The first car show of the weekend was held at West Suffolk College in Bury St Edmunds, about ten miles away from me. The weather was going to be perfect for me, temperature was low to mid twenties with light cloud cover, according to my app of course. I was looking forward to a car show on a Saturday as well as on a Sunday. The added bonus that I got out of doing some gardening that my wife had got lined up for me. I did sort of feel guilty, for all of about thirty seconds until I started the car up that is.
Cars had to be in place by nine thirty ready for ten when the public was allowed in. I got there about five minutes before the so called cut of point. However, I needn’t of worried as cars were still arriving well after ten. The Bury Retro Car Club had reserved a number of spaces so parking was guaranteed.
I had attended this show a few years back, but hadn’t been since due to the lack of variation of cars. This is a show that was to have a bit of everything; trucks, rat rods, hot rods, low riders, new cars and a few year old cars. I started from one end of the large car park to the other.
There was a stand from the college who participate in motor racing who support mental health and wellbeing called ‘Driven Minds’ which is a great cause, click here for their link. Alongside them was an ambulance stand that was doing well with the younger children being allowed to turn the sirens on every so often. I thought I had taken a photo of them, but I must have deleted it while reviewing the pics, my bad! The show was called ‘West and Loud’, but the flyers were shown as ‘We stand Loud’, a clever way to move a couple of letters to make the title read something meaningful, see the top left below pic.
The lower part of the car park was pretty much your every day daily driver cars and not much to report there, go to any supermarket and you will see plenty of them. There was a couple of rare cars mixed in among them, such as the patina brown Granada, Capri and the Rover SDI.
This Nissan import model I have never seen before.
Towards the main entrance was an area where the Japanese cars were lurking.
There was area for some motorbikes and one had some stunning artwork painted on it.
I got back to the club stand where just a few meters away was the BBQ stall now in full smoke mode selling all sorts of fantastic smelling foods. Temptation was very strong.
Sadly not as many of the club members turned up as expected.
There was a couple more cars still turning up whilst on my walk about.
The show was scheduled to finish at two in the afternoon, about half hour before that the majority of cars started to leave. The journey home was via a petrol station, leisurely and thoroughly enjoyable, apart from the open wallet surgery performed after filling up. The car was parked straight into the garage and left uncovered as it would be out again early in the morning for the next show.
All in all, a good show with some nice cars that I hadn’t seen before. I had some great conversations with some lovely people, and even let a few people sit in my car too.
Welcome to part 2 of the Kersey Mill Drive It day. I pick up where I left of with the other side of the field which was to the left of the main entrance road as you come in. I can’t think of a better way to start than a picture of the glorious GT40. Obviously not a real one, as this vehicle was first registered in 1937 according to my app(?), but had its first MOT in 2005. Nevertheless a gorgeous car to look at.
The cars were still arriving throughout the day with much more common cars looking to park up, (more on that a bit later), but the influx slowed around the lunch time mark.
Ouch!
The mandatory Mustang’s own little section:
Towards the main house and the Mill, more cars were parked up including this stunning old black and white paint job Rolls Royce.
I had completed a full circuit of the field or zone areas and I was back to my area again.
As I got closer to my car I could see that this Vauxhall Astra had parked right next to me.
Perhaps I’m being a bit picky here, but there was plenty of space elsewhere in the zone it could have parked. It hadn’t even cleaned and it sort of hacked me off a bit. On the other hand, it must be somebody’s pride and joy.
I got my chair out and the sun made a quick appearance, so I opened the hood and tucked into my packed lunch which was rather sad and no competition for the burger van.
There were a few light gusts of wind about, so I played on the side of caution and fitted the hood strap to stop any such sudden gusts damaging the hood hinges and got the show board out too.
While sitting in my chair a couple of model steam engines parked up and I went over to take some pics of the popular miniature engines. The attention to detail and engineering is mazing.
There were plenty of dogs I saw throughout the day and I managed to get a quick pet with some them. All of the dogs were very well behaved, which wouldn’t have been the case if I had of taken my little guys there!
Later that evening after I got home a friend of mine (thanks Frosty), sent me a link that they had found where a photographer had taken a couple of pics of my car. I’m sure that ‘Curtis Beadle Photography’ won’t mind If i give them a shout out.
I had a great time speaking to many people throughout the day and again I really enjoyed this show. Many cars that I hadn’t seen before so it made for it an interesting day too. Did I use the sun cream? Nope, I had my fleece jacket on instead as it mostly overcast and a bit chilly with the sun behind clouds. I can’t complain as it didn’t rain.
There is a break until the next show, so I will be posting up a little mod I made on the car as well as some detailing product reviews too.
For the second weekend on the bounce I was going to a car show. The weather looked promising, although I tempted fate to pack the sun cream I was under no illusion it would be needed. But the outlook was dry with odd sunny spell, for me that would be good enough. I took over well over two hundred and fifty photos again so I will split over two posts.
The drive there took forty minutes, fifteen of which were caused by double parking where cars going in opposite directions had to play chicken head on. The road is a single lane each way with lots of houses on either side. Most people park on one side so that cars could at least pass. One one person decided they wanted to park opposite so it was carnage to get through. A couple of hundred meters in fifteen minutes didn’t put me in a good mood. Note to self – go home a different way!
I parked up and put out this quick Instagram pick for people to come and say hello.
I was really pleased with the position that was on the end of a row.
I arrive at the event and was direct to a zone which was near the burger van. As I had skipped breakfast the smell of bacon and sausage rolls immediately made me hungry. I resisted temptation but it was hard, very hard.
I decided to go for a wander straight away as many of the cars had already parked up. I made my way to the furthest field and worked towards the entrance.
There was a full sized traction engine that was coming up to full steam and the smell of these machines is amazing; coal, steam and warm oil on hot metal. I suspect it’s an acquired taste though.
There was a little are for genuine vehicles used in TV series. The light blue Ford Anglia Police car was in the series ‘Heartbeat’ which was a very popular show in the UK.
Moving to the next area was a big stand of the much loved Mini with more arriving.
