Motor Heads: Cars, Trucks, Tractors & Hvy Equip.

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Driving To Austria In A Classic MINI!​

Feb 4, 2024

I join MINI to drive two of their classic cars to Austria for the F.A.T International Ice Race.
This is my first time behind the wheel of one of these iconic cars and we do over 300 miles across the weekend.

20:44
 

Update: Electrifying A Classic 911​

About 18 months ago, I became intrigued with the concept of electrifying an older car. I have a few oldies in the garage (Cars like this, this, this, and this) and those will remain in original factory spec. But the idea of finding an older, fun car from the 1960s-80s in good cosmetic shape — but with questionable mechanical underpinnings — and then modernizing it with an electric drivetrain fascinates me.

After a bit of research, I decided I would go with Moment Motors in Austin, Texas. I paid my deposit last June, knowing there was a full 12-month queue before they would be ready to take your car. I was okay with a 1-year lead time because it gave me room to a) Figure out which car (and model year) I wanted to convert; 2) Allowed me to spend a few months going down the rabbit hole to become well-steeped in that specific marquee’s history; and iii) Spend a few months finding the actual donor vehicle.

Ultimately, I decided on an ‘80s-era Porsche 911. An unexpected choice from someone who was never much of a Porschephile; (Why? Cause their engines are in the wrong place!) I’ve always found late 1990s/2000s era BMW M3s to be more visceral of a drive (especially on a track) than the comparable 911. Besides, I grew up a fan of big front-engine V8s: Mustangs, Corvettes, Camaros, Chargers, and in later years M5s and M6s.

More:


1988 M491 Porsche 911 Cabrio​


Update: Porsche 911 EV Conversion​

 
I kinda check in occasionally with HeavyDSparks, because they do ridiculous things with heavy equipment and occasionally big boys toys but Ive just seen this episode which is a visit to one of their teams own project.
Its in the middle of nowhere and the fella has an enourmouse collection of trucks and ex services and mining gear but if this isnt enough for one man, he's building the most outrageous 'house' on the very top of the highest point on his land.
And all by himself .........

 
This may seem a bit political but it's not. It's simply history.

The American-Nazi Car Connection​

Feb 6, 2024

A classic car connaisseur dives into the dark history of the American car companies during the Second World War. Although they like to pride themselves as the true heroes of the war with their 'Arsenal of Democracy', what did their overseas operations like Ford Werke and Opel do?

As it turns out, GM and Ford had close contacts with the Nazis and Hitler, and also produced war material for them, like the Opel Blitz truck. These carmakers played both sides and made millions in the process. But how do you react when you have conflicts of interests?

17:54
 
Henry Ford was an open Nazi sympathizer; and still nominally in charge of his company (although going senile, not unlike a certain politician). Yet, somehow, the War Department saw fit to basically, strip off part of the contract for MB recon vehicles (later called "jeeps") that Willys designed...and give to Ford.

Willys design; Willys engines...but Ford made half of them. A real loss for Willys, and probably part of why they were in financial trouble after the war ended. Why did an open subversive, like Henry Ford, get rewarded? And it WAS Ford being rewarded. He OWNED his company - it was not a stock company at that point.

GM's situation is murkier. GM had purchased Adam Opel AG decades earlier. As with other German companies, such as Daimler-Benz...Opel was ordered to contribute to the German war effort.

GM owned the company outright but could not control it at that point, and even the profits it was making were held within Germany.

This is the essence of Fascism: While these were private companies, they had NO choice what they could do, or would be allowed to do. Daimler-Benz was ordered to work with the Nazi's Strength-Through-Joy office to develop Ferdinand Porsche's "people's car" - the KdF-Wagen, later called the Volkswagen.

Direct competition for D-B; yet they were ordered to work to set up and engineer this state-owned competition. Want to know why D-B focused on luxury cars after the war? Partly, the money; but partly, because that was the course they steered, seeing that the low-price car market was, initially, taken over by the government, and then, as VW survived the war, it remained as competition in entry-level products.
 
This one is different. Interesting look at motorcycle engine machine shop.

Tour of Dragonman's Machine Shop

Here's a little tour of my shop and what I do. I rebuild motors and transmissions. 1936-1999 Harley Davidson and a little twin cam top end stuff. Every year I seem to get busier and busier and the reason is there are less and less shops in the country that are doing what I'm doing. It's not like the 70's and 80's when there were 5 bike shops in every town. If you would like any of this type of work done, give me a call for prices. I know I have the best prices in the country, some of my prices are over 35 years old. I keep in mind that you guys have to pay the shipping both ways. I try to get all my jobs done in one week.

