60FlatTop

The picture I posted was out of context with the experience. My wife and I had just walked through this dealership showroom. There was a framed $10 on the wall with a written bet from the 1930's that the winner would be the one to see the next century. I visited a few times while my daughter was in college and each time was an episode of The Twilight Zone. The feel of being there was a whole lot different than the pictures. Bernie

I asked the owner of this one if I could sit in it. It took my breath away to look down and see a Mustang shifter at the edge of the seat! Bernie

Bernie

The compression shows the left bank about 15 PSI higher than the right on all cylinders. The first step of a tune up is the compression check. If the cylinders are not all within 10% the chances of it running smooth are low. All the low ones on one bank raises a red flag. Was the carb propped over for the test? Did you use a screw in compression tester or a rubber plug type? Was that test wet or dry? If it was dry what did the wet test show? A leak down test is in order at a minimum. Post #104, Bernie

I'm sure glad those dinosaurs didn't get together and fight climate change back in their day. We wouldn't have any old cars would we. B

Bill, I'm getting flashbacks to changing the roof on the old electric arc furnace between pours about 45 years ago. I had to keep shifting from one foot to another like those desert lizards. I remember the night they dropped 3,000 pounds of molten steel, too. I wouldn't mind doing a start up on a batch of scrap blocks one more time. Bernie

A good plan is to identify all the engine and directly related parts as "Engine Swamp" not swap. Focus on them. Consider everything else as alligators. Don't poke, probe, or touch them, even if they look dead. In a week the car can be stripped down to the bare frame at no cost. It can bite you. Bernie

A man sold everything and, gave up his home, and lost his wife to own a Dusenberg. It was rumored he died alone and homeless. Still after losing all he requested to be buried in the car. A charitable piper recalls the story: As a bagpiper, I play many gigs. Recently I was asked by a funeral director to play at a graveside service for a homeless man. He had no family or friends, so the service was to be at a pauper’s cemetery in the Kentucky back country. As I was not familiar with the backwoods, I got lost and, being a typical man, I didn’t stop for directions. I finally arrived an hour late and saw the funeral guy had evidently gone and the hearse was nowhere in sight. There were only the diggers and crew left and they were eating lunch. I felt badly and apologized to the men for being late. I went to the side of the grave and looked down and the vault lid was already in place. I didn’t know what else to do, so I started to play. The workers put down their lunches and began to gather around. I played out my heart and soul for this man with no family and friends. I played like I’ve never played before for this homeless man. And as I played Amazing Grace, the workers began to weep. They wept, I wept, we all wept together. When I finished I packed up my bagpipes and started for my car. Though my head hung low, my heart was full. As I opened the door to my car, I heard one of the workers say, “I never seen nothin’ like that before and I’ve been putting in septic tanks for twenty years.” Bernie

An oil change is pretty routine, but you might have your hands full if you monkey around with these Wildcats in those other places. http://www.sounddogs.com/sound-effects/2185/mp3/101164_SOUNDDOGS__an.mp3 Bernie

What were the compression readings? Bernie

There is something about an oil change that is a little like foreplay. You get a chance to be intimate with areas of your car you don't normally visit and really get to know and appreciate it. When you take it to a shop they seem to skip that and just bludgeon right in there, don't they. And we all know how to reword that, I'm sure. Bernie

<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <o:OfficeDocumentSettings> <o:AllowPNG/> </o:OfficeDocumentSettings> </xml><![endif]--> The hobby has been very adaptable during the 50 years or so I have been involved. And there have always been collector deals like that Mustang. A problem is the other hobbyist "experts" when they take on the mission of being 400 point judges and value appraisers. If you see that 16 year old at a cruise in don't sit on your pompus ass and ignore he exists (you know the ones who do it) or point out every flaw in the car while you ask "Are you going to fix this?" Beat the kid up bad enough and he will think the dealer shafted him; and that happens a lot. I am not a dealer. I do sell cars fairly often and I don't like to sell nice stuff. Nice stuff not only has to satisfy the buyer, but continue to meet the scrutiny of everyone near it, either by ignoring it or picking it apart. The season is starting and you will soon see that row of unapproachable sour faces, sitting on folding chairs with their arms crossed. They are usually so sour they don't even talk to themselves. You will see them. Remember they are also ambassadors of the hobby. Wondering where the hobby went? Don't sit with them. Bernie

I just stood up and took this picture of the bookshelf over my monitor: Those three orange books are from a five book set my Mother helped me buy in 1959. Your car was 11 years old then, and so was I. There are hours of fascinating reading in them. Imagine one of those or something similar next to your easy chair. I fully agree with the idea of owning a project car for the sheer mental health value. It costs very little to enjoy the privileges of ownership. Leaning back and dreaming about the first drive, the next small subcomponent to refurbish, the marketing history, or you next new learned skill, like upholstery if you don't contract some disease from removing the old stuff, has great value in itself. I have always had a monumental project in my garage and I have felt uneasy as soon as I sold one. Over the years I have learned to balance my efforts between mechanical and cosmetic jobs. That maintains the value of the project if you really do have to bail out. Appearance is the only real value one can get from an old car. It is fun and if it never gets finished, you enjoyed the trip. It is kind of like planning trips and never going! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xciWwGcBXgI And you never know, you may have saved a Chevy donor car for future restoration. Bernie

