The Next Mustang

We have a new Ford Mustang on the way. The 2015 model will be the 50th annaversary of the Mustang. It's a totally new design, with a whole list of great new features. Ford introduced it to the automotive press earlier this month, in several locations around the world. I'm excited at what we've seen, so far. Some of the details, horsepower ratings, etc., are still being finalized, but what we know now is pretty impressive. It has independent rear suspension, paddel shifters for the automatic, and push-button start/stop. A turbo 4 cyl. is available, in addition to the V6 and 5.0 V8 carried over from the current Mustang. My 2013 5.0 GT has 420 horsepower, and they say the 2015 will be up from there, maybe 10 or more horsepower. They did an awesome job with the new styling, I really like what I see. Can't wait to see one I can look over in-person.

2015 Mustang  (Ford press release photo).

Headlight Lens Polish

Most modern vehicles have some type of clear plastic lens covering the head lights. After years of use, they can get dull and scuffed, and are no longer nice looking, and the light they emit is also reduced. Tail light lens also get dull, but usually not as bad as the head lights.
Meguiar's makes a polish called Plastix that works well to remove oxidation, haze, and fine scratches from these lenses. It's quick and easy to use, and can make your head lights and tail lights look like new again. If your car has some years on it, and the lenses are in poor shape, it may take several applications, but will make a drastic improvement in the lenses.
This stuff also works well on speedometer lenses, radio faces, and other clear plastic interior surfaces. Use it on motorcycle helmet face shields, and other clear plastic surfaces as well. You will be happy with the results.

Meguiar's "PLASTX" polish for clear plastic surfaces.
 

Personalized Plates

Over the last 25 years, I have used many personalized license plates on our vehicles. If the type of vehicle you drive is an extension of your personality, which I truly believe, then the appropriate personalized plate just adds the finishing touch.
Having a nice performance car, kept clean and detailed, with a well matched license plate, really adds to the enjoyment of driving the vehicle. Getting a thumbs-up from other motorists, or seeing the people behind you taking pictures of your personalized plate, is just icing on the cake. I've even had Highway Patrol troopers come up behind me in the next lane over, slow down, and I could see in the mirror they were checking out my plate. Then they would speed up and pass me, giving a smile and wave as they go by.
I'm sure you have also seen many personalized plates out there, that were so cryptic that you couldn't tell what they were trying to say. I don't care for that. I think it's distracting to other drivers if they are staring at somebody's plate, trying to figure out what it means. I'll keep mine simple and to the point.

The plate on my 2013 Mustang GT, was also on my 2007 Shelby GT500.

The Tee Shirt Quilt

Readers of this blog may have noticed that I am a Mustang guy. Over the last 15, or so, years, I have saved the art work, from many Mustang tee shirts, as they start to get old and worn out. I cut out the front, and or the rear panel, of the shirts before I get rid of them. Over the years I have saved several of these, not really sure at the time what I might eventually use them for.
I couple years ago, we got the idea to make a quilt out of the tee shirt art. Any ideas I had of how this might be laid out, I would run by my wife, as she has been quite accomplished at quilting for many years. A plan was devised, background colors selected, and an appropriate fleece blanket for the back was located.
The whole project then sat, waiting its turn, for at least a year before she was ready to tackle it. As we started to get it all laid out, and the various tee shirt pieces trimmed to size, it became obvious to her that this was going to be a difficult project to complete.
 I was pushing her along, and trying my best to help, with hopes it might be finished before the July 4th car show, the only one I planned to enter this season.
With a lot of work, and plenty of frustration, she did get it finished, two days before the car show. I displayed it at the car show, laying over the roof, back window, and trunk lid of my Mustang. It looked great and got a lot of attention.

My Mustang tee shirt quilt.

Extreme Car Detailing

If you have a classic or collectable car, you may be able to identify with this level of detailing. My 2007 Shelby GT500 was never driven on a wet street in the six years I owned it, and it was pretty close to showroom condition. I did however put 12,000 miles on it during those six years, so, it did accumulate some road dirt. At least once a year, usually right before the most important car show of the season, it would get an extra measure of detailing. This was in addition to the usual cleaning and waxing, which the car got on a regular basis. The car would be jacked up, and one at a time, all four wheels would be removed and cleaned. That would allow a good cleaning of the road dirt from the back side of the wheels and tires. While the wheels were off, the fender wells, brakes, and suspension components were cleaned to factory fresh condition. Now how's that for extreme detailing ?

