1954 Ford Crestline

1954 Ford Crestline
Originally uploaded by Bob Cutlass

I actually got a request to use this photo from my Flickr account to use in a print magazine. I was quite surprised and honored even though I didn't personally think the photo was that great. I gave them permission to use it but, I don't think it'll pass there technical requirements(photo is probably too small) but we'll see what happens. Thank you Hour Detroit for your good taste.If anything happens I'll pass it along.

Gran Turismo 2 - Intro

My favorite(pardon the pun) Gran Turismo intro movie.

Motor City Online tribute

Motor City Online was an online racing game and online community that was produced and in my opinion prematurely killed off by EA(Electronic Arts). I miss it dearly and I miss the friends and people I met there. I still do hang around with some on a message board called Rippers Majic Bus even after all the years since the plugs were pulled in 2003. I a couple of years ago I did a tribute video and published it on YouTube and even now I get comments and views from former MCO members. Here's my video and plus a few more I found enjoy and Happy Motoring!

"Snowman" Jerry Reed passes away

One cannot be a car buff and not know who "Snowman" is from the "Smokey and the Bandit" movies. He sang many many of the songs featured in the movie(at least the original) and was also an accomplished country singer. He also starred in "Smokey and the bandit" movies(which also starred Burt Reynolds and Sally Field). He passed away at the age of 71. RIP Snowman!

Source: Msn.music

Slow Motion Supercharged Mustang Burnout

Let's face it burnout video's are rampant over YouTube and elsewhere. This one stands out though among the rest. If you love burnouts you'll love this one.

1964 Ford Galaxie Country Sedan Vintage Fire Chief Wagon

This one came to my attention through Bring A Trailer. This was just too cool not to share. It's a 1964 Ford Galaxie Country Sedan Fire Chief's vehicle. It's located here on Ebay. It looks to be in very good condition and has been mostly kept in original condition. If you just glance at the photo you'd swear it's been restored or repainted but it hasn't. It does run but has some minor mechanical/electrical issues. It's located in Dixon, Illinois.

Seekonk Sam's Club Cruise Night 08/10/08

These are some photo's from the weekly cruise night at Sam's Club parking lot in Seekonk, Massachusetts. I hope you enjoy.

Drugs found in old cruiser

A Burrillville, Rhode Island councilman found an surprising option on a cruiser he bought through an auction from the Hartford, CT police department. Kevin Blais(Burrillville Councilman) was cleaning the 2004 Ford Crown Victoria when he found a plastic bag containing what he thought was crack cocaine. That was confirmed by local police. Hartford police were apologetic when notified. I'm sure they got a good chuckle over it.

Source: Turnto10

New speedbump design

I'd love one of these for my street. This one was sent to me from my father-in-law. I don't know it's origins but it's pretty funny. Enjoy!

BMW goes white

At first glimpse this may look like your ordinary white BMW 335i. Well it's actually a black BMW with white tape. Apparently this is otherwise known as "foiling" and is made by 3M. A German fellow hired a team to wrap his BMW. From comments I've seen this is popular overseas with military, racing teams and especially taxi companies. Looks like they did a cool job to me. Of course I'm not sure how they look in person but from a distance I'd say it would be hard to tell.




Source: Autoblog

How to do an oil change

This upcoming weekend I'll be doing my wife's and sister's oil change. In that spirit I found some oil change videos that are pretty interesting and sometimes humorous. I hope you enjoy them.

Rescue Me: VanDerBrink Auctions

I came across these through the Hemmings Blog. Of course these auction vehicles scream "Rescue me!". These photo's are from an upcoming auction through VanDerBrink Auctions. Makes me wish I had a ramp truck(and the buckets of money) to save some of these poor souls. The next upcoming auction on August 15-17 is in Delta Colorado featuring over 850 auto's.

When is the last time you saw a Checker station wagon?


Of course they had an old favorite of mine a 58 Impala.

Of course I had to include a Corvair.

I would love this Oldsmobile wagon.

Corvair Rampside. Don't see many of these.

Rescue Me : 1972 Oldsmobile 442

Often I surf around Ebay or Craigslist(or anywhere I find old car classifieds) and think if only I could save this vehicle. Or at least a vehicle that may be neglected that's just crying out "Save me!". I came across this ad for a 1972 Oldsmobile 442 in sad but savable condition(at least in my opinion. Unfortunately my budget forbids me at the moment for making a rescue effort. In these days of high scrap prices in pains me to think worthy classic vehicles getting crushed. Maybe by highlighting it here it might attract someone who can save this fine musclecar.

What motor oil should I use?

