The Corvette looks better than the XKE in the 4 seat version. I agree that the XKE 2 seater was the most beautiful car made (Tho a Miura could sway me...). Corvette people would have turned their noses on the 4 seat, just like Mustang people treat the Mach E. ... View more

Two other drivers who could drive anything were (my fave) Jim Clark and (another fave), Dan Gurney. They could drive anything, and seem to do it so smoothly and quickly. They are my personal heroes. ... View more

Poor Spaniel Felson! He has the worst luck! I'm really surprised he still has a job! ... View more

My 61 Rampside Corvair is mostly, but not entirely stock. I bought it with Pertronix ignition and dual master cyl already installed, as was the "big block"  164 cubic inch engine.  I use it as a pickup truck.  As I live in Phoenix, A/C was an absolute MUST. I literally used parts found laying around the garage to put a system together. Took me over 6 months to get everything fabricated and installed, but damn, that thing blows 40℉ air! And the cab is tiny! Only Corvair parts on the A/C is the compressor bracket, and the throttle speeder-upper solenoid. Next (maybe), front disc brakes, but I'd like power brakes and there is Zero room anywhere, except in the L/R fenderwell for a brake booster.  I tried a Hydrovac unit, but wasn't happy with it.  Also thinking, not seriously, about electric power steering, but there just isn't room for it. Guess its brake pull, and armstrong steering for a while! ... View more

Henry Ford Museum has a dymaxion house. It was being fixed up when I was there in 2000. They may be done by now? ... View more

I remember that ad well. I'm sure I have a Car&Driver with that ad. Interestingly, the next month that last sentence was deleted! ... View more

Thank you. I find the Audi TT to be totally unattractive, but not ugly. The Aztek is just UGLY. ... View more

You are correct on the Durango. A friend of mine had not one, but two of them. Both 6 cyls. ... View more

As a devout Corvair Lover since 1970 ( Haven't been without one since), I think hyperv6 has hit the nail on the head. The irony here is that the Mustang was a response to the Corvair Monza of 1960. The Futura Falcon wasn't cutting it. Mustang hit it clear out of the park, much to Chevy's dismay. Chevy's response to the Mustang was, of course, the Camaro. ... View more

First comment: I can hardly type this because of the tears of laughter in my eyes! The conversation between driver and car was pure comedy! Second comment: You think Jeff Lane is insane and masochistic? First, he collects weird little cars (which is fine by me, as I'm insane too), and then he lets people take them out and see if they can be tipped over. (Tatra for the win on that one...) What's next, a swing axle VW with a cement filled refrigerator strapped to the roof? Sadly, not One pic of Reliant on two wheels? Did you go over 20 mph?? Keep these articles coming, Sam! ... View more

Very nice car. Is it me, or do I see what the Jensen-Healy should have been? From certain angles, anyway. I really like the trunk lid with built in spoiler- just big enough to be visible, not obnoxious like some. When I saw 580Z, I was hoping he saw the light and put a Ford 351 in it. ... View more

I wonder if HF II would have approved of the GM power steering pump? (Many Fords of the late 70s used them) ... View more

I didn't know about the Dart, but E. J. was one of the first, if not THE first to put a small block Chevy in a motorcycle for drag racing. ... View more

Those are air intakes for the factory A/C system. They mounted the evaporator and blower in the trunk in those days. Easy way to tell if those old Caddys ( and Lincolns) had A/C. The air was blown up thru the rear shelf (or ducts in the headliner), and wafted its way up to the front of the interior. Not sure, but i think 57 was the last year for non-integrated A/C. ... View more

While I'm on my soapbox, I would advise to stay away from those cheapo "suicide kits" sold alongside that crappy refrigerant.  A set of Harbor Fright gauges would be a good investment instead.  Can taps can be purchased at A/C supply houses, and probably NAPA (not a sponsor). OK, I'll shut up now. ... View more

Something that anybody who plans to recharge their A/C for ANY reason should know is to STAY AWAY from the crappy refrigerant that so many auto parts stores sell. What I mean is any refrigerant that contains stuff in it that is so-called "stop leak" is extremely BAD. The stop leak may seal leaks, but it also plugs up the condenser passages, the TXV or orifice tube, and certainly doesn't do anything else any good. It can also ruin recycling machines, to the point that its cheaper to buy a new one, than fix the old one. There are kits out to determine if a system has stop leak in it, but the ones I've used were of questionable value.  A decent A/C shop should also have a refrigerant identifier machine, which can tell you if you have some weird stuff in there, along with air and hydrocarbons. Hydrocarbons usually come from using crappy R12 replacement refrigerants that use a propane base. While propane (R744) makes an excellent refrigerant, it has this nasty tendency of exploding or catching on fire, and is NOT legal for automotive use. Just buy pure R134a with no sealant, no dye, no nothing! Maybe dye is OK, but you only need a few ounces. Several cans of 134a with dye is gonna be too much for most systems.  ... View more

