Retro Sunday- The Mustang GT Part II

Lets start with this:



Nice little Walter Mitty thing going on. I have this car and have never had pheasant under glass!

For now we have this Mustang acquired in 1989. 23 years of life have not been kind to it.

Looks ok from this angle right?

Not so much from this one. Our famous fold down rear seat and trap door to the trunk is not looking so hot. Nor is the front of the passenger compartment:

Yep, that is an Audiovox AM-FM 8-Track in the dash. This means the metal was hacked to make it fit.

Now we see some real problems. The fact that a magnet will not stick anywhere on this LH quarter panel is really troubling. Much more so because the car is sitting low on this rear.

Here is a rear shot:

So the journey begins on this car. I am proud to say that from this state to a show winning car was accomplished in less than a year!  The photo journal from this state to this one will continue next Retro Sunday! PS. We took some "Artistic license" during restoration. The red one below is this car.

Bowling pins and dueling tree tomorrow!

Happy Halloween to everyone and I hope everyone has a great week!

Airline Safety Videos!

Ok, not the most entertaining subject, but some airlines are trying to spice them up. Behold this one from Thomson Airways:




I think the young lady has a career in front of the camera in her future!

Ok, how about this one from Air New Zealand. Its a bit more racy:



Finally here is this dude's interpretation of an United video:


Airline Safety - Watch more Funny Videos

The subject matter is important and even though I read manuals like this a long time ago, I still read the card on commercial aircraft!

I Voted Today

Nothing like this happened!

Very moving story

I can't believe this was on CBS. How very touching to see it. When the elderly woman was presented with the flag, I lost it. God bless Marvin!

Another use for this:

What a wonderful device! It has multiple functions! I did not know that it could serve as it did today.

Long time blog readers know I have had it out for some time. So doorbell rings today and although all of the ROE's are standing, a young campaign volunteer wants to know if they could put a sign in my yard for an  incumbent State Senator. I looked at the young lady and pointed behind her to the above. Just like Holy Water to a vampire she backed up and said: "You are one of them!" and retreated quite quickly!

Wow, what a great multifunction tool! Shame she did not have the acumen to tell me why I should vote for her chosen candidate.

How to figure out your enemies factory output...

Simple! Just look at the serial numbers of the tanks you have captured! Then throw some statistical analysis at it.

Wired article is here.

If the band KISS can do it so should we!

So here we go!

I have the sadness. I am sending a part of an old friend to get some work done. Tam has a post on naming guns. 
I tend to call every mechanical device here "Old girl". In my defense, if they could talk they would say "Old guy" back to me. The fact that they all to me have distinct personalities and needs does make me impart human characteristics to them. From a 1964 and a half Mustang, 1967 Cadillac convertible, 1966, 1971 and 1994 Mustangs to these. So for now a part of an old friend is going away:

 She is going away for this upgrade:

Coming up on 50 years old (me not the gun) and black sights are not all of that anymore! A friend encouraged me to do this. Perhaps she is waiting on the after action report *cough B. cough* ?

I spoke to a real person at Trijicon today and so I will see what happens with this. So in the meantime I need something else to walk around with. Perhaps this?

Another "Old girl". Totally faithful and really feels wonderful in the hand.

I could take the easy way out and grab the sister of the .45.

Pretty much the same thing!

Retro Sunday- The Mustang GT

Here is a commercial for the Mustang GT. There is one here and pictures will follow on another Sunday. Rear sights became loose on the Colt today. Sigh.... I think I will upgrade from the black iron trench sights to the Trijicon stuff.

Enjoy! I hope everyone has a great week! Stay safe!

Panic Switches and '0 Dark 30

Panic switches come in a variety of ways. They can be as simple as this:

 Or a bit more complex:

Or even more complex:

Although all of these devices are well and good, lighting up the house immediately or automatically calling a UL listed alarm monitoring center for help, sometimes it is not enough. 

Last night at "0 dark thirty" the door bell rang. Occasionally friends will drop by unannounced at these hours, but it is not the norm. 