What motor oil should I use? Whether your a DIY(Do-it-yourselfer) changing your oil or just picking up a quart because your running low this is a common question. You go down the aisle of your local autopart or department store chain you'll see a multitude of choices. It can confusing and overwhelming to many. Can you choose just any old one? I don't think you should though in a pinch you may get away with it but, over the long term you should use correct one for your application. Using the incorrect oil over a long period could damage your engine or at least make it work harder. If you use the correct one your engine will thank you by giving you less problems and perhaps better gas mileage(and who doesn't mind that these days).

Well first and probably obvious place to find the correct oil for your vehicle is your owners manual. If you don't have one you should get one. It provides a valuable resource in using and maintaining your vehicle. If you don't have one they are usually relatively inexpensive enough to pick one up. If your car is a recent model you may be able to get one from your dealer. If it's an older model I've found that you could probably pick one up for your vehicle fairly cheap on Ebay. Another good idea is to pick up a repair manual from Haynes or Chiltons specific for your vehicle. Also if you can ask your local mechanic or auto parts store to look it up for you.

What to look for when purchasing motor oil

When purchasing motor oil you should look for some basic items which can be found on most sold in stores. I'm not going to go too in depth as much of the info can be confusing(even to me). The most important as stated before is buying the correct type for your vehicle. Assuming you already know that here is what to look for.

Most likely you'll be shopping for the rating first(like above). This is the viscosity rating SAE 5W-30. This is what they refer to as a multi-viscosity motor oil. The SAE stands for Society of Automotive Engineers. This is the group that sets the the standard specifications for viscosity. The "5" is referred to as 5-weight which is the viscosity the oil will perform at when used in winter like conditions which brings us to the "W" . "W" is for winter. Does it mean it's only to be used in winter? No this is sold year round at least it is northeast where I am. Perhaps in milder climates they may change I'm not sure. The "30"(or 30-weight) is the viscosity that the oil will perform at in hotter temperatures.

Most likely you will also see this star symbol. This is means it has been certified by the API(American Petroleum Institute) . This group represents the marketers and creates and sets industry standards for equipment, products and practices. This has been around since 1924.

This symbol kind of combines everything in one. You get the viscosity rating of SAE 5W-30. The API service rating which does change over time. Currently "API Service SM" I believe is the latest one. They generally go in sequence as in "SH", "SJ", and so on. "Energy Conserving" means basically what it says. It's engineered to conserve energy(a big catch word these days).

Petroleum vs. Synthetic

More than likely you'll see a selection of synthetic oils too while shopping. I've not personally used these but I've heard good things about it. A word of caution though. If your not already using synthetic oils or are tempted to try them stick with the Petroleum based. From what I know you usually have to flush the engine out before switching over to synthetic. The SAE ratings are the same though once you've done the switch. Perhaps I'll go more in depth with this at another time.

Well thanks for coming by and I hope this was helpful. A short disclaimer though. I'm not an engineer nor do work on automobiles for a profession. If I made a mistake or you would like to comment on this please feel free to do so. I do welcome feedback and will update the info. Thank you and happy motoring!

Sources: Motoroilworld.com, The Engine Oil Bible, Motor Oil Myths and Facts,

Ebay: Find the throttle body

Let's see if we can help those at Jalopnik find the throttle body hidden in this and other pictures on this Ebay ad. I just thought pass this along. The more help they get they just might find the throttle body. Heck if I see one.

Ebay: CutZilla!

I saw this one and I couldn't resist sharing. It's a 1977 Oldsmobile Cutlass 4x4. Yes 4x4. Nicknamed "Cutzilla". Apparently mounted on a Jeep Wagoneer frame. I'm not sure if I like it or condemn it. Definitely someone with too much time on there hands.

Alternator Rebuild part 6

We continue along now with the further adventures of "Bob the (re)Builder"! Can I fix it ? Yes I can! Well we continue along with the world longest alternator rebuild. For just a recap for those just joining us I'm in the process of rebuilding an alternator from a 1965 Chevrolet Corvair. My last step was getting the pulley fan off. Today I cover removing the rotor from the front housing.Not only do I do this perhaps to help other's but perhaps as also a reference point for myself in the future. The pictures and other stuff will help me when I not only get to the rebuilding part but also when I do other's in the future. I already have another alternator coming my way off of Ebay. That one will be Ford Mustang alternator from a slightly newer model(1990). I will also share that one here also as that will be a little different. Well on with the show.

To remove the rotor I simply gave it a few taps from my trusty ball peen hammer and amazingly it came right out. I thought I was going to need a puller so that was a bit of relief.

This picture was kind of a note to myself. Note to self: Please remember this piece going here.

This is the inside of the front housing.

The rotor is removed finally. I've also made note that much of varnish is worn off and does have some signs of corrosion. This will be another challenge restoring this. Not sure how I'm going to accomplish this part but I'll cross that bridge in another post. If anyone can give me any information regarding this feel free to chime in.

Using a 5/16 socket I removed the bearing cover from the front housing.

