captainseapig's Blog

Here are some suggestions to get better gas milage out of your car. If you are like me and have a used car thats pretty old these ideas will help. First, Inflate your tires to the proper PSI between 28 and 32 is normal. Under inflated tires cause poor gas milage. Second, Get a tune up. Have your timing checked have the technician plug in the computer and go through the performance tests. Third check the air filters and make sure they are clean. If you hold them up to a light bulb and can not see the glow of the bulb, change them to new. Fourth, buy good gasoline, the gasoline recommended by the manufacturer octane level that is. Most run fine on regular unless otherwise specified in the owners manual. Fifth change the oil when you are supposed to. A well lubricated engine runs smother and more efficiently. A bad oxygen sensor or egr valve can ruin gas milage. Thats why it's important to have a diagnostic check every once in a while.

Or you can go out and buy a pre owned Geo Metro, they have a small three cylinder Susuki engine that helped the car get about 45 MPG. They stopped making them in about  2002 but you can pick up a used one up for about 2K. They did just as well if not better on MPG than the new hybrid Toyota and Hondas.

In California in a small mountain town gasoline cost five dollars a gallon. It's about $3.15 for regular around here, it's supposed to climb to $4.00 by the end of the summer. How many are going to down size their next car? I'm going to go with a corolla or civic when i get another car. If it goes to $5.00 I think it's going to be a motorcycle.

Time to put the 1957 Chevy pick up truck to bed for the winter. A little Stabil fuel conditioner in the gas tank some Mystery Oil down the carb while the engine is running and in the spark plug holes. I need to rebuild the generator over the winter. It was producing 12.2 volts when it should be producing about 14 or so. My headlights were very dim. Moth balls all over the cab floor and in the glove compartment to keep the mice out. Sleep tight see you in the spring.

I would like to think that these victims of the I 95 crash didn't die in vain. I think maybe their example will save lives in the end. I pray that their families find peace and comfort. There has to be a silver lining to this tragedy somewhere. I remember over 10 years ago two young men from our youth program at church were speeding home and hit some trees. Both brothers were paralyzed one from the neck down and has to be on a ventilator and the other from the waist down. The next Sunday at church the grandmother of the boys stood up and told the congregation that the family was devastated but hopeful that the boys example would ultimately save the lives of others, by helping them to be more cautious. Both boys have graduated college one is married.

Today my 85 year old father helped me fix a problem with my 57 Chevy truck. We were figuring out what was wrong with the rear blinker light. Keep in mind the truck is all original and has 50 year old parts on it. Whats neat is that my dad was in his prime in 1957 and knows the 50's and 60's cars like the back of his hand. So with his help I figured out how to make the repair. Dad got down on his knees on the soft grass were the truck was parked and tilted his head ,adjusted his bifocals, looked and squinted in past the heavy duty "farm bumper" in where the tail lights are housed. Diagnosed that the lens were held on by snap rings and suggested the method of repair. A little later it was time for him to get up. When your 85 and your bones are stiff this could present a problem. He grabbed the bumper and tried real hard to get up. I came in and offered my help and with my assistance he made it up with a couple of creaks and groans. Then in his own imitable way he said, "thanks, I needed something to climb on". Sweet experience.

Sunken eyes a lethargic look and an almost trance like walk describe the employees at the DMV. I went the other day to get antique plates for my 1957 truck and found out after waiting 45 minutes that I didn't have the correct paperwork. ARRRRG! One good thing though, I was able to assist an 80+ year old man up and off the waiting bench and got him going again. He had tried once already and failed thats when I spotted him struggling. Having an 85 year old father I felt comfortable going over to help. I could tell he was fiercely independent yet still grateful for the assistance. I stuck with it and got the paperwork and now have the plates. I gotta tell ya, the place is a bit better with the triage there to sort things out. Still the triage desk missed the fact that I needed some extra paperwork. What experiances have you had at the DMV.

Chevrolets first and foremost with an occasional Ford, followed by a Mopar.Lets name the Chevys that have endured into the classic hall of fame. Corvette, an all American car designed and first introduced in 1954 it is now in it's 58th consecutive year of manufacture if you take into account they are selling the 08's this fall. My particular favorite vette is the 1962. Next on the list would be the 1955-57 Nomad 2 door station wagon,Tim the Tool Man Taylor drove a 1955 in his show Home Improvement. The 1967 Chevelle Convertible either Malibu or Super Sport models. Z-28 Camaros can not be ignored the 1969 model being the most incredible either in hardtop or convertible. The only Ford that caught my fancy was the 2plus2 fastback models of the mustangs and the 1971 Mach 1. Last but not least on my list would be the Mopars the Barracudas and the Challenger and the Roadrunners of the late sixties with the Hemi Cuda topping the Mopar list. Ah the muscle cars of yesteryear now replaced by 300 horsepower 4 cylinder rice burners. Unbelievable.

Can you say cooooool. I just purchased a 1957 Chevy Pick up Truck from a fellow in Sandy Utah over the internet. It had been in his family for 35 years and was used on their small horse farm to haul hay and horse trailers. I'll use it for advertising and parades and just fun driving and occasionally service to friends who need stuff hauled. Maurice was sad to see it go I could tell he had sellers remorse it had served him well for many years. I assured him it was going to a good home. All it needs is the exhaust worked on and a bearing in the transmission, other than that it's fine. It's a 3/4 ton truck with 16.5 inch wheels a real work truck all stock with the original engine in it. All the numbers match and it is in good stock condition. My brother will want to yank out the little six cylinder engine and replace it with a huge 427 cubic inch fire breathing engine, put in a slick four speed transmission and lower the body change the wheels and tires and paint it lime green or something. Not gonna happen, gonna keep it all original. If you see me around wave and say hello.

