TTR
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Posts posted by TTR
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While some (including me) may find such covers less than appealing, I’ve known/seen many such being used in vintage cars by drivers/owners with severe arthritis issues in their hands/fingers.
I personally use (leather) gloves when driving my vintage cars with casted steering wheels, merely to prevent body oils, sweat or suntan lotions, etc to getting impregnated to casting and causing premature aging/failure issues.
OTOH, they have also been known for decades having been used to hide cracked or otherwise damaged steering wheel rim when presenting a car for sale.
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33 minutes ago, Paul Dobbin said:
We've had AAA Gold+RV for 30+ years. With 8 cars and a motorhome, it's worth the $129 @ year premium.
Like Jack M and TTR, when you need ir, ITS GREAT!
2016 on the way to the Sentimental Tour in Salisbury NC, we stopped to visit Rick Hendrick's Collection/Museum
and when we left we barely got past the Lowe's Morto Speedway when the Airstream DP stopped. It was Sunday
and the contracted AAA Towing guy was not available. It took a few hours, but AAA found somebody to come get
us with a 35 ton wrecker. The driver removed our 12" drive shaft and towed us to our campground in Salisbury.
When I offered him s $100 tip, he declined and said he got $800 from AAA.
A friend came from the campground and pulled our trailerd 34 Ford 30 miles to the campground. Great friend!
End of story: I found auto parts store and trucker/mechanic and we replaced all the fuel filters then the
fuel pump and finally the fuel cut off solenoid, at the campground. Problem solved! Plus I learned how a diesel
engine shuts off. Never heard of a fuel cut off solenoid before.
Yes, I do recommend AAA.
All my AAA serviced “emergency” tow needs have occurred on holidays, one was late Sunday afternoon about 80+ miles away from home, another during mad mid-day traffic congestion on Dec. 24th in L.A. about 50 miles from home.
Both were handled very professionally and promptly, although former, as I’ve probably recounted somewhere here before, “almost” too promptly, forcing me to gulp down a very nice glass of wine I had hoped to enjoy/savor slowly while waiting for the arrival of the cavalry, which showed up about 1 hour and 50 minutes earlier than estimated 2 hours initially given by AAA representative over the phone. 🙄-
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If I'm not mistake, AAA (at least here in California) doesn't require having insurance through them, just annual membership fee for their roadside assistance program, which includes towing service with extent depending on your membership ($) level.
In my +/- 20 years of (Premier) membership, other than one unlocking service, I've never needed anything for my daily drivers, but have used “free (longer distance) tow” on couple of occasions (50-100 mile tows) with my vintage cars and considering combined out-of-pocket expenses those tows would've had cost, I believe these "free" services from AAA more than covered all my membership fees I've paid over the years.
I believe I also have "free tow services" in my vintage car policies, but never needed/used them, but it’s nice to know they're there, especially when considering that I probably drive mine a lot more than most here, i.e. several thousand miles, including at least one or two 1000+ mile trips annually.
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Another great day drive today up in the SoCal mountains, with several extra treats.
First of all, I was joined by couple younger (in their late twenties) vintage car enthusiasts driving one of theirs Alfa-Romeo Spider (think movie “Graduate”).
We started little before sunrise driving from Riverside to LaCanada-Flintridge and got on Angeles Crest Highway about an hour later and that’s when the real fun began, especially once we got above low lying cloud cover at about 2500-3000 ft. elevation.
Once we got to Mt. Baldy Observatory turn out, I asked one of the young guys to take the helm of the Roadster and I rode as a passenger in the Spider following ii to see and video record how she behaves and looks gunning around through those twists & turns up there (Treat #1).
I also asked them both to take it back down few miles, while I stayed on an overlook spot where I could observe the car from a distance of several miles and twisty sections of the road below me.I then asked them to do it again with the other guy driving (Treat #2, also for the second guy who had never driven her before).
Then little later, after a brief snack break at the Newcomb’s Ranch, I asked the guy with more experience to drive mine behind the Spider, while I again sat as a passenger in latter to observe and video record the Roadster following us (Treat #3).
Eventually, when we were almost back home, I noticed a larger early 1930’s car on the freeway ahead of us, so I sped up and passed to see what it is. Looked like a 1932(?) Lincoln Coupe. Its driver and I exchanged smiles and waves (Treat #4).
When we finally got off the freeway, I decided to swing by to see if one of my favorite restaurants (Pakistani cuisine) was open for lunch. It was, so I treated the guys for an excellent meal (Treat #5).
Now, sitting in our garden, watching birds, butterflies, lizards, etc toiling in it, while I’m just chilling with some ice cream, good wheat beer, well aged Tequila and a tasty cigar (Treat #6).
