This past weekend, I attended a farm auction near the town in which I live. It happened to be on a Saturday when most folks could attend and the crowds were larger than the weekday auctions.

This particular auction was light on farm equipment and heavy on old cars. Which I assume is why there were 200 people, gathered around the auctioneer, making his way from one pile of metal to another.

This auction had some nice old cars. A ‘22 Ford Model T,  ‘21 Nash Touring Car, ‘51 Ford F-1 Pickup (Nice Condition), a ‘55 Chevy 3100 Pickup (Running), a 53 Willis Jeep, a ‘60 Chevy Biscayne in nice condition, 4 or 5 – 50’s Ford F-1 Bodies, a ‘46 Chevy Coca Cola truck and the list goes on.

I knew those items would bring some money so I chose to stick with something that was in decent shape and something that I could work on easily. A ‘71 Ford Pickup.

Now look, it may not be the prettiest vehicle ever made from the factory, but with a little, or a lot, of work, it could be a nice daily driver.

The one I had my eye on was mint green with a ton of old parts in the back and a winch bar. Prolly used to pick-up heavy items on the farm and move them from one location to the other.

I’d told myself that I wouldn’t spend more than $700 on this one and I didn’t. I got outbid by a lady at $725. Yep, $25 and a lady no less, but I stood my ground and let it go. It’s ok, there were a ton more vehicles to bid on I told myself and moved on.

After the bidding had ended, a gentleman walked up and said, “I’ve got a ‘70 Ford in great condition that I’ll sell you and it runs! Come by after the auction and I’ll make you a deal if you are interested.”

After the auction, my friend Lonnie and I visited this guy’s place and I think I just found my next project.

Acura – NSX Transactions – Jerry Seinfeld is so excited about the new Acura NSX that he will stop at nothing to acquire the very first one. See what else Jerry would do for the first new NSX at www.acura.com. NSX projected debut in next three years.

Cadillac – “Green Hell” :: We developed the all-new Cadillac ATS on the Nürburgring, a grueling stretch of German asphalt known as “The Green Hell,” to push both car and driver to their limits. So, if anyone tells you that Cadillac can’t beat the world’s best, just tell them to go to “Green Hell.”

Chevy – “2012″ :: A man drives his Chevy Silverado through an apocalyptic world predicted by the Mayan calendar. Unfortunately, not everyone makes it to the meeting point.

Chevy – “Aliens” :: From the coolest car on the block to the smartest technology in the galaxy. A man walks in on a curious group of intergalactic creatures checking out the advanced technology of his Chevrolet Volt.

Chevy – “Sonic Stunt Anthem” :: The all-new Chevy Sonic is up for adventure. Watch Sonic’s first time skydiving, bungee jumping, kick flipping, and performing with OK GO. 100% real stunts.

Chevy – “Happy Grad” :: One lucky man receives the best graduation gift ever — or does he? A Chevrolet Route 66 film submission from Zack Borst, USA.

Chrysler – “It’s Halftime in America” :: It’s Halftime in America. And our second half is about to begin. All that matters now is looking ahead and finding a way forward.

Fiat – “Fiat 500 Abarth – Seduction” :: Watch this seductive new FIAT 500 Abarth Super Bowl XLVI commercial to feel the sting of the scorpion.
The FIAT 500 Abarth – You’ll never forget the first time you see one.

Honda – “Matthew’s Day Off” :: To celebrate the launch of the all-new 2012 CR-V, Honda brought Ferris Bueller’s Day Off back in a big game commercial. We cast Matthew Broderick as himself, skipping out on a day of acting work and living it up in his all-new CR-V. Relive movie history with Honda’s fresh twist and wonderful homage to this ’80s classic.

Hyundai – “Think Fast” :: At 348 horsepower, the Genesis Coupe gives new meaning to the phrase “Heart Pounding Power”. See for yourself at Hyundai.com.

Hyundai – “All For One” :: We believe trying is everything at Hyundai. In this Big Game ad, our Montgomery, Alabama plant employees provide a little vocal encouragement to a designer.

Hyundai – “Cheetah” :: Trust us, it’s fast. And with a 7-inch multimedia touchscreen, a 450-watt dimension® premium audio system, and Pandora® Internet radio, there’s a lot more the 201 horsepower Veloster Turbo can do — besides outrunning a cheetah.

Hyundai – “Victory Lap” :: Hyundai will celebrate its 2012 North American Car of the Year victory for Elantra with a new 30-second spot called “Victory Lap.” The Elantra earned the prestigious award from a jury of 50 independent automotive media in early January.

Kia – “A Dream Car For Everyday Life” :: The new 2012 Kia Optima is tearing up the track with Adriana Lima, Chuck Liddell and Motley Crue. Get ready to have your subconscious kicked in the face.

Lexus – “The Beast” :: The wait is over. The bold new face of Lexus is here, and it cannot be contained. Watch Lexus’ first-ever commercial for the “big game”, introducing the all-new 2013 GS and a glimpse of what Lexus has in store for 2012.

