Where Are Classic Car Parts These Days? - August 31, 2006

Looking to restore a classic car? Remember riding in those big roomy 1950’s, 60’s and 70’s Pontiac’s, Ford’s, Buick’s and Mercury’s? You know, those big American cars? Remember back when you didn’t even have to wear a seatbelt when you were a kid? You could lay in the back seat on a long trip and have plenty of room to stretch when the road seemed endless. Are we there yet?

Remember when your father drove into a gas station bay to fill up and the attendant not only put the gas in, he washed the windows, checked the oil and air and always had a lollipop for the kids. Can we have some of those days back? We want our roomy, steel, big engined cars back! We want to hit the road with some power! Oh yes, and let’s have those old fashioned gas prices back too!

Ah the memories of being 4 years old and sitting in the back seat of my dad’s 1967 red Pontiac Catalina convertible, feeling the wind all over me while I tried to keep a super sized jawbreaker in my mouth. Don’t want to get sticky goo all over the new seats! What about the sounds cars made as they passed yours? The whooshing sound that you tried to determine if it was you passing them or them passing you? What else does a kid think about when they are a passive passenger in the back?

The freedom of contemplation, where is that now? Today, kid’s in cars have mini TV’s, Playstations, private headphones for music; entertainment at its’ most technical while on the road. Bring the good old days back. Restore a classic car and live a little freer. Visit us at Sunman Classic Ford Supply and take a walk down memory lane.

Know of any classic cars parked behind a barn, left in a field, or in your grandma’s garage? Drop us a line and tell us what you know. We’re always looking for classic Ford’s, Mercury’s and Lincoln’s, along with Chevrolet, Pontiac and others, to save for the future enthusiast.

Cynthia Arrington is owner of Sunman Classic Ford Supply, a company that is dedicated to the preservation of classic Ford, Mercury and Lincoln automobiles.

We travel and search the southwestern states rescuing classic autos from the car crushers. We make these cars and parts available to antique and classic car restorers and enthusiasts. Remember, an antique or classic vehicle crushed is an antique or classic vehicle gone forever!

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Mercedes Wiper Blade - Squeaky Clean With One Sweeping Motion - August 30, 2006

Be it snow or rain, mud or even debris, the windshield of a Mercedes Benz needs to be clear so that the driver have the full visibility in avoiding the bumps, potholes, or even accidents waiting to happen. It needs a device to wipe these eyesores not only to clean but to protect form harm, as well.

The windscreen wiper does this job. It cleans out unnecessary elements that pose as distractions to the focused driving vision of a Merc owner. The assembly consists of: the arm pivoting at one end, the motor that powers the assembly and the blade that attaches to the arm. The blade is swung back and forth over the glass, pushing water and other elements from its surface. Generally, the speed is being controlled with several continuous speeds and often one or more “intermittent” settings. Most automobiles use two synchronized radial type arms, while many commercial vehicles use one or more pantograph arms. To note, Mercedes-Benz pioneered a system called the “Monoblade” wherein a single wiper extends outward to get closer to the top corners, and pulls in at the ends and middle of the stroke, sweeping out a somewhat ‘W’-shaped path.

The Mercedes wiper blades work like squeegees as the arms drag a thin rubber strip across the windshield to sweep out water. With a new set of Mercedes wiper blades, it is efficient as it leaves no sign of leftover with every swing across the windshield. Bu time will wear it off, with nicks and cracks and road grime building on its edge that doesn’t make a tight seal. This leaves room for streaks.

You can get an extra mileage by wiping the edge with a cloth soaked in window cleaner until no more dirt comes off the blade. Another key to streak-free operation is even pressure over the length of the rubber blades. Wiper blades are designed to attach in a single point in the middle, but a series of arms branch out from the middle like a tree, so the blade is actually connected in six to eight places. If ice or snow forms on these arms, it can make the distribution of pressure uneven, causing streaks under part of the blade. Some wiper manufacturers make a special winter blade with a rubber boot covering the arm assembly to keep snow and ice out.

But if the damage is already severe, have Mercedes wiper blade replaced through auto parts stores and dealerships around. Or log online to auto parts sites for a quicker and more comprehensive hunt for that custom-fit wiper blade for the Mercedes.

For more about your Mercedes parts needs like mbpartswarehouse.com/mercedes_wiperblade.html”title=”Mercedes wiper blades Mercedes wiper blades, visit your trusted online source.

Dwyane Thomas is a part time cook and full-time auto-enthusiast. This 31-year old Civil and Environmental graduate is a consultant at one of the engineering firms in Pennsylvania.

Car Donations and Charitable Donations -

The modern society, with its distinct wealth-based classes has always prided itself with a strong inclination to charity. From fundraising events to church donations, charity has become a way for helping others but also a way to get rid of some taxes. The tax benefit one gets from donating for charity is roughly proportional to the value of the donation of course. Lately, a new “charity trend” has formed, especially in the United States and Western/Central Europe, that of the car donation.

Car donations are practically give-aways of no longer wanted or heavily used cars, to charity organizations, individuals, companies or even institutions. In the United States, the tax benefit from such car donations is among the highest you can get from donations; hence the practice of giving away your old car when you buy a new one has become very popular. Usually, the charity organization you will donate your car too will evaluate it and set an estimative value for it, which will determine this tax reduction. For values that are under $500, the value of this reduction is set by the donor’s own estimate of the car’s value. Deductions for donations over this amount are usually limited by the selling price of the vehicle. The vehicles are either sold in auctions or through direct marketing.

Although the car donation program is a solid one in theory, it has been speculated that it could soon become a “tax shelter”. Since this could not be proven so far, car donations have steadily grown to a number of almost 1 million per year. This means that almost 1 million tax payers have reduced their taxes with sums of up to $600-$700 million each year, only through this type of car donation.

From a charity organization’s point of view, the car donation program is one of the best fields to work with. Actually, it has come to a point where such non-profit organizations actually rely on car donations to keep their charity events possible. Some of them have their own car lots for donated cars and process them directly, while others rely on ads, auto auction companies and so forth. What most charity organization will do is take the donated car, sell it through the auction company and then distribute the money to local charity organizations, or further donates the money to a charity that the donor of the car indicated.

It is important to understand that the charity organizations selling donated cars don’t get a profit from it, they only take a small quota of the sum to cover up their expenses. A trustworthy car donation charity organization will bring other charities and institutions a lot of money each year, genuinely helping them out. This said, it is expected that the car donation phenomenon will constantly rise with each year, if the same tax reduction laws are applied further on. Given the fact that it’s one of the most solid and popular types of donations today, it’s very unlikely that these reductions will be hindered by government in any way.

More resources on how to make a successful cardonationexpert.com/index.php charity car donation can be found on our website: CarDonationExpert.com

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