What, no welder? We're talking fabricating metal here. A good MIG, even a relatively inexpensive gasless 110V flux core MIG along with bar clamps and/or an assortment of vise grips can be priceless when needed for welding steel pieces. ... View more

Amen! Real car guys buy and drive cars we enjoy not looking for appreciation in value or even if somebody else likes our ride. ... View more

I had a 77 Mercury Cougar Villager. It was painted Bright Saddle Metallic with Saddle interior. Beautiful car in my opinion and a pleasure to drive with reasonable performance for a 4000 lb car. Especially with that color the (fake) wood grain sides gave it a richness. The only drawback was the actual mileage; 12 mpg combination city & highway and 14mpg highway. Funny thing though, when the speed limit was raised from 55mph to 65 mph the highway mileage increased by 2 mpg. This engine also loved the 10% ethanol giving it 2mpg better than regular with none. Forget the MTBE poison that the EPA demanded gasoline contain in lieu of ethanol until it was found to be a carcinogen. Not only did that stuff hurt mileage in every car I had when it was put in gasoline but many cars would not start when temperatures dropped below 10 deg F. ... View more

In my financially challenged opinion the Jag XJ220 by far has the best style with its proportional and sleek lines. As far as reliability, who cares, if you have to ask how much (to fix it) you can't afford it. And I can't afford any of them. ... View more

The other day I read NASCAR was considering electric cars. All they need is groves in the track and they can call their newest boring endeavor National Association for Slot Car Auto Racing. Maybe to make this stupidity more like real cars is incorporate Ford's real engine sound player available on the sacrilegious Mustang E then broadcast it on loud speakers. ... View more

With Steve McQueen's family involved I would believe a Bullitt Mustang would be used since Chad McQueen was involved in the release of the last Bullitt Mustang. The other criteria I would have whether I watch the movie is who is going to play Bullitt. I hope it isn't one of the pretty boys like Tom Cruise or other flakes Hollywood seems to promote. Call me an old fuddy-duddy, old fool or just plain jerk, I don't care. Casting is why I will not watch Ford vs Ferrari. Matt Damon is too pretty to be a credible rugged true man like Carroll Shelby. ... View more

I know my comment will have many who disagree but I wish the LED headlights were outlawed. Oh, sure, they do a great job of lighting the road ahead but they are blinding to oncoming traffic. That is my complaint and a problem that needs to be addressed. It is not so much when a vehicle equipped with them is coming straight on but the glare from them is blinding when on a slight curve, a slight rise in the roadway or topping a hill. The halogens on my 2010 F150 light the road just fine without blinding oncoming traffic as have other cars I've driven with them. Then there is the ghetto cruiser look of so many cars with them decorating the fender lines but obviously there are those who like the gaudiness which is their choice. Not to my taste. ... View more

I agree with the critics of this story citing the out of reach prices for the average car enthusiast, me included. But I open the articles to look at the pictures, sort of why many young men claim they didn't do when buying Playboy magazines. ... View more

I used to have a 74 Pinto Squire and would like to have another one. They were good little cars and despite the claims, statistics prove they were no more dangerous or prone to fires than any other small car at the time. ... View more

This sounds like a maintenance nightmare. Also similar and as stupid as VW's "Automatic Stickshift" from the late 60s, early 70s. And remember one thing about a true manual transmission; they make your vehicle almost theft proof because most car thieves are morons too stupid to drive one. Although on one overseas contract I was temporarily at Bagram AFB and assigned to drive a guy from Kenya on his generator servicing route. He needed a driver because he was given a Silverado with an automatic while his Toyota Hilux was being serviced. He didn't know how to drive the Chevy, seriously. ... View more

Years ago where I worked we began using Bowman fasteners exclusively and soon after they supplied us all mechanics were treated with a 2 hour taped seminar on nuts and bolts and I thought, "How boring, I already know everything I need." We went to the seminars 6 at a time and when I heard some who had attended before me how in the seminar it was stated split washers (lock washers) were useless I attended with skepticism and I knew lock washers were necessary because how smart I was. I want to tell you that was one of the most interesting and enlightening 2 hours I ever spent. Who would have thought? This was before imports came commonplace and communist bolts, I mean metric bolts, came into prominence so it was focused on English sized bolts but the facts are true in metric. I learned about hardness and grade markings. I learned about how the stretch in a bolt keeps it tight and how the even the slightest bit of lubrication can affect the pressure exerted by a bolt. I learned that a hard bolt may be the worse one to use in arctic climates and, yes, I learned why split washers are unnecessary. Answer: when compressed they become a flat washer and, no, the edges of the split do not dig in to hold the fastener from backing out. Proper torque holds the fastener tight however sometimes a thread lock adhesive is necessary or a locking type nut or bolt which is a subject in itself. Machine screws are another subject and were not addressed in the seminar. ... View more

