Free Updates
Search
Navigation
Links
|
 Sunday, February 07, 2010
73 YEAR OLD RECORD BREAKER
Posted by John
Dave Allen of Warren, Ohio, is looking for a 1956 Pontiac 860 two-door sedan with the Strato-Streak 285-hp V-8. Finding such a car isn’t easy, especially in Allen’s case. He is looking for THE car that his great uncle owned — and his great uncle was famous racing car driver Ab Jenkins!
The Pontiac that Allen is looking for is famous, too. In June of 1956, Ab and his son Marvin drove the car over the Bonneville Salt Flats for 24 hours, setting 54 performance and endurance records in the process. Ab Jenkins was an amazing 73 years old at the time.
If the car is located, Allen plans to try to buy it for a new museum being established in Salt Lake City. In an article he wrote for the Sept. 1956 issue of Motor Trend, Ab Jenkins stated, “The car I drove was an 860 two-door stock Pontiac, 285 hp engine. It was fully equipped including radio, heater and defroster.
The Pontiac averaged 126.02 mph for the first 100 miles and 118.375 mph for 24 hours. The one-day run broke all American unlimited and Class C records existing at that time including records that Jenkins himself had set in a special Duesenberg racing car 24 years earlier. During the 1956 run, temperatures up to 123 degrees were recorded.
Lou Moore, of Pontiac, was a friend of Jenkins, who the driver had visited during the 1956 NASCAR Speed Trials, in Daytona Beach, Fla. Jenkins told his friend that he thought he could use a new dual-carb Pontiac to break records at Bonneville. Moore set things up with Pontiac chief engineer George Delaney, but passed away of a heart attack before Ab’s run took place. His death delayed the start of the marathon run until June 25.
NASCAR, Continental Oil Co., Firestone Tire Co. and Pontiac Motor Div. teamed up to carry off the promotion. NASCAR president Bill France visited Pontiac to check over two stock cars and seal them. They were shipped to Salt Lake city and were securely stored in a garage there. A 10-mile circular course was created for the endurance trial.
One newspaper reporting on the event quoted Ab Jenkins’ wife as saying at the finish,” Now the trouble begins . . . now he’ll insist on driving home!” Ab Jenkins drove for 18 of the 24 hours and 36-year-old Marvin was behind the wheel for six hours. “I think it was a remarkable event for Pontiac,” Dave Allen says. “And that Ab was 73 when he did it is equally remarkable.”
Sunday, February 07, 2010 2:07:43 PM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00) 
|
|
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Pit Pal Palace
Posted by John
The first time I heard of Pit Pal Products was at the Iola Old Car Show when I found myself staring at one of the best-preserved Art Deco car dealership cabinets I had ever seen. On second glance, I realized the cabinet was actually a reproduction.
A tag identified the manufacturer as Pit Pal Products. Jody Schmeisser owns Pit Pal
I met him later on and picked up one of his thick catalogs. He mentioned having a garage and invited me to come to it. A weekend trip to Chicago was planned last fall. Jody’s garage is basically a super-sized home shop and storage facility that very comfortably holds six cars, including his wife Nikki’s 1953 Buick Skylark, three 1966 big-block-427-powered full-size Chevy hardtops, a ’69 Camaro Z/28 and a 1966 Nova L-79 Sport Coupe. Two of the big cars are stored on 4-post lifts above the other two. The Camaro sits in a third garage stall. The cars face a wall lined with work benches, tool chests, cabinets, posters, petroliana and automobilia. The white Nova sits in an angled alcove, facing in the opposite. Behind it are restored gas pumps, light-up reproduction neon dealership signs, a Coca-Cola cooler, a Sun 504 distributor tester with cabinet, a Phillips 66 petroleum products display unit and even a wall-mounted Charlie McCarthy puppet. A huge, aluminum handcrafted “427 Impala SS” emblem hangs on the brick wall. Jody explained that he and his friend Dave DeVito began bracket racing at the local drag strip in the 1970s, while still in high school. Before long, they moved up to Super Gas competition. Soon, Jody and Dave had S & D Race Cars up and running and put together cars that took six NHRA National “Best Engineered” Awards. They won the U.S. Nationals in 1988. As they worked on the racing cars, they noticed that their workspace started to get cluttered nents. This led to fabricating shelves and racks designed for mounting to the doors of their racing trailer. Pit Pal Products was officially formed in 1982. Today, the company makes hundreds of items for trailers, garages, shops, homes and offices and, naturally, a number have found their way to the Pit Pal Palace.