Moving away from the fields there was a large gravel area where a vast array of cars were parked up.
As I got to the end of the parking are a poster car from many child’s bedroom wall turned up. The beautiful Lamborghini Countach. My poster was of a white one by the way.
Walking around the corner the other zones were filled with cars and a idyllic little path to those fields.
In part 2 I finish the rest of the field and the field opposite where a friend of mine had already parked up. There will be a little section of some of the dogs that managed to capture from my wanderings.
Welcome back to the second part of the car show. I finished the last post (part 1), by saying there was a second hut, this one had a monstrous looking gun outside.
Inside were more mock ups of workshops, bunks and medical areas from the war, along with some displays of equipment and some empty ammunition shells.
There was section dedicated to the medical corp. which was represented by a lovely guy called Dan.
Dan took time out to explain to me the guns and the rounds they fired. He was standing next to central table with lots of weapons standing up on end for display. He even let me hold the big Bren (light) machine gun, top right below. Let me tell you there is nothing light about it. It was awkward to hold as one hand had to be underneath quite far forward of the magazine as the empty cases were ejected from the bottom. I can only image what it must have been like to be cold, wet, being shot at, tired, hungry and then lug this monstrous gun about! Thanks to Dan for his time and sharing the wealth of knowledge.
Outside the cars were pretty much all in place now and the turn out was looking very good.
I had parked by a memorial which had plenty of plaques dedicated to the fallen crews and airmen.
The cars were scattered around beside the tower;
Around the back of the tower there was a nice selection of cars.
Around the other side of the tower there was more displayed equipment outside.
Full circle again to back out the front of the tower there were some tents were the dressed up[ army guys were staying.
Just behind the tents was a another more modern hut, through the door and turn right takes you to the tearoom.
Turn right through the main door you walk into a ‘members only library’ leading onto an office.
The office where time had stood still.
After such an interesting walk around I wandered back to the car, all of about thirty seconds and got my chair out to have something to eat and watch the world walk by.
Around two there was a training exercise where the German army guys walked through the courtyard to the fields. They had two groups where one group fired (blanks) cover rounds while the others moved up, then they swapped making their way across the field.
Once they had finished they spend some time in the bushes doing what ever they do. I sat back down and listened to the haunting and intimidating sound of a dozen German soldiers with their hob nailed boots on marching back to their trench and tents.
I tried to imagine what it must have sounded like with a whole platoon marching down a road, it must have put the fear of God into many.
It was a great day, nice weather and great to catch up with friends again. The question was; did I use the sun cream? No, but I did put a fleece jacket on even though the sun was out. The wind chill was whipping around the open spaces, but it was refreshing to be in the open and in the sun at the same time.
I just had a busy weekend with a friend of mine dropping by to try out some new car detailing products which I will be reviewing shortly. Saturday’s weather was intermittent sun with the odd chilly spell, so Craig and I broke the usual detailing don’t rules where we cleaned my car in the bright sunny spells with the car being warm to the touch and not in the shade. The snow foam episode was intended just for my car, but the odd breeze also left dried water spots on his black car parked next to mine, that meant it was now going to be a two car wash day. The products we tried were good and I think I may have discovered a new favourite car shampoo, although I still have one more product to try before I can fully stand behind that statement. The day wore on and the weather forecast for the first show the next day’s car show was looking good. The best of it was the first show of the year was only seven miles away from me at a new venue (for me) organised by the Bury Retro Car Club called Buff The Ruff at Rougham Tower Museum, as it’s now known, but it was one of the fully functioning working airbases in the Suffolk and Norfolk areas.
Rougham Control Tower (originally known as RAF Bury St Edmunds), is a former RAF station, situated 3 miles east of the Suffolk market town of Bury St Edmunds. The airfield was built between 1941 and 1942, and had three intersecting concrete runways. The main runway was approximately 2000 yards long, and run in an East to West direction. The airfield was designed for a United States Army Airforce unit (USAAF) bomb group. Fifty concrete hardstands were constructed just off the encircling perimeter track. Two T2-type hangars were erected, one on each side of the airfield. Accommodation was provided for some 3,000 personnel in Nissen and other temporary type buildings. There were a number of squadrons based here; 47th Bombardment Group (Light), 322nd Bombardment Group (Medium), 94th Bombardment Group (Heavy) with their mighty B-17 Flying Fortress.
An excited big kid (me), went to bed with the weather still looking good for the Sunday. The alarm didn’t need to wake me up as the blind in the bedroom was up so the sunrise woke me and gave me a good excuse to check the weather. The sun was out and there was some blue stuff up there with the odd cloud moving slowly. I loaded my cool bag with some drinks and packed lunch, along with some sun cream!
I loaded the car and backed it out and the sound of the engine was something I had really missed. The journey was literally only ten minutes away as it was just off a main road and the first junction I came too, the car hadn’t really gotten warm after such a short journey. I got to the entrance a easy forty minutes before the official opening time of ten. I made a few changes of parking location, as I didn’t want to park under a tree. The second space I picked was the entrance to the field where the majority of cars were going to be parked up, so I had to move to nice spot I liked just in front of the main tower itself.
I took over three hundred photos on the day and quite a few of them were from the museum. The day I will split across two posts, just to make the page view a little more manageable.
There were a couple of groups of WWII enactment, mostly German with a few USAF guys wandering around. Just as you drove into the area there was a ‘dug out’ with a couple of ominous machine guns pointed at you, and a German SS guard by the barrier.
The main tower was over three floors, the top floor you had to go outside to get to the steps to take you up. The rooms were filled with models, equipment, bits of old planes, photo’s and information on the base and it’s history.
They had the odd mannequin showing the rooms, some of which looked a little creepy!
Going up the stairs to the next level, the building was almost trying to tell you a story of it’s own if that makes sense?
By the time I had spent a while looking around there were some cars arriving in convoy and managed to grab some unusual above pictures.
Outside there was some more US Jeeps parked up and a rather cute sibling!
Just to left of the of the Tower as you exit there are some bunkers or buildings which also housed some pretty awesome exhibits.
