Andrew Rathwell

Canadian Prime Minister Carney’s speech in Davos is worth reading in its entirety for a coherent analysis of the new world we live in — and of the power of the nations that are supposed to have no cards in the age of empires. pm.gc.ca/en/news/speech…

It has been a slice Twit…uh…I mean X. I am moving on to a platform that has more “blue skies” and a lot less hate, ignorance and blind algorithmic allegiance to fools driving the bus off a cliff. Find me at: @arathwell.bsky.social So long and thanks for all the fish!

New project in the garage! This 1985 El Camino spent 20 plus years “resting “ in a shed on a gulf island with a bed full of new parts ready to put on. We got the old smog pump 305 running - but it’s a little tired. We are planning to build a 383 Stroker and swap it out.

We finally finished up the 59 Monarch with the 430 and are ready to move it down the road. The “shine juice” did wonders on the old paint!

Hundreds of hours of labour and thousands of dollars later, but the look on his face as he revs his first big block for the first time was worth it all. The 59 Merc with a 430 (7L) is back among the living.

Look out world! He can drive on his own now! It has been a wonderful journey from when we started fixing his “first car” 5 years ago.

We mounted and ringed the new pistons this weekend. They are ready to go back into the bored out block of the 430 MEL. The odd 10 degree offset (wedge at the top of the cylinder) is going to make for an interesting install.

Got the very last piece cleaned up (a rare 16 tooth distributor) in time for the new Egge pistons and valves to arrive. The 430 MEL should be going back in its home soon.

Welcome spring! It was a difficult five days of winter this year on the island but we made it through with grit and determination. 😉 #wxflex

 The peace and calm of Thetis Lake is a wonderful way to start the WHY WONT YOU DUCKS GET IN MY MOUTH!

I can’t believe we bought this car back….wait…now I remember - the mood lighting.

@Rainmaker1973 The Strauss-Howe theory has proved to be fact in the 20 years since I read the Fourth Turning. I bet the updated book will be no less profound and prescient. This video is a great overview.

The Strauss-Howe generation theory describes a recurrent cycle of same-aged groups with specific behavior patterns that change every 20 years. t.co/hSuCpTjRNk According to this theory, an 80-year cycle is crucial, when every four generations is associated to a crisis that impacts the ongoing social order and creates a new one. This is visual representation of the USA 80-year history cycles, as laid out in the 1997 book 'The Fourth Turning: An American Prophecy—What the Cycles of History Tell Us About America's Next Rendezvous with Destiny by authors William Strauss and Neil Howe. [📹 Van Neistat] Full length video on Youtube: We Are In A "FOURTH TURNING," What Does That Mean?

Clarity. Accountability. Leadership.

Pulled the 430 MEL in one piece today with the crew. No fingers were lost.

We now have a rare breed in the barn. The boys pooled their money to get a 1959 Monarch Lucerne II. The 430 cubic inch (7 litre) MEL V8 comes out this weekend to see if we can get those 325 horses running again.

We finally got the “Electroluminescent Astrodome” squared away in the 62 Saratoga. Chrysler engineers outdid themselves with this one. A complicated “power pack” turns 12V DC into 200V AC to power a bunch of tiny filaments in the tips of the gauges. Cool effect though!

Another one back from the dead. This 77 Monarch has been napping since 1995 - but sleeps no more! There appears to be some life in the old 302.

And so it begins. Big day for my youngest. Got his first car, a 1977 Mercury Monarch.