Saturday, May 05, 2007

Mercury Cyclone

Soon to undergo the repairs and upgrades needed to get Nascar'd.

Scott picked this up for $1600 from a surfer who had to pay off the 800 he still owed on it... complicated arrangement, still... when's the last time you looked over a hood pin, rear wing, and hood scoop Cyclone?

Flat black hoods are the mark of the serious racer... it's a part of the heat transfer from the engine that was almost popular in the late 60's... Nascar homolgamation rules made the big 3 build the same cars for public sale as the ones that they wanted to put on the track, now how closely they resembled the real race cars is unknown, but it was similar enough that they were painted with flat black paint on the hoods... you may remember Superbees, Cyclones, Talledegas, Boss 302s, Road Runners, AMX, Torinos and a few others having the flat black look. It's sharp.

I just happened to have my head on a swivel, and spotted this when I left the Allied Gardens Parade. Very cool, and rare. I haven't seen another, ever, in person

7T AAR... just impresses me by design.




Allied Gardens Community Park Cinco de Mayo parade





Allied Gardens Community Park Cinco de Mayo parade and car show



The tire and rim combo is about the coolest I've seen. My hat is off to the owner of this flat black 5 window

Electric cars can be fun, fast, and strong.



The SDMC Gearhead Rendezvous, carbon fiber, Novi super charger




The SDMC Gearhead Rendezvous

I love the stars and stripes running Mustang grill emblem
Wow, I wonder how many different Mustang model there are for sale in 2007? top: GT/CS
Below: GT A

Hood pins rock

The SDMC Gearhead Rendezvous, GRN CBRA




the GRN CBRA


The SDMC Gearhead Rendezvous, GT40 II




The SDMC Gearhead Rendezvous

(First Saturday of each month)
Details: Join your fellow Mustang enthusiasts for an informal gathering to compare cars, notes and share tips.
10:00 am - 1:00 pm
Fosters Freeze at Waring Rd. and Orcutt in Allied Gardens

Also at the Mission Valley Corvettes and Cobras

Love the look, 1970 LS6. The monster.


Just goes to show that if you are looking to buy a show ready hot rod, go to all the cars shows you can, you'll see a lot of them are sporting fopr sale decals. I see it all the time, around 25% of the cars at shows are for sale.

Mission Valley Corvettes and Cobras






Mission Valley Corvettes and Cobras

8 a.m. every first Saturday of the month,

Starbucks, in the Costco / Ikea parking lot just West of the Qualcomm stadium

2006 Crash Collection

http://www.jaggle.nl/index.php/site/comments/de_2006_crash_compilatie

Via http://www.attuworld.com/cars

Friday, May 04, 2007

San Diego, birthplace of the 350Z

Nissan Design America

Nissan Design America, (NDA) is a world-renowned design studio located in San Diego Calif., and is home to 60 of the fewer than 500 automotive designers in all of North America. In close coordination with engineers at the Nissan Technology Center North America (NTCNA) located in Farmington Hills, Mich., designers at NDA create vehicles specifically for the North America market. Nissan designers are responsible for the creation of the Altima, Maxima, Xterra and Frontier, as well as the new Z car.

NDA has been recognized as one of the worlds foremost creative design facilities and has won several prestigious awards from around the globe. To keep their design skill sharp, NDA staff members often work on non-automotive products, which have ranged from a 150-foot yacht to preschool furniture to golf clubs.

Nissan Design America9800 Campus Point DriveSan Diego, CA 92121Phone: 858/457-4400Fax: 858/450-3332

Remember the hoard of dusty cars collected and forgotten, then found by the new purchaser of the farm and barn?

http://knuttz.net/hosted_pages/The-Cars-in-the-Barn-20070222 gives a lot of the cars by name, in English for good mearsure, instead of the first word the internet had which was all in Portugese.