Although I have all of these devices at my command the technology protecting myself and my house is myself in this instant. An older middle aged man ringing the door bell holding a one gallon gasoline can is asking for a half gallon of gas. The motion detector outside has already noticed the presence of him and has lit the garage door floodlights, the front yard lamp pole, the front porch light, and the interior foyer lamp. Looking through the side window at the front door, I see him and I get the story. Something is wrong. There is a convenience store 1/4 mile away and visible from the road.  


I tell him I will call anyone he likes. He really lays it on that he needs a half gallon of gas. I offer to call the Sheriffs Office at this point. I am really not that concerned as he must get through the storm door and then the metal front door to get to me. I am however listening to the alarm for the presence of someone at the back door. 


Oh, the storm door is not your average door. It is equipped with laminate security glass and three locking points, here is one of them:

As he continues to tell me his dire condition I hit the "all lights on" button. The house is awash in lights as all exterior lights and the majority of interior lights come on. Now he is belligerent and calmly says F**K YOU! and leaves my porch. 

Ok, I had the last panic switch in my right hand all the time:

The telling thing was that after he left I lit it up with the mag light on my front porch and I noticed that two people were leaving! One was on the blind side of my door viewer and the side windows I am sure! I would have been bum rushed if I opened the door. 


I called the Deputies and they promptly arrived. I told them where they were headed and a general description. 


I really did not expect all of this here. So now some more work here is needed:

This is one of the nerve centers for the house. I will now add an intercom to replace the doorbell that will ring the phones in the house and I can have a two way conversation with anyone at the door on the telephone while not being at the door. I will also add cameras on the front and back doors that I can see from any TV in the house by selecting a routine cable channel. 


Intercom looks like this on the porch:

Paranoid? I think not. The old joke is how many paranoid people does it take to change a light bulb? "Who wants to know". 


I because of location am a target of opportunity. No one had to get in dire straights last night. 


Rule # 1. DO NOT OPEN THE DOOR! 

Retro Sunday Preview!

Can anyone guess what this is?

Tell you on an upcoming Retro Sunday!

Breast Cancer Awareness Month

As I have said before screw "Awareness Month"! Lets go for "find a cure month". I have two friends that have faced this, here is my friend Lisa's story. 

Way to go Lisa and Donna!

An Open Letter

Dear Mother of an adorable 12-14 year old girl that rode up to my porch on a bicycle as nightfall was approaching yesterday.

Your daughter was riding on one of the most heavily traveled two lane east-west connectors in the county with a speed limit of 55 for vehicles. She had no helmet or lights on the bike. She asked where a supermarket was some distance away so you could pick her up. I told her to call you and let me speak to you. She replied she had no phone! I got one and gave it to her. I spoke with you and told you where I was and you could pick her up here, but for some reason that was not acceptable. You knew where a convenience store was that thankfully was less than a quarter mile from here. You said you would pick her up there.

Your daughter thankfully came to my house looking for help. She may not have been so lucky at another. So are you:

A)    Crazy

B)     Stupid

C)    Ignorant of the dangers in the world today

D)    All of the above

In one small measure I will give you she was very polite. That is about all I can say for your parenting skills.

In a previous generation I would have stuck her bike in the trunk and took her to the store or home, but that is equally dangerous for me nowadays.

So after she left I went to the store to make sure she arrived safe, and stayed until you picked her up. Your daughter and you did not even know I was there. You are welcome!  

You are an IDIOT!

Thanks!   

Retro Sunday Range Humor!

So after an abbreviated country breakfast we head out to teach a concealed carry handgun class:

Yep, a pot of coffee and country ham biscuits! Gotta hurry, class starts at nine for a full 8 hours of classroom followed by live fire qualification at 3, 5, and 7 yards. A long day but worth it!


