SAmadei

What they are trying to avoid is having to slap $9,000 in rebates on the trucks to move them. Demand is likely to drop due to current gas prices. They need to match supply to that demand as best as possible. Or is it? Gas speculation is down since Osama Bin Laden died... and some people are claiming prices could be headed back down for a stretch.

Without going into too much detail... Montego Cream (T) Burgundy (originally Mayfair Maize (Y)) Mayfair Maize (Y) Verdoro Green (47) Castillian Bronze (67) Pepper Green (48) Silver (64) Black (19) Cameo Tan (0K) Dark Autumn Maple (78) Light Blue (22) Light Sapphire (22) Flat Black (originally White (11), I think) Dark Adriatic Blue (39) Black (41) Light Blue (21) White (10) White (10) Sport Red (63) White/Light Blue Dark Green (46) Silver White (12) Hertz Yellow Glacier White Solid (9J) Tan Darkish Blue... previously was a '70s chunky metallic blue. Code on this car is odd, either Black or Antique Gold. Bright Red (81) Bright White (16) Silvermist (17) That was a bit of work.

LOL... thinking about the GT-R... I suppose the next step to improve performance is... to get rid of the driver. ~200 lbs of weigh that is not needed. Put the driver in a remote chair wirelessly controlling it... or not even... as I'm sure the computer will do a better job soon.

Yeah, but they are kinda of skirting the terms of usury. For example, an Islamic mortgage is done by the bank buying the property and reselling it at a profit to the buyer in installments. Sure, no interest is charged, but profit is still there... along with procedures to take the property back. The larger question is going to require more thought... but I think much of how the world would work would be like before credit became quite so commonplace... assuming home, car or other big purchases where handled as "payment plans", other purchasing would simply have to be within people's means. Like it was a century and a half ago. I assume this lending law would apply to the government... that means the government would have a lot of debt to get rid of.

Which is I'm sure why this is coming up. You already have people being building alternative fueled vehicles getting caught in a web of road tax evasion red tape and trouble. I'm fine with a usage tax... assuming the gas tax goes away. Have to pay for the roads somehow, but I don't want double taxation for conventional cars. Problems I foresee here are the Draconian rules that are going to come about in order to ensure these miles are tracked. We already have tons of laws to fight odometer tampering, but odo tampering is not a seriously rampant problem at the present. For many people, its not worth going to jail to save themselves a little depreciation. But in a world where your odometer becomes what is costing you 5 or 10 thousand dollars a year or more? I can see that being a problem. Are we going to anti-tamper devices everywhere on the car where an odo could be compromised? Are cops going to test your odo on a roadside dyno? Will you be able to use a aftermarket speedo anymore? What if you have a hot rod without such provisions? To my knowledge, its not actually universally illegal to have a broken speedo/odo. What if you put bigger tires on your car? 5% of $10K is $500... maybe the donk guys are ahead of the curve here.

They definitely existed... the plastic pedal cars cheapness is what killed off the steel pedal cars in the '70s. Plus the Big Wheel. I wanted a Big Wheel so bad... but just as I don't fit comfortably in modern cars, I didn't fit in kids toys very well, either. I have a feeling that the early plastic pedal cars, being left out in the UV, simply did not leave enough material behind to spurn a following. You can sandblast and repaint a cast iron pedal car... you can sandblast and weld in patches on a sheetmetal pedal car. But plastic welding simply does not work as well, large scale. Plus on these cars, as I remember, much of the details were stickers... likely not restore-able. I'm just surprised I can't find ANYTHING on the internet about them. I mean, for crying out loud... I found tons of info on Ding-A-Lings!

Yeah but the V8 gave the car some actual character. well, until the tranny blew up. we have a GXP G8 on our lot right now....took it for a spin recently.....that 4 speed holds it back. the GXP is nice to drive (nothing special) but the Impala SS v8 did not have a driving experience to go with the engine. The Impala SS was just a motor to an otherwise boring and sedate car. Uh... the GXP G8 only comes with a 6-speed Manual, the GT G8 comes with a 6-spd automatic. They never made a V8 G8 with a 4-speed. Yup. There was no 4-speed on ANY trim of the G8. I was thinking he might have meant G6 GXP... but I don't think that ever had a 4-speed, either. Oh well, so much for credibility... ;-) Don't buy a Pontiac from his lot... its got a busted transmission.