When GM announced that EV1s could be leased, I put in an application. (I live in Phoenix) Didn't get the car, but I was able to take a short drive, thanks to a friend who worked at the Saturn dealer right next door to the Ford dealer I worked at. First thing I noticed was the silence when stopped. Second thing I noticed was the Monster torque!! I pushed the gas.. I mean accelerator pedal and would have done a smoky burnout, but the traction control kicked in. I was impressed! Wife and I considered a Hybrid Escape when they came out (2004??), but the fear of new technology and questionable resale value stopped us. I'm still old school, though, I like an engine that makes some noise. Excellent article, by the way. ... View more

Battery Not Included. ... View more

Keep in mind that the old mineral oil (used with R12), if not mostly removed, will take up to around 8 ounces of space that should be filled with refrigerant, which could result in poor cooling. The old systems that held around 3 lbs of refrigerant may not notice, but smaller systems may pose problems. Nothing to do with oil, but something not mentioned was the possibility of underdriving the compressor. If possible, you want the largest clutch pulley and the smallest drive pulley. Draws way less power from the engine, at the expense of poorer low speed cooling. ... View more

Has that ever stopped anybody before??? ... View more

Or what if everybody agreed with one another???  WTF am I saying??? ... View more

I worked at a Texaco station in 73, and a co-worker bought a 73 Impala. I do not remember if it was new or used. But it had a 73 Olds dash! Never did find out much more about it, tho. Lime green was the color. ... View more

Thank you! I like Foose; he is an incredible artist. But, when took pen to paper to try and "fix" the Jaguar XK-E, I stopped looking at his stuff. ... View more

Actually, when I was 15, I hand cranked a 25 Model T, in a Chicago winter. Took me about an hour! And my arm was sore! I knew enough to retard the timing, tho. ... View more

Lighten up. You have to take this in 1957 context. Back then, government's job was not to bail out anybody. I thought it was a funny line. Edit: Thanks for all the likes! Also, I didn't mean to sound nasty, just a reminder that the article should be taken as satire. ... View more

Lets face it, the real killer of steam and electric cars was Ketterings Electric Self Starter.  With out that, some people were just not strong enough to hand crank an engine. This also limited compression ratios, and therefore power and efficiency. ... View more

I love these "What If" articles! It was the Fifties! The Nuclear (sorry, Atomic!) Age! Who wouldn't want a mini Chernobyl reactor in the trunk...or back seat... or wherever they put it? The AEC says atomic power is completely safe! The Tesla probably could have a pretty good heater system, too. Hey, it might even glow in the dark! Too bad their road tester, like so many before him, had to go and crash it.  Into a school! And why were there kids in the school? Didn't they have black & white TV's at home to watch educational channels? Keep dreaming these up, Jack. Thanks for the laughs! ... View more

Forgot to add: if that 68 body style had been offered in 4WD, I would have seriously wanted one! ... View more

Back in the mid 70's I had a 67 split window VW bus. My best friend had a 68. I had a 1500 with 53 raw, blazing horsepower, he had the big block 1600 and a whole 57 horses, but more weight. We went out on the Kennedy Epwy to race. We started at about 40 mph. We floored it. Being so slow, I figured he would blow by me, but Wait! I've got a door on him! We head to O'Hare, racing side by side. We went about a mile or two. I won by that same door length I got at the start. Speed at the big end? AT MOST, 70 mph. Speed limit was 65. Had we passed a cop, he would have yawned. And, yet, that was one of the most fun races I ever had! ... View more

I did! Ski trip to Vail from Chicago, 1975 or so.. Tons o' crap in back. 45 uphill, 65 downhill. Freezing cold both in and out, and that's WITH a gas and hot air heater! Put the brick on the gas and still got there and back. ... View more

A friend of mine had a 70 GS455. No stage 1, or GSX. It was a convertible, also had just those 9.5" drum brakes that GM loved, and no H/D suspension, no rear sway bar. But It did have operational hood scoops, and it was insanely fast! Easily as fast as another friends 69 Chevelle 454, and a bit faster than another another friends 70 Mach1 Boss351 (yes it had a Boss 351). But. BUt. BUT, it was the most dangerous car! No braking from the 120+ speeds it could go so easily. No ability to turn when the road suddenly went left. Sadly, it met its fate rear-ending a Dodge Dart. (not at 120! More like 40.) Absolutely the gentleman's muscle car! ... View more

Sorry that I'm late to the comments here. but I just have to say that paint & bodywork is Fabulous!!! MoparMan made a good comment: Do NOT total the receipts up! Just enjoy the car, and who cares what it costs, as long as the car is the way YOU want it! My first reaction was "Why an 83 Conti?". The obvious answer is "Why not?". Back in 93, I suddenly needed a bigger car than my 85 Mustang GT. I really wanted to get a wagon-style Fox body, preferably a Fairmont. Plan was to transfer all GT goodies to the wagon, possibly the whole front clip, for a "Family Hauler". Instead, I bought an 88 MkVII. Did not regret my decision! Good Luck with the project! ... View more

