I remember my first car

I remember my first car a 1971 Dodge Challenger. She was metallic green with a white vinyl roof. A 340 four barrel pushing 275 horsepower mated to a slapstick 3 speed automatic and a positraction rear end. Which meant to my eager 18-year-old ears I could burn out both rear wheels at once. I remember the guy who sold it to me bragging about how he would race it up the highway and do spin outs on icy roads. At the time this was a selling point. A more mature self would have translated that to "I beat the crap out of this car I hope you have a lot more money to spend". But I was all emotion and the gleaming metallic paint job and rumbling engine destroyed all semblance of logic. In fact I was so green I bought the car 3 weeks before I passed my driver test. Need less to say I ended up spending a lot more then the $1000.00 to purchase the car. It wasn't entirely the fault of the seller that I had to spend so much on repairing and maintaining the challenger. I did my fair share of burnouts, racing, and general beating of my poor car. I remember my girlfriend's stepfather warning me he knew it I was squealing the tires at the end of the street every time I left. Then telling me I'd better stop this behavior or I wouldn't be taking her anywhere. Good thing he never heard about how I almost killed my girlfriend and I the first night I drove the car. We were driving back from Alice Lake to the highway. The road to the highway gets really twisty just before the turn off. It was dark and raining and I was going a bit faster then I should have. I lost control just before entrance to the left turn lane. The car spun a full 180 and the rear wheel smashed against the island and threw the back end of the car up on top. Just as the car was spinning a Greyhound bus came flying past. If I hadn't spun out we would have T-boned the bus driving past at around 70 MPH. For some reason my girlfriend never trusted me fully in the drivers seat afterwards. That wasn't the last time my teenage bulletproof delusions took me close to the edge in my metallic green challenger. Somehow I managed not to injure others or myself. The car however didn't fair too well. On the outside it was immaculate. The inside was another story. I ended up selling it a couple of years later for $1300.00. I met the buyer a while later and he told me that he hated me for selling him that car. Later I saw it for the last time. Someone had painted it a bright fire engine red. I wonder if it's still driving around somewhere or if it’s someone's washing machine. I hope it's the former. This sudden rush of nostalgia came to me when I saw a picture of the new Challenger coming out in 2008. Since then I've been telling my wife that it's my mid life crisis car. I'm a lot safer driver now so she wouldn't have to worry about greyhound buses on rainy nights. So all I'll need is the money (lottery ticket, inheritance, bag falling out of an armored truck) and then next year I'll sit in my Hemi Challenger, start up the engine and say to myself I remember my first car.

Tips for picking the right golf cart batteries

The batteries for your golf cart are something you should consider carefully – remember that you will want your golf cart to last for the duration of the course, which could be quite a long walk. You do not want the batteries to run out before you have finished 18 holes, so you must make the choice carefully. The batteries for your golf cart are essentially the juice that keeps it moving, just like fuel for a car, and it is an important purchase if you want to enjoy your game. What You Should Know About Batteries. First of all you should know that the golf cart batteries are going to lose their charge quite easily even if they are just sitting in the golf cart in the off season. Because of this, you have to be sure that you are keeping your golf cart batteries charged up, even if that means coming in every few weeks to charge the batteries as they sit in your golf cart. This is important because the golf cart batteries will actually lose their ability to charge fully if you don’t charge them often. You have to charge them even when you aren’t using the golf cart. Another important thing to remember is that it is important to keep your golf cart batteries clean. Under prolonged use, dirt and debris can quickly build up and damage the golf cart. Cleaning the batteries frequently will make sure that you can keep wear and tear down to a minimum level. When you are buying golf cart batteries you need to pay close attention to the brand. There are simply some brands that are better than others, so you have to be sure that you have researched the different brands and that you know what is best for the place in which you live. There are some brands that are better for cold temperatures, and some brands that work well in extreme heat. You have to be sure that you are buying golf cart batteries that work well with the environment, because your golf cart is going to be used outside all of the time. When you buy your golf cart batteries, make sure that they come with a warranty, so that you can be confident it will be replaced if it fails sooner than could be reasonably expected. Golf cart batteries are expensive, and the assurance of a warranty will give you peace of mind that you are getting a good, quality product for your money.

