Tag Archives: Auto Technology

Mel Martin’s Auto Museum – Some Oldies

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One of the great attributes this collection has is some of the first cars and other types of early transportation.  So let’s get right to them.

 

Let’s just start at the beginning.  That would be this beauty!!!!

1886 Benz

1886 Benz
1886 Motorwagen - engine

1886 Motorwagen – engine

Benz Motorwagen

Benz Motorwagen

 

 

Here is the next one in line.  It’s a 1905 Cadillac – in white!

1905 Caddy

1905 Caddy – It’s the 4 Door Touring Model AC-F.   6.5 HP is produced by the 98.2 cubic inch engine.

 

What something a little ‘racier’?  How about this 1914 Ford Model T Racer – knocking out 40 hp from it’s 4 cylinder Rajo over-head-value engine.

Burns Intake and Winfield Model S1 Cab get this 1000lbs car up a moving!

Burns Intake and Winfield Model S1 Cab get this 1000lbs car up a moving!

 

 Here a fly-by for you.

Let’s stick with the racing theme for a bit and take a look at this 1922 Chevy Sport Roadster, body by Mercury Body Company.  Mr. Martin purchased this and drove it in the 1999 Hemmings Motor News Great Race.

Called the "Superior Chassis"

Called the “Superior Chassis”

Looks Fast to me - 26HP!!!

Looks Fast to me – 26HP!!!

 

That cooper tubing is make-shift oil cooler.

That copper tubing is make-shift oil cooler.

Headers are nicely wrapped

Headers are nicely wrapped

Looks like pretty comfy cockpit vs. the 1917 Model T Racer

Looks like pretty comfy cockpit vs. the 1917 Model T Racer

 

 

I wanted to jump to couple more utilitarian transportation modes of a vintage nature.

 

 

This is a 1915 Depot Hack by Ford.

This is a 1915 Depot Hack by Ford.

Motometer intack

Motometer in tack

Back of the Hack!!!

Back of the Hack!!!

Hack Cockpit

Hack Cockpit

 

I want to wind this up something I’d never seen before. 

 

1917 Douglas Dump Truck

1917 Douglas Dump Truck

Dumptruck

Powering this 6000 lbs utility vehicle is a 60HP Buda engine.

 

Coming up some of my favorites at the Martin Museum.

Thanks for reading.  

Tim

 

Vintage cars for vintage pinstripes

Vintage cars for vintage pinstripes. NEW YORK (AP) — Some riders using New York City’s subway system to get to Yankee Stadium for Opening Day are also going to get a trip back in time. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority says a four-car …
About 150 vintage cars, tractors up for grabs at auction near Burwell, Nebraska

About 150 vintage cars and tractors will be up for grabs at the auction. Some noteworthy items include an original 1967 Ford Mustang convertible that still drives, 1959 Ford Edsels and a 1961 Studebaker Lark. Wolf estimated more than 200 items will be …
69 Vintage Cars Once Owned By OC Plumber About To Go On Auction Block

He was 76 and a plumber by trade. He lived in Buena Park. He also loved vintage cars. He collected them. A lot of them. Sixty-nine of them to be exact. KCAL9’s Brittney Hopper previewed the collection which is about to go on the auction block. It might …

 

Up Grade your Points & Condensers? – Engine Restoration

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I keep an eye on the several cable shows that relate to cars (“Counting Cars” is one of my favorites).   Most of them are short on technical details for restoring but they sure do put out some wonderful cars.  Budgets are everything.

I happened to catch a repeat of the other of the shows as they were working on a 1950’s vintage Caddy.  They were leaving it mostly stock except the engine and bagging the suspension to be able to lower it.

In the course of the starting up the engine they ran into a couple issues and one left the points and condenser fried.  As they showed the fried wire, I wondered “Why keep them?”  Seems to me if you are going to chop or lower and bag a classic, why not upgrade one of the weakest parts of the mechanical engine, the ignition system?

Weak Link

Weak Link

I learned from my Dad how to deal with points in particular (basically a condenser works or is gets replaces).  He taught me how to gap them and to take a bit of emery cloth to “clean” them up (hey money was tight when I was a kid) and re-gap them.  That’s really a lost art these days, but maybe for good reason.

 

This is commonly called a Feeler Gauge it is use to set the gap on spark plugs and points.

This is commonly called a Feeler Gauge it is used to set the gap on spark plugs and points.

 

If you are unfamiliar with the gauge or the technique you can still find ‘how to’ videos and gaping specs on-line, that doesn’t negate the fact that these are a common weak link (they will need to be replaced) in the over all functioning of your car’s ability to burn fuel properly.