As palaces go, the royal digs are small, but very enjoyable. And for a former racer who spent many years working out of a trailer, you can tell that utility and organization were important elements in the design of Jody's great garage.
Sunday, January 31, 2010 1:28:22 PM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)
|
|
Friday, January 29, 2010
KOOKIE KAR REPLICA LOOKS GREAT
Posted by John
The “Kookie Kar” that made “77 Sunset Strip” a hit with car savvy fans started life as a $100 Model A Ford that hot rod God Norm Grabowski purchased in 1952 and later bolted a ’22 Model T body to. The car started its film career in 1955, but the 1958-1963 TV show “77 Sunset Strip” made it famous and inspired LIFE magazine to do a hot-rod-themed issue that featured the Kookie Kar. According to Johnnie Overbay, the owner of Reno Rods & Customs in Oklahoma City, OK, the original Kookie Kar is still in existence, but has been so extensively modified that it would be impossible to return it to its most famous for. Overbay knows this because he and his crew — Doug Burba, Chuck Warman, Gordon Burba, Chris Gutierrez and Bill Norris — spent three years researching a very exacting replica of the car that they then constructed over a period of 13 months. Their car was a big hit at the 2009 SEMA Show in Las Vegas.
Friday, January 29, 2010 4:49:34 AM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)
|
|
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
SEE CREATURE
Posted by John
It may look like a mutant octopus, but Stanley Tool Work’s new SquidBrite is a new worklight that makes the job of illuminating your car shop a little easier. It comes in very handy when tinkering with your favorite old vehicle in the garage. The SquidBrite flexible tripod worklight, with its rechargeable LED, can be perfectly positioned for any task. It can be wrapped around nearby objects so it shines exactly where you want it to. With its pivoting light and flexible rubber grip stand, it can even sit securely on uneven surfaces. SquidBrite’s magnetic backing also holds it tight to metal surfaces. The lighted “head” can be removed from the body for use in tight spots. A total of 20 ultra bright LEDs provide maximum brightness. SquidBrite also emits Constant Light Output to supply the same amount of light from the beginning to end of projects. The rechargeable battery lasts up to six hours and an AC charging adapter is included. Dimensions are 13 x 6.2 x 3.4 inches. Check www.stanleytools.com or call (800) 262-2161.
Tuesday, January 26, 2010 6:07:16 AM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)
|
|
Monday, January 25, 2010
TOY GAS STATIONS
Posted by John
A miniature white and green tow truck featured in a model contest at the Milwaukee, Wis., “World of Wheels” show hauled in countless smiles from visitors to the Jan. 9-11 event at the Brew City’s State Fairgrounds. If you haven’t guessed, the model tow truck’s color scheme matched the Texaco theme used for the model, which is a replica of Wally Platek’s‘60s Texaco Service Center.
We don’t know if that’s the name of the modeler or whether his creation is a scaled down version of a actual 1960s-era Texaco gas station. Whatever the answer, the model is a great example of the art of real life miniaturization. Depending upon their level of confidence and skill in model making, some car hobbyists interested in having their own miniature gas stations may want to scratch building a replica of this one. Other’s may prefer purchasing a model gas station kit. Pine Canyon Scale Models of Dunstable, Mass., markets a 1/48-scale gas station designed for O-gauge model train layouts.
