By David Clarke

highspeedhijinks

On May 2nd, I attended Rhinebeck, one of the bigger car shows we have here in the Northeast, and happened upon one of the cleanest cars I’ve ever seen. It was a 1967 Chevrolet Chevelle SS. 396, 4 speed, bucket seats, and color-matched wheels with dog dish caps. Checking off this car’s option list would be like checking off your own Christmas wish list. This car looked to have been freshly restored the previous winter and had “better than factory” written all over it. With things like factory-correct hose clamps, a vintage looking Delco battery, and factory chalk markings on the firewall, I knew this car was built for concours judging. I poured over this car for at least 15 minutes, trying to find a flaw in the paint or something that was a little less than immaculate. Its one flaw I found though turned out to be a pretty big one in my book. While crawling amongst the grass to look underneath, I overheard a gentleman say, “I was here early and got to see this one roll off the trailer.” Right then I stopped looking, crushed by what I’d heard. Can’t say I was surprised–it was the cleanest car I’d ever seen at a show. But I can’t help but feel that being a trailer queen diminishes any car that was built to be driven. What do you think–does a trailered car deserve as much respect as a car that drives in? More pictures after the jump.

Continue reading "Trailer Queen < Driver?" »

By David Clarke

highspeedhijinks

It was reported last week that Kia had a pretty bangin’ first three months of 2010. How bangin’? Well, their profits didn’t just double or triple–they quadrupled. Kia saw last year’s January-to-March income of of 88.2 million balloon to a staggering $358 million in their profits. Credit where credit is due–I strongly believe that two crucial factors played into the dramatic increase. One is Kia’s marketing during the Superbowl. Between the hamsters and the toys-come-to-life, they grabbed America’s cute funny bone and walked it all the way to the bank. The second factor is what they are marketing in those ads. That something has popped up in many shapes during the 110 years of the automobile, but the formula is still the same. Follow the jump to see what I mean.

Continue reading "The Formula: Making Big Bucks With Small Cars" »

By David Clarke

highspeedhijinks

We all love to work on our cars–for the most part. A big factor in whether or not you truly enjoy wrenching on your ride is where you are doing it. I’ve done oil changes on a lift, on a pair of jack stands, and on a piece of cardboard out in the street. Let’s just say I enjoyed doing it on the lift more than on my back. Recently, I’ve had to bounce my ride from place to place in search of a decent place to work. Luckily I have a cool service manager at work, and he’s agreed to let me service my ride after hours at the dealership, as long as it’s back outside when I’m done (there’s always a hitch haha). Most of the work I’ve done in the past took place at my grandfather’s garage, but it’s great to have access to a lift for those projects that really need one. So how about you–are you fortunate enough to work out of a garage, or are you doing your wrenching on the asphalt?

By David Clarke

highspeedhijinks

Rob’s recent post about the Hondabaru (or whatever you want to call it) kind of gave me nightmares. Just think of all the obstacles that builder had to overcome to get such a contraption to work. Even thinking back on my own projects, I don’t envy what this builder had to go through. For instance, my header install on my ’84 Caprice should’ve been fairly straightforward–little did I know that by the time all was said and done, I would have to fabricate accessory brackets, modify my shift linkage, and source a “double hump” transmission crossmember only to find out that it too needs fabrication before it will fit. This is supposed to be fun, right? Luckily in my case these are all minor bumps in the road, but a few more and this could fast become a project nightmare. How about you–what was the one project that you wished you never started, or wished you  could be done with already?

By David Clarke

highspeedhijinks

A while ago I asked a question whether I should go with wrapped or coated headers for my Boxy Brown. I took everyone’s opinions into consideration, but in the end I decided to stick with my first choice and wrap my then recently acquired headers. In choosing to wrap, I prioritized underhood heat reduction–a definite issue for my hot-running crate motor with the old cast iron manifolds–over simply looking good and being shiny, which is the most you can expect from many of the header coatings on the market. Now, not only are my headers wrapped but they’re on the car and looking great, so now is as good a time as any to tell you just how I did it. Below the jump is the process I used, with corresponding pics for each step, along with helpful hints that might help you avoid some of the pitfalls I walked into.

