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In my last post, I explained how ‘Lean’ started way before Toyota came into view but they are recognised as the world leaders in Lean



because they looked at things from a whole new viewpoint….

Lean – A new paradigm

The lean production system pioneered at Toyota created a new paradigm for excellence in manufacturing. This paradigm is founded on the belief that cost reduction is sometimes the only viable mechanism for a corporation to increase profit; price is not always an effective lever. Today, some organisations are fortunate enough to determine their selling price by first taking the product cost and adding on a sufficient profit margin:

Profit + Cost = Price

A company can therefore increase profit by raising the price of its product. However, in a diverse marketplace, most companies do not have this advantage as consumers and market conditions largely determine price. In these markets, companies face the following equation:

Profit = Price – Cost

This is often referred to as the ‘cost-minus’ principle because the company can only increase profit through cost reduction. Cost reduction in a manufacturing environment occurs through the elimination of waste. Waste can be defined as something for which the customer is not willing to pay; it is a non-value adding activity. The elimination of such activities shortens the lead time, so value is delivered to the customer faster and with less effort.

The post What Made Toyota So Different? appeared first on Beyond Lean Six Sigma.

Pride of Prescott – 1931 Seagrave Ladder Truck. Photo by Jeff Koch

Professional vehicles, particularly fire apparatus, lead a charmed life. Or so we think. We typically see them being constantly washed, waxed and finely detailed on sunny days, and kept in tip-top mechanical order, but this kind of care is a necessity. When called upon, fire equipment is pushed hard, responding in haste to the needs of those in peril–their pumps, hoses and ladders as much first responders as the men and women they transport to a scene. The same maintenance also helps keep the apparatus, such as this 1931 Seagrave Model 6ET Ladder Truck, in service for a prolonged period of time.

The city of Prescott has the distinction of having the first–and therefore oldest–fire department in the state of Arizona, and this Seagrave was just the fifth motorized fire apparatus purchased by the city. Ordered in 1931 from the Columbus, Ohio, firm, it was delivered to Prescott by rail and officially placed into service in early 1932. Equipped with a pump, hoses and a water tank, it served the ever-growing city faithfully until 1982.

Photo Courtesy: Jeff Koch.

According to Prescott Antique Auto Club (PAAC) member Jim Schultz, “Over time it had been changed from its original configuration. The factory Hercules 529-cu.in. engine had been replaced by a mid-Fifties Buick ‘nailhead’ V-8; the four-speed manual transmission was swapped for a five-speed from a truck, and the pump had been removed in part because the Buick engine didn’t have the grunt to operate it efficiently. Near the end, it was a backup vehicle for the department and used for Fire Prevention Week events in the area and at schools. It had been quite an icon in the Prescott area for years until the city decided to put it up for bid. Although a couple PAAC members placed a bid, the city of Caborca, Mexico, submitted the winning offer. When Caborca found out it didn’t have a pump, officials refused the Seagrave, and we as a club ended up with it–for $1–in June of 1985. I think a good part of the price was that the club made it known we intended to restore it.”

Photo Courtesy: Prescott Antique Auto Club

The first concern was where to store the 40-foot-long truck. A solution was found courtesy of the nearby Chino Valley Fire Department; however, two years later, the decision was made to man that station, forcing the club to relocate the Seagrave to Jim’s property for the next 10 years. To keep it protected, the club bought materials to extend an existing lean-to. When Jim moved, so did the truck–under the watchful eyes of other members. In 2006, a 30 x 60-foot structure was donated to the club. It was at that time that they reached an agreement with the city to erect the donated structure adjacent to an existing building on what is now called the Prescott Rodeo Grounds, giving the Seagrave a permanent home for the next 25 years. Finally, in 2009, the time was right for its restoration to commence.

To be fair, some restoration work had already been begun in 1989 when club members Pat Mackin and Rich Echert located and purchased a correct six-cylinder Hercules engine. Accompanied by a correct four-speed manual transmission, the Hercules supplanted the Buick engine; a first step in returning the truck to its original configuration. Unfortunately, the replacement engine was well-worn, its prior service leaving it smoking and burning oil. Complicating matters was the fact that Hercules parts were hard to come by, making the prospect of performing a proper rebuild relatively daunting.