The Shelby getting that extra level of pampering.

Fast Cars, Shy Boys, and the Really Cute Girls.

Some of you may be able to relate to this story.  Imagine a real shy boy, finally finds himself in high school, trying his best to navigate the complicated social scene.  Now this guy is a real introvert, a loner, except for a few friends developed since grade school. Much too shy to approach girls, especially those really cute ones he admires from afar.
Now, as luck would have it, somehow he gets a pretty cool car. Some of the guys take notice, and most importantly, some of the girls. These are the girls who didn't used to know who he was. They actually come up to him, and make a comment like "nice car", and walk away, flashing one of those cute, over the shoulder smiles as they go. Wow, this is different. A guy could get used to this.
Over the next months, and years, as the cars get "cooler", and the attention ramps up, he actually develops enough confidence to talk to these girls, and even ask one out once in awhile. The shy guy finds that he is now actually friends with some of those really cute girls. All because he had a car?
I'm not sure if that is still the case, but that's how it was, back in the day. Here is a link, if you would like to check out my book; "Grab Some Gears"

Vintage 1969 photo of the coolest girl I ever met, back in the day.

Clean Car Windows

I've been detailing cars for over 40 years now, and I've gotten pretty good at it. But, there are a couple tasks that really test my skills. The main one is getting the windows perfect. It usually takes a couple try's to get them as clean as I like.
Finally, after years of trying every method I've ever heard of, I have it down to a system that works for me. First of all, the car has to be generally clean to begin with. You want to finish any, waxing, tire treatment, or other such tasks that you might be doing. The windows should be the last step.
I like to use a good quality glass cleaner, paper towels, and a nice soft cloth. I start by using the spray cleaner, and paper towels, to get off any bug residue, or other such contamination, followed immediately by buffing over the cleaned section with the cloth. Move on to the next section, and repeat the process. The cloth really helps to eliminate any streaks left by the paper towels.
I usually start with the windshield, doing the outside first, then moving to the inside. When finished with the inside, it will be easy to tell how good you did on the outside. Sometimes I have to go back and do the outside again to get it just right. ( I have very high standards when it comes to how clean my cars are). When the windshield is good, continue the process with each of the side windows, and the rear window. It's only taken a lifetime of practice, but I can usually get the car windows pretty clean now.

The Shelby in Southwest Utah, clean windows and all.

Cruising Main

One of the traditions of American car culture was "cruising main" on Friday or Saturday night. About sundown, especially in summer time, the streets would fill up with a lot of the cool cars from the area. Those with the nice cars were out being seen, and checking out who else was out and about. A lot of young folks, flirting with the opposite sex, was also a big part of the experience as well. The performance car fans would often challenge the competition to a quick little race , if they happened to catch a stop light next to each other. If you remember the old movie "American Graffiti", that's the type of cruising main I'm talking about. I used to love those nights.
About 20 years ago, that type of cruising was disappearing from the cities, and could only be found in a few small towns. Within the last 10 years, it has even disappeared from the small towns. I still go out once in awhile, just to remember the good times, but rarely do I see other performance cars out cruising.
Something has been lost, a tradition that the younger generation will never experience. The sad part is, they don't even know what's been lost. Remember the way it was, check out my book at; "Grab Some Gears"

Staying in-touch with the street scene.

Car Polish

Most of us still call it wax, though the more correct term now may be polish. A lot has changed since I started detailing cars as a part time job back in 1969. The biggest change, mostly in the last 20 years is the paint now used on new cars. Everything now is clear-coated. Back in the day, when you wax a red car, your rag would turn red from the oxidized paint you were removing in the process.
A lot has changed with clear-coat paint, and so has the chemical composition of the products we use to keep our cars looking shinny and new. The products I use are very easy to use, and produce excellent results. There are plenty of good products available, but I use mostly Meguiar's.
It's easy to get a new looking finish. Start with a clean car, park in a garage or in the shade, and it works best when the temperature is somewhere between 65 and 85. The polish I use, you apply a light, even coat, over the entire vehicle. Use a clean, soft, cotton cloth. By the time you're done doing that, the areas where you started applying polish are ready to be buffed off. Again, use clean, soft, cotton towels. I like to use two, hand towel size towels, one for each hand. Do a section at a time, maybe one fender, or half the hood size area. Buff quickly, shaking off dried polish residue, and flipping the towels over, every few seconds. It's quite a work-out, but doesn't take long to finish. I try to do our vehicles about every 6 months.
Between "wax jobs", try using some of the quick detail products, every couple weeks or so, to keep your car looking it's best. Follow the instruction on the bottle. It's a quick and easy process, with excellent results.

