John Byrd
-
Posts
582 -
Joined
-
Last visited
Content Type
Forums
Gallery
Events
Posts posted by John Byrd
-
-
Thanks for the great photos, one Packard picture would have been great, but WOW ! Fabulous looking group of cars.
-
2
-
-
3macboys, you are an interesting and informative character ! I sure am enjoying your posts and lust after your stash, lol ! I had loads of "stuff" too when we were still on the mainland, it is a wonderful habit/hobby/sickness/ side business to be in . I only have 3 oldies now, and am trying to sell one of them, so we don't need as much as we used to. Please keep up the reports and pictures for all of us "used too'rs and wanna-be's", ha ha ! As you can see from my garage, it is now a small stash !
-
1
-
-
Been a busy boy, but my "what are you working on's" is a bit more boring than some of the great items some of you have shown. first thing, taking care of my wife after she had a wreck on her motor scooter (broke her right arm and got some bruises), and trying to find a fender for her scooter, as that was the 1st thing she asked ..... "How's my scooter ?". Second, putting a new temperature sending unit in our Sunbeam Tiger, third, painting the rear box on my scooter to match the rest of the scooter, fourth, hooked up the electric choke on the Studebaker. Oh, and laundry, lol.....
-
3
-
-
45 minutes ago, 8E45E said:
I don't quantify a first-gen Monte Carlo as a 'malaise' car. One could still order performance options, and it was still a true pillarless hardtop.
The ghastly pimped-out '73-'77 'colonnade' Monte Carlos and Grand Prix's with the opera windows were true malaise cars.
Craig
Exactly Craig !
-
2
-
1
-
-
My "bucket list" ( always thought that was a dumb term, lol ) is the same as it's been since I saw my 1st one in 1966. A REAL Ford GT 40, any of them from 64 to 68. Got 'em in books, photographs, on my computer, toys/models, on my bedroom and garage wall, lol.
-
1
-
1
-
-
I guess he did, but in a round-about way, as he really didn't have a passion for cars, just wanted something to get back and forth with. However, he worked at one Ford dealership, four Studebaker dealerships ( two of which also sold foreign cars ), and one VW dealership ! He was the parts man at each and knew every number on every part they had seemed like, but I don't remember him ever even washing or maintaining our cars !!! I loved everything that came thru all the places he worked, as well as everything I spotted on the streets tho', lol.
-
3
-
-
2 hours ago, 95Cardinal said:
Your friends were wrong....
I have had MANY plated plastic parts restored by Vacuum Orna-Metal. Fantastic work and "good as new" results!
https://vacuumorna-metal.com/content/restoration
These are the dash panels they plated for my 1968 GTO.
Yes sir, I found out they were wrong in the 80s, they had been telling me that in the 60s and 70s, lol. Your parts look great !
-
Guys, thanks for the explaination of the chromed plastics, I really didn't know how it was done, and always wished my Mustang and Falcon "chrome" parts on the doors and dash had looked better, lol. Of course my friends back then told me a lot of different versions, always ending with "you can't have them fixed"...
-
1 hour ago, Rusty_OToole said:
Cudaman has it. The parts go in a vacuum chamber with a piece of aluminum. The aluminum is vaporized by high voltage electricity. The vaporized aluminum is deposited on the plastic. Then they take them out and varnish them.
It is possible to plate plastic by coating it in copper powder to make it conductive then electroplating. We used to bronze baby shoes that way.
Rusty, I still have my bronzed baby shoes that someone had done for my parents. (they couldn't even afford me, much less fancy shoes, lol) I always wondered how it was done since my 1947 versions have lasted VERY well !
-
2
-
-
Xandre Wildeisen, that looks a bit like what the CA. hot rod bunch from the early days called a "Carson Top" on the green car. Very neat !
-
1
-
-
Xander Wildeisen, these photos are great, but museums hit me two ways. One, I'm so glad folks preserve things I will never get to see or own otherwise, and two, it almost hurts to see the stuff just setting and not being used, lol. Thanks so much for showing your wonderful photos !!!
-
1
-
-
Reading another post, there was some discussions about whether or not we check our paperwork numbers against the vehicle's actual number. This reminded me of a couple of vehicles of ours that the numbers made me smile and I thought might make an interesting topic. One was the blue Ford truck we had that the vin started with "GUS", and the other is a scooter we have now that the number starts with "LALA", very appropriate for a pink vehicle we think, lol. Any of you have memories of something like this ?
-
2
-
-
Yep, several ! I guess the best one (most profitable) was a 1967 Mustang GTA (390) that was absolutely loaded with options I bought in Scottsboro, AL. back in 1975. I spotted it in a trailer court one morning on my way to work, stopped there that afternoon after work, and asked him if he would sell me one of his GT wheels for my car. He said "Hell, if you give me 60 bucks, you can just take the whole thing" !!! It had a TN. title, and AL license receipt, (
AL. cars from 75 back have no title) and LOTS of both owners documentation ! It's the blue one in this pic. Good times fooling with cars back then !
-
6
-
-
Andy J, my interests haven't changed much at all, I still enjoy doing mechanical stuff and still want an old original GT 40 Ford like I saw on my way to college back in 1966, but my abilities have changed considerably. I've been putting off an oil and filter change for a couple of months since we got a different little car, and pulled one spark plug out of it with LOTS of grunting and "construction worker" words, then decided it looked great and put it back in.. Yesterday me and a pal took the back seat out of his Avanti, fooled with gas lines and filters under the hood, so that will probably do me for quite a while lol.
