kscarbel2

The FBI on Friday said: “What struck former President Trump in the ear was a bullet, whether whole or fragmented into smaller pieces, fired from the deceased subject’s rifle.” .............................................................. “There is no evidence that it was anything other than a bullet. Director Wray is wrong and inappropriate to suggest anything else. Having served as an Emergency Medicine physician for over 20 years in the United States Navy…I have treated many gunshot wounds in my career.” Ronny Jackson - President Trump's physician ................................................................. "A detailed analysis of bullet trajectories, footage, photos and audio by The New York Times strongly suggests Mr. Trump was grazed by the first of eight bullets fired by the gunman. A trajectory analysis show that the bullet traveled in a straight line from the gunman to the bleachers, clipping Mr. Trump on its path. This suggests the bullet was not deflected by first striking an object that would have then sprayed Mr. Trump with debris [shrapnel].” The New York Times

I like FBI Director Wray. He levels with you, is actually informative and answers questions. .

If I recall correctly, he also has a M125A1 with the LeRoi gasoline engine. https://www.steelsoldiers.com/threads/10-ton-m123-a1c-10-ton-m123-e2-rescue.210768/ https://www.steelsoldiers.com/threads/10-ton-m125-repaint.20785/ https://www.militarytrader.com/military-vehicles/the-m125-ten-tons-of-attitude

https://www.ebay.com/itm/176471833470?itmmeta=01J384H7A893MB3SE4T0594PMJ&hash=item29168a7b7e:g:zU4AAOSwVQJmlCKE I "really" wish that I could buy it but I don't currently have the right situation. I remember reading about this gentleman several years ago, including his procurement of spec-correct government-rebuilt Cummins engine and Mack tranny.

There's no such thing as fleet red. The name was "Mack standard red", and the Mack part number for the gallon can was 312SX15P2 (P2 means gallon size). Our supplier was Kirker Chemical of Patterson, New Jersey. I don't recall their part number.

Unreal. Why don't other congressmen join the conversation ??? .

Observe Senator Kennedy speaking to fed chair Jerome Powell today. Unlike most other senators, John Kennedy didn't beat around the bush. Cold hard facts. He points out the true "state of the union". Impressive, as always. But never a showboater, as he actually has integrity. A man who obviously does his homework so as to fiercely represent his constituents (what a concept). You'll "never" observe him exaggerating, distorting or fabricating the facts. Note that fed chair Powell refused to disagree with the democrat committee chair and acknowledge that inflation was not caused by corporate greed. .

I've been using Fumoto oil drain valves, in place of drain plugs, since 1983. I have them on all my vehicles, small and large, and my Deere tractors. One finger to open the valve lever. You can attach a hose to the valve. It eliminates all the mess........puts you in control.