Photo Courtesy: Prescott Antique Auto Club With the truck outside of the clubhouse building, members have already begun the disassembly process by removing hoses, wooden ladders and miscellaneous parts. A thorough power wash removed grime to help expedite the next restoration phase.

Jim tells us that “Club president Charles Rulofson went on the Internet and found a guy in Ohio who dealt with quite a bit of military surplus. He advertised that he had a military-rebuilt Hercules in the crate and was selling it for $2,250. The engine was rebuilt in 1966; it was complete and ready to go in the truck, so we opted to put that one in, rather than the tired unit, during the restoration.”

With a new engine at the ready, the club carefully documented the nearly complete ladder truck with many photographs, power washed it and then began disassembly. Using electric drills with wire brush attachments, chemical paint stripper and whatever other tools the club could obtain, the team scrubbed every reachable surface to bare metal. Initially, the engine/transmission, ladder bed framing and suspension systems were left in place.

Photo Courtesy: Jeff Koch

“We were able to locate a pump that was close to what had been in place originally,” Jim explains. “Pat, Rich and Charles took on the yeoman’s task of calculating and mapping its mounting points with the intent of eventually making it functional. It was no short feat, because we also had to fabricate a driveshaft. There’s a short shaft that comes from the transmission to the pump, and then a second shaft from the pump to the differential–the driveline goes through the pump. A fire truck is basically a pump on wheels, and that’s why this had a 529-cu.in. engine in it; not for horsepower, but for torque to drive the pump.”

Once the pump location was completed, and the shaft fabrication under way, the chassis was relieved of its engine and transmission, enabling the team to finish stripping the paint. Ready to refinish the chassis was club member Ted De¬Vries, who is known for his restoration work that has appeared at the Pebble Beach Concours. Aiding the effort was a temporary, handcrafted paint booth erected just outside the shop, but due to the vehicle’s length, Ted could complete only half the chassis per each session.

Photo Courtesy: Prescott Antique Auto Club Again using detailed pre-restoration photos, every aspect of the Seagrave’s as-delivered livery was replicated with great care. This is the hinged side panel of the hood receiving its golden number, the black pinstriping having already cured.

Finish began with six coats of two-part urethane PPG primer in two sessions. Once cured, it was sanded using a step process that began with 120-grade paper and progressed to finer 400-grade. Having achieved a smooth surface, two-stage PPG urethane paint was applied: three coats of color, followed by three coats of clear. Final sanding was achieved using 600-grade paper, before buffing brought forth the fire-truck-red luster we’re all familiar with. This same process was employed by Ted at his home shop when he refinished the Seagrave’s removable panels–cowl, hood and fenders–and water tank, which had been fabricated from, of all things, a tractor-trailer’s fuel tank; the ladder bed was finished on-site. Before primer, however, a skim coat of filler was applied to these panels where needed, which was then sanded with 80, then 120-grade paper.

Photo Courtesy: Prescott Antique Auto Club The 1931 Seagrave nears completion. Everything was accomplished by club members within a three-year period, including bench seat upholstery. The only exception was trim that required new chrome plating, which was accomplished by an outside firm.

In addition to the body and chassis, the team–including club members Bob Hanshaw and Ed Hoffman, who both served as firefighters on the truck when it was still in operation–carefully restored the Seagrave’s array of wooden ladders. According to Jim, “We had to locate a couple of them first. One of our members found the longest ladder hanging off the side of a building in a town south of Prescott, while the city returned another. They are important, because the ladders were assembled and patented by Seagrave. The guys sanded every inch of each ladder and then sealed them in several layers of black varnish. This was also done outside; the fumes would knock you off your feet. We asked a fire fighter if it made sense to climb a burning building with a wooden ladder, and we were told they actually last longer than aluminum ladders.”

Reassembly started with the military-rebuilt Hercules engine–now repainted to a factory-correct hue–and transmission. The pump followed; however, further fabrication work was required. “We had to get it mounted properly so that the guys could craft new surrounding panels based on what we saw in the day-of-completion factory photo we had obtained. Ted painted the panels and then set about pinstriping the truck using detailed photos we had taken before disassembly. He did the front end with paint, while the rest was accomplished with vinyl,” remembers Jim.