Other than the Spider having developed some driveline vibration along the way (probably due to a failing transmission mount ?), all and all, a great day with 180+ miles of pure vintage driving pleasures.
Life feels pretty darn great right now.
Tomorrow, back to work, i.e. checking timing on 4 camshafts, 2 distributors and fine tuning 6 DCN’s in a vintage V12 Ferrari and maybe continue fabricating some sheet metal trunk floor sections for a ‘56 Imperial.-
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2 hours ago, alsancle said:
SCM is basically a bunch of European go-kart engined car loving guys who will occasionally and incorrectly talk about a prewar big "C" Classic or interesting American car.
Besides various car club publications (none of which I have time to even browse often) and several gift subscriptions of commercially produced (car) magazines (which I don't have time nor much interest to read either anymore), SCM, which a friend who thought it was one of the best car magazines ever, gifted me a subscription for couple of years +/-15 years ago, turned out to be so laughable, I had to ask him not to renew and after explaining (my views on) how ridiculously hypocritical its "mission"(?) is, he ended up stopping his own long-term subscription to it also.
I think most periodicals, including (vintage) car related, seem to be just platforms for advertisers with minimal amount of actual "content" (mostly pictures) sprinkled in between and that's why they are a dying/outdated breed of media in this digital world.
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12 hours ago, Bloo said:
Modification of a cars electrical or any other mechanical/operational/technical system, if wanted, should begin with an understanding of basics, not marketing hype, advertising copy, or old wives tales.
And this ^^ of course should be applied to any and all aspects of automotive (or any other, be it a boat, clock, fire hydrant, house, etc) repairs or restoration, especially if reasonably successful outcome is to be expected.
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48 minutes ago, edinmass said:
... MOST importantly treat it like it's a car.....not an object of art. They have wheels for a reason.
....take your car out and drive it....it's good for you, and good for the car. Have fun, life is short.
+ 100000000000000000000000000.....
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On 5/21/2021 at 8:12 AM, alsancle said:
A concours is no different than a cruise night.
I tend to agree, which is why I haven’t bothered much with latter for years/decades any more.
Mostly same cars in static display for few hours (some even transported to/from in trailers), some participants expecting trinkets or trophy’s and even getting pi**ed if not “awarded” one, then everyone goes home ?!?
And as far as I’ve heard, at least around here there’s just too many to even keep track of, not to mention umpteen million C & Cs (allegedly half a dozen or so just in Riverside alone), etc.
When (and where) I got into this hobby 4+ decades ago, “cruise night” (or entire weekend) meant semi-aimlessly driving around in a cool (or any) car for the whole night (or entire weekend), often, for the change of scenery, in various big cities, town, villages and routes in between, making brief stops for fuel, food/drinks (including adult beverages, since it was legal for anyone over 18 y.o. but the driver to consume them in a moving or parked vehicles on public roads/streets), meeting car buddies/friends/opposite sex/etc along the way and some occasional un-sanctioned “street races” sprinkled in between, although this wasn’t very popular because most of us frowned upon since if any accidents happened, LEO presence grew exponentially on the streets for several weeks or longer.Heck, some weekends our mostly ‘50s/‘60s full-size American cars got started early Friday evening and didn’t got shut-off until Sunday night. And mind you, the cost of fuel was about 5-6 times of that in the U.S. at the time, but even with very limited personal discretionary budgets, we didn’t care.
We had cars for driving, not for static display and if you didn’t drive yours “often” or “enough”(?) you were quickly labeled as “just a poser”.Due to Alaska-like climate, the cruising season was of course often only 3-4 months and if your pride-and-joy weekend cruiser/ride exhibited any problems during those months, you begged, borrowed and got help from your car buddies to get whatever it was fixed during late nights of the week, so it’ll be ready for cruising by next Friday. Major overhauls/rebuilds/restorations were conducted off-season.
No trophies awarded or expected. Just good times by enjoying the cars as intended, by driving, and what I still prefer today.
Maybe it’s a cultural background difference ?
On 5/21/2021 at 8:12 AM, alsancle said:Just an excuse to go hang out with buddies and talk about stuff of mutual interest.
If it truly was just “to hang out with buddies and talk about stuff of mutual interest”, why bother with judging & trophies ?
OTOH, if I ever came across PB winning type car randomly/unexpectedly being driven on some road in-the-middle-of-nowhere, I for one would do my best to catch up/turn around/whatever to express/offer my sincerest admiration and respect.
P.S. In spite of some of my perhaps harshly worded comments and questions, I hope readers understand they’re not directed at anyone specifically, but offered/shared more in general terms as alternative views of this hobby of ours.
