John Byrd
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Posts posted by John Byrd
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I started off with planes, tanks, and a big Nautilus submarine, then, in 1958 after I had some surgery, one of my aunts brought me the 58 Buick model and I turned almost exclusively to cars. Never have stopped, but when we downsized ( a lot ! ) and moved to Hawaii, I sold several hundred. I kept about 35 that I had built, mostly like cars we've had, a few that are still un-built, and a few special ones like the Buick which was my 1st. Cool thread guys, keep it up please, John.
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Terry Bond, a huge ME TOO on visiting that Newport News museum...astonishing !
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Rusty_OTool and Tinindian, Mike can make gaskets with no problem, he has a pretty good sized shop, but I think it is actual parts of the carb he is needing. Thanks for your replies !
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Almost forgot this "working on" item. My wife's 08 Miata needed plugs and an air filter she said, so I did that and checked everything else that was called out for the 100 K mile check. Anybody know these little cars had FOMOCO plugs and a FOMOCO automatic tranny ? No wonder it's been so trouble free ! ( argument starter, ha !)
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I think the only time anyone spoke to me after a long period of time was about a 66 GTO that I traded in to a car lot buddy in AL. Over 3 years after we moved to Hawaii, the AL. DOT sent me a letter saying that "my" car was caught in a traffic violation and had no insurance. Wrote them back telling that I hadn't owned the car for over 3 years and never heard back. I did once ask a gentleman that bought a truck from me to call and let me know if he got home with it since it had been nothing but trouble for me, he did and said it was totally trouble free from Nashville,TN to his home in Wisconsin.... apparently I had finally fixed everything that had been tearing up, ha ! He loved it !
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Way too many that I didn't have enough sense or nerve to buy, but a 66 SC Cobra roadster for 7 K and a perfect one owner Mercedes 300 SL gull wing for 12 K in Texas back in 69 come to mind as the ones that seem the most valuable slip-aways I turned down... sigh... I have also had some neat ones tho', but sold all except one of our collection so we could move to Hawaii. Glad I did, enjoyed my time with 99% of our vehicles thru the years, but dearly LOVE being warm in a paid for home in Paradise !.
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Thanks so much Jon ! I called Mike just now and also pasted your response to his mail. Hope that boy gets it solved, it's a really nice old car. Thanks again sir.
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Thanks ! I told Mike it was something like "Carb King" but wasn't sure ! I'll let him know tomorrow.
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I have a friend with a 38 Buick coupe, straight 8 engine and two one barrel Carter WCD carbs. We are in Hawaii and he says he cannot find any repair kits or parts for them. Any suggestions from you guys ? If you have info and want to call him directly, it is Mike at Gold Coast Exhaust here in Kailua-Kona. The number there is 808-989-7035 and you can tell him John gave you the number. Thanks bunches !
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Right now I am changing out the only thing left that I haven't changed on our little 63 Mini trying to get it to run properly again....... The gas tank ..... Looked down in it a day or two ago and the little filter on the end of the fuel line inside the tank was (all except about 10% of it) covered with "stuff".. No wonder the little guy seemed like it was running out of gas, it was ! And no, haven't been changing for the sake of changing, been a very deliberate plan to replace faulty or worn fuel and electrical "things" one at a time and note what differences it made. We have had it since 87 or 88 and just didn't do enough maintenance. Hate to take things apart that are working good, but it finally caught up with me and quit working so good, so I'm gettin' there one item at a time ! If this doesn't get the little guy smoothed the rest of the way out, I may see if it can swim , ha !
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Paul, I always finished off my "buffing" with a 3M product called Finesse-it Finishing Material. The last bottle I bought has a Roman numeral 2 after the "it", but acts no different. I also use it to re-do for a like new shine if it gets a bit dull. The buffer I use for these "gentle" finishing steps is an old plastic Craftsman with a handle on each side. It is orbital too, and will do just fine since it is very light weight and that lessens the burn thru chances. Good luck sir. Other more modern guys may have better suggestions, but I am still using these to this very day !
EDIT: the number of the 3M product is 051131-05928.
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Bikemike6459, my 55 Studebaker only has two in the top like you describe, and I just snugged them down until they wouldn't move...probably no more than 3 or 4 ft/lbs I'd guess. Two years ago, cork gaskets, still no leaks. See pic below. Good luck to ya' !
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Mike Dube, you might check these out, the 60s ones should bring a few bucks each, but the search for folks that want them is kinda' tough. I sold 10s of thousands of all kinds of automotive and cycle magazines along with the old style store racks and other shelves to a flooded out book store in Nashville, TN back in 09 or early 2010 and it filled up a large "Box" truck. Seems like they gave me 500 bucks, but they had to go and I had not sold more than a few dozen after months of trying. Good luck sir, but see prices here: https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=m570.l1313&_nkw=1966+road+and+track&_sacat=0&LH_TitleDesc=0&_osacat=0&_odkw=road+and+track
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Never over 6 lb/ft. Lots of info out there if you type in "torque specs for aluminum valve cover"...