The 302

The 302

Shortly after I installed the rebuilt engine in my 1970 Mustang (re-manufactured long block) the new distributor took dive.  I had done research on ignition systems and ran across Pertronix and decided to use one of their Flame Thrower modules and coil to replace everything under the distributor cap.  It was a good decision, there is no change to the appears of the engine, everything tucks under the cap and it becomes pretty much trouble-free.  I had no issues.

So tell me, would you keep the it old school under the distributor cap for your restoration or give it a chip?

 

Thanks for reading.

Tim

 

Engine tuning

magneto ignition systems, including poor battery supply bonding, points and condenser problems, distributor failure and spark plug gap. One feature was

Mel Martin’s Auto Museum – Corvettes

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Last week my wife had to sit for a certification exam for her profession.   It was conducted over multiple days and held in Phoenix, AZ.  That is about a 1.5 hours drive (unless I’m driving the Vette, just joking always, obey the speed limits kids!!) north of Tucson and it made sense to grab a hotel room and spend 3 days.  While she was enduring the slow torture that they cleverly called “taking the exam”, I was left with a very rare, continuous span of free time.

I don’t know about you, but when I end up with unappropriated time and I’m in a hotel room, I don’t spend it watching HBO. I’ll jump on the WiFi and find some car action.  This was a perfect time to find some local car shows or events.  Just so happens on the way to the hotel I saw a sign, a few exits before the one we exited to reach the hotel, that read “Auto Museum”.

I gave that a Google and found the exact address.  The museum was called Mel Martin’s Auto Museum – “Phoenix’s Largest Auto Museum” and it was only open from noon to five the next day and asked for a $5 donation. So I put that on my to do list and head there the next day.

The museum is on a one way frontage road.  The building looks to be an old self-storage place converted in to businesses.  The museum entrance looks unassuming and you wouldn’t think it large enough to house 60 cars and a ton of automobilia.

Here are some highlights:

 

What kind of car museum would you be without a Corvette or two?

 

This beautiful 427 is an eye catcher!

This beautiful 427 is an eye catcher!

Check out Corvette Row!!!

VetteRow-3 VetteRow-4
VetteRow-5

 Here is a Vette you don’t see anywhere!!!

ListerVette-1

The 1992 Lister Corvette

ListerVette-2

Great lines…barely resembles a C4.

ListerVette-3

Front end looks like a Jaguar’s

ListerVette-6

I think the 17″ wheels are great looking!!!

ListerVette-5

The hood has those breathing holes for a reason. The LT1 under the hood…yeah it’s Vortech Supercharged!!! 500HP and 454 LB-FT of torque!!! Only automatic produced.

ListerVette-7   ListerVette-10

It also included the 1978 25th Anniversary Indianapolis Pace car.

Only 15 miles on this well preserved beauty! (No I don't know why I took the pic this way.)

Only 15 miles on this well-preserved beauty! (No, I don’t know why I took the pic this way.)

 

Thanks for reading.  More coming up on Mel Martin’s Auto Museum.

Tim

 

mel martin auto museum

Good Guys Car Show 2015 Scottsdale, Az Videos

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If you picked up my Twitter feed (@AGCarRestore) you would have seen a great cross-section of the cars and activities going on as they occurred in Scottsdale last weekend.  Below are the a few short videos that give you a feel of the activities and over the next few post, I’ll share some ‘most excellent’ cars.

 

 

 

Great sights and sounds.

 

 

 View of the Autocross pit.

Staging

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks for reading.

Tim

IF YOU LOVE CAR ART, CHECK OUT THE PRINTS FOR SALE BY LOCAL ARTISTS. CHASE THE LINK: CAR ART FOR SALE

 

 

good guys car showgood guys car show

Hot Rods on Display at Good Guys Car Show

KANSAS CITY, Kan. — Hundreds of car enthusiasts put their favorite rides on display at the Kansas Speedway on Sunday. Randy Paxton says there’s almost nothing like a day spent in his fully rebuilt ’68 convertible Camero cruisin’ in a car show. “Looks …

1968 Alfa Romeo 33 Stradale – StumbleUpon

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The Alfa Romeo 33 Stradale is an extremely rare and cool road car built by Alfa Romeo. Only 18 are reported to have been made, plus three design studies based on the 33 Stradale the 33.2, Iguana and Carabo.