12:40

Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@dragonmans7242/videos
 

Top 5 Coolest Off-Road Recovery Trucks ▶ Heavy Duty Wrecker​

Feb 14, 2024

Rescue and recovery vehicles have become a fundamental part of transportation as we know it today. The need to push vehicles to their limits, both for work and leisure purposes, often requires a massive crane to bring our cherished cars back home. Today, we will review some of what we believe are the most impressive rescue vehicles

9:47
 

Headlights are blinding us. Here’s why it’s mostly an American problem​

Imagine if you could drive at night with your high beams on all the time, bathing the road ahead in bright light but without ever blinding other drivers.

In Europe and Asia, many cars offer adaptive driving beam headlights that can do this. ADB is a lighting technology that has been available for many years in other parts of the world including Europe, China and Canada, but not in the United States.

It can actually shape the light coming from headlights rather than scattering it all over the road. If there’s a car coming in the other direction, or one driving ahead in the same lane, the light stays precisely away from that vehicle. The rest of the road is still covered in bright light with just a pocket of dimmer light around the other vehicles. This way a deer, pedestrian or bicyclist by the side of the road can still be seen clearly while other drivers sharing the road can see, too.

In America, the closest we can get to that today are automatic high beams, a feature available on many new cars that automatically flicks off the high beams if another vehicle is detected ahead. But that still means driving much – or most – of the time using only low beam headlights that don’t reach very far. That can be dangerous.

US auto safety regulations enacted in 2022 were supposed to finally allow ADB headlight, something for which the auto industry and safety groups had long been asking for. But, according to automakers and safety advocates, the new rules make it difficult for automakers to add the feature. That means it will probably be years before ADB headlights are widely available in the US.

More:

MSN

www.msn.com
 
Do we not have ENOUGH _______ electronic crap, processors, programs, needless complexity?

Here's an idea. Enforce the codes that are out there. In fact, use the UN standards for headlights, adopted in 1958, that mandate a sharp low-beam cutoff line. They used to be the standard in Europe - if you've ever bought Hella reflector retrofits for the old-style round sealed-beam lights, you know the differences those make.

The current trend in headlights is the opposite. The LED units have less precision, not more, in beam aiming. Frankly it's because the technology is not ready for prime time. And retrofits change the pattern because the light-emission point is different inside the housing than the standard H4 bulb.

I have no problem with blazing LED high-beams, if that's what an owner wants. Although they actually don't work well, as your eye adjusts to the bright reflection back, and when you revert to low-beam, it's like stepping out of a brightly-lit home into the night. You can't see, because your eyes had adapted to the brighter glare.
 
I have a problem with blazing LED high beams !
They are generally ranged against me with my old fashioned, yellow by comparison, halogen lights and I drive a fair bit after dark cos then I can generally travel at my speed as all the dodderers have scuttled to safety.

LED's are slowly fucking up everybodys eyesight though. Yes its good in quantity but not in quality.

Are LED Lights Damaging Your Retina?

Environmentally friendly and cost-effective LED lights are lighting up our lives. But are LED lights bad for you and your retina? Read more about the recent studies pointing to a problem and screen time recommendations to protect your children’s health.
health.clevelandclinic.org

And here I am staring at an LED screen with the room lit by LED ........
 
Yeah. The LED lighting thingy is something some of the Alt-medical people are going on about.

But. I've been living with them for ten years now - an early adopter - and the only changes I've noticed (versus the curlicue CFLs) is that the LEDs don't rot out lampshades with UV radiation, the way those CFLs do.

No incipient health issues. No sleep issues.

Now...the problem with brilliant LED headlights on cars, aimed at your eyes, is another matter. Remember, the better, brighter LED flashlights warn against aiming them at someone's eyes. That's an issue of irresponsible use, purchase, and, frankly, lack of regulation. It's not legal to put mercury-vapor streetlight bulbs on the front of your car at night, and for a reason. But for some reason nobody's banned the brain-melting LED aftermarket units.

Yet.
 

What if Tucker was the new Tesla?​

Feb 19, 2024

Welcome to What If cars! In this series we are going to make alternative universe cars, based on my own fantasies or your request!

