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Speaker 1: Ron an Anian. You know it's Friday the thirteenth when

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Speaker 1: you go to take the plastic plug out the top

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Speaker 1: of the trends and it snaps the Car Doctor. Twenty

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Speaker 1: years ago it wasn't as important, but nowadays vehicles are

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Speaker 1: just big rolling computers, and you've got to be sure

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Speaker 1: that the jump pack when you isn't going to hurt

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Speaker 1: the electronics. Welcome to the radio home of ron and Anian,

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Speaker 1: the Car Doctor, since this is where car owners the

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Speaker 1: world overturned to for their definitive opinion on automotive repair.

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Speaker 1: If your mechanics giving you a busy signal, pick up

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Speaker 1: the phone and call in. The garage doors are open,

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Speaker 1: but I am here to take your calls at eight

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Speaker 1: five five and now he running. Hey, welcome to the

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Speaker 1: best automotive talk radio running any in. The Car Doctor

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Speaker 1: at your service. A lot going on in the next

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Speaker 1: couple of hours. We're gonna be talking to Mike Muller

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Speaker 1: uh To in this next hour with his comments and

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Speaker 1: how did he come to write the book, The Complete

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Speaker 1: Book of Corvette. We're giving away a copy of the

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Speaker 1: Complete Book of Corvette next weekend, so you want to

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Speaker 1: be sure you're here for that. As well, if you're

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Speaker 1: into Corvettes, if you've got someone that's into Corvette's holiday

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Speaker 1: gift giving, that kind of thing. We're trying to help,

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Speaker 1: and that's what the Car Doctor is all about. We

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Speaker 1: want to help. We're gonna take that week I just

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Speaker 1: spent in the shop that I have for the past well,

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Speaker 1: let's see, I've spent every weekend the shop for the

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Speaker 1: past forty five years. We're gonna convert that into this

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Speaker 1: radio show over the next couple of hours. So stick around,

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Speaker 1: you're gonna hear us talking all about cars. Let's get

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Speaker 1: over to Gary in Pennsylvania. Let's start off right off

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Speaker 1: the bat and kick the garage doors open. Oh for

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Speaker 1: a Nissan Pathfinder. Gary. Welcome to the Car Doctor, sir,

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Speaker 1: How can I help? Hey, Ron, how are you thanks

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Speaker 1: taking my call? You're very welcome. What's cooking? Yeah, I'm

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Speaker 1: doing it fine. Um, Well, I've got this two thousand

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Speaker 1: Nissan Pathfinder and you know, it's great vehicle, great shape,

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Speaker 1: a hundred ten thousand miles. But the exhaust system starting

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Speaker 1: to show its age, so um, you know, it's really

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Speaker 1: kind of I've got I had by pipe crack that's

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Speaker 1: now been sleeved, but the mufflers starting to come apart

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Speaker 1: and deal eminate and having it's time for a new system.

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Speaker 1: And I've been researching things on the internet and everybody

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Speaker 1: makes it claim that their lifetime warranty, great product, but

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Speaker 1: you know how that goes. So I didn't know in

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Speaker 1: your experience do you have. I'm not looking for performance enhancements.

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Speaker 1: I'm not looking to change the sound of the vehicle.

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Speaker 1: I just want a replacement system that's gonna last. So

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Speaker 1: let's let's let's come at this from the prices, no

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Speaker 1: reasonable object conversation and that we can work it down

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Speaker 1: from there. All right, Carrie, Um, this is this is

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Speaker 1: an O four or a two thousand, which is not

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Speaker 1: that it really matters a whole lot of its four.

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Speaker 1: It's an No. Four. So this is an No. Four.

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Speaker 1: So it's sixteen years old, seventeen model years old. So

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Speaker 1: original exhaust. I'm sure. Look how long it lasted, right

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Speaker 1: And if you if you price a typical aftermarket exhausted

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Speaker 1: by that, I mean some of the companies that are

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Speaker 1: making illuminized pipes, you would probably have changed that exhaust

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Speaker 1: system by now. You would have changed that exhaust system

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Speaker 1: four or five times, because my experience has been the

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Speaker 1: aftermarket versions of illuminized pipe exhaust systems, which you know,

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Speaker 1: meets the needs of some people. They're keeping the car

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Speaker 1: for another two to four years. That replacement system will

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Speaker 1: last two to four years, and it sort of gets

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Speaker 1: them through that moment. If you're thinking long term, you know,

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Speaker 1: if it's still available, you have to go talk to Nissan,

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Speaker 1: but you have to ask the right questions. First question

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Speaker 1: being is is the Nissan replacement system stainless steel? Because

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Speaker 1: I can almost guarantee you that original system you've got

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Speaker 1: is stainless steel. It's probably stainless with an exhaust flans

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Speaker 1: that's just regular stamp steel. That's what they seem to do.

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Speaker 1: And it's probably breaking at the flanges. And then the shield,

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Speaker 1: the heat shield that goes around the big giant muffler

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Speaker 1: has start it to rott and it's sort of curled

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Speaker 1: up like an ear of corn would peel. Correct, it's

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Speaker 1: just starting to peel itself. Yeah, yeah, yeah, that's that's

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Speaker 1: pretty much exactly what I've got. Yeah. Um, And the

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Speaker 1: thing is it's nice, you know, the aftermarket will have

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Speaker 1: to have a reasonable replacement for it, but you know,

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Speaker 1: it's it's it's you're gonna get two and a half

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Speaker 1: three years out of it, depending on how you drive,

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Speaker 1: and and that's okay. They'll they'll they'll give you a

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Speaker 1: limited lifetime warranty, but you know, how many times do

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Speaker 1: you want to change it? And that's well. And I've

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Speaker 1: seen in some cases where the limited warranty is only

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Speaker 1: only covers manufacturing defects. It doesn't cover rust and corrosion, right,

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Speaker 1: and it may only or it or it may cover

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Speaker 1: the muffler not the pipes. And now, but you know,

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Speaker 1: then we have to have this conversation. So you'll go

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Speaker 1: price that system out of Nissan, and if that is real,

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Speaker 1: Nissan exhausted by that, I mean Nissan, like a lot

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Speaker 1: of the manufacturers, has come out with their own economy

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Speaker 1: version of exhaust. They're trying to, you know, lay part

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Speaker 1: of the aftermarket the because most people don't think the

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Speaker 1: way you're thinking. To be honest, most people are how

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Speaker 1: cheap can I get an exhaust system? Not how good?