Worlds biggest piston engine

Were you looking for the world's largest car engine? http://justacarguy.blogspot.com/2009/10/if-you-have-wondered-what-largest.html




The Wartsila-Sulzer RTA96-C turbocharged two-stroke diesel engine is the most powerful and most efficient prime-mover in the world today.

http://knuttz.net/hosted_pages/Most-Powerfull-Engine-20070401

The Aioi Works of Japan's Diesel United, Ltd built the first engines and is where some of these pictures were taken.It is available in 6 through 14 cylinder versions, all are inline engines.

These engines were designed primarily for very large container ships. Ship owners like a single engine/single propeller design and the new generation of larger container ships needed a bigger engine to propel them.

The cylinder bore is just under 38" and the stroke is just over 98". Each cylinder displaces 111,143 cubic inches (1820 liters) and produces 7780 horsepower. Total displacement comes out to 1,556,002 cubic inches (25,480 liters) for the fourteen cylinder version.

Some facts on the 14 cylinder version:

Total engine weight: 2300 tons (The crankshaft alone weighs 300 tons.)
Length:89 feetHeight:44 feet
Maximum power:108,920 hp at 102 rpm
Maximum torque:5,608,312 lb/ft at 102rpm
Fuel consumption at maximum power is 0.278 lbs per hp per hour (Brake Specific Fuel Consumption).
Fuel consumption at maximum economy is 0.260 lbs/hp/hour.
At maximum economy the engine exceeds 50% thermal efficiency. That is, more than 50% of the energy in the fuel in converted to motion.

For comparison, most automotive and small aircraft engines have BSFC figures in the 0.40-0.60 lbs/hp/hr range and 25-30% thermal efficiency range.Even at its most efficient power setting, the big 14 consumes 1,660 gallons of heavy fuel oil per hour.
Want to see just how big the crank must be? http://justacarguy.blogspot.com/2009/02/huge-crankshaft.html

The Commemorative Air Force is looking for help on Saturday mornings


CAF Air Group One and Tuskegee Airmen members take a moment to reflect, in front of the B-17 "Sentimental Journey" during one of its previous stops at Gillespie Field.

If you are in San Diego on Saturday mornings, in Santee or El Cajon... and can stop by Gillespie Field

Air Group One is looking for men and women of all ages who would like to join us in our mission to preserve military aviation history and to honor those who served. We also have a cadet program for those who are under 18 years of age. For more information, stop by our hangar on any Saturday morning and meet the gang!

Exit the 67 on Bradley, head West, make a right on Magnolia, then a left on Airport Rd, then a right on 1860 Joe Crosson Rd Suite B, Stop in at the museum and ask about on what you can do to help.

Stats on teen driving

Road Ready Teens Teen Driving Fact Sheet

Auburn Hills, Mich., May 3, 2007 -
Teen Driving Statistics

Motor vehicle crashes are the No. 1 killer of teens.

More than 450,000 teen passengers and drivers were injured and more than 5,500 died as a result of vehicle crashes in 2005.

One third of all 16-year-old licensed drivers were involved in a motor vehicle crash in 2005.

Teen drivers, ages 16 and 17, driving with even one teen passenger are 50 percent more likely to be involved in a crash than when driving alone. With two teen passengers in the vehicle, the risk more than doubles. With three or more teen passengers, it’s nearly four times more likely that teens will be involved in a crash than if they were driving alone.

Fifty percent of fatalities that occur with a teen at the wheel happen after dark, even though most teen driving occurs during daylight hours. More than 75 percent of those nighttime crashes by 16- and 17-year-old drivers occur between 9 p.m. and midnight.

http://cgmedia.daimlerchrysler.com/newsrelease.do?id=6870

Wednesday, May 02, 2007

Remember the VW bus ball? NY Times has 2 others pictured, and an article

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/01/automobiles/01BALLS.html?ex=1178337600&en=5908bbc7d4426481&ei=5070

By PHIL PATTON
Published: April 1, 2007

My extensive write up is here http://justacarguy.blogspot.com/2007/02/vw-bus-ball-lars-erik-fisk-sculptor.html#links

The Most Expensive States For Speeding Tickets

http://www.forbes.com/logistics/2006/12/09/transportation-highways-speeding-biz-logistics_cx_tvr_1211speeding.html

It's always going to be freaking ridiculous, and nowhere near resonable, if it were up to me: 1st time you are pulled over, warning and you get entered into a database.