Dirt. With a big cloud of dust behind. Bernie

Toronto from a place I like to take my wife for lunch. We go up to town and down to the lake. Bernie

Always dive the cost by 20. Then you get the entry fee for 20 years of ownership. If you don't like it sell it and make a few bucks. My Grandfather used to get hesitant customers on the lot and he'd come back in the shop saying the guy came looking for a car with a pocket full of fish hooks. They laughed at me almost 40 years ago when I paid about 2 grand for my Riviera. That '54 is nice car. If it was mine and I was offered $3,00 for it I would just tell them to buy the other one. Bernie

I have locks on my '64 Riviera and they have been fine since I put the engine back in during the mid 1990's. The "60 Electra doesn't have the locks. I remember tightening the right side maybe 6 or 7 years ago. No gaskets and both are silent. Bernie

Encourage him all you can. He already knows how to work and we don't need more of these. As far as competition; there is no competition, only foolish buyers. Bernie

I may have the membership package from the original club stashed away. I remember joining and spreading the newsletter copies and a couple of publications out on the dinning room table. It was pretty exciting stuff back in the days of long distance phone calls and mailed letters. If I find the envelope it should show the date. I'm a little foggy, but it seems like the club made two tries to get started and they sent dated newsletters in the package for the second attempt. It would be interesting to see if I was listed as a new member. I would have been 16 or 17 at the time. Bernie

How about a full security system? Bernie

Please send a picture of the Chevy, hate to loose one that runs good. I'd feel real bad if my Chevy was parted out to save an old car with a set up engine. Makes me think of driving past a sign advertising a pig roast fund raiser for Ducks Unlimited, my rider said "Kill a pig, save a duck." Bernie

It's nothing to Nash your teeth over. And to post #8, bring on the humor. Sometimes the old guys are too damned serious: http://forums.aaca.org/showthread.php?t=390016&p=1409781#post1409781 Bernie

The first car I sold on Ebay was a Rover 2000. It went from western New York to Sacramento and the new owner planned the disassemble it for restoration. I thought WOW! what a great arrangement. Bernie

I took my wife out on our first date in my 1966 Riviera in 1974. We went to a restaurant named The Dickens, she was and English major. She was impressed by the name. The special on Saturday nights was a roast beef dinner for $4.25. She was impressed by a date who was a big spender. It was dark when we left and she was impressed to see the headlights cascade down the side of the building by the parking lot. We went to a country music bar and she was impressed when the band welcomed me from the stage. Much later she was REALLY impressed with the rear door handles on the Riviera and the ease of getting out of the back seat of a two door car. Its just been one impressive moment after another for 40 years. I think the door handles cinched it. Bernie

Over the years I have sold a lot of these. The first thing to do is clean the car as if you were taking it to a show TOMORROW. Stuff lying inside, especially on the seats is not good at all. Even if minimally attached, anything that can be screwed back into place should be attached. Extra parts should be neatly organized away from the car. Spend the time to dab and buff a little polish. Perception sells; functionality, not so much. Add 6-8 hours of equity. Search for the uninformed buyer. Advertise in a newspaper or the Courier Journal. Everyone on the forum has a Buick, find the TV watcher with rose colored glasses. Pull their heartstrings. Always promote the inferior car as "potential fine parts car". That way the guy who wants to save everything will be motivated. If the buyer is incredulous about parting the car out, let them be consoled by the loan manager at the bank. When the presentation goes to parting it be sure to talk about the money to be made. Use your own buttons as trigger points. People will spend money on "pretty" or the thought they might make a buck. Let them know this is not an old parts car, it is at least 6 months of steady cash flow. Ask what they would buy if they had extra money. Tell them this car will put that money in their pocket, its a business all in itself. As a kid, my Grandfather had a range of names for the DBA's, Wholesale Tires, Wholesale Used Cars, Jerry's Tire Shop, Jerry's used cars. I was 13 years old and selling cars to adults. Believe me, the term "Sports Car" does not just apply to noisy little British things. You have one there. Try this, clean it up, put it on a car trailer, and cross out a price of $3,000 on the windows. Use white shoe polish to write "Not For Sale" over the $3,000. Then take it for about a 50 mile drive, stopping at McDonald's and Burger King's. Just be careful cleaning and detailing it. I have suckered myself into keeping a few that way. Bernie Oh, and that thing about four door hardtops; I would never consider selling mine.