Wichita Eagle: Automotive

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01/14/12--04:34: Flaws in pebbles theory (chan 1475226)

Dear Tom and Ray:

The other day, I installed winter tires on my car (I have those tires on separate rims, so I can do this myself). Prior to attaching the wheels to the car, I checked the tires for any damages I might have overlooked last spring. Apart from one or two pea-size pebbles, I noticed quite a few very small pieces of gravel that had lodged themselves in the small crevices of the tread. I cautiously removed all those gravel bits — but while doing this, I wondered, Don’t those embedded pieces of stone somehow resemble the studs or spikes we used to have on winter tires (which have since been outlawed where I live)? Maybe I should intentionally allow small pieces of debris to collect there. My question is: Am I doing the right thing when I remove those bits of stone, or should I instead take the car for a spin in the gravel pit to create "instant studded tires (just add stones)"? — Wolfgang

Tom:It’s "Eureka!" moments like these that lead to great inventions, Wolfgang.

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01/14/12--04:35: Car calendar (Jan. 14) (chan 1475226)

Jan. 20-22: Starbird-Devlin Rod & Customs Charities Car Show, Century II. Call Carl at 316-755-2198.

Feb. 3-4: 37th annual Sunflower Swap Meet, Kansas Pavilions, 85th St. North & 1-235. Friday, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., Saturday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. For information, go to: www.wichitaas.com.

Feb. 24 -26: The Park City Chill Motorcycle & Car Show, noon to 10 p.m. Friday; 10a.m. to 10 p.m., Saturday; 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, at Kansas Pavillions. Call 316-788-0190 or go to www.bartelproductions.com for more information.

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01/14/12--06:19: `Frankenstein’ Camaro (chan 1475226)

Dwayne Vaughn was a little worried when he looked in his rear view mirror as he was hauling his just-purchased 1968 Camaro coupe away on a trailer. What he saw was the woman he had just paid for the car, hopping up and down, enthusiastically waving goodbye to his newfound prize.

The only two pristine pieces on the car were the roof and the driver’s side mirror. "It was a ’68 Camaro in body only … it was minus the engine," Vaughn recalled of that day about 10 years ago.

"It was that nasty green color. It looked like those cars you pay a dollar to hit with a sledge hammer," chimed in his wife, Denise.

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01/21/12--05:01: Trailers not the wisest method (chan 1475226)

Dear Tom and Ray:

My son is taking a new job in Sioux Falls, S.D., about 850 miles away from our home near Detroit. The old man promised to help him move, even if it wrecks my 56-year-old back. Here’s the issue. He has a small apartment’s worth of furniture, plus three guitars. It should fit in a single-axle rental trailer. We’ll be pulling the trailer with a 2003 Jeep Liberty with the V-6 engine and 138,000 miles. Is this too much to expect from the aging Jeep? Should we rent a truck instead? My own judgment is questionable because I own a 1972 MGB. Thanks, boys. — Bill

Ray: I’m not worried about the Jeep, Bill.

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01/21/12--05:02: Restoration advice requested and received (chan 1475226)

A couple of weeks ago, we asked readers to help out Mark Shattuck, who is trying to put together a plan for restoring his 1969 Camaro. We have received several responses, most of them going into considerable detail.

Dan Gentry of Andover supplied probably one of the most comprehensive approaches, which I will boil down a bit here.

He said it’s best not to try to restore a car that has already had a lot of modification work done to it, has lots of missing parts or has been badly wrecked or rusted. He recommends buying a parts car. "It will save you a lot of running around and can be invaluable as a reference," he explained.

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01/21/12--05:06: Fulfilling a last wish (chan 1475226)

There’s a lot of responsibility when you’re charged with finishing a good friend’s last project. Gary Meyers takes that responsibility seriously.

Even so, he couldn’t help but feel upbeat last week, as the late Elden Titus’ Vibrasonic Roadster sat in the paint booth at Flyin’ Eye Kreations, ready for the first color coats to be sprayed on the radical show car.

"His plans were to use a candy tangerine that’s got lots of aluminum flake in it. We’re going to give it the `Kansas Look,’ the way Elden wanted," said Meyers.

