Hawaii VW Wisdom for Air Cooled Engines

This is very cool and very true......I would like to visit this place next time I get out to Maui

When I get home......

Where I would like to be/In my @vw Bus heading to the beach- I'll do it this summer when I get home from #Afghanistan twitter.com/Leadership_One…

— Middleboro Jones (@Leadership_One) March 22, 2013

Driving your dreams....one man is doing it with style

I always thought about what I would do when I won the lottery....Help some good charities, take care of the bills, etc.

The main effort from there would be to create a company that would rebuild classic cars and restore them to their glory days....Spend time finding them and making them shiney & new all over again....

Here is one guy who is able to do something along those lines and I am willing to bet that we ( him & I ) have a lot of common interest in what can be done when you have the $$$$ and time to make it possible....Lucky guy.

How One Millionaire Made Himself a Pint-Sized Ferrari

• By Nathan Laliberte

 

 

Srour (pronounced “se-rure”) spots me standing in front of his parking garage and strides across the street. He offers a firm, bone-crushing handshake and immediately gestures to my red baseball hat – the one I almost never take off.

“I’m going to need that,” he says, giddily slapping my shoulder. “It’s freaking cold out.”

Other Rides To Kill For

I reluctantly hand over the cap, sheepishly adjusting my bedhead, and stand aside as Srour, 54, delicately lowers himself into his two-thirds-scale 1952 Ferrari F2 500 race car. At just over 3 feet tall and 6 feet long, the F2 holds the dubious distinction of being the only street-legal model car in Manhattan – if not the Eastern United States. It’s also the first example in Srour’s ambitious plan to transform a duo of model Ferraris into super-powered road-rockets. The second car, another two-thirds-scale 275 GTB/4 – a model made partially famous by Steve McQueen – should be road-ready early next year.

The original F2, driven by Alberto Ascari, was one of the most prolific racing Ferraris ever built. In 1952, it dominated the Formula One World Championship, winning every round except for the Indianapolis 500. It is, in fact, the second most successful car in Formula One history, only behind the incomparable McLaren MP4/4, which won more races in 1988. In a strange twist of fate, Srour’s only encounter with the real F2 was at the Cavallino Classic in 2007. “I had no idea it was going to be there,” says Srour, who was there to show off the two-thirds model for display. “Putting the two cars side by side was like seeing a father and son reunited.”

Today we’re headed to a popular car gathering in New Jersey. I’ll drive Srour’s Ferrari 458 Spider (tough life, I know) and have been instructed to stay close behind the F2 for the duration of our 45-mile journey. And for good reason. While the F2 can hit 90 mph, its small size means even inattentive Mini drivers could take it out.

As I strap into the 458, Srour pulls beside me, gooses the throttle and grins from ear to ear. A lady walking a Chihuahua stops to issue a displeased, authoritative stare. Srour is unfazed.

“Let’s roll,” he says, tearing down the street in one of the oddest sights I’ve ever seen in Manhattan.

To understand Srour’s passion for mini-cars is to enter the mind of the ultimate car fanatic. After finding success in children’s fashion (The Parigi Group, the company he started in 1980, holds exclusive licensing contracts with Puma, DKNY, Lucky Brand, Nicole Miller, and Paul Frank, among others), Srour, a native of Lebanon, began amassing an impressive array of Italian sports cars. His collection, which he calls “The Red Cave,” includes a Ferrari F50, Dino 246, Alfa Giulietta Spider and a Maserati Mexico, all dressed in gleaming Rosso Corso.

Srour purchased the F2 for $75,000 while on business in Las Vegas as a present for his 12-year-old son, who was beginning to show his own passion for exotic cars. Originally crafted by Carrozzerria Allegretti, a shop in Italy that specializes in custom cars, the F2 was tiny, underpowered, and designed for children – not adults.

“My intention was to give it to my son,” Srour said, “however, when I took it out for a spin, I totally fell in love with it. That’s when we came up with the idea to make it street-legal.”

Photo: Nathan Laliberte

Srour’s clever mechanic, Raffi Najjarian, was given the unenviable job of transforming the F2 into a road-rocket capable of withstanding the rigors of Manhattan streets while seamlessly offering a modicum of comfort and safety for the driver.

“I was surprised to get the project.” Najjarian said. “In fact, it’s still a bit of a joke to me. When he first bought the car, Marco asked if I could make it into a road car and I jokingly responded, ‘Sure, why not.’ And then he said ‘Okay, so do it.’”

The build began in 2005 and was done in three separate stages, each taking about a year to complete: drivetrain then suspension (the F2 came without rear shocks), along with extensive overhauls to the chassis and engine.

Upon completion of the first phase, Najjarian installed headlights, turn signals, 14-inch wire rims and a miniature license plate bracket. To keep the noise down, he tacked on a modified Harley-Davidson muffler to the chrome exhaust tips which instantly transformed the F2 from a blaring hot-rod to a highly tuned gentleman’s racer.

Srour, who is 5 foot 6, required six additional inches of legroom to properly operate the three floor pedals, so the chassis and bodywork were extended accordingly. “We also upgraded the brakes to a dual-circuit system, operating in the front and the back, independently,” says Najjarian. “The car is light enough [roughly 600 lbs] that I was able to use drum brakes as opposed to disk brakes.”

To give the engine – an original 1952 Topolino – a little more pep, Najjarian designed a custom transmission and installed several high-end racing components, including a handmade camshaft.

