The installation of this subwoofer enclosure is quite simple, no cutting or drilling necessary, only 2 bolts and 2 nuts, mounting in factory locations, and only takes about a half hour. This enclosure is sold empty, meaning a complete system requires the purchase of a 12” subwoofer and an amplifier.

In the lastest press release, a few of the juicy details were sent out, teasing us photogs, leaving us wanting more-
October 1, 2009
The new Mamiya DM56 and DM33 deliver an unprecedented range of options to photographers, resulting in the most versatile medium format DSLR series available.

With these two new models, Mamiya photographers can take advantage of record high flash-sync speeds up to 1/1600 per second via three new Mamiya leaf-shutter digital lenses. Designed and developed in conjunction with Schneider Kreuznach, and manufactured by Mamiya, the 55mm f/2.8 D L/S, 80mm f/2.8 D L/S, and 110mm f/2.8 S L/S will begin shipping in Q4, 2009.

For other shooting situations, photographers may choose from Mamiya’s current 645AF series lenses, ranging from 28mm to 300mm APO, all compatible for use with the cameras’ focal plane shutter. Combined with 30% faster autofocus, the Mamiya DM56 and DM33 set a new professional DSLR standard for the most demanding situations.

Software solutions for Raw file processing are provided with the cameras, including new versions of Leaf Capture™, and Capture One™ software by Phase One, allowing photographers their choice of workflow from the industry leaders.

Sounds pretty good right? You can even send the images taken from your new Mamiya DSLR directly to a computer (like all the fancy studio photogs do) or to iPhones around the world (albeit in a smaller image size). The size of a 28-megapixel RAW image is 54 megabytes. dang.

The price to get into the realm of bad-ass Mamiya DM56? Well, they have not let us know that part yet, but the last medium-format DSLR from Mamiya (Oct 2008) require a payment of $14,999. Yeah, that’s 15-thousand DOLLARS for a camera. You still have to buy a lens too.

It's just how I roll

I move to the beat of a different drum. When most people move left, I move north. I just don’t try to fit in anymore. As a kid, that was the thing, you try to shape yourself to fit the mold that was “cool” or popular, so that you would have friends and to get along. I tried for a while, but eventually, I realized I was just different. I drive a muscle car. Not too outside of the box right? Well it’s a 1971 Buick GS convertible. One of only 656 built. It is powered by a 400-hp Buick 350, definitely not your average small-block Chevy, getting that 400-hp took thousands of dollars more than it would take to get 500-600 out of an 350 Chevy. Everything about that car is different, even the Buick 350 is out of the box. Most guys that do build Buicks go for the bigger 455.

The point is that you don’t have to be the same as everyone else. Even building a car, you can take something that is different and build a tuner, hot rod or cruiser and make it your own. What makes my car stand out is the fact that it is a Buick and not a Chevelle, Camaro or Mustang, not that there is anything wrong with those cars.

The point is that you should take what you have, make it your own and not care what others think. It’s yours, build it the way you want it.

Lined up in the burnout box for grudge match with my buddies TA. he won. this time.

Drag racing is fun. Lots of fun. Especially if you can do it on the cheap and have grudge matches against your friends. That is what this weekend was all about for me. I spent Friday putting in a new set of 4.11:1 gears in the GS (my 1971 Buick GS convertible), which was finished around 2 am, and then headed to the track 80-miles away the next day. I have not had the car on the track since it has been completed (400hp motor, fresh everything, complete build, took 4 years) and I was excited to get it going. The first run of the day was kind of lame, but I had literally just driven 80 miles and ran through the lanes and made a pass. 15.11. Ouch. All that hard work and a 15.11? Ugh. I was a little miffed.

I spent the rest of the day chasing low 14s, even though i had been hoping for 13s. Things like this are to be expected, even though we never really expect them. I made a few adjustments along the way- aired down the tires, less air means better contact patch for the rubber. That got me down to the 14s with a 14.88. My 60-foot times sucked. They sucked all night actually. The main problem there is lousy traction. Street tires are unpredictable, sometimes they work ok, sometimes they don’t, though they usually don’t work too well.

After getting into the 14s, I made some shifting adjustments. Before I was shifting at 5500 rpm. This time I went for 5800. That worked out well as I managed a 14.60 ET at 91 miles per hour. We were getting closer to the 13s.

