60FlatTop

Remember those 1/24 diorama model they used to sell in the 1960s. It would be neat to have one of those.

That part about questioning the internals of the rear differential and axle bearings is a very valid one. A car that is 50+ years old and not been in a climate controlled atmosphere is likely to build up a lot of condensation under the rear end lube over the years. Just moving it will churn the mixture up and give poor lubrication. Driving on the old lube is even worse. My experience has shown one of the most overlooked thing is car resurrection is flushing and changing the rear end lube. The lucky ones get a good long drive that heats up and vaporizes the water. The ones that just put around town insecure about a long trip will be putting in axle bearings or dealing with a loose and leaky pinion. If in doubt change it out. You may have to suck it out or find a bolt hole if there is no plug but water will be in there for sure. Thinking about those periods of benevolent neglect can help avoid the major mechanical jobs up front. A lot of those shoddy repairs never had to happen to begin with.

This is Mike, an honest engine rebuilder. I leave cash, a note pad, and a golf pencil in a coffee can. He cashes himself out at $15 per hour hour. No complaints.

It's all in the presentation. Detailed pictures. Parts displayed in a very organized order. Nothing lying on seats or the roof. Adjacent clutter moved out of camera view. No distracting background stuff. On the optimistic end of the scale spend a couple of days and shoot for $15,000 worth of sizzle. Showing a steak is just a slab of meat without the sizzle. "Acquired" is one of my "smoke" words when nebulous doesn't fit the audience.

My cars have quiet, well fitting exhaust systems. I plan on making minor repairs as need to these existing systems. I would drop the muffler, cut it open, make repairs, and add new sound deadener. Whenever possible I find NOS or mandrel bent aftermarket NORS pipes and mufflers. I would only have custom pipes bent if I was onsite and working with the bender. If I could have accrued classroom credits for paid exhaust system knowledge I would be between a Masters and a Doctorate right about now. And all practical factors completed.

I try to split my time and money 50/50 between cosmetic and mechanical work. That is because a situation may arise where I decide to sell one. Shiny stuff will sell a car. Make a car shiny enough and that buyer will overlook everything his friend will point out immediately. Freshly retired with $400,000 to $600,000 in a personal retirement account. "Dear, if I just skim off $25,000 I can have the car I've dreamed of since I was a kid." First trip to the well. Common story.

Here is a former Federal Way car that I had brought to New York about 15 years ago. It belonged to Mr. Albertson of Havre, MT prior to that. Then I tracked it back to Steve Giles in Hollywood. The guitar player? One of you from up that way might remember it. The car is all warm and cozy in a Jaguar collection in the wilds of western NY now.

That is a Group 27 battery. I am still buying blems from the Interstate distribution center in Rochester, NY. This spring I bought a battery for my Avalanche and asked if they had any 27 blems. They had a few. I got one for a Buick spare and shared the info with our local Buick BCA chapter. They sell for $65 exchange. Been using them since the early 1990s.

RT 88, imagine the circumstances surrounding a picture of the Gilbertsville-Mt. Upton central school building. You don't just happen to be driving by.

You really need to take all your known data and make a ladder diagram on the system. Each line will create a readable sentence of the operation. Then add devices and trace the wires filling in the complete circuit. It will read like a sequence of operation when completed. I have used ladder diagrams with up to 200 lines on electrical equipment and 2,000 lines of ladder logic. It is easy when you get into it.

Did you see any cars?

My aunt bought me the September 1958 issue of Rod & Custom Magazine off the rack. Since then I have generally been continuously involved in the old car hobby. I took a short break away around 1990 when I noticed my children thought my hobby was demanding time away from them. I still continued to maintain our cars and continuity in the hobby remained. And I have generally embraced the progressing technology over the years. I think that puts me in a good place to selectively do my own work. My disappointment with most farmed out jobs has given me incentive to learn and buy tools. My physical condition is much better than average and I can attribute most of that to the failure of big medicine and insurance company driven health care. Pretty much like the cars. Continuity on both counts is the key for me. I read forum topics and see problems connected with inexperience. If I had broken away from my teen aged interests and pursued career paths that took me away for decades and returned to the hobby as an empty nester I can see myself getting into a predicament for service. I am thankful I was able to maintain the balance for decades. My old cars have always been newer though they are old now. The '64 Riviera I bought when I was 29 years old is 60 now. The 60 Electra I bought when I was 50 is 65 now. I have noted them on this forum and had some ask where mine old cars are. Luckily I don't think like that either. The newest member of my "keepers" is a 2005. At 19 years old it is eligible for collector car insurance. Fine with me although some might hack up a hairball at the thought. Thursday I am dropping it off at a highly recommended shop for a pair of CARB approved cats. That job I don't want to do. They are integrated into the manifold. Verbally vetted, now we will see how the shop performs. Like that lizard in the TV advertisement used to say "It's what I do." Always have.

