Year end wrap up.

Hard to believe, but the old year is finally over.

There was quite a lot of activity in my car hobby career this year. A real change of direction, a break from the inertia, and a slightly different focus. 

There was some serious revising going on.

 Replicas, Tributes, Clones, and Fakes.

Does it all come down to the intention to deceive? 

 More of a candy apple, than a penny from Heaven!

That's just a reflection on the front bumper.

To think that I thought that I've had enough red cars! These photos are from the CL posting. The car looked just as clean and shiny in person.

 Pennies from Heaven, Again!

Everybody loves Wally Gator, or they should!

Or, How I became a Gator Guy!

In the vein of "When one door closes, another opens, though sometimes, it's just a window!

I guess you could say that this is going to be an awful big penny! 

 Stuff.

This is the Rolex model that most are familiar with. 

All of those things that clutter up our lives. The older we get, the more we have accumulated.

 The great Garage Massacre!

It wasn't a dark day, it was just night time!

The final report!

 The End of the Affair.

Metaphorically speaking of course!
I actually saw this movie.

I might suppose that involvement in an Affair is something that is propelled by romance, excitement, lust and the desire for adventure. Whether it's involving humans or cars, many of the same factors might apply. Owning an older Jaguar is definitely not something that a reasonable person would want to get involved with. It's all about the romance.

 I guess that this doesn't make a whole lot of sense.

"Peak Lincoln"

 I did not want a cold air kit on my new Mustang.

My Wife bought me that plenum cover for Father's Day
 just after I bought the car. It looks Boss!

However, it came with a K&N unit.

 A most puzzling development. 

. 

Here's how the belt should run.
The crank pulley is #5.

Another Chapter in the, "My Daughter moved her car 120 miles" away saga.  

 Too Legit to Quit?

Legit Street Cars.

The producer of this site is Alex Palmeri, a thirty something young man who had been a Mercedes tech at a dealership for a few years.  He has friends that are also mechanics and tuners. As well as some being YouTube content producers.

 Cars and Coffee,

Coming to a parking lot near you.

Have you partaken? 

 Where do I go from here? 

"Sure, it's original paint."
Mustang circa 2014

Why are my current automotive problems and setbacks now hitting me so much harder? I'm facing a lot of disappointment. My conviction that I can hold on to a favored, late model car, well into the future, has been severely shaken. You mean that I can't have my "forever" car? 

 If you're wandering in the forest trying to concentrate on the trees, 

photo source: unsplash

don't accidentally fall down a rabbit hole!

My Daughter moved her car 120 miles away. 

It's fun to leave your mark. Gotta have a little fun! 

Six degrees of separation, Fahrenheit or Celsius? 

The Never ending story? 

 My Daughter moved her car 120 miles away.

Another Chapter in the saga. I'm starting to lose count!

 Why we Drive.

An important new book.

The title seems so clear and simple, intending to illuminate why some people just like to drive. But much like the book, Zen and the Art of motorcycle Maintenance, it really deals with a much broader and important subject. 

 Should I be concerned that my rational mind is currently agreeing with my emotional mind? 

Work it out Kronk!
 image source: Disney

This almost sounds like the late onset of maturity!

 I didn't get  my first car until after high school.

Yes, you have seen this image before.

It was a '66 Mustang with a V8 and a four speed. My Dad advised me that I should buy an appropriate young person's car. I had other ideas but I took his advice, it was the last time! 

 In the late 1960's my Dad brought home a Honda 50 motorcycle.

I really didn't want to be THAT nice!

It was a C110, not a Super Cub, it was the scrambler version. It was also a real motorcycle. Hand clutch, four speed foot shift, tank between the knees, motorcycle. It might have been small and low powered, but it was an actual motorcycle. That was important. 

 Now that I've got my '06 Mustang,

Well, maybe not this one!

Do I really need a 63 Riviera?

 What is the appeal of  American Graffiti ? 

I've been kind of thinking about this since I drove out to Modesto to the Graffiti USA museum. This museum is going to be a testament to this period.

 My Wife thinks that a 2015 Mustang looks like my '96  Mustang.

I immediately said "Whaaaaat? Where do you get that idea from?"

 Replacing the seat motors on the '07 Mustang's front seat.

OEM seat motors and tracks are extremely expensive. Lasco Ford parts lists a new replacement unit at a discount price of 735.65 which is 25% off of the original price of 980.87! Used units are listed on E Bay at prices of 130.00- 250.00. 

There are currently no service parts currently available from Ford! Or from the aftermarket.

 I finally got the car that I've been wanting...

