60FlatTop

An adaptation that works really well and is reversible is the 1980's Ford 5 speed truck overdrive transmission. If you want a tour car it is a great swap and calms things down in the engine compartment. The shift lever can even be made to look right. It's worth looking into. Bernie

Right after I got out of the Navy in 1971 I went back to work in my Grandfather's Tire Shop for a year before deciding to pursue a career in power plant operation. I got my HS friend, Mike, a job spreading peanut butter in the body shop area. One morning we both showed up for work walking and dropped off by a friend. Jerry, my Grandfather, asked where my car was. I told him I needed to take the tow truck and bring it back. It was up along the side of Covell Rd. with a blown rear end. Then he looked at Mike. Mike said "I need the truck after him. My car is on the other side of Covell Rd. with a blown clutch." Mine was a little farther ahead so I guess I won. That was around the same time I stopped by a garage at the edge of town and was looking along the shoulder of the road. One of the guys I knew came out carrying the rear half of a '58 Chevy driveshaft. He cheerfully said "We figured it was yours." I had taken the car home the night before but it was too dark to find the parts. Bernie

Thanks, being on the right track helps. . The only thing identifiable on the wrapped was a large silky spider web and two stink bugs. Knowing they are front fender moldings. At least I got to sniff around where the value stands. That gets back to that old Ebay problem again. Similar trim strips have a value of about $60/pr. and about $15 shipping in a piece of PVC pipe. That's $6 for Ebay, about $2.02 for Paypal, a trip to get PVC (a few bucks), and a trip to the post office; I end up sending out parts with a couple of rust boogers, even if I point them out, that a buyer will open a case over. The listing, above trips, and taking better picture will eat up between an hour and two. And I am supposed to be doing my REAL job right now. I just sent out the $120 check for the storage unit where parts for sale go. I think a plan to avoid spending $1440 this year is taking shape. Thanks, Bernie

It is interesting that you don't need to designate std., 020, 040 or other cylinder machining variation. I don't think I'd just put a set in my Amazon cart. Bernie

I remember a determined little old lady who got her Valiant to the shop with a bad ballast resistor. We heard her coming. Bernie

Wow! That's a "Watch me pull a rabit out of a hat" thing. I thing you got it: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Nice-1957-Mercury-front-fender-moldings-/191792969912?hash=item2ca7c078b8:g:a0UAAOSwGotWqEup&vxp=mtr I got rocker panel molding stuck in my head and couldn't get past it. You done good. And the AACA library just got a few bucks. Every little bit helps. Bernie

I unwrapped a pair of rocker panel molding from their original cardboard wrapper today and at a loss to figure out what they fit. They are 2" wide and 61 1/2 inches long. One end is rounded and finished. The other looks like it connected to a trim extension. One has a bit of a bow from storage but no kinks of scratches. I'm planning to sell them so if the get ID'ed I'll make a $15 contribution to the AACA Library. I Thanks, Bernie

Recent experiences have me buying only Echlin electrical parts at NAPA or keeping a watch for old stock on Ebay. With condensers you are better off pulling an old one from a 50 or 60 year old distributor. And I'm serious about that stuff- Bernie

Cars really are expensive. I think "most" people expect a payment book attached to anything they buy. Some don't even own their cars. My Daughter leases hers. The idea of having an extra car for a toy is for the rich. A lot of you just don't know how rich you are because the term as been politically skewed. That $5,000 to $10,000 cheap collector car is way out of the grasp of, say, a 30 year old. Think about where the funds for you car or cars came from and where the opportunity for the 30 to 40 year old fledgling can duplicate a similar source of discretionary cash. Not the exceptions, the everyday guys whom graduated from a High School, did military time, a little secondary learning of various levels, and got a job. When half the children born in New York State are born into poverty and people think a minimum wage job is a career path, having a collector car is a rich man's hobby. It always has been. Post WWII guys chipped in their money to raise the $25 to $50 for their old cars. I had three close friends whom did that in the '40's. I have a friend who owns a small restaurant that is open for breakfast and lunch for contractors. On Wednesday's she has a $1.00 hamburger special so people in the neighborhood can go out once a week for a treat. It's tough for the young people. A few years ago I did a pretty intensive study on people's discretionary money, mainly because it's where MY car money comes from. The average US citizen has about $50 per month, and that is from the low to the high; about 8 years for some to get that Lincoln. We, as car hobbyists, are the last of the rich; from a time when the streets were paved in gold and opportunity was... unregulated...... for all.

