A GDYNETS

PUBLICATION
2015, G. DAVID
YAROS. ALL
RIGHTS RESERVED.

Car Collector
Chronicles

Volume VIII, Issue 12

Exploring:

Ca

Car Collecting Today

High RPMs

Classic Rides
Reports From the Field
Oldsmobile (1897-2004)
Cadillac (1902- )
Allant (1987-1993)

Corvair (1960-1969)

= Clickable Link

IN THIS ISSUE:
High RPMs

Car Expense Software

Sadly I Report

Whats Old is New

Again

We have had our first

snow of the winter, followed
by temps in the low-to-mid
teens. I trust all who have to
do so, did get their rides
ready for winter storage.
On that point, Hemmings Daily advised: Treating fuel with isopropyl alcohol to prevent condensation
forming in the tank. I have
never heard of this. Does
not STA-BIL marine formula accomplish this?
It also recommends the
use of a fogging solution
sprayed into the throat of
the carb For further protection. Does anyone do that?
I did find an MSDS for fogging oil to be of interest Hydrotreated heavy napthenic distillates (petroleum)
(highly refined) 67.5%

Hydrotreated light napthenic

distillates (petroleum)
(highly refined) 1.6%

Find GDYNets on the web:

CCC Forum
EMail:

OldsD88@gmail.com

Propane 8.7%, Butane 22.2%

My limited research seems

to show a consensus that
use of fogging oil for shortterm, indoor storage is a bit
of overkill.
Your thoughts?
December Automotive Milestones
12/2/1927 Model A Ford
goes on sale
12/7/1931 Last Model A produced
12/7/1950 Buick builds its
six-millionth car
12/8/1861 Wm. Durant born,
Boston, MA
12/9/1963 Studebaker
ceases production
12/13/1939 1st production
Lincoln Continental
12/15/1861 Charles Duryea
born, Canton, IL
12/17/1791 NYC creates 1st
one-way street
12/20/1868 Harvey Firestone
born, Columbia County, OH
12/20/1892 Pneumatic automobile tire patented
12/20/1951 Sears, Roebuck

& Co. debuts Kaiser-built Allstate

12/22/1900 1st car bearing
"Mercedes" name is delivered to
buyer, Emil Jellinek
12/29/1800 Charles Goodyear
born, New Haven, CT
12/30/1936 UAW strike at Fisher
Body Plant

- Merry Xmas, Happy New Year!

GDYNets on the Web

Tis the Season

December 2015

CCC -THE FORUM -A web

site to discuss the newsletter,
the hobby and our cars.
Car Collector Chronicles
Saved 62 -Our 1962 Olds
convertible, Ransom Eli Olds
and things Oldsmobile related
web site.
The Gray Lady -1955 Cadillac
Coup de Ville web site.

SAVED 62: A website devoted

to our 1962 Oldsmobile Dynamic 88 convertible. The site

also has a lot of information on
Oldsmobile cars and the company founder, Ransom Eli Olds.

THE GRAY LADY: This website features our 1955 Cadillac

Coup de Ville, lots of Caddy
information and an extensive
repair library.

DAVES DEN: -A site devoted to a myriad of interests.

Foremost is extensive information on the Steel City of Gary,
IN. There are also offerings on
steel making, U.S. Steel-Gary
Works, U.S. Marine Corps, M14
assault rifle, of course Oldsmobile, and the tragic story of the
murder of Gary, IN Police Lt.
George Yaros.

Car Collector Chronicles

Page 2

Car Expense Software

[W]hen it
comes to
computing I
prefer to be
on the trailing
edge, instead
of the leading.
Believe me, it
is far less
frustrating
and far more
safer!

