Random Thoughts Thread

[Robert Hall]

1 hour ago, A Horse With No Name said:

 

Neat old T Bird!

 

Circa 1975 my older brother had a white '59 T-bird w/a red interior..I was 5, enjoyed riding in it...I remember all the chrome inside.  Being an OSU alum, he repainted it gray. 

Edited April 5, 2021 by Robert Hall

[David]

30 minutes ago, balthazar said:

Ultimate Photoshop or In-breeding? 🤔

[Drew Dowdell]

8 minutes ago, David said:

Ultimate Photoshop or In-breeding? 🤔

Some of them look like the products of a woman infected with Zeka virus during pregnancy. 

[balthazar]

38 minutes ago, David said:

Ultimate Photoshop or In-breeding? 🤔

Neither.

[A Horse With No Name]

https://www.q13fox.com/news/4-fires-intentionally-set-in-renton-overnight

 

The Wetlands Conservation thing is where my son works, kind of wild. 

 

Edited April 5, 2021 by A Horse With No Name

[trinacriabob]

^ with respect to WA state, here's to Gonzaga (WA) over Baylor (TX) tonight.  (Little Gonzaga squeaked by big UCLA a few days ago.) 

Not fanatical about this, but that's the outcome I'd like to see. 

[A Horse With No Name]

 

[oldshurst442]

8 hours ago, A Horse With No Name said:

I went to a greek Orthodox church with friends for Easter. Old callendar, so they were not celebrating easter. 

Next month. 

Greek Orthodox Jesus resurrects on May 2nd this year. 

2 days later and its the Jedi's turn...  (or am I NOT supposed to say shyte like that?)  

Sorry Lord for I have sinned...

 

 

[David]

This is funky cool. Wish I had the time and money for this kind of hobby. Always liked train sets.

 

[trinacriabob]

4 hours ago, A Horse With No Name said:

 

Some people in the design studio at Mopar needed to have their hands slapped for coming up with a couple of these models.  Also, the Polara was polarizing.  

[balthazar]

Huh??

[David]

Very cool for the space program.

 

[trinacriabob]

1 hour ago, balthazar said:

Huh??

:13 boring, dowdy

:17 clunky

:31 scary - Pontiac could pull off the front end theatrics, but this Mopar maneuver is a miss

:38 wallowing suspension

:42 too serious

the Challenger and Charger seem okay

- - - - -

POLARa and POLARizing was a play on words.  Nothing more.  Nothing less. 

I'd gladly take a Polara, even today, to coming anywhere near a polar bear, FWIW.

 

[oldshurst442]

1 hour ago, David said:

Very cool for the space program.

 

 

 

[daves87rs]

So it’s going to be 80 the next few days....need to find my shorts....

[A Horse With No Name]

 

[A Horse With No Name]

Really a worthwhile video. 

[A Horse With No Name]

 

[A Horse With No Name]

Since we talk about EV's and Teslas all of the time...

[A Horse With No Name]

https://www.brookings.edu/research/identifying-and-exploiting-the-weaknesses-of-the-white-supremacist-movement/?utm_campaign=Brookings Brief&utm_medium=email&utm_content=119436281&utm_source=hs_email&fbclid=IwAR3_3rokAzysDjPJ3iya0s7BRFge6XRcJhlKY1-UK4CJrxkhdS7aKgJU19k

[A Horse With No Name]

[A Horse With No Name]

Neat woodworking project...

https://www.military.com/daily-news/2021/04/05/navy-seabees-build-vp-kamala-harris-desk-out-of-wood-uss-constitution.html

[A Horse With No Name]

Not mine, from one of my woodworking groups. 

[daves87rs]

6 hours ago, A Horse With No Name said:

Neat woodworking project...

https://www.military.com/daily-news/2021/04/05/navy-seabees-build-vp-kamala-harris-desk-out-of-wood-uss-constitution.html

Very cool!

[David]

Cool read on why the PNW is a great place to find classic cars.

Here’s why the Pacific Northwest has one of the best climates for classic cars (msn.com)

[trinacriabob]

4 minutes ago, David said:

Cool read on why the PNW is a great place to find classic cars.

Here’s why the Pacific Northwest has one of the best climates for classic cars (msn.com)

The tight and mild temperature band of the PNW between the Coastal Range/Olympics and the Cascades is ideal for cars ... dense, cool, damp air to suck into the engine's intake, moist enough for tires, belts, and hoses, and no extremes that would weather the paint and corrode the frame.

- - - - -

I think of Croatia, and its coastline, off and on.  I think I would really enjoy visiting it.

 

[David]

Wow, amazing to watch an auto get crushed into a cube.

Car baler crushes vehicles into tiny little cubes (msn.com)

[balthazar]

[A Horse With No Name]

13 hours ago, trinacriabob said:

The tight and mild temperature band of the PNW between the Coastal Range/Olympics and the Cascades is ideal for cars ... dense, cool, damp air to suck into the engine's intake, moist enough for tires, belts, and hoses, and no extremes that would weather the paint and corrode the frame.