In part two’s post, the next hut along had a very interesting guy who was telling me about the weapons and he even let me hold a few as it was very early in the day and not many people looking around. Did I get to use the sun cream? Find out in the next post!
Over the course of the winter my pride and joy is tucked up in the garage with the dehumidifier and temperature controlled garage, which is vitally important. To supplement the car’s cosy environment is the next most important thing, the trickle charge to the battery. Couple of reasons being it keeps the battery at an optimum level and prolongs the life of the battery. I use the CTEK mxs5 which has served me well for the last eight years 24/7 and I haven’t had any problems, until now. The wall mounted charger showed that all was good and the unit was on the maintenance cycle as expected when I popped into the garage to check up and have a day messing around in there.
A couple of months or so ago I went to the garage and noticed that the unit’s quick connection (which has a traffic light set of LEDs) was flashing red, this is a visual sign of low power in the car’s battery. I just put it down to a recent power cut during a storm which had messed up the maintenance charge process. I reset the charger and the process started up again, and I thought no more of it. I went back in a couple of weeks ago and all looked OK. Something told me to check the battery level, I got in the car turned the ignition on and the volt meter was showing just over 11 volts not the 12.5 volts that should have been available. Those that know these old cars are aware that there is an ‘Ammeter’ not a volt meter in the instrument cluster. I didn’t like the idea of a direct battery feed going to the dash, it didn’t tell you a great deal either as they either didn’t work or just in the middle of the gauge. Safety in mind I swapped out the Ammeter for a volt meter which I made on my own. (If you want to know how I swapped the stock Ammeter to a modern voltmeter that also still looks stock, click here.)
I tried to turn the car over which was rather slow, but eventually she fired up before what seemed like an eternity of ever slowing turn overs until I reckon the last but one revolution of the starter motor managed to fire the car into life.
I ran the car for a few minutes to get a little power charge into the battery while I finished up what I was doing in the garage. After shutting the car down and reconnecting the charger back up, I closed up the garage and wandered back into the house where I assumed the horizontal position on the sofa to start researching the issue. I found a forum where it seems there is a generic failure where these units show the maintenance cycle, but it’s not actually trickle charging the battery, so the battery runs low. I got into some heavy reading looking for the replacement, and to see if anything new was on the market since I bought that last one. I have previously given the CTEK unit 10 out of 10 and after (nearly) nine years it’s still a deserved score, and they still make them. With that in mind I was certain that I was going to do a like for like CTEK swap out, but another brand ‘NOCO’ caught my eye. I did the usual comparison, review readings and there was virtually nothing in it between the two manufacturers for the price and functions. So I ordered the NOCO for one reason only. I have also reviewed the NOCO Genius 5 here or cut and paste this link to read it:
“Thermal Comparison: the new integrated thermal sensor automatically monitors and adjusts the charging cycle based on fluctuations of ambient temperature, limiting the chance of under-charging or over-charging, providing a more accurate and fully charged battery. Avoids under-charging in cold weather down to -4F and avoids over-charging in hot weather up to 104F.”
My garage can get hot sometimes in the summer, so this ‘Thermal Comparison’ for me was the winning function, just pipping the CTEK. To replace the CTEX with the same model would have been literally five minutes, going to another supplier was something I knew would take a little bit of time to get it nice and neat under the hood, back to how I wanted it, out of sight out of mind.
The NOCO doesn’t look as fancy as the CTEK, but it’s function for me at the end of the day, I don’t have to look at it all the time, so it’s not really an issue or is it?
Once unpacked there is a rubbish bracket that clips to the NOCO and is held in place by a rather tacky looking velcro strap. You have to thread the strap under the unit into the bracket’s loop all of which is a bit cumbersome. Perhaps it’s a quick release, but it would have been nice to have a wall mount without the velcro. For £80 I would have wanted something a little nicer looking to be honest. When I walk into the garage and see it, it just bugs me. Surely it would have been cheaper for a slightly longer bit of plastic for the all mount, than to make and brand a bit of velcro.
The cable length under the hood wasn’t long enough, so I had to cut the wires and splice a longer cable in (same amp rating), so that I could route the cable where I wanted it to be out of sight but also easy access at the front of the car once in the garage. This supposedly half hour swap of charger took me about three hours by the time I took the car battery out, remade the cable, re-routed the cable, cleaned the area thoroughly, reinstalled the car battery and clamp, mounted the unit on the wall and cleaned up.
So far the new unit looks to be doing it’s thing as I would expect. However, I did notice that the maintenance cycle (slow green pulse LED) took a while to initiate as I suspect the charger was stabilising the battery from what it had been left with from the CTEK.
The one function I’m missing though is the LED lights on the CTEK connector. This was a simple traffic light idea for the status of the battery charge.
It’s not the end of the world of course, but a rather nice to have which I think NOCO should investigate for an option accessory purchase, I’m happy to test and review the item if you are reading this NOCO. I’m yet to decide on the final position of the new charger, so it’s not the neatest of fittings I have done. But for now it will serve a purpose until I can fully trust the new charger.
It wont be long now before the first car show is ready, so I will need to get the car out, fill it up with fuel and give it the de-winterising of the products I applied for protection. That usually takes me about a day all in. Hopefully I will be a little more regular with the posts again once the car shows start.
I have more reviews to add so look out for those too. I can’t wait to get my car out and go for a drive.
The first post of the new year and it regards a little project that kept me busy over the holidays which is detailed below. But first, over the last couple of weeks I am yet again having issues with Facebook – my Nemesis. I created a second business page which is a couple of years old now, as my original page was hacked. That page is still up, but I can’t access it because they have blocked ME from it. The replacement page has NOTHING on it that differs from the original, apart from the heading picture and email address. The one man and his mustang Facebook page is only there for an exposure on Social Media – that’s it.
I have challenged Facebook about their decision and I’m waiting to see what utter garbage they come back with.