The Pine Canyon kit is a replica of a style of gas station built in the 1930s, though many of these still exist across the country today. This model has a footprint that is 10-1/2 in. across to the edge of the sidewalk and 11-1/4 in. from the back to the front of the pump island curbing. Though this structure is actually done in 1/48 scale, it is designed to accept both 1/43- and 1/48-scale toy cars.
Full color signs and posters for oil companies such as Richfield, Shell, Sinclair, Texaco, Mohawk, Phillips 66, Mobile and Gulf are included in the $149 kit. All parts are cast in high quality light tan polyurethane resin with separate injection molded plastic windows and doors. Roof details include rolled tarpaper roofing, five vent turbines, a heat vent and bathroom drain vents. The station’s soda machine is a scale replica of a 1954 Vendo model. It can be backdated to approximately 1948 by removing half of the release lever. The soda machine and gas pumps are scaled from full sized prototypes. Just about everything is included, except cars, figurines and tow trucks, which must be added.
This model can be ordered from Pine Canyon Scale Models, 167 Westford Street, Dunstable, MA 01827-2405. You can also call them at (978) 735-2138 or email pinecanyon@cedarlane.com
Monday, January 25, 2010 2:43:07 PM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)
|
|
Sunday, January 24, 2010
Classic Kenworth tow truck restored
Posted by John
Advanced Brain Technologies, of Ogden, Utah, is a neuro-technology company that develops and distributes interactive software and music-based programs for the improvement of attention, memory, sensory processing and more. When the company’s chief financial officer Brad Boyajian saw this 1954 Kenworth tow truck it immediately caught his attention. The regal sized wrecker was burned into his memory for all time and his sensory perceptions began to focus on bringing the antique truck back to its original glory..
Brad ultimately purchased the hefty hauler, becoming the truck’s third owner in the process. He then began the giant job of restoring the truck to the condition it is in today. Now, with the project completed, he is putting the truck up for sale so a a serious collector can have the pleasure of owning it.
The 1954 Kenworth tow truck was originally owned by Carl Paruchi of Santa Cruz Truck and Tractor in Santa Cruz, Calif. Paruchi actually built the truck. He originally used a Cummins 220 diesel engine to power it. This motor was later replaced with a big bore Cummins 280 diesel. A Spicer 4 x 4 transmission was mounted behind the engines and gave the Kenworth massive pulling power.
This truck was part of Carl Paruchi’s fleet of six trucks, The fleet also included two other big Kenworth conventionals, a “bubble nose” Peterbilt, a cab over engine Peterbilt and a CBE (cab beside engine) Kenworth. All of Paruchi’s trucks painted in Carl’s favorite colors of white with a red stripe. This truck worked all its life in the Santa Cruz, Watsonville and San Jose areas. It was in service up until the late ‘90s, until the time Carl retired from the towing business.
Carl built this truck in his own shop. Design-wise, it was patterned after the Continental tow trucks manufactured in Los Angeles. This truck is complete with pennant line style cables that manually control the boom height and length. This setup eliminates the need for a steady rest from the top of the boom to the truck frame. The winch is a power take off operated from the main transmission, rather than being powered from the auxiliary transmission tower, as many other tow trucks were. Things were done this way because the auxiliary power tower could not be operated off of a married 4 x 4 transmission. Completing the Kenworth’s hook ensemble is a Tulsa 50,000# single line winch.
Carl is now in his retirement years. He lives in Moss Landing and still does service calls. The trucks were all sold. This one was originally bought by Rena La Chance and was then sold to Brad Boyajian in 2001. The Kenworth underwent a thorough restoration in 2002. It was creatively painted in its current bright red color, with yellow graphics and the running gear done in shiny black. During the restoration, the received a new interior and the drive train was completely overhauled.
For more information about the truck’s history or for details about purchasing it, contact Brad Boyajian, CFO, Advanced Brain Technologies, 5748 South Adams Ave. Parkway, Ogden, UT 84405. Brad can be telephoned at (818) 419-9989 or faxed at (818) 993-4990. Send emails to brad@advancedbrain.com.
