East Locust street detour

East Locust street is closed between Virginia St. and Pershing Ave. This is due to a sinkhole. There will be detours, but it’s expected to take about a week before this section reopens. If you travel this stretch of East Locust, you may want to add a little extra time, or look for an alternative route. This may be an inconvience, but we’re sure the city will get it repaired as soon as possible.

A little bit of everything

This post is going to have a little bit of everything in it.
First I’d like to to say happy birhtday to my lovely wife. In
a few short months she will have put up with me for 21 years.
We’ve cruised on sunny days, we’ve cruised on bad days; but
we’ve always cruised together. Enjoy your day.

At this year’s Back to the 50’s, sponsored by the MSRA, there
were 11,712 cars registered. We’ll bet that was quite a
sight at the Minnesota State Fairgrounds. We’ll see if we can
get some pictures up. To learn more about the event, go to
MSRA.

Saturday the race at Daytona was something to watch. With the
crashes on the last lap it ended with a bang. It did prove that
even though the ‘car of tomorrow’ is ugly, it does appear safer
than the car it replaced.

The fires in California are raging again. At first we thought;
why would somebody choose to live in an area that has fires
just about every year? Then we thought, we live here because of
a river that floods.

Since we touched on the flood we figured we’d mention the Blues
Fest. It was moved last minute to 2nd Street, which had to give
headaches to the volunteer organizers. Thursday we were moved
three times due to breaches in the perimeter fencing. Having
worked the Bix Fest for 8 years, we knew some people like to get
in without paying. It seems to be a game with them. Most people
were civil when we told them they had to go around with very few
arguments at our post. A nod to all the volunteers, and
organizers. Everyone did a great job.

Gasoline is on a lot of minds.
We’ve heard it could hit $7 a gallon in 4 years.
Why is it that everyone seems to know what won’t work, but nobody
knows what will? It seems to us that those in power think paying
more is a good thing. Remember the cigarette tax? If something
we use is deemed unpleasant by these people, their answer always
seems to be raise the price. After all, if they raise the price,
we’ll use less. They can always blame, big oil, speculators, car
companies, or George Bush.

We have a novel idea for our lawmakers; do your job! Our taxes
keep going up, new taxes get added, and the average citizen sees
less getting done. Our deficit is at an all-time high, and more
money is getting spent. Kinda reminds us of the old country
western song “She got the goldmine, I got the shaft”.

That’s our take on a few things, comments on just about anything
are welcome.

A bigger fish

We’d been working on a post for about a week and still
felt it wasn’t right. Imagine our surprise when we got
the latest edition of Street Thunder magazine, and the
editorial was on the subject of our post. The following
is the editorial by Mark Simpson, Editor and Executive
Director of the National Street Machine Club magazine-

“So when are you going to finish it?” My father’s
voice rang out as he entered the garage. I believe I’ve
heard those words as often as “So, what color are you
going to paint it?” and from far too many people to
recall.

Certainly dad could remember the many times I drove the
old Chevy over to visit, but the simple fact that the old
car was all apart again seemed to cloud his memory of it.
I paused for a moment, in the same manner I had for the
countless others who asked the same question.

I explained, “Dad, it’s not a race to get it done quickly;
it’s a hobby.”

I could tell by the look on his face, as he scratched his
head and made his way to the refrigerator for a cold soda,
the thought of working on an old car simply for enjoyment
was something he never considered. I went on to explain,
“Just because it’s done, doesn’t mean I can’t take it
apart and make it better.” He mumbled something, before
coming to rest on the stool next to the workbench.

I grabbed the new driveshaft to mate the 4L60 transmission
to the new nine-inch Ford rear axle and slid beneath the
old Chevy. As I snaked the driveshaft around the rear axle
and through the driveshaft loop, I couldn’t help but think
how our hobby compares to others. I suspect no one has ever
questioned a golfer as to why they have played the course
more than once because it’s assumed they want to improve
their skills and achieve a better score. Nor does anyone
question the fisherman who returns to the same lake, and
often the spot, in pursuit of a bigger fish.

As I slid the U-bolts into the rear axle yoke and called
out for a half-inch wrench, it occured to me that maybe the
difference lies in the simple fact that so many consider car
repairs to be “work”, and certainly nothing about the task
that is seen as work could be enjoyable unless it is completed.
While the prospect of clubbing plastic balls around someone
else’s lawn, then chasing after them, only to club them again
seems more like work to me, the biggest difference may be how
others perceive our chosen hobby.

The distictive ring of a half-inch Craftsman wrench sliding
accross the concrete toward my head returned my attention to
the task at hand. Dad soon called out again, “I gotta go!”
As he turned the knob on the garage door, he stopped to ask,
“So when are you going to finish it?”
————————————-

Amen! It’s a matter of, if we have to explain it, you
wouldn’t understand. We thank Mr. Mark Simpson for his
insightful look at our crazy hobby. Comments on this, or
anything else, are welcome.

