OT: Detroit's Classic Car Cruise

[GrayBeard Phil]

Just an Off Topic F.Y.I.

Every Mid-August for the last few years, in a suburb county Northwest of Detroit (Southern Oakland county) on Woodward Ave. there is a classic car "cruise" called the Detroit Dream Cruise. You can Google the Dream Cruise or better yet go to YouTube.com and search there for details. People line the street (10s of thousands.) Big party watching the classic cars and antique cars drive up and down the road.

Oh, and by the way, the reason it is called the Dream Cruise is a LONG story, even by MY standards.

Now, I am sure many other cities, especially on the West Coast have their own version of Classic Car cruises, but provincialism makes me claim that Detroit's is best.

Anyway, why I am I bringing this up?????

Well today I had to visit a business place about 3/4 miles from Northern Detroit's Rockler Woodworking retail store which is on Woodward Ave, where the Dream Cruise takes place. Even if the actual cruise is Saturday, already on Thursday parking lots along the cruise course were filled with all kinds of muscle cars, hot rods, and restored 'street rods'. This is a celebration of the BIG Muscle cars of the Late 60's and early 70's. Any classic car or antique car can join in the drive. A few big block, nitro-burning, blood pumping, three-deuce-carbs, 18 inch wide slicks, 4-speed Hurst tanns, electrical-solenoid muffler bypass engine noise, were already ear hurtingly roaring down the highway.

{Guys, quickly now, do you remember the radio ads with the base guitar doing a fast heart beat rift and the announcer shouting "SUNDAY" for some Drag Racing event.}

However, today (Thursday) the sky was very blue, temperature about min-70s and just a very bright sunny August day as you could want to have for such an enthusiastic public. I unfortunately had to venture into the late afternoon traffic jam waiting to happen (Where did I get that "Waiting" bit Chemosabi?)

All those cars polished and buffed, heck even the engines on some cars were chrome polished and on display in a few parking lots.

Which got me thinking about all the new modern finishes we in woodworking use that are water-based and/or acrylic. Quite a few of those modern finishes were originally developed as paints and clear coats for the automobile industry. Especially the environmentally low VOC finishes.

So, as the brightly painted cars reflected the clear bright sun light into my eyes as I was stuck in traffic, and the engines and the heavy rock beat from the music on modern power sound systems from the classic cars vibrated my SUV, I gave thought as to the damage to my eyes and ears and clear coats of finish we woodworkers use. (Sound System update modification don't seem to faze the ever so detailed classic car snobs, just so it is loud and the beat of the Beach Boys can be felt in the Jaw, and Hip.)

Aside: Trust me on this, no male bird of any kind including peacocks, have any, and I do mean ANY, claim to male gaudy color display over the cars painted and polished by the male owners of these cars for this annual "Cruise".

Anyway, just thought I would share as an FYI

In 1968, IIRC, I paid about 39.9 cents a gallon for regular leaded gas. Today I passed a gas station were gas was $3.99.9 cents a gallon. They just moved the decimal point in 40 years.

Phil

PS: This could be a guy thing, ladies. Don't be concerned if you don't have a clue as to what this post is all about.

[workin for wood]

I was about 10 business south of Rockler and I waived as you went by, but you were not paying attention..perhaps dazed by the fumes.

I was listening, Paul W Smith I think. He was talking about how a few people were trying to shut down the dream cruise because it burns a huge carbon footprint which leaves a huge hole in the ozone above Detroit which cooks the city and causes skin cancer to all the onlookers. DAMHIK!!! lol.

[GrayBeard Phil]

Jeff:

Carbon Footprint????
Fumes????
Stench of burned tires on Roadway?
Leaded Gas Exhaust pollution?

Gosh, isn't that like public intoxication in Times Square on New Years Eve??

Look, if all those classic car hobbyist (aka Gear Heads) were forced into woodworking, can you image how much hardwoods would go up in price to meet the demand? Oak and Cheery is too expensive as it is.

Phil

[workin for wood]

The whole global warming bandwagon is spiraling way out of control!

[f250]

And if they think shutting down a few gear heads while millions continue to drive around on the hi-ways will help, then I have a bit of ocean front property in Arizona to sell them.

Tom