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Speaker 1: All right? And that's the difference. So that exhaust system

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Speaker 1: from Nissan stainless steel, depending upon how much of it

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Speaker 1: you're buying, I'll say from the converter back not counting

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Speaker 1: the converters, could be twelve to just in parts. All right, Yeah,

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Speaker 1: and uh, I've got it. I've got a good friend

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Speaker 1: called John Opo is a highly credential GM Tech and

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Speaker 1: he looks after our vehicles, even though none of them

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Speaker 1: are GM. But he's the one advised me. He said,

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Speaker 1: stick with the exhaust, the original exhaust as long as

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Speaker 1: you can, because it's going to be better than anything

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Speaker 1: you're going to replace it, right and I and I

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Speaker 1: agree with that. If you're in this, if you're in

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Speaker 1: this for the long haul, Gary, then yeah, while you

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Speaker 1: can still get it. But my point is, I don't

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Speaker 1: know if Nissan still has that system available at that

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Speaker 1: same level as what they originally sold you. Yeah, so

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Speaker 1: you think they could have something that's lower quality versus

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Speaker 1: the original. You could be buying a Nissan branded illuminized

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Speaker 1: exhaust pipe, same thing. You could be buying the exact

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Speaker 1: same thing. And that's why your question to Nissan has

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Speaker 1: to be is this a stainless system or is this

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Speaker 1: illuminized pipe? And I'm willing to bet it's going to

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Speaker 1: be illuminized pipe. I don't think it's going to be

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Speaker 1: the tried and true what you're expecting, because I know

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Speaker 1: what you're looking for. And Nissan, I've I've had this

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Speaker 1: experience with them more than once where and I'll have

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Speaker 1: this exact conversation with customers where you know, we want exhausted,

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Speaker 1: we want the best, so on and so forth. And

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Speaker 1: my numbers probably aren't wrong. It's probably twelve tollars for

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Speaker 1: the white pipe, the muffler and the axle pipe. And

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Speaker 1: you know, and haven't help you if you need catalytic converters,

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Speaker 1: they're easily eight nine a piece depending upon which version pathfinder.

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Speaker 1: This is. So, but um, Monday, you know it's mon day.

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Speaker 1: Let's make a call to the Nissan store, stopped by

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Speaker 1: the dealership, tell them what you're looking for. You just

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Speaker 1: want to buy parts. And then as the parts guy

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Speaker 1: is this this, and you'll know right away if that

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Speaker 1: Nissan exhaust system is you know, five dollars worth of

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Speaker 1: widgets insteads worth of widgets. No way, that's stainless, and

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Speaker 1: you'll know what you're getting. Well, I've seen some of them,

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Speaker 1: and I've been poking around on the internet and I

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Speaker 1: Walker for example, Walker makes a stainless steel exhaust for

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Speaker 1: this vehicle. But again, you know, I mean, there's four

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Speaker 1: or nine stainless and you're you know, you're more knowledgeable

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Speaker 1: about this than I am. But you know, I'm seeing

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Speaker 1: some of these things out there. But I realized there's

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Speaker 1: different qualities of stainless steel too, and I you know,

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Speaker 1: and I think if I can, I think your advice

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Speaker 1: is great. If I can get what I have now

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Speaker 1: in and replace it with that, I think that's what

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Speaker 1: I'd probably be best doing. But but you know also

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Speaker 1: that don't don't overthink it. Well, if you can't get that,

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Speaker 1: then then you've got to the side. Do you want

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Speaker 1: to try and find Do you want to try the

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Speaker 1: aftermarket version of stainless for that car? That's not a

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Speaker 1: bad idea. You have to look at cost factor. You've

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Speaker 1: got to look at you know, how easily does this

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Speaker 1: come apart? Does the aftermarket version have the correct hangers,

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Speaker 1: shields and brackets? Because I can tell you right now, well,

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Speaker 1: they say they do, trust me, They say they do somehow,

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Speaker 1: And I will say this Walker has gotten better. I'll

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Speaker 1: use your example because you name them. Walker has gotten better,

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Speaker 1: all right. They do make a better system today than

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Speaker 1: they did just five years ago. Five years ago, it

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Speaker 1: was put it on, heat it up, bend it, bang it,

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Speaker 1: and make it fit. But just look at this particular system.

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Speaker 1: Their version of that front pipe where the heat shield

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Speaker 1: is is going to be. They've just got some tabs

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Speaker 1: well that that they expect you to be able to

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Speaker 1: remove your heat shields and attach them to that pipe.

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Speaker 1: We're from Nissan. I believe that heat shield is either

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Speaker 1: going to be attached to the pipe or available directly

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Speaker 1: and you can buy a new one from Nissan that

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Speaker 1: will fit that Nissan pipe. So you know, a lot

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Speaker 1: of this is homework. A lot of this is looking

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Speaker 1: at what's available, what do you have. But bottom line,

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Speaker 1: if you want something that's going to last as long,

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Speaker 1: then you really want to take a look at that

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Speaker 1: Nissan system. All right. From there, work your way down

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Speaker 1: performance system. Now, I don't think you want to go

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Speaker 1: there with this. You're looking for durability. Now, if you

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Speaker 1: do put an illuminized pipe system on from Walker or

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Speaker 1: Nissan or whoever, also consider painting the system heat paint

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Speaker 1: VHT or some other reasonable substitute. You know, they do

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Speaker 1: make some very nice paints today that are good up

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Speaker 1: to eight hundred degrees head er paint things that take

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Speaker 1: high heat painting the system every couple of months, will

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Speaker 1: you know, extend the life of it, and you know,

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Speaker 1: prevent the US and prevented from coming this way. And

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Speaker 1: sometimes that's an alternative. Sometimes you can sit there and

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Speaker 1: say a can of paint is less expensive than a

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Speaker 1: stainless steel system front to back. So that's an alternative

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Speaker 1: to good. Look at whatever you do, Gary, keep it going,

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Speaker 1: and I appreciate the call. You're thinking along the right way,

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Speaker 1: my friend. Just just go out and get some more

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Speaker 1: information and you'll be just fine. Eight five five zero

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Speaker 1: nine zero zero. Run any of the car Doctor coming

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Speaker 1: back right after this when you get keep Ron's number

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Speaker 1: hand eight five five five six zero nine zero zero

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Speaker 1: for when you really need advice on your car. Here's Robb. Hey,

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Speaker 1: let's get over and talk to Jose in Massachusetts, twelve Dodge, Durango. Jose,

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Speaker 1: Welcome to the car Doctor. How can I help? Thank you?

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Speaker 1: Thank you. I appreciate you calling you back. You're very welcome.

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Speaker 1: What's going on? Okay? I had this twenty and twelve

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Speaker 1: dogs journeyway three six and uh I've been losing and

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Speaker 1: it freezer uh uh and uh what I have to

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Speaker 1: flit up every one or two weeks. Uh, probably a

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Speaker 1: quarter or so. And what I did you know before

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Speaker 1: doing anything, take anything apart. I did a pressure chest

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Speaker 1: on the system. I put the pressure chest. I went

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Speaker 1: up thirteen to fifteen pounds, and uh, it helped for

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Speaker 1: about maybe a minute or two, and then it started

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Speaker 1: losing pressure to about five pounds. Okay, So I am

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Speaker 1: losing pressure somewhere. Okay. So if you're losing, if you're

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Speaker 1: not able to maintain pressure and you're pushing, you know,

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Speaker 1: a ten twelve pound pressure drop out somewhere, you should

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Speaker 1: see coolant puddling under this vehicle. And the only reason

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Speaker 1: I say it like that, Jose, is to start Yeah,

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Speaker 1: and I'm being fussy, but that's what I'm supposed to do.

