the last time I looked, these weren't getting sold in the USA https://justacarguy.blogspot.com/2023/06/volkswagen-finally-showed-off-its-long.html
Friday, April 26, 2024
The 2023 California Concept provides a preview of what the upcoming Multivan-based California camper van will look like, but will it be available in California?
the last time I looked, these weren't getting sold in the USA https://justacarguy.blogspot.com/2023/06/volkswagen-finally-showed-off-its-long.html
Thursday, April 25, 2024
It's so annoying that corporations are run by people making millions annually, and they best they can do to improve their business is getting young people hired to be social media experts. Now, John Deere is trying this
They've recruited Brock Purdy, who has the most wins of any quarterback in Iowa State history, leading the program to a 30-17 record, which resulted in him being drafted by the NFL into the 49rs, and in his video are influencers, including Indiana Pacers point guard Tyrese Haliburton, Olympic gymnast Gabby Douglas, tennis player Anna Frey, business influencer Natalie Marshall and agriculture content creator Laura Farms.
But, I don't think John Deere wants to face their problems head on, and make nice with farmers and ranchers, after all, they pushed for that proprietary law to prevent farmers and mechanics from fixing John Deere made products less expensively than their dealership hourly rates.
Learn more about the job at https://www.JohnDeereCTO.com and get your application in by April 29!
the next Chief Tractor Officer's main job will be to: "create face-melting social media content that shows all the incredible and unexpected ways farming and construction work hits different."
The gig comes with a face-melting salary close to $200,000.
I'd have done that the old fashioned way for 1/2 that, without social media.
But, corporations gave up on the old fashioned ways of doing business, probably because the marketing and advertising companies that used to make commercials that last forever in memory (dog chasing a cat sized chuck wagon through a kitchen, don't squeeze the Charmin, Budweiser frogs, etc are worth it, but, they charge the same for the lame flops)
And magazines are tanking.
But just sending someone around to farms and talking to people that use tractors, to construction sites and talking to excavator operators, and talking to lawn and garden workers, and ATV users, and getting their stories, no matter how cool, how old, or how many that I or anyone else who digs tractors, construction equipment, and perfectly mowed yards and lawns, comes up with, unless it's going to result in the desired amount of internet traffic. That just isn't going to sell more NEW tractors, probably not even attract new investors into buying John Deere stock.
But just sending someone around to farms and talking to people that use tractors, to construction sites and talking to excavator operators, and talking to lawn and garden workers, and ATV users, and getting their stories, no matter how cool, how old, or how many that I or anyone else who digs tractors, construction equipment, and perfectly mowed yards and lawns, comes up with, unless it's going to result in the desired amount of internet traffic. That just isn't going to sell more NEW tractors, probably not even attract new investors into buying John Deere stock.
But, I don't think John Deere wants to face their problems head on, and make nice with farmers and ranchers, after all, they pushed for that proprietary law to prevent farmers and mechanics from fixing John Deere made products less expensively than their dealership hourly rates.
It's all about the videos for tik tok, You tube, facebook and Instagram traffic, just like the Dodge marketing campaign looking for a new Chief Donut Maker... when Dodge already has Goldberg as a Spokesman, and after that nothing else hit the media.
For example, some people use its equipment to clear snow from stadiums,
while its autonomous tractors and herbicide sprayers with built-in cameras can precisely target weeds
how the grounds crew at Wrigley Field maintains their iconic ivy-covered outfield wall? How about watching a world-class roadbuilding crew paving a street in a day?
But do you think social media influencers know of Norman Borlaug? Not a chance.
The Gremlin Special (C-47) crashed with a small crew of 5 and 19 passengers, during a sightseeing flight over New Guinea, over the Shangri-La valley, then things got BAD... on May 13th, 1945 (Iwo Jima conquered, mothers day)
At the time of World War II, much of the island was uncharted — hundreds of planes crashed there, and few were ever found.
This is one of the few crashes in New Guinea where survivors lived to tell the tale. The flight began as a sightseeing tour with 24 men and women stationed in New Guinea boarded the Gremlin Special to fly over a hidden valley that had been nicknamed "Shangri-La."
An enormous valley 40 miles long, 8 miles wide, and inhabited by anywhere near 100,000 to 120,000 tribesmen who were living basically a Stone Age existence."
