Petit Jean State Park – Petit Jean Mountain – Arkansas State Park

Petit Jean State Park – Petit Jean Mountain – Arkansas State Park

what is in a name

Lady G, Shirley, Betsy these are women's names, or are they?  Men and women alike tend to name their cars with enduring women names.  why?  It is done out of love.  What is your car's name and why?

Even people who are not into custom cars will tell you their car has personality, and usually that is how the name comes about.  Cars are connected to our lives in so many ways.  Many people spend more time in their cars than at their job or home going back and forth, here and their. 

Even car companies have realized this important factor.  Recently Honda ran a commercial about the van being cool again.  They were looking back at a time when everybody was turning their short bed vans into a custom van with wild graphics painted on the side, little port holes in the back, and shag interior.

Then, Chrysler banded together with Eminem and won awards for their commercial.

Cars Cars Cars

Most people restore cars back to original condition.  Others change things to make their car personal and better in their eyes.  Sometimes these attitudes follow into the manufacturers.  These ideas are called Concept Cars.  In years before they were a dream and never got developed.  Today, it seems there is nothing we cannot do with four wheels and an imagination.  

This was a concept car that Chevy brought to life in 79 - 80.

 Not all cars were a success.  There are very few 4 door Corvettes.  The second picture here is a Corvette Station Wagon.  Chevy did not do this but someone creative had an idea in their head and decided to follow through.  This is not the first Corvette Station Wagon I have ever seen and it probably will not be the last.  Some cars are great and some cars are great to their owners. I would love to hear the story behind the wagon to find out why the owner decided to do this.  What is his/her story and why this combination of two cars.  The car creates a mystery and the owner helps to fill in the gaps.

Images such as this one are considered art these days.  I have seen tons of pictures of cars or parts of cars and people get inspired by these rusty pieces.  Some see them are parts for their projects while others see them as a time forgotten, and now they are just art.  Either way these cars create feelings and they have stories too.  How did they get forgotten in a field and left for so many years?  What happened to the owners who loved and cherished these cars from the past?  Does someone still have plans to fix them up and restore them, or have they been left to fade back into the earth right here.

This is a great looking tricked out truck that is super low to the ground.  Most trucks were practical and had a purpose.  This one is now for show only.  Even though it is not practical for the truck to be this low, it is awed at and cherished by its owner.  Why did the owner lower the truck in this way?  Why this truck and why did he/she make custom fenders that look like they came from another car?  Stories are in all of the details the truck has.  This truck has a lot of stories because of all the extra details that are obvious, but I am sure there are many small and minute details we cannot see and would only know about after talking to the owner.

 A car loved by many people and used in several movies.  Then, a single car among 50 other cars to be stolen in one night, raced, crashed, and crushed in the movie; the car created a company to build these cars and return them into the public.  Yes the car was great in the movie but why such a movement for this one car?  This is one time when the car out performed the actors and became the biggest star of the movie.  This is not the first time a car has done that either.  We have an affinity for our rides and a love for the cars we desire.

Then there is nothing real about the characters in this story.  They are drawn and yet we build cars to resemble theirs.  Even kids shows recognize the importance of a car and they begin to take on a life of their own.  Our love for cars starts at a young age and then blossoms into something great when we get older.  

What is your story with your cars.  I don't care if your favorite car is a Yugo! I am sure there is a reason why that is your favorite car as we all develop relationships with our rides.  What is your story?  Include pictures and I understand if you are not in the picture.  I have many pictures of just my cars too.

86 Mustang

Images are simple things that are placed on cars.  Over time these badges become symbols of our emotional attachment to the vehicle or brand of car.  An old Ford badge, the Chevy Emblem, a pony, a set of circles, these are all images of cars and not just some thing someone stuck on a car.  These images are part of the art of the ideas we love and our cars wear them with honor.

Virginia Classic Mustang Blog: Happy Holidays from Virginia Classic Mustang

Virginia Classic Mustang Blog: Happy Holidays from Virginia Classic Mustang: Image ©Virginia Classic Mustang Inc I love this, so I've been posting it for the past couple of years.  I found it somewhere on the internet.

Twas the night before Christmas and in the garage,

There wasn't a trace of a Chevy or a Dodge.

The presents were wrapped and the lights were all lit,

So I figured I'd mess with the ‘Stang for a bit.

I popped out the hood pins and I lifted the hood,

When a deep voice behind me said "looks pretty good."

Well, as you can imagine, I turned mighty quick,

And there, by the workbench, stood good ol’ Saint Nick!

We stood there a bit, not too sure what to say,

Then he said "don't suppose that you'd trade for my sleigh?

I said "no way, Santa" and started to grin,

"But if you've got the time we could go for a spin!"

His round little mouth, all tied up like a bow,

Turned into a smile and he said "hey! Let's go!!"

So as not to disturb all the neighbors' retreat,

We pushed the Mustang quietly into the street,

Then, taking our places to drift down the hill,

I turned on the key and I let the clutch spill.

The sound that erupted took him by surprise,

But he liked it a lot, by the look in his eyes.

With Goodyear’s a' crying and side pipes aglow,

We headed on out where the hot rodders go.

And Santa's grin widened, approaching his ears,

With every up shift, as I went through the gears.

Then he yelled "can't recall when I've felt so alive!",

So I backed off the gas and said "you wanna drive?"

Ol’ Santa was stunned when I gave him the keys,

When he walked past the headlights he shook at the knees!

Then the HiPo exploded with side exhaust sound!