You guys are likely not going to have info on this... but I have to ask anyway... Many of my toys from the '70s (Stretch Monster, Ding-a-Lings, Girder and Panel) have gotten serious websearches to understand why they came about. Sometime in the '70s, I got my only actual pedal car. My neighbor likely grabbed it from the trash around 1974/75 since it was already fairly broken when I got it and my father threw it into the trash around 1980 because even though I had long outgrew it, I preferred wheeling around in it as opposed to riding a proper bike. Yeah, I was a strange, car-crazy child. I've been trying to find info on the pedal cars of the '70s, but everything comes back to vintage steel pedal cars and modern plastic cars or reproductions of steel pedal cars. I can't find hardly anything about '70s Plastic pedal cars. The few pedal cars I do find are very upright, narrow tired vehicles. The one I had was downright low-slung and it had big fat tires. I was fairly car-savvy as a child... yet, I was fairly sure it was not based on a production car. It was either modeled after kind of a hybrid muscle car or a Manx dune buggy. It was orange... but that only means that it likely started out as red. I figure it was probably made in '70-73... but I could be off. Any links to "vintage" plastic pedal cars might solve the mystery of exactly what this pedal car was.

Happened across this... thought you guys might enjoy wandering though some of Salem's police photos of car crashes and stuff. http://salempd.org/OldPhotos.htm Edit: A few photos I saw were pretty brutal, but nothing majorly gory... as least what I saw.

To my knowledge, there is no TLC requirement for any percentage of vehicles to be handicap accessible. 240 of 13,000 taxis means you aren't going to see many on the street. In fact, in 5 years, I have only seen one... granted it blended in pretty well, but it was clearly not a normal unit. Perhaps there is a dispatch you can call for a special taxi... but at that point, its a "car service" (TLC regulates these, as well, but differently... the NV200 is not replacing the Town Car.)... and I'm sure there is at least one specialized car service for this need. Well, I guess its like how in Atlantic City, the jitneys used to be basically any old jalopy with a sign on it... eventually, the Jitney Association required the Jitneys to be a specific color, body... and handicap accessible. I don't know the history of the TLC, but the 5 year-or-newer requirement didn't start until about the '90... when at the time the Checkers were still driving around... and a lot of really trashed Chevies and Fords. I suppose Giuliani helped push it through as a way to clan up the city from the awful '70s and '80s. There was a huge uproar about the 5 year-or-newer rule... as the iconic Checkers would be phased out. So the Checkers were grandfathered in... pending rigorous inspections... IIUC, one fail, and the cab had to be retired... I would think that simple functionality would be enough to keep certain vehicles out... but since the TLC has approved cars IMHO unsuitable (Prius) to be taxis, I feel the TLC has become a useless place for the mayor's friends to collect a salary.

