Fordy Posted May 26, 2023 Share Posted May 26, 2023 Working with old cars I often get the "pleasure" of stripping off that hard compacted combination of grease dirt and oil that seems to defy all efforts to remove it but simply stays where it is and seems to be taunting me with "Keep trying buddy, I've been here for 100 years and I aint moving now". So that got me wondering - is there a word or phrase that describes this stuff? You know what I mean. Something that when you get asked what you have been doing and you can reply "dealing with ????" and the enquirer will instantly know your pain. What other words and phrases are out there? We have "tin worm" for rust issues "Prince of darkness" for Lucas electrical problems. There must be more and if not let's get creative and add to the dictionary by inventing some. - Let the fun begin. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billorn Posted May 26, 2023 Share Posted May 26, 2023 "Original" vs. "Correct" vs. "Restored" 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve_Mack_CT Posted May 27, 2023 Share Posted May 27, 2023 "Honest Car"? Hmm. People lie, but a lot of times the car just ain't talkin'... 1 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ed Luddy Posted May 27, 2023 Share Posted May 27, 2023 "Restored to original" with aftermarket brakes, steering, chassis, interior, body and paint. LS 1 with O/D transmission. "Stock" 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Akstraw Posted May 27, 2023 Share Posted May 27, 2023 (edited) “P O S” comes to mind. I first heard this term used by a female caller on the old “Car Talk” radio show in describing her car. I think I have since heard it in a movie and a TV program. Another is “roller”, often used in describing used tires for sale, as in “good for a roller project car”. One I hate is “bulletproof”, used as a synonym for “robust”, often in describing transmission, for some reason. Who shoots bullets at their transmission? And how about “clean title”? I suppose as opposed to a dirty title? I think it means lien-free title, or unencumbered title, in precise terms. of course, everyone knows what a “stuck” engine means, as well as an “unstuck” engine. Edited May 27, 2023 by Akstraw Added info (see edit history) 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vintage1 Posted May 27, 2023 Share Posted May 27, 2023 How about the old term car sellers used “Cream Puff” In answering your original question about what to call that grease/oil/dirt mess how about Grease Clod or Goop Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rusty_OToole Posted May 27, 2023 Share Posted May 27, 2023 (edited) I always wanted a car that looks like a cream puff and goes like hell. I usually end up with one that goes like a cream puff and looks like hell. Edited May 29, 2023 by Rusty_OToole (see edit history) 1 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Mellor NJ Posted May 27, 2023 Share Posted May 27, 2023 "Mechanic's Delight" 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laughing Coyote Posted May 27, 2023 Share Posted May 27, 2023 Patina -Rusty Barn find - Dirty Ran when parked - Doesn't run and I ain't fixing it. 6 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1937hd45 Posted May 27, 2023 Share Posted May 27, 2023 Mint and cherry are ice cream flavors and should never be used to describe anything automotive, with the exception of paint colors. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dandy Dave Posted May 27, 2023 Share Posted May 27, 2023 (edited) 10 hours ago, Fordy said: Working with old cars I often get the "pleasure" of stripping off that hard compacted combination of grease dirt and oil that seems to defy all efforts to remove it but simply stays where it is and seems to be taunting me with "Keep trying buddy, I've been here for 100 years and I aint moving now". So that got me wondering - is there a word or phrase that describes this stuff? You know what I mean. Something that when you get asked what you have been doing and you can reply "dealing with ????" and the enquirer will instantly know your pain. The correct term for this stuff is "Road Grime." It is a mix of oil, grease, and coolant that has leaked out and dust, dirt, and sometimes road oil, or asphalt, before it has cooled enough to stay stuck to the road. Mineral Spirits works well to remove it but be prepared to get really dirty as the layers come off. Edited May 27, 2023 by Dandy Dave (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
