60FlatTop
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Posts posted by 60FlatTop
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I had to scroll back to February 10th on this topic to figure out the last time I had my Buick out on a weekend.
Really wanted to get the '60 Electra out for coffee this morning but it was 37 degrees out and still pretty wet from the rain. I am really getting tried of the cold and the rain.
Maybe
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21 hours ago, Century Eight said:
I couldn’t not, negotiate,
Ever notice how a dog will growl at a stranger and people wonder what provoked him to do that.
I do that.
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I think that Buick has the wrong wheel covers.
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I have always considered having an extra car or cars for "toys", discretionary purchases, as something for the wealthy. Not necessarily the rich, but one who has wealth beyond daily necessities. Sure, there are requirements to maintain a desired level of hobby participation. When there is financial pressure the best way to resolve any issues is to make yourself more valuable. Develop marketable skills, elevate your education, or relocate.
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20 hours ago, Dave Wells said:
It's interesting that AI couldn't figure out that the spare tire is blocking the door from opening.
I have a habit of calling that "programmer paradigm deficiency". A shortfall that spans two centuries and quite common.
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Here is a project going on in Greece. https://www.facebook.com/groups/816355625067800/
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On 4/8/2024 at 11:14 PM, Elpad said:
Makes me think of a big, heavy Sioux I had once. I wonder how voice recognition software would have handled this comment.
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1 hour ago, Bhigdog said:
But what was possible 40 to 50 years ago may not be possible today.
That is the way I see many things when today's conversations get comparative with generations. It is a lot like the ancient Greeks writing about the insolent, incompetent youth of their time. And every generation after.
I have always loved cars but never pigeon holed myself into a single genre. My years in the hobby have been intensive since 1959 and a lot of things have changed over those decades. I have never felt excluded or threatened by the changes. I don't now and hoping to get in another 30 years. I am willing to adapt. Being active in the hobby surrounds me with opportunity. I took about a 10 year break from car activities when I began to sense my son and daughter thought I was more interested in car shows on weekends than them. It was a good break all the way around.
I live in a small Erie Canal village on a 2 acre lot with plenty of room. My garage is a little less than 150' from the house and easily holds four car, although I can park six in there if I am not working on anything. One would never know the car stuff going on just driving by. I keep it pretty low key.
Here are three across the back. Riviera under restoration. A pile of stuff I was re-storing from one place to another storage place.
Funny thing about work. My occupation has been power plant operation with the majority of hours being on the night or swing shifts. A good number of the village would tell you "Oh, Bernie, I don't think he ever did anything, just drives old cars and hangs around the coffee shop." I'll go with that perception, could be a lot worse.
Today my wife and I went out to lunch. The rest of the day I was addressing the flat surface syndrome problem in the garage. "No more stuff will be set on the cars. They are not tables!"
I just love cars, working on them, buying them, selling the lesser ones. And I will be doing that right to the end. There are a lot of people on this Earth who think it is their mission to put limitations on me and the things I like. I aam certianly not going to put any limitations on myself to help them along.
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Wooden wheels and triangular centers in the hub caps. Oh, wait The light blue one has a Duesenberg grille and hood ornament.
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7 minutes ago, Xander Wildeisen said:
Any one know year, make and model of this car.
It has a certain stance that I remember hearing rude comments about.
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I didn't see anything like that on mine when I changed the windshield. Cork doesn't seem right. I had a '70s Nova that had a foam strip in there to enhance rusting. What ever it is I would replace it with a like material. Most have lasted this long and its life after the repair will be much more secure from weather.
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Can't fool me, I recognize those Hudson hub caps.
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14 years old with my 941 Olds 6. The car was about 21-22 years old at the time but back then a 10-15 year old car was an exception on the road. One in good shape was even less common.
I also had a 1939 Buick Special at the time but that had not been treated as well.
Both pictures were taken in the spot where my garage stands today.
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I have bought DeWalt and HF Bauer 20V LI tools and batteries over the past three years. I bought one Bauer battery as a single purchase. I found the best way to expand the tool selection and battery power on hand is to buy the tool and battery package deals. I ended up hanging a pegboard for the new tools and building a shelf for the batteries and chargers. Plenty of backup power.
I have seen the quality of off shore tools and other products increase dramatically at the consumer level where the individual makes the decision. I have been pleased with Harbor Freight for a few years now that I changed my stand on competitive marketing.
I have encountered the old stereotype junk in corporate purchases where professional purchasing agents are remote from the end use. They will buy junk in a minute. Always ready to prove my cynicism we recently yielded to Frontier's threatening upgrade to fiber. They mounted a POS enclosure on the side of my house that could only have been found by a corporate purchasing agent with a doctorate. It was one level up from cellophane. It was laughable.
To the question, I would give the cheapies a try. Even learning not to buy has some value. Sometimes more value than you think.
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The last car show I went to, not cruise night, was pretty much this coupe unloading all their imported furniture from the Big Lots store and squatting.
The cruise nights seem better, maybe because they don't last all day.
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16 hours ago, SpecialEducation said:
it would probably be a wash.
That would probably meet all the criteria of the Net-Zero Act. Too bad you didn't get carbon credits to use for repairs.
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Maintaining a collector car: "Just a wave of the hand and another ten minute job".
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A '53 Packard. I have a real weak spot between the ears for '51-'54 Packards. About 6-8 years ago there was a stunning red 250 convertible on Ebay that I fell in love with. It triggered all the juices. I bought my ;64 Riviera when I was 29 years old, 75 now. I looked at that car and imagined a 29 year old buying it and how happy they would be in 40 or so years. I considered it but balked at the $25,000 it was selling for. Too many excuses. Funny thing is, I have purchased three of those $10,000 cars since. Shooda bought it.