I have recently gone to different hardware for all my computing activity. I cannot say
new, because I have had this different computer for more than a few years. It is a
Dell Inspiron laptop. I just did not make a lot of use of it. The switch over became vital
due to the slowness of my Dell desktop, running a Windows XP operating system. It
was taking the XP puter forever and a day to accomplish anything online, and I do
spend a whole lot (too much!) of time online.
I found it necessary to get an auxiliary keyboard for the laptop. The built-in keyboard
is not canted, did not feel right and caused me to trip on the keys. The new keyboard
and wireless mouse make the transition to the laptop a whole lot easer for an old curmudgeon like me!
The laptop runs on a Windows 7 operating system. Of course, I can upgrade it to a
Windows 10 operating system for free. I have not done so yet. That is because when it
comes to computing I prefer to be on the trailing edge, instead of the leading. Believe
me, it is far less frustrating and far more safer! By the time you read this the Mrs. shall
be using a brand new Dell laptop with the Windows 10 operating system. I will see
whether or not I like it enough to cross over?
All this is but a way of getting to the point of discussing car expense software. On my
XP OS puter I used a commercial program named Vehicle Record System (VRS
Plus). It was not expensive ($25-Home Edition), allowed tracking of 7 cars, and permitted me to record repairs, routine maintenance, auto related purchases of all types;
every expense be it license plate fees, insurance premiums, whatever; and gas mileage. I liked it and used it faithfully for all our vehicles.
The program is no longer supported, the author is nowhere to be found (he may have
moved on to that car barn in the sky for all I know?) and most troubling is the fact the
program does not run in Windows 7-Home Premium. It may work with a higher grade
of Windows 7, like Pro, but that would entail an expense far greater than the cost of the
VRS Plus program.
So, I am in search of replacement software to track all my car related activities and
expenses. If you are OCD like me in this regard, and have a favorite program for this
purpose, I would love to hear about it. Send me an email!
In my quest I have looked at, and tried, a number of programs. Some are freeware.
Others are commercial products. Maybe I am a bit picky, but I do have what I feel are a
few simple requirements. The program must compute and track gas mileage. Since
the car records mileage in tenths, the program must also do so. Since every gas receipt lists the gallons purchased out to three decimal points, I would expect the program
to have this capability. Automatically computing the cost per gallon of the fuel purchased is a plus, but not a necessity.
When it comes to services, repairs, purchases, etc. I want to be able to select the
vendor/supplier from a dropdown list that I am able to create. This eliminates having to
type in the name of the vendor/supplier every time. Likewise with respect to the nature
or category of repair, maintenance or purchase. Is it for the engine, brake system, ignition, exhaust or what?
What data needs be entered where should be intuitive. The program should then display the stored data in an easy to grasp format. I do not want to spend a whole lot of
time figuring out where to go to enter info or what information to enter once I get there.
Once I have entered the information I want it spit back to me in a meaningful manner.
What I dont need is to for the program to tell me when I need to change my oil or an
air filter. Nor do I need it to tell me a) what transmission fluid is or b) how to change my
thermostat. I am not a big fan of gauges or dials telling me the health or condition of my
car(s). They are about as useful as instrument panel idiot lights.
Is that asking or expecting too much? I did not think so, until I started searching for a
replacement for the now non-functioning Vehicle Record System Plus from K-Jon Software.

Car Collector Chronicles

Page 3

Car Expense SoftwareContd

I did look at a number of offerings. A package called Car Collector Companion is a
program I was given for review a few years ago. It has a multitude of capabilities. However, it is geared to tracking restoration of cars, not simple repair/maintenance/mileage. I
am not a restorer of cars. I am a preserver, maintainer and user.
Automotive Wolf from Lone Software looked to have potential, at first glance. You are
able to download and use the full program for free, for 30 days. If it meets your needs it is
able to be purchased for $29.95. I downloaded the trial package. When I attempted to
create an entry for my wifes daily driver, a 2013 Toyota Avalon XLE Touring, it could not
find such a car in its extensive database? I was only allowed to enter miles driven as
whole numbers; no decimal points. Gas purchases were required to be entered only up
to two decimal points. A lot of disk and screen space was taken up with telling what
needed to be done, and when. It also had the ever present vehicle health gauge.
There is one program which almost meets all my criteria. It is Car Care from SCB
Consulting. It is simple, intuitive and permits me to track gas mileage, repairs, purchases
and all other expenses. Yes, it does have those stupid idiot gauges, but I just try to ignore

