Items You’ll need:

• Several clean clothes

• wax application pad

• Quart of denatured alcohol

• Meguiars #2 Fine-Cut Cleaner (or equivalent)

• Meguiars #7 Show Car Glaze (or equivalent)

• Meguiars #26 High Tech Carnauba Wax (or equivalent)

• About 3 hours of a warm Spring afternoon

As spring sets upon our side of the earth, we find the birds are chirping, the butterflies are fluttering, the flowers are blooming, and the pollen and sap from the trees are falling… directly on our cars!

If you’ve ever run your hand over the top of your car, chances are it will have a slight sandpaper texture. This is all the pollen and sap particles from various trees that have found a nice little home on the paint of your vehicle.

You can wash, scrub, and wax all you want, but it is going to be next to impossible to get that showroom shine back without a miracle.

While there are sap removing products on the shelves today, there is really only one way to clean a car that has some serious sap damage according to a lot of car detailers… denatured alcohol.

Denatured alcohol can be found at just about any hardware store and while its use will also strip your car of all its waxes, it is just about the only way to clean off heavily baked on sap without wearing out your elbow in the process.

Even if you have quarter inch sized pine tree sap droplets that have been baking on your hood for 3 years, denatured alcohol will do the job. Just about anything that has found its way onto your paint can be removed with this powerful solvent.

The nice thing about it, is why it is a relatively strong solvent, it is actually not as harsh on your paint as you might think since alcohol evaporates quickly into the air.

Once this portion of the job is done, you are going to need to renew the shine on your finish and protect it so that the next batch of sap will not be able to get such a hold on your painted surface. This process begins by cleaning off the light film of contaminants leftover from the solvent cleaning with the Meguiars #2 Fine-Cut Cleaner.

This simple needs to be rubbed in until the fine grit breaks down into the paint and then wiped off. There is no need to let this dry before wiping off. You will only need to use this on the portions of the paint you had to use the denatured alcohol.

The next step will be to renew the oils in the paint that the solvent may have dried out. This is accomplished by Meguiars #7 Show Glaze. You may want to use this on the entire vehicle if the paint appears dull and hazy in anyway.

The best part of the Meguiars #7 is there really is no need for a buffer to get a nice shine. The rich oils work themselves into the paint with just a little elbow grease and really bring out a deep shine. Of course if you have a buffer handy, this could give you an even better shine, but it is not a necessary tool for this project.

Once all the paint is smooth and shiny you are going to want to but a fresh coat of wax on the surface to hold in the oils you just renewed the paint with as well as protect the surface. While a lot of high tech waxes and sealants have become quite popular over the past 15 years, there is nothing like the shine and protection of good old fashioned carnauba paste.

A tip to keep in mind when it comes to carnauba wax, is much of the time the paste will hold up longer than the liquid versions. It can be a bit more difficult to rub on and off, but when you count in its longevity and ultimate protection it will be worth it.

Most carnauba pastes will come with an applicator pad that will need to be dampened thoroughly before it can be used. Make sure that the vehicle is in a shaded spot for this part of the process and the paint is cool to the touch.

If you try to apply paste wax on a hot surface it will dry too quickly and you will not be able to get the wax into the pores of the paint. Rub the wax in thoroughly and allow to dry completely before using a clean and dry cloth to wipe it off.

This may sound like a lot of steps, but the key is to let the products do most of the work. You really don’t need to spend all that much time on each step. Three hours of hard work should have your cars paint ready for those summer Saturday nights at the drive-in.

For years inventors have been working on a type of hovercraft that would defy the limits of gravity and enable people to travel in layers, which could solve highway congestion problems within their first 5 minute of use. Of course you would have to come up with a whole new rule system for the road, but let’s not worry about that point for today.

The problem with traditional air fed hovercraft’s, is the air pressure that is created underneath is only sufficient enough to drag a vehicle across the ground with low resistance. Because it is not actually lifting high enough to clear many of the hazards a driver would happen upon, it would not be all that much better than a wheeled vehicle.