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My wife was wandering around a really old messy junkyard near Murfreesboro, TN. one day as I was getting parts for another car and found an early 50's Sunbeam Talbot roadster under a huge camper shell and some plywood...yes, she bought it. Guess my odd finds were a 47 Standard Flying 8 Tourer behind some shelves and sheets of paneling at a guys house...yes, I bought it after MUCH pleading and return visits, or the two 39 Ford sedans we found behind an old bread delivery truck in tall bushes and weeds in North AL. ...Yep, you guessed it, bought them and several others along with a load of Ford flat-head engines for 150 bucks and "cleaning up the pasture" with my tractor and bush-hog. Fun days, gone forever now I guess, although I do know where an Anglia and a 33 Willys are here on the island behind a guys house covered up with tarps....hmmmmmmmmmm OH, I nearly forgot, we bought our 63 Mini out from behind a pile of firewood, but will admit he advertised it, ha !
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Ron Dame, I too had never driven a "STOCK" pre war car and yet bought a '38 Packard without blinking. I was only nervous for a few minutes, as with 100 HP, all the torque, independant suspension, it was very like driving anything else except the shifter handle was really long, ha ! Loved that car and we would go anywhere anytime we wanted. Don't know, perhaps I just lucked out, but it was almost immediately comforting...and rode great too ! It was not the prettiest thing in the world, but so neat. See pic attached. Like the others have said, find the local AACA group and ask, someone in our North AL or Mid TN bunch that we were in either one would love to show you their car I bet.
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Could be 1937hd45, but I'd hate to blame that on a Chevy, ha !
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Craig, that Rolls with the 59 Anglia rear window ( or Mercury Breezway ) takes the prize and changes my opinion I've held for years.... That thing makes the Aztec look gorgeous, ha !
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My young'un with his "Baker" that he loved to ride in back in 73....
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I don't remember ever hearing about what happened to the Falcon Econolines, but I sure would be proud to have one to take care of ! ..... OR, for that matter, even one of the little Sprint Falcons they raced . Ford and "friends" sure did some marvelous things in the 60s and early 70s... I had one of the 306 horse 289 Shelby hipo engines that I put in 4 of my own cars over a several years period after my buddy took it out of his car in 65. Wonderful engines !
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Carbking, you nailed it ! My bride just bought herself a new 2019 Ranger, and there are two things you can do with it...drive it or operate it, but not at the same time. I really despise all the electronic garbage, heck, you can't even open the tailgate without shutting it off or pressing the unlock button for the doors !!! It's a truck for petes sake ! Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.. BUT, having said all that, now back to the "drive it" part. It runs like a muscle car, rides great, handles great, and we got 27.4 mpg going around our island on a day trip. Just don't touch anything .....
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TexRiv_63, be careful about the please touch signs. When I got my Sunbeam Tiger safe enough to drive after the previous owner had wrecked it, I did exactly that. All my buddies thought I was nuts, but I thought it was neat watching the responses and the few that actually did touch or open the door to set in it (also had that on the display card). THEN, some joker set down in it, lit up a cigarette, and proceeded to knock his ashes off on the shifter knob after he had flipped all the switches to see what they would do I guess !!!!! I was close enough to see this while talking to friends, and trotted right over and put his "Ashes" right out of the car, and not too politely. There is always one......
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Buick35, We let some young folks from the University of the Nations here in Kailua-Kona use our little Popular (Anglia) in a movie they were making. It was quite a neat thing, as the kids wanted it because they saw us go by one day and thought it was a "gangster car". They were very careful with it, and invited us to stay right there with them during their shooting. I know that isn't quite a Disney class film, but it was fun, and they and the school appreciated it. We were also invited to the showing of it. This is one "movie car" use that was just 100% pleasant ! Here is my wife beside it "back then" before we went down to the site...2013 I believe.
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Love the Maxwells ! My dad's uncle George Kaufman in Akron, Ohio had one. I got to see it in 58 when we drove up to visit them. Being 9 at the time, I was much more impressed with Aunt Elsie's new 58 Ford convertible with loud mufflers, ha ! Wish I knew then what I know ( and appreciate ) now.
Interesting video on YouTube - good history on the Aurora, Monogram and Revell plastic models.
in General Discussion
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Found this pic of me that is dated 1961 on the back with most of the models I had back then. Don't know where the big submarine was, ( see my other post w/ the 58 Buick pics ) and it looks like I built a couple of bird models too, ha ! Fun days !