During the qualification portion of the concealed carry handgun test on the range today a student had a malfunction so after everyone else completed their string of fire:

RO (me): LANE 2 IS HOT, LANE 2 ONLY!
Student in lane 1: OF COURSE IT IS ITS MY HUSBAND!

Ah the joys of higher education! I am proud to say that 6 more responsible legal handgun owners are newly minted concealed carry persons!

I hope everyone has a great week! Stay safe!

New Shooter on the Line!

So, this weekend is all about new shooters and new concealed carry people. Great! I love to dispel the myths about handguns and teach people how to safely handle them and legally use them if needed. They are not  Hollywood "death rays" and Brigid succinctly notes that: "when someone is shot, it's not like TV where they get flung across the room, crumple up in a little dead heap on there floor."

The most important safety device on a handgun is your brain. For the geek part of me firearms are a very mature technology and although you can hang more "Bells and Whistles" on them, they all follow the same basic mechanics of operation that have been in place for a very long time.

So for this weekend I chose this picture to keep everything in perspective as I look at the Glocks, XD's and assorted new hardware I will be presented with this weekend. It all works the same when you get down to it. The only variable in the operation is the human in this equation.
    
I do feel this personally. I want legal owners of handguns to be safe and not impugn those of us that have come before them.

So here is the anti climatic gun p0rn:

Fire Version 2.0

So at work today was the annual ritual of fire extinguisher training. We used to set up cut down 55 gallon drums and put some straw and diesel fuel in that and light it up with a hand held propane torch. People would go at it with live extinguishers with both class A and B items involved in the fire. 

The City proudly announced this time that "Stimulus" money provided the new training tool "free". Well not really, I do have this thing on my pay stub that says Federal withholding, but no matter.

So how was it? Total crap. See above.

When the Assistant Fire Marshall tells you where to aim and sweep at the screen it sorta loses the point of training in my opinion. Lasers in the training extinguishers and a weak pressurized water stream. The only reason we were told where to aim was the fact the extinguisher had to be recharged with water and pressurized air from a Scott air pack. Less time figuring how an extinguisher works for the student and less recharging time for the instructor. It totally left me underwhelmed.

Make Mine Freedom!

A 1948 short movie. Pretty much sums it up!

Cool Song!

Fellow Blogger Brooke wins the Interwebs today in my opinion! Behold her link to a great little tune. Comments say one take, no autotune, dubbing or post production work. I have linked the YouTube here:

Shameless Plug!

I have been asked to be a guest speaker on home security systems at an NRA Refuse To Be A Victim seminar this Saturday. This will be followed by my basic pistol class (with live fire of .22, .38 and 9mm) for new shooters that afternoon. Sunday is the North Carolina Concealed Carry class. Space is available in all three classes.
Info is here.

I think I will skip the technical portion of home security systems. Programming them is as intuitive as a football bat! Besides, most people that have one think this is the system:

 

Not this:

If you did not know it.....

There was a smoking room on the Hindenburg:

It was equipped with one electric lighter and was under positive pressure. There actually was an airlock for entry.

Pretty handy when you need a smoke and are in close proximity to 7 million cubic feet of hydrogen gas! 

Retro Sunday- Zenith Trans-Oceanic

Time to veer away from the Firearms and present one of the last of the line Zenith Trans-Oceanic radios. This line of radios were produced from 1942 to 1981. Below is a model R7000 the last of the line, introduced in 1979. During the first year of manufacture they were made in Chicago, after that Taiwan. This is a Chicago model.

It was portable sure, just load 9 D-Cell batteries in and you are off to the races! OTOH if you could carry it you could probably use it as a self defense weapon!

Click on any pic to enlarge and yes I am looking for a better camera! 

My Father bought this new and my Mother recently found this:

From Wikipedia: "This model now had complete coverage from 150 kHz through 30 MHz. Gone was the electrical band spread for improved tuning. The R7000 sported a new electrical design using modular circuit boards instead of the tedious point to point hard wired chassis of all previous models. There were many other new features also such as dual tuning meters, squelch and several added bands such as Air, VHF 144 MHz through 175 MHz."