An enormous valley 40 miles long, 8 miles wide, and inhabited by anywhere near 100,000 to 120,000 tribesmen who were living basically a Stone Age existence."
Five days after V-E Day that celebrated the end of the war in Europe, the C-47 left the base in Hollandia on New Guinea’s northern coast about 2:15 p.m. on a morale flight over Shangri-La. It crashed into a mountain near the valley entrance 45 minutes later, killing all but six instantly.
Low-lying clouds obstructed the pilot's view and the plane slammed into the side of a mountain, 165 miles from civilization
One of the few survivors, John McCollom, was an Army lieutenant, he led the two other injured survivors, Cpl. Margaret Hastings of the Women's Army Corp and Sgt. Kenneth Decker, on an arduous trek in search of a clearing, where they would have a better chance of being seen. After a journey through a dense jungle and down a steep, treacherous gulley, they finally reached an open area where they were spotted by rescue planes.
Low-lying clouds obstructed the pilot's view and the plane slammed into the side of a mountain, 165 miles from civilization
One of the few survivors, John McCollom, was an Army lieutenant, he led the two other injured survivors, Cpl. Margaret Hastings of the Women's Army Corp and Sgt. Kenneth Decker, on an arduous trek in search of a clearing, where they would have a better chance of being seen. After a journey through a dense jungle and down a steep, treacherous gulley, they finally reached an open area where they were spotted by rescue planes.
the only survivors: Sgt. Kenneth Decker (from left), Cpl. Margaret Hastings and Lt. John McCollom
After much consideration, it was decided that the only aircraft that could get in and out of the valley were gliders. At first, it seemed an unlikely choice, says Zuckoff. "Who among us said, 'OK, we have no way out, let's drop gliders into this valley a mile up off the ground?' "
Not ideal, but it was the best solution they had. Multiple gliders were sent down into the valley, and the survivors and paratroopers were strapped into them.
The rescue mission then sent tow planes overhead, with hooks on their bellies, to snatch the gliders up into the air and bring the wounded survivors to safety.
Cpl. Margaret Hastings (right), the lone female survivor, was a media favorite. At a press conference after the rescue she quipped, "I'd like a shower and a permanent."
one of the recon soldiers wrote a LOT about the rescue: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/earl-walter-5217-recon-bn-led-one-most-interesting-jumps-phillips-avaje
After this was over, I asked Alec why we got so much press. He said it was a dead news time since, at the time, the Philippines were under control and Okinawa hadn't taken place, yet. He said, "You, also, had a WAC that was on the plane, so the press thought this was unbelievable copy."
On July 2, 1945, after having spent forty-two days in the jungle and after we hacked out the landing area, we were ready for a glider to land. We only used one glider at a time. The Army Air Force was concerned because they had to get up to about 10,000 feet once they snatched the glider from the ground. It was one of the highest recorded glider pickups; it was over 5,000 feet. (Editor's note: It was, also, only the second Glider Landing in the PTO
The crew of the Gremlin special were the first people in the world, outside of other local tribes of course, to encounter the Dani tribe.
On July 2, 1945, after having spent forty-two days in the jungle and after we hacked out the landing area, we were ready for a glider to land. We only used one glider at a time. The Army Air Force was concerned because they had to get up to about 10,000 feet once they snatched the glider from the ground. It was one of the highest recorded glider pickups; it was over 5,000 feet. (Editor's note: It was, also, only the second Glider Landing in the PTO
The crew of the Gremlin special were the first people in the world, outside of other local tribes of course, to encounter the Dani tribe.
Zuckoff tracked down the only surviving key player in the story at a retirement home in Oregon and got his hands on journals, photographs and scrapbooks of the adventure, but it was an interview with the son of the Dani tribesman who befriended the survivors.
Thank you John S!
nose boop! Thanks John S!
when landing, the tailhook and rear wheel just sheered right off, a bit of a ground loop occurred and it went nose first at the island superstructure
I was just told about a great trick used during the OPEC oil crisis gas rations times, when gas stations would only fill you up if you had less than a 1/4 tank....
one guy with a dual tank truck installed a resistor in the fuel tank level indicator wiring behind the dash, and when he went to a gas station, would flip a hidden switch, so it would show the attendant on the gas gauge that barely any fuel was in the truck... then fuel up one of the tanks, or top off them both, tank the truck home, siphon the gas out to a holding tank (like the 5 hundred gallon natural gas tanks many houses had) and then take the truck to different gas station to refill.
