Fords Suck, Chevs Rule!

[Aussie Mike]

Just a post to liven up the Bowtie forum. Nothing much happening here lately

Personally I like them both. GM and Ford both have a proud history and have produced some awesome machinery. Let's not forget the Mopar crowd either.

Cheers

[wilf leek]

Mike - this seems an opportune moment to ask you a question that has on my mind for a while.

Is it true that "Waltzing Matilda" actually refers to a form of, um, "relief" (I am trying to be tactful here) gained by (ab)use of a bedroll (the swag bag?).

Or is this just an urban legend?

If not, it brings tears of laughter to my eyes to think of all those people who joyfully are singing about this!! If only they knew,

[Aussie Mike]

Nope, that's an urban legend. It's actually a very political song from the time.

It talks about the way the shearers were treated by the government and land owners back in 1894. The land owners via the pastoralists association were trying to lower the award rates of pay for shearers and shed hands. They were also trying to introduce a law that if they didn't perform as directed by the land owners they could be brought up on criminal charges. The land owners were trying to keep profits up in a time of droughts and droping export wool prices. There had been some strikes in earlier years and I think the land owners were trying to collectively flex some muscle. The unions took action and there was a strike that escalated into some serious civil unrest. The govenment jumped in an apointed "special constables" who were rather over zealous in their duties.

Banjo Paterson lived through it and wrote Waltzing Matilda as a protest song. I guess it's a metaphor much like many of Dylans songs in the 60's.

I think this is pretty much the gyst of it. I enjoyed watching an interesting doccumentary a while back on the origins of the song and the events of the time.

Cheers

[wilf leek]

Darn - I preferred my version!!

[PatBuckley]

Wilf -

That is one of the cleanest hijackings I have seen in quite a while. I would have to rate it a "9".

Nice job.

pb

[Chaplin]

How often do you see the thread originator totally led astray?

The American judge gives it a 10.

[jrussell]

Absolutely masterful Wilf,
and you are probably correct!
John R.

[wilf leek]

Gentlemen - I thank you.

I just could not see the thread title stand as it was. LOL

[Excaliber]

I wasn't even going to LOOK at this thread, the title is,,,well,,,,you know "ugly".


Wilf, totally smooth! The Hawaiian judge gives it a 10.

Am kinda bummed Matilda wasn't a sheep,,,,,,ewwwwweee.

Ernie

[Carroll DeWeese]

Originally posted by Aussie Mike


Just a post to liven up the Bowtie forum. Nothing much happening here lately

Personally I like them both. GM and Ford both have a proud history and have produced some awesome machinery. Let's not forget the Mopar crowd either.

Cheers

What a political quote -- Aussie Mike loves everybody Ford, GM, and even Mopar. I guess absence makes the heart grow fonder. This topic was all promise and no delivery, except for an excursion into sheep..

[Edley Rondinone]

Better than an "incursion" into sheep.

[Aussie Mike]

I don't have a problem with thread jacking, I do it often enough myself. I don't care where this thread goes and I thought the excursion into the origins of Waltzing Matilda was interesting. That's the great thing about these forums, topics can skew into iteresting directions.

My original intent was to try and stimulate some discussion on the great cars produced over the years by different manufacturers. I get a bit tired of the one eyed attitude I see on this forum sometimes and in the motorsport hobby generally. You would think the way some people follow one marque to the exclusion of all other was like some fanatical religion. I see enough of that crap on the news every day without it infecting my hobby.

A political quote? I don't think so. I've owned 17 different cars from 9 different manufacturers from Europe, Australia, Japan and the US. 13 motorcycles from 5 manufacturers from Japan and Europe. I plan to own many more from different manufacturers before I die. Variety is the spice of life and I buy what I like not what Alah dictates.

So go back to having the same old debate on Big Block v Small Block, Real v Original, The dimensions for stripes, is Shelby a con man? Who makes the best replica.... Ho Hum doesn't anybody talk about anything new?

[750hp]

Mike - are you lining up again for the Fling this year? I nkow I've asked before, but so many guys situations change from one month to the next these days (and I'm not talking positions with ewes either )

[Mark IV]

Ten posts into a thread with inferred "sheep buggering" and JAMO has not shown up!?!?!

His computer must be broken....

Rick

Baa....baa....

[Dominik]

well,

nobody probably expects a decent reply here, but I am going with availability of engines now that I reside in south-africa.

a hillborn fuel injected Chev all-aluminum 496 cui is available cheaply.
should I stay or should I go (Chev)?

dom, cape town

[Art Burtt]

Actually they all suck,air that is,and the more the better.

[wilf leek]

Aussie Mike........

Hey mate, what do you expect on a Cobra forum? It is not as if the small run of original cars came with a variety of engine makes.
It can't be considered to be the place to discuss the pros and cons of different makes - everyone is here because of their specific interest (read obsession) in the Cobra. I know I am still learning stuff from the people who come here - look at the great replies to my "weird cylinder head leak" post.

Or am I in the wrong place?

As Craig said - you going to the 'fling this year? Would be good to see you again. Even if you are "strange". LOL

[Carroll DeWeese]

Whenn I said a "political quote" earlier, I was referring that it implied all cars were equally good. Yet the title was at the other extreem.

I work for GM and I think that we have great products and technology. At the recent 2003 Detroit AutoRama, the GM presence was really felt with all kinds of exhibits, performance parts, etc. whicle Ford and Chrysler were barely visible. The Chevy engines dominate with the custom car crowd compared to Ford. Even Shelby would have had a Chevrolet engine in the Cobra if GM had accepted his proposal. They did not and Ford did, the rest is Cobra history.

In the attempt for authentic replicas (an oximoron) Ford engines rule. The originals had Ford. However, in the quest for the spirit of the Cobra, a variety of engines and setups are welcome. Shelby was trying to get the most performance possible at the time with the technology available. I like seeing Corvette and Viper engines in the Cobra replica: the Corvette was the Cobra's nemesis and the Viper was an attempted Cobra on steroids. Keep the exterior in keeping with the original -- it is classic and priceless. Put modern technology under the hood. Combine the best of old and new. Stay within the spirit but experiment: the original Cobra was an experimental car.

The Cobra was near perfect in its day and it will be classic forever. Yet do not force it to be frozen in time. Let its spirit live. There is a place for using modern technology and differnet approaches to achieve the Cobra ideal. Some will succeed and some will fail. But room exists for the attempt.

Well, I am ready to get hammered from the purist.

[kountzecobra]

What can be said about the company that brought us the "Avalanche?"

[George Snyder]

Ford Engines do suck!

New Ford 5.0 Crate= Bad Head Gasket, and Valve Covers that just will not seal. Permatex both sides of new gasket as last resort. We will see tommorrow.

Wish I had a SBC & Super T-10, just like the one I have.