About Jim

I like cars and I like people.  I am convinced that cars have had an astounding effect on humans and the way they behave.  I also believe that cars have affected the way we construct our cities, towns, and villages.

This is mainly about cars, but not just cars.  It is also about life.  That’s because, since the beginning of the twentieth century, our lives have become more and more intertwined with the automobile. 

I grew up in a small village in New England where the roads were cut from original hunting trails of the natives and colonists.  That meant that they had a lot of elevation changes, tight corners, and off camber turns.  What a great place to learn to drive. 

Additionally there were dirt roads that were known as “ancient ways”.  These were some of the greatest roads for rally training you could ever have found.  I thrilled and scared the poop out of many a passenger on these roads.  I also learned a lot about driving and myself on these roads.  Most of the ancient ways are gone or have grown over so I count myself lucky to have had the experience.  

I am as passionate about taking care of as well as modifying cars.  Take care of your car and you will earn dividends in the form of reliability and pleasure.  Modify it the right way and you will enjoy driving like you never have before.  Do it wrong and you will feel like a prisoner in a torture chamber.

So here are some thoughts about cars and the places we keep them.

Contact Jim

Leave a comment below, or email me.

100 responses to “About Jim”

  1. Jim Avatar
    Jim

    I left a message for him on his answering machine.

    Reply
    1. Vivek Venugopal Avatar
      Vivek Venugopal

      Jim,

      I was very impressed by your work. I was wondering if we could turn it into a series in our magazine.

      Please give me your email address and tell me how we can take it forward.

      Vivek
      Editor
      Quarter Mile

      Reply
      1. frank Avatar
        frank

        gim iam looking to buy a1968 dodge charger but alot of the chargers iam seeing idont like the querter panels they look like tons of bundo i like the way you fixed bullett vech.gim if you could come a cross a 1968 dodge charger please let me know i would like it to look like the one in bullt email me or call me at 1718 6992930.

    2. frank Avatar
      frank

      gim this is frank again my ansermachain isint working so please call me direct on phone or email me i like what you did to the charger in bullet. thanks gim and a very merry christmas.

      Reply
      1. jimsgarage Avatar
        jimsgarage

        Frank –

        The Charger is not mine, but is being restored by Arnold, the guy who found it.

        Jim

      2. frank Avatar
        frank

        hi gim this is frank; gim i would like to know if you know of some one to sell a charger if not if i buy one from some one that if it needs work you could do it for me thanks frank.

      3. jimsgarage Avatar
        jimsgarage

        Frank –

        You need to check eBay and Craig’s List for a start – then do an Internet search. I am afraid I am not equipt to do restorations or large projects.

        Jim

    3. Randy Fitch Avatar
      Randy Fitch

      Hey Jim,
      A good friend (Kevin E) suggested I post a question to you concerning cold air intakes. I’m about to start modifying my 2010 GTI and there are lots to do on that car (chip, intake, bars, springs, etc..) and there are a number of vendors who specialize in that space (VW, Audi). I was looking at a carbonfiber intake from APR. Very Very nice unit but it’s $500-$600 total. I compare that to another vendor InJen who I can deliver a complete unit for roughly $250 total. Both boast 9+bhp and 8+fpt. The InJen is very popular with Japanese cars and APR is the premium VW/Audi product.
      So here is the question: Is it worth $400 extra to go with the Carbon Fiber? I doubt the engine will be able to tell the difference between the two. And if the engine can’t tell… neither will I.

      Your thoughts?

      Randy

      Reply
      1. jimsgarage Avatar
        jimsgarage

        You might want to check on eBay as often people are pulling the mods off their car and parting out before they sell their car. Worth a check.
        Carbon fiber on intakes is for the bling factor. If you need to dress up the engine compartment and you can stop eating out for a few weeks – maybe its worth it.
        For me the important part is function. Is the installation something that works well? Can it be reversed (you might want to part it out before YOU sell the car some day)? What does it really do to enhance the power? Some of the improvements of “cold air” intakes have been shown to primarily affect how the mass air flow is “fooled”. Maybe just an ECU tune would do as much. The “cold air” intakes often are MUCH louder which can also highten the illusion of more power when a K&N drop-in filter would do just as much in terms of power gains without the resonating noise.
        Suspension modifications can be tricky. Some things that would appear to move in the right direction (i.e., springs that lower the center of gravity) bring in some other problems with them (roll center changes and bump steer).
        I will be at Briar Creek with my silver Evo 9 MR on Saturday morning. Look me up and we can talk.