I'll turn 72 next month and still have my hands in it. I'm in good health for my age, been earning money working on vehicles since 1966 making it full time work in 1971 and completing a 3 years apprenticeship in 1977. I pumped a lot of leaded gasoline during the first few years to the point doing it for a fleet my hands were grey from the lead not having time to wash until the morning rush was over. I've had my hands in all sorts of greases, oils, solvents and parts cleaners working in large fleets and flat rate. I still use the petroleum distillate solvent in my parts washer to clean the grease and then Dawn dish soap with no adverse effects. Of course when I shower at night I use a hand brush for a final cleaning. The skin on my hands is soft and pliable and when I get cuts or scrapes they never get infected. I actually had dry skin problems using cream hand cleaners. I have never used gloves while working except when handling wire rope or when working with sheet metal and I'm not going to start wearing them now. But I believe in freedom so if others want to wear them, that's up to them. However I do admit to wearing latex gloves for a short time only while servicing light sets and generators during a contract in Afghanistan only because there was no way to wash my hands in the field. ... View more

Bullitt and The 7-Ups were great and I'm sure the others nominated that I haven't seen are good to but I also remember the multiple chases in "It's A Mad, Mad World" starting with Spencer Tracy driving a 57 Ford over a cliff. ... View more

Boy do I remember that episode. It was the gang's entry in a downhill race challenging the rich kid driving the store bought kid sized fire truck. What I find amazing these days is when I watched the Little Rascals in the mid 50s the cars looked so old even though these were filmed in the late 20s to early 30s making the cars 25 to 35 years old at the time and it was rare to see anybody still driving those cars for daily transportation. Yet today there are many 25 year old cars used daily and it's not that rare for people to drive a 35 year old car for daily transportation. ... View more

Do you want to triple the value of your Yugo? Fill the gas tank. ... View more

I just have to ask about the tires. The narrow whitewall never appeared before the 1962 model year on production cars. But doing a little research it appears the U.S. Royal XP-140 whitewall tires did indeed use the thin 1 inch whitewall in 1957 and probably where the first to do so. Also looking at the video the Cadillac also had 1 inch whitewalls. ... View more

A friend of mine has a 90 ZR1 and it broke out. Actually it broke, broke the C/GT speed record at Bonneville. Dave ran 230.584MPH ... View more

Of the 3 I would say the Arrington Performance LS. I say this because it is still an internal combustion engine without major modifications. I have no use at all for electric in collector and classic cars because it destroys the value and meaning of collector and/or classic. And if anybody thinks our electric power generating infrastructure can handle an electric vehicle revolution they're crazy or just plain fools, especially when we're taking reliable coal, oil, gas and nuclear plants offline and replacing them with failure prone wind and solar that produce far less KW output. ... View more

Shocking! I know you can't stop technology but who want's it, I don't. Everyday mundane drivers are one thing and I don't want one but electrifying vehicles classic vehicles is almost sacrilegious. It definitely takes the fun out. I just wonder if the package includes the stupid button that starts a recording of real engine sounds I read the Mustang-E includes. ... View more

Shocking! I know you can't stop technology but who want's it, I don't. Everyday mundane drivers are one thing and I don't want one but electrifying vehicles classic vehicles is almost sacrilegious. It definitely takes the fun out. ... View more

Oh, yes, the abandoned projects. In 1975 I bought a 70 Boss 302 and put over 100K miles on it as my daily driver. After a foolish move to Florida in 82 things went badly for me and the Boss in that I had to have it trailered back to Colorado when I returned because it didn't run because I had to leave it in outdoor storage for a few years becoming a victim of thieves, vandals and rust. Once home I had plans but also had a couple problems we jokingly refer to Hawaiian diseases: "Lack-a-Time" and "Lack-a-Cash". Hope I didn't offend any Hawaiian with that one. Things started looking up when I transferred and had it shipped to my new home in Texas. After building a garage to do the work I transferred again. After 2 houses I finally had the income and a great shop. Then life happened again. I wanted to see it on the road again before I died but but not having the estimated $30K for the project, in 2003 I sold it to my neighbor who after almost 20 years, doing most of the work himself along with a good friend and over $25K in parts he only need to rebuild the engine and transmission. I probably wouldn't have been able to get that far and I knew it. I now have my Mark VIII purchased in 95, a C4 Corvette purchased in 04 (they're relatively inexpensive) and a solid and driveable 68 Ranchero purchased in 07 but has been sitting because I'm doing the the proverbial waiting to start the restoration because of "Lack-a-Time." Hoping to start that project in the coming year as I should have my honey-do list finally finished and going to mostly retire, ha! ... View more

