Porsche 911T is back on the Road!!!!

A lowly hemostat -- the key tool that made the job of shutting off fuel flow from the tank easy to do.
Hi folks -- just a quick note to say that the Irish Green 1971 911T targa is back on the road. I had correctly diagnosed the problem as the failure of the electric fuel pump. Got a new one from NAPA this morning, put it in along with a new fuel filter upstream from the pump, hooked it all up, and "bam," the car ran like a top again.
One key to the whole job was shutting down the flow of gas from the tank to the fuel filer and pump. Yesterday I bought a Hemostat at Harbor Freight for $4.99 that did the job. Made in Pakistan, probably by the Taliban. But with the fuel flow shut off, it was easy to take my time to do the repair.

Film Review of Ron Howard's "Grand Theft Auto," 1977

One wonders if this love would really last!
Collin's mother defies the law. A recent court ruling says that this kind of gesture is OK, given our right to free speech.

Three years after the release of Halicki's "Gone in 60 Seconds" another feature film centering on auto theft appears, this time a zany comedy with the title "Grand Theft Auto."[1] A cross between "Gone in Sixty Seconds" and "American Grafitti," "GTA" was the first film directed by Ron Howard, while also drawing on the talents of B-grade film creator Roger Corman, who served as executive producer. The plot is as silly as it can be, and this viewer could not wait for the film to end. Filled with mindless special effect explosions, car chase scenes and crashes, and slanted characters, I guess Ron Howard had to start somewhere as a director. Despite its flaws, the film did make money, as it parlayed a $600,000 investment into a $16 million profit.

The "GTA" story centers on two very young lovers who want to get married, Sam Freeman (Ron Howard) and Paula Powers (Nancy Morgan). Paula, the daughter of wealthy gubernatorial candidate Bigby Powers, is one of those headstrong and independent young women so characteristic of that day, and is dead set on marrying Sam, contrary to the wishes of her parents. Instead of Sam, Bigby desires his daughter to marry wealthy Collins Hegeworth (Paul Linke), a foolish prig of a young man to say the least. As the young couple elope from Los Angeles to Las Vegas as fantastic chase ensues, as the couple take off from the Powers estate in a 1959 two-tone Rolls Royce. With a reward on their heads and numerous pursuants, the trail takes them (and us) through the desert wastes of California and Nevada, ending at the Nevada Speedway. As one might predict, love triumphs in the end, as the rich young girl chooses to follow her glands rather than her pocketbook.

Beyond the rather anti-materialistic message, Grand Theft Auto does contain a latent meaning concerning auto theft. From the moment Paula "borrows" her father's Rolls-Royce to the demolition derby scene at Las Vegas, characters "borrow" the cars of others to suit their immediate convenience. In fact, Paula remarked that she is merely "trading with dad," since she cannot drive off in her own Fiat X1/9 because he had taken the keys away from her. Consequently Collins drives off with a Dodge Charger, and then later a battered, yellow pickup truck. Collins mother, concerned over her son, "borrows" a servant's VW Beetle. Later, 2 gas station mechanics, 1977 clones for Beavis and Butthead, borrow a kit-car that was in their garage for service, and later a Chevy Luv pickup with a camper attached. A policeman "borrows" a bus filled with senior citizens, who do little to protest when they discover that they are going to Sin City. In sum, Grand Theft Auto perpetuated the notion that stealing a car was often not stealing, but just temporarily suing a motor vehicle because of a personal need.

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[1] "Grand Theft Auto," 1977, DVD, Buena Vista Home Entertainment.

My Porsche 911 Dies on the Side of I-675: A Suspected Fuel Pump Failure

Hi folks -- a bit of excitement last night, although not the kind I like. Driving my 1971 Porsche 911 T targa to tennis last evening, about 7 p.m., when I suddenly started to lose power. The first sign of it was on the ramp leading on to I-675. I tried to keep the revs up but after a mile or two I had to pull off the road. Called my Haggerty Insurance towing service, and it took more than an hour for someone to get there (we'll be there in 35 minutes (ha!)). In fairness, the flatbed guy did a very nice job in taking car of the car. Centerville, Ohio cops also showed up after a while, but they were there more because of a closure of the interstate due to construction than my misfortune. Several friends also stopped by to help: Rise' Kreitzer and her husband from UD and Kirby Gabori from Five Seasons. Very hot weather here, so I'll try to get under the car early this morning and get at the fuel pump. Hopefully, photos will follow.

Cars from 1948: a very good year?

