The Junkman

Whoa, I hadn't been paying attention recently to the delivery issues, what with being busy with life. I JUST got my Issue #222 yesterday (Saturday) in Nor Cal. Was it just delayed, mis-processed by USPS, or did you guys send out a supplemental mailing? Still, I'm happy to have gotten it.

Kinda like the massive and lifted 4WD pickups that will never touch dirt, I'd imagine it will never leave a Home Depot with a sheet of plywood and a couple bags of concrete mix.

I did just that thing, along with several thin Evergreen strip selections and a couple Vintage Motorsport issues regarding the classic Trans Am years. It goes until Sunday and I'm going to peak in and make a ridiculous offer for a bunch of stuff at the end.

Estate sale find-full set of Motor Racing Replica News/Motor Racing News. I only needed 6 to fill out my set but I'll likely go back and get the rest in the morning. Spares/trade bait et al.

Two ends of the spectrum: I saw a mid '50s Nash Rambler, mid-blue and being driven by a younger 20's guy. (Always thought you had to be Medicare age to be seen in one.) Not pristine but also not abused. Secondly, I saw a Tesla truck in the wild on US 101 about 80 miles north of San Francisco. The brushed nickel color was even darker than photos that have been released but it didn't help. I'll allow that I'm already prejudiced but photos you've seen don't do justice to just how ugly the thing is. Looks like something they'd cook up for another remake of "Tron". Between the Rivian and Tesla trucks is there an unstated competition for the the most visually abusive new electric vehicle?

I volunteered earlier my love for Revell Mustang kits. But I went through and found I’d also developed a love for GT40 kits. Mostly various iterations of the Fujimi kits (Mk II, 1968-69 body styles, a couple “slim hip” 1965, Revell release of the Mk II) and a couple of the Revell/Monogram reboot of the old Aurora first generation. Haven’t pulled the trigger on the Meng though I want to but the price is beyond my justification yet.

Revell Mustangs. I've got 5-6 1969-70 of various versions (Boss 429, Mach One, Boss 302) and at least that many early '90's (CHP car, GT). AND as soon as I find the '71 on a store shelf it will be added to the collection. Add to that 3 or 4 S-197 (2004 to 2014 body style) for obvious reasons.

Lincoln V-12 Zephyr?

Well, he HAD a lap belt so there's that. I don't like the short distance between the steering wheel and his face and the attitude of his legs. With no upper body restraint the first impact will be his head on the wheel as he submarines into the footwell should there be a front end collision. Oooof. But he did the best he could with the knowledge that there was back then. (Soft steel water pipe....)

Enough to pay for a proper paint job? Including prep? Oh, and not mine (its in the background). 😆

Not so interesting, you say? Look a bit closer. That rough paint job is completely done in adhesive tape, including the wheel covers. Parking lot ding? No problems, just peel off that tape strip and put on another. Genius, I tells you, genius.

A little after the fact. Just got back from visiting (wife's) family in Toronto. Always make a trip to Wings and Wheels hobby shop on Danforth-whatever your modeling interest do NOT pass it up. I found the most recent release of the Revell (Fujimi) Porsche 917K kit at 50% off. Originally $84 CAD, down to $42 CAD and about $30 US after the exchange rate. Between that and the 2 packages of pea meal bacon I brought back I consider it a successful trip.

Ulf, stop making sense.

The Mustangs-first, last and always. But those Lincolns are very appealing. Could a manufacturer get away with suicide doors nowadays?

I've seen a grand total of 3: one in a dealer showroom in Tokyo when I was stationed there in the mid '70s, one at the National Auto Museum (the old Harrah's collection) in Reno, and this one out in the wilds of California a little over a 18 months ago so seeing one remains an occasion.

Yesterday, just as we were leaving a birthday lunch in Windsor, CA. The owner and family ate next to us. Some real pride of ownership.

Or they're over-compensating for some perceived lack in their life? 😏 But you're probably correct. In California there is required to be a barrier (fender, mud flap, flares) that extends to the outer most portion of the tread. Not that the law is enforced.....

Today at an antique collective store in Sonoma, CA. (Nothing I was interested in except for protecting the family finances) 1955 Ford Victoria with Ford-O-Matic proudly emblazoned on the trunk. Funky cell phone camera pretty much captured the colors though the camera operator contributed to the fuzzyness..

Mentioning of Point Reyes Station brought this to mind, found it parked on one of the side streets. Unrestored to the point of being untouched. The dash pad and interior were severely worn and sun-baked but still quite the catch.

Ooh, I forgot: a TR-4A likewise in....red. A really good day. My best results are usually around the east side of Santa Rosa and around the wineries and vicinity of Healdsburg. (When a lion looks for a zebra to take down, she hangs around the water hole.)

Old British sports car day. TR-3, an Austin Healey Sprite, and most notable of all an MGA. What was notable about the MGA was it had British Columbia plates, a minimum of 1000 miles from home. Single driver with zinc oxide dabbed on his face. I have to image the space taken up by tools and spare parts had to at least equal that taken up with his clothing. Courage and confidence personified. Oh, and all the cars were various iterations of red.

This past Sunday on US 101 in Marin County north of SF, a mid-50's Lancia Aurelia coupe, in what can only be described as late '50s Aston Martin racing green. Of course I was in the fast lane and the Lancia was in the #5 lane with a speed difference of 20mph +/-.

The more you look, the more details you see. Its great.

Had a buddy that I commuted to work with many moons ago that had a similar "Flintstone Emergency Brake" portal in the passenger footwell of his Toyota pickup, covered with 1/4 inch plywood. Only his was a naturally occurring-rust. I made him pay me for the gas and we used my car for the most part.

Would you call that a “shooting brake”?