Vintage Car Thread - Discussion and Parts Requests

[AtomicEraTom]

It isn't worth the drive.

go get the originals. Go twist his arm.

 

[jamespowers]

It isn't worth the drive.

:rofl:

 

[rjb1]

"Have also noticed that where other cars will give you a warning of impending breakdown by making noise, running rough etc a Ford will just suddenly stop or fall apart with no warning."
Can't say anything directly about Fords in this context, since I have never owned one, but after several decades of Chevrolet ownership I have had several occasions where the Chevy got me home (barely), and then totally died in the driveway. We have had to push them into the shop on more than one case, but since I'm already home, that's not too bad.
I also liked (a lot) that Chevrolets (of the Golden Era) were cheap, easy, and quick to fix. Unfortunately, I don't that can be said of any vehicles these days.

 

[Stearmen]

For everybody that picks on Tom and Caddies, thinking they can't corner, here is an entrant in the 2010 La Carrera Panamericana, a twin supercharged Corvette engine 1949 Cadillac Fastback. Doesn't get any cooler then that.

 

[vitanola]

I've only owned one Chevrolet, and it was a real hound! '28 "Imperial Landau" sedan. It was attractive, and certainly more elegant than a contemporary Ford, with it's nicely put-together Fisher body, but that little four sounded like a room-full of sewing machines. Just about as powerful as a sewing machine, too. That little Four just couldn't push around the heavy coach work. The thing had a grabby clutch, and I could not seem to keep it in axle shafts. 'Twenties Chevrolet cars were notorious for their weak rear ends even in their own day. This is doubly unfortunate, for the engineers at Chevrolet would re-design the rear end every year or so, in hopes of coming up with a design which would stand the gaff. Of course this means that parts from a '26, a '27, a ' 29 or a '30 will not fit a '28.

There is a reason that pre-war Chevrolet machines are scarce when compared to their ubiquitous Ford counterparts. Chevrolet cars seemed to hold up well for six or seven years, and then they either went to pieces or needed repair parts could not be found. On the other hand most mechanical parts have always been available for any Ford car built after 1909.

"This is Ford country. On a quiet summer night one can hear the gentle pitter-patter of the doors dropping from the Chevrolets."

 

[David Conwill]

There is a reason that pre-war Chevrolet machines are scarce when compared to their ubiquitous Ford counterparts.

Hence why there are a number of orphaned Chevy engines from the '20s still around also - including one I'll be fitting to a '26 Ford chassis in the future. Swapping to a '28 Ford transmission and axle should take care of the weak driveline issues.

 

[Stanley Doble]

In recent years I have noticed a large number of late thirties and forties Dodge, Plymouth, DeSoto and Chrysler cars coming out of nowhere. I don't know why they should be so common as they were the least popular of the big 3 makes when new. They do seem to have a high survival rate.

Too bad I can't say the same of the fifties. When Chrysler made cool cars they had terrible build quality and when they made good cars they were deadly dull.

 

[jamespowers]

For everybody that picks on Tom and Caddies, thinking they can't corner, here is an entrant in the 2010 La Carrera Panamericana, a twin supercharged Corvette engine 1949 Cadillac Fastback. Doesn't get any cooler then that.

Cadillacs were always well appointed with decent engines until the 1980s came along with the stupid CAFE standards. The 4-6-8 was the first mess but the engine itself was fine when you just yanked all the crap and ran it as an 8. Then they went into their HT 4100 etc phase and those engines were horrible! Iron heads on an aluminum block. Great idea idiot engineers! They straightened out a bit with the 307s. They could have had more horsepower but they came into the 90s with a better engine and they have been much better lately. There are still the fit and finish problems in some models but if you nail the dealership when things don't work right then you will be fine. Their warranty is fairly good. I made them replace plenty with my Escalade from fading emblems to screwed up NAV.

 

[LizzieMaine]

In recent years I have noticed a large number of late thirties and forties Dodge, Plymouth, DeSoto and Chrysler cars coming out of nowhere. I don't know why they should be so common as they were the least popular of the big 3 makes when new. They do seem to have a high survival rate.