-
3
-
-
We've had a lot of vehicles, and before moving to Hawaii, nearly always had long commutes to our jobs, and was back and forth between AL. and TN. at least every other weekend. I also escorted wide loads as a kid along with my Dad. Of all our cars we've had, we always tell folks to buy a new Mazda if asked for an opinion. Just plain reliable, and if buying them used, they don't have the resale value of some other similar cars, so an even better deal ! Having said that, I imagine most new cars are great these days, but the old used Fords, Studebakers, and English cars are my favorites for playing around with. I would NEVER buy any car new again just because of the horrible loss of value as soon as you sign the paper, but I'm married, and my bride loves to have a new car every few years, soooo, lol. There are a lot of variables in rating the best tho', and even tho' they were not ones we kept the longest or had the least trouble with, a 78 Fiesta, an 80 Datsun 210, and a Ford EXP (84 I think) were our gas mileage champs at 42 mpg.
-
51 minutes ago, JACK M said:
Years ago I traded in an older Winnebago on a used Georgy Boy at a reputable dealer.
Three or four years after that I got a call from the Highway Patrol asking what my plans were for "that broken down motor home".
When I asked where it was and could I file for a lost title they figured it out.
JACK M, while living in Alabama, we had a Georgy Boy (by Cruise-Air, or a Cruise-Air by Georgy Boy) too ! Ours was a P.O.S. when we bought it and a bit better P.O.S. when I sold it, lol. See the GB in the front center ?
-
1
-
-
This subject is very timely, but kinda' backwards for me. No one that has bought any of our vehicles has ever contacted me about them (and we've owned over 160 not including motorcycles). Now, someone who did NOT buy my 66 GTO years back called me, the Alabama Highway patrol ! They were informing me they were going to impound my car after finding it had been in a wreck with no insurance, then I told them that I had traded it in at a classic car dealer 2 years before ! I was clear immediately, but don't know about the dealer or the person he sold or traded my old car too, lol. ...... BUT, Dec. 11th and yesterday (Dec. 21st) two different owners of a car we bought in September have contacted me ! Thank goodness for "Marque" clubs that we proudly posted pics of our car on ! I got info, questions, and even pictures so far from the two previous owners, and am loving it !
-
1
-
-
49 minutes ago, Deadpurpledog said:
Thanks! Ever wonder who had the guts to try these approaches for the first time?
It might have been the same guy that watched an egg drop out of the rear end of a chicken and said, "hey, that looks good enough to eat". There are some brave or adventurous souls in our past, lol...
-
3
-
-
I always thought the Kaiser, Frazer, and Henry J art ads were the most out of proportion ones, they all looked enormous, ... or they used tiny people as models, lol. Similar ones like this:
-
4
-
-
victorialynn2, This sounds like a lot of fun ! I'm jealous, lol. One of our friends did a B/J auction as a volunteer earlier this year, had a ball, made new friends, got lots of freebies, got invited back, and later, even ended up getting a neat car from someone he'd met there ! I'm bettin' you'll have a lot of fun, please post some more about it when you can.
-
2
-
1
-
-
We are up in the 160s on vehicles owned (not including all the motorcycles), and I think I have pics of all but 3. I even have my little books or notes of use for a lot of them. All were not drivers, but sometimes you have to buy the bunch to get the one you really want ! My 1st car was a 56 Chevy wagon that I used to escort wide loads with as a 17 year old, the last car we've bought is our "new to us" 67 Sunbeam Tiger. BUT, my bride has ordered a new Maverick and has waited only 16 months so far, with still no delivery date announced !!! I told her a nice early model Falcon Ranchero would be a much better choice, but she basically ignored my advise, lol.
-
2
-
-
I can get in the 63 Mini, the 55 Studebaker, or the 67 Tiger and drive away anytime we want, but all 3 need "something". Keeps me on my toes and always have something to do that way, lol. Even our new car needs washed and waxed, lol.
-
3
-
-
Got the "parts changing" finished and it fired up instantly and is running great again. I did what I always tell people to not do, changed several things at one time instead of one at a time, lol. Hood down, tools cleaned and put up, ready to go ! Happy boy (and wife, she loves it) !
-
10
-
-
38 minutes ago, TexRiv_63 said:
Boy, that is a fully packed engine bay.
Yes sir, the Tigers were tightly packed, so much so in fact, that the air thru' the radiator doesn't have a good way out ! Good radiators, holes other than the radiator opening stopped up, clean water ports and jackets, an extra electric fan, the rear of the hood up and a couple other things are not unusual for folks to try. So far, mine has not got over 205 F even in heavy traffic here in Hawaii, so things are in pretty good shape. My 1st Tiger would heat up into the scary range when it saw the key come out of my pocket, lol. Love the little cars tho'.
-
2
-
1
-
What kind of mileage do you get in your antique car?
in General Discussion
Posted
I have only checked the mpg on the Mini two times, once it was 36 mpg, the 2nd time was 39 mpg. The 66 Tiger we used to have got low to mid-20's, so I suppose this current one, a 67 model with the same engine (289 and still using the same carb I had on the 1st one) and rear end (2:88) does too, but I haven't checked it yet. The 259 cubic inch Studebaker we just sold got 16 to 22 with a 600 Holley (jetted properly) and a GM 4 speed automatic overdrive tranny we put in it, but just to throw a spear at the gas companies, my blue & white 50 cc 2003 scooter gets 115 to 123 mpg and Karen's 50 cc 2005 red & white scooter always gets 125 mpg. !!!! Since I'm reporting mpg's, the new Maverick also shown gets 24 around town and got 30 going to Hilo and back last weekend. Not vintage or antique, but that sure is good mileage, and it runs great too, lol.