Bryan G

I had a car that ran 6.00-16's. Like every old car I've owned, I drove it a LOT. I never bought a new set of tires, but would pick up used sets off Craigslist or Marketplace. I could usually find some for around $100-125/set with decent tread. Never had a moments trouble out of them. My current ride has 8.20-15's, a lot more difficult to find! Slightly off topic, this spring I resurrected a mid-60s riding mower that had been sitting for decades. The part of the rear tire tread that was on the ground had come totally loose and was just flapping. Sidewalls and remaining tread were all cracked. I had nothing to lose so tried pumping them up. Yep, held air just fine and didn't leak a bit!

Quite a survival rate on Chrysler Corp. products of that era. There seem to be plenty to choose from right now.

Make sure you get 6v cables; the ones made for 12v are much smaller and won't pass enough current.

Probably about as good an engine as you could buy at that time, all things considered. Insert bearings, full-pressure lube, oil filter standard, they don't tend to run hot. Smooth, quiet running. I'd probably start there, then the brakes followed by any assorted electrical gremlins. As others have said, one bite at a time, and strive to make some sort of progress each day. There is a terrible trap with our hobby, no matter the make and model, and the garages of our great land our littered with the result. The trap is taking a car all apart, and then getting stuck on something (a damaged part, something that won't come apart, something missing) and the car then just sits and sits and sits. Not much demand when you go to sell a 39 Chrysler jigsaw puzzle. On my last big project, I had plenty of setbacks, but each day I could count on at least some little thing that went right. That kept me going.

It's kind of a shame that most of the things you could do with it would require some cutting-up. A food truck seems most natural, or a small RV. But, just on the show circuit, it would always garner a lot of attention. I agree, that price will likely need to creep down quite a bit...then again, if the right person sees it?

Last year my wife bought a CD as a Christmas gift for someone. After several tries at getting one from that there Bezos fella, it was determined to be 100% impossible to get one with an unbroken case. I encouraged her to buy it elsewhere...a small seller on eBay, for example, would likely honor your request to put it in a box. I hadn't heard of that standard envelope and will have to look into it. I haven't been listing anything new since the winter and just have some older listings on eBay. I do use the flatrate Priority Mail envelopes fairly regularly. You can cram a small box in the padded version and ship it cheaper than if you just shipped the box, at least sometimes. As they say, if it fits it ships.

Probably the first time I found any appreciation for that type of paint treatment. It somehow works (to my eyes) with this one. I'm just not sure that kind of money exists for one of these. I'd much, much rather own this versus a $17k Chevelle.

A Kaiser or Frazer sedan equals a lot of collector car for the money these days. I've been tempted once or twice. I've only had the chance to see them up close once (a family brought one of each to a local show) and they're quite handsome. If only old Henry J. could have scraped up the money for an 8.

I had a few customers still daily-driving these in the early 2000's. I know I needed that exact bumper assembly about 15-20 years ago and had to do some real scrounging before finding a decent one at a salvage yard. Keep checking with the older, smaller yards. Someone will have it. Oh...that car? Insurance companies totaled it 3 times! He kept getting it back and fixing it up because there was nothing mechanically wrong with it.

These cars just kept going and going. General Motors may have had some misses in that era, but these are just a solid car. It's good to see one getting some love.

For sale on Facebook: 1956 GMC Dayton Brown van in Camden-Wyoming, DE - $29,500 - Must be a member of Facebook to access Seller's contact information. ***Noticed this was reduced to $21,500*** Link: https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/267463969512048/?ref=browse_tab&referral_code=marketplace_top_picks&referral_story_type=top_picks Seller's Description: Hi I'm putting my 1956 DAYTON BROWN up for sale. It has the original drivetrain with only 24,300 miles total and runs very well and it doesn't just sit in a garage. I drive it everywhere. Has a 270 GMC inline 6 cylinder with a Hydromatic transmission. 29,500 or best offer or maybe trades welcome. 1302 222 0202 thanks Rob.

My wife's last car had them but the more recent purchase, a Dodge, didn't. She let me know how important this was to her (oh, boy, did she!) and advised she was happy if they just stayed on all the time with the ignition. The vehicle uses a CANBUS system which means the headlight switch doesn't work like older setups. It instead introduces a different resistance to the circuit based on switch position, and the computer detects that. I managed to rig up a relay connected to the cigar lighter (a handy source that is ignition switched) and wired in an appropriate resistor. I didn't write out a schematic so if I had to redo it I'd have to spend an hour figuring it out! Bottom line, it works. Under some circumstances the lights don't go off with the ignition, but the computer has a feature that automatically turns them off after 60 seconds to prevent battery run-down. Oh...this vehicle could be had with auto-lights. At first I thought just the different switch would do it but that didn't work. I forgot you also need a sensor atop the dash, which didn't look like much fun to install. Then you have to find a sympathetic dealer to go in and change programming in the computer to let it know it has auto lights. For an older vehicle, maybe something could be cobbled together from one of those auto-low beam setups that GM had back in the 50s?

A friend of mine bought the complete setup and turned out some very nice samples but ultimately found it to be a losing proposition. He just couldn't get passed the basecoat flaws. I know he fielded a lot of calls from potential clients, even years after giving up on the idea.

Where would you find a nicer example? Not my flavor, but I'm glad it was so well preserved.