K8096 Posted May 27, 2023 Share Posted May 27, 2023 “It’s a classic” 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fordy Posted May 27, 2023 Author Share Posted May 27, 2023 1 hour ago, Dandy Dave said: The correct term for this stuff is "Road Grime." It is a mix of oil, grease, and coolant that has leaked out and dust, dirt, and sometimes road oil, or asphalt, before it has cooled enough to stay stuck to the road. Mineral Spirits works well to remove it but be prepared to get really dirty as the layers come off. Whatever it is, the last thing I worked on needed a hammer and chisel to shift the worst of it, followed by scraping and sandblasting. Even then it resisted as every time a new "oily / greasy" layer got exposed the grit had no effect! Evil nasty stuff. - if only some of the paints you want to stick would hang on that well! The military need to research it for tank Armour! 1 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom99 Posted May 27, 2023 Share Posted May 27, 2023 Rust free. Does that mean the rust comes with the car at no additional charge? 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gunsmoke Posted May 27, 2023 Share Posted May 27, 2023 I call that stuff "Early Undercoating". When I removed 90 years of it from the chassis of my 1931 Chevrolet about 10 years ago, the steel frame was like new, even had 90\% of the original Japanese black paint, and the painted stencils. While it was indeed a big job to get it all off, it did wonders to protect the steel. I sometimes pondered just why I was removing it, as it was in areas likely to never be seen. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Gregush Posted May 27, 2023 Share Posted May 27, 2023 3 hours ago, Tom99 said: Rust free. Does that mean the rust comes with the car at no additional charge? And they show a car coated in a layer of rust! lol 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carroll_1 Posted May 27, 2023 Share Posted May 27, 2023 Rustosity My 1915 REO rescue that sat outdoors for 45 years has a high level of "rustosity." 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
60FlatTop Posted May 27, 2023 Share Posted May 27, 2023 12 hours ago, Akstraw said: P O S” comes to mind. That is an acronym for "Point Of Service" used in the retail business for electronic cash registers. Our local diner uses a service that has a van emblazoned with "We service P. O. S. equipment". I was leaving from having coffee one afternoon and told the service man "I saw the sign of your truck. I have serviced a lot of the same type of equipment". He always smiles and says hello now. 1 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terry Bond Posted May 27, 2023 Share Posted May 27, 2023 Oh-we could go on and on... I've got a few. and some are really much hated! The word 'Vintage" should be removed from the English language! When I see it, it instantly registers as a "rip-off" kind of term that to the seller means "you figure out how old it really is." To me, it means the seller is trying to wiggle out of their responsibility to know what they are selling, or they are intentional being deceitful. It's seen frequently used to describe fake collectables Another one that I've learned the hard way is "Surface Rust." In my experience, the more of that "surface" you sand and grind only reveals new rusted surface. I guess the "surface" of those deep rust pits is still considered "surface"??? As long as you are not country-specific, the British have some excellent words and terms that sometimes leave us Yanks totally befuddled. Example - it's always been curious to me where radio antenna holes are drilled on MGBs. Some are on the left, some on the right. Some are in the cowl, some in the fender. Talking to an MGB expert, a Brit with actual dealer experience, he explained it nicely. The radios and components were always dealer installed. They came wrapped up in the truck (boot). Along with all that stuff was a template showing where the antenna hole should be located. It was described in "Brit-speak" indicating whether the hold should be drilled "nearside" or "offside." American dealers had no idea what that meant so they tossed out the template and just drilled holes where they figured they should be. Another term found commonly in British service manuals is "reassembly is the opposite of disassembly." I guess it's intended to save ink and paper in the printing process. In reality though, it assumes that what was disassembled was originally properly assembled in the first place. having restored or worked on a number of MGs over the years, I'm always left wondering how they did that to begin with! Common to a lot of cars is the fact many chassis components were assembled before the body or other major components were ever installed. Right now, I'm finishing up a complete brake system restoration on our 1948 MGTC. Correct routing of all the new pipes is nicely documented but, it was all originally done with no body on the chassis. Sure would make life much easier that way. See if you can decipher the following British terms- Dizzy Boot Bonnet Spanner Lump Wing Knock-off Mudguard Windscreen Chubby box Track rod Accumulator Dynamo Gudgeon pin Damper Half-Shaft Scuttle Silencer Trunnion Tickoverr Split pin Quarterlite Mole Wrench etc.etc.etc.etc. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlueDevil Posted May 27, 2023 Share Posted May 27, 2023 You can add "splined Muff" to the British terms. "Take spanner twixt thumb and forefinger and offer it up to the splined muff", as I recall. Not all British cars have splined muffs, but Jags sure do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
