Texas Car Wars....sucks!

I recently started watching Fast'n Loud, and have to be honest, I kind of like their in-your-face, over the top, Gas Monkey style they portray on the show.  A few weeks ago, a new show started playing after Fast'n Loud called Texas Car Wars. The show billed Texas as having the largest collection of salvage yards of any state in the country, and I thought the show looked promising, so I added it to my DVR list.

Having just sat through the first episode, I can say that in my opinion, this show absolutely sucks ass!  It reminds me of the show Storage Wars, or whatever its called, that I accidentally got sucked into once.  It's the same 4 or 5 shops bidding on a few cars each episode.  Then, they do work on them in an effort to flip them for big profits.  Perhaps the dagger for me was when they listed the purchase price, investment, and profit.  They stated that they had invested $4,000 into a 1963 Ford Uni-cab pickup.  Well, the body guy cut them a break at $3,500, and the stainless shop charged $600.  By my math, that's already over the $4,000.  That's ignoring all the mechanical work, which it needed plenty, and the labor for which the shop that purchased the car performed.  Then, this group one the competition for making the largest profit.

I don't think I can even bring myself to watch the other 3 episodes I've recorded, it was that painful. It will be quickly dropped from my DVR lineup.

Sweet Panel Van

Yesterday, while out running errands with my daughter, the panel van above caught my eye as I was parking.  For a second, I felt like "The Count," from Counting Cars, trying to catch up to another car guy to tell him "Hey man, nice car!" (minus the funds to offer the owner money for his ride of course)

The owner made it into Lowe's before I could catch up to him, though as luck would have it, he exited the store shortly after I.  Naturally, I had to talk to him about his ride.  I hadn't "flagged somebody down," let alone talked to a complete stranger/gearhead in a long while.

We probably talked for a good 20 minutes, about our rides, about local cruises, and about the what shows we like to hit.  It made me realized how much I enjoy meeting new car people.  This guy not only owns this ride, but also a 1960's Chevy pickup which serves as his year round daily driver, ever since the 1980's.  We shared many of the same lines of thought, though were I tend to lean toward "MORE POWER!" this guy was from the mentality of "If it ain't broke, don't fix it," sporting 283's in both of his rides.

In 2013 I think I'm going to make a greater effort to stop and talk to people at shows and cruise nights, maybe even make a few new friends, and build a better network of gearheads.

Motor Trend TV

I added links to Motor Trend TV on Youtube via the sidebar to the right.  Lots of cool videos to check out!

Streetrodding Muscle Cars: Good or Bad?

Perhaps one of the most interesting things about being into cars is how opinions can change over time.  Cars I once thought were hideous are now cool, and things I once thought were cool (rear window louvers) are now gaudy.  The same applies to how cars are built, and a conversation with my father-in-law at a local show got me thinking.

My father-in-law has somewhat of a Dodge Ram fetish.  He owns an SST, Rumble Bee, and Sport 1500...now of which see much time on the road, all of which will likely be forever a part of his collection.  In the near future, he hopes to add the unthinkable, a car!  He keeps going back and forth between a brand new Challenger, perhaps SRT8, or a classic 60's Mopar like a Sport Fury or Belvedere.  My vote is for the classic from the 60's, and I listed a whole bunch of reasons why.

The conversation soon morphed into modern engines in old cars, which I call "streetrodding the muscle car."  In the 1980's, the TPI engine from Chevy no more than debuted when it soon started appearing between the fenders of everything pre-1948.  In addition, the 700R4 also followed, giving streetrodders the ability to travel across the country while knocking down good mpg and turn-key/no headaches performance.

I can appreciate the dependability of a new powertrain, but I'm quickly getting tired of seeing the LS, HEMI, and occasional Mod motors in the engine bays.  So much so, that I'm becoming more pro-Old School recently.  I will probably ALWAYS prefer a big block anything between the frame rails, but even with a new motor, it needs an old twist, something to make it unique or cool.