Suzuki – “The Sled” :: “Sled” highlights the automaker’s all-wheel-drive 2012 Suzuki Kizashi sport sedan, which also starred in the company’s first-ever Super Bowl ad — entitled “Wicked”

Toyota – “Reinvented Camry” :: Toyota reinvents more than the Camry in this extended version of the blockbuster commercial that started it all. What would you like #reinvented?

Toyota – “Camry Connections” :: There are nearly 7 million Camry drivers out there. Every one of them has a story. What’s yours?

VW – “The Dog Strikes Back” :: The sporty, all-new 2012 Volkswagen Beetle inspires Bolt the dog to get in shape, and an intergalactic superstar makes a surprise appearance.

Construction crews have been updating the current building to meet General Motors specifications for updating showrooms, offices and parts and service department to meet their quality standards.

The updated facility is bright and clean, featuring neutral colors that are eye appealing and warm and inviting.

A new receptionist area offers a greeting as you walk in the door and a warm “Hello, how can I help you?” can be heard as you enter.

Old offices have been demolished and rebuilt with new furniture, fixtures and modern convenience amenities.

The customer lobby is light and bright and features a nice seating area for adults and children alike. A large flat screen TV provides entertainment for those purchasing a new or used car or having service performed on
their vehicle.

Bathrooms are nice and spacious, clean and equipped with modern appliances. Bathrooms also have Koala Kare fold down tables for baby
duties!

The interior of the building is complete and the staff is currently operating inside their new quarters. The exterior is still in the construction phase and according to Owner, John Roley, should be complete
in 30-60 days.

An Open House is in the near future when the facility is complete. Congrats on a fantastic new building.

Rowdy

There is no doubt that every vehicle has a history that comes with it. Some may be good and some may be bad. I’m thinking that the history of my Land Cruiser is good. It’s seen many miles of terrain, both paved and unpaved. Wouldn’t it be cool to go back in time, when this vehicle rolled off the assembly line, was put on a ship, trucked to it’s final destination where it was sold to the government and put into use. There were so many different hands, working as one to get the vehicle from factory, to ship, to port, to train, to truck, to dealership for delivery. We forget all too often the amount of time and money it takes to get from factory to final destination.

Going back to the pre- Rowdy history of my Land Cruiser, is it possible that it was used in a search and rescue mission to save someone’s life? What if it had to drive over rocky terrain to help put out a forest fire? I don’t know, there are so many things it could have done, but I guess we’ll never find out.

After driving it around for about 10 minutes, I put it in 4 Wheel Drive and locked the hubs. It all worked perfectly.

The body on the other hand was completely rusted out. The wheel wells had holes big enough for my hands to fit through. The bed was rusted through on the back part, enough for me to bend it upwards to expose the rear axle. WOW, I had no idea it was in this bad of condition.

I began to clean it out from top to bottom. The previous owner, who worked at a Lemon Orchard, had left tons of lemon tree leaves under the seats and under a rubber floor mat. That floor mat was also used to keep his feet from falling though the floorin the bed. LOL.

As I was cleaning the inside, I found some cool things about it. On the dash, it says “For Official Use Only, US Government.” The previous owner had said the guy he bought the Cruiser from had bought it at a Government Auction and was used as a Park Ranger vehicle up near Santa Fe. Hmm, I wonder how I could find out if that’s true?

After Victorville, we headed off to Vegas where we spent the night at Treasure Island. Before we made it to the Nevada state line, we hit this huge hill where we start out at 115 ft above sea level and at the top of the hill, it’s 4000 ft above sea level. We wasted more gas climbing that hill and when we got to the top, they were selling gas for $5 bucks a gallon! Highway robbery!

We parked the Tahoe pulling the LC in the garage at TI and headed out at 6 am the next morning. It was surprising to see the sun shining at 5 am but nonetheless, we headed out.

Somewhere between Hoover Dam and Kingman, Arizona I noticed something going very wrong. The fiberglass top on the LC was starting to come loose. All of the sudden, it comes off, lands on the highway and busts into a hundred pieces. I couldn’t believe it. We turned around and got out to find it in such disrepair that we left it on the side of the road.

After that, it was a long, long ride back to Lubbock.

We headed out west and stopped at a friend’s house where we stayed the night in Las Cruces, NM. We got up at 6 a.m. and took off driving again. At 6 p.m. we arrived in Santa Monica, CA, were we stayed with another friend for a couple of days. We did some shopping, saw some celebs, felt the ocean and took pictures near the Hollywood sign.

A few days later, we drove up Pacific Coast Highway 1, the famous highway that runs along the coast from San Diego to Northern California. We traveled through beautiful towns like Malibu and Ventura and just north of Santa Barbara, we arrived  in Ojai. We visited for a while about the history of the Cruiser and loaded it up on the flatbed trailer being pulled by our Chevy Tahoe.

