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but, if I had more money than brains, this looks like a great starting point for that resto mod. With the first thing going in a 5 speed stick. Along with a much peppier engine, and full IPD suspension package. Bigger 4 wheel disks. And some cool wheels that look period correct. Later Volvo seats. I think that would do it.
cheaper than starting with a rust bucket!
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
looks like someone tried it with a 142.
http://bringatrailer.com/2015/10/13/blue-chip-pricing-sharp-1972-volvo-142gt/
the other oddball I always had a sweet spot for was the 242 GT. That is already more "modern", so less upgrades required.
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
Plymouths didn't offer Fluid Drive, just a 3-speed or OD in '51. Why Dodges, DeSotos, Chryslers and Imperials didn't offer fully automatic transmissions until the 1954 model year is beyond me. Fluid Drive and its derivatives could be justified until the late 1940s, at the latest, but Chrysler Corp. was renowned for engineering.
Then he discovered the joys of trying to speed shift the Fluid Drive. He would floor the gas, lift his foot off the gas pedel only to slam it back to the floor. He certainly didn't impress anyone!
The transmission put up this for awhile but it wasn't long until the prro car would emit a loud CLUNK when it shifted even under gentle driving conditions.
His next car was a 1957 Dodge that an old lady had owned. Clean, nice, low miles and it came with the D 500 engine. Gold and white with four doors! MAN, that car was FAST!
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
I forget what the original source of that test was, though. In googling around though, apparently Motortrend managed to get a '53 Firedome, all 4120 pounds of it, from 0-60 in 15.5 seconds.
I'd imagine a Fluid Drive '51 Dodge would be around the 21-22 second mark in 0-60? It would be lighter than the DeSoto, but its 6-cyl engine would also be less powerful.
I wonder if not having an automatic transmission hurt Chrysler Corporation sales very much in the early 50's? It probably wasn't *too* big of a deal in the 1940's, although according to Wikipedia, when the Hydramatic was offered for Pontiac in 1948, roughly 70% of them were sold with it. So apparently, demand was there for an automatic.
My guess is that just about anything would have sold from 1946 to around 1950, because of pent-up demand after WWII. But I'd think lack of an automatic would be an issue in the early 50's. Especially in upper-level cars like a DeSoto, Chrysler, or Imperial. I think it was 1950 or 1951 that Ford started outselling Chrysler Corp again, to become the #2 auto maker. Throughout the 30's and 40's, Chrysler would often be #2. Even though Ford division would outsell Plymouth by a wide margin, they had nothing to really bridge the gap between Ford and Lincoln, whereas Mopar had Dodge, DeSoto, and Chrysler to fill the gap between Plymouth and Imperial. And Mercury wasn't that strong of a contender in its early years. It wouldn't really come into its own until the 1949 models.
Also, at the risk of sounding sexist, a lot of women started driving for the first time after WWII, and they overwhelmingly preferred automatics over manual trannies. Maybe Chrysler Corp could have kept its lead over Ford Motor Co. of it had introduced Powerflyte as an option in all its cars in '50 or '51.
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
You must be old!
2017 Cadillac ATS Performance Premium 3.6
The Ram obviously started up, no trouble at all. Oddly though, the one I was most worried about was my blue '79 New Yorker, which tends to give me fits, and was last started about two weeks ago. But, I gave it one gentle pump, turned the key, and nothing. One more pump, and a crank, and still nothing. But then, a third crank and it fired right up!
The 5th Ave and Catalina were considerably more stubborn, but they've also been sitting longer...at least a month I think. But, everything moved under its own power, at least...
On a separate subject, I found my VW 411...
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
Those are minor collectibles now - not worth a fortune, but people definitely collect them.
http://forums.edmunds.com/discussion/comment/5158411/#Comment_5158411
And, last night I did not replace the shocks since apparently they are difficult to come by (still trying to sort that one out), but, honestly, shocks are the least of my concerns. I just thought I would replace them while I had easy access.
Rather, I put the rear wheels back on the truck and opened up the front differential housing. What did I find? Not pretty.....
In case it is not obvious in the photo, the differential gear on the left side, which is the one that goes to the right front tire (remember, this is the front axle, so the housing cover is on the front of the unit rather than on the back), is finely worn to a nub. The gear on the right side (goes to left front tire), is literally chewed apart. There are large chunks of steel littering the bottom of the housing. I'm pretty sure this is the source of the noises I was hearing over the last few plowings.
So, basically need to replace all the gears in that puppy. The problem is, I'm having trouble finding how I would go about doing that. I see replacement parts that includes the carrier itself (which doesn't look like it is damaged here), or the carrier with all the gears. This is an open differential, so I'm thinking of maybe getting a limited-slip differential, like this here. Am I off my rocker? Given that I only use this for plowing, would it be problematic to have this installed on a front axle with full-time four-wheel drive? I could replace the fixed axle hubs with a selective hub, I do believe.
Part of the issue here is that I will have to pull the axle shafts out a ways to replace anything in here, but I don't see how to do that exactly. I suppose I'll just have to start digging and see what I see. It worked for the rear!
What a headache....
http://longisland.craigslist.org/cto/5351089713.html Pretty plain 2WD Taco with 145k. I know that they have their fans, but meh
http://longisland.craigslist.org/cto/5351117885.html Older Toyo truck. This one has 4WD and looks nice in it's one pic, but no mention of miles. He says that body is excellent
http://longisland.craigslist.org/cto/5314002942.html OK looking enough dustbuster, but I guess it has emissions troubles
http://longisland.craigslist.org/cto/5351101736.html 5 speed Civic
http://longisland.craigslist.org/cto/5351119618.html Were these Mazdas fun yet?
http://longisland.craigslist.org/cto/5344635032.html Cheap drop top
http://longisland.craigslist.org/cto/5351073818.html "Deal of a lifetime' The trannys suck in these. I suppose if you can source a decent used one with a 1 year warranty, you could come out OK here
http://longisland.craigslist.org/cto/5348109865.html Turbo and wagon and automatic
http://longisland.craigslist.org/cto/5351053492.html Different kind of wagon. Nice color but replace that grill
http://longisland.craigslist.org/cto/5310560952.html These are disappearing pretty quickly
http://longisland.craigslist.org/cto/5343286217.html Old school hybrid. I didn't think that these could last this long
http://longisland.craigslist.org/cto/5343298428.html Newest car on this list.
Overall, I'm pretty surprised by the depth of the offerings. Granted, you're not going to find a forever car here, but they don't look like total bombs. I remember the old days, that once a car hit 100k, you were playing with house money and couldn't count on anything. It's great to see so many cars make it to 150k and more
Honestly, I have never broken into a differential before. In general, they're one of the more reliable components on a vehicle. I considered just dropping it off the truck and taking it in to a shop for a rebuild, but I'm not sure I want to get into it ($-wise) that far. What is certain is that I need to get it sorted soon, as the snow will only hold off for so long....
It just looks to me like a series of gears, so I would think that putting it all back together just like it came apart should do the trick, particularly if I am just installing a pre-built differential. The only connection that I could even screw up would be the ring-to-pinion gear.
Unless you are really Edd China in disguise.
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
Hahahahaha...oh, you were serious? Honestly, once you take it apart, you're in for lots of precise clearance adjustments. My '72 Duster spider gears ended up looking like yours (which I can now see, go figger). I went to a nearby junkyard and got a replacement entire rear axle, put it in with the car on jackstands in the dorm parking lot.
But I guess there are internet resources out there to help you do the detailed repairs if you want to.
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.