Chase the link to read more:

1968 Alfa Romeo 33 Stradale – StumbleUpon.

 

1968 Alfa Romeo 33 Stradale

1968 Alfa Romeo 33 Stradale

 

The race-bred engine bore no relation to the mass-produced units in Alfa’s more mainstream vehicles. Race engineer Carlo Chiti designed an oversquare (78 mm bore x 52,2 mm stroke) dry-sump lubricated 1,995 cc (121.7 cu in) V8 that featured SPICA fuel injection, four ignition coils and 16 spark plugs. The engine used four chain-driven camshafts to operate the valve train and had a rev-limit of 10000 rpm. The engine produced 230 bhp (172 kW) at 8800 rpm in road trim and 270 bhp (200 kW) in race trim.

 

 

Thanks for reading.

Tim

 

Driven: 2015 Alfa Romeo 4C Coupe

And speaking of that composite bodywork, it is a gorgeously Italian (designed by Alfa Romeo and assembled by Maserati in Modena, no less) exotic design that Alfa says was inspired by the famed Alfa Romeo 33 Stradale racing car penned by Franco …

alfa romeo 33 stradalealfa romeo 33 stradale

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Display engines from GM, Ford and Chrysler add affordable lots to Las Vegas sale | Hemmings Daily

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Keep reading my posts and you’ll eventually learn that I love engines.  There is something so comforting about an 1940-1970 engine all nicely painted and sitting on a stand!!!  Like this 302 from my 1970 Mustang!!

The 302

The 302

 

I could decorate my house with them, of course Mrs. Average Guy’s Car Restoration and Mods would have something to say about that, for sure.  I would if I could!!   Being so inclined, lead me to wanting to share this article out of Hemmings.  Enjoy.

Last weekend’s Rogers Classic Car Museum sale in Las Vegas, Nevada, truly offered something for everyone interested in mostly postwar American automobiles. In addition to the 200-plus cars that crossed the block, the sale featured an affordable array of display engines from American automakers, covering the period from 1949 to 1966. Sold for display purposes only, most engines were incomplete and likely suffering from a variety of mechanical problems, making them potentially unsuitable for use in restorations. Unlike most display engines, none were cut away to show the inner workings of valve trains, or pistons within cylinders, or transmission gear selection. As mechanical sculpture, they were interesting pieces, guaranteed to spark conversation, and ideal centerpieces for a finished garage or rec room.

 

1954 Mercury 256 CID

1954 Mercury 256 CID

Dodge Red Ram Hemi

Dodge Red Ram Hemi

Chase the link below to see the rest of the article and pictures.

via Display engines from GM, Ford and Chrysler add affordable lots to Las Vegas sale | Hemmings Daily.

 

Thanks for reading.

Tim

#Engines

#Classic Cars

Fahrenheit Z06: The Max Operating Temps for the Corvette Z06 Are Insane – Feature – Car and Driver | Car and Driver Blog

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From the March 2015 issue of Car and Driver

via Fahrenheit Z06: The Max Operating Temps for the Corvette Z06 Are Insane – Feature – Car and Driver | Car and Driver Blog.

The 2015 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 posts some impressive performance numbers thanks to its 650-hp, 6.2-liter supercharged V-8. It also posts some impressive BTUs. A byproduct of that flame-breathing engine is heat, and lots of it, generated ­primarily by combustion, friction, and intake-air compression. These and other factors, such as the low hoodline and pinched frontal openings demanded by stylists and aero engineers, contribute to the complex thermal-management task faced by engineers working on nearly all of this car’s varied subsystems. To assure that the Z06’s maximum performance is attended by minimal risk of failure, GM p­erformed heat-related stress analysis and modeling, as well as conventional hot-weather testing in Arizona. Here’s a look at the maximum operating temperatures of Z06 components:

Fahrenheit-Z06-inline3

These are some extreme temp and they will be higher during an Arizona summer

 

Thanks for reading.

 

Tim

 

2015 z06

Chicago Auto Show: 2015 Chevrolet Corvette Z06

With an MSRP of about $79,000, but with trim levels that’ll take up much closer to $100K, the 2015 Z06 doesn’t mess around with measly six cylinder engines that pretend to be powerful with aid of umpteen turbochargers. It offers a massive, supercharged …
2015 Chevrolet Corvette Z06: Top 10 Reasons it Shatters the Supercar Category

Racing Tires for the Street: Michelin engineered two tire options for the 2015 Z06. The standard Pilot Super Sport ZPs are sized 285/30ZR19 in front and 335/25ZR20 in back. A Z06 with the Z07 performance option gets Pilot Sport Cup 2 ZP tires in the …

Engine Line Up – 1949 Chevrolet

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1949 was the first year after World War II where Chevrolet did a complete maker-over of its offerings, meager in terms of variations as compared to what they would become in the next decade. With only the Special Series 1500 GJ, Deluxe Series GK, each with a Fleetline and Styleline Sub-Series you can bet that the engines were limited.  In fact there was one.