- - - - -

I think of Croatia, and its coastline, off and on.  I think I would really enjoy visiting it.

 

Ohhh hell yes!

[A Horse With No Name]

Continuing on with the Brutal theme...

[A Horse With No Name]

Automotive content....love both the Chevelle and Mustang...

 

[A Horse With No Name]

 

[trinacriabob]

5 hours ago, A Horse With No Name said:

 

I've been here! Slightly east of Morgantown, WV.  It's just that I saw that treed 2-lane road in fall colors rather than the greenery shown in the video.  It's beautiful.  And, Morgantown has its own charm and still hums because it's the main state college town.  (Other WV towns are not doing too well.)

There are rattlesnake signs everywhere here.  These guys are timber rattlesnakes, from what I learned.  They are not as aggressive as some other "brands."  The one I would not want to get into a tiff with is the Mojave rattler.  Also, with their camouflage that is so damn effective, the signage is but the tip of the iceberg in "preventive measures."

[David]

So Excited, this year Hwy 20 or The North Cascade Loop highway has on average 7ft of snow, clearing started on Monday April 5th and will take 4 to 6 weeks. I always make the 500 mile drive in one day to enjoy the beauty and the huge snow before summer melts most of it. Diablo lake is a prime camping and hiking area I grew up in and so am very excited to do that this summer again. The Chameleon affect of the lake is a must see and is covered in this short video.

Snow clearing on State Route 20 in North Cascades begins Monday | king5.com

Washington's Ultimate Road Trip - The Cascade Loop Scenic Byway

FYI, Liberty bell has over 100 ft deep snow, so the pass should be very cool to drive over once it is cleared.

You can see pictures of the assessment and follow the clearing here: SR 20 North Cascades Highway clearing 2021 | Flickr

[oldshurst442]

8 hours ago, A Horse With No Name said:

Automotive content....love both the Chevelle and Mustang...

 

 

yeah...well...

I like an Olds 442   455

 AND 

A Pontiac Trans Am 455

SD 455

 

 

[Robert Hall]

It is funny how 3 divisions each developed their own 455...yet Chevy had to be different and do a 454.  No one tried to one-up with a 456?   Of course, Cadillac had to be bigger and did a 500..

[trinacriabob]

1 hour ago, Robert Hall said:

It is funny how 3 divisions each developed their own 455...yet Chevy had to be different and do a 454.  No one tried to one-up with a 456?   Of course, Cadillac had to be bigger and did a 500..

Four divisions of GM doing a small block 350 ... and the same four divisions doing a big block 454/5.  

I'll take the small blocks.  And, while I did not enjoy feeding a small block, I sure as heck would not have wanted to feed any of the big blocks ... then or now.

I think that, even if GM had scrapped some of the "duplication," the outcome (wake up call in the New Millennium) would have been much the same.

[oldshurst442]

I could also easily do MOPAR 426 HEMI and  440 six pack on a wide variety of MOPAR muscle. Be it a '69 or '70 GTX/Roadrunner or a  '70 Challenger or a '71 Cuda. 

I almost forgot...a '68-'70 Charger too.  

 

 

 

 

[balthazar]

It's wasn't duplication then, it was individual, largely autonomous brands.
Then; it was moreso that Chevy had a 454, Plymouth had a 440 and Ford had a 460.

Consumers were looking for displacements in those ranges (mid 300s, circa 400, mid 400s), and the brands delivered.

And not that the GM Divisions specifically competed with each other, but they certainly did 'on the down low', so displacement similarities were going to happen, to satisfy the market.

 

Cadillac really only 'stepped out' in displacement in '68 with the 472 (and '70 with the 500). Prior to, they were either right in step with the biggest, or not the biggest. 1960 ~ Cadillac: 390, Buick: 401.

1965 ~ Cadillac: 429, Pontiac: 421, Chevy: 427, Buick & Olds: 425.

Edited April 7, 2021 by balthazar

[trinacriabob]

2 hours ago, balthazar said:

It's wasn't duplication then, it was individual, largely autonomous brands.
Then; it was moreso that Chevy had a 454, Plymouth had a 440 and Ford had a 460.

Consumers were looking for displacements in those ranges (mid 300s, circa 400, mid 400s), and the brands delivered.

And not that the GM Divisions specifically competed with each other, but they certainly did 'on the down low', so displacement similarities were going to happen, to satisfy the market.

 

Cadillac really only 'stepped out' in displacement in '68 with the 472 (and '70 with the 500). Prior to, they were either right in step with the biggest, or not the biggest. 1960 ~ Cadillac: 390, Buick: 401.

1965 ~ Cadillac: 429, Pontiac: 421, Chevy: 427, Buick & Olds: 425.

I am aware of this, at least within GM.  That the 350s weren't an exact 350 c.i. and were all a little different, as you mentioned before.  It was just a numbering convention, and it made sense.

Right in that the market supported this ... the different brands, the different models, and the different engines, which became partly irrelevant as time went on.  They penciled at the time.

Funny, though, that they couldn't give the buyer maroon or blue seat belts with their maroon and blue interiors, respectively, and instead gave you black ones unless you selected the colored ones as an option. 

