Project Cars--You Get to Vote on "Hold 'em or Fold 'em"

stickguy

Now that, is a pretty car.

qbrozen

xwesx said:

This popped up on the local Facebook sales board: 1966 Triumph TR4A $6,250 Fairbanks, AK Classic British 1966, TR4A roadster, original California car, all original (except old repaint). Nice 15’ driver with great potential. All maintenance records/receipts since 1971. Newer convertible top, tires and radiator. New carpet kit, misc. parts and manuals included. Great parade car and Sunday driver. BRG, looks pretty decent. If there's rust, you can't see it from the photos provided.

Exactly the kind of car I think of when I consider the Alaskan market

Mr_Shiftright

Maybe it's the TR 4 3/4 ton AWD I've read about

No, seriously, the price is fair enough if it isn't heavily rusted. These are simple, primitive cars to work on, fun to drive, nice to look at, and parts are readily available UPS--a lot easier than trying to get parts for many other old foreign cars.

I wouldn't take it on roads that were too rough, though. It would fall apart.

ab348

Just by coincidence I was reading online about the history of Standard-Triumph last night. In 1964 they developed this prototype code-named Fury intended to replace the TR-4, which used the 6-cylinder engine that later made its way into the TR-250 and TR-6, IRS, all in all quite the package for the times especially considering the lovely styling. Of course they decided not to produce it.

explorerx4

I'm sure when they turned on the headlights, they didn't flip up.

texases

Those aren’t headlights, they’re work  lights for the engine compartment!😄

explorerx4

@texases, Bam!

Mr_Shiftright

Looked too much like the Spitfire they were building already, I'd bet.

ab348

Mr_Shiftright said:

Looked too much like the Spitfire they were building already, I'd bet.

No external fender seams, so it would be considered totally different and a Great Leap Forward.

Mr_Shiftright

Oh, well, that's a really big deal!

fintail

I got some bling for my project car today:



I will install it the next time I drive the car. Fun thing, either I am missing something regarding installation, or it is missing something, as the parts don't make sense to me (no bolts or similar to hold it on).

Mr_Shiftright

You probably need a badge holder.

fintail

It came with two long screw kind of things (no head for a screwdriver, turn by hand I guess), a bracket, and two washers. I will play around with it, but I think I need something else.

Michaell

There's gotta be a video on YouTube to show how to install it.

stickguy

find another car with one and take a look how it is attached. Old school! Or youtube if you are no fun.

fintail

A quick google shows a different badge installation, but the same principle:

https://www.bimmerforums.com/forum/showthread.php?1786006-D-I-Y-Grill-Emblem-Install

It appears I am missing the hex nuts - I have the screw things and the supports/brackets. Shouldn't be hard to find at a hardware store.

ab348

fintail said:

It came with two long screw kind of things (no head for a screwdriver, turn by hand I guess), a bracket, and two washers. I will play around with it, but I think I need something else.

You sure those are washers? If there is no hex or screw head on the screws perhaps it is intended to use push-on fasteners on the backside, which may be what the "washers" actually are.

fintail

That could be it, I will try it. I am not used to screws like this. They fit a little loose, but not too much so. I just don't want the thing to come loose and cause damage or fall off - this is a "pay to play" award, as I call it - the certification was at no cost, but I bought the badge.

ab348 said:

You sure those are washers? If there is no hex or screw head on the screws perhaps it is intended to use push-on fasteners on the backside, which may be what the "washers" actually are.

fintail

Here's a project found by someone on another forum I frequent.

Looks complete and correct, but I would worry about rust. Nice interior color.

Mr_Shiftright

You want to crawl under it, and also attempt to start it or at least compression test it before you forked over a bid.

texases

Is the carb a big deduct over FI?

fintail

I don't think it is a big deal as the carb models are most common, but I think FI is generally more desirable. This is a dual carb model, for twice as much fun.

Mr_Shiftright

texases said:

Is the carb a big deduct over FI?

