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Dan's Auto Center
Classic Quality - Latest Technology |
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| Greetings!
I think spring might finally be here. But I remember being told years ago, not to plant your vegetable garden here in the mountains until after Memorial Day weekend. From my experience, I think that is good advice. We can still have frosty mornings.
Did you remember to spray your pre-emergent this fall. I did, but you can sure see where I missed! We have green patches here and there like a patchwork quilt! This is the best time to pull those weeds, the ground is so soft, it lets go of those stubborn roots easily.
Summer is just around the corner. The days are getting longer and our temperatures are starting to warm up. This is such a great time of year.
Enjoy!
Sally Walker
Dan's Auto Center
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| Automotive Trivia | |
The history of the automobile actually goes back further that the car itself - way back. Though the automobile was first offered for sale in 1887, (it was a Benz) this was a long time coming since the first engine crank was built by James Watt more than a century earlier, in 1782. Since then, the automobile and the auto industry have fascinated everyone from children to collectors. Test your knowledge with these 6 trivia questions:
1) How much did the first American car produced in quantity cost?
2) What was the first production car in the United States?
3) What was the first Janpanese car to be produced in the United States?
4) Selt belts were added to cars as standard equipment in what year?
5) What Ford model did TV cops Starsky and Hutch drive?
6) Between 1972 and 1982, the average speed of cars on the freeways in what city dropped from 60 mph to 17 mph?
Answers can be found in this newsletter. |
| Dan's Weird Discoveries |
Entombed car unearthed after 40 years
KANKAKEE, Ill. (UPI) -- A 1958 Buick has been unearthed almost 40 years after three young men walled it up under an Illinois house as a practical joke, the homeowner said. The Buick Special was abandoned in Kankakee, Ill., in 1971 when it broke down and its owner couldn't afford the repair costs, the Chicago Tribune reported.
A local dealer had no use for it and gave it to the three jokesters, who bricked it behind a wall in the basement of a house one of them owned, the newspaper said. Daniel Newman, 65, one of the perpetrators of the gag, still lives in Kankakee. "It was just something to do. ... We just pushed it down there ... but first, we took the tires off because they were good," Newman said. John Tamblyn bought the house three years ago and discovered the car when he looked through a hole in the basement wall. "I was surprised it was in such good shape, considering the car is 52 years old," Tamblyn said. Tamblyn says he hopes to restore the car. 'Mob Museum' to open in Las Vegas
LAS VEGAS (UPI) -- Several exhibits for a planned Las Vegas "Mob Museum" scheduled to open in 2011 were unveiled Thursday amid controversy, observers say. City leaders have been criticized for dedicating public resources to a museum, officially known as the Las Vegas Museum of Organized Crime and Law Enforcement, which celebrates organized crime, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported.
City officials hope it will be an economic boon for downtown Las Vegas and anticipate it pulling in from 250,000 to 600,000 visitors a year, the newspaper said. "This is one of the most anticipated museum projects in the world," Dennis Barrie, the museum's creative director, said. "It is really a topic that evokes true interest with the American public, with museum people, with all sorts of people." Renderings of three planned exhibits, "Mob Mayhem," "The Skim" and "Bringing Down the Mob," were unveiled. Barrie acknowledged the displays and subject matter would create debate, the Review-Journal said. "There'll be controversy in this museum," Barrie said. "If there's not, we're not doing our job."
'Flame-throwing' scooter's owner arrested
LONDON (UPI) -- A British man who created an anti-tailgating flame-throwing device for his scooter has been arrested, police say.
Lincolnshire, England, plumber Colin Furze's modified scooter, which threw out flames with a flick of a switch, was shown in a press feature last week. When police spotted Furze riding his scooter on a public highway, they arrested him, The Sunday Telegraph reported.
Furze was detained for possessing an object converted into a firearm before being released on unconditional police bail without charge until May 6, pending police investigation. Possession of a firearm can carry a maximum prison sentence of five to seven years. Furze declined comment, the Telegraph said.
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| Sally's Corner | |
Breakfast in bed | Mother's Day, graduations, wedding and baby showers...is your social calendar looking as full as ours? I thought I'd share an easy recipe with you this month. It would be great to serve to Mom in bed on Mother's Day or for an afternoon shower or brunch. It is simple to prepare, and always a big hit! As a time saver, I have put the chilies, mushrooms and cheese in the pan ahead of time, then added the liquid ingredients before baking. This recipe is easy to change; no chilies or mushrooms, add sliced olives, onoins or breakfast meat...make it your own creation to suit your taste.
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| Egg Bake - serves 12
10 eggs
1/2 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 pint small curd cottage cheese
1 pound grated cheese (cheddar, Monterey Jack or a combination of both)
1/2 cup melted butter
2 - 4 oz. cans green chilies*
4 oz. fresh mushrooms, sliced*
Beat eggs until fluffy and light, add next 5 ingredients and beat (I do this first step in my blender, but I have a LARGE blender).
Arrange chilies and mushrooms in a buttered 9" x 13" baking pan.
Sprinkle grated cheese evenly over top.
Pour egg mixture evenly over top.
Bake for 35 to 45 minutes in a preheated oven at 350 degrees. Should be raised up and brown when done.