        Jim

  2. Joyce Avatar
    Joyce

    I recently bought an old 1980 350 Chevy van 300 motorhome, immaculate inside, been in storage most of it’s life, hence only 50,000klms, we are giving it a tune-up, and after we have changed all the usual stuff like oil, rotor, wire set, even that awfull little fuel filter, (which is why I am emailing you), cos the vehicle is now coughing and spluttering and back fireing, my long-winded question is, can the tiny little rotten fuel filter be the problem, could it be in the wrong way round, we put it in with the little black rubber thingy into the screw in nut first, what a job to get it back in though, as you can see I don’t know dick about vehicles, but I tell you I am leaning fast, but maybe I have left it a little late, I’m 71…lol PS what a great web site you have, thank you.

    Reply
  3. jimsgarage Avatar
    jimsgarage

    Probably nothing to do with the fuel filter, although it is a good idea to replace it. The fuel may be quite old and the gas tank likely has moisture in it. More than likely when the spark plug wires were replaced they did not go back in quite the right order. If you have a manual for the engine it should tell you the correct firing order and such. As a last resort you can find a friendly mechanic or maybe even find a web site that can help you there. When a shop manual didn’t provide useful information I found the firing order of a Fiero V-6 on the Internet.

    From your description I don’t think this is fuel related at all. It sounds like ignition timing. When things go wrong I look at the last thing that got changed. When I am learning about a new engine or new car I make sure I only change one thing at a time. That makes it much easier to figure out which change resulted in a problem. I know, its a lot slower that way, but
    less head aches. Once you’ve learned a new car then you can start doing multiple changes, but start out slow and easy.

    Best of luck and thanks for the kind words on the blog.

    Jim

    Reply
    1. jim star Avatar
      jim star

      Jim,
      I think me and my family met you at Kabuki in Cary, NC on 08/22/11. Yes? You are retired from eyebeem. Anyway, I had a 1991 Allegro RV. After running for a while (especially in mountains) it would start coughing, sputtering and back firing. Turns out that it was a design problem in the engine compartment. The engine and fuel lines were not getting sufficient cooling so the fuel going into the carb was vaporizing….the problem was known as “vapor lock”. So, I would recommend that she look at cooling and routing of the fuel lines feeding into the carb. (Note: fuel-injected engines don’t have this problem). Also, make sure the fuel filters (there may be more than one) are clean and installed correctly.

      Reply
      1. Jim Avatar
        Jim

        Hi Jim –

        Yes, that be me.

        I had a similar problem when I turbocharged a carburated Ford Fiesta in 1980. I had to install a second electric fuel pump in the engine compartment to keep the fuel pressure up.

        If the fuel lines are currently too close to heat sources such as exhaust header then they should definitely be re-routed. Also that is good advice on checking the fuel filters as any restriction will make the problem come on sooner.

        Drag racers used to have a cooling can when they were running carbs in the “old days”. A can would have coiled metal fuel line in it and ice could be put in the can so that the fuel mixture would be denser. Not very practical for daily driving.

        Jim

  4. Cpl. Thompson Avatar
    Cpl. Thompson

    It’s great to have met you and pointed you into the right direction today, Ireally love your site cause I’m a carnut myself. I’ll miss going to the Petit Jean show this year because of work, so I’ll sit along Hwy 7 and watch the cars go through. First time I have seen an Evo in person, I guess you could tell I kept checkin the car over as we talked. You’ve got to post up some engine bay shots of the Evo….anyway just dropped in to let you know I checked the site out, be safe

    The suspicious officer 🙂
    Cpl. Thompson

    Reply
  5. jeff Avatar
    jeff

    james,
    Izat you ???….fascinating sojourn…look frwrd to reading more ….thanx to edwin for getting it to me… 1998 volvo v70 t5m( about 166 hp shy of your rocketship….)

    Reply
  6. Bart Owens Avatar
    Bart Owens

    Jim, I took a look at your web site this morning and noticed that you already had a photo of my 1957 Chevrolet 4×4 truck that you took in front of Hamdog’s Restaurant here in Gardnerville, NV. Sounds like you are having and are going to have a really great trip.

    Thanks again for taking the time to take photos of my truck named “Toad”.

    Bart Owens

    Reply
  7. Henry Avatar
    Henry

    Hey, read some of the blog – looks like fun. How much were one of the cars requiring too much money to buy and fix up? What happened from Raleigh to New Mexico?? Leaving for Cape Town 7 (in cape cod from the 2nd to the 7th if you are up there……)

    Henry

    Reply
  8. Paul Avatar
    Paul

    How do I become a member?

