60FlatTop

When ever I stop for gas these days I fill the tank. I didn't do that so much when gas was cheap. Bernie

Not to detract from the topic, but in the 1980's I had a job where I met with various departments in a big film company to discuss their energy consumption. Every meeting closed with assigned "action items". One department had a pre-plating cleaner tank about 12X20 feet full of heated solvent. The department head said it couldn't be shut off. His action item was to contact the manufacturer of the tank and find out if they had discovered a way to shut it off in the six years since it had been built. How's that for an example of an action item. There was another term they used for me. Pontiac made a model with similar spelling. Bernie

Feeling creative and a little winter shocked, I put together some music and pictures that would bore the death out of a star ship captain. It takes about 2 minutes to download. Brave or bored, here you go: http://brockportinternational.com/xjs/Dir5/Buick/RideMyBuick2.wmv Bernie

Oh, no, we cleaned all the old undercoating and did that job this way:

Get one of these:http://brockportinternational.com/xjs/Dir5/Jag/1954/Clevland/7-09%20064.jpg Its my nephew, I have three and all like their eccentric Uncle's cars and garage. This one is Don. I took special care to give him old automotive textbooks when he was going to car college. I send him home with my old stock of spares when I sort through stuff. He has done a lot for me. He has a repair shop near Buffalo. Bernie

Nothing better for an old car than splashing hot oil all over the inside of the engine, flexing suspension, and rolling tires. Even when the restaurant is only a mile away it can be an adventure. Look at those pipes! I guarantee there is fresh water in the heater core now: Bernie

On that shock oil issue, hydraulic jack fluid works fine. I like to have an oil squirt pistol dedicated just to shock service. Pull out the plug and squirt it in. The rears are easy; just lie on your back and pull the car down and release as you fill. The fronts might require a helper. If they leak a little, live with it, a lot just reseal them. Bernie

When we paid off the mortgage on our house I looked at buying a gas station for a second business. There was only one available in my area of the state. I did a little research and found that there are typically 3 to 4 gas escalations and declines per year. On the rise the wholesale price closely matches the pump price with a couple pennies markup. On the decline the span is greater and allows the retailer a greater markup during those periods. Without the price variations a stable low markup would not allow profit. I couldn't buy a station because self serve and cheap help make them keepers. More recently we have found that $4.00 per gallon is the conservation point in the US. Above that point people really get serious about minimizing their driving. That threshold actually creates a reduction in volume of gas sold. Although the gas companies keep nudging to acclimate users four bucks is the trauma point and they have to back down to increase sales and maintain crash flow. Our problem will really hit when economy and reduction measures actually do make a difference and tax revenues from gas sales drop. There will be an irreplaceable loss of excise, road, as well as state and local sales tax. Then when I pull into the Mobil station to top off my tanks on Sunday evening they will say "Here comes that republican, Bernie; Red, White, and Blew his money on a tank of gas. They say his cars only use one battery each!" Bernie

Those are "entry fees", a mere fraction of what the new owner is looking down the barrel of should they accept the mission. It is also a self regulating system. Buying that car for $7500 would be a cash deal. It is not like a new car where all you have to do is sign your name. The purchaser will have to be smart enough to have $7500 cash. A person that smart is not likely to do something stupid. If the car sells it will go to a buyer who knows what they are doing. That's why those cars are for sale for years. Along those lines, when I travel alone I always carry a lot of money in cash. It makes me smarter. I drive right past places I might have stopped if I had less money on me. I stay away from dark places and I don't walk in strange neighborhoods at night. When I hear about a stabbing and someone being robbed of $3 I think "Gee, if they had $200 in their pocket they wouldn't have been on that street." Money makes you smart and smart guys won't go to the garage that car is in................ Now I wonder, if I plunked down $4500 in 20's on the hood........ Bernie

Here's a pretty good video: Bernie

The web pages are nicely done and the articles and pictures look like their own. That's good stuff. I Googled the address to see the building and location. Did you? It is something I do to get a feel. Bernie

My '60 has the gas pedal start. Keep it a secret, though. I have been telling the locals it has voice command. I just point at the dash and say "Start". Bernie

I had a noise like that where I heard it reflected off guard rails and things along the road. I raised the rear of the car off the ground and put her in gear. The bad axle bearing showed up quick. Bernie

We have been using Rochester Clutch + Brake Company for years From Metropolitan to Rolls-Royce they have three levels of material. I am local so I drop off the drum and have the shoes fitted. Bernie

Here is a "Work in Progress" picture from what was "Before" and one from "when the sun used to shine":