Drag racer dies in crash

Scott Kalitta, 46, was killed today when his Funny Car burst into
flames at Old Bridge Township Raceway Park. His father is drag
racing legend Connie Kalitta. For more information, or to share
your thoughts go here.
Our condolences to friends and family.

Cruisin memory lane

The post about car art got us to thinking. We remembered the days
when we didn’t want air-conditioning, power steering, or any of
the other options that robbed power from the motor. It was all
about make it light, make it fast, and make it safe. Gas wasn’t
a problem because it was plentiful and cheap. A guy could cruise
all weekend on $20, and that included stopping at the A&W.

Now gas is almost $4 a gallon, and prices on everything are up.
$20 might get you to and from work for a couple days. We sold
our supercharged Buick when gas hit $3 a gallon because it would
only run on Premium. It was a blast to drive, but we couldn’t see
paying that much for gas.

In the old days we could fix about anything good enough to get
home, with a screwdriver, a pair of pliers, and bailing wire. If
you break down today you need a ton of electronic testers, a ton
of specialized tools, a degree in electrical engineering, and an
exorcist! We’re not kidding.
What’s wrong with this picture?

The old car hobby has changed too. In the first three decades of
our hobby, you went to a speed shop to get parts for the motor,
a local jobber for other parts, and did most the work yourself.
Rodders used their brains, solved problems as they arose, and
learned by their mistakes. Now, for the most part, the only
thinking is which Rod Shop to build it, and how often to write a
check.

Some call this progress. The cars are much more than mere ways
to get around, and are works of art. But there is still a small
minority of us who believe cars, and trucks, are made to be driven.
Sometimes we drive em’ like we stole em’ too. So while the big
dollar billetmobiles get most the attention at shows, we spend
more time looking at the projects and home builts.

Another trend we’ve seen is called the graying of our sport.
Most people in our hobby are getting older. While we are now
part of the gray area, we still wonder about get the younger
generation involved with our hobby.

So I’m sorry if my loud pipes upset you. But in case you didn’t
notice, while you’re being offended by my glasspacks, I’m grinning
ear to ear listening to the same sound. We live by a very simple
tenent; drive no faster than guardian angel can fly. And have
fun doing it.

We’d like to hear your comments on this or any other subject.

Hot Rod art

Tomorrow is the Northpark cruise-in. We plan on going and it will
be our first time for the year. Since we’re in a car mood, and
because of all the posts we did we haven’t covered car art. We
will do so now. Several artists have been doing hot rod related
art. We will list a few, with links to their webistes.
The pictures shown were done by Kent Bash (diner) and David Mann.

Robert Williams has been on the scene forever. We can remember
buying on of his prints 30 years ago. To experience some of his
work, go to his studio.

For those of us old enough to remember, we have a soft spot in our
hearts for Ed “Big Daddy” Roth. You couldn’t be young member of the
car culture in the late 60s and not have at least one of his t-shirts.
Air-brushed monsters, cars, and of course, Rat Fink. A couple of
posts could be done about his life alone. To learn more about this
innovator, go to the Rat Fink site.
Moldy Marvin is doing a great job of keeping the movement alive.

Since we like shiny things, and pictures of shiny things, we’re going
include a biker artist. David Mann passed away in 2004, but a lot of
us still have his artwork, and consider him the best. He took a
subject most people didn’t like, bikers, and made it acceptable. His
prints still send shivers down our spine. To get a look at his artwork,
go to his site.

George Trosley is another veteran in car art. He’s a cartoonist who
draws cars. Remember Krass and Bernie? How about CARtoons magazine?
If those few words bring back fond memories of your youth, go to
his website.

Kent Bash calls his style ‘Art to match the mind not the couch’.
We thinks that’s enough said. To find out more about his work go
to his gallery.

No thought of hot rod art would be complete without the mention of
Kenneth “Von Dutch” Howard. He was known as a pinstriper, an artist,
a gun maker, a knive maker, a car builder, an innovator, and crazy.
To learn a little more about Von Dutch, please follow the link to
the article.

Obviously, we haven’t mentioned all hot rod artists. These are just a
few of our favorites. We didn’t intentionally omit anyone, these
artists mentioned just came to mind. This is the art we grew up with,
we understand, and we have hanging on our walls. We can’t afford a
Monet, but we’re more than happy to settle for Big Daddy, David Mann,
and others we can afford.

We may do a post about pinstripers at some point. So many of those
guys have crossed over to artwork. Kenny Youngblood comes to mind.
The wife and son both have personalized signed prints of his they
really like.

That’s the nickel tour of hot rod art. We hope you enjoy looking
at the galleries as much as we do. Comments are always welcome.

A few dry things

Lisa asked us if we could put something in a post to remind people
that the Scott County Democrats are reconvening the county
convention at 8 am, this Saturday to nominate a candidate for
for Auditor in the fall election. This event is open to the public,
but only seated delegates from the original convention can vote.
Registration begins at 8 am at North HIgh School. So if you’ve got
an interest in politics, or just want to find out more, circle
Saturday, June 21st on your calender, and we’re sure you’d be
welcome.