*optional ingredients |
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| Lifetime Guarantee for Mothers |  Maybe mothers ought to come with a maintenance agreement. Some kind of service arrangement that provides for a complete overhaul every 5 years or three kids, whichever comes first. This makes all kinds of sense. A properly maintained mother is bound to be a better mother, providing more years of nonstop service. Consequently, should the Dept. of Labor or the Dept. of Consumer Affairs decide to prepare a bulletin on how to keep a mother running smoothly and operating at top efficiency, there are several points they might consider. Fuel...while most mothers will run indefinitely on coffee and left over pizza, an occasional additive in the form of a gourmet meal for two in an elegant setting will add immeasurably increased efficiency. Motor...a mother's motor is probably one of the most dependable anywhere. A mother can start and reach top speed from a prone position at a single cry from a child. To keep that motor operating at peak efficiency, regular breaks are recommended. A leisurely bath and nap every 5000 miles, a babysitter for an evening out every 10,000 miles, and a weekend get-away every 30,000 miles. Battery...batteries should be recharged regularly. Roses, candy or jewelry are often sufficient to do the trick. Fuel Injectors...when a mother's fuel injectors leak, this should be treated immediately with a listening ear, tissue and a soft shoulder. Spark Plugs...when sparks fly, avoid driving for awhile. Steering...use caution in any attempt to override mother's steering. Note: when spark plugs malfunction, steer clear. Chassis...a mother operates best when her chassis is properly maintained. Regular exercise should be provided and encouraged. When the chassis begins to sag, there are a number of remedies, including Weight Watchers, more intense exercise and proper undergarments. Tune ups...in the form of a change of hair style or updated make-up should be part of the regular maintenance. Her wardrobe should be changed as needed seasonally. Lubrication...Mothers need regular lube jobs. Sincere compliments are both the cheapest and most satisfying type of lubrication. Lubricate regularly and spark plugs are not likely to malfunction. Just by following these simple instructions, the average mother should last a lifetime, providing efficient service. "Her children rise up and call her blessed, her husband also, and he praises her." Proverbs 31:28 Updated from a church bulletin - May 1983 |
| Zeroshift |
 by Bob Cerullo
"There are certain sounds I really enjoy hearing: the sound of an LT1 engine starting, the roar of a Detroit V871 Diesel, the boom of an F-14 Tomcat fighter jet overhead. Also among my favorites is the sound a race car makes when the driver goes through gear changes. Maybe
that's because I appreciate the kind of skill it takes to get that kind of shifting right. Or maybe it's because I've missed my share of shifts over the years. To me, the sounds of a smooth shift and the engine rpm changes on a performance car driven by a skilled driver running all out are almost musical. Now it looks like my days of enjoying the music of skilled shifting may be numbered, thanks to a new technology called Zeroshift that's billed as "The world's fastest Automated Manual Transmission [AMT] with seamless shifts." Zeroshift is one of those ingenious ideas that make you wonder: Why didn't I think of that? Fortunately, a fellow named Bill Martin did. Zeroshift reduces the shifting time down to milliseconds without any interruption
in the power flow to the wheels....
...As we've heard before, the only thing that never changes in the auto repair business is the fact that things are always changing. As for me, I'll just have to find another one of those clocks that plays the musical sound of gear shift changes every hour on the hour. For more details and an interview with the inventor Bill Martin, go to zeroshift.com. Zeroshift is working with major global automotive players and expects to go into production in 2011, starting with motorbikes and followed by trucks and cars."
Excerps from Motor magazine, October 2009. To read more of this article by Bob Cerullo, go to motorage.com. |
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1) The Curved Dash Oldsmobile, which debuted in 1901, was sold for $650. Oldsmobile manufactured 425 of them that year.
2) Many remember the Model T as the first car to be mass-produced. However, the Duryea was actually the first production auto, meaning more than one at a time were made. Thirteen practically identical cars rolled off the factory floor in 1896.
3) The Honda Accord holds that distinction, being manufactured in Ohio in 1982 rather than being shipped to the States from overseas.
4) Some automakers installed lap belts as standard equipment decades earlier, but the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration made them mandatory in all new cars on Jan. 1, 1968.
5) Surely you remember the stylish Gran Torino. By the way, if you have not seen the recent movie Gran Torino, we highly recommend it! Clint Eastwood rarely lets us down.
6) A notoriously congested Los Angeles.
Thanks to dmv.org for the auto trivia |
| Dan's Auto on the Web | |
We recently added a new feature. You can now go to archived newsletters to catch any newsletters you may have missed. This new feature can also be found at our Web site: dansauto.com
We have been advertising with Northland Cable TV for years.
For those friends and customers who don't have cable, we've
posted our 3 latest commercials here.
Also, if you haven't done so yet, please become a fan of Dan's '57 Chevy on facebook. The Chevy has been spending a lot of time at the shop lately, read about it on facebook. You'll see lots of old photos, read about the origins of Dan's '57 Chevy and find out who was (and still is) Dan's high school sweetheart. You'll be surprised! Just a little hint; it's not Sally!
photo by Dan Carter |
Dan and Sally Walker
Dan's Auto Center
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