Want to see Chef Success's amazing car collection?

[The_Kitchen_Guy]

This all started over in the joke thread when Kitchen Diva asked about a 1972 Charger. Ann posted this \/ \/ \/ and away it went. Would you car to join us?

Go ahead - ask KG about his special car. Her name is Sonja.

DH and I currently own, let's see... I think 8 cars, although several are parts cars that DH is selling piece by piece. He and I are active in the Lincoln and Continental Owners Club.

Here's Sonja at the Ames Monument in Wyoming, about 15 miles from Laramie.

 

[The_Kitchen_Guy]

The start of the Lincoln Highway Cross Country Cruise - 2003If anyone had ever told me that I would drive Sonja into New York City, and park her in the middle of 7th Avenue in Times Square, I would have said they were nuts.

But here she is, right in front of my favorite NYC Hotel, the Marriott Marquis.

 

[The_Kitchen_Guy]

Before and AfterHere's the official Lincoln Highway Association Packard Twin Six parked next to the McMahon Monument in Crestline, Ohio, circa 1922. Notice the freshly planted trees as well as the sidewalks and curbs freshly poured for a new subdivision. (The Association was disbanded in 1927.)

Here's Sonja next to the same McMahon Monument in Crestline, Ohio, in August of 2003. The trees have filled out quite well, don't you think?

The monument was lovingly restored in 1993 by members of the Ohio chapter of the modern Lincoln Highway Association, reformed in 1992. The granite block with the engraving had been pried out by vandals and broken, explaining the crack. The light fixture is long gone, and the porcelain sign has been restored.

 

[Kitchen Diva]

This all started over in the joke thread when Kitchen Diva asked about a 1972 Charger. Ann posted this \/ \/ \/ and away it went. Would you car to join us?


Here's Sonja at the Ames Monument in Wyoming, about 15 miles from Laramie.

Oh no!!! It's like I'm on a WANTED poster with how you started out this thread...will I get hate mail now?

 

[baychef]

Please click on the link below to take a virtual test drive of one of my vintage cars:

http://www.alivans.com/the-broom-closet-interior.htm

 

[The_Kitchen_Guy]

Oh no!!! It's like I'm on a WANTED poster with how you started out this thread...will I get hate mail now?

Only if you don't figure out how to embed a photo into a post so people don't have to follow your links. Or read a doc file.

 

[The_Kitchen_Guy]

Please click on the link below to take a virtual test drive of one of my vintage cars:

http://www.alivans.com/the-broom-closet-interior.htm

I see you shop in the same dealership as my ex mother-in-law.

 

[baychef]

If the stick fits!!

 

[chefann]

I do have pics to post, but I'm just popping in now to check a couple things. I'll post this evening after my craft show.

 

[The_Kitchen_Guy]

If the stick fits!!

Sonja, the Model A and Belle, the Triumph TR-3A are both sticks but my '84 Mustang Convertible is an automatic.

 

[chefann]

My everyday driver is a stick, but our old cars are all automatics.

This is our '66 at one of the many Detroit area cruise days. DH had just finished an engine bay clean up/restoration, and hadn't put the hood back on yet. (BTW, that's not me in the front seat of these top 2 pics.)

http://www.michiganlcoc.org/gallery/albums/DownriverCruise2007/Downriver_cruise_2007002.sized.jpg

Same day, on the move. (No, I didn't add the stupid caption. The photographer did, thinking it was funny.) DH, in the driver's seat, is wearing his car show hat, which we affectionately call his "dork hat."

http://www.michiganlcoc.org/gallery/albums/DownriverCruise2007/DSC_0055_U.sized.jpg

And this is looking down the row of our club members' cars at the cruise. The rear deck is open on ours (the navy blue convertible).

http://www.michiganlcoc.org/gallery/albums/DownriverCruise2007/DSC_0215_U.sized.jpg

 

[chefann]

And here's one of our other cars. This one's a '77 Continental sedan. It's the one that had the problems on our last trip to Wisconsin. Come to find out, it probably never had a working alternator since we've owned it. Well, until now. It's the black one on the far right.This pic is a club outing at the Yankee Air Museum outside Detroit. Cool place, but they had a devastating fire last year (I think it was last year) that destroyed a lot of the memorabilia.http://www.michiganlcoc.org/gallery/albums/YankeeAirForceMuseum/res_1605975342.jpg

 

[missyciccolella]

I'll have to find a photo on the other computer...my DH has a 67 camaro aka the money pit. We bought it this summer and are just now able to drive it...we (really just he) rebuilt the engine - had a cracked block. It is currently with Gomez (neighborhood car guy) to re-wire (again) as DH is about to pull his hair out. This is long, but fun story!

