60FlatTop

My cars get parked in public a lot and there is absolutely NO shortage of unofficial judges. So don't worry about leaving a vacuum. I have to laugh sometimes. A person will point something out and I wonder if they just like feeling their warm wind across their teeth. If they only knew what I know about my car. Oh, that reminds me, I better get out to the Garage and wire up the Packard taillights. The replated bezels have been admired by a few. Since this is the third year I guess hooking up the wires and putting some bulbs in is due. You can't drive just in the daytime and use hand signals forever....... well....... maybe I should connect the wiper arms on the Riviera. They have been disconnected since 1994. That Rainex is good stuff. Bernie

If only one of my cars was a Buick I could see thinking like that. Or, I quit smoking when I was 40. I knew that was the start of giving up stuff. Bernie

Memories of modified Chevies. In 1971, a few months after getting out of the Navy, I was driving a 1958 Chevy Brookwood 4 door wagon with '64ish bucket seats, a close ratio Camaro 3 speed on the floor, with a 283 running a 4GC. It had a pair of new red Cheery bombs and 4.11 gears on a peg leg. A pair of Mickey Thompson mags were on the front and wide wagon wheels on the rear. My Dad gave me a '57 Chevy for a High School graduation present. I had already owned a ;58 so the '57 felt like a lumber wagon with its big steering wheel and tall body. I only drove it a couple of months and replaced it with a black '60 Buick Invicta. I was pretty deep into cars by then. I might have lacked a bit of polish in engine removal.

Those are nice cars and seem to have a low profile with collectors. In the early 1980's I had a green '70 Wildcat 455 convert. It already needed rear wheel opening repair, which I did, and a repaint. I think I sold it for between $400 and $500 at the time. I shoulda bought a warehouse back them. Never too late. Bernie

A picture I took of my former black 1982 H&E Eldorado is be is being used on a webpage by a convertible top supplier online. I don't mind, but I called for some information on parts for my Park Ave convert and they were kind of jerks. Using your pic + being a nice guy+OK. Using your pic + being a jerk+ not so good. I probably won't spend any money there. I work and have a real job. I wrote a promotional article for a trade magazine.A company copied the article and used it for their home page. They said that was how they did business and forgot to give me a byline. It was a Canadian company so I figured, with the exchange rate, they only got 75% of me fees. No groceries lost on my side. PS, I'd be interested in another H&E Eldo, shouldn't have sold it. Bernie

It's about time to get the drop tops out. http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x2mlsyr I might bet down to the gravel pit and do this one with my PA.... but I won't kick the windshield out. Cabin fever up here in yahoo land. If you watch this move "Raw Deal" check out the airport scene lifted from Casablanca, They could have used a Buick there too. Bernie

"Effective March 17, 1966. Studebaker will no longer accept calls at its Southbend exchange." It pops up on my screen once in a while. Just click the x to the right of the Conestoga wagon. It goes away. Bernie

Did Hibernia Restorations have a shop along that stretch in the late '80's. I remember stooping and talking to some friendly guys doing a '40's Continental there and a few blocks away was a Ford/Streetrod catalog store. The guy used to put out a cartoony looking catalog similar to the old Honest Charlie's one. Good memories from my cogeneration trips and running alone Foothill. Bernie

The difference between a Chevy and a Ford is pretty easy. After a couple thousand miles everything on a Chevy is worn and sloppy and it just continues to run. A Ford keeps breaking from the first day so you have to fix it all the time. Then there is that other brand, Walter P's, with the wooden tool box. The first one of those I had would leak water through the two piece hood directly into the water collection pools the spark plugs nestled in. About one of those was enough. Bernie

Put a weaker spring on the accelerator and see if that helps. Bernie

What could you do with your '49 for the cost of a '55? I know of a guy who could have really made his car nice for the cost of the next one. Bernie

I thought I found some peanut butter once, but a guy told me it was Shinola. Turned out we were both wrong. Bernie

Mentioning wood in bodies, I cringed when I saw that Model A and the Chevy setting on that open trailer and imagined it rolling a 70 MPH or more on the highway. The Chevy may have actually suffered some. Back around 1980 a friend had a Model A leatherback delivered on an open trailer from Oklahoma. I think they met in Ohio, somewhere about half way. The Model A had become more aerodynamic by the mile and the body was lying in a pile on the frame when he first saw it. He ended up keeping only the cowl and buying one of the Hudson Wagon Works station wagon bodies to put it back together. Over the years I have had some of those flat front cars moved. An enclosed trailer is safest. I had a Model T C-cab truck moved locally once and gave strict instructions not to use the expressway and not to exceed 40 MPH. Bernie

