Thank You GM! Saab files for bankruptcy, now history!

A 1960 Saab 96, GT 750





a Saab 93 ad





A Saab 93


Inside a Saab 92



a 1950 Saab 92, note the suicide doors!

Hi folks -- I never owned a Saab, but from childhood was always curious about them and admired the brand. Growing up in Kenmore, NY, I often walked by a quirky little dealer on Kenmore Avenue, Checkpoint Saab. These were cars for individualists, and in high school I was more of a joiner looking for peer approval, and so never bit. They were cars for a select few, it seemed especially during the 1950s and 1960s, and not for a socially insecure teenager.

The Saabs of those days were model 92s or 93s. Many were two cycle, 3 cylinder powered, although later a more conventional V-4 was the standard engine. Saab was an innovator -- not just with aero shaped vehicles, but with production vehicle turbo charging during the 1970s.

What other car has an ignition switch on the console?
























Whatever the fate of Saab, a select group of collectors will keep the brand alive, driving the 92s, 93s, 900s, 9000s, and ensure that cars are not always appliances.

Car Painting -- Tony's 1989 Honda CRX Project

Bumper fixed

Bumper side fixed

Hood body work

Hood close up

Hood line fixed

Passenger door on

Passenger fender on

Passenger front body work

Passenger rear body work

Hi folks -- photos are from son-in-law Tony's car paint project. This is the first of two cars to be painted -- the CRX is sort of practice for the 1967 Cougar that will follow. Tony has learned a lot about how much time it takes to do a good job, and also the many skills that can only be learned by doing. Now we are waiting for that final result!

Meant to get this off last night, but I was pretty tired and ended up not being able to finish it. Well, so far I was able to get all the panels back on, putting me one step away from primering the whole car. That step, masking off everything, I learned takes much longer than you would think, at least if you do it right, which I didn't do exactly right last time (I had a couple areas that weren't perfectly straight and one area where a little paint got on a window, no big deal though, it should wipe off with some Acetone). I am hoping between tomorrow and Thursday evenings I can mask it off, last time I did it in one night...err, well it took me till 4:30 A.M. but I finished it. Anyhow, if all goes as planned, I'll spray the 3 coats of primer surfacer (primer that can be sanded to "surface" or smooth everything out) on Friday night, spend some time Saturday block sanding and then washing the car, and then spraying the color and clear on Sunday. That assuming everything goes as planned, lets cross our fingers. Also, for any interested, I am attaching the pictures of the car reassembled, as you can see there was quite a few areas that required some body work. Quite a few panels required some work to get them straight, and both bumpers took me half a day with some JB Weld, a file and some sandpaper to reform, reshape and make them fit as they should. In the two front bumper pictures, the lighter gray areas (on the lower part they are all the way on the left and right sides of the big opening in front of the radiator and on the left of the other bumper picture there are two blotches in the area right under the hole where the blinkers go) are JB Weld, filed down, then sanded. They turned out pretty smooth, its pretty likely they won't be noticeable after the primer gets sprayed and then sanded. Anyhow, off to start taping it all off, hopefully between tonight and tomorrow night I can get it ready enough to spray on Friday night.

Dangerous Toxins Found in Classic Cars -- a guest post from Brian Turner

Hi folks -- Brian asked me to post this on my blog. The key to any discussion of toxicology is amount of exposure to the material in question and also time of exposure. Many substances are poisonous, but they become a poison to your body when thresholds are exceeded.

Dangerous Toxins Found in Classic Cars
Whether a professional mechanic or simply an enthusiast, there is no greater pleasure than restoring a classic car to its former glory. Although car restoration is a great career or hobby, it does come with several health risks that many people are completely unaware of. Many old cars were built with materials that are now known to be hazardous, such as lead and asbestos, which can cause such health issues as nerve disorders and mesothelioma. Though there are numerous problems that can arise from reviving an old car, one must plan ahead and take precautions. There are also many ways mechanics can prevent these problems, such as wearing protective clothing, masks and goggles, working in a well-ventilated area, and thoroughly cleaning your shop or garage after you have finished working on the car. One of the most hazardous materials on classic cars is paint. Much of the paint used on older cars contain such materials as lead chromate, cadmium, and lead. Lead chromate is a chemical compound that was once used to create a shocking yellow hue. Mild exposure can cause symptoms like a sore throat and coughing, muscle weakness and dizziness, while chronic exposure can lead to cancer, kidney damage, coma, and death. Cadmium can often be found in red paints, and is easily absorbed by the lungs. Regular exposure to this toxic material can result in damage to the lungs, kidneys, liver, and even bones. While lead can be found in paint, it is also present in batteries, radiators, wiring, and traces of old gasoline. If swallowed, inhaled, or even touched for an extended period, this chemical can cause such issues as increased blood pressure, memory loss, nerve disorders, seizures, and death. Though paint can be a major issue, the materials found inside many classic cars can be just as hazardous. For instance, dashboards, seat belts, and seats may contain a chemical known as bromine, while asbestos can be found in brake pads, and sometimes in clutches. Excessive exposure to bromine can lead to kidney damage, as well as memory and lung issues. Asbestos exposure can be especially problematic, sometimes leading to chronic lung inflammation and cancer, eye irritation, and skin growths. Although chemically related complications are the most common issue when it comes to classic car restoration, there are also complications that can arise from natural substances. For instance, when repairing a car that has been left out in the elements, you will often be exposed to the fungi, mold, and bacteria that can grow on seat upholstery. If the car has been left out in wet weather, you may also come in contact with rust, which can lead to tetanus if you should cut yourself on a sharp edge.

