Welcome to the one if by land, two if by sea 50-in-1 electronic playground edition of the Tool of the Week. This time around we’re peering into computerized technology. The 1987 Mitsubishi Starion is a fuel injected car, but by no means modern. The transitional period between carburated and electronically injected engines produced some interesting if not cantankerous systems. The two-injector throttle body injection on the Starion falls into the island of misfit toys category, but the car is equipped with fully transistorized Electronic Control Unit. Any ECU made after 1995 can be accessed with a readily available universal engine code reader to help sort out check engine lights. The only people that had a Mitsubishi code reader back in 1987 were Mitsubishi (and Chrysler) dealerships. These machines were a few steps ahead of ENIAC, and about as expensive. Proving that you can learn and save money on the internets is the forum post that provided the knowledge to solder together this simple engine code reader from a two-dollar 12V LED and thirty-cent alligator clips from the local Radio Shack. Just find the pin outs and count the blinks.
Archive for July, 2009
Tool of the Week: Engine Code Reader
Dodge Fire Wagon
Anyone who has biked or hoofed up and down California’s fire roads has probably asked themselves what sort of vehicle is capable of negotiating the narrow motorways. One answer to that question is this 1952 Dodge M37 3/4 ton 4X4. The Dodge M37 was the fifties postwar descendant of Dodge WC-series of World War II-era military vehicles. This restored M37 evidently found its way into civilian use on California fire fighting patrol duty. The M37 was manufactured in more than a few variants. A 5.83:1 gear ratio (!) on both axles made good if not slow use of the 78 horsepower flathead six engine. Super durability and legendary ability to make a determined crawl over most any terrain is a automotive quality for which the Dodge M37 and Power Wagon relatives are still famous for.
Kendall Van
So you want to win some car show awards. If you’re James Kendall, you pick up a 1970 Ford Custom Van, grab a brush and a roller, and get busy with purple paint. It was eight years ago that James purchased the then barely running Kendall Van for the bargain price of 200 dollars, American. James has been rolling it into car shows ever since. The row of awards on display in front of the van are in fact genuine, as James has found that entering a purple custom van in car shows is a winning idea when it comes to taking trophies for the custom van class. The San Francisco based Kendall Van is famous for appearances at car shows from Antioch to Woodland, and is in an almost a constant state of improvement for continued action. Future plans include a turbocharger mounted up to the straight-six mill, and a custom paint job to match the custom airbrushed t-shirt. “I get bored”, said James.
Onward Thames
From the project cars we wish we had money and time to build department, comes this 1959 Thames Trader 300E panel wagon. The complete and original if not somewhat rusted vanwagon was for sale at the NHRA Bowling Green Hot Rod Reunion swap meet – with a bonus. Inside the van-like wagon’s cavernous cargo area were all the parts to fix or replace any rusty bits. Also included was a can of vintage all-purpose carpet adhesive, and funnel! Since the wagon is a Ford, any FoMoCo engine and powertrain is fair game in place of the stocker. Start with a four-link Ford 9-inch rear with Trac-Loc out back and work forward. We have it on good authority that a 351 Cleveland fits with only slight firewall convincing. A Ford 2.3 turbo four-banger with a cold side the size of a cantaloupe would be wicked, as would a modern EcoBoost twin-turbo V6 mill. The selection of boosted engines would be the key to laying down some gold leaf and outlining it with a brush to read Huff Wagon on each panel.
More: The Ford Sidevalve Owner’s Club
Fourth of July Parade
The local Fourth of July parade is always a good place to kick things off on the most red, white, and blue of American holidays. Thanks to the Redwood City staging its parade participants nearby to the Clunkbucket estate, we got to catch the action up close even before the show even started. Waking up to the opening theme from the Flintstones being played on a trombone and the sound of Shriners cars being run up and down the street is something that should happen every morning. The Fourth of July parade is the one place to find a pipe organ pulled by a sixties-era lawn tractor and a machine that flips compact donut goodness into a delicious snack right before your eyes all on the same great day. There’s no better way to celebrate our nation’s independence than finding out just what makes wherever you are famous.
More: Redwood City Fourth of July Parade
Royal Jokers Cruise Night
Proving that art, metalflake, cars, and roadside cuisine really do all work together are the Royal Jokers car club. While the club has been building and driving fine hot rods and customs for over twenty years, they just recently started rolling into the Oakland art scene at the Giant Burger for a monthly dinner. The first Friday of every month is when uptown Oakland has an Art Murmur, and when the Royal Jokers convene at 7PM. The Giant Burger at 22nd and Telegraph was at one time a Kwik-Way, an establishment frequented by such Oakland luminaries as Too Short himself, seen on occasion hanging out in his Bentley at the Grand Lake Kwik-Way for some fried prawns back in our own Oakland days. The Royal Jokers have found the Kwik-Way to kustom kars and the right way to the real metalflake.
More: The Royal Jokers Car Club, or how we learned to love art and stop worrying about the bombas.
Clean Battery Posts and Terminals
Despite promises of atomic power and limitless propulsion, the lead-acid battery under the hoods of most automobiles is not very futuristic. Cleverly named maintenance-free batteries are updated versions of the same basic lead-acid automotive battery design that first kicked over a production Cadillac in 1912. Even maintenance-free batteries require occasional wrenching. Regular battery inspection and maintenance can make the difference between a five-year battery lasting five years, and one that gives up before its time. Inspecting the battery terminals and posts for corrosion is easy. Fluffy white crud means it’s time for a battery clean up. Read the rest of this entry »
Tool of the Week: Battery Post and Terminal Brush
Welcome to the Tool of the Week crust removal Independence Day edition. The battery post and terminal cleaner brush is really two tools in one. The lower part of gizmo is full of stiff wires that clean up battery posts in short order with a few twists of the handle. An opposite twist of the handle reveals that inside the housing is a bristling porcupine of added utility! Cleaning corrosion from the inside contact surfaces of the terminals is the second use of this multiple purpose tool. The 2-in-1 reversible nature and long years of utility provided by this simple brush make it a required addition for anybody that owns a machine with one or more lead-acid batteries in the mix.
