The Car Thread

[Tin Halo]

Getting shit off the floor makes all the difference in the world.

I could only wish to be so lucky.

[Captain Goddammit]

Well 2x4s are pretty cheap! If you've got a chop saw and a screw gun you can do the same. I had a head start because I can bring home free plywood from work, it comes in as liners for more expensive stuff, it's just packaging.

[Tin Halo]

Oh, I've got all that, and way more. And I can get 2x4's for free from any one of the 5 construction sites going up within 4 miles of me. In fact, part of my lumber, umm, 'collection' was for just that... building shelves on one side of the garage. Too bad I filled it with shit before I could execute that plan.

What I can't get is room to move. Seriously. As of Friday I officially got pissed off at myself for it.

[southern crone]

I plan to hand paint my 85 Volkswagen Vanagon. I will cut out stencils for each color and wet sand between colors. I plan to have a professional clear coat put on. I do plan to keep it till it drops or pass it on to my daughter and son-in-law.

[ranger magnum]

A top fuel dragster will reach 300 miles per hour before you finish reading this sentence.

It's engine makes more power than the first 8 rows at Daytona.

The blower takes more power to drive than a hemi engine makes.

The white flame at the top of the stacks is raw burning hydrogen, disassociated from atmospheric water vapor by the searing exhaust temps

Even with 3000 cfm being rammed into the engine by the over driven blower, the fuel mixture is compressed into nearly solid form before ignition. The cylinders run on the verge of hydraulic lock

Dual magnetos deliver 44 amps to each spark plug. That is the equivalent to the output of an arc welder.

Spark plugs are totally consumed after 600 feet down the track. The engine diesels due to compression and the glow of the exhaust valves, which are over 1400°F

The crank makes only 600 revolution during one pass.

The crank twists almost 20° from end to end. Enough that the cams are ground offset to compensate.

[Ratty]

I never resell my vans. Buy new, take good care of it, replace when necessary. This time rather than store them, I immediately sold the center seats. I hate the plain silver look of it. I hated the last one white, one before that blue all the way back to my VWs and my giant 69 Ford conversion. You are right about a crappy paint job is worse than what I have now. I miss my Ford. The engine plopped down in between the driver and passenger was a great table for coffee and snacks.

[Elliot]

...
The crank makes only 600 revolution during one pass.
...

I figured that out some years ago, and gained a whole new perspective on engine technology.

So... where does the 44 amps go after the plugs are toast? Straight to ground? Or does the fuel ignite before the electricity arrives, making the question moot? If it runs strictly on "knock" for 720 feet... that's interesting. (Even at 400 feet. Didn't they shorten the strip to 1,000 feet a couple years ago?)

[Tin Halo]

The engine plopped down in between the driver and passenger was a great table for coffee and snacks.

Was it one of those Super Vans they made back then?
The first van we had was a white mid-'60's Econoline, in the late '60's thru early '70's (had I known then what I know now, I would have begged us to keep it). For whatever reason my parents replaced it with a blue Econoline from about '70, I think. It wasn't as cool as the first one. When that one caught fire one day, they bought a red '72 Super Van from one of my Dad's friends, who later expressed regret for ever selling it because the one he bought to replace it just kinda sucked. That '72 was a fucking workhorse; it had (what was at the time considered to be) an insane amount of miles on it and had a spectacular amount of miles on it when we got rid of it. Solid damned vehicle.

[Captain Goddammit]

Oh man that set off the way-back machine... as a kid, our vehicle for many years was a '66 Econoline Club Wagon, that's the one with seats, windows, and a full interior, but most of the time we had all the seats out.
I used to sit on the engine "doghouse". That thing took ridiculous punishment and abuse but it ran and ran and ran. (240 six with automatic)
It was that light metallic blue that every other Ford in the '60s was, with big flower stickers all the way around it.
That fit the late '60s-early '70s era well, but really they were there because my mom's friend originally bought it as a company van for her flower shop.

[Ratty]

It was an econoline 123. I think that was the wheel base?? It was converted to a camper in 69. It had a table that fit into a bracket on the floor, closet, porta pottie with a curtain to draw around you, storage under the bench seats that became beds, the back doors opened to reveal a sink and pantry, separate marine battery for powering outlets, mirror, wood paneling, and stickers from all over the states. The outdated curtains were hideous and strung on long springs all the way around. It was crazy big and powerful. You could walk between the front seats instead of squeez. Altimeter, tach and compass. I could literally drive away and go camping without packing. I miss the solid interior of metal. AM radio and a heater that could cook eggs. It wasn't the best looking van I've owned, (that would be the hippie van), but it was the best and most expensive car I've ever maintained. All that weight took it's toll. It was show room perfect for 20 years. When it started getting beat up on the outside I gave up and got a Dodge caravan. Great car except for that little transmission thing.

One time a valet parking guy gave up and told me to park it myself. 3 on the tree.

[Tin Halo]

Oh man that set off the way-back machine... as a kid, our vehicle for many years was a '66 Econoline Club Wagon, that's the one with seats, windows, and a full interior, but most of the time we had all the seats out.

The second one - blue one - was a Club Van. The first (white) one was a panel van.

I would LOVE to be able to get one of those things again. Part of the reason is...

(240 six with automatic)

fu-cking-work-horse.

