I spotted an (insert obscure car name here) classic car today! (Archived)

fintail

The car is ancient remember - the metal finger-slicing fan spins whenever the engine runs.

fintail

That's pretty good mileage for something so big and old. Buzzer thing would be insanely annoying and would cause driving distraction, hope the door sensor keeps working!

texases

But it probably has a hydraulic fan clutch, lots of that era cars did.

tjc78

the metal finger-slicing fan spins whenever the engine runs

Sure, but many mechanical fans have a viscous"clutch" that controls how fast the fan spins while the engine is running depending on temperature.

When they go the fan doesn't spin as fast as it should while on the highway. It "slips" so to speak.

Here is an example of what I'm talking about:

fintail

Aha. I have yanked on it and it seemed tight, just assumed it was directly connected to the engine. That could be it.

Hey, Shifty might know...would a 220SE fintail have this?

imidazol97

>I have yanked on it and it seemed tight,

If it doesn't give at all when you pull on the blades, then it's not a viscous coupling for the fan. When cold, those will be moveable but stiff. Had one on my 350 Cutlass or the 260 cu in Cutlass (or both).

I would suspect you have an air dam missing under the front of the car. Did they use those in those cars to help direct the air up from under the bumper to force more air through the radiator.

Collapsing lower radiator hose that sucks shut with the pull of the water pump? Usually they had a spring wire in them to help hold them open on models with that problem. The wire corrodes away and the hose is free to collapse.

Water pump with corroded fins on the spinning impeller. Not able to pull as much coolant.

You've replaced the radiator, so it's not tubes that are partially blocked with some type of crud or corrosion.

fintail

No air dam to go missing. The car didn't always do this either. The problem seemed to slowly get worse, until a couple years ago on a hot day when going anything over 70 put the needle off the chart. But at lower speeds, the temp is perfectly normal. Even if I go up to around 60, no big problems seen...but from there upwards, it makes me worry. The car doesn't use any unusual amount of coolant, either.

I have the hoses and water pump on the inspection list, too, along with the thermostat. Water pump corrosion does seem possible - it is as old as the radiator. Radiator was refurbished (not replaced) a full 15 years ago, which is probably time enough for problems to develop. At least none of this is terribly expensive.

stickguy

good thing, since most likely all of that will fall into the "while you are in there and it is apart, might as well do it all" category!

fintail

If I went that route, I'd need a 50 year mortgage to fund what that car could consume.

I meant to have this fixed last year - each year I leave the car at the garage to have some need atteneded to, with a price limit for the visit - an unrestored car of such age will always have a long list. But the broken parking brake and a service ate up the budget. This year, maybe it will finally be done. Next year, tires and maybe some suspension updates.

imidazol97

If the radiator is 15 years old, I add that on also. As to the lower hose sucking shut, IIRC some hoses could have the inner layer suck closed because it separated from the outer layer.

fintail

A bad hose would be the best diagnosis...but if I can have it all done for under $500 I will be happy.

Come to think of it, a transmission cooling line broke near the radiator about a year after the overhaul. I wonder if there is any connection...but IIRC the warm running problems didn't come around until many years later.

texases

Well, the fan does nothing at highway speed. So if the radiator's new, it's out. That leaves the hoses, thermostat, and pump. Hoses and thermostat = cheap. What's a water pump for a Fintail cost?

fintail

The radiator was refurbished 15 years ago...in a small town no less, so it could have developed an issue. I'd guess a water pump is a couple hundred I bet...not hard to install anyway.

vidar

Usually on another forum, but first time here. A personal experience with a cooling problem on an older car (1961 Impala 348 c.i. ) was a head gasket leak between the water passage and one cylinder on the passenger side. This was around 1995.

Maintained reasonable temperature at low speed, but would overheat and overflow radiator water at higher speeds. Compression leak into water jacket pressed the coolant out.

Honed the deck in place in the car with a new flat stone, and minor honing on the head at a local shop. Replaced passenger side gasket with a Fel-pro gasket. No leaks to this date.

This head gasket leak never showed up in the oil system.

fintail

Did your car consume coolant? That's what has me cautiously optimistic that I don't have a gasket problem - no coolant loss detectable in the radiator, oil is clean too.

However, the car did have a weird issue once - there would be a tiny trickle of coolant on the outside of the engine block, where it meets the head. But that seems to have stopped years ago, haven't noticed it in ages, and I check it most times after I drive it.

I think eventually the car is going to need a valve job even without this issue...maybe one of those things that should be done at the same time, have the head redone and new gaskets installed as it will all be apart anyway. I'd like to put that off though, expense is high and it's not a terribly valuable car. No doubt a 61 Chevy is a lot more reasonable to source parts for than a similar era Mercedes. A quart of oil burned per year of Sunday driving is a lot cheaper than that work.

texases

I checked on rockauto.com, not sure exactly which model, buy the water pump for your era MB was only about $50.

lemko

Man finds stolen car 42 years later on eBay!

Man finds stolen car 42 years later on eBay!

stickguy

I am amazed that the Philly police actually did anything about it. I would be almost as shocked if they spent that much effort on a car reported stolen yesterday.

tjc78

Great story. It was probably done for PR value. I don't think that the Philly PD is loved by the residents.

fintail

Nice and cheap - must have some other applications. I was including installation too, as I won't be doing this job myself - but I can't see it being a huge job as it is easy to reach.

tjc78

Probably not bad as long as no bolts break.