Santa let out the clutch and the tires shook the ground!

Power shift into second, again into third!

I sat there just watching, at loss for a word,

Then I heard him exclaim as we blasted from sight,

"Merry Christmas to all...........what a great night!!!" 

1986 Mustang

About 2 years ago I bought a 1986 Mustang GT 5.0 HO with T-Tops.  I realize today this year is the one that slides between the cracks.  1979 to 1986 were all carb cars and in 1986 it was the first year of fuel injection.  From 1987 until 1993 the car kept with the fuel injection system but there were a lot of changes from the 1986 model.  In other words electronics for a 1986 Mustang almost have to come from a 1986 Mustang only!  It was a first year of a car and then all of the changes came the next year.

Anyway a few years back I owned a 1985 Mustang and now I was a little older and more mature so when I found this 1986 it was love all over again.  It started and ran but that was about it.  A lot of work was needed if this car is to see the light of day.  So, I parked it in my garage and occasionally tinkered with it from time to time getting no where fast.

As the car sat in the garage it became more storage than a car.

Finally, my 18 year old son decided he wanted a real car to drive and wanted to connect with me building a car.  He bought the Mustang off of me for what I paid for it and we began our journey together.  The car would be a learning experience for both of us.  We made a list of parts and needs for the car and decided to test our abilities with this car.

We took all of the interior out to check the sheet metal and decide what needed done first.  Once everything was removed we needed to replace the floor pans in small areas and not the whole thing.  I had some sheet metal and we cut out areas that were rotted beyond repair.  I then looked up on You Tube how to weld and went out and bought a wire feed welder.  LET THE LEARNING BEGIN!!!  Welding is a lot harder than the videos look.  I learned and we cut more metal as I burnt through some, but eventually I got the hang of it.  I also ended up with a sunburn because I tried to use just the goggles instead of a full face shield.  I now have a full shield with auto tint abilities.  No more face burning for me!!  The welds are not the prettiest but they are strong and hold well.  The ugly welds are covered nicely by some carpet.

New paint and new gauges help with the interior.

The next problem was the doors.  They were rusted out and dented beyond repairs.  We found a someone selling a car for parts.  It was a 1988 Mustang convertible.  Since our car has t-tops any new doors has to be off a car with t-tops or a convertible.  We got the doors and stuck them on the car.  We ordered some new door panels and felt all would be fine.  Never think that when swapping one set of parts for another.  The doors are on and the electronics seem to be working.  We roll up the windows and they are 1/2 inch too short!  Luckily, I have not gotten rid of the old doors and the glass in them is good, but it should be a fun situation swapping out the door glass if we cannot adjust the glass in the doors currently.

The car has tested all of our other problems and we are still trying to finish the car.  It has become a lot harder though since my son has left for the Army and I need his hands to help finish other problems.

I am always looking for extra advice on how to make the car better and other people's wisdom is wonderful.    We have several problems still to overcome.  One example is I took out the dash board and to fix the heater core.  While everything was out I bought the white face gauges for the car and changed them over.  That was easy, the heater core was hell.  

I have the dash back together and had to replace the headlight switch and and wires and a few other items.  Now, when I turn on the headlights only half of the dash lights come on.  Everything outside works fine, but I cannot get the dash lights to work right.  I changed all of the dash bulbs to LED lights, and cannot find any tears in the electrical board on the dash bezel.  I am at a loss for what I need to do and looking for any help I can find.

4 point harness are cheaper than the regular seat belts
when replacing for new.

Windows can cause you problems if you have to change out rusty doors.  I had asked around about changing out the doors and was told the only problem I would encounter is if I bought doors that had frames.  My car has T-Tops and I would need to find doors from a car that had T-Tops or doors from a convertible.  I am here to tell you that is not the truth.  If your car has T-Tops and you get doors from a convertible you will have to replace the windows as they will be too short!  The windows cannot be raised to fit properly.  Luckily I have not thrown out the old doors and the glass is still in tact.  I do not look forward to replacing the glass as there is not a lot of room to maneuver inside a door.  I am planning on changing these windows out in the next few days to see if there is anything else I will need to replace.  If anyone has an idea to make this process a little more simple please let me know.

Once again the car seems to win the small battle against me but in the end I will triumph overall.  It is just a car and we have developed a strong relationship no matter the troubles.

Writing and Web Sites

Portfolio: squirls1025 - Writing.Com

This is a great writing web site for anybody who enjoys writing in all fashions and forms.  People will give feedback on anything you write and you can read similar writings from other authors.  Plus, it is free!!!

I have created a web site for people to leave stories and read about my life a little further too.  The site is www.personalcarstories.com

Check out the site and let me know what you think.  No I am not a professional web site designer and I know it shows, so if you have any advice to help make my site better, please feel free to let me know.  I take real advice and apply it for improvements.

I put this on my blog because I am a Professional and Technical Writer.  Well, in training at least!  I encourage anybody who wants to write or enjoys reading unknown authors to help them develop their craft to visit the site.  It is free to join and can be rewarding if you are a writer.  Getting your name out into the writing community is not the easiest thing in the world.  Yes, even with all the technology we have around us, it is still hard to be found.  Sometimes, the plethora of BS posted on the web makes it hard for the others to be found.  Like myself, I struggle using all the different technology to eventually be found out.  I have started a web site, created a blog, belong on all the social media sites, yet the biggest following I have currently is on Pintrest for my posts on placing rosemary on charcoal to season your cooking.  Go figure.