    Reply
  9. ronald wilson Avatar
    ronald wilson

    Hi Jim, just thought you could give me some advice about buying a 1968 Dodge Charger. Possibly the R/T version. I don’t know much about Chargers just that they look and sound fantastic. The price of Chargers over here in England for a good one are around £15,000 to £30,000. What would you pay for a good one in the US? Do you think it would be better to find one there and ship it back to liverpool were I live? Or do you think I should wait until my children have left home and re-morgage the house. Then I could clear all the rubish out of my garage and possible just fit it in. Great site Jim, keep up the good work.

    Reply
  10. jimsgarage Avatar
    jimsgarage

    Ronald –

    Well I don’t know about re-mortgaging the house, but you might want to buy a petrol dealership. Muscle cars of this era had notoriously poor fuel mileage.

    Yes, they do look and sound fantastic. Prices vary considerably depending upon condition. A 1968 Dodge Charger R/T could be anywhere from $20,000 to $200,000. Some of the market value depends on all the serial numbers being genuine and matching. So many of these cars were made that it was not difficult to take an ordinary Charger and convert it to a more desirable one by mixing and matching parts. Collectors will want a documented matched car.

    Actually eBay can be a good source for these kinds of cars unless you are in outstanding financial means and can attend the Barrett Jackson auction in Scottsdale, AZ. – http://www.barrettjackson.com/

    Currently in the US muscle cars of this era are in demand. Several very good shops make very good money in restoring them, too.

    Here is a link to an interesting classic car site in the US that I think you would enjoy visiting – http://countryclassiccars.com/

    I hope this has helped you and I am glad you enjoy my garage!

    Jim

    Reply
  11. Bri Avatar
    Bri

    Jim-

    Great site man!! Lota time and energy I see! I have learned quite a bit.

    -Brian

    Reply
  12. jimsgarage Avatar
    jimsgarage

    Bri –

    I’m glad you enjoyed the visit. Come back often.

    Jim

    Reply
  13. Eric Dewhirst Avatar
    Eric Dewhirst

    Jim,

    I have been trying to hunt down a movie that came out in the 70’s and I need your help!

    Here is the plot line – North America is transformed into a Oil/Gas free country except for the state of California which still allows people to have gas powered cars. A former race car driver takes the last car – (one that escaped the governments crack down on cars that forced the destruction of all of them) – a formula one car – across the US, filling up at abandoned gas stations along the way, all the time being chased by the government. The government wants to stop him from getting to California – the only state where you can still have a oil/gas powered car. I thought it was Lee Majors who was the driver – but I am not sure.

    I remember seeing this movie when I was a kid in the 70’s and I can’t for the life of me remember the name of it.

    As a car guy – one car guy to another please put me out of my misery – I can’t figure out what the name of that movie was. I can still recall him driving on dirt roads with a 1970’s vintage F1 car and thinking as a kid – you can’t drive those things across the country – you need high test fuel – flat roads – hmmm how do they do that?

    Thanks for taking the time to read my post.

    Cheers,

    Eric

    Reply
  14. jimsgarage Avatar
    jimsgarage

    Eric –

    The movie you remember is called The Last Chase from 1981. It did indeed star Lee Majors. A lot of it was filmed in Canada. If it had a believable plot it might have been a keeper. I don’t think it ever made it to DVD or VHS.

    Jim

    Reply
  15. Tim Avatar
    Tim

    I swear, Jim knows everything!

    But I have to stop you there Jim – it looks like it was released on VHS. A former rental tape can be purchased on eBay. Also, if you google “the last chase vhs,” you’ll find a link to a torrent download – if you’re into that sort of thing.

    Reply
  16. jimsgarage Avatar
    jimsgarage

    eBay is the place to find just about everything!

    Reply
  17. Eric Dewhirst Avatar
    Eric Dewhirst

    Ahh Jim you are the BEST!!!

    Thank you so much – I have been trying to figure this out for so long. I really appreciate it and I love your blog!

    Have a great weekend!

    Cheers,

    Eric
    P.S. With oil cracking 100 bucks a barrel maybe this movie will become reality one day – I don’t want to go there.

    Reply
  18. Eric Dewhirst Avatar
    Eric Dewhirst

    Not to spam you with comments but I bought the movie off of a seller on eBay and was able to enjoy it with my children beside me. It is still an awesome movie and although it may seem like a bit of fromage in some areas – its message is pretty cool. Cars are in our DNA and just the sound of a F1 car gives me shivers up and down my spine or reading a bio on Gilles Villeneuve can make me cry – cars deeply effect us and I appreciate you taking the time to share on your blog.

    So I just wanted to say thanks once again – your assistance was really appreciated.

    Cheers,

    Eric

    Reply
  19. jimsgarage Avatar
    jimsgarage

    Eric –

    You are certainly welcome.

