60FlatTop

You are looking at a minimum of 300 to 400 $100 jobs on the light side. Bernie

Over the years (and more recently, with the advent of reality TV shows, I have found that people whom modify cars have quite a bit of inaccuracy in what they see and believe. Many tend not to be the historian type a restorer might be. They make general and misinformed statements. My Daughter sent me an email about her Mother's new ride and wrote "a brown SUV is a brown SUV". Identifying the Lincoln parts that went into that car may have been equally GAS. The Lincoln I showed was listed on Craigslist as a 1948 Packard. I bought it and drove away with the seller still adamantly calling it a Packard. It could have easily been called a Merc by someone who didn't know. The big question is - how smart do you have to be to have $50K of discretionary money to buy the fleet footed Monte? (Fleet footed? Why did he write that?) Bernie

As I scrolled through this post I was thinking, just straighten them, like Jon. The last time I rebuilt my '64 AFB I had the original carb and an old 1959 Lincoln AFB for parts; and all the pieces in a pile on the bench, what went back in were just what I liked the looks of. I used one of Jon's kits when I rebuilt the dried old carb for my Packard a couple of years ago. He probably wouldn't have liked witnessing what I did but it runs good. A old carburetor engineer who was a friend of Ed Cole and learned on 4GC's, then helped design the Quadrajet. (He's the guy who put the long screws in the venturi) told me carburation is not engineering, it's art. Fuel injection is engineering. A carburetor is just a pot of gasoline on top of your engine subject to air pressure differentials. It's not very accurate or predictable off the drawing board or in application. So be prepared to fiddle with it a little on your car to get it right. For all it's little pieces it is a low tech device. If you get 15 MPG and drive 60 MPH that's four gallons of gas spitting through those little holes in an hour, 15 minutes to drain a gallon can into your engine. That's why we have FI now. My point is to lighten up and do it with a flair. Tap the rods with a 4 oz. hammer, be willing to take it apart a few times, and massage it. You know, I heard Colin Powell enjoys carburetor work; and he takes a general approach as well. Bernie

That's the movie car from "I Saw What You Did And I Know Who You Are". I think those are Lincoln Continental parts in the mix. The Merc would have had a split windshield and a taller cowl. More like this in the beginning, Bernie

Pre-war? There was only one? I get the term, but each year the so called "post war" group of cars is increasing to the point where another division might soon be appropriate. Pre-war, inter-war, and intra-war? I have 1948, 1960, 1964, 1986, and a 1994 collector cars. They are all pre and post some war. This is stressful, I'm going over to the VFW for a beer. Bernie

For those whom like famous car owns, this is a great book: http://www.ebay.com/itm/like/262318282721?lpid=82&chn=ps&ul_noapp=true That's not my sale. I have a copy of it and it does include a couple of the Truman pictures. It's a nice one for the library. Bernie

The link to the vid didn't work, but I think I found it here. Congratulations. Bernie

Couldn't have been me. I went directly from gasket shellac with a dauber to blue silicone. Bathroom stuff reminded me of the section of bicycle tube I found connecting a tub drain to main drain in the house. My Father and my Uncle were good at that. Bernie

Right finger on the tip of the positive probe; left finger on the tip of the negative probe, beep! Continuity through the surface lipids, through the skin, and across the interstitial fluids. I bet you used a digital meter. I use an old analog Triplet that a friend gave me at least 25 years ago. He handed it to me and said "Use this and don't buy a meter smarter than you." I bought a digital 10 years later and it sits in the tool box drawer UNDER the Triplet. Bernie

Take a look at the proposed routes for the Keystone pipeline and tell me it doesn't put the infrastructure in place to export fresh water from the Great Lakes. Huh? I thought..... Bernie

Last week I went out to the garage and put the top UP on my Park Ave convertible. It had been down since last summer. I figured I better stretch it out and limbered up in case I get caught in the rain this year. I just like going out in the garage and seeing it top down. I don't use car covers either. Who wants to see lumps of canvas in their garage. I just walk around with a spray bottle of detailer and a polishing cloth and touch stuff. I've always enjoyed buffing a polishing cloth across the peaks on the Riviera front fenders. Bernie

Searching for and old picture for a friend and came across this one. Bernie

In 1916 scientists claimed the human mind and body wasn't capable of processing information at speeds over 15 MPH to be able to operate a vehicle. One hundred years later and they are still trying to prove those scientists wrong. The financial people also said that people receiving Ford's high wages would spend it foolishly. And during the Revolutionary War one could be elected leader of a Minute Man group if they could afford rounds of rum at the tavern. I remember doing close to that breakneck speed of 16 MPH when we hitched my cousins to Grandpa Jim O'Brien's high wheeled buggy. Bernie

The spare tire spoke at 12 o'clock has a shiny ring at the top. I think that is the cup holder bracket. Bernie

I read this book a few years ago. It will help: http://www.fourthturning.com/ Everyone is playing their part as anticipated. I'm looking forward to a bright future about 15 years from now. ummmm, as long as Chinese tanks don't crush my garage trying to capture the fresh water from the Great Lakes. Bernie

I printed the message and had it translated. It says "Buy the Korean Buick. The ones from China and the ones from Germany are no good. When better cars are built, Korea will build them." At least that's what the Korean tattoo artist who put "I am the evil from the valley" on the back of my neck said. Bernie