The Crown Vic wasn't handicap accessible. At least the NV200 _could_ be made wheel chair accessible in the future... the current wheelchair accessible taxis in use a rear liftgate-style loading setup, which I'm sure could be implemented to double as the rear cargo area. As opposed to being patriotic using Canadians? Granted, the Canadians do get better wages, but they aren't part of the US... yet. In the past, I would agree... but the NY TLC has been very good at keeping the current crop of installed electronic gizmos from being broken. Even though you still get some verbal claims of "broken card system", they usually actually work... but the driver's prefer you to use cash. Its been a LONG time since I was in a NYC taxi with a glaring problem. Yeah, 10 years is a bit long, especially considering this isn't that much better than some of the minivan taxis that have been driving around NYC for the past 5 years. I'm wondering about this contract. NYC does not own the taxis. And to the best of my knowledge, taxi companies can still purchase any car on the NY TLC approved taxicab list. I'm wondering if this purchase contract is for smaller companies that might buy through the city to get better rates, financing or something. Otherwise, is it a contract for Nissan exclusivity on the TLC approved taxicab list? Bloomburg is just in it for the money. Nissan probably wrote him a big check. Bloomburg is the worst, yet I bet he somehow gets a 4th term. Well, depending on what street (or borough) you stand on, you might not get any taxis even in 2011. ;-) Apparently, you can get one of 6 Leaf taxis. Seriously, I think NYers only care that the taxi is reasonably roomy. With the disappearance of the Crown Vic in five years (Taxicabs must be 5 years old or less), some sort of SUV or minivan taxi was the future... it looks like this will be roomier than the Transit Connect... and thats all I care about when riding. I wonder how the EV tie in will work... the TLC has previously said that new taxis would have to be hybrids or better... which this appears to not be. Some greenies like taking one of the incredibly tight hybrid Prius or Altima taxis. (I took one once... will never again, as I took up the whole car.) I imagine these are as close to picky purveyors as you're going to get. As a rider, I'm horrified by the 4 cylinder engine... my taxi will not be able to drive like Mad Max to get me to my destination. As a driver alongside the taxis, I'm delighted by the 4 cylinder. I'm going to be able to chop up taxi traffic like a herd of cows. Those V8 powered CVs in the steel grip of a determined taxi driver were a real PITA to get around before.

Fords historically has used rivets... your setup is kind of the odd one. Actually, I've now heard that later Panthers used pressed in upper and lower ball joints. Thats a lot more of a PITA than rivets. The rivets aren't so bad... with a sharp, properly sized drill bit the heads come right off. Actually, I've had more problems getting the uppers out once the rivets were decapitated... the rivets hold it very tight even without the heads... and the shape of the control arm limits where you can chisel. Once you get a feel for it, though it goes faster. I wish the it was possible to re-rivet the top joints... OMHO the bolts never hold the joint as securely. I love that a lot of cars now have bolt in lowers... the Bonne has those... but the rears are still press-in. Guess which I've replaced. Yeah... had to press in a new rear joint after my rear control arm cracked and failed.

Well, come up with some real cars, too. ;-)

Knob and tube? Pennies for fuses? Aluminum wiring? Sounds like you need to dream of Mike Holmes inspecting your house, not a new EV. I'm already uber-paranoid and I don't fear the Volt any more than any gasoline powered car. Now, shorting and catching fire during an accident, well that's different... but I doubt you are likely to have a car accident in your garage.

You don't have a jack and jackstands? I've never needed to put a car higher in the air to do the job. You would also need a pickle fork and a ball joint press kit... Harbor freight sells a cheap one that gets the job done. You may also need torsion bar tools. Edit: I'm not sure a lift actually helps this job. Idler arm is fairly easy... likely two bolts holding it to the frame, and a joint you'll need to separate with a pickle fork. Aside from the 3 nuts requiring higher than average torque, not a problem. Install Zerk fitting and lube. Lower ball joints require being pressed out/in. Put your lower ball joints in the freezer in a plastic baggy. Jack car and put it on jackstands... you will need your jack later. I would replace the upper ball joints at the same time... drill out rivets, chisel off remaining heads. Remove brakes and axle nut. Loosen castle nuts, used pickle fork to separate both ball joints. Do not remove the nuts. Use jack to under the lower control arms slowly to compress the torsion bar pressure. Remove nuts... lower control arms slightly. You might need to disconnect the torsion bars at this point... I've never worked with them, however. Remove knuckle. Remove upper joints... you may need to persuade it out by chiseling between the joint and control arm. Now you can set up the press to push the ball joint out of the lower control arm. I can explain this, but its likely beyond the scope of this description for now... the kit will also show how its used. Once its out, set up the press for pushing the new ball joints in. Inspect the ball joint opening for looseness, cracks, etc. I usually clean out any rust and put a bit of lube in the hole to help get the new joint in. Get your frozen new lowers... they should press in much easier than removing the old ones, but be careful to ensure the joint doesn't get crooked. Some cars have splined joints, which stay straight... your car likely doesn't. Some crookedness can be "pressed out", as the joint will align once the control arm hole rests on the ball joint shoulder. Put the boot over the top of the ball joint... you might need some wood and a hammer to snap it in place. Install the uppers... I use grade 8 hardware... not the bolts in the box... I've had the supplied bolts strip or loosen/disappear. I also install the bolts nuts up... more room. Install spindle. Torque ball joints to spec and back off enough to install pin. Install torsion bar, axle nut, brakes as needed. Thread Zerk fittings into joints... careful, they can strip... I keep extras in the garage, though. Lube. At this point a front end alignment might be needed... I probably wouldn't until I test drive it and watch the tire wear a bit. The first side will take you 3-4 hours... the second side will take less than half that. Its definitely doable... no step is awful. Normally, the only relatively dangerous part is removing the spring pressure... but you don't have springs. Its a good DIY project because the parts are fairly cheap... but the job can be expensive due to the labor. Hope this is food for thought... at least you'll know what the mechanic is going to do if you have it done for you.

