Episode 16 – Irish Lightning

 

We are nearly 1 year into this podcast thing!  Can you believe it?  Daryl and Eric released the first ep in June of 2018!  What should we do for the anniversary?

For our second show in May,  let’s talk about Wheeling!  Eric just got back from an adventure in Tennessee with avid TW listener Jake Irish.  We invite Jake along for this show to talk about the trip, and of course, comment on the automotive news of the day.

Projects:

Eric:

Grocery List from GSMTR:  UCA’s, Fuel Tank Skid, Tires, Front Bumper, Hidden Winch Mount, Good Cleaning!

Also, I am chasing Unicorns at the farm… Diesel contamination?

Daryl:

Driveshaft service on the Tahoe and fix tranny leak. Other than that, minor stuff. Got an AM radio in the Volvo to listen to some AM Gold on WIRL. Captain and Tennille ALL DAY.

Headlines:

International:

Ford Lays off 7000 salaried workers!

Analyst Adam Jonas of Morgan Stanley is among those who say Ford Motor Co. cannot reach its stated profit goals for “Smart Redesign” by laying off just 7,000 salaried workers total worldwide by August. The company must cut “a further” 23,000 salaried jobs in the near term to fulfill its goals, Jonas wrote.

Source: Detroit Free Press

National:

Ford and GM merger rumors?

“Fiat Chrysler Automobiles N.V. (NYSE: FCAU) proposed a merger with Renault that would create the world’s third largest carmaker. The eroding economics of the industry make such deal more likely by the day. Deep trouble at Ford Motor Co. (NYSE: F) and General Motors Co.’s (NYSE: GM) need for more heft to compete with rivals Toyota and Volkswagen make a marriage between the two largest car companies increasingly probable.

Fiat Chrysler argues that a tie-up with Renault will lead to $5.5 billion in savings. As car sales have flattened in the United States and started to drop in China, the two largest markets in the world offer less hope for revenue improvement. Neither company has much of a sales footprint in China. Renault has none at all. Both have a strong market share in Europe, but it is one of the most competitive markets in the world. At the low end of the market, VW is the dominant force. At the high end, it is BMW and Mercedes.”

Guess people only buy F150s anymore But what the hell is going on here, seriously? Consumers have PLENTY to choose from, and the choices have been paired down already since 2001 or so. What’s the REAL issue? Quality? Affordability? People suck?

https://www.marketwatch.com/story/gm-merger-with-ford-looks-more-likely-2019-05-28

US Drops Plans to Require Brake-Throttle Override Systems

May 13, 2019  The Trump administration said Monday it will drop rules first proposed in 2012 that would have required automakers to install brake-throttle override systems to prevent runaway vehicles.

Tesla Releases DIY Repair Procedures

May 21, 2019—Tesla has released new “Do It Yourself” maintenance procedure instructions to help owners work on their own cars, reported Electrek.

Restarting the touchscreen,Pairing a Bluetooth phone,Connecting to Wi-Fi,Programming homelink, Adding and removing keys, Replacing the key fob battery, Installing phone charging cable, Installing front license plate bracket, Replacing cabin filters, Checking and adjusting tire pressures, Topping up windshield washer fluid, Replacing wiper blades, Manually releasing charge cable, Calibrating windows, Removing and installing aero covers, Removing and installing lug nut covers

Some things, like replacing cabin filters, are a little more intricate and would have generally been handled by the service center.

HOMELINK!!!  DAMN YOU!

Local:

Turns out potholes cost us some real money in Illinois.

How much? $18.3 billion. That includes additional car repairs, time lost in traffic, and crashes caused by poor road conditions. Lawmakers are using the data in the report compiled by a DC-based group called TRIP to call for higher gas taxes (from 19 to 44 cents a gallon) and vehicle registration fees ($98 to $148 a year) in order to collect money for a major infrastructure overhaul plan. TRIP claims Illinois drivers pay on average of anywhere between $1,200 and $2500 a year on vehicle repairs caused by shotty roads. I’d agree. Will higher taxes help?

https://www.nprillinois.org/post/report-bad-roads-cost-illinois-drivers-183bn#stream/0

In Illinois, cars and trucks top coal as biggest global warming contributor

By Brett Chase of Better Government Association   

Posted May 26, 2019 at 5:05 PM

If Illinois is to seriously crack down on greenhouse gas emissions, it has to start with the tailpipes of cars and trucks and the same day-delivery desires of home shoppers even as policy makers set sights on retiring an already dwindling number of coal-burning power plants.