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Speaker 1: How do we know the pressure tester is any good?

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Speaker 1: And how do we know that the connection at the

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Speaker 1: radiator cap, however you've got it connected, is a good seal?

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Speaker 1: Did you think of that? Did you test? Because if

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Speaker 1: you're not seeing coolant, and I'm not saying you don't

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Speaker 1: have a coolant league, I'm just trying to, you know,

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Speaker 1: make sure the test results are as accurate as I

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Speaker 1: can make them. Well, the test is a new test

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Speaker 1: I rented on from NAPA Auto Parts and it was

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Speaker 1: a basically new one. But where I did see after

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Speaker 1: I did this, I took a light, okay, and I

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Speaker 1: took a light and I looked, uh, with the intake

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Speaker 1: the engine black right down down under by the oil filter. Yeah,

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Speaker 1: and did a lot of anti frees here. Okay, so

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Speaker 1: you've got to you've got a coolant leak down under

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Speaker 1: the intake planum, more than likely this is the typical.

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Speaker 1: This is a three six V six right, this this

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Speaker 1: has the tried and true oil filter housing coolant leak

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Speaker 1: under the intake where you'll take the intake manifold off

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Speaker 1: that that that filter housing has to be replaced. It's

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Speaker 1: it's it's leaking somewhere from there, all right, Yeah, what

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Speaker 1: what what you can do is you can take the

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Speaker 1: intake off. I don't know that you can run the

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Speaker 1: pressure test anymore because I think you're gonna open up

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Speaker 1: a coolant port. But what you may want to do

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Speaker 1: prior to taking it apart is go back to your

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Speaker 1: Napple Auto Parts store or wherever you're going get it.

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Speaker 1: Do you have do you have the ability um to

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Speaker 1: do a cooling system die test, so you know, put

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Speaker 1: some die into the coolant, let it run, let it circulate,

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Speaker 1: don't pressure test it, just let it run by normal means.

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Speaker 1: All right, wash off, you know, take the intake off.

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Speaker 1: Let me think how we want to do this. I

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Speaker 1: want you to wash out that area under the intake

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Speaker 1: as best you can, all right, and then add the

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Speaker 1: die then you know, then run the car, then take

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Speaker 1: the intake off. I'm just trying to make it a

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Speaker 1: little easier to see because I can imagine. I know

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Speaker 1: what happens. It gets to be a pool of oil

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Speaker 1: and coolant down there. I won't be surprised if you

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Speaker 1: if you, if you went and look at you were

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Speaker 1: leaking oil as well. And those housings they do fail.

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Speaker 1: So it's uh, it's it's it's not uncommon. You're they're

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Speaker 1: gonna take a look at Chrysler. Chrysler there. Oh, I

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Speaker 1: think there are four or five bucks for the housing

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Speaker 1: assembly if I remember right. You may find it just

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Speaker 1: as a just as a casual conversation. You may want

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Speaker 1: to check Dormant Products dot com and see if Dormant

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Speaker 1: is remanufacturing that assembly yet, because they would that would

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Speaker 1: be typical of them to come up with something at

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Speaker 1: a lower cost alternative than what the manufacturers doing, because

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Speaker 1: that's a very common failure item. So you can go

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Speaker 1: on their website Dormant Products dot com, you know, go

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Speaker 1: on by your man model. Yeah, my next said, should

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Speaker 1: I go with a more part or should I go

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Speaker 1: with Aftermarcas. I've seen a lot a lot of different

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Speaker 1: people saying that, you know, even though it's gonna fail

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Speaker 1: eventually in the future, you know, and the aftermarket test

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Speaker 1: to fail sooner than the than the part. I've seen it.

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Speaker 1: I've seen it both ways. What it really comes down

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Speaker 1: to is what are your long term plans? If you're

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Speaker 1: planning to keep the vehicle for a while, that's one thing.

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Speaker 1: And then the second comment is you know what's in

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Speaker 1: the budget and you've you've got to look at price,

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Speaker 1: because I've I've seen that part out of Chrysler where

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Speaker 1: it's it's frightfully expensive on some of these models. I've

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Speaker 1: seen four and then i've seen to to fifty in

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Speaker 1: the aftermarket it's half the price, and you know that's

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Speaker 1: it's you know, if this is a six month car,

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Speaker 1: you're keeping it until the spring. I would put the

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Speaker 1: after market. Yeah, if you're keep but if you're keeping

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Speaker 1: it for a long time, you know, and again it'll

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Speaker 1: just come down to budget. What's the budget, what's the

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Speaker 1: you know, what's the long term plan for it? And

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Speaker 1: you know where do you want to go with it?

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Speaker 1: So those are the kind of things you gotta look

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Speaker 1: at all, right, kid, good luck to you. You let

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Speaker 1: me know if you have anything else, anything else I

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Speaker 1: can do for you. Like I said, add the die,

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Speaker 1: take the plan um off, and you'll know where to go.

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Speaker 1: At that point you can lay out, you know, make

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Speaker 1: sure wherever you get it from. There's a couple of

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Speaker 1: gaskets and O rings involved in the housing that you

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Speaker 1: want to make sure you get as well. And while

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Speaker 1: you're there, you might as well make plans to change

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Speaker 1: the oil too, because uh um, you know you're you're

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Speaker 1: gonna take the whole thing apart. Quite a bit of

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Speaker 1: oil in there. Don't be surprised. You'll be amazed how

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Speaker 1: much oil that holds. Let's do a couple of emails. Hey, Ron,

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Speaker 1: love the show, listening to all the podcasts, can't get enough.

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Speaker 1: Um let's see this is from Dale. Thanks for all

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Speaker 1: the information. I have a two thousand. I'm sorry, F

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Speaker 1: one fifty, and I just did an oil change, which

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Speaker 1: was really easy, really easy. I'm looking for information and

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Speaker 1: what needs to be done for chassis lube. I don't

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Speaker 1: see any grease fittings zerk fittings. Dale actually says we're

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Speaker 1: gonna find that info. You know what, Dale, there probably

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Speaker 1: aren't any grease fittings or zerk fittings as you call

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Speaker 1: it old school. Um, there there aren't any zerk fittings.

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Speaker 1: We they did away with those. We see those fewer

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Speaker 1: and fewer, less and less. Chassis grease now is common

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Speaker 1: sense stuff. Your might be greasing the chassis stops, the

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Speaker 1: steering wheel, lock the locks when you turn the wheel

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Speaker 1: full turn. You might be putting some silicon sprague uh white,

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Speaker 1: or lithium grease on certain rubber components. But beyond that,

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Speaker 1: there isn't a whole lot of chassis loubing or chassis

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Speaker 1: grease seemed to do. So it's not something that's readily

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Speaker 1: readily available or readily done anymore. Um, you know, keep

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Speaker 1: that in mind. I appreciate the thought though that you're

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Speaker 1: looking for grease fittings, but the only place you're gonna

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Speaker 1: find grease fittings is maybe on the drive shaft if

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Speaker 1: that's a four wheel drive or not. You didn't say that,

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Speaker 1: But if it's a four wheel drive, you may find

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Speaker 1: grease fittings on the shafts themselves. But beyond that, grease

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Speaker 1: fittings are gone. It lasts forever. You don't need that. Uh,

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Speaker 1: you don't need to do that anymore. Hey, Ron, listen

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Speaker 1: to your podcast all the time. I got Honday Santa Fe.

