The seventies were the absolute zenith of American station wagon manufacture. The flagships of the Ford station wagon fleet featured acres of simulated wood paneling - usually a shade lighter than the millions of sheets of actual dark brown wood paneling used to convert the basements of American split-level homes into rumpus or bar rooms. This fake wood paneling trend began … [Read more...]
Driving a Legend: 1934 Ford Pickup
The Champion Speed Shop 1934 Ford pickup truck is a running legend of hot rod history. Champion Speed Shop founder Jim "The Smiling Irishman" McLennan built the truck for his son Bob McLennan, who now owns and frequently operates the supercharged Chevy powered truck. Not so long ago an opportunity arose to drive this piece of history from South San Francisco to Bakersfield and … [Read more...]
Tool of the Week: Duct Tape
From the what can't it fix division of Tool of the Week comes the ongoing miracle of duct tape. This sturdy and versatile tape is indispensable weapon in the Clunkbucket Arsenal of Tools, rivaling even bailing wire in its utility. The water repelling adhesive tape was originally made of cotton duck in green for the military. Duck tape was used to help keep ammo cases … [Read more...]
Austin Bantam Not Once But Twice
Taking the castaways of the automotive world and transforming them into race cars through ingenuity and steel tubing is nothing new in America. This sixties-built dragster was at one time a thirties-built Austin. Opportunity Washington's Duke Cornell first constructed this Bantam bodied drag coupe 1961. Duke claims he ran 10-second quarters at the drag strip with alarming … [Read more...]
Where Porsches Get Recycled
No matter how fancy or expensive a car is in the beginning, the good majority of the production run will almost always end up as junk. This is a good thing. Those that continue to drive any sort of aging classic will need parts, so the wheels don't fly off and the engine won't catch fire. For these and many more reasons the automobiles is one of the most recycled consumer … [Read more...]