I made another pass, but short shifted the 1-2 shift at 4500 for some reason. That was not good, my ET slowed to 15.08. Had to let it cool down and there was a big wait for a burnout contest and some Pro Mod qualifying runs for competition the next day. During this time, we made a couple of changes. Mainly, we added some timing to the engine. Before we were at 32 degrees total timing, so we took it up to 38 degrees. The car seemed to respond well, no dieseling or hard starting. We did have to tweak the idle though.

The last runs came as the sun went down. We had a mess up in the burnout box, I was not allowed a burnout, though I had rolled through the water box. This made my tires wet AND they were cold, so when I launched, I just sat there, smoking tires. I drove right back to the staging lanes.

This run would be the last of the evening. After a nice solid burnout (the tires really seemed to like the extra heat and got nice and sticky), I staged and cut the best reaction light of the day, a .546 (half a second, a .5 is considered perfect). My 60-foot times were not great at 2.26, but overall the run went well. I spun the motor to 6200 rpm for the 1-2 shift and felt it start to ease up around 5800 for the 2-3 shift. Running through the traps at 94.6 MPH, I had made 14.41 run. Pretty good for the first day out and only minor tweaks. The problem came as I was driving back on the return road. I smelled antifreeze and looked out to seem steam start pouring out of the engine. I had already been nervous about making a 6200 shift, and thought I blew something serious. All I did was throw the water pump belt around 6000 RPM and it overheated. That was probably part of the nose-over at 5800. This would have likely been a 14.3 or even 14.2 run if it hadn’t overheated.

I pulled to the pits as quickly as I could and let it cool. I rolled the belt back on, filled it up with water and aired up the tires and drove it home with the engine staying dead-on 160 degrees. No overheating or other hiccups.

In all, I spent about $100 including gas, food and the entry fee of $20 to make 12 passes and learn a little more about my car. While not insanely fast, it looks great and runs pretty dang good for a heavy full-street trim muscle car sitting on 20s. Next trip out will likely be on slicks or drag radials. I know there is a 13-second run in there on street tires if I can find the traction.

When it comes to the automotive hobbyist industry as a whole, encompassing everything from rodders and tuners to restorations and show cars, there is a lot of animosity on the inside. Cruise a muscle car through a group of old-school hot rodders or tuner cars and you will get griped at. Don’t even think about trying to park a Honda between to a ’69 Camaro and ’71 Challenger, it might not be drivable when you come back. But is it necessary? Of course, it isn’t, but this is the difference between fans and fanatics.

Back in the early ‘90s, when I got my start in car audio, things were a little more crazy than they are these days. If you had Rockford Fosgate, Alpine or Phoenix Gold gear, you hung out with guys that had the same gear. You certainly didn’t mix and match your gear. Today, everything is jumbled up and there is a lot less hatin’ going on in the parking lot.

Most of the time, I would say that being a fanatic is a bad thing. Religious fanatics, political fanatics, they really just cause trouble for the rest of us normals. Being a car audio fanatic doesn’t hurt anybody, as a matter of fact, it is actually helpful. Being a car audio fanatic means buying more gear. Spreading the word about building better car audio systems, impromptu sound-offs in parking lots and at stoplights. Being a car audio fanatic is more than just dropping some subs in your trunk, it is a lifestyle, one that you have to be proud of and display to everyone.

I am not saying that you should cruise around neighborhoods at 11pm with the bass booming, waking everyone within 3 miles, that just give the rest of us a bad name. Instead, take it to the high-school parking lot, the cruise nights and the football games. Find a car audio competition and enter. Get involved and show them that you are true fanatic. Oh, and toss that iPod and buy some real CDs, they sound better (had to say it!)

While GPS tracking devices such as Lowjack have been around for quite a while, they are expensive and must be installed in the vehicle. There are alternatives that allow you to purchase a single device that remains portable, it can be transferred from one vehicle to another, and some devices are even useable in briefcases, backpacks and laptop cases. Using what is classified as A-GPS or Asssisted GPS, these new devices use both satellite-based and cellular-based tracking functions.

GPS Snitch- this device is mainly designed for automotive use. About the size of a pack of cigarettes, the Snitch is easily concealed under a seat, in the glove box or under the dash.