If they decide to uphold their ‘decision’ then they can go and do one. I will remove myself from Facebook as an individual as well. When I actually think about it – what does the platform do for me? Honestly, nothing. I just shows me what other people are posting. I hardly get any referrals to this website as a result, so I don’t need to be on it. Besides, I’m not that interested in seeing what people are eating, where they just checked into or what they just liked by somebody else. It would be nice to keep it running, but I’m certainly not going to miss it.
Rant over and apologies, but Facebook really does wind me up.
Back to sensible stuff now, what I got up to wasn’t much so I decided to pad it out a little with some hopefully useful information.
The key to an engines performance is the air fuel mixture. To much fuel and the engine runs ‘rich’. Not enough fuel and the engine runs ‘lean’. There are various things that can cause these problems, so I will try to highlight the symptoms of each. There are many sensors on new cars that can become faulty all of which will give the same symptoms. I will focus on the classic car scenario of a carburettor, as you don’t need a degree in computer science to tune an engine with a laptop on these cars. Instead you need to understand the dark art of engine tuning with a carburettor, screw driver, a good ear and how the car feels when driving. Of the two scenarios a rich running engine better than a lean running engine.
A ‘Rich’ running engine.
Possible causes; a clogged air filter will not allow sufficient air to get through to the carb. this will result in poor engine performance and leaving extra unburnt fuel behind. As the air filter can become clogged over time, the subtle loss of power may not be noticeable at first. Mixture levels on the carburettor need adjusting. Quality of fuel not burning correctly. The carb jets becoming clogged due to debris in the fuel or maybe the choke not opening fully.
The symptoms of a rich engine:
Smell: One of the common symptoms of a rich engine is a strong smell of fuel as the unburn gas is left lingering in the exhaust pipe(s).
Poor engine performance:this could be a series of problems which could be lean vs rich spark plug, ineffective combustion chamber, or inappropriate air-fuel mixture. If the compression and spark plugs are fine, then the problem is surely an inadequate air-fuel mixture.
Engine rough idling: improper air-fuel mixture could be responsible for engine stalling and vibrations. Rough idling indicates the engine running rich.
Less mileage: if you keep getting less fuel mileage on your vehicle regularly, it shows your engine is running rich and burning a higher amount of fuel.
Fouled spark plugs: when your engine is running rich, there will be black carbon deposits on the lower edge of the spark plugs, leading to low engine performance. It is an indication of unburnt fuel in the exhaust pipe.
Dangers of a rich fuel mixture.
Running excessive fuel into the cylinders is ‘bore wash’. This is where the fuel washes the lubrication from the chambers. You will notice increase use of oil. This can cause excessive wear on the pistons and cylinder walls.
This is bore wash is more common where an oversized carb is pumping in two much fuel to burn efficiently. The calculation for the correct sized carburettor to be used is as follows:
The engine size is the displacement in cubic inches.
The max RPM is the maximum speed of the engine in revolutions per minute.
The efficiency is the volumetric efficiency of the motor. Most engines have a volumetric efficiency of about 85%, or .85. It’s common to see standard engine efficiency values of 70-80%. Race engines can be 95-110% efficient.
So for a good engine you can use this calculation for this example:
Heat: the engine will tend to run hotter as not much fuel in the chambers. An overheating engine can cause all sorts of problems.
Clogged Fuel filter: Your fuel filter handles all the dirty particles within the fuel. Over time, all the deposits and dirt start building up and preventing adequate fuel passage to the engine. This can be a real issue in classic cars and E10 fuel attacking parts of the fuel delivery system.
Inefficient fuel pump or clogged strainer: lean vs rich engine issues starts from the fuel pump. Not enough fuel is getting into the chambers to be burnt.
Leaking fuel lines: Obviously this cause the engine to run lean as the fuel pump, mechanical or electric can provide enough fuel. Highly dangerous as it could cause a fire that could result loss of vehicle or in the loss of lives.
Vacuum leak: One of the problems happens when unaccounted air enters the system, creating an unbalanced air-fuel mixture.
Trouble starting your car: Many factors can cause your engine not to start as a result of little or no fuel getting into the combustion chamber. That’s why one of the most common symptoms of a lean engine is hard starting.
Poor performance and low power out: If you manage to start your car, you will have low power output and poor performance. Less fuel in the chamber means poor detonation of the mixture which is unable to push the pistons down on the power stroke.
White or Clean spark plugs: when everything is working at the optimum operating level, things get dirty. If you pull out your spark plugs and notice it looks brand new or white, you probably have a problem. there should be an element of dirt on the spark plugs as they are burning a fuel.
Stalling Engine: One of the common symptoms of an engine running lean is keeping it running. In some cases, it’ll continuously cough and splutter until the engine stops. When you’re exporting more gas into the system by accelerating the car, it should keep running easily but with reduced power output.
Dangers of lean fuel mixture.
Heat: As I mentioned before the overheating can cause all sorts of issues like, fluid leaks, burning smells, unexpected engine sounds, cracked engine block, warped cylinder heads, blown head gasket, exhaust damage to name just a few.
Hard seizure: This is where the chambers and pistons have heated up more than the engine can cope with. The Pistons may typically grind against the cylinder walls if you fail to fix the cause. The connecting rod can bend, or the crankshaft arm can snap or bend. The effect is a catastrophic engine failure and will require you to either replace or rebuild the engine.
Soft seize: Similar to the hard seizure which causes a dry spot between the cylinder wall and piston and excessive wear. Even with a correct air-fuel mixture the cylinder and pistons will work fine, but the damages will still be there.
With this in mind I noticed that I was getting a little uneven idling, especially after a sudden stop, which I try and avoid at all costs. I have been noticing the air filter was dirty and decided that perhaps it was time for a new one. I has been on the car for a few years but only done six thousand odd miles, but it was time for new one regardless.