 

[The_Kitchen_Guy]

The most intriguing things about your photos are...1) The '57 Ford Del Rio tudor station wagon to the rear and drivers' side of your car. That was Ford's answer to the Nomad, and just like the Nomad, not that many were ever made/sold and many of the ones that were got used up. That's a very, very rare car.2) The Pinto wagon to the rear and passenger's side of your car. I used to sell those new and they weren't any good then. That's an amazing labor of love to keep that vehicle on the road.3) The aircraft museum - it looks like you're parked under the wing of a B-52. n the far distance, I see what looks to be a B-25 Mitchell. I wasn't aware that many of those odd ducks survived. WARNING! Trivia Geek Info Follows: The B-25 Mitchell was named for General William "Billy" Mitchell, a pioneer in military air power. His views of the future were so controversial (and, ironically, proved to be so accurate) that he was court marshaled for being outspoken. His story was told in a Gary Cooper movie. Mitchell was from a prominent Milwaukee family; he is buried here and Milwaukee's Mitchell International Airport is named for him. The B-25 was the aircraft used in Gen. James Doolittle's daring raid on Tokyo in WWII. That looks like an interesting show to attend - if you go again next year, let me know. I'd like to come over for it.

 

[The_Kitchen_Guy]

I'll have to find a photo on the other computer...my DH has a 67 camaro aka the money pit. We bought it this summer and are just now able to drive it...we (really just he) rebuilt the engine - had a cracked block. It is currently with Gomez (neighborhood car guy) to re-wire (again) as DH is about to pull his hair out. This is long, but fun story!

Every true car geek has the same story. Sonja has been with me for 30 years and I'm sure she has more money in her than I'd ever get back - but it doesn't matter because no one could ever put a value on the many, many grand memories she has provided me - from the http://www.classiccarrally.net/ to the first World Meet to the Lincoln Highway Cross Country Tour.

Someday, I hope you generate many of the same memories.

 

[ChefBeckyD]

Every true car geek has the same story. Sonja has been with me for 30 years and I'm sure she has more money in her than I'd ever get back - but it doesn't matter because no one could ever put a value on the many, many grand memories she has provided me - from the http://www.classiccarrally.net/ to the first World Meet to the Lincoln Highway Cross Country Tour.

Someday, I hope you generate many of the same memories.

Oh - that is all so true! So many wonderful memories and fun family times revolve around our cars! Can't put a price on them.

Do you get that heart-tug every Spring when you realize Car Season (that time of the year when you can drive w/o worry of salt, mud, snow, etc...) is almost here?

 

[The_Kitchen_Guy]

Yes, along with the dread of having to clean out the mouse morgue.

 

[chefann]

3) The aircraft museum - it looks like you're parked under the wing of a B-52. n the far distance, I see what looks to be a B-25 Mitchell. I wasn't aware that many of those odd ducks survived.<snip>

That looks like an interesting show to attend - if you go again next year, let me know. I'd like to come over for it.

That was several years ago. It wasn't a show, it was an event for our club. And you're right, that's a B-52 under which we are parked.
And, yes, it's a B-25D Mitchell. I'll 'fess up though, I just looked that one up on the website for the museum.

The museum was very interesting, but unfortunately was destroyed by fire in 2004. Luckily, they were able to get the aircraft out of the hangar, but all the other artifacts, tooling and spare parts were destroyed. They've started rebuilding and trying to amass a similar collection of artifacts.

 

[missyciccolella]

Every true car geek has the same story. Sonja has been with me for 30 years and I'm sure she has more money in her than I'd ever get back - but it doesn't matter because no one could ever put a value on the many, many grand memories she has provided me - from the http://www.classiccarrally.net/ to the first World Meet to the Lincoln Highway Cross Country Tour.

Someday, I hope you generate many of the same memories.

We LOVE car (including the kids and have big plans for it...it has been the running joke between us(well not literally as the car has only been "running" for a month or so). The story on how we acquired it adds to it...purchased on eBay from a Westpoint Grad (my DH is in the Army) and turns out the guy missed the integrity classes at Westpoint...there is a lot more to it, but the bottom line is the seller knew the car had a cracked block and didn't disclose it...lesson learned - next time we'll take the engine apart before paying We do love her, and I love driving it! I seem to get quite a few glances as she is a far cry from the typical soccer mom car/mini-van.

