cool display at one end of the Long Beach Motorama of speed parts and memorabilia

this is one hell of a cool collection, and that some guys went to the effort and risk of having it sit on display is amazing

Coolest trailer hitch I've seen, made of con rods

found on http://bummerbro.tumblr.com/post/11049053813

the Rambler catalog of 1909 included pages of parts that you could order, in a very user friendly, organized way

 Look at the goofy flying wing looking front fenders in that bottom car. That's nuts

I would love to have these in 2x3foot posters for my garage, but even cooler would be similar photos of the parts and part numbers of the Mopar blow up drawings relevant to my 69 Coronet R/T, and coincidentally, I know that I have a full set, but in a catalog, and not blown up to the size I'd like. Not yet. Koller Dodge sold a catalog for the restoration parts business that they did on the side, their main business was new car sales.

found among hundreds of great old car catalogs at http://digitalgallery.nypl.org/nypldigital/dgkeysearchresult.cfm?word=title_id_list:454055&slabel=Automobiles%253A%2520Manufacturers%2520catalogues%252E&sScope=images&sLevel=1

Radioactive spark plugs... for the extra punch your engine needs

found on http://dieselpunk.livejournal.com/

"Some assembly required" Crawford High School auto shop project was to disassemble, then put it back together, to learn about modern cars

At the San Diego County Fair

Best assortment of stop lights for hot rods and rat rods I've ever seen, and they were at a VW swap meet

The seller was asking around 120 apiece, doesn't have an email or website. I told him to get someone to email me so I could pass his contact info along to you readers, but I've heard nothing. What kind of sales is he missing out on by not giving out a phone number or email?

Morris Minor hubcap guitar and Seasick Steve on Top Gear, cut to minute 5:50

And if you are impressed with his bit of music, you'll be blown away with waht he can do with a one string diddley-bow. A 2x4 and and amp, that's about it. He's got the music in him, and that is all he needs.

Car parts art

from http://englishrussia.com/

The Wisconsin stash of Don Schlag, 21 semitrailers full or rare parts and rare cars

21 semitrailers stuffed with parts and cars. Don locked the trailers, welded the doors shut himself and parked them tail-to-tail on flattened tires. No, he didn't just keep opeing the doors and looking at the cool collection he'd compiled.

He went to every swap meet. He took a trip to California every year in his RV and would return towing a trailer full of parts that would vanish into his stash. He bought whole cars that never seemed to show up on Wisconsin streets again.

Larry wound up paying Don's heirs a "mid-six-figure" sum for all the pieces. And except for a couple of cars he sold himself and two Corvettes kept by Don's nephews, he sold the entire lot to another collector, Scott Milestone, for half again as much money. As this is being written, Scott is in the process of uncrating and reshelving all the various components into an East Coast warehouse.

Here are just some of the jems in the collection of 14 nice, low-mileage cars more than 150 high-performance engines have been found that Don stored away
1. '57 Corvette-Original fuel injection. Big fuel tank and big brakes.
2. '57 Corvette-Original dual quads. Big fuel tank and big brakes.
3. '63 Corvette coupe-Original fuel injection. Production number 480.
4. '64 Corvette roadster-Original fuel injection. Four-speed. Both tops.
5. '67 Corvette roadster-427 with Tri-power. 37,000 miles.
6. '74 Corvette coupe-454 big-block. 14,000 miles.
7. '72 Camaro Z28-Four-speed.
8. '67 Camaro RS/SS coupe-350 and four-speed. Fair condition.
9. '69 Yenko Camaro-37,000 miles.
10. '70 Chevelle SS454-Automatic with bucket seats.
11. '70 Chevelle SS454-Four-speed, bench seat
http://www.hotrod.com/thehistoryof/hrdp_0608_don_schlag_chevy_car_collector/index.html

a complete engine for a 1969 Camaro Z/28 engine, a DZ-302 that’s complete down to the breather, one of approximately six such engines found, and the cast-iron COPO 427-cid engine block.
http://www.oldcarsweekly.com/article/Huge_muscle_car_stash_found/

Best cause for donating parts and time? Making a 32 roadster to tour, raise awareness, and auction to provide scholarships to kids of fallen soldiers

The IronMen Foundation has pledged its efforts to raise funds for these scholarships. Their first effort is to build a hot rod and auction it. They call it the Metal of Honor.

The IronMen Foundation http://ironmenfoundation.org/ was founded in 2007 to Provide Scholarships to the Children of Slain and Disabled Soldiers. We are simply a group of American Patriots, from all walks of life, doing something significant to support American Heroes' Families.

"We invited businesses in the Hot Rod industry to partner with us to build an automobile in which we could:
1.Capture the Attention of the American People;
2.Dramatize the Educational Dilemma of the Children of our American Heroes;
3.Tour a Car made from the Excellent Products of our Donor Partners—the Manufacturers who make the best products in the Hot Rod industry;
4.Create a desire to own this car;
5.Raise as Much Money for Scholarships as Possible in an Auction.

Our Board of Directors all serve voluntarily. We invite our friends, fellow church members, acquaintances, hot rod lovers, business owners, civic leaders, military personnel, government officials and celebrities to join us in this cause.

http://ironmenfoundation.org/ has this 1932 Ford Roadster, honoring our Fallen Heroes, is being built by The IronMen Foundation. It will tour America throughout 2011 on its way to the Barrett-Jackson auction in Scottsdale, AZ in January 2012. All proceeds from the auction will fund scholarships for the children of slain and disabled soldiers.

Built from brand new parts generously donated by American companies, it is being built in Island Lake, IL totally by the hands of IronMen Foundation volunteers. Stunning, in shades of green, the car honors the men and women who have stood in harm’s way to defend our freedoms. It will be on tour throughout 2011 at car shows, civic events and military installations. You will be able to follow the tour’s progress by visiting our Tour Schedule page. Details will be posted as the schedule dates are finalized "

Valspar paint is lobbying Ford to get the duece into the Ford exhibit area at SEMA in 2011. Damn good idea, lets hope the Ford honchos make it happen.

Thanks to Chuck Caswell for telling me about this noble cause! It's what is great about SEMA, you meet such great people!