60FlatTop

" I am not going to drive to Realitos because someone is interested in seeing the car, but for the individual who shows me $2,000 and is willing to make a trip down there on a Saturday morning we can go pick the car up." Orphan car from a seller with the ability of alienate them self, interesting combination. Bernie

When my Daughter got her license we picked up a AAA membership for her. It has been great for her AND her friends, So when I bought a second Jaguar, one that actually ran, I decided I needed a membership with extended towing, as a Jaguar owner. My wife, who has a lousy sense of humor, made a wisecrack one time that the only thing she saw come in with a AAA ride was my Buick. Kinda brings out the Ralph Kramden in you. Bernie

I got a trophy at an AACA regional a couple years ago. Well, I mean I got a letter and sent 15 bucks or something like that to get it mailed. It's on my dresser next to some clean socks and a couple of T shirts. Years ago the historian from a local town asked me to help organize a car show. I decided just a good time with no judging and no trophies. Then I got a call from an entrant who told me he had to have a trophy and he always won one wherever he went. I thought deeply, then with concern, I asked if he would mind one with a guy holding a bowling ball. We didn't talk after that but his Corvette was at the show. I recognize the personal achievement associated with trophies and respect that part of the hobby. I have some friends with those 100 point proper motor cars and have helped get some of the hardest points, but they really are for the standardized show, not the one where the mayor picks. I did drive out of a meet behind one of my achiever friends who took second place. As his front tire passed the curb I thought the plaque was going to hit my fender! Reminds me: Do you know the definition of a raving beauty? The girl who won second place in the beauty contest. Bernie

I started looking at new Silverado's to replace my '05 that I bought new and have 150K +. I told my son I might need three more before I go under. But this topic has turned from the first idea of buying a $30,000 Camaro and the original lame thoughts associated with it. Conceptually, I think the idea of a pristine collector car being a better buy than a new car. It wasn't aimed at used cars opposed to new. I think the answer is, no, even if you are looking at a crappy new car. That Camaro mentioned would be an albatross around your neck on today's roads in rush hour traffic. I see that original link is down. I read some of the stuff when it worked. I think it was written by the guy who walks around cruise nights and points out trivial discrepancies in originality and touches flaws on owner's cars.(Most of them have to reach out a finger and touch the flaw they found. Over time, an observant person would conclude that touch was the only sense "those people" could be sure of. And we all pretty much recognize him from 20 feet as he approaches. My old cars are special to drive. Using one for work and daily transport would make it not special. I wouldn't drop a laundry basket off at my mistress's apartment! Bernie

I found that Valspar satin black polyurethane has the best look for keeping the car original. All of the others I have tried are too glossy or not really "black" enough (they have a hazy tint of some sort). An epoxy primer and satin black job was done on my Riviera around 1995 and still looks good today. Bernie

Haven't heard of a man in Colton, but I saw the name tag and remember some lyrics from a song: 2nd Salesman Ever meet a fellow by the name of Hill? 1st Salesman Hill? Charlie Hill? 3rd Salesman Hill? 4th Salesman Hill? 1st Newspaper Hill? 2nd Newspaper Hill? 5th Salesman Hill? 2nd Salesman Hill! All But Charlie & 2nd Salesman NO! Charlie Just a minute, just a minute, just a minute 4th Salesman Never heard of any salesman Hill I guess my mind is in holiday mode. Bernie

This is a Craigslist picture of a 1950 Buick that turned up in Fulton, New York last year. I didn't get to make the 200 mile round trip to look it over, but I am pretty sure it is the first car I ever licensed. I was 16 and the year was 1965. The known history went back to a refurbishing in the Syracuse area around 1970. All the clues seemed to point to my previous car. If it was I think those are still the Johnny Antonelli Firestone 7.60 X 15 Deluxe Champion recaps. "New" caps were our high line tire and I paid $12 each. That was a lot to sink into a car when we typically sold regrooved tires and used starting at $3. At the time the narrow whites were quite stylish and it looked good in the High School parking lot. We did a good business in caps. A lot of people wanted their own casings recapped. We tried to accommodate when we could. 25K is a lot. 10 or 12 was typical..... with tread. Once you got to the harder rubber under the tread layer they went a long time. Our regrooved tires wore like iron, same traction, too. I had owned cars since I was in the 7th grade. So if this is the car I owned it was the first one licensed, not owned. There had been a bunch by that time. Bernie Check out the matching tires. I think I bought them. Bernie

Not offering an item for sale usurps the right of a potential buyer to make the decision of value in every sense of the word. How would you like to be looking for something, in poor condition or not, and find that someone threw one away "because they thought no one would want it". I offer broken things, empty boxes, and items that I sometimes do throw away, but not without providing a buyer a shot at it.. Bernie

Looks like a fly catcher and that whole bucket will be a mass of black fly bodies. B

Nice cat diorama. Looks almost as real as the Buick and the Ford truck. Bernie

I'm in. Something has kept me away from every National since 2005. And I'm going to Hershey for the first time since '11. I have this car I bought when I was 30. Maybe I outta get it out of the back corner and pretty it up a bit over the next 10 months. Bernie

I soldered a ground wire to my tail lamp housings and used a ring terminal to ground them to the tail light housing bolts. The plug in socket just never made me happy.