We are getting closer to February 14th, I'm safe. We are actually celebrating our anniversary by driving the 20 miles into Rochester and heading for one of the HVAC and plumbing contractor lunch hot spots. For the sharp eyed, that '39 I owned in 1974 was a series 40. The car was shipped from Wisconsin with its original dual side mounts. The person I bought the car from swapped the DSM front clip to his black '39 4 door convertible and I bought the sedan for $1,000 running and driving. My series 40 also had stream boards and one other interesting touch. See it in the picture? The car pictured developed a knock in the engine. I was 26 at the time and gathered a lot of new engine parts. Then decided a Buick 350 would be better. In 1978 I bought a 1960 Ford pickup in Tennessee and that engine developed a knock. The '39 was sitting with the unfinished 350 swap. I put the 350 Buick in the Ford, my first adult engine swap. I sold the '39 with no engine to Bill Manoya and he restored it. As far as I know it is still out there. Bernie

The smaller tailpipe helps quiet the exhaust. Larger diameter tend to echo and amplify the tone. I had a full 3" system on a Z-28 once. It was called American Thunder. It fit the description well. For normal driving the only difference you would feel is in testosterone. Sold the Camaro; didn't need more testosterone and the car was too loud. Shopped around for a twin turbo Bentley for a while and then went back to Buicks. Bernie

You scared the hell out of me! Valentine's Day is my wedding anniversary! Married on Valentine's Day; I have Buick's and a tall blonde hippie to wash them! It's the 14th, phew! [ATTACH=CONFIG]177438[/ATTACH] We just ride around singing: Bernie

You scared the hell out of me! Valentine's Day is my wedding anniversary! Married on Valentine's Day; I have Buick's and a tall blonde hippie to wash them! It's the 14th, phew! 1974

The math always works. I have written that I figure you can buy $4,000 worth of someone else's work for $1,000 when they need to sell. So take a stand up clean and reliable 1959 LeSabre 4 door 6 window pillared sedan and advertise it for 7500 bucks. ($30,000 restoration / $4,000 per $1,000 invested). The great part of this hobby is the adaptability of it When I was a kid $100 would get you a pretty neat collector car and a new 6 volt battery was $20. The big kids said don't waste your money on anything but an open car. How many Cord sedans got parted out for spares for convertibles in the 1960's? Or Packard sedans? I remember putting those "new" 7.60 x 15 Firestone recaps on mt 1950 Buick in 1966. $12 each because I worked in the Tire Shop. The entry fee has always been low. From there on it gets expensive to the savior. Bernie

The math always works. I have written that I figure you can buy $4,000 worth of someone else's work for $1,000 when they need to sell. So take a stand up clean and reliable 1959 LeSabre 4 door 6 window pillared sedan and advertise it for 7500 bucks. ($30,000 restoration / $4,000 per $1,000 invested). The great part of this hobby is the adaptability of it When I was a kid $100 would get you a pretty neat collector car and a new 6 volt battery was $20. The big kids said don't waste your money on anything but an open car. How many Cord sedans got parted out for spares for convertibles in the 1960's? Or Packard sedans? I remember putting those "new" 7.60 x 15 Firestone recaps on mt 1950 Buick in 1966. $12 each because I worked in the Tire Shop. The entry fee has always been low. From there on it gets expensive to the savior. Bernie

Cowboy boots and Long Island is a bad connection. And then there was the guy with the MOPAR t shirt who etched himself in my mind. And the one with a severe case of short man syndrome. If only I had eaten more high fructose corn syrup, I might not have noticed. Bernie

Stupid, stupid, stupid. People wonder why I seem cynical. A 16 year old with a flatbed trailer would put this and a lot of so-called professional drivers to shame. I have had three idiots show up to transport cars and told their dispatchers to never send them to my place again. Just curious; did this driver live on Long Island? A friend of mine just had the door torn off a car by a transporter who couldn't drive standard shift. I know it is too late in this case, for the future, always tell the seller that if the transporter looks incompetent or is a jerk do not allow the car to leave. It's not hard to tell. They have mannerisms, style of dress, twitches, and quirks that will warn you. Just say "I am not comfortable letting this car go ay this time." and authorize the previous owner to do the same. I know it is hard to delay delivery when you are excited and the company owner might want to charge. I always tell them Howard said my reasons are valid. When they ask who Howard is just say its your lawyer. Its a good lawyer name and the company owner knows which employees are the idiots. I didn't feel bad seeing that '59 LeSabre going down. The Pennsylvania junk yard dogs were just grandstanding with that video. The Roadmaster is a shame and I bet I can draw a picture of the guy who didn't tie it down, cowboy boots and all. Yes, people have called me that a couple of times. Bernie

When I went through my Riviera in the mid '90's I bought an NOS master cylinder and had it sleeved by Apple. The did a good job. Bernie

I would have bought that car and given it to a new owner, if they had contracted me to do the work, keep it always drivable and road worthy, as well as continuously working toward show condition. About 300 $100 jobs there. I can list them. We can figure out an estimate for 2013. I get 50% up front for all work under $6,000 and 25% for work over $6,000 ($3,000) minimum. I would be happy to save ten of those cars for new owners. Bernie