well done new Challenger looking like a perfect descendant of the original era musclecar Barracuda

https://www.facebook.com/MyStealthMode/?fref=photo

It has all the right design cues from the 71, the grill, gills, shaker hood with pins, fog lights, chin spoiler, and billboard 

the art (deco) of the garage machines

http://garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=103099&page=139

imagine taking a moment in the car parts store to look at the cheap tools, and seeing that your uncles tool design has been ripped off, and now is made in China.

Found on the Garage Journal: 

   "So I’m in my local O’Reilly Auto Parts store and while waiting on the incompetent parts guy to look up the irrelevant year, make, and model of a part that I was looking for, I peeped something on the “impulse buy” rack that shocked me. A company selling tools under the name of “PowerTorque” had apparently ripped off my great uncle’s wrench design and are now hocking them at O’Reilly."

Once those patents expire, it's open season.

http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=329396 

hand made parking brake for a dual axle trailer

How they were built at http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=51567&page=408

It's the end of an era at Fort Bragg. The last C-130 Hercules cargo plane based at Pope Field has flown away.

The plane left Wednesday for Arizona and the so-called "Boneyard" where the Air Force stores unused aircraft. It's another step in the deactivation of the 440th Airlift Wing at Pope.

http://www.wral.com/end-of-an-era-last-c-130-leaves-north-carolina-s-pope-field/15818562/

While on the topic of the cargo plane, the first Loadmaster to ever strap a load down in a C-130 did it for the Brass at Langley when Lockheed was showing off the new cargo plane.

And he broke their new airplane, he asked the Lockheed engineer for a load spreader.

The guy went into a tirade about how the new C-130 was designed to not need load spreaders.

He changed his mind when the wheels of the Howitzer went through the floor.

http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=329396

That loadmaster was a remarkable guy by the way, after high school graduation in 1948, James Smith enlisted in the newly created United States Air Force as a Loadmaster Cargo Specialist, rising to the rank of Chief Master Sergeant (E-9) by 1963, thereby becoming the USAF’s youngest E-9 ever.

And, he invented the ratchet strap.

an inspiration for home built garages, start with a couple shipping containers

a tool tease from the "Restored 1930's Auto Shop" Garage Journal thread

http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=51567&page=398

This seems to be the first time I've seen o rings for tires, that are rolled on the rims for sideways movements

Thanks Steve!

The movements of the tree branches in the background prove the video is 2x speed, and there is very very little to suggest these tires car be driven on at freeway speeds, or even safely turn the vehicle at speed without overcomeing the mechanism that allows the orings to roll on the rim.

https://www.inverse.com/article/17727-omni-wheel-william-liddiard-interview

And after seeing this article, the immediate question is why is a London resident showing a car in Canada? Inverse.com says he's from London  but Wired.com says he's Canadian and MotorTalk.com says he's both

The dual o rings will have less contact with the ground than normal tires, and I can't see anyone jumping in to buy this.... lots more unsprung weight than a conventional rim and tire, hampering acceleration and braking, and too much electrical consumption to roll those orings sideways. Also, I bet they are useless on frozen slippery snow, ice, and slush

http://www.odditycentral.com/auto/inventor-creates-wheels-that-let-cars-roll-in-any-direction.html

Taxi cab companies have a lot of competition... other than corrupt politicians, what do they have to help them survive this surge of entrepreneurs looking to make an app and profit from other people driving?

Uber                Lyft              Fasten             GetMe
SafeHer           Fare             Arcade City    Sidecar
Flywheel         Ruby Ride   Shuddle           Black Car
Split                Gett             Car2Go

SafeHer, whose entire reason for existing is to provide safe rides for women,  https://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2016/06/do-we-really-need-an-all-women-rideshare-in-2016.html

GetMe, which refuses to reveal the identity of its CEO, only exists in las Vegas and 5 cities in Texas is an SOS thing, you can either catch a ride, or have them deliver something. https://www.getme.com/