A 1948 Chevy Fleetmaster. My family had one of these, but not the convertible.
A 1948 Oldsmobile -- beautiful red color!
a 1948 Buick. A nice, unusual color and interior
1948 Cadillac. Wouldn't you like to drive this on Route 66?
A 1948 Ford. My mother and father-in-law had one of these.

A Plymouth convertible, like in "Karate Kid 1." Wax on, and wax off.

Desoto. My aunt Rose had a 1948 DeSoto sedan.
The Classic Chrysler Town and Country
1948 "Pregnant Elephant" Packard

Hi folks -- June is birthday month for me, and so I thought I would post photos of convertible automobiles that were made the year I was born. Detroit was slow to convert from wartime to peacetime, and thus autos of that year normally were slightly modified designs going back to 1941, before the U.S. entered the war. Cars were hard to find in those years immediately after the war, as there was material shortages, and far more buyers than cars for sale. Waht did American troops fight for in WWII? In large part freedom, and freedom was best expressed in the cars that were driven after the war was won.

Eddie's New Ride: Anniversary Silver Audi A5

This is a nice car! it better be, at $43 k! Ed Garten came by today to show me his newest acquisition, taking the place of his Volvo C30 and Pontiac Solstice GXP. Fit and finish tops on this car, inside and out. Special anniversary silver paint. Turbocharged 4 cylinder and 6 speed.
Audi Ingolstadt makes great cars. Back in 2009 I visited the factory, and wish Ed could have experienced a lunch at the factory and museum restaurant followed by a personal pick up. I hope he gets to the birthplace of his car in the next few years.

The electronic controls on this car stagger someone like myself who continues to drive older cars. Germans love complexity, and this Audi A5 is a typical example. So many menus on the dash you need to be pretty smart driving one of these. No hope for a Bevis and Butthead to get behind the wheel, I guess!

Joy Ride: An Auto Theft (1976)

The Film Archive: Joy Ride: An Auto Theft (1976): "This cautionary tale was aimed towards young, thrill-seeking teens. " So the introduction to this film goes.

I need to spend a bit more time with this educational film, but here are some initial observations. First, those two boys need haircuts! Seriously, supposedly this film it was based on a real-life incident in which three teens were killed and one, the girl Vicki, was left paralyzed. The film's lack of realism might just have done the opposite of the writer, producer and director's intentions, however. Is it boredom and wanting girls that are the primary motives behind young people joyriding? is it opportunity? These kids were from the middle class. If the cars were not so readily availble would they still want to steal a car? Is it socioeconomic background? Do educational films work with young people? Sometimes I wonder.

The Vocabluary of a Car Thief, 1930

Hi folks -- there are a number of sources that describe the various words taht car thieves used in the past. What follows is taken from a 1930 paper on the subject, that I found sort of amusing.

Automobile Thieves Vocabulary

Bent -- stolen

Bent one -- a stolen car.

B.I. -- a Buick.

Breezer -- an open car; a touring car.

Caddy -- a Cadillac.

Clean one -- a motor car from which thieves have (or think they have) erased all identifying numbers.

Consent job -- an automobile stolen with the consent of the owner, who will collect insurance and not prosecute the thieves.

Coop -- a coupe'.

Dauber -- a motor-car painter who does hurried jobs for thieves.

Dog-house -- a small garage rented from a householder in a residence district, used for the safe storing of a stolen car for a few days till it can be disposed of.

Ducker -- a Dodge car.

Front room -- a sedan or limousine.

Golfer -- the same as a Caddy.

Gravy -- easy profit.

Hit one -- a car stolen within the previous twenty four hours, the loss of which has perhaps been reported to the police.

Hudson pup. -- an Essex car.

Kinky, adj. -- stolen. The same as bent.

Kinky, noun. -- a stolen car. The same as bent one.

Overnight job -- a car stolen from the previous evening and probably not yet reported to the police as lost.

Owners job-- the same as consent job.

Papa -- a Lincoln car.

Right Guy -- a dealer who buys stolen cars.

Send to school -- send to the state penitentiary.

Shed -- a closed car.

Slicker -- a stolen car newly painted.

Smacker -- a dollar.

Spider -- a Ford car.

Stranger -- a car stolen at some distant point.

Studie -- a Studebaker car.

A proverb -- Never steal anything you can't sell right away.[1]

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[1] Atcheson L. Hench, "From the Vocabulary of Automobile Thieves," American Speech, 5(February, 1930), 236-7.