“The original setup had a 500cc engine that was pretty anemic,” Najjarian told me. “It only made 27 horsepower with a top speed of 40 mph and it was mated to a 4-speed transmission with 4 synchros.” To provide proper motivation, Najjarian pulled the transmission, built a custom housing and fitted a dogleg transmission from a Nissan. “First gear is in line with reverse,” Najjarian says proudly, “just like a modern-day Ferrari 5-speed.”

Surprisingly, Srour and Najjarian agreed to keep the engine, but modified it with Abarth racing parts to increase the displacement to 600cc, boosting output to around 45 hp and delivering a top speed of 90 mph at 7,000 rpm.

“Much to my surprise, it turned out to be a really down-to-earth car,” says Najjarian. “I thought it would it always be a toy, but now I think of it as a real car. It’s completely, 100 percent drivable.”

Photo: Gila Srour

Next up for Najjarian is Srour’s two-thirds-scale 275 GTB/4 NART Spyder, whose body shell was made by Carrozzeria Allegretti. “This car will have two doors, a passenger seat, and seatbelts – much more advanced than the F2,” Najjarian says. The top speed will be in the neighborhood of 110 to 120 mph, but the main challenge will be mating the new engine to the reworked transaxle. “I plan on making them a stressed member of the frame,” Najjarian explains, “which will make everything more rigid.”

Back in New Jersey, Srour pulls next to me on the highway. One guy in a Chevy Malibu was so befuddled by the presence of the F2 he almost plowed head-first into a construction median. After his near-miss, he caught up, gave an enthusiastic (if not foolhardy) thumbs up, and continued snapping photos on his smartphone.

The guys at the car show were equally mystified. A large crowd gathered as Srour elegantly removed the engine cover, exposing the F2′s complex innards. One slightly husky 12-year-old boy jumped into the driver’s seat. While most collectors cringe at the thought of kids poking around in their cars, Srour isn’t that guy.

“Hey, this thing’s a toy,” said the boy, fumbling with the rear-view mirror.
“Not quite, kid,” said Srour. “Not quite.”

Time and $$$$ - The two essential ingredients in restoring a classic

Today was one of those days when I was thinking about all the fun I want to have in the new VW BUS project when she is redone -

Here is how she appears presently:

 

 



Here is what she should look like when she is restored to her prior glory days:

Time and $$$ - When I have the TIME, I usually don't have the $$$$ and vice-a-versa.....

Here's to hoping I can get the two essential ingredients together when I am back on the homefront in the future.....Then the real fun of restoring her will begin.

My next project - A tricked out VW Bus

Like any other person who likes to tinker with old cars ( rusty metal), I am always thinking about the next project I can get working on once  I get the chance - I will have to wait until my time in Kandahar concludes sometime in the future...

This is along the lines of what I am thinking about -

Yeah, I am not the " Hippie Bus " type but I have had a serious liking for the Veedubs since I drove a Karmann Ghia in college....I would like to have it stay fairly close to original but add a little resto-mod flare to it at the same time....something like this -

I would have to make sure it wasn't too low to the ground as in my neck of the woods, that could cause issues but you get the picture.  Take an iconic VW Bus and make it something special.

It all comes down to Time & $$$$ - When I have the TIME, I usually don't have the $$$ and vice-a-versa...we will see what we can devise when I get some time at home to hunt down one that needs some TLC.

UPDATE - Here is the one I chose - a good starting point - A fairly rust free body in need of a little TLC - Came with a TON of parts - a 1970 Bus with serious potential - It is not as old as I wanted as getting a "Splitty" would have been cool but finding a worthy one was either too much $$$ or too much rust - This girl will be the right place to start and worthy of a good refit.....ohhhhh yeah.

Got some disposable $$$ ?? Some seriously older Ferraris are up for sale

Wow.....that is all I have......wow.

The guy who owned these was from BOSTON.....awesome.

Got $20 million? 4 'very important' Ferrari cars to go on block

By Jerry Hirsch - LA TIMES
July 19, 2012,

A rare collection of four Ferrari cars is expected to sell for a combined $20 million or more at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance next month.

Santa Monica auction house Gooding & Co. landed the Ferrari collection, which was the property of Sherman Wolf, a Boston paging service and amphitheater entrepreneur who died earlier this year.

“It is a very important collection of cars,” said David Kinney, publisher of the Hagerty Price Guide for collector cars.  “This is causing heartburn for some of the other auction companies that Gooding has grabbed this very important collection.”

The rarest vehicle in the collection is a 1960 Ferrari 250 GT LWB Alloy California Spider Competizione. Gooding & Co. said it is one of only nine alloy-bodied LWB – long wheel base - California Spiders ever built and is expected to sell for $7 million to $9 million.

The other cars include a 1953 Ferrari 340 MM Competition Spider, a 1957 Ferrari 500 TRC and a 1985 Ferrari 288 GTO.

“The Gooding sales have always been high-end and they seem to bring the right buyers to the room. The estate of Mr. Wolf will do very well,” Kinney said.

Although the GTO is fairly new by collector car standards, Kinney said its stature has grown, in part because not many were made.  It could sell for close to $1 million. The other vehicles are expected to go for $3.75 million to $6.5 million each.

Ferraris are among the hottest part of what has become a strong collector-car market over the last year.

An index of rare Ferrari values calculated by the Hagerty Insurance Agency has risen 16% to $3.5 million as of April from the same month a year earlier.

Wolf was well-known in classic car collector circles, both for his collection and for his mechanical ability.

Jon Shirley, the former president of Microsoft and a collector, remembers meeting Wolf at Ferrari rally in Colorado in 1995.