In this episode, what if the revolutionairy American car brand Tucker never failed? What if the company managed to present itself as a highly innovative car company, always one step ahead of the competition with thier Tucker 48 Torpedo? We are going to look at four cars: a fifties safety rocket on wheels, a sixties sexy safety coupe, an eighties DMC DeLorean lookalike, and a present day ultra autonomous Tesla killer. Preston would be proud!

18:21
 

Twin Power Blast from Farming's Past! A Beautiful 1938 Massey Harris Challenger.​

Feb 19, 2024
Nick Coppage from Maryland enjoys preserving agricultural history and he has moving history in the form of a 1938 Massey Harris Challenger. Collected first by his grandfather, Nick was able to keep it in the family. Intriguing to see the design of a rugged machine dating back more than 80 years.

8:11
 

It's the "little things", ...features that new trucks just don't have? lol​

 
searcher said:

It's the "little things", ...features that new trucks just don't have? lol​

Click to expand...
One little thing he needs to pay attention to, is the lack of an air cleaner.

It's more important on those old rigs, with the fan running with the engine. On a new car with an electric radiator fan, you can get away with slow-speed demo runs; but with the fan spinning, it'll be kicking up dust from the road, rust off the radiator and engine, and general crap.

And down the carb throat. Next you know you have scored cylinders from the abrasive dust, and you got an engine overhaul needed.

That isn't a 1949. The Chevrolet trucks didn't get vent windows until 1951. I'd worked with a 1952 2-1/2-ton stake truck 47 years ago, and it was similar inside. Less rust, but otherwise the same.
 
In German with English subs

Lorry restorer and collector Helmut Hoffmann - A portrait​

He is already 77 years old, but Helmut Hoffmann remains true to his passion. Bringing lorry "scrap" back to life. eurotransportTV wants to find out: What kind of person is he?

We asked Helmut's customers, companions, his wife and, of course, himself. Helmut is not only a gifted expert in restoring old classic cars, he is also a collector and we were able to accompany him on his travels. In the process, we learnt a lot about and from him that we don't want to withhold from all lovers of perfectly restored classic trucks. So all fans: click into the video!

8:23
 

How a 1976 280Z Turned John Roman Into a Master Z-Car Tuner​

Mar 1, 2024

John Roman (@thegroundlevel) never expected to end up here. But buying and building his 1976 Datsun 280Z sent him spinning into the world of Japanese street tuning, and over a decade later, he's never looked back.

Now with his own shop in NYC, Roman sees it as his duty to honor what came before him by preserving as much knowledge about these cars as he can for the next generation.

"Enter this community and this culture with an understanding of your position in it, and if you're gonna contribute, you gotta have some education in that. It's just a matter of respect. Somebody built this car before I rebuilt it. You know, that matters."

"I'm here to build, restore, and preserve old-school Japanese street tunes. I know I love it. It excites me every day. I know there's so much more I want out of it that I'm still chasing. I'm really excited to just get better and better at this through a lifetime of effort."

The Drive is the chronicle of car culture. We write stories you actually want to read. → https://www.thedrive.com/

9:07
 

It's a Good Classic Garden Tractor! The Rarely Seen 1975 Cub Cadet 800 with an 8 HP Kohler Engine!​

Ed Good of Pennsylvania likes his Cub Cadet! There were not very many of these 800s built, since they were a little under-powered for the size. Ed Good has an affinity for the 800 in particular and Cub Cadets overall. A great collector with a beautifully restored machine! Good job Ed!

5:33
 

Real Mechanic Opinion on Harbor Freight Tools.​

Feb 23, 2024

In this video we are discussing the very controversial Harbor Freight Tools and their deals.

13:37
 

This Engine is the Reason You Don't Have Diesel Cars in America!!!​

Mar 2, 2024

In this video we are discussing the very controversial Oldsmobile Diesel Engines produced from 1978-1985. Thanks for watching.

9:10
 
searcher said:

This Engine is the Reason You Don't Have Diesel Cars in America!!!​

Mar 2, 2024

In this video we are discussing the very controversial Oldsmobile Diesel Engines produced from 1978-1985. Thanks for watching.

9:10
Click to expand...
So, I'd ask:

...how come the Benz and VW diesels didn't save the idea?