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Speaker 1: This one comes to us from Daniel. I'm guessing in

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Speaker 1: New York City. It's an n YC email. Um, I've

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00:17:35,720 --> 00:17:38,920
Speaker 1: got Honday Santa Fe. Suport two point four front leader,

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00:17:39,280 --> 00:17:42,000
Speaker 1: front wheel drive runs fine. I'm worried about carbon build

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00:17:42,040 --> 00:17:43,560
Speaker 1: up on my vals. I was thinking about putting in

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Speaker 1: an oil catch can. Would you recommend doing this? Is

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00:17:45,880 --> 00:17:48,080
Speaker 1: there a brand you recommend? You don't need to You're

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00:17:48,119 --> 00:17:50,919
Speaker 1: you're overthinking this, Daniel, You don't. There's no need for

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Speaker 1: an oil catch can. What I would do is I

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00:17:53,480 --> 00:17:55,720
Speaker 1: would start using some fuel system, and it is if

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Speaker 1: you're worried about carbon deposits, things like from Breman Briman

345
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Speaker 1: Fuel Products. You know, take a look at their website

346
00:18:02,240 --> 00:18:05,320
Speaker 1: Barman Products dot com. Uh. Definitely. Some of their fuel

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00:18:05,320 --> 00:18:08,960
Speaker 1: system cleaners with hest their high energy solving technology would

348
00:18:09,000 --> 00:18:11,959
Speaker 1: do well in maintaining and keeping carbon deposits off. An

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00:18:11,960 --> 00:18:15,600
Speaker 1: occasional fuel system cleaning appropriate for the vehicle. A seventeen

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00:18:15,640 --> 00:18:18,560
Speaker 1: hun day should be a g d I vehicle guests

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Speaker 1: lane direct injection and um, they've got the kids forward

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00:18:21,440 --> 00:18:23,840
Speaker 1: as well out of Paramann Products dot Com. But putting

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00:18:23,840 --> 00:18:28,119
Speaker 1: an oil catch can in Um, You're you're realistically going

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00:18:28,200 --> 00:18:30,400
Speaker 1: to make it more complicated than it needs to be.

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Speaker 1: No need. Hey, coming up next, Mike Mueller, everything you

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Speaker 1: wanted to know about what does it take to write

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Speaker 1: a book about corvettes? As well as several older model

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Speaker 1: lines of all that coming up, some really great stuff.

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Speaker 1: I'm on nating in the car. Doctor, don't go away,

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Speaker 1: We're back right after this. Welcome back Doctor. Our next

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Speaker 1: guest has been an automotive photo journalist since n seven.

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Speaker 1: I believe his byline talks about and he's a typical

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Speaker 1: car guy. Not it's so typical, but he's just he's

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Speaker 1: into cars of all shapes and sizes. I actually knew

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Speaker 1: him by name when the press release came across my

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Speaker 1: desk because I'm going Mike Mueller. I know this guy.

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Speaker 1: He writes books about fifty five chevyes. In Long Behold,

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Speaker 1: it was a book about Corvette. Mike, Welcome to the

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Speaker 1: Car Doctor, sir, thanks for being with us. Glad to

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Speaker 1: be here. You've written so many books. It's uh, it's

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Speaker 1: it's kind of a jazz for me to be here

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Speaker 1: talking to you. I actually have copies of your books

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Speaker 1: in the studio. Um, I'm a fifty five Chevy guy,

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Speaker 1: and I'm I've gotten more than a few of yours.

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Speaker 1: And I went, wait a minute, I know this guy.

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Speaker 1: He's written a Corvette book. Now I've got to talk

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Speaker 1: to him. This is really kind of cool. Um, So

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Speaker 1: tell me a little bit about yourself. Where where? What

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Speaker 1: what turned Mike Mueller's claw that made him a car guy?

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Speaker 1: Where did it happen? Well, if you, by chance have

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Speaker 1: a copy of the book in front of you, or

382
00:20:07,080 --> 00:20:09,919
Speaker 1: some readers out there are listeners out there due on

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Speaker 1: the acknowledgements page, there's a photo of me with my

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Speaker 1: first Corvette circa nineteen sixty. I was about two years

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Speaker 1: old and for Christmas I got a little plastic writing

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Speaker 1: Corvette and I don't remember getting it. I remember seeing

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Speaker 1: it a couple of years later, I'll bust it up.

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Speaker 1: But I guess that's where it started. So it was

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Speaker 1: that little car you got as a kid for Christmas

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Speaker 1: and isn't isn't that funny? And I guess that's where

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Speaker 1: this generation of car guys all seemed to have started.

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Speaker 1: Somebody gave us a car, or was our first experience,

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Speaker 1: or for me it was sitting on the fender while

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Speaker 1: dad worked on the car. But something when we were young, right,

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Speaker 1: and it just stuck for a long time. Yeah. One

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Speaker 1: of my earliest memories I was about four or five

397
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Speaker 1: when the sixty three sting right came out. And I

398
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Speaker 1: don't have too many vivid memories from that age, but

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Speaker 1: I do remember seeing my first sting ray on the

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Speaker 1: street as a as a young young boy and just

401
00:21:04,480 --> 00:21:08,160
Speaker 1: going wow, you know, and that that's cemented even further.

402
00:21:08,480 --> 00:21:10,439
Speaker 1: Are you disappointed you didn't try and buy more of

403
00:21:10,440 --> 00:21:14,840
Speaker 1: them when you were younger? Yea? What they're worth today?

404
00:21:14,840 --> 00:21:17,680
Speaker 1: Oh my god? Well, well, I graduated high school in

405
00:21:17,760 --> 00:21:20,560
Speaker 1: nineteen seventy six and there was still a kid driving

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Speaker 1: a sixty three Corvette convertible in a in a local

407
00:21:24,280 --> 00:21:28,040
Speaker 1: high school parking lot. Sure, Yeah, listen. I tell the

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00:21:28,080 --> 00:21:30,000
Speaker 1: story from time to time. When I was a young kid,

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Speaker 1: I worked at the horse stable down the street from

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Speaker 1: the house, and Charlie, the kid I worked with, his

411
00:21:35,560 --> 00:21:38,000
Speaker 1: father had given him. The families used Chevy to get

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Speaker 1: back and forth to the stable. It was a sixty

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Speaker 1: six two door coup with a three seven and a

414
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Speaker 1: four speed, and we used to take it out into

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Speaker 1: the horse pasture and do donuts because it was just

416
00:21:48,520 --> 00:21:51,399
Speaker 1: it was just it was it was just this old Chevy.