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01/21/12--05:06: Retooled car show a family-friendly event (chan 1475226)

Retooled, refocused and under new ownership, this weekend’s Starbird-Devlin Rod and Customs Charities Car Show is bringing in more than 300 show cars from across the country.

The event, which starts Friday at Century II, is a continuation of the show Darryl Starbird founded 55 years ago. Its new owners promise a weekend of family-friendly fun that builds on past success.

“The five of us who bought the show from Darryl last year are all car guys,” said John Fry, co-owner and marketing manager. “We’ve been interested in car shows for years and years. We saw this as a great opportunity to compile all of our experience and keep a great thing for the community going.”

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01/27/12--13:13: Wichita Wheels: Getting together (chan 1475226)

•  Feb. 3-4: 37th annual Sunflower Swap Meet, Kansas Pavilions, 85th St. North & 1-235. Friday, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., Saturday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. For information, go to: www.wichitaas.com.

•  Feb. 25-26: The Park City Chill Motorcycle & Car Show, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., Saturday; 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, at Kansas Pavillions. Call 316-788-0190 or go to www.bartelproductions.com for more information.

•  April 14: 27th annual Tulip Time Car Show & Festival, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Belle Plaine Elementary School area. Call Don at 620-488-2293.

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01/28/12--04:31: Why do batteries wear out so fast? (chan 1475226)

Dear Tom and Ray:

My 88-year-old mother has a 2005 Buick LaCrosse with 15,000 miles on it. It only gets driven to the grocery store, hair salon and church. But that has been the case for all six years she’s owned it. Now, in the past three months, three new batteries have gone stone-cold dead after four to six weeks! The Buick service department says the problem is “She doesn’t drive it enough!” Heck … for nearly six years, she “didn’t drive it enough,” and it used the same battery. I can’t get them to tell me why it apparently is sucking the life out of the batteries now. Any ideas? — Gary

Ray:Well, I agree with you, Gary. If the problem were that she didn’t drive it enough, why did she have no problem with the battery for the first six years?

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01/28/12--05:54: Starbird-Devlin Rod & Customs Charities Car Show awards (chan 1475226)

Category Number Owner City - State Year Model

THE WICHITA AREA COUNCIL OF CAR CLUBS

FAVORITE CAR CLUB 3RD PLACE 902 HOME BUILT

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01/28/12--05:54: Starbird-Devlin off to a good start (chan 1475226)

This year’s revamped Starbird-Devlin Rod & Customs Charities Car Show showed how a lot of hard work and some fresh ideas can, over a very short period of time, revitalize a longstanding tradition.

The show, in its 55th year, had the feel of Wichita’s longest running car show, but with a new vibe. Several show-goers commented that the first show under the new ownership had a more laid-back feel and that it was especially good to see so many young people enjoying themselves among the 313 show cars on display at Century II.

That wasn’t accidental, as the show featured lower prices for families and a kids area that included bicycle and model car contests, as well as a free snap-kit model building feature.

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02/04/12--04:29: Old Bug isn’t best option (chan 1475226)

Dear Tom and Ray:

I’m hoping you can assuage my fears. My 24-year-old daughter told me today that she is buying an old VW bug. She spoke with her father, my ex-husband, and he was very supportive. He also advised her to not let her mother talk her out of buying one. I had a VW myself when I was her age, and I know how cool they are. However, I also know that the heaters and defrosters don’t work, they rust out and they are not safe in collisions. I am concerned for her safety. Do you have any words of assurance for me regarding this issue, or any information I can pass on to her that might convince her otherwise? -- Maryann

Tom: Well, now we know why he’s your ex-husband, Maryann. Unfortunately, it’s two against one now, so you’re going to be hard pressed to talk her out of it.

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02/04/12--04:32: Car calendar (Feb. 4) (chan 1475226)

* Feb. 4: 37th annual Sunflower Swap Meet, Kansas Pavilions, 85th St. North & 1-235. Friday, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., Saturday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. For information, go to: www.wichitaas.com.

