Now that the holiday celebrations have come to an end, we start to settle in for the next two cold winter months and dream of the warm weather to come. Every year this is the time to focus on other things besides cars. Perhaps some of us will still be working on automotive projects. Catching up on much needed repairs, upgrades, and the like will no doubt be undertaken by many. However, the bulk of people will be doing other things that are not automotive in nature.

I think in a way that makes the impending spring car season all that much sweeter when it arrives.

Having this hiatus not only gives us time to engage in other activities that are necessary for a balanced and well lived life, but it also makes us appreciate our automotive interests that much more after a time without it.

Just think of anything that you have ALL the time – you never appreciate it as much as something that you have once in a while or on special occasions!

Would Christmas be Christmas if it happened every day?

Certainly not!

So for me, this break is a welcome interlude. (Or so I am telling myself that). And I look forward to taking off the car covers, firing up my beasties, and taking them out sometime in April after the road salts have all been washed away.

For the next few months I will enjoy other pursuits and live the most of a well balanced life.

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The Newsletters have been getting quite large lately, and the feedback has all been wonderfully positive about this growth. However, since it requires much of my time – roughly 20-25 hours to edit and layout each edition – not to mention all the logistics and time involved for picture editing, phone calls, e-mails, and scheduling; I changed the format just a little bit. Call it “tweaked” if you like.

Because of the addition of new writers, to accommodate all of them, and keep the Newsletter manageable, some of the regular columns will be bi-monthly now instead of every month.

Rich’s Tech Tips – always a crowd favorite, was a monthly edition and will now be every other month.

A new writer coming aboard this issue will alternate with Rich’s column and be out every other month. Say hello to Tim Browner who will be writing an interior restoration column. (You’ll read about him later on.) Now before you get your neck hairs raised up, I know the Tech Tip column is a loved favorite! Richie the pro that he is – wants to keep writing every month. This is an experiment.

Let me know your feedback on Newsletter issue size and other things.

We will see where this goes.

If everybody wants the bigger and bigger Newsletters and monthly favorites, changes can always be made again. Let me know your thoughts.

There are also a couple of returning writers who will be featured several times during the year:

Steve Goldsmith and Andy Vourlos.

And of course our wonderfully entertaining and distinguished “Secret Agent Man” Tom Sebastian will continue his spirited and internationally flavored column as well! His will be alternating with Lou Refano’s delightful and educational columns on all things automotive!

See, its all good!

There is also some room left for occasional “guest writers” who may show up!

So we have two pairs of two writers that will be contributing on an alternating basis.

I hope this all meets your approval in our effort to bring you the best online Newsletter that there is in the entire automotive hobby!

Pete Giordano

Editor

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GUEST WRITER(S) COLUMN(S)

We are again delighted to present a feature from Tom Sebastian. Tom always has something crafty and creative up his writing sleeve. He starts the New Year out once again with a top notch musing!

Tim Browner is a new writer who will be doing a bi-monthly feature on automotive interiors and restoration work. He will be featuring vehicles that have been sculpted at his AutoMat facility in Hicksville, NY. Welcome Tim!

Steve Goldsmith has written for us before, and this time he has a great little story about “Big Daddy’s” Museum down south in sunny, warm, Florida. Steve was just there recently and has some great pics to go along with his article!

In this month’s “My Car Story” section we proud to present one of the coolest custom crafted, home-made vehicles you will ever find! Nick Carbonaro has created a 1974 Pinto street machine that is part pro-street, part race-car, and part altered wheelbase highway cruiser! Ya’ gotta check this one out!

Away we go……..

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Tom Sebastian

Tom goes from this… …. to this!

End of the Road

Above is the author’s last time out.[1] (He looks a bit less scared than before… Getting it together finally…) It was taken in Northern England with an English original: A Tyrrell-Yamaha 020-C.

Tyrrell: Ken Tyrrell (pronounced, ‘Tur-rel’ rather than, ‘Ty-rell’). In an age of corporate dominance of the sport, he was the last of the true independents. In that period of time when the Ford Cosworth engine ruled the F1 roost and everyone was happy enough with that level of technology, a sort of ‘economic homogeneity’ ruled the sport. Competition was close; billion-dollar, NASA-like expenditures were undreamed of; and most anyone who made it to the grid on Sunday had a chance for the podium. (Competition actually began with the green light in those days – and not with the size of the check you wrote the year before to your new engine supplier.) A few clever tweaks of the chassis and you were in the front row. A prescient choice of driver and you won it all. And so it was that Ken Tyrrell and Jackie Stewart thrilled the world with win after win in the early 1970’s.