Shirley was having trouble getting his 1951 Ferrari to run properly at the high altitude.
“He went over to his Ferrari 340MM Spyder and pulled out more tools and small parts in carefully marked plastic cases than I thought possible to store in a Ferrari,” Shirley said.

Wolf tinkered with Shirley’s Ferrari, tuning it “by ear until the car sounded quite good” he recalled.

Classic Cars rule the streets of Havana

While Castro and Cuba have been a burr in the saddle of American politics and security for decades, the embargo imposed by JFK also eliminated US autos from getting to Cuba.

The result is that there is the greatest collection of "daily drivers" known to man on the streets of Havana....I would like to go just to see these relics, hand preserved and running around 50 odd years later. Without a ready supply of parts, the owners had to figure out how to rebuild these beauties when they broke down....I admire their ingenuity.

I could enjoy going there to admire them in person and enjoy a fine Cuban Cigar to boot.....such a deal.


The cars of Cuba: photos and stories from Havana
Written By Bob Ames - Hagerty.com

HAVANA, Cuba – The American trade embargo with Cuba in 1960 had the effect of instantly separating thousands of 1940s and 1950s Detroit-built cars from their spare parts supply. Amazingly, many are still on the road more than 50 years later, cherished by owners who have patched them up with Russian and Chinese tractor parts.

While the subject of Cuba still has the same effect on Congress as a full moon on a werewolf, at least American tourists are once again able to visit this 40,000 square-mile Caribbean paradise. It’s absurdly close to the U.S. mainland – only 90 miles from Miami.

In December, my wife Kathleen and I took one of the first People to People tours of Cuba, authorized by the U.S. government. A large factor in our decision to join this National Geographic-led group of 24 tourists was that leader Chris Baker wrote the coffee table tome, “Cuba Classics – a celebration of vintage American automobiles.” Baker also authored “Mi Moto Fidel,” a chronicle of his 7,000-mile tour of Cuba on a BMW R100GS Paris-Dakar motorcycle.

Click here to see more cars of Cuba from Hagerty.com

As a lifelong fan of 1950s American cars, I’ve long wanted to view these much-publicized “Cuban classics.” I can report that most of what you’ve seen in print is true. The streets of Havana reminded me of my high school parking lot …

Click here to see more classic cars from Hagerty.com

Since the American trade embargo began in 1960, there have been no U.S.-made cars exported to what was one of Detroit’s most enthusiastic customers. GM’s presence was huge, and even today Cadillacs, Buicks, Oldsmobiles and Chevrolets outnumber Ford and Chrysler products four to one on the island.

Convertibles were always popular, thanks to year-round tropical weather. The place for posing with your ride is hard to miss in Havana. The squares around Capitolio, a flattering copy of Washington’s Capitol building, are lined with 50-year-old American cars during daylight hours. Most are taxis looking for fares, and they don’t leave on their semi-fixed routes until every seat is filled. Others, however, are available for tourist hire by the hour or day. I have a particular 1958 Edsel convertible confirmed for my next visit.

If you want to be a hero and meet Cuban “car guys,” bring spark plugs. The only problem I had dispensing this capitalist largesse was convincing the recipients they were a gift. Other, more transportable ice-breakers are Ferrari and Porsche decals. These seem to be particularly popular with Buick and Lada owners.

There are some new cars, but the rental fleet Geeleys in the parking lot of the hotel we stayed in near Pinar del Rio, a couple of hours west of Havana, were not encouraging. I wish all the best to Warren Buffet and this emerging Chinese manufacturer, but poorly primed paint was peeling off these imports from Cuba’s No. 1 trading partner. Perhaps it’s time to sell my Berkshire Hathaway stock.

Back in Havana, there is a fascinating car museum on the Calle Officios, a historic pedestrian street lined with lovely restored 18th century buildings. One of these houses Museo del Auto Antiquo, which features Cadillacs, Rolls Royce, Packards and other reminders of the country’s splendid, decadent past. The machines on display are generally untouched originals, although Cuba’s oldest car, a 1908 Cadillac, was away for restoration.

Nearby is a street market in Plaza de Armes where I scored an original Cuban yellow or “particular” license plate for my collection. There are plastic fakes in all the souvenir shops, while the genuine variety are riveted onto cars that are rarely scrapped, and until recently could not be legally sold.

Here’s a bit of lore for automobilia collectors: Cuban license plates come in three basic colors; yellow for privately owned vehicles, red for rental cars and blue for the many official or government-owned cars. We saw a handful of Mercedes and BMWs – all with blue license plates.

Given the age of Cuba’s passenger car fleet, and the fact that most have been cut off from factory support for 50 years, mechanical ingenuity is highly developed. I saw pistons made on a belt-driven lathe and was told of a man who can make bumpers for your ’58 Caddy – out of tin.

Great cigars, cheap rum concoctions, cool jazz in the nightspots and collector cars actually being used. There are no trailer queens in Cuba. I can’t wait to go back.

Cons work on Classic Cars while in prison....

I am a firm believer that Prison is punishment for criminals and should not be glamorized. Popular media has made reality shows and even hit TV series glamorizing prison life. At the same time, we see celebrities and sports figures (Wesley Snipes, Plaxico Burress, Martha Stewart, etc.) all go to prison and come out like it was something to be "proud" of doing...I don't get it as being a "convicted felon" should not be a step to getting more celebrity or adoration from others. There used to be a thing called " shame" and "remorse" when it came to being a criminal.

