2013 winter driving guide

7/27/2019 2013 Winter Driving Guide

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Winter Driving Guide

INSIDE: Local lube shopstalk oil ... Page 5

A Publication of The Livingston Enterprise

and the Big Timber Pioneer

Restoration

Recreation Shields Valley man restores

cars on his terms ... Page 3



• WINTER DRIVING GUIDE • 2013




Above: David Mackinder talks last week about the work he’s doing on the various older cars he has in his spacious, heated barn in Shields Valley.On the cover: Mackinder leans against his newest project, a 1954 Studebaker Starlight coupe he just acquired.

When it comes to rebuild-ing old cars, you can be

a purist, replacing onlyabsolutelygenuine

parts and making the carlook exactly like when itrolled off the assemblyfloor way back when — or,you can be creative andhave a little fun.

Shields Valley resident David Mack-inder, 73, a rebuild enthusiast, prefersthe latter.

“I’m a street rodder. I’m not a cos-metic restoration guy,” Mackinder said

during a tour of a spacious, heated barnhe built just to work on his projects.

His having-fun philosophy about

cars no doubt dates to his street rod-der days as a teenager in Michigan,

where creativity with cars was thenorm.

“If he puts the work intoit to bring it back to his ownexpression of what he feels(the car) ought to be, that’sfine with me,” Mackinder, agregarious retiree from the

engineering department at GeneralMotors’ Hydramatic Engineeringfacility, said of car rebuilders.

“People that build cars can be verycreative” and enjoy their work as anartistic expression, he said.

What a lineupMackinder’s philosophy is evident in

the projects he’s working on now.Take his newest project, a 1954

Studebaker Starlight coupe, which heacquired, typically, in fun fashion,when he spotted the car in Colorado acouple weeks ago.

“I just went by it and it waved atme,” he laughed, as if to say he had nochoice in the matter.

The car was manufactured with aV-8 Studebaker engine. But Mackindermight put an early Cadillac engine init. Yes, a Cadillac engine.

Mackinder said in his youth therewas a company in California that evenback in the ’50s would put Cadillac

engines in Studebakers. The re-donecars were known as “Studillacs.” Hethinks it would be fun to recapture that.

“I’m going to bring back that carthat I remember (in) early high

school,” he said.Then there’s a 1946 International

pickup parked next to the Studebaker.Mackinder put a Chevy six-cylinderengine into it, equipped it with a four-barrel carburetor intake and a dualexhaust. For an extra touch, the ’46International has tail lights from a1939 Hudson.

And its gas tank is situated in thetruck’s bed.

Why?“It looks cool!” Mackinder laughed.

“It’s a rat rodder thing,” he said.

You can be a purist — or, you can have a car full of fun

Story by

DWIGHT HARRIMAN

Photos by

SHAWN RAECKE

of The Enterprise

See Restoration, Page 9

Restoration recreation




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This is not

yourfather’s

oil change

Enterprise photo by Shawn Raecke

Brad Bobowiec, left, owner of Special-Lube, at 819 W. Park St. in Livingston, checks the oil level on a car that came infor an oil change, as Special-Lube manager Kahen Reinhardt works behind him, Tuesday.

By Justin Post Enterprise Staff Writer

Winter is almost here, but driversmight want to check their odome-ter and not the Farmer’s Almanacbefore deciding whether to changetheir oil with the new season.

Once a common practice with older-modelengines, motorists no longer need to switch to amotor oil with a lighter viscosity when the tem-perature drops, said Brad Bobowiec, owner ofSpecial-Lube, located at 819 W. Park St., in Liv-ingston.

Switching to a lighter oil helped engines turnover on cold winter mornings, but technologicaladvances in both engines and oil have all buteliminated that tradition, Bobowiec said.

He estimates that engines have significantlyimproved in the past 15 years, but says somedrivers still switch oil with the seasons.

“That’s one of the questions I get all the time,especially from the older generation,” Bobowiecsaid. “They say, ‘Put that winter oil in my car.’”

He politely explains to them that switching oilis no longer necessary.