The GPS-Snitch device has unique alarm feature, which allows you to set the device, arm it and if the vehicle is moved, the tacking center sends you a text or email. This function is extremely useful for local car shows, cruise nights or other outings where you might leave the vehicle unattended. The Snitch can be had for $299 direct from the manufacturer.

Zoombak- This unit is much smaller than the GPS snitch. About the size of 20-stick pack of gum, the Zoombak is easily concealed by itself or in the non-descript zipper pouch. Also rechargeable, the Zoombak vehicle pack comes with a wall charger and a car charger, so leaving it the vehicle is even easier. The Zoombak does not have the alarm feature like the Snitch, but it is also much smaller and a little less expensive at $249 MSRP.

Though the placement may hinder the pin-point accuracy (under the seat yielded a one-block difference in position in our tests), the results are pretty impressive. With the track feature of the subscription service (required by both, starting at $14.99\month for the Snitch, and 9.99\month for the Zoombak), we were able to track our car to within a few feet, easily good enough for the police to find your car and the thief that took it. You can also use the tracking functions to keep tabs on Junior while out for the prom, even minding his speed. You can even create safety zones, a software-based boundary that, when crossed, will send out an alert, so you know if the vehicle has traveled outside the boundary.

Both of these portable devices, use a built-in rechargeable battery that last about 5 hours. If you want\need to leave the device in you can hardwire the plug to the car, letting the unit draw its power from the vehicle. You can always buy plug pigtails from the local electronics parts store for multiple cars. The Zoombak comes with the car charger, while the Snitch car charger is an added accessory.

With inexpensive options like these, you can easily give yourself some satisfaction in knowing that if your ride is stolen, you can get it back, and put the person responsible in prison.

For reference, my 8-year-old is standing next to it. He stands right at 4' 2". The car sits on the floor, its not lifted ar all. Powered by a 707 cubic-inch straight 6, the Limited had over 60 whole horsepower

During my recent visit to the GM Heritage Center in Dearborn, Michigan, I got a chance to see some really cool cars. One of which inspired this post. Donks are semi-cool. In case you do not know, a Donk is a full-size sedan or coupe with 24-inch or larger wheels. The box and bubble variants are basically the same, just different years\styles. You see these things crusing in the bigger cities, with jacked up suspensions (to the point of being truly unsafe) and painted with crazy paint schemes. When in Atlanta a couple of years ago, I even saw a McDonalds-sponsored Donk.

Back to the Oldmosbile. In 1911, Oldsmobile was still a seperate company, it was not part of GM. Oldsmobile was a true luxury car, like Mercedes and Duesenberg. The 1911 Oldsmobile Limited was the largest car ever built in America, and in its day was a behemoth. If you thought a 1976 Olds 98 was a land yacht, this thing is a battle cruiser. The 42-inch rims (all wood baby!) and brass trim really set the Limited off as an imposing yet elegant ride. This whip was available as a roadster, touring car (pictured), and limosine (yes, they got bigger). Built over a three-year run, just under 700 were produced. Worth well over 1-million dollars today, Oldsmobile has owned this all-original Limited since the ’30s.

Any guesses on the original sticker price? For comparison, the 1911 Model T Runabout sold for around $680 new. The Oldsmobile Limited would run you between $5,000 to $7,000 greenbacks. Holy pocketbook Batman, that is a lot cash. Adjusting for inflation, $5k in 1911 would be $114,150.68 in 2008 (closest I could get). If you were a Baron of industry (railroad, oil, newspaper, real estate, etc) this was THE car to have.

There you have it, the first donk was an Oldsmobile, built in 1911

Just because I could

The Woodward Dream Cruise is hands down the coolest car event ever. This year marked my first visit to the world’s largest single-day car event and it will not be the last. We arrived in Detroit on Thursday, and after checking into the hotel and having some dinner, we decided to take the 15-minute drive to Woodward Ave. to get the lay of the land. Little did I know that starting in April, Woodward is loaded with locals cruising, and only gets more packed heading up to the fabled cruise event.

Thursday evening was not so packed that we couldn’t actually drive. There were sections of the road that slowed to a snails pace, and then it would open up and you had some full-tilt drag races going on. I partook in one such race, against a ’70 SS Chevelle, it was so much fun. We didn’t get much over 80, but it was amazing. Special Thanks to Chrysler for providing me with the 2009 Dodge Challenger SRT8.

