PennSilverTaco's "Perfect 5-Lug Regular Cab" Build, Aspergers, and General BS MegaThread!

You're supposed to clean the TB and MAF at least every 100k miles. I do mine when replacing spark plugs.

 

This was just on TV, guy spent 45K shoehorning a Big Block in it, sounds like he said it's been in the family since new in 1975.

 

That is what it was, wasn't really paying attention but snapped a quick pic when I noticed it and the guy said something about keeping it in the family.

 

I don’t know if I want to think this is awesome or cry

 

I imagine it would be a beast to drive with all that power.

 

I do clean the throttle body and MAF regularly. Far sooner than 100,000 miles but I have never taken the throttle body off the engine and given it a real good cleaning. The truck runs so good I'm afraid to try to get in there and "fix what really isn't broken". I've just run Sea Foam through the brake vacuum line in the past.

 

Why anybody would put a Chevy motor in a Rolls-Royce is beyond me...

You know me; I believe that with the exception of modern stereo systems (and electric radiator fans on older models), older Rolls-Royce and Bentley automobiles should be left stock! Also, while I detest the installation of any engine other than a Rolls-Royce engine in one of these cars, it would not be terribly difficult to install a GM engine (even a big block) in one; This era of Rolls-Royce used the GM TH400 3-speed automatic, so it would not be hard getting the transmission to work with the engine. On top of that, the SY cars used a pretty sizeable 6.75L V8 engine so getting a big block to fit wouldn't be terribly difficult either...

That said, I am a purist when it comes to Rolls-Royce and Bentley motorcars, and while I respect the people who did the conversion for their skills, I would NEVER do this to such a fine vehicle. It would be kind of like installing a Rolls-Royce V8 in a 1970 Chevelle SS!

 

Cry...

Trust me, you want to cry...

Rolls-Royce and Bentley vehicles were designed to be the finest motorcars in the world, with no needs for improvement after the fact; Of course, if I owned a correct 1975 Silver Shadow, it is inevitable that I would install a modern stereo system with Bluetooth. However, I would install it discreetly and tastefully so as not to ruin the originality of the car. Retrofitting the air-conditioning system in any Rolls-Royce or Bentley from prior to 1994 to R134a would also likely be required, and in certain older models (mostly pre-1966), adding an electric radiator fan would be advised if the car is driven regularly.

All Rolls-Royce and Bentley models prior to the SY cars introduced in 1966 had 4-wheel drum brakes; The coachbuilt Phantom limousines, which were in production until 1992, had 4-wheel drum brakes and a carburetor until the end of production. The typical American car enthusiast would immediately want the 4-wheel drums replaced with 4-wheel disc or, at a minimum, front disc...

This would be a mistake! Rolls-Royce and Bentley motorcars had the best brakes one could get on a passenger vehicle from the very beginning; It should be noted that, to this day, any vehicle with air brakes has drum brakes...

I talked to the owner of a Peterbilt 379 dump truck a few weeks ago, and he said he replaces the brakes every 70K miles; With a Rolls-Royce, it would vary depending on driving conditions and driver habits, but I would see no reason that a carefully-driven Silver Cloud couldn't get in excess of 30K miles out of a set of brakes...

I seem to remember someone I know who is a Rolls-Royce expert telling me that the brakes in these cars should be inspected for wear every 20K miles or so; This same individual also informed me that replacing the drum brakes with disc brakes would ruin the feel of the car, essentially...

Acceptable "modern modifications" for an older Rolls-Royce in my opinion, aside from a modern stereo system, would be the aforementioned radiator fan, as well as a modern and more efficient A/C compressor. One thing that drives me utterly nuts is when owners replace the beautiful factory steering wheels with wooden Nardi wheels!

 

@Pinay

Wheel skins coming along nicely!

 

Morning! You think you’re gonna buy that green ‘96 Taco?

 

They look great! That clear coat made a huge difference!

 

Thanks! They used to be chrome, which would have been fine before the addition of the ToyWerx grille and blackout emblems, but they looked terribly out of place when I put them on just for grins before shipping them down to my uncle...

 

I just suddenly remembered something really funny that happened when I was in second grade; As most of my regular readers know, I attended second and third grade at Edith Landels Elementary School in Mountain View, California from 1996 to 1998...

One afternoon, our teacher brought out this stack of papers, which turned out to be a worksheet (it was either math or English; I forget, but I'm 99% sure it was English/language arts/phonics/whatever); So, she starts handing out this worksheet, and says rather annoyedly they we all did such a horrible job on it the first time around that she wanted us to do it over...

I took one look at this worksheet and realized I'd never seen it in my life; Several of my classmates started looking at our teacher like she was crazy, and a few of us (myself included) started protesting that we had never done this worksheet. Our teacher believed us and surmised that she must have dreamt about us doing poorly on the worksheet!

 

I had two different teachers in the second grade; I forget exactly why, but fairly early on I was one of a handful of second graders moved out of Ms. Garcia's class and into Mrs. Macini's class just a couple of months after school started...

Like most of my classmates, I loved Ms. Garcia as a teacher; I wasn't really interested in girls at the age of 7, but I also remember Ms. Garcia being particularly beautiful, and being absolutely shocked when she told us that she was 47 years old! This was in the fall of 1996, so that would put Ms. Garcia's birthdate somewhere in 1949 (possibly 1948)! I also remember that Ms. Garcia drove a white 1993-1994 Ford Explorer Limited; I had seen her arriving at school in the Explorer, and know the year because I asked her at some point during the 1996-1997 school year and she told me it was three years old (I don't remember whether I asked this in 1996 or 1997)...

So, I have no idea why we were moved into Mrs. Macini's class, but I remember being particularly annoyed at first; I ended up loving Mrs. Macini too, and I ended up drawing the long straw, along with everyone who got transferred from Ms. Garcia's class! Not long after the other students and myself were moved into Mrs. Macini's class, Ms. Garcia had to take an extended leave of absence after having some sort of surgery if I remember correctly. Ms. Garcia's class ended up with a substitute for what seemed like months, and I don't recall seeing Ms. Garcia again for the better part of that school year! I've got no problem with substitute teachers, but one aspect of being on the autism spectrum is having a hard time dealing with changes (especially long-term changes), and I don't think that at not even eight years old I would have dealt well with having a substitute teacher for more than a week or two!

I should also note that when I was in second grade, I had not yet been formally diagnosed with Aspergers; I was believed to have PDD-NOS (Pervasive Development Disorder, Not Otherwise Specified) before I was out of diapers, but I do not believe I was ever formalyl diagnosed, nor was it ever put on my IEP prior to fourth grade. I was diagnosed with Aspergers in November 1998, not long after starting fourth grade; I found out I had AS in August or September of 2000, right before I started sixth grade.

 

I honestly have no idea if Ms. Garcia had children of her own or was even married; I remember addressing her as "Miss/Ms. Garcia", but it is entirely possible that she had us call her that because it was easier for some kids than pronouncing "Mrs." One girl in my class accidentally called her "Miss Garcias" for the longest time...

I am 99% sure that Mrs. Macini was married, but again I do not know if she had kids of her own; I do not remember what kind of car she drove...

 

Woowwsers Charlie!! The wheel really looks sooo good!!! The clear coat made the difference!!

 

@shakerhood

My third grade teacher was a middle-aged woman, Ms. Galdys (I remember how to pronounce her name, but not how to spell it, so this could be wrong); I would never want to live in California for numerous reasons, but when I went to school there, I loved all of my teachers. They were genuinely good people who cared about kids and loved their jobs. Ms. Galdys always seemed to go out of her way to help me out when I needed it, and being the car-obsessed Aspie that I was, I asked fairly early on what kind of car she drove...

I remember this like it was yesterday; Ms. Galdys drove a 1987 or 1988 Cadillac Cimarron, as in a rebadged and overpriced Cavalier! She referred to it as a "Baby Cadillac" and absolutely loved it. I have no idea if she bought it new, but by the time I was in her class the car would have been at least nine years old. Ms. Galdys did not come across as the type of person who put tons of miles on vehicle, and the Cimarron was not her only vehicle, so I'm guessing it had relatively low miles for being about a decade old, and always passed California smog with flying colors; I do not remember if Ms. Galdys was married or not, but again, I remember always calling her "Miss/Ms." instead of "Mrs."

Ms. Galdys also owned a fairly large boat (I believe it was a sailboat, but it may have been a regular powerboat); Regardless, a Cadillac Cimarron would probably struggle to tow a jet ski, so her other vehicle was a late 1980s Ford F250 pickup that she used to tow the boat. I remember Ms. Galdys telling the class that she would sit on the boat while it was parked in her driveway and grade our papers...

Ms. Galdys had to be well into her forties at the time I was in her class, so I'm guess she has long since retired; Ms. Garcia would be at least seventy years by now, so I'm guessing she's retired if she's still alive. I looked at the staff directory for Landels and didn't find one name that I recognized