There are a lot of do's and don'ts when it comes to block sanding the primer surfacer on your car. In fact, this can make the difference of creating a show quality paint job and a less that average paint job.
I went to get my boat ready for the summer and discover that my engine block was cracked. I looked online to find the cost of a new block to be way out of my range so I decided to see if I could repair the cracked block. Cast iron is very sensitive to heat and I do not have the skills to weld cast iron. So I decided to see if JB Weld would repair the block or not. To discover if it worked or not, watch the video below.
With the advent of 3D printers, advancements in the technology allow some truly amazing possibilities. Just a handful of examples include printable architecture, Anish Kapoor's sculptures; even Boeing uses some printed parts in the manufacturing of their airplanes.
Not only does this solar-powered cinema have all the trimmings of a great movie theater — ticket booth, brick façade, Ionic columns, popcorn machine, fancy art deco signage —, it is itself remarkably trim:
The release of Tron: Legacy is just two weeks away, and if our in depth guide to Tron-a-Sutra didn't get you revved up, perhaps the street legal Tron Light Cycle will.
Perry Watkins' clownish mini car, "The Wind Up", is officially the world's smallest street legal vehicle, standing at 41 inches high, 51 inches long and 26 inches wide. The wind up mechanism is purely cosmetic; the car operates as a regular-sized car does, with a tiny engine that can go up to 60kph (37mph).
Kudos to Fred Keller and Judy Foster, of Anchorage, Alaska, for undertaking quite possibly the DIY project of the year. The retired couple spent 11 months converting a 1976 Mazda pickup truck into a gigantic radio flyer wagon car.
Power tool drag racing is a concept that would drive many DIY nuts to salivation. Shown below: Barry Lee's mini dragster, powered by six circular saws, and aptly named Bolt Lightning.
Gottlieb Daimler's "Revolutionary Riding Car" of 1885 doesn't look like a car (in truth, it would be more analogous to what we recognize today as a motorcycle), but it did mark the very first inkling of the automobile age.
Indianapolis-based motor junkie Paul Stender and his team of vehicle modders called the Indy Boys Inc have created the ultimate anti-fuel economy: a school bus outfitted with a Phantom fighter jet engine, which clocks 367 mph and burns 150 gallons of fuel in just a quarter mile.
China's latest futuristic project is a massive "3D Express Coach", a clever project proposed by Shenzhen Hashi Future Parking Equipment Co. as a solution to traffic in the extremely overpopulated country.
This weekend in a jungle estuary, the DEA and local Ecuadorian police seized a prototype narco sub that may be the most sophisticated one yet. Complete with air conditioning and periscope, this 100 foot creation would have carried a more cocaine tonnage than any previously captured narco sub. To give you a perspective on the resourcefulness of these outlaws, consider this. A U.S. Navy Virginia Class attack submarine will run around $2.8 billion. But a drug lord in Cartagena would make you one...
You'd think a Hummer couldn't get any more over-the-top (unless you're talking a horse-drawn Hummer or remote-controlled Hummer, of course), but Japanese tuner Calwing's US division, 213 Motoring has come out with a Hummer boasting a whole extra set of wheels. I'm not quite sure why this is necessary, but nonetheless, Bornrich reports:
Don't get too excited. The answer? It's not. However, this James Bond inspired road rage mod is still prettttty awesome. Colin Furze's scooter can shoot up to 15 foot flames. Furze, a plumber, built it because he was sick of other drivers cutting him off.
This bad boy has an 80cc motor and for added danger, you can ride it in a whole slew of different positions. Ride it like a luge, or a trike, or go ahead, lie on your stomach and put your face right next to the engine. The more reckless, the better.
The upcoming Shell Eco-Marathon promises to unveil vehicles that will blow current fuel economy standards way out of the water. California Polytechnic State University is one of the most promising contenders, with a vehicle that gets 13 times the 230 mpg General Motors promises the Chevrolet Volt will deliver (plus, the Cal Poly car doesn't even use batteries!).
Forget electric cars, quit mixing your at-home biodiesel; just attach one of Dutch John's handy wood gasification contraptions to the back of your car and fuel your transportation with backyard wood chips.
45-year-old French medical technician, François Knorreck, has spent ten years and $22,000 building the ultimate luxury sidecar: a motorcycle seamlessly attached to a Lamborghini body.
Darin Cosgrove, founder of Ecomodder.com, used just cardboard, aluminum and duct tape to make his DIY "boat tail", a mod that creates aerodynamic efficiency. The tail, attached to his 1998 Pontiac Firefly, extends the car by 4.5 feet and increases the fuel economy to 64 MPG.
Amazing clip from Jeremy Clarkson's Motorworld television series, which aired on the BBC back in the mid '90s. Seikh Hamad bin Hamdan Al Nahyan of the United Arab Emirates created this incredible monster, which was modeled after the '50s era Dodge Power Wagon.
Beautifully constructed wooden SuperCar Maniwa manufactured by Sada-Kenbi. The wooden Japanese car goes for $44,000. Wow. That's a lot for a toy. However, this baby is street legal and can go up to 90km per hour (that would be 55mph).
More redneck fun. Bob Moravitz plus family and friends have created an 8 hour event of propelling vehicles off cliffs. Held yearly, admission is free but donations are encouraged (to cover insurance costs).
Flickr user MR38 has posted a set of photos of bumper cars made street legal, as displayed at the annual Cruisin' Grand festival in Escondido, California. This mini cars were retrofitted with 750 cc Kawasaki motors. Cool auto mod.
So, I suppose we're going both redneck and Thanksgiving turkey twice today (Redneck Slingshot Chick + Extreme Thanksgiving Recipes). Something about home for the holidays inspires... and this is pretty darn great.
Vintage Projects offers 100+ free plans for building all sorts of fun DIY projects spanning musical instruments, archery, boats, motorbikes, go carts, science experiments, telescopes, tractors, radios, and more.
The Panzerbike. A monster bike like no other. The Frankenstein of all motorcycles. This big boy has an 800-horsepower engine, and weighs in at 4.74 tons.
When you think about car customization, you think about installing a stereo or a turbocharger or something like that, but Joe Harmon and gang have gone a step further and built their own custom car - literally woven out of wood.
Sorry Nissan Land Glider, the BMW Simple makes you look like a Granny car. This prototype truly feels like a car and motorcycle combined (plus it bears an amazing resemblance to the Tron light cycle).
Nissan will soon release an electric car called the Land Glider, which hugs turns just like a motorcycle. Intended for urban mobility, this car has a bit more finesse that your average Smart Car. Futuristic, fast, and easy to park.
World's most expensive car mod? A wealthy Swede began with a 1973 Lincoln Continental, and three years and one million dollars later, ended up with a real life replica of the famous batmobile.
Every explosive loving, thrill seeking, roller coaster junkie's childhood dream: the jet powered merry-go-round. This steam punk inspired machine is brought to you by Brooklyn-based arts collective The Madagascar Institute. More images below the video.
