The Car Thread

[Tin Halo]

...you wouldn't believe how many guys at the time wanted to buy his Pinto 4-banger to swap into their Model As!

That actually kinda sounds right, to me.

In retrospect, I would like to have had the kind of space and environment where we could have put the Mustang's 289 in our '49 Lincoln. Just to see what happened.

[^Rhino!]

...you wouldn't believe how many guys at the time wanted to buy his Pinto 4-banger to swap into their Model As!

That actually kinda sounds right, to me.

In retrospect, I would like to have had the kind of space and environment where we could have put the Mustang's 289 in our '49 Lincoln. Just to see what happened.

Ah yes....creativity....the mother of invention. I've often wondered what would happen if I put a kerosene-powered Pratt and Whitney J-79 on a Ford F-150.

Somebody find me the flux capacitor and the oscillation overthruster, and we'll talk.

[Captain Goddammit]

Well come on, it wasn't that crazy an idea... Those little 289s weren't very powerful, it just would have made that Mercury run decent. I think the irony is that guys all used to swap that old Mercury flathead V8 into their Fords, because the Merc was a 239 and the Ford flathead was a 221.

[Tin Halo]

Those little 289s weren't very powerful,

I suppose that depends on the application and viewpoint. I won a few impromptu 'contests' with it; certainly had enough 'oomph' for highway driving and passing (in particular), and to this day I can still hear and feel the gentle yet all-encompassing and authoritative rumble of that engine when I was sitting at a stoplight.

[Ratty]

I think my 64/65 Mustang fastback had a 289. Sweet little car and it flew.......

[tatonka]

my 66 had a 289 with a 140 mph speedo , only got it to 120mph with 4 of us in it on hwy 26 when it was new. It was a stock 289 when I got it , all I added was a elenbrok high rise and 650 holley carb and Hooker headers . It was faster and got better mpg on the freeway

[Captain Goddammit]

Well no one but a pinko Commie doesn't like early Mustangs.
But I'm still saying a stock 289 isn't going to make an old Merc into a fire breather, although it would be an excellent setup.
We all - myself included - frequently remember '60s cars being faster than they really were/are. 289s are tiny engines with short strokes and no torque, but in a nice light car like an early Mustang they feel pretty good. And sound great.
I'd love to have a '65 fastback with a 289.

[Tin Halo]

It was all the engine a 17-year-old only child with well-educated parents needed. That was enough, stroke size notwithstanding.

[Elliot]

I put a 289 in one of those early Econolines you were talking about.

That Econoline was so poorly designed... the factory had to put ballast in the back of it to keep the rear tires "on the ground" when it was empty. The ballast was a slab of cast iron, the size and shape of the fuel tank, sandwiched between the fuel tank and the floor.

[Captain Goddammit]

Hahaha shit if I had a son I was gonna give a car, it'd have a six cylinder with a few bad spark plugs!
I got in plenty of trouble with exactly that when I was a kid. Would probably just be getting out of jail now if I'd had a 289 Mustang.

[Tin Halo]

That Econoline was so poorly designed... the factory had to put ballast in the back of it to keep the rear tires "on the ground" when it was empty. The ballast was a slab of cast iron, the size and shape of the fuel tank, sandwiched between the fuel tank and the floor.

[carsonI did not know that[/carson]

That explains perfectly why I always wondered why they looked like they were about to tip forward. Because they were.

[Tin Halo]

Hahaha shit if I had a son I was gonna give a car, it'd have a six cylinder with a few bad spark plugs!

Or just weld a small steel bar across the path of the carb linkage, about 1/3 of the way. Inform him that if he can make it 'til 21 without a ticket or an accident, you'll teach him how to use a plasma cutter.

[Captain Goddammit]

The old VW vans had a counterweight in the rear too.
It looked like an engine, sort of, but it acted mostly like ballast.

[Elliot]

I see in the local paper that a 1975 International fire engine is up for bids here in Lake County, straight from the Lakeport Fire Protection District. They are taking bids until November 25. Wonder if anyone here might be interested? Or the BRC ESD?

[Tin Halo]

Somebody was giving away a mid-50's school bus, in the mountains just west of Boulder, a couple of weeks ago. Engine was frozen, windows missing and, oh, it had no wheels. But...you know....free.

[Ratty]

The old VW vans had a counterweight in the rear too.
It looked like an engine, sort of, but it acted mostly like ballast.

So true. I went with my dad to buy a 64 (in 1964) I remember the salesman punctured his finger opening the rear windows. He held it behind his back the whole time leaving a trail of blood. After a couple of years chugging up the mountain passes Daddy traded up for a used engine from maybe a Ghia?

In my first marriage to the race guy we went to a lot of Bug-Ins. Good people, great fun and we didn't have to morgage the house to compete.