Many gas stations only would allow vehicles with license plates that had some even or odd number in the sequence to fill up on certain days. Hey, I wasn't old enough to go to school! I don't know the many methods for only allowing a very few people to get gas, but, I do remember waiting in the non air conditioned car for 15-30 minutes every time mom had to gas up in 1974-75ish. I even remember the station she went to. I was 3 or 4. It was next to the laundromat she went to... it's ridiculous what your brain holds onto and makes available... never the answers to the trigonometry test in high school... nope.
Wednesday, April 24, 2024
there are some cool new inventions that I haven't seen at SEMA... this is a remote controlled sun shade that mounts to the roof rack rails
I kid you not, if these come down to where I can afford one, someday, I'll get one. Keeping the sun out of, and off of, the cab keeps the temp down inside your car by 30 or 40 degrees I've found from using a reflective car cover that only gets the cab covered down to the beltline. I've posted about it https://justacarguy.blogspot.com/2018/09/i-am-very-very-happy-with-this-heat.html
it takes something nice to pull your Ferrari to the races... and owning a Buick dealership in San Fran in the early 60s, was all it took to afford it
the Brand X at Lions... thanks Larry W! (not what you sent, I know, but, really cool and gleaned from that video) This was a combo of Kurtis, AK miller, a junkyard Corvette chassis, and Dougs headers
Jack Lufkin and his “Brand X” Corvette
13:1 compression, Isky 505-C cam, Hilborn port fuel injection, a Mallory Mini-Mag fired the mix, and a special set of square-port headers by Doug vented the exhaust.
Kurtis’ shop built the custom body, which was meant to be a replica of a ’62, but the proportions seem all wrong. That’s because it was treated to a 6-inch channel, and the lower edges of the body tapered inward towards the full belly pan.
ran a 193.44 mph class record at the salt,
nabbed the NHRA quarter-mile speed record in the BM/Sp class at 131.95 mph,
and the NHRA half-mile record at 151.51 mph.
nabbed the NHRA quarter-mile speed record in the BM/Sp class at 131.95 mph,
and the NHRA half-mile record at 151.51 mph.
Lufkin worked with Ak Miller, whose engine building skills and talent behind the wheel made him a fierce competitor in virtually every form of wheeled motorsport
The foundation for this race car was a ’60 Corvette chassis Lufkin found in a JUNKYARD. He drilled lightening holes wherever he could, and had Frank Kurtis (legendary Indy car builder, among other things) construct a beam-axle frontend with stock spindles and brakes and an Indy-type torsion bar suspension. Lufkin retained the Vette’s rearend, swapping ring-and-pinion gears as needed—tall 3.08s for Bonneville, 4.11s for the half-mile drags, and 5.12s for the quarter.
It was subsequently sold to Doug Thorley of header fame who campaigned it Modified Sports classes.
https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/corvette-hot-rods-picture-thread.545759/page-331
Once there was a time when drag racers could build anything that wasn't mentioned in the rules... then Vance Hunt pissed off the rule makers, and they made a new rule: "If it does not say you CAN do it, you CAN'T"
This is really a twin engine dragster... that is some fuel go-cart engine that spun the blower. I shit you not. The belt came off and that's when the dragster was put on the trailer.
Why? To win in the "twin engine" class they once had.
I decided in 1962 to run the AA class. I got a fuel go-cart engine from a friend, adapted it to the front of my 392 Hemi, and sat down with a rulebook to make it legal. I covered it up with a blanket so as not to cause a problem until qualifying started.
We made the first round of qualifying and my driver JL Payne ran a very good pass with both engines. We pulled back into the pits and in about six or eight minutes, Tice showed up and he was so mad. He said, "Take it OFF." I told him that his own tech people said it met every rule in the book. He said, "If you run "IT," your car will RED LIGHT!"
I took the engine off and won the race that year. This is one of my deals that worked out OK. I won the race and got my point across. After that, we didn't have to race a bunch of also-ran cars after the real race to get the money.
