60FlatTop

Peer pressure does it. There are probably a bunch of guys in KC with multiple TV's in their cars, or a forum the owner belongs to, or a TV fan club (no pun). I'm just imagining all the things my peers in the Buick Club model for me. Bernie

I just read the whole thing. That was quite a story. Well, I guess I'll take my ethanol filled, biased tired, single piston master cylindered, copper radiatored old Buick up to the China Buffet at the other end of town for lunch. Tuesdays are my long day. I'm gonna shake things up and mix them pretty good. Like Tina says "I don't do nuthin nice and easy, I like it nice,... and rough. Maybe that keeps me and the car going. Bernie

I may have made it sound minimal. That is a picture of the car with the door and lower hinge removed. My son took it while we were monkeying around in the garage. The hinges will be rebuilt, door and frame painted, new weatherstrip, and windlace installed. Then on to the next little job we can expand into a major project; probably taking care of the pits under the side trim and painting the roof. Bernie

My official join date into the car hobby was September 1959. The hobby's history started publicly in 1937 when James Melton drove an "antique car" in the New York City Easter Parade that year. Five years later the world was at war. The post-war wealth allowed individuals and groups of former Army buddies to kick in the $50 or so to buy a Model A Ford full of boyhood dreams. Sears, J. C. Whitney, and a host of cottage industries fed their dreams by providing spare parts. Four generations have come through the hobby during the last 60 years, each bringing it's own social and economical contributions. Socially, we have seen recognition of history replaced with the customization of "my" tastes and "I" rise about the community in cars and other facets of life. When one has a condition characterized by an extreme intuition about all things mechanical and electrical, the car hobby is dynamic and adaptable enough to satisfy the die hards and live on. Take long walks and eat right so you can see what develops. Bernie

There was one of those sitting in front of a now defunct auto parts on RT33 in Chili, New York in the early 1970's. I went back a day later and it was gone. I grew up with farmers so I know the difference between fertilizer and crap. I went to the dealer's website and looked at the 191 other cars for sale. Looked like some interesting deals there. Bernie

The old swamp coolers show up quite often now and you might be able to get a reproduction. Give one a try first they really do work as long as the humidity is not too high. Bernie

The guy works cheap. Imagine buying that car and mixing in $6,000 worth of conservative. It reminds me of all those raised and raped 4X4's I have seen over the years at low prices and thought "take out the spacers, drop the body, find stock rims.....". Those guys spend a lot of money and they go unsold. I could get the money for stock interior material from selling the wheels and the Devil in the corner of my garage would help with the rest; Devilbiss, that is. Bernie

None, would be my guess. I'm planning to do some buying over the next 20 years. And I'm an old guy. 90% of what I own that has value came from the Reagan days. Economic conditions over the next 15 years will make a lot of dream cars available to ready buyers at reasonable prices. We are moving into a time of great technological advancements with little capital to invest in the machines to provide the technology. Wealthy has already been defined as anyone not living on a government subsidy and businesses, (job) creators, are stigmatized and discouraged more than ever before. If one buys a very desirable car today they will be stuck maintaining it until the value starts inching up around 2030. I'm in, but I just buy cars because I like them. Bernie

Sometimes you gotta fix a creaky of hinge. Both are 1948's. Both could stand a little cosmetic restoration, as well. Been racking up some miles before winter anyway. Bernie

That is a lot of miles for a car with a carburetor and no overdrive. Those are the two things that have brought us the 200,000 and 300,000 miles cars we have today. Sitting for 8 years can be fine if proper steps were taken to ready it for storage. If it was just shut off and left without a fresh oil change the acids in the oil can corrode a couple of thousandths off the bearing surfaces and the pistons that were low in their bores can have stuck rings giving low compression. If the temperature and humidity varied during storage the mass of the metal temperature changed can cause rust or condensation collection on vented surfaces. Rusted cylinders on the ones with open valves and water collecting in the rear end housing. None of that is good. Get the safety stuff working, increase your triple A towing insurance and see what breaks. I wouldn't recommend pulling covers and scraping crud of the inside. That just loosens up chunks that can plug passages. It is like a post grad college course in cars, with equivalent credit hour tuition. Bernie

Three days each way. I think they are connected with the same guvermint that would like to charge to sniff my tailpipe for emissions. What's the carbon footprint for that little jaunt? Oh, what's that saying from the '60's?...........Duh. They also "lost" one of four individually boxed 1933 Essex brake drums during a 12 day stay at a Pennsylvania distribution center. Maybe they swept it up with shredded letters from the sorting machine. Bernie

That is a look a lot of individualists commonly copy. Something different might not be accepted in some groups. B

I had two 1994 Roadmasters that New York State rust consumed. About four years ago I replaced the last one with this: It just rides a little stiffer. I was out roaming yesterday. Hey! Anyone notice for a guy from New York I seem to be on dirt roads a lot? Bernie

Nice timing, Bill. The vendor was fine. Look what the USPS did when they got it in their hands for 6 days: Its the corn syrup in the breakfast cereal. Bernie

The frame is the same X-type as my '64. I have dropped my pan. I would take the engine out if I had to do it again and work needed to be done inside. You have to raise the engine 4-6" so the mounts and exhaust need to be loose. Watch out for bending the transmission cooling lines and the fan shroud. You will need 1/4" drive sockets to get the four pan bolts over the crossmember. The steering linkage needs to be dropped and I remember removing the starter. Once the pan drops you may have to rotate the crank to snake it out of there. The job is not a pia, its a PIA with caps. Bernie

Wow! THAT'S what they mean by opposed four! I sure got that one wrong. Bernie

And the 13 year old said: "Are you talkin' to me?" Who the hell else are you talking to? I'm the only one here.