While you may need to dig out a winter coat forthe upcoming season, your car’s engine is justfine, Bobowiec said.

“Cars are very specific on the weight of oil theycan take these days,” he said. “Modern cars arepretty much going to one straight oil all year

around.”Bobowiec said a wide variety of lubricants areavailable and that modern engines are designed

to operate with a specific motor oil viscosity.“Every vehicle is going to be different,” he said.Bobowiec encouraged drivers to check their

owner’s manual for specifics about which oil touse to maximize engine performance.

While many modern Fords call for 5W20 andChevrolet models 5W30 oil, he said some modelsmay call for other weights or grades.

“The owner’s manual is going to be specific asto the best way to go,” Bobowiec said. “The own-er’s manual is going to be the bible of your car.”

He said today’s engines are engineered to workunder less pressure, which means drivers no lon-ger need high-viscosity oils to protect the

engine’s moving parts.That translates to a lighter grade of oil andincreased gas mileage.

“That allows your oil pump to not work as hard,which equals savings at the pump,” Bobowiecsaid. “They don’t heat up as much and don’t needthe heavy oil to cool the motor — there is lessfriction on the engine walls.”

One recent fall afternoon, someone drove aChevrolet Silverado with more than 250,000 milesinto Bobowiec’s business for an oil change.

That fact wasn’t necessarily a surprise — Bobo-wiec said the advances to engines are prolongingvehicle life.

He’s also a proponent of synthetic oils, which hedescribed as “absolutely fantastic.”

While synthetics are slightly more expensive,he said they have numerous advantages, includ-ing requiring fewer oil changes and greater lubri-cation inside the engine.

“In the long run, it’s a way better savings,” Bob-

owiec said. “I think it has benefits all year-round.”Joe Betley, manager of Pony Express Lube Cen-ter at 1100 W. Park St. in Livingston, agreed.

“It costs a little bit more, but you get double themiles,” Betley said.

During winter months, Bobowiec said syntheticoils might better help your engine turn overdespite Mother Nature’s freezing grip.

Whether you use synthetic or conventional oilthis winter, Bobowiec encouraged all drivers tocheck their levels.

“As long as your car has oil, that is the mostimportant thing,” he said. “It’s very fast and it’svery hot, so just keep oil in it.”

Bobowiec also encourages motorists to makesure their radiator is filled with coolant and theirtires are properly inflated.

Newer-model cars

have brought

about a change in

the oil we put in

them, and when we put it in

“It costs a little

bit more, but you get

double the miles.”– Joe Betley, manager of Pony Express Lube Center,

located at 1100 W. Park St. Livingston,on the advantage of synthetic oils




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(BPT) — Winter is quickly approach-ing and now is the perfect time to pre-pare your vehicle for the upcomingharsh driving conditions. Taking thetime to prepare and protect your vehi-cles now will save you significanttime, money and hassle later. Here area few tips for vehicle winterizationand cold weather driving to ensuresafe travels this season:

• Get a grip: One of the most impor-

tant aspects of winterization is ensur-ing you have a safe grip on the road.Like the soles of shoes that prevent usfrom slipping, quality tires help keepyour vehicle securely on the road,especially in slippery rain or snowyconditions. Checking tire tread andpressure is important to ensure youhave optimal traction. If you live in aparticularly snow-prone or rural area,you might also consider buying snowtires and/or chains.

• Prevent battery blunders: Just as

hard as it is for you to get moving on acold day, frigid temperatures can havethe same effect on your vehicle. Itmight take more battery power to get

a car started, so make sure your bat-tery is up for the cold-weather chal-lenge by having a mechanic checkyour battery for sufficient voltage.Consider keeping a booster pack orjumper cables in your car just in caseof an emergency. These will come inhandy should you find yourself stuckdue to an unexpected battery failure.

