Chicken Asada -- BBQ -- From Trader Joes -- Was very tasty!

 

Car & Driver Magazine -- November 1995

In this one issue, there are at least eight pages of ads for the Ford Taurus.  Several are two page spreads.

The main design theme was ovals.  There were ovals all over the car.  The backlite is oval.  The radio/HVAC control panel is oval.  This was pretty radical.  Most cars still used standard (DIN) rectangular radios.

I had completely forgotten about this car.  TOM'S was a Japanese racing/racing-car company.  I don't know if they're still around...  This car is very small, powered by the MR2 twin cam 1.6L engine and weighted around 1,700 lbs.  Sounds like a blast to drive...

The Ferrari F50 powertrain.  Looks fantastic.

I didn't know the F50 had adjustable pedals.  The engineering looks beautiful.

The Mitsubishi Galant gave me the impression of quality, in the day.  I remember driving a Mitsubishi Cordia in the 1980's and it also impressed me with it's quality.

This Oldsmobile Aurora ad is promoting the stiffness of the body.  I wonder if the audience for Oldsmobile really cared about this type of technical advertising...

Mazda was trying to go upscale.   This was a pretty expensive car (cost more than the equivalent Toyota, Honda or Nissan).  It didn't work out well...

This two page spread ad for GM is promoting simple pricing (a little bit like Saturn) and an extensive bumper to bumper warranty.

Another Ford Taurus ad...

The Acura Integra GS-R beat the BMW 318ti in a head-to-head comparison test.  The Acura was significantly faster too.

This is an excerpt from an article on the M3 automatic.  Both are 5 speeds.  But, the manual is much faster to 60 MPH.

Today, this is no longer true.  Most automatic versions of sporty cars are faster than the manual.

I remember the ads for the "twin tire" in the day.  This really didn't go anywhere.

This issue of the magazine had over 211 pages...

 

Old & Rough Tool Case - part 23 -- Removing the top front corner protectors

Removing the top right front corner protector.  The top screw's slot is full of "dirt."  It had to be scraped out first.

The screw was easy to turn...

Both screws came out easily

The corner protector was slighted "glued" to the leatherette by the dirt and corrosion.  It did come off with a little bit of persuasion.

the corrosion on the corner protector and the screw heads is pretty heavy...

The inside of the corner protector also shows some corrosion but also shows that these were probably nickel plated steel.

I put the lock into a glass jar and applied some penetrating oil.

I'm hoping that i may be able to turn the lock with something other than a key, if the mechanism is loosened up...

I think the chances  are low but worth a try.

I'll let it sit for at least a day.

Used this penetrating oil.

Removing the top left front corner protector.  Again, the top screw's slot is completely plugged with dirt.

But, the screw came out with very little torque...

For now, I put the corner protectors and screws in the top left drawer, until I'm ready to clean them on a wire wheel...

The dirt under  the top left front corner protector.

 

1995 Nissan Pathfinder Brochure

Just a pop-up moonroof...

Radios used to be made to a standard (DIN) size.

Body on frame...  Of all the SUVs that were in this class, I think only the Toyota 4-Runner remains so today...

 

Wednesday, October 21, 2020 -- Electric Bike Share directly on the Beach Bike Path...

They must have recently put this in...  I didn't notice it until this week...

This location is about 300 yards from the nearest parking lot & is not visible from the parking lot.

It's kind of in the middle of nowhere on the bike path.

Maybe that's why the station is nearly full of bikes.

Since it's named "Metro Bike Share," it must be government operated.  The M logo is the same one used on the busses and the light rail system.

As the sign says, it's near Imperial Highway, on Dockweiler beach, but not really that close to anything...

You would have to trek out here to borrow one of these bikes.

So, $3.50 for an hour... Not bad for an electric bike...

Since the station is new, the bikes look pretty new too.  So, maybe they're not too terrible to ride?

This is another location where they just put in a station.

This is pretty close to Marina Del Rey.

In this picture, at the end of this straight stretch of the bike path (pretty much at the horizon in this picture), the bike path does a 90 degree right turn then a 90 degree left to go over a bride over the Ballona Creek as it empties into the ocean...

At least this location is next to the bathrooms (on the left) and the lifeguard station (on the right).

There's a short walking path going left in this picture to some nearby parking (maybe 200 yards to the left).

This location makes more sense than the previous one...

Maybe that's why there's only two bikes in the docks at this location?

As I was taking this picture, the guy in the white shirt rode up in one of the bikes and was putting it in the dock.

 

Cycle World Magazine -- Issue 3, 2020 -- Royal Enfield Himalayan Article by Peter Egan

Cycle World has become more of a "lifestyle" type of magazine with very artistic layout, photos & graphics.  I didn't know that Peter Egan was still writing occasionally.  I haven't read this article yet but look forward to it...

 

Old & Rough Tool Case - part 21 -- Key for the lock?

RB, who gave me the tool case, mailed me some keys that were also found in the garage that the case came out of.

I'm hoping one of these is the right one for the case...

Of all the keys, only this one even goes into the key slot (all the others are too tall).  But, the lock doesn't turn.

I'll try taking the lock off of the front lid and see if it's just rusted stuck...  Or, is it the wrong key?

Some interesting designs for the keys...

Can't read what it says on this key but it may be possible after some cleaning...

Master is probably the best known pad-lock company, at least for me.  I didn't know they were based in Milwaukee.  The font on the "Master Lock Co." stamped into the keys is pretty stylish...

The key at the top of the picture doesn't have any markings.

I'm not sure what it says inside the oval.  The large "K" is pretty distinctive and very stylized.

The keys may clean up nicely.  Will try later...