60FlatTop

Being stopped for a violation is the BEST thing that can happen in a legislative action. That is pretty straight forward and usually avoidable. But NEVER invite an agent of the government into your house or community:

There's a chip in the paint on the inside edge of the driver's door just below the vent window. I was lucky a guy pointed it out to me. Imron comes out shiny like that. Original sound deadener, cleaned and recoated. Poor performing salesman did that to cover their weekly draw in the '60's. I removed it all from my Riviera when I painted the bottom and it is noisier. Too much work and a negative gain. Bled the brakes. I'm sure most guys replace the lines. That rubber one at the front of the torque tube is hard to find, but at 55 years old it's hard to believe anyone would leave it there. That's Scott. I think Scott has longer arms. Well, they look longer anyway. You missed the NOS muffler. I threw away most of the system that W company made. Notice the ball socket clamps are cheaply made. Bless their little hearts. I know they did the best they could. Oh well, it's just a white four door. And part of a trust if I don't donate it to some little known museum. Bernie

No update on the car since Wednesday? Be sure it comes back looking like this: Bernie

When my cars go in for inspection the guys know I don't like the windshield wipers dragged across a dry windshield. We usually have a priest stop by and sprinkle Holy water on the glass before we test them. AND that's the easy part. Any legislative scribe is going to have their hands full with an Irish, Catholic, Republican like me. Going back to post #35, where I see "as a starting point", to paraphrase a quote I read "I don't know what it's really supposed to mean. Start? Start heading to what end?" Here is the first collector car I licensed in New York State. I was 25 and the year was 1974. Same basic deal as the five I have now, 42 years and no complaints.

"I don't always drink beer, but when I do I like an extra porthole to pee in." I'm not a Special guy, my friend. Bernie

I use my reclining chair and paper copy with a nice Ottlight. That works pretty good now. The old recliner used to jam and wouldn't fold down right. Bernie

Although I know the forum is not a place for political discussion, legislation tied to the ownership of a collector car just brings this stuff to light. An unsolicited offer of help where no problem existed sure had a Democratic party smell to me. A little research makes me believe that could be the source of the involvement. Whatever the personal perception of a problem or the perceived distress of this group of New York State constituents may be; there isn't a problem for long time hobbyists and nothing needs fixing. That may be hard to get for a party that looks on the "common" people like they were the cast of one of those 1930's black and white Charles Dickens movies, but we are not close to being that group. Find something else. Hook a windmill up to some dilapidated old inefficient building. That's a Godly act. Bernie

Check comment #3. Bernie

In New York State I pay $28 annually to register each car with the option of using YOM plates when illegible and properly insured. Each car requires a New York State safety inspection at a licensed vehicle inspection station at $12 to $20 a pop. I can't fill my gas tank for my New York State collector car ownership taxes and fees. It is pretty Easy and cheap as it stands. If any level of study has been completed I would like to know what that "cheaper" figure is estimated to be. I'm guessing some in Albany knows these costs. If they don't the words "easier and cheaper" are used by every Bait and Switch swindler and conniver out there. As a voter in New York State I would say the only involvement the legislature should have with collector cars is making license plates for those who choose not to use YOM plates. God knows, they keep taking the scoundrels away in handcuffs so the license plate production line should be running a full staff, 24/7. Bernie BTW: The word conniver is not used frequently enough these days.

What do you want to change about the New York State law? I have used it for years with no problem. If you are not a hobbyist don't try to fix something you don't know about. PM me. If you are in a position to propose NYS legislation do something with those state small business promoters and pass a bill requiring the state to handle accounts payable in less than 90-120 days. You'd probably end up Governor if you got the state dead beats to pay. PM me on that too! Bernie

There was only one reality show, the first one. It was so bad the producers thought they would make a parody of the lame attempt. The parody was worse than the first lame one so the next guy made a parody of the parody that was so bad. Well, we're are in the umpteenth iteration of parodies of lame parodies and it ain't lookin' good. I know a guy working on a degree in movie production and I am trying to enlist his help in making one that out-stupids them all. He won't touch it. To him it has all the stigma of a being young lawyer taking a job with a accident claim law firm. My Mother used to say "Don't come into the house until you scrape your shoe off." It's that kind of stigma. Anyone see the collection of jackasses with a deadline to restore the Grandmother's Lincoln for the Veteran's Day parade. I bet their rain gear comes in sealed foil packages. I'm still not sure if the vet was in the VFW or the WTF. I know that no one would be waiting for the MTA to give them sandwiches. Bernie

I'd say those boys at ACC should treat you pretty good next time you need something from them. New carpets have been on my list of "this summer" items for a few years. I have looked at their catalog a few times but their presentation doesn't come close to your pictures. You sold me on putting an order in to them. They even put a copyright on that uninspiring page you gave a link to. Sometimes you gotta wonder. Bernie

Apple sleeved my master cylinder a few years ago and they have been doing a lot of Rolls-Royce parts for a friend's shop. Fast and knowledgeable. I like to disconnect the lever shocks and use a squirt oil gun to fill then through the plug hole. I actuate the level while I fill. They usually pump up and work fine. If there is a little leakage at the shaft you can try wrapping some cotton string around the shaft close to the opening. It can absorb the fluid and help seal it. I wouldn't rule out pulling the upper outer pin and trying to revive a pair of front shocks the same way. Bernie