I think part of it might be that most of the surviving Fords and Chevies of the same period have already been either restored or hot-rodded, and have the fat prices to go with it. If you want a good unmolested prewar car nowadays that won't break your budget, Mopar is the only reasonable choice.

Too bad I can't say the same of the fifties. When Chrysler made cool cars they had terrible build quality and when they made good cars they were deadly dull.

One driver's dull is another driver's dignified. I know there's a lot of fifties-car enthusiasts here, but after reading "The Waste Makers" by Vance Packard and "The Insolent Chariots" by John Keats, I was never able to look at the tailfin era the same way again.

 

[AtomicEraTom]

Now, I bet that's fun to drive!

For everybody that picks on Tom and Caddies, thinking they can't corner, here is an entrant in the 2010 La Carrera Panamericana, a twin supercharged Corvette engine 1949 Cadillac Fastback. Doesn't get any cooler then that.

My dad just mentioned the same thing. Mopars have been coming out of the woodwork lately. Heck, we've got three of them right now.

In recent years I have noticed a large number of late thirties and forties Dodge, Plymouth, DeSoto and Chrysler cars coming out of nowhere. I don't know why they should be so common as they were the least popular of the big 3 makes when new. They do seem to have a high survival rate.

Too bad I can't say the same of the fifties. When Chrysler made cool cars they had terrible build quality and when they made good cars they were deadly dull.

They finally got it right with the LT1, then stopped using it after 1996. I'm dreading the day I finally break down and buy a Northstar powered Caddy.

Cadillacs were always well appointed with decent engines until the 1980s came along with the stupid CAFE standards. The 4-6-8 was the first mess but the engine itself was fine when you just yanked all the crap and ran it as an 8. Then they went into their HT 4100 etc phase and those engines were horrible! Iron heads on an aluminum block. Great idea idiot engineers! They straightened out a bit with the 307s. They could have had more horsepower but they came into the 90s with a better engine and they have been much better lately. There are still the fit and finish problems in some models but if you nail the dealership when things don't work right then you will be fine. Their warranty is fairly good. I made them replace plenty with my Escalade from fading emblems to screwed up NAV.

 

[jamespowers]

They finally got it right with the LT1, then stopped using it after 1996. I'm dreading the day I finally break down and buy a Northstar powered Caddy.

They did alright with the 307 as well. It is just that most people nowadays have no idea how to work on the computer controlled carb. Fortunately, I have someone who knows how and the car gets about 17mpg around town and 23mpg highway. For a car that big that is something. The LT1 is just a Chevy 350 just as the 307 was stolen from Olds.

 

[rjb1]

I have bought and sold a lot of cars over the years, but perhaps the one I most regret getting rid of was a 1934 Plymouth 2-door sedan. It was really elegant looking and in great shape. It (unfortunately) fell under my policy then of selling any car I that could double my money on, so I sold it for $120. (Yes, I bought it for $60(!) back in the mid-seventies.) I'm not really a Mopar man at heart, but I *really* wish I still had that one.

 

[AtomicEraTom]

I have a 307 Olds with the computer controlled carb in my Caprice Estate. That's an excellent carb, but the engine stinks. I measure oil usage in MPG.

The LT1 is a good engine, because it's a Chevy engine. The 350 is a gem.

They did alright with the 307 as well. It is just that most people nowadays have no idea how to work on the computer controlled carb. Fortunately, I have someone who knows how and the car gets about 17mpg around town and 23mpg highway. For a car that big that is something. The LT1 is just a Chevy 350 just as the 307 was stolen from Olds.

 

[jamespowers]

I have a 307 Olds with the computer controlled carb in my Caprice Estate. That's an excellent carb, but the engine stinks. I measure oil usage in MPG.

The LT1 is a good engine, because it's a Chevy engine. The 350 is a gem.

Interesting. I don't use any oil in my Brougham. Maybe you should stop doing burnouts with it.