I want to install a 5.0 V8 into a Town Car or the LS sedan.. a sleeper Its a crime against nature, but I'd rather see a LSA or 392 Hemi installed in a Town Car/LS sedan than the 5.0. I'm just not into the 5.0, or Fords modular V8s for that matter.

You beat me to the punch... I was going to suggest HR (for Hot Rod) Lincoln as the performance branding... but unfortunately a HR Lincoln MKS or whatever leaves me flat, regardless of name.

He has become a martyr, but it was an unfortunate side effect to our mission. We had no choice but to chase him down. At least his martyrdom is sullied by the fact he hid in caves for nearly ten years... just as Saddam is only a minor martyr at best because he was found hiding in a hole like a coward. If there is any justice in this world, hopefully right about now he is getting to meet some NYPD/NYFD bruisers with some karma to administer.

Interesting dilemma.. I wonder what we do with the body. I realize that we have a lot of ideas of what we would LIKE to do with the body, and Bin Laden's family and cohorts are lucky we don't live in the time of the Romans or such, because we would do something non-PC. But its not like he was a dictator of a foreign nation, where the body is their problem... and he was distant (supposedly) from his family. Do we put him in a file in the Smithsonian or a government warehouse... next to the Area 51 alien bodies, Fishbowl 1000 MPG carburator, the moon sets used to fake the Apollo landings and the magic JFK bullet?

Speaking of the Allante, there is a '87 Pearl white one for sale near me... burgundy interior. Unfortunately, no price or mileage (can't read due to it being digital) when I looked at it. Pretty good shape, typical problems expected of a 24 year old car. I know someone here is a Allante fan, I can take some photos if they want... I have the phone number that was on the car, PM me for it. Its in Absecon, NJ... just outside of Atlantic City.

I saw 1/2 dozen of those at a car show a few years ago, mostly convertibles..interesting body kit..called a C53 Commemorative Edition. http://images.loqu.c...ive-edition.jpg Seen those before, but they leave me with mixed feelings. I really don't think orange is a good color for it.

I don't remember GM putting the Kelsey-Hayes name actually on the 8 lugs... but I don't have a set to check... yet.

I'm wondering how short one of these could be made...for something of the same reason. I really like the flat black one. Very sinister.

I mostly agree, however, I feel its a bad thing for the Scandinavian auto industry, and the Swedes really should try somewhat to save it. Letting historic auto companies disappear and just quoting it as a victim of ongoing auto consolidation will likely eventually leave us with a new "Big 3 (left)"... Chery, Tata and Hyundai. It would be interesting to see exactly how screwed internally Saab is. Don't get me wrong, the ways things are going, China is likely the only saving grace for Saab... but then again, the Chinese will likely own GM someday, anyway, so we better get used to it.

Just when I thought stuff like Ironhide and the IH CXT were crazy... I got behind a F650-based 6 door crew-cab pickup truck the other day. Didn't get a photo, but found a bunch of them at f650pickups.com. Considering that to my knowledge F650s start at a 28K GVWR, you would need a CDL for one of these $145,000 pickups. LOL.