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Car Jingo That Bugs Me, Chapter 1

August 25, 2006 / Roger

Rat Rod
I’m sure at some point in the history of the hot rod, it was a radical concept to eschew the fine craftsmanship that went into the best rods and purposefully make something kinda raw and unkempt. The “rat rod” was born. (Being a rat-rodder probably made you a bad-ass, and allowed you to sport the du jour “bad guy” facial hair arrangement.)

But today? Try a search on eBay for “rat rod” and you’ll come up with almost as many results as listings for actual hot rods–that’s not exactly being an outsider.
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Slightly More Talented Than Me

August 24, 2006 / Roger

By “slightly” I mean vastly:

Triple SUs

August 23, 2006 / Roger

This is the only “completely restored” part of my E-Type, the carburetors. I really enjoy this kind of work…sad to think it’s now been three or more years since I completed them! One day I’ll be working on that car again…almost ten years after I purchased it. Pretty pathetic. You can see the rebuild of these carbs in progress over at XKE Data.

Low Miles!

August 21, 2006 / Roger

The Triumph 955i has artificially low miles–due to a speedo glitch. (It’s probably not more than about 150 miles in arrears, but it is annoying.) More and more often, the speedometer ceases to register a speed (or add miles to the odometer; they’re both digital). This always coincides with the ignition key being used–it either works when you start the bike, and keeps working, or it doesn’t work and stays dead. I recently rode to my friend Matt’s in north Seattle, and the sequence of speedo operation? House to ferry, alive; ferry to Matt’s, dead; Matt’s to ferry, alive, ferry to home, alive. Other rides it’s the opposite.

When the speedo is “dead” it will sometimes display a speed of one mile per hour for a few seconds. I’ve wiggled wires but haven’t gone beyond that so far in trying to solve the problem, showing my usual initiative.

Ford Anglia

August 21, 2006 / Roger

Speaking of Anglias, there’s one in the middle of this rather funny video. Bowling for Soup is a favorite band of mine, and this is “The Bitch Song.” They’re from Texas and goddess knows where they found a right-hand-drive Anglia down there.

Shooting Brake

August 20, 2006 / Roger

Rolls Royce cars only appeal to me in their vintage form; I have no real desire to own one any later than the late 50’s. Frankly, I don’t have any great desire to own one at all, they’re just not my style. But I’d readily make an exception for the “shooting brake” in the photo. This is the true definition of an “estate car,” back when estates were actually more than a split-level house on a third of an acre. (This was taken at the same show as the Jowett.)

Hopeless? Well, Duh

August 19, 2006 / Roger

Chuck weighs in on my mental state, or rather, that I’m mental…what would he think if I told him I wouldn’t mind the car in the photo? I think this is the only marque to herald from “Herriot country.” ~~One of the few cars I can think of named after a celestial body, too.~~ Horizontally opposed four-cylinder engine. And apparently more than half of the production still exists, though it wasn’t really a success in its day.

Behold the Jowett Jupiter. It’s a rather homely device but unlike the Daimler SP-250, it wasn’t beaten until the ugly stick actually broke. (I took the photo at the Vancouver All British Field Meet in 2003, I think.)

Mark II Jaguars

August 18, 2006 / Roger

One of my earliest memories of a “classic jag” was seeing a white Mk. II Jaguar turning into a gas station (probably on its way to the service bay, har har)…I thought it was the coolest car I’d ever seen. My father dismissed it as “something that would need a lot of work to maintain” and he also seemed to be of the impression that mere mortals couldn’t afford them. (Very smart man, my father.)
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I’m So “Helpful”

August 18, 2006 / Roger

My track record is so bad with “helping” people buy ye olde English cars that I wonder why people even consider having me along. My theory is that they want to buy the car in any case, despite any flaws we find, and know that they will meet no negatives when I weigh in with my studied opinion.
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Moby D

August 16, 2006 / Roger

This is just about the closest I have ever come to a new car or truck. This F150 four-wheeler was three years old when I bought it with 45,000 miles on the clock. It was a nice, comfortable truck, and when in four wheel drive was very good at dealing with snow, loose surfaces, etc.

I sold it when I realized I wasn’t using it much–it was a lot of money to leave sitting in the driveway. It was also a bit of a monster, as I don’t like full-size trucks without an eight-foot bed, and with the “supercab” that made this machine almost 22′ long. Perfect for our street-parking-only house in the city!

RUSTY HEAPS