The most American cars on the list are Honda Accord and Element at 80% and 85% respectively, the Ford Explorer at 85% (90% for the 2010 model year) and the Dodge Grand Caravan at 82%.
As I start gathering the different parts for all the new mods for my ’70 Mustang one thing I’m sure of is that I want a little more ‘bling” under the hood. I think the Ford blue engine paint with the brushed nickel look of the current intake need something to offset that color scheme. I’d like to do most of the brackets for the power steering, alternator, and ac compressor all in chrome. However that’s not going to be possible, if I rely on aftermarket/stock suppliers, as most of my brackets are custom-made. (That’s what you get when you keep the 6 cylinder components when you do a conversion to an 8 cylinder.) So I’m going to make do with what I can find and the rest will remain iron.
Now with the cost of all this mods looming on the horizon and having less than the average budget, I’m trying to upgrade at least the tension portions of the Alternator, A/C and the power steering to chrome. My goal is to replace them with heim joints w/adjustable rods between them. These are not inexpensive and often require some modification.
So in the pursuit of this end I purchased a kit from Summit Racing for my alternator. This was an all aluminum kit and only advertised as being for a ‘stock” 302 engine. So going in I knew that it might not work at all. This turned out to be correct except for the heim joints and the threaded aluminum rod.
So I going to use those for the tension rod for the alternator. However, it wasn’t chrome and had a very heavy coding to make it look like brushed nickel. The goal for this pieces was to polish it up and see how “bling” like it could look. This would be a series of repeated sanding, buffing and polishing.
I used my Dremel, sanding disks and buffing and polishing wheel, 200 and 600 grit sand paper and Purple Metal polish, cotton rag (ok..fine it was an old t-shirt) and a vice.
Dremel buffing while and 160 grit sanding disc
Now the 160 grit disk might have been a bit much but the coating was pretty tough and the disc made quick work but did leave a few marks on the test sample that might have causes a bit more work with the lighter grits.
This is actually purple in color and gritty like rubbing compound.
In short the process started with hitting the test piece (one of the stock bracket parts that wouldn’t fit) with the 160 grit disk via the Dremel. Next I ran the 220 grit sandpaper (by hand) over the aluminum and then the 600 grit and then with the buffing/polishing wheel via the Dremel with a coating of the Purple metal polish. I switched it up by using some metal polish with the 600 grit sandpaper.
It took a lot of elbow grease and a couple of hours. Here is what the test piece looks like. You can see the aluminum w/coating and polished portion.
Chrome? Absolutely as shining as chrome.
Now there are some in perfections in the aluminum and if not being careful with the sanding you can leave gouges but generally you can get this type of shine and it looks very close to chrome without the cost, just some elbow grease.
Next will be the polishing of the actual rod that will connect the two heim joints (they are already polished steel). (I’ve already started, but you won’t see it until it complete.)
3/1/1988 Pontiac announces the end of the Fiero automobile – Was anyone sad about that?
Pontiac Fiero
3/1/1937 In New Jersey one of the largest dealerships of the era was opened. The Miro Brothers opened a state-of-the-art facility with “one of the largest and most modern showrooms in the country,” measuring 38′ x 40′ . The dealership was service station and dealt for Buick, Packard, Oldsmoble, and REO trucks. The east side of the building served as a Mobil gas station and service garage during the World War II.
I love attending car shows. Either as just a spectator or participant, I have capital F, capital U, capital N.
Today (2/20/2011) I attend for the 3rd year Tucson’s Fords on 4th Ave. A very good size show for the area, considering it was limited to Fords. This year I was only a spectator the Mustang wasn’t ready for a show (needed a bunch of detailing).
There were a ton of newer Mustangs, nice machines, shinny inter-cooled turbos and all the tubing, all nice machines, no doubt. But there was a huge void of older Fords. I love seeing the 40’s and 50’s Fords and Mercurys.
The stars for me of this show were the Fairlanes and Galaxies. Yes there were 60 Mustangs, Shelby’s, Mach I’s and GT. But the lines of these longer 60’s cars are just some of the best designed, ever.
I often have several articles going at once. However, since I don’t to this for a living (yet) daily activities, like driving to work, often give me ideas for a quick blogging episode, the other article wait.
Like the other day after work, which was a good one at the old salt mine, a rarity, I was headed to my work out session with my “very understanding” better half and the car in front of me made think of a particular feature of a car’s design.
In this case I need to give you an insight into some of the things that go on in my head while driving.–Don’t worry this is the PG version–. The most important need is to be very diligent as to notice other corvettes..got to keep the wave alive…” missing a wave is a violation of the corvette code. (Yeah…really…and you thought all you had to do while driving a Corvette keep an eye out for ‘smokey’.) Second most important thing is to keep an eye out for old smokey. Then there’s the sizing up of your road-mates as you are stopped at a red light. After those serious tasks, I look at the tail end of the cars around me to see if they are two pipes or one and of course size (exhaust envy – it’s real!!). One tail pipe means it is a “girlie man’s” car and two or more is of course the opposite. Hey… it passes the time while sitting in traffic.
Normally, I check out cars of all types for tailpipes, Honda, VW, all the domestic brands and models. Most only have one and some have the bumper designed for two but still come up short one pipe.
So today, I’m sitting a traffic light at Broadway and Aviation Highway behind a Saturn Overlook cross-over vehicle. Habit takes over and I noticed that there was only tail pipe – girl’s car. As I looked closer the rear end, I noticed what appeared to be a factory designed space for a second tail pipe. But the gap wasn’t just a mere indent where the second should have been. It was a very wide space. The design of that of its exhaust system on the end has muffler that looks like an over sized World War II canteen. The tailpipe sticks out of this elongated canteen at about a 70 degree angle. The muffler is exposed and hides the rear suspension. In the picture below you can see the dual exhaust.
Saturn Outlook with Dual exhaust
Now picture the left one removed without the muffler. What you’d see is a cut out and the left independent suspension structure. Why not close that off? The real reason is cost of having two different rear bumpers’
Below is a picture of a 2008 Outlook and you can see the exposed rear suspension.
Exposed suspension
So while you are driving, look at the backend of the car in front of you. You’ll see that Honda Civic with a place for a second the extra exhaust pipe and you’ll think…”Really? It was designed for a dual exhaust?