Way back in the late 70s or early 80s, there was a guy (I think he was an engineer for Mid Engineering, a company that made kits to convert Corvairs to a mid-engine set-up) who showed up at national CORSA conventions with a Crown mid engine Corvair. He ran a twin turbo Olds 350. He also had the Accel diverter thingie, but I don't remember it looking quite like the one shown in the article. Even though I was running a Crown kit with Chevy 350, we were in different classes, as he didn't run race tires. His car was fast in a straight line, not so good in corners (autocrossing). I always thought the diverter was a good idea, but sadly, I never talked to the guy much. No idea whatever happened to his car. ... View more

I did almost the same thing while working at a Ford dealer. Older car came in, I don't remember what it was, complaint was that a gauge on the dash was inop.  Pulled the cluster and found someone had run a Very long bolt thru the steering column bracket (holds column to dash), cutting the bottom strip of the printer ckt in the process. Had a gap of about 1/2". No new printed ckt was available thru Ford. So, I cut away the plastic insulating film down to the copper, and soldered a small jumper wire across the gap. Worked perfectly, cust was happy! ... View more

Very clever idea! ... View more

I worked as a mechanic at a Ford dealer from 93-2000. In all those years, I saw only 2 interesting Tempos: One was kind of mentioned in the article, the AWD model. I remember looking under the back of the car, and the rear diff was absolutely TINY, about the size of a bag of microwave popcorn! The other oddball Tempo did not have the decapitating motorized seat belts, but had a driver side airbag. (I don't remember if it had a passenger air bag- but it did not have the motorized belt for the passenger, either). Only Tempo I've ever seen with an airbag. The airbag itself looked like it was covered by hand with some vinyl, complete with a few wrinkles. If nothing else, this car would be super rare today. ... View more

Wow, haven't thought about Jean, Bax, or Setright in a long time. Jean Shepherd was one of the funniest authors ever. I would have tears running down my face reading some of his columns. (Same with Bruce McCall, and P.J. O'rourke). I enjoyed Bax, but LJK Setright? I couldn't decipher his writings at all, except to figure out that he thought the Arnolt-Bristol (I think) was the greatest car ever. ... View more

No Reverse gear! Just pick up the back by the handy carrying handle and turn it around. Made in Isle of Man. Neat lil car! ... View more

Keep that welding/machine shop in mind when the valve seats drop out of your 140 Corvair. (They will at some point) (Unless you have already had that done...) ... View more

For me, the Porsche is the ultimate. About the Chevelle, tho, after watching and reading about all the auto auctions recently, I figure Chevy must have made about 8,479,246 1970 SS454's. They seem like they're everywhere! And they all say they have the LS6 motor. The word "clone" comes to mind, and some people are getting not exactly what they paid for. As BMD4800 says way down below, a healthy big block is truly exciting, pushing you back in the seat with enough noise and brute force to put a major smile on the face. But, people that shell out megabux for these cars will NEVER even put them on the road, let alone race them. So sad. ... View more

Warshawski's, huh? I'll bet you're from Chicago area? Everywhere else it was J.C.Whitney. They used to have amazing prices on good quality stuff! Sometimes... ... View more

Buy good hog ring pliers, too! Also, no matter how many old hog rings you cut/pull out, there will always be one or two more hidden ones! ... View more

I worked for Ford in the 90s, and since we are in Phoenix, plastic bits are super brittle. It was common to break switch retainers and retaining tabs.  I managed to use my soldering iron to re-attach switches and tabs to plastic panels, but used no filler. It worked, but wasn't much stronger than the brittle plastic itself.  ... View more

I learned to stick weld back in high school- a long time ago. I sorta taught myself to wire feed weld, but the absolute hardest part is to NOT move the welder handle towards the work, as you would with stick welding. Haven't wire welded in 25 years now. Prolly should learn again. ... View more

I noticed that too. If you look very closely in the front 3/4 view, the scoop is over the roof, similar to the latest McLaren. When I first looked, I thought the scoop came up out of the right side of the canopy! As RJB says in his reply to you, it IS an optical illusion! ... View more

Maybe I'm an idiot, but "Liz" wasn't "transgender" by my definition. "Drag Queen" is more like it. At least from what I remember from the C/D article, when the cops found the well padded bras, they also found devices used by female impersonators- which I take to mean hiding the man parts. He was fully male, and only used the female disguise to fool the would-be investors. It was all one massive hoax. ... View more

Re photography: It was a dark and stormy night...er, day. ... View more

Oldsmobile sure didn't get it back in 1964 when the introduced the new 442. A magazine print ad featured a drawing of a 64 442 driven by two cops, and the car itself was a 4 door sedan. Just what young people wanted! And, unlike the GTO, the best you could get for power was a 330 inch 4bbl with dual exhaust. ... View more

I have to add my 2 cents here. How about a modern version of the 61-64 Corvair Rampside?  I realize it probably couldn't be done today, due to safety issues, but mine is the most useful truck Ever! Nine foot bed, side ramp folds down, roll heavy stuff on/off. I have moved my entire garage and storage shed contents twice, totally by myself. OK, I used a hand truck and a cherry picker to lift my tool boxes on, but still.... ... View more

Cool little trucklet! Is that your Valiant, too? ... View more