There are arguments that my style of air filter is a restriction to airflow. Many of the higher performance filters are the large round styles, often with a top opening as well. Having a clogged or dirty air filter will make fuel mixtures matters worse. I was speaking to Mustang Maniac and they said to try their ‘Tall’ filters made by S&B. The height is now 2 1/4″ compared to the 1 3/4″ that I previously had. These tall filters are just like the K&N brand which are reusable and washable filters. So the initial outlay is quite a bit more expensive, but in the long run it will be cheaper. Saying that you will need air filter cleaning kit which consists of a cleaner which is flushed out with water. Then once the air filter is fully dried, a spray of air filter oil which will give the filter its ‘redness’ back.
The ‘tall’ filter on the right side by side with the original doesn’t look a like a lot of difference, but the extra half an inch will increase air filters potential air intake.
The material of the S&B filter is a much better quality and again this improve the airflow through the filter itself. A double advantage of more air flow capacity and better air flow throughput. That in turn means a few more horses let out to play when I want them. I may need to slightly tweak the air fuel mixtures but i would need to run the car for a while to find out.
As this is a tall filter you will need to make sure there is room under the hood. If you don’t you will have an air filter knocking the paint and causing a racket. I measured the gap clearance and made sure all was clear. The filter was a tight fit in the air filter casing itself which was a good thing.
Once fitted I really like the look of the filter as a contrast to everything else under the hood.
I hope that helps explain in very simple terms what goes on with air fuel mixtures, and that’s why you need to change your air filters on a regular basis.
Each year I try and create a little Christmas message with my car as the centre point. It takes a little while to mess around in Photoshop, but I think they look OK for an amateur. This year I have tried something a little different with varying results using the big buzz term ‘AI’ or ‘Artificial Intelligence’. The images were created pretty quickly – around 20 seconds or so on average across the various websites.
I visited quite a few sites by the end of the session, some sites required you to create an account which was rather annoying while others were free with adverts. Some were just so confusing I didn’t bother continuing with them. Each site had the same copy and pasted instructions, ‘Christmas scene with 1966 Ford Mustang blue coupe’. Looking closely at the images there was a theme of the ’65 grill bars for the Coral. Some of the Coral horses were a bit strange, but acceptable.
The winner I chose was this one, I only added the text at the top. It meet with my expectations of a Christmas scene and a car, it just looked festive. The only issues (apart from the scale of the car) that I spotted was the ’65 grill bars and the ‘F O R D’ on the hood had an extra letter!
This runner up was a very good image apart from ‘Christmas’ wording being repeated. The grill had a single spot light, extra hood letter and what looks like ’65 quarter emblems. Without the extra light and wording this could have been the winner.
For third place this image had very good rendering. I was particularly impressed with the reflection of the tree in the paintwork, and it just didn’t look like an after thought pasted into the image.
In fourth place, I’m not sure what lettering was on the hood, but I think it might say ‘Lincoln’. This was a great render, but it just looked like a car had been pasted onto the background, I still liked it though!
Then we have this, which wasn’t too bad for a cartoon style (I think), but it has been chopped off at each end.
Not sure what this effort was all about! Half fastback with dodgy rear quarter lights and no hint of Christmas.
I don’t think the Ford stylists have much to worry about with this ‘Coupeback‘ design. Have I just made up a new word up in the Mustang community! Has it been used before, although I haven’t seen it anywhere.
All these AI images are heavily dependant on what you put in as a prompt, what style of image you select can have a significant affect on the results. Adding extra words like, snow, no red tyres, or decorate the Christmas tree helped improve the images. I spent far to much time playing around with the many excellent variables. I had a bit of fun laughing at some of the results, then on the other hand some were pretty impressive. Where will all this go in the future? I don’t know, but one thing is for sure – it’s here to stay and it will get better!
Do you ever worry about the safety of your classic cars? With car thefts on the rise, if not for the car then for the hard to get parts. Either way it’s more important than ever to take precautions to protect your vehicle. In this article, we will discuss the use of GPS trackers for car security, a modern solution to this growing problem. Through innovative technology and real-time tracking, you can have peace of mind knowing your classic car is safe and secure.
Using GPS trackers is a wise decision to protect your vehicle from theft. These devices use satellite technology to track the location of your car in real time. They can be discreetly installed and provide peace of mind knowing that you can monitor your car’s whereabouts at all times.
A pro tip for GPS tracker users is to choose a device with geofencing capabilities. This feature allows you to set virtual boundaries for your car, and if it crosses those boundaries, you will receive an immediate alert. This can help prevent unauthorized usage or theft of your vehicle. Stay one step ahead with GPS trackers for car security.
How GPS Trackers Can Improve Car Security
GPS trackers offer a variety of benefits for enhancing car security. To make the most of your GPS tracker, follow these steps:
Activate the tracker and ensure it is properly connected to a tracking service.
Monitor your vehicle’s location and receive real-time updates through a mobile app or web interface.
Set up geofencing alerts to receive notifications if your vehicle enters or exits specific areas.
Take advantage of additional features such as remote engine immobilization to prevent unauthorized use.
In addition to these steps, here are some suggestions to maximize car security:
Regularly check the tracker’s battery life and ensure it is functioning correctly.
Notify law enforcement immediately if your vehicle is stolen and provide them with the GPS tracking information.
Consider adding additional security measures like steering wheel locks or alarm systems.
Inform your insurance provider about the GPS tracker, as it may result in lower premiums.
Types of GPS Trackers for Cars
There are various types of GPS trackers available for cars, each with its unique features and benefits. Here is a table outlining some of the most common types:
Type
Features
Benefits
Examples
Plug-and-Play
Easy installation, portable
Convenient for temporary use, can be transferred between vehicles
OBD-II
Plugs into the vehicle’s OBD-II port
Provides real-time data, such as speed and engine diagnostics
Hardwired
Connected directly to the vehicle’s power source
Hidden installation, no need to worry about battery life
Covert
Discreet design, difficult to detect
Ideal for covert surveillance or anti-theft purposes
Pro-tip: When selecting a GPS tracker for your car, consider your specific needs, such as ease of installation, real-time tracking capabilities, and level of discretion required.
Choosing the Right GPS Tracker for your car
There are many various options out there for trackers, from the simple magnetic stick under the car, OBD or a hard wired options to choose from. Price point and ease of use is a consideration, some portable or covert options are similar costs to hard wired counterparts, but these portable iterations can be more versatile in multiple usage scenarios.