Some sci-fi experts claim that in the future we should have the technology to manipulate gravity. This would enable an aircraft to achieve lift off with little effort and propel forward just as effortlessly. But alas it is only 2008 and the best we have to offer right now is reliable rotary turbine engines.

Moller International has been working on just that… a rotary turbine capable of using various fuels, receiving decent gas mileage (20 mpg), and is as reliable as it is safe.

“The Skycar”, as Moller calls it, is not exactly a hovercraft, but it does exhibit features that would be considered quite similar to one. This technological marvel is able to lift off vertically from a standstill, hover up into the air and propel itself along a horizontal plane with relative ease.

Would we all need to become licensed pilots to drive one? Well, for the moment you do, but technically the Skycar drives itself and therefore needs no special skills to handle.. You just point the joysticks where you want to go and its computer controlled system takes care of the rest.

The Skycar has two turbine rotary engines engines. In the case of an emergency and one of the engines malfunctions, the other one would still be able to maintain hover and land the vehicle safely.

The two engines combined are rated for up to 4 passengers at a cruising speed of 275 mph and a maximum speed of 375 mph. Each engine runs on ethanol fuel and is capable of a 750 mile range. They are taking deposits for orders already, so grab your credit cards!

Moller was right, you don’t need a propeller with blades.

Now our future’s so bright…

You got to fly with your shades… fly with your shades!

You heard it right Folks… GM is considering offering yet another package for the 2010 Camaro, a 2.0 liter4-cylinder package. Upon first hearing this, many Chevrolet performance enthusiasts probably about fell out of their chair…

Is GM crazy?

Are they worried about their sales figures?

Did somebody make a typo in the press release?

Well if you are a “green” friendly consumer, this news should come as a nice surprise, as the 2.0 liter is capable of a very friendly 22 mpg city and 31 mpg highway. That is as long as you can keep your foot off the accelerator, because this turbo charged version of the 2.0 liter will be none other than the same engine being used right now in the Solstice GXP and Saturn Sky Red Line.

That means that every time you would go to press that accelerator you can look forward to about 260 horsepower and 260 lbs-torque. That is more than enough to embarrass any V-6 Ford Mustang (210 hp) or V-6 Dodge Challenger (250 hp). The hope here is that these numbers will be enough to sell consumers on the idea of a 4-cylinder muscle car. Here are a few specifications to wet your appetite:

Engine

Type: Turbocharged/Intercooled Inline-4, Aluminum Block

Bore x Stroke: 3.39 x 3.39 in, 86.0 x 86.0mm

Displacement: 122 cu in, 1998cc

Compression Ratio: 9.2:1

Fuel System: Direct Injection

Turbocharger: BorgWarner K04

Maximum Boost: 18.0 psi

Power: 260 bhp @ 5300 rpm

Torque: 260 lb-ft @ 2500 rpm

Here are a few possible stats you could be looking at:

0-60 in around 6 seconds

¼ mile time in 14.2 seconds @ 98 mph

Top Speed of 142 mph

Why wouldn’t this sell to consumers? The 4.0 Mustang has more than proved itself these past 3 years as having enough guts to please the average daily driver. With gas prices rising straight out of the hood of most V-8 muscle cars, some consumers just might be willing to give the little “2.0 that can” a chance. GM will still be packaging their 306 horsepower V-6 and 400+ horsepower V-8 in the lineup, so all the true adrenaline junkies will still be able to get their fill.

What this might do is give some more folks the chance to own a new Camaro. GM has already admitted that they will not be in comparison with the low price of the Ford Mustang… and they shouldn’t be. The Chevrolet Camaro will be much more sophisticated in engine, suspension, and electronics, and have a higher quality interior over the Mustang according to GM spokespersons.

Okay… I guess the 4-cylinder wouldn’t be so bad after all!