You mean value-wise? The carb isn't a "deduct" per se, as if people would flee from it, but the FI generally brings more money, yes. It matters much less on the low end than on the high end. A fully restored FI sedan would bring considerably more $$$ than a twin-carb.

jpp75

Posted this on the Obscure Cars as well, but it's definitely a project car.

Michaell

jpp5862 said:

Posted this on the Obscure Cars as well, but it's definitely a project car.

Gee, a quick respray and you could have the car from "Pretty in Pink":

explorerx4

On the other end of the spectrum of that Karman Ghia.
This looks pretty new.
https://newlondon.craigslist.org/cto/d/1990-cadillac-eldorado-barritz/6716682101.html

Mr_Shiftright

A bit pricey, but you could do worse. $4500 should be more than enough.

fintail

I just had to waste a few minutes at BaT - this is quite nice

MB had it together then

And then too, nice color combo

Always getting the bids

Survivor better than most, amusing that it received a dealer emblem

Rare period tune

Interesting to see how this fares

explorerx4

Those monoblock wheels look good on that convertible.

fintail

I think 1997/98 can be called the pinnacle of the V8 R129 - you got the desirable M119 engine and the sport package with Aero II monoblocks, one of the best wheel designs.

ab348

I tackled the water pump on the Cutlass last weekend. Biggest issue was getting everything off - the fan shroud, the belts and hoses, draining the cooling system, etc., not all that hard, just time-consuming. The bolts all came out with ease. Unfortunately the 2-piece power steering bracket needed to be removed as well to free the pump and that was the hardest thing to re-assemble. After it came off my buddy who was staying here for the weekend took over as chief mechanic to put the new one on with me as the assistant. For him it was easy-peasy, now all back together and works well.

Interesting thing I discovered: the one that was on there was put on in 1996 a few years after I got the car. It was sourced from a parts store and was a rebuilt unit using an Oldsmobile casting. The one I bought from RockAuto this time was brand new, not a rebuild, made in China. The casting was identical except for the Olds casting numbers which were non-existent on it. Hard to believe they are casting new water pump housings for a 1960s car in China. That also explains why there was no core charge. I would love to get the one I took off rebuilt to have as a "correct" spare, but apparently nobody locally does that kind of work any more.

sda

Keep it anyway, you never know. The last water pump I changed was on my '70 DeVille convertible in '83. It wasn't hard just time consuming.

texases

What a huge advance it was when they went to one serpentine belt with an idler, instead of all the adjustable accessories: alternator, power steering, a/c, with multiple belts.

xwesx

texases said:

What a huge advance it was when they went to one serpentine belt with an idler, instead of all the adjustable accessories: alternator, power steering, a/c, with multiple belts.

No doubt! I conditioned the belts for my cars this summer.... the Q7 and the 2013 Forester together took less time than the 2008 Forester. The first two have full serpentine with a tensioner, while the 2008 has two separate drive belts with manual tension adjustments.

qbrozen

xwesx said:

What a huge advance it was when they went to one serpentine belt with an idler, instead of all the adjustable accessories: alternator, power steering, a/c, with multiple belts.

No doubt! I conditioned the belts for my cars this summer.... the Q7 and the 2013 Forester together took less time than the 2008 Forester. The first two have full serpentine with a tensioner, while the 2008 has two separate drive belts with manual tension adjustments.

Conditioned? Like put Oil of Olay on them or something?

tjc78

I remember years ago there was a spray you could buy to stop belts from squealing, but not sure if they even sell it anymore.

Mr_Shiftright

I don't think those sprays turned out to be a very good idea.

fintail

Belt dressing?

xwesx

qbrozen said:

Conditioned? Like put Oil of Olay on them or something?

Yep, something like that! Hahahaha.

I soak them in 303 Protectant for about ten minutes. Turns the belts into lifetime parts.

qbrozen

xwesx said:

qbrozen said:

Conditioned? Like put Oil of Olay on them or something?

Yep, something like that! Hahahaha.

I soak them in 303 Protectant for about ten minutes. Turns the belts into lifetime parts.