That being said, there are things that prisoners are doing behind bars that show they can redeem their past behavior and hopefully find a new life. There are programs for prisoners to train service dogs for the disabled. That to me is something useful for prisoners to work at while incarcerated. Prisoners should have to work at redemption not be given a free pass.

Today, the Wall Street Journal published a story that in Nevada, prisoners help restore classic cars and provide a useful service and profits for a victims fund. This is the type of stories we need to show, not stories glorifying the bad behavior of those in prison or prison culture which is popularized by hip-hop music and the media. The inmates in Nevada have to earn the privilege of working in the classic car shops and will also learn a useful skill for when they are released back in to the public.


These Inmates Have License To Tool Around With Vintage Cars
A Nevada Prison Revs Up a Niche; Old Chevys 'Built With Conviction'
By JOEL MILLMAN - Wall Street Journal

INDIAN SPRINGS, Nev.—Some people may question whether prison can truly be a place for rehabilitation. Michael Levi Fuller doesn't.

Inmate #46565 here at the Southern Desert Correctional Center, Mr. Fuller has watched some hard cases come into his institution for years, then leave practically reborn.

The cases in question are cars—very cool vintage cars. They come in rough and battered, and inmates restore them to their original glory. It may be the penal system's most unusual workshop.

"We've got a '56 Jaguar, a '48 Rolls Royce and a Studebaker pickup," says Mr. Fuller in a phone interview. The 51-year-old Mr. Fuller joins 32 fellow medium-security inmates at the prison's auto shop every weekday.

It's quite an operation and perhaps the most creative use of captive labor in a multibillion dollar business-behind-bars archipelago that stretches from New England to Hawaii.

The inmates restore vehicles for a unit of Silver State Industries, a wholly owned subsidiary of another "holding" institution, Nevada's Department of Corrections.

At the Southern Desert Correctional Facility outside of Las Vegas, a program employs inmates to restore classic cars. Their motto? "We have the time to do it right." WSJ's Joel Millman reports.

."We Have the Time to Do It Right," is one of the mantras on the unit's corporate website; "Built with Conviction" is another.

Although 40 of 50 states still produce license plates behind bars, prison businesses have diversified. Inmates at Arizona Correctional Industries at the Lewis prison complex in Buckeye fix diesel tractors.

In the U.S., prison industries—correctional facilities with for-profit ventures that sell goods and services to the public—will have sales of over $2.2 billion this year, according to the National Correctional Industries Association, a Baltimore-based trade group. Silver State's auto-restoration shop here in Indian Springs brought in $130,000 of the facility's $6 million in fiscal 2010 revenue.

Besides auto-restoration, Silver State Industries also has a shop that packages old playing cards into souvenirs for Nevada casinos, and others that print books and make clothing.

But the auto shop "is not like any old prison job," says Mr. Fuller, five years into a 12-year bit, who blames a drug problem for a crime career that has him in his third stretch behind bars.

As "inside" jobs go, this has qualities that are hard to find in prison—an intellectual challenge, prestige and a real sense of accomplishment in a job well done.

The auto shop's present inventory includes 32 cars in some stage of restoration. Among them: two 1960s-era Corvettes, two 1960s Mustangs, a 1959 Thunderbird, a 1965 Malibu, a 1935 Chevy pickup and two 1969 GTOs.

All kinds of customers bring their cars in. Barry Becker, a Las Vegas realtor, has had nearly a dozen cars restored by prisoners.

"I just keep buying stuff I don't need," he says. Among his prison-rescued treasures are a 1937 Dodge sedan convertible, a 1937 Dodge "Woody" wagon, a 1956 Nash Metropolitan and a 1941 Plymouth pickup truck

A Las Vegas couple recently agreed to pay the prison $19,000 for a re-do of a 1973 Datsun 240Z, with a V8 engine installed. "Mom's going to go to the store really fast," says the shop's director, Carl Korsgaard.

Inmates, including a few murderers and lifers, have been trained to do everything from sanding steel bodies down to sewing upholstery. One upholsterer was born in Cuba, where Mr. Korsgaard believes he absorbed his countrymen's talent for keeping vintage U.S. vehicles on the road.

As with any jailhouse job, there are regulations. Silver State's chief executive, Brian Connett, a corrections-department official, insists each auto restorer have a high-school diploma or equivalent and be six months free of any disciplinary infraction. For inmates who have to pay them, 5% of their wages—which top out at $5.15 an hour, according to Mr. Fuller—are garnisheed for deposit into Nevada's victims-compensation fund. It's the kind of give-back strict law-and-order voters insist on.

"Crime victims have an interest in good prison work programs," says Susan Howley, public policy director for the National Center for Victims of Crime. Aside from providing marketable skills, "they give offenders an opportunity to earn money to pay victim restitution," she says.

The prison declined to allow a reporter to visit, citing disruption of operations.

Mr. Fuller, who started in general repairs, works now in customer service. Mainly his job consists of hunting vintage parts, calling dealers who trade in engine components or pieces of car bodies, then negotiating a price.

Contact with the outside world is a penitentiary perk—as is befriending affluent civilians who someday may pen a favorable letter to a parole board.

"Just being involved in a program like this in prison, well it's amazing," says Mr. Fuller.

Bill Koning and his son, Ryan, sank almost $30,000 into a 1948 Ford F-1 pickup they delivered to Silver State Industries in 2005. They discovered the truck on eBay, rotting in a Nebraska barnyard. The former Massachusetts electrical contractor, now retired in Nevada, trucked the heap to the prison, where the pickup began what turned into a four-year stretch behind bars.

"You realize right away you're not the priority," Mr. Koning says. "It's a prison. Those prisoners may get locked down and not see your car for weeks."