417
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Speaker 1: It just you know, I was all of fourteen years old.

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Speaker 1: Charlie had his license, he was seventeen, and it just

419
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Speaker 1: it just didn't mean anything. And today, you know, we

420
00:22:00,480 --> 00:22:03,359
Speaker 1: look at these things and we go, wow, so is

421
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Speaker 1: Corvette your favorite, Mike, because you've written about so many cars. Yeah,

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Speaker 1: I got to confess. I'm been an automotive journalist dating

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Speaker 1: back to my senior year at the University of Illinois.

424
00:22:15,359 --> 00:22:18,720
Speaker 1: I started freelancing in three for various magazines, and I've

425
00:22:18,800 --> 00:22:22,159
Speaker 1: I've covered everything, and I mean, I have favorites to

426
00:22:22,200 --> 00:22:24,040
Speaker 1: my heart, but I try not to be biased, and

427
00:22:24,119 --> 00:22:27,359
Speaker 1: I've owned all makes over the years. I've never picked

428
00:22:27,400 --> 00:22:29,520
Speaker 1: on well, well, maybe i've picked a lot on boards.

429
00:22:29,560 --> 00:22:34,240
Speaker 1: I've got two Mustangs right now. But um, I've covered everything.

430
00:22:34,280 --> 00:22:38,360
Speaker 1: But obviously Corvette was my first favorite and always has

431
00:22:38,400 --> 00:22:41,440
Speaker 1: been dear to my heart, and that's been well, that's

432
00:22:41,440 --> 00:22:44,159
Speaker 1: been the bulk of my bookwork. I have done Mustang books,

433
00:22:44,240 --> 00:22:46,920
Speaker 1: and in fact, this very book that you're talking about,

434
00:22:46,960 --> 00:22:50,199
Speaker 1: the Complete Book of Corvette, I have a brother to that,

435
00:22:50,320 --> 00:22:54,399
Speaker 1: the Complete Book of Book of Mustang. So and go ahead.

436
00:22:54,400 --> 00:22:56,760
Speaker 1: I'm sorry I was. I was going to say, the

437
00:22:56,840 --> 00:22:59,600
Speaker 1: picture work that you've done in the Complete Book of

438
00:22:59,600 --> 00:23:03,159
Speaker 1: Corvet at is phenomenal, And my my question was going

439
00:23:03,240 --> 00:23:06,960
Speaker 1: to be, you know, it's got to be it's got

440
00:23:06,960 --> 00:23:10,080
Speaker 1: to be an amazing amount of effort and time to

441
00:23:10,760 --> 00:23:13,800
Speaker 1: collect all those pictures and to put them together in

442
00:23:13,840 --> 00:23:18,520
Speaker 1: a book such as this. Right, the color photography is outstanding. Well,

443
00:23:18,840 --> 00:23:21,280
Speaker 1: thanks for saying that, because I did about half of

444
00:23:21,320 --> 00:23:26,240
Speaker 1: it myself, and that goes back thirty years of photographing

445
00:23:26,720 --> 00:23:30,520
Speaker 1: Corvettes and all cars. I'm semi retired now and my

446
00:23:30,640 --> 00:23:33,000
Speaker 1: knees aren't holding up as much as I used to.

447
00:23:33,119 --> 00:23:36,760
Speaker 1: I used to travel the country NonStop, um, knocking on

448
00:23:36,800 --> 00:23:40,520
Speaker 1: guys doors, Hey can I photograph your car? Literally? And

449
00:23:40,560 --> 00:23:42,679
Speaker 1: so a lot of that's mine. But an interesting story

450
00:23:42,760 --> 00:23:45,600
Speaker 1: this book. This is the fourth update of this book.

451
00:23:45,680 --> 00:23:48,439
Speaker 1: The first one was done well about two thousand five,

452
00:23:49,040 --> 00:23:51,119
Speaker 1: and back then I physically had to go up to

453
00:23:51,240 --> 00:23:54,800
Speaker 1: Detroit and to JMS archives and they had just quote

454
00:23:54,880 --> 00:23:57,600
Speaker 1: unquote digitized it. They had just I was able to

455
00:23:57,640 --> 00:24:00,000
Speaker 1: go and sit at a computer and go through literally

456
00:24:00,240 --> 00:24:03,960
Speaker 1: tens of thousands of photos. Um. It wasn't long before

457
00:24:03,960 --> 00:24:05,840
Speaker 1: that where a journalist like me, you want to do

458
00:24:05,960 --> 00:24:08,679
Speaker 1: photo research, had to actually go through and look at um,

459
00:24:08,720 --> 00:24:12,240
Speaker 1: you know, proof sheets, actual you know, pages of photos,

460
00:24:12,280 --> 00:24:15,040
Speaker 1: you know. And fortunately I was able to pay. It

461
00:24:15,080 --> 00:24:17,040
Speaker 1: took me all day, eight hours of work or more,

462
00:24:17,520 --> 00:24:20,200
Speaker 1: and I picked out everything that I didn't have from

463
00:24:20,240 --> 00:24:23,840
Speaker 1: GM and just clicked on the mouse and they came

464
00:24:23,880 --> 00:24:27,320
Speaker 1: to my house. GM. GM just has a picture of

465
00:24:27,400 --> 00:24:32,760
Speaker 1: one of one of everything at least that they've ever done. Right. Oh,

466
00:24:32,880 --> 00:24:36,119
Speaker 1: if Corvette guys would freak if they could do what

467
00:24:36,160 --> 00:24:37,720
Speaker 1: I did, just to be able to sit there and

468
00:24:37,720 --> 00:24:40,240
Speaker 1: look at photos all day. You know. The rumor is

469
00:24:40,320 --> 00:24:43,040
Speaker 1: GM has enough parts to build almost every car they've

470
00:24:43,040 --> 00:24:47,359
Speaker 1: ever manufactured. I keep, I keep I keep hearing this rumor.

471
00:24:47,400 --> 00:24:48,800
Speaker 1: I don't know if that's true or if you can

472
00:24:48,920 --> 00:24:51,800
Speaker 1: verify any of that. I've had friends that were engineers

473
00:24:51,800 --> 00:24:54,640
Speaker 1: at GM, and they tell me that for legal liability issues,

474
00:24:55,320 --> 00:24:58,639
Speaker 1: they have things in stock that they don't talk about that,

475
00:24:58,720 --> 00:25:01,000
Speaker 1: you know. And I asked, could they just go put

476
00:25:01,000 --> 00:25:04,000
Speaker 1: together a v A fifty five Chevy tomorrow and they said, yeah,

477
00:25:04,000 --> 00:25:07,359
Speaker 1: like it was brand new. I just it makes you

478
00:25:07,400 --> 00:25:10,920
Speaker 1: wonder what they really have. Yeah, well, there's an interesting

479
00:25:10,960 --> 00:25:14,240
Speaker 1: story there. I did a book on classic American engines

480
00:25:14,600 --> 00:25:17,760
Speaker 1: one gosh ten fifteen years ago, and I went up

481
00:25:17,760 --> 00:25:20,159
Speaker 1: there to GM, and uh, I said, hey, I want

482
00:25:20,240 --> 00:25:22,959
Speaker 1: I need to photograph one of these old engines. And

483
00:25:23,000 --> 00:25:25,520
Speaker 1: they pretty much had everything I asked for. They had them,

484
00:25:25,560 --> 00:25:27,600
Speaker 1: they rolled them out on stands, and in fact, it

485
00:25:27,640 --> 00:25:30,480
Speaker 1: was kind of a little bit of a clandestine operation.

