Now what did I do?

Now what did I do????

There has been a great upheaval in the automotive industry over the past 20 years. More change, at a faster pace, affecting more and more people, all has conspired to create a general apathy in the motoring public towards their second biggest investment after the home, as change far outpaced the desire to understand and anticipate this change. Change in suppliers, change in techniques, change in processes, change in attitudes and even change in direction, all have conspired to bewilder many that could have developed an enthusiasm for cars. Dr. Zatz and I discussed at length, all of these issues, over the past couple of years and how they have impacted, both positively and negatively, the general American driving public.

This notebook of thoughts and explanations (I dislike the term “blog” for reasons best left unstated) will, in the coming months, provide an understandinng to today’s enthusiast, the reasoning behind the direction of the development of automobiles. Over time, I hope my explainations of how cars, trucks, and other transportation devices, from an engineering and business standpoint, will be of help to you all in aiding your understanding.

I will not be offering my personal views, but instead, concentrating on the “numbers”, such as explaining how and why some “less than thought out” ideas that may make sense to the layman, simply are either flawed, or a positive advancement. Personal opinions will NOT enter into these explainations. Specific subjects to be talked about will be fuel comsumption (how it is calculated), fuel types (why a particular fuel is good or bad), how performance is predicted and tested (I’ll throw out one of the terms now…”gradability”), and other sundry things.

May God have mercy on my soul…..

Commentary

At the end of each article, I will generally include observations and opinions specifically related to the article in a seperate “box” labled “Commentary” to provide visual seperation between fact and my imagination. If you wish to see specific topics covered, please feel free to email me at rwsheaves[at]catnetsolutions.com . I may not answer directly, but I will read all your comments and adjust the explainations as needed. This is not about me, as some may suggest, but it is about YOU!

One final note-this will not be more regular than monthly, usually, due to the time my work schedule allows.

Best regards to you all……

Bob

Cars and music

Hello, and welcome to my Blog. First of all, I want to thank Dave for inviting me to be a part of the writing team within the Blog Community.

I wasn’t sure just what I would write about here. As I begin this, I still haven’t come up with any one subject in particular.. Therefore, this may be anything from a wandering stroll down memory lane… to my love of both cars, and music. To me, they go hand in hand. There is nothing more melodic than a perfectly dialed-in engine, or a finely tuned guitar.

I guess that’s why these have remained the constant for me over the years. This, and one person who never gave up on me no matter how badly I managed things. No matter what else has happened in my life, these things have always been there. Never faltering, and never fading away. If anything, they have intensified as time has passed.

My love affair began at a very early age. Thinking back now, I would have to say this all started at the tender age of three. My mother had a diner at the time, and there was a local deejay who used to come in every Tuesday for lunch. He was forever putting quarters in the jukebox, and asking me to sing. This planted the seed, and started what has become a lifelong dream. Although circumstances, and branching off in different directions has broadened the spectrum over time, I still hold the dream to one day front a band.

I am still working to regain the range I lost after the fire. When I ran back for my dogs, I took in a lot of the intense smoke, and it affected me in ways I never thought it would. I remember thinking at the tiem… “Oh great. Someting else I have lost”. But, I have learned over the years that things do in fact happen for a reason. Maybe this was a sign that I needed to take control of my life, and fight my way back.

If not fronting a band, then I would be just as content to return to the stage lighting and design field. Chad and I did this for five-and-a-half years. I learned one can really make things happen even ii behind the scenes. He taught me everything I know about this… so, I am very much a part of the legacy he left behind. I went to a concert last week, and found myself checking out the light show. it made me realize just how much I really do miss this aspect of things. Someting to reach for perhaps.

It’s funny how one never realizes just how much someone has touched their life until they are gone. It’s been three-and-a-half years now since Chad’s passing. I can now look back, and remember without the intense pain I once felt. I believe I have in fact come full circle. My return to Allpar, and attending the car shows again is a testament to this. Much like my return to collecting, and restoring cars.

Speaking of my love of cars… this has also been a lifelong passion. I was always around when someone was working on one. They always intrigued me for some reason. I’m not exactly sure just why. I was one of those strange little girls growing up. I was more of a tomboy than anything else. I figured “if the boys can do it… I can do it better”. Yes, this got me into trouble more than once for pushing the envelope, and going beyond the limits lol. At least now, I have struck a balance of sorts.