Photos Courtesy: Jeff Koch.

Other details were still being tended to. While members made several trips to the hardware store to purchase replacement slotted screws, Pat, Rich and Charles redid the wiring, Jim restored the siren and Jim Mercado reupholstered the seat in a correct pleated pattern. New running board stainless trim was purchased, which was then sanded with 600-, 1000- and 1500-grade paper, then buffed, to replicate the original factory chrome-like luster.

As the Seagrave neared completion, the team considered a safety modification. “At 40 feet long, and with modern distractions, we began to think that most of today’s drivers might not see the hand signals from the driver. We fabricated turn signal lamps from Model A cowl lamps; one of our guys was able to locate red lenses for the rear pair. They made them work and they look really good,” remarks Jim.

As of today, the Prescott Antique Auto Club is still seeing to the Seagrave’s final finishing touches, particularly the pump–which will be operational shortly–and returning the hand rails to the cowl. For all intents and purposes, they proclaimed the project complete in 2012, the same year it was invited to be a part of college footballs’ famed Fiesta Bowl parade in Phoenix. The historic ladder truck–of which very few survive–has also once again served the Prescott community by representing the department during the funeral procession for the 19 Prescott Hotshot fire fighters who lost their lives battling an Arizona wildfire during the summer of 2013.

“Reflecting on it, I think the remarkable thing about this project is that we did everything as a club in-house, except replating; and we did it in a three-year period, for the most part on Tuesday mornings from 9 a.m. to noon or 1 p.m. To have it done in time for the 2012 and 2013 Fiesta Bowl and, most importantly, for the community, was very rewarding for us as a club.”

Owner’s View

Everyone seemed to pitch in. It was one of the most remarkable things: to have a project of this magnitude and all these people from all walks of life come together on this thing and have it turn out the way it did without much bickering or infighting–it was almost surreal how everything kind of went together. The Seagrave has entrenched itself in the minds and hearts of the whole area, and as far as our club goes, and me personally, it’s been one of the most rewarding and satisfying things–to have a part of this truck’s history, to have it come out the way it did and to have our guys pretty much do it all. The quality of the job and the accolades are just incredible. The history keeps moving ahead with it. We’re all very proud of that truck and ourselves.

– Jim Schultz, on behalf of the entire Prescott Antique Auto Club

This article originally appeared in the March, 2014 issue of Hemmings Classic Car.

1964 Mercury Comet durability run. All images are frame grabs from video below.

This video produced for Lincoln-Mercury documents 40 days and nights of continuous punishment that a group of 1964 Comets, their drivers and crew endured to prove the all-new luxury compacts are durable.

All was done under the watchful eyes of representatives from NASCAR to oversee track safety and the national records and the Automobile Competition Committee for the United States, the official agent in the U.S. for the Federation Internationale de L’Automobile (FIA) to monitor for the international records. Longines timing equipment and officials were also on hand, as were Daytona officials. All in all, it took about 100 people at the track to accomplish the goal.

It began at the Daytona International Speedway on September 21st 1963 and ended on October 30^th. Through 100,000 miles accrued at about 2,500 per day with pit stops every two hours, two tropical storms from two hurricanes and plenty of gas and tires, the Comet Cyclone high performance solid-lifter 289-equipped cars endured.

To prepare for the vehicular torture test, the suspensions and drivelines were fortified with HD components and there was safety equipment added including HD wheels, racing tires, a rollbar and more. Additional instruments included a tach and oil temperature and fuel pressure gauges, and there was a two-way radio for communication.

Throughout the video there are beautiful period shots of the Daytona superspeedway at dawn, mid-day and dusk. You can’t see much in the night filming, however. Fender-level shooting on the track from car to car, shots of the driver’s in the Comets at speed and pit stops and refilling at the Firebird pumps can all be appreciated.

The worst mechanical failure was a broken valve spring on one of the cars that put it out of record contention. Nevertheless it was repaired and still finished the challenge.

Four Comets traveled 100,000 miles over 960 hours at an average speed of 105 to 108 MPH and three of them broke or established over 100 world speed and distance records. A fifth Comet was there to break a specific record and averaged 124.421 for 10,000 miles. And you can see it all happen in this 15 minute video.