How many of us have gone to the quickie oil change places and the guys there try to sell you extra services. I don't blame them they are trying to make a living. But lets face it they try to get you to do things you don't really need. Sometimes the procedure sounds good but it's a unreliable procedure. For instance the technician tried to sell me a transmission fluid change. I asked him if they took off the transmission pan and drained the oil. No, was the answer they stuck a tube down the filler hose and sucked it out. Not good, and ineffective. When you do that not all the transmission oil is captured and none of the residue is released. You cannot change the filter either with this technique. So always go to your local mechanic and have them do this the old fashioned way from under the car. All the oil is released all the gunk comes out too and they can also have access to the filter and change it as well. Another ineffective method is the replacement of coolant in the engine system. They stick a hose in the radiator and claim to capture all the old antifreeze and replace it with new. They capture about 50% of the old coolant and mix the new in with all the old coolant that is still in the heater core and engine. Again go to your local mechanic and have him do it right by removing hoses and opening petcocks in the radiator etc. A complete drain. You save money in the long run and have the job done right.

An old biplane was flying gentlemen in their 70's and 80's in the air around Marlboro yesterday. The Collins Foundation opened it's doors this weekend to the public. It's a group that restores old aircraft and automobiles. It's located in Stow near the Assebet River and Lake Boone. A grassy 400 yard runway, beautiful gardens,a colossal airplane hanger and old barns filled with antique autos. A place were the boys toys are just bigger and cooler. The foundation had a WWII German piece of artillery there called a 88 because of the size of it's caliber, 88mm. It was used as a anti aircraft gun and field artillery. The allies hated it for it's destructive power. An old veteran came into the display and said,"show me were that 88 is I want to see it, one of those things shot me down in the war."
Model airplanes were flying around thrilling the children. In the barns there was Al Capones Caddillac, Duesenburgs, Cords,Auburn, Model A's and T's,Stutz Bearcat, the list goes on and on. The Collins foundation has restored a B-17 Flying Fortress and a B-24 Liberator. Rides on them cost about $400.00 an half hour. How exciting is that! What a great fathers day I had looking at these wonderful old machines.

New England dragway had closed for the night. The parking lot was emptying out into the street, amateur hot rodders all hyped up from the evenings events were doing smokey tire burn outs as they exited the parking lot. We had come up to enjoy the races in a 69 Z28 Camaro. It had the high performance small block 302 in it with a slick 4 speed transmission. Our burn out was the best as the engine screamed up to 7 thousand RPM. Those little 302 cubic inch motors could really perform. They are still my favorite engine. That and the 327 chevy engine. On our way home we were foolish and took the Camaro up to 110 mph on 495 southbound for about a minute or two. The ride was smooth the engine purred like a tiger and we were young. Still my favorite late sixties muscle car.

All you Tree Huggers out there don't rush to put ethanol augmented fuel into your cars. Your engine won't like it. Engines must be adapted to the new fuels. Much damage can happen to pistons, valves, gaskets and fuel distribution systems if high content ethanol is used. Experts warn that a mix of more than 10% ethanol in gasoline is bad for engines and can void warranties on a car if used. An average of $2,500.00 in most cases. Be careful, read your owners manual and use the proper gasoline.
The down side to ethanol is that in the US it's made from corn and corn is used in many other products. Thus driving up the cost of those other products. In our attempt to use biofuels we kick ourselves in the rear with higher costs for foods with corn byproducts in them. No money really saved.

Here's a small list of cars that get the best Miles Per Gallon on the highway, about 40mpg.
The VW Golf, Toyota Corolla, Toyota Yaris, Mini Cooper, Honda Civic. I think we better get used to the idea that gas prices are going up and that we need to think about smaller cars, with smaller engines. We also need to start driving like little old ladies on a Sunday afternoon. If we don't most of us will go broke paying the gas bill for the car. Remember that food prices will go up too because of the cost of trucking them into New England. It's time to start our little gardens. A 10x20 foot space can produce nice veggies.

The nicest place to drive is in Texas, wide roads that you can see forever on. People pull over to the right a little when you want to pass or come up on them quickly. School zone speed limit is super strickly enforced with fines up to 1000 dollars. My vote is Texas for the easiest driving. Whats yours?

Ride a bike, walk, take public transportation. If you must drive, make sure your tires are inflated properly most should be at or around 30psi. Use the right gas, if the owners manual says regular is OK use regular, don't use the higher octane fuels. Change the oil when it's due. Accelerate slowly no jack rabbit starts, unless you are trying to beat a arrogant teenager off the line in his Japanese rice burner. Ha Ha. No roof racks or big cargo carriers. When cruising on the highway 60 mph is when the car is generally running most efficiently. Get a new air filter when needed, air flow is important and not to be restricted. get the engine analyzed by the computer at the shop when the check engine light goes on don't ignore it. Thats about it. Oh yes even the big 8 cylinder engines in our trucks can gain significant mpg if all these thing are followed.