Arcade City is peer-to-peer and in Texas only http://arcade.city/

Fare is only in Phoenix and Austin, http://www.ridefare.com/

Car2Go is using your credit card to rent a compact little car and drive yourself, using an app to find an available car, in available big city markets, and limited areas of high population, and park the car when you're done with it without parking charges, fuel costs, or annual fees. https://www.car2go.com/US/en/

Things to consider:
Vehicle safety checks... who is verifying the car you'll be riding in has met the DMV standards for driving on public roads (lights, tires, etc)
Background checks on drivers... what has been looked at to see if the driver has criminal or mental health records? Were they simply looked up on Google and Facebook to see if there is anything that red flags them? Or did they get screened in the city, county, and federal criminal systems for arrest records, DUI, sex offender, restraining orders, and so on? Previous work history and references? Taxes and SSN to determine legal resident status? Car insurance records for safe driving or crashes? Speeding tickets? Was the driver fingerprinted and checked through Live Scan?

http://time.com/3595621/uber-lyft-flywheel-sidecar/
http://www.thedrive.com/travel/4220/austin-is-75-more-drunk-since-uber-left-town?xid=hl
http://www.frugaltravelguy.com/2014/05/the-new-taxi-alternatives.html
https://usattravel.wordpress.com/2015/12/26/7-alternatives-to-uber-and-lyft-that-dont-have-surge-pricing/
http://www.thedrive.com/travel/4220/austin-is-75-more-drunk-since-uber-left-town?xid=hl

the T Rex bike

A talented engineer and bicycle fabricator in Portland, Oregon has created a giant rideable Tyrannosaurus rex-shaped dinosaur bike, which he has named Sue.

The 90-pound art bike is about 12 feet long from head to tail, which is apparently the same size as a 12-year-old young adult T. rex. The head is a marionette that can be moved by the rider to mimic the movements of a living dinosaur (its jaw even opens and closes). The arms, which are attached to the pedals, are also movable.

http://blog.craigslist.org/2015/07/02/t-rex-art-bike-for-sale/

Lou Bingham getting his coupe ready for the run on Bonneville in '53 after towing it from San Diego

The fenders, running boards, bumpers, headlights and hub caps have been removed from the car in preparation for running one of the classes on the salt. The radiator has a piece of cardboard taped over it to aid in streamlining. Even with radiator blocked he only ran the car on the race course and never had a problem with the car overheating since he was running it for such a short time. Look at the doors and you'll see the windows rolled down slightly and cardboard taped at the tops of them. Louvers were installed in the cardboard to meet the SCTA rules that coupe interiors be ventilated.

Photos by Spence Murray, who at the time was editor of Rod and Custom, who did an in depth article of Lou's trip called "Destination Bonneville"

Later, Lou owned Bird Rock Mobilgas halfway between LaJolla and Mission Beach

In 1957 SCTA changed the rules which specified "no chop tops", the cars had to be stock height. So Lou mad a fiberglass cap that extended the top of his roof by 4" so the top of the car was now stock height. In 1958 the SCTA reversed the roof rules, and the cap was easily, and simply, removed without any bodywork to the roof to comply with one stupid rule only in effect for one race season

http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=51567&page=39

superstition got the best of him, and it cost him in time and money

the fruit delivery company owner paid the equivalent of $100,000 for the license plate with 88888 because the Chinese pronunciation sounds similar to saying the words "getting rich" when pronouncing the number 8.

This truck owner installed the plates June 26th, and the very next day, was rewarded with 8 police stopping him throughout the day because they all believed he had fake illegal license plates.

So, that plan back fired. Each police stop took up about 1/2 hour, and instead of getting work done, and profitting for the day, he spent 4 hours being interrogated by police that didn't believe that he was really so lucky to get this license plate. They even checked his vin and engine serial number... not a good start to a lifetime with these plates.

This has many superstitious Chinese going out of their way to add to their possible good luck by shifting things numerically to get more 8s in a price, or starting at a time with 8s in the time.

For example, the 2008 Olympics in Beijing began at 8:08 on the 8th day of the 8th month.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/peoplesdaily/article-3666081/Driver-splurges-100-000-fortunate-number-plate-truck-stopped-eight-times-one-day-police.html

thanks Steve!