Lots of line items on yesteryear's stickers ... that was bad.  The opportunity to customize without rigid packaging ... that was good.

[David]

Awesome Donation, a private citizen donated his immaculate 1964 Eldorado convertible in mint condition to help fund the local fire department. The auto will go on auction April 22nd. Hopefully they get an above market price for this beautiful lady for such an awesome cause!

1964 Cadillac Eldorado In Rare Condition To Be Auctioned For A Good Cause (motorious.com)

QUOTE: This classic Cadillac features a green exterior finish over a white wood grain accented interior, a black convertible top, and V8 engine paired with an automatic transmission. While it is not a 100-percent original example, as is this car would make for a good daily driver or an even better survivor quality base for a restoration. Recent service includes four new tires, a cleaned out fuel system, and a replacement convertible motor. Lending a hand to the car's current condition is the fact that it has been in storage for the past 30-years. 100-percent of the proceeds from the sale will go directly to the Williamsport Volunteer Fire & EMS in Williamsport, Maryland to help these selfless volunteers purchase, maintain, and operate emergency life-saving equipment.

[balthazar]

A beauty!  Esp in that (looks like) Firemist Green... tho I so wish Cadillac had continued the hardtop model past '60.  1 of only 1,870 built. 

It's interesting- it's wearing one-year only '56 wheelcovers, which require '56 rims. Someone really wanted them! It's a gorgeous cover (I have one in my collection); the  radiused 'fins' reflect on the center portion, and make it looks, sort of, like a spoked rim.

[balthazar]

10 hours ago, trinacriabob said:

I am aware of this, at least within GM.  That the 350s weren't an exact 350 c.i. and were all a little different, as you mentioned before.  It was just a numbering convention, and it made sense.

'70 Chevy '350' = 349.8 CI
'70 Pontiac '350' = 354.7 CI
'70 Olds 350 = 350.07 CI
'70 Buick '350' = 349.3 CI

3 of them are right on the money, but Pontiac certainly could've billed theirs as a '355' (I think they should have).

'70 Chevy '454' = 454.1 CI
'70 Pontiac '455' = 456.1 CI
'70 Olds '455' = 454.4 CI
'70 Buick '455' = 455.2 CI

One of the big differences on the Buick 455 is that it was 'over square'- with a bore of 4.31" and a relatively short stroke of 3.90".
These were the largest pistons & the shortest stroke of the 4 big blocks above. A shorter stroke gives you faster piston speeds at the same RPM, which is partially how the Buick had the highest (rated) torque of the four big blocks (510 TRQ in '70).

[David]

Crazy Visit by Godzilla!

https://www.facebook.com/100003969304841/videos/2062761220532835/

<iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fjejene.narumpa%2Fvideos%2F2062761220532835%2F&show_text=0&width=269" width="269" height="476" style="border:none;overflow:hidden" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowFullScreen="true"></iframe>

 

[David]

Have to say, this truck holds a special spot in my heart, the Original Chevrolet Silverado 454 SS.

So motor trend talks to one of their photoshop folks telling them to stay true to the formula of what a modern day version of the bad boy above would look like. Chevrolet does not sell the standard cab in the US market, it is sold elsewhere in other global markets and GM has the 6.2L V8 that would be a superior replacement to the 454 engine to put in this new bad boy.

This does make me wonder if a modern electric SS could happen now that we have the Hummer SuperTruck EV.

A Modern Chevy Silverado 454 SS? Here's What It Would Look Like (motortrend.com)

[balthazar]

It doesn't make me wonder that, at all.

- - - - -
 

[David]

15 minutes ago, balthazar said:

It doesn't make me wonder that, at all.

- - - - -
 

SS Supertruck electric I would take over this Demolition Derby worthy only car IMHO. Man that is an Ugly car only it's designer could love.

[David]

Interesting read, very true about Tech replacing hourly workers in the recovery. Some are going to get left behind without re-training for new skills.

Fed's Powell: US nears full reopening to 'different economy' (msn.com)

The dealership lots are getting sparse for product and what I see in the news indicates pretty much all dealers are getting MSRP as there are more buyers than auto's making ATP much higher for everyone at every auto company.

Sadly, gm is now halting more production due to chip shortage across North America.

General Motors halts production at more factories as global semiconductor shortage worsens (msn.com)

This makes ya think twice about going camping and leaving your door open. Camping Couple Finds 6.5-Foot Lizard Nosing Inside Their Caravan; Even Getting On Their Bed (msn.com)

[balthazar]

39 minutes ago, David said:

SS Supertruck electric I would take over this Demolition Derby worthy only car IMHO. Man that is an Ugly car only it's designer could love.

'61 300-Gs have sold for well over $200 grand, so it's a lot more than merely the designer that loves them. 😜

[David]

1 minute ago, balthazar said:

'61 300-Gs have sold for well over $200 grand, so it's a lot more than merely the designer that loves them. 😜

As they say, a fool and his money are soon parted and that goes especially true for EVs today.