It only took 16 years! 

 Maybe it wasn't exactly a "Great Garage Massacre."

One down.

 My Daughter took her Mustang 120 miles away. Part Three. 

The guys at the transmission shop were very good at contacting me before each step. I suppose that they want the customer to feel that they have some control over the process. The customer isn't just sucked into an expensive repair. But realistically, what would the customer do once they were into the repair process? Would they decide that the cost was too much and tell the shop to just throw the parts in the trunk, and haul the car to the wreckers? 

 They shoot horses, don't they?

This classic image says it all.

I remember this as a movie title about a dance marathon during the 1930's. I never really got the connection between the title and the movie's story. It just sounded like a reminder of the sadness of reality. I'm only dealing with cars as a subject.

 My Daughter took her Mustang 120 miles away. Part Two.

It still ain't any closer!

The saga of the errant power seat.

 Bad Moon on the Rise?

I had quite the bad experience with this gauge, however
I did obtain the first reading.
The dark round gauge is kind of like a bad moon, especially if it delivers bad news.

Nobody wants to receive bad news, but sometimes you just have to deal with it.

 Sell your truck while it's still running...

Yes, I know that I've used this image before.

There's a lot of practical, real life advice in Country songs. I've repeated this bit of wisdom before, and I've consistently ignored it. At my peril!

 This shelf holds my Hot Rod inspiration.

 My Daughter took her Mustang 120 miles away, how to deal with that? Part One.

I know that a lot of parents deal with this problem, as their kids go away and sometimes stay away after college. 

 Saying Good bye, or good riddance.

Well, at least it's out of my life.

Why I hate selling a car. There are many reasons. 

"If it were only that easy!"

 Spoiler alert. Part Two.

 Mending a hole where the foam comes through..

Apologies to Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band.

Gimme a brake! Part One of an extended series. 

(This was post was written quite a while ago, I'm not sure where I'm headed with this subject.)

 Still working on getting those carbs on. 

No, this isn't the nest booster shot.
Now for a little electrical work.

The carbs are bolted on to the manifold, but as I wrote last time I found that there was no spark in the ignition. The engine spun over, but that was it. The electricity obviously isn't getting where it should. 

 Let's get those carbs back on. The first step in the process.

Things are about to get much more technical, I've been working on my stable of cars on multiple fronts.

It's been months since I last uncovered this car. The good news is that the tarps I covered the car with have been very effective keeping rainwater off of it. 

 Spoiler Alert! Part One.

2003 Mustang Mach One.
This low mileage example is rare in that it is equipped with an automatic.
Currently offrred for sale at 15,999 dollars.

Since I still had the car up on ramps after I had replaced the oil filter adaptor gasket, I thought that it might be a good time to install the Mach One style front spoiler that I bought years ago, and had been taking up space in the garage. I've always thought that the SN95 Mustang was a little weak looking in the front. 

 Nature or Nurture?

An inquiry into values and attitudes.

Just one man's experience and outlook. (You can take that as a kind of disclaimer.)

 Sometimes you just have to do the work. Part Two

What would I have done if I couldn't find the rebuild kit? 

 Sometimes you just have to do the work, another installment in the never ending series. Part One.

Looks simple, right? How hard could this job be? 

 Sometimes you can ignore an oil leak.

photosource: San Joaquin Valley Geology

Sometimes you shouldn't.

 Finishing up my garage table project.

 Waterless car washes, 

Keeping your car clean responsibly during a drought. 

 Building a "park under" garage table. 

Those cryptic squiggles and numbers 
are the basis of my project.

As well as other garden and home projects. 

Another installment in my "Nothing to be proud of here!" series.

 Hand drill powered workshop?

( Follow me down a hand drill powered rabbit hole!)

 Let's face it, there's only so much you can do with a two car garage.

Yes, I do suffer from garage envy.

Like many of you I am in awe of Jack Olson's 12 gauge garage, it is amazing, but there is still only room for one car. That one car happens to be a Porsche 911, so maybe that is enough! 

Am I just too big a cheapskate to seriously mess around in the old car hobby?

Yeah, you're not going to find me here.

I'm thinking that the answer is probably, "Yes!" 

A couple of weeks ago I passed a dealership displaying classic 1960's cars. 

American Motors and Classics. It was housed in a Toyota dealer's previous used car center

Today I happened to be in the area and decided to stop and take a look. Maybe I would see something that would get me excited. 

Why so much hate for Harbor Freight?

They always have almost anything that I could want in stock!

While I don't have any problem buying tools there, I know that some enthusiasts do. Why?