60FlatTop

Her son was a marine biologist at sea when she wanted to buy my Cutler roll top desk for him. The woman buying for her son is a common scam. You find it suspicious; and why might that be? Bernie

Just to share an old memory about a very early member of the ROC; I bought the last set of NOS hangers that Joe Galina had stashed away in his collection. Joe was the Riviera collector from Clarkson, New York (the Clarkson between Buffalo and Rochester) who dealt in a lot of Riviera and Cadillac parts in the '70's through '90's. He bought a new Ford Cobra in 1964. He said that every time his son pulled out of the driveway with the Cobra he got an image of a coffin in his mind. In 1965 he bought a Riviera and had a passion for them the rest of his life. He passed away Hershey week a few years ago. I still remember him adamantly saying "Buick never built a car called a Riv, they built a Riviera". That is reflected in anything I write about them. The hangers still have the tags and I did save the old ones for bebuild...... sometime. Bernie

My best resource, even before computer days, is to look at my club membership rosters and find a person in a nearby zip code with a similar car or indications they are eclectic enough to do it. Almost 20 years ago a friend came to me with an ad for a modified 1952 Chevy Fastback in the Good Guys Magazine. I was quite active in the Cadillac Club at the time and found a member in the same city with a few cars, including a couple of hearses. Turned out he knew the car (car guys don't miss much) and was in the shop when the exhaust system had been put on. He filled out a detailed checklist and then suggested a friend who ended up transporting the car. It was a great purchase. I serviced the car when it arrived and only did about $200 of work. Over the years this method has served well, except for the guys who framed the check instead of cashing it. It is a benefit of membership and, yet, another, reason to join. Bernie

"The team admits there some false starts" Like using a blue laser and no one liked the cold cuts? Bernie

I think the original post and the 24 replies are quite related to the hobby, in general, and the goals of the AACA, which I did join a couple of years ago in thanks for supporting this forum. All the replies have been valid and knowledgeable from contributors with skills in many related areas. All could probably have written a more objective article than the one Popular Mechanics by-lined "by Jay Leno". I have seen Jay Leno on various media and comments like "error-prone machinist" and "rusty aluminum" aren't even going to come out of someone with a career of script reading. He wouldn't say that and there was no disclaimer at the end of the article warning the reader not to take the words literally. It's ghost writer stuff from a writer that got $2500 for groceries. If Jay Leno did read the draft and took exception to the stupid stuff he probably got a pat on the back and was told "in a perfect world we could make it more intelligent, but......" So we are left with a lame document that some automotive historian will find 50 years from now and take as the Gospel of Jay. I bet the heat exchanger was brass with asbestos insulation, protected by an aluminum shield. If it wasn't it should have been. OR a foreign power hacked the original document. They do that in Hollywood. Bernie

If you have ever been stuck operating a couple of coal stoker Scotch Marine boilers on the midnight shift and had a valve in the reciprocating feedwater pump crack you learn a lot about injector pumps in a hurry. And an intimacy with steam from that experience is going to make one laugh at these infomercial articles. I have warned my children that the authors of this type of fodder need groceries and that is the main purpose of such articles. A few years ago I was working for a large institution. A vendor had hired a ghost writer to write a trade article on the success of their product in our application. Management asked me accept a phone interview with the author. I told the author the product was crap and would not endorse it to my peers verbally or in a publication. Although I got a lot of heat from management on that one I refused to communicate anything but the truth, without nebulous implications or implied favor. I was reminded of the incident by this topic. So you Stanley guys, is that failed heat exchanger really aluminum or is it brass? Is it a shell and tube or a plate type? Have you seen the printed version in operation? The heat exchanger is the specific part referred to in the article. I'd like to know about that. I might even like to know if the author has been close enough to touch it. I wasn't born a cynic; I was trained by 50 years of attentive observation. Anyway, I think it's fun to shoot back. Bernie

