I did everything from basic stuff to engine and transmission teardown and rebuilds. Now at 68 years of age I wind up bleeding every time I open a hood, so for the first time in my life I let the Ford dealer change the oil in my van when I took it in for the recall.
About 18 years ago I collected some parts and decided to build a car.
A well used and dead Torqueflite 727 Automatic transmission on the operating table. Some assembly required.....almost done....
Add one 500+ HP 440 CID big block Mopar engine (bottom end professionally built due to necessary machine work and specialized tools) for loads of fun.
Open wide and say AH....Eat This! will it run?
Yes!
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The only thing I'll buy from the stealerships are oil filters. They're not necessarily better than aftermarket, but they're certainly no worse and no more expensive in the scheme of things. Not having to purchase a separate crush washer is an added bonus.
A&P (airframe and powerplant) mechanics have a can-opener-style tool used to open aircraft filters so they can inspect the convolutions for metal fragments. One of my friends at the local airport has one, so just for fun I took him a used "dealership" filter to crack open. He told me, "Yeah, that thing looks just like a [brand name withheld] filter on the inside."
And just to stay on topic: groceries.
And edit: I posted before seeing the pictures. Answered one question at least...
A&P (airframe and powerplant) mechanics have a can-opener-style tool used to open aircraft filters so they can inspect the convolutions for metal fragments. One of my friends at the local airport has one, so just for fun I took him a used "dealership" filter to crack open. He told me, "Yeah, that thing looks just like a [brand name withheld] filter on the inside."
Hey George, was that the red '70s-era Charger (or was it a Challenger - I could never get them straight) you posted pictures of at some point? If so, you did an excellent job! I've never been much of a muscle car guy, but I really liked that one.
And just to stay on topic: groceries.
And edit: I posted before seeing the pictures. Answered one question at least...
The last time, and only time I had brought a car to a dealership for any work, they (someone) swapped the headlights out of the car for more worn/used ones. These had been recently replaced on a used car I’d just purchased!
That was at a Lexus dealer north of Seattle.
I don’t do dealerships except for competitively priced online parts received though the mail.
That was at a Lexus dealer north of Seattle.
I don’t do dealerships except for competitively priced online parts received though the mail.
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It's a 1973 Challenger that was originally grey and powered by a 318 CID small block. The 440 CID big block came out of a 1975 cop car as did the transmission.
Hey George,
Sounds like a lot of fun! I had a torsion bar let go on my '70 Coronet. When that happens, the flex line stretches and locks that brake full on. That was fun.
So since we like you, please replace both on that nice rebuild. They let go without any warning at all.
Maintenance? In 2005 someone ran into my stopped vehicle doing 60 mph without even hitting the brakes. I am broken, so I no longer do any maintenance myself. I have rebuilt engines before on my own and they even ran fine, so at least I know what to look for and talk about when getting service done. My Malibu goes to the (good) GM dealer for everything. Makes a difference in the long haul and it doesn't cost any more than seeing a garage. The Toyota Matrix is serviced by a good garage I found. Honest people and its also in great shape.
Some times you have no choice but to trust others for service. The trick is finding an honest, good shop. About all I can do is change some bulbs and the air filter.
Sounds like a lot of fun! I had a torsion bar let go on my '70 Coronet. When that happens, the flex line stretches and locks that brake full on. That was fun.
So since we like you, please replace both on that nice rebuild. They let go without any warning at all.
Maintenance? In 2005 someone ran into my stopped vehicle doing 60 mph without even hitting the brakes. I am broken, so I no longer do any maintenance myself. I have rebuilt engines before on my own and they even ran fine, so at least I know what to look for and talk about when getting service done. My Malibu goes to the (good) GM dealer for everything. Makes a difference in the long haul and it doesn't cost any more than seeing a garage. The Toyota Matrix is serviced by a good garage I found. Honest people and its also in great shape.
Some times you have no choice but to trust others for service. The trick is finding an honest, good shop. About all I can do is change some bulbs and the air filter.
If you drive too fast and a child does not pay attention and just crosses the street and you hit it... Who is at fault?
The parents?
My mother specifically taught me how to look both ways before crossing when I was 4 years old. She had to drive us 20 minutes into town to do it, too
The government? They should have fenced off the roadway from the sidewalk...
The car maker? They made that murder weapon in the first place...