I bought a Harley 74 when I was about 15. It only had two wheels, sold it and got a Buick. Bernie

Time to move on. If you are fairly young and in the car hobby you will make up for it in the long run. If you are fairly old you should be ahead of the game by now. I have given away more cars than many people have owned. Right now there are chemicals in your brain that are flowing out and can do more damage to you than has been done to the car. You have two choices: 1. Move on. 2. Strip out the mechanicals, install a mid-80's and up Camaro front subframe, install a Jaguar rear subframe and rear end, fabricate a driveshaft tunnel, and go with a longitudinal 455. Things happen for a reason. Sometimes it is not obvious. Ask my friend, Mike. Every time I put a car up for sale he says "Why don't you want THAT car anymore? I know something is wrong with it." Bernie

Hey, someone made my Nigerian remark! Once a guy made an outrageous offer on a Jaguar I had in the garage. I knew exactly what to do. My son and I tied him to a lawn chair with clothesline and called his wife to bring the money, She said she was sending a transporter with a check for the total amount; car and shipping. All I had to do was go to the bank, cash the check, and give the transporter his fee. I have three black Chevy Suburbans in the driveway, mine, my son's and my wife's. We saw a transport truck slow and then speed away. Anyway after three days of feeding the guy, and he would only eat fried bananas, we untied him and he ran off. Anyone interested in a 1953 MK 7 Jaguar. I have been offered a lot for it, but I'm ready to deal. Bernie

I have 5 old cars that all run and drive well. I am 66. I don't have a pony tail, tattoos, or a shaved head. I don't throw fits or have angiety attacks. And I don't have a stupid friend to use as the butt of my abuse. Even if I lived in Florida I wouldn't fit the mold. Oh well, there are always old Carl Sagan vids on YouTube. Bernie

If an offer is too good to be true........ you know the rest. Be really careful the buyer is not representing the National Nigerian Auto Museum. If it is an aboveboard money transaction, which it should for your own security, be sure the Feds get their 15 to 30% cut. Personally, it sounds like trouble to me. Bernie

I showed up at the 1977 Strongsville, Ohio meet driving a red 1971 Ford LTD convertible with the top down. It was in a hotel parking lot and the guy at the gate said "You can't park that car here." The guy next to him said "Maybe, it looks better than some of the stuff I've seen." I had a '39 Series 40 with streamboards and series 50 window stainless at home under restoration at home. I sure felt like I belonged. A guy was selling subscriptions to Skinned Knuckles magazine. I subscribed and bought all the back issues. What a great time! Being young and innocent I just walked in and being there fit like that old flannel shirt my wife keeps trying to throw away. I just found what I was looking for. We generally find what we are looking for; and I have to be more ware as I become older and more cynical. I am not the same open innocent boy I was in 1977. I can find stuff to **** and moan about pretty easy these days. The BCA is a club overflowing with old guys. Each one will "find what they are looking for." To paraphrase a local car dealer "Its not a club, its personal." Bernie

On a '60, you need to step back and look at the car from the side. Follow the major sculpted lines with your eyes and just wonder how in hell did all those angles come together so well. Then go up to the front fender and look just under the edge of the main fender line. I have never had a fender off my car but I am pretty sure you can see a seam where two fender pieces are joined. There was a lot of work that went into building those cars in both the body and chassis. And it shows in how tight and solid these cars are. We drive my car with all four windows down often and there is never a problem carrying on a normal conversation at speed. The only caution I would suggest would be to check the chamfer on all the wheel bolt holes. In the 12 years I have owned my car that has been the only real concern I have had. The wheels weren't designed with Bobo the mechanic and his 175 PSI impact wrench. I replaced two of mine. Bernie

I have a business related to the operations of capital equipment in buildings, kind of like assessing a restoration job. When we started there were a lot of options on the financial side; payroll services, bookkeeping,and the like. I found one accountant who was willing to give me an hourly rate and meet for one hour each month to discuss any financial facet of the business and direct me on where to send the checks I never would have thought of. We only spend a couple thousand a year with her and every time I walk up to her door I am thankful because no black suburbans have pulled into my driveway. That is the best investment I have made since Pacific Rim was booming. No matter how few employees you have, always display an Organization Chart, an inverted triangle, customer at the top, you at the bottom. That gives you a perspective many have lost sight of. Bernie