On Friday, things got a lot heavier. The traffic was thick with muscle cars, hot rods and classics. Woodward is a major artery to the small townships it runs through, so there is a lot of non-cruise traffic. You know that those non-cruisers were freaking out for getting caught in one of the 1.5-mile stretches where there are no intersections and it takes over an hour to travel a mile. The Challenger got decent gas mileage except in those gridlocked sections, it went down to 7 MPGs at one point.

One of my magazine editors told me “Woodward is insane”; he said, “If you sit in one spot long enough, you will see every type of car ever built”. It sounds crazy, but is very true. We saw Bugattis, Lamborghinis, Ferraris, ultra-rare classics, and even several vintage race cars. This is in addition to the tons of classics muscle cars like Chevelles, Buick GSs, Camaros, and Mustangs. The original Monkee Mobile and Ecto1 (from the Ghostbusters) cars were cruising Woodward too. Seriously, this place is just insane.

Being Mecca for most gearheads, Woodward Ave. is a legend, and from what I saw, it all has to be true. The people were incredible, the cars amazing and fun times were had by all. There were very few breakdowns and only 1 fight (that we know of). The cops even let us have some fun in Royal Oak with the exhibitions of speed and burnouts.

On Saturday, the cruise changed. There were fewer cars crusing in total, but the ratio of classics to daily driver cars changed. There seemed to be a few more daily driver cars out cruising than the classics. Most of the street machines were parked along the road. Understandably, since at several times the cruise was nothing but a parking lot. It took us an hour to travel 1/2-a-mile at one point.

What I like about the Woodward cruise is that this is an open public event. You don’t have to register and pay an entry fee. They don’t kick you out if they don’t like your car. Anybody can be a part of the event and have fun. This is what makes this event better than every other cruise in the country, that and it takes place on the most legendary strip of asphalt in the world. We saw kids in the back of an Avalanche sitting in a tarp filled with water for a makeshift pool (the “U tha man” kids), crazy cutsom cars, and a pair of cigar-smoking college students cruising in a Prius.

Seriously, this is cool. and weird.

This year was host to around 1.5 million people, over 40,000 cars. My family and I spent three days in Detroit and are planning to spend a little more time next year. Hope to see you there.

Traveling on vacations and such with children is much different than it was just 10 or 15 years ago. Since then, the entire world has changed. Mobile DVD, satellite TV, and now wireless internet are all available in just about any new car, and can be retrofitted into just about any vehicle. While it certainly makes a long trip more relaxing, it does take a little away from the whole experience. As a kid, my family always took two long summer vacations, at least a week at a time. We went to Colorado at least once, and sometimes twice. I would have loved to have had something to do, a video game, watch movies, anything to pass the time. The speed limit was 55, so it took several more hours to get there than it does now, where driving 75 is no problem.

What I got instead of an easy way to pass the time was long talks with my older sister, learning to play road games with my family and a little bonding time. Sure, it could be boring, just sitting there for hours through the middle of the night (my parents never stopped for a hotel halfway through, we always drove straight there, maybe grabbing some rest for a couple of hours at a noisy rest area), but I got to listen to lots of talk radio. My favorites were the classic radio shows from before the days of television, you could usually catch one around 10 or 11 on an A.M. station. And when there was nothing on or nothing to talk about, you could always look outside and watch the scenery change. I have always been fascinated by how you can cross a state line and instantly see differences in the landscape. Whether it’s how the road changes, the rest areas, or how houses and architecture is different, you learn a lot about the world around you. I have always paid attention to the area around me. I can still find my way around a place I visited as a kid, though I have not been there in years.

This trip to Detroit is really exciting, because I have never been to that part of the country, so it will all be new. I must say thank the Lord for GPS when it comes to that.

Today, you can still do the same things. Satellite radio has a classic radio channel that plays nothing but older radio shows. Couple that with comedy channels, kids channels and all the talk channels you can handle, there are a lot of options for sharing experiences with your kids. While the kids are young, it’s a little more difficult to turn the TV off though. They just are not interested in talk radio, and the comedy stations are either adult-oriented or so bland it just isn’t very funny.

You would think that having three sets of wireless headphones and all the Nick, Disney and Cartoon Network the kids can handle would have a positive effect on the volume coming from the rear seat. Having their attention directed to the twin 9” TV screen hanging from the roof of the Grand Caravan should keep the chatter to a minimum. The problem is that they are still kids. Kids that like to touch their siblings to annoy them. Kids that can always find something to make noise over. While every parent has had to deal with this, add headphones and you have another issue- the volume. Instead of simply saying “he’s touching me!” its “HE’S TOUCHING ME!!” because they talk much louder with the headphones on. Sometimes technology just makes things louder.

While on a test run with the new van, the kids had the TV on, and we had the sound playing through the van’s speakers. My wife and I didn’t recognize the show (the front video screen doesn’t display the video while driving) and we asked the kids what show they were watching. Sometimes Cartoon Network plays Adult Swim (a series of adult-themed cartoons) in the evenings, which is not suitable for young children. My oldest was looking for the remote control so he could bring up the info for the show.

“What does it look like?” I queried about the show.

My daughter, age 6 replied very matter of fact “it’s black, small and has white buttons”.

My wife and I started laughing our heads off. It was a classic comedic moment.

If there is any point to this post, it would have to be this- do not let modern convenience get in the way of spending time together. Just because you are in the car together doesn’t mean you are interacting with each other. Plan some time to turn the TV and radio off. Teach your kids how to play SlugBug, I Spy, Collect License Plates, and other classic road games. Your children will remember it forever and it will bring you closer together. And hey, if you need some ideas, just use your mobile WiFi connection to look up some road games.

As my family and I are headed to Detroit for the Woodward Dream Cruise, we are discovering the fantastic level of technology loaded in this car. Chrysler lent me the vehicle specifically for this trip, to get an idea of what Chrysler has to offer. I have to say, it is impressive to say the least.

Starting with the 4.0 liter V6 and 6-speed automatic, this minivan hauls. I am certainly not going to sit here and tell you that a minivan is super quick, nimble or any of that, but when you tell it to go, it growls back and pushes down the road. We had no trouble passing on the highway, doing well over the posted limits (I may be driving a minivan, but I am still a gearhead). The best thing about it is that the exhaust is whisper quiet until you floor, it actually sounds like a car with some balls, and it likes showing them. Full-throttle blasts down the interstate are met with ease, the van does not sound like it is straining. For a minivan, its pretty fun.

Features and amenities are quite lavish in the SXT. Dual sliding power rear doors, power hatch, sunroof, and the rear side windows roll down. The Stow-N-Go seating is really nice, a push of a button and the rear seats lay down flat. Dual A\C controls for the front passengers and rear A\C for the back makes trips easier. I like it blasting full cold, but my wife and kids do not, so I don’t have to fight with them over that.

All of these features are nice but where this thing really shines is in the entertainment features. Holy crap this van has it all. Dual (as in two) rear dvd 9” fold-down screens with IR headphones, one for the middle and one for the rear seating. The system is controlled via the remote or the Uconnect DVD screen head unit in the dash. The head unit has full Bluetooth connectivity, with navigation and a built-in hard drive for all your music. An iPod connector in the glovebox lets you go direct (if you are into that whole iPod fad). Sirius\XM satellite radio is included.

Sounds good right?– we are only getting started. The two rear TVs are wired to the Sirius TV system. My kids are watching Spongebob on Nickelodeon while the wife and I are listening to some music we loaded to the hard drive. Actual TV streaming into the car without a big ugly antenna on the roof, it is all coming through the Sirius TV antenna, which is hidden under the roof. Once my kids discovered the live TV, they were spoiled forever. Going back to my 2008 Chevy Uplander is not going to be easy.

I have saved the coolest piece of technology for last. Upon receiving the Grand Caravan, I noticed a black box with two antennas. Further inspection proved correct, this sucker is loaded with the latest in Mopar features, the AutoNet mobile WiFi system. Utilizing the nationwide 3G cellular network, the AutoNet system provides the occupants with full internet capability anywhere in the US. Not sure where your hotel is? Type it and get the address. Send email, surf the web, post to your blog all from the comfort of the heated leather seats of the most technologically advanced minivan in the world.  The fact that I am posting this while cruising up Route 66 on our way to our first stop, St. Louis, is pretty damn cool.