Vintage Car Thread - Discussion and Parts Requests

[Big Man]

... I am curious as to what your mechanic says about it.

And so am I.

 

[Big Man]

It helps to have a little inspiration....

Inspiration I've got, it's that nasty little matter of the ca$h that always gets in the way of my big plans.

 

[jamespowers]

And so am I.

Tell him to get busy. The suspense is killing me.

 

[Big Man]

Tell him to get busy. The suspense is killing me.

I drove past the shop not five minutes ago and my car had been moved inside, so he is starting t o work. I'm holding my breath and crossing my fingers. The less it costs to get it running, the more I'll have for some body work and paint.

 

[Carl Miller]

change all the fluids and rubber pieces, grease all the moving parts, install some new tires and a battery and drive.(hopefully)

 

[jamespowers]

I drove past the shop not five minutes ago and my car had been moved inside, so he is starting t o work. I'm holding my breath and crossing my fingers. The less it costs to get it running, the more I'll have for some body work and paint.

Now we will get the bottom of it.

 

[AtomicEraTom]

I can't wait to hear what he has to say. Old small block/auto Chevrolet, it shouldn't need much!

 

[Talbot]

Quite a difference in driving experience between a 49 chevy and a 61....

Any rust?

Thanks for sharing.

 

[Big Man]

Quite a difference in driving experience between a 49 chevy and a 61....

Any rust?

Thanks for sharing.

I imagine it was quite a difference in driving for my aunt. The '61 was the first automatic transmission she ever drove.

She started out driving the family car (the family's first car), a 1922 Dodge Brothers Touring Car. After the Dodge, my grandfather bought a big 1927 Oldsmobile four-door sedan. My grandfather died in 1932 and my aunt took over as the principal driver for the family (my grandmother never drove a car, and my Dad was just 8 years old at the time).

The next family car was a 1936 Plymouth P-2, four-door sedan, followed by a 1942 Plymouth Special Deluxe four-door sedan. Between the time my Dad was home from the War and waiting to start back to college, he wrecked the '42. My aunt had to do without any transportation of her own from 1946 until she was able to get the 1949 Chevy Coupe (the first, and only, "small car" the family owned). She may have driven the '49 longer, but it had a cracked block and she traded it for the '61 Chevy Bel Air.

I recall my aunt saying she always planed to get herself a new car when she retired. My aunt retired in 1974 after 46 years of teaching third grade, but she never did get around to that new car. She really liked the '61 Bel Air, and it served her well and, as best I can recall, never gave her any trouble.

The car has never been parked under cover. There is a little rust here and there, but nothing serious except in the trunk. Apparently, while my sister had the car a leak developed and was never fixed. The bottom of the trunk is almost all gone, so that's the main "body repair" I will have to deal with.

 

[jamespowers]

The car has never been parked under cover. There is a little rust here and there, but nothing serious except in the trunk. Apparently, while my sister had the car a leak developed and was never fixed. The bottom of the trunk is almost all gone, so that's the main "body repair" I will have to deal with.

Fortunately, I think they reproduce the entire trunk for that car. Sort of like this:

 

[Big Man]

Fortunately, I think they reproduce the entire trunk for that car ...

That would work. I had a similar problem with my '65 Ford about 20 years ago. The trunk had carpet on the floor and a leak that had not been noticed (probably for many, many years) rusted out the trunk floor (but not the carpet). I discovered the problem when I heard something dragging under the car. The snow chains I had in the trunk had fallen through the rusted-out floor and were dragging down the highway behind the car. :eeek:

The bad thing about an old car is it will rust. The good thing about an old car (as opposed to a "new" car), it will last long enough to rust and then can be repaired and last that long again.

 

[jamespowers]

That would work. I had a similar problem with my '65 Ford about 20 years ago. The trunk had carpet on the floor and a leak that had not been noticed (probably for many, many years) rusted out the trunk floor (but not the carpet). I discovered the problem when I heard something dragging under the car. The snow chains I had in the trunk had fallen through the rusted-out floor and were dragging down the highway behind the car. :eeek:

The bad thing about an old car is it will rust. The good thing about an old car (as opposed to a "new" car), it will last long enough to rust and then can be repaired and last that long again.

Definitely a good point there.

 

[David Conwill]

Gospel truth!

-Dave

 

[Carl Miller]

Fortunately, I think they reproduce the entire trunk for that car. Sort of like this:

at fillingstation.

http://www.parts123.com/parts123/yb...S3FH0UHNXC50131222712a~Z5Z5Z5~Z5Z5Z50000014x#

 

[Laclewis]

I'm on pins and needles waiting to hear more about the '61 Bel Air. Really enjoying this thread!

 

[Big Man]

I'm on pins and needles waiting to hear more about the '61 Bel Air. Really enjoying this thread!

I got a call this afternoon from my mechanic. The old '61 Chevy Bel Air is now running and the "motor is purring like a kitten." He said he was surprised at just how good the motor ran. They rebuilt the carburetor and put on a new fuel pump, as well as cleaned out the fuel lines and gas tank. The wheel cylinders, brake lines, etc. all checked out fine. Add to that a good service job, and the car is ready to hit the road.

I'd been holding off getting it tagged and insured till I found out for sure that it would be feasible to get it back in running condition, so now that I know it's ready to drive, I'll take care of all that tomorrow. By Wednesday I should be driving the car.

I want to put a couple hundred miles on it to make sure there aren't any hidden mechanical issues, then take it to the body shop for a good paint job. After that, a little interior work (needs a new headliner for sure), and I should have the '61 back in shape like it was when my aunt had the car.

I'll post pictures of the progress.

 

[jamespowers]

I got a call this afternoon from my mechanic. The old '61 Chevy Bel Air is now running and the "motor is purring like a kitten." He said he was surprised at just how good the motor ran. They rebuilt the carburetor and put on a new fuel pump, as well as cleaned out the fuel lines and gas tank. The wheel cylinders, brake lines, etc. all checked out fine. Add to that a good service job, and the car is ready to hit the road.

I'd been holding off getting it tagged and insured till I found out for sure that it would be feasible to get it back in running condition, so now that I know it's ready to drive, I'll take care of all that tomorrow. By Wednesday I should be driving the car.

I want to put a couple hundred miles on it to make sure there aren't any hidden mechanical issues, then take it to the body shop for a good paint job. After that, a little interior work (needs a new headliner for sure), and I should have the '61 back in shape like it was when my aunt had the car.

I'll post pictures of the progress.

That is great news! I look forward to the updates and pictures.

 

[AtomicEraTom]

Awesome! I can't wait to see her when she's all done. I'm not surprised it still ran well with little work. GM knew how to build them small blocks!

 

[jamespowers]

Awesome! I can't wait to see her when she's all done. I'm not surprised it still ran well with little work. GM knew how to build them small blocks!

You aren't kidding.

 

[Talbot]

That is great news! I look forward to the updates and pictures.

Ditto!