    Jim

    Reply
  20. BRENDA PRIDDY Avatar
    BRENDA PRIDDY

    Great choice on the books – you covered two of my favorite people (Matt Stone and Larry Edsall). Besides being great writers – they’re wonderful people 🙂

    Best,
    Brenda Priddy

    Reply
  21. Brent Hays Avatar
    Brent Hays

    Hi Jim, great site I came across your site on a goggle search read on of your articles and thought you might be able to help Im a go karter and was try to find info on grose jets , used them in the 34mm burco mikuni, butterfly valve carburators on the kart engines running alcohol, far supperior to the needle and seat , anyway is grose jet still in buisness and if so is there a way to call or contact them your help is greatly appreciated.
    Thank you , Brent

    Reply
  22. jimsgarage Avatar
    jimsgarage

    Brent –

    The Gross Jet is perfect for dealing with the vibration that is produced in karts and motocycles. Unfortunately I have not found it easy to deal with the company. In theory it still exists, but communications with the owner have not been productive. There has been a reader of this blog that lives close enough to visit the address, but so far no luck in obtaining any product.

    The patent on Gross Jet has run out so if anyone was ambitious enough I suppose they could look up the patents and start their own manufacture.

    I wish I could provide you with more help than this.

    Jim

    Reply
  23. James Hall Avatar
    James Hall

    Jim,

    I am looking for information on anyone who may have a 1968 Ford Mustang Bullit. who would be interested in leasing it for a movie. “The Pentagon Memo”. http://imdb.com/title/tt1038912/

    This film’s inspiration is from the movie “Bullit” with Steven McQeen. http://imdb.com/title/tt0062765/

    If you know of anyone who has this car (A replica) and could put me in contact with them or pass my contact info on to them it would be greatly appreciated.

    Best Regards,

    James Hall

    Reply
  24. amy7rice Avatar
    amy7rice

    Hi Jim,
    Amy here, from Ahz–she said I should call you–don’t have your number, so I’ve contacted you here. I am at XXX-XXXX if you want to chat.
    have a great day,
    Amy

    Reply
  25. Dwayne Harman Avatar
    Dwayne Harman

    Hello. I found your site via ratemyrepairshop.com

    I own an auto repair facility in Alaska.
    If you don’t mind, I’d like to link to you.

    -Dwayne

    http://www.kpunet.net/~carriageworks/news.html

    Reply
  26. Roger Mawdsley Avatar
    Roger Mawdsley

    Hi Jim,

    I read your article about nitrogen and snake oil. I would like to use it to promote nitrogren usage. Would that be okay with you?

    Thanks,
    Roger

    Reply
  27. jimsgarage Avatar
    jimsgarage

    I don’t see any problem with that. I assume the nitrogen use is for tires?

    Jim

    Reply
  28. bibomedia Avatar
    bibomedia

    🙂

    Reply
  29. Jim Avatar
    Jim

    Jim, I am looking for a movie I saw on TV in the seventies It was very similar to Vanishing Point it seems like the care was either a challenger or a cuda, do not remember the color its all kinda vauge. the ending was the car driving off a bridge or cliff. If you could help this has been driving crazy. I was probably 9 years old when I seen it last but my dad remembers the movie but not the name.

    Thanks,
    Jim

    Reply
  30. Jim's sister Avatar
    Jim’s sister

    I’m not sure, but I think you’re talking about the 1958 classic “Thunder Road” with Robert Mitchem. He wrote the script and it saved his movie career. You can pick up a copy on Amazon.com.

    Reply
  31. jimsgarage Avatar
    jimsgarage

    Jim –

    That is a tough one – see if you can remember some additional details and I’ll see what I can come up with. One movie that comes to mind with a crash scene where a car flys off an overpass and ends up on the third floor of an apartment building is Freebie and the Bean (http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0071521/), but it sound like you are looking for something else.

    Jim

    Reply
  32. Altair Avatar
    Altair

    Hi Jim,
    I’d like to use some post of your blog on my website… can I?
    This is the post:
    https://jimsgarage.wordpress.com/2007/01/23/peppers-and-bio-diesel/

    Do you have more info about this? Who is the production manager?

    Reply
  33. Mike Rosa Avatar
    Mike Rosa

    I have two 1928 cadillac V8s. I hear that you make a Grose Jet fuel check ball valve for the carburetors on this old car. Thank you for any info. Mike Rosa

    Reply
  34. jimsgarage Avatar
    jimsgarage

    Mike –
    I’m sorry to say that I don’t make the Gross Jet. Mr. Gross lives in Stoneham, Massachusetts. It is called D & G Valve Mfg. Co., Inc. on 8 Mt. Vernon Street.
    He has a phone number: 781-438-1789, but people don’t seem to have any luck raising him. The best thing to do is to drop by his address.
    The Gross Jet patents are on the Internet at the US Patent Office site.