Jeez, pantyhose goes on the inside not in the radiator hose. I've never had problems with the cooling system, but pantyhose sure can bring its owm problems. Bernie

Just got back from a ride in the convertible. I always wear my ship's ball cap when I drive with the top down as a courtesy to those behind me. Bernie

I like to relate the Forum to the group of guys whom get together on Saturday mornings. Some have set at the table and gone off topic so much as to talk about their kids or their dog! A couple weeks ago I was telling stories about repairing the refrigeration for the cooler in the morgue that would curl your poached eggs. Maybe there should be an Exclusive section to the Forum. Now, what is the root word of exclusive? Bernie

It's a Buick. Why is there always the 20 year old Rod Zombie soundtrack in all this type of video production. If you are going to sell a Buick get some real Buick people and music out there. Like this: I love that park scene. My daughter looks like the Princess and I laugh because I know redheads have a dark side. But those are Buick owners for the vid. But really; are they selling that car to a Buick guy with an extra mill, adult pony tail, Tat's, and a Hard Rock Cafe leather jacket. Bernie

I had a good friend who was my family's Prudential agent in the early 1960's. He moved to an apartment in the city when I was 16 and gave me his running, driving, freshly painted '56 Golden Hawk. He sold his XK `40 OTS for around $900 and gave me the DHC parts car. Then he traded his Volvo 122S for a new GTO. He went on to become a High School teacher and focused on collecting Corvairs; over 30 of them on his farm spittin' distance from Watkins Glen. A year before he passed away we were sitting at a cruise night talking. He had just broken ranks and bought an early '70's Thunderbird. He was very sincere when he told me that he had missed out on owning a lot of nice cars by being so focused on Corvairs. Avoiding a singular specialty or passion can be a challenge. I have a list of all the cars I have owned and it is quite diverse. I do, however, stick to the GM cars just because I have had better luck with them. That hasn't kept me from embracing way more Jaguars than a sane person should ever own. Bernie

You mean the block of wood with Group 27D and my name WASN"T my trophy!

Rust will build on the walls of the cylinders with open valves from TDC to the distance exposed due to piston location. Oiling can seep into the ringlands and help loosen the flaky rust on the walls.If you do get the engine to break loose all the debris will be scrapped along the walls by the piston rings. Being aggressive once loosened car make it jam higher up the wall. All those flaky rust pieces left a little pit behind. Even if it does get running again there is a good chance all the pits will hold oil during operation. Oil in the pits in the combustion area will burn and probably smoke. The rings will be all crudded up with rust and probably not seat well. And rust chips tend to be harder that uncorroded metal, causing fast wear. The head really needs to come off and the minimum of a honing and re-ring done. If it did not get a fresh oil change right at the time of parking the old oil can be slightly acidic and etch a couple of thousandths off the main and rod surfaces. If the etched babbit wipes off on startup and leaves you with .0004 or 5" of clearance it will rattle. The bearings should at least be inspected and measured. If the cooling system was dry scaling rust could be in the water jackets, especially at the rear in low flow areas. Removing ant drain valves and a check for plugs should be done. Even a couple of Welch plugs could be pulled. Many flathead sixes have a water distribution baffle behind the water pump. It is a good idea to hook onto that and pull it. Even all that is a lot less work than modifying it. It is kind of like the difference between taking on some fairly routine repairs or engineering the integration of a group of selected, but unrelated, parts. Bernie

Yeah. And there ain't no F in room. Storage is tough and cars dissolve in water. Here are some great shots of a bunch of Woodills in action. Most are MG chassis ed : Lots of shots at the Packard Proving Grounds in the movie. I like the work Darrin did with Packard and some of the European builders. Bernie

I think Oswego had their hot day for 2016 last Wednesday. I picked up a good correct A/ compressor for my '64 Riviera sometime around 1988, but I think I accidentally threw it out during a clean up a decade or so ago. We aren't under a lot of pressure for AC in these parts. AND we owned my wife's Infiniti for two years before we discovered it had heated seats! Rugged and close to nature here. I don't know, my Riviera has crank windows. If I ever put it up for sale the comments might make me wish I hadn't saved it. My impetuous youth, remnants of things I did when I was 30. Oh, about the AC; it's May 21st and the heat is on in my garage warning it up while I check the Forum. I like it just a couple of degrees higher than my age. Bernie

Torque converters run best with whale oil. It is going to be hard to get that these days. If you drain a tranny that has been sitting a long time and you get close to a full serving you might want to have it tested, strained, and filtered to put back in. I use the dex//merc, though, and don't notice a lack of performance. Bernie

Be sure to get one of these for your back bumper. It helps. ernie

I seem to remember a Buick parts vendor who set up on the White Field at Hershey who was repoping them. He was in the row by 322 at the west end. I think he ran a display ad in Hemmings, maybe the old Bugles, too. It's one of those hazy memories, but I bet it gets clear around 3 AM. Bernie