The Car Thread

[Captain Goddammit]

Good job! I'm a gear head who has built cars and trucks from bare frames, and no one taught me anything. I just did things, starting as a kid.
Cars aren't that complicated. They are just an assemblage of fairly simple sub-assembles.

[robbidobbs]

I'm looking for opinions: Dr Holderdown (an amazing mechanic) has a lead on a 1995 Chevy 1500 (C15 350 whatever that means) crew cab with 146k miles, new front tires, excellent mechanical condition, but pushed in side panel.
Is this a good buy for a way not mechanical at all me?
Thanks!

[ygmir]

I'm looking for opinions: Dr Holderdown (an amazing mechanic) has a lead on a 1995 Chevy 1500 (C15 350 whatever that means) crew cab with 146k miles, new front tires, excellent mechanical condition, but pushed in side panel.
Is this a good buy for a way not mechanical at all me?
Thanks!

the price will tell all....................
if the pushed in panel is not creased, it may be able to be mostly pulled back out, and not be so bad.

[ygmir]

I"m tempted............

my friend has a 72 vw bug, orange, convertable, he wants to sell.
new engine and transaxle (rebuilt), and lots of new interior and parts. Still needs some TLC, but, would be a good driver as is, most work needed is cosmetic.

dang.

is 3K too much? I think he'll come down, but, I don't want to insult him, either.

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[Elorrum]

Are you missing your Herbie?

[Elliot]

Ygmir, you want to inspect that bug very thoroughly for rust. Convertibles tend to fill up with water, and the floor rusts out.
But without rust, that car is likely to hold its value, or even appreciate.
In the extreme, if the floor pan is rusty but not the body, it might even pay to buy a rust free coupe and transfer the body. (I expect the rag-top floor pan is reinforced, but that could probably be duplicated.)

Robbidobbs, the "C" means that it is a two-wheel-drive pickup. The "15" means that it is the lightest version of the full size pickup, often referred to as a half-ton, and the "1500" means the same thing. "350" is the size of the engine -- the most common Chevy engine.
I'm almost surprised they built a half-ton Crew Cab, since Crew Cabs tend to be heavier duty models, such as a 2500 (3/4 ton) or 3500 (1 ton). Be sure you have the terminology straight. A Crew Cab has four doors -- four real doors, no "half-doors".
I'm inclined to consider a 1/2-ton Crew Cab a desirable model -- for the right owner.

[robbidobbs]

No rear doors. No crease, can be popped out.
Needs valve cover gasket and intake gasket. Dr offering to do the work.
"The right owner" is what I'm worried about. I don't need a expensive hobby. The PoopMobile is expensive enough.

[ygmir]

Ygmir, you want to inspect that bug very thoroughly for rust. Convertibles tend to fill up with water, and the floor rusts out.
But without rust, that car is likely to hold its value, or even appreciate.
In the extreme, if the floor pan is rusty but not the body, it might even pay to buy a rust free coupe and transfer the body. (I expect the rag-top floor pan is reinforced, but that could probably be duplicated.)

Robbidobbs, the "C" means that it is a two-wheel-drive pickup. The "15" means that it is the lightest version of the full size pickup, often referred to as a half-ton, and the "1500" means the same thing. "350" is the size of the engine -- the most common Chevy engine.
I'm almost surprised they built a half-ton Crew Cab, since Crew Cabs tend to be heavier duty models, such as a 2500 (3/4 ton) or 3500 (1 ton). Be sure you have the terminology straight. A Crew Cab has four doors -- four real doors, no "half-doors".
I'm inclined to consider a 1/2-ton Crew Cab a desirable model -- for the right owner.

I thought the body and pan were one piece on the VW?

My friend stripped the interior and I'd imagine dealt with any rust there at that time..........he wanted it as a car for his wife to buzz around town with.........then realized the issues with a convertible in Seattle...........and they don't have the best heaters, either.

well, I gotta see if I can find average pricing for said car, to see if I end up not liking it, I can at least get my money back by selling it.

tanks Elliot!
hahahah

[Elliot]

Ygmir, no, you can take the body off a bug and still drive it (with exception of a few small things). That's how dune buggies are built -- yank the body off and slap the fiberglass dune buggy body on. (Although they usually shorten the floor pan by about a foot.)

Robbiedobbs, I suspected this. What you have there is called an extended cab, or club cab, or some such. You may notice that there are very few pickups around anymore that do not have a small back seat. So it is a perfectly normal and common Chevy. It will probably drink quite a bit more gasoline than your little station wagon, but it should be easier to get it repaired when need be.

[robbidobbs]

What do you mean easier? Avail parts or easy (labor) to do?

[Elliot]

Both.

[robbidobbs]

Good information Elliot. Thank you!

