One-off hot rod combined Packard, Auburn, and Marmon parts; put the "speed" in speedster

Posted by Daniel Strohl - Photo by David Newhardt, courtesy Mecum Auctions. Dick Saunders likely didn't care a lick about labels like Full Classic or particulars like which class he'd park with on the show field. Rather, he probably cared more about how fast he got to the show field in his amalgam of Packard, Auburn, and other old car parts that added up to a boattail speedster that will hit the auction block later this summer. Saunders, of Rensselaer, New York, who had worked for a Packard distributor in Albany, reportedly had a habit... Read More

Hemmings Find of the Day - 1961 Chevrolet Corvair 700 Lakewood

Posted by Daniel Strohl - At what point does a restoration on a car become an "older restoration?" Perhaps that doesn't depend so much on time passed since the restoration but on a car's usage since and maintenance its restoration. For example, this 1961 Chevrolet Corvair 700 Lakewood station wagon for sale on Hemmings.com is coming up on a full decade since its resto, but it still looks like it just rolled out of the shop. From the seller's description: This car was fully restored in 2007, this charming red wagon was invited to the Hemming...Read More

Header genius Jere Stahl, 1935-2016

Posted by Jim Donnelly - Jere Stahl. Photo by Ed Almquist. If you've never heard his name, you almost certainly grew up outside the northeastern United States, but we still bet you were familiar with his products. Jere Stahl was a gifted mechanic and designer out of the York, Pennsylvania, area who came up with his own line of equal-length exhaust headers that set a firm standard of performance during his tenure. Stahl died on June 21, and sources said he had been suffering from cancer. Originally from Romulus, Michigan, Stahl got the...Read More

From the Toolbox #9

Posted by Kurt Ernst - Photo by Randy Rundle. As with the previous installment, this tool (or more correctly, die set) comes to us from reader Randy Rundle. Though the scale is not provided, the largest die (on the right) probably measures about five inches in diameter, give or take an inch. The smaller die, on the left, likely measures about four inches in diameter. Each "pocket" on the pair of dies is probably 5/8" to 11/16." We've also removed a bit of text from the die on the right, since leaving it in would have diminished the ...Read More

In Our Garage: Installing a new wiring harness

Posted by Steve Berry - After years of playing whack-a-mole with electrical gremlins in my 1971 Volvo 1800E, I decided to start from scratch with a brand-new wiring harness. However, as you can tell from the nearly two-year absence of updates on this project, you can see that it's no mere weekend project. Still, it's not impossible, especially with the right tools and plenty of planning. THE WIRING KIT A universal wiring kit is just that, universal. The 12 circuit Painless fuseblock and harness (PN 764-10102) I decided to use is meant ...Read More

Florida, 1960s, part 3

Posted by Daniel Strohl - Returning to the college parking lot photo series that Dean Luchaco sent us, we see just how bad the parking situation was, with not a spot left in this lot and with cars lining the street that connects the lot to what we presume would be the main campus. We also see that quite a few students had a hard time parking straight - perhaps it's exams week and we're seeing the results of a few too many all-nighters? What do you see here? ...Read More

THIS DAY IN AUTOMOTIVE HISTORY

6/27/1985:

Route 66 decertified.

UPCOMING EVENTS

8TH Annual Independence Day Car Show 2016
July 4, 2016 - Robinson, IL

The Essex Automobile Club Annual Antique, Classic and Exotic Car Show
July 4, 2016 - Essex, CT

Fourth of July Car Show
July 4, 2016 - Northglenn, CO

Fast Eddie's 4th of July Car Show
July 4, 2016 - Batavia, IL

Naperville Crossings 7th Annual July 4th Car & Bike Show
July 4, 2016 - Naperville, IL

2nd Annual 4th-of-July Car Show
July 4, 2016 - Stockton, CA

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