Fact: Hydraulic Suspensions Are Fun

Over the years, I have had the opportunity and pleasure of working on a wide variety of cars and trucks.  The ones with hydraulic suspension systems were some of my all time favorites.   It combined huge amounts of electricity (8-10 Car batteries in 1 vehicle) and the unimaginable power of hydraulics.  The hostile symphony that appeared when these two forces came together made for months of non stop entertainment.  We bounced cars around, lifted 1 wheel off the ground for “3-wheel motion”, dragged them around, and laughed hysterically at just how ridiculous it all was.  Looking back, it was some of the most fun that I have ever had working on cars.  It was endless work, tons of money, long days, late nights, and I enjoyed every single second.

Pictured above is my friend Chris’s old 1989 Chevy truck.  The amount of work put into that truck by he and I was unmeasurable.  From what I understand, it’s gone from the earth for good, but the lessons learned from that truck will be around for decades to come.  Mental Note: 8 car batteries in parallel will liquify and throw a wrench more than your expect.

Why The Heck Are Blue Cars So Awesome?

While meandering across the wide wide world of web, I accidentally bumped into a blue car.  I stepped back, and the first thought that popped into my head was “Why the heck are blue cars so dang awesome?”  Sure the blue car was a Bugatti and all, which certainly helps its case, but I think the blue color is the key player here.  Am I wrong?  Is blue not the most glorious color for all vehicles?  Could I have discovered an ancient secret?  Did the Egyptians know about this? I bet they did.  Lay your eyes upon this phenomenal display of blue cars found on the internet, and try to tell me that blue isn’t the hottest thing since the sun.

Images borrowed from:
bugatti, porsche, cadillac, subaru, G8, Trans Am

Favorite Car of Your Birth Year.

If you had unlimited funding, and were forced to own a car from the year that you were born, what would it be?  For me, the year is 1982.  As you may or may not remember, this was a black hole of automotive design, horsepower, handling, and overall driving excitement.  Luckily, one manufacturer didn’t care what the other guys were doing, and stuck to what they do best, building fantastic sports cars.  That company’s name is Porsche.  The model that I would procure is the 930, and I would obviously need it with the twin turbo ~300 horsepower engine.

Oddly enough, I found the exact one I want on eBay today!

Item # 190396041589


So which car would you buy?

DO WANT: Monte Carlos

This week I wanted to bring up an important topic that we all need to think long and hard about.  Love for Monte Carlos.  Yes,  the Chevy Monte Carlos that were built from 1970-1988 were a beautiful bunch of machines, even the sadly forgotten 1973-77 models.   They all had giant engines, huge fenders, heavy doors, and tons of luxury options.   If you have never driven in one, I would compare it to sitting on a sofa that is strapped down to an erupting volcano.  To celebrate the true wonder that the 1970-88 Monte Carlos are, I have gathered a youtube video of each generation doing an elegant burnout, as only a high class Monte Carlo could.

Between 1970 and 1972 the Monte Carlo shared a large number of parts with the Chevelles, but for some unknown reason (to me), Monte Carlos don’t seem to rot out like the Chevelles and Malibu’s do.  Is it because beauty doesn’t age? Could it be because Monte Carlos are so full of magnificence, that rust cannot possibly break them down?  Maybe it is because they are so uncommon that deterioration itself wants them to last forever?  Whatever magical presence it is protecting these cars from rust, it deserves a high five.  With that, I give you elegant burnout number one!

I always felt bad for the 1973-77 Monte Carlos.  They were always the ugly bunch that nobody seemed to want.  They still had huge engines, and more class than you would know what to do with.  What people don’t seem to realize is that with one of these land yachts sweet rides, you have every single automotive option on earth for an unbelievable low price.  You have buttons that control other buttons, and switches that control knobs.  You have seats that move in like 879 directions, carpet that is 6 inches thick, and enough cigarette lighters to light 40 stogies at once.  The trunk is big enough to sneak 10 of your closest friends into the drive-in, which makes for 18 total passengers.  What is there not to love? As you may have guessed, this body style is the perfect candidate for elegant burnout number two!

The 78-88 Monte Carlos are unmatched in beauty and grace.  If these cars had a decent engine and transmission in them, they could have been the greatest vehicle ever built (……..by Chevy between 1978-88).  The downsides to these cars were the asthmatic V6 and V8 engines that GM loaded into them.  Chevy claimed 165 horsepower, but I assure you that it felt more like donkey power.  Yes, I would rate them at approx. 14 donkeypower.  People in horse drawn carriages would easily pass these cars in a race.  The interiors were slightly less plush than that of the 73-77 body style, but still high class compared to most.   Overall, the great looking body makes up for the lack in power.  You buy one of these cars to look awesome, not to go fast.  If you swap the engine for maximum greatness, you end up with elegant burnout number three!

