balthazar

'latest version' - unfortunately, trillions of batteries still use the much more common rare metals. That'll change about as fast as moving from IC to E has gone. But with the world addicted to plastics like it is (especially -but far from exclusively- the auto industry), oil is correctly defined as a 'vital commodity'. I'm not sure what the 'wind turbine huggers' think they're double mocha lattes are going to be served to them in. Every present & past container material involves petroleum in numerous ways. Automobiles are a tiny sliver of 'a tiny hole in the ground'.

Not gone- just split up & renamed.

Chrysler. Same nose '61-62; '61: huge fins, '62 (this): sometimes called the 'plucked chicken'.

That's gross profit. Net profit is substantially lower. Net for 2019 was $14B, a decline of 31% vs. 2018. Q1 2020 saw a 125% decline, to a loss of $600M. - - - - - Electric vehicles use numerous petroleum-based materials in their production, from tires, bearing lubricants, paint additives, varnishes, coatings, distribution, plant machinery, etc. Just because EVs don't go to the gas station doesn't mean they're not firmly part of the petroleum spectrum. Tesla NEEDS Exxon.

Diesel IS about to slip below $2/gal here. Hmmm, I wonder what Cam 2 is going for??? Nah- I have most of my 455 parts on hand, plus a back-up block if I split the lifter galley.

If there's no new cars, imagine what the used market would turn into. Cuba 2.0. I thought the C4C program was kinda crazy, but who am I to turn down $4600 for a $500 truck??

^ I sure hope that's an Olds powerplant in there. - - - - - Awful lot of 'pure toy' money for these times. Dead on the vine is my prediction.

It’s available for rental.

It was $14B in profit, not $100B.

Grand Coulee Dam construction, 1940 :

Wanted to paint the rear wheel wells today- it was upper 60s here & dry. One rear tire is off; but when I started brushing the well, lots of debris was coming down. The rear wells were the only part of the underside that had undercoating, and most of it is left... but some brushed off and some that fell is apparently mud from the '80s. So after numerous stiff-brush & wire brushings, I went over the whole well with mineral spirits and yet another brush. Put a fan on it but ran out of time to paint... and temps here are going to belly for about a week. On to something else.

About all that's left of me once daily '64 Catalina; both rear door sill plates. They are rough - not good enough for driver quality (besides I believe repros are out there). Since my disease doesn't readily allow me to throw out automotive pieces older than me, I came up with a plan. Kept the center section, and radius-cut the 2 bad ends off. Some steel wool and Poof! another wall hanger.

Coolidge AZ '42 :

'49-50 Mercs are tops~ Great green above, but sure wish the builder hadn't eliminated the characteristic Merc 'swoop' in the body line. Two thumbs down on that point.

there ARE other colors on the wheel, Mr Blu, you know.

But it’s longitudinal-engined / RWD.... how could you possibly call it an “appliance”?? ?

Been picking at various minor tasks on the B-59. Put the instrument cluster, steering wheel & front seat back in for the fist time since I disassembled it. Wanted to gauge the intended aftermarket gauges, and an hidden ignition 'combination lock' to disable the starter. Fun to actually sit in it again. Seat bottom is the original upholstery, seat back is an aftermarket cover. Interior is going to completely change over to black & silver, I think. Seating position has always struck me as weird in '59 GMs. The front floor is still completely flat (last year of that), and the rooflines were lowered vs. '58, resulting in a very 'chaise lounge' position... but myself & my son sitting in it today found it's not bad. Rear seat : shades of '70s F-Bodies :

'70s stuff isn't my genre, and neither is whatever Fleetwood Mac is ('folk rock'?), but there's no denying that the '77 Rumors is a fantastic album. There were a bunch of purely inspired albums in that decade that eclipsed anything else many of the Tier 1 artists ever did. I'm not a Springsteen fan at all despite being from Jersey,, and he should've hung up recording about 20 years ago IMO, but Born to Run is another stellar album.

Not sure how closely you follow the big trucks, dfelt. Chevy/GMC have a SHORT bed (5.5 ft), a STANDARD bed (6.5 ft), and the LONG bed (8). I’d like to go back to a 8-ft bed, but no way with a crew cab. 5.5-ft is just too short w 8-ft material.

I know what I was thinking: the majority of crew cabs are SHORT beds; whats hard to find is crew cab STANDARD beds. The ‘double cab’/STANDARD bed and the crew can SHORT bed are on the same wheelbase, so it’s ‘easier’ to crank them out I guess.

Running boards = ?