The Konings' F-1 gleams today in a southwest Las Vegas garage. From running boards trimmed in red oak to windshield visors to dashboard instruments, everything looks as if the truck just rolled off a Detroit assembly line. "We just love it," Mr. Koning says.

One problem: Some customers have been springing their cars early. Mr. Korsgaard says he's had three cars hauled away recently midrestoration by customers who couldn't raise the cash to finish, like the owner of a 1955 Bel Air who suspended work after sinking $21,000 into the project.

While other parts of the local economy may be suffering, there's virtually no chance Silver State Industries will run out of steam, or job applicants. "I have hundreds" who want in, says Mr. Connett.

1970's era Corvettes are getting the attention they are due....

I owned a 1975 Corvette and started a restoration before deciding to sell it for my Navy Jeep....The Vette was cool but the JEEP was more my style. My best friend has a 1975 Corvette that is his pride & joy....glad to see they are being recognized as collectable. The iconic shark-nose Vette evokes many memories of the hey-dey of horsepower in the 1970s.


That 70s Car: Are Disco-Era Corvettes Ascending?
WALl STREET JOURNAL
By Jonathan Welsh

When I was teenager about to start high school and already aching for a driver’s license, Corvettes from the 1950s and 1960s were already considered classics collectors were snapping them up. But at the time — around 1980 – it seemed like late-model ‘Vettes would never be worth anything on the collector market.

Their weak engines and cheesy looks just didn’t seem like show-stopping material. For decades hence experts have suggested that early Corvettes will gain value even faster because the later cars couldn’t possibly become collectible. Of course they were wrong.

Those of us who coveted the “Coke-bottle” shaped sports cars when we were in grade school in the 1970s are hitting middle age. And some who are looking for a fun “hobby car” for weekend cruising or as the cornerstone of a collection aren’t buying a ’57 Chevy or a chopped American Graffiti-style hot rod. We’re looking for the cars that were hot when we were kids.

Never mind that the Corvette had been emasculated by pollution controls and the auto industry’s almost universal malaise. It was still fast and cool to kids who depended on bicycles for getting around. Besides, it was all we had.

I spotted this silver sweetheart in a July 4 parade today, and what critics called tacky decades ago now looks smooth and uncluttered. Do I dare say “elegant?” This appears to be a 1978 model. The ’79s looked the same but you almost never see them without the rear spoiler that appeared as an option that year. The bubble rear window was new for 1978 and did wonders for the car’s aesthetics. My favorite feature from this era are the ‘Vette’s lovely deep-dish alloy wheels.

While prices aren’t exactly through the roof for these models, they are climbing. A really nice one can cost $20,000 if it has the L82 engine upgrade, or a couple thousand less for a base version. The ’78 Pace Car edition is closer to $30,000. That’s serious money for cars that not too long ago languished next to Buick Centuries, Ford LTDs and other clunkers on used-car lots.

Well, DUH ! - Study results show Women dig dudes driving hot cars

REALLY ?? Like we needed a study to tell us this info?? Any guy who has owned a Chevy Camaro, Corvette or one of 100 other hot rides has proven this postulation a hundred times over.....And glad we always got the same results by providing the young ladies what they were looking for....ahem.

Next thing they'll be telling us is that Men enjoy watching sports, drinking beer with the guys and going out for the regular " Guys night out "....along with finding a winning lottery ticket.

Seems like even a 48 year old Willys Jeep can attract a few New England Patriots Cheerleaders...maybe my Navy Jeep needs to be added to the list of "hot cars"...hmmmmm.

Study: Women dig dudes driving hot cars
By Jim Forsyth Jim Forsyth – Tue Jun 21

SAN ANTONIO (Reuters) – A recent study by Texas researchers proves what single men have known for a long time: Chicks dig hot cars.

Men who wear expensive clothes and drive flashy cars are more successful at having flings and staying single than their financially conservative counterparts, researchers at the University of Texas at San Antonio said.

And while it's not exactly groundbreaking information that some women are more likely to go from the bar with a guy in a Porsche rather than a Geo, the project found the phenomenon is less about gold-digging and more about "signals," University of Texas at San Antonio marketing professor Dr. Jill Sundie told Reuters on Monday.

By engaging in splashy personal spending, men are sending a signal to women that they want a "short term relationship," much like peacocks trying to woo a mating partner using "wasteful, elaborate displays," Sundie said.

"Basically, they're just trying to convince a female that, 'Hey, if all you're looking for is genes, I have the best genes, so you should choose me,'" she said.

Women, pick up on that signal and respond to it -- positively if she's into that kind of thing, or negatively if she is looking for marriage material.

"Women seem to understand that when they see a man who has chosen to spend money conspicuously, they think he would be more interesting as a date," Sundie said.

That is, if all they want is a one-nighter or something temporary. When it comes to the long term, Sundie said, flashing the cash becomes a turn-off for women.

"If you ask them to think of these men instead as a long term partner, how good is this guy as a marriage partner, the flashy spending doesn't help him at all," she said.

The same is not true for women, the study shows.

Researchers surveyed nearly 1,000 men and women in four separate studies to determine the signals sent by conspicuous consumption and how it is viewed by the opposite sex. Their findings were published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology.

Sundie stressed that not all men who spend conspicuously do so in hopes of having a fling, and women who date these types of men are not all interested simply in flings.

But the signals are clear, even if the intentions are not.

"It appears to be a behavior that is much more likely to occur if the guy is seeking short-term relationships, and he is thinking about a situation where he might be able to get one of those short-term relationships," she said. "When they think about women, they spend lots of money."

