About red-on-red

red-on-red · ‎17-06-2021

I stick a nickel size neo magnet to the head of the oil pan drain plug on my cars. It will hold on to any metal in the oil, and is easily cleaned when doing oil changes. I also have a couple vintage vehicles with the basic lap-type seat belts with metal buckles. A neo magnet in a convenient spot on the door frame, alongside the seat, will hold the seat belt buckle that usually ends up on the floor. If your door frame is covered with plastic trim, a spot of weatherstrip adhesive will hold the magnet.

red-on-red · ‎13-05-2021

I gave up on NASCAR back when Ford was racing a Taurus 2-door, V8, rear wheel drive, and calling it a stock car. The option is now there to race truly stock Camaros, Mustangs, and Challengers, right out of the box, like in the 1950s. These are real American, stock, cars. I would even sit down and watch the whole race, and root for my favorite brand and driver. I would even watch the commercials. No Toyotas please, I don't care how much money they have.

red-on-red · ‎05-05-2021

How long till the government puts a tax on fuel powered racers, and gives the money to E-racers as a subsidy. Just to be fair of course. As far as "grass roots" racing goes, even if you trailer your E-racer to the track, you will need to recharge between rounds. Can you imagine 100 Harbor Freight generators all running at the same time. How about a rule that E-racers cannot be recharged after the first round of racing starts. They would have to be smart about conserving battery power for the final round. Which would be about 25 seconds, at 40 MPH in total silence. I think I would like to see that race.

red-on-red · ‎23-04-2021

I just use a clean big-enough plastic bin with a lid, add a few clean rags in the bottom. Then you just drop the funnels in and snap the lid on. They will stay clean and drain into the rags. By the way, did that blue funnel come from your urologists office ?

red-on-red · ‎31-03-2021

Is that a real car? it looks like it is made from Leggo's. ... Gary

red-on-red · ‎25-02-2021

I see what looks like a very tall drivers seat-back. Maybe it can be driven seated or standing. Then the tall windshield would come in handy.

red-on-red · ‎25-02-2021

Looks like a good idea, I bet that some light lubrication on the cut would help. It makes a huge difference when making cuts on regular rubber hose.

red-on-red · ‎24-02-2021

I remember reading a magazine review of the new Aerostar. They quoted that the engine bay was so tight and congested that "the Aerostar can only be repaired by specially bred Ford mechanics with eyes on their fingertips"

red-on-red · ‎16-02-2021

Rob ... You forgot to mention the part where your wheel bounced off the rear quarter of that parked blue Mustang. Oh well, pretty sure the statute of limitations covers that one by now, ... Good story.

red-on-red · ‎02-02-2021

Glad to hear that Edelbrock HQ is staying in the USA. That is pretty funny, using the Saturn car plant as an example of "business friendly" environment.

red-on-red · ‎24-01-2021

Another lesson to learn from this project "Don't stand under an elevated load on a forklift" If a hydraulic hose pops or a seal lets-go you will add some extra organic material to the underside of the car.

red-on-red · ‎20-01-2021

It looks like some kid bought an AMT 70 Corvette 3-in-1 model kit, and tried to use every part in the box. And a tube of filler putty. And a can of Testors avocado green metallic.

red-on-red · ‎18-12-2020

I have owned, driven, and worked on older cars and motorcycles for a long time. Several times I have tried synthetic oils for my engines and manual transmissions. Whether the engines were fresh, or high mileage, the synthetic oils never seemed to work as well as conventional oils. The transmissions seemed to shift harder on synthetics, and smooth out when I put the conventional oil back in. Now this is just my observation, but the results seemed to be the same each time I tried synthetics. The newer cars are designed to use synthetic oils, but if it has a carburetor and distributor, stick with conventional oils. Because "you can't fool mother nature" .

red-on-red · ‎23-11-2020

NASCAR has been on a slow decline for years. Remember when the "SC" in the name meant "Stock Car". I stopped watching when they started racing the fantasy V-8, 2 door, rear wheel drive Ford Taurus. Soon exhaust heat in the cockpit will not be a problem, the drivers will be racing remotely from air-conditioned trailers.

red-on-red · ‎09-11-2020

With car manufacturers trying to outdo each other with who has the most "tech" and the biggest screens. I wish there was a new low-tech version available. Something with a basic OBD-2 port, that does not interface with satellites and the internet. The new cars are so complex that the owner doesn't really know what is going on "in the back, where they make the sausages". ... Thumbs up to Massachusetts

red-on-red · ‎31-10-2020

For Frankenstines you need not look further than your local rat-rod gathering. Huge on creativity and recycling, but a little thin on paint.. ... Gary

red-on-red · ‎28-10-2020

I would vote for the Power Wagon. It may take a little longer, but it is definitely the "get you there" machine. Has been since world war 2. Just look at it ... DANG ! ... Gary V.

