Issue link: http://undercardigest.epubxp.com/i/532830
1. Call it the granddaddy of modern automotive audio. It was a record player, available in 1956-58 Chrysler products. With a shock-mounted chassis, the records it played were unusual, 7-inch discs with small holes, turning at 16 2 /3 rpm. As a result, music selection was limited and the system didn't last long. 2. HELCO swapped out customers' batteries each night so the trucks would be ready for the next day's deliveries. 3. Cadillac didn't get electric self-starting until 1912 – and at that time it was hailed as an industry "first!" A length of tapered stock working between the cam follower and the valve stem enabled the variation in valve lift. 4. Very much like a modern hybrid, it started from rest with an electric motor and switched to its gas engine once rolling. 5. In a scheme predicting the operation of traction- and stability-control systems, ALCO's brake pedals allowed the driver to operate the left (rear) and right (rear) brakes individually. (In 1908 no cars had brakes on their front wheels.) It was meant to enhance the car's ability to take tight turns at speed! Last month we asked: Long after the departure of the Lelands (from Lincoln), Henry Ford's son, Edsel, commissioned FoMoCo stylist Bob Gregorie to create a one-off Lincoln convertible for his 1939 Florida vacation. It was a hit with Edsel's well-off Florida neighbors and went into production. What production Lincoln was this car based on, and what was it known as in its own right? The answer: Edsel's Lincoln Continental was based on the V-12 production model Lincoln Zephyr. The correct answer was provided by Bryan Wilkison of the downtown location Dobbs Tire and Auto, St Louis, Mo. 40 Undercar Digest Index to Advertisers Advertiser Page No. Reader Card No. AC-Delco ............................10 AC-Delco ............................11 Advance Auto Parts ............17.........3 ADVICS North America ........5.........4 ..........21.........5 Auto TECH expo...............IBC.....100 Auto TECH expo 2014 Seminar CDs ..................IFC VDO Redi-Sensor ...............25.........6 Gabriel Ride Control LLC ...23.........7 Jones Exhaust Systems Inc. .....................27.........8 O'Reilly Auto Parts ...............3.........9 Robert Bosch Corp. ..............7.......10 Sole Performance ...............19.......11 Undercar Digest.................BC Trivia Answers Name The Car from the detail 2 Name the make, model and year of this car (Figure 1) and send your answer to jwilder@undercardigest.com. Include your name, business, city and state. The vehicle in last month's issue is a 1964 Corvair (Figure 2). Those who answered the question correctly included: Timothy Neeper, Tim's Auto Service Center, Mabank, Texas; Brian Lein, DJ's Auto & Truck, Inc., Plainfield, Ill.; Brad Thiem, Thiem Automotive, Avondale, Ariz.; Seth Emerson, Silicone Wire Systems, San Jose, Calif. (Corvair Society of America president 1992-1994); and Bruce Early, Early's Automotive Services in Mesa, Az. 1 Auto TECH Expo Distribution-Solutions Roundtable Results By Charlie Elder At Auto Tech Expo 2015 a panel discussion and breakout session was held dealing with parts distri- bution and repair-shop communi- cation. The discussion included a variety of topics, but I will share some of the discussions on three of the topics – consumer pricing ver- sus commercial pricing by parts stores; parts stores scanning for codes in the parking lot; and a lit- tle respect for the technicians. Parts pricing We all want and support a free- market system, and we know how competitive the automotive parts and service industry is. With the national parts chains controlling a majority of most markets, the pric- ing is very competitive. The frus- trating concern is when a person off of the street with a one-time purchase is able to buy at or some- times lower (with an advertised special) than a repair shop spend- ing thousands of dollars every month. The parts distributors all receive prices from the manufac- turers based on their buying vol- ume. The conclusion of the discussion was that the same pricing model should be used all the way through the parts-distribution chain. This ensures the high-vol- ume buyers always receive the