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

gsemike

tjc78 said:

I had Sumitomos on my truck when I had it and had zero complaints at all. I’d buy them again in a minute. 

On an Altima, I went for an inspection not realizing the tires needed attention. The shop put on Nexens. I'd never heard of them but ended up getting pretty decent service out of them. A little louder than I would like, but good traction and good wear over 2 years.

omarman

I like this '63 Galaxie from Lewis Center - not far from me - with updated power (disk?) brakes by Evans on Morse Rd. That's a good shop and if I were a buyer that's where I'd want a PPI. The 3x2bbl induction was a 406 option but I don't recall if that was available on the 390 or not. I don't like the wheel "update" and there's not enough pics but if all checked out I wonder what it's worth?

stickguy

Lot of motor in that car. Agreed the wheels gotta go. I think it would look better with a foot of rear overhang chopped off though.

tjc78

My 17 Elantra has Nexen.  Seem to fine for that type of car.  No idea how they wear as I only have 12k miles two years into the lease and won’t even break 20k.  Still look to have plenty of meat. 

andres3

qbrozen said:

andres3 said:

Good "cheap" tire. Still, you get what you pay for at times (not always).

Kind of like some cars. You can pay double for 10% improved performance if you really want to. Then, of course, you have to actually use them to that extent. I made A