37 Dodge Pickup, Proud to Rat

What do you do if you have parts from several 30's vintage Dodge trucks lying around? You add a white painted SBC Chevy, lower the whole thing over a set of green wheels and start driving.

Selling Off an Old Car, or Hoarder Relief

I’ve been on a mission the last couple of years to de-clutter my life. I have sold off and given away parts, collectibles, and vehicles in order to simplify and focus more closely on a few projects. Overall the process has been successful but bittersweet.

So it was a no-brainer when I tried to move a 1993 Sentra out of the shed this fall and the tires fell apart from sitting so long. The Nissan had to go! This would be an easy one. This is not a car I have any interest in working on. It isn’t fast or sexy or cool. So I put it up on Craig’s List and sold it off. Nothing to it. I opened up a bay in the shed, one less thing on the list of gotta-do-something-withs. Done is done and done is good.

Except.

The "Coop de Ville", Homesteading For Hot Rodders and Chickens

There is a link between hot-rodders and home-steaders. Perhaps the do-it-yourself attitudes. Maybe the deep anti-establishment roots of the movements. Probably just because we all dig good tools and need a reason to use them.

O'Reilly Street Machine Nationals, Horsepower at the Fairgrounds

This weekend was the second year for the O'Reilly Street Machine Nationals in St Paul, MN. Since the Car Craft show moved to Milwaukee, O'Reilly stepped in to fill the weekend in Minnesota.

River Falls Cruz-In. Vintage Car Sunday

Buzz and the girls and I made it out to the River Falls Days Cruze-In on Sunday.

New Richmond Fun Fest Car Show

 It was another hot and sunny summer day at the New Richmond Fun Fest Car Show.

Crusin' on the Croix, Stillwater Hot Rod Night

 It was hot and clear Wednesday afternoon when we went downtown Stillwater, MN for the twice a month Crusin' on the Croix car show. A beautiful setting that always brings out some fantastic cars.

Back to Fifties 2016, or...No Mustang Burnouts

Minnesota's back to the Fifties. 2016 was another great year for the 10,000 Lakes State's biggest car show. There is so much to see that you can go into candy-coated overload.

Wisconsin Car Show Weekend

 We were out at the “Comforts of Home” show in River Falls, WI last Sunday. We got there around noon, which was too late to register (the show started at 10:00 AM) but we were in time for lunch served by the folks at the “Comforts of Home” assisted living center and music by the “Rock Man”.

Due to heavy rains the night before the show was moved from the grass to the parking areas around the circumference of the site which made for a unique car show experience where you only saw small groups of cars at a time but there was always a treat around the next turn. Due to a couple of tired children, we left as awards were being announced so I don’t know who took home trophies but there were plenty of beautiful cars to pick from. We saw a super original Corvair convert, a stunning Buick Skylark and many many more.

Minnesota Bug-In

Do you like bugs? How about dune buggies, VW buses, three legged dogs and tie dye? I’m not a huge fan of tie dye but the rest of it’s great. And there was a lot to go around at the 2016 Minnesota Bug-In.

Good Neighbor Days

My little buddy and I went out to Roberts WI’s Good Neighbor Days Car Show on Saturday. This is the first time just the two of us went to a show and in case you don’t know, bringing a 17 month old to a car show will wear you out. He likes to peacefully wander about until he’s about three steps away from me and then take off hell-bent-for-leather laughing and squealing towards disaster.

It was a nice show with music from the Music Man Truck and a country twosome under the tent. A lot of cool cars and friendly people as is the norm in our little part of the world. We saw a super low mileage original 1960 Ford Falcon, a great patina’d low-rider 50’s Chevy pickup and a yellow 1975 Trans Am that might have been new.

I made it out to Coffee and Cars at Big Guys BBQ yesterday morning. This is held the last Sunday of the month all summer long. The weather was cold and threatening and that kept the turnout down but I had a good time talking cars and being outside and the occasional appearances of the sun were appreciated.

We made it out to the "Willow River Cruisers" show at Uncle Mike's in Hudson yesterday. This is always a good show and Uncle Mike's is a good host. Good music, lots of door prizes, beautiful weather and great cars.

