i pulled tha carbs off of my 85 gpz 550. what is the best solvent to use to clean them, without damaging the O- rings or seals. they are also painted black, some of the paint is flaking off. is there something out there that will take the remainder of the paint off that won’t require a complete breakdown of the carbs?If you are talking about the internals of the carbs, then you really need to pull    .. more …

The price of crude oil-and more importantly, gasoline-has climbed to painful levels once again. As of early April, the quote for Brent crude, the international yardstick, was about $126 per barrel-only some $16 below the $142 peak seen in the summer of 2008. But domestic West Texas Intermediate crude is only getting $107 per barrel- a full $38 below the 2008 peak. Meanwhile, we are told that U.S.    .. more …

The entire line of John Cooper Works Minis” Countryman , hatchback, Clubman, Convertible , Coupe , and Roadster “will be equipped with a slightly revised version of the 1.6-liter powerplant found in the previous generation of JCW models. Those revisions result in an output of 208 hp and 207 lb-ft of torque, the same as the last JCW powerplant. The revisions feature a new high-strength    .. more …

Our own lensman Drew Phillips caught sight of this at Cars Coffee in Irvine, California: the 2013 Hennessey Venom GT Spyder . This is the first time it’s been seen on our shores. The targa version    .. more …

People usually like to look at products with good design. And in the case of furniture, this is quite important. There are many ways, for example, for chairs to be designed in terms of form and function. With the likes of the Collerette Roll-up Blanket Chair, interesting would be a good word to describe it.The Collerette Seat is a creation of Les M Design Studio . At first glance, it may look    .. more …

Skoda has officially unveiled their Citigo Rally concept at the 31st Volkswagen GTI Meeting at Wrthersee. While no new details have been released at this time, the unveiling does give fans a first glimpse of the model in the flesh.The Citigo is Skoda’s incarnation of the Volkswagen Up! and the presentation of this concept previews the rally car the brand has in preparation for competitive    .. more …

Ford dealers are now taking orders for the Ford C-MAX Hybrid, which will be more affordable than Toyota Prius v while achieving better fuel economyClass-exclusive technologies include hands-free liftgate, active park assist for easier parallel parking and next-generation SmartGauge with EcoGuide to help customers increase their fuel economyC-MAX will launch this fall as part of Ford’s power    .. more …

MITSUBISHI MOTORS’ 2012 PIKES PEAK INTERNATIONAL HILL CLIMB TEAM ALL-NEW ALL-ELECTRIC RACECAR ANNOUNCE i-MiEV EVOLUTION TO TACKLE PIKE SPEAK Tokyo, May 18, 2012 – Mitsubishi Motors Corporation (MMC) will enter two all-electric vehicles (EVs) in the Electric Class of the legendary Pikes Peak International Hill Climb1. MMC will be aiming for victory in the Electric Class with the i-MiEV Evolution,    .. more …

While LeMons organizers make no secret of the fact that their hearts are with the cars that never belonged in the same time zone as a race track and machines that aren’t even cars at all , there’s still a contingent of hard-core racers bent on getting the most laps in the race and spraying $1.99 bottles of “champagne” on their teammates in the winners’ circle. As any driver who has competed in a    .. more …

Paraphrasing a classic quote – “With great power comes the need for great control” – the engineers at Ford’s Special Vehicles Team have stepped up to the plate to manage the massive output of the 2013 Shelby GT500.Whether a driver is a track-day veteran or getting his first ultra-high-performance sports car, the new launch control system on the 2013 Ford Shelby GT500 will help ensure he gets    .. more …