red-on-red · ‎21-10-2020

I'm surprised you didn't mention how all the big model car companies ( AMT Revell, MPC, Monogram, Jo-Han, Aurora ) cashed in on the slot car racing boom in the mid 1960s. Using their beautifully detailed 1/24 scale model bodies mounted on in-house designed slot car chassis. It was great fun for a few years. ... Gary

red-on-red · ‎06-10-2020

If you install this in a car that is covered with solar cells or mini wind turbines, that has no charging port, THEN you will have a "zero-emission" vehicle.

red-on-red · ‎03-10-2020

Something that has always bugged me about the Crocodile Dundee Subaru ads. Their tag line was Dundee spouting "Subaru Outback, still the worlds first compact sport utility vehicle". Sounds cool, but if something is first, it will always be first. Can you imagine a Ford ad that says "Ford, still the worlds first mass produced car" ... Duh.

red-on-red · ‎30-09-2020

I hope you wrote this article as a warning to American consumers. This thing looks like a golf cart with a 58 Vette body kit. The day I am at a cruise-in and some greenie shows up in one of these, I'm leaving.

red-on-red · ‎26-09-2020

Mostly what I have read about synthetic oil has been good. Mostly what I have seen and experienced about synthetic oil has been less than good. I have tried it in my older cars and bikes, and gone back to conventional oil. Synthetic seems to work fine in late model cars that were designed for it

red-on-red · ‎24-09-2020

Sigmund Freud once said "sometimes a cigar is just a cigar" . I see pickup trucks as a continuation of the big-ass, rear wheel drive, V8 powered, full frame, US cars that we grew up with and secretly miss. As for the "red tribe / blue tribe" thing, it seems backwards. Shouldn't the socialists be red, they have been throughout history. Just ask Joseph Stalin or Chairman Mao.

red-on-red · ‎11-09-2020

This is a real coup for the marketing department at Geely. Quoting your article "These days, the Swedish company builds full-on luxury cars". After reading about how proud Geely (the chinese automaker) was, with the launch of their new Volvos, made entirely in china. So they are importing chinese Volvos into the American market. Is it possible that the US buyers believe they are getting a fine Swedish car ?

red-on-red · ‎06-08-2020

This plays into the fact that certain colors are not suited to certain styles of car. Like a tan Corvette, or a bright yellow Lincoln Town Car. It just doesn't work. I think the pea green Porsche is stunning, and really shows off the lines of the car. But I have friends that would rather see it in flat black, with flaming skulls. ... Gary

red-on-red · ‎05-08-2020

I would be lost without my "no contact" IR thermometer. Checking for a high temperature on an auto transmission or rear axle. Or that one cold exhaust port, or hot brake drum.

red-on-red · ‎29-07-2020

Great article. My older cars have grease zerks on the front suspension and driveshaft. There is a special satisfaction to getting just the right amount of grease in the right place. The gradual reduction and removal of grease zerks on late model cars is proof that they are disposable, bio-degradable, appliances. The "lubed-for-life" bearings and joints on newer cars have a limited life, based mostly on build quality (Hello China). The average new car owner would not be capable of greasing his own car anyway, or even knowing why it is required. My 1932 Hudson Essex hot rod has the original type suspension including 24 grease zerks (king pins, spring shackles, steering etc). and should live to be 100+ years old. So I raise a glass to mister Zerk ... Cheers

red-on-red · ‎28-07-2020

Hagerty should have a contest based on these heavily photoshopped Charger photographs, with a drawing for a grand prize. Any people that find 20 mistakes can enter into the drawing. To keep it fair, if you know anything about Mopars, you must find 50 mistakes to play.

red-on-red · ‎12-07-2020

Since most new cars are already linked to satellites, a fully autonomous car could easily be controlled (driven) by an outside source. Miss a car payment and your car will refuse to start Failure to make the payment in a reasonable time, the car will drive itself to the impound yard. Maybe some hacker breaks into the system and takes the car for a virtual joyride (with or without you in the car). Would you ever actually know who really controls the car ? Think about that.

red-on-red · ‎12-07-2020

I live in the North-East part of the country, and have been storing vintage cars during the winter for years. In an unheated storage area, a ceiling fan installed above the car greatly reduces condensation on the car. Even a small window fan blowing under the car works well. This is especially important in the spring and fall when temperatures and humidity vary greatly from day to night. In my storage / parking garage I have a cheap ceiling fan that has run continuously for 20 years. Even the bare sheet-metal parts stock is clean after many years of storage.