I love the new Camaros, Mustangs, and Challengers.  My biggest gripe has always been their weight.  These cars have so many options I could live without, and because of those options, these cars are all at or even over 4,000 lbs.  The Challenger tipping the scales at 4,200 lbs!  I can't say I wouldn't own any of the 3 modern muscle cars, but it'll have to be perhaps 10 years from now, when prices drop and the skinny jeans crowd move on to whatever the new fad cars are to them.

As cool as the new muscle is, it will never be the same as the originals in my eyes.  Now, that doesn't mean that to the 10 year old kid growing up next door to a guy with a 2010 Camaro SS with 426 hp won't view it as a classic when he grows older, and buy one because of the passion it instilled in him.  For me though, even years from now, it still won't represent what the 60's cars did.

I have brainstormed about what the next evolution of my 69 Camaro will be, and an LS engine had crossed my mind more than a few times.  When it was all said and done, I have pretty much concluded that it will be a 540 crate engine (or bigger) topped off with my AFR heads and Victor intake.  I love the raw, crude, send you running with your tail between your legs power and sound that you simply can't replace with the new engines.  Now, that's not to say I won't drop an LS engine between the fenders of my 1989 Formula some day.  In fact, that is what I plan on doing, though it'll have to be either twin turbo, supercharged, or an Inglese or Kinsler fuel injected stack setup.  Hell, or maybe I'll slap a dual carb/mini ram intake on it.  Something to make it different, somewhat nostalgic, ya know?  To hell with running with the pack, I wanna be running in front of the pack!

Frankenmuth Autofest Coverage

We headed up to Frankenmuth yesterday to check out the Autofest.  I hadn't been to the show since I was in college at CMU, back in 1999.  It was everything I remembered and then some.  It really is an amazing show, and considering it lasts 3 days, it really is a lot more than your average car show or cruise.  Those of us in Michigan truly are spoiled, with so many top notch shows, cruises, and cruise nights.  We are without a doubt the best state an automotive enthusiast could ask for.  This really is another show that I think I need to pencil in as a must see, and try and get my Camaro up to in coming years.

Can't say I ever liked this style Mustang, but there is no denying the engine it's due.

 

What an awesome Merc!

This is a car that fits the wife's needs, and one that is at the top of my list.  The problem is cost, as these cars sell for big money, and at their current low, are gonna usually be north of $25K.

This is one of the nicest second gen Firebirds I've seen.

With 532 ci, this thing was badass!

 Formerly my favorite year, I now prefer the 60 or 61 Caddys.

 This scoop is just too damn big for this super charger.  Scratch that...this super charger is too damn small for the scoop.  :)

I have never seen a Jeep like this.  Not sure if it was a home made project, or simply just so rare that I haven't seen one.

One of the baddest wagons ever!  I normally don't care for brown, nor woodys with very few exceptions.  This car is about perfect in every way.

I'm not sure what to make of this.  While I can appreciate the amount of work that went into it, I'd want nothing to do with it.

Another D100.

2012 Frankenmuth Autofest - Photos

Frankenmuth Autofest: September 7, 8, 9 2012

This weekend marks the 29th Annual Frankenmuth Autofest, September 7, 8, 9 2012.  While I've only made it to this show once, back in 1999, it is one helluva show.  I'm holding out hope that the weather forecast will look a bit more positive as the weekend gets closer.  As it is, there is a chance of scattered showers, and wouldn't be worth the drive if that's still the forecast.  For more information, check out the official website.

Frankenmuth Autofest

Not done cruisin' yet!

Often, I look at the Woodward Dream Cruise as the end of the cruise season. Yes, it doesn't start getting cooler until mid October, that is true. Yet for me, Woodward had alway been a good stopping point, and a time in which I would start to consider what my winter plans for my car were. This year is different.

Maybe it was the long road trip to California which ate up some of our summer cruising. Or perhaps it was the fact that I simply didn't get my Camaro out to as many shows this summer as I have in the past. Either way, Woodward left me hungry.

