60FlatTop

39 with all included. Bernie

What are you guys doing with your cars? When I was around 15 years old I read an article about professional drivers and how they could drive with a full glass of water on the dash without spilling a drop. From that point I have driven in that manner; fast and smooth, maybe too fast a few times. I have a friend who drives his Rolls-Royce cars in what might be considered an aggressive manner. The first time my wife and I went out to dinner when he drove, she said "Gee, those Rolls-Royce cars don't ride as smooth as your Buicks." I have Delco shocks, replaced springs, good ball joints, and fresh bushings. Oh, and biased tires. It's like: Bernie

Just got home; a ride along the Lake Ontario State Parkway, a stop in Hamlin Beach State Park, and lunch at Sam's in Holley. And the day ain't over, yet! Bernie

The topic deals with judging. In this particular instance I was thinking the same thing. The factory installed a landau top that covered the rear passenger compartment with a stainless trim band across the roof. If the top extends to the top of the windshield it would be an aftermarket accessory. There are a lot of those out there on both Roadmasters and Fleetwoods. Some call them a "Florida" top. Here is my old RM. If it looks like that it is factory. If it looks different the factory didn't do it. That's from the 1991-1996 Roadmaster tech guy in the Bugle. Now the sticky question. If it was a 1948 Roadmaster with a Derham top would it be allowed. Since Derham was a recognized coachbuilder of the period when the car was new it would be. And Derham would install a top without major coachbuilding. So what constitutes "recognized"? Being a licensed, tax paying business at the time the car was built would be a good start. Is there a judging definition of "recognized"? Uncle Sam taking tax dollars is recognition enough for me. I couldn't find a picture of one but we have all seen them on Mercury Marquis. As these cars become more common at judged events a policy should be agreed upon. Bernie

Drive it as much as possible and keep adding oil. The rope needs to soak up some oil. If it is still dripping at inspection time drop the cover and line it with absorbent material. That should get you inspected and buy you a year of driving. And driving is the best way to slow the leaks. Bernie

Probably needs a set of plug wires. I never heard a Buick supercharger whine. I've had two. They just come in at about 27 or 2800 RPM and start pulling. Bernie

Some people obviously get burned out on Ebay. Some just had a head start. Bernie

I thought you just dipped them in mercury and they were all nice and shiny again. My science teacher showed me..... in 1964. Bernie

At some point in the 1980's there was an auto parts on the west side of North Chili, New York on RT33. A Kaiser Darrin was sitting in front one day and the next day, when I went to follow up, it was gone. Anyone remember that car? Bob? Bernie

Keep the Jeep. Think about why they want to trade. You have a known vehicle. Anything else can have hidden mysteries (miseries?) Kind of like listing all your current girlfriend's faults and trading her for a new one that looks better. Buy some mechanics books, learn the basics and avoid the instant online answers, get some tools, and learn how to keep the Jeep alive. Then you'll be ready for some real nice stuff. Bernie

Thanks, she wouldn't even wear the nice (I thought) Riviera ear rings I bought here; or the Cadillac ones. We are trying to replace her much loved Infiniti SUV. She perked up on a Rainier V8. And if she will go for a car I have a couple of LaCrosse Supers and Lucerne CXS 8's lined up. If we end up with the Lucerne I can deal with the Northstar. I'll just roll up $3500 and stick it in a coffee can in the garage marked Murphy's Law-Northstar. We should be good. Probably an FX35 in the end. Bernie

The right axle bearing is usually the one that fails. I have replaced both rights my '60 Electra and the '64 Riviera. Excess bearing movement will cause the seal to fail and seep out. You can raise the car and unload the bearing, then put it in gear to amplify the noise. For removal just flip the drum over and put three studs back into the hub. That makes a good slide hammer. Removing the bearing from the shaft is hard. On the Riviera I used a large press with a combination of plates to press against. On the '60 I knocked off the outer race and used a lathe to skin off the inner race. When it got to paper thin it slid right off. In both instances I used a bearing heater to warm the bearing for installation. This will prevent damage that may have occurred ten years ago when the last guys did it. With the bearing heated it will go on almost all the way; then a little nudge in a press with seat it ...without pounding the hell out of it. I am thinking that the last guys were somewhat inexperienced because they DID replace both. I never have. The only instance I can think of replacing both would be on a car in outside or unheated storage for a long period of time that had a build up of condensed water that was not drained and flushed prior to going back into service. That is quite common; neglecting to drain water from rearends and transmissions when recommissioning. Your car is hard to drain and flush. It could have a mix of water and gear lube now if it sat for a long time during its first 60 years. On some closed readends I have been able to drain through a third member lower bolt hole. Good luck. Today is the tomorrow you mentioned. Bernie

Here's that comparison of two 1948 cars. Imagine a whole row of '48's or '53's together. Bernie