    Reply
  35. Mike Rosa Avatar
    Mike Rosa

    Thank You very much for the quit come back, I try to call but no luck, I live in Fl. and Mass. is abit of ride so I will try the good old US Mail Thank You Again.

    Reply
  36. GFASTR Avatar
    GFASTR

    Very minor correction about your rant on Car and Driver magazine.

    They never ran a Mazda in SCCA Showroom Stock. The Mazda ran in the IMSA RS series. That allowed a wider range of mods that SSS. The car wasn’t exactly banned after they over-achieved, it just got more restrictions placed on it. That cooled enthusiasm for the Wankel Rotary for awhile, but eventually the rules got freed up and the car again dominated. All of this happened in the mid 1970s.

    Cheers

    Reply
  37. jimsgarage Avatar
    jimsgarage

    GFASTER –

    Thanks for the correction. I had no idea how dim my memory was getting 😉

    Reply
  38. Patrick Avatar
    Patrick

    Saturday 7-9pm WBZ 1030 am.
    6.21.08

    Reply
  39. TONY ROBERTS Avatar
    TONY ROBERTS

    It was nice to meet you last Tuesday at the car show. Hopefully we can discuss the benefits of nitrogen and generate some business so I can sell some portable nitrogen inflation machines. See ya!

    Reply
  40. jimsgarage Avatar
    jimsgarage

    Tony –

    It was good to meet you as well. It won’t be long before nitrogen is universally used in tires. The word is starting to get around.

    Jim

    Reply
  41. Anthony Avatar
    Anthony

    Jim..
    Who’s the lady with the ’64 Tempest?? Yikes if it’s your mom.. 🙂

    Reply
  42. Brian Avatar
    Brian

    Hi Jim,

    My name is Brian and I am from AmericanMuscle.com. I came across your site while searching on google and I must say it is very nice and informative. I am very interested in advertising on your site. If you have any interest please get back to me at brian.cox@americanmuscle.com.

    Thanks and look forward to hearing from you,

    Brian
    AmericanMuscle.com

    Reply
  43. Peter Hong Avatar
    Peter Hong

    Hi Jim — I enjoyed your recap of the Subary Legacy Spec B project, and your explanation of roll center adjustment.
    I’m wondering, though, why it was not necessary to similarly adjust the roll center at the rear, since shorter springs were also put in the back.
    Thanks

    Reply
  44. jimsgarage Avatar
    jimsgarage

    Peter –

    I’m glad you enjoyed the entry on the Spec B. My focus on the front roll center was that in cornering it has the most effect on weight transfer and therefore how the driver perceives the amount of understeer. That is not to say that the rear doesn’t have a role, just not as pronounced in a cornering situation where the front roll center is too low.

    Which brings up the point of the roll axis, which is the line between the front and rear roll enters. If you consider that as a vehicle corners, and the body rolls on the suspension, these points are moving around and the roll axis forms sort of a cone shape.

    Here’s where things can get very complex so I’ll provide this one link and allow you to do some Internet searching on the subject of roll centers.

    http://www.optimumg.com/documents/OptimumK%20Help%20File/Roll.htm

    Jim

    Reply
  45. Peter Hong Avatar
    Peter Hong

    Jim —
    That’s fascinating. Thanks for taking the time to inform us with this great site.
    Peter

    Reply
  46. Hassam Avatar
    Hassam

    hey jim in wanna modify my car from you

    Reply
  47. Harrison Avatar
    Harrison

    jim i need your help! where can i find the stock evolution VIII complete body kit for the best price! im putting one together and want to know where you suggest i buy my kit from. Thanks!

    Reply
  48. jimsgarage Avatar
    jimsgarage

    Harrison –

    Sorry, but your request leaves me a bit confused. A stock body kit is best acquired by buying a stock Evo 8. Are you trying to find an aftermarket kit to fit a stock Evo?

    Jim

    Reply
  49. N. Ortolano Avatar
    N. Ortolano

    Jim,

    Just a frequent reader stopping by to say hello. I enjoy the site a lot. Keep it up.

    Nathaniel

    Also, regarding the guy above—I get the impression he’s looking for a replacement for a damaged stock Evo body kit. I liked your answer though.

    Cheers.

    Reply
  50. Campygoob Avatar
    Campygoob

    Jim,

    What is the best performance improvement that one can make to their car?