I doubt the young hobbyists are going through much angst over the price of auction cars. I remember carrying that new $12 6V battery home from Western Auto from town. And only 2 years before I had been financially strapped by a 50 cent a week allowance. I had a car, a job, and only had to wait 4 years to drive. Most of us are too experienced to have the confidence of over estimating our skills and abilities. Maybe when the car show season opens I'll spend the whole summer traveling around the country teaching pragmatism to young car hobbyists. I wonder if I would have listened. Bernie

Just to make a general statement; looking back over the decades I real have no regrets about things I DID. It's the things I DIDN'T do that haunt me a little. Bernie

It is interesting that besides me buying a cheap lizard at a small collector car auction, none of the replies relate to the actual experience of personally buying or selling a car at auction. Come on, somebody must have. Otherwise an opinion is going to start forming. Bernie

Those are really nice cars. There are subtle differences that make the '66 the best looking one. I think I had mine around 1989 or 1990 and at the time I paid something like $4500. With new exhaust and routine stuff I was in there at close to $6,000 25 years ago. It was a car that always had a good following. There are a ton of Cord styling cues that GM put into that car. In Rochester Philanz Olds got my friend, Nick Lipton to put his Cord on the showroom floor with introduction of the '66. When Phil closed up, about ten years ago, we searched through everything trying to find a picture of the two on the showroom floor. Didn't find it. Great car. I stopped at my Dutch Uncle's to pick up some venison and elk steaks with it and he said "Gee, you always have nice road cars." You remember stuff like that. I'd buy another. Bernie

There are no rules of commitment, even though the cartoon I found kidded about how long a project might take. If it has the juices going in both of you it will be a good buy, even if you work on it for a while and unload it. If you work on the car with your son and he doesn't feel forced or manipulated into it you'll have a lot better time than each of you going your separate ways. Through the 1950's my Dad bought a few older cars and resold them. One old timer in town still tells me about a 1950 Pontiac he bought from my Dad that was the best car he ever owned. We didn't have an old car that we worked on together but he worked part time Saturday's at my Grandfather's car lot and tire shop. We got into a few jobs together that way and when we came home Saturday afternoon Mom always had a bucket of warm water and soap by the back porch for us to wash up with. He used to spread newspapers on my side of the car seat to sit on. He was an expert at not getting dirty. I told him I was learning how to get clean. It didn't tale long for me to start hanging out with friends and then it was about 10 years before our paths crossed again. I'd say buy the car even if the outcome is learning what NOT to buy in the future. And how can you not love those coon ass '63 Ford tail lights. Oh, I just saw a PBS documentary on West Virginia coal miners. They had a wash bucket by the porch too. I'm glad we got our carbon in the tire shop. Bernie

Could be the other way around; was supposed to run a non-resistor coil and had an internal resistor coil installed. Ohms law is still going to work and overtax the resisted coil to jump the gap. Get the meter out. And there are resistor 6V systems. Bernie

Take a ride down Used Car Row, Anytown, USA, Most of those cars are owned and floorplanned by the local auction houses All those whimpering politicians who cried about the poor VW dealers buying those diesels that seem to have disappeared.... VW adjusted the dealer interest payment. And the Studebaker brothers ain't building wagons anymore. The only thing you can be sure of is the shell. Bernie

Was the autumn bronze car a low option model with new exhaust and a fresh Bill Hirsch Miracle Paint bottom? If it was a lot of the paint drips still remind me of that car. I remember a nice ride my wife and I took through The Grand Canyon of the East and lunch at the Glenn Iris Inn. Bernie

The big car auctions seem to be a popular topic on this forum. And since WE are the real car guys I am curious about the experiences the everyday guy buying or selling a car under $50,000 has had. I have never sold a car at auction. Somewhere around 2000 I went to a small dealership near Ithaca, NY where the owner had collected a lot of 1930 and '40's Cadillacs. There was a 1977 LeSabre there that wasn't getting bids. I brought it home for my wife with something like a $600 bid. She was as thrilled as the other bidders.... well, she actually said it was ugly and she hated it. I put it in the front yard and got 1,000 bucks for it. There's my whole history on the auction side; bought a cheap lizard and sold it to a guy down the street. I did make a few bucks. Anyone sold that treasure they owned for 20 years and made a good score? Bernie

What is the voltage on the primary side of the coil when the car is running? After 75 years someone might have tossed away the resistor. Bernie

I just had a flashback to drag racing in the early 1970's. Anyone remember when the 340 Duster's class came up? Concession stand, bathroom, buzz buzz buzz on the track. And the old guy stuck his finger right into my necktie and said "Sonny, nuthin' changes but the date..." 1963. Bernie

Back in the 1980's we were getting a lot of collector cars from the southeastern states. We pretty much agreed that there was an itinerant mechanic named Jimmy Joe (last name possibly Homes or Ohms) who went around cutting wiring harnesses. We knew he wore a big belt buckle with steer horns and his waist was about even with a typical 1950's car fender, just about a six footer, although he could hunker down to '59 or '60 Chevy height. Wherever you are now, Jimmy, I'd like to thank you for the electrical work you sent me and the paint work you sent my friend. You done good by us. Bernie

If you don't get the car done at least you get some skills. Bernie

The auction must be over now and Atlantic City is coming up in a couple of weeks. I used to drive down their to escape the weather for a couple of days. I do agree auctions are a place to buy. I'd be pretty leery about putting one of my common cars in a big auction. I doubt if I'd come home with $3,000 on anything, but those are my cars. Each one is mine for a reason. I did watch enough to be haunted by a familiar background sound. I couldn't quite put my finger on it until I brought the dog in last night and gave him a biscuit. Bernie

January 31st and 47 degrees. I took the '60 up to a friend's place to look at the '56 Plymouth Suburban Custom freshly delivered from southern Indyanna. Got rained on. Had three cars out this weekend. Bernie

Carlsbad? I'd push Carl aside and make it Berneisbad. And I didn't even comment on the shadow. Bernie