Ace-Garageguy

I believe you have been misled, sir. The Vega box was the Saginaw 140, significantly smaller and lighter than "standard" GM boxes, and for this reason, a hot-rodder favorite on light vehicles for decades.

Nobody ever said the incidents weren't real, but they only occurred in extreme situations where the little cars were hit by something larger and heavier, and that might have seriously injured or killed the occupants of the Pintos anyway. 27 deaths resulting from Pinto tanks rupturing after severe hits are recorded by RELIABLE sources...out of 3 million Pintos sold. Hardly a deathtrap. In FACT, the Pinto was no more fire-prone than contemporary imported vehicles of the same approximate size and layout, but rebleaters generally have no use for the truth. The real numbers are available for anyone to find on his own. I've seen "expert" articles on the Pinto that are sheer ignorant gibberish, some even claiming "the aluminum chassis would crush like a beer can". Aluminum? Really? Nothing like responsible, informed, fact-based journalism. There was a protrusion on the rear axle that could punch a hole in the tank in a 20-mph or higher rear-ender, but the cars simply didn't go exploding for no reason as the rebleaters like to insist. The proposed fixes included a plastic "shield", a steel tank reinforcement, and redesigning the rear axle housing. Any of these, none more costly than $10 per vehicle, would probably have solved the problem before it occurred, and SHOULD have been done. But Ford was exonerated of criminal responsibility, and many of the FACTS surrounding the whole mess are quite interesting, and make for some engaging reading on engineering ethics. https://www.pdhengineer.com/catalog/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=2283 https://www.wardsauto.com/ford/my-somewhat-begrudging-apology-to-ford-pinto They were nice little cars when they were new. But the aluminum block impregnated with silicon for wear-resistance (instead of simply using iron or steel liners like much of the industry had been doing successfully for decades), and the cast-iron head necessitated by the lack of rigidity of the poorly-designed block, combined into a bass-ackward reinvention of the wheel that doomed the car from the get-go. An iron block of the same basic design, and an aluminum head of the same basic design...standard practice in Euro engines of the day...and the engines would still have been running strong when the bodies had been reduced to rusty dust.

Yup...and unfortunately, AI doesn't seem to be learning much in the way of honesty and ethics either.

Early '30s Studebaker bodies going on a nice little train trip... https://monon.org/mws/tws/studebaker.html

The "exploding Pinto" was insanely exaggerated by a fear-mongering hysterical media, just as the "Unsafe at any Speed" Corvair was. The '65-'69 Corvair was the best-handling stock vehicle America produced up to that time. I've owned and lived with several flavors of both Vegas and Pintos (as well as every flavor of Corvair). The Vegas were, without exception, rather poor cars, even though I liked them in general...mostly for their looks. They were pretty little cars, though seriously flawed in many ways most people never seem to rebleat. The Pintos, on the other hand, were pretty much indestructible...assuming you didn't stop in front of an oncoming semi on the interstate. My last two pintos were a 2.3 slushbox big-bumper wagon, a heavy dog but a very reliable dog, and a stripped 2.0 early car, essentially a race-car with Webers on the street. It ran like a scalded ape and took every bit of abuse I threw at it. Early two-liter cars were great, and if the world ever moves beyond "OMG THEY ALL BLOW UP!!!!!!!", maybe they'll be appreciated a little more. https://www.curbsideclassic.com/curbside-classics-american/curbside-classic-first-series-pinto-1971-72-the-fastest-pinto-ever-built/ My first Pinto was a very early 1600 car with front disc brakes, and its performance and handling reminded me of an MGB that didn't leak in the rain, not fast, but fun, and as simple and reliable as a brick.

Manors aren't the same as McMansions.

House and feed and clothe your children, and teach them some values and manners.

Though insanely inefficient compared to the double- and triple-stack stack railroad car-haulers we've become familiar with, it made sense to haul and deliver just a few cars, possibly special-order, to a small town that had a rail siding in the days before interstate highways. The practice went as far back as horse-and-buggy days, with special boxcars designed for the purpose. According to my research, most of the double-door car-haulers were later put into service hauling automobile PARTS (like bare-steel body-panel stampings and frames that had to be protected from weather), as the extra-wide doors were convenient for forklift access. I wonder if these end-loaded Vegas were shipped without oil in the sumps. Somewhere on this site, I posted an old photo I found of bare-steel Studebaker body shells also loaded on-end in a battered open gondola with no weather protection at all.

Children can be the source of great joy, or great sadness, or just a resounding meh.

6 arrived today. 20 to go.

Charge your phone battery before heading out into the desert, or before dessert, whichever comes first.

Humanity has been doing a masterful job of that for millennia, but now we have the potential to have billions of artificial ones with much more capability for destruction.

Week after week after week after week after week after week after week after week after week after week after week after week after week after week after week after week after week after week after week after week after week after week after week after week after week after week after week after week after week after week after week after week after week after week after week after week after week after week after week after week after week after week after week after week after week after week after week after week after week after week after week after week after week after week after week after week after week after week after week after week after week after week after week after week after week the weather continues, whether we like it or not.

I have an old-style 12-cup drip maker, because I'll usually drink 3 or 4 cups right after each other in the morning, and then take the rest to work in a thermos. A couple times when I've been particularly groggy, I've forgotten to close the top before switching it on. Of course hot water goes everywhere but where it's supposed to...all over the counter and dripping down on the floor and into the drawers. OMG!!! OMG!!! THERE MUST BE A PROBLEM WITH THE MACHINE!!! I'LL HAVE TO GO ON REDDIT AND SEEK TRIBAL KNOWLEDGE ABOUT WHAT TO DO!!! OMG !!! OMG!!! OMG!!!

The YooToob comment section would be a far better example, slathering every imaginable topic in ignorant gibberish.

Ya just gotta wonder about clams sometimes...

"Retired" totally is looking more and more like what I should have done back in 2018, and just shrugged and walked away, like ol' Atlas.

And Photoshop to cover its mistakes and make everyone online oooooooh and aaaaaaaah.

Both my attention and my temper are engaged today with having to fix adult-baby messes I didn't make.

DELETE DUMB GUY POST

Hey guys, taking a break. Should be back in January 2025. Site is still open to view, but orders cannot be placed. Orders placed before this pause in operation will be fulfilled shortly. Thank you... Robert Bentley

It never ceases to amaze me...

Still just a little hangy. I have to wonder what is gained by these -------- constantly messing with things everywhere online. It's not like there's anything of financial value to steal from this site...

Just catching up with this one, nice work, and terrific color.

Career choices based on interests and aptitude make for more pleasant and satisfying lives.