[M]y wifes
daily driver, a
2013 Toyota
Avalon XLE
Touring, it
could not find
such a car in
its extensive
database?

them. What it does lack is the capabilites of recording miles in tenths and gallons in
thousandths. If it had those abilitiies I would buy this software. I do have a letter of inquiry
in to the author to see if the program may be modified to incorporate these features. We
shall see?
I am also seriously considering a
free program from Tamas Csrg.
Tamas is in Hungary. Luckily for
me, he speaks english!
His
program is mcAutoTrack ver.
5.1.0.205 . It pretty much meets
all my criteria. I have been testing
each module.
When I find a
problem I send Tamas an email.
He debugs it and sends me the
update. This process is necessary
right now as the program only went
live the last week of November. I am down to the last major problem,on which Tamas is
working. If he gets it resolved, I believe I shall go live with his software. In the interim, I
say again should you have any suggestions for an auto expense tracker, do pass it on!

Car Collector Chronicles

Page 4;;

Sadly I Report

WHIO-TV reported on 17 Nov of a fire at the Americas Packard Museum. The fire was not at the exhibit
building in Dayton, OH, but rather at a combined warehouse and restoration facility close by. It appears
the fire may have been caused by an arsonist, but that has not yet been conclusively determined. Several vintage Packard cars were destroyed in the fire. We never could count. We just knew theres a ton
of cars in the building, said Fire Battalion Chief Darrin Wiseman. What is known is that a number of irreplaceable vehicles were lost. The museum put a dollar value on the loss of at least a million dollars.

Whats Old is New Again

FROM: MyClassicGarage 07/07/15

A new day may be dawning in America for the classic car market. A bill in Congress is poised to allow
manufacturers to reproduce classic cars under new government specs. H.R. 2675 (The Low Volume Motor Vehicle Manufacturers Act) would give more people the experience of driving and owning classic cars,.
It would establish a program allowing low volume vehicle manufacturers to produce a limited number of
cars annually that address the unique safety and financial issues associated with limited production, and
direct the EPA to allow low volume vehicle manufacturers to install engines from cars that have been issued certificates of conformity. Each manufacturer would be allowed to produce up to 500 of these
limited vehicles. The cars must be drawn from a pool that qualify as classic which is 25 years and older.
This bill has a few people buzzing around the internet. Some are tickled at the thought of seeing a first
generation Challenger with all modern equipment, or even better, a Daytona powered by the Hellcat drive
train. Just the thought itself makes one a little giggly!
Flip that coin over. Some worry this will kill the classic market. Will more cars pumped into production
decrease the value of originals? The all original Mustang someone has been holding onto as their retirement fund just got a lot more affordable to everyone else. The premium goes down. Suddenly the market
crashes. This could also negatively affect businesses. Barrett-Jackson, Leake, and specialty shops
around the country suddenly find they have to compete with low volume manufacturers for market space.
Its like going from Mom & Pop Hardware to the brand new Home Depot. There will always be nostalgic
value, but if you can save more at Home Depot why spend more?.
Either way this coin gets flipped there are benefits and deficits, but at the end of the day it would be great
to see more people behind the wheel of cool cars.

Car Collector Chronicles

Page 5;;

Tis the Season

Ok, Ive had my say for the month. Now its your turn! I invite/encourage submission of
your comments, opinions and article contributions. I also ask that you please help spread
the word about our publication. Everything sent shall indeed be reviewed by me. Submissions should be sent to CCC at OldsD88@gmail.com.
Now that you have finished reading this months issue of the newsletter, if so inclined,
like CCC on Facebook by going here
_______________________________________

-- RESTORE 'EM, AND DRIVE 'EM!

COMING NEXT ISSUE:
TBD