27 Annual Chevy Showdown, Tucson, AZ Part 1

27 Annual Chevy Showdown sponsored by Classic Chevy Club of Tucson and held at  Catalina Foothills High School.

So for the next few posts, sit back and enjoy the show. (Ok…no whining about some of the Videos….  (:^))

I loved the collection of Corvairs.  Oh…and wait until you see the one with the V8 shoved inside.

The Corvairs:

Yenko Stinger 1

Yenko Stinger Engine Compartment Cover (rear hood?) Love the vents.

WHAT!!?!?!?!? YES!!!!!

Yenko!!

Corvair - Drop Top

Chromed!!!

The Yenko and a late arrival.

Are you ready for this?   Next two videos – the Corvair with the V8.

Thanks for reading.  More coming up.

Tim

Pics Vette and Mustang

Sometimes you just can’t pass up a pic.  This one was from

Rudy Morganti over on Corvette Pals
Being a Mustang and Vette owner..this one I appreciate

Own Two Muscle Cars? Tell me about them.

 

Own Two Muscle Cars? Tell me about them.

Tim

Some very cool car pics!!! Red Stripe Photography

I love this site.  You need to go check them out.

http://redstripeadventure.wordpress.com/2012/04/20/2012-lone-star-round-up-part-2/?blogsub=confirming#subscribe-blog

Thanks for reading Tim.

Red Stripe Photography Cameras & Cars

2012 Lone Star Round UP – Part 2

Here’s the 2nd part to the 2012 Lone Star Round Up.

Hope everyone has a good Friday!

-RSP-

 

 

Did You Know? – 1932 Buick

The 1932 Buick had a Ride Regulator.  Yup.  It was a manually controlled suspension adjustment system was by moving a six position lever on the steering column.

It also featured a button next to the clutch pedal would activate the vacuum-operated Wizard Control for clutch-less shifting.

 

 

1932-Buick

Thanks for reading.

Tim

Engine Line Up 1965 Oldsmobile

This is the series where I list up the power plant offerings for the year.

Now you would think that being a GM division that Oldsmobile would have the 350 and the like, but the had their own unique engines.

First up was the 225 cid.  Oh…a straight six….NO…..a V6!!!!!  This was an iron blocked overhead valve engine.  The bore and stroke were 3.75″ x 3.40″ and with a compression of 9.0:1 it laid down 155 hp.  It had four main bearing and topped with a 1 barrel Rochester Type BC one barrel.  This was the lowest level engines and refered to as the  F-85 and Vista Cruiser series.

Next up is the  smallest of the V8’s offered that year, the 330 cid also in the F-85/Cruiser series.  It was an iron block engine as well.  The compression was 9.0:1 with a bore of  3.939 and stroke 3.39″.  When ou topped that off with a two barrel Rochester Type 2GC carb you could manage a stout 250 hp.

Here is a nicely restored 330.

 

Coming up is the 1965 Olds Jetstar series.

Thanks for reading

Tim

Gorgeous ˜Wood Vehicles 1948 – Part IV Willys Woody

In 1948 Willys was not to be left without a ‘woody”.

1948 Willys Woody Wagon

There were only about 22k sedans and wagons were produced (with about 10k Jeepsters).

These were powered by one of two engine choices, the inline 4 and the inline 6.  But only the inline 6 was used in the wagons.

1948 Willys Engine

These engines were power house engine producing 72 hp, 148 cid and topped with a 1 bbl Carter carb – dubbed “Lightning”.

Thanks for reading

Tim

Gorgeous ˜Wood Vehicles 1948 – Part III

Continuing with this series we’ll look at what Pontiac offered up in 1948 as a woody.

In a previous blog entry (Project Pontiac 1949 Silver Streak Delivery Van http://wp.me/pKHNM-Bx) I gave you a look at a Silver Streak owned by a co-worker.

1949 Silver Streak

Well one year earlier Pontiac offered the Silver Streak as a woody.