 

[chefann]

Here's the full shot of our '66.

 

[The_Kitchen_Guy]

That's what my friend Malcom, from Sydney, Australia calls a "Yank Tank."Mal is another Model A guy, although all his cars have the steering wheel on the wrong side.

 

[Kitchen Diva]

Only if you don't figure out how to embed a photo into a post so people don't have to follow your links. Or read a doc file.

Okay, fine...show me how to imbed a photo in my post so you don't have to click on a link... I wouldn't want you to get carpal-phelange...

 

[chefann]

Here's how: http://www.chefsuccess.com/f18/photo-thread-14528/

 

[The_Kitchen_Guy]

Well, if you wish to stay on CS, you can look here.I wrote and new and improved version for HFTM, and you can see it here. My personal favorite in that thread is the photo of Sofia. I think she's pretty hot.http://www.sofia.usra.edu/News/news_2007/04_26_07/images/ED07-0079-02_md.jpg

 

[Kitchen Diva]

<QUOTE/SNIP> "Well, if you wish to stay on Chef Success, you can look here."

what does that mean, KG?

 

[The_Kitchen_Guy]

Just what it says. If you want to stay within the friendly confines of CS, click on that link. If you don't mind taking a trip over to Help Find the Missing, click on the other link.Can you just imagine, that someone would be a smartass up here?

 

[The_Kitchen_Guy]

You know, now that I go back and look at Sofia again, she isn't really that hot.In fact, she's kinda plane.

 

[chefann]

Sofia's a voyeur. She looks for things that are hot.

 

[The_Kitchen_Guy]

Somewhere, in my vast collection of photographs in which I can never find the one I want at the moment, I have a picture of Sofia's photospectrometer while it was being built. The "scope" was built at the Yerkes Observatory in Williams Bay, Wisconsin on the north shore of Geneva Lake.

 

[The_Kitchen_Guy]

In Fall of 2004, our Model A Club went to the Yerkes Observatory. Owned by the University of Chicago, the observatory was built in the 1890's and the refracting telescope was installed in 1897, after having been on display at the Chicago Worlds Fair in 1893. (Also known as "The White City," Pabst Beer won the Blue Ribbon which became the famous trademark.) Check out the Model A Fords parked on the grounds.

Under this dome is the largest refracting telescope in the world. Even now, over 110 years old, it is still employed in astronomical research. (The biggest issue today is light pollution.)

]The telescope is too large for the focal range of my camera.

Here's the infrared spectrometer nearing completion in 2004. Today, it rides in Sofia. The man in the photo is a friend of mine, he's the administrator of the observatory.

 

[chefann]

Weird. Your pics aren't showing up in the post.

 

[The_Kitchen_Guy]

They are in mine...here we go again. I'll get that fixed - gimme a little while to move them around in cyberland.

 

[The_Kitchen_Guy]

Commemorative Air Force - We're More Than Just Cars Around HereA couple of years ago, on a very cold February day, our Model A club went to visit a hanger at the Waukesha County Airport, where the Commemorative Air Force (formerly known as the Confederate Air Force) is restoring a Lockheed PV-1. These were used in many locations during WWII, including hunting submarines in the Atlantic. The CAF is dedicated to the restoration and preservation of war birds, even enemy aircraft.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/cb/Ventura_LOC_8e01506u.jpg/300px-Ventura_LOC_8e01506u.jpg

The particular plane we saw was based on the Aleutian Islands where it flew missions to the Japanese Islands, a little known part of the war effort. The plane carried just enough fuel to get to the target and back again, making the navigator's job more than critical. With no extra fuel to afford missing the base, there was no room for error in plotting the return trip. It was equipped with enormous engines, and with the throttles wide open, this plane could outrun the fastest Japanese fighters.

Car restorers know that any idiot can take a car apart, and the same idiot can put it back together again. Any idiot can take an airplane apart, too, but the FAA frowns on anyone other than a certified airplane mechanic to put it back together. (They have this aversion to airplanes suddenly falling out of the sky because someone left a bolt loose.)

This is what we saw:

The challenge of restoration: Where do all these parts go?

I have no idea how far along this restoration has gotten in the mean time, but it certainly makes me feel a little better about only having a couple of cars apart.

