Merry Christmas All

And wishing all of you a great 2011 and remember to

Celebrate Life.

Yeah, This Year This olelongrooffan Went All Out

If those of you Counting Along With Me remember, a couple years ago I went all out on my Christmas tree.  Even my baby sister Joan, now happily married and living up in the Great White North, had some pretty cool Christmas decorations that year.  Then last year I had another pretty cool tree set up.

Well Counters, this year since this olelongrooffan is going to be in FantasyLand for the holidays, I decided to go all Minimalist for Christmas.

And even that lets this olelongrooffan

Celebrate Life.

What I Saw Today

So this olelongrooffan was out and about trying to find a driver's side mirror for a 2005 Chevy Tahoe for a friend of mine.  $410 at a junkyard.  Ouch!!

Anyway next door to that junkyard was an old time Muffler Man and I thought you Counters out there might like to see it.

That's it for today but know seeing this rare sight sure lets this olelongrooffan

Celebrate Life!

24H du Mans

Hemmings posted this video on their blog today and this olelongrooffan just had to share it with you Counters.  Enjoy it while I work on my post about Goodyear tire testing today at the Daytona International Speedway on its virgin repaved track.

It is a lap around the 24 Heures de Lemans track in a Jaguar D Type. 

And yes, it really helps this olelongrooffan to

Celebrate Life.

The Merry Christmas CanCan

I got this in an email from a buddy. Not really sure of the source but a cheerful three minutes ensued.

And knowing this Christmas season is upon us and this olelongrooffan is going to get to see my daughter Jessica really lets me

Celebrate Life.

What I Saw Today

In 1964, Sonny's Auto Sales affixed this sticker to the rear of a 1949 Crosley pickup truck. 46 years later, this olelongrooffan spotted it on that truck and here is the story.

In 1965, Rick Delvecchio was living on a farm just outside Vineland, New Jersey when his father gave this compact pickup truck to him for his 14th birthday.

And Rick has kept it to this day. Yesterday while this olelongrooffan was out and about, I saw this behind the RME Automotive building. Of course, you know I had to stop and get a couple images and the story, if I could.

While this olelongrooffan was examining this sweet, rare old beauty Rick came out back and we started chatting it up. I asked him if he was going to restore it. "Nope, just get it puttering around, paint my logo on the side and that's it," was his response. Mine? "Yeah, they're only original once." He gave me an approving grin and took this olelongrooffan into his shop and showed me the one engine, of the three Crosley engines he has, that he is going to install.
It turns out he acquired this motor back in 1983 shortly after moving to Daytona Beach. The man who gave it to him drove up in a Crosley wagon and told Rick the motor in that longroof was his but he had to come get it after the man drove back to New Symrna Beach. Well Rick did and he now, nearly 30 years later, has found the time to put it in his old pickup truck.

I asked why it had taken so long for him to get around to it. Well he took me into the front room of his establishment and pointed out four near concours level Alfa Romeos and his father's 1970 MG Midget, bought new by his dad. "I guess I had a few other things that had a higher priority," he commented. On the way back to the work area, he pointed out a couple other Alfas that were awaiting his attention and a bunch of parts for an original Fiat 500. He mentioned that the body shell was due back from the paint shop anytime now.

" I need to get moving on this Crosley or else it will be another 20 years before I get to it."

Good Luck Rick and I can't wait to share the completed projects with those of you Counting Along With Me.

And know a post about the shiny and not so shiny cars in the interior of that shop will be coming along shortly.

And finding cool old sh*t like this and meeting cool ole dudes such as Rick really allows this olelongrooffan to

Celebrate Life.