CPG: May 2010

Sunday, May 23, 2010

Friday, May 21, 2010

For sale tires rims

235/40 ZR18 91W EXTREME ZR tires on 5 bolts fits honda accord.

Call 714 552 1919
CPG Field Reporter
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Sunday, May 9, 2010

WHY CRUISE?

Its spring and the clocks have been reset to allow more cruise time. That may not have been the original intent, but then who remembers or cares about the why of 'Daylight Savings Time'? All we know or care about is having good weather, and more time to work on and show off our rides. Some of us may opt for completing a job in the spring that could have been a winter fix but the intent remains the same and that is to get be back on the street as soon as possible.

What is it that we do when cruising that draws us back time and time again to the same spots and the same characters we like to call gear heads? And while our fellow rod enthusiasts may or may not be pounding out sheet metal Monday through Friday, they most certainly will be at the weekend gathering of rods n' mods in a local parking lot somewhere USA. As a group, car guys kid around a lot, and if the truth be known, we call each other a lot of things some of which shall remain unsaid. Whatever acronym you choose to describe yourselves the meaning remains the same; friends, cars, cruising and fun.

The question was, what is it about cruising that draws us back to the same spot, the same people and the same event time and time again? I though it out and to be honest there is no one answer. Instead it is a bunch of things, some of which are personal to the individual and some of which affect the mood of the event; after all, the idea is to get together and bench race while showing off your new parts install, modification, or newly added bling, bling.

The cruise to any event can be just another ride or depending on how adventurous you may be, one that is full of sights, sounds and people watching. For the adventurous types, try picking a different route instead of traveling the same old tired 'just get me there' streets. People watching as they watch you is part of the charm of cruising. It's always interesting to see the peoples reaction to your ride as you cruise by and sometimes rewarding as passersby give you the thumbs up. We don't cruise because we are shy and intimidated by crowds. We sign up, or show up for an event because we enjoy the attention. Come on admit it, you smile every time someone points out a wow factor or asks a question while expressing how much they like your ride. It completes us and rewards our sense of accomplishment when others take pleasure in what we have accomplished.

The other gear heads that we tend to hang with also enjoy the company of others who share our disease and pleasure at dumping our children's inheritance into a ceaseless money pit that continues to challenge us with new and different problems. You know what I'm talking about, if you're not throwing money at it your planning those trips to faraway places that make you wonder whether old Betsy will make it there in one piece and if not do you have adequate towing insurance. While I'm on the subject of old Betsy, why did you give your ride a name?

When we get to the cruise site, we fall right into shooting the bull with our peers about cars, sports, and women (not necessarily in that order) and the older you get, the more you find yourself adding food to that list. When you're not walking around admiring other cars, you sit, stand or otherwise lean on the hood or fender jacking your jaw and practice people watching and as all men do, comment on those characters that catch your eye, like the girl with the bodacious head lights. Oh, you will talk cars and parts and agree that our love of spending money on our sport can be a sickness, but what a way to go.

Getting you ride ready for the show and shine is part of it. You may ask your buddy what he used to get that chrome looking so good or how long it took him to rewire his ride and whose wire kit did he use. It's waxed and polished so you give a final dusting after you park it. And when we look at others rides we always look for the different way of doing something new to our rides. Like who fabricated that cooling system, and look at how that guy got around the header problem with rack and pinion. We want to know, what did those seats come out of and who did your paint or interior. We enjoy others rides almost as much as our own because it's a club of likeminded people who enjoy the same things we do and we don't necessarily have to hunt one another down, we simply show up at a car show and like magic they appear.

Ours is not an exclusive club but rather its inclusive, enjoying the rides and their owners but more than that the car guys that come to remember a favorite ride, or dad with kids in tow, showing them how it was done back when he was just a shave tail. Be it building hot rods, customs, rat rods, resto-mods, pro-street or whatever your fancy, we are lucky to have and meet such friends as a result of loving to bust our knuckles while rolling around on a cold garage floor all hours of the day and night, covered in grease and grime, while cursing through clenched teeth. In short, it's Disneyland for car guys complete with the thrill ride of your choice.

I've enjoyed many different cruises in my life, cruises that allowed me to get to know the car culture and enjoy the location. From the bygone era of car hops at A&W (the girls were great) to the Southern California Timing Association, Moon Eyes and Lions Drag Strip. Whether your destination was a short or long drive made no difference, what did make a difference in how much fun we had at the end of the ride and how we helped to ensure everyone got there. Cruising is not about old farts having greater discreasionary spending, rather it's all about the people that love American vintage iron.

Remember, car shows and cruising are like museums without walls, so this weekend when your favorite parking lot or burger stand is converted to a rolling museum, stop by and sample the good ol' times.

Until That Time
The Music Man