For all of that it seemed to only pick up "both kinds of music: Country and Western" at the house. This radio introduced me to shortwave and many other things from around the globe. Proud to have it here in semi retirement.

I hope everyone has a great week! Stay safe!  

Today's Experiment

I actually had both of these items on my person for some length of time today. Could they peacefully coexist? Would the time-space continuum be ripped? Well none of that happened, but the little Colt decided to go to slide stop with every shot today with my Shooting Buddy. A mild protest perhaps?

So I will not get to try the obverse of this next week, teaching a basic pistol and concealed carry class. Have to wear the happy "instructor shirts".

Oh, MALF was identified as the slide stop spring. I hope it is repaired and will test tomorrow.

When I get a chance however I will try this:

A little S&W Model 34-1 and a Colt shirt. I will let you know how it goes unless there is a rip in the fabric of time-space!

Southern Ladies Garden Meeting

Although no sweet tea or lemonade seems to be present I have to say this meeting was successful even if the kitchen appliances were avocado green or harvest gold!

Overheard in a Stop 'in Rob

If the clerk in the store that has enough hardware hanging out of his face to build a M1911 with some machine tool time declares someone entering the store a "weirdo" pay attention! Sure enough the young lady he was referring to DID bring up the weirdo quotient up at least an order of magnitude! Seemed nice enough though. 

Fleetwood Mac - Crystal

Brigid has posted a poem that is truly moving.I do not have the skills to tell any story in my life that well. I will offer my humble counterpart based on the skills of others:




This video is from the "White Album" of Fleetwood Mac released in 1975. What many may not know is that Buckingham and Nicks released this song on an album in 1973 before joining Fleetwood Mac.

The album has not been released as a CD. I just happened to have a copy and love the album cover. The young passion in the songs is something I will always treasure:

The coloring on the album cover is an artifact from the camera. Looks like I need to start another hobby, photography!

From our Friends at the USPS

Some things you cannot make up. The United States Postal Service Union elections have been postponed because....wait for it, wait for it.. THE BALLOTS GOT LOST IN THE MAIL!

Don't worry friends I am sure the government will figure out how to run health care smoothly and efficiently in 1 year as opposed to 200 years of delivering mail, right? Right?


Link to news report on Fox.

h/t to Jennifer

Maybe Photoshop..Funny Anyway!

Today in History

Two Gentlemen in 1941 with the names of Willburn and Frizzel go to the electric chair in Florida. Predestined fate perhaps?

Smith and Wesson- I Want!

I really want these:

For the price however I could go and buy a new Colt New Agent or Defender. Been a long time since I have bought a new Colt! Decisions, decisions!

A little different at the mall this weekend!

Retro Sunday- The Bathroom Edition!

Sorry! Finishing up on the new flooring in the guest bathroom. Now where did I put that Colt Pocketlite?

Found it!  (The hairspray is not mind btw)

I hope everyone has a great week! Stay safe

Home Improvement!

Way back when I had this post. So finally I have started on the root problem. To borrow an old saw, people that like sausage and laws should never see them being made. Same for home improvement! We start tenderly in the guest bathroom and remove the carpet:

At least there is good news, plywood sub-flooring.


Then it gets more busy:

I do not anticipate guests as the toilet is in the Foyer!

At the end however is this:

So it goes! I would starve if I had to do this for a living! Tomorrow is toe molding and putting the toilet back! Range time if I can get it too!

Friday Pinup Behind the Scenes!

Over at the always entertaining Blog PaleoCon Command Center, Brooke has a link to a video that I find entertaining and a perfect start to the weekend.

I found out that the production costs were around 2K for this little number (the video, not the singer).

A behind the scenes look here:


The Making of "Whatever Lola Wants" from Dan Blank on Vimeo.

Ok some outdoor cooking!

Ok, a co-worker was searching for some fish cleaning videos and hooked this one. I don't quite know what to think of this!

Happy Weekend! Enjoy!