Side view...love the big fenders.

That is a lot of wood on that woody.

These were low production cars with most being build on the 6 cylinder chassis.

1948 Pontiac 6 cylinder power plant

 

These were the most commonly used power plants mated with an Automatic Hydra-Matic transmission.  It spec’d out as follows:

Cubic Inch         Horse power                   1bbl carb

239.2 93 (68.45) @ 3400 Carter WA-1 (1)

A very limited  were built with 8 cylinders engines.  Interesting enough these 8 cylinders were called “Silver Steak”.  It boosted the specs:

Cubic Inch                             Horse power                         2 bbl carb

248.9 cu in (4,079 cc) 108.00 (79.5) @ 3700 Carter WCD 630 (2)

Total Pontiac production for that year was only  333,957 cars.

 

Thanks for reading.

Tim

 

Automakers World War II Efforts – Nash

Does time fly or what?  I started this series last year and this is the next installment.

As you know the US government asked and eventually forced the auto industry to contribute to the war effort.  This series is to highlight some of the major contributions.  This time is Nash.

As many know, Nash was a premier car manufacturer prior to the war.

Here is their 1942 Nash Ambassador

During the war Nash used it plant in Kenosha, Wisconsin to produce engines for (among others) my favorite aircraft of all time…the Corsair.

The WWII Corsair.

 

Nash build the Pratt & Whitney engines that powered this awesome aircraft.

 

Nash produced Pratt and Whitney Aircraft Engine

 

Their work force consisted mainly of women.

Here they are being sworn in at the WI Plant

 

Later on Nash would morph into the American Motors Company (AMC).

 

Thanks for reading

Tim

 

To Restore or Not to Restore

From an article by HVA

 

To Restore or Not to Restore

March 16, 2012

The question of whether to restore a historic vehicle or leave it alone can spark a thought-proving debate. Here, two long time veterans and experts offer some of their insights.

The decisions surrounding restoring a vehicle or keeping it just as your grandfather left it in the barn are as personal as they are complex. This is a question and discussion that seems to be coming up more often these days.

Blame it on the economy or simply a new appreciation for vehicles preserved in a “roughly original” state. Either way, says Scott George, President and curator of The Collier Collection in Naples, Florida, determining whether a vehicle should be fully restored or basically left alone has classic car lovers asking new questions about how restoration work (or the lack thereof) might impact the value and enjoyment of their favorite vehicle.

No Going Back

“You should really think hard about any restoration work before you just go in and do it,” says George, “because once you restore you can never go back.”

George has seen the trend for “originality” grow in the last decade, a movement he traces to Europe where car enthusiasts have always believed that a car’s condition helps tell its story.

“In America, we are just catching up to this notion that cars can be beautiful without being perfectly clean,” he says. “There are even some cars in the Collier collection that we now regret restoring.”

George points out that it is unlikely that an un-restored car will ever win best of show at a major American car show. But to most classic vehicle owners, winning an award at a major show doesn’t factor into their decision making. However, if you would one day decide to have your car judged, most major shows now have a “preservation class.” George believes it is a great step in the right direction, not to mention the fact that it opens the door to many car enthusiasts who would otherwise never think to give car show competition a try.

Finding the Right Balance

George is one in the growing crowd of “original or survivor” proponents. But his new guiding philosophy is balanced with the reality that a car is not like other collectible items such as coins, furniture or fine art.

“Cars are mechanical,” he says. “Unless you just have a car to sit and look at, there comes a point where originality needs to be overridden in the interest of preserving the vehicle.”

On the subject of whether to restore or preserve, it’s not a “one-way-or-the-other” mentality. This change in attitude means that a historic vehicle owner can now enjoy the best of both worlds. George says the best way to do that is by carefully balancing a vehicle’s functionality and design features with a watchful eye for preserving original authenticity.