It came off easy enough. The bearings themselves turned easy enough. Though it had mush crap inside and looks as if there were some remnants of perhaps what was a paper(cardboard perhaps) gasket inside which had long deteriorated. I'm planning on replacing that anyway.

Well there you have it. Another step in the process. Now I'm looking into how to remove the bearings. Also on how to refinish the rotor and other parts too. Thanks for coming by.

1938: Millers Falls, Massachussetts (2)

1938: Millers Falls, Massachussetts (2)
Originally uploaded by dok1

One of my contacts on Flickr is dok1(Aka: Don O'Brien). Recently he's been sharing photo's from his youth regarding his families travels in the late 1930's. He shares photo's like this one where he and his family stayed at various motels and motor courts. The clincher is that he gives his father's corresponding diary entry for each photo. It's such an interesting glimpse into the past regarding pre-war America. I hope you'll check out his whole series.

More Craigslist humor part 2

I was checking Craigslist again and came across another humorous car ad here.

$1200 CASH >> sorry no trades.
CAR NEEDS TO BE GONE BY THIS WEEKEND!!!
Runs.
Needs tranny to be rebuilt, No smoke, no knocking.
Interior is on premises.
Decent body.
It has been stored in a garage.
Needs to go ASAP.
Will need to be towed or trailered.
Come check it out.
NO TRADES
SERIOUS inquiries only please!

Accompanying this ad was only a partial picture of the car. So what kind of car is it? I think that would be important information before plunking down $1200 for a car. How about a full picture of the car to help? My best guess would be a late sixties Camaro. How can they expect serious inquiries without a serious ad? Oh the humanity. Morons should not own classic cars.

da

I was just surfing around Craigslist and came across this ad for a "90 civic hatch". I couldn't stop laughing at this one. Here it is....

just put it on da road monday but wanna buy something else. its a 4 speed blue hatch. runs good. only thing it needs is a hood cause it has some rust on it. the throtle cable gets stuck sometimes buts it no biggy. it has a sunroof, vinal interior. runs stong for da year. im still waiting on da title from da registry but i know down der yall only need my registration which i have. hit me up cause i wanna get rid asap.

I'm surprised he put periods at the end of his sentences. I get a laugh out of ads like this. Obviously no thought put into it. After the third "da" I just started cracking up. I'd almost guarantee the person probably talks like this also.

Lord of the 'Ring

I found this video of the Corvette ZR1 attacking the famous Nurburgring track in Germany. Doing an amazing lap of 7:26.4. It's an awesome video to watch. It made the hairs on my neck stand up in a few places. Enjoy the video!



Sources: Autoblog and GMNext

1961 Chevrolet Corvair Lakewood

I found this one over at Bring A Trailer blog. It's a 1961 Chevrolet Corvair Lakewood. It's listed on Craigslist for a mere $800. I would call that a steal. If it were local I might have even checked it out. Why did it catch my eye? I spotted one locally at a car show(see picture below) the exact same color. A very cool car indeed.

Alternator Rebuild Part 5

This alternator rebuild is going to have more parts than there have been Rocky movies. Probably take as long too. Anyway earlier this week my impact wrench arrived and I was itching to use it. I finally made it to my brothers garage to use his compressor. After some adjustments to the fittings I got the impact wrench work and I was off. Where we left off was that I was stuck getting the pulley fan nut off.

Using 15/16" impact socket I applied it to the nut. Squeezed the trigger a few times and it came off like a charm. Amazing what will happen when you have the correct tool for the job.

Now it'll be how to remove the rotor from the housing. Also I can start removing the paint, rust and repaint the pulley fan. The saga continues.....




Previous Parts:
Introduction
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4

I can see the (brake) light

My wife had both her taillights go out at the same time. Can't chance having the local law enforcement pulling her over or causing an accident. So I thought why not turn it into a short how-to for here. So here we go into how to change the brake lights on a 2000 Dodge Grand Caravan. First of all I went down to the local parts store and picked up the required bulbs. The part number is 3057LL by Sylvania. The only tool you'll need is a decent Phillips head screw driver. To access the rear light housing you'll have to first open the rear door.

On the inside of the door jam next to the light you'll see two Phillips head screws. Those are the ones you want.

Unscrew these and the rear housing will pivot out. The opposing side is held in by a tab and should just come out with a small pull.

The brake light is the top one.

Turn about an 1/8 of a turn counterclockwise and pull.

The old bulb should be easy to pull and just install the new bulb with a click. You can the reinstall bulb into the housing. Then reassemble everything in reverse order.

Test it out and make sure it works. If all goes well you can do this in less than 15 minutes. There we go on how to change a brake light bulb in a 2000 Dodge Grand Caravan. I'm sure Plymouth Voyager and Chrysler Town & Country are similar. Thanks for coming by and I hope this was helpful.