After posting this I remembered a Baker Electric was prominent on one of the Dennis The Menace TV show episodes from the 60s starring Jay North. ... View more

There was also the Baker Electric from 1899 to 1914. ... View more

I'm a Ford guy but enjoyed these: The Plymouth Cuda series of ads with the southern sheriff telling the young Cuda driver, "You in a heap `o trouble, boy." The Dodge Ram ad featuring Tony Stewart and showing doors flying as he was blowing the doors off the competition was good. I also liked the Trans Am commercial when the stop light turned green the Trans Am ate the "super car" car in front of him then burped. ... View more

In 1993 NBC claimed the GM pickup trucks were prone to fires in side impact crashes so rigged the crash test of a Chevrolet pickup to explode using a bottle rocket. In 2003 a lawsuit was filed by the Dallas PD about Crown Victoria police cruisers exploding in rear end collisions and conducted a test proving their point. However in an article by Citizens Against Lawsuit Abuse it is revealed: "In the crash test, the car’s trunk contained an ammunition box with sand and other items that were welded together, so when another vehicle struck the back of the police car the crowbar went through the rear wall of the trunk and pierced the fuel tank. Why would anyone aim the sharp end of a crowbar directly at the fuel tank? The City of Dallas never revealed this following their 75 mph crash test." To me the Dallas PD looked a little dirty. ... View more

I've known and posted about the Pinto's safety being about average with other similar sized cars as you pointed out with statistics. My late mother was a personal friend of Judy Ulrich's mother and I learned through her about the missing gas cap long before the trial started. When testimony about it was entered into evidence the prosecutor was angered and claimed he would find 50(?) people who saw the gas cap on the Pinto's filler neck. "Uh, yeah, I was driving by and told my wife, "Ethel, that Pinto has the gas cap properly installed."" I think the prosecutor had higher political ambitions and just had them shot down. ... View more

I would like to add Avanti to this list. I read one time Studebaker didn't plan large production of the Avanti, only to increase traffic into their showrooms so they could push the Lark. But even in those conservative times people wanted pizzazz as Lee Iacocca termed it when he took Ford out of the Robert McNamara era doldrums of the mundane. Studebaker met its demise in '66 after selling Avanti in '64 and moving to Canada while Avanti went on for several more years as Avanti Motor Corporation under various ownership starting with former Studebaker dealers, Nate Altman and Leo Newman. Too bad Studebaker didn't bet on the Avanti instead of the Lark because they would have been at the forefront of the pony car era with an exciting car and may have held on, at least until the malaise of the 70s. ... View more

I'm glad your post got in. They're still checking mine for accuracy for saying essentially the same thing. The Custom 300 had a full length side trim with a plated aluminum insert in the center much like the Fairlane 500. I know, my father had a 57 Custom 300. On the same note, people also mistake a Fairlane with a Fairlane 500. ... View more

Since I seldom run across them anymore it is still good to refresh my memory on points type ignitions. Two things to remember about 50s up Fords: Make sure the mounting plate pivots on the axis and the guide isn't worn or else you will have trouble maintaining proper gap. If you're working on a Ford Duraspark ignition and having an intermittent problem with the engine dying make sure the grounding (Phillips head) screw located near where the wires go though the housing is tight. Also if the vacuum advance connects with a vacuum hose advance curve can be adjusted on many Fords using an Allen wrench through the vacuum port. I believe it takes an 1/8" wrench. We used to do that to reduce pinging on 351M and 400M engines or to gain a bit of throttle response on others ... View more

"Midland was a Chevy town back then, and nobody knew what I had. I’d pop the hood, tell them it was the Boss 302, and they’d stare at that big motor, having no clue that it wasn’t. I kid you not." Oh, I believe you. I'm not trying to rag on Chevy guys but two instances come to mind. First, about 20 years ago a lady came to me with a P0303 misfire on her Ford van. I diagnosed a defective COP coil on cylinder #3. She said that couldn't be because she just had it replaced. I showed her the old coil and ordered a new one. While waiting for the coil I had an idea and checked cylinder #6. Sure enough, that's where the new coil was installed. Too many Chevy guys don't realize Fords number their cylinders differently than most other manufacturers and Ford's #1 is on the opposite side as Chevy's. The second instance was when a friend changed from a Camaro to racing a 351W powered Mustang at the local 1/4 mile circle track and did quite well. He told me all his competition drove Chevys, all cheated and could spot the other guy's cheater engine in a heartbeat. And being mostly a Chevy guy he could spot their cheating too. Except they couldn't figure out where he was cheating (if he was) because none of them had a clue about a Ford. ... View more

I drove the M998 and up armored M1151 and M1152 HUMVEEs while working in Iraq and Afghanistan and cannot understand why anybody would willingly want one for anything except serious off road use. They're cramped, uncomfortable, rough riding, cold in winter, hot in summer, hard to see out of with a top & doors on and just plain ugly. Their width makes them horrible on narrow roads but you get used to others flipping you off for hogging the road. ... View more