[Captain Goddammit]

In the 1980s my big brother had a '64 VW camper van, the one with the little pop top in the middle, about 4'x4', not the whole roof.
He'd swapped in a very hopped-up motor and it ran 16s in the 1/4 mile. That's screamin' for VeeWee bus. New Z28 Camaros at the time ran 16s. That's as fast as the '65 Mustangs were were talking about really ran.
He liked to run up the Grapevine at about 80 and watch the looks of disbelief. Even from the cops.

[Agaton]

I see in the local paper that a 1975 International fire engine is up for bids here in Lake County, straight from the Lakeport Fire Protection District. They are taking bids until November 25. Wonder if anyone here might be interested? Or the BRC ESD?

Immediately followed by

Somebody was giving away a mid-50's school bus, in the mountains just west of Boulder, a couple of weeks ago. Engine was frozen, windows missing and, oh, it had no wheels. But...you know....free.

Good one! I suppose a 1975 fire truck ain't much better then that bus!

[Captain Goddammit]

Except that the fire truck is a running vehicle and the bus is scrap metal... I'd say that's worlds apart!

[ranger magnum]

Google "race taxi"

A guy took a Porsche 993 turbo engine an grafted it and the running gear into a VW bus. There is a cool video of it kicking an Aston Martins ass at Nurburgring. The quality of work is astounding.

[Tin Halo]

Except that the fire truck is a running vehicle and the bus is scrap metal... I'd say that's worlds apart!

You see "scrap metal", I see "blank canvas".

[FIGJAM]

Just starting with tires and wheels will be about 6K!!!

That ain't a canvas, that's a log!

[Captain Goddammit]

It would be literally tens of thousands cheaper to start with a bus in running shape. That "free" bus probably isn't with it's scrap value, since it needs to be hauled out of whatever pasture it's rotting in.
I'm sure there's barely a usable part on the entire thing.

[ranger magnum]

There is a reason people give shit away for free.

Back before the interwebs, you could find crazy deals on stuff because it was more difficult to learn the value of something. Now, you are only a google and a few clicks away from learning anything and everything about stuff. It's gotten so bad now, that there are folks out there thinking their 4 door 1964 Chevy is worth 8k.

[Tin Halo]

Abso. Just a few months ago, there was some dude up in Longmont, had a used car place stocked mostly with vintage stuff; had an early '50's Plymouth in real rough shape for the low, low price of $5K.
'cause...y'know... ratrods.

[Admiral Fukkit]

I always wanted to build a daily driver semi-rat rod '55-'57 Chevy, pretty much a "gasser" but primered (painted but matte finish) but these days any decent shoebox Chevy body is too expensive.
I did figure out you can make a 4-door post '55-'57 into a 2-door post relatively easily if you scrape up a set of 2-door quarter panels and doors. Nothing else is different.
4-doors are still a bit cheaper, but not as much as they should be.
4-doors used to be nothing but parts cars for 2-doors. No one would drive one and think it was cool.
Nowadays the kids don't know the difference. They all drive 4-door Subies, ES300s, etc.
Can you believe it's so bad that Chrysler figures they are better off building 4-door Chargers only?? That shouldn't even exist!

[Tin Halo]

Yeah, like a 4-door Mustang.
Or an Escort limo.




Congratulations on the promotion. I think.

[ygmir]

well, as relates to kids, I think there is a socio economic as well at tech reason, for the "I don't care, as long as it gets me there" attitude.

The "rich kids" are driving BMW, MBZ, and real high end domestic sports cars..........the other kids who could maybe get an old mustang, are still feeling overwhelmed at the "price difference" and so, just give up.
Combine that with the fact so many are totally unable to wrench on anything, and or live in cities where they really have no place (shade tree, back lot, or if lucky a carport) to work.
I think it's a little bit indicative of the loss of the "middle class"...........

I also ran into a frustration with my 2000 F250 diesel 4x4: I put new studded tires on, and the damn ABS makes it feel like the brakes hardly work! I"m guessing the rears may be skidding sooner, so it's backing everything off, but dang.........and, as with new stuff, it's not like I can crawl under and adjust something. I made an appointment at the shop up the street who can "read ABS codes" with their computer and test the systems.
I always keep my brakes adjusted up to snuff (on my vehicles that have drum brakes), and no ABS, and they'll stand on their nose in a panic stop.......this, does not feel that way.
Granted, a 2000 F250 does not stop like a MBZ 300 SDL, but still..........

[Tin Halo]

well, as relates to kids, I think there is a socio economic as well at tech reason, for the "I don't care, as long as it gets me there" attitude.

I wish that were pervasive.

Jen's son got his license a week or so ago. She was talking to him about what car he might be able to get, at some point; she pointed out the neighbor girls' car - mid-90's Toyota something or other, tons of miles, kinda beat up - and the first thing out of his mouth was "but... it has dents!"

My bitchslap hand was twitching mightily.

[Captain Goddammit]

Aw shit. My first car was a totalled wreck, because that's what I could afford, that I had to figure out how to put together.
I'd have a twitchy bitch-slap hand too!