This continued throughout my teenage years, and then Chad came along. He brought with him, a ‘73 Dodge Polara. This one had the 360 when I came into the picture. I say this because a transplant had been done before this. We had planned on restoring the car. However, the cancer had severely progressed, and we were really limited on funds at the time. We sold the car for $150.00. I still kick myself to this day for doing this.

Chad brought me to Allpar in 1999. Those who knew us, either through here, or in person, jokingly said we had a marriage based in motor oil. This is probably more true than anyone realized, because what were we doing? Either working on restoring a car, or traveling to car shows. I learned a lot from him… and learned a lot about myself, and my “sixth sense” when it came to knowing when something was wrong. All I ever had to do was get in and take a two-mile ride… and I could tell him each, and every time what was wrong, and how to go about fixing the problem. I can still do this. I guess once it’s there, you never lose it.

When he died… I never thought I would have this again (seeing as how I had to sell Gracie, our much loved, and all but completely restored ‘91 Shadow). However… after a lot of time (and admittedly, many mistakes in judgement on my part) Greg entered my life. I did for him just what Chad had done for me. I brought him to Allpar, and introduced him to my love of Mopar.

Since then, we have had a varitable parade of sorts come into our lives. Ok, I admit it… I’m addicted to cars. I can’t help it. There really should be a 12-step program for people like me… lol. We’ve had Mysti, a ‘92 Shadow America, 2.2 TBI/A413 (who sadly fell victim to an all to early demise), and Maxine… a ‘92 Shadow ES 3.0 EFI/5 spd. We just recently acquired Andrea, a ‘90 Shadow 2.5 MFI Turbo/5 spd, with some really rare qualitles. I am still learning about this one, as I have never had one such as this before.

All in all, I must say… my cars, and my love of them have brought me back from a rather dark time in my life. I have come full circle on my return path. I am once again where I belong, and have made many new, and wonderful friends through this.

Anyway, that’s it. Sorry this has been so long, and thanks for taking the time to read through.

Something to ponder

As I posted in another entry here, moving to this area was the best possible thing I could have done for myself. It allowed me the opportunity to heal, and regroup without the constant reminders of things gone horribly wrong.

This also brought me back to my love of cars, and got me back into the shows and things like that. Something drew me here, other than this is where Greg was living when we met. As I look around the city, I see a multitude of Mopars. Perhaps this is why I am supposed to be here. Living among so many wonderful cars has been very beneficial to me in many ways.

I’ve returned to my hometown twice in the almost two years since leaving. Something I have noticed on both visits though… I get a different feeling about the place now. Almost as though I am merely a visitor there, and somehow disconnected from the area. OMG, I have become a tourist! lol

Admittedly, there is nothing there (really), and visiting there is like traveling back in time 20 years. Oh sure, they have the ongoing I-99, and Corridor O projects happening. However, these have changed the landscape, and made once-familiar travel a thing of the past. The mountains are another story altogether. I now ask myself how I could have possibly lived there for 35 years.

I left in a hurry back in November of 2003. It only took me two days to organize the 160+ mile move across the state. Almost as if I had been literally drop-kicked from there.

I’ve said many times that I am getting closer to that Mason-Dixon Line with each move. I can’t complain about being 64 miles from Baltimore, or an hour or so from Rising Sun. Bearhawke has told me many times over the years that I am destined to live in Virginia one day… as this is where I am most at peace. I must have been a Southern Belle in a past life.

Anyway, getting back to my story of the mountains… I couldn ‘t wait to get back here. While seeing old friends was nice, I felt I didn’t belong there anymore. It’s not “home” anymore. There seems to be hardly any semblence of civilization there. I felt an almost constricting feeling while I was there, and this did not ease until I saw the first sign for Lancaster on my way home.

Traffic used to really bother me. Still does at times. However, it has become the “norm” for me now, as I have to deal with it every day here. I actually feel safer on the four-lane highways here, as opposed to the two-lane country roads in Clearfield County. Yes, we have those in the country here in the outlying areas… but it’s a mere hop, skip, and jump to get back into the city.

It it really true what they say… you can’t go home again? Maybe in my case, it is. The only regret I have in leaving the area was leaving behind my best friend, Dawn. But heck, she comes here so often, she is now one of the “locals”… lol.

Just wondering if anyone else has had the same experience upon returning to the place they once called home.