Back around 1986 I was standing next to a satellite chassis that was sitting on a surface table. One of the fabricators leaned toward me and said "the base is made from Invar to handle cold in space because it has a very low coefficient of expansion." I said "Yeah, Invar struts are cast into the pistons of my 1936 Nash Advanced Six for the a similar reason." I'm the guy who had to reduce air pressure in a room at a rate equal to escape velocity. I shoulda been a journalist. I'd have a better grasp on the 21st Century. Bernie

A set of 1934 Buick sidemount covers. They will be t RCH 44-45 during Hershey. The price is $1300. I am posting this for Bob Sands, of Pierce-Arrow fame, phone number and name.. 716-826-2416 It is OK to contact him for more details. Thank you, Bernie

I was only misled by the title, subtitle, and some of the text. Although I designed a jet printer with conductive ink fluids for experimental circuit boards in the early '90's, any question of viability or application would probably label me as a 3D printer "denier" in today's culture. The sheep like that "d" word. Who bought the $2995 scanner from the link? Bernie

I am going to redo my '64 and plan to buy all my rubber from Steele. Previously I bought a set from Metro and the roof rail straight section was too long above the windows by an equal amount on both sides.. When I called a surly person on the phone told me my car had been wrecked. So I cut 2" out of each roof rail strip and butted it together Bernie

Well, I'm going right out to the garage and throw some bean seeds in my glove box... magic ones. If I see Jay along the road I should be able to talk him out of whatever he is driving. I saw a picture of the feedwater heater when I was reading the dictionary the other day. It was right next to "ambiguous". Please use the promo code JAY and we'll send you TWO for the price of one, just add extra processing and shipping. The watch thing is a cute touch. It reminds me of my Brother buying a new 1976 Ford Granada and infuriating the Mercedes owner next door. Bernie

A few years ago I was doing a job up in Malone near the Canadian border and the local paper had an ad for some thing like a "1978 Chevy 4WD. off road ready, sell or trade for guns". It was during a time of high terrorist awareness and I thought of someone sneaking across the border to do damage in the US and seeing the ad. Can't you see them looking at each other and wondering if they may have come in the wrong gate. Up here we back into parking spots, ready to mobilize.

Why pay for cable TV when entertainment like this is free: http://columbus.craigslist.org/cto/5236290577.html FYI, "Bang" is a noun. On oral contracts, conforming to an oral contract is not based on the persons directly making the contract, but with those whom have made previous contracts. The proper wording is "It's not you, it is those whom have come before." There is an acronym for Point of Sale, POS. "We met and had an argument with the POS." could mean the location wasn't good. Bernie

82% but who cares about the Chrysler products, anyway? Bernie

I think bums is British slang, too. Just a bunch of motor bums. Bernie

" A great social club, wonderful people otherwise." I think, due to the age of the hobbyists, that is today and moving into the future. On the motor and engine thing, just be thankful there is a level of awareness high enough to have a picky conversation, Colloquialisms, generational slang, the media, and poor hearing all play into the misnomers. I revived the electrical system of a 1913 Rambler years back. If you know what they are it is more like working on the machinery of an old elevator than a car. Well, if you know old elevators. In the US the greatest percentage of our automotive literature came from Britain until the mid 1970's. That's where the funny terms originate. And they, taking Darwin to heart, and the importance of the amphibians ascent to shore, nodded in agreement when Toad stated "Now, this is a proper motorcar," Now, there is a quoted, historical source. Bernie

I worked at the Genesee Brewery for a while in 1972. Many of the items on display at the museum were stored by the brewery's family in the old Cataract Building on the brewery property. The museum came later. After western New York and southern Ontario were defoliated in the early 1800's the area became a big gain and orchard farming center. Locals know the history pretty well. The Seldon and Cunningham cars, as well as the Stewart trucks are pretty fresh in the memories. Outside of the brewery, Mike Ognilbene ran Genesee Country Ford, a dealership in Batavia, around the turn of this century He runs this lot now: http://www.crazycheapcars.com/. He may have run those as a dealer tag, buy it looks too expensive. Call Mike and ask. Bob is probably right. You can spit into the Genesee River from his house. I can spit into the Erie Canal from mine but it would take a couple hours to float to the River. Bernie Or you can SEE HIM RIGHT HERE:

Do you have a video of him driving it in reverse? Back in the '60's my Grandfather blew the rearend in his '34 Dodge shortened plow truck. My Dad and I replaced it for him, not knowing the bolt pattern was symmetrical. He put the truck in low and it lurched backward. He was happy because he had a better ratio for pushing snow going forward in revere. When he used it out in the back he'd come up the lane in backwards moving along fast and shifting gears. I think he enjoyed the hell out of it. Imagine your Grandson passing all the kids in reverse. Bernie

That whole Kodak thing is a funny story, by George. Bernie from Rochester, NY.

I'd write a long comment but the motor skills of my left hand are not so good since the stroke. Bernie

I have serviced center links. They don't really wear in the socket. The rattle comes from the deteriorated nylon bushing around the taper. The retaining plug has small welds you can grind with a die grinder. Then a vise or press can nudge them loose to remove the swivel. All mine needed were a couple of nylon sleeves about 3/4" O.D. I found them at a plastic supply house. The rest of the joints checked OK. I pressed the retaining caps back in and gave them a couple of light tacks. No more staggering and chasing tar strip after that. Give it a try yourself. Bernie Oh, it cost less than five bucks.

The rubber hoses can begin to de-laminate with age. Under braking pressure the trapped fluid will close off or restrict the inner diameter of the passage. This can continue until it stops pressure all together OR traps fluid under pressure and won't allow the wheel cylinder to retract. Sliding a piece of #14 or #10 wire through the hose is an indicator, but the best policy is "When in doubt, change it out." And replace with quality hoses. The rear hose on a torque tube '60 Buick is hard to find. I had that one custom made at Empire Radiator in Rochester, New York. My earlier comment on the cost of two bumpers was based on your bumper and their bumper as well as collateral damage incurred to both cars. That's generally more than a rechrome.

Yeah, must be me. Three of the five in the garage, that all stop well, have four self energizing primary and secondary drum brakes that have all had major overhauls within the last ten years and all four are connected by 1/4" double flared steel lines except the locations where rubber lines were replaced. The wheels cylinders are new and the master cylinders, harder to get, have been sleeved and rebuilt. The hygroscopic fluid is flushed each year to avoid rust build up. And it is, apparently, ridiculous for me to think there was a level of intelligence that looked at the design systemically. To save humanity near me I should jettison the front half, make it different with fabricated components and calipers ground so they don't rub my wheels, put in the random master cylinder from and auto parts with a pair of 3/16" bubble flare fittings and orchestrate two systems. Now, would I run smaller lines all the way to the calipers or put an adapter right at the master cylinder port. Should the small lines run all the way to the rear with adapters there or should I bump it to a 1//4 inch line at the master cylinder, I guess GM just read about brake parts in old trade magazines so the kid at the parts counter would know best. Sounds more like the cook and the alphabet soup plant. I guess I'll just continue the path of increased awareness I have for the last 50+ years of working on the brakes and live this ridiculous life. I read and interpret what the contributors younger than my brake tools have to write. I even absorb some, but personally I'm not throwing anything out because I don't know how to fix it. What does that term mean; ridiculous? Hell, who can recognize a rhetorical question? Bernie

I'm a total impulse buyer and usually pay 2X what experts tell me I should have. If you were un-impulsed enough to write into the forum for advice and you are not suffering heart palpitations worrying about some else buying it while you consult there is a better "something" out there for you. And that will surely show up a week or two after you buy the Clipper. In most parts of the country this is bargain time. Sellers enjoyed their car all season and now want to unload them to avoid storage and the problems related to it. Since it's a "hots" driven purchase play the field. Some of the active contributors to the forum sell cars on consignment. Fall would be a good time to contact a couple to find a really motivated seller. Bernie