Then there are the people who ask "Did this guy paint your car?" Shoudda been a piano player. Bernie

I was reading through and thinking along lines similar to the MACO job. My preferred method would be the "cheap squirt" initially. Then you have a decent , shiny car to drive around. You will find people who's mission in life is the point out flaws in anything, no matter how much you spend. Once that first coat goes on you can start buying the compressor and tools so you can take it to the next level yourself. At a shop average of around $80/hour you can do each panel to perfection yourself and not really suffer a lot of down time. Over the years I have noticed that the body shop guys with the really nice paint jobs have painted their cars 2, 3, maybe more times before they came out the way they wanted. The customer only gets one paint job for his money. Every time I have taken a car back to a painter because a flaw needed correction it came back worse. It's like sending a dinner back into the kitchen where you can't see the cook. Bernie

This morning I had coffee with a couple of baby boomers. We figured it won't be long before Trump chooses Andrew Dice Clay as his vice presidential running mate. Then they are going to build a wall along the New York State border at Pennsylvania to keep the southern refugees of global warming from invading the north. A wall will work better than cops with shotguns like they used on the Okies at the California border. I figure with that going on there should be some pretty good car deals over the next four decades and I still have the money I made when Regan was in office. My cardiologist and GP are encouraging me to plan on the long run, I'm shopping for a big commercial building to put the cars in. I know you didn't see that two years ago in Car & Driver, but I'm claiming the accuracy is equal. Bernie

I bought my '64 Riviera when I was 30 years old and when it turns 100 I'm going to be pretty happy just to witness it. AND I fully intend to do that. In fact, the odds of me being there are a whole lot better now than they were when I bought it! Bernie

That would have been worth the drive over to Detroit. Maybe next year. I have to admit, I was surprised to hear Ronald Regan telling about the show! Bernie

I like the layout of the website. But cars are pretty easy to find online. Probably the absolute best idea would be paying me $1,000 a day plus expenses to help you find and thoroughly inspect the car you want. I can usually free up the time on short notice. I am a real pain when it comes to details so when I read this "Classic Car Deals was created to help one Enthusiast Purchase there Dream Car from another Enthusiast." on the site the tips of my ears vibrated. For a long time I have said, you have to look at 100 cars to find a good one. Screening a bunch online sure helps. Bernie Classic Car Deals was created to help one Enthusiast Purchase there Dream Car from another Enthusiast.Classic Car Deals was created to help one Enthusiast Purchase there Dream Car from another Enthusiast."Classic Car Deals was created to help one Enthusiast Purchase there Dream Car from another Enthusiast.Classic Car Deals was created to help one Enthusiast Purchase there Dream Car from another Enthusiast.

Here's a picture of a RROC Flying Lady magazine from a couple of decades ago. That's me servicing 201RY. That was the last article John Utz, the long time editor of the magazine submitted before he passed away. I feel lucky to have had a chance to hang around the shop and talk cars with him. I wrote earlier that I had intimate knowledge of the cars. That is true. Once an owner moves past the Silver Cloud with the Silver Shadows of 1966 and it's derivatives they get into new adventures. If I had just one car I'd be more inclined to get one. I've seen the modifications and economic shortcuts. It's sad. On a Silver Cloud, I think the most common damage is to the power steering ram. It's under the front bumper and is right out there when the brakes don't quite stop. And I've heard the owner ask "Why did you have to replace the motor mounts to do a brake job!" They are all fun, but this topic started with the comment " I know nothing about cars". For that, the choices weren't good. Bernie

When the timing was checked were all three timing variables tested and verified? You have the crankshaft indicator that is the easy one. Then there is the mechanical advance in the distributor where the action of the flyweights needs to work correctly when they fly out and be sure there retract. Then there is the vacuum advance and you need to be sure the breaker plate moves freely in both directions. If it is sticky on the return it could stay advanced for minutes as it slowly drags back to starting position. That last one can give you those slow grunts on a quick restart. And it will give you the fast start after sitting a day or two. Bernie

It's not hard to hire a really big, rough looking guy that can pick up that block and walk out the door with it. A couple hundred bucks and one visit should be inspirational. Just be nice and ask "What HAVE you done during the last five months?" You don't have to explain "Jack". They'll catch on quick. A couple things kind of make me smile. Quite often I write that the most entertaining topics include the words "my mechanic". And I remember the helper/customer from 20 years ago when I was "my mechanic". He needed the door gaskets and hood rubber replaced on a '41 Cadillac Model 62 sedan. He thought I wanted a lot of money for a simple job. I told him I would deduct something like $20 per hour for the time he worked. He got the right hand doors; I took the left. About 45 minutes after starting he was absolutely soaked with sweat and breathing like a steam engine. He asked if I would be kind enough to give him a ride home. He was very happy the the car without rattles and wind noise. A year or so ago, another customer who was quite vocal about my "high prices" called me. He had left his car with someone less expensive and asked me what recourse he had if a mechanic left his car outside with the windows open for five years.. I chose not to get involved in that one. Always demand a minimum of an itemized monthly invoice if it is a long term job. In 2012 my nephew did a big job that included multiple tasks on one of my cars. I paid him weekly on T&M invoices to teach him the process. I think it worked out well for both of us. Oh, and the big guy, the uglier the better. Just avoid ones with gray hair and pony tails or older guys with shaved heads. They tend to look like TV caricatures. Big, mean, and about 30 does a good job. Bernie