• Protect your paint: Did you knowthat within 30 days a small scratch,

chip or nick in a vehicle’s paint finishcan rust? Add freezing temperaturesand precipitation and these smallproblems can escalate to a larger,more expensive problem. Luckily, fix-ing scratches is quick, easy andaffordable thanks to products such asDupli-Color’s new Scratch Fix All-in-1touch-up paint. Available in hundredsof colors that perfectly match anyvehicle’s body paint, Scratch Fix All-in-1 features two patented applicators,a pin-point pen tip for fine scratchesand a taper-tip brush for larger chips.

These tools provide precision and con-trol, as well as a clear coat finish soyou can achieve professional lookingresults that will repair and protect

your vehicle’s appearance and avoidan ugly problem next spring.

• Practice safe driving: According tothe Federal Highway Administration,crashes on snowy and icy pavementresult in more than 1,300 deaths and116,000 injuries each year. Winterdriving can be tricky and requires adriver’s full attention, so protect your-self and your family this year by alter-ing your driving techniques. When a

road is slick, avoid using cruise con-trol to ensure you have full controlover the vehicle’s speed at all times.It’s also important to never slam onthe brakes, as this will cause a vehicleto skid and lose control. Instead, brakegently. Additionally, give yourselfextra travel time and patience thisseason. By doing so, you’ll be sure tokeep you and your family safer duringharsh driving conditions.

• Get a good view: Having full viewof what’s ahead and behind your vehi-

cle, at all times, is vital, so be sure tocheck your windshield wiper bladesand washer fluid before winter precip-itation hits. On a snowy or low-visibili-

ty day, you can easily go through half agallon or more of windshield washerfluid trying to keep your view clear.For that reason, it’s also a good idea tokeep some extra fluid in the trunk incase you run out. In colder climatesthat experience ice or frost, you maywant to keep a bottle of de-icing wind-shield spray handy. Simply spray youricy windshield with the fluid, turn onyour vehicle defroster and your win-dows will clear quickly and easily.

• Prepare for the unexpected: In casesomething does happen to your vehiclethis winter and you are stranded for anextended period of time, it’s importantto keep a few essential items on board.Assemble an emergency kit containinga blanket, gloves, ice scraper, flares,flashlight, water and basic first aiditems. Make sure to also carry a cellphone when you travel, particularly ifbad weather is expected.

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(BPT) — Choices are good, butsometimes they can be annoying.Case in point is the daily onslaught oftrivial-like questions, such as: tall orgrande, paper or plastic, regular orunleaded, credit or debit?

The questions may seem never-end-ing, but being able to pick and chooseis a good thing and really importantin getting the right result. A goodexample is tires: Lots and lots ofbrands to choose from, but gettingthe right type of tire is vital becauseit impacts your vehicle’s ride, han-dling, comfort and even fuel efficien-cy.

Tires certainly look simple — blackand round — but they are highly-engi-neered technical wonders designed towork in concert with a vehicle’s brak-ing and steering systems. However,knowing which type of tire to get canbe kind of tricky. For instance, thereare high-performance (HP) tires, aswell as ultra high-performance(UHP). How different are they andhow can you tell which one will workbetter for you?

“It’s a good question and one I get

all the time,” says Andrew Briggs,director of marketing and productplanning for Yokohama Tire Corpora-tion, maker of a variety of truck and

car tires. “Consumers are smart toask because they want to know what’sbest for their driving and their vehi-cle.”

Briggs says both UHP and HP tiresprovide excellent traction and controlfor sporty sedans like Mercedes-Benzand Lexus, as well as sleek sportscars like Porsches. Performance tires

can also be categorized into summerand all-season types. Summer tiresprovide great handling in dry and wetconditions, while all-season tires are

designed to perform in a wide rangeof weather, including moderate win-ter conditions and cold temperatures.

UHP tires typically give drivers afirmer, sportier, and more responsivefeel, aided by their tread designs andcompounds, which are designed toprovide increased levels of grip. Inaddition, higher speed ratings distin-guish a UHP from an HP tire.

“When consumers shop for tires,it’s important that they match the tirespeed rating and load index requiredby their car or truck,” says Briggs.“Buying lower speed-rated tires couldnegatively affect the vehicle’s overallperformance and handling.”