Legally? Driver is at fault if it can be proven the excess speed was a cause of the death but if the driver was driving within the law, then there are no charges laid.
My mother specifically taught me how to look both ways before crossing when I was 4 years old. She had to drive us 20 minutes into town to do it, too
The government? They should have fenced off the roadway from the sidewalk...
The car maker? They made that murder weapon in the first place...
Legally? Driver is at fault if it can be proven the excess speed was a cause of the death but if the driver was driving within the law, then there are no charges laid.
Since I removed a small V8 and stuffed in a bigger V8 the torsion bars were replaced with larger units since they are essentially the springs in the front suspension.
Since the car was now heavier and faster than originally intended, the complete braking system was replaced with larger aftermarket parts. Braided stainless hoses were used.
I did experience a hose blowout in a 66 Dodge Coronet once and had a hose internally collapse in a 68 Camaro which did not let the wheel cylinder drain back correctly resulting in the shoes dragging, smoke, and overheating that caused a pull to the left when cold and a strong pull to the right as the car was driven. It took some doing to figure that one out.
When my 41 year career was coming to an end in Florida we devised a long slow orderly move out of the state. Things did not turn out that way, and we wound up with three weeks to be completely out of a house where I had lived for 37 years. During the scramble to pick and choose what to move and what to leave behind, the Challenger was sold.
Judging from the photos you did a beautiful job. It's a real shame it had to be sold, but I get it. I had a similar move about a year after yours that resulted in a bunch of stuff sold, given away, or outright trashed. We're likewise at the point in our lives when "stuff" becomes more of a burden than anything else.
Eek, early Class B. Good for parts I suppose.
Today I bought 20 each of genuine Japanese 2SJ74 BL and 2SK170 BL FETs. Not matched sets, but I didn't pay $25/pair for them either.
That revelation came when our parents passed and we had to clean out their houses. Did you ever see an unopened bag of food from McDonalds that had been left in an unheated garage for at least 5 years? The science experiment had run its course with the expected results which were pretty much freeze dried when I found them. The french fries looked almost normal on the outside but turned to dust when touched, the other stuff.....
We figured out that we had about 5 lifetimes worth of stuff, and got it down to two by the time we left Florida. I sold, gave away, or trashed a whole lot of stuff during those three weeks. I called friends and said bring a truck, van or whatever. I gave a rare original guitar amp from the 60's to another member of these forums, tubes, transformers, and even complete amplifiers to those that helped me load all the remaining "stuff." Still about 1000 pounds of transformers went to the metal scrapper since a 26 foot box truck and two of the largest "pods" were at their weight limits, and our personal vehicles were well over theirs.
Ever drive a 26 foot box truck, a 26,000 GWV, stuffed to 25,980 (took transformers out till I was legal) up a 1 mile grade with the pedal on the floor and get passed by a house?
Looks like tasty germanium goodness.....
A Girling brake servo rebuild kit for a 1967 Lotus Elan. Had to buy from England, as the US suppliers wanted $300 - more than twice the UK cost. Original servo was leaking brake fluid into the vacuum chamber, which was being sucked into #1 combustion chamber, smoking like crazy, with brakes failing while leaving house for a drive with the wife. Made it into the garage just as the pedal went to the floor!
No electronics parts purchases recently; suppliers have been out of stock on 20% of my orders, so I'm shelving projects until the winter.
No electronics parts purchases recently; suppliers have been out of stock on 20% of my orders, so I'm shelving projects until the winter.
You might have missed this part. It spells out the reality of the situation.
I'd suggest you use that for your tagline, if it wasn't already brilliant.
Meh. They're three quid at mullard.org
Man, that sounds like something straight out of Funny Farm
It's hilarious in hindsight but I imagine you weren't very amused while it was going on. About the closest we got to anything like that was when my wife managed to block rush-hour traffic in downtown Charleston, SC with a 26-foot U-Haul truck back in 1989. I'll never forget the spectacle of 25 or 30 cars blaring away at that "Montana Cowboy" graphic broadside to traffic.Meanwhile my wife just returned from the grocery store with... cranberry oatmeal cookies.
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I try to keep ahead of the fully over stuffed garage of crap issue by giving away regularly. Before the pandemic the local charities would drive by the house and pick up sack fulls of whatever I put on the doorstep for them. I’ve a pile of stuff waiting and thankfully they’ve starting calling again to resume pick ups.
Bought a t-shirt
Bought a t-shirt