AutoBlog – Page 30 – Average Guy's Car Restoration, Mods and Racing

Auto Factoids for the Week of Jan 18, 2014

By Tim Sweet | January 23, 2014 - 3:00 PM |January 23, 2014 Antique Cars, Auto History, Auto Restoration, Auto Technology, Car Restoration, GM

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Well we just returned from a weekend trip to Las Vegas celebrating my beautiful wife’s birthday. Of course since you see this post, you can surmise that we didn’t come back big winners, but I did bring home more money than what I started with and we had a great time. However, I was disappointed, I hadn’t been to the “strip” for a number of years and I was expecting to see some fantastic cars zipping around. High roller – flashing their Lambo’s and Farraris or even a Lotus or a classic. Nope – not a one, unless you count the Ferrari that sat at the resort the entire time. Very disappointed.

So back at the old keyboard and here are your auto factoids for the week.

Jan 20, 1942 – Chevy sends it last car off the assembly line until WWII concludes. The bulk of the last cars produced were, for the time, the very undesirable “black out” models – where chrome wasn’t used and the cars seemed muted. But a true black out model is highly sought after in today’s market.

http://travelphotobase.com/v/USWA/WATM4211.HTM

Jan 21, 1954 – …… Tell you what….guess what this is?

http://www.turbinecar.com/mags/trueauto55/trueauto55.htm

It’s a gas-turbine engine powered bus. First displayed in NY on this date. This is a GM application the are others, including a “firebird” and some Chrysler projects.

Jan 24, 1960 – Volvo shows the world the P1800 Prototype. The engine was the Swedish B18 and it displaced 1800 cc. Topped with dual SU carbs it produced 100 hp. The try was dubbed the P1900 but only double digit(under 100) number of cars were sold. The engine was Swedish but the car was being manufactured by Jensen. Jensen had quality control problems with the P1800 and by 1963 Vovlo took the car home to it’s Gothenburg and named it the 1800S (for Sweden).

I seriously like the lines of this car!!

Thanks for reading

Tim

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RT @Eric_Rasmussen: Talk about a heartbreaking rip-off for some classic car owners in the Bay Area. For weeks, I’ve been looking into… h…

Blaney Talks About New F-150 Race Truck

By Tim Sweet | January 22, 2014 - 9:01 PM |January 22, 2014 Auto Racing, Auto Restoration, Auto Technology, Ford

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Blaney Talks About New F-150 Race Truck.

2014 F-150

Here are some specs:

Dimensions			Chassis/Body
Race Weight: 3,400 Pounds			Chassis: Steel Tube Frame w/Safety Roll Cage
Wheelbase: 112 Inches			Body: F-150
Overall Length: 206.5 Inches			Designer: F-150, Brad Keselowski Racing
Overall Width: 80 Inches			Spoiler: 7 “, 65⁰
Overall Height: 60 Inches			Steering: Delphi – Saginaw Steering Box
Ground Clearance: 4 Inches			Seating: LaJoie Seating
Track Width: 60.5 Inches			Oil and Fuel Lines: Custom Cooper Standard
Fuel Capacity: 18 Gallons
Suspension			Engine Specifications
Front: Equal Length A-Arm			Type: Roush Yates V8
Rear: Trailing Arms with Panhard Rod			Displacement: 358 Cubic Inches
Shock Absorbers: Hydraulic, Single Adjustable			Power: 650-700 Horsepower
Induction: Normally Aspirated w/ 390 Cubic Feet Per Minute Carburetor			Bore: 4.195 Inches
			Stroke: 3.25 Inches
			Transmission: 4-Speed Manual
			Clutch: Tilton 3-Disc
			Compression Ratio: 12.0:1
			Engine Design: Roush Yates, Brad Keselowski Racing
			Fuel: Sunoco Racing Gasoline
			Fuel Pump: Roush Yates, Brad Keselowski Racing
			Exhaust: Roush Yates, Brad Keselowski Racing

CooperStandard2

2013 Brad Keslowski Racing Studio Shoot

Thanks for reading.

Tim

Ford F-150 RaptorTrax is Ken Block’s ultimate snowmobile – Autoblog

Ken Block and his Hoonigan Racing Division have created the Ford F-150 RaptorTrax in hopes of making it the worldâ ™s fastest snowcat.

Color Us Excited: Two New Colors Coming to Corvette for 2015 | Corvetteforum

By Tim Sweet | January 22, 2014 - 2:11 PM |January 22, 2014 Auto History, Auto Restoration, Auto Technology, C7 Corvette, GM

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Well I can say I’m not all that excited about another shade of gray (…snicker) and yellow never has done much for me.

Let me know what you think?

Color Us Excited: Two New Colors Coming to Corvette for 2015 | Corvetteforum.

Another Shade of Gray?

Thanks for reading.
Tim

2015 corvette z06

A closer look at the 2015 Chevy Corvette Z06

There is no doubt that the 2015 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 was one of the hottest vehicles to debut this week at the Detroit Auto Show, but Autoblog West Coast Editor Michael Harley takes it one step further by calling it the “highest-performing vehicle …

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Callaway Cars has officially announced its supercharged version of the Corvette Stingray, dubbed SC610. The Callaway SC610 provides an intriguing alternative to the the 2015 Corvette Z06, which doesn’t go to sale until later this year. The Callaway …

2015 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 Video Preview

… some time at Germany’s Nürburgring. We’re expecting some crazy lap times for the Z06; in fact, Chevy’s already confirmed the car is quicker than the ZR1 on most of GM’s test tracks. For the 2015 Corvette Z06’s full story, check out our extensive …

Got Burn-Outs?

