Charley's 1967 Chevelle Super Sport

I absolutely love this Chevelle! I wish you could see and hear it in person. It sounds just as hot as it looks.

My friend Charley owns this car. He bought the car in 1983 and completely rebuilt the car to suit his personal taste. It is a true 138 ss car. It has a 396 engine that puts out over 500 horses, an m-22 4 speed trans, a 3:73 posi rear-end. This car went through a complete rotisserie restoration.

Isn't it gorgeous!

Charley is solely responsible for me entering my Cougar into it's first car show. I haven't won anything yet, but I love going to the shows. We have a local show every June, thanks to Charley!

Here is some history on the Chevelle.
The Chevelle SS represented Chevrolet's entry into the muscle car battle. Early 1964 and 1965 Chevelles had a Malibu SS badge on the rear quarter panel (the sought-after Z16 option had the emblem on the front fender, where 201 Malibu SS396s were produced); after 1965, the Malibu SS badging disappeared except for those sold in Canada.

The Chevelle SS, which became a regular series of its own in 1966 called the SS396, was the high performance version and had its own line of engines and performance equipment. The performance engines available included 396 CID V8s - rated at 325, 350 and 375 hp (280 kW) respectively (the mid horsepower 396 was rated at 360 hp (270 kW) for 1966 only and 350 hp (260 kW) thereafter). The SS396 series only lasted three years from 1966 through 1968 before being relegated to an option status just like air conditioning or a radio.

The 1966 and 1967 model years also saw the limited run of the 'strut back' 2-dr sport coupe with its own model number, 17, as opposed to model number 37 used on previous and later 2-dr sport coupes.

The 1968 model year was the first and only year of the SS396 El Camino with its own series/model identification of 13880. Almost all the goodies (big block engine, suspension, transmission options, etc.) of the SS396 could be ordered on the 1966 and 1967 El Camino but, sadly, the SS396 series El Camino was not available until (and only in) the 1968 model year. As with the 300 Deluxe and Malibu in 1969 and only the Malibu from 1970 to 1972, the SS option could be ordered in the El Camino as well.

The original sticker price was around $3,700.

Thanks Charley for sharing the pictures with me! See you at the show, after I get the Cougar ready for her close-ups!

MHL

The Pink Caddy. 1959 Cadillac Eldorado Biarritze

Hi Everyone,

Today I decided to celebrate a great year, 1959. It's special to me because it's the year I became more than just a twinkle in my dad's eyes, it's the year I was born. March 18, 1959. Yes, I'm now 50. Half a century. Older than dirt. Ancient, if you are my kids age!

I'm celebrating because I decided last year that when I turned 50 I was going to own it, love it and embrace it with open arms. I'm healthy, happy and have loads of plans for the future. It's looking like my 50's might just be some of the best years in my life so far.

In April I'm meeting up in Vegas with my best friend of 35 years. We have planned on celebrating our 50th birthday together for the past 15 years. At first, we said we would fly to the Caribbean Islands and rent a bungalow with a balcony so we could oggle all the young men in speedo's and make cat calls, but she went and got married again so we had to revise the plan. Now it's Vegas, the pools at Caesars Palace and a fabulous room there, good food, great shows, the spa and her husband gets to go with us to keep her out of trouble! The poor man, he doesn't know quite what he has gotten himself into with the two of us get together! (click here for a picture of the two of us last Fall)

So here is a great 1959 Cadillac Eldorado Biarritz to commemorate my year!


Meet Priscilla, the pink Caddy.


There is a great story about the car pictured, so I have included a link if you are interested in reading about how the owner acquired the Caddy lovingly named Priscilla. Here's the link: Read about Priscilla.






MHL (loving 50!)

Fiat muscle car?

Check out this cute little Fiat 126, racing a Porsche. The Porsche gets blown away! Watch the video.

Here is another Fiat 126 fitted with a 2 liter Toyota engine. (check out the girl on the right side of the picture, she looks like she's getting ready to toss her cookies!)




MHL

America and...

The following article was sent to me by my sister via email. I thought I would share it. Let me hear your thoughts after reading:

"Orange County California Newspaper


This is a very good letter to the editor. This woman made some good points.
For some reason, people have difficulty structuring their arguments when arguing against supporting the currently proposed immigration revisions. This lady made the argument pretty simple. NOT printed in the Orange County Paper.

Newspapers simply won't publish letters to the editor which they either deem politically incorrect (read below) or which does not agree with the philosophy they're pushing on the public. This woman wrote a great letter to the editor that should have been published; but, with your help it will get published via cyberspace!
---------------

My wife, Rosemary, wrote a wonderful letter to the editor of the OC Register which, of course, was not printed. So, I decided to 'print' it myself by sending it out on the Internet. Pass it along if you feel so inclined. Written in response to a series of letters to the editor in the Orange County Register:

Dear Editor:

So many letter writers have based their arguments on how this land is made up of immigrants. Ernie Lujan for one, suggests we should tear down the Statue of Liberty because the people now in question aren't being treated the same as those who passed through Ellis Island and other ports of entry.