How about a daily Buick from a real Daily? Bernie Daily

A good friend, who started out normal enough, gave me a freshly refurbished 1956 Studebaker Golden Hawk and a part XK 150 DHC when I was 16 in 1964. I drove the GH to High school. He moved into a city home for a few years and returned to be a Corvair collector. I think he had 30 at one time. Just before he passed away he showed up at a cruise night with a 1971 or '72 Thunderbird. Sitting at the table that night he told me "You know, I missed out on a lot of nice cars being so focused on Corvairs." Boy! Was that an understatement! Maybe it is an obsession if you can look back on what you did with some level of regret. I know I have too many cars, but one more wouldn't hurt. But when that first girlfriend called me incorrigible I thought she had me mixed up with one of the O'Corrigans. A couple days ago I noticed we had nine cars on the property, all licensed and drivable. Five in the garage and four parked by the house. And we didn't have company visiting. Times Square lighting brings up another lame passion about the greenies. Seems the power for the New Years lighting was provided by stationary bicycle generators. With the efficiency of the human bodies converting food to energy the carbon footprint of the diesel truck delivered food for the riders was 15 times greater than just plugging into the grid. Passion, obsession, pick your flavor. They meant well. Bernie

Get one of those closet door shoe racks and hang it from the garage ceiling. And squirt them.

I saw the deleted post. It made me laugh. I have see that scenario many times over the last 50 years. Those novices with rare finds, somehow, make me get The Rodeo Song stuck in my head. Bernie

If you are old enough to monkey around with old cars you should be able to recognize good guys and bad guys. Most foreign car guys are great to deal with. There are rules to play by. Follow the rules. Over the years I have learned that the person who is really going to screw me is myself. The others can't even come close to what I can do on my own. Bernie

I asked the kid where the jack was. Oh, ##@#^&. Bernie

Here is a book to read: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Truck-A-Love-Story-P-S-Perry-Michael-Paperback-/272342694430?hash=item3f68e3ba1e:g:V7oAAOSwxp9W6Z5C Honestly, your chances of making money with the car are higher if you start a journal and, hopefully, turn it into a book. The car isn't popular and doesn't attract big spenders, they never have. It comes under a heading of Orphan Car, and, like unwanted children, they tend to be aloof and under appreciated even on the few good points. The Virginian pictured is way out there compared to the standard sedan. If you see one it just happens to be on the same planet. You are at step 1 and to quote " not much $ invested to jack the price up to roughly $8,000-$10,000 easily." you'll make more money with a part time job pumping gas. But start the journal, today. Bernie

Scary stuff. The owners really wait for a light to come on to tell them to change the oil. And heads are serviced as a unit. I had to put a new head on my '60 Electra when I bought it. The previous owner had decided to change the valve cover gaskets. He over tightened one of the cover bolts and broke it off. When he tried to drill it out he went through the water jacket and created a little green fountain. Undeterred, he drilled the hole larger and broke a tap of in it. The car sat in the garage for two years while he and a friend pondered how to get the broken tap out. I bet he is sitting in his new car right now waiting for a light to come on and tell him what to do next. BTW, I tossed the damaged head and put a used one on a couple days after I got the car, been good ever since. Sure is interesting reading about modern cars. Bernie

I didn't take any pictures, but I took my '60 Electra to a Cadillac Club ice cream social about 30 miles away yesterday. And I got my lactose intolerant friend who is just recovering from a stroke to follow me in his Rolls-Royce. I expected it to be pretty entertaining. Maybe it was later. He took a different route home. What a great season for drives. The sunlight is really special this time of year. Bernie

MY daughter won't let me come to her house and watch TV. She says I'm a grumpy old man and wouldn't be happy if I was hung with a new rope. She sort of hinted the violence in cartoons isn't good for me either. Bernie

The builders of the first cars planted seeds for their parts. I guess a little dirt and the right botany knowledge you're good to go. Or one could just make what they need. I have been toying with the idea of buying a '60's Lincoln convertible. I used to service one a couple of decades ago. If I owned one I would probably make a solid state controller for the top. I am surprised no one has. I have two computer driven cars I am keeping as collector cars, one an '80's, one a '90's. There are hundreds of thousands of parts, both OEM and aftermarket available for the through online sellers whom compete at the absolute lowest margins and drop ship from warehouses that would have scrapped the stuff in the past. I am in a position to price shop a fuel pump and sending unit for the '86 FI Buick. Without the computer world those parts wouldn't be available. Now I find a range from $400 down to $84 for the complete set up. I'm as happy as a guy finding tires for his Model A Ford at Sears in 1965. In one of the previous posts showing a picture of a broken part with a nebulous statement that there aren't any. Isn't a parts problem. It is a communication problem. Ever see the movie "Sling Blade" where the guy stands on the porch without knocking? With a cluster of odd ball cars you gotta try harder. Bernie

I bought a basket case Harley 74 and an Ariel Square Four engine and frame from a friend in High School. Then I bought a 1946 Dodge 1 Ton pick uo from him. But the $300 for his brother's '46 Chrysler Town and Country convertible was too much of a drain because of other stuff I had bought. That's the extent of my Harley diversions. The Discovery Channel, even if it wasn't dramatized the background music would tell you how to feel. When that became obvious I just sorta quit watching it. Bernie

If the 401 is running well keep it an make other repairs. You won't notice a difference in normal driving. My '64 had a 401 out of an Electra when I bought it, but the internet didn't come along until after I had owned it for 15 years. Prior to that it didn't make much difference. Bernie