This is a bit of test for my mobile phone (this is how I am posting it) and what will be the new information that I will sharing. How boring would it be if all I did next year was repeat historical facts again?
So here is a new factoid.
The C6 generation Corvette ‘s automatic transmission weight 195lbs and the manual 6 speed transmission weighs in at only 121 lbs. That is a huge difference!
10/12/50 – Kaiser-Fraizer built their 500,000th car – 4 years later they opened up car manufacturing in South America.
1950 Kaiser-Frazers
10/13/1902 – Packard Motor Car Co was formed out of the old Ohio Automobile.
1902 Packard Run-About
10/15/24 – The original Mr. Government Auto Company Bailout. Mr.Lee Iacocca was born this date. If that’s all you remember him for, turn your car lover card…this guy rocked it in the car world!!!! This might change your mind…yea…the Mustang was his baby too.
How ya like him now???!!!!!
And now for the new arrivals!!!
10/14/65 – the Oldsmobile Toronado – a friend of my had one of these when I was in college back in the late 1970’s. It was my first awareness of a front wheel drive car.
1966 Toronado - Kool factor of 8.5 out of 10.
And one of my favorites
10/16/58 the Chevy El Camino arrives. Now I’m big fan of those fins!!! These also spawned the GMC Sprint and a few other variations.
10/4/1983 A new land speed record is set by Thrust2 a British jet propelled car. It was driving by Richard Noble and reached a top speed of 650.88 but the actual record was 633.468 base on the average of two runs within one hour.
Thrust 2 - but ya know..it's a rocket..not a car
10/6/1955 – Ford takes is Lincoln Continental to the Paris Car Show
1955 Continental
and on the same day ll years later (1966 — so you don’t have to do the math) Cadillac give the world a peak at the Eldorado.
1966 Eldorado - Here's a Pink one.
10/8/1959 – Ford introduces the Falcon and thus started a racing legacy. These cars were light and are still round as they make great drag racers.
1969 Ford Falcon - notice on much the tail lights look like a Maverick's
10/8 – Two birthdays on this date
1890 Edward Rickenbacker – World I U.S. Fighter ACE, created the Rickenbacker Motor Company which only lasted 7 year before bankrupting him – make the first cars with 4 wheels braking system. Owned the Indianapolis Speedway between the Wars.
1922 Rickenbacker Touring Car
1869 Frank Duryea – Created Duryea Motor Wagon Company – first gasoline powered car.
Duryea
Thanks for reading. Coming up more wrenching tips and the first installment of the next engine series featuring Chevy’s 283 power plant.
Some of you know I don’t just write this blog, but participate on other forums as well.
For a little while now, I’ve been writing bi-monthly articles for www.racinginamerica.com site.
Here is some info on the goals of the organization. No you don’t have to donate, but it is tax deductible.
Henry Ford Museum
This section of our website contains information and resources for anyone who might want to better understand this fascinating and complex sport.
Automobile racing is exciting and colorful, and those same qualities make it a stimulating and enticing subject; also conducive to developing knowledge and skills.
Our objective here is to provide both the motivation and the resources for further exploration and education.
The content here will continue to grow as time goes on. It will include more in-depth features on the history, people and innovations of American auto racing. We also will present practical applications of math, physics and science in racing, which provide career opportunities in fields that include design, engineering and a variety of technologies. All this is presented in a way that’s designed to spark interest and stimulate a desire to learn more.
Check in here often to find new opportunities and resources.
As a starting point, we offer these two downloadable Educator DigiKits in pdf format:
Science, Life Skills and Innovations in American Automobile Racing Educator DigiKit Teacher Guide and Unit Plan for grades 3-8
Physics, Technology and Engineering in Automobile Racing Educator DigiKit Teacher Guide and Unit Plan for grades 9-12
9/26/1967 Everyone loves this car AMC’s Javelin the car was in the public’s hands by 1968. I loved the body style.
1968 Javelin
10/1/1908 – Mr. Ford began selling is Model T
Model T Ford – Rag Top
(they were all convertibles!!!…just saying!!!)
Oh.. you’ll like this one.
10/2/1959 – Chevy introduces the Corvair. Believe it or not I’ve seen some of the sale footage and they treated it like a jeep. Chevy had drivers drive up embankment, up and down streams with water over the tires. This gave Ford a scare but it wasn’t until they could put together the Mustang did they really have an answer.
If you are work on your older cars engine, there are a good many tricks that you can use save a couple bucks and gain a little horsepower.
This one is an oldie but a good.
Have your intake valves back cut, you’ll get a similar boost as if you use high lift rocker arms or cam.
The procedure is best done by a qualified machinist. So while you have your engine apart and laying all around our garage on pieces of cardboard (come…you know that’s what happens!!!) have him take a little off the port side of your intake valves. This creates the same effect as an earlier opening a later closing action like just a like a the addition of a an upgrade cam. The lighter valve means less spring pressure is required to control the valve at higher rmps.
A 30 degree cut is what they do on vortex engines.
The backcut is at the edge of the normal valve cut.
Evo is short for Evolution Performance Driving School. Evolution Performance Driving Schools are hands-on, foot to the floor autocross driving schools. With programs designed to improve the driving skills of 16 year old novices to multi-time Solo II National Champions. (I didn’t write that it from their web site.)
This even is sponsored by the SCCA Tucson, Arizona Border region and will be held at the Marana Airport, Marana, AZ .
This weekend two instructors Brian Peters and Tom Kotzian will we taking us through our paces with our cars. Both of these guys have plenty of experience with National level Solo with the SCCA, including multiple National level wins, and Championships.
Yes I’ll have my 07 Corvette there and Well see how I do.
While I getting my act together after a very nice week-long road trip I wanted to share a car that I once owed and that for all too common reasons let it go to a new home.
1974 was about the time the U.S. government’s fossil fuel consciousness began to kick in, choking the horsepower out of the muscle car. But this car was an exception. Here’s its specs.
Gran Torino Sport
VIN: 4H38Q107971
Body: 65R
Color: 3D
Trim: DB
Trans: U
Axle: 9
DBO: 75
Date: 08/73
Vin Code: 1974
VinCode Body Serial = Gran Torino Sport 2dr HardTop
VinCode Body: Medium Blue Metallic
Seat: Balmora B/Cloth & Corith (L/B Bench)
Trim Code: Med. Blue
AxleCode = 3.25:1
DSOCode: Phoenix
Assembly Plant: Lorrian
Undercarriage is aerodynamic ball joints are much larger than other Torino’s of the same vintage
Transmission is unique (Minus the traditional “Humped” housing)
Engine is 351-V4 Cobra Jet (Not a Cleveland)
9” rear end
10.5:1 ratio
Came with a 3500 Stall Speed Torque Converter.
This was an amazing car.
Unless you are an expert on the Torino what you won’t know is that the 351 V4 Cobra Jet for 1974 was only one of 300 engines made that year. It took me nearly two years of research to find this out.
I sold this car to a nice guy up in Green Bay. Here is a before shot:
