How cars went from boxy to curvy

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I confess I’ve spent more time thinking about cars/trucks in the last six months than in the rest of my adult life combined. No idea why. But when my Land Rover fixation took hold back in May, it was the look of the trucks that grabbed me. And if there is a more boxy vehicle than the Land Rover, I haven’t seen it yet.

These days I’m more apt to notice other vehicles and I’m struck by the similarity… and the “roundness” of the designs. This short video explains how this came to be and why it isn’t likely to change anytime soon.

1993 Chevy (Geo) Tracker LSi

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One of the coffee shop regulars pulled up in this little beauty today. The interior is… snug.

The Chevrolet Tracker, formerly the Geo Tracker, is a mini SUV produced for Chevrolet and Geo by CAMI Automotive in Ingersoll, Ontario. Although appearing as a compact SUV, the Tracker was actually certified as a Light truck due to its off-road capabilities. The Tracker was produced under many brands in several different editions and in many countries.

Color prints from Walgreen’s: Good, fast and inexpensive

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I was never one to want or need prints of digital photos. Back in the day the print quality was too poor to bother with (unless you purchased an insanely expensive printer) and the consumables were expensive and it was just more trouble than it was worth. And once it got easy to share photos online, why both printing?

But for some reason I got a hankering to have some prints of the ‘new’ truck so I headed for Walgreen’s where I printed out half a dozen 4×6 prints (and one 5×7). Cost less than 50 cents a print and they were as good as anything I ever had commercially printed. Can’t see any reason (for me) to own and high-end color printer.

Land Rover: Interior

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When it rolled off the assembly line in 1979, I think there were three seats in the cab (and they weren’t comfy bucket seats like these). The middle seat has been replaced with a storage compartment.

The floor of the tub (rear part of the truck) is covered with a rubber-like material. When it gets muddy, hose it out. I’m not fond of the rear seats and will replace those with simple pads (no back).

The longer, black lever with the white tip is the parking brake. The yellow knob engages four wheel drive when you push it down. And the red shifter engages the Low Ratio gear. Also known to some as “momma low.” The black box with hoses coming out the sides is the heater. Three settings: to the windscreen; to the floor; or to both.

If that steering wheel looks bigger than what you’re used to, it is. No power steering on this baby so you need that big wheel.

Land Rover: Engine

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Here are a few shots of the engine. No, I cannot name all of the parts –let alone work on them– but one of my goals is to be able to identify each part and understand what it does.

As for that “Overseas Land Rover Owners Club,” no idea. If I had to guess it was on the truck before restoration and the guys just put it back on.