60FlatTop

That is the only way you can clear up any doubt when someone else did part of the job. There have been so many times I have had to redo another's work there are instances when one would think I was downright cynical. And I know I wasn't born that way. I was trained by "professionals. The classic instance was in 1994 when I thought a more experienced person should do a fairly complicated job. I left my car an set my shop manual on the counter. "What's that for?" the prideful expert asked. When I picked up up the car the manual was still in the same spot. The job was done incorrectly. I took my book and did it right at home. In the end it is not whether the job was done right. The question is do you trust them. Honestly, I wouldn't even bring my car to someone like myself to fix. Too many variables.

I use a product called Black Ice. It is at the low end of cost and complexity from what I have seen. It leaves a very smooth finish. The big promotion is the longevity of the product. That really doesn't mean much to me because there is hardly a week that goes by in good weather that I am not putting a little polish or buffing a small section of one of the shiny cars.

Here is a picture of me about the time I started wrestling with the early tire machines. 2-ply tires had come out but there were still some Double Eagles with safety tubes that were a handful. The one I remember using most was the manual pedestal type with a pneumatic bead breaker that pivoted downward from the side of the machine. I don't see pictures of those online. Tractor tires in the 36-38" range I could change in about 20 minutes using a sliding bead breaker and four rims to support the tire while installing the tube. We aired them up to 4 or 6 PSI and stayed away from Calcium.

That is a pretty good one liner introduction in my book.

I am going to assume a different "expert" installed the fuel injection. Just thinking about my experiences.

I'm betting on that. Just think, 2005 cars are only 19 years old.

I spent some early post Navy days at Genecast Foundry, a part of General Railway Signal. We crushed engine blocks in a 1,000 ton table press when a load came in. The pieces would go into the furnace, cast and forged all together. We contracted a lot of jobs beyond the signal boxes. At one time we were pouring International truck axles. That was early 1970s and each batch was monitored closely. That big press had a lot of power for a 22 year old to experiment with. I worked as a repair millright and squashed a couple of steel Wheel A Brator shafts set on Vee blocks trying to get a bow out of them. Ahh, the inquisitive mind of youth.

I was talking about the eclipse with the young woman at the convenient store where we old farts get together for coffee. I like to think of her as a 21st century Lynda Carter. I told her the next eclipse would be in 2045. I was born in 1948 so it is not unreasonable to think that I may be around for the next one. She said she was born in 2005. I told her that was interesting. I seem to be gravitating toward 2005 vehicles. I have three of them now. Two I will probably keep that long. I wonder if my 40 year old car and truck will be viewed the same as 40 year old cars are viewed today. I bet she will hold up well.

"The level of perfection one is able to achieve is directly proportional to the number of times they are willing to do it over". I pretty much live by that. Even if it costs a few consumable parts. I remember a friend stopping by one time and asking me to figure out what was squeaking in his 200 inch Mustang. From what I saw the upper lubrication needed all the help it could get. No shortcuts.

I know people who won't pull the parking brake handle because they fear the brakes won't release.

he diameter of the Earth is about 25,000 miles at the equator and reduces with latitude. 24 hours in a day makes the math work.

Here is the way they sell Jaguar XJ6 ball joint repair kits as an example of how pieces might be found to make the repair: A little investigating might show you can pick and chose pieces from a similar kit. Or find a friendly counter person who will let you match up tapers and lengths of what they have on the shelf. In the past I have disassembled new tie rod ends to repair steering links. That sleeve in the upper end shown in your picture is Teflon in modern applications. I bought a foot of thick wall Teflon tubing from a local plastics supply house and made mine. They were only an inch or so long. The round disc that caps the end can be tapped into place or just a low amp Heliarc tack to hold it in place. I never felt insecure with the repairs I have done.

It is amazing what some cultures sacrifice in those situations. I hear it is still dark in Chicago.

Carly should have gone out for coffee with me this morning. I drove my '60 Electra. "I had one eye on the carpet store window as watched my Buick drive by". I would have nudged her and said "Git it?" Nudge, nudge, wink, wink, partner.

It was cloudy 8 miles south of the Lake Ontario shore so the sun wasn't visible but it got dark. Before and at peak.

That is the kind of thing you do to show your individualist style. All the individualists do that.

I like a car that has components that flow together without one aspect drawing your eye. In the picture above my eye is immediately drawn to the wheels and tires. The car is the subject but the wheels and tires call out to say they are different and distract from the whole topic, a 1968 Impala. When the car was new a salesman would have looked at an order and asked "Does this guy really want Camaro wheels on an Impala?" An astute appraiser might make a note: 1969 Impala, missing wheels, if they were looking at it as a collectible vintage car. Even worse, a buyer might ask "Do you have the right wheels?". I have one car that I recently bought with non-original wheels. It came that way and they are quite innocuous. I like that. I am still working on my career paint job for the '64 Riviera. It has proper '64 wire wheel covers but its first public appearance may show wheel covers from a completely different source. And like you, I do it willingly.

The woods is men and machine work. The women do the yard.

I agree that foaming would most likely be cause by air leakage past the seal on a non-pressurized system. Just figure out what the suction pressure at the eye of the impeller would be. Good starting point. In 1915 a good mechanic would tell you to be sure to get your water from a running stream. That stagnant water should be avoided. I also have some steam boiler operation procedures from that time showing special procedures if your makeup water is muddy. I wouldn't ignore 110 years of progress though.

My daughter attended St. Lawrence University up in your neighborhood. At the end of her first year we asked her if it was warming up for spring. She said "Yeah, it's getting warm enough to snow!"

"We" all know that a 1964 Electra would have only a 401 or 425 engine and the firing order for that block. That information is only in a limited subset of the species. In today's accessible research of unlimited knowledge like Eve biting the apple from the tree of knowledge a search for firing order of a 1964 Buick will give all the options of the model lines. That is one of the long term learning problems accessing a database, the answer without the learning process. Data at your fingertips. It shoes up more frequently than one would expect. Just Google a Googol. My wife is a librarian and I figure that's about how big the problem is from her reports.

Makes me wonder what percentage of the total automobile production has been saved in original form. I bet the majority were used up and junked by consumers. I see them fueling up their cars at the convenient store, consumers, just using them up.

The best source for those C-clamp steering wheel pullers is the old style military surplus houses. I got mine from the place between Hershey and Williamsport on PA RT 147 with the tank out front. One of those Murphy's Law tools. If you get one you probably won't need it again, which ain't really a bad thing.

This one is from a 331 2 barrel. In good condition "Needs paint for show". I have a bunch of 331 and 392 parts including heads, rocker arms, connecting rods, heavy stuff. In western New York Zip 14420. Bring your truck. We will both be smiling when you leave.

Restoration cast offs a great way to buy Hot Rod projects. "That's not worth restoring" "Good father and son project" "Too rough for me" "Oh! They ruined that car I didn't want."