Risk of Heat Exhaustion and Heat Stroke
as Texas Temperatures Soar
by Andrea L. Algar
Motorheads Performance

Texas is in a heat wave and working on your classic car or truck project can be dangerous. With temperatures in the triple digits all week, it is no wonder that many are wisely staying indoors. But, there are always those who underestimate the affects that this type of heat can have on your body, and how quickly innocent seeming symptoms can turn deadly!

Guy Algar of Motorheads Performance says, "We're accustomed to working outdoors and without A/C in the shop, even in 100 degree weather. But we're also acutely aware of the dangers and take precautions each and every day, including protection from heat and sun and drinking a lot of water and drinks containing electrolytes." Motorheads send this caution to those who don't spend so much time outside, or go back and forth between air conditioning and short stays outside. Heat exhaustion can set in unexpectedly, and heat stroke (sometimes called sunstroke) can quickly follow if the symptoms of heat exhaustion are ignored. We offer the following information on the dangers of heat exhaustion and/or heat stroke so you can quickly recognize the symptoms. The information here is not a substitute for medical advise. We urge you to contact your physican and or emergency services or 911 if you suspect you are having symptoms and take action quickly.

Heat Exhaustion - Heat Stroke

Heat exhaustion is usually brought on when people who are not well adjusted to heat go outside and work in a hot or extremely humid environment. When temperatures are high outdoors, the human body cools itself mostly through evaporation of sweat. When conditions are hot and humid, the sweat-evaporation process does not work properly. Your body experiences loss of fluids and important salts or electrolytes. When these are not replaced, or not replaced in sufficient quantities, your body experiences symptoms that can resemble mild forms of shock.

Symptoms of Heat Exhaustion can include:

• Moist skin which is often paler than normal and cool to the touch
• Profuse Sweating
• Muscle cramps or pains
• Feeling faint or dizzy
• Headache
• Weakness
• Unquenchable Thirst
• Nausea
• Increased pulse rate
• Core temperature 100 F or more (most accurate taken rectally)

Heat stroke can develop rapidly if you do not take care of heat exhaustion symptoms. One of the easiest forms to recognize occurs in people whose cooling mechanisms may already be impaired, such as those that suffer from medical conditions which predispose them to the symptoms.You may already be sensitive to slight shifts in temperature, or have problems with sweating. The most dangerous form occurs in people who are considered healthy, but may be engaged in strenuous activities in the heat, because it is unexpected and symptoms can escalate very quickly.

Symptoms of Heat Stroke can include one or more of these:

• Previously moist skin becomes hot and DRY, even under armpits
• Skin appears flushed (red or dark pink)
• Blood pressure elevates, then may suddenly fall later
• Hyperventilation
• Vomiting
• Diarrhea
• Unconscious
• Abnormal mental status (dizziness, confusion, hallucinations, even coma)
• Rectal temperature of 105 F or more

What to do for Heat Exhaustion?

 At the first signs of heat exhaustion, you need to lower the body temperature, rehydrate and rest. Get out of the heat and take steps to reduce the person's body temperature. Use a fan, get into A/C, hose down with a garden hose, cool shower or bath. Drink cool water or Gatorade or anything but alcohol! Alcohol will only dehydrate the person more. Avoid further activity and rest until feeling better. Call your doctor if these immediate remedies do not work, or if symptoms get worse.

What to do for Heat Stroke?

 If you suspect Heat Stroke call 911 IMMEDIATELY. People die of heat stroke. It should be taken very seriously.

Classic Car Museums Need Our Support!

Today was a sad day to learn that yet another classic car museum will soon be closing it's doors for good. While we've heard of museums around the country being affected by the economic crunch, the Central Texas Museum of Automotive History closing hits home because it's right here in Rosanky, TX.

The Central Texas Museum of Automotive History was founded by Dick Burdick, a Texas businessman and car collector. The museum includes two different facilities, the original museum located in Rosanky, Texas which opened in 1980 and a second unit which was opened in 2009 in San Marcos, Texas named Dick's Classic Garage. The museum has a good size collection of American and European cars from the 20th century. The European cars and American cars before 1929 are displayed in the original museum. The original museum also includes a library of automotive materials.

Also founded by Dick Burdick, Dick's Classic Garage is located in San Marcos, Texas and is one of the two museums which comprise the Central Texas Museum of Automotive History.  Dick's Classic Garage showcases American vehicles and memorabilia from the 1930s though the 1950s. According to Wikipedia, it displays a 1948 Tucker Sedan with the chassis number 1050, the lowest mileage Tucker with only 0.4 miles on the odometer!  For more information on the amazing cars and the museum's history, read the Austin-American Statesman article.

Example of a 1948 Tucker Sedan

According to Greg Verret, museum Director, they "will be auctioning off nearly 90 automobiles and key pieces of automotive memorabilia at no reserve with the exception of four very special autos. The proceeds will be used to create an endowment for the ongoing preservation of automobile history for future generations at our other museum, Dick’s Classic Garage in San Marcos, TX." The auction will take place on Saturday March 3, 2012 at the museum's Rosanky location.

Please feel free to contact Motorheads Performance if you have questions or want additional information, or visit the non-profit museum's website at www.dicksclassicgarage.org. If you'd like to support the cause, consider a donation to help keep the history of classic cars alive for future generations who might not otherwise get the chance to see the incredible history of automobiles.

Has Economy Affected Hotrodders?