By Tim Sweet | January 14, 2014 - 12:48 PM |January 14, 2014 Auto Racing, Auto Technology, Mustang, Racing Technology

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These Mustang drivers having some tread shredding fun!!!

Kids – Please leave this for us immature adults!!!!

Thanks for reading

Tim

2015 mustang

Auto Racing Rules – The Good Old Days

By Tim Sweet | January 13, 2014 - 8:05 PM |January 13, 2014 Auto History, Auto Racing

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Now any professional auto racing event has rules, upon rules, upon restrictions, upon more rules. NASCAR, NHRA, even local Test & Tunes.

But there was a time when race was simple.

Here’s what that should be!!!

1. Limited to vehicles with 3 or more running wheels

2. Must derive all their motive power from within themselves

3. No vehicles shall be admitted to competition which depend any way on muscular exertion, except for purpose of guidance.

4. Each Vehicle must be able to carry ‘comfortably’ at least two persons throughout the race.

5. Judges will eliminate any vehicle (TECH CHECK) deemed to be unsafe to operate

6. Judges will bar any entry they felt was not of “practical utility”.

(Rules 4 and 6 would eliminate nearly all of what we call race cars today.)

Also in consideration was the practical nature of the machine, its cost, its economy, and it’s general appearance and design, in addition to the speed. They even tested fuel consumption and efficiency of every car.

These were the rules for the 1895 Paris-Rouen and Paris – Bordeaux races.

1895

Thanks for reading.

Tim

paris bordeaux race 1895

This Day in History: Jun 13, 1895: First auto race held from Paris …

In 1895, a committee of journalists and automotive pioneers, including Levassor and Armand Peugeot, France’s leading manufacturer of bicycles, spearheaded the Paris-Bordeaux-Paris race in order to capitalize on public …

How The Car Racing Sport Began – Urban Adventure Racing

The June 1895 Paris-Bordeaux-Paris race of 1,178 kilometers is what other historians consider as the first car racing event. There were 92 drivers who ran the race. Emile Levassor, who drove a Panhard 1205cc car, finished first with a time of …

Auto Factoids for the Week of Jan 12, 2014 – Ford, Dodge, Caddy

By Tim Sweet | January 13, 2014 - 2:03 PM |January 13, 2014 Auto History, Auto Restoration, Auto Technology, Shelby

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Here is your Auto Factoids for this week.

Jan 13 – Ford figured how to build car bodies with plastic and patented the process in 1942.

Jan 14 – Ford kills the Edsel division by merging it with Lincoln Mercury in 1958. Although the Edsel division didn’t produce cars until 1958 Ford actually started R&D in 1955, code name ‘E-car’. They produced full-size models Citation, Corsair, Pacer, Ranger, as well as stations wagons the Bermuda, the Villager, and the Roundup. Only 118,287 Edsels were built (only 2,846 in 1960) and 7,440 produced in Ontario, Canada. It was voted one of the 50 worse cars. I still want one, prefer a two door or a wagon. Got one you want to get rid of? Drop me a note.

Nice 4 Door Wagon

OH!! Tell me you don’t like an Edsel in the ‘vert configuration???!!!

2 Door Ranger!!!!

Jan 16 – A.J. Foyt was born in 1935.

Jan 16 – Chrysler debuted the Omni (Dodge) and Horizon (Plymouth) in 1977. The Omni would later have the distinctions of being treated to a Carol Shelby maker over 9 years later (1986).

1987 Shelby GLHS – nice looking car!!!

Jan 17 – Caddy shows the worlds it’s first car – where else? Madison Square Garden – 1903.

1903 Cadillac

Jan 17 – 1956 Ford Motor Company allows the public to buy stock.

Thanks for reading.

Tim

Hemmings Find of the Day – 1971 Jensen Interceptor Mark II

By Tim Sweet | January 10, 2014 - 4:49 PM |August 5, 2015 Auto History, Auto Restoration, Auto Technology

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I would own one of these. Maybe I can find a junker somewhere, get it cheap and rebuild it!!! So tell me – would you consider this a muscle car? If not what would you do to turn it into a hot rod?

I first saw one of these in person at a local grocery store. It was nicely restored and sounded great!!!

6.3 L, 383 ci, V-8 and 727 TorqueFlite trans. completely gone through and rebuilt at 75K miles. 4wheel disc brakes (upgraded master cylinder) and the original Holley 4-barrel carb recently rebuilt, as well. Not “show car” perfect, but an excellent driver. Small leaks at p/s rack and 1 rear caliper. a/c blows, but not cold. Current odo 89,500 miles (15K since rebuild). Runs strong, sounds sweet, looks FAR more valuable than the sale price.

via Hemmings Find of the Day – 1971 Jensen Interceptor Mark II | Hemmings Daily.

Thanks for reading.

Tim

jensen interceptor