Ford GT For Sale in a Front Yard Near You!

Mixed in with the lawn gnomes, pink flamingos, and dog statues, you typically find Ford Escorts, Tempos, and Taurus’s for sale in front yards. That is sooo pre-Y2K. This guy is bringing the front yard used car lot game to a whole new level. “djsheijkdfj” on the VWVortex message board spotted this 2005 Ford GT recently and I just had to show it off to the Nutt’s And Bolt’s Blog readers.  It is very much out of it’s element, and its beautiful red paint, gigantic brakes, and supercharged engine need a happy new leaf-free home.  Is it ok to sell this car this way? You decide.

Has anybody else seen any strange methods of selling exotic / rare cars?

Top 5 cars that you MUST own at some point in life.


I am a big dreamer, so I often dream about the cars that I MUST own at some point in life. I do imaginary ground up builds in my head, with awesome engines, transmissions, brakes, paint, and everything in between. The stuff I dream about is usually strange stuff that nobody else wants, but that’s the fun of it, you can build it your crazy way.

So here are MY MUST have’s, in no particular order:

1964 Chevy Impala Convertible
– Aluminum block 409 cubic inch engine, fuel injected, with twin turbo’s and a giant intercooler hiding behind the grille.
– 6-speed manual transmission
– 4 wheel, 6 piston Brembo disc brakes
– Stock looking wheels, dog dish hubcaps, with white wall tires
– Dark green paint? Maybe Black? I am undecided at this point.
– Coil over suspension, very very low to the ground.

1939 Graham Sharknose Supercharged Convertible
– Supercharged factory engine
– 100% bone stock. It’s a work of art, I can’t possibly modify a car that they only produced 1 of!

1989 Dodge Ram 50 Extended Cab
– Painted all black with black 18 inch wheels, and 5% tinted windows
– 4G63 turbocharged Mitsubishi Eclipse engine
– Evo VIII turbocharger, custom intake & exhaust manifolds
– 6 speed T-56 transmission
– Lowered 4 inches with coil overs and 4-linked rear suspension
– Ice cold A/C

1936 Lincoln Zephyr 2 Door Coupe (2 door sedan pictured)
– Factory V12 engine with a new centrifugal supercharger for a little fun
– Lowered about 6 inches
– Stock wheels, wide white wall tires
– Again, it is a work of art as is, why mess with perfection?

This specific pictured 1963 Chevy Corvette Split Window Coupe
– On the whole, I typically don’t like Corvettes. That being said, I want this Corvette. It also has a very interesting history that my dad is a part of. It is one-of-a-kind and I am not rich, so the chances of me owning it are anywhere from slim to none. If anybody has more pictures of it, I would love to see it. It has been 12-15 years since I have seen it in person.
– It has a 427 Big Block with enough horsepower to blow the windows out of a garage door (That’s a fact).
– Mako Shark nose
– Clean body work, great engine, unique 1963 body….. it just doesn’t get better for me as far as corvettes go.

So those are my top 5 that I HAVE to own at some point. The good news is that I actually own 2 of them right now. The bad news is that neither are anything like my dream depicts them.

Now its your turn. What cars are on your top 5 list? Keep in mind that this is a dream, so go big!

Images borrowed from:
(Graham) http://www.remarkablecars.com
(Zephyr) http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3052/2479224114_8ac03af780.jpg?v=0
(Impala) http://www.rides-mag.com/online/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/64-impala-001.jpg

Finally a Hybrid That We Can Agree On.

Terry Cook and Chip Foose have come up with a hybrid that I think most car enthusiasts will appreciate. It isn’t the kind of hybrid that has a floor pan full of giant batteries, or any electric motor powered wheels. Instead, it is the culmination of awesome automotive components and beautiful design work.  It has the boat tail and sweeping fenders that all car enthusiasts dream about, and a GM LS1 engine hiding under its bonnet. (Hey, it seems like the appropriate word in this case!) It is asymmetrical because Terry loved both designs, and since you can only see one side of the car at once anyway, he decided to have both! I think the dashboard and steering wheel could be slightly fancier, but other than that, I’m a giant fan of the car. Terry and Chip both get the thumbs up from me.

Info & pics from:
http://carscoop.blogspot.com/2010/05/bound-for-gotham-city-bugatti-and.html

http://www.delahayeusa.com/