few made it into the late 1970's . Kudos to all involved here . -Nate ... View more

When a NON enthusiast figured out they could make money doing it . =8-( . -Nate ... View more

More like a 'bodice ripper' but well done . I too wonder how/why they call any four door a coupe . -Nate ... View more

+ 1,000 . There used to be a Woman's ride day in Los Angeles, I went and it was fun -Nate ... View more

Consider coming full circle and trying another lightweight Moto.... I'm all broken up from two major crashes and am on the fence about keeping or selling on my full size bikes, the Tiddlers are great, I can go anywhere (freeway !) on them . There are plenty of light weight tins and multies to choose from too . -Nate ... View more

Hummers are _not_ Mo-Peds, they're Tiddlers . I'm always interested in learning more about older bikes . -Nate ... View more

Well ; As a long time touring and distance rider I'd like to see a bite of balanced reporting, not just the whiz - bang super speedy bikes . Of course, I will unlikely be buying any more new bikes so my opinions are not worth much . Rest assured I'll read the articles . -Nate ... View more

? You made a Doodlebug out of a '50 Olds ? . -Nate ... View more

Bad link . -Nate ... View more

Pretty neat ~ you have a golden opportunity to teach and guide this young and budding auto enthusiast . -Nate ... View more

Yabbut ; After I crashed my last running 750CC boxer I bought a pristine 600, it's nice and all but lacks the power I like to have ~ having power and not needing it is far better than riding a full sized under powered bike . -Nate ... View more

Don't forget the Suzuki GS1100G shaftie . -Nate ... View more

Last week I had to move quickly between an ambulance and a car 50 feet away, I dropped my cane and hobbled as fast as I could and made it before the ambulance left, the folks watching told me later I was *very* amusing to watch trying to run . Life goes on . Ride hard far and wide but always, _SAFELY_ ! . -Nate ... View more

The styling is an individual thing, I'da preferred a rounder shape but those wheels are awful ~ this thing needs proper spokes . Not surprised at all that it's a competent rider, Honda after all . -Nste ... View more

The crankshaft's rod bearing oiling used a centrifugal slinger that of you didn't do frequent hot oil changes would slowly pack up with the normal grit and sludge until at 30,000 miles =/- would starve the rod bearings (rollers) for oil and they'd throw rod, hence you could always find incredible deals on new looking /2's with 30,000 miles . -Nate ... View more

Picture # 1 of 20 is serious pucker time . BT and DT, not on a Tatra of course but swing axles can be nasty things given their chance . It could have been so much worse, glad no one was hurt and the car isn't destroyed by any means . In the late 1980's I was miles from pavement North of Guatemala City, C.A. when a Tatra hove into view behind us, the entire front end was smashed in but it easily pulled out and passed us in a faint blue cloud.... -Nate ... View more

@Sajeev ; the blue hyperlink isn't active . -Nate ... View more

Very well said Mr. Leno ; As a Journeyman Mechanic who's entire career has been oriented around older vehicles I can attest to this . Sadly too many don't appreciate the hard physical effort and bloody gouges endemic to the job . As I age out I find I get skin breaks more and more easily . -Nate ... View more

Fatherhood is (can be ?) simultaneously the most rewarding and frustrating job you'll ever have . -Nate ... View more

As a single father I concur with Jack . However, mostly folks either do the repair works them selves or pay to have it done... I work on a lot of others vehicles for free and all I expect is a place to wash up and some dinner after... I suppose I should have bought that original 1969 Porsche 911S graymarket car for $1,600 in the early 1980's but, hindsight you know . -Nate ... View more

Amazing ~ I remember reading the paperback book 'Two Lane Blacktop' before the movie and all these years I thought I'd seen a '57 Chevy not a '55 . I'm old enough to have enjoyed seeing all these films in the theater on the big silver screen where they belong . -Nate ... View more

Thank you for the well told story Mr. Madden . Back in 1969 I was just another kid on a farm, I had saved a rusted out 1959 Ford F100 pickup and made it road worthy... How I envied those who could afford real cars ! . Please share more of your stories . -Nate ... View more

Good to know I'm not alone here.... My 1959 Metropolitan Nash 1500 F.H.C. was my daily and road rally car for decades, in one year I ripped the center out of six wheels before I gave up and began driving that car slower . -Nate ... View more

VW's used 65# torque spec.... -Nate ... View more

You're obviously young as other wise you'd remember the choking smog that used to blanket all major cites in the U.S. of A. and much of the surrounding countryside too . Catalytic converters were only one of the many things used to clean up the air . Research and learn before making a fool of your self in a public forum . Failure to learn and be honest is how the ones in charge will try to take our I.C.E. powered vehicles , chain saws, boats and so on away from us . -Nate ... View more

Reality check ~ I used to run a junkyard and yes, I easily sold everything that came in but, it's not all fun and games and most indie junkyard owners don't live in mansions . _You_ try working in junk, oil and grease up to your eyeballs every day and then come back and throw stones . I'm not excusing the many jerkhoffs who are dishonest junkyard operators, they should all be prevented from being able to work in The Auto Trade but I keep meeting honest junkyard guys, just this week I met several and was happy to $pend my dollars there... Give them a chance to do you right before dissing them all . -Nate ... View more