486
00:25:30,560 --> 00:25:32,400
Speaker 1: I went in the back door and an old friend

487
00:25:32,400 --> 00:25:35,800
Speaker 1: of mine up there with a public affairs office, said sure,

488
00:25:35,800 --> 00:25:38,760
Speaker 1: we'll help you, and I basically basically rolled the engines

489
00:25:38,800 --> 00:25:42,440
Speaker 1: into somebody's office, you know. And I mean I shot

490
00:25:42,480 --> 00:25:45,960
Speaker 1: back to you know, early the first Cadillac V eight

491
00:25:46,320 --> 00:25:50,120
Speaker 1: nineteen whatever, sixteen or I forget what that year was,

492
00:25:50,160 --> 00:25:54,440
Speaker 1: but but shot some Corvette engines and the the original,

493
00:25:54,480 --> 00:25:56,760
Speaker 1: the first six cylinder. They had one of those on

494
00:25:56,800 --> 00:26:03,000
Speaker 1: a stand. Um um gmum archives. Uh, the Heritage Center

495
00:26:03,680 --> 00:26:07,920
Speaker 1: um Uh. There's an incredible collection of everything GM engine

496
00:26:08,000 --> 00:26:12,040
Speaker 1: cars and UM experimentals and everything there. Tell you what,

497
00:26:12,119 --> 00:26:14,360
Speaker 1: Mike can you can you stick around for two segments

498
00:26:14,400 --> 00:26:17,680
Speaker 1: and we'll talk about that. Sure, okay, stick around, don't

499
00:26:17,680 --> 00:26:19,680
Speaker 1: go anywhere. We want to cover that too. I'm running

500
00:26:19,680 --> 00:26:21,280
Speaker 1: any of the Car Doctor here with Mike Mueller, the

501
00:26:21,320 --> 00:26:23,879
Speaker 1: author of Complete Book of Corvette, among other things, and

502
00:26:23,960 --> 00:26:26,199
Speaker 1: we're just just having a great car chat. We'll be

503
00:26:26,200 --> 00:26:31,280
Speaker 1: back right after this. Don't go away. That's not a fency.

504
00:26:31,400 --> 00:26:42,399
Speaker 1: She was there. She woke up and took me and

505
00:26:42,720 --> 00:26:46,359
Speaker 1: that's all right with Welcome back. We're here talking with

506
00:26:46,400 --> 00:26:50,479
Speaker 1: Mike Mueller. Mike's and Order automotive photojournalists since the late eighties.

507
00:26:50,720 --> 00:26:53,159
Speaker 1: He's been a lifetime car enthusiast. He's written more than

508
00:26:53,200 --> 00:26:56,720
Speaker 1: thirty automotive books and just just a real interesting guy

509
00:26:56,760 --> 00:26:58,439
Speaker 1: to sit here and chat. So stick around while we

510
00:26:58,480 --> 00:27:00,760
Speaker 1: do that. Mike, before we old the way we were,

511
00:27:00,880 --> 00:27:03,240
Speaker 1: you know, you were telling us about GM and their

512
00:27:03,400 --> 00:27:05,959
Speaker 1: archives and uh, some of the things that you were

513
00:27:06,040 --> 00:27:09,960
Speaker 1: up there for photographing, and um you reference that they

514
00:27:10,040 --> 00:27:12,520
Speaker 1: just seem to be rolling out old engines that haven't

515
00:27:12,520 --> 00:27:17,560
Speaker 1: been in existence for a while like they were brand new. Yes,

516
00:27:17,640 --> 00:27:21,320
Speaker 1: they had to have a great collection of all the

517
00:27:21,400 --> 00:27:25,240
Speaker 1: historical moments, uh, whether it be like I say, technological

518
00:27:25,280 --> 00:27:28,680
Speaker 1: moments like the milestone engines or the cars themselves. And

519
00:27:28,720 --> 00:27:32,320
Speaker 1: I think what's notable to a lot of people have

520
00:27:32,440 --> 00:27:37,280
Speaker 1: seen their collection of all their experimental vehicles, which that

521
00:27:37,359 --> 00:27:40,320
Speaker 1: in itself is there's been various books done about those two.

522
00:27:40,320 --> 00:27:43,040
Speaker 1: They're just glorious, you know, these wild flights of fancy,

523
00:27:43,160 --> 00:27:46,640
Speaker 1: especially um from the fifties right after World War Two

524
00:27:46,680 --> 00:27:49,159
Speaker 1: and the GM Motorama used to tour the nation with

525
00:27:49,680 --> 00:27:54,080
Speaker 1: all the new cars plus all their new experimental just yeah,

526
00:27:54,280 --> 00:27:58,400
Speaker 1: just George jets and type vehicles. Is that the next

527
00:27:58,440 --> 00:28:02,080
Speaker 1: book Mike Mueller is going to write? Well, like I say,

528
00:28:02,200 --> 00:28:07,080
Speaker 1: it's been done before. That hadn't stopped me in the past, right, Yeah. Well,

529
00:28:07,480 --> 00:28:09,479
Speaker 1: and you know you have a passion for it, Mike,

530
00:28:09,520 --> 00:28:10,760
Speaker 1: I have to tell you that, but I want the

531
00:28:10,800 --> 00:28:13,520
Speaker 1: listeners to know that, and they can't They can't see

532
00:28:13,520 --> 00:28:15,719
Speaker 1: what I can see either through the microphone or by

533
00:28:15,760 --> 00:28:18,760
Speaker 1: looking at the book. The book is absolutely glorious. Um,

534
00:28:18,840 --> 00:28:21,000
Speaker 1: you know, the complete book of Corvette. Now, I want

535
00:28:21,000 --> 00:28:23,200
Speaker 1: to make sure the listeners are aware this is the

536
00:28:23,280 --> 00:28:25,480
Speaker 1: most current version of the book, right. I think there's

537
00:28:25,520 --> 00:28:27,920
Speaker 1: three or four versions that have been done up to date.

538
00:28:27,960 --> 00:28:32,119
Speaker 1: This is the fourth version, I believe, Yes, Um, yeah,

539
00:28:32,240 --> 00:28:34,800
Speaker 1: if they're looking for it, where would they find it?