Early the next season, Tice brought me the new rulebook and told me that it was written for me -- on each page it said, "If it does not say you can do it, you can't."
https://www.draglist.com/stories/SOD%20Feb%202002/SOD-022102.htm
thank you George!
I had a record number of hits (people stopping by the blog) the last two days. No idea why
On Monday there were 59,800, and yesterday 84,500. But nothing really shows why, and I wasn't flooded with comments from new people.
Strange, huh? Most days are 15,000 to 40,000
It's rare, but about once a year in my email I see something thrilling, and similar to this "subject line" that I just had today: "My Great Uncle was the Top Turret Gunner on the B-25 Tondelayo"
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in reference to the B-25 Tondelayo post https://justacarguy.blogspot.com/2023/07/whoa-i-just-learned-today-that-mikes.html my great uncle was Staff Sergeant John (Jack) Murphy, who was the top turret gunner on the Tondelayo. He had some hair raising stories about his time serving in the South Pacific.
"One engine on the Tondelayo had been shot out by anti-aircraft fire. Jack Murphy said he could see the piston going back and forth with no cylinder around it. So he radioed the pilot to shut it down and feather the prop. Flying on one engine made the Tondelayo slower than the other escaping B-25s, so the Japanese caught up with her. Two other B-25s saw this and throttled back until they were in the fight to help the Tondelayo. Unfortunately, these planes were shot down. One crashed with no survivors and the other crew was strafed in the water with only two surviving. Those two got separated and only one survived to be rescued by Coastwatchers. The other was never seen again.
The co-pilot was shooting out his window with a .45 pistol since he had nothing else to do. He was hit in the stomach. Fortunately, the Tondelayo made it to a small fighter strip on Kiriwina Island that was too small for bombers or transport aircraft except in an emergency. Even more fortunate for the co-pilot was a C-47 transport aircraft full of doctors and medical staff had made an emergency landing there earlier, which probably saved his life since they were able to operate immediately."
The co-pilot was shooting out his window with a .45 pistol since he had nothing else to do. He was hit in the stomach. Fortunately, the Tondelayo made it to a small fighter strip on Kiriwina Island that was too small for bombers or transport aircraft except in an emergency. Even more fortunate for the co-pilot was a C-47 transport aircraft full of doctors and medical staff had made an emergency landing there earlier, which probably saved his life since they were able to operate immediately."
In that post last year I wrote these two paragraphs:
Returning from the mission over Rabaul Papua New Guinea, roughly fifty Japanese fighters intercepted the B-25s of the 500th BS in a running air battle that lasted seventy-five minutes and resulted in the loss of two B 25s
During the escape, turret gunner Murphy was credited with five victories, plus four others credited that crashed into the sea, attempting to attack the bomber skimming the surface of the ocean, and misjudging their attacks. It successfully returned to base with heavy damage.
painted by Jack Fellows
The pilot, 1/Lt. Ralph G. Wallace would emerge victorious from an epic struggle to fend off Japanese Zeroes while keeping his aircraft aloft with only one working engine. https://irandpcorp.com/products/ordeal-of-tondelayo/
I just had an idea for a race car team name
Walter Mitty's Race Team
In the same humorous was that Steve McQueen used the fake name Harvey Mushman when registering for motorcycle races
but have you seen the unusual circular rollercoaster that was at Coney Island in 1918?
look at it in the video.. very interesting design!
in the video, skip the first 48 seconds
Tuesday, April 23, 2024
wow, is that a Stratos used a clothing store prop?
Someone's store decorator had one hell of a big budget!
https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=10225496847548284&set=a.1617402035143
the government felt it needed new helicopters to transport the Pres off the yard... so it blew 5 billion tax dollars, without checking to see it the expensive waste of dollars new choppers could do the job. They can't.
Instead of verifying that the new bulletproof taxis could successfully operate on the White House lawn... (in the words of Sikorsky's rep: "to validate and ensure the aircraft meets that specific operational requirement) the govt blew 5 billion dollars instead buying 20 new helos that won't be used.
That's probably 500 million potholes that could have been fixed, or 25000 miles of repaved highways
So... the the Lockheed Martin / Sikorsky VH-92 Patriot has such hot exhaust, it kills the lawn. It's an issue that was initially identified in 2018.