From the Vintage Los Angeles Facebook page comes this probably not-so-silent night-ish view of Hollywood Boulevard looking east from the late 1940s. Even if we didn’t have the cars to confirm that era for us, we can at least identify it by the fact that the Drake Hotel was renamed that in 1945 and kept that name until 1958. For once, we’re not asking anybody to identify the cars here, rather to just soak up the warm glow of the scene, maybe pour a glass of eggnog, and have a happy holiday.

By almost anyone’s standards, the Land Rover Defender is a supremely capable off-road beast, but there are places that even a Defender fears to tread. That’s where this 1987 Land Rover 100 NCF Sahara, for sale on Hemmings.com, comes into play. Featuring a modified pickup body that minimizes the front and rear overhang, neither approach nor departure angles are of any real concern. The custom suspension allows for 11-inches of wheel travel in the rear, and there’s 10.5-inches of clearance beneath the axles. Though the lack of traditional doors may be an issue for some, the Sahara includes panels to make the rig weather tight for year-round use. From the seller’s description:

Description: Are you in search of the most unique Land Rover you can find? Shopping for the off-road enthusiast who has everything? Want a ride that sets you apart from the crowd?



Meet the SAHARA – The definitive sport utility vehicle.

We have the ultimate Land Rover experience for you! Capturing the true spirit

of adventure, the SAHARA was created for the special few with an inherent

desire to explore.

While this truck started life as a capable Land Rover Discovery, through the genius of NCF, D.A.P. Enterprises and Performance Unlimited, this is now the most awesome and unique Land Rover in North America!



Engineered to withstand years of rugged service.

It starts with the full-length box section frame of uncompromising Land Rover construction, so durable it has become the standard by which all other sport utilities are judged. Add to that a custom body of high-strength steel tubing and you’ve got a rock solid platform on which to build a most capable off-roader.

The SAHARA’s tightly packaged body has minimal front or rear overhang. Approach and departure angles are 57 and 35 degrees respectively.

Axle ground clearance is 10.5 inches, and suspension travel is a whopping 11 inches in the rear.



Rugged. Long Lived. Capable. These are SAHARA hallmarks.

Its drivetrain is unexcelled for strength and durability, not to mention the ability to negotiate seemingly unnavigable terrain. The SAHARA’s permanent four-wheel drive eliminates the need to shift back and forth between two and four-wheel drive. Where extreme traction is needed, the center differential can be locked and shifted into low range. In this range, the SAHARA can actually climb 45-degree grades, or ford water nearly 20 inches deep.

If a road is impassable to a SAHARA, it is quite probably impassable.

The fuel-injected 4.0 litre aluminium V8 provides the muscle, the silky-smooth ZF automatic transfers the torque and the LT230 permanent 4-wheel drive transfer box makes sure that no terrain is too tough! That’s right; this is the same drivetrain as used in the legendary NAS Defender 90!

Of course it retains the compliant road manners of a classic Range Rover with the plush long-travel coil spring suspension, sway bars, and 4 wheel disc brakes! Equipped with knobby BF Goodrich Mud Terrain KM2 tires on Defender Freestyle alloy wheels, this beast is unstoppable!



Simplicity and ruggedness are not the SAHARA’s only qualities.

We all know the area where the Defender is lacking is the interior; it may be a bit spartan for some. We have resolved that issue with the plush carpet, full featured soft dash, fabric seats, and phenomenal seating position! The doors are easily removable for a day at the beach or trekking to your favorite mountain top. If the weather gets chilly, just pop them back on in moments!



The D.A.P. SAHARA – a unique and authentic vehicle.

So you ask, how did this vehicle come to be? It all started with the robust Land Rover quality you would expect. Then NCF, maker of unique re-body kits from England came along and decided that there should be a Land Rover pickup. These kits are very exclusive, with just a handful made each year. When the Wizards at D.A.P. saw what NCF had created, it was decided that there should be one in the stable. This one is the ONLY one ever imported to the United States! That’s right, literally this is the only SAHARA in this country!



Crafted by Land Rover Experts.