Sunday, January 24, 2010 2:09:56 AM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)
|
|
Monday, January 18, 2010
Uptodate Audio In Old Cars
Posted by John
Many collectors today want up-to-date audio quality and features when cruising in their old cars. They may have an AM/FM conversion done to their old radio or install a modern, aftermarket sound system.
Conversions cost a bit and replacing an original radio can hurt an old car's value. A new invention called RediRad™ solves the problems.
Invented by a former electrical engineer from Milwaukee, RediRad™ allows you to enjoy music from a CD player, iPod, Sirius/XM satellite radio, cassette player or simple portable FM radio. The RediRad™ (which stands for “rediscover radio”) is an adaptor that allows you to seamlessly “hook” modern music players to a pre-1985 car’s original radio and play through the old AM band. You hide the small device behind the dash and hook it up to any music player to play through the factory radio. Six- and 12-volt models are available. For information contact Brew City Engineering, Inc., P.O. Box180095 Delafield, WI 53018. Call toll free (877)-BCE-0203 or (262) 646-3363 for local calls. Email questions@rediscoveradio.com or customerservice@brewcityengineering.com.
Monday, January 18, 2010 3:47:43 PM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)
|
|
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
SMALLER VETTE V-8 COMING?
Posted by John
Doug Fehan, the manager of Corvette Racing, confirmed to reporters that the Corvette C6.R will start the 2010 season with a brand-new 5.5-liter V-8 engine. Some observers believe the smaller engine is a harbringer of future changes for the production Corvette. The new engine is ready to go. GM has called it "a 5.5-liter production-based small-block V8." It will be put together at GM's Performance Build Center where ZR1 and Z06 engines are built. It uses E85R ethanol racing fuel.
Wednesday, January 13, 2010 3:28:35 AM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)
|
|
Monday, January 11, 2010
Repro Springs For Straight-Axle Vettes
Posted by John
For a long time, original style leaf springs for straight-axle Corvettes seemed to be made of “unobtanium.” Now, Eaton Detroit has brought them back. Eaton says restorers are better off using the new springs than trying to have their old ones re-arched. “Spring steel has a memory,” says Eaton. “Unless this memory is erased before repairs are attempted, the spring will return to the height it was at prior to being re-arched.”
Before Eaton’s recent release of its exact-reproduction Corvette leaf springs, restorers who wanted a 100-percent accurate straight-axle Corvette restoration had to live with either a temporary repair or the expense of having the springs’ memory put back in by Eaton (the only company that does it) at great expense. But, Eaton introduced correct reproduction Corvette springs at the SEMA Show in November. For information and pricing contact:
Eaton Detroit Spring, Inc.
555 Michigan
Detroit, MI 48216.
(313) 963-3839
sales@eatonsprings.com
Monday, January 11, 2010 3:11:39 AM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)
|
|
Friday, January 08, 2010
Happy New Year
Posted by John
Took me long enough to post this year, heh? This would have been my dad's 85th birthday, but he passed away in 2008. I didn't plan it this way, but it's ironic that I'm starting a new adventure in life on this day and I hope it's a good omen. Today I'll be closing on "Gunner's Great Garage," the 3200 sq. ft. building I bought in Manawa, Wis. To say I'm excited is the understatement of the new year. The concept of "GGG" is to start a kind of old car mall in which people who dream of running a hobby business can do just that at the lowest possible cost. Essentially, I have five offices to rent to anyone interested in a hobby business. For instance, a car show, a gift shop, a parts business, oil additives, etc. I will use my 40 years of experience and my contacts to help these businesses succeed. I am also looking for a licensed dealer who wants to sell collector cars, as the location is perfect for that type of thing. Every hobbyist is invited to drop in and visit. We expect to have our official opening in the spring, but we'll be working there starting next week so don't forget to stop if you're passing by. We are on Highway 22, a mile north of Manawa at the corner of Suhs Rd.
Friday, January 08, 2010 4:20:39 PM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)
|
|
|