60FlatTop

I heard the bottle with the note story from Leo Quinn, one of the Quinn brothers who ran the Plymouth/DeSoto dealership in our town from 1929 until about 1970. It keeps coming up in old car guys circles. Here's pretty much what I expected when Leo told me: http://www.snopes.com/autos/grace/rattle.asp. As I write this I remember that I was about 12 or 13 when I heard the story. I had also heard about the lifetime guaranty and locked bonnets on Rolls-Royce cars around the same time. I wrote a letter to Rolls-Royce America asking for information on the guaranty and services. They replied with a nice letter and a sample of their one year warranty, probably my firt dealing with urban legends outside of Walt Disney. I gave the RR letter to a friend for his literature collection a few years ago. Bernie Bernie

I think the best idea was to take that car another 8 miles north after lunch and leave it in my garage. Imagine getting home and fanning out the profit dollars for the wife. She would have been so proud of you. Bernie

I thought I remembered finding this in the back of my Buick, snake skin and all, but maybe I was dreaming: Bernie

Back when I was still listening to "old mechanics" I was cautioned only to pump in a few shots of grease, just enough to see the rubber boot move a little. They told me I would break the seal and let water in. When working on a long neglected car sometime later I wanted to flush the old grease. I peeled the boot back and started pumping. The first thing that came out was water! Another fairy tail from those revered and quoted old farts. I have done the same as Mike for years. A first arrival will take about a full tube. I watch the color change too, then clean it all up and secure the boot back in place. Frequent driving and frequent greasing should take care of it. I like the paper towel comment. I have paper towels for both wiping off parts and wiping off hand cleaner. Its like watching a rerun of The Twilight Zone when these guys come over and NEED a rag for wiping. Their eyes glaze over, their mouth gets slack, and they hold their hands out- fingers spread in a kind of reverse Hip Hopper pose- absolutely lost. They seem to think there should be old rags lying an arm's reach away all over the garage. Just keep pumping and driving. The instability of the grease is just another example of the public's willingness to accept mediocrity. Bernie

I always read suggestions. I'm pretty good at that part of it. Bernie

Working from the top down, I ordered a new LOF windshield today. It should be here in a week. Over the winter I plan to remove the vinyl top that has been on my car since the 1970's, repaint most of the car, rechrome all the front bumper parts, and redo the interior. That should get it in shape so I don't have to do much except polish it in my old age. I made the commitment today. No turning back now. I changed the color to Claret Mist Metallic in 1980. I really don't like brown cars. So it going to be maroon for the next 30-35 years. Here's the start: Bernie

Oops! I commented in that forum. Here's the quote: How's this quote: "Once upon a time the American people thought of the automobile as an instrument of sensuous pleasure. Once upon a time, indeed, it was just that, and many a man still alive remembers the day. Aye, many a man crossing a city street that is a turgid river of jelly-bodied clunkers too clumsy to get out of their own way remembers a day when he ripped down a country road in a canary-yellow, bucket-seated Mercer, master of all he surveyed, high-riding, able to see where he was going, with a wheel in his hands that really steered the car instead of shyly suggesting that it change direction. Or he remembers the dead-silent steamers and the thrill of their incredible acceleration. He may be younger, and remember Stutzes, Cords, Auburns and the regal Duesenberg roadsters that used power normally apportioned to a couple of lorries to move a mere two passengers in utter glory. It’s all past now." Ken Purdy C. 1949 Bernie

How's this quote: "Once upon a time the American people thought of the automobile as an instrument of sensuous pleasure. Once upon a time, indeed, it was just that, and many a man still alive remembers the day. Aye, many a man crossing a city street that is a turgid river of jelly-bodied clunkers too clumsy to get out of their own way remembers a day when he ripped down a country road in a canary-yellow, bucket-seated Mercer, master of all he surveyed, high-riding, able to see where he was going, with a wheel in his hands that really steered the car instead of shyly suggesting that it change direction. Or he remembers the dead-silent steamers and the thrill of their incredible acceleration. He may be younger, and remember Stutzes, Cords, Auburns and the regal Duesenberg roadsters that used power normally apportioned to a couple of lorries to move a mere two passengers in utter glory. It’s all past now." Ken Purdy C. 1949

At least they didn't put, Make Offer, Best Offer, How much is it worth?, What should I ask, or any of the more typical tags. Bernie

I'm just wondering if you could reverse the pitman arm. If you move the gearbox and reverse it at the same time you probably wouldn't have to turn clockwise for a left turn. You know, for a guy who can shift a Model T turning the steering wheel the opposite way might feel natural. Bernie