The "Rain Man," auto theft, and his 1949 Buick Roadmaster

“Rain Man,” like "Breathless" and "No Man's Land" centered on the theme of the empty man. Tom Cruise plays a superficial, slick, hard driving, but quasi-legitimate importer of luxury performance automobiles named Charlie Babbitt. Caught in the middle of a financial crises involving four grey-market Lamborghinis, Charlie seems posed to either attain success he desperately craves, or lose his shirt. Scenes between Charlie and his loving girlfriend reveal he is boorish and emotionally dysfunctional. The story thickens with news of his father death in Cincinnati. Returning home to see to the estate, the secrets of Charlie’s past begin to come to light. We learn the source of his troubled personality lay in his youthful theft of this father’s classic Buick Road Master convertible. That joy ride, prompted by paternal callousness, has shaped the rest of his life. Angered at his father, Charlie ran away from home and in the intervening years it seems Charlie has worked to prove he was his father’s equal. Not surprisingly, given the nature of their conflict he seeks to achieve it with automobiles. In one final sign of abandonment, Charlie is left nothing in his father’s multi-million dollar will except, in a final parting shot, his father bequeaths him the aforementioned Road Master and several prized rosebushes.
But here the story takes another turn. Charlie learns the estate was left to autistic brother Raymond (Dustin Hoffman) that he never knew he had. Hoping to squeeze half the money out of his brother's executor, Charlie kidnaps Raymond. Forced by the peculiarity of his brother’s conditions to drive cross-country to California in the Road Master, Charlie is inadvertently put on the road to deeper level of self-discovery and masculine redemption. As the trip unfolds, we learn that the callousness of Charlie’s father toward him resulted from the role inadvertently played in Raymond’s institutionalization: Raymond accidently injured Charlie by scalding him. It might also be the case that because both brothers shared their father’s love of the Road Master—and here we see again the automobile as women, in this case the missing mother—his is father’s latent anger with Charlie was deepened then by an Oedipal conflict over the car. As Charlie rediscovers love for his brother and need to responsibility, the audience realizes that his attempt to achieve autonomous manliness selling exotic but soulless European vehicles was always doomed to failure. His salvation lay in a return to the classic American car, and key to his own salvation. By the end of their journey together, Charlie realizes he must put Raymond’s needs before his own but this evolution in sober manly responsibility reconciles him with his girlfriend and brings put him on the road to a happy future.

Korean Panther Automobile for Sale

1986Panther Kallista

Colleague Larry Schweikart has a Korean-built Panther for sale. It is a 1980s model with the 2.3 liter Ford engine. If interested, contact me and I will contact Larry.

Do not confuse with Panther J72, in production between 1972 and 1980. Some 426 J72s were assembled. They were styled after the Jaguar SS 100. This car had an aluminum body.

China, the WTO, and the automoible exports

Hi folks -- Recently I have been listening to the English language "China Drive" radio show in the morning before I go to school. This morning there was a report that contained an interesting statistic: in 2000, when China joined the World Trade Organization, it exported a total of 15,000 cars; last year that number was 556,000 vehicles! Certainly by joining the WTO, the country was not hurt in terms of its automobile industry. In terms of imports, it has a 25% tariff, pretty high in terms of protectionism. So you just have to make your cars for that market in China!

Top ten destination countries of China 2008 automotive exports by value:
Country Value
U.S. $9.406 billion

Japan $4.533 billion

Russia $2.133 billion

Korea $1.916 billion

Germany $1.490 billion

Iran $1.220 billion

UAE $1.219 billion

Nigeria $1.165 billion

Brazil $1.113 billion

Italy $1.013 billion
source: gasgoo.com

The New 2012 Dodge Dart and A 1961 Dodge Dart from my past!

Hi Folks -- below is a post about the all new Italian-influenced Dodge Dart that will be shown at the Detroit auto show. The post brings back memories from my childhood of cousin Freddy's 1962 Dodge Dart. I was 12 at the time, and Freddy, 17 years older than I, had a wonderful Thunderbird-powered 1957 Ford. On a whim, he decided to trade it in on a blue 1962 Dodge Dart with a 361 cubic inch engine. I remember him trying to set the dual points on the "fart, " as well as carburation. It never really ran right, and in early 1964 Freddy traded the disappointing car in a part of a deal on a new 1964 Pontiac GTO convertible in Midnight Blue. I don't miss the Dart, but would give anything for that GTO!

Dodge brings back the Dart, with an Italian flair


By Justin Hyde
Senior Editor of Motoramic
Dodge's newest small car replacing the woebegone Caliber next year will carry the name "Dart" -- the first time Dodge has used that name on these shores in 36 years. This is not grandma's Slant-Six lead sled.
Based on the European-only Alfa Romeo Giulietta, the new compact hatch (shown here in the only frontal shot Dodge released) is the first true mechanical combination born of the Fiat-Chrysler merger. Chrysler says the 2013 Dodge Dart will arrive with a choice of three engines, two of which are updated Chrysler four-cylinders suddenly renamed "Tigershark," because it's cool to get nicknames in middle age. To be competitive with the all-new fleet of compact cars in America, at least one model will need to hit 40 mpg on the highway.
For those unfamiliar with the proud history of the name, the first Dodge Dart arrived in 1960 as a nod to the Space Age, and persevered as a stoic, low-cost compact car until 1976, often powered by the ancient but bulletproof Chrysler straight-six engine tilted at a 30-degree angle. True Dart fans pay respect to the GTS muscle version of the late '60s, but thanks to its low cost and ubiquity in TV shows of the late '70s -- and even "That '70s Show" -- it became known as grandma's car. For the new Dart, Dodge plans to skip ahead at least a couple of generations.
We'll see the real thing at the Detroit Auto Show in January.