540
00:28:35,240 --> 00:28:38,080
Speaker 1: I want to get that horrid. Amazon is the perfect place,

541
00:28:38,160 --> 00:28:41,360
Speaker 1: and they're um, you know various Uh they sell it

542
00:28:41,400 --> 00:28:45,440
Speaker 1: at the Corvette Museum in Bowling Green, various outlets like that,

543
00:28:46,360 --> 00:28:49,800
Speaker 1: but typically Amazon is the one stop shop for anything.

544
00:28:49,840 --> 00:28:53,440
Speaker 1: We all need fair, fair statement to say they're looking

545
00:28:53,440 --> 00:28:56,000
Speaker 1: for the book that's got the red Corvette hood on it,

546
00:28:56,080 --> 00:29:02,440
Speaker 1: the red cover yeah, yeah, um let's see, yeah, the

547
00:29:02,480 --> 00:29:06,080
Speaker 1: close up of the badge on the new C eight. Yeah.

548
00:29:06,120 --> 00:29:09,160
Speaker 1: And of course that's the reason for this, this reason

549
00:29:09,240 --> 00:29:11,120
Speaker 1: for being for this book with a new card came

550
00:29:11,120 --> 00:29:14,040
Speaker 1: out and we definitely wanted to be on the you know,

551
00:29:14,120 --> 00:29:16,280
Speaker 1: on the wave with that, and uh we got her

552
00:29:16,280 --> 00:29:19,280
Speaker 1: out just in time. Of course, the uh, if you

553
00:29:19,320 --> 00:29:22,480
Speaker 1: know anything about the news front with everything going on

554
00:29:22,560 --> 00:29:25,280
Speaker 1: in this country, the Corvette came out just in time.

555
00:29:25,320 --> 00:29:28,160
Speaker 1: To be shut down. Yeah, there's a pandemic and the

556
00:29:28,200 --> 00:29:32,640
Speaker 1: mid engines are sold out now correct, Um, let's see.

557
00:29:33,200 --> 00:29:39,040
Speaker 1: Uh obviously they were waiting lines. The latest news I

558
00:29:39,120 --> 00:29:41,920
Speaker 1: get is the production year is still going on and

559
00:29:41,960 --> 00:29:43,880
Speaker 1: they're going to try to keep building them through the

560
00:29:43,960 --> 00:29:46,400
Speaker 1: end of the year. Um. Typically you know the model

561
00:29:46,520 --> 00:29:50,440
Speaker 1: year is over by now over you know, by September, August, September,

562
00:29:52,400 --> 00:29:54,640
Speaker 1: are waiting in the wings. But I think they're still

563
00:29:54,680 --> 00:29:58,480
Speaker 1: hoping to build twenty thou of the twenties. Initially, when

564
00:29:58,480 --> 00:30:01,280
Speaker 1: all the plant shut down happen, they'd only built a

565
00:30:01,320 --> 00:30:04,200
Speaker 1: few thousand, and for a while it looked like it

566
00:30:04,280 --> 00:30:06,280
Speaker 1: was going to be one of the rarest corvette rymes

567
00:30:06,280 --> 00:30:09,880
Speaker 1: of all time. But they did have their their goal

568
00:30:10,120 --> 00:30:12,320
Speaker 1: and they are trying to pursue that of building twenty

569
00:30:12,360 --> 00:30:16,000
Speaker 1: tho Um. Typically all of them are spoken for sure,

570
00:30:16,160 --> 00:30:18,680
Speaker 1: you know, so when they when you when you talk

571
00:30:18,760 --> 00:30:21,320
Speaker 1: about the rare corvette Mike, and you cover it in

572
00:30:21,360 --> 00:30:24,400
Speaker 1: the book, The Complete Book of Corvette. You know, things

573
00:30:24,480 --> 00:30:27,200
Speaker 1: like the mention of L A D eight or Z

574
00:30:27,440 --> 00:30:30,800
Speaker 1: L one, you know, do those do those? Do the

575
00:30:30,840 --> 00:30:34,680
Speaker 1: cars of today have the romance and the mysticism behind them.

576
00:30:34,680 --> 00:30:36,320
Speaker 1: That you know you'd have to do is say z

577
00:30:36,480 --> 00:30:38,360
Speaker 1: L one Corvette to somebody that's in the know, and

578
00:30:38,360 --> 00:30:40,959
Speaker 1: they know what you're talking about. Does a mid engine

579
00:30:41,400 --> 00:30:45,760
Speaker 1: trump that? Do you think? Well? Of course, those legends

580
00:30:45,800 --> 00:30:48,240
Speaker 1: have time on their side, you know, they just keep

581
00:30:48,280 --> 00:30:50,960
Speaker 1: the legends keep getting bigger as the years go by.

582
00:30:51,080 --> 00:30:56,040
Speaker 1: And it didn't help matters that they ZL one. Uh,

583
00:30:56,440 --> 00:30:58,120
Speaker 1: these cars were so rare, you know, the L A

584
00:30:58,200 --> 00:31:01,440
Speaker 1: D like the light. There was only twenty of them,

585
00:31:01,520 --> 00:31:03,959
Speaker 1: and then in sixty nine they built a few hundred there,

586
00:31:03,960 --> 00:31:09,720
Speaker 1: a few hundred there. Um gosh. But today's cars, that

587
00:31:09,880 --> 00:31:14,880
Speaker 1: the modern Corvette are just so incredible, the technological marbles,

588
00:31:14,960 --> 00:31:17,880
Speaker 1: I mean, it's just incredible what they can do with

589
00:31:18,000 --> 00:31:21,360
Speaker 1: the um still a push rod into a push rodd

590
00:31:21,480 --> 00:31:26,320
Speaker 1: eight and it offers decent fuel economy, It runs like

591
00:31:26,360 --> 00:31:28,800
Speaker 1: a kitten, and it's every bit as hot as those

592
00:31:28,840 --> 00:31:32,400
Speaker 1: great legends from years past, you know, well hotter than

593
00:31:32,440 --> 00:31:36,480
Speaker 1: most you know, nearly five dred horsepower now and the

594
00:31:36,520 --> 00:31:41,320
Speaker 1: ability to get upwards of two which what we need

595
00:31:41,320 --> 00:31:44,160
Speaker 1: with that I don't know, but well, you know you

596
00:31:44,200 --> 00:31:46,400
Speaker 1: wanted to say, you wonder what we needed with half

597
00:31:46,440 --> 00:31:48,479
Speaker 1: the cars were built in the sixties and the seventies, right,

598
00:31:48,480 --> 00:31:50,880
Speaker 1: but there's there's still a market for it. Mike, I

599
00:31:50,920 --> 00:31:53,800
Speaker 1: got a minute left. What's your favorite your Corvette? Real quick?

