Rims

[xoxoxoBruce]

Likely they got it part way up, then when one started to tip the operator slacked off causing the whole load to transfer to the other truck and the trailer pulled them over. I don't see any outriggers deployed on either truck.

[Gravdigr]

It's got a hemi!



Yes. It was a thing.

Built during the World War II and Cold War era from 1952 to 1957 (second generation) by Chrysler, its power plant contained a newly designed FirePower Hemi V8 engine with a displacement of 331 cubic inches (5.42 l) and producing 180 horsepower (130 kW).[1]

Its six horns were each 3 feet (91 cm) long. The siren could be heard 20 to 25 miles (32 to 40 km) away, and had an output of 138 dBC (30,000) watts. They were 12 feet (3.7 m) long, built atop a quarter section of a Dodge truck chassis rail, and weighed an estimated 3 short tons (2.7 t).

In 1952, the cost of a Chrysler Air-raid Siren was $5,500[1] (equivalent to $49,011 in 2016). The United States government helped buy sirens for selected state and county law enforcement agencies. In Los Angeles County, six were placed around key locations of populated areas, and another ten were sold to other government agencies in the state of California. These "Big Red Whistles" (as they were nicknamed) only saw testing use. Some were located so remotely that they deteriorated due to lack of maintenance.

The main purpose of the siren was to warn the public in the event of a nuclear attack by the Soviets during the Cold War. The operator's job was to start the engine and bring it up to operating speed, then to pull and release the transmission handle to start the wailing signal generation. The Chrysler air raid siren produced the loudest sound ever achieved by an air raid siren.

[xoxoxoBruce]

I had one of those engines, '53 Dodge Super Red Ram, in a Plymouth. Bet my folks would swear that car was more than 138 db.

[xoxoxoBruce]

It's Gremlin...

[glatt]

My cousin had a stock Gremlin decades ago. It was surprisingly fast. I thought it would be like a Rabbit when I got in as a passenger, but it was not anything like a Rabbit. I think it had a V8?

Edit: reading the Wikipedia page and knowing my cousin's family, I doubt it had the more expensive V8 package, but apparently the 6 cylinder was plenty fast in the fairly light car.

[xoxoxoBruce]

Yeah, I bought my wife a 6 cylinder Gremlin, it certainly kept up with traffic. Just don't try any tricky maneuvers on the tall narrow tires. But with a decent set of tires, '66 Galaxy bucket seats and a decent Sony stereo, it was quite acceptable for camping trips in the Rockies. Oh, and some sound proofing behind the interior panels.

[Gravdigr]

I, too, have had the inline six, manual transmission Gremlin privilege. Pep-py.

[xoxoxoBruce]

Now that's a motorhome, roughing it in style.

[BigV]

Gremlin?

That's *MISTER* Gremlin to you and me.

W.O.W.

[xoxoxoBruce]

Anheuser-Busch pushing BEVO and Bud...

[Gravdigr]

What's with the nautical theme, I wonder?

[xoxoxoBruce]

Back before Ford decided the rabble should all drive the same black car, many of the cars were built by coach builders on chassis made by someone else. Some of the high end coachbuilders realized some of the people who could afford cars were attention whores, and one of the ways to show off wealth was their boats. First Labourdette built "skiff" bodies which at 200 lbs, were stronger and lighter than steel. Then Silver in NY picked up on it to stand out in NYC. Anheuser-Busch, with attention whoring the primary intent, bought one of Silver's cars.

[xoxoxoBruce]

Three years of work and tons of money, to make a vehicle which can't be registered and driven. Beautiful metal working, but for what?

[Carruthers]

Originally Posted by xoxoxoBruce

Three years of work and tons of money, to make a vehicle which can't be registered and driven. Beautiful metal working, but for what?

Build it out of wood! Problem solved!

Kevin Nicks converted his Volkswagen Passat into a shed which can travel at 70mph but it was thanks to his local MP, David Cameron, putting in a good work with the DVLA that he got it on the road

Gardener Kevin Nicks from Chipping Norton driving his road legal shed.

A mechanic enlisted the help of his local MP David Cameron when he made an ambitious bid to convert his car into a garden shed.

Kevin Nicks, a 51-year-old mechanic and gardener, decided to merge his two passions by transforming his Volkswagen Passat into a garden shed capable of travelling at more than 70mph.

The two-tonne drivable shed, complete with remote central locking, leather seats and air conditioning, was built for hiring and advertising, with some 20 companies expressing an interest in using the vehicle.

Gardener Kevin Nicks from Chipping Norton with his road legal shed

But Mr Nicks, who lives in a village just two miles away from Chipping Norton, the Oxfordshire town which is home to former Top Gear host Jeremy Clarkson, hit a brick wall when he tried to get a six-hour Individual Vehicle Assessment before it could be made road legal.

Frustrated by red tape which delayed his project, Mr Nicks contacted his MP, the Prime Minister David Cameron, for help to speed up the process.

Mr Nicks said: "I contacted the DVLA and I was straight up against a stone wall. They were keeping me off the road and throwing hurdles in the way. I actually built it as an advertising tool so they destroyed the business - they absolutely killed it dead."

Three days later, Mr Nicks received a hand-signed letter in the post.

Mr Cameron wrote: "Dear Mr Nicks. Thank you for writing to me about your drivable shed. It sounds like an interesting feat to convert your car into a shed, a project which I am sure took a lot of time and effort."

The Prime Minister wrote to the head of the DVLA but the project took a further four months to get off the ground.

While his new business got off to a bad start, Mr Nicks said it was "brilliant" to see people admiring the "bonkers" vehicle when he visited the supermarket.

He said: "I'm so proud to be the builder of it. When you pull up to the traffic lights it makes people smile because it just looks so wrong."

The car-turned-shed has already survived a 200-mile trip to York and has created a new world record after reaching a top speed of 70.8mph on a private airfield near York – breaking a previous record of 58.4mph by TV mechanic Edd China in 2011.

Mr Nicks said he now had plans to build more "crazy" cars, adding: "Since building it I found lots of people do crazy things to cars. I’ve got lots more ideas for equally weird vehicles. It’s just down to funding now.

Daily Telegraph.

[xoxoxoBruce]

What about the poor people he's startled into the ditch?