I am not much of a price haggler. I know the market and figure the seller arrived at the price logically if it is in a range for my interest. At times when I don't have enough my favorite thing to do is find a porch step to sit on and after getting nice and comfy (as in letting the seller know it is going to a good home) I will ask "How did you arrive at your price?". That helps work to a good bond of honesty. A little deeper and I may ask what kind of immediate needs they have for the cash. A new roof, tree removal, landscaping, some debt, you never know what will come up. I can give you enough for that plus some extra. I did that once when hard drives were sold by the MEG. He ended up with a 1980s expensive 30 MEG drive, a washer and drier, and a night on the town for his wife. Sitting on a porch step you can do that stuff. But be careful, I made and offer like that 90 miles from home and drove all the way back hoping he wouldn't accept it. Carried away in the moment of conquest.
Acquisition, one of the great parts of the hobby. I am writing this from the workstation in my garage with toys at my side.
Shifting that Caddy is like sliding a hot knife through butter. There's another encouraging plus.
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On 4/16/2024 at 4:42 PM, Cadillac Fan said:
If you like the car, offer $40k. It may take a few months but I bet you own the car before the fall.
That comment stands out to me. In this instance it is like saying $20,000 means more to me than the car. If that is the case just save the whole $60,000. You will be so much farther ahead.
My old car purchase budget, when the urge drives me is about $10,000. Every purchase has been fast and exciting. If I want it and can afford it, I have it. Even if I have to reach a little. The worst purchases, though they have been few, were the ones I made with careful research and diligent thought. Never kept them long.
Back in the early 1990s I bought an older Cadillac from a farmer out west of here on the lake shore. He showed me an old Ford Model A Smith Motor Compressor he had in the barn. It was a factory built job that retained the A cowl, hood, and radiator. I liked it and bought it too. A friend of mine who was a Model A expert showed up about a month later with the Model A Club magazine. He had it folded to one page with a picture. He said "here's your compressor." And it was. Someone had taken a picture and mailed it into the club asking the value and if he should buy it or what to offer. Whatever they told him it was too late. It was another learning opportunity for me.
Another interesting point, I was cold contacted about selling one of my cars recently. After a discussion I agreed on a selling price. Just like letting a buyer cool, I am a seller who cooled. Maybe I should keep it. Things like that happen.
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17 hours ago, NTX5467 said:
"Barefoot polishing"?? (Gasp!!) No flip-flops which are "garage only"?
I have never been one for hard or dirty work. And the climate doesn't breed crawly things.
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I looked at that carburetor re-manufacture service that was $450 after deducting the core charge.
Kits are about $50 on the low end. That leaves $400 in the rest of the job. Those carbs did not come with throttle shaft bushings that I know of. That is some machining there plus fabrication of the bushes. A test run on an engine to set it up is added labor. Usually something like a small displacement Chevy small block is used.
General shop rates around here are about $175 and it is hard to get 100% billable time. The minimum income for an employee to rent a single apartment around here, backwoods New York State, not city, is $50,000 per year. And the rental people know who can't make the rate.
I see it as a reasonable deal. I would never even consider providing the service. Not enough margin and the expectation of the customer would likely be that bolting that carb on would cure all their ills. I wouldn't touch any implication like that. That is the kind of deal you recommend to the worst playing, most annoying person you have tried to work for. "Here, buy a carb from these guys. They look good. And it has a guaranty!"
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I heard McDonald's had great success when they took their Big Mac's to Scotland.
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On 4/16/2024 at 7:27 AM, TAKerry said:
I started with a clay bar a few years ago and that makes an incredible difference in the finish of a car.
I like using a clay bar although many say it is an obsolete method with today's cleaners. The trick I learned was to put your hand in a plastic sandwich bag and feel the surface with your palm. Use the clay bar and test it after and repeat if there is still roughness. It's really smooth.
I prefer the old mix green Turtle Wax cream. I just bought four bottles of 1980s stock and the plastic bottles split in shipping. I transferred it to quart jars.
#M 3000 compound, clay bar, Turtle Wax, and the mentioned Black Ice does it for me. And I am still waltzing around at least once a week with Mother's spray wax to chase the dust away.
And I never use a hose and bucket on anything but whitewalls.
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Help with Valuation of 1987 Volkswagen T3 - What is it Worth and ideas for upgrade?
in General Discussion
Posted
This one?
https://lens.google.com/search?ep=gsbubu&hl=en&re=df&p=AbrfA8qwnoW_KYRR7sHaxUqzmSc_n82y7Ic0ZMURiVmviNXFLQbmL8ZNwSPeYoVCk3xpR5zmyg_nY2HBreImTwGpMiXWVDmSV_fQQG-84tHkKNmo0094yEasl9fS-KoEkTxSxSZTPLwkL6nsoNfNQ-RhuanUjLtutUNZIOKzUmbCwy9GeyFFv50_0KXVazgjrUj2Tx65h8eSk40cdQ%3D%3D#lns=W251bGwsbnVsbCxudWxsLG51bGwsbnVsbCxudWxsLG51bGwsIkVrY0tKRE0zTVRrMlptRmlMVGxpWmpFdE5HUXlaaTA1T0RNekxUQTRZelk1TlRNeU1tTTBPQklmWnpKYWJ6UkRjRTlET0dkWlZVTm1hVWxtYTFwaVJFRk9aMkpTYWpoQ1p3PT0iXQ==