2nd offense, 100 dollar fine

3rd offense, 200 dollar fine

4th offense, 400 dollar fine... yup it just went exponential. .. and finally caught up to real fine for first time offenses in the US today. I gave you 3 chances to knock it off, and figure out how to not get caught... real cops don't. Elect me president, all federally subsidised roads get switched to my system.

Everything about insurance, on the website "Moneycentral.MSN.com"

http://moneycentral.msn.com/marketplace/home.aspx?iMarketID=8

20 ways most people waste money on cars

http://articles.moneycentral.msn.com/SavingandDebt/SaveonaCar/20waysYouWasteMoneyOnYourCar.aspx

Number one, Premium gas instead of regular

number two, 3,000-mile oil changes

The full write up after the link

San Diego historical car photos

http://www.sandiegohistory.org/collections/autos/autos.htm

Monday, April 30, 2007

How much for a pair of tires? Here's what I found, and where

I asked for price quotes from these places, and the brand name varies from place to place. . . but when you are buying tires don't you want to go with the least expensive? I do. No way I'm able to afford BFG's or Goodyears all the way around my daily driver and my musclecar.

For 2 tires, 215 60/15 total cost out the door is

PepBoys Cooper Definity 75K mileage warranty -------------------$187
Wal Mart DP GT-4 (whatever that is) 40K mileage ---------------$170
plus tax
Costco Michellin 80k mileage ---------------------------------------$264
Tire Depot -----------------------------------------------------------$166

I like these guys - I always go to them first, for both of my cars- but they haven't won me over like Discount has


EXP tires Cooper SCE 50K ------------------------------------------$214

to get your business EXP will match the competition's price. Not good enough for me.

Discount Tires Koumo 50K ----------------------------------------$177

And if the price, road hazard warranty fee, and all the goodies that Discount will do for you weren't enough, find the same tire advertised cheaper elsewhere, and they'll beat it.... not like the high price at EXP from step one, Discount has the 2nd lowest price for a pair of tires, and then there's the extra service.

I like these guys. That's why I keep going back to Discount tires.
All our TirePrices Include: FREE Valve Stems FREE Prorated Road Hazard FREE Lifetime Rotations http://www.discounttire.com/dtcs/searchTiresByVehicleAndSize.do?mk=PONTIAC&rc=CASINT&yr=2000&sw=false&cs=215&rcc=San%2520Diego&vid=004643&rd=15&ar=60

what are the G acronym cars

GLHS
Dodge GLHS Goes Like Hell Shelby

GN
GNX
Buick Grand National, and GNX

GP
Pontiac Gran Prix

GS
Buick Grand Sport... it also had a special edition GS California

GSS
Dodge Grand Spaulding Sport, a Mr Norm special supercharged Dart

GSX
another great Buick, terrific looks

GT
Hell, every one made a GT version didn't they?

GT40
The LeMans winning icon

GTO
Ferrari had it first, and Pontiac brought the nameplate to the US

GTS
Dodge Dart

GTU
Chevy Berreta (betcha never heard of it, or can't remember it)

GTX
Plymouth top of the line in the Belvedere/Satellite/Road Runner series, also a Mazda

GTZ
Another Chevy Berreta

Sunday, April 29, 2007

New car show in July.... a big one. July 14th

In the Carlsbad Westfield Plaza Camino Real, off the 78 and El Camino Real.
It is the South West corner of the Mall.

Mopar Club annual event, avid local celeb car collector Bill Goldberg scheduled to be there, I hope he brings the Lawman, Boss 429 drag race car... one of his many incredible cars.

http://www.moparclubsandiego.org/

What the competition see. Tail lights.