Tag: nation

1977 International Loadstar scrapes the pavement on its way to stance nation

Filed under: Aftermarket, Etc., Design/Style

1977 international loadstar

The “stance movement” refers to an automotive style that looks at vehicles and thinks they need to be sitting lower… a lot lower. If there was a way to push the frame rails through the ground, someone in stance nation would do it. The style of these “stanced” cars and trucks is hit or miss, some look low and lovely while others just look broken. We thought this style was only popular amongst the standard daily-driven machines populating our roadways, but we were wrong. We’ve just learned that in a very big (yet still low) way thanks to one individual’s slammed 1977 International Loadstar.

This is more than just a cut-down big-rig, content to crush the pavement beneath it. This truck has received major attention, and the fabrication work is quite impressive. All the seams on the body have been welded to give the cab a clean look. The wheels have been milled down to wear Falken rubber. Running under the cab and out the back, the frame has been sealed so air can pass through it, allowing it to serve as a 25-gallon tank used to operate the air-bag suspension system. No small task, considering the truck weighs over 10,000-pounds.

Under the hood, this International is powered by a 7.3-liter Ford diesel engine pulled from a 1991 E-350. It’s been upgraded with the turbocharger from a 2002 Powerstroke, and the intercooler courtesy of a Dodge vehicle. Put it all together and it’s one impressive piece of machinery. We’d love to see it sitting a few inches higher than zero, but we’ll gladly give a thumbs up if we ever get to see it rumbling by.

Head over to StanceIsEverything.com for more information and some excellent photographs of the customized rig.

1977 International Loadstar scrapes the pavement on its way to stance nation originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 05 May 2011 15:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Texas House approves nation’s fastest speed limit at 85 mph

Filed under: Etc., Government/Legal, Safety

85 mile per hour speed limit sign

They say everything is bigger in Texas, and now it seems everything might be faster too. The House of Representatives in Texas has approved a new transportation bill, and it includes legislation that would allow the Texas Department of Transportation to raise speed limits to 85 miles per hour. The state’s Senate is presently considering a similar measure.

The DOT cannot simply go out and slap up a fresh new set of 85-mph speed limit signs. Both engineering and traffic studies must be done before motorists are given a green light to those increased speeds. Don’t feel too bad for those speed-restricted Texans, though. 85 mph wouldn’t be much of a stretch for Texas, since the state already enjoys 520 miles of highway with an 80-mph speed limit.

[Source: Chron.com | Image: University of Michigan]

Texas House approves nation’s fastest speed limit at 85 mph originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 07 Apr 2011 13:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Nation’s first public quick-charge station opens up in Portland, OR [w/video]

Filed under: Government/Legal, Electric

Quick charge station in Portland, OR – Click above to watch video after the jump

The installation of what’s being dubbed “North America’s first public quick-charge station” is now complete at the parking garage of the World Trade Center building in downtown Portland, OR. The nation’s first public charger is capable of taking most electric vehicles from zero to 80 percent charge in just 20 to 30 minutes.

The grand opening was lead by Oregon Governor Ted Kulongoski, who’s seen in the video below cautiously attaching the charging cable to the Nissan Leaf. As Engadget reports, use of the quick-charge station is free of charge, but entry into the public parking garage will set you back three dollars.

Follow the jump to read more about the nation’s first public quick-charge station and don’t forget to watch the Nissan Leaf as it inches its way in for an electron fill up. Hat tip to Raymond!

[Source: Portland General Electric, Engadget]

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Nation’s first public quick-charge station opens up in Portland, OR [w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 09 Aug 2010 18:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Useless Study of the Day: California leads the nation in Tweets about speeding tickets

Filed under: Etc., Government/Legal

Top speeding ticket Tweets: Top States – click above for the complete infographic

Getting a speeding ticket is like slamming your hand in the car door, breaking your hand and then paying the hospital bill – only worse. Mostly because after the pain of paying the ticket goes away, your insurance may be raised by hundreds of dollars per year. And if you follow friends (and Autoblog) on Twitter, you’ve likely read about someone you know getting a bloody speeding ticket.

The folks at Freeinsurancequotes.com probably know a thing or two about how a few points on your record can raise insurance rates, and they’ve decided to analyze how many Twitter users complain about tickets. The results? As you can see from the above graphic, California leads the nation in ticket Tweets by quite a percentage, followed by New York, Texas, Florida and Ohio. What’s more, a full 44 percent of those Tweets come from Los Angeles, which comes as a shock to nobody.

The top five states are perhaps a bit predictable, mainly because they represent five of the top seven most populous states in the Union. Taking a closer look at the results does show that 20 percent more Ohio residents Tweet about tickets than Illinois residents. This, in spite of the fact that the home state of the Windy City has 1.4 million more people. Ditto for New York, which takes the number two spot despite the Lone Star State having another five million residents. Check out the complete infographic after the jump.

[Source: Free Insurance Quotes]

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Useless Study of the Day: California leads the nation in Tweets about speeding tickets originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 16 Jul 2010 11:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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