Besides just working on vintage cars full-time, I also exhibit some on behalf or together with my clients (kind of like edinmass) and receive invitation to them judge* at some regional, national and international events, but don’t care to show my own cars for aforementioned reasons.
They’re for me to enjoy (by driving) and I don’t care whether others approve of or like them. If they do, great, but if not, no big deal.* Although with too much and too often seeing politics involved, I don’t think I can do it too much longer.
What’s the point if/when you have to ask yourself “What’s the point ?”.
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1 hour ago, TAKerry said:
Sounds like a dog show! Winners were picked before...
Sadly true, but that's what car shows are and and have always been.
I've often wondered how many would even bother owning old cars, if it wasn't for trophies and/or events to show them off.
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I see you were strongly "influenced" by European sports (& racing) cars of the era with few "old" cars sprinkled in between and didn't have much regard (respect ?) toward space required for "painting and bodywork". 😉
I grew up in a society were this type of DYI center “concept" was already in active use 40+ years ago when I cut my teeth as a hobbyist in (vintage) automotive rebuilds/repairs/restorations.
Most of us ("kids" at the time), especially city dwellers, didn't have access to our own "household" garages or workshops, so many formed small groups, i.e. chartered/registered car clubs and as such jointly leased larger industrial buildings/garages/shops, which were then evenly divided between "club members" whom each paid monthly "rent" for their "own" space, although some with more means and/or cars, could/did opt and pay for two or more spaces.
Anyone caught doing something stupid like "un-authorized borrowing" of someone else's equipment/parts/tools or slacking too much with their monthly rent payments, etc could find their cars/parts/tools "evicted" and in some "hard cases", their a**e* kicked.
Of course, some of the biggest benefits I recall being that there was always someone nearby for advise or assistance, should any be needed, not to mention lifelong friendships that most of us still maintain and cherish, even if thousands of miles apart.
This "concept" is still quite popular and very actively used among younger car enthusiast over there and even many of my old friends still keep and/or work on their "hobby" cars in such places.
Heck, some of them now own those types of buildings/properties and lease them to younger generation car guys, just to help keep enthusiasm/flame alive.
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Not sure about GM cables per se, but with some makes car vs. truck cables are different thicknesses.
Also, some tachometer drive cables are often thicker than speedometer cables.
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Also worth considering that unless you know and/or can verify their “credentials”, some random/unknown individuals “offering $1000 in cash” on some internet/social media platform (or over the phone) may not actually have any intentions to give you that or anything, so don’t waste your time with such indirect offers.
Just because “someone” says their word (or offer) is good, doesn’t always mean that it is.
But as others have stated, if you have a clear title and legitimate offer, it could be best to just let it go for whatever you can get.
Another possibility is to dig it out (or clear surrounding area), take lots of photos and put it on eBay as a “no reserve” auction with detailed description (& photos) with stipulation of timely local pickup only or buyer must arrange shipping (also in timely manner), etc.
Your (i.e. cars) location may be a significant factor for some potential buyers.
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13 minutes ago, a griffin said:
33 Lincoln Murray built
I would look into OEM parts/service manuals and/or current listings by various suppliers to confirm what, if anything, was used and/or is available.
Asking generic/unspecified questions on forums is less likely to provide accurate answers.
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And as "GregLaR" indicated, technically, it's "DPCD" for DodgePlymouthChryslerDeSoto (Imperial was not yet identified as its own brand at the time when this logo came into use)
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I’d say it depends on make, model, body/coach builder.
Some cars of that era had no or very little weatherstripping”, including doors, trunk lids or cowl vents, etc.
Are we talking about American or European, Economy or Luxury, Coach Built or Mass Produced, etc... ?
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On 5/5/2021 at 11:08 AM, 1912Staver said:
Is it just me or are collections like this nut's and not in a good way ?
How many collections are there with rows of cars like this ? Quite a few I expect.
Call me cynic, but having observed* numerous, similarly appeared-out-of-nowhere "collections"(?) like this come and gone over the decades and having learned some of their ownership/funding "backgrounds", I often tend to wonder how many are used for "laundering" questionable sources of "income" or used by "investment consortiums" to provide air of legitimacy for their portfolio holdings and/or tax (evasion ?) write-offs.
*I was once offered a management position for similar one, but something just didn't "feel" right, so I declined and now, I'm not even sure if any of those hundreds of cars and huge (new) warehouse buildings purchased almost overnight to store them in, along with all (alleged) other warehouses filled with similar content owned by same entities at various parts of the globe are still in actively used as (private) "collections", each of which would make the thread title outfit look almost like a small garage with just few used cars in it.