(Editing by Karen Brooks and Greg McCune)

GHOST SHIPS

Magnificent stuff. I am highly envious of the photographer and his crew for having the time, effort, ability and large-round-things to go out and do this kind of exploration....

These ships were home to thousands and now sit quietly awaiting their fate....let's hope we can save a few more...They are like classic cars....too many have already gone to the scrap heap....

Let's preserve what we can so we can show the Grandkids what it was like when Grandpa sailed the waves...A piece of our Naval History that needs to be preserved.

http://scotthaefner.com/beyond/mothball-fleet-ghost-ships/

All-New Steel Replacement Bodies for classic cars from 50s & 60s

The market for restoration meets the modern day manufacturing....You can now buy brand new bodies for 1st Generation Camaros, Mustangs and some other cool rides like 1957 Chevy Convertibles....Take an old car, buy the new body, marry the two and now you have a " new " classic that is manufactured to original specs and will continue to allow you to drive an original beauty.....pretty cool as far as I'm concerned.

All-New Steel Replacement Bodies for classics
HOT ROD Magazine

None of this occurred by accident. Dynacorn and the other players in this business didn't just fall into it. They researched the market carefully first, studying their customers as well as their product. For instance, Dynacorn's Mustang replacement shell ($15,500 plus $495 crating fee) comes standard with FE big-block shock towers-correcting a notorious trouble spot on the early Mustang unibody.

Goodmark takes that good old hot rod thinking one step further with the Retro Rides concept. Starting with a first-generation ('67-'69) Camaro or Firebird as the donor, Goodmark will essentially blow the car apart and then totally reskin it with new sheetmetal, while dropping the whole assembly on a fourth-generation ('93-'02) F-Body floorpan and chassis. Prices range from $16,500 plus donor car for a bare unibody in epoxy primer (Phase I) to $27,500 for a roller with all exterior sheetmetal (Phase III). Turnkey cars are also offered to your wildest specifications. The Gen I/Gen IV hybrid approach has two benefits. First, you get old-school musclecar style with late-model comfort and performance. Next, the finished product can be titled and registered under the VIN of the '67-'69 donor car. It's a win-win deal. With the Goodmark/Retro Rides deal you can even have your choice of dashes: period authentic or late-model high-tech.


Can you spot the original '57 Chevy convertible? Actually, both of these bodies are newborns created by Experi-Metal in Sterling Heights, Michigan. The company's core business is creating prototype and other special low-volume sheetmetal components for the OEs.The '57 Chevy convertible restoration body manufactured by Experi-Metal of Sterling Heights, Michigan, contains a whole lot of new and just a little bit of old. The cowl and firewall are cherry, original 1957 stampings, so EMI is quick to point out their body shell is not a replica or a reproduction; it's a restoration body. But the rest of the components from stem to stern are brand-new steel, all several hundred of them. And, the company is proud to point out, the body is made and assembled right here in the USA, and sold by EMI's distributors: CARS Inc., Cross-Canada, and Sherman and Associates. The price is around $35,000, and if the demand is as expected, EMI plans to have a '55 Chevy convertible ready soon as well.

For having the foresight to jump in and lead the charge, credit should go to Rich Roberts of Promax Corporation with his Vennom cars. He spotted the street-rodification of musclecars as early as anyone. In 1999, recognizing the interest in what he calls "the late-model street rod" (flat nailed it, he did) he began building his Vennom '66 Novas. Constructed from fiberglass and composite rather than steel, like many modern street rods the Vennom is designed for style and function more than exact authenticity. The nose is stretched, and the greenhouse is laid back with a '69 Mustang windshield, while the floorpan can accommodate any gearbox including a Lenco. However, Roberts says his bodies are hardly bare race car shells; these are the real deal, carefully engineered for Pro Street or Pro Touring use. "I spent 11 months perfecting the body seals," Roberts told HOT ROD."It was by far the most difficult part of the project." Along with the '66 Chevy II-styled car, Vennom recently added a '70 Mustang to its line and currently has a '70-style 'Cuda in the pipe.

So we can see that like hot rodding itself, this whole trend in restoration or replacement body shells-whatever they need to be called-has a bit of an identity problem. It's both new and old, depending how you look at it. Just like hot rodding, this is about taking the best of both the old and the new and creating something unique, something that can be more than the sum of its parts. With a difference: These cars can be built without paying gold-chain prices or searching the nation's junkyards for rusty, overpriced junk to resurrect. Really, we can't say these cars are old or new, so let's just call 'em what they are: hot rods.

Registration

The Goodmark Retro Rides and the EMI '57 Chevy bodies shown in this story use some structures of an original car, so they have a manufacturer-issued vehicle identification number (VIN)-but in the case of Dynacorn's all-new Camaros and Mustang there is no traditional VIN. Each body has a serial number stamped in four places on the body shell and comes with a Manufacturer's Statement of Origin (MSO). According to Jim Barber at Classic Auto Restoration Services (CARS), most states will register the car using the MSO and as a '69 Camaro, '67 Camaro, etc. But there is a bundle of complications in regard to this and differences between states. We're putting together an in-depth story on the subject and will bring it to you soon

Auto Industry lobbies to make your car even more undrivable along with taking all control away from responsible drivers....

When it comes to things like Automobiles and all other vehicles that you can drive, fly, pilot, navigate, etc., I am a big fan of keeping the technology limited to what works best for you as the person in charge. The Apollo Astronauts went to the Moon & Back with a small navigational computer and other technology that has data storage ability smaller than most cell phones....IT WORKED well for them.....why fix it if it ain't broken????