We're seeing that while the down turn in the economy has affected some enthusiasts who have been saving up to do a restoration or upgrade to their classic car or hot rod, many are going ahead with their dream plans. We're seeing that the true enthusiast has included their project in their list of essential priorities.

Even if finances are tight, there are many ways you can proceed with your dream project without risking financial ruin. Motorheads Performance will be offering suggestions in upcoming articles which will help save you money on your project.

New Billet Float Bowls Prevents Hesitation, Stumble & Flooding!

Imagine attempting to drink….from a bowl….while blasting through a corner or ripping down the drag strip at full speed doing 60 feet in less than one second! This is exactly what your carburetor is trying to do. We've all experienced when our acceleration "bogs" when we least want it to.

The Holley carburetor has served us well for over 100 years, but the design is dated. The number one problem is the float bowl, a design that was proven on the dyno rather than the track. Fuel sloshes, splashes and spills under the high corning forces of today’s race cars. At best the fuel distribution varies from cylinder to cylinder by as much as 50%, at worst the car hesitates and stumbles.

Race Pumps new “Patent Pending” multi-chambered billet float bowls bring the Holley (still racings preferred carburetor) up to date! Each jet has it’s own fuel chamber, float, and needle and seat (the power valve uses a third chamber). The carburetor is changed from a pair of two barrels, each with a float bowl shaped like a bath tub, to four one barrels, each with a float bowl and float designed for high g-forces and angles. Carburetors equipped with the new Race Pumps float bowls maintain equal fuel distribution to each cylinder at acceleration forces up to 3gs and angles up to 45 degrees. Hesitation, stumble and flooding will be history. Best of all, Race Pumps new float bowls bolt right onto your favorite carburetor.

Motorheads is pleased to be a factory authorized dealer and installer for Race Pumps' new Billet Float Bowls and their entire line of race pumps and fuel systems. The new Billet Float Bowls will be available in March and can be purchased direct from Motorheads Performance. Visit us at www.motorheadsperformance.com or e-mail andrea@motorheadsperformance.com for ordering information.

October 2008 Update

So many wonderful things have been happening at Motorheads. It's been a very busy year, and Guy and I have been working hard to continue our quest to give our customers the best service and product available. We're busy with building and installing performance engines, performance upgrades, car and truck restorations, body-off restorations and repairs.

We've welcomed many new customers with exciting rides: several Corvettes including an all-original '62 Corvette Roadster, an incredible and extremely rare '69 GTO Royal Bobcat which has won the heart of my non-interested daughter and turned her into a true "Motorhead" (now we have the difficult task of finding one for her project car so if you know of one let me know!), a stunning red hot '70 Camaro SS will be finishing up soon with a 400 short block that delivers over 500hp, the '70 Chevelle SS that just got freshened with a beautiful custom paint job with airbrush detailing, a unique '30 Chevy Dually Pickup in for a total restoration, and a one-of-a-kind '72 Lincoln Mark IV Convertible with quite an interesting history.

And let's not forget about the projects that are being completed with the help of their owners! The '71 Chevelle SS was a father-son project that began as an engine swap, turned into an engine rebuild and performance upgrade, which lead to a custom paint job. We'll be posting pics of this beauty shortly. The '74 Charger being transformed into a '71 Charger Clone's engine work is complete and will be going in for bodywork and paint by year end. The Model A, complete with rumble seat, was fired up with the owner present to experience the moment he'd been waiting for for over 40 years...what a hot rod she'll be! She's scheduled for paint at the first of the year and will hit the road when done. The owner of the '58 Desoto, undergoing a total body-off restoration, painstakingly located and obtained all the parts and pieces for what will be an amazing transformation he'll take part in.

Hot rod heaven!

We're excited about the coming year, and what great things are in store and look forward to more frequent updates. We hope you'll join us regularly.

Warning: You Get What You Pay For!

I know we've all heard this old saying time after time, but darned if it isn't true! Once again, we see first hand of a person "just trying to save a buck" who took a short-cut that they probably shouldn't have.

We recently had a customer who we had done some performance upgrades for in the past. Not wanting to pay what he thought was an unjust amount of money for a professional paint job, he took his prized ride to "a local guy" (you know the type...a friend of a friend of a friend...who could "do the job cheap"). Well, the ghost flames he wanted for his ride didn't turn out quite right. In fact, they were horrible. Not only were they "off the shelf" flames, you could see where the paint was applied right over the stencils! This left unsightly ridges which provided something far from "ghost". The owner has brought the vehicle back several times, but I guess the shop just doesn't know how to make it right. After sinking a pretty penny into this "cheap" paint job, there's no money left to take it to someone who knows how to achieve a decent ghost effect.

We hear these horror stories all the time. We know it's not cheap to restore a vehicle, or to have a quality paint put on your ride...we've had to paint our vehicles too! It doesn't necessarily mean you have to spend an outrageous fortune on it either. There are some shops out there who still provide quality work at reasonable prices. Do your homework carefully and be wary of shops that sound too cheap, who can't tell you what brands of paint or primer they use, who don't use a spray booth, who don't strip down your car properly, or who rely solely on plastic fillers.

Remember, a paint job gone bad will end up costing you much more in time and money than a quality paint job done right the first time. And, you'll be a lot happier with the job done right!

Motorheads participates in TV Show

KQED contacted Motorheads Performance concerning a segment of "Quest" for this San Francisco public broadcast station. The production focused on trends in custom car restorations and included Motorheads' photos of restored vehicles. We were pleased to help in the production of this episode.