The Olds diesel was a poor example - although I'd say that neither Olds dealers nor buyers knew the intricate maintenance requirements, such as re-torquing head bolts every 7500 miles. But, the point is taken - that was a typical 1970s engineering slap-job that GM was famous for.

Why didn't other makers save the reputation? In fact, diesel trucks are going fine - including Chevrolet trucks with Detroit Diesel engine models (DD being a former division of GM).

The reason for the rejection, is more basic. LACK OF BASIC INTEREST.

They get better gas mileage, but the mileage of gasoline cars shot WAY up with electronic fuel injection. It came to where the cost of a diesel (even a VW diesel) and maintenance hassles (NO WIGGLE ROOM on oil-change schedules, etc) just weren't worth it.
 

An Original Condition 1972 Wheel Horse Bronco 14, Autographed By Company Founder Cecil Pond!​

Mar 8, 2024
Wheel Horse garden tractors were built in Indiana back in the day, and they were prized for their quality, good looks, and utility. We traveled to Pennsylvania to visit with Gary Fleckenstein who has an original condition Wheel Horse - signed inside the hood by the Cecil Pond, who was the founder of the Wheel Horse company.

4:08
 
Interesting.

Wheel Horse was acquired by American Motors in 1974, and this after several years of the company being up for sale, and then negotiating with AMC.

Back then, AMC apparently envisioned a plan similar to Studebaker-Packard 15 years earlier...as their auto empire collapsed, the company survived on the basis of Onan generators, Gravely lawn tractors, ALCO locomotives, and STP garbage sold through low-rent auto supply stores.

They weren't far off, but as it turned out, AMC was purchased entirely, over five years, by the French government - as a unit of state-owned Renault automobiles. What it meant for Wheel Horse was, it was sold out to a faction of AMC execs who got culled with the Franco-American takeover. What it meant for other units, particularly the former Kaiser-Jeep, was those would be dangling lures for other predatory cats, like Lido Iacocca.

Trying to plan the future, as you're failing in the present, is always risky. Studebaker's last surviving business entry was, Studebaker Leasing, based out of Texas. AMC's last business entity that escaped Renault and Chrysler corruption, was, the government-contract arm of Kaiser, later renamed AM General.

Wheel Horse didn't fit in. As, with Studebaker, STP and ALCO Locomotive Works didn't fit in with the post-automotive Studebaker-Worthington Corporation.
 

Bipolar Mopar: A Struggle Called Chrysler Part I​

Mar 9, 2024

A classic car connaisseur gives an overview of what started American luxury brand Chrysler's great decline, and how they tried and tried and tried to revive their once legendary name. We're talking about the ups and downs, like the aging K-cars, Lee Iaccoca's tenure, Bob Eaton's Daimler-Chrysler ideas, and the awesome bubbly Cloud Cars!

Hold onto your butts, because this is only part one of a two-part episode! 15 mins long.

 

Enough is Enough...Time To Call A Mechanic!​

40:49
 

The Automotive Art of Stevan Dohanos

Many of Steven Dohanos’ cover paintings for the Saturday Evening Post were celebrations of the automobile in American life. Here’s a small sampling of his memorable work. Norman Rockwell is the best known of the great Saturday Evening … Continue reading →
www.macsmotorcitygarage.com
 

Unleashing 1100 HP: Homemade Big Block Engine Build - Aardema Braun​

Mar 23, 2024
11:33
 

Here's part 2.

Bipolar Mopar: A Struggle Called Chrysler Part II​

Mar 22, 2024

13:39
 

The Life and Times of Funny Car Tuner Austin Coil​

Austin Coil was in no mood for conversation. The burly, plainspoken drag-racing crew chief simply swung open the door of John Force Racing, walked up to the receptionist's desk, and handed her a letter of resignation, concluding a hugely successful 25-year relationship. He then turned on his heel and walked out, never to return.

On November 14, 2010, just two days prior to Coil calling it quits, John Force had won his fifteenth Funny Car championship at the season-ending NHRA Finals in Pomona. In the history of the sport, only Coil had more wins. Before taking responsibility for Force's cars, Coil had already won two world championships with his own Chi-Town Hustler Fuel Coupe, putting him a pair up on his boss from day one.

Coil said nothing to Force when he resigned and has not spoken to him since. At 69, Austin is enjoying retirement with Lisa, his wife of 21 years, and has turned down numerous offers to work for other prominent teams. After more than 40 years of wrenching Funny Cars, the man who achieved more than any crew chief in drag-racing history says he is finished. This is his story.

