Wild stuff! I haven't had enough luck on bicycles to even consider doing anything close to that. Related: Dodge Tomahawk Millyard Viper V10 Both crazy sports-car-engine-powered motorcycles. I don't know if anyone actually tested them out, though.

Not plans. For houses. They shipped all you needed to build the house!

Sears sold houses

I've seen a few things about him.A true legend.

He used to go to the local Sears store and buy Atlas Bucron tires for the back of his bike , because they were softer than other tires and sorta hooked up . Best of all , was the warranty , Sears would replace them for free , until they figured out how he was destroying so many of them , and cut him off .

I misspoke on Mr Potter’s age, he lived to be 71, not 77. My sincere apologies for the confusion.

At one time sears sold heroin and cocaine...I mean it was medicine and legal 🤷‍♂️

Jenn- In Detroit and the suburbs there are a few schools for people with your level of interest in automotive technology. There is a Design & Styling school and there are automotive engineering programs at universities. The Design & Styling school draws in the best innate car designers & stylists from around the world. When I watch your videos I think about you attending one of these schools. I grew up in a suburb of Detroit. The culture in the Detroit region is 100% centered on automobiles.

Did you notice that the 1965 Chevelle in the photos was one of the 201, Z-16 Malibu SS 396 cars that were built to promote the new 396 engine . You can tell by the trim on the back of the trunk lid .

Wild stuff! Was the whole unit intended to be a one-time-use thing, or would people be refueling these after a drag race, potentially still hot from the previous run?

Some might check, but i believe Montgomery Ward sold a little car called the Simca. Who ever sold them , my dad and a neighbor rebuilt 2of them.

I got my wife through a Sears catalogue. Even the portable air pump came from Sears.

Sears was the Amazon back in "the day"

Cool! I used to work for Sear Automotive in the 1980's. Sad that mismanagement allowed them to go under.

I definitely need to visit that Corvette Museum!

I feel like advertising spots have gotten very compact, (compared to when ads were more educational) and the amount of time needed to teach has increased with the complexity of the things that are unique (or near-unique) to a brand or model.

Very well put! The necessity and cost of specialty tools has also added a factor. I used to work at a parts store, and sometimes I would encounter people that would be willing to repair a car themselves, but once the parts and tools are priced out, it's cheaper for them to just take it to a mechanic (and that's what they end up doing).

I hadn't heard of this one! Cool stuff!

Just because technology has advanced doesn't mean we should create as many problems as we have in automobiles. Lots of things are overcomplicated, or not built simply enough. Fuel economy is built on lies in trucks; I shouldn't have to hit a button every time I start the truck to keep the transmission from eating itself. But they overdrive has to be default for the fuel economy to meet regulations. How about all the controls moving to a touch screen on some of the newest things? I'll take a vent operated by a lever over that any day. I can fix a lever. I cannot go board level on the built in touch screen computer. I agree with there being a systemic problem with education. Nothing is presented in a functional fashion, nor are people taught to think; just regurgitate facts to pass tests.

Enjoyed the history and the accent. Thanks

It is a two sided issue I think, yes people don’t know how to work on cars much anymore because no one shows them. But at the same time engines have gotten so overly complicated it’s insane. I remember getting my 2012 mustang popped the hood and the first thing I said was I’m afraid to touch this thing lol

Cats can dream big too .

I've seen two of the real ones over the years. I've seen one kit that looked kinda... Awful. I think it was built on a truck frame and the body looked out of proportion. And a lot of the nice accent pieces (headlight grilles and mirrors, off the top of my head) looked super cheap, with mold marks all over em.

It's a bit of everything, but I'd also like to mention how many manufacturers don't design with self-repair in mind. There's a number of designs where even changing the oil filter is unnecessarily difficult. The manufacturers would rather you go to their service departments to have repairs done or get fed up and buy a newer model. Even if they lose some sensible buyers, there will always be brand loyalists who will continue to buy from them.

It is a systemic problem and it spans over so many disciplines. The desire to learn new things is getting more rare, but those who would instill that knowledge are becoming few and far between. When it comes to cars, the interest in learning anything about them is becoming extinct. The idea of self-reliance when it comes to technical things is overshadowed by someone else will do it. It's pretty unsettling. Unfortunately, I don't see it improving any time soon. I have taught my boys to have this desire to learn this, and hopefully they will pass it on to their children.

Reminds me of Kaylee from Firefly. Bet she's cute with a little grease smudged on her face. lol

Agree 100%

Toward the end, you mention another video with more details about this car, but I wasn't able to find the link.

You are absolutely gorgeous

who are you?

I think they even had gas stations. I've seen pictures of them in Upstate New York.

Also motorcycles.

Love your accent, young lady! We had a pretty big Sears store in the city I grew up in, but if you couldn't find what you wanted they had a catalog department where you could order merchandise. I remember walking by it a number of times and there were always customers at the counter ordering stuff not regularly stocked in the stores.

The Henry J could be had with a six cylinder. They were very light weight and fast. The Allstate 4 cylinder was so-so. I had a supercharged 1954 Kaiser Manhattan, it only weighed 3200 lbs and was huge inside, very comfortable.

They also sold motorcycles under the Sears Allstate name. Mine was a 250cc version that looked like a smaller version of a Harley. With the Brooke Stevens design.

Your videos are awesome, I click sub! Greetings from Canada!

I got my moped from there lol

another waste of our money , like the shrimp on a treadmill experiment .

Hey now, I love my Hornet. It's a great little SUV.

Great video, My uncle had an Allstate motorcycle.

I own a sears house.

I love this accent lol

I am amazed at the number of people who can't change their own tire, can't check their oil level, air in the tires, or even pump their own gas. These should be basic life skills, that I think should be a mandatory part of high school curriculum. For good measure, add in make oatmeal, change a light bulb, maybe even change a light switch. Instead, as Jenn said, unless you went to school for this, you will never be taught.

Sears would advertise mail order brides.

Ms. Millennial, it's pronounced "Kyser."

Sears used to sell everything. I used to put on roofs for Sears back in the 80’s.

Very entertaining spokes-model!

Very entertaining spokes-model!

I remember they had a 2stroke Allstate motorcyle also. Terrible bike.

Brings back memories. I had an 85 and then a 90. The 85 lost steering while doing 60 on the highway, bounced like a pinball off the guardrails, The 90 got totaled by a drunk driver in a 4x4. Pushed the hood of the car thru the windshield and toward me in the drivers seat. Walked away from both.