Safety instructions before using vehicle lifts

Lifts are used to raise a vehicle on a stable platform, allowing automotive mechanics unrestricted access to inspect and repair the underbelly, transmission and wheels of the vehicle. Multiple vehicle lifts are standard equipment in most auto repair shops. In addition, some automobile enthusiasts install lifts in their homes for vehicle storage. Prior to 1920, only service pits were available for repairing and doing preventive maintenance on the undersides of vehicles. The hydraulic auto lift was invented in the 1920’s to reduce the time and equipment needed to hoist vehicles off the ground. Depending on the design used,.today’s vehicle lifts can raise up to 50,000 pounds and can cost between $9,000 and $45,000. Installation not included. In the beginning, there were no industry standards and vehicle lifts varied in design and construction. After World War II, there were only fifteen auto lift manufacturers in the United States. They recognized the need to develop standards to guide the industry. In 1947, the U. S. government issued its first set of standards. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration developed its own regulations in 1974. Today, there are three major manufacturers of heavy lifts: Mohawk Resources Ltd. of Amsterdam, NY; Advantage Lift Systems based in San Diego, CA; and Rotary Lift in Madison, IN. Electric controls for lifts are standard, and lift features vary according to price and model. They vary depending on where they make contact with the vehicle, usually the axles, frame or wheels. They include single-, two-, four-post, and scissors lifts. The single - and two-post lifts are ideal for small trucks and cars. The four-post auto lift is used for most commercial and transit vehicles. The scissors lift saves space by having the posts in the middle of the lift, operating like an open pair of scissors. Over the years, the structure of the automobile body has changed. Vehicles previously built onto underbody frames are now being constructed into frameless or unibody styles. Lifts have evolved to better handle the structure of newer vehicles. Rotary, for example, has developed the three stage lift. It has three telescoping sections, giving it a greater range of extension and retraction than other lifts. As a result, it can reach a broader range of vehicle pick-up points. It has become the preferred lift of many vehicle manufacturers, including Honda, Volkswagen and Audi. Despite changes in the design of lifts over the years, many injuries and accidents occur annually. This is usually due to human error rather than any flaw in the lift design. The most simple things often lead to disaster. Auto mechanics sometimes fail to keep the lift area free of debris, grease/oil and obstructions. Not paying close attention when working around the lifts or allowing untrained individuals to use them are two more potential problems. Some forget to wear the right safety gear, including goggles, a hard hat, and steel toed boots. Proper use and maintenance of the equipment is essential. Blocking or overriding the controls is dangerous. The manufacturer's rated capacity is shown on the nameplate affixed to lift. Despite this, some mechanics use the lift to hoist vehicles that exceed the weight limit. An ounce of prevention is better than a pound of cure. Mistakes made before the vehicle is lifted are accidents waiting to happen. The lift arms must be properly positioned before the vehicle is raised. If the center of gravity of the car is not on the center of the lift, cars may tip off. With some vehicles, removing or installing items may cause a critical shift in the vehicle’s center of gravity and result in instability. Mechanics should always refer to the lift manufacturer's recommendations. If there is not ample overhead clearance space, the vehicle may be crushed. Mistakes also occur when the transmission is not in neutral, doors are not securely closed or the ignition is not turned off. Some repairmen fail to lock the lift into place before going under it. Others raise the car while someone is inside the vehicle. Numerous accidents occur during the lifting process. The vehicle should be loaded on a lift carefully. Mechanics should ensure that the lift supports are in contact with the manufacturer’s recommended lifting points. When a secure contact is made, the lift can be raised to the desired working height. If work will be done under the vehicle, the lift should be raised high enough for its locking device to be engaged. Before lowering a lift, the mechanic should ensure that everything is removed from under the vehicle. Locking devices should be disengaged before the lift is lowered.