It is very easy to make assumptions about the simplicity of '60s cars. Easy to estimate repair jobs as well. I will charge you more than the first guy who didn't do it right .

You know, you really need to keep an eye on the old guys retaining all that knowledge. I have been sitting here at my desk thinking I ought to do something with the old O2 sensor I replaced. It is just sitting there next to the box. Then I picked it up and opps! It was the broken pedal pin for the exercise bike in my home workout area. Strong body, inattentive mind. Guess I will go out and work on the car.

Amen. Just another ten minute job. A wave of the hand and that will be done. I remember one of those salmon colored '54 Fords with a leather interior coming in for blowing fuses on the taillights and poor engine performance. I snipped off the wires that had been welded to the fender well patch and pulled new. Purchased and replaced the vacuum advance unit, and tuned. The owner accused me of grossly overcharging and told everyone he knew. Four years later he showed up at my house. He had taken the car to a "better" person who had left his car parked in a field with the power windows down. A raccoon had nested in the car and there was extensive water damage. He asked me to come with him to retrieve the car and what recourse he had for the damage. I wonder how he made out. My interest in servicing other than my own cars waned yet another level.

Somewhat to the topic, in the mid-1980s I started teaching an apprenticeship program. At the time I had access to the Xerox corporate library where I found some great books on developing training courses. One left an impression on me for the rest of my life: "If a ten step test is created for making coffee and the testee leaves out the step to add the water; No, they will not receive a grade of 90%." They also had discarded books for sale. I bought one, copyright 1958, with a whole chapter on the value of nuclear strip mining in the Dakotas. I gave it to a geologist friend.

"Down at the garage Goober sprinkles on oregano. He says it's good on spaghetti, too."

My first thought. And the AMC Pacers went with them. It also led to the end of scholarly discussions on the Ackerman Principle.

"Some say" this kind of information is passed on genetically.

I got some bugs off the windshield of my '60 Electra yesterday. I couldn't find the Rainex cleaner that I had just used (what's new) so I torn half a newsprint paper off and squirted on Sprayway. I drove up to the other end of town this morning for coffee and didn't even think of the cleaning until I read this. I guess it did a pretty good job. I didn't even pay attention to how clean it was.

As a tip for anyone working on one of these early 4 wheel disc brake cars the rear brakes need to be adjusted manually on completion of assembly with a special tool. It is a square adjuster like this Lisle Tools one. Many times I have heard of people who could not get the pedal up after servicing and been led to misdiagnose problems.

Just be careful to avoid the Lucas natural butane based stuff.

Here is a 2015 shot of the design from Turkey. If I was going to build one body I would make the design available for more builds. Might be a couple of repops out there.

Quite a few years ago I was leaning on the back of a pickup talking with two friends. One was wearing a t-shirt with a big Cadillac crest tattooed on his upper arm. The other friend complemented him on it and asked how long ago it was done. Then the questioner rolled up his sleeve and flashed a Pierce-Arrow logo. "Should have seen my wife when I came home with this!" he said. I stood there as the incredible un-tattooed man. But close, As a sailor my ship had the duty of one of the recovery ships in the Pacific for the Apollo 8 shot. After the mission we steamed over to Pear Harbor. Three of us headed off to to the tattoo shop on Hotel Street, Honolulu. Being early in the day the tattoo shop was closed but the bar across the street was open. Priorities being what they were we never did get back to that tattoo shop. Leaving me the future odd man on the pickup. Just a little memory to share. Grimy will smile.

Guy Bennett, Bennett Buick, Wayland, NY ordered what we were pretty sure was the last NOS horn bar from GM stock in 1980. It took a while to get in and I remember paying something like $17 for it. My car has been out of service for a while while working on the "eternal paint job". When it goes back into service I plan to machine a couple of metal blocks to lock it in place between the steering wheel spokes. I am not much of a horn blower and prefer to protect the bar from the unknowing stranger.