60FlatTop

All the hazardous chemicals out gassed from the manufacture and painting of my 1960's and older cars were incinerated in surface nuclear tests in the 1970's and 1980's. Moving from kiloton to megaton devices helped quite a bit. Lacking access to the countries recently exercising the nuclear devices, a municipal police department should be able to include them with the annual package to the high temperature incinerator. They usually put in the year's collection of drugs, handguns (yep 3500 degrees melts them), and other nasty little items. If you find a live hand grenade between the floor joints in your cellar, that can go, too. Bernie

To make a better informed comment, please provide the city and street address with the expected time of arrival. The type of vehicle you are driving would help, as well. Bernie

I think one must pay an indulgence to state and local authorities to use them. Then its OK. Bernie

Took the '60 for a 20 mile ride along the Lake Ontario Parkway yesterday, had a big steak at Nick's Sea Breeze Inn (http://nicksseabreezeinn.com/) parked across the street from Seabreeze Amusement Park (http://seabreeze.com/). That was a makeup for the missed Valentine's Day 33rd Wedding Anniversary, there was a horizontal blizzard that day. My wife had a view of the car through the restaurant window and it appeared to be noticed. Today was Chevy day just for lunch. Bernie

Slide the rocker arms back against the spring on the shafts and look for wear It is pretty common and gets diagnosed as bad lifters. Set the head so you can pour a little thinner or alcohol against the back side of the valves. It gets real easy to tell that bad ones. Replace or repair the ones that need it. The key is keeping everything equal in it's equivalent wear. Bernie

I figured the auction was being held in Texas so all the millionaires would be close by. The Texas mailman. Bernie

For at least ten years, now, the only thing I use water and a hose on is my whitewalls. I use detailer spray and lots of cloths to clean the old cars. Using water lets gallons of it to run into every nook and cranny just like butter into an English muffin; places where you can't blow it out, soak it off, or remove it. There is always a bottle of detailer or wax sitting near the car and I just spritz a little on, or wipe off some bugs, or buff a panel up. Under the hood gets a squirt of WD-40 and a wipe down as well as the underside. A sponge wet with anything Armor-Allish cleans the undercoating nicely. On rare occasions I might get caught in the rain, but I have decided not to create my own. Bernie

Inspirational topic; I have a big trash bag full of stuff that is not worth the time and cost to sell. It will go out for pickup on Tuesday and I can even feel a little more breathing room. Each thing that gets thrown into the bag makes the next one easier to part with. This afternoon I am going to stop at Central Tractor Supply and get some lawn care items. I'm going to see if they have a spray for piles of "stuff" in the garage that will keep it from growing and taking over. Bernie

A universal throttle knob would work. Get one with a flat shaft. Pull it out and set a dime for moderate speeds. pennies and nickles are good for local cruising. Quarters are great for interstates. And a Kennedy half; whoa, Baby. I think the collector's edition has a coin holder specifically for the long term owner. Just my two cents..... a little more than a quarter. Bernie

Every once in a while I run a search to find the "Bringing Up Buddy" episode where he gets his Aunts to have their '39 Buick convertible overhauled....... at a speed shop. It may have been a '40, but I owned a '39 Buick and a '42 Olds at the time, I was about 13 at the time. In the end Buddy does get the shop owner to paint over the flames. That shop owner may have been Norm Grabowski, a very young version. Bernie

Ebay sent me a special certificate last year. It was for my 5 years as a seller. I started in 1999 with the same user name. History at Ebay, as with many corporations, resides in the financial offices in bite sized quarterly pieces. With each successive change in management the vision and ideals of the founder become more cloudy and untenable. Those whom worked directly with the founder in 1995 and knew his dream have dwindled in number over the last 20 years. As with many corporations in history, the 30 year mark is approaching. The corporate entity is in charge now. Many employees don't even know the name of the founder, much less his dream. In today's economy the little Ebay drop off stores should be thriving. A replacement is due. It always comes, and from the least likely place in the corporate mind. Growth in most corporations strives for new leadership, decorated with degrees from institutions like Stanford Dartmouth, or Harvard. These are old established institutions. Although revered, the buildings are old monoliths of another century. Many of the classrooms suffer from poor ventilation and in some cases mold. This environment is known to potentially cause cognitive damage to occupants. How long does your next corporate president have to reside in those buildings before they have the credentials for the job? Yep, its no wonder the guys in their garage topple the status quo. Bernie

To clarify, the picture of the clown is not me. It came up as I was looking through old files and reminded me of the upcoming show and cruise season and how some people pose by cars. I don't clean up that good, I am generally cynical and opinionated. And, if you get close enough to get a good look in my eyes, you might become quite wary and back away slowly like the Rottweiler did. This is me without my shillelagh. Bernie