As previously stated, my next cruise was Hines Drive, which is probably my new favorite summer cruise. I wasn't done though, and I called upon my friend Rod from my home town. I had hoped to get him up here to Detroit for a night out at a week night cruise. We settled upon Friday night, and I already had a few spots in mind, and we started out with the Sears down in Southgate. My last few visits to this cruise were a little disappointing, as the numbers have dwindled from 10 years ago, though I held out hope that people would be out in full force as the season comes to an end...I was wrong.

Turnout was relatively light, with perhaps 75 or so cars. I had planned ahead however with a few other cruise nights close by. Instead though, I decided to hit the freeway and head to the eastside, Continental Lanes Bowling alley near 13 mile/I94. I was glad we did, as turnout was much better, and exactly what I had wished to show my friend. We walked the show for a bit, then decided to cap the night off with a cruise over to Woodward. Woodward wasn't too lively, but a Shell Station was going strong with a good 25-30 cars, with a constant flow of in and out traffic. After some bs'n with the locals, we called it a night and headed for home.

 3 shows in one night, in just a few hour span. That had to be a new personal record, and one of the most fun nights out I've had in a long, long time when it comes to cruise nights. I may have a few more cruise nights in me, and weather permitting, we still hope to make Frankenmuth, MI this coming weekend. I'm not sure that weather is going to cooperate though, as they are calling for scattered showers. I will promise to remember my camera next time, something I left at home for this trip.

Epic Drives: Corvette ZR1 chases 200 mph in Europe

Ran across this video on a friend's Facebook page the other day. Simply awesome! Pushing a ZR1 to it's limits, then playing cat and mouse with a Ferrari. Why oh why did they pick a white Vette though? Any color would have been better.

The Great American Road Trip

Historic Route 66: The Mother Road

 It was a journey I had hoped to make ever since college back in the late 1990's.  Ideally, I would be making such a trip in a classic.  In reality, we made the trip in our hemi powered 2011 Ram, which proved both comfortable, and plenty capable of hauling all the necessities. It was an amazing trip, eye opening, with beauty all along the way.  Our trip out followed much of the original Route 66, with daily use of the freeways when we needed to make up time.  Here is a list of the major cities we passed through on the way out.

Detroit, MI
Portage, IN
Gary, IN
Joliet, IL
Springfield, IL
St Louis, MO
Cuba, MO (stopped for day)
Springfield, MO
Baxter Springs, KS
Tulsa, OK
Oklahoma City, OK
Amarillo, TX (stopped for day)
Tucumcari, NM
Albaquerque, NM
Gallup, NM
Petrified Forest, AZ
Winslow, AZ (stood on THE corner)
Flagstaff, AZ (stopped for day)
Seligman, AZ
Hackberry, AZ
Kingman, AZ
Oatman, AZ
Barstow, CA
Victorville, CA
Corona, CA
Escondido, CA
San Diego, CA
Santee, CA (destination)

The trip out took us 4 full days, arriving on our final day around 9:30pm.  Our days were long and miles extensive, mostly because I wanted to see as much of Route 66 as possible.  The journey down old 66, stopping or driving through the small towns, combined with the 55 mph speed limit in many areas, really slows you down.  That being said, a line from the movie Cars came to mind.  The line was something to the effect of the freeway sliced through the land, where as Route 66 followed the land.  It was a perfect description, as you look over at the freeway you observed gently rolling hills and fairly straight lines.  Route 66 on the other hand, you came to the crest of a hill, sometimes with sharp hairpin curves in the mountains.  No guard rails where there to protect you, only the recommended 10-20 mph around the most severe curves.  Most days were drove anywhere from 700-800 miles a day, totaling about 2700 miles on our trip out.

I've already posted pictures from the journey out, so I won't post duplicate pictures, but a link below will take you to the photo album from our trip out.  Our 2,700 mile journey out really opened my eyes.  Neither myself, my wife, or 2 year old daughter (obviously) had ever seen so much of the country.  The beauty of some areas was breath taking.  Other areas, well, were down right boring.  Having grown up in the country, amongst the cornfields and cattle farms, I thought I knew country.  What we saw made me realize, our farms were nothing like farms elsewhere.  Some areas are so desolate, especially in Texas, that there are times when you can't see a single standing structure.  No trees, no landmarks, and nothing but flat farmland as far as the eye can see.  Occasionally, a farm of wind turbines will interrupt the earth's flatness.  One other thing, that term "dry heat," well, those folks who throw that out there are full of shit.  When out got out in Oklahoma to take pictures, I swear to God, the 115 degree temps felt like I was stepping into an over.  My sandals felt as though they were melting as my feet cooked.  Dry heat my ass.

I would say that my favorite part of our journey out was when we hit New Mexico and Arizona.  The small towns, still with many neon signs and old hotels, felt like a trip back in time.  The trip up into the mountains to Oatman, AZ was unlike any drive I had ever made, and one that I'd love to make again some day.  After Oatman, we hit Cali shortly after.  At this point of our trip it was more of a race to the finish than seeing the sites.  We knew we were on pace for a 9pm+ arrival, and our previous nights which were even later, had caught up to us and we were ready to call it quits.  That said, aside from a drive up to Alaska, we had driven to the farthest corner of the continental U.S., so future trips to other parts of the country should be a piece of cake.

I was also somewhat surprised to see the living conditions of many in SW U.S.  Many of the trailers were in very poor condition, and other shacks were crumbling, though still appeared to have inhabitants. The homelessness in L.A. was significantly worse than Detroit, and I would almost consider it shocking, though I suppose the weather plays a big role.  For a gearhead, I was also amazed to see all the classics scattered along the way, once getting to the dry states.  While muscle cars were rare, there were still a ton of 1950's pickups all over the place.  There were more than a few "junkyards" filled with even older cars and trucks from the 1930's and 1940's.  It's really tempting to get a trailer and go find a car some day, as there were many to choose from.

Detroit, MI to Santee, CA - Photos from along the way

California Love

California....as stated previously, Top Gun had instilled an expectation of what California was like.  My senior trip in 1995 left me disappointed, as California wasn't what I had envisioned.  L.A. seemed vast and sprawling, even trashy in many areas.  I left California just expecting more.  Our trip back through L.A. reaffirmed my feelings of L.A., but our time in San Diego and Santee were much more to my liking.

San Diego is simply beautiful.  The whole city, at least everything we saw, seems nicer than most cities of comparable size. There wasn't a bad area that we saw.  The mass transit seems sufficient, the weather perfect, and scenery with the surrounding mountains adds to the appeal.  We hit the beach once in La Jolla, and once in Coronado.  Checked out the U.S.S Midway, the Aquarium (disappointing), and the San Diego Zoo, which was everything I expected and without a doubt, best zoo in the country.  The freeways seemed highly efficient, and aside from one day we came upon an accident, our travels were as smooth or smoother than your typical day in Metro Detroit.  Throw in a day out scuba diving, and our trip was everything I could have asked for.  San Diego, which was the place most of Top Gun was filmed, was the California I had expected growing up...a true paradise in my opinion.


Lincoln Highway: Our Journey home...but not without a stop at Bonneville

Our trip home was a more northern route.  Mostly...well, specifically, because I wanted to stop and see Bonneville and the racing taking place during Speed Week. We headed north through California, making a somewhat disappointing stop in L.A., and then finished off our time in Cali at the Santa Monica Pier.  The view from the pier was awesome, and I'd love to return there some day and spend a day or two at the beach there.  That being said, as cool as the pier was, it seemed a bit cheesy after the fact.  There were little shops, food stands, and an amusement park among other things.  I guess while part of me thought it was pretty cool, it's also something that directly attracts the tourists and is probably a place the locals never visit, aside from the beach portion.  It was nice to see the end of Route 66, and considering the view of the Pacific, it was truly a fitting end for the journey west from Chicago.  The rewards traveling west are much greater than the trip on Route 66 heading east.  Chicago is no slouch, it's an awesome city, but as you get to the the flat cornfields of the Midwest states, the drive gets quite tiresome.  As much as Chicago has to offer, it's comparable to most other major U.S. cities, and can't hold a candle to the scenery in the southwest or view of the ocean.  Here is a list of our cities from our return trip.