But lo and behold, as the years of the Cosworth dominance passed, Ken, too, had to seek out the next best engine he could afford. As an independent, he could not afford the front running Hondas just then coming on line as the Big Boys could. And the more he fell behind, the least could he afford drivers of Stewart’s ability. By the time he got to Yamaha engines, it was all but over for Kenny Boy. As great as that company was as a motorcycle builder, the world of F1 was new territory.[2] Too new. That great 020 chassis deserved better.[3]

Your typical, Newman/Hass-Class racing machine (V8 + turbo) on an oval and generating all that centrifugal force, can reach unbelievable top-end speeds. Until recently -- when everyone got scared and cut back the governors -- the qualifying speeds at the Indy 500 were heading just north of 240 mph. That was still not up to the Le Mans record during the old, Mulsanne Straight days - before they eliminated that part of the track to reduce the speed; Porsches then were getting over 246 mph! But no matter; there is still no contest between these and the F1 car as to which can complete a road circuit the quickest. The F1 guys would be there waiting.

For F1 cars, top-end speeds are determined by how you gear the thing and by how much 'wing' you use for down force. Monaco is all turns. So, getting plenty of wing surface to get you through the corners quicker means that you, necessarily, must sacrifice straight-line speed with all that downward pressure. (In the old days they let you adjust wings during the race. Wish they still did. I wish they would let fly with all technology available and let the most capable pilots just deal with it!) Indianapolis, with fewer turns and the longest of straights, is set up with minimal wing and optimal gearing to take advantage of it. So, there, speeds of 220 are common.

How can that be? These other cars are "faster" but somehow slower around a track?

To assess the difference between quickness (of the F1 car) and speed (of the CHAMP/sports car prototypes) is akin to getting the feel, in physics, of the differences between weight and mass. They are different things.

The Champ/Indy/IRL cars, despite their impressive top ends, are still not as 'fast' as the F1 car is 'quick'. And that added quickness more than makes up the difference.

On the long straights, a Porsche with its by-far better aerodynamics will be faster than the open-wheel car... But only on that stretch. But one or two such straight-aways does not a racetrack make.

No current CHAMP car can match the F1 car's ability to go 0 to 100 in 3 seconds. (My God – CHAMP/IRL cars still require manual shifting!) No Porsche can brake or gear down with the lightening speeds of an F1 car from seventh gear @ 185 mph to a 2nd gear, 35 mph turn in less than a couple of heartbeats. And IRL cars can't maneuver through a turn as quickly -- sometimes flat out -- because of the phenomenal down force that that an F1 car can generate. All that expensive technology does, eventually, add up to more, overall, speed. The F1 car gets there first.

Another way to explain the differences between an F1 machine and any other technology out there is this analogy: When you get into anything other than an F1 car, you put on a mitten; when you get into an F1 car, you slip on a glove.[4] You can "feel" the difference. This is the "nimble" factor. Poor Michael Andretti found this out when he tried to apply all the lessons learned in his Indy car to F1 racing. There simply was no translation. The differences between the two types of cars are not one of degree, but of kind. When Michael -- whose reactions were as quick as anyone on this side of the Atlantic, having just been named Indy Car Champion -- flicked his wrist to avoid crashing into the Austrian pilot, Karl Wendlinger -- he found himself off track, facing the crowds, and heading the wrong way. It was far too much of a flick! In a mitten, you move the whole hand to move a finger; in a glove, you simply move the digit you need. As interesting as the INDY/CART/CHAMP cars are, they are no match for F1 in the subtle realms of the nimble or the quick.[5]

One of the main reasons it is such a different ball game in Europe, and, as we have seen, such an expensive one, is because of the commercial component. "Win on Sunday sell on Monday" applies much more to the European car buyer than to the American. (But even market managers without a lick of sense regarding the importance of racing are catching on over here as well. You’d have to be totally blind not to see the attachment of Ford’s NASCAR fans to their product!) Only Ford is a consistent participant there through its contract builder, Cosworth Engineering, primarily because of its huge European car market.