 

[chefann]

Those workbenches look suspiciously like DH's benches in our garage - boxes of parts and all! Of course, it's an inexpensive and easy to construct bench design, and any restoration involves piles of parts, hopefully labeled well enough that the restorer knows how to put them back together.Here are some shots from our club's last overnighter trip. I don't have any that have the whole armada of land yachts because I don't have a panoramic lens. This is the Ruthmere mansion in Elkhart, IN. http://www.michiganlcoc.org/gallery/albums/Overnighter2006/DSC_0130_MilesHouseInElkhartInd.sized.jpgInside the garage at the mansion. Please note the mural. Wish I could afford a mural in my garage.http://www.michiganlcoc.org/gallery/albums/Overnighter2006/DSC_0143.sized.jpgThis was another stop on that trip. For some reason, the attendant was giddy when we went inside.http://www.michiganlcoc.org/gallery/albums/Overnighter2006/DSC_0178.sized.jpgAnd you should recognize this one... as should anyone my age who remembers the movie.http://www.michiganlcoc.org/gallery/albums/Overnighter2006/DSC_0232_MuppetMovieCar.sized.jpg

 

[The_Kitchen_Guy]

They moved the Muppet car between the time you were there and the time I was there. I love that mustard yellow cabriolet in the background!Sonja has been in that Shell station - that's on Lincolnway East in Mishawaka if I remember correctly.If you want a mural in your garage, you can get wallpaper murals at Home Cheapo. There are some wonderful museums in that area - did you get to the one in La Porte? They have a Tucker and a 1903 Winton.

 

[chefann]

I actually could care less if there was a mural in the garage. I put that in the post for effect. We only went to the one museum. We also had plans to go to the Studebaker House for dinner, but we were misinformed about their reservations policy.http://www.michiganlcoc.org/gallery/albums/Overnighter2006/DSC_0251_StudebakerHouse.sized.jpg

 

[The_Kitchen_Guy]

Yeah, I had reservations about it, too, so I didn't go either.

 

[The_Kitchen_Guy]

I don't know if this link is going to work or not, you'll have to let me know.Just west of South Bend, on Indiana 2, is the location of a place called Bendix Park. It is the former Studebaker proving grounds. If you look at satellite photos of the park, you can make out the old oval track and the rest of the proving track that now serves as roadways in the park. Unfortunately (IMHO) Bendix built a spark plug plant on the grounds after they took over the land from the defunct factory, before someone realized what a treasure this acreage is. The plant is the only blemish on this otherwise pristine park land.While it still functioned as a Studebaker facility, though, the family planted a huge stand of pine trees that spells out the name, S-T-U-D-E-B-A-K-E-R. You can't really tell from the gound, other than some odd shapes to the clusters of trees.But you can make out the word from outer space.If that link doesn't return it, you can go on to any of the satellite servers and find it at Latitude 41.66900, Longitude -86.48900 (approximately.)

 

[The_Kitchen_Guy]

Here's where the Muppets' car was last Summer.

 

[The_Kitchen_Guy]

Here's the satellite photo of Bendix Woods I was talking about two posts ago.

 

[chefann]

That's cool. The link in the prior post does work, BTW. I checked it out earlier.

 

[Stampaholic1961]

Wish I could afford a mural in my garage.

I'd be happy if I could afford a garage!!!

I'm loving all these pictures. I would love to own a vintage car someday. Maybe after I am done paying for private school tuition & my kids repay the favor by supporting me in the manner I would like to become accustomed to!!!

 

[The_Kitchen_Guy]

Maybe you can pick one up cheap at a garage sale.

 

[chefann]

<giggle> DH's standard line when we pass a garage sale is, "Wanna buy a garage?" And I always say, "We have one." We're still the envy of many members of the Lincoln club.

 

[NooraK]

I know this is a REALLY old thread, but I wanted to share.

This is the 1937 Ford Coupe Cabriolet my grandfather had. My uncle now owns it, and that is him in front of the car:

I have a better picture, just not hosted online. Maybe I'll remember to go find it when I go home tonight.

Each summer, the owners of vintage cars do a drive around Lake Saimaa. We went by one of their pit stops when we were in town a few summers ago, and I snapped some pictures:

http://picasaweb.google.com/nooraanddavid/SuurSaimaaDrivePlanePieces#

And for the airplane set, here's the MiG-21 at the museum my dad's cousin is affiliated with:

http://lh3.ggpht.com/_ivrIMLU4sNo/RrZyhRC_v4I/AAAAAAAAAH4/SgXvHXRswFI/s800/Finland%20059.JPG