Serial Numbers On Glass?

serial number glass

I worked on an absolutely beautiful 1984 Chevy Caprice recently, and noticed that it had engraved serial numbers on all the glass.  I understand why they do it, but is this common?  I have worked on about 11 trillion cars, and this is the first that I have seen like this.

Oh great 1AAuto Blog Readers, please school me on this. Common? Not Common? Does it actually thwart thievery? Is it just another way for dealers to grab money?  Who has this on their cars?

Bonus Note: That is me in the reflection, with the camera phone. Hi.

Yes: Throw That On A 4×4 Chassis.

El Camino 4x4

Whenever you mix free time and El Camino’s, you can guarantee that something amazing will happen.   In this case,  the mid 70’s body style El Camino that everyone loves to hate became a 4 wheel drive monster.  The brush guard was functional and ready for some action, and so was the solid front axle.  In all honesty, it was put together fairly well.  Under more normal conditions, the body would have been connected to the frame with drywall screws and tie-down straps.  This one was far better.  It used real metal and wasn’t a giant turd like most 4×4 chassis swaps that I have seen.  While I can’t picture myself in this vehicle, I have great appreciation for anybody that puts their time and effort into a car.   So cheers to you mid 70’s El Camino 4×4 chassis swap dude, and to a job well done!

The Automotive Future Update: Ben-Dera Ford!

Last week we talked about a spacecraft-looking car that was spotted at a Wendy’s in Ohio recently.  It was mystery with so many twists and turns, that the automotive community was left scrambling.  We needed to know the story behind this vehicle.  Who built it? When? What is it? Why?  Thanks to the super sleuth detective work of “oliver@triplezoom” on vwvortex.com, we now have the answer!  The vehicle from Friday’s 1A Auto Blog is a Ben-Dera Ford built by John Bender over 3 years in the mid 1990’s.

It turns out that in June of 1998, “Car and Driver” actually featured this vehicle and it’s owner / builder.  His name is John Bender and he built this vehicle because well….. he wanted to.  In fact, he built a couple of them!  I would go into details, but honestly, this article sums it up way better than I ever could.

Pictures borrowed from:

http://www.oliverdueck.com/misc/benderaford/

Which were originally in:

Car and Driver Magazine.

The Automotive Future Has Arrived. Embrace It.

Once in a while you see cars that leave you wondering what exactly the owner was trying to accomplish.  Then there are those cars that literally make you question what planet you are on, and how in the heck you arrived there.   Today we have one of the latter.

Recently this “submersible-car-ship?” was spotted at a Wendy’s Restaurant in Ohio and posted up by “B3passatBMX” from VWVortex.com.  He was wondering what the heck he had just witnessed, because we all know that “what has been seen, cannot be unseen”.  Luckily for us, he grabbed photographic evidence of the “jet-vehicle-hover-plane?” because there is absolutely zero chance of the world believing this story otherwise.   Now…. what he found sitting in this parking lot was truly amazing, almost beyond words.  It was something so futuristic, yet retro, yet gangsta, that you aren’t sure what planet it was from or where it may have landed.   Is it from the future? Could it be from the distant past?  Nobody actually knows. All we know is that its home base in Ohio, and it appears to have once sported wings.  Yes, I said wings. Also, notice the crazy blower-style drive belt inside, and fully custom hubcaps.   The word on the streets is that it had a VW engine tucked underneath it, but who really knows.  It may be a decoy so that you don’t notice the turbo rocket booster packs.

That being said, please enjoy the beauty that is this wonderous space-time-traveling-plane-car-ship, because it may be the only photographic evidence that it really exists. If you have any further information on this …… “car”, please enlighten us. Clearly somebody put a LOT of time and effort into this for a reason, and I personally would LOVE to see and learn more about it and it’s builder.

UPDATE: WE NOW KNOW THE TRUTH – This is the Ben-Dera Ford

Pictures Credit:

http://forums.vwvortex.com/showthread.php?5000902-What-the-hell-did-I-just-see-!

You Want To Take Your Toaster To The Next Level?

Sometimes car enthusiasts can’t let their fabrication skills stop in the garage.  They have 1 too many diet mountain dews, and things start getting wild.  Pretty soon, the TIG welder is fired up and the kitchen fabrication project begins.  “vectorsolid” whipped up a pretty slick toaster mod recently which is well documented on honda-tech.com.

He wrote “That’s right, taking breakfast and drag racing to a whole new level. We didn’t feel a turbo charged toaster would yield the proper golden brown, crispy toast we all know and love. So we went ALL MOTOR with this beast.”

“Proper” old school, stainless steel, 2 slot toaster. This bad johnny knows how to cook the competition. And with a fraying 1950’s cloth cord, possibly cook the user…  ….Sleeved block, ITB’s. Amazing pop outta the hole. Will smoke ’em all day long.”


At the track… Easily passed tech. According to the little knob on the side it’s certified to “8”. the golden tone on the toast was achieved with a setting of “3”. Imagine the smoke show this thing would put on dialed up to “8”. No dyno can hold it… You don’t mess with the all motor toaster…”

Is a drag racing chassis necessary for a toaster? Yes.  Is is way cool? You bet.  Would I trust the toast coming out of it?  Nah.

Found On:

http://honda-tech.com/showthread.php?t=2821902

For Sale: Invisible Car $4500

Invisible Car For Sale

Craigslist is the place to find the strangest items and people that you never knew existed.  Last night I received a text message from my brother informing me of one such item / person.  From the moment I saw the CL ad, I knew that the 1A Auto Blog readers would appreciate such an amazing car. Without further adieu, I present to you, the $4500 invisible car (New snow tires included)!

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Monday = AWD Mitsubishi Turbo Dune Buggy

It’s no secret that I love cars with forced induction & all wheel drive.  There is also a wacky rumor floating around that I may have a secret obsession with air cooled VW’s.  Well, when you mix that dream with reality, you find yourself on the internet staring into the bug eyes of an incredibly scary Eagle Talon Dune Buggy.  It is the brainchild of a guy appropriately named “dsmbuggy” on baystatedsm.com.

He took a drivable, but rough looking AWD Talon, cut the body off and ever so gently applied a dune-buggy body to it.  He then added a few roll bars to complete the package and reserve his spot in dune buggy legends.  Is it going to horrify nearby children & pets?  You bet it is.  Will it ever be able to pass a state inspection?  “Who’s Asking?” ….   Read More