She also asked what happened to Ambrose’s blog, SOLO, and we didn’t
know the answer. Does anyone know why he changed it? We know we miss
checking out his slant on things and were just wondering. We hope
he’s doing alright and just wanted a break.

Also, this Thursday at 6 pm, is the 5th Ward Meeting, which will
be held at the Davenport Police Station, 416 Harrison. Representatives
from the Davenport Police Department and Guardian Angels are
scheduled to be there. This is the first time in our memory anyway,
that the meeting hasn’t been held in the 5th ward. We do look forward
to seeing the new Police Station though.

Lastly, Saturday evening, starting at 6 pm, is the Northpark Cruise-in
hosted by the River Valley Classics. It only cost a couple bucks to
get in and there’s usually over 400 vehicles. We’re going to make it
as spectators for a few hours. This is the first Northpark cruise-in
of the year and it should be a blast. If you like old cars, oldies
music, and having fun, it’s the place to be.

There’s a few things going on that don’t involve getting wet. Comments
on just about anything are welcome.

Mystery Machine 2

Pinin opened his own shop in 1930. Around this time he heard that the
Americans had developed a new, quick drying paint, and came to
America. He went to see Henry Ford where he discovered Ford produced
3,000 cars a day. This compared to a few hundred a year that Pininfarina
could produce. He wasn’t impressed by the bad coachwork on the cheap
Ford or the the luxery models of other manufacturers. When Ford offered
him a job, he politely turned it down and returned home.

This same year, 1930, Henry Lelands V-16 was introduced to Cadillac.
This engine had a 3 inch bore and a 4 inch stroke for a total of 452
cubic inch displacement. It had enough torque to pull the car along, in
high gear at anything from 2 to 90 mph.

Cadillac shipped a complete chassis to Pininfarina to do the
coachwork on. There were 750 V-16 Cadillacs produced in 1931, and
only one had coachwork by Pininfarina. It was ordered by the Maharajah
of Orcha against the Cadillac management’s advice. They liked all
Cadillacs to have body by Fisher. The car is called the 1931 Cadillac
V-16 Pinin Farina Boattailed Speedster. It was sort of a dual-cowled
phaeton. But when the rear compartment was closed it was a boattailed
speedster.

To learn more about Pininfarina go here.

The original colors are believed to have been ivory with blue fenders,
but nobody knows the interior color. It had cycle fenders and lourvered
panels along the bottom of the body. Without running boards, it’s a very
impressive large car. The history is known through the 1980’s when the
car belonged to the Blackhawk Collection. We’ll work to try and find a
picture, although this car is quite rare.

That’s the short story of a real one-of-a-kind automobile.
Comments on just about anything are welcome.

Mystery machine

 We’re going to do a couple posts on a very rare car. It will be done
in two posts, the reason should become obvious. We’ll give some clues
as we go along, but the car is so rare, we can’t find a picture.

 The story has links to Detroit in 1701. A capitaine de marine in the
armed forces of Louis XIV named Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac established
Detroit and dubbed it Ville d’Etroit-”Village of the Straits”. At the
time North America was named “New France”. He was not a rich man, but
his family did have a crest dating back to the 11th century. This
family crest is still on the marque today, although it has been altered
extensively by now.

 A little later, in February of 1843, Henry Martyn Leland was born to
Quaker parents in Massachusetts. Henry went to work at age 11. By age
14 he was working 64 hour weeks for the sum of $3. He was respected as
a top-notch machinist. Later he went to work for Colt Arms were he
honed his precision.

 Leland opened his own business in 1890 with two partners. In 1896 the
company started producing both steam and gasoline engines. These were
made cheaper and with more power than any car manufacturer could.

 Another jump, to 1885, in Piedmonte, Italy, Giovanbatiista Farina was
born. He was call “Pinin” which meant ‘runt of the litter’. We was the
10th of 11 children in the family. The family moved to Turin, and in
1911, pinin was offered a chance to design a radiator for the Fiat
“Zero” Torpedo. He went up against 10 designers from Fiat and won.

 Now let’s jump to 1961, when by a decree of the President of the
Italian Republic, the surname “Farina” was changed to “Pininfarina”.
And if you’re into classic cars, you may recognize the name.

 All these came together to make automotive history in 1931. Only one
car was built, for the then Maharajah of Ocha, against GM brass advice and itsupposedly resides today in the Blackhawk
Collection of fine automobiles. We’ll fill in the blanks in the next
post. You should know the make by now, any guesses on the the model?
Comments on about anything are welcome.

First wheels

An article in American Profile talks about first cars. This is an insert
in the RI Argus. The stories
pretty much go all over the place. From muscle cars to Yugos. It took
me down memory lane to my first car, a 1956 Ford Fairlane 2-door sedan.
I can still hear the dual exhaust that came out the bumper ends. To
read the article go
here.

If you want to comment on your first ride, or anything else, comments
are welcome.