1953 Triumph Mayflower, Pilgrim

Posted on January 11, 2012 by needthatcar

This is a rare 1953 Triumph Mayflower.  It is just begging to be claimed, brought home, given new life (and maybe a radical chop), and put back on the street.  the body, in its original style, is interesting and distinctly British, but it seems to have a real potential for a sleek street rod with those body lines.

1953 Triumph Mayflower Continue reading →

Posted in 1950s, Imports (Euro) | 3 Comments

Adorable. 1961 R/C Impala Low-Rider With Hydraulics

Posted on January 9, 2012 by needthatcar

This is a video of a radio control ’61 Impala low-rider with functional hydraulics.  It is just about as cute as anything.  It rides on a scratch-built brass frame and it does all the standard low-rider moves.

Click it for the short but worthwhile video.  Awwww!

Continue reading →

Posted in 1960s, Custom, It's Electric!, Items of Interest (Not for sale), Sweet videos | 2 Comments

EV Midget Build – Part 8: Finishing Touches and Adventures

Posted on December 20, 2011 by needthatcar

35 days had gone by since I decided to do this build.  With a lot of help from my friend Sam and my dad, this thing was up and running in time to take it to the Wells Fun Run in Wells, Nevada.  But, it still needed a few things.  It needed a proper seat, a charging port, and my wagon needed a hitch to tow it with.

Midget going to the showClick through for more. Continue reading →

Posted in Custom, EV Midget Build, It's Electric!, Race cars | 1 Comment

EV Midget Build – Part 7: Wiring, Body, and Test drive!

Posted on December 19, 2011 by needthatcar

This crazy idea of mine was about to come to life.  The midget only needed wiring to be fully functional car. (Car? Toy? I don’t know, or care.)  So, off we set, plying our electrical skills.

EV midget wiring

There are four cables looping back and forth from the throttle assembly to the resistor pack.

Click it for more fun with electrons.

Continue reading →

Posted in EV Midget Build, It's Electric!, Race cars, Sweet videos | 2 Comments

Very Want: The 2013 Fiat 500 Abarth Edition

Posted on December 18, 2011 by needthatcar

This is a commercial for the new (as yet unreleased in the U.S.) Fiat 500 Abarth.  So far, it has aired on television zero times.  Yet, it already has over 2.5 million views.

Fiat 500 Abarth

Hit the jump for the omg-she’s-hot video.

Continue reading →

Posted in Imports (Euro), New Cars, Sweet videos | 5 Comments

EV Midget Build – Part 6: Odds and Ends

Posted on December 18, 2011 by needthatcar

The next item on the to-do list for the midget was brakes.  We could roll and steer, now we needed to stop.  ’40s midgets did not use a brake pedal.  Instead, they had a lever on the outside of the vehicle which was actuated by hand.  They only had rear brakes.  Midgets were drift cars long before drift cars were a trend.

Hippodrome Fair grounds midget racer

The brake lever can be seen in this photo with a white knob. That is my grandfather, Dale Ith in the car.

Click through for more.

Continue reading →

Posted in EV Midget Build, It's Electric!, Items of Interest (Not for sale), Race cars | Leave a comment

Video: Pre-war Lakebed Hot Rod Racing

Posted on December 17, 2011 by needthatcar

A great video of hot rodding days gone by.  It is described by its creator, Tommy Lorbeer, as follows:

“My dad raced his AV8 roadster at the dry lakes when he was in high school, prior to WWII. My Uncle Tommy took his 8mm camera along. There are a lot of iconic cars in this footage, and a lot of iconic young guys. Enjoy.”

Prewar hot rod racing

Click through for the video, it’s well worth the watch.

Continue reading →

Posted in Items of Interest (Not for sale), Race cars, Sweet videos | Leave a comment

Product Review #1: Dynamat

Posted on December 17, 2011 by needthatcar

In September, I took a trip to St. George, Utah in the Need That Car Scion xB.  It is about a 300 mile drive.  While I was there, a 16 year old girl turned left and narrowly missed my xB, but squarely hit the small trailer I was towing.  The damage was extensive enough that I had to leave the trailer behind for a week while I rounded up a new axle back home in SLC.  Two trips in a week to St. George and back made me realize something: At 80 MPH, the xB was very noisy inside.  So, I ordered up two boxes of Dynamat and got to work.

Continue reading →

Posted in Items of Interest (Not for sale), Product Reviews | 1 Comment

EV Midget Build – Part 5: Metal Work

Posted on December 14, 2011 by needthatcar

I now had a midget that could roll around the garage – and even be steered – at my whim.  It was a real gas.  But there was more work to be done.  Despite the decision to stay with a patina/rat rod look, there were a few areas of rust that simply had to be dealt with.  Mostly, they were structural issues and ergonomic issues.

Smithing.

Click it for more exciting metal work.

Continue reading →

Posted in EV Midget Build, It's Electric!, Items of Interest (Not for sale), Race cars | 4 Comments

EV Midget Build – Part 4: Rear Suspension

Posted on December 13, 2011 by needthatcar

With the front suspension done, all I needed was rear suspension and I’d have a roller.  The original midgets of the late ’40s used a transverse leaf spring and either hairpins or split wishbones.  The look of the hairpins is such a classic that I decided to try to replicate that look on my midget.

Click through for more hairpins!

Continue reading →

Posted in EV Midget Build, It's Electric!, Items of Interest (Not for sale), Race cars | Leave a comment