Automotive News / July 7, 2024 Call it the case of the disappearing dipstick. Stellantis [FCA] customers with the new Hurricane twin-turbo six-cylinder engine in their Jeep SUVs and Ram pickups may be in for a surprise when they open the hood to check the oil. The dipstick, an appendage poking out the side of the cylinder block of nearly every American automobile engine for a century, is gone. It has been replaced by an oil level measuring system that uses a sensor mounted vertically in the oil pan. The sensor transmits data that can be accessed on the car’s touchscreen in the center of the dash — similar to the method used in many European luxury cars for more than a decade. In an era when automakers are working to rein in ballooning costs, why would they replace a no-tech commodity such as a dipstick, essentially a thin, flat piece of flexible metal with a plastic grip that likely costs pennies to make, with a more expensive system that contains a sensor, wiring, lines of code and added computing power? “Today’s consumer does not prioritize manually checking the oil level. With a sensor, that info is presented to them every time they turn on the ignition. This is customer-focused engineering,” said Stellantis spokesperson Dale Jewett. Mercedes-Benz makes no passenger vehicles with dipsticks. “With digital oil level measurement, customers can easily monitor their vehicle’s oil level in their vehicle’s driver display and receive timely alerts if oil level is outside normal limits. This proactive approach helps to avert potential engine damage,” says Mercedes-Benz USA spokesperson Andrew Brudnicki. “Moreover, the accuracy of the oil measurement is not reliant on a person’s expertise. Digital measurement eliminates the risk of human error as external factors that can result in misinterpretation of the oil level. For example, if the vehicle is not on a level surface, differences in cold and warm measurement, the angle at which the dipstick is viewed,” he added. “Manufacturers don’t really want the driver, their customers, under the hood anymore. A lot of cars now are hybrid and have high voltage and there’s a higher safety concern,” said Michael Crossen at Consumer Reports. “You also have the scenario where the customer does check the oil with the dipstick and maybe it is a little low,” he said. “And they want to top it off. The customer could overfill it, which isn’t great. And a lot of cars are requiring very specific oil. Manufacturers don’t want someone just dumping in whatever they have laying around.” Crossen said optics might also be playing a role in the dipstick’s dismissal. Except for the yellow plastic grip, which is meant to make the dipstick easy to locate in the engine bay, the flexible metal rod has not changed much in a century. A dipstick, he said, is archaic and out of context in modern cars loaded with electronics that present information about the health of a vehicle at the touch of a button or with a screen icon. “The customer has to pop the hood. They might get their hands dirty. It’s not the modern way of doing things,” he said. “So, there’s a perception of ‘Hey, look what I can do from my center screen.’ ” Mercedes-Benz went dipstick-less in 2018. Most BMWs have dispensed with them. “The value in the tech is that it more accurately measures and monitors vehicle oil with appropriate warnings,” said Mini spokesperson Andrew Cutler. “Newer connected vehicles also provide alerts to customers via their vehicle app and can also assist with scheduling of service appointments. Dealers can also tailor service programs and activities based on the vehicle/customer needs with connected car data,” he added in an email. The 2025 Ram 1500 is the first internal combustion powered pickup without a dipstick. While computerized oil level monitoring technology might be valued by drivers of upscale import brand vehicles, it’s a different story based on early feedback from Ram truck drivers, said Tim Esterdahl, host of “Pickup Truck Talk” on YouTube and TikTok. A recent video focusing on the Ram’s dipstick disappearance garnered 3.3 million TikTok views. On YouTube, that same clip provoked 266 comments — nearly all negative. “Even if most pickup guys don’t check and change their oil, they will want the opportunity to do it. They don’t trust technology and they don’t trust sensors. Even though BMW has done it for years, pickup drivers don’t care. And they are irate,” Esterdahl said. “You always want to have a mechanical way to check the oil, which is what a dipstick basically does. There are so many trust factors involved in a computer system and they are so complex,” he said. “All the guys I am talking to can’t wait for an aftermarket dipstick to be added.” But the dipstick dismissal in the Ram’s Hurricane engine may not be a bad thing, said Dave Bell, a master technician in Utah. “It’s amazing to me how many people actually don’t even know how to check their oil. I mean, they buy a $50,000 car or truck and they never even check their oil,” he told Automotive News. Bell said many drivers have been lulled into ignoring their engine’s oil because manufacturers have extended oil change intervals to as much as 15,000 miles, and because oil quality monitors tell them when to change the oil. “People have this misconception in that they think, ‘I’ve got oil in there, I don’t have to check it.’ But engines burn oil. As long as there is a reliable [oil] level sensor in there — and I stress the word reliable — I wouldn’t have any problem with them if they work correctly. Maybe people would pay more attention to a warning that came on saying they’re a quart low,” said Bell, whose shop derives a significant amount of its revenue from rebuilding failed, worn-out, abused and neglected gasoline and diesel pickup engines. In vehicles with dipsticks, no record of the oil level is kept in the car’s engine computer. Low oil pressure, often caused by low oil levels, triggers a trouble code that is stored in the car’s computer and a check-engine light to alert the driver to a potential problem. But an engine can have a crankcase with the proper amount of oil and also have low oil pressure. That can be caused by a failing oil pump, debris in the oil pickup tube, a stuck pressure relief valve or another problem that reduces the flow of oil through the engine. Now the Hurricane engine has the electronic infrastructure in place to store oil level information. That could make a significant difference in determining the cause of engine failures and the expensive warranty claims that often accompany them. If Stellantis and the other automakers that have dispensed with the dipstick are retaining oil level data, they are not talking about it publicly. BMW and Mercedes-Benz refused to comment on how the data is tracked. Stellantis said oil level data for the Hurricane engine is not stored or tracked. Typical leases run three years. But powertrain warranties are usually longer. The Hurricane engine, for example, has a five-year or 60,000-mile warranty. Ignoring oil change intervals or using the wrong oil could cause problems long after the vehicle is returned at the end of the lease. Closer oil monitoring, along with strong warnings might prevent damage, such as sludge buildup that can choke off the flow of oil and destroy an engine. Some vehicles store lifetime fuel economy data. Bell said automakers could easily collect and retain a vehicle’s lifetime oil data, too: “They could gather that information for the life of the vehicle and store it on a chip.”