Once a consumer selects the tirethat best meets their need, Briggscontends that keeping the tires prop-erly maintained and being a smartdriver can make a great choice evenbetter. Here are some of his tips:

• Keep your tires properly inflated.You can lower your gasoline bill andget additional miles out of your tiresby maintaining correct tire inflationpressure. To maintain proper infla-

tion, check your tire pressure regu-larly and with a reliable tire gauge.Be sure the valve stems have a plas-tic or metal cap to keep dirt out and

seal against leakage. Be sure to checkalso when the tires are cold (at leastthree to four hours after the vehiclehas been driven).

• Tire alignment should be checkedonce a year. Misaligned tires canreduce tread life and fuel economy.

• Taking off from a stoplight like arocket and then slamming on thebrakes to stop uses gas at a muchfaster rate. Accelerating less andslowing moderately can increase fuelefficiency by more than 30 percent.Also, many traffic lights are timedfor efficient traffic flow, so you’ll hitmore green lights in a row by main-taining the speed limit.

• Slow down. All vehicles lose fueleconomy at speeds above 55 mph.Driving 55 mph instead of 75 mph canreduce fuel costs by up to 25 percent.Driving 65 mph instead of 75 mph cansave up to 13 percent.

• Turn off your engine if you’restopped for more than a couple of

minutes. Fuel efficiency savings ofup to 19 percent are possible by notletting your engine idle too long whilestationary.

Tips on making smart tire choices

“When consumers shop for tires, it’s importantthat they match the tirespeed rating and load

index required bytheir car or truck.”– Andrew Briggs, director of marketing

and product planning forYokohama Tire Corporation




Oh — in keeping with that “rat rod-der thing,” he’s not going to paint it.And on it goes, with varying degreesof departure from original compo-nents, from the 1955 First SeriesChevrolet pickup truck he’s restoringas a car for his wife, Pat; to his 1967Pontiac Firebird convertible; to thebeat-up 1968 Chevy pickup he termed“a basket case” that he picked up for

reasons he can’t seem to explain; tohis 1930 Ford five-window coupe hotrod, which of course, by it’s very defi-nition of hot rod has many variationsfrom the original vehicle; to the 1957Chevy two-door station wagon he has

in Bozeman right now.Mackinder loves working on hiscars, but he doesn’t try to do every bitof the work. After he takes apart bod-ies and engines, he sends parts thatrequire highly technical work to shopswith the equipment and expertise todo it. When he gets back the parts —sometimes even whole engines — hereassembles everything that had notbeen assembled by the shop.

Keeping busyMackinder relishes his hobby and

the time his retirement gives him towork on cars.“I’ve been waiting all my life to

work on cars,” he said.He loves keeping busy.“If you finish all your projects, you

die,” he laughed. “It keeps you youngand your mind working.”

He said that is true regardless ofone’s hobby.

Which of his cars is his favorite?“I like them all! I’m sick — what can

I tell you?” he laughed again.Like her husband, Pat is also

immersed in a hobby — for 40 yearsshe has collected, restored and soldantiques. Mackinder fully supports hiswife’s own endeavor.

Mackinder said he spends six or sev-en hours a day working on the cars inhis barn. Asked how Pat feels abouthim spending that much time at hishobby, Mackinder, always quick with ajoke, quipped, “She’d rather I spentlonger.”

His hobby keeps him going.“I’m never bored,” Mackinder said.

“Absolutely never.”

“If you finish all your

projects, you die,”

he laughed. “It keeps you young and your

mind working.”

David Mackinder is pictured through the passenger window of his 1955 First Series Chevrolet pickup truck that he’srestoring as a car for his wife, Pat.

Restoration, from Page 3

A detail of the front end of the 1954 Studebaker Starlightcoupe that Mackinder just acquired to restore.

Mackinder’s cat, Stewart, keeps him company as heworks on his car projects in his heated barn.

For more photos, see Page 10




Restoration, from Page 9

Left: David Mackinderwalks out of the traveltrailer in which he has his1930 Ford five-windowcoupe hot rod.