Do you really believe that? If that's true, why not do that to your tires?

xwesx

qbrozen said:

xwesx said:

qbrozen said:

Conditioned? Like put Oil of Olay on them or something?

Yep, something like that! Hahahaha.

I soak them in 303 Protectant for about ten minutes. Turns the belts into lifetime parts.

Do you really believe that? If that's true, why not do that to your tires?

Well, time has told me it works quite well, actually. And, belts wear differently than tires. The enemy of belts is drying out and cracking. They will probably last about eight years, maybe 75,000 miles before they really ought to be replaced if left to the elements.

I do use it on my tires, which is probably why I am able to have stable 20+ year-old tires on my pickup. I have been slack on the van, and those tires are shot. It doesn't keep the tread from wearing, though!

qbrozen

Sounds to me like one of those hundreds of products out there that claim to make improvements, yet I find it nearly impossible to believe that, if true and provable, the manufacturers wouldn't use it themselves in the first place. Let's take, for example, Gates offering up a lifetime belt for 4 times the cost of a regular one. They get more money than the vast majority of consumers would spend on their car with the huge added selling benefit of NOT having to pay a mechanic multiple times during the life of the vehicle. It is a no-brainer ... unless it doesn't work.

xwesx

qbrozen said:

Sounds to me like one of those hundreds of products out there that claim to make improvements, yet I find it nearly impossible to believe that, if true and provable, the manufacturers wouldn't use it themselves in the first place. Let's take, for example, Gates offering up a lifetime belt for 4 times the cost of a regular one. They get more money than the vast majority of consumers would spend on their car with the huge added selling benefit of NOT having to pay a mechanic multiple times during the life of the vehicle. It is a no-brainer ... unless it doesn't work.

I'm not trying to convince you to use it. I often keep my cars a tad longer than others here, so what I see as benefits doesn't necessarily translate to others.

qbrozen

oh, I know. You weren't pushing it in any way. No worries.

fintail

Pretty old beast on BaT What a color combo. Looks like a good driver quality car beyond a feasible restoration - so just drive it and enjoy it

stickguy

Oh man. I love this. So many memories. My folks bought this in a 4 door new, and I learned to drive in it. I loved that car. Same color, interior, etc. no Weber carb though or tach!

My wife would kill me. I hope it doesn’t stay cheap

https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1969-volvo-142-3/

ab348

We had a '68 144 when I was in college that Dad used as his daily car as a real estate salesman. He loved that car. It was a bit of a slug, having the 1.8 engine and a Borg Warner automatic, but that thing was tough as nails. It saved his life.

One day I was home with Mom when he called on the phone to tell her that he had been in an accident. A semi pulling a shipping container trailer had the container come loose on a curve, topple off the trailer, and land on the roof of the Volvo before bouncing off and landing in the ditch. He was fine, just a bit shaken.

I remember going with him a day or two later to look at the car. The crown of the roof had been flattened and there were a few creases in parts where I suppose the edges of the container had dug into it. All 4 tires were flat. The glass was intact, surprisingly. The car was repaired and he had the color changed from the butterscotch color it was originally to the yellow they used on early '70s 140s. He used it for another year or two.

The one thing I remember about the car was that the vent windows were glued to the lower pivot using the same type of adhesive used for rear view mirrors and it never held, so you couldn't use them. They could only ever be opened a couple of inches anyway since they fouled on the interior door panel. Later models had that section angled away to let the windows open fully, and used a screw attachment on the lower pivot.

A funny story about the accident: the container split open when it landed in the ditch and was full of cases of scotch whisky. Apparently once people realized everyone was OK they started scooping up the cases of booze that had fallen out until the police arrived. Dad never got a drop.

berri

The crown of the roof had been flattened

But what about that old Volvo ad where they were stacked on top of each other

qbrozen

Duplicate post deleted

qbrozen

stickguy said:

Oh man. I love this. So many memories. My folks bought this in a 4 door new, and I learned to drive in it. I loved that car. Same color, interior, etc. no Weber carb though or tach! My wife would kill me. I hope it doesn’t stay cheap https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1969-volvo-142-3/

That rust scares me