From 1966 to some where in the 10970's before catalytic converters, mostAmerican made cars used an "A.I.R." system (Air Induction Reaction) that pumped fresh air into the exhaust manifolds, directly on to the back sides of the exhaust valves ~ the idea was to finish combusting any residual oxygen or hydrocarbons exiting the engine, this caused many exhaust manifolds to glow red or white hot and they cracked a lot too . I've had to replace bot on my brother's 1979 Dodge D220 360CID V8 along with the rest of the smog devices, EGR and by - pass ('gulp') valves, yards of rubber vacuum hoses, almost everything under the hood gets cooked by the incredible engine heat .... The original 4 BBL carby was a Carter Thermoquad, it's Bakelite float bowl more or less crumbled, I wound up replacing it with a nice Holly, now I have a spare rebuilt Thermoquad I hope to get into the hands of some MoPar collector . -Nate ... View more

I think Tommy is on to something ~ it's beginning to look like EV's may be forced upon us before you realize it . -Nate ... View more

2.14.21 This is nothing new . More than 25 years ago this was a problem in park and ride lots.... I like the simple deterrent of the 13 Ga. cage addition . Why is it that junkyards cannot sell used converters ? . Way back when I save the cat off a 1976 VW Beetle, no one ever wanted to buy it, it's probably still sitting under a mound of dead leaves rusted to scrap by now . I see 'universal' cats , are they legal to install ? . -Nate ... View more

Goddamn electric cars just won't go away . I'm old so I remember in the early 1960's a few neighbors still had early electrics to run errands to the store in, to me that's all any electric car is good for, I hope to never own nor be forced to drive one . I'm well aware they're going to be continually forced upon us and I fear the day when they finally crack that battery / power cell nut because they'll be coming after the rest of us who prefer ICE's, with pitchforks, have no doubt . -Nate ... View more

Not total nonsense but the B.S. quotient is fairly high here . -Nate ... View more

2.4.21 This is a GREAT article ! . I cheaped out and got my JIS screw driver from the internet (Amazon I *think*), it's very handy and speeds things up when re assembling . I was a Honda Moto Mechanic in the 1970's and discovered that a #3 Phillips bit in my hand impact tool would break them loose without a scratch every time -if- you used the tool properly, I see many don't . McMaster-Carr, Grainger and many other American supply houses sell JIS screw drivers in various lengths affordably, every vintage Japanese Motocycle enthusiast needs at least one . I'm still using my American made 4" long #3 Phillips bit, the extra length helps reach the recessed screws in clutch covers and so on ~ no fun scratching that *perfect* original paint . I finally wore out y American made (Miller Tools IIC) SEARS Craftsman hand impact a couple years ago ~ that was $6 (IIRC) well spent in 1971 . -Nate ... View more

2.2.21 Interesting thoughts . I love my antique Mercedes' MB-Tex seats because no matter how sweaty or filthy I get they're easy to clean and old fat Mechanics in the Desert -do- sweat and grime A _LOT_ . =8-^ For me and millions of other young folks or blue collar types, cloth is no good because it gets filthy so fast, either with stinky sweat or oily grime or worse, both . My solution since MB-Tex is long out of production, is to go to an Auto Trimmer who do _boats_ ~ the materials used are UV resistant and last far, _FAR_ longer than any vinyl . Again, the Trimmer's wholesale catalog with have a bewilderingly wide array of colors and styles, I like the perforated materials because they breathe better, important when your whip is 125* F inside after sitting for hours in the Mojave Desert... Not to mention the spilled beers, and dropped tacos etc. etc. ~ I'd mention bareback sex stains except I can't imagine any crack whore getting in the back seat of this **bleep** box . Anyway . Cloth looks nice and for the white collar set is comfy, I'm in the middle of trying to clean the fabric seats in a 2016 Honda Civic 4dr sedan we gave to one of our Teenaged Foster boys as a High School graduation present, he trashed it, I wish I could post images here as it's beyond nasty , only 22,000 miles on it (I had to reposes it for lack of payment) yet the interior is trashed and it stinks like a party house bong in Saturday morning, ugh . Depending on how clean I can get it (10 cans of foamy upholersy cleaner and brushes plus vacuum so far, the Detailer says he'll give it a go to - morrow morning) I may have to buy some good quality slip covers for it so my Sweet, her daughter and grand daughter will drive it . _Do_ try the boat material of you have a daily driver or work rig of any sort . -Nate ... View more

I vividly remember this and several other Burt Reynolds movies where he pretty much cuts up the entire time... He will be greatly missed . -Nate ... View more

Many of those who can't are afraid to let those who can, do . That's sad and un American . -Nate ... View more

*VERY* well put Jack . And, this is why I don't race = I simply don't like the bumping aspect of it . Go forth and do battle, we'll be cheering you on from the stands, those of us who can't . -Nate ... View more