For example, SEAT BELTS are a good thing as they keep me safe - a REGULATOR that would limit the speed to some arbitrary limit set by someone else would NOT be a good thing. SAFETY GLASS in case of an accident is a good thing - COMPUTERS that control everything in the vehicle and have the ability to make the car undriveable until you pay some Geek to diagnose it at $100 p/hour is NOT a good idea.

The Feckless Bastards who decided that we needed to make cars overly complicated are at it again. First, they decided a while ago that we needed to have a computer control all the engine functions. This was foisted on us as "economizing" the car and providing better mileage....Now, when the computer doesn't like what it sees or if the car is running a little off, a RED LIGHT shows up on your dash...The sensor tells it to light that and you have to go to the service bay.

I tried once to get an inspection sticker - The guy who runs the machine said he couldn't give it to me as the "red light" on my dash would show up on the sticker machine and would automatically fail my car. I stated that the car was fine - no known issues - He replied that he said that is likely true BUT the computer can't be overridden - I asked what should I do?? Well, he could diagnose it for $100 an hour until he found the issue (NOT an option I wanted) - His other suggestion was to get some hi-test gas, add a few cans of carb cleaner to the tank, dive it around and if the light went out, come in for a sticker ASAP....

I took his advice and a day later, the light went out ! I hurried to the dealer, drove into the inspection bay and got my sticker. Yeah !! A day later, driving along when "BING", on goes the light again.....Are you kidding me ?? So an arbitrary sensor (which could be good , bad or indifferent) decides my ability to drive my car ??? THIS IS INSANE......

Now, the same arseholes have upped it one more - They want to install an "alcohol sensor system" in EVERY NEW CAR as standard equipment starting in the near future that will automatically sense whether it detects alcohol in your blood or in the air -

To Wit:

"Right now, she said, the sensors that detect alcohol levels in the air can be made to react within five seconds after a driver gets into the vehicle.

The touch-detection system currently takes 20 to 30 seconds to determine blood-alcohol content.

"But the next generation of solid-state electronics will bring it down a lot," she said."

OK, so you are out with friends for dinner, someone spills a drink on you, your car detects the alcohol on your clothing and guess what??? YOU are not driving your car anywhere....THIS is INSANE as it presumes all drivers are drunks and treats us like CHILDREN who must seek permission to drive our cars, even when we are following all vehicle laws to the letter.....These people are out of control.

By the way, here's a little something for you PRIUS drivers....something Toyota didn't share with you when you bought the car. When you reach 100,000 miles, they will recommend you change out the batteries ( Ya know, the large battery pack that makes the car all green & stuff - even though the factories that produce those batteries create 10 times the pollution one regular car would create in the course of it's entire life, but I digress) - OK, so you need to replace the batteries - COST for this procedure ??? Approximately $4000....value of a seven year old Prius that has reached 100,000 miles and needs a battery pack? - $4000....WOW that's something, you will HAVE TO shell out $4000 or you will be unable to drive a $4000 car....no way around it...And there you go....you THOUGHT you had already paid for the car but you are their chump and you will have to keep right on paying for as long as you want to drive that green (not-so-green really) car.....Good Luck with that....not me...they can go pound sand.


Well, my solution to this is to drive my classic cars - I have a 1963 Jeep Universal and I am working on restoring a 1966 VW Beetle.....Neither is subject to emissions control and neither requires a computer....I'll drive the VW in the winter and the Jeep in the summer - I can fix both and as long as they have air, spark and Gasoline, they will run and go where I want to take them....Brilliant.

F&*k these idiots and their vision of a nanny-state that mucks up cars so much that you can barely drive it or have to keep paying into the coffers of the Auto Industry to drive something YOU ALREADY PAID FOR.....They have decided to find more way along with the FEDS to keep digging into your wallet....sorry, Classic Cars are a way around this stupidity and I am all for the Old Cars.....They were better built and will last a whole lot longer AND I am the only person who decides when to drive it...or how fast.

If I violate the law doing so, I am solely responsible for that action...No need of the Government to screw-it-up so law abiding citizens have to suffer for other's stupidity and limit our liberty based on the few that muck-it-up for the many.



Technology to Take Aim at Drunken Driving
Researchers want sensory device on all cars to measure blood-alcohol level.
By ASHLEY HALSEY III
THE WASHINGTON POST

Published: Saturday, January 8, 2011 at 11:28 p.m.

The technology developed in the past decade to sniff out terrorist bombs eventually may be used to combat another scourge: drunken drivers.

Researchers funded by auto manufacturers and federal safety regulators are working on sensory devices -- to be installed as standard equipment on all new vehicles -- that would keep a vehicle from starting if the driver has had too much to drink.

"We're five to seven years away from being able to integrate this into cars," said Robert Strassburger, vice president for safety for the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers, a trade group for the world's major auto companies.

The new technology would not require that the driver blow into a tube, like the interlock devices some states require after drunken-driving convictions. Instead, either a passive set of sensors permanently installed in the vehicles or touch-sensitive contact points on a key fob or starter button would immediately register the level of alcohol in the bloodstream.

Less clear is whether such technology -- which presumes that all drivers are potential drunks -- will antagonize some car buyers, and it's uncertain how much it would cost.

But that's a marketing problem for down the road.

Alcohol was a factor in 10,839 highway deaths in 2009. In the past two decades, it accounted for 268,442 deaths. And 10 percent of people in the United States recently admitted to being drunk behind the wheel in the past year.