I still learn something new every day. The General Motors Air Transport Section (GMATS) was a corporate air service operated by General Motors to provide fast transportation for employees that needed to travel between various GM locations. By 1965, GMATS had 27 pilots, 27 co-pilots and a total staff of 230. Willow Run served as the maintenance base for its aircraft fleet: Douglas DC-3 Convair 340 Convair 580 Saab 2000 Rockwell Sabreliner Cessna Citation X Grumman Gulfstream II Gulfstream V Beechcraft Queen Air Beechcraft King Air Beechcraft King Air 200 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/General_Motors_Air_Transport .

https://www.gmdefensellc.com/site/us/en/gm-defense/home/integrated-vehicles/luv.html

Often forgotten, Ford has the money, the deep pockets, to re-enter the North American truck market at any time it pleases.........or buy out an existing NA heavy truck player.

In 1965, Mack was on the verge of bankruptcy. The board invited Zenon to come talk with them. Zenon knew the dire situation, but was excited to turn around a great company with huge potential. Alike his friend Vince Lombardi, Zenon loved challenges and wasn't a quitter.

I noted the original video link was no longer playable, so I found a new source for what I think is a very informative video on little known Ford heavy truck history. .

He was promoted by Zenon to executive VP of international sales where he did well. Before Khomeini took over in 1979, 98 percent of the trucks sold to Iran were Macks. When I ran Mack International, we averaged sales of 4,000 to 4,500 trucks per year in 1975-79 in Iran (7,000 units in 1975). At that time, Iran Drilling was one of our customers. I’m sure they’ve missed the strength, longevity and reliability of a Mack. We still have between 35,000 and 55,000 Mack trucks operating in Iran. John Curcio (August 1987) (When Iran closed its doors to American business in 1979, Mack reported a yearly loss of $60 million on truck assembly kits – the equivalent of 10 trucks per day.)

https://www.bigmacktrucks.com/topic/31725-those-hayes-clipper-100-coes/#comment-191114