A girl I dated had one, probably her first car. Compared to all the bombs she owned afterwards, it may very well have been the best of the bunch! Well into the 90s there was a local garage called "The Chevette Shop" that specialized in them.

I've handled numerous insurance claims caused by portable garage/carport failure. I think only one was snow-inflicted. The rest were all from poorly-anchored structures that landed on top of a vehicle. Amazing how much monetary damage can be done to something like a late model F-series by a flying pile of vinyl and aluminum.

Seems like this would be a great way to get into a mid-20s driver for a fair price; were it not on the other side of the country I'd have to give it a lot of thought. I admire that someone kept it all Willys. I wonder how easily one of their later flathead sixes could be swapped in?

I honestly believe some of them just didn't want to stick in a price, or maybe forgot to, and didn't realize it would thus be listed as "free". But, yes, some are playing games. I don't get the feeling this seller meant any harm. I'd seen this ad when it was listed that way and I knew what was going on; I didn't think for one second it was free.

A local guy lives on a busy state highway, within sight of a big car dealership. For some cash he lets folks park their vehicle on his front yard. I sold two or three vehicles that way. Not a bit of drama with the folks who saw them that way.

In my head I imagine a day with some puffy little clouds floating amongst an azure sky, 71 Farenheit, slight breeze and the birds are a chirping. Meanwhile a guy spends it in the basement, in his pajamas, downing Red Bull while he vapes something that smells like cotton candy, playing some game where he splatters 6 quarts of blood across a brick wall, then moves on to the next level.

I have several mechanics I can rely on, but the clock is ticking. One is semi-retired, a couple are closing in on Social Security age, the other is my age (early 50s). I'm not sure I can name a good local shop owner much younger than me. The best vintage engine man within 100 miles retired a few years back. His son took over the business. I asked the father about doing a valve job for me and he said he's done. I asked for recommendations, thinking he'd send me to the kid. He told me he doesn't know where to go. I did the job myself.

Each year the local Historical Society holds a hobby fair; folks set up tables with various collectibles and such. Some years I set up myself but I didn't make time this go around. I spent about an hour walking around and chatting with folks. The conversations I had will stick with me for months, maybe years. I could tell some of those folks were starving for someone to talk to; hopefully I made them feel appreciated. What might be interesting is that most of those I spoke with have hobbies that don't really interest me that much, but I was able to learn some things that made me just a bit more intelligent and well-rounded. I won't soon forget the woman who collects antique purses (if she's who I think she is, her husband passed away not long ago.) The salt/pepper shaker collector, the milk bottle collector, the knitter...I'm a little better now because I spent some time on a Saturday afternoon getting to know them. I tried to thank each of them for coming out. In about 1998 I went to visit a dear friend down in Virginia. On my way home I stopped for gas around metro DC. At the next pump was a guy with a mid-sixties SAAB. We only chatted for those few minutes. I gave him some encouraging words. I have no desire to own one of those cars, but I've not forgotten that meeting. At the last car show I attended, hardly anyone took the time to talk to me. Participants could vote for their favorite car. I gave #1 to the guy with the Avanti. He was the only one who took the time to really chat with me about his car. It's now burned in my mind. I like Studebakers, but I don't feet a need to ever own that model. It was worth giving up those few hours, not to see his car, but to have that conversation.

I would walk past a mile of Mustangs to see a '35 Buick.

I'm a Gen X'er. I've owned vehicles built in the 00's, 90's, 80's, 70's, 60's, 50's and 40's. I joked with a fellow yesterday that I'm looking to trade for an older model, but it's true. At some point I'd really like to own something from the late 30's-early 40's; I'd also like to own something from the late 20's-early 30's. I've yet to seriously consider owning a brass-era car, but perhaps someday? My next purchase, like most others, will be a driver, and drive it I will. Speed does give me pause when considering earlier models, just because it would alter some of my driving habits. I can make it work, though, I'm confident. Personally, I'm grateful for bargains. I think the most I ever paid for a collector vehicle was maybe $5,000. I've owned a string of 49-51's because, well, you can buy a lot of iron for a dollar. It's a bit more of a stretch when looking pre-war, but deals do turn up. Sooner or later the right one will cross my path. (Sure, I'll likely have to open that old wallet a bit wider!)

I was adopted at birth; I was blessed with 2 great parents. In some ways I'm a lot like Dad, while in other ways we're quite a ways apart. We got along quite well, but there was a time when I was around 17 that he asked for my help on a carpentry project and I basically snapped at him and walked off. He never said a word about it. I'm sure that was because he remembered how he was with his father. That was nearly the only time we ever had a conflict. Like him, I'm a car guy, but of a different flavor. Dad was into fast cars with shiny paint; I'm into inline flatheads and patina. Dad loved bodywork and paint, and hated grease under his fingernails. I can't stand doing bodywork but enjoy turning a wrench. We both respected what the other had going on in the garage. We both thought very highly of each other. Now, I wish I'd learned more from him. I was never into video games, but I had other hobbies that Dad wasn't at all into, but he was supportive. They coexisted with me becoming who I am today. This can work. Patience, understanding. Well worth a try. Probably my toughest years were 18-20. Lots of folks derail during that time. Around then, I happened across a $1000 barn-find 37 Dodge. I didn't buy it. Suppose someone had offered to help me nurse that machine back onto the road? It would have made quite a difference in my life.