Older VH-3D Sea King helicopters will continue to transport Biden from the iconic, traditional South Lawn takeoff spot.
The govt sought to replace these aging aircraft with the newer VH-92 systems under the $5 billion program, and has already secured 20 of them from Lockheed Martin, Sikorsky's parent company.
In early 2021, the Department of Defense's operational testing and evaluations office determined that "the damage was found to be primarily due to engine exhaust, auxiliary power unit exhaust, and discharge of aircraft fluids onto the grass."
For about 40k, they can install a damn landing pad in the White House lawn where for decades helos have landed, and will continue to land, and NOTHING else occurs...... and then they can use the new helicopters... I bet some asshole politician is determined to NOT allow that to happen, and instead, insist on blowing more tax dollars on some other half ass solution
this is nuts, a 65 Merc made into an RV... the Great Dale House Car is a car/camper conversion built of Denver, Colorado in the 1960’s. Estimates say there are a dozen of them still on the road today.
.webp)
a 2009 Solstice... damn, I didn't even know a 350 would fit in that engine bay! well, a 364cu in with 355 hp and 384 torque
this popped up on Facebook, in Montana... and sold for 65k.
I bet that rockets with the LS6 engine... shame it's not a stick shift though.
Wow, a Local Motors Rally Fighter is up for sale... I've never seen one sell used! At 31 k miles and 80k... it's not priced to move
I hadn't heard that LM went out of business in 2022. Well.. it was a really cool try at getting a non contemporary car company to flourish without a distribution system.
the federal Department of Justice issued a warning to the NYPD to stop illegally parking police cruisers on sidewalks... for a good reason, but not as simple as "be professional, stop breaking the parking laws, you mooks!" Instead, it's quite legal... the federal law about the sidewalks must be clear for wheelchairs! Huh! I like that!
The U.S. Department of Justice issued a letter to the police department last month warning that illegally parking in that manner is a violation of the American with Disabilities Act, and gave the NYPD two weeks to respond and comply
You'd expect that the police department would comprehend what that means... that they are acting illegally, have been busted, and must toe the line, LEGALLY, and learn how to PARK
When confronted by CBS news, the police relied on the excuse it will not accept from citizens who illegally part, and I quote "there is limited parking space near its police stations."
So, the lack of parking justifies illegally parking as far as the NYPD is concerned, as long as it benefits them? It seems that is the only excuse they have. Mighty damn weak.
District U.S. Attorney Damian Wiliams cites a recent study that found city vehicles block sidewalks or crosswalks outside 91% of NYPD precincts.
This has almost nothing to do with wheels, it's the claw they'll be using to hoist debris out of the Port of Baltimore. But it is construction, and I do cover that.
A 200-ton salvage grab arrived in Sparrows Point over the weekend to clear wreckage from the bottom of the Patapsco River. The Dutch-made hydraulic grab has four independent claws that together can lift more than 1,000 tons. (U.S. Army Corps of Engineers)
A massive hydraulic grab arrived in Baltimore over the weekend as officials planned a Thursday opening of the deepest alternate channel yet for vessels to travel through the wreckage of the Francis Scott Key Bridge.
Officials plan to open the 35-foot channel for only a few days to let deeper-draft ships through. Traffic won’t be let through next week as crews enter the next stage of operations, which will involve lifting steel off of the cargo ship that struck the Key Bridge last month as well as using the grab to clear debris from the Baltimore harbor’s 50-foot shipping channel.
In response to the vessel owners’ petition filed in U.S. District Court this month seeking to limit their liability...
the mayor an city council argued that Grace Ocean Private Ltd. and Synergy Marine Pte Ltd. “put a clearly unseaworthy vessel into the water," and they called the companies’ actions “grossly and potentially criminally negligent.”
The court filings also take aim at the ship's crew members, accusing the company of staffing the Dali with an "incompetent" crew that lacked proper skill or training, "was inattentive to its duties" and "failed to comply with local navigation customs."
the governor didn't have the spine to signal whether the state would get involved
The Welch Motor Car Company was the first American car company to introduce an overhead cam shaft. (thank you Gary!)
General Motors Corporation was busy acquiring numerous automobile firms. Welch cars, with their many innovative and patented features, attracted GM's attention and was bought by mid-1910
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