Choosing the right GPS tracker for your car is crucial for ensuring its security. Here are some steps to help you make an informed decision:
Assess your needs: Determine why you need a GPS tracker, whether it’s for theft prevention, monitoring teenage drivers, or for a commercial fleet management where various options are available.
Research different options: Look for GPS trackers with features that align with your needs, such as real-time tracking, geofencing, and compatibility with mobile apps.
Consider installation: Decide whether you want a wired or wireless tracker and if you’re comfortable with DIY installation or prefer professional assistance.
Check compatibility: Ensure the GPS tracker is compatible with your car’s make and model, and check for any additional requirements.
Compare pricing and subscription plans: Compare the cost of the tracker itself, along with any monthly or annual subscription fees, to find the most cost-effective option.
Read reviews: Look for user reviews and ratings to gain insights into the reliability, accuracy, and customer support of different GPS tracker brands.
Consider additional features: Some GPS trackers offer extras like SOS buttons, battery life indicators, or tamper alerts. Consider these features if they’re important to you.
Tips for Getting the Most Out of Your Car GPS Tracker
To ensure the optimal performance of your car GPS tracker, follow these steps:
Select a reputable GPS tracker brand such as Family1st, Vyncs, or Bouncie.
Conceal the tracker in a secure location within your vehicle.
Ensure the tracker is properly connected to a reliable power source.
Activate the tracker and adjust any necessary settings.
Regularly update the tracker’s firmware and software for the best results.
Set up geofencing to receive alerts if your vehicle enters or exits a designated area.
Monitor the tracker’s location and activity through a secure online platform or mobile app.
Keep the tracker hidden and secure to prevent tampering or theft.
Regularly review and analyse tracking data to identify any suspicious or unauthorized activity.
Contact the relevant authorities if your vehicle is stolen or if you suspect any foul play.
Conclusion
It’s worth considering that some trackers can be fitted by yourself as mini project, where as others may need professional installation. If you have just a plug in or battery powered attached module, then they could be easily disabled and removed once found, but they will provide a level of protection. The key to these devices is to hide them well and make sure they are secured from falling from the vehicle. Keep a regular check on their battery levels. Most hard wired trackers have a built in battery back up which is should be a strong consideration when buying an installation style tracker. If the main battery power supply for the vehicle is disconnected, then this style of tracker will still send location updates which can be crucial if the vehicle is moved even after power any power disconnection. Older vehicles don’t use OBD sockets so that is a limitation to consider. Some owners do not want to make a permanent change to the vehicles wiring, so a simple plug in or hidden portable device is the answer.
Using GPS trackers for car security has become increasingly popular due to their effectiveness in preventing theft and providing real-time tracking. However, it is important to choose a reliable tracker and ensure proper installation. Some top-rated GPS trackers include Family1st and Optimus 2.0.
Additionally, it is recommended to regularly update the tracker’s software and secure it with a strong password. Lastly, always remember to inform your insurance company about the installation of a GPS tracker, as it may qualify you for insurance discounts. Stay vigilant and protect your vehicle with a reliable GPS tracker.
Some trackers only need a live feed and an earth to function, these can be hidden without having to worry about charging the portable device styles.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1. How does a GPS tracker work for car security?
– GPS trackers use satellite technology to pinpoint the real-time location of your vehicle. Once installed, they communicate with satellites to provide accurate and up-to-date tracking information through a secure online platform or mobile app.
2. Can GPS trackers be easily detected and disabled by thieves?
– Modern GPS trackers, especially covert models, are designed to be discreet and challenging to detect. Additionally, many trackers have anti-tamper features to prevent easy removal. However, it’s essential to choose a high-quality, well-reviewed tracker and keep its location confidential.
3. Do GPS trackers drain my car’s battery?
– Most GPS trackers have minimal power consumption and are designed to operate efficiently without significantly draining your car’s battery. It’s advisable to choose a tracker with low power consumption and monitor its battery life regularly.
4. Can I use a GPS tracker for multiple vehicles?
– Some GPS trackers, especially plug-and-play models, are portable and can be transferred between vehicles. However, it’s crucial to check the specific features and compatibility of the tracker to ensure it meets your requirements for multiple vehicles.
5. Will using a GPS tracker affect my car’s warranty?
– In most cases, using a GPS tracker will not void your car’s warranty. GPS trackers are typically non-intrusive and do not interfere with the vehicle’s essential systems. However, it’s recommended to check your car’s warranty terms or consult with the manufacturer for confirmation.
6. How can geofencing enhance car security?
– Geofencing allows you to set virtual boundaries for your vehicle. If your car enters or exits these predefined areas, you receive immediate alerts. This feature is valuable for preventing unauthorized use or theft, providing an extra layer of security.
7. Are GPS trackers visible to potential thieves?
– Many GPS trackers are designed to be discreet and hidden within the vehicle. Covert models, in particular, are challenging to detect. However, it’s essential to follow the installation instructions carefully to ensure effective concealment.
8. Will a GPS tracker lower my insurance premiums?
– Informing your insurance provider about the installation of a GPS tracker may qualify you for lower premiums. Many insurance companies view GPS trackers as a proactive measure for theft prevention, reducing the risk of vehicle loss.
9. Can I track my vehicle in real-time using a mobile app?
– Yes, most GPS trackers offer real-time tracking through mobile apps or web interfaces. This allows you to monitor your vehicle’s location, receive instant alerts, and access historical tracking data for added security and peace of mind.
10. What should I do if my GPS tracker indicates suspicious activity or my car is stolen?
– In the event of suspicious activity or theft, contact law enforcement immediately and provide them with the GPS tracking information. Prompt action increases the chances of recovering your vehicle.
Hope that helps a little over the winter months a mini project of a simple Christmas gift could be peace of mind!