600
00:31:54,840 --> 00:31:59,280
Speaker 1: Oh gosh, probably the sixty seven and a coupe just

601
00:31:59,520 --> 00:32:01,960
Speaker 1: um uh the last of the mid year of the

602
00:32:02,000 --> 00:32:05,480
Speaker 1: first sting rays with a big block hood with a yeah,

603
00:32:05,600 --> 00:32:09,479
Speaker 1: the Stinger Uh yeah. That that's that's always been my favorite,

604
00:32:09,480 --> 00:32:12,120
Speaker 1: I think for you ladies and gentlemen, Mike Mueller, The

605
00:32:12,120 --> 00:32:14,200
Speaker 1: Complete Book of Corvette. Mike, once again, where can the

606
00:32:14,240 --> 00:32:16,280
Speaker 1: listeners go get a copy of this that they wanted

607
00:32:16,320 --> 00:32:18,000
Speaker 1: for that person in their life. We'll be giving away

608
00:32:18,000 --> 00:32:19,680
Speaker 1: a few in the next couple of weeks. But for

609
00:32:19,680 --> 00:32:21,640
Speaker 1: those that are out there holiday shopping, what's the best

610
00:32:21,680 --> 00:32:25,640
Speaker 1: place right there? On Amazon? Just google Complete Book of

611
00:32:25,680 --> 00:32:29,080
Speaker 1: Corvette and it'll pop right up. You can even google

612
00:32:29,160 --> 00:32:31,320
Speaker 1: my name and he'll pop right up. I'm pretty sure.

613
00:32:32,120 --> 00:32:34,800
Speaker 1: Cool beans. Alright, Hey, Mike, stay in touch. You write

614
00:32:34,800 --> 00:32:36,760
Speaker 1: something else, you send me a copy. We'll talk about it,

615
00:32:36,800 --> 00:32:39,600
Speaker 1: all right, brother, we'll do. Thank you. You're very welcome.

616
00:32:39,640 --> 00:32:41,320
Speaker 1: You take good care of mordinating of the car doctor.

617
00:32:41,600 --> 00:32:55,200
Speaker 1: We'll be back right after this. Welcome back once again,

618
00:32:55,240 --> 00:32:57,040
Speaker 1: I want to thank Mike Mueller for taking the time

619
00:32:57,080 --> 00:33:00,400
Speaker 1: to sit and talk with us. And you know, the

620
00:33:00,480 --> 00:33:05,640
Speaker 1: one thing an interview like that can't do is help you,

621
00:33:05,720 --> 00:33:07,240
Speaker 1: and that's what I was trying to do, and I

622
00:33:07,280 --> 00:33:10,880
Speaker 1: hope I succeeded in feeling the passion that it takes

623
00:33:10,880 --> 00:33:12,320
Speaker 1: to write a book like this that I have in

624
00:33:12,360 --> 00:33:14,880
Speaker 1: front of me. I'm sitting here reading it and I'm

625
00:33:14,680 --> 00:33:16,960
Speaker 1: I'm seeing things that I wasn't aware of. Not that

626
00:33:16,960 --> 00:33:20,280
Speaker 1: I claimed to know everything about corvettes, but in sixty three,

627
00:33:20,360 --> 00:33:25,800
Speaker 1: General Motors started building Grand Sports corvettes specifically designed for racing,

628
00:33:26,440 --> 00:33:28,880
Speaker 1: and they they issued an edict where they were gonna

629
00:33:28,880 --> 00:33:34,240
Speaker 1: build three seven small, three sevens right, all aluminum motors,

630
00:33:34,280 --> 00:33:38,120
Speaker 1: all aluminum setups, and they built five of them. And

631
00:33:38,160 --> 00:33:40,880
Speaker 1: then GM engineers and they talked about this in the book,

632
00:33:40,880 --> 00:33:43,240
Speaker 1: and GM engineers found out about it. They decided to

633
00:33:43,680 --> 00:33:45,840
Speaker 1: enforce the band that they had on racing where they

634
00:33:45,840 --> 00:33:48,600
Speaker 1: weren't going to do anymore track racing, and they ordered

635
00:33:48,600 --> 00:33:51,760
Speaker 1: all five scrap But somehow they got out of GM's

636
00:33:51,800 --> 00:33:54,080
Speaker 1: hands and they're out there in a private collection and

637
00:33:54,160 --> 00:33:57,640
Speaker 1: supposedly now someone from Texas, a Texan owns all five

638
00:33:58,080 --> 00:34:01,960
Speaker 1: or maybe six Grand Sport Corvettes from sixty three, and

639
00:34:02,680 --> 00:34:05,400
Speaker 1: but it talks about the romance of it and how

640
00:34:05,440 --> 00:34:08,759
Speaker 1: people created things with their hands and uh, you know,

641
00:34:08,840 --> 00:34:11,480
Speaker 1: the thought process that went into doing things like this.

642
00:34:12,960 --> 00:34:14,640
Speaker 1: I had a conversation with someone at the shop the

643
00:34:14,719 --> 00:34:17,080
Speaker 1: other day and here's my point, and we were talking

644
00:34:17,120 --> 00:34:19,279
Speaker 1: about where will cars go in the future and the

645
00:34:19,320 --> 00:34:23,280
Speaker 1: performance cars and you know, repairing cars. And the person

646
00:34:23,320 --> 00:34:27,080
Speaker 1: I was speaking with made a really astute observation. He said,

647
00:34:27,120 --> 00:34:30,000
Speaker 1: you know, Ron, the reason people aren't into cars like

648
00:34:30,040 --> 00:34:32,799
Speaker 1: they once were. Part of the problem is people don't

649
00:34:32,840 --> 00:34:36,279
Speaker 1: even want to drive cars anymore. We've become a generation

650
00:34:36,320 --> 00:34:38,640
Speaker 1: of people that want to push buttons and be driven around.

651
00:34:38,719 --> 00:34:43,480
Speaker 1: And to a degree, that's true. And it's the cultural shift, right,

652
00:34:43,520 --> 00:34:47,000
Speaker 1: it's the cultural change of cars and their impact is

653
00:34:47,040 --> 00:34:50,399
Speaker 1: a transportation device and it makes me wonder. It makes

654
00:34:50,400 --> 00:34:52,400
Speaker 1: me sad a little bit because I think that, you know,

655
00:34:52,560 --> 00:34:55,600
Speaker 1: the performance industry may have seen better days. I'm not sure,

656
00:34:56,320 --> 00:35:00,120
Speaker 1: but um it just you know, cars can do an

657
00:35:00,160 --> 00:35:01,719
Speaker 1: awful lot for you. They do a lot more than

658
00:35:01,760 --> 00:35:04,600
Speaker 1: just move you back and forth from a to b um.

659
00:35:04,640 --> 00:35:06,840
Speaker 1: They can take a wayward child and put him on

660
00:35:06,880 --> 00:35:09,440
Speaker 1: the right path to life and help them become very successful.

661
00:35:10,000 --> 00:35:13,680
Speaker 1: And uh, that's something I'll never forget, having experienced it firsthand,

662
00:35:13,840 --> 00:35:16,360
Speaker 1: until the next time. I'm Rodinandian the car Doctor, reminding

663
00:35:16,400 --> 00:35:19,360
Speaker 1: each and every one of you. Good mechanics aren't expensive,

664
00:35:19,600 --> 00:35:21,040
Speaker 1: they're priceless. See you