Wait until the solar panels degrade enough to be useless and they will. Then, like the blades on all those windmills, the solar panels cannot be recycled so will just add more debris to the landfills. And what kind of batteries do you use to store the electricity generated? How long do they last and what does it cost to replace them? ... View more

I may be wrong about all this but I'm wondering if using the Cobra name on the AC Cobra Blower is an infringement of copywrite of Shelby's AC Cobra. Did Shelby's estate sell the name to them? But it seems to me Ford now owns rights to the name so if I'm correct I don't think Ford will be very happy about this car using the Cobra name. ... View more

The 1976-77 Toyota Celica Liftback was almost pure plagiarism of the 1969-70 Mustang Fastback. ... View more

Two ads I really liked was the one for the Trans Am at the stop light that ate the foreign sports car in front of it when the light turned green. And the ad for on of the VWs they banned that was to show how tough the VW is by depicting a terrorist inside one in front of a sidewalk café. When he pushed the button the blast was contained within the VW. ... View more

But the Ford LTD was quieter than a RR. I saw it on TV so it must be true. ... View more

With our long time fair and mostly equal trade between our countries, I can deal with Canadian made cars as Canada has been a part of our automotive history since the beginning. I wonder though, are cars and trucks built for the Canadian market still badged differently than for the US market? I remember seeing Mercury trucks and a really cool Mercury XR7 Ranchero. ... View more

Totally agree. I'm a Ford guy myself but I always liked the real Charger so, to me, a 4 door Charger sedan sullies the nameplate. Wasn't thrilled about the 4 door Thunderbird nor the 4 door Grand Prix either. And I thought I would puke when Ford introduced the Mach-E, especially with the button on the dash to play a recording of "real engine" noises. ... View more

Great idea but have you priced wood needed to build this lately? I think they're even charging for used wood. Just being facetious. But seriously, wood pallets with casters might also be an option. They come in various sizes & capacities and are quite often free from businesses that receive bulk shipments. ... View more

Unlike the boats of the 70s, the 76-79 Seville was a really nice looking luxury car. Then in 1980, Cadillac redesigned the Seville to one of the most butt ugly things on the road. The bustle back trunk was just coyote ugly. ... View more

I'm not criticizing the Hemi-Cuda on this list, it probably belongs, not my say. But I remember in 1970 when the Barracuda became just the Cuda and what a good looking, desirable car it was, even for this Ford guy. The 340 was fast with more potential and engine sizes went to 440 Six Pack and of course the Hemi. When the 71 Cuda was introduced I remember one magazine reviewer when describing the redesigned grille, "We can't wait until last year." ... View more

Another "fast one" Chad Knaus pulled was installing rear shocks that rebounded extremely slow when compressed to hold the rear of the car down thus keeping the rear spoiler out of the air. When the race was over and the car went through tech the shocks had time to rebound and the rear height was within specs. ... View more

It looks like positive changes in the cars but NASCAR's "wokeness", format and rules nonsense will keep me from going back to watching. ... View more

Makes me wish I still had the 67 Triumph Bonneville I sold in 1976 because I thought riding back & forth to work on I-25 in Denver was too dangerous. Visited Denver 7 years ago and 1976 was wide open highways compared to now. ... View more

wow, whoopie, how exciting. I wonder if they will include recordings of real race car engines like Ford is considering in their mustang-e, ... View more

That was my father's thinking in 1966 when as a 16 yr old I wanted to buy the 1964 AC Cobra our family's friend used to own for $2995.00. And that one only had the 260 engine. ... View more

I'm a Ford guy but that 4 door Bronco is butt ugly. Looks like a Hummer wannabe. I think Jeep has one just as ugly so if Ford is trying to compete in the ugly department they are succeeding. Regarding remake of the Ranchero, what they need to do is make a US version of the Australian Ford Falcon Ute in the US. That is one good looking car/truck and very versatile with different cargo bodies available. . ... View more

And while these EV trucks are getting their batteries charged, trucks that run on gasoline and diesel will still be working. Just hope you can find a charging station out in the field when the battery goes dead. ... View more

I can't agree with Petty on this. Is he saying legends like A.J. Foyt, Parnelli Jones, Tony Stewart, etc. are not professionals? They got started dirt track racing and loved it throughout their driving careers? Is USAC Sprint and Silver Crown series amateur? What about Outlaw Sprints? No, these are professionals and professional racing. I might add they are more exciting to watch than what NASCAR has promoted since Bill France turned the reigns over to his kid. ... View more

I take it back. I just searched Ebay and Amazon and the movie isn't available. ... View more