Maybe we should turn to our history books and point out to people like Mr. Lujan why today's American is not willing to accept this new kind of immigrant any longer. Back in 1900 when there was a rush from all areas of Europe to come to the United States, people had to get off a ship and stand in a long line in New York and be documented. Some would even get down on their hands and knees and kiss the ground. They made a pledge to uphold the laws and support their new country in good and bad times. They made learning English a primary rule in their new American households and some even changed their names to blend in with their new home.

They had waved good bye to their birth place to give their children a new life and did everything in their power to help their children assimilate into one culture. Nothing was handed to them. No free lunches, no welfare, no labor laws to protect them. All they had were the skills and craftsmanship they had brought with them to trade for a future of prosperity.

Most of their children came of age when World War II broke out. My father fought along side men whose parents had come straight over from Germany, Italy, France and Japan. None of these 1st generation Americans ever gave any thought about what country their parents had come from. They were Americans fighting Hitler, Mussolini and the Emperor of Japan. They were defending the United States of America as one people.

When we liberated France, no one in those villages were looking for the French-American or the German American or the Irish American. The people of France saw only Americans. And we carried one flag that represented one country. Not one of those immigrant sons would have thought about picking up another country's flag and waving it to represent who they were. It would have been a disgrace to their parents who had sacrificed so much to be here. These immigrants truly knew what it meant to be an American. They stirred the melting pot into one red, white and blue bowl.

And here we are in 2008 with a new kind of immigrant who wants the same rights and privileges, only they want to achieve it by playing with a different set of rules, one that includes the entitlement card and a guarantee of being faithful to their mother country. I'm sorry, that's not what being an American is all about. I believe that the immigrants who landed on Ellis Island in the early 1900's deserve better than that for all the toil, hard work and sacrifice in raising future generations to create a land that has become a beacon for those legally searching for a better life.. I think they would be appalled that they are being used as an example by those waving foreign country flags.

And for that suggestion about taking down the Statue of Liberty, it happens to mean a lot to the citizens who are voting on the immigration bill. I wouldn't start talking about dismantling the UNITED STATES just yet.

(Signed) Rosemary LaBonte

I sincerely hope this letter gets read by millions of people all across the nation!!"




MHL

1965 Shelby American 427SC "Continuation" Cobra

The Shelby Mustang is a high performance variant of the Ford Mustang, built by Ford from 1968 through 1970. The 1965, 1966 and 1967 Shelbys were a series of Ford Mustangs which were specially modified by Carroll Shelby's company and sold under the name Shelby GT.

Bill Stephens is the man behind Ultimate Garage Productions, Inc. and has been involved on just about every level of automotive and motor-sports television since 1989. Bill is the owner of the car pictured here.

This car is the one Bill has wanted since he was 12 years old.
It is one of the new generation Shelby Cobras being manufactured by the legendary car builder in his Las Vegas factory. It has a 575- horsepower, 427 C.I. Ford Side-Oiler V8, Weber carburetors, and has been autographed by Carroll Shelby himself.

Click here for Shelby's website to his Las Vegas factory.

Lucky Bill!

MHL

All I can say is OUCH!

Ok friends, this post has nothing to do with cars and at times I give myself license to deviate from the subject. Sometimes a Gal just has to ask WHY? and hope that someone can enlighten her!

I came across this picture and I am stuck on one word, OUCH! Ok, two words, OUCH and WHY?!

I consider myself to be pretty worldly, kind of hip and with-it. Heck, my eldest daughter and I went and got our first tattoos last Fall. It was a full moon and we were feeling a little wild and spontaneous, after all, we had just left the school parent/student volleyball meeting! I love my tattoo by the way.

But this girl has really got me wondering. I'm all for freedom of expression, but dang, that's got to hurt!

MHL

Celeb Chef Guy Fieri loves Muscle Cars Too!

Some of you might already know about Guy Fieri and the 1967 Chevy Camaro SS convertible that he drives on the Food network tv show Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives.

I love the car he gets to drive, but he doesn't own it, the Food Network does. But, hey, what a great job! He gets to drive in style and eat amazing food!

For fans who wonder -- yes, Fieri does actually drive the show's convertible on nice days between shoots, and they shoot two weeks each month to bring viewers to those out-of-the-way dives.


"The longest drive I've taken -- from Seattle down to Portland, took that drive in, it was awesome," Fieri recalls. "The gas is expensive but the tan is free."

(Top photo is not the car Guy drives, see spoiler missing? I added it for a better view of the car style)

I know, I know, another Red car. Sorry! It just happens.

