Episode 20 – Who Forgot to Plug in the Car?
Welcome to another edition of the Throwin’ Wrenches Podcast, otherwise known as the auto podcast that is not talking about 1994 Nissan Maximas on permanent replay on NPR. God Bless Click and Clack the Tappet Brothers, but maybe it’s time to retire that program?
Sponsors:
As always, we’d like to extend a very sincere thank you to our sponsors, Casey Law Office Peoria and Fort’s Toyota of Pekin for helping to keep this program rolling along.
We’re also a member of Peoria Podcast Alliance but we really, really need to get to a meeting sometime.
Thanks for listening, everyone. Don’t forget to share this show on Facebook if you get a kick out of it, and anywhere else that’s hip and cool. If you have a message for us, or just want to fire off an angry email, send it all to info@throwinwrenches.com. We always enjoy hearing from you.
About Our Guest
You may be familiar with this week’s guest since he runs the Casey Law Office in Peoria, but he also happens to be one of those dyed-in-the-wool car guys who isn’t afraid to tear into a transmission or do restoration work on one of his vintage Toyota FJ40 Land Cruisers. While he currently owns a 78 FJ (Check out the video above.) and a super-cool, supercharged lifted 2015 GMC Sierra that’s tricked out with a full-body bedliner coating and numerous other upgrades, he has owned 20 vehicles since he was old enough to drive. Past rides include an Audi TT convertible, Yamaha R1, and an Acura RSX.
We shoot the breeze with Gabe and talk about what cars and trucks he still pursues in his spare time when he’s not busy running a law office and being a husband and father of two. Somehow, we even managed to pry some free legal advice out of him.
Gabe’s a great sport, and we appreciate having him on the show. We know you’ll enjoy the interview, as well.
Projects
Eric and his son get their hands on some Plasti-Dip and go to town on the 4-Runner. How does it end? Listen for the full story. He also talks about pairing down his fleet and dangling O2 sensors.
Daryl put a few hundred miles on the Super Tahoe after some driveline work and so far, things are working well. He also rants about AC duct actuators. Riveting stuff.
Our guest Gabe Casey shares the joys of moving to a new home with a nicely-sized garage for all of his projects. The good news? More storage for Toyota FJ40 parts. The bad news? Acres of FJ40 parts.
Headlines
Indian Postal Vans and Sizzling Steaks
Indian automaker Mahindra said this week that it plans to open a plant in Flint, Michigan to make new vehicles, including mail delivery trucks for the U.S. market. The move could create up to 2,000 jobs as the U.S. Postal Service looks to replace the aging fleet of LLV delivery vehicles. Eric and Daryl wonder why a U.S. company couldn’t step in here and build these.
Speaking of the USPS, another postal worker has demonstrated how hot those LLV postal trucks get inside in the summer. If you recall in the previous show, we discussed how these trucks lack air conditioning. This week, a Phoenix carrier literally cooked a steak on the dash of his government-issued truck and documented the internal temperature of the meat reached 142 degrees. Perhaps there’s a side business the USPS could setup where carriers turn into hibachi grillers and cook mail-order steaks at your door?
The Titan Falls
Nissan told its U.S. dealers last week that it will discontinue sales of the Cummins diesel engine Titan XD and also jettison certain other Titan configurations, including its single-cab models. The news comes after Nissan and Cummins spent some serious coin on the development of the 5.0 liter diesel V8 with 330 horse and 555 pound-feet of torque. Newer, more efficient diesel models are plentiful in other makes, so consumers can still roll coal somewhere else.
Cracking the Launch Code
Some 2020 Toyota Supra Launch Editions are selling for over $100k. Jalopnik reports there’s a few examples of the new supercar being snapped up by hungry fans, and we know one who may have reserved one. Who could it be? Tune in to find out.
Automakers, Meet Hackers. Hackers,You Aready Know the Automakers.
At the annual DEF CON Security Conference in Las Vegas, automakers collaborate with hackers and invite them to politely hack into their vehicles in an effort to learn where the vulnerabilities are. Attendees who visit the car hacking forums get the opportunity to escape a vehicle by deciphering the code to open its trunk, control its radio volume and speed, and lock the doors through their computers. Carmakers will take the lessons learned back to the drawing board in an effort to make vehicles more secure. Daryl’s not so sure and thinks there’s too much tech in cars today. With computers running the show, nothing can go wrong.
Go wrong.
Go wrong…….
Urine Trouble
A Peoria woman found urine in the gas tank of her Ford Explorer, according to an article in the Peoria Journal Star. The vehicle was running poorly and when the woman took the SUV to a mechanic, the verdict was urine in the fuel, states a Peoria police report. We have a few laughs with this one, and discuss impurities in fuel for a few minutes. Don’t worry, we keep it PG-13.
Moment of Musk
As reported in Marketrealist.com
Over the weekend, Tesla CEO Elon Musk compared gasoline cars to steam engines. Yesterday, Tesla also teased legacy automakers in a tweet.
Musk has never been a fan of cars with internal combustion engines. This weekend, in a tweet, he compared gasoline cars to steam engines and said, “They look cool in a museum.” Following in its CEO’s footsteps, Tesla has now also poked fun at legacy automakers. Yesterday, the company tweeted, “‘I really miss gas stations’ said nobody ever.”
Cars of the Weak
Eric
1992 Lexus LS 400
Notes from Eric: “A diamond in the rough in Florida. It’s amazing how these hold up when compared to a similar S Class Mercedes or 700 series BMW. The Cost of ownership is a fraction of the cost… Even if you have to replace catalytic converter parts.
On the downside… It’s a small car by today’s standards.”
BaT Auction Link
Daryl
1949 Packard Standard 8 Club Sedan
Notes from Daryl: “These cars were always beautiful. Flowing lines, a big comfy interior, and the smooth inline 8 cylinder engine would make for an ideal Sunday driver. Packards were restyled a bit for ‘49 and were visually beautiful but antiquated tech quickly put them in the back of the line. By 1957 they were bought by Studebaker and by 1958 they would be phased out. This one appears to have been restored a while ago and it shows wear, but it’s all there and pretty presentable for $14,998.”
Gabe
1978 FJ40 Land Cruiser
Notes from Gabe: “I own this vehicle in unrestored form and this would be about the end goal/result of my plans for mine, without the work and time!
Looks like a solid restoration that is fairly faithful to original. Looks like US model.
Distributor has been removed and an electronic ignition installed. Some odd dash items.
The bezel is on correctly… Reasonable priced at $30k buy it now. In Iowa.”
Thanks again to our sponsors for making this program possible.
Casey Law Office Peoria
Fort’s Toyota of Pekin
Thank YOU for listening and making it fun.
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