Charlie, The 92-Year-Old Hot Rodder At 92, Charlie didn’t walk so much as swagger—albeit slowly—with a cane carved from the axle of his first 1940 Ford. Every Sunday, the suburb of Centennial would hear the unmistakable growl of his bluebird Pontiac, rebuilt from the ground up with a new LS3 engine and flames licking the … Read more
I am in a musing moment now as I think of what to write for this month’s blog. Note the word “musing” is different from “amusing.” (Hopefully I do not have to explain that). In the old days, I would tell you to look it up in Websters. For those of you less ancient than … Read more
I am not sure whether my readers are bored to tears with me recounting my Bluebird restomod disasters or overjoyed they don’t have to deal with these problems! However, the Bluebird restomod will be the subject once again of my monthly dissertation on progress (or lack thereof) on this project. I was prepared to claim … Read more
Here is the next saga in the Bluebird anthology. You may wonder if I am I discouraged by all the problems that I have encountered in building the restomod 1962 Pontiac. There have been excess costs due to mistakes, frustration due to embarrassing malfunctions, and the realization that I could have easily purchased a really … Read more
It would seem that the name I gave my 1962 Pontiac restomod is not appropriate. I have called it the “Bluebird” based on the Jaguar blue color of the paint. In light of the experience I am having getting it finished the way that I want it to function, it would appear that I have … Read more
Based on the title, this story is not the vulgar thought that you may have; instead, it is the design action that was taken on the Bluebird. Let me bring you up to speed. The Bluebird is my 1962 Pontiac Catalina restomod that I have been building since I left high school in 1950. (At … Read more
MY REAR END PROBLEM If you follow this newsletter, I am sure that you remember “Grandma.” She is the 1954 Chrysler Windsor four door sedan (the world’s most uncollectable car) that I am in the process of replacing the original straight six cylinder engine with an amazing 1955 Chrysler C300 hemi engine. In my April … Read more
Disturbing events over the past month have led me to believe that the behavior of my restoration cars is mimicking the darker side of human behavior. They have exhibited resentment, class struggle and sexual deviation. Let me explain as I am sure that most of my readers have not experienced this phenomenon, so they need … Read more
Merriam-Webster defines unrequited as “not reciprocated or returned in kind.” Unrequited love is what I am getting from the Bluebird. The Bluebird is the restomod 1962 Pontiac Catalina that I have been working on lo these many years. (No, it is not a Bonneville. That badge in the grill just came with the better replacement … Read more
I went to the Denver Auto Show to look at all the new, neat, origami-folded sheet metal that are called cars these days. With all the thin gauge, high strength steel in use, a dent can now be just a panel replacement as the body cannot be metal worked like in the old days. In … Read more