Economic upheaval has diminished the state’s once thriving but heavily polluting coal industry while putting a cavalcade of gas and diesel-burning vehicles on the roads. And that dramatically complicates and personalizes an already difficult regulatory path to fighting climate change.

Latest data show exhaust from cars, trucks and planes has overtaken coal plants as Illinois’ single-biggest source of carbon dioxide emissions, the largest contributing factor to climate change.

The significant pollution change is being driven by more car commutes, the popularity of home-delivery services such as Amazon and ride-hailing alternatives like Uber and Lyft. That’s a dramatic shift in the Midwest given that coal has been a far greater source of greenhouse gases in the region. In Illinois, coal was the leading source of carbon emissions for every year but one since 1980 when the federal government began publishing state-level records.

What the data on climate warming emissions now make clear is that the central problem in Illinois has shifted from high-sulfur coal mines in southern Illinois to the sprawl and congestion of the northern end of the state.

Shlock Journalism at the Star?  Is this a whiff of future publishing???  Contributors with unknown motives or with the bankroll to create a crisis…  When Luciano leaves the PJ Star…  Turn off the lights!  Its all over!

GSMTR Recap, Eric and Jake now go on a 25 minute bender about our time on the trail spent with the fine folks at the South East Toyota Land Cruiser Association event.  It all happened in Tennessee at Windrock Park.

 

Technical difficulties!  We had started a second file for the show and a big storm rolled through while Jake was talking about black trails at Windrock.  In a split second, we lost all of the praise for discount tire on the second file when the power went out.  We ended this show with flashlights and the much maligned Zoom H3 portable recorder…  We jump right to cars of the week after deciding that we just cant do our Moment of Musk without the sound effects on the mixer.  

 

Cars of the Weak

Eric

Ex-Vic Skirmants 1957 Porsche 356A Race Car on BAT

This 1957 Porsche 356A was built by Reutter as a coupe and was reportedly modified into an open race car in the 1970s. Following decades as a race car, it is currently being used by the seller as a street car. Power is provided by an over-bored flat-four from a Porsche 912 paired with a close-ratio four-speed manual Porsche gearbox. Further modifications include composite body panels, a full roll cage, coilover suspension, Porsche 356C disc brakes, and aftermarket instrumentation. The car was purchased in 1977 by Vic Skirmants, who campaigned the car for several decades, winning the 1994 SCCA G Production championship in the car before it was purchased by the seller in 2018.

Daryl

1953 Ford Ranch Wagon, Sold for $55K on BaT

Super clean and original. Nice bare bones car with the optional flathead V8 in it’s final year. My kinda utility car. Hose it out and haul stuff.

https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1953-ford-2681-mile-ranch-wagon/

Jake

2002 CHEVROLET CAMARO ZL1,427/600 HP, Nickey Edition, #60 of 69 Built

FROM THE RICHARD BERRY COLLECTION

ESTIMATE $100,000 – $125,000

395 actual miles

#60 of 69 produced to commemorate the 1969 ZL1 Camaro

Signed under hood by Fred Gibb, Ken Barnhart among others

To Camaro faithful the 1969 ZL1 was the ultimate Camaro, employing the all-aluminum 427 big block V-8 of the same name to dish up big block power with the handling agility of a small block car. When Chevrolet announced that the Camaro would bow from production after 2002, the GM Specialty Vehicles Group joined forces with GMMG Inc.  One of 37 Stage II cars, it uses the C5-R-based 427/600 HP behemoth and features a unique dash-mounted switch to open the headers and allow the engine to breath freely – and to roar like the original. The only Nickey Edition produced, this second-generation ZL1 is also signed under the hood by Fred and Helen Gibb, Ken Barnhart and others associated with the ZL1’s fascinating history.

 

Thanks for listening!  We would be remiss if we didn’t mention that we are part of the Peoria Podcast Alliance!  Check out other great local shows here: 

Sponsors?  CASEY LAW may have succumbed to our demands for advertising.   Listen for our first foray into reading ad copy during our June episodes!

Please share this in your Facebook and other social media sites!  Also, if you know someone who has an interesting job or hobby that is car is related, let us know…  We would love to see if they are a fit for an interview show!

Shoutout to Regan…  Get well soon you Model-T loving freak!

Feedback: NONE!  Can we please get another email to read on the show???  We know you are listening!  Let us know!  (It makes Daryl happy)  info@throwinwrenches.com

Similar Posts

One Comment

Leave a Reply