* Feb. 25-26: The Park City Chill Motorcycle & Car Show, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., Saturday; 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, at Kansas Pavillions. Call 316-788-0190 or go to www.bartelproductions.com for more information.

* April 14: 27th annual Tulip Time Car Show & Festival, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Belle Plaine Elementary School area. Call Don at 620-488-2293.

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02/04/12--07:13: Tempest in sheep’s clothing (chan 1475226)

When Dan Loveland found his 1963 Tempest coupe for sale four years ago in Lebo, there was no question that he was not going to miss out again.

"The ’63 is a car I always wanted," he said. "When I was a kid, I had a chance to buy an aluminum Pontiac race car … we had it pushed out the door before I had to stop. My parents got in the way on that one."

He tries not to think about what that car would be worth today.

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02/11/12--04:34: A door trumps a lock (chan 1475226)

Dear Tom and Ray:

My 80-year-old father owns an ’03 Saab. About two months ago, the electric locking mechanism on the driver’s door stopped working. Now the door cannot be opened from the inside or the outside. The Saab dealer has had the car for six weeks, with no hopes of getting that part in the near or distant future. So my father can’t open the door, and at his age, he’s not going to be hopping over the passenger seat to get to the driver’s seat. Saab has told him that no other vehicle uses the same part, and there is no solution. Any ideas? — John

Ray: Well, my first idea is that he should go collect his car from the Saab dealership before the bank takes Dad’s car as part of a foreclosure settlement and auctions it off.

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02/11/12--04:34: Car calendar (Feb. 11) (chan 1475226)

Getting together

•  Feb. 25-26: The Park City Chill Motorcycle & Car Show, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., Saturday; 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, at Kansas Pavilions. Call 316-788-0190 or go to www.bartelproductions.com for more information.

•  April 14: 27th annual Tulip Time Car Show & Festival, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Belle Plaine Elementary School area. Call Don at 620-488-2293.

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02/11/12--04:35: This 1941 Cadillac is a rolling history project (chan 1475226)

You could say that David Hime sort of eased into the collector car hobby. He wasn’t really planning to buy a classic Cadillac sedan.

"I was at the BlackTop Nationals and every car that I looked at, I would think, is that a car I would like to have or not? It seems like everybody is into muscle cars," he said.

So he went home and started entering model years of cars for sale on Craigslist, to see what might strike his fancy. When he entered 1941, he recalls, "This car popped up in Topeka."

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02/17/12--22:11: Chill is in the forecast for Park City (chan 1475226)

What started as an ambitious one-man effort to stage a motorcycle show has grown into one of the area’s major car/motorcycle shows. We’re talking about "The Park City Chill" at the Kansas Pavilions.

The creation of Richard Bartel, "The Chill" will run Feb. 24-26 in its third year and is expanding rapidly.

"The word is finally getting out and I believe this year is going to be bigger than last year. It’s growing to where there is more than just me promoting it," Bartell said.

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02/18/12--04:25: Car calendar (Feb. 18) (chan 1475226)

•  Feb. 25-26: The Park City Chill Motorcycle & Car Show, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., Saturday; 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, at Kansas Pavilions. Call 316-788-0190 or go to www.bartelproductions.com for more information.

•  April 14: 27th annual Tulip Time Car Show & Festival, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Belle Plaine Elementary School area. Call Don at 620-488-2293.

•  April 15: Wichita State University/Midian Shriners Car Show, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., WSU Campus on Hillside between 17th & 21st. Call Lori at 316-978-2886.

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02/18/12--04:27: Creating a `phantom’ winged wonder (chan 1475226)

Jeff Stephenson isn’t just a "MoPar man," he’s a devoted Dodge guy.

"I’ve just been into Dodges forever,” he says. “I know them well enough I can put them together with my eyes closed."

But one look at the latest in his long line of Dodge muscle car restorations shows it was done with both eyes wide open. It is a "Vitamin C Orange" Dodge Charger Daytona with the big wing out back and the extended shark-like nose up front, a design created to make Dodges run over 200 mph on the high-banked NASCAR tracks of the late 1960s and early ’70s.

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