Continue reading "How To Wrap Exhaust Headers" »

By David Clarke

highspeedhijinks

In the course of everyday driving, you will encounter some pretty strange traffic devices, from those chaotic traffic circles (thanks, Europe!) to parking signs that involve a troll and a riddle to tell you when you can and can’t park. Here in my hometown they’re about to install a unique traffic device known as a single point intersection that’s intended to reduce traffic congestion and to and alleviate the burden of waiting 6 days and a year for your turn to go. The thing is, it’ll be the only intersection of its kind in all of upstate NY. No one is going to know how to use it, and confusion + bad drivers = accidents, which will lead to more traffic congestion. See where I’m going with this? I personally think though that over time, the single point intersection will become customary and serve its purpose.  In my opinion, the single worst traffic device of all time has to be the 4-way stop intersection. No one remembers what side they’re supposed to yield to, so instead of taking their turn they sit there at the line in an indecisive stupor–and the rest of the idiots blow them altogether, not realizing that stop sign applies to them.  My question to you now is, what do you think is the worst traffic device on the road today?

Continue reading "Worst Traffic Device Ever" »

By David Clarke

highspeedhijinks

The other evening I was having a healthy discussion with one of my friends (let’s call him Hal) on whether certain automotive exploits could be considered motorsports. One we agreed on was demolition derbies–they clearly do not constitute a “sport”. But another activity that we ultimately disagreed on was drifting. I believe without question that drifting is indeed a sport. Thanks to organizations like Formula D, it has a points system, major sponsors, backing from the auto manufacturers, and a dedicated fan base. Hal on the other hand thought that drifting was more of an exhibition that belongs at the state fairgrounds somewhere between the monster trucks and the pickup tug-of-war. My argument for the place of drifting in motorsports relied largely on the fact that drifters have a skill that not every joe blow behind the wheel can achieve–their work takes tremendous effort and discipline, not to mention the precision engineering that goes into their vehicles. Hal’s argument, on the other hand, was that sliding around blowing smoke is not the fastest way around the track, and seems more like showing off–if drifting is a sport, you might as well count lowrider jumping contests within motorsports as well. We were kind of at a stalemate, so I guess it’s up to you fine folks to settle this age-old argument for us. Drifting: legitimate motorsport or empty spectacle?

By David Clarke

highspeedhijinks

We all know how to use the internet–it’s how you’re capable of reading this, right? What I wanna know is, what are your tips for finding the car-related info you need ? My best advice when searching for a part or a certain piece of information is to start right here with the CarDomain community. From there use search engines and be specific with the information you’re looking for, only backing out to more general terms if the search turns up nothing. Follow this, and you can learn how to build just about anything. Case in point:  just yesterday, I used the power of the internetz to learn how to effortlessly adapt a relatively obscure mod to my 1984 Caprice. Follow the jum to find out how.

Continue reading "The Internetz Is Your Buddy" »

By David Clarke

highspeedhijinks

There are a lot of really good hot rod builders out there, from superstars like Chip Foose to the old body guy at your local shop who’s been building stuff since the dawn of time. The poor mutilated vehicles I’ve linked to below, by contrast, have never seen such quality people. They instead fell into the unskilled hands of hacks who built them all “cockeyed”–they must’ve looked good to them, but to the rest of us with good eyes (and decent taste) it’s clear that something went horribly wrong. “Homely” is the tactful word to describe these kinds of builds, and after seeing my fair share of them at the car shows I dubbed them the “Homely Rollers”. These are the cars that are the vision of some automotive Frankenstein who combs the boneyards for scraps and then cobbling these heaps together in the name of creation. If you’ve never seen these abominations, the mutilation of this Chevy Luv pickup, described by the seller as “the cheapest fun on eBay” (I bet!), should give you a good example of this particular brand of “customizing.” Want to see more carnage? Try browsing through these rides I found on Ebay without writhing in pain:  57 Chevy Belair, a fenderless ’49 Fleetline, and a sightless VW Beetle.

By David Clarke

highspeedhijinks

At 1:32pm on Saturday March 20th it became official–Spring has begun! Here in the Northeast, that means that the DOT has stopped ruining our cars with salt and the snow banks are revealing the prizes buried by plow trucks (mostly shopping carts and the occasional smart car). For me it means a chance to start cleaning my car the right way and have it last more than an afternoon before getting dirty again. That said, it’s a good time to review some of the basics of a clean ride. Read my tips after the jump!

Continue reading "Spring Cleaning" »