March 1995 Issue -- Road & Track Magazine

In 1995, I bought a new Chevrolet S-10 extended-cab pickup.

I was working for GM and could get the company discount.

Also, at the time, GM had put out a new credit card with pretty generous points towards the purchase of a GM product.

I think I got several thousand dollars worth of points by the time I bought the S-10.

I wanted a dark purple color they had but couldn't find one at any of the local dealers.

So, I settled and bought a black one instead.

I chose the 4-cylinder version with a 5-speed manual.

I commuted in it for about a year.

With gentle driving, you could get about 27 MPG.

In that year, I had several problems (clutch rattle, dash lights going out, etc.).  The dealer near work was terrible.

Ended up going to one in Simi-valley just because of the better service.

I changed companies/jobs in 1996 and stopped driving the truck.  Several years later, I sold it to my gardener.

Overall, owning that truck was a bad experience & left a bad taste in my mouth...

Looks like an entertaining read...

Good looking car.

Poor quality & high repair costs...

Japanese tuners...

European tuners...

Six cars with 32-valve V8s...

Looks like the MB was the group's favorite...

A 540i with a 6-speed manual...

 

The newer Gerstner Tool Chest -- part 6 and Last - vacuuming the inside & Danish oil application

The backs of all the drawers are numbered by hand.

Some neat hand writing...

Model O-52.  Made in 1989.  I'm guessing B-119 is kind of like a serial number...

All the drawers before applying Danish oil.

The front lid's inner side wood will also get the Danish oil treatment.

There's a piece of felt like material at the back of the case where the smaller drawers go in.  I'm guessing to act as a cushion and a stop.

You can also see that there's a small glue bock to structurally reinforce the joint between the back of the case and the base of the top storage.

The spring loaded ball in this picture is to hold the front lid in the closed position (even without the locking pins engaged).

Debris inside the case...  Not too bad.  Just vacuumed it all out.

After vacuuming.

You can also see the round felt pad for the front lid to rest on when it's open and fully slid back in the stored position.

After applying the Danish oil.  Will let it sit about 30 minutes then wipe them down before putting them back in the case.

Applied the oil to the front lid inner surfaces...

Also applied oil to the fixes structure inside the case that's visible from the front, including the sides of the case that's visible.

After wiping everything down, reinstalled all the drawers.

In a day or two, the oil will be pretty much dry to the touch.

At some point, I may replace the green felt in the front lid but for now it's perfectly serviceable.

Done for now...

 

Thursday, November 12, 2020 -- A little bit overcast but not too cold...

It's windy today (a little more than usual).

Makes the riding harder...

I forgot to take water with me today.

Luckily, they were giving out Kombucha at the pier again.

They only had the Apple/Turmeric/Carrot/Spices version.

It tastes a little bit like medicine...

I needed the fluids so it worked out.

They put out Christmas trees along the pier.

Seems a little too much...

Glass jar.

Low fog/moisture over the ocean, looking at the Palos Verdes Peninsula...

 

July 1993 Issue -- Road & Track Magazine

A Nissan ad with a BMW 2002 in it...

The "show" version of the Boxster is a very good looking car.

The production version lost much of the specialness of the show car and the quality of the first production Boxsters was poor...

Will read this one too...

All 911 Turbo are special...

Comparisons to the Corvette ZR-1 & Lotus Esprit Turbo.

The 2020 Civic Type R is faster than both to 60...

A lot of cars available today are faster to 60... Pretty amazing.

Nice article...

The car that Fangio is sitting in is one of the greatest of all time (It was built as both an open wheel and fully enclosed version.  Just going by memory, I think it was called the W196 and is from right around the early 1950s...  The fully enclosed version is shown in this picture.  It was pretty unusual to have a fully enclosed-bodied F1 single seater race car.  It's one of the most beautiful race cars of all time...).

 

Wednesday, November 11, 2020 -- They cleared the sand on the Bike Path...

Since Monday, they cleared the sand on the bike path along the beach.

Didn't have time to go all the way to Manhattan Beach Pier.  Had to turn around here.

Although the bike path has been cleared, the parking lot service road has not been cleared (I ride on the service road for about a mile or so... Until they clear the service road, I'll have to stay on the bike path.).

This picture is from about the same spot as the one above, just looking in the opposite direction.

It's cool today (low 60s F) but the sun is out and makes it feel not so cold.