After we get it strapped down, he hands me the keys and spent the next 5 hours on the road to Vegas.

Considering a classic FJ40 isn’t commonly sold, I searched locally and found nothing. I proceeded to hit the internet and found this 1966 FJ40 on ebay. There were quite a few online; some that had been fully restored, some that were heavily accessorized and some that were in need of desperate repair. Wanna take a guess at what I chose? I must say, Ebay is a great place to find a specialized vehicle, but not great for finding the daily driver. (If you are looking for a daily vehicle, checkout Texas Auto Guide or www.texasautoguide.com.)

After watching it on ebay for a couple of days, I made my move with just a couple of minutes to go. I placed my bid at $1250
and proceeded to hit the refresh button. Suddenly, someone bumped my bid. I entered $1500. Still not the winning bid.
Finally, I entered $1750 and walked away the winner.

With Alfa Romeo DNA and Dodge’s passion for performance at its core, the all-new 2013 Dodge Dart is a thoroughly modern vehicle that’s fuel-efficient, beautifully designed and crafted, agile and brings fun back to driving in the segment.

Similar to the Dodge Dart of the late 1960s, the  2013 Dart offers a special blend of style, performance and innovation. The Dodge brand leveraged its nearly 100-year history of passion for  building high-quality, innovative vehicles that stand apart in performance and style, as well as from its partner Fiat’s global compact car  expertise, to develop the all-new Dodge Dart.

ALFA ROMEO DNA The all-new Dart is the first Chrysler Group vehicle based upon a Fiat architecture – adapted from the award winning Alfa Romeo Giulietta. The Giulietta is renowned for satisfying the most demanding customers in  terms of road holding, agility and safety, with exceptional driving dynamics.

UNMISTAKABLE STYLE The all-new 2013 Dart marks the Dodge  brand’s re-entry into the compact sedan segment, hitting the bulls-eye with a modern, unmistakable Dodge design that builds upon its performance heritage while evoking emotion, efficiency and fluidity of movement.

Eye-catching exterior proportions are set off from every angle  by dynamic lines and curves, along with advanced technology, to deliver class leading aerodynamic performance. The personality-packed front view is instantly recognizable  as an all-new Dodge with its tailored split-crosshair grille, projector headlamps and fog lamps and  accentuated fenders. Signature Dodge full-width LED ‘racetrack’ tail lamps and class-exclusive integrated dual exhaust – both inspired by Dodge Charger – accentuate the athletic and muscular stance of this dynamic and passionate new design.

THREE SOPHISTICATED, FUEL-EFFICIENT & POWERFUL ENGINES The 2013 Dodge Dart will be powered by three fuel-efficient, powerful, state-of-the-art four cylinder engines that add to Dart’s fun-to-drive quotient.

Drivers can select from a new Tigershark 2.0-liter engine, a 1.4-liter MultiAir Intercooled Turbo engine, and a new T igershark 2.4-liter MultiAir four cylinder engine. These three engines, combined with three transmission choices, combine to redefine  performance by providing the most diverse powertrain lineup in its class.

MultiAir technology delivers optimum combustion at any speed under  all driving conditions by allowing direct and dynamic control of air intake and combustion. The result is up to a 15 percent increase in low engine  pm torque, a 7.5 percent improvement in fuel efficiency and a 10 percent reduction in C02 emissions.

THE ALL-NEW DART – BUILT IN AMERICA The all-new Dodge Dart will be made in America at Chrysler Group’s Belvidere Assembly Plant in Belvidere, Ill. The Company is in the process of investing $600 million dollars to support the production of future products, including the 2013 Dodge Dart. The investment includes the  construction of a 638,000-square-foot body shop, as well as the installation of new machinery, tooling and material handling equipment.

Dodge is  set to unveil the 2013 Dart at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit on January 9th, 2012.

ICON founder, Jonathan Ward and his wife, Jamie started TLC4x4.com, the nations leading Land Cruiser Service center in 1996, providing parts,  service and restoration services to the Land Cruiser owners like me!

Mr. Ward on his website calls ICON “…a vehicle without peers for a journey without boundaries. Classic styling, modern performance, and timeless utility.” Simply put.

Last week, I ran across an article on FoxNews.com about an ICON rebuilt Ford Bronco and man is it awesome!!

The only thing original is the body style from the first generation Bronco. According to the article, it has a completely brand new chassis, custom designed Atlas transfer case, and Dana solid axles with Eibach springs and Ford Racing shocks for suspension.

They replaced the original engine with a Ford Mustang GT 5.0L V8, with 412HP in a 4-speed automatic or a 5-speed manual transmission.

This rebuilt Bronco features disc  brakes, high-tech glass used on skyscrapers, updated aluminum trim, a digital dashboard and tinted plastic sun visors from a Learjet!

Price?  $150,000 for the base and up to $200,000 with options.

Sources: foxnews.com & icon4x4.com