red-on-red · ‎27-06-2020

So the UV-sensitive flat black billboards, scoop, and wing are in great condition. Yet most of the original paint has been burned away by the sun. Then strategically touched up with rattle-can Allis-Chalmers orange. It just doesn't add up ... patina my A$$.

red-on-red · ‎04-06-2020

I have several old cars, and carry a basic tool box in each of them. A roll of duct tape takes up a lot of space in a little tool box. So I wrap a couple feet of tape around the plastic cap from an old aerosol can, makes a nice mini-roll.

red-on-red · ‎24-05-2020

I have tried most of the variations listed here and they all work well. My favorite is a medical or mechanics stethoscope, but remove the diaphragm and replace it with about two foot of 3/16" or 1/4" steel brake line. It works on mechanical knocking sounds, noisy alternator and water pump bearings, exhaust leaks, and most vacuum leaks. Plus you can swap a longer piece of brake line, or bend it to shape for tight areas. As always, be careful around moving parts on a running engine. ... Gary

red-on-red · ‎17-05-2020

I actually owned two CBXs. Honda dumped previous model years CBX inventory in mid winter. My local dealer had a sale on them for about $2,400 brand new. On the plus side, great smooth power and sound, excellent "straight-line" brakes. On the minus side, engine block leaks oil, wont start below 50 deg F, long crankshaft is like a giroscope combined with flexi-flyer frame (don't use the brakes on an off-ramp). Did not keep it very long. Years later I got nostalgic and bought a nice used CBX, rode it for a while, but the same gremlins were there. Great window dressing though ... Gary

red-on-red · ‎15-05-2020

The E-type Jaguar is a near perfect balance of style and function. It does not benefit from the basic 21st century (stretch, drop, shave, and add pimp wheels) re-design software. That Enzo whatshisname guy got it right, "Beautiful". Even 60 years later.

red-on-red · ‎06-05-2020

Another consideration, I would like to see a photo of the battery tray with the battery installed. I bet you can't even see it. Plus, with the typical car batteries of the 1970s you would expect to see that the original battery tray would either be rusted through, or repaired. Your repair was nicely done so "no points lost" ... Gary

red-on-red · ‎28-04-2020

This car is really beautiful, and represents some serious engineering talent. I appreciate that there will always be a market for brand new, digitally scanned, custom made, blank check cars. This one should have its own reality TV show. But please don't call it a 33 Ford. It was not made by Ford, in 1933, and has almost no FoMoCo parts. This "hot rod candle" is plastic, with a battery powered flickering LED flame. The real "hot rod candle" is still burning in 2 car garages and backyards across America, as builders scrounge cool vintage parts and scrape knuckles. ... Gary

red-on-red · ‎22-04-2020

I think that these engine-disguise kits are as tacky and insulting. If you want to put an LS engine in your hot rod, go ahead. But if you are so embarassed by your choice that you feel the need to hide it with some fakey vintage looking parts. Then you have missed the point completely. You might fool the losers and wannabees in the crowd. But anyone with any mechanical sense will walk away feeling insulted. How could you convince anyone to buy this stuff ? What is this hobby coming to ?

red-on-red · ‎13-04-2020

Great article, well written and fun to read. I hope some day you can do a similar article on the early 1960 to 66 Darts and Valiants. Like the Hyper-Pak slant six Valiants that dominated Daytona Beach in 1960. Or the 273 Magnum (4 bbl solid lifter) V8, 4 speed Darts in 1965. Or the drag strip ready "D-stock Darts" (the name says it all). It would take some extra research, but cool 60s stuff from Mopar. ... Gary

red-on-red · ‎09-04-2020

I'm pretty sure Studebaker and Ford both made a 289 CID V8

red-on-red · ‎08-04-2020

People please ! ... No matter what you saw on TV. Don't use starting fluid to fire-up an engine that has been sitting for a long time. Ether starting fluid is meant to help gasoline vaporize, to start an engine under extreme cold conditions. Ether will remove any oil that is left on pistons, rings, cylinders, and "yes" VALVE GUIDES. If the engine does start on ether, all these critical parts will be running dry, and are subject to scoring and seizing. If you are going to check out a project vehicle, and want to fire-up a long dormant engine, bring a squirt bottle of two-cycle gas and oil mix. It will quickly get some lube on those moving parts at startup, and maybe save the engine. ... V