 

All units were powered by a six cylinder engine, even the 8 passenger wood and steel stations wagons.

 

1949 Chevy Woody Station Wagon.

1949 Chevy Woody Station Wagon.

 

The in-line 216.5 CID was the only option.  It was a cast iron blocked, overhead valved, straight six cylinder engine. Bore and stroke were 3.5″ x 3.75″with a compression ratio of 6.5:1. Add in solid lifters and four main bearings and topping off with a Carter downdraft single barrel carb (W1-684) it produced about 90 hp. That’s not a lot of power when you consider the lightest of the Series was about 3,015 pounds and the heaviest was 3,485 pounds.

 

216.5 CID

216.5 CID the “Thrift-Master”

 

We love seeing your pictures.  Post them up on Facebook  Average Guy’s Car Restoration and Mods, or twitter (@agcarrestore) or via email agcarrestoration@cox.net

Thanks for reading.
Tim

 

1949 chevrolet

 

1949 Chevrolet 3100 – True Blue

Sometimes our readers get frustrated because they feel the trucks we feature are too far away from what they were originally. While we do like to feature some stock restorations as we come upon them, we also like to show you how versatile these trucks …

New BMW M6 GT3 racer starts testing – Only Motors

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New BMW M6 GT3 racer starts testing

BMW is retiring its hugely successful, V8-engine Z4 GT3 racer later on this year. It’s replacement, the BMW M6 GT3, was spotting undergoing testing this week.

And, good grief, does it look mean. The Z4 is one of the most cartoonishly pumped-up cars on the GT3 and the M6 carries on the tradition. The wheel arches are gigantic, the sills are like shelves and the rear wing would make a decent bar.

Power comes from the twin-turbo, 4.4-litre V8 found in the road-going M6. Though modified to cope with the demands of racing, it will probably produce less power than the road car, thanks to the Balance of Performance system that equalizes the extremely diverse GT3 field.

 

Check out the rest @ New BMW M6 GT3 racer starts testing – Only Motors.

 

GT3 - 2016 Get Ready!!!

M6 GT3 – 2016 Get Ready!!!

 

Thanks for reading.

Tim

2016 BMW M6 GT3 Race Car Starts Testing

BMW is set to phase out its Z4-based race car from GT competition at the end of this year and replace it in 2016 with a new car based on the M6 platform. The new race car is being developed to GT3 specifications, with versions likely developed for the …
2016 BMW M6 Is A Thrill For The Senses: Video

For anyone that’s thinking BMW has lost its way with cars like the oddly-shaped Gran Turismos and the blasphemous front-driving 2-Series Active Tourer, this promo video for the 2016 M6 range should restore your faith in the blue and white roundel. The …
BMW previews new M6 GT3 racing prototype [UPDATE]

… new information about the car. Enquiries from North America are to be sent by E-mail to M6GT3NA@bmw-motorsport.com. Featured GalleryBMW M6 GT3. News Source: BMW, BMW Blog · BMW Coupe Racing 2016 bmw m6 gt3 bmw bmw m6 bmw m6 gt3 …

ThrowBackThursday A 1969 Dodge Coronet 440

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I had to sneak this one in for #ThrowBackThursday.

One of my frequent reader sent over a couple of shots of him with his 1969 Dodge Coronet 440 from back in the day (1980).   ‘Wish I kept this one!” Bill says.

 

Thanks Bill.

 

Nice Car Mr. Bill!!! Yeah...we all have one we should have kept.

Nice Car Mr. Bill!!! Yeah…we all have one we should have kept.

me_coronet5a

 

Thanks for reading!!!

Tim

1969 Dodge Coronet 440 Coupe – Lucky Motors

Green 1969 Dodge Coronet 440 Chicago, Illinois Lucky Motors. Click on our link now to view our wide selection of new, used, and preowned cars, trucks and SUV’s.
Curbside Classic: 1969 Dodge Coronet 440 – Bread and …

It was 1969, and the B-bodies from the Dodge Boys were making some big waves. Dodge Charger 500s were tearing up NASCAR’s short tracks. Bewinged Charger Daytonas had broken 200 mph on […]
1969 Dodge Coronet 440 R/T | Muscle Car

1969 Dodge Coronet 440 R/T. Engine – 440ci , Built 1/5/72, Casting # 2536430-9. Transmission – Numbers Matching A-833 4-Speed. RearEnd – Sure-Grip Dana 60, 4.10:1 Gears. B5 Blue Paint. 1969 Dodge Coronet 440 RT · 1969 Dodge …