Mr. Chassis

Now here's some good news from the WDC:

"Fast Tuesday" was another great event for my Dream Cruise week. And one of the guys responsible for both a great little event as well as a significant contributor to the world of speed as represented by the Dodge Viper is Dave Buchesky. Dave was kind enough to give me/us a little interview at the Fast Tuesday party and here it is.
Keep 'em Tight on The Bottom,
bob

Let's Make Nice

Here's the deal: I'll have lots to compliment and praise the Woodward Dream Cruise and all the associated celebrations in upcoming blogs; this one is a gripe. And I think it is a serious gripe so hear me out on this.

I got some negative reports from what I consider an important group of people in the heart of "Dream Cruise Country". And it was in Royal Oak of all places. What happened is that among the many people who parked on local streets so they could walk in, several individuals had rude, sarcastic, and otherwise unwelcome and unprovoked insults for the local homeowners. This is bad form in any circumstance but at the WDC it's bad for lots of reasons.

First reason is that unlike all the jokers in minivans, SUV's, late model sedans, and other non-cruiser cars that choose to clog the streets just to look at the cars, my "good guys" instead choose to park a block or two or more away and walk in to spectate. I love those guys. More people get to see the rolling show and fewer cars choke traffic. But the few that talk trash at the homeowners and their guests stinks. And somehow I can see the cranks that seem to control city hall in RO may just decide to slap some temporary "no parking" restrictions on the side streets; their cops are already well practiced at passing out statutory bad attitude none of us need to give them a reason.

Secondly, the WDC has an absolutely shining reputation for good behavior of all the participants. And why not; we get a total orgy of great cars, something like 13 communities get taken over for most of a week or two, shopkeepers close up with an apology to their regular customers but still have the courtesy to post WDC posters in their windows. Who could ask for more. But I betcha that lots of those shop owners and store employees live close by. And some blow-hard has to hurl insults for no reason other than sheer stupidity. Bummer.

Thirdly, didn't their mom learn them any manners? I know they likely aren't cruisers but the folks sitting in their own front lawn see them as Dream Cruise participants. In the spectator sense they are participants, but now they've painted ALL participants as with the color "jerk".

So now I've got my rant off my chest.

To all you cruisers and in this case especially the "walk-in" spectators, I love ya.

Enjoy the cruise and make nice with the local population, please.
Happy Trails to You,
bob

The Viper's Grailkeeper

Okay. I've taken my Sunday nap to recoup from all the Woodward Dream Cruise activities. Some say "If it's too loud, you're too old!" Well, I'm not too old for the noise and as long as it only takes an afternoon nap to recharge my batteries I'm STILL not too old.

But this isn't about me, it's about the WDC and the other thing I like about it - the people. So with any luck here is my first video clip for this blog. My featured guest, Herb Helbig, was and in retirement still is, a key player in making the Dodge Viper (of which I am a huge fan) what it is. From a small amount of contact with Herb years ago at Chrysler I can vouch for his being a real down-to-earth guy. Even then as a hard working engineer Herb was a great contributer to best of Chrysler's vehicles, his work on the Viper has got to be his crowning achievement. And to this day, he's the same car lover and good guy. A group of Chrysler "gearheads" meet at Duggan's for "Fast Tuesday" each year which is where we did this video. I hope it works for you.
Bob

It's Heatin' Up

Hey, I’m just waking up from that “eye of the hurricane” feeling before the Woodward Dream Cruise. It’s the period that’s probably filled with rushed projects, urgent trips to the auto parts store, internet or catalog shopping for a few special parts, and general car preparation for the looks and rigors of the WDC. Now-a-days, I make sure I’ve worked in some lengthy naps too, yard work can wait; preparations of all kinds are the priority.

Now I’ll confess that I don’t actually DO that much for the WDC. It’s like I told my dear wife – I don’t have big plans this year. Besides a casual lunch at Duggan’s Tuesday, a Rolling Cruise Wednesday, an evening party at the Coffee Beanery Thursday, on “The Bricks” Friday, and a free (hee hee) parking space at a friends place two houses off Woodward for Saturday – I’m not really doing anything.

Well, my nap’s over for today. I had a nice, healthy dinner. Now it’s time to dust the car and polish the wheels. All the big stuff has got to be done and we’re in that “eye of the hurricane” before it all heats up for another year. Let’s hope the weather is kind to us again.

Happy Cruisen’
Bob