Mackinder points out his 1946 International pickup in which he installed a Chevysix-cylinder engine. After he’s done working on it, he’s deliberately not going topaint it.

A shot of the steering wheel and dash of the 1954 StudebakerStarlight coupe, before work begins.




Don't wait until it's too late. Now's the time to getyour vehicle ready for winter driving.

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Whether it's snow tires, a tune-up or a thorough check of your

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for tips and then drive worry free this winter.

(BPT) — Want to know how to avoida speeding ticket? Easy — don’t speed.But even the most law-abiding driverswith flawless records can make mis-takes and find themselves pulled over.In fact, 34 million people in the UnitedStates receive speeding tickets eachyear, according to the National Motor-ists Association.

A ticket can raise insurance rates

and tarnish your driving record,according to FindLaw.com, the nation’sleading website for free legal informa-tion. If you get arrested or fined forother traffic violations, those ticketscan lead to stiffer fines and penalties.

“The big rule of speeding tickets isthat most come at the discretion of thepolice officers involved,” says DonCosley, a criminal defense attorney ofthe Cosley Law Office in Chicago.“Unless the officers are working astate or federal grant where they arerequired to issue traffic tickets, how

you interact with a police officer willplay a considerable role in whetheryou drive away with a warning or aticket.”

“Always cooperate with law enforce-ment officers,” Cosley says. “They’veheard every excuse in the book. If youimmediately start arguing or makingsmart comments, your chances ofdriving away with a ticket increase.”

Here are some additional tips fromFindLaw.com on how to avoid a speed-ing ticket.

• Watch for posted speed limit signs.According to a 2013 survey by Insur-ance.com, the top excuse for speedingis, “I didn’t see the sign.” The safestway to avoid a speeding ticket is tocarefully watch posted signs and notexceed the limit. Even five miles perhour over the speed limit can land youa ticket — particularly near schools,road construction zones and other hot-spots where police try to increasesafety.

• Give yourself plenty of time. If

you’re running late, you’re more likelyto speed. One simple trick you can doto build in some travel time is to setyour house clocks a few minutes

ahead. Remember, you’ll arrive evenlater if you get pulled over.

• Keep a clean driving record. Policecars are often equipped with computersystems that allow law enforcement toinstantly look up your driving record.A driver with a clean record is morelikely to be let off with a warning thanone with several traffic violations.

• Stay off your cellphone. Cellphoneuse is legal in some states and illegalin others, but distracted driving shouldalways be avoided. If you are observedspeeding and using your phone at the

same time, it will dramatically boostyour odds of driving away with a tick-et, rather than a warning, and it mayincrease fines associated with the vio-lation.

• Avoid speed traps. Speed limitstypically drop when you approach asmall town or city. That’s prime realestate for speed traps. Police often usehighway overpasses, bridges or medi-ans with a clear view of oncoming traf-fic to hunt for speeders.

• Don’t stand out. Drivers who go toofast, swerve or aggressively pass oth-er drivers are more likely to draw theattention of the police.

• Move over. After using the left laneto pass a car, move back over to the

right lane. Cars that continue to passother cars while in the left lane areeasy targets for police. Also keep inmind that in some states, the left laneis only for passing.

• Cooperate with the police officer.Being cooperative and respectfultoward the police officer who pulls youover is one of the best ways to avoid aspeeding ticket. It also can help defusea potentially stressful situation. If youare pulled over, start by turning offyour car, put away your cellphone and

place your keys on the dashboard andyour hands on the wheel in the 10 and2 o’clock position to show the officerthat you aren’t doing anything illicitbefore he or she arrives. Taking offyour sunglasses also can be a show ofrespect. If it’s nighttime, turn on theinterior lights of your car.

• Save your arguments for trafficcourt. If you believe you don’t deservea speeding ticket, take your argumentto court. Don’t argue it with a policeofficer at the scene.

To learn more about speeding ticketsand other traffic laws, visit FindLaw.com.

How to keep a ticket out of your driving lifeThere’s lots of smart things you can

do besides just not driving too fast




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2013 winter driving guide

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