The Bardahl Special, chassis #363

Here's a little history of the Kurtis 500B Bardahl Special driven in the 1955 Indianapolis 500 chassis number 363:

Commissioned by Andy Granatelli for driver Freddie Agabashian to run in the 1953 Indy 500 this car was a contender for the outright victory, and one of the fastest cars at the speedway that year.

Weighing in at only 1800 lb, sitting on a 96.5-inch wheelbase and powered by a 270 Offy made this a very potent package. Agabashian qualified in second position at a speed of 137.546 mph.

Bill Vukovich started on pole and dominated one of the hottest 500s in history. Agabashian ran strong dogging Vukovich until the 102nd lap - exhausted by the extreme heat - in a year when only five drivers went the distance - he was relieved by Paul Russo. They finished in 2nd place.

For 1954, Granatelli entered the Kurtis for driver Jim Rathmann. In practice the car was very fast, but a qualifying error erased their first attempt with what Granatelli insists would have been the speedways first 140 mph lap.

 Rathmann did not raise his hand to signal he was attempting to qualify and his run was not allowed. Granatelli protested the ruling. As the argument went on the engine was kept running and because Granatelli did not want competitors to see his new ram air induction system the hood was not opened which resulted in the engine overheating. The one of a kind 404-hp engine could not be repaired in time to qualify for the race.

Discouraged, Granateli sold the car to Racing Associates who entered the car in the last 500 in 1955. Driven by Cal Niday, the car qualified ninth at 140.302 mph but crashed out of the race on lap 170. 

The car was stripped of its mechanical parts and stored for the next 30 years in Southern California. In the mid '80s the car was discovered and a complete restoration began.

http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=51567&page=391

DC 3's in the Amazon, around 70 years old, and most over 20k documented flying hours

Cliff diving Alaska bush pilot style

If it were not for the internet and You Tube, most people would never get to see such a sight. Makes me glad for technology

Alaskan bush plane

twin Rotrax 914 turbos (push and pull) with a combined 260hp for redundancy, huge flaps for STOL performance (stall speed of 26mph), bubble cockpit for visibility on rough landings, spaceframe construction and big tyres for ruggedness, and the general dimensions and parts compatibility of a SuperCub.

http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=51567&page=368

It's been around the world - from the factory in Argentina, to a farm in North Carolina, to being sold in California to an Australian

Full story and more photos at http://fueltank.cc/blog/the-gilbert-tudor

a former swat van with an anti-cop art piece from Banksy is going to auction, it’s expected to become the most expensive step van ever sold at auction.

http://blog.hemmings.com/index.php/2016/06/28/gmc-van-bearing-banksy-mural-art-estimated-to-bring-up-to-400000-at-auction/
https://www.facebook.com/bigislandchopper?fref=nf

inspired by, and a tribute to, the Roy Rogers 1946 Cadillac Series 62 car

The full woody conversion was professionally done in Argentina. It has bull horns on the hood, six-shooter door handles, rear mounted shotgun, roof rack with saddles, full genuine cow hide interior, and exterior accents. The rear converts to a full camping kitchen complete with vintage products. It is powered by its correct 346cid V8 engine and automatic transmission.

 found on https://www.facebook.com/groups/834204169970608/
http://blog.hemmings.com/index.php/2013/01/11/cowboy-cadillac-to-cross-the-block/

Ever wonder who designed the 1967, 1968, and 1969 GT350/500 Mustang models? John Chun

“I’m the original Shelby Cobra designer,” Chun said proudly, yet humbly. “I designed the ‘67, ‘68, and ‘69.”

Chun, a Korean War veteran, came to the United States from Seoul, South Korea, as an engineering student in September 1957, finding his way to Sacramento, CA. Due to his of lack of knowledge of the English language, and with no tuition costs, Chun enrolled at the Sacramento Junior College.

Impressed with his talent, Chun’s instructor had some advice for the young man.

“He’s the one who recommended I go to Los Angeles to check out design college,” Chun said. He took his instructor’s advice, and headed to southern California.