    Campygoob

    Reply
  51. jimsgarage Avatar
    jimsgarage

    Probably the best bag for the buck is upgrading your tires and a close second is getting a high quality alignment. I hope to be able to post an entry on that soon.

    Out side of your car the most important upgrade is the driver and there are many opportunities that range from autocrossing, to HPDE (high performance driver education), to formal driving schools such as Bondurant and Skip Barber. The “nut behind the wheel” is often the most important component.

    Jim

    Reply
  52. Campygoob Avatar
    Campygoob

    Jim,

    Thanks for the reply. I’m running Bridgestone RE01-R’s in 265/35/18 in a square set up mounted on CCW Classics on my E46 M3. Alignment is -1.7 rear, 1/16″ toe in, -2.5 front, zero toe, +8 caster. I’ve been to 3 THSCC events last year and will be attending the 2/7-8 event. My car has TC Kline SA coil overs with 500/500 linear springs, GC race sways with the preload set for a 50 lb difference biased to the driver’s side (I’m mass enhanced), Borla cat back, K & N CAI, Autosolutions SSK, and Alcon fixed caliper BBK. I have CSL headers, pulleys, and Schroth belts to be installed. The headers require a new midpipe and SW for maximum performance. Any other suggestions?

    Campygoob

    Reply
  53. jimsgarage Avatar
    jimsgarage

    To begin with I am forwarding your entry to our new President as I feel your contribution to our economy goes above and beyond what our own Congress has seen fit to do. He will likely consider you for the Medal of Fiscal Freedom. Personally, I am rushing out to eTrade so that I can buy up stock in those companies that you have so graciously consumed from.
    As for your next step I can only hope that you will gut the interior and install a true roll cage. The heck with the fact that you have a unique and collectable automobile in your driveway, tire walls can only be tamed when you have the protection a high performance car such as your deserves.
    The next step is to contact BMW directly and request a complete carbon fiber body kit with fender flares that will accommodate the newest and widest Nitto track tires.
    You are an inspiration to us all.

    Jim

    Reply
  54. Campygoob Avatar
    Campygoob

    Jim,

    That’s funny, I don’t care who ya are. Thanks for all the help at Performance Chassis in setting up my car. The alignment you did was a big improvement from the stock specs. You’re an excellent engineer/mechanic and I’m graced to know you.

    Campygoob

    Reply
  55. Jim Moffett Avatar
    Jim Moffett

    Jim,

    If I am reading one of your posts correctly, you are a relative to Parker Leonard, glider enthusiast. Am doing research involving Parker while employed at Pratt-Read & Co. Inc in Deep River and later with Ludington-Griswold in Old Saybrook. Parker was part of the “design team” on the PRG-01 in 1941, the Navy LNE-1 2 seat training glider. Would like you to contact me if interested.

    Reply
    1. jimsgarage Avatar
      jimsgarage

      Yes I am a relative of the same Parker Leonard. My father used to drive the tow car that would launch his sail plane off the Marconi site in Welfleet. Let me know what your email is.

      Jim

      Reply
  56. Jim Moffett Avatar
    Jim Moffett

    Jim, great. Here’s my email: xxx@pxxxa.net Drop me a line when you get the chance.

    Thanks,
    Jim….located just outside of Charlotte.

    Reply
  57. Troy T Avatar
    Troy T

    Great blog, Jim. I enjoy every return visit. You’re certainly part of my blogroll.
    Cheers, Troy

    Reply
  58. jimsgarage Avatar
    jimsgarage

    Troy-

    Nice to have you visit!

    Jim

    Reply
  59. Brandon Avatar
    Brandon

    Hey Jim, I saw you have had wrenches on a Legacy spec B… I am trying to retro fit something onto another model Subaru and I need to pick your brain a bit. Please email me when possible: brandonL160@gmail.com

    Thanks,
    Brandon

    Reply
  60. brettbum Avatar
    brettbum

    Hey Jim,

    We met at lunch during Wordcamp a few weeks back. I wanted to reach out and mention that if you ever became interested, I think you could move your site from wordpress.com to a self hosted plan powered by wordpress, which would free you up to start doing some more advanced things at building a community around this site and also making the site profitable.

    If you need help with this, advice, guidance, training, or you just want it done and would like to hire somebody to make it happen for you, I do all of those things. 🙂

    I’m also running a couple contests right now, which could help you learn how to design your own custom theme (no experience necessary) if you are at all interested in that type of thing.

