Mystery '59 Ford Fairlane 500 | Strong

WARNING: THIS POST IS IMAGE HEAVY. IT MAY TAKE A MOMENT TO LOAD.

I spotted a sad 1959 Ford Fairlane 500 in the cold Maine rain.

Nothing historic here, just a feeling. 

This is what it would have used to look like:

Wikimedia Commons

...that's about it. Here are a few larger images.

[Roadside Relic] M60 Patton | Lincoln

WARNING: PHOTO HEAVY POST. MAY TAKE A MOMENT TO LOAD. 

Pardon my gimmick, but I think Summer 2015 will be my summer of Roadside Relics. New suspension and a new steering rack has a way of inspiring one to drive. And as you're driving into Lincoln via US 2 North, you may have to double take at what is parked behind the retirement home. A twenty two foot long Chrysler that gets one mile to the gallon and has a power to weight ratio of 15hp to the ton. While a giant Chrysler with such fuel consumption isn't all that unusual around here, this particular Chrysler is an iconic and ubiquitous vehicle that rolled off of an assembly line in Detroit in the 60s known as the M-60 "Patton." America's main battle tank during the Cold War period. Interestingly enough, Chrysler and Uncle Sam have had a very long love affair.

 
Wikipedia can tell you everything you want to know about this vehicle and more. Since this is a part of my "Roadside Relics" collection, I must inform you that this object is not at a park, and there isn't really a place for you to park unless you decide to get yourself a fantastic deal at Marden's! Signage indicates the lot is intended for their customers. If you don't like great deals, I'd recommend parking across the street (near the gazebo.)

Here are the remainder of the photographs of the tank.

Above you can see one of the differences between the M60 and its predecessor. The M-48 had a rounded hull while the M-60 has a beveled hull. I'm going to guess that this is because the armor would seem to be less likely to take as much damage if hit from an angle as opposed to head on. This design element reminds me of the Tiger II and its similarly angled armor.

While it's not in a park, I found I was able to get out of the car and walk around this without anyone giving me any trouble. Another difference that you can spot is that the M48 had five support struts to a side, compared to the M60's three. I couldn't find a tailpipe but I did find a heatsink. These 'blades' are to increase the surface area available for cooling. You have this exact same principle working inside of your computer right now. This gigantic 750 hp V12 may be air cooled.

[Retro Tech] 1952 Chambers 90C Gas Range

This is the second 'artifact' post I've written, the first of which was the Doomsday Shitter -- a civil defense relic from the University of Maine. The old/neat things that one can find here are not limited to concrete and wooden corpses of what used to be; something doesn't need to have held nuclear capsules to be interesting, sometimes pots and pans will suffice.

I got the ingredients, for your experience

Wintertime in Maine is one long gray rainy day. I've been trying to 'save' content for it all summer, but it's wearing as thin as my tolerance for snow. I was house sitting over the weekend bemoaning the dearth of things to check out this time of year when I realized I had a bit of a window into a different era just a couple of rooms away. Now, wintertime in Maine is a wonderful time to have access to a gas stove. Not only does it not require electricity to function, but it also provides you with a handy one way ticket to somewhere else. As a fan of all things retro I was thrilled to have the opportunity to house-sit for a friend who had an original Chambers model 90-C Gas range from 1952 in good condition.

After using it to (perhaps drunkenly) cook a meal or two, I realized what I'd been missing by using electric ranges all of my life. Having grown up in a trailer the late 1980s/early 1990s, suffice it to say that this device appeared near completely alien to me. No dials, no digital readouts, no holodeck inspired parallel lines that do nothing but scream "THE BEST 1993 HAS TO OFFER" No plastic, no numbers and no electricity. No safeties, no timers and no fucking around. Everything about this device is evocative of riding around in a car of the era, complete with the sense that if something goes wrong you can really hurt yourself.  Oh, and fire, did I mention all the fire?

Chambers with griddle up and broiler open.

Intimidating? Definitely.

Worth it? Absolutely.

First -- it's apparently impossible to heat a pan unevenly if you're using fire. Second, This device has features that I've never seen in an appliance before: the broiler/griddle combo with an adjustable bottom rack, and the heated (stock) pot well that takes the place of a fourth burner. The dimensions of the pot well are pretty narrow -- either stock pots were thinner back then (like Americans) or Chambers sold this unit with a 'built in' stock pot. Either way nothing fits, so it effectively adds one pound to the (proverbial) list of things that I won't do...

As I got over my inborn fear of losing my eyebrows or gassing myself to death, I had begun to realize the plastic trimmed, glass faced digital lies I'd bought my whole life. I found a handful of ways in which this half century old relic is indeed better than the black glass topped Ikea inspired, soulless hunks of steel and glass that you can buy at a department store. Plus, how could you not love these controls?

Here are the reasons why the Chambers 90C is awesome:

• You can hide in it in the event of a nuclear attack because it's heavier than Kelly Clarkson on a cheap swing set.
• You have a built in griddle and broiler in the exact same mechanism. And best of all, that mechanism is mechanical -- very mechanical. You get a nice satisfying "clunk" whenever you use it. It reminds me of the gearbox of a Mini Cooper S. 
• The knobs have crimped foil inlays. This (above) is how you do bling tastefully. 
• In stead of a fourth burner, you get a sort of little heated cylindrical cubbie in which you can place a stock pot. I'm going to guess this is because the crock pot wouldn't gain popularity until the 1970s. 
• Having one in your home would be like living at Nicky's.  
• The broiler has a depth adjustment, apparently. I didn't try it out because the handle for the adjustment felt pretty fixed in place, and I try not to break things that use gas and fire to function. 
• The oven part is pretty small, but the gas/flame shuts off when it's preheated. Once its heated, you stop using gas. This feature is pretty Priusey because it's green but makes you think that your machine is broken. 
• There's a huge online community for people who have/appreciate these appliances. More fan sites than you could shake a stick at provided you've got the diet and exercise regimen of a drag queen (adderall, lettuce, rinse, repeat.) But no joke -- even though there are only a handful of sites dedicated to these machines, there's some seriously useful information floating around out there.
• There is ample storage for things in a hole that might also be an oven. It's an oven with a cupboard in it.

 Here are some reasons why you might not want to own a Chambers:

• Rachael Ray has one. Not a 90C, but still a Chambers. Close enough. 

Just in case you wanted content that doesn't require you to read through the pithy ramblings of someone who can't even make a room full of stoned drunkards laugh, here's a photo of the whole unit...If I had one of these in any of my previous apartments perhaps I'd not be such a shitty cook.

The whole unit.