“One weekend, I packed up and drove non-stop to Los Angeles and went to see that college (Art Center College of Design),” Chun recalled.

College representatives looked at Chun’s portfolio and accepted him into the school. He couldn’t afford the $350 tuition per semester, so he took a job as a mechanic at International Harvester.

School hours were from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., but at 3 p.m., he had to sneak out of school to go to work.

“No one knew,” Chun recalled with a smile. “They told me, ‘you can’t burn the candle at both ends. You either have to be a full-time student, or a full-time mechanic.’”

After International Harvester, Chun worked at a General Motors truck division shop, and had the opportunity to do work for several movie stars, including actor Robert Taylor.

It took Chun seven years of working full time and attending school full time to earn his degree, and he said it was a tough schedule, affectionately calling it “Marine boot camp.”

“They don’t leave you alone,” Chun said. “It’s such intense training and education. It teaches you patience. You never give up – you get the job done. That kind of training is necessary.”

This also meant no dating and no girlfriend, he said with a smile. Out of the 60 students in his class, Chun said he was one of 13 who graduated with a bachelor’s degree in industrial design, specializing in transportation design. He was the first Korean student to graduate from ACCD.

Following his graduation, Chun had job interviews with GM, Ford, and Chrysler.

The next day, there was an announcement that someone from Shelby American would be coming to recruit a designer.

“It was a new company at the time,” Chun said.

Fred Goodell, who became Shelby’s chief engineer, and had been a right-hand man to the late Henry Ford, was sent to California to help with the creation of this new car, according to Chun.

“He stopped by my booth and I displayed some of my drawings,” Chun recalled, remembering that Goodell was impressed with his designs and his engineering background from Korea. This set Chun ahead of some of his fellow graduates.

“He asked if I wanted to come to work,” Chun said. “Classmates wondered how John Chun, who couldn’t even speak English well, could get a job. They were kind of envious. I’m a very lucky one. Fred Goodell gave me my responsibilities and really took care of me. He authorized everything I wanted done.”

“They gave me a Mustang body, and they told me to do something about it. Each year has a different hood, grill, and lights,” Chun said. “Different horsepower, bigger engine, different stripes. It became a hot-ticket item. Everyone wanted that. Those cars, if you find one today, the price tag is very high.”

He said, over the course of his years with the company, he did many different concepts and drawings for the top executives to look at.

“You don’t do only one,” Chun said. “They would pick one and you go from there. I had a pretty good idea with the way I had to go.”

When Chun was working, he said he’d receive visits from Shelby, who Chun said would come in and grab some incomplete drawings of Chun’s to take and show to others.

“He always promised he’d bring them back, but he never did,” Chun said with a laugh.

Chun said he also was responsible for putting in the roll bar, and also the “spoiler” on the back of the Cobra. Chun said the spoiler was more for show, but also held down the wind.

“It makes you feel good,” Chun said. “Everybody’s more-or-less copied the idea. It became a necessity, but has no real function. Being a car designer, you have to dream about many different concepts. You have no guarantee it’s going to fly. You do sketches, put them on the studio wall, and have people come in, and you’d go with what people looked at the most. Fred Goodell gave me some ideas, but I had to generate a lot on my own.”

In June 1968, the ‘69 Shelby GTs were finalized, and production began in November. In September 1969, the Shelby Mustang project ended as sales slowed, according to the website. The leftover ‘69 models were updated to ‘70 specifications and production ended.

Chun, by this time, found himself in high demand. He interviewed with Ford Motor Company and Chrysler. At the advice of his first wife, Daisy, Chun said he accepted a position with Chrysler because it offered slightly more money.

“I could have moved up fast at Ford, but my honest opinion was that Chrysler needed help, so I went to help them,” Chun said.

He worked in Highland Park, MI, and worked on the Charger, the Plymouth Road Runner, and other models.

http://www.herald-journal.com/archives/2011/stories/chun-designer.html

sticking the landing, but not tacoing the rim

Thanks Steve!

Check out the cool old spark plug cleaner!