Mr_Shiftright

You might try peering down into the radiator with a flashlight and seeing if the tubes are clogged up inside. If you see lots of white gooey stuff, or green-brownish crud laid over the tube openings, that's a pretty sure sign of clogging. It's probably a good idea to just have the radiator pulled and boiled out PRESUMING it's not rotten inside. One not-so-accurate test is to scrape your fingernail over the little metal fins on the outside of the radiator. If they flake and break off, or bend like butter, you got a problem.

texases

Saw what looked to be a nice clean Reatta convertible in the neighborhood park parking lot. Can't tell you the last time I saw one of those...

fintail

I might take a look this weekend. But it's probably getting dropped off on Monday, so either way...hopefully this will be it. A simple radiator remodel or water pump would have me happy.

Obscure cars today: a first generation Cressida, the kind with single round lights. Also the nice ~77-78 Datsun 810 wagon I see around now and then.

lemko

...really nice medium gray metallic 1986-89 Lincoln Town Car travelling east on Rhawn Street near Tabor in NE Philly.

tjc78

My kind of car!

lemko

It looked like this one. Same kind of wheels and such:

tjc78

Box Town Cars always looked good in that color. My Grandfather had an 85 like that, but with turbine wheels.

fintail

The turbine wheels look good on those. When I was a grade school kid back when those were new, TCs seemed like the picture of success and money to me - esp as I lived in a town that was a couple hours from any dealers of the upmarket Euro competition. I remember in 1988 a friend of mine's dad bought a more base (cloth) TC, brand new - last time I was back there and drove by his house, they still had it.

ab348

That takes me down memory lane... back when those were new, my now ex-stepbrother (is there such a thing?) was getting married to one of the most beautiful women I have ever met, and rented one of those TCs to tool around in the seaside town where they were to married one weekend. He went off to a bachelor party or some such thing, leaving the TC and his fiance with me. She wanted me to chauffeur her around to take care of some things and I was glad to do so. Every time I see a TC like that I'm reminded of her, dressed and made up to the nines, sitting somewhat regally in the passenger seat, smoking these long cigarettes she liked and instructing me where to go next.

The marriage lasted about 6 months, as I recall.

Mr_Shiftright

Yeah, but 5 of those 6 months were probably great. :P

au1994

Inquiring minds want to know...what happened to the girl?

ab348

Wish I knew. I suspect with her looks and personality, she probably married some tycoon and is living on a private island. She was truly stunning.

garv214

Wish I knew. I suspect with her looks and personality, she probably married some tycoon and is living on a private island. She was truly stunning.

Reminds me of a saying a buddy of mine once shared with me (modified slightly in the spirit of this forum and to bypass any censors...)

For every beautiful woman out there, there is a man who is tired of ..."changing her oil"

ab348

Possibly so. I never really spent a long time in her company to know for sure. My impression was that she was actually quite sweet. But she had this sultry look to her that just did not align with that personality, which I think is why she intrigued me so much.

Anyway, Town Cars now always remind me of her.

lemko

...primer gray 1964 Chevrolet full-size wagon on Napfle Street near Rising Sun in NE Philly.

imidazol97

1962 Rambler American convertible! Gray primer.

Mr_Shiftright

My *favorite* Rambler color!

fintail

A few weirdos today - Delorean, Vehicross, Jensen-Healey, MGB, 78-80 Malibu sedan with small wire wheels

ab348

Same here, icluding a very well-preserved late '80s Rolls Royce in red (!), another Delorean, a nice dark blue MGB, and a red Italian-looking exoticar I could not identify.

au1994

For every beautiful woman out there, there is a man who is tired of ..."changing her oil"

Wiser words have never been spoken!

fintail

Walked up to get the fintail this morning while the modern car is in for service, saw a cool early 60s VW van in a parking lot - period camper conversion. Had a hinged top and old fashioned aluminum frame windows. Looked to be in good condition, maybe old restoration. Also saw a mid 60s Beetle not long after.

Got a thumbs up for the fintail from a middle aged woman in a Murano. And the Avanti that shares a garage with my old car got its flat tire fixed.

fintail

Saw a couple W126 today - a dark blue-green 560SEL with gold trim - screamed 1988. And better, a debadged LWB car, black with no chrome - blackout trim, period Centra wheels - probably the coolest big car you could have had in the 80s.

lemko

"probably the coolest big car you could have had in the 80s."

Besides a 1989 Cadillac Brougham! :P

tjc78

Or a Town Car!!!!

fintail

I guess it depends on if you want to be Goodfellas mafia cool or Miami Vice drug dealer cool :shades:

kyfdx

Speaking of Goodfellas...

Turns out that Henry Hill (Liotta's character in the movie) lived in the same suburban condo complex that I did... in 1980, while under the witness protection program... for about a year.. with his wife and two kids.

omarman

Well there goes the neighborhood. :P
I remember there were several scenes of Liotta driving a '68 Pontiac Grand Prix in that movie. Must have been the right combination of image and trunk space.

lemko

There were a lot of interesting cars in that movie. Joe Pesci's character recklessly drove a 1961 Chevrolet Impala early in that movie. Later on, an early 1980s Cadillac Eldorado is parked in from of his house. Ray Liotta's character had a 1965 Chrysler early in the movie and a 1978 Cadillac Coupe DeVille toward the end of the movie. Two minor characters are found dead in a 1979 Cadillac Coupe DeVille parked under a bridge. Robert DeNiro's character had a late 1970s Buick LeSabre. There were plenty of nice early-mid 1950s Cadillacs parked outside the taxi stand early in the movie.

Speaking of the mob, when I bought my 1979 Buick Park Avenue way back in the day, there was a black 1960 Cadillac Eldorado Brougham parked in a driveway alongside a house. The man from whom I bought the Park Ave told me that Caddy once belonged to a now-deceased local mafia chieftain. Unfortunately, the car was in rough condition and the interior had been gutted. You could tell that it was once a spectacular car.

tjc78

That movie had it all. Great cast, story, cars, music. I have a hard time shutting it off when I'm flipping through the channels.

Lots of shots with the 78 Coupe towards the end of the movie.