Chrysler tried a Grand Prix fling in a similar relationship to Lamborghini and failed. Lamborghini was no Ferrari. But they do maintain a presence at Le Mans with the Viper as does GM with the Corvette.[6]

But even Porsche, the traditional Master of Le Mans, could not play the F1 game. I am a great fan of sports car and sports prototype racing, but there are vastly different technologies here.[7] And few companies without the deep pockets of a Ford or Fiat – the parent company of Ferrari -- can play both games. (Many people might be surprised that Porsche isn't in that league. But this is really an example of a small company that has branded well primarily because of its sports-car winning ways. They rightfully pulled out of F1 to concentrate on their "niche". They were being totally outclassed in F1.)

Any company that races professionally and at any level is gaining invaluable, technical information that, sooner or later, will trickle down to their road cars. Companies that do not are simply not going to produce the quality engineering that racing provides. Race cars are virtual, speed laboratories. And companies that are at the head of the pack will, eventually, produce the better road cars as well. For example, when Toyota was winning it all in the old -- and very expensive -- sports prototype days (they were so far ahead of the competition they looked like Secretariat at The Preakness – 17 lengths ahead and still pulling away), they built the incomparable Toyota Supra. McLaren used its F1-winning ways to produce the (even more incomparable!) McLaren F1 Road Car. Ford’s modular engines, Lotus’ unbelievable suspension, Porsche’s smooth, cloud-like ride? They all hail from the desire to beat the other guy on any given Sunday. Can’t wait for the new, Audi R8 road car! Their stretch of one-two-three finishes since the onset of this century put them in a league of their own.

…..

Now what about that juicy prologue at the end July's story... Is driving one of these things really better than sex? Ok, let’s tally that one anew.

When you are shoe-horned into one of these purpose-built rockets your heart is beating like the blazes...

But, then, it’s same with that other activity.

So, 1 to 1.

When the mechanic ignites your car with his special equipment - you can’t do 19,000 rpm’s with a key & battery - and that sound explodes into the atmosphere, your heart can skip a few beats…

But then, that’s been known to occur during the bedroom dance as well.

So, 2 to 2.

When the G-forces smash you back against the headrest -- and you realize you’ve just done 100 in 3 seconds - are nowhere near topping out; and then… with that series of quick ‘S’ turns coming up on you so fast that you can hardly breathe, and you instantly realize that you are, literally, hanging in the balance – on The Edge, if you will -- between the here and the hereafter depending on which move you choose to make…

Well… sorry, ladies… but no matter how our little dalliance turns out here in the master suite, I can tell by the comforting gurgle of the coffee machine just down the hall that chances are far better than 50/50 that I’m gonna’ live to taste it!

…..

Next Time!! The author asks: NOW what do I do!??

With his sex life in shambles, follow him on his quest to match the F1 track experience with a normal road machine!

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[1] Well, almost. I’ll spare you what was, in effect, my last F1 run several months later in Barcelona, that time in a Larousse Special. Though the color was Ferrari red, the engine was not – and I had to come to the stark truth that no one was going to offer me a contract. My F1 dreams were over.

[2] Competition within nations in the racing realm seems even more important than between them. Judge for yourself the intensity here between, Ford, GM and Dodge on the ovals. ‘Over there’ it’s even worse. The wars between Honda and Toyota, BMW and Mercedes, and Peugeot and Renault would make a military historian salivate.

[3] A note on the importance of chassis vs. engine in Formula One. A great engine with a poor chassis will not take you to the podium – no matter the driver at the helm. But an average engine with a great chassis plus a savvy driver just might. The chassis is critical – as well as knowing what to do with it. And chassis setup prior to each race is, as you can imagine, where all the action is. The ability to communicate with your engineers/mechanics as to what it is the car is doing well and not so well on any particular track is as decisive a skill to the race outcome as is the driving. Some racers are phenomenally good at it; others seem at a loss.

[4] Papa Andretti, who went from F1 to NASCAR, put it this way: “I went from being a jet-fighter pilot to being a bomber pilot!”

[5] I become more a fan when NASCAR hits the road courses. As for ovals, turning left in high gear for 100 to 400 miles simply doesn’t interest me. (And the IRL was born for the ovals.) What Andretti the Elder says may be true, that the concentration required going in circles at that speed, that close, and with all that drafting, is nothing to scoff at. But still, all you're essentially doing is running the car at the same speed, making one turn and in one gear! Hardly the greatest test imaginable of man and machine.

A full road circuit by contrast, tests car in all gears, all turning circumferences, breaking and acceleration. And the driver has much more to worry about than drifting asleep at the wheel. He has to do a lot to survive here.