I have been known to collect many things Mustang related, but I try to keep the collection to the tasteful items. I draw the line at such things like Mustang trainers, soft cushions, bedding sets, teddy bears, aftershave, Zippo lighters etc. as they are all just seem to be cashing in on the Mustang name. I like to collect things that are an of historical importance from the first generation of Mustangs, 1964 – 1966. Some of those items have been historical documents for the 1964 World Trade Fair Mustang launch, Newsweek, Time and Life, along with various other popular car magazines that covered the Mustang launch, test drives or articles at the time. I also managed to grab some items like original sales brochures, promotional literature and such like, which ended up in my collection. As many of the items I have are paper they tend not to stand the test of time unless looked after. Most magazines like Newsweek were just thrown away, making survivors of the time in good condition had to find. I collect these sort of items for their importance and not the monitory resale value trying to make a quick buck. I don’t keep them for a while and then sell the items on as an investment. I won’t part with anything I have, or sell it on for a profit. I have been given many rare items over the years which started my collection off – a special thanks to Gary W. who is also a big collector. It was Gary that started me on this slippery slope of emptying my wallet on a regular occasion.
I have added just added a couple of more items to my collection, which I have been looking at for a while now and wanted good condition ones. There isn’t much known about these items in descriptive detail so I wanted to put that right. I have spent a fair bit of time researching and also created a page dedicated to them here which I hope to add to as time goes along.
As I will add more posts to this website, then this article will be gradually pushed down the order. So having a permalink in the menu will help keep the information to hand and hopefully help out others.
So, what am I talking about? The answer is; ‘dealership model’ cars.
These models are something that were official promotional items made for Ford for their various in production and future production line cars as they changed the real car designs. These models therefore served an important purpose. I suspect many of these models were thrown away after a couple of years or given to children as toys to take part in some fantasy destruction derby with other toys, many of which ended up in the great (plastic) scrap yard in the sky.
The background to these models is that various forms of these promotional models started to appear at motoring dealership around the 1950s from various suppliers. These ‘dealership’ models as they became to be known are certainly not to be confused with the component model kits which were built and stuck together, like Airfix, Tamiya or Revell. These dealership models were prefabricated and distributed to the motor company dealerships. They were to promote and give a three dimensional representation of the new models that were being introduced by the various manufacturers. This gave the potential customer a much better experience of what they are going to buy, rather than just flicking through a printed catalogue. With these dealership models you got to appreciate the dimensions of the car from any angle.
I will try to sum up the information that is out there from the likes of Wikipedia and other collectable model based sites, concentrating on the dealership cars side of the AMT business.
What we do know is that these quite fragile models are highly collectable as memorabilia especially for important cars from the manufacturers, not just Ford. As for the numbers actually produced I haven’t been able to quantify, but they limited in number and not a mass produced item. The actual numbers produced will obviously vary from various motor manufacturers, and the number of dealers actually selling the cars of course. These models were not for commercial retail, they were just a promotional item that was going to binned when that model is no longer produced. Many of these model cars that appear for sale now days are pretty battered. However over time they have become recognised to be for what they are now, collectable items from a bygone era.
The costs for these models production has been reported at the time as anything between $50,000 ($650,000 in todays money), to $250,000 ($3,000,000 in todays money). Either way that is not an insignificant amount of money for a launch of a car with no idea of how it will actually sell, thus recoup some of the promotional money back at the time. A big advantage that Ford had was on 17th April 1964 at the New York World’s Trade Fair, the Mustang was launched to the public to critical acclaim. This was backed up by selling over 680,000 Mustangs in the first year, which is still a record. With that type of response Ford felt the investment would be worthwhile as they couldn’t make the cars quick enough for the public to buy them, with some dealers having lengthy waiting lists. Having an accurate model of the car that could be seen by the customer was a huge bonus at the time.
The History of AMT
In 1948 a company called ‘AMT’ was started up by West Gallogly Sr. in Troy, Michigan USA. ‘Aluminium Model Toys’ was created as a secondary business by Mr. Gallogly. Other manufacturers were already creating dealer models which were mostly zinc based. Gallogly also wanted to make the models out of aluminium, hence the name ‘Aluminium Model Toys’ was given to the company. However, very shortly after the name was chosen, the use of plastics materials rocketed around the world and the name Aluminium Model Toys deemed to be confusing for their plastic models, thus the name was rebranded to a shortened version of the name, ‘AMT’. In 1978 AMT was bought out by Lesney better know for ‘Matchbox Toys’. In 1983 Lesney relocated to Baltimore and sold the AMT company to ERTL, which was then to be known as AMT-ERTL. Later in 2007 the AMT name was no more and the company name was now just ERTL.
In 1958 AMT were producing ‘3 in 1’ kits which allowed three different version of model which could be made; ‘Stock’, ‘Custom’ or ‘Racing’ with numbered decals.
In 1962 AMT were also involved with ‘Slot Car’ industry which started in 1912 which is still hugely popular today. They manufactured various sizes of car such as 1:24, 1:25 and 1:32. The 1:32 scale was adopted as the standard by Scalextric for fun racing at home or the more serious competitive racing scene.
In the mid 60’s Mr. Gallogly went on to use his good connections with the Ford Motor Company to manufacture some highly detailed promotional models for them. What was said, who agreed it and what the actual deals that were struck at the time during those meetings is unclear. But, it must have been pretty good for the Ford Motor Company executives agreeing to the Dealership Promotional Models.
It was recognised during that golden era for the motor manufacturing industry, it was deemed the norm for a new model to be produced every year or two years max. To make people aware of the new vehicle designs which were in coming and in production, these promotional models were distributed to the dealers, often well before the actual cars arrived for demonstration cars or actual stock of cars for sale.
Sadly towards the late 1960’s and certainly before 1970s the dealer models were not a thing anymore and all but faded out from being produced and no longer sat proudly on a salesman’s desk.
The Mustang Models
Focusing on the first generation 1965 models as those are the ones I have. These models are extremely well detailed, and they were supposed to have been made with the colours that the manufacturers were painting their cars at the time. The colours I have appear to be ‘Rangoon Red’ and ‘Wimbledon White’.