MHL

March in Idaho, Gotta Love it or go freakin crazy!

Fasthair, Joker, Ladyridesalot, all of you riders, check out todays weather at my house. ARRRRRRGGGGG!
It's official, my weather sucks!



MHL

The death of my Jeep

I decided I need to unload my bad mojo from last week, so my friends, you get to be my vent readers. Mr. P. thank you for listening last week I can always count on you!

On Wednesday evening my wonderful, almost 18 year old daughter decided to be helpful and offered to go do the grocery shopping for us. She does this and it is a huge help, I hate going to the store.

As she was leaving the shopping center area, she approached the big intersection, put on her left blinker, and prepared to turn across traffic thinking she had a green arrow when in reality she had a green light and needed to yield to oncoming traffic, she started the turn and before she could do anything she hit an oncoming Blazer.

The great news, no one was hurt! Fortunately she was driving my Jeep and not her little 15 year old Honda Civic. My Jeep is a 1997 Grand Cherokee, Limited Ed., with a V8, so the impact did more damage to the Blazer. The bad news, since my Jeep was old, I only carried liability ins., it didn't make sense to carry full coverage on a car that would be totaled with a fender-bender.

The Jeep is totaled and has spankin new tires on it. My poor Jeep was such a nice car, didn't have but maybe 2 small scratches on it. I always kept it serviced and in great condition. It had loads of life left in it.

Now I need to pay the towing fee, get it to my house and then see about getting a wrecking yard to give me some cash for it. I have never done this before so maybe some of you have some good advice for me before I call the salvage yard?

Should I take the new tires & wheels (wheels are not new) off and sell them on Craigs List? And how should I approach the salvage guys so they don't rip me off?

I know Jeeps are a dime a dozen, but mine has all the extra's and a leather package, so I want to get as much as is fair for it.

I am hugely thankful that my daughter was not hurt, or any of the other drivers involved, but gosh I am going to miss my Jeep as is my 17 year old daughter who was going to get the Jeep this summer when I bought a new car, looks like that plan for a new car got moved up a few months!

The fun part is, I just went and tried on a new Audi. I want the Avant because of the room, but not White (as pictured) Black or Silver me thinks. (photos are poor quality, taken with phone)


I'm used to the extra room after driving the Jeep for so long and my trips to Costco always require plenty of space for all the stuff I seem to leave the store with! Can anyone get out of Costco for under $100? I think I have maybe 2 times, but I think there is a subliminal message in Costco that makes shoppers spend at least $100.

Anyway, the accident was sad, fortunate because there were no injuries and hopefully educational for my daughter.

It's not the end of the world, just the end of my red Jeep, but it's only a car. I'm over it.

MHL

Fabulous Blog Award - Say What?!

Whoa Fasthair, I can't believe you did this! I am honored that you would let me into the club, lol, thank you.

The rules for the "Fabulous Blog" award are:

1. You must pass it on to 5 other Fabulous Bloggers in a post receiving the award.
2. You must include the person that gave you the award, and link it back to them.
3. You must list 5 of your Fabulous addictions in the post.
4. You must copy and paste these rules in the post.

I'll start with number 2. Fasthair thank you so much for including me in your fab 5 list. I feel very special that you have visited my little blog and commented several times. (I want to know, are you the guy yelling in the pic or the oh so cool dude in the tux?) For those of you that don't know, I started following the bikers blogs because my brother is very ill, going blind and is a Harley man through and through. He can no longer ride and can barely see the computer screen to read the blogs, so I am honoring my brother and at the same time, totally enjoying the posts on the biker blogs you are all a part of. Thank you, thank you Fasthair!

My 5 Fabulous addictions are as follows:

1. Red Vines
2. Muscle cars of course
3. The internet
4. The TV show LOST
5. I'm a carnivore, I love Steak, Prime Rib, Burgers. Pretty much all things Beef!

I would like to pass this award on to these 5 blogs, although it it very difficult to narrow it down to just 5. Here they are:

1. Life On Scilly I stumbled upon this blog and have really enjoyed the posts from this man who is a loving father, husband and hard worker. I became fascinated with this little island and a glimps into a life that I find very unique.
2. Life Through My Eyes Rick and his wife both blog. Again, I just stumbled across his blog and enjoyed it from the first read.
3. Birdland Creations This is a talented artist that has some great little trinkets. I love the pieces of jewelry that are featured. Take a peek at the site when you get time.
4. The Daily Blonde Cooks! A funny Blonde that has great food and interesting comments.
5. Sussing Out LOST and finally this one gets listed because LOST is a real and ongoing obsession of mine.

So there you have it. Thanks again for adding me to the club!

The Lady

Ride Sally, Ride

I love this song. I just had to share.
Mustang Sally


MHL

The Camaro Concept Car

Well, it's not a classic, but, I think this is a great looking new car! I would drive it in a heartbeat (pun intended).