Now, if you bring in the advertisers -- the people who really determine what's what in racing, things change in a hurry. Advertisers want their products to be seen, period. Thus, the real secret to the France family's enormous success with NASCAR: You can put a lot of adverts on those big pieces of Detroit iron and these can be seen for the duration of the race rather than disappear, as they do at Le Mans for some 8 miles of country road. So, for you investors: lot's of money coming into oval racing!

[6] Many times these are with independent operators, so the link from the winning technology to next year’s factory product can be tenuous.

[7] For one thing, in sports cars the engine and the chassis are separate entities. In most open wheel cars, by contrast, the engine is a stressed part of the chassis: You are sitting in the engine -- surrounded by gallons of volatile fuel! A virtual bomb!

( Tommy – how do you do it? Amazing stuff! ) Pete

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AutoMat Auto Interior of the Month

’55 Chevy Bel Air Convertible

by Tim Browner

The body, paint and mechanicals were already done. Eye popping red - it looked great! Now it was time for the interior.

The car arrived in our shop bare – non-original front buckets, a rear seat frame, no panels, no carpet, no console and no top. We had to create everything from scratch. And to complicate matters, it was already summer, and the customer was anxious to get it done.

We all agreed on a two-tone red and white interior color scheme and a white top.

We did a few sketches and the customer was comfortable with our design concepts.

The ball was in our court and we were ready to roll.

For the seats, we sculpted the foam to shape, created our patterns, and then custom upholstered them. As an accent we embroidered the Chevy bow tie on the backrests.

Between the seats, we custom built a center console with AC vents, cup holders, storage, shifter boot and radio - fully upholstered to match.

(see pics below)

For the door panels, we created boards with integrated flowing armrests, upholstered them to match and trimmed out the bottoms with carpet. We also installed slick billet handles and did a power door lock and window conversion.

The floor was re-padded and the carpet was done in a red 80/20 loop with matching custom floor mats also highlighted with embroidered Chevy bow ties.

We mounted the convertible top frame, aligned the bows and installed the tack strip and pads. The convertible top and top boot were then done in bright white to show off the hot two-tone look from the exterior as well.

Now that's one sweet ride!

(You bet your asphalt it is! Great work Tim!) Pete

To view hundreds of other projects like this one, visit our website at http://www.autointeriors.biz, or our showroom in Hicksville, LI. N.Y. See our ad on this website as well. Happy Motoring!

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A VISIT TO THE MUSEUM OF DRAG RACING

By Steve Goldsmith

I am always looking for ways to extend our short New York car season. On the first weekend in November, drag racing legend "Big Daddy" Don Garlits hosts a free first class Mopar show on the beautiful grounds of his Museum of Drag Racing in Ocala, Florida. The judged show also features a large swap meet, car corral, food court, new car display, a DJ playing lots of old car tunes and asking Mopar trivia questions, and many nice southern Mopar cars and trucks and American Motors cars as well.

Needless to say, Don Garlits is a wonderful host and is visible all weekend doing television interviews, signing autographs and sharing his many stories as a legend and pioneer in the sport. The show is an annual celebration of his life and the very special bond he has with drag racing and Chrysler Corporation.

After walking the show and swaps in the Florida heat, the ultimate cool down is a stroll through the 2 museums.

Entering the Drag Racing museum is a surreal experience. You are instantly surrounded by anything and everything related to the sport of drag racing. Many of Don's Swamp Rat dragsters are on display in "Swamp Rat Ally" including the innovative "Swamp Rat 14" the very first rear engine dragster. All types of slingshot dragsters, funny cars, pro stocks, jet cars, wheelie cars and rare experimentals are on display. You are also bombarded with memorabilia, various parts and equipment, news clips, models, murals, advertisements, life size figures in drag racing apparel, trophies and anything related to the sport. The "Engine room" features a mind boggling display of racing and cutaway engines and components. This room is Hemi Heaven. Thankfully the Swamp Rat is also a pack rat and proudly displays all for us to enjoy.

