Automotive, but with a beachy Throwback Thursday twist #TBT

| September 14, 2023

A week or so ago, a tweet (or is it X?) appeared on an automotive publication’s social media account … and it caught my eye (see below). It triggered a memory of a well loved plastic 1957 Ford Ranchero that my brother and I had in our large collection of toy cars and trucks; some […]

Automotive freedom: The politics of fossil fuel factors in

| July 2, 2022

In one of my social media automotive threads, I saw this comparison graphic and it triggered my thinking … both from a “freedom to choose” and “work need” perspective vs a “forced to comply” based on ever-changing environmental concerns or fiscal reasons … usually by politicians (regulation, taxes, dis-incentives or incentives). People are likely to […]

“Three on the Tree” (for car enthusiast or those of a certain age)

| February 2, 2021

Earlier in the years, this image of a “Three on the Tree” manual column shifter-pattern was tweeted by a automotive friend and it triggered memories for me. Younger people nowadays might not even remember manual shifting on the column with a clutch .. or for that matter ever shifting a “Four on the Floor” … […]

Diesels are not Done

| January 1, 2017

Much has been made of the death of diesel after the VW cheating scandal … but there is still room for debate and a need for diesel vehicles – innovation benefits diesel as well as EVs. Electricity has potential in passenger vehicles, but in its current state of innovation, it falls short to the Diesel […]

How much room do you leave between vehicles?

| September 25, 2016

A photo is worth a 1000 words — and this photo is a chilling reminder for those of us who travel regularly on the interstates. I purposely allow for more buffer than many when following a line of traffic (a car length for every 10 mph) AND in particular give semi-trucks even more breathing room. […]

Clean Diesel Technologies granted new patent

| November 5, 2014

Diesel exhaust treatment technology has vastly improved diesel engine emissions over the past decade along with ULSD fuels, but the technology is costly primarily due to rare earth metals. According to a press release yesterday, Clean Diesel Technologies, Inc $CDTI announced new proprietary Spinel™ technology will replace the use of platinum type metals in catalytic […]

Power – Diesel – Water/Methanol Injection Kit

| July 6, 2012

Hmm … would be interesting to try this on a VW TDI diesel? Diesel engines are the perfect recipients of mild engine modifications. They are considerably robust—generally much more so than gasoline engines. Without going into a diesel history lesson, this is what led to the diesel mod craze in the first decade of the […]

Desultory - des-uhl-tawr-ee, -tohr-ee

  1. lacking in consistency, constancy, or visible order, disconnected; fitful: desultory conversation.
  2. digressing from or unconnected with the main subject; random: a desultory remark.
My Desultory Blog