60FlatTop Posted May 27, 2023 Share Posted May 27, 2023 41 minutes ago, Terry Bond said: It was described in "Brit-speak" indicating whether the hold should be drilled "nearside" or "offside." That reminds me of a story about an unbadged car on a street in a village. Admirers were trying to figure out what it was when a bystander looking at the wire wheels shouted out "It's an UNDO!" 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fordy Posted May 27, 2023 Author Share Posted May 27, 2023 Dizzy Fairly easy for us Aussies it's the Yank terms that stump us! Boot = Trunk Bonnet = Hood Spanner = Wrench Lump = Bloody big hammer Wing = Fender Knock-off = A copy of a component OR the type of wheel fixing Mudguard = Fender Windscreen = Wind shield Chubby box - never heard that one but take a guess at "glove compartment". Track rod = Tie rod end Accumulator = Battery Dynamo = Generator Gudgeon pin - not sure what you call it but it's the pin connecting the piston to the conrod Damper = Shock Absorber Half-Shaft = A driven axle shaft - a non-driven one is a Stub Axle Scuttle = Firewall Silencer = Muffler Trunnion - Again not sure what you call it, but I have ball and Trunnion universal joints in a Hupmobile and Trunnions on the lower wishbones of a Triumph front end Tickoverr = Idling speed of the motor Split pin = Cotter pin Quarterlite = The small glass panes in the doors either in front or behind the main glass and either fixed or opening Mole Wrench - again a guess but I would translate it to Aussie English as "Shifter" which here is an adjustable wrench and not the gear change! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CarlLaFong Posted May 27, 2023 Share Posted May 27, 2023 Why do the Brits call a convertible a "Drophead when the part that drops is the hood?? 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terry Bond Posted May 27, 2023 Share Posted May 27, 2023 Lump is common slang for the engine. Pulling the lump = removing the engine. Mole wrench = vise grips. Terry 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Restorer32 Posted May 27, 2023 Share Posted May 27, 2023 Took me a while to figure out what a "spigot end" was, as found in British transmission manuals. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fordy Posted May 27, 2023 Author Share Posted May 27, 2023 Overnight I managed to coin a word for the stubborn filth in my original post. I'm calling it "Muckcrete" since it is Muck that has gone as hard as Concrete. Sometimes its stupid things like that that will keep you awake at night. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Akstraw Posted May 28, 2023 Share Posted May 28, 2023 10 hours ago, 60FlatTop said: That is an acronym for "Point Of Service" used in the retail business for electronic cash registers. Our local diner uses a service that has a van emblazoned with "We service P. O. S. equipment". I was leaving from having coffee one afternoon and told the service man "I saw the sign of your truck. I have serviced a lot of the same type of equipment". He always smiles and says hello now. Nope, that was not the intended meaning in the references I had in mind. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yachtflame Posted May 28, 2023 Share Posted May 28, 2023 23 hours ago, Akstraw said: “P O S” comes to mind. I first heard this term used by a female caller on the old “Car Talk” radio show in describing her car. I think I have since heard it in a movie and a TV program. Another is “roller”, often used in describing used tires for sale, as in “good for a roller project car”. One I hate is “bulletproof”, used as a synonym for “robust”, often in describing transmission, for some reason. Who shoots bullets at their transmission? And how about “clean title”? I suppose as opposed to a dirty title? I think it means lien-free title, or unencumbered title, in precise terms. of course, everyone knows what a “stuck” engine means, as well as an “unstuck” engine. Ok, off topic but sometimes I just can’t believe what people say vrs what they think they mean. A hot water heater! Just don’t understand why anyone would call it that. If it’s hot water, why the heck would you need a heater for it! 2 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bloo Posted May 28, 2023 Share Posted May 28, 2023 On 5/26/2023 at 7:27 PM, Akstraw said: “P O S” comes to mind. 12 hours ago, 60FlatTop said: That is an acronym for "Point Of Service" used in the retail business for electronic cash registers. Our local diner uses a service that has a van emblazoned with "We service P. O. S. equipment". I was leaving from having coffee one afternoon and told the service man "I saw the sign of your truck. I have serviced a lot of the same type of equipment". He always smiles and says hello now. 2 hours ago, Akstraw said: Nope, that was not the intended meaning in the references I had in mind. Sometime back in the 2000s I was on a random IT job as a subcontractor in a bank or a post office or something like that, and they had a bunch of PCs branded "Real POS". I couldn't believe what I was seeing. I took pictures. I probably still have them, but not easy to get to, I imagine they are on a floppy disk. This pic from the web shows you about what they were like. Some googling shows NCR still makes a line of "Real POS" PCs for cash register use, but they don't seem to be emphasizing the brand anymore, in fact I had trouble finding a picture. I wonder why? 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bloo Posted May 28, 2023 Share Posted May 28, 2023 Back to the matter at hand.... Has anyone brought up "punkin" yet? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fordy Posted May 28, 2023 Author Share Posted May 28, 2023 2 hours ago, Bloo said: Has anyone brought up "punkin" yet? Well..... Are you going to enlighten me? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bloo Posted May 28, 2023 Share Posted May 28, 2023 The removable center section of a rear axle if it has one. Punkin, Pumpkin, Third Member, or Chunk. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