In the treasure trove of Mr Johnson's service station, of things he left behind when he closed up shop, and that Thomas is pulling out of the outlying buildings

And featured in the immense thread of how his garage was bought and fixed up, slowly and incredibly by Thomas, along with much of the great old garage tools and equipment at http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=51567&page=346

The previous ranch wagon post is deleted. But here are a couple photos to show what Troy Martin of Full Scale Hot Rods built over a 2002 Z06, a cool '53 Ranch Wagon

http://justacarguy.blogspot.com/2014/11/optima-ultimate-street-car-invitational.html

On with the show!

http://www.fullscalehotrods.com/gallery
https://www.optimabatteries.com/en-us/experience/power-source/2014-lingenfelter-performance-design-challenge-results/

Speaking of "on with the show" this wagon won the 2014 Best of Show at Cruzin Pismo Beach

http://theclassicatpismobeach.com/winners/



and was featured in Gear Heads 4 Life magazine summer of 2015 issue

and that is a lot of good coverage for just one car.

if you're just seeing this for the 1st time, I already posted this wagon from photos from another website because that site did a good job with photos and the basics of the story, but the prima donna was upset I didn't get her permission to share with you her cool story and post, and zapped me an email telling me off for not "asking permission" to use her photos. So I pulled those photos and credit to the little princesses site (if you'd met her, you'd agree) and instead, did this cool wagon over a Vette chassis justice with a proper post of what this car maker has accomplished, where he's brought the wagon, the trophy he won, and the full magazine feature he's been given for his car's outstanding craftsmanship.

But her attitude? Nasty.
Well, ain't that a bitch. Try and share with my readers what a cool car she found and she blows a gasket.

But get this...

here is her incredibly fast and mistaken reply:

Please check yourself. I don't appreciate the comment on your site calling me a bitch. That is totally inappropriate and uncalled for. I never asked for you to take it down. I simply asked for you to come to me first before illegally downloading my images. I didn't want to have to involve my lawyers. I have a reputation to uphold, and I'd appreciate you not calling me derogatory names online. 

I'm not sure where you get off speaking to a fellow enthusiast the way you have. I don't remember meeting you and I was probably too new in the industry when I did to realize you meant downloading my images. And to be honest, I find your response to be more immature than the polite e-mail I sent. 

Take down the post you just put up. I don't want to have to involve my lawyer. But I will if necessary

Daddy's lil princess trotted out the ol lawyer threat. Ha! If she even bothered daddy's lawyer with this, they'd laugh her out of their office, and charge her dad an hour just for having to put up with her whiny overpriveldged attitude

I found another digital magazine you might like, well, it's one of 6 car magazines at issuu.com/xcelerationmedia so, check the link at the bottom for more magazines

https://issuu.com/xcelerationmedia/docs/gearheads4life_summer_2015

http://xcelerationmedia.com/
https://issuu.com/xcelerationmedia

The Terry grant show at Goodwood... and Ken Block has not tried this stunt, nor should he...

The Blitzen in a spin on the first corner... those tires weren't made for wet road, and land speed record setting cars weren't made to go slow

Goodwood Festival of Speed, a bit wet, but most of the cars seem to prefer the slipping and sliding and spinning

Dozer Pride... old white guys acting like rappers, umm, yeah, still funny.

Jay and the Hurst Hemi Under Glass... and the wreck

Just a bad choice of location, because the bowl shape of the track meant that they had to slow down quickly from the wheelstand and then turn to avoid hitting the farside wall, and then the slicks hooked on the soft tall sidewall, and flip!

Stadium trucks, looks like a more fun race than anything else I can think of.

The city of Warren Ohio is now making purple parking spots, reserved for wounded veterans only. That is damn cool

Although this is the first purple parking spot designated for combat wounded veterans in the city of Warren, officials say there is more to come. In fact, they will be putting one at every city building.

http://wkbn.com/2015/11/02/purple-parking-spots-in-warren-honor-wounded-veterans/

lawn mower drag racing

found on http://thefunnybeaver.com/yard-outlaws-lawnmower-drag-racing-videos/

The MINI Motoring Journal, another cute and kitschy marketing item from MINI that sets them apart from the ordinary