Tag Archive: “car”

Saab

Longtime readers may be familiar with space truck, the mayhem machine I have piloted with affection and mortal respect since 2002. Space truck was recently retired, concluding years of honorable service.

As a replacement, I have acquired a far more practical and economical vehicle: a 1996 Saab 900 SE turbo. It is, however, a worthy successor, replete with personality and motive power.

Front Starboard Rear Port

Posted on Tuesday, December 29th, 2009.

Transportation Alternatives

A post at The World Awheel suggests we should compare bicycles to the foot rather than the car. From that perspective, the around-town advantages seem unambiguous. The ability to travel faster than you can by walking, combined with the ability to navigate beyond the domain of public transit, is a great ability indeed — especially if the operating costs are next to nothing.

In fact, there are a lot of people, most of them hidden from those of us in a comfortably middle-class position, who are not a part of America’s car culture because they simply can’t own a car. These are the people we need to get on bicycles, because for them, for all intents and purposes, it’s still 1881.

There is more to solving transportation problems than providing an affordable vehicle for everyone, of course. Transportation needs are irrevocably related to the structure of our society. Where do you go, how do you get there, and what are the costs?

Posted on Wednesday, September 2nd, 2009.

The body is off the frame!

Today I successfully separated the body from the frame of my hot rod. This grants easy access to the undercarriage, which can now be reinforced and fiddled with at will. This is going to be fun. A bare frame is like a blank sheet of paper: behold the potential!

Final Paint Job? Beam and Jack Technique Setup
Jacked Up Ready to Roll
Body and Frame The Frame

Check out the rest of the gallery for more photos and details on the barnyard engineering that made this possible.

Posted on Saturday, June 16th, 2007.

Hot Rod Taillights

These nifty tinted taillights were among the many odds and ends that came with my car. I think they look pretty mean:

Taillight Illuminated Taillight

The body is slated to come off the frame sometime in the next couple days. Once that’s done, things will start happening. Stay tuned for more updates.

Posted on Thursday, June 14th, 2007.

Yabba Dabba Doo!

Fred Flintstone powered Chevrolet

Hurray! The car is home. It rolls and steers, so it is not too difficult to maneuver. As you can see, though, I’ve been experimenting with alternative powerplants.

Posted on Saturday, April 14th, 2007.

Powerplant

engine in barn

This past weekend I had the opportunity to bring home the engine for my hot rod (pictured above). This coming Saturday I anticipate that the car itself will finally come home. I’ll post photos here.

Posted on Thursday, April 5th, 2007.

Road Trip Recap

Here is a highly abbreviated summary of the road trip Dan and I took in January. The trip lasted two weeks and covered 3672 miles (thanks to space truck).

  1. Monday: Binghamton, NY to Hagerstown, MD by way of Pennsylvania.
  2. Tuesday: Hagerstown, MD to Huntington, WV by way of Charleston, WV.
  3. Wednesday: Huntington, WV to Nashville, TN by way of Lexington, KY.
  4. Thursday: Nashville, TN to Hattiesburg, MS by way of Birmingham, AL.
  5. Friday: Hattiesburg, MS to New Orleans, LA by way of Biloxi, MS.
  6. Saturday: Volunteered gutting flood-damaged homes in New Orleans with a bunch of hippies the Common Ground Collective.
  7. Sunday: Ditto.
  8. Monday: Good food and authentic New Orleans jazz.
  9. Tuesday: New Orleans, LA to Pensacola, FL.
  10. Wednesday: Pensacola, FL to Lake City, FL.
  11. Thursday: Lake City, FL to Myrtle Beach, NC by way of Georgia’s Golden Isles.
  12. Friday: Myrtle Beach, NC to Charlottesville, VA.
  13. Saturday: Charlottesville, VA to Front Royal, VA by way of Shenandoah National Park.
  14. Sunday: Front Royal, VA to Baltimore, MD by way of Washington, DC.
  15. Monday: Baltimore, MD to Binghamton, NY.

The linked photos were not necessarily taken at exactly that location, but they were taken at that general point in the trip.

Posted on Friday, February 16th, 2007.

My New Car (Sneak Preview)

1947 Chevrolet Fleetline Front Clip

Posted on Thursday, February 8th, 2007.

180000 Miles on the Odometer

Space truck hits 180000 miles somewhere in the hills of West Virginia.

Posted on Thursday, January 18th, 2007.