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5 minutes ago, John348 said:
I have come upon this with Chevy 14" rims, and the full size wheel covers. The 57-61 rims have four raised 'nubs' on the edge of the rim to secure the cover. Without those 'nubs' the wheelcovers will fly off. Maybe this si the case with Ford's as well?
I’m not familiar with Chevys or Fords, but my afore-referenced 1960 Chrysler hub caps & wheels have same/similar “nubs” and “clocked” accordingly by valve stem location.
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According to my limited experiences, (full size) hub caps falling off seems relatively common among many ‘50s/‘60s American cars, but even more so if or when the wheels aren’t exactly same size/type the car (and its hub caps) originally came with.
While many wheels may appear to fit and look (almost) alike from year-to-year make/model, quite often they are not and I believe most OEM hub caps were often designed & made to fit only a specific wheels design.One of the most notable examples I’ve experienced is 1960 Chrysler wheels, which feature details to accommodate only 1960 Chrysler hub caps and not found in any other same era MoPars, including ‘59 or ‘61 Chryslers.
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What does this topic has to do with antique/classic/old cars ?
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I’ve always thought life’s too short and has too much to offer for frivolous “regrets”, especially on material things I’ve had but decided (or was forced), for whatever reason, to let go.
Only things I could consider “regrettable”(?) are those I didn’t do or get when I had a chance, but fortunately there aren’t very many of those either. -
What a waste of perfectly good engine. 🙄
13 hours ago, Hudsy Wudsy said:For a brief moment I thought it was Bill Murray.
... auditioning for a role of a pimp ? 😳
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23 hours ago, padgett said:
Interesting that a '67 is now considered an "old" car.
Perhaps, but not as strange as some considering 25 year old an “Antique”, but hey, if someone wishes to consider their ‘95 Xxx Xxxxxx as such, that’s their prerogative.
I always thought only cars made before WWI would qualify as such and usually consider everything else, regardless of their makes, models or era/year (= vintage) just “old”.
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10 hours ago, Jack Bennett said:
I drive my old car wherever, whenever possible, and I like to put about 400 miles on it during a nice summer month. I do have a spare and carry a jack and lug wench as well as some pliers and crew drivers. But I also carry a Hagerty roadside recovery policy and have a car hauler trailer ready at home. I enjoy driving the car, not because it is so dependable, and I trust it to not break down. To the contrary, there is always something breaking on it, and it is a adventure to see how far I can go without it needing another repair. And, I have worked on literally every inch of the car, and every sound, or lack of, is confirmation my work is, at least temporarily, effective. I only wish people were as nice in regards to their interest in the car while I’m actually on the road as they are in the parking lot.
Thanks for contributing and I’m glad to read you’re enjoying old car adventures, but wouldn’t mind reading more detailed accounts of them and if possible see photos taken during any such trips. 👍
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Just noticed this mornings odometer reading, which I have a habit of photo-documenting at the beginning of every extended (few hour and/or 100+ mile ?) drive.
Order of the digits were just a funny coincidence, but they also revealed that I’ve managed to rack up only 700 some odd miles on these day excursions since I replaced the tires in early February.
I also heard back from a (new) client for whom, in last few weeks, I performed some chassis and suspension repairs + tuning on his recently acquired 54 year old Italian V12 Grand Touring Coupe. Apparently, after picking it up a week ago, he decided to take it for 3 day, 500+ mile test drive, including couple of extended 100+ MPH stints, in Death Valley area.
He sounded quite exited and pleased with the car’s performance & handling.-
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A great sales tactic... WalMart steering wheel cover on a late '40's Cadillac
in General Discussion
Posted · Edited by TTR (see edit history)
Well, when and where I grew up, mud flaps were mandatory (in the rear) on most cars.
The ones with Yosemite Sam/“Back Off” and “Keep On Trucking” were quite popular on American made ‘50s/‘60s (hobby) cars. The ones with a car manufacturer name or logo were also popular but more costly and difficult to obtain than “B.O.” or “K.O.T.” which were available in-stock or through the 2-3 parts stores specializing in (aftermarket) parts for American cars.
Anything through a Dealerships parts departments (OEM parts) usually cost an arm, a leg and your (not yet conceived) firstborn, therefor not accessible for most of the enthusiasts/hobbyists, especially younger ones.
Heck, even most aftermarket parts for older American cars were often costing arm and at least a foot compared to similar European car items.
And no, there were no Horrid Frights or RockBottomAutos to offer “cheap” junk and even if there had been, I’m pretty sure most of the guys I grew up with into this hobby wouldn’t had shopped in places like that, even though many of us often had to save a month or few to buy a set of new wheel cylinders for our pride and joy.