The Chevrolet Camaro concept was the celebrated star of the 2006 auto show season. The introduction of the Camaro convertible concept was on the eve of the North American International Auto Show at GM Style.

The Camaro convertible concept, wrapped in Hugger Orange pearl tri-coat paint with twin gunmetal gray sport stripes, is based on the original Camaro concept, with only minor changes required to accommodate the convertible body style.

And did you notice, it's not Red or Black, ok, well I had to sneak a Silver one in!

The Lady

Red and Black addiction?

I just noticed a theme throughout my blog. Almost every car is either Red or Black! There is the occasional silver car, but really, most of the pictures are Red or Black.

I will try to be more selective, step outside the box, explore new horizons, dare to go where no man has gone before, ok, you get the idea!

I'm waiting on pictures from my sister so I can post the Camaro restoration she and her husband did. It's Blue!

Maybe my friend with the Mustang Fastback will get his pictures to me too. It's Green!

So I promise, more variety.

The Lady

The Red Elephant- 1953 GM Futurliner

I know it's not a muscle car, but I thought this thing was really cool.

The name "FUTURLINER" was spelled without the "E" in FUTURE so GM could copyright or trademark the name.

1940-1952 FIRST GENERATION FUTURLINERS

In 1940, 12 first-generation Futurliners were built to replace the original eight Streamliners. The Futurliner caravan consisted of 24 trucks, 11 passenger cars and three station wagons. The old Streamliner caravan consisted of 25 trucks and 19 different passenger car-units. The early show had five major exhibits, while the latter had 15, plus two Army trucks which formed part of the Defense Exhibit. The most spectacular of the new pieces of equipment was the Aer-O-Dome tent. It seated 1,500 people and was built like an inverted umbrella with ribs exposed. In 1946, after a WWII hiatus, several of the Futurliners were in a Detroit parade to commemorate the fiftieth anniversary of the invention of the automobile.

1953-1956 SECOND GENERATION FUTURLINERS

In 1953, the Futurliners were rebuilt into their second-generation form. In 1956, just three years after their rebuild, the popularity of the show waned and the Futurliners were either sold or donated. Approximately 13 million people in nearly 300 cities nation-wide saw the 12 vehicles roll into their town and enjoyed a free show that provided them with a glimpse into the future.

Twelve Futurliners were built and used by GM to transport the GM Parade of Progress show throughout the United States from 1941 to 1956.

The Futurliners transported dioramas and exhibits, featuring futuristic things such as: a microwave that fried an egg without burning a newspaper; a Ping-Pong game in stereophonic sound and; sound traveling over a beam of light produced by a flashlight.

The Futurliner is a massive bus like vehicle, 33’ long, 8’ wide, 11’-7" tall vehicle with a whopping 248" wheelbase. An unusual feature of the Futurliner is its dual (side by side) front wheels. Each wheel has its own set of brakes, brake drums and bearings. Nearly all of the Futurliners had problems with their power steering pumps failing, presumably because of the tremendous force required to turn the wheels.

The 1953 version, however, is powered by a 302 inline 6 cylinder OHV GMC engine. The engine is coupled to a Korean War vintage four speed Hydramatic automatic transmission that is bolted to the backside of another two speed gearbox. This gives the driver the option of selecting from 8 forward speeds. Complicating this a bit more is another 3-speed PTO gearbox. To shift this gearbox, the driver must leave the cockpit (presumably with the vehicle stopped) and travel to the rear quarter of the vehicle and manually select one of the three gears. With this combination, the driver now has 24 selections to choose from. The restoration crew reports that the rear-end has yet another gear reduction, but they haven’t figured out quite how that works yet. In spite of the gearing ratios, some of the original "Paraders," as they referred to themselves, recall attainable speeds of not much more than 40 mph! The Futurliners packed two 45-gallon gasoline tanks!

The vehicle has an incredible 19 access and display doors on it. Two massive 16x5’ doors open to expose the display housed within the vehicle. A 16’ lighting panel is attached to the top of the overhead doors and a large light bar rises from the roof another 7’ up above the Futurliner for additional illumination. To provide electricity for all this lighting, a massive twin 6-71 200KW Detroit Diesel generator was used.

Because the brakes were so poor, one Futurliner rear-ended another and consequently they were instructed to stay 300 feet apart. They all had radio receivers but only the lead and tail vehicle had transmitters. (source- futurliner story)

On January 14, 2006 a 1953 Futurliner sold for a whopping $4.3 million. The sellers were hoping for about $600,000, a figure roughly double their investment to restore it. They were no doubt happy to say the least!

I wonder what it would sell for today, not that it matters to the owner. If they could pay that much for it just to add to their collection of vehicles, I'm sure they are not concerned with any drop in value with todays economy.

The Lady