Actually, the situation is very hard to understand. If you are writing about these cars and don't know the answers to the details you listed it makes me curious to know just what your part of the writing will be. Maybe I'm not catching something? Bernie

If you bought the car from a reputable dealer take it back. They should have made a couple grand on the deal and if they have similar car on the lot they will probably get you into it for $1,000 or so. The car is 10 years old and has a lot of potential $1,000 problems. To replace the engine means disturbing everything under the hood. The chances of doing the job right and everything working well are not really that good. Cars today do go to 400,000 miles, but it has to be done quickly, 6-8 years. Age and low mileage are the killers of modern cars. Bernie

I have seen this kind of job done a couple of times. If I was going to do it I would cut the replacement floor into quarters and weld them in one quarter at a time, always closely watching alignment as I progressed. So you might have better luck removing the floor sections in quarters and finding all the attaching points. Be generous with the toe board area. I think a higher joint on the firewall would be better. Bernie Bernie

That first price is the entry fee. After that there are 300 one hundred dollar jobs to do (I can list them). Remember, if the entry fee for the convertible is $3,000 more that the sedan, the 300 jobs remain the same. "All corollaries can be disregarded during instances of illogical passion." Bernie

Thin plastic, huh; kinda like this: That's one of Pat Comesky's up in Utica, not mine. I don't get to stop in and say hello so much any more. Its a 4 hour drive. Bernie

I think that car may have been the 1955 Raffle Car for this other October event: http://www.dispatch.com/content/pages/video.html?ooid=tveGJ4ZjrWzLcgmuHehWqITQhrrUMc-Z&cmpid=share Bernie

I had this conversation with a friend about 20 years ago. We both decided that we wanted to see our cars every time we went into the garage. Six months of looking at 4 lumps of cloth (for me) and 6 lumps (for him) just wasn't acceptable. Even with no heat you can sit sit with a coat on under the flickering lights and admire the lines of your car. I use a car duster to keep things shiny. Bernie

$10,000 worth of electrical stuff and a $3,000 Riviera body. And they didn't put the Make Offer button on it. Bernie

Hi Brian, I just noticed your post so I guess I'm not looking as diligently as I should. Last Friday I saw a Hudson friend in the local diner. He told me about a problem similar to your Buick one. I put on my saddest face and shook my head. I told him the problem could never be resolved and would only get worse. His best bet was to accept the next offer he got for the car. I reached in my pocket and pulled out a few folded over bills. What a guy; facing such a bleak future he just laughed. Can I relieve you of that problem of yours? Hey! I have one foot out the door and my wife and I are heading for the Zoar Valley for the day. Its mostly inaccessible, haunted, and a bit weird in places. Google that one! Bernie

Try running the coldest water you can get over them and then sanding them to the right thickness. Bernie

My recent experience with condensers that took a long boat ride to get to the US is not to change one that is working. The last time I did a tune-up after 9 years just for general principles I was treated to a flatbed ride home when the wire came out of my Asian condenser. The 9 year old one is back in and working fine. When your points are just worn with no sign of arcing or deposits of material from surface to surface the condenser is doing its job. Leave it in. I have decided to only install Echlin points is I have to buy local. NAPA has them. Otherwise I am stocking up on genuine old stock for Ebay and the like. The general consumer auto parts stores are selling very suspicious, low quality items. If my 9 year old one goes bad I have an unused condenser that is probably at least 20 years old to replace it with. By the way, am I the only one who remembers what NOS and NORS means? Ebay sellers need a class. Bernie

A picture is worth a thousand words. http://allentown.craigslist.org/cto/4085721198.html Bernie

If you spend $3000 for parts and paint you will be at $7,000 plus your personal time. If it doesn't work out it will be close to a year older and you could probably get $3,000 for the failed effort. If you can risk losing the $4,000 plus inconveniences if the idea flops, you could win. Like the time/money engineer's statement at the beginning the odds are 50/50. Either it worked or it didn't. Bernie

I'm planning to do the job myself. When I stripped the seat frames for paint I thought about the excuses a "professional" could give for not doing the job right. I have heard too many, already. What I will be selling, maybe early spring, will be a full set of perfect '65 custom seats in black. The upper driver's seat upholstery will be new. I'm figuring about $800. If I croak you might be able to negotiate with my wife. Just watch her body language and don't push it: Living with me has made her a little touchy. Bernie

Organization is a fleeting thing: