60+ year old thread.

Good ole Creager's. Everyone ran them back in the day.... and I miss those days! Morning 60's.

 

Good morning fellow Porchatonians!!

Another fun - but long - day for us here in Orlando. Yesterday was Magic Kingdom and we stayed until the park closed at 11PM. Got home about 11:45 and then sat around talking until 1:30 AM. Once again, we proved that the younger generations can't hang.

Today is Epcot day. Or, as Lynn and I call it, Drinks Around the World Day. Temps are supposed to hit close to 90 today.

Tomorrow is a relative rest day before heading home on Saturday - planning on playing miniature golf and then spend some time at Disney Springs. Speaking of that, Lynn and I ate at an awesome place there the other night - City Works Tap and Pour House. We lucked out getting a seat outside (temps in the 70s). The place is across from the House of Blues who had outdoor music performers. Awesome...along with something like 90 beer selections. Great food, as well.

We get back late Sunday, then have a few days prepping and head off to our annual NC Blue Ridge Mountains trip to meet up with friends and push the Z3 through the twisties.

Retirement is awesome!

Be safe out there.

 

morning.

 

Good Morning Porch Pals & Gals! Ended up being a long road day yesterday - didn't get home until 4. But, I got everything except some Akro- Mils bins that no one sells in small packs anymore. Found a knock off on Amazon that will do the trick for now. Aaaannnnd, today is now fasting blood work day - so some coffee until the early crowd dies off. Doc didn't give me papers last fall, so I wrote their on-line messenger, and they said YES right after I got the breakfast tacos! So, today. Then into the garage, fix up the new umbrellas with lights, and probably start some re-pots when it gets hot.
Good luck on the stress test Tom! Mine's coming up in a month or so, and I've got some work to do before it!
Save travels Mark!

 

Yep, but power steering is nice.
You get Popeye arms with manual steering.
Friend of mine is restoring his '68 Chevelle SS and PS is going in.

 

The A pillars on my FJ are very wide.
I had to get in the habit of "looking around" them at an intersection as they can completely block you from seeing a pedestrian or cyclist.

 

I really have to disagree about steering/handling being better on newer cars. I like rear wheel drive cars. I slalom raced back in the day and raced both rear and front wheel drive cars. I'll grant you that fwd is better in snow. And comfort is more about seat position than anything else, to me, and the lower seats are not comfy on long drives. That's why I drive a Taco.

Stripped cars don't sell well because 1. the customer has been convinced that bells and whistles affect resale negatively and 2. the cars aren't available. Dealerships stopped flooring cars that people could buy reasonably and created an artificial shortage. It's a marketing ploy that makes the dealerships money. Even trucks have gone that direction. It's hard to find a stripped contractor style rig at a dealership unless you go in the back where they keep the cheap trucks out of sight... if they have them at all.

 

6
Grapefruit Beer...delicious

 

Afternoon all:

Good for a while now, just got done with changing oil in the Tacoma.

One thing I noticed with the older cars, you think the roads are bad with modern suspension and radial tires, they are really bad driving around with the old suspension and bias tires.

 

My first truck that I bought new, ordered from the factory was. 1976 Ford F100. I got it pretty basic cause I wanted it to last 20 plus years (which it did). It was a 4x4, 8’ bed, 4 speed manual with the granny super low, 300 ci 6 (a super strong engine and simple to work on). No power brakes or power steering, no a/c or power windows or power anything else. Had an am radio (and I installed a cassette stereo).Thing was built like a brick s**t house. I use to tow pretty heavy trailers and ski boats with it. I use to cut green oak firewood and stack the bed to the cab roof and tow a 5x8 trailer filled with oak 150 miles over the mountains from dads place to home. Lucky I didn’t break an axle or springs. That old truck did it all with out a problem. Loved that old simple basic truck. Then I got into building old muscle cars and there went my money. Actually I started building them in the late 60’s and through the 70’s. Old Guys And Old Cars Rule.

 

My buddy's older brother bought a fancy '79 3/4 ton XLT 4x4. 2 tone paint and carpeted floor.
Optioned out plus the camper package for his slide in camper.
Out the door price of $7900

 

I don’t recall for sure but I think my 76 was under $5000 out the door. I remember they tried to pressure me into a loaded up truck but I held my ground

 

Do you go into Massachusetts?

There used to be a Nova that has the same "No Fat Chick" on the trunk. I don't remember the color but it was a dark color.

 

No sir.
My 4:11s won't allow it.

 

I wasn't born yet when the classic car was new. By the time I got my drivers license classic car were atleast 25 to 30 years old. I don't know what it's like to drive a new, Nova, Chevelle, so on. All the classic cars I drove had sloppy steering, but it was yo be expected. Thirty years old.

I help my friend with a 70's Chevelle. I had to turn the steering wheel, almost halfway to get the outside wheels to move an inch. This is with new steering components. Then we replace the steering column with a Ididit column. New steering gear box, steering pump, and so on. Now the steering wheel was tight and right.

The next thing was the body roll. We installed a thicker sway bar with urethane bushing, lowering spring, and so on. Mow it handle good for the size. Next he wanted to lighten the front end but his daughter was born. This put a hold on the toy.

In the end we got the Chevelle to handle, steer, brake better than any modern sport car.

Even though I work the garage I speak to a lot of customers. The number 1 answer to the bells and whistles was convenience. The price wasn't much more than a moderate option car.

My local Ford dealership has the strip trucks lined up from front to back. These trucks sell quick. Companies will buy a package deal on these truck at a cheap price.

 

My friend was debating the gearing, for a Fox Body Mustang. He decided on 3:73s

 

My cousin Dave always wanted a mid-sixties GTO ....... but became a Dad and raised a family (sounds familiar?). When he finally retired his eyesight was failing and he still wanted the GTO. So he bought this pristine example - wouldn't admit to the price.


So then he and his wife took the car on an extended road trip from Wisconsin to Key West by every interesting side road they could find. Took their time and enjoyed the ride. When he finally got back to Wisconsin - he sold the car for what he paid for it! His son was very disappointed.

This black Olds I bought in January of '74 - it has about 44K miles on it - I had a company car for a lot of years...... It replaced a '65 442 that I had retrofitted with a 455 out of a rolled Hurst Olds. Big trouble finding the necessary parts to put it in front of a Muncie 4 gear - but fun to play with unsuspecting chebbies.


This one has front spring set from a Buick "T" Type, lowered an inch in front. Sway bar from a TA Firebird (fits perfect) and a power steering box from a stick shift Z-28 (2.5 turns lock to lock). It has louvers in the hood (factory) and all of the factory 442 badging. Cost $4,300 new and weighs 4300 pounds. Highway cruiser when we lived in Wyoming and fun to drive in Montana where the highway signs used to say"Assume any safe speed" - yessir.....

When we repainted it, my friend Jack and I discovered the front bumper weighs 256 lbs. I don't think crushable sections and air bags would save the unlucky inhabitants of a late model that ran in front of it.

 

bumpers on new cars is a piece of hard styrafoam and a plastic shell, well on my '98 camry anyway

 

Morning, everyone!