[Captain Goddammit]

Ygmir, here's mine
The biggest thing to check on a convertible Bug is rust in the lower side channels, just inside the doors. It's hard to see, usually covered in carpet... poke around (kinda' hard) on those and make sure they are really solid. It's a fairly big deal to replace those and I'd pass on one with rust there.
Everything else is pretty standard old Bug.

[^Rhino!]

Ygmir, no, you can take the body off a bug and still drive it (with exception of a few small things). That's how dune buggies are built -- yank the body off and slap the fiberglass dune buggy body on. (Although they usually shorten the floor pan by about a foot.)

Robbiedobbs, I suspected this. What you have there is called an extended cab, or club cab, or some such. You may notice that there are very few pickups around anymore that do not have a small back seat. So it is a perfectly normal and common Chevy. It will probably drink quite a bit more gasoline than your little station wagon, but it should be easier to get it repaired when need be.

I've got one of those pickups without a small back seat. 8'bed, LEER oversize camper shell. It's a 6cyl. Toyota Tundra, and has been to the playa 5 times without a problem. 235,000 mi. and still going strong. At 17 mpg in the summer, 14-ish in the winter.

[ranger magnum]

The only thing about that Chevy is the transmission. I think it's a 4L60E. At 146k on the clock, it is well into its service life. You can get a used one for about a grand, or rebuild what you have for 2k or so.

And whoever posted up about that rag top bug, if you don't buy it I will.

[MikeGyver]

Decided today to check the compression on my jeep. Spent an hour and a half trying to find the compression gauge and half an hour to actually test compression. Found a lot of things I forgot we had though, so that's nice.

[ranger magnum]

How did the compression test go? As long as you are around 10% across all cylinders you are good. Did you do a leakdown test too?

[MikeGyver]

Just compression . 140 was the lowest and 155 was the highest. Someone with the same engine and less miles says his is around 115 across all cylinders so I'm gonna say my compression. Is fine. Trying to get my jeep more 1600 mile drive ready.

[ranger magnum]

Yes your fine. It's an inline 6, right? Inline engines go forever. That's why Cummins routinely hit a million miles.

[MikeGyver]

I'm not as worried about just the engine as the whole package. Its a lot of little things not one large one.

[FIGJAM]

Nephew wants to put a header on his Hyundai.

I explained to him that changing one part doesn't make a hot rod, that it take a combination of parts and machining to have such a car.

Changing the basic engineering of the car won't necessarily make it more reliable either.

Example: You can have a car that will go 100 mph and last you 300,000 miles.

Or you can build a car that will go 300 mph, but will not go that fast for an hour, nor go 300 miles!!!

[Elliot]

You can give him my example: I once installed fancy headers and intake-manifold on a Chevy, with dual pipes, and removal of smog-pump and EGR-valve in the process -- and noticed ZERO difference.

[Captain Goddammit]

What, you didn't notice the starter getting hot and cranking slowly, sometimes not at all, after you drive a few miles?

[tatonka]

I had a 66 Mustang with a 289 in it , it came with a 2bl and single exhaust. I put a Highrise manifold on it and a 650 holley and Headers , had better performance and on freeway got better mpg.

[Elliot]

A 1966 probably had enough compression and valve-timing to make use of the better flow. My example was a 1974, so I'm thinking it was limited by low compression and "smog" valve-timing.

Anyway... yes, headers that run close to the starter can certainly cause "heat soak" cranking problems. The factory down-pipes I have looked closely at had double walls -- presumably to carry both noise and heat further back.

(One time... when I was working at a Chrysler dealer, we had a new car that would not run worth a hoot, and for the longest time we could not find the problem. Turned out, one of the down-pipes was plugged up -- by the inner wall bulging inward, a manufacturing defect.

[MikeGyver]

Everyone knows stickers help performance.

[FIGJAM]

And pin striping!!!

[ranger magnum]

Engines are nothing more than air pumps. More air in and more air out equals more power. Headers aren't going to add much if anything without working the intake as well, especially on a modern engine.

On a more interesting more, I finished painting the top of the belair. Nearly 6 ounces of metal flake, and a half gallon of clear on that sucker make it look like a bass boat. I shot various amounts of House Of Color kandy pagan gold over 6 different colors of flake to give it a true 50's look. Im taking it to Las Vegas for the Viva Las Vegas Rockabilly extravaganza.

[Captain Goddammit]

House Of Color is The Good Stuff... that '58 is getting dangerously close to being too good to be a rat rod! But... it's awesome, you've got it totally nailed. Car choice, stance, wheels, finishes, lakes pipes... that's just a great cruiser.

[Jackass]

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The shit's getting real over here.
Gotta love the one year only 58. Some parts you damn near have to fab from scratch yourself...
Yeah I know, four doors, 6 banger with the peashooter package... Still a cool car, people are drawn to these things. It's a Delray, the most modest of the trim packages. It was the workhorse, used for taxies and cop cars if I'm not mistaken.

Below a pic of my baby, we'll celebrate our twenty year anniversary this coming fall

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