Santee, CA
San Diego, CA
Oceanside, CA
L.A., CA
Beverly Hills, CA
Santa Monica, CA
Las Vegas, NV
Ely, NV (stopped for day)
West Wendover, NV
Bonneville Salt Flats, UT (stopped for 3 hours)
Salt Lake City, UT
Evanston, WY
Green River, WY
Rock Springs, WY
Laramie, WY
Cheyenne, WY (stopped for day)
Kimball, NE
Sidney, NE
North Platte, NE
Lincoln, NE
Omaha, NE
Platte City, MO
Des Moines, IA
Iowa City, IA
Davenport, IA
Le Claire, IA (visited Antique Archeology)
Joliet, IL
Gary, IN
Portage, IN
Detroit, MI (home)

After a few hours at Santa Monica, we hit the road.  Unfortunately, we didn't have time to cruise the strip in Vegas, mostly due to troubles doing a police patch exchange that took about an hour.  We say Vegas from the freeway, and vowed to make a return trip some day.  Leaving Vegas, we split off north on highway 93/318.  This was also one of my favorite drives of our trip, both out and back.  The scenery was awesome, driving a two lane road stretching as far as the eye can see between mountains most of the way.  As the sun began to set, the shadows and reflection off the mountains was truly a sight to see!  We stopped for the night in Ely, NV.  Seemed to be a cool little town, and like pretty much every town in NV, it had it's share of casinos.  The town was also home to a railroad museum and train rides up into the mountains.  While small, the town had plenty to keep vacationers occupied for a few day stop.  I'd love to take the train up into the mountains.  This stop seemed to be a place many Bonneville fans and racers also liked to stop at, as their cars and trailers were present in nearly every parking lot in the area. I couldn't wait to see Bonneville the next day.

Our second day started out with about a 3 our trip, if memory serves me, to get to Bonneville.  Just north of Ely we picked up a branch of the Lincoln Highway, and shortly thereafter, we joined what was the original Lincoln Highway, which we would follow east for several states. The flats were everything I had expected, and then some.  The racing wasn't the only attraction, as walking the grounds was like visiting a car show too.  A few recommendations, bring sunblock, sunglasses, a canopy, and plenty of water.  While the temperature was in the upper 70's low 80's, the reflection off the salt soon had it feeling like it was in the 90's or 100.  Also, while we walked much of the pits, in the future I would simply drive the grounds and get out for stuff I wanted to see.

The conditions at the flats become more brutal the longer you're out walking, and there really isn't a reason to walk the grounds when you can drive pretty much everywhere.  Our time at the flats was limited, though the 3 hours we stayed was more than I had planned for.  There was so much more I would have loved to see, but home was calling, and if we hoped to make our planned stop for the night we had to get back on the road.  We stopped off in Cheyenne, WY for the night, which had a cool little downtown area and an awesome capital building where we bumped into some fellow Michiganders also taking photos.

2012 Bonneville Salt Flats - Photos

As we left Wyoming and entered Nebraska, our day trip was rather uneventful, and it was obvious we were starting to enter the Midwest.  We stopped for the night at a friend's place just north of Kansas City, MO in Platte City, MO.  Just before arriving at Platte City I found it ironic that we saw a Carhart billboard.  The fact that we saw the advertisement wasn't the ironic part, it was the water tower for Dearborn, MO that followed shortly after.  You see, Carhart is HQ'd right here in Dearborn, MI, so seeing the two tied together reminded me of home.

After a beautiful sunrise in Missouri, we hit the road for our last stretch home.  Other than patch exchanges, our only planned stop for the day was in Le Claire, IA to see where the American Pickers home was, Antique Archeology.  It looks small on tv, and it's even smaller in person!  Danielle on the show has her own place across the street, and I couldn't leave without buying a magnet and poster of her for the garage...with the wife's approval of course, I was allowed to get one with her posing on a motorcycle, which seemed most fitting for the garage.

The stretch through Illinois and Indiana put us back on the path we headed south from on our venture out.  Familiar landmarks and cities popped up as we headed for Michigan.  After reaching the Michigan line, we still had a few hours for home, but it still felt good to be in our home state.  While we fall under the Midwest states, and have our share of fields, Michigan just is a lot greener than much of the other Midwest states.  Fields often don't butt up to the freeway, and instead you see thick wooded areas and vegetation.  More lakes, more cities, and the all around Pure Michigan in which the state now sells itself as.

In the future, something else I learned from this trip was to stay at the independent mom and pop hotels.  For one, you save a ton of money!  Secondly, we didn't really need all the extras like a pool and such.  We just needed a place to lay our heads that was clean and quiet to rest up and hit the road early in the morning.  A trip like this, you don't exactly get to make on a yearly basis.  If not for relatives we stayed with in Santee, CA, the trip would have been significantly more expensive.  Not only the cost, but even though it's a vacation, it's not exactly a relaxing vacation.  Our 8 days in California really flew by, and were equal to the amount of time we spent on the road to and from our destination.  I think every 3 years or so, such a trip would be fantastic.  Perhaps next time with no set destination or time frame, allowing us to stop and see sights along the way.  There were many in which we bypassed in order to make good time and our planned stop.

As fun as the trip was, it was nice to be home.  After seeing so much of the country, 15 states in total, I can say this...Michigan holds it's own in terms of being an attractive state.  Aside from San Diego and southern California, you can have the deserts (Vegas included), the cornfields/cattle fields that stretch to the curvature of the earth, the 115 degree days, and brown dried out vegetation, which even southern California had.  Michigan is actually quite attractive in comparison to many of the other states, and it'll ALWAYS be home.

Santee, CA to Detroit, MI - Photos

2012 Hines Drive Cruise - Simply Awesome!

This year was the 2nd annual Hines Drive Cruise, and the first year I attended.  The show left a lasting impression, and I would argue that it is THE best show in metro Detroit, even topping Woodward, if for no other reason, it's closed down to all traffic aside from classics 25 years and older.  There were a few exceptions that managed to find their way in, but 99% would fall under the acceptable category in my book.

This was a cruise in which you could actually cruise.  The total stretch was probably 5 miles or so, and the cars were lined spuratically along the way.  It was nice simply being able to pull off the road, check out the cars, then hop in my ride and cruise to the next cluster.  You didn't have to pay to park, pay to cruise, or worry about having to remain parked any where.  There were plenty of country officers on patrol, but aside from the occasion blurp and tire squawking, nobody really got outta hand.

Perhaps the ONLY down side is that if you don't have a classic car, the show can be a bit difficult to check out, as it will entail a lot of walking.  That can be solved easily by bringing a bike though.  Woodward will always be an over the top, greatest collection of cars, and largest number of spectators.  Yet this cruise, at a more managable size, and cruise friendly has won me over.  I already can't wait until next year!  This cruise made getting my car quieted down and cooler inside my #1 priority, as it must be baby friendly for our little girl.  Plus, I'm tired of cooking my feet in my flip flops!  There are a few more cruises and car shows on my radar, a few of which I hope to take my Camaro to.  I also plan on attending Frankenmuth this year for a day, though my Camaro won't be making that trek at least this year.

I thought this was a badass 55 when I saw it.  It wasn't until after the fact that I realized that it was painted by my friend, Rod Calvin.  This explains why the car was so badass.

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2012 Hines Drive Cruise - Photos