More:

 

FIRST LOOK: 2025 Mercedes-Benz G-Class | The G-Wagen Gets With the Times​

Mar 26, 2024

The iconic Mercedes-Benz G-Class gets a refresh for 2025, bringing lightly updated styling, fresh tech, and a new base engine to Benz’s boxy SUV. In this first look video, Edmunds’ Clint Simone dives right into the updated 2025 G-wagen with an overview of everything that’s new.

6:45
 

Opinion: The long overdue death of the stick shift car​

For old-school connoisseurs of the automobile — usually men — driving means operating a beloved vehicle by touch, with three pedals underfoot and a shift stick at hand.

In Europe, this clientele is responsible for a good deal of the moaning about manual transmission’s demise. And perhaps nowhere is it louder than in Germany, the home of Porsche, BMW, Volkswagen and Mercedes Benz.

Take for example the German automotive writer for the Swiss newspaper Neue Zürcher Zeitung who waxed melancholy in a heartfelt “homage to the good old days of the clutch and gear stick.”

“What could be a greater pleasure… than tooling along winding roads in a sports car at high speeds? Accelerate, downshift before the bend, turn in, roll, upshift again, and ‘fly away,’” he wrote.

He affectionately describes the stick shift’s smooth knob nestled in his palm. (Sigmund Freud would have had no trouble deducing the grounds for this allure.)

But it’s not just Europeans (literally) clinging on. In the US, there’s apparently a young (also predominantly male) demographic that is embracing manual driving — championing it as retro, much like Gen Z’s affinity to typewriters and vintage cameras. They feel there’s something authentic about it: a connection between driver and vehicle that automatization cuts out.

More:

 
MSN.

One more propaganda organ for the Left. Of COURSE they hate manual-transmission cars. They hate CARS. They hate free movement. People...non-Political-Elite people, are CHATTEL to be MANAGED.

Fifteen-minute cities. The first step to getting there, is to make the population afraid of driving. Make non-self-driving conveyances unpleasant and awkward AND EXPENSIVE to use.

THEN get the young people - the next generation - hooked on virtual reality, while taking away all the drives that make young people wander. That is, hope of prosperity, and desire for a mate or sexual contact. Hormones in processed food do some of that; collectivist dogma, from early grade school when kids have no critical-thinking abilities, the other.

This is just pushing the Agenda.
 

Horses and Horsepower! Check Out the Vintage 1953 Massey Harris Mustang on Maryland's Eastern Shore!​

Apr 2, 2024
The Massey Harris Mustang was a row crop tractor introduced in 1952 and sold through 1956. Spencer and Newell Everett restored the Mustang their Dad bought new and farmed with for many years. Later, after we visited, the two brothers donated this tractor to the Delaware Ag Museum. A beautiful story of an outstanding looking tractor!

7:00
 

A Rare Classic Machine! The CO•Op Is NOT Your Typical Farm Tractor, But It Is Highly Collectible!​

Apr 5, 2024
In North Central Indiana, the Fred family farms and enjoys collecting rarely seen classic farm tractors that are no longer built. A great example is the 1941 CO-OP B2 Junior tractor that was first collected by Eli Fred's grandfather and it helped fuel the FEVER for classic tractors. Now, Eli is helping to carry on the family tractor tradition. CO-OP tractors were built in Shelbyville, Indiana and sold by a variety of farm cooperatives. This tractor was featured in Antique Power Magazine in 2022.
6:28
 

Dubious Doppelgängers: Suspiciously Similar Cars​

Apr 5, 2024

A classic car connaisseur notices that a lot of cars look very similar lately. Especially the rear end and taillight styling seems to get increasingly similar. Who is copying who? And is this something of the past decade or is history full of automotive look-alikes?

This video is more about the comments than the video, let me know your thoughts on what is the most important car of each decade or all time!

9:25
 
The cars all look alike because wind tunnels, not stylists, now determine the shape of cars.

Because the Obombah Fuel-Economy standards are almost IMPOSSIBLE to meet. The Xiden fantasy requirements that he imposed a few weeks ago, impossible to meet.
 

Jeremy Clarkson's First Tractor Driving Lesson | Clarkson's Farm | Prime Video​

 
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