Catching them without makeup can be a bit disconcerting. They need to be looked at in their context. A few days ago I brought a 1948 Hudson Commodore Eight into the garage for service. It is parked right in front of my 1948 Packard Deluxe Eight. It's a bit of a shock that those two chubby gals could have shared a showroom. Short 'fat and Tall 'n fat. Step down and tombstone. If Superman wasn't flying I bet he'd drive a Darrin. Bernie

So I'm not the only one. My line is usually "Go buy THE other one." Always remember, it's not your particular question that triggers a response like that. It is those whom came before you. Like the old TV show Name That Tune, just the first few notes and you recognize the whole familiar song. The guy probably thought "binary question, binary answer." Honestly, if I had seen the clever pricing tactic I would have just laughed and said "I ain't calling this guy. I know him." I have been looking for a car for my wife and looking at ads. The ones listed for $1 or $10 with zeros missing (well, the seller doesn't count) or mileage with three zeros missing (132 instead of 132,000), hell,the last two digits 95 and 99 irritate me. Sellers, people in general, wear their personality right on the surface. They provide great entertainment on Craigslist. And they don't even know. I know I'm bad. I was trained by experience. Bernie

I think there is a severe lack of adults as buyers on Ebay and many other places. Any lack of due diligence on their part results in an extortion threat or running back to Ebay to extract the seller's money. Here is the result in one instance, mine. I have always bought accumulations of parts or old cars with some level of collector value to buy and sell. I was the kid who started working at age 11 and the kid who always had some money. I could buy stuff and resell it. Since 1999 I have used Ebay, who has turned into the bully who protects the stupid. I am pretty sure that the next old car or garage full of parts that have me standing between them and the scrapyard are going to be reincarnated as KIA's. I might lose a little "lunch" money, and I don't eat at Mickey D's, but I'll make up for it with other talents. The ones that will lose are the buyers who cheep like the pullets my Grandmother kept in the dining room every spring, the buyer who didn't know what rough mean, or needs work, or some other little whiny issue they took to Big Brother. They'll just sit glassy eyed and wonder why all they can find is blue headlights and red seat belt covers or dashboard trinkets that "fit anything". And you know who you are; the ones who opened the package and whined "I thought". Those are certainly the two most dangerous words in the English language "I thought". Ask. Bernie

Back around 1964 we brought a very nice 1957 Mercury Commuter 2Dr wagon into my Grandfather's car lot. It had a bad engine and we had a good running 1957 Fairlane in the back. While removing the engine the pushbutton shift cable got caught. My Grandfather just broke it off by hitting it on the edge of the frame with a hammer. "We'll fix that later." "Later" we put the Ford steering column with quadrant in. If that car is still out there it could be causing a case of the mumbles itself. A lot can happen over 50 years. Anyone ever seen a '59 International pick up with '56 Ford car front fenders? We used a marked 2X4 to level the headlights. Perpetrators: I'm the one in the black sweat shirt, maybe 17 at the time Bernie

To have a driver you will probably spend another $3,000 to $5,000 and have a Not For Show car with 6 to 8 thousand tied up in it. That's with Indian blankets on the seats. A new interior will double the outlay. My wife is a librarian and I always catch hell for reading technical books instead of novels. Sometimes as I read I have the conscious thought that I want to read this book again, after I have learned more about the topic. If you understand and relate you are ready. If you are contemplating the restoration of the car with an imaginary friend you call "My Mechanic" you are in trouble. He is alive and has shown up in discussions on the forum. I think his name is Freddy, but he changes it during the day. Bernie

Although I am not a pilot my Brother In Law, who retired as an Air Force Major, was standing behind my Impala SS at a family function and gave me a funny look when he asked about the license plate frame; NCC 1701. High altitude. Bernie

I think I recognize the owner.

You can be sure the paint will not get brighter and glossier with age. I knew an old detailer who put a couple drops of primer into the mix just to tone it down a bit. I have always brush touch clips and scratches so I haven't tried the trick. Bernie

Always enter with caution when the mechanic on duty is focused on function. We will not be aestheticized. Bernie

I rebuilt my '64 brakes back in '95. I had an NOS master cylinder sleeved by Apple Hydraulics and rebuilt the wheel cylinders. I try to do an annual flush of the brake fluid. I remove the old fluid from the master cylinder with a turkey baster, top it off with Castrol LMA, and bleed until I get clear fluid. When the silicone fluids came out I saw the promotions stating "Do it once and forget it". I thought that over and decided to do a minor service once a year instead of forgetting them. It hasn't happened every single year, but there has been more frequent attention. Booster Dewey did the booster for my '60 in yellow cad and I was very happy with the service. It is also all new with mineral oil, gets a flush. Bernie

That one has only two internal clips. From memory there were four internal clips on mine and the cups were 1" O.D. These guys ship to Europe, ask for Lenny. http://www.northwesternautosupply.com/ Bernie

Is POS an abbreviation or an acronym in this instance? I was sitting in the diner one day and a service truck pulled up for the cash register. The logo read :We service POS equipment." I told the serviceman I had done a lot of that too. That's the day I learned POS stands for Point Of Sale, as well! Bernie