    Best Regards,
    Brett

    Reply
  61. jimsgarage Avatar
    jimsgarage

    Hi Bret –

    Nice to hear from you. I have not forgotten and am exploring the logistics. I just have to do so between regular work 🙂

    Regards,

    Jim

    Reply
  62. Sabrina Fies Avatar
    Sabrina Fies

    Hi my name is Sabrina and I was surfing online, then I found your blog, which I liked very much, which is quite pleasant to read. Return next week to read you again. Greetings Sabrina

    Reply
  63. musclecar Avatar
    musclecar

    Hey are you a professional journalist? This article is very well written, as compared to most other blogs i saw today….
    anyhow thanks for the good read!

    Reply
  64. Guy Guagliano Avatar
    Guy Guagliano

    Awesome article! I look forward to reading more upcoming blog posts from you. I just picked up a set of Bridgestone Blizzak LM-25 snow tires myself, and so far they have been great in the recent snowstorm that we just had.Bridgestone has come a long way over the years, and I’d say the Blizzaks are some of the best snow tires that I’ve driven on. (during the wintertime that is!)

    Reply
  65. Rayna Cuthill Avatar
    Rayna Cuthill

    I have a 2007 ford focus zx3 that only has 34000 km on it but for some reason it just stopped turning on the other day, it turns over but nothing happens. I realize this may not be the best place to ask (obviously) I’m just desperate.

    Reply
    1. jimsgarage Avatar
      jimsgarage

      There are three things that ensure your car starts – electricity to turn it over, fuel for it to run on, and spark to ignite the gasoline (petrol).

      It sounds like you have power going to the starter motor. Check to see if you have fuel delivery. It could be your fuel pump is not working.

      If this is beyond your experience take it to a mechanic that you can trust.

      Reply
  66. Vanessa Bennett Avatar
    Vanessa Bennett

    Auto racing is the name of my game. I like to watch auto racing and i’m a muscle car fanatic.,’,

    Reply
  67. James Greuel Avatar
    James Greuel

    Jim, Thanks for the entertaining website. I found it one day, and although it took a while, today, I read your very first page, going back all the way. I’ve always been a gearhead myself, to the point of being a Certified Master Mechanic for ten years.

    In certain circles, I’m known as Opel Jim, having owned 30 Opel Gt’s over the years, and having done bare shell restorations on three of them.

    One thing of interest to me was the mention of Truehaft. My first job when I was discharged from the Marines was working as the shipping clerk at Truehaft. I saw the car in our warehouse, Ted had the engine in the showroom, Wow, and I was able to talk to Ted about his racing career on more than one occasion.

    To share back, if you;d like to ask me anything about that place back then (1979) please feel free.

    Thanks, and keep updating.

    James Greuel

    Reply
    1. jimsgarage Avatar
      jimsgarage

      Hi Jim –

      I am very pleased when people find my blog enjoyable. I wish I had time to do entries on a daily basis, but in the sweltering heat of NC in the summer this year I end up with a drastic lack of ambition by the time I get out of work. My Evolution still sits suspended on the lift in my garage waiting for me to feel like attending to a couple of issues. Not while it is this hot I’m afraid.

      But I really am glad that you like the site and have found some entries interesting. I have always found myself connected with cars and racing, even though I spent thirty years in corporate life unconnected to cars they were my escape when I got off work.

      The Opel GT was such a fantastic looking car – the mini-Corvette. I would love to find out more of what you have done with your GT’s. Do you have a web site or some photos? I guess the Opel Kadet of the early 70’s had the edge on the GT in terms of handling, but I would love to know what you did to enhance them.

      I followed Truehaft during the early 1970’s since I had a VW Superbeetle and was autocrossing on a regular basis. I was looking for any advantage I could find. Without the benefit of the Internet it was a struggle to find out just what options I had and what things worked best. There were race shops north of Boston as well as some “experts on Cape Cod, where I lived, but I soon learned that while people often said they knew what they were talking about few really did.

      I spent a winter putting together part for what I hoped would be a winning engine for the next autocross season. Everything from the engine case itself to pistons and cylinders, and “big valve” heads. I had everything balanced and then carefully assembled it paying particular attention to lubrication and oil control. You generate a surprising amount of G-force when autocrossing and the air-cooled VW engine really needed to have oil flowing at all times.

      I won my class two years in a row and had a great time. It was especially fun when a kid from California showed up with a BRE modified Datsun 510. After the first run he came over to my car and asked, “what do you have in that thing?”.

      Truehaft was written up in magazines as the lone campaigner of a VW in Trans Am that was dominated by water pumping V8 pony cars. I wrote them when I read that they had disc brakes on their car and they provided me with the VW part numbers. It made a huge difference.

