joe_padavano

Frank is spot-on. Of course, this concept of fair allocation of costs needs to apply to highway taxes as well. Why are we subsidizing roads for EVs that don't pay gas taxes? Abolish the gas tax and implement one based on mileage AND vehicle weight (since 7,000 lb SUVs also cause a lot of wear and tear to roads).

I paid $75 for my first 1968 442 (in 1974). I completely stripped and refinished that car - my first restoration. It was quite the learning experience.

It would seem to me that if you are running a business, it would be in your best interest to purchase a selection of original steel wheels to both measure and use as a quality-check gauge, rather than relying on someone's measurement that may or may not be correct.

I refuse to be part of a cult, so no Apple devices for me (nor Tesla, etc). I do have a Lenovo Yoga laptop where the screen folds completely around to the back of the keyboard so you can also use it as a tablet. This way I have both types with only one device, and I never have to worry that the file I want is on the other one.

I've done this many times with ebay ads. When a car or part gets zero bids and relisted multiple times, I'll finally contact the seller and often have made a deal.

I was going to suggest an eccentric bolt for front end alignment.

When all the GM dealerships were closed down about ten years ago, a lot of Kent Moore tools showed up on ebay. I grabbed every one I could find that pertained to the cars I owned (primarily 1960s-70s Oldsmobiles). I've also managed to snag a number of the Kent Moore catalogs from that period, which really help with identifying those tools.

I dropped my Hemmings subscription decades ago. The ads for overpriced cars and parts were long out of date by the time the issue arrived. Hemmings missed their chance - they SHOULD have been ebay motors, given their head start in advertisers. Now they are long out of date and the "editorial content" is not why I'd get Hemmings.

One thing I should add is that most of these came with the 200-4R trans. Some V6 cars came with the TH200 three speed and some Chevy-powered versions came with the 700R4. The 200-4R is a bit fragile. I've rebuilt a couple of them now, and one thing I've found is that some internal parts are getting difficult to source. The 200-4R requires the use of selective-thickness washers in a few places to properly set end play of the internal components. Certain thicknesses of these washers are no longer available anywhere, forcing you to sand thicker ones or stack up thinner ones to get the right end play. This was a bit of a problem with the last one I built.

I've owned a number of these (and have three currently). The electrical connectors are sketchy. Several high current connectors aren't sized correctly, and since these are the Packard 56 style that are not environmentally sealed, it doesn't take much dirt and corrosion for the resistance to go up, causing overheating. I've chased several melted connectors on these cars over the years, always in the same places. The power seat switch contacts are also undersized. GM deleted the power relays and ran full motor current through the switch, but didn't upgrade the gauge of the contacts inside the switches. Replacements are not readily available. I've gotten good and carefully disassembling the switches and filing the contacts to rehab them. Many of these (especially the B-body wagons) came with the Olds 307. This is the last carbureted production car engine that GM made, and it uses the CCC computer-controlled Qjet carb. Few people knew how to correctly adjust these when new, and pretty much no one does now. I've accumulated all the special Kent-Moore tools to properly rebuild and adjust these carbs, but you MUST follow the adjustment procedure in the Chassis Service Manual exactly. Once you do, they run great. Along with the CCC system, the 307 has a few miles of vacuum hoses. A crack, leak, or improper connection on any one of these makes the computer apoplectic. As a rule, I replace all the hoses when I get one. If you do get one with the throttle body injected 305 Chevy motor, then the system is simpler, but there is far less that you can adjust. In both cases, the distributor advance curve is fully computerized. There are no advance mechanisms in the HEI on these cars. I have not owned one with the Buick V6, but that would also be the CCC system, using a DualJet carb, which is the front half of a Quadrajet. Same issues as with the Olds 307. All of these cars have the crappy headliner with the foam-backed cloth. The foam turns to dust, causing the cloth to hang down. Replacement is straightforward with contact cement and new material, ONCE you get the headliner board out. There are two big problems with this. The headliner is a one-piece fiberglass molded board. It has to come out in one piece, which means the windshield has to come out. People have forced it out the door, but that usually results in damage to the board. The other problem is that the garnish trim is held on with plastic fasteners. I have yet to be able to get these out without destroying them. Replacements can be difficult to find. For example, the clips that hold the garnish trim on the B-body wagons are unobtanium. I've scored a few NOS ones, but you won't find new replacements anywhere. Other than these issues, the cars have been great. They are basically the same chassis as the one used on the 1973-77 A-body cars. Mechanical parts are readily available. The cars ride well and are comfortable and reliable.

I had Gary's repair the badly cracked wheel from my 67 Delta 88. While it was expensive (about $750, and that was about five years ago), the workmanship was fantastic. I didn't try to fix it myself because the Olds wheel had split right where the spokes meet the rim and since the rim had shrunk circumfrentially, there were details around that area that had moved from their original location. In addition, there were crimped-on stainless trim parts that also had moved from their original location. The Chevy wheel doesn't appear to be nearly as bad as mine, so you might be able to repair it yourself. Bondo is the wrong material. Most wheel repairs use JB Weld or a similar high-strength epoxy. Just be aware that the original plastic will continue to outgas and shrink, so eventually cracks will reopen. I've had this happen on one of my other cars.

I just made the list. 48 so far, about half of which I still own. When I moved from SoCal to Northern VA in 1987, I had seven vehicles and filled a car carrier. They'll pull up in front of your house when you do that.

I'll add that early Caddy TH400s also use this small connector and Fatsco has the correct o-rings for them.

Just match up the old o-ring at a hardware store or Tractor Supply. The cross section is more important than matching the exact diameter. Silicone is your best bet for chemical resistance, but viton will work.

CR and operating RPMs. The improved port flow from OHVs made a huge difference once the rest of the engine was upgraded to take advantage of that. We could be having this same discussion about pushrod motors vs OHC motors.

More than just those. For example, over 150% of all Oldsmobile W30 cars ever made still survive.

You do realize that any 60-year old car will have fewer for sale today than there were ten years ago, right? And there will be fewer still ten years from now.

If the threads are straight, then no amount of teflon tape will seal them reliably. Straight threads require a sealing washer.

Pictures of both the fitting and the hole you are trying to put it into would help. Also the old plastic part if you have it. The only time you need teflon tape or other sealant is for tapered pipe threads. Are you sure the red wasn't thread locker on straight threads?

1947 Pontiac

The eccentric on a Pontiac actually has a separate ring that goes over the outside of it. This is likely what you feel spinning. The eccentric itself has a tab that keys it to the cam gear.

The third line on the pump is fuel return to the tank, not a vent. Replacement pumps are cheap.

It looks more like the high current relay switch used on dual-battery setups where the second battery is for the camper and the switch disconnects it when the vehicle isn't running. Depends on whether or not it is rated for intermittent (starter use) or constant (dual battery use) current.

Dual points and three lobes on a six means that each set of points fires every other cylinder in the firing order. Bloo is right, there have to be two coils. As far as the points are concerned, each set is firing a three cylinder engine. You essentially have two concentric three cylinder distributors in a common housing. You can check dwell for each set of points independently by using a dwellmeter on the six cylinder setting and multiply by 2. Timing only cares about the no. 1 plug, not the number of sets of points, as Bloo noted. This dual point/dual coil/half the number of lobes type of distributor is not that unusual. Ferrari used it, as did Holden for racing distributors. This is the modern Holden version.

Olds fuel senders up through 1964 are 30 ohm. No one makes new ones. You will either have to find a good used one or have yours rebuilt.