Sunday, September 26, 2004

"Cruising for a Cure", Dayton, Ohio

This show was my first real professionally judged car show. I mean I went to many car shows in the 80's and early 90's down in Englishtown, NJ but this show was amazing. The indoor cars were absolutely spectacular. These Ohio boys take their car shows real serious.

The more casual cars were outside which is where I was. I had contacted them earlier about bringing a late model truck and said "sure". There were a couple of categories but they wound up sending me to the late model sedan area along with a few other confused pick-up drivers.

Anyway, I had a lot of great talks with some farmers out there about biodiesel usage and American farm jobs. They all saw the truck and was curious why it was at the show. Alot of families appeared so I got to talk to them and their kids.

At one point the Quaker State Oil guy came by and was selling tickets for the 50/50 and we had a long talk about the truck and that I was going around to different shows educating people and letting them look at the truck. So I bought an "armlength of tickets" for the cause (I think it was 10 or 20 bucks). What a lot of "anti-car people" don't know is that most car events are for charities which is why if you have a greasecar you need to go to car shows more.

So we get to the end of day and they are handing out awards and eventually they went on to the giveaway prizes and finally the 50/50. Now I am sitting in the shade relaxing and thinking to myself. My great uncle Bud (first guy to take me fishing on the Fox River out in Aurora, Illinois who later died of brain cancer from diesel fumes where he was a bus mechanic and my Aunt Lonnie (who was more like a friend then an aunt) who died of a rare cancer working as a CPA at a refinery out in Bronx, NY.

Now I'm wearing the shirt she gave me from her last vacation before she got sick and I thought. "If I win I'll give half back to the group in their memory". A minute later I won about $650.00 so I went up and accepted half and donated it in their memory. The Quaker State guy then goes on to say the guy that won much less on Saturday gave nothing back and tells the entire field of people about the truck and what I was doing. "You need to see this truck....., it runs on....., he's going around...." What a great day.

Maybe if everybody used vegetable oil based fuels all the Lonnies and Uncle Buds out there could stay around a bit longer.

So if you are modifying an old car why not drop a diesel in it, the performance is the same if not better and it will pollute less.

Saturday, September 25, 2004

My truck works fine (for a change) whats your excuse?






If you have been driving Route 80 through Pennsyltucky it is one of the most boring states to drive through. Now this particular evening I took a break for a quick snooze (2am) at Snowshoe. I stop here alot when I drive out to Illinois. As I'm trying to get comfortable and go to sleep, a gentlemen (truck driver) asks me if I could help fix his rig. Which figures, my truck is working fine so somebody else nearby has a meltdown-that I need to fix argh! Anyway I politely tell him I will help him in a few hours, like when the Sun comes up and he politely agrees.

Boy did those hours pass fast. I wake up, grab a candy bar and coke out of the machine (try to kickstart the brain over). I look around to see if he was still around or maybe sleeping. I walk back to my truck and fire her up. "Hapless Driver" appears out of thin air and asks if I'm ready. I said sure and asked what the problem was. He needed a jumpstart. NO PROBLEM......

Now this is where it gets hairy. I need to point my truck up the entrance ramp facing oncoming traffic. As you can see there are rigs all over the place. The truck traffic coming to the rest stop is coming entirely too fast since none of them know where I am parked. So for the next 1/2 hour or so I set my truck on high idle and charge up his battery pack of 3 or 6 batteries. After a few shots it kicks over and I hop into the cab and see that his alternator isn't moving at all. The batteries looked horrible but the lack of alternator is going to be a real kicker since he's going to the Chicago Suburbs. I said don't use any lights and maybe pick-up a battery, but you need an alternator. He offered $75.00 for my services and I flatly refused figuring he's already having a bad day and there is no way he'll make it to the Windy City with me giving him a half hour charge. He "No no, charge me, its my boss's truck and he'll refund me the cash as long as you write your name and address". I said "fine" wrote up a receipt and took the cash. The owner should be ashamed of sending a driver out with batteries that look like that.

Oh well....

Ohio....next stop......

Wednesday, September 22, 2004

Ibew Local 164 Car Club

Fried Diesel

Last night I went the Local 164 car club meeting. Mostly motorcycles showed up so I wound up giving a class on biodiesel and veggie oil usage. And since some motorcycles now run on B100 and/or diesel it gave everybody something to think about.

March 2006: Since this night no car has actually shown up other then me. I am declaring myself the new "Overlord" of the

"The Local 164 Waste Vegetable Oil TurboDiesel Retrofitters & Technika Society"

Monday, September 20, 2004


2004 AltWheels Transportation Festival Brookline Massachusetts Posted by Picasa

This was the first "Alternative Car Show" that I have ever gone to. Up until this vehicle, I had to look at other people's cars and now by participating I get infinitely better parking. It was the second Altwheels Festival and I wound up scoring a People's Choice Award in the Environmentally Friendly Renewable Fuel Vehicle Class http://www.altwheels.org/prizes.html. I was running B100. This page is no longer on the site but I know its there :)

This was a great show, Alison Sanders started the show in 2003 and the number of people going to the show has been doubling every year since. If you live near Boston and have a grease car or any other alternative fuel vehicle, why don't you show up and spread the word. I live in NJ and I am volunteering up there so I don't want to hear it is "too far"

Thursday, September 16, 2004


Yeah Baby!!!! The Cummins 5.9l "Bling Bling Chrome Kit" for my diesel showed up today.

http://wwwapps.ups.com/ietracking/tracking.cgi?tracknum=1Z4393590241028215

Thank-You ScheidDiesel. Chrome first Twin Turbos later

http://www.scheiddiesel.com