8E45E Posted May 29, 2023 Share Posted May 29, 2023 On 5/27/2023 at 10:28 AM, Terry Bond said: As long as you are not country-specific, the British have some excellent words and terms that sometimes leave us Yanks totally befuddled. In the 1980's I had a Skoda 120GLS brochure that must have been loosely translated to British English from Czech. A couple of my favorite descriptions: 'Non-corrosible plastisol wheel embellishers' and 'Textile front seats that recline into berths'. Craig Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldcarfudd Posted May 29, 2023 Share Posted May 29, 2023 I once owned a 1966 Datsun 1600 sports car. I bought a shop manual. For some (I forget what) procedure, it said: "Turn off ignition and wait until motor becomes stagnant." I wondered how long it would take to grow moss and fungus on a warm Datsun engine. 1 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bloo Posted May 29, 2023 Share Posted May 29, 2023 Not very long in Seattle. 1 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brass is Best Posted May 29, 2023 Share Posted May 29, 2023 "In the style of" usually used on Full Classics that are not real. "Good for the age" means it is going to need a full restoration. "Museum Quality" means absolutely nothing. "Concours Quality" means absolutely nothing, I have stood next to cars a Concours D'Elegance that need complete restorations. "Adult Owned" usually used to describe heavily abused performance cars. "Jay Leno is going to buy it if you don't" used by sellers with no chance of pawning their mess off on anybody. "Man its cool" used by brokers who have no idea what else to say because they were selling atv's or used boats last week and just got in the "game". "They all did that" used to explain away obvious mechanical problems by someone hoping that you are more stupid than them. 3 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldcarfudd Posted May 29, 2023 Share Posted May 29, 2023 3 hours ago, John Smeltzer said: Also called a Hogs Head I only associate hog's head with the upper half of a Model T Ford transmission case. If you see one standing alone, you'll know why. 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1912Staver Posted May 29, 2023 Share Posted May 29, 2023 4 hours ago, Bloo said: Not very long in Seattle. Even quicker in Vancouver Canada. Nearly twice Seattle's rain if you are close to the mountains just North of the city. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rusty_OToole Posted May 29, 2023 Share Posted May 29, 2023 On 5/27/2023 at 1:59 PM, Fordy said: Dizzy Fairly easy for us Aussies it's the Yank terms that stump us! Boot = Trunk Bonnet = Hood Spanner = Wrench Lump = Bloody big hammer Wing = Fender Knock-off = A copy of a component OR the type of wheel fixing Mudguard = Fender Windscreen = Wind shield Chubby box - never heard that one but take a guess at "glove compartment". Track rod = Tie rod end Accumulator = Battery Dynamo = Generator Gudgeon pin - not sure what you call it but it's the pin connecting the piston to the conrod Damper = Shock Absorber Half-Shaft = A driven axle shaft - a non-driven one is a Stub Axle Scuttle = Firewall Silencer = Muffler Trunnion - Again not sure what you call it, but I have ball and Trunnion universal joints in a Hupmobile and Trunnions on the lower wishbones of a Triumph front end Tickoverr = Idling speed of the motor Split pin = Cotter pin Quarterlite = The small glass panes in the doors either in front or behind the main glass and either fixed or opening Mole Wrench - again a guess but I would translate it to Aussie English as "Shifter" which here is an adjustable wrench and not the gear change! Gudgeon pin = wrist pin Trunion = trunion. Some old Ramblers had a trunion front suspension and some cars had a ball and trunion universal joint. Light = window as in "Six Light Saloon" Saloon = sedan. A Saloon has quite a different meaning in the US if you have ever watched any old Western movies. Mole wrench = Vise grips King Dick spanner = adjustable wrench G cramp = C clamp light = lamp. If you call windows lights, it makes sense to call headlights head lamps in a twisted way. Tram = street car or trolley car Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rusty_OToole Posted May 29, 2023 Share Posted May 29, 2023 Nave plate = wheel disc Rimbellisher = trim ring Pantechnicon = moving van Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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