I use Royal Purple and it keeps the car going just fine---if you have leaks you better not use it though. Synthetics do a decent job of cleaning and protecting. The problem is that they can clean too much and find leaks where there were none before. I risked it because I wanted to see if it could take it. The engine has been running fine and not losing oil so I guess she is still in good shape even after 107,000 miles. Those were mostly freeway miles though.

 

[David Conwill]

I test-drove an '89 Caprice wagon with a 307. I didn't think it was too bad. Of course, I can't leave well enough alone and I'm told a Rocket 350 will bolt in place of a 307...

Alas, the dealer wouldn't consider my offer and ended up selling at auction for less.

 

[jamespowers]

I test-drove an '89 Caprice wagon with a 307. I didn't think it was too bad. Of course, I can't leave well enough alone and I'm told a Rocket 350 will bolt in place of a 307...

Alas, the dealer wouldn't consider my offer and ended up selling at auction for less.

It is a fairly small engine for that sized vehicle though. You don't feel it until you load up that wagon with stuff and try to go up a steep grade.

 

[AtomicEraTom]

Burnouts? I tried that once in that car when I was 17 and it wasn't gonna happen. I use super tech and lucas in it.

Interesting. I don't use any oil in my Brougham. Maybe you should stop doing burnouts with it.

I use Royal Purple and it keeps the car going just fine---if you have leaks you better not use it though. Synthetics do a decent job of cleaning and protecting. The problem is that they can clean too much and find leaks where there were none before. I risked it because I wanted to see if it could take it. The engine has been running fine and not losing oil so I guess she is still in good shape even after 107,000 miles. Those were mostly freeway miles though.

 

[jamespowers]

Burnouts? I tried that once in that car when I was 17 and it wasn't gonna happen. I use super tech and lucas in it.

Well, it is a stationwagon. I can do it in the Brougham.

I know Lucas but not Supertech. The Lucas stuff will make your oil heavier and might leak less.

 

[Dan Allen]

Cadillacs were always well appointed with decent engines until the 1980s came along with the stupid CAFE standards. The 4-6-8 was the first mess but the engine itself was fine when you just yanked all the crap and ran it as an 8. Then they went into their HT 4100 etc phase and those engines were horrible! Iron heads on an aluminum block. Great idea idiot engineers! They straightened out a bit with the 307s. They could have had more horsepower but they came into the 90s with a better engine and they have been much better lately. There are still the fit and finish problems in some models but if you nail the dealership when things don't work right then you will be fine. Their warranty is fairly good. I made them replace plenty with my Escalade from fading emblems to screwed up NAV.

When I was a kid my dad was stationed at Fort Bliss texas and took me to see the ending of the 1954 Carrera Panamericana in Juárez Mexico. The first half dozen places went to the Ferrari's and Porsche's, then a couple of hours later the Lincolns and Cadillac's started rolling in. Beat up as they were they dominated from there on down. If they had used an index of performance based on speed / tonnage it would have been no contest. Some where at my moms there is a picture of me ( 8 yr old) standing between a Porsche 550 RSK and a beat up Cadillac Capri. I think the hood on the Cadillac weighed more than the Porsche.

 

[jamespowers]

When I was a kid my dad was stationed at Fort Bliss texas and took me to see the ending of the 1954 Carrera Panamericana in Juárez Mexico. The first half dozen places went to the Ferrari's and Porsche's, then a couple of hours later the Lincolns and Cadillac's started rolling in. Beat up as they were they dominated from there on down. If they had used an index of performance based on speed / tonnage it would have been no contest. Some where at my moms there is a picture of me ( 8 yr old) standing between a Porsche 550 RSK and a beat up Cadillac Capri. I think the hood on the Cadillac weighed more than the Porsche.

The part that stinks is that in 1954 Cadillac and GM had the ability to make a small Cadillac supercar that could well have killed all comers. Put the Cadillac V-8 in the Corvette body, call it a Cadillac and they would have killed them.