Drunken driving "remains the leading cause of fatalities on America's roads, killing more than 10,000 people in 2009," said David Strickland, administrator of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

The "technology presents a new opportunity for us to dramatically lower drunk-driving deaths and has the potential to save literally thousands of lives every year."

THE GOAL

Strassburger, whose group is part of the development task force, said the goal is to have an operating model in two years.

The objective is to produce a device that will react in less than a second and function without maintenance for a least 10 years or 157,000 miles.

"We haven't met our criteria yet, but we feel comfortable that we will," said Susan Ferguson, a longtime safety expert who is leading the research. "Speed, accuracy and precision are the three key criteria."

Right now, she said, the sensors that detect alcohol levels in the air can be made to react within five seconds after a driver gets into the vehicle.

The touch-detection system currently takes 20 to 30 seconds to determine blood-alcohol content.

"But the next generation of solid-state electronics will bring it down a lot," she said.

The sensors have proven accurate, but precision -- consistently repeatable accuracy -- needs to improve.

Strassburger said the cost per vehicle hasn't been established, "but obviously it has to be relatively low."

"It has to be in line with other safety systems," he said. "We want the public to understand the need and how they benefit."

THE TECHNOLOGY

The technology is a direct offshoot of the quantum advances in sensory detection since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. The ability of machines to scan people, packages and luggage for tiny trace elements that would expose a terrorist threat has expanded exponentially.

"Now your typical explosive trace detection system is based on rapidly evaluating minuscule molecular substances," said Richard Bloom, an anti-terrorism expert who chairs the Aviation Security and Emergency Management Committee of the Transportation Research Board.

"If you can do that with explosives, you should be able to do that with any kind of detection, including alcohol and drugs."

Telltale devices that determine when someone has been drinking have been developed in the past decade and already are in widespread use. One celebrity, Lindsay Lohan, has worn a SCRAM bracelet, which measures blood-alcohol content every 30 minutes through a person's perspiration.

For the same type of technology to be used in cars, researchers want a response within one-third of a second.

The task force developing the system is a partnership between the Automotive Coalition for Traffic Safety and NHTSA. The initial $10 million research grant, provided by NHTSA and carmakers, paid for the first two years of research.

Additional funding from Congress is being sought so the project can be continued for the final three years, making the critical leap to refine what works in the laboratory into something that functions consistently in a vehicle.

The new technology may collide with the desire of many people who want to have a drink or two without fear that they won't be able to drive home.

Already, the technological advances gained in the fight against terrorism have created an uproar by providing airport security with revealing full-body scanners.

The Beauty of Classic Cars started with the Steering Wheel and Dashboards...

A friend recently sent along a picture of a new car from a European manufacturer....the key aspect wasn't the lines or shape of the car, it was that the car didn't have a steering wheel - It was guided using a joystick - Sacrilege !

I am and have been a total gear head all my life and one of the things that hooked me first was the way cars had really cool interiors and the DASHBOARD, which usually had a large, ornate steering wheel....As a kid, I got hooked on the design and ornate beauty of cars for their shape and that there was lotsa CHROME....the dashboards and steering wheels were also ornately designed and had lots of extra there to make it " a work of art " as well as functional.

Center stage on this stage was the Steering Wheel - large wheels made of Bakelite or other resins with ornate horn rings and center caps....ahhhhhhh....this is how it was supposed to be.....

Like many other things, the designers and the Bureaucrats got in there and mucked it all up - they wanted lighter materials and safer materials.....soon the dash of the past was a relic. I have gone to car shows and come over to take a closer look at a Classic car only to find out the owner has removed the original wheel and placed a newer small racing wheel in place. HERESY !!

Cars from the the 30s - 70's were made to be showpieces and works-of-art as well as functional autos. We owe a deep appreciation and a world of thanks to great men like Harley Earl for all they contributed to the beauty of the autos we loved from that era....

As far as the guys who think a car needs a joystick, I feel sorry for your generation as you will never truly appreciate what an automobile is SUPPOSED to look like and you will never truly be on the same level as those who preceded you who were Giants.....you are the pygmies who can only imagine what it was like to set the trend....Joysticks in Autos??? GAME OVER as far as I'm concerned.....I'll take OLD STEEL over the new crap anytime.

Bitten by the Bug....

I have to admit that I am a serious afinciado of classic cars - OLD STEEL is the best.....new cars are all whiz-bang and such, but I prefer the tried & true older cars that don't need a computer to drive down the road....The classic cars were simpler - If it has fuel, air & a spark, it's going to run.

That's why I LOVE my 1963 Willys Jeep...it is a vestige from a simpler time when automobiles were "just automobiles" and not these computerized pieces of junk that the auto makers are trying to foist on us....

Back to my recent affliction - I have been bitten by the " Bug ". I purchased a 1966 VW Beetle for restoration....I owned a 1969 VW Karmann Ghia when I was in college back in the day, and it was a lot of fun to drive....so I guess it is something that I have had for some time....

The VW that I purchased is in waiting for her restoration and is a classic Beetle, with all the panache' that a 44 year old classic could be expected to have, especially the metal dashboard, and classic Beetle shape. I'll be trying to figure out what she needs and then going from there....one thing is for sure, this WON'T be a hippie vehicle - no "foot-print-of-the-great-American-Chicken" a.k.a. The Peace Symbol on this classic VW.....I'm looking to paint her up with a unique design which will be fitting of her restored status.

Enclosed is a clever VW ad from the past. Pictures of the soon-to-be-restored VW will be posted at a later date when I am able to make her presentable.