Let's see, the shop charged for a professional service. And you, an amateur, missed what they didn't do right. Would you hire a professional to check your work? I get accused of being cynical all the time, but I wasn't born that way. Go through the engine section of the shop manual and make a written checklist of all the steps and points of the assembly process and check each one off. You are working on this with your son. If you are readers get a copy of The Checklist Manifesto : https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&ved=0ahUKEwjkjcGgidfLAhWEJh4KHQJDDQcQFggcMAA&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.tribalmind.co%2FS3%2Ftribalmind-prod%2FDiscoveries%2FgU31-m5F0E2sviPfDlZrdQ.pdf&usg=AFQjCNF82dlNooUZqmxvQuWaUdDSqJDdOg&sig2=BX1sG1y-G3UIbdUNdn3iUA&bvm=bv.117218890,d.dmo&cad=rja Both of you read it and discuss it. I have a hard copy. The book is a valuable life's learning experience. Bernie

Just reading it would be OK. That doesn't change the words or wear them out. It's the guys who have to lick or spit on their fingers every time they turn a page that can cause problems. You should have the corners of the pages examined for body fluids. Do you subscribe to Playboy too? Bernie

To remove the oil pan with the engine in the car you need to raise the engine about 4 inches. It is best to drain the coolant and disconnect the hoses as well as remove the fan shroud. The exhaust pipes needs to be disconnected too. The four pan bolts above the crossmember can be removed with 1/4" sockets. Then rotate the flywheel for some crankshaft clearance. Use light sewing thread through a few bolt holes to hold the new gasket in place when you put the pan in place. Yep, I know how to do it. Yep, I probably would take the extra couple of steps and remove the engine if I had to do it again. Remember "The level of perfection one can achieve is directly proportional to the number of times one is willing to do it over." The key word is "wiling". Things get really hard when you aren't willing. When you are willing it seems to become a moot point. Bernie

That pump should run fine on 12V. Have a good starter shop check it over. An experienced shop will probably agree. Bernie

If you leave the hood open more men spend time looking at your car. Women look a little longer when the hood is closed. Especially a Buick. They seem to attract 50ish women. The older I get the more I like that. Bernie

It's probably a "had to be there" nuance. I WAS there for the '57 Ford and Chevy thing. The Ford wasn't vastly inferior. It was just inferior enough so the doors didn't close right after a year or two. That sucked and I remember a lot of guys holding Ford doors closed with their arm out the window on cold winter days. AND that hidden third starter bolt that was a PIA when the starter drives failed. Oh, and the bullet terminals in the wiring. So I know why I drove Chevys and Buicks in High School. Bernie

It looked to me like the sales pitch was comment #1. You guys are supposed to be drooling and clambering to get those jewels. Anyone with a degree in automotive marketing would know how to set bait. When I saw the car cover stuffed into the crotch of the Chevy fender I thought: Uncover the cars completely if you photograph them. If my son was taking the pictures I'd tell him to leave the cover on the car to make us look inexperienced and somewhat inept at presenting to enhance our innocence. I was 12 years old when my Grandfather told me not to look too smart when selling a car. It builds the buyer's esteem. Those are cars to be marketed to the uniformed buyer. Best thing to do is buy a contact list for doctors. My good friend, a cardiologist used to say "You can sell anything to a doctor they are a salesman's target." Bet you lunch one of them does go to a doctor... they may have been donated by one or his heirs. Bernie

Yeah, it's different. Some people say old guys resist change. Some have thoughts in the back of their mind that they should be doing something more constructive but need an event to make a change. The sun is shining, the grass is starting to grow, and there is work in the garage and cars to drive. What if the Koreans helped refocus a few whom have spending too much time on this stuff. BTW, the little round pictures are so cute. I bet the Middle School girl's forum loves them. XP-300 and The Hartford Guy have good stuff on Flickr. That's probably enough. I'm going to go put the starter in the tractor. Bernie

I wiped some dust off and it's time for trips to the Lake. Bernie

A guy came over to my garage once and told me to swap out the 3.4 DOHC aluminum head straight through breathing Jaguar engine with a modern small block Chevy. Interesting in reply #9, I never noticed the root word of lackluster was kluster. Bernie

Aside from a humorous thought about a movie title I was reminded of, my picking had nothing to do with taste or style. The builder was ignorant that he used Lincoln parts instead of Mercury. And I have seen a lot of that when modified cars are described. Not so much on restored cars. If I go to an AACA meet with my Park Avenue convertible and the guy at the gate says "Hey! The roof got cut off your car." I won't call him picky. I've never looked for roses OR peppermint in a bathroom. I just haven't lived as blissful a life as many. Liking it yourself is fine. When you hang a For Sale sign on it you just doubled the number who need to like it. It's a humorous car. Bernie

The next car I make money on will probably be one I bought and didn't meet my expectations. I have a bad habit of keeping the good ones. Bernie