Sure looks good for GM trucks and newer stuff in general. Bernie

Even posters to this topic may not understand the importance of "words". Throw a little open mindedness into standards and a dab of misunderstanding...... there is no limit to the mediocrity one can experience. My heritage goes hand in hand with words. Google O'Dalaigh and get a smile. My Sister, Daughter and I are always swapping examples of the "New Literacy". My Wife is a librarian. Stop by a library and ask, at the desk, what their thoughts about self publishing are. I'm laughing now anticipating your shock. The TV shows become apparent if you try to create a parody of one. You can't. They are parodies as they are. No graduate from the fourth grade in the United States could be as stupid or get into the situations portrayed in the programs. Recently the guys at coffee were talking about a sidekick abandoned beside a lonely road for hours with no hope of being taken home. Alone on a deserted stretch of highway with nothing but a camera crew, give me a break. Words and understanding communication; pretty important. Even Classic cannot be taken out of context. One needs to know if the user is a knowledgeable enthusiast, a salesman, or ignorant. Ignorant can be fixed. Bernie

I was very happy with the service from: ProSource Glass International Toll Free:877-345-2800 978-975-5400 Fax: 978-975-5300 Cell: 978-790-4657 Website: www.prosourceglassintl.com for my '64 Riviera windshield. It came in a big crate. Bernie

5 point deduct for the chrome horn. B

Entertaining topic so far. I looked; one is a clone. I wonder what kind of comments this car might have brought: http://www.ebay.com/itm/1940-Packard-/131471815652?forcerrptr=true&hash=item1e9c54b3e4&item=131471815652&nma=true&si=a5VicR6xI3iOSHphgCRYnlisUxQ%253D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557. I know another forum saw no transferable learning skills, 4 shure. Bernie

Have you ever had some clown come along and pose next to your car like he owned it? Bernie

After 10 years, the 2005 Silverado 5.3 is going to be a tough vehicle to replace. I will probably replace it with a Cop Tahoe if I find a new one. That's the pragmatic choice. After riding my bicycle up to see the new Riviera's introduction, I bought a 1964 when I was 30, still got it, still like it best. Bernie

Henney Motor Company may have modified that car. The reverse hinge rear door was a style of theirs. Depending on the state and build time it may have been first registered in 1957 or an old hand written registration may have had a 7 with a line through it mistaken as a 4. I had a 1956 vehicle with a registration of 1950. It may have been misread when someone didn't care. I would look the old Chrysler over for a Henney badge somewhere. Bernie

I am still struggling with the meaning of absolute. It is much more vague that classic, antique, or even special interest. I am absolutely at a loss. Bernie

How about a straight eight with a jacket to match? Bernie

Over the years I have established a maximum dollar amount that I figure I can lose annually without causing a domestic crisis. It tends to increase every year. Anyway, I'll shoot from the hip on the sight unseen or the mystery pile to that amount, knowing that it is really hard to have a 100% loss. Just off the top of my head two 12 cylinder Jaguars and my Park ave convertible came home that way in recent years. The Jags are gone and left a profit. The best way to look at it is through the lifespan rather than the individual exchange. In general most of us old guys should be way ahead of the game. Say you are mid-60's and the social security has you pegged for $2,000,000 in your life's income. If you were able to skim off 8-10% for the hobby plus the buy, sell, exchange deals related to it, you should end up with the change and residuals of a couple hundred thousand in your garage. An older guy can reflect on that and a younger guy can use it as a guideline. I'm 66. The cardiologist, the GP, and I are in agreement that I can plan on another 40 (don't be disappointed if I don't make it, but plan it). Just need a bigger garage. Oh, still working too, I just took a break. Bernie

I have been selling stuff on Ebay off and on for 15 years. I get a little weary of it and stop for a while. And weary really is the word. Ebay has taught me that I have no customers or buyers. Every sale is Ebay dealing with THEIR buyer. Sellers are just a necessary evil for Ebay's cash flow. And the difference between necessary evil and evil may not exist. Ebay will email an announcement of a policy change and its an event to roll your eyes and think "Oh, God, what did they come up with this time." I have shipped all over the world through Ebay sales and personal. I can't recall a problem, other than a few buyers whom ask for me to break customs laws or smuggle for them. I like buying accumulations of car parts and getting them in the hands of people whom need them. I did that in December and weary is coming into play again. It is a hobby thing. I have a "bread and butter" business. In the last few weeks I have considered being more aggressive with my regular job. I figure for every $1,000 of added work I will throw away $200 of the clutter of Ebay stuff in my garage and a storage building. One could say the benefits might be five fold. Imagine, no clutter, extra room, and just the parts that relate to my personal cars. No one will ever miss that stuff. Bernie