Dimensions
The models are manufactured to the scale of 1:25, that converts to a measurement on model of 1cm will convert to 25cm on the real thing.
Photographing the dimensions against a tape measure is a little distorted perspective by the camera, so I have taken a few variations. But, the stated measurements are correct with the photo taken directly above the line of sight to the tape measure.
The length of the models are 183mm long or 7.20 inches or 7 3/16″
The Width of the models are 70mm or 2.75 inches or 2 3/4″
The Height of the models are 50mm or 1.96 inches or 1 31/32″
The whole model weighs in at just 105grams or 3.7oz
Construction
The construction is very fragile and light weight brittle plastic which is easily marked or dented especially on the leading edge of the hood which narrows to almost nothing.
The single piece floor pan forms details of the underside of the car, suspension, engine, gearbox, all the jig points, grommets, bolts, fuel tank, brake lines for the emergency brake cable, and a single exhaust system which comes from a V8 (I will elaborate on this below under The Details heading), as there are two exhaust manifold pipes, going to a single pipe, and on to a single muffler box. There are four screws in total two at each end that hold the model together. The exhaust tip is missing on the right side (passenger) as the one of the screw points cuts it off.
The other side (inside) of the floor pan forms the seats, dash area and centre console (which would have been an optional extra at the time).
The steering wheel and column looks to be a separate moulding attached to the dash. The interior detailing shows the heater controls, radio, lateral dash instruments, glove box, steering horn and even the markings for the automatic gearbox box selector, but there is no T Handle for the shifter or indicator stalk. Both of which I suspect would have been so delicate they would have broken being removed from the moulds or from just being handled. Looking in the footwell there is a third pedal for the clutch, this would be a contradiction for the automatic gearbox markings. The door cards look to be the ‘Pony’ interior or deluxe option, but there is no running horse embossed on the back of the seats, which are part of the ‘Pony’ interior package. The front seats are the bucket style and not the rarer bench seat option (around 2.5% of total Mustangs made) which was available at the time.
The four wheels are attached to a bar rested in locators on the floor pan mould (unseen) and spin freely. The wheels are shown with the hub caps and white wall tyres which also show some details as radial grooved. The hub caps will cover the wheels bolts, which would have been four lugs for the inline six cylinder or five lugs for the v8s.
The ‘glass’ or windscreen is a single moulded part which covers the front screen, the two small door quarter lights and the rear screen. It’s not uncommon to see one or both of the door quarter lights broken as they are quite fragile. The clear plastic is susceptible to easy scratches and marking. If you look on the inside (below) where the headliner would have been, you can see where the clear plastic has been attached to the top part of the model. You can’t quite see it on the picture, but the centre of the ‘glass’ is missing, obviously to save some costs on the clear plastic used.
The Details
The chromed parts of the models such as the bumpers, bumper overriders (front and rear), headlights, rear light bezels and grill are high quality with a good reflection, not just cheaper silver paint. These look to be separate components attached after the assembled model. On my models the red car has a little wear and tear on the hood leading edge. I suspect that picking them up and putting them back on the salesman’s desk a few times would contribute to that, or being raced around the furniture at home.
Starting at the front there are the headlights and the cross bar coral grill, the grill itself shows a honeycombed effect. The Coral and Pony logo are crisp mouldings. The licence plate just shows the Mustang brand. The hood leading edge shows the ‘F O R D’ lettering but not in chrome.
The side of the car shows the Mustang ‘Tribar’ emblems and ‘Mustang’ font wording behind the front wheels near the bottom. On the actual cars there is an engine option emblem that sits above the front bumper and below the waist line of the car, a few inches back from the headlight. These models don’t have those emblems, even though the underside of the model shows a v8 engine in place. The options would show, 289 (v8 option), 200 sprint (inline 6 cylinder) or HiPo for the GT model etc. Not having individual models made just for a i6 or v8 and more generic would keep the costs down for the models.
The rear quarter panel ornaments are shown as well as the side rocker cover strips, added as an optional extra at the time. The back of the car shows the rear light bezels with red plastic for the lenses. There are also back up lamps which were also an optional extra. The bumper has the overriders shown, but on my red model they are broken off, a common casualty on these models. This is the only part of the red model that has something broken or missing. The rear licence plate shows the Mustang branding.
The top down view of the models shows the cowl grill and the wipers. There are no door rear view mirrors on these models, as they were an optional extra at the time fitted by the dealers.
Other Dealer Models
Other colours were made such as Tropical Turquoise (top), Vintage Burgundy Red (middle), and American Blue (bottom). There may have been other colours, but as yet I haven’t seen them, which doesn’t mean they don’t exist.
There were some Fastback models made a little later on in the ’65, other colours are unknown.
The holy grail for many collectors would be the boxes that these models came in, they weren’t any special to look at. I haven’t seen any boxed versions up for sale yet, but I did find this image of one. With the box the models are worth a little more, but as with all things collectable, condition is everything.
SomeLater YearModels
1966
There was the trim changes notably to the front grill with the Coral bars removed, the grill now having brushed leading edge horizontal lines. The rear quarter panel ornaments updated to the three pronged style. This model looks to have been in Calypso Coral colour.
1967 – 1968
There was a major body redesign, with the models being Fastback, and not the Coupe style. The minor difference between the ’67 and ’68 were the side markers, which were not shown on these models.
(This image I found of a ’67 shows a broken front bumper.)
1969
This model is showing the performance end of the range. These models didn’t show any emblems on the front fenders that would have been there.
There was another face lift for the 1970 models. But, as I mentioned earlier, by then these plastic dealership models were no longer being made.
On Display
I purchased a display case (more details on that on the main page), for the models to be stored safely and away from dust.
I’m not sure I have covered everything or missed some important facts out. So if you have any additional information or maybe correct me, then please drop me an email, or add a comment and let me know. I will then update with additional information.
I’m always on the look out for any similar memorabilia with a certain online auction site being my main source. If you have anything interesting you may wish to pass on, then please also let me know and I will obviously pay for it along shipping costs.