These are the two products I use most. They do an excellent job.

Car Culture and the Next Generation

Anyone been to a car show lately? If you look around at most of the people who own and show their cars, they're mostly old guys. Where are the next generation of car enthusiasts? I remember a time when every kid getting ready to turn 16 couldn't wait to get that drivers license.  In high school, who had the coolest car, and what kind of car you wished you had, was a major concern. For many of us, that early love of cars turned into a life-long passion. We were the American car culture for the past 50 or so years. We took over where out fathers left off, and did it our way, and then passed it along to our sons and daughters. Some were interested in carrying on the tradition, and some were not.
But, over the last 20 or so years, it seems that fewer and fewer young people are car enthusiasts. I believe that it's mostly because of the bland, uninteresting, transportation appliances, that the majority of the population are satisfied to drive these days. Now, when it comes to my grandkids generation, the type of cell phone they can afford, is way more important than what kind of car they might aspire to drive.
The rich car culture we once had is disappearing, and may be quickly fading into history. I've done my little part to try to preserve some of that culture for future generations, even if it seems like ancient history to them, at least they will know, grandpa had fun, back in the day.
Anyone who may be interested, can check out my book; "Grab Some Gears - 40 Years of Street Racing" at amazon.com, and can read some sample pages there. Link to my book; "Grab Some Gears"

My book, updated in 2012, available at amazon.com, and as a Kindle book.

The Best Muscle Cars Ever Made.

Those of us old enough will remember the golden age of muscle cars, approximately 1965 to 1971, when those awesome machines started hitting the streets. The GTO, the SS396, the Shelby Mustangs, and several others, are forever burned into our brain. Maybe because we were young, maybe because of the factory advertising, or maybe because they were so much more awesome than the average cars on the street at the time. For a lot of reasons, they made a lasting impression.
I've owned several muscle cars from that era, and had many encounters with numerous examples of vintage muscle cars over the years. Those familiar with my book know what I'm talking about. In the last twenty years, I have had plenty of experience with modern muscle cars as well, having owned, and raced, some of the best models available.
I will tell you today, speaking with considerable authority on the subject, that the best muscle cars ever built, by far, are being built right now.  They have that rumbling idle, that throaty growl on acceleration, and will plaster you back in the seat better than ever on a full power run through the gears. And, as a bonus, they do so much more, so much better, than their old predecessors could have ever dreamed of.  If you've ever been a muscle car fan, take a ride over to your local dealership, and take a test drive.

Family get-together at my garage. Rear wheel drive, V8 powered, American muscle cars.

Car Photography

I've taken a lot of pictures of my cars. I'm not a professional, or an expert, but have learned a lot over the years. I have hundreds on file in my computer, and some of them are pretty good photos, if I do say so myself. I will use many of them to help illustrate the posts for this blog.
By far the best subject of my photos in recent years has been my 2007 Shelby GT500. It was a very photogenic color combination, as well as being a rare and somewhat exotic model, and it attracted plenty of attention, in photos as well as in person.
Almost everyone has camera phones these days, and they are very handy. I use mine a lot. But, for real good quality photos, they just can't do quite as good of job as a good DSLR camera. For the past few years, I use a Nikon D40 for my good photos. And, a tripod can be very useful on many occasions.
For a car photo shoot, I like to search out the most picturesque back ground I can find in the area, and I try to pick a day when the weather is going to be good. The position and angle you park the car is also important. I sometimes move the car several times before I'm happy with the setting. Little details, such as the angle of the front wheels, or reflections off the paint, can also make a big difference in the results. Take lots of pictures. Out of 5-10 shots, one may be the keeper. Don't forget to try some "special effects" editing on some of the photos when you get them loaded into your computer. That can make some cool car photos.

A "special effects" edit of one of my GT500 photos.

