Nice CansI thought you might be interested in seeing a little bit of what goes on Down Under in New Zealand. It should be immediately obvious that two great American icons have been molded together to create this cute hot rod (above). There are about 18 Coke cans recycled here, and initially I was going to call it Recycler. However, it could not be called anything other than The Real Thing! Check out the detail; it goes right down to valves for the tires. Best wishes, and keep up the good work with the neat magazine.D.L. (Sandy) SandersonVia E-mail
Now I feel bad for just smashing all of my cans. Nice work.
Good People & Good TimesI just wanted to send a message thanking R&C for a great time once again on Americruise. The East Coast tour traveled mostly two-lane roads through the mid-South, Midwest, and the Heartland. A special thanks from all our cruisers to Bret Voelkel, Peg Vernon and the rest of the people from Air Ride Technologies for organizing and leading our tour.
The event in Lincoln was a lot more fun than the previous events. Could this be the demise of the Parking Lot Nationals and the Blue Chair Nationals? The driving events were a blast to watch and even more fun for those who participated. I heard any number of excuses for not participating in the driving events. Here's an idea for a driving game for those with excuses: how about the Slow Drags? Set up a 100ft course and the slowest car wins. The driver must keep the door open so judges can see that brake isn't used to slow the car. Believe it or not, this can be fun too.
As always, Speedy Bill and Joyce Smith were very gracious hosts at the Speedway Museum. The museum is reason enough to visit Lincoln. Let us know the details of the next Americruise.Phil PratherRoselle, IL
Believe it or not, we actually have the dates and location set for the 2007 event. We're heading back to Lincoln again and the event will be on June 29- July 1. The tours are not set yet, but we will most likely be leaving the weekend before (June 23-24).
No New IdeasI heard a rumor about the December '06 Issue of R&C having a letter in the "Rappin'" section about installing a Flathead into a Falcon. Been there, done that!
I put a 276ci '50 Ford Flathead with Edelbrock heads and 4-bbl intake and a close-ratio T10 four-speed and a 3.25-geared 9-inch into a '61 Falcon Ranchero back in the early '70s. It was a pretty cool ride. It had a 5-inch chopped top, '64 T-bird wire wheels, and '65 Mustang front suspension and disc brakes.
It was definitely a cruiser and a freeway flyer. At 65 mph, it'd spin 2,200 rpm and get 18 mpg. I put about 30K on the odometer with very few problems. It was one of the easiest engine swaps I ever did. Been thinking about a V8/60 in a Mini Cooper, but then again, it's probably already been done.
Thanks for allowing me to go down memory lane one more time; I have every issue of R&C ever printed and look forward to each new issue.Ernie "Fast Ernie" SchuylerFremont, CA
Just when I think an idea is too far out there, someone proves me wrong.
RestraintHats off to Mark Wilson for enhancing a classic and to R&C for recognizing it ("Outer Space Olds," November 2006). What hasn't been done to this car is almost as important as what has. Finally, someone has bucked the trend to slap on 20-something-inch rims and O-ring tires. By the same token, it would've been a shame to alter the body lines. Casual admirers probably assume the bodywork is radically customized-hard to believe the GM stylists were given such a free hand. Although the article didn't specifically discuss the Bellflower exhaust tips, they deserve mention as a period-correct detail that adds to the car's authenticity. There's nothing wrong with more radical customs, but for my money, Mr. Wilson got this one exactly right!Emmett MackanBeaumont, TX
It's easy to forget that "back in the day," this type of mild custom was the norm and it's easy to see why.
Broken BrakeI recently had a bit of a wake-up call while doing some work on my '40 Ford coupe. My son-in-law and I installed a third brake light and were checking the brake lights when the brake pedal snapped off. While one end of this shaft has a hex bore and a bolt, the other end was just TIG welded. The problem was that the weld penetrated less that 1/16-inch. After 16,636 miles, the weld failed, cracked all the way around, and the brake pedal went all the way to the floor. Lucky for me, this happened at our shop. I don't know if all the aftermarket brake pedals have the same design, but thought you might want to bring this to the attention of your readers. We put my car on the rack and checked every nut and bolt before and after we go on a run, but didn't see this coming. I called the dealer and was told this was the first time he heard of this.Craig TownsendVia E-mail
Thanks for the heads-up, Craig. It's always a good idea to keep an eye out for loose nuts and bolts, and check the welds for these key components like crossmembers and brake systems at least once a year.