Nickel update

This afternoon 18 members of the local chapter of the Guardian Angels, and two members of the Chicago chapter were at the City Council meeting to accept a proclamation from the city. It basically thanked our group for all the good we’ve done over the last 18 months. The regional director of the Guardian Angels from Chicago later told everyone that it took 14 years for the first chapter to achieve this, and 10 years for his chapter. He also said the local chapter is doing very well and is in the running for chapter of the year.

Mischief and myself would have hung around for a patrol, but I’m on the injured list at the moment. Nothing real serious just a bum leg that didn’t happen while on patrol. We are also in the middle of some storm repairs since the calls came in. We chatted with Dale Gilmour for a few minutes which reminded me that the River Valley Classics are hosting a cruise-in Saturday from 6 pm until at least 9 pm. Since we’re also working the Bix Fest Friday night it makes for some long days. There’s a lot going on this weekend, we hope everybody makes it out to enjoy something that’s happening.

Alderman Ambrose offer me a handshake from behind the podium and we shoke hands. He attended some of the early training sessions with the Guardian Angels and remembered me. He also wished to thank all the Guardian Angels but most of us know he supports us.

That’s our nickel update, comments on just about anything are welcome.

The ol’ stovebolt

It looks like the sale of the 48′ is going to happen in a couple
weeks. Since I decided to sell the car I’ve been on a long stroll
down memory lane. I’ve owned this car for 12 years. It went from
people asking “why’d you buy that piece of junk?”, to “What a neat
car, what is it?”

Well, it’s a 1948 Chevrolet Fleetmaster, 4-door, sport sedan. It
now has a 1953 235 ci stovebolt 6 out of a school bus with an
Offenhauser 2 carb intake, headers, and split exhaust. It also has
a three-quarter solid lifter cam, three speed stick, and a 4:11
rear end. It’s a fun little toy, and I’m sure the kid that’s buying
it will agree. Because of the stroll down memory lane, the following
is a nickel history of the stovebolt 6. It’s not a hot rodder’s
engine of choice, but if you split the exhaust it will get some
attention.

The Stovebolt was engineered by Ormond E. Hunt from an earlier design
by Henry M. Crane that had evolved into the 1926 Pontiac engine. By
1930, it produced an even 50 brake horsepower from 194 cubic inches.
With various improvements, this solid, overhead-valve engine would
remain Chevrolet’s only powerplant for nearly three decades.

For 1934, new combustion chambers prompted the name “Blue Flame,”
and two versions would be offered through 1935: 60-bhp, 181 cid and
80-bhp, 206.8 cid. The six was then redesigned for 1937 to be shorter
and lighter. It also gained nearly “square” cylinder dimensions as
well as four (versus three) main bearings. The result was 85 bhp from
216.5 cid.

It was with this engine in 1940 that a young Juan Manuel Fangio won
the car-breaking 5900-mile round-trip road race between Buenos Aires,
Argentina, and Lima, Peru, at an average speed of 53.6 mph. Fangio
continued to race Chevrolets after World War II, but eventually
switched to Grand Prix cars and became a legend as the first five-time
world champion driver.

That’s a little history of this motor. What some people seem to
forget is that in 1953 the Ford flathead V-8 made 100 hp. That
same year the stovebolt 6 made 100 horsepower. We still like the
looks of this motor. Add a finned valve cover, sideplate, aluminum
intake with a couple carbs, and dual exhaust, and it’s still a neat
little set-up. That’s our take on it, we’re going cruisin. Your
comments on this or anything else, are welcome.

NHRA change

After the death of Scott Kalitta, NHRA
talked about shortening the track length to 1,000 feet.
It has made it’s debut at the Mopar Mile High NHRA National
held at Bandimere Speedway in Denver. This is the first
time NHRA has held a race at any distance other than a
quarter-mile, or 1320 feet. The NHRA dragstrips have been
1320 feet since the first race in 1955.

Top Fuel Driver Cory Mac won with a run of 308.07 mph in
3.929 seconds, at a track 320 feet shorter than ever ran
before. The track is unique also in that it has cooling
lines running under the starting line to keep that part
of the track cooler for a better launch.

NASCAR has safer-barriers and other safety measures they
have introduced over the years for the safety of the
drivers, why not NHRA. If it will save lifes do it. Just
remember what John Force says about drag racing basics-
“Don’t turn!”

Comments on this or anything else are welcome.

Hot rod wreck

We got an email today that got us to thinking. With the amount of money people sink
into their old cars, safety should always be the number one consideration. Most of us
are sure our rides are safe, after all we’ll cruise for hundreds of miles for some shows.

This email changed my mind. This is a story about Joe and Shirley Joseph and their
flamed 40′ Ford sedan. Seems they were cruisin’ on I-44 at about 65 mph when a tire
blew out. Their car was totaled, they’re recovering, but they feel it could have been
prevented. To go to the webpage with the story and pictures of the wrecked car go
to the page.

Something to think about folks. Comments are always welcome.

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.