Once it was transported stateside, the body and frame were married and the mechanicals sorted by the expert technicians at D.A.P. It was then handed to the experienced staff at Performance Unlimited for the full finishing treatment. Every inch of this beautiful truck has been carefully assessed and evaluated. Every individual piece was qualified as being in like new condition or was rebuilt or replaced as needed. Many pieces were hand fabricated to ensure that this is the nicest SAHARA ever built. The undercarriage was prepped and treated with Rhino Liner to ensure its longevity. All internal panels were treated with Lizard Skin ceramic insulation and Dynamat insulation to make this truck as quiet as possible. The custom Millennium Yellow paint is a premium base coat/clearcoat system by PPG to ensure the longest lasting, most durable finish possible.



Own an Exotic off-roader of legendary heritage.

If you like to be anonymous when you go out for dinner or cruise the beach, this is not the conveyance for you. It draws a crowd everywhere it goes. Ownership of this exclusive 4×4 built by the legendary professionals at D.A.P. will let your friends and envious observers know that you can afford the quality that only the pro’s can provide!

Photo by Randy Dodson.

Editor’s note: This piece comes to us from reader Vance Mehlenbacher in Camrose, Alberta, Canada, and for obvious reasons we couldn’t pass it up. From all of us at Hemmings, Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays and thanks for reading!

‘Twas the night before Christmas, and in the garage

There sat in the corner, a classic old Dodge

My sixty nine Charger, near ready to go

To all of next season’s burnouts and shows

Its perfect black body, with a white R/T stripe

Red leather interior, the seats are just right

A pistol grip shifter coming up through the floor

Now hooked to a six speed, not five, and not four.

It sits with the hood up, not quite running yet

The problem elusive, but simple I bet

The four-two-six HEMI of legend and lore

“Why won’t you run? I can’t take it no more.”

Now freshly rebuilt, this elephant mill

Just thinking about it gives me a chill

All of that horsepower, all of that torque

I can’t make it run. I feel like a dork.

I’m about to turn in, and go off to bed

Thinking a good sleep should help clear my head

When ever so slightly, I hear someone’s laughter

And jingle bells ringing, and hooves pitter-patter

“Is this for real?” I thought to myself

Could it be? The jolly old elf?

I opened the side door and had a look out

The sleigh that I saw removed any doubt

Across the street, he was making the rounds

Rooftop to rooftop, in leaps and bounds

Then he was gone, but the sleigh still remained

For what happened next, I’ll have to explain

As I turned around, what do you know

Santa Claus himself, the star of the show

Was standing there, grinning, right there by the car

His pearly whites glistening, reflecting like stars

I stammered “S-Santa?!” And he started to snicker

I took a deep breath to calm down my ticker

He was checking it over, no angle undone

And then he said nicely, “Can I hear it run?”

I hated to say it, had no other choice

This problem I had with my Charger’s voice

“I wish that we could, but I’m afraid not tonight.

It’ll turn over, but it simply won’t light.I know it’s ignition, of this I’m sure.

But I’m out of ideas. Do you have a cure?”

He pondered a moment, then scratched his chin.

“I have an idea. Why don’t you jump in?”

I climbed in the car as he fiddled around

And he said “Aha! You have a bad ground.

This wire on the coil should be attached here.”

And over he moved it, without any fear.

“Hit it!” he said, his grin growing wide

I pushed in the clutch and let out a sigh

I wiggled the shifter and hit the ol’ key…

And it fired at once. I howled with glee!

The exhaust is so loud it rattles the walls

Santa yelled over it, “I bet this thing hauls!”

I killed it and jumped out, unable to speak

Santa had fixed it with one little tweak!

“You know about cars?” I finally asked.

“Oh, yes!” he replied. “My veins run with gas.

I work but one night, so with my spare time

I tinker and wrench, it sharpens the mind.

I have a collection that rivals the best

It’s my preferred hobby when I am at rest.”

I shook his hand thank you, we nodded goodbye

And with that he vanished in the blink of an eye.

As I went in to head off to bed,

I thought about everything Santa had said

Turns out he’s a car guy! And now that you know,

Perhaps you’ll see him – at your next show!

Cox Chaparral slot car kit; image by the author