I had planned on getting out to the Spring car Show at the Minnesota State Fairgrounds last weekend but God reads our plans like the funny pages. My old tractor broke, my truck broke, the daughter’s car broke and the heater in the shop went belly; all in two weeks.

Went out to the Gopher State Timing Association's 60th annual show this morning. They put on a good show.

Love the flames against grey/green

 Lots of fun stuff to see.

Trends and Fads Oh My, Oh My

My recent trip to the auto show got me thinking about automotive trends, most specifically in the hot rod arena. I notice that everything has black or dark gray wheels this year. Not exactly a new fad but has it reached crescendo? I think so. A lot of vehicles look cool with the dark wheels. They are menacing on a new Durango and I’ve seen a lot of street machines use the look successfully. At least everyone quit spraying their wheels with neon paint for a while.

Going Green

Well, I did it. I sold the Mustang and ordered a 2016 Prius. 

The thought has been at the back of my mind for a long time and I just couldn’t live with the guilt of being a gross polluter anymore. Somewhere a skinny polar bear is thanking me.

No more waiting for the engine to warm up. No more waking the neighbors when I pull out of the garage belching “good morning” through 2 ½ inch duals. No more attracting the attention of local law enforcement at every stop light. My Prius just wrrrrrr, clicks into silent motion and the only emissions are the lyrics of "When Doves Cry" whispered softly in the night.

Gotta go to the auto show!

I’m not a new car guy. I don't get excited by a car that parks itself or links with my blue tooth. But I am a car guy and every few years I make it out to the Twin Cities Auto Show.

I enjoy the show, crawling around on vehicles I may be interested in buying ten years from now; looking at $100,000 Porches like I may really be able to buy one.

We are coming to the Twin Cities Auto Show and have some complimentary tickets to give away! https://t.co/vw9asKvHCM

— Toyota Drive Center (@toyotadrives) March 3, 2016

Hoarders...I Mean Collectors

Collectors

A lot of car enthusiasts are collectors. My wife prefers the term hoarders. We have our cars, and models of our cars, and pictures of our cars, and dealer brochures, and gas station signs and juke boxes in our garages. We immerse ourselves in all the stuff we think is cool. It’s cathartic, like green tea and yoga.

Over the years I’ve collected hundreds of plastic model kit and thousands (really, thousands) of toy cars. Juke boxes, pinball, gumball, pachinko; I’ve got ‘em. Car parts; there’s another one the wife doesn’t understand.

“Why did you buy a hood for a ’69 Chevelle? You don’t even have a ’69 Chevelle!”

“But if I get one, now I have a near perfect hood, and it was a deal”

Vintage Mustang Concept Car Spotted

A couple years ago I had the wife’s G35 in for repairs after she filled her deer tag for the season.

I was talking to the shop owner and he told me he had an old concept car in the the shop. When we went back I saw this beauty.

Apparently the car had broken down while on a joy ride and when the owner left it to get help, the car was vandalized so needed some paint repairs. While it was in the shop they were doing some other repairs including some wiring in the cabin and replacing the hydraulic rear suspension with stock Mustang components.

Come on Spring!

I'm getting anxious for Spring.

I've marked some of my favorite shows and cruise nights on my calendar. I've polished up the Mustang (a couple times).

Child Safety Seats in Vintage Cars

Child safety seats in classic cars.

Is it evil that I researched which baby seat fit my 65 Mustang better before I researched which was the safest? Yea, it probably is. When I was a kid, we were lucky if we were buckled in. We were just as likely to be thrown in the back of a pickup with half a load of chicken manure and no working latch on the tailgate. Of course back then you worked eight hours for a dollar and twelve cents and everywhere you went was uphill.

Barrett-Jackson fever

January 24^th. Only four days away. I have already studied the docket and planned which cars I will be bidding on if I hit the lottery Wednesday night. The 1 point umpty billion dollar prize was claimed last week so I have had to pare back my selections considerably.

Autonomous Smontonomous, Ford Promises Driver-less Car.

Ford has announced that they are moving aggressively in the development of an autonomous car with an eye on affordability for the masses. Daimler and Tesla are expected to have driver-less cars on the market within the next five years.

Now I was OK with Daimler and Tesla, they’re more or less specialty or luxury marks here in the US. But Ford? That’s bread and butter man.