The Sound-track of My Life

I love music, especially when I'm driving. I also like to have it playing when I'm working (relaxing) in my garage. I like a wide variety of music, from late 50's and early 60's feel-good rock, to a blend of modern pop and country. I have a quite a collection on my computer, and I burn 80 min CD's of my favorites to play in my car. I also enjoy several channels on SiriusXM satellite radio. Some examples of some of my favorites are; "Going Out of My Head" by Little Anthony and The Imperials, "Highway Don't Care" by Tim McGraw, "Sky Blue and Black" by Jackson Brown, "Some Guys Have All the Luck" by Rod Stewart,  and, almost anything by my all-time favorite group; Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons. Some songs have a strong connection to a particular aspect of my life. One that comes to mind is; " Racing in the Street" by Bruce Springsteen. There are so many songs that mean a lot to me. They literally have been the soundtrack of my life.

Night on the street, a fast car and good music. Life doesn't get much better than this.

Darwin's Garage, the actual place.

This is the actual "Darwin's Garage".  For the last 15 years, this has been my garage. It's decorated with memorabilia collected over the years, racing mementos, and gifts from the friends and family that help feed my obsession. For me, my garage has got to be a nice place to spend time, pamper my performance cars, and be a show place for my hobby. It's set up as a detail shop, and equipped to do routine maintenance. My garage is usually pretty clean, and the painted walls and epoxy coated floor make it easy to keep up. Sure, there is a mower, a snow-blower, and other stuff in there, but they're kept covered and out-of-sight. I get a lot of complements on my garage, and it's a source of pride for me, and over the years, some pretty awesome cars have lived there.

The real "Darwin's Garage", from a couple years ago, when I still had the 2007 Shelby GT500.

130 MPH, and tire pressure

One of the nice things about driving a performance car in the west is the wide open spaces. On a rare occasion, as you top a hill on a deserted two-lane, you will get a view of a nice, straight, stretch of highway, with no other cars. It's times like this that we have the chance to let the horses loose. I had one such day, a couple weeks ago. The Mustang hit 130 MPH on several stretches of this particular highway. The car could have done plenty more, but that was the limit I was willing to do, considering highway condition, and space available to get back down to the legal speed, before approaching the next hill or curve.
That brings me to my subject for today, tire pressure. How often do you check yours? Maybe you won't be doing 130 MPH any time soon, but how about when you're doing 80 on the freeway, and that emergency happens right in front of you. You have to instantly use all the driving skills you can muster, just to brake and steer your vehicle  and avoid the problem. With your tires inflated to the proper pressure, this will greatly affect the handling of your vehicle. I keep the pressure of SUV's ( or vans) at 1 or 2 #'s above what's listed on the drivers door frame decal. On my performance cars, equipped with performance tires, I use the exact decal pressure.

The highway where I hit 130 MPH a couple weeks ago.

Clean Car

A clean car is a joy to drive, especially if you love cars. Sure, to the masses, a car is a "transportation appliance", a way to get from point "A" to point "B", and that's all. Just look at the herds of un-impressive econo-boxes that crowd our streets and highways. But, to those who drive something a little special, fun to drive, or high-performance, a car means a lot more. They take pride in what they drive, and how it looks. Sometimes, it's just taking pride in keeping it looking nice and clean.
I try to keep our vehicles looking their best at all times. I wash them when they get dirty, vacuum the interior regularly, and apply a little polish once in awhile. And I enjoy doing it.  In this blog, I will touch on some of the methods I use to accomplish this.

My current pride-and-joy is a 2013 Mustang GT.

This is Darwin's Garage

 Welcome to "Darwin's Garage". This is a car enthusiast blog, about almost anything automotive, with many topics about performance cars. I will write about car care tips, detailing and cleaning, minor maintenance, performance tuning, seasonal concerns, and other car related topics that may fit in as time goes by. My goal is to promote the enjoyment of cars, especially American muscle cars, to celebrate our past "car culture", and to look forward to what the 21st century may bring us. I will use many photos of my own cars, past and present, and draw on my many years of experience with performance cars.
I have been a life-long car guy, long time racer, and author of the book; "Grab Some Gears - 40 Years of Street Racing". You can check it out, or read sample pages at amazon.com (link listed below).
 See the list of posts at the "Blog Archive" space on the right. I hope you will find some of the topics of interest to you. Comments are welcome, let me know what you think. I will answer any questions, or consider any subject that readers may ask for. Welcome to "Darwin's Garage", lets have some fun, and here is the link to my book; "Grab Some Gears"

Enjoying Southern Utah in my 2013 Mustang GT.