      So other than what I could read in Autoweek or Hot VWs, I have no idea what the team was like and your impressions would be appreciated. I couple of years ago a guy from France responded to my blog entry and wanted to get in touch with Truehaft because a club he was in wanted to build a replica of the Trans Am VW. With a little research on the Internet I was able to find a phone number and call him up. I explained to him my connection and what the club in France was attempting to accomplish and he provided me with an email address that I could forward to the French guy. I never heard anything back from across the pond.

      Well the German GP race will be on TV shortly and a few of us racing fanatics will be showing up at my hose to watch it so I will sign off for now. Thanks again for contacting me and feel free to keep in touch.

      Regards,

      Jim

      Reply
  68. Noah James Avatar
    Noah James

    we love autoracing and we always watch indy car races both home and abroad.”;

    Reply
  69. Randolph Emmerich Avatar
    Randolph Emmerich

    Super-Duper site! I am loving it!! Will come back again – taking you feeds also, Thanks.

    Reply
  70. internetdesign Avatar
    internetdesign

    Of course, what a great site and informative posts, I will add backlink – bookmark this site? Regards,
    Reader.

    Reply
  71. Donna Avatar
    Donna

    Scooby Dooby Doo!

    Reply
  72. Tifany Pangle Avatar
    Tifany Pangle

    great blog!

    Reply
  73. 2011 Challenger Avatar
    2011 Challenger

    Merry Christmas!

    Reply
  74. Neil Hancock Avatar
    Neil Hancock

    Do you have a presence on facebook? I can’t seem to find About Jim Jim’s Garage on there and I would like to connect with you there. I like your writing style, thanks Neil Hancock

    Reply
  75. Dillon Dacey Avatar
    Dillon Dacey

    Your blog doesn’t display appropriately on my iphone 3gs – you might want to try and repair that

    Reply
  76. Hal Bozinovich Avatar
    Hal Bozinovich

    You have some very good posts on this blog. I am very glad I found it. I’ve subscribed to your RSS feed and look forward to getting email updates.

    Reply
  77. Brooks Wallace Avatar
    Brooks Wallace

    Hey Jim, I met you at a StreetWiseDrift event a couple years back. I was driving a right hand drive red wrx, i remember the hood REFUSING to open so you could snap the engine… Heh..

    Working with the Auto scene, be it drift, rally, circle track etc.. Helping them promote and advertise. Wanted to get up with you and share some ideas.

    I have your card laying around somewhere, figured this was the quickest way to get up with you. Shoot me an email at my work address at your earliest convenience!

    Thanks,
    Jet

    Reply
  78. Mary Carroll Avatar
    Mary Carroll

    Hi Jim,

    Write back. I don’t know if my first email went through.

    Mary

    Reply
  79. Aaliyah Avatar
    Aaliyah

    Whats up very cool blog!! Guy .. Beautiful ..
    Superb .. I will bookmark your web site and take the
    feeds also? I am glad to find so many helpful information here within the publish, we’d like work out more techniques in this regard, thank you for sharing. . . . . .

    Reply
  80. Tricia Avatar
    Tricia

    Hello Jim,
    I am trying to locate the owner of the barn image that you used on your blog in the Feb 2007 article.
    Thanks,
    Tricia

    Reply
    1. jimsgarage Avatar
      jimsgarage

      Is that the entry “The New Front Door”? I really don’t know where that image came from at this point in time. Google now can search on images so you might give that a try.

      Reply
  81. Tricia Avatar
    Tricia

    That’s how I found you!

    Thank you anyway,
    Tricia

    Reply
  82. Randy Avatar
    Randy

    Jim I have already torn the oil filter body off and only have the disk with the rubber gasket on it and it is seized up. Have already tried tapping it and any other method to remove it. Is there any type of clamping tool to use out there to remove the disk? Please reply asap if possible its my only way of transportation and its been down 2 days. Thanks, Randy.

    Reply
    1. jimsgarage Avatar
      jimsgarage

      Randy – its all about the gasket. Take a pick or razor and remove as much of the gasket as possible and the disk will come free easily.

      Reply
  83. Chuck Gardner Avatar
    Chuck Gardner

    Hey, how can I get two Grose Jets for my new 48IDA Webers? Thanks!
    Cheers, Chuck Gardner
    5010 W. Avenue M12
    Lancaster, CA. 93536

    Reply
  84. john stanley Avatar
    john stanley

    Can anyone put me in contact with the person who bought the Empire car from the Central Texas Automobile Museum? I am writing a history of the Empire company and wish to exchange information. Please email: john.m.stanley1947@gmail.com

    Reply
  85. Avatar
    Anonymous

    I’m looking for gross jets for Dellorto side drafts are these available still.

    Reply

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