cheezestaak2000

i was a mechanic at a small repair shop in the early 1970's and made a lot of trips to a local junkyard for parts. they kinda got to know me, so i was allowed to go in and get parts myself. i had heard some rumors that the owner had some connection to a chop shop. one day while in there getting some parts, i passed a pile of 50's dodges, chevies and fords. under that pile i noticed something shiney. on closer inspection, i saw it was a very late model corvette, missing just about everything that could be unbolted from it.

after getting my 1969 pontiac le mans back from the body shop after an accident, the rag joint between the steering column and the steering gear box broke, i was franticly spinning that wheel as the car continued going straight

1965 Pontiac GTO, but i gotta give an honorable mention to a Buick Centurion 2dr that had a 455 in it

1964 volkswagen micro bus

i used to drive a tow truck back in the 1960's. one day got a call to go to an accident scene. it seemed a corvair van had driven head on into a large tree. the dash was destroyed and none of the controls were functional so there was no gearshift.. so i hooked up to the front end to pull it back to the storage yard, but i had no dolly wheels to put under the rear wheels. about a mile down the road, it started, but about 5 miles down the road, it caught on fire. happy ending, i made it back to the yard just as it ran out of gas.

one of the many bits of wisdom my father imparted to me. he was an auto mechanic from the 1930's to the 50's. he said never buy a chrysler product if you wanted to go somewhere on a rainy day.

here's how it works here in delaware. salvage branding on title is not effected by amount of damage.if the car title passes thru an insurace company for any reason, it will be considered salvage.i worked at a dealer that sold mostly salvage titled cars. funny thing was, if we sold one into state of maryland or virginia, they got regular titles in those states as often as not. if a car is a recovered theft, it got a salvage title, and many of those had no damage at all!. i've seen cars with damp carpets from leaving the windows down issued flood titles as well. we sold a lot of repeat customers because if they went to trade one in at another dealer, they would be offered half what the car was worth because of salvage title. then they would come bace and see us, buy another for way below market, and get a much better trade value.

if anyone wants to start a chevette group, let me make a suggestion on how to get only the most dedicated chevette owners as members. require prospective members to go out and remove the starter from their little gem. that should eliminate all but the most dedicated. we built them here at the wilmington plant. they were NOT built with pride in wilmington as the sign said.

as i recall, replacement cables are cut to fit, then heat the cut end so you can melt it into the plastic end piece that comes with it. check first to make sure both ends match up with trans output point and back of speedometer. but i think it's a one size fits all kind of deal

according to the degree of difficulty with your state's title laws, i wouldn't rule out creative caligrophy. if you have a legit bill of sale, you probably won't end up in an orange jump suit. i used to buy $100 cars from a local dealer . i would detail them, get them firing on all cyls, and take them to the auction. the checks would be made out to the previous owner, whould " sign" the the back of the check (wink wink) and i deposited in my account. 50 years ago, and i never had a problem.

philly girl

very interesting thread. someone mentioned the AMC matadors of the early 70's.wilmington delaware had a fleet of them. i think they were so popular because of the 5/50,000 mile warranty that really was "bumper to bumper". even covered wear items like brake shoes. we hated working on them for factory rates. i also recall talking to a GM instructor at the moorestown new jersey site that mentioned a big block corvette pursuit car the jersey turnpike police used. he said the passenger seat was removed to make room for radio equipment. my final odd cop car post involves me drag racing my GTO against a 396 camaro. it was on a main highway, and we were spotted by a newcastle county police officer. we split up, and i parked my car behind a gas station. i got out, bought a coke from the machine, then watched the cop (in full pursuit mode) go by in his 4 cyl international scout, lights flashing and siren blaring.

i kinda get the impression that many of you turned wrenches for a living. and when all else failed, we would consult a shop manual. so, my question is this: what was the craziest instruction you ever saw in one? i wish to nominate the 1968 rambler american book. under instructions for installing the self-adjusting clutch in told you to depress the clutch pedal 47 times when finished. i mean how did they know 46 wasn't enough, and 48 was too many?

if it's any help, the wheel opening mouldings are the same for both. they used to install them just down the line from me at the GM plant in 1965.

have you seen the lucid dream?

wonder if lower case change has anything to do with being second to toyota?

we used an electric fuel pump with a hose down the dipstick tube to drain transmissions. btw weren't all 54 chevys supposed to be turquoise and white? did you not get the memo?

everytime a Hudson gets saved, an angel gets their wings.

the big change between 1965 and 1966 chevrolet was the thickness of the body sheet metal, which might be a factor in how many of each survived. i worked at the wilmington plant in 1966 and my job was putting the body side moulding clips on and there was a problem with the metal buckling on the bel aires since they had larger clips than the impalas. problem was solved by putting a heat lamp over the bin the clips were kept in

give her a cup of CRCpenetrating oil and hit the same bump

my only claim to "cool". took my test in a 1957 chevrolet 210 sport sedan. driver's ed car was a 1962 chevy 2 four cyl stick in the hills of pennsylvania

and don't forget that 235 with the 292 truck engine camshaft and 3 one bbl carbs also known as corvette power

i have a great fondness for the chevy 4 dr ht. it was what i learned to drive in, and took my driver's test in. in later years, i learned it was kinda rare, it was a 1957 but a 210 model sport sedan. i later bought a 57 sport sedan, but mine was a bel aire.

my first car, a 1954 chevy, was part of the reason that Pep boys sold drain oil in 2 gallon cans. i was however, unsuccessful in getting any money from the state for mosquito control. on a serious note, in the mid 1970's a quart per 1,000 miles was considered acceptable per oldsmobile servie updates.

i would love to see these replies posted again in about 15 years. then we'll see who the smart people are/were. by the way, as soon as hotels wake up and install chargers, many things will change. i laugh when i pass a local gas station (wawa) that has a row of them. i guess they cater to 20th century thinking. i'm 74, and every nickel i've ever made was from automibles, but i'd buy an electric vehicle in a heartbeat.