[Captain Goddammit]

Those original Ford Econolines were called Falcon vans because they were based on Ford Falcon drivetrain and chassis parts, just like Chevy's original vans were based on their small-car (Corvair) parts, since both were "answers" to the VW van.
I think all you could get was that 240 six.
I kinda like the later '68-'74 Ford vans when they began basing them on pickup truck chassis. I always felt like I was gonna die if we ever crashed that old Club Wagon. And with me just sitting up front on top of that engine "doghouse" (which we carpeted) I probably would have gone right through the windshield.

[Tin Halo]

Those original Ford Econolines were called Falcon vans because they were based on Ford Falcon drivetrain and chassis parts...

That Falcon design sure spawned some good stuff... Econoline, Mustang, Galaxie...

I kinda like the later '68-'74 Ford vans when they began basing them on pickup truck chassis.

[carson]I did not know that[/carson]. That would explain the durability of our SuperVan, then.

[Captain Goddammit]

Well not the Galaxie, that was a full-size car, and it came before the Falcon. I think you could put a Falcon in the trunk of a Galaxie.

[Tin Halo]

The second iteration of the Galaxie was Falcon-based, wasn't it...?
I know that my parent's first car was a '64 Galaxie and that bitch was HUGE. But my Grandmother had one - a '68 - and from what I can recall it was noticeably smaller.

[Captain Goddammit]

If you see them lined up at a car show, those '65-68s are just as big as the earlier ones but the styling makes them seem smaller by themselves. Galaxies were always full-size Fords.
Styling can do that; I had a '70 Monte Carlo and a '77 Monte Carlo. The '77 looked way bigger but when you parked them side by side the smaller-looking '70 lined right up with it.
People think '55 Chevys are huge tanks. Mine only weighs 3400 pounds (on a calibrated and certified truck scale). My Trans Am weighs 3800!

[Tin Halo]

aaaahhhh....hadda do a little 'net search to clarify my memory.... it was NOT a Galaxie... it was an LTD. Dark Green with light green cloth interior, and classic old lady bubble seat covering. Altho I also see that it was simultaneously known as the "Galaxie 500 LTD".
I realize I was also thinking of the Fairlane, with regard to Falcon/Mustang heritage.
And really looking at pics some more corrects my memory even further... not a '68. More like a '66.

[Captain Goddammit]

Yep they had a great thing going... and then they based the Mustang II on the goddamm Pinto...
It took Farrah Fawcett to make that one cool!!

[Tin Halo]

No, Farah made it palpable. Not cool.

And we had 3 of those fuckers. Early 70's hatchback, then a '74 wagon (with the woody sides, don't ya know), then a '78 baby blue (in which I had my very first car accident as a driver).

[Captain Goddammit]

About those goddamm Pintos... everyone hates them, but the way I remember it, they were everywhere and everyone I knew that had one beat the crap out of it and you just couldn't kill it.

[ygmir]

a friend of mine in high school put a "built" 351 Cleveland in a Pinto as an auto shop project........eek!!

My first vehicle was a 64 Ford F100 short bed......that, took a beating!! just before the "twin "I" beam front end, so it was tough, and rode bad. 292 v-8 2 auto trans.

sold it to go to college and commute, bought a '76 Plymoth Arrow .

Haven't had many "cars", mostly trucks, old Jeeps, and dunebuggy/baja bugs.

[Captain Goddammit]

I thought you were a little of a diesel Benz guy

[ygmir]

yeah, I have one running, 3 for parts, and sold two others.....older ones, up to 86.
Kept a 78 240d manual trans to put around in.
have an 85 300d with a bent fender
sold my 86 300 sdl, it may have been my favorite "car" ever, as far as those I've owned or tied with the 69 Lincoln MKIII

[Tin Halo]

About those goddamm Pintos... everyone hates them, but the way I remember it, they were everywhere and everyone I knew that had one beat the crap out of it and you just couldn't kill it.

That is correct.

I seem to recall an online conversation with a friend of mine, several months ago, where he hipped me to awareness that the block in those engines was a standard block that Ford used across many models for many years.

A few minutes ago I had a vision of two Pinto hatchbacks being cut in half and the back halves welded together to form some sort of art car. I haven't even had a drink, either.

[ranger magnum]

I always liked the pinto. And more so the Maverick. There was a guy around these parts that built a sleeper. I think it had a 427 in it. Anyway, the thing was quick. I was only 16 or so, but id heard stories that there wasn't much around here that could beat it.

[Tin Halo]

I like this.




or this, but the first is my favorite

[Tin Halo]

And more so the Maverick.

Guy across the street had one rotting away in his backyard. City made him do something with it.

Now that I think about it, ol' Bob down the street - retired mechanic on disability - has a rodded Pinto in his garage. In fact, I think it might be a dragster.

[ranger magnum]

There is a body shop across the street from my shop that took 2 cougar x7s and grafted the two together, using the front ends including the doors. It was quite well done. It's being refurbished, and when they are done I'll post a pic

[Tin Halo]

While looking for a suitable PInto pic to do the above, I found this little gem.




I can totally get behind this. It's so goddamned weird, that I love it.

[Captain Goddammit]

I remember an old article, in Hot Rod I think, where a guy had swapped a '32 B model Ford flathead 4-banger into his late-model Pinto. It was kinda cool, and they pointed out in the article that you wouldn't believe how many guys at the time wanted to buy his Pinto 4-banger to swap into their Model As!