Birth: May 29th, 1934 Death: June 5th, 2024 The Morning Call / June 10, 2024 John “Jack” Baptist Curcio was born on May 29, 1934, on Wyoming Street in Hazelton Pennsylvania. Born the only son of a coal miner and high school janitor, Curcio was taught by his parents, John Baptist Curcio Sr. and Bridget Slattery, a work ethic that would become his trademark throughout his life. In 1951, John, known to his family as “Jackie,” graduated from Hazelton High School, but not before meeting Rosemary Kutash, also of Hazelton, who would become his lifetime love. Their relationship would begin similar to that of “Lady and the Tramp” with ‘Jackie’ the tough street kid from the southside of town and Rosemary the quiet school valedictorian from the Northside. Family members of the couple even pointed out that Jack was given his first pair of new shoes as a gift by Rosemary’s parents, John and Connie Kutash. In 1953, Curcio joined the United States Navy where he enlisted to fight in Korea. Curcio served in the Seventh Fleet, 1st Marine Division and was wounded in battle. He was awarded the “Purple Heart” and the “Bronze Star.” He was discharged from the Active Service in 1954 but stayed in the Reserves until 1959. After returning from overseas in 1954, Curcio started what would begin his five-decade career in the trucking industry. Curcio began working for a local Hazelton trucking company “Montone Trucking,” and within five years of starting, Curcio became president of the company. Curcio’s no-nonsense business perspective and drive to succeed caught the attention of Zenon Hansen, who at that time was then the president of Mack Trucks. In 1967, Curcio moved his young family of three children to Allentown to take an executive position in Macks trucks. After four years of negative profits in the early 1980s, Jack Curcio was named the president & CEO of Mack Trucks. He quickly turned the company around, as he embodied the same ideals of a Mack truck- American tough and ‘built to last.’ In 1985, Jack Curcio was elected to the “Automotive Hall of Fame,” and named “Automotive Leader of the Year.” Flash forward to 2009, “Jack” Curcio’s dream came to fruition with the opening the “America on Wheels Museum” in Allentown. Within which, the museum documented the impressive history of Mack Trucks and the entire American Automotive. As he rose over the decades in the business arena, Curcio stayed active in many charitable endeavors. He worked tirelessly on boards such as Boy Scotts of America, Korean War Veterans Association, and Veterans of Foreign Wars. Notably, Curcio with other business leaders helped support the restoration of the Statue of Liberty, the Golden Gate Bridge and served on the primary board that built The Korean War Memorial. After his retirement, Curcio and his wife Rosemary retired to Beaufort, South Carolina, but stayed involved in many companies such as Bethlehem Steel and Mineral Technologies on their board of directors. Presiding him in death are his parents, John B and Bridget Curcio, and sisters, Joan Heck and Donna Marie Bean. Also, his first grandchild, Robyn Young and his wife of 70 years, Rosemary. He is survived by his three children, Mary Beth Reish, John William Curcio, and Kris Curcio-Porter with husband Robert; grandchildren Joshua Curcio and wife Clara, Cassandra and husband Donald, Jessica Curcio, Rachel and Emily Porter; great-grandchildren, Michael Tyler Young, Braydon Young, and Anabelle Powell. ‘Jack’ Curcio will always be known and loved through a slogan he cherished, “Built Mack Tough”. Funeral Viewing: Thursday June 13th, 5:00pm to 7:00pm at Fierro Funeral Home (26 W 2nd St, Hazleton, PA 18201) & Service: June 14th, 10:00 am at Most Precious Blood Catholic Church (131 E 4th St, Hazleton, PA) Flowers can be sent to the funeral home or donations sent in his name to The Korean War Memorial/National Park Foundation, The Marine Corp League, or Owls Nest Sanctuary for Wildlife.

A large cargo ship lost control of its engines and went nearly full throttle through Charleston harbor towards the Ravenel Bridge. https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/article/2024/jun/06/charleston-bridge-closed-ship-out-of-control

Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin said Wednesday his administration will withdraw Virginia from a plan to follow strict car emissions standards set by California. The move, which will take effect when current standards expire at the end of 2024, drew applause from gasoline and auto dealer trade groups and condemnation from Virginia Democrats and environmental groups, who said the administration was overstepping its authority. In an announcement, Youngkin said Virginia will not follow new California rules set to take effect in 2025, which mandate all new cars, trucks and SUVs sold in the state to run on electricity or hydrogen by 2035. “Once again, Virginia is declaring independence — this time from a misguided electric vehicle mandate imposed by unelected leaders nearly 3,000 miles away from the commonwealth. The idea that government should tell people what kind of car they can or can’t purchase is fundamentally wrong.”

The 2-1/2 and 5-ton FMTVs? Yes, they are.