Giving a Car a Second Life

In the last decade, Jim Stranberg, owner of High Mountain Classics in Berthoud, Colorado, has also watched as a new trend toward “preservation and originality” emerged. But that doesn’t mean he likes it.

“A lot of people now seem to think that if you have a valuable car that looks like you just pulled it out of a barn that this is really the way to go,” he says. “I don’t generally agree with that.”

Stranberg says every car has “a half-life”. When a vehicle reaches a point of becoming worn out, that’s when it’s time to consider an inside and out restoration job that brings the car back to life.

But first, according to Stranberg, a person should ask themselves a few important questions:

What do you plan on doing with the car?

Stranberg and his partner Victor Holtorf are restorers who generally believe in doing everything necessary to make a car look new again. High Mountain Classics restoration jobs typically require at least 5,000 shop hours—a major commitment of time, resources, and money. It’s the sort of work demanded by people with an eye for car show competition. But even if a customer isn’t interested in having a car judged, to Stranberg’s way of thinking there’s always some degree of restoration work that needs to be done.

“When it comes to old cars, nothing is truly original,” he says. Strictly speaking, anything done to a vehicle inside and out over the course of its life—from changing an engine’s spark plugs to replacing a front fender—takes away from the originality of the car. Do you want the car to be able to compete in the show realm, or simply have a vehicle that presents and runs reliably at rallies and cruise-ins? Stranberg believes people must ask themselves how far are they willing to go—and for what purpose—in an effort to give the vehicle a second life.

How valuable is the car?

High Mountain Classics has never had a customer spend more on a restoration job than their vehicle was worth. But, admittedly, Stranberg and partner Holtorf work on coveted and exceedingly rare types of historic cars that only increase in book value when treated to topnotch restoration work.

A vehicle’s value, however, can’t always be measured in dollars and cents.

Take the hypothetical example of a dearly departed relative’s 1950 Ford F-100 half ton found under a tarp in the garage. Maybe it was used in a family business: a once reliable working truck that now sports a few dings, a crumpled fender, and an engine that spits and sputters but still runs. Such a truck would not pull much at an auction, but it may have deep sentimental value.

“If a person only wanted to occasionally drive the vehicle at a rally or a cruise-in—and the body, upholstery, and engine were in good shape—then, yes, I probably would not advise restoring it, except mechanically,” Stranberg says.

The Historic Vehicle Association would like to know what you think. Take the example above: That old 1950 Ford F-100 half ton truck that’s been in the family for years and earned its keep through hard work before it was put away to languish under cover in the garage. It’s battered and bruised, but still runs and has a lot of important memories attached to it. Would you restore it or leave it alone? Head on over to the HVA’s Facebook page or comment below to tell us what you think and to see what other members are saying.

 

To Restore or Not to Restore.

Gorgeous ˜Wood Vehicles 1948 – Part III

When you think of Woodies, you don’t think of Bentley, at least I never do.  But in 1948 Bentley produced a woody.

Bentley was the first car produced by Rolls Royce after World War II.

'48 Bentley Countryman

The 1948 Bentley Mark VI with the wood body was dubbed the Countryman.

1948 Bentley.

The body build by coachbuilder Harold Radford and was  aluminum over ash  framing with wood paneling on the sides.  The rear is mahogany veneer on alloy panels.  There were only eight bodies built between 1948 and 1949.

Very nice wooden dash.

 

48 Bentley was 4.3 liter 93 hps

No way I’m going to not mention the engine.  Here are the specs:

4257 cm3 / 259.8 cui displacement with advertised power kW / hp / PS ( ) / and Nm / lb-ft / of torque. Dimensions: this model outside length is 4877 mm / 192 in, it’s 1752 mm / 69 in wide and has wheelbase of 3048 mm / 120 in. The value of a drag coefficient, estimated by a-c, is Cd = . Standard wheels were fitted with tires size 6.50 – 16

Willys is up next.

Thanks for reading.

Tim