The museum has many "hands on" displays that kids will enjoy and help give them a better understanding of how engines and transmissions work. You can also relax and watch classic drag racing videos in the mini theater, or test your own reaction time behind the wheel of a drag car. Allow about 2 hours get the full effect of the museum. The gift shop sells everything from post cards to Big Daddy's used racing slicks. The museum is open every day except Christmas and admission is $12 for adults. This will also get you into the old car museum which is like a walk through the history of the automobile. It is an incredible display of classic cars and memorabilia that must be experienced. Cars of all makes are on display, with a special emphasis on Chrysler products. Here you will see President Eisenhower's Imperial, a 4 door hemi 66 Coronet, the one of one root beer brown Plymouth Superbird, a hemi 69 Charger 500, and many other very special cars and trucks. This museum also has a great gift shop with lots of unique auto related items.

The museums are located just off Interstate 75 at exit 341 in Ocala, Florida.

A brand new Sleep Inn motel just opened adjacent to the museum and there

are many other attractions in the area making this a must stop for all car guys,

car girls, and car kids.

(Sounds like a great place Stevie! I gotta go there one day!) Pete

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My Car Story Nick Carbonaro: 1974 Ford Pinto

"One of a kind" Pinto. This all started with just an empty block and a crank. I did the work in my garage and - in my house! I had to purchase or custom make every piece. The engine is a 355 cube Chevy with double hump heads, Crane Saturday Night cam, with roller rockers, decked and .30 over-bored. The transmission is a Muncie 4-speed with an 11 inch Hayes clutch. I even altered the wheelbase; 94 in. to 102 in. The car weighs less than 2000 lbs. I hand made everything in my 1-1/2 car garage; it took 5 yrs to do it all. The car has a full custom chassis and cage. I purchased 4 rails from S&W race cars, tube U/L control arms, Mustang 2 front end, and I made the rest. I had to use a Stahl asphalt modified header kit that I redesigned .The Pinto has an 8 inch rear with a spool and 2:79 gears. It stops with 4 wheel discs brakes and dual master cylinders with balance bar. I made a stainless steel firewall, an interior, and a custom fiberglass dash. All the electrical runs off relays. I even utilized a motorcycle module for the directional signals.

The car was built as a tribute to Northeast Modify Racing - #1 Charlie Jarzombek and #61 Richie Evans. It's a crowd pleaser at shows and everywhere I go. I call it "Rapidsteel Pinto". It is New York State registered and insured. It drives like a go-kart. And…I drive it on the LIE without any problems at all.

I had this idea to build a Pinto - 1979. And after my wife told me we were going to have our second child I put cars out of my life .My wife stayed at home to raise our children .Working overtime and traveling I had no time or the extra money that it takes to build a car. I often though about what I would to build a "one of a kind Pinto". Many times while working I would draw pictures of the Pinto. I wanted a different type of hot rod. I loved racing. In the 1960's I had a ‘69 SS Camaro and ran it at National drag strip in F/S class. I also participated in circle track racing on Long Island. In 1989 I raced a Go Kart at West Hampton in the 4 cycle Senior Heavy division. In 1989 I won the Long Island K.A.Championship.

Years went by and after having 5 operations on my neck I need something to do .I saw the Pinto in special interest in 1998.

I bought it to beat it with a hammer to take out my frustration from the pain from the operations! After a year of sitting in my driveway, my wife Doris said “Why don't you build that Pinto, you always wanted to build one?” So I started 11/1999 and finished 11/2004. The car was built on a table 14 ft. long by 6 feet. A friend who had welded more than I did helped me weld the chassis and cage. Bob K. the welder. Ed T. had a block and crank he donated to me and got me started. I did the rest.

I hand bent the interior with C-clamps and wood blocks. Did a lot of fiberglass work too. I did all the electrical as well as designing and building the interior. As I got stronger I was able to do things I never did before.

What kept me going was a box poem on Stahl Headers:

If you think you are beaten, you are;
If you think you dare not, you don't.
If you like to win but think you can't,
it's almost a cinch you won't.

If you think you'll lose, you're lost;
For out in the world we find
success begins with a fellow's will:
It's all in the state of mind.

If you think you are outclassed, you are;
You've got to think high to rise,
you've got to be sure of yourself before
you can ever win a prize.

Life's battles don't always go
to the stronger or faster man;
But sooner or later the man who wins
is the man who thinks he can.

- Walter D. Wintle

12/05/2004 I took my first ride and because of the 8 gallon fuel cell and no gas gauge I thought I broke the motor when I ran out of gas and had to flat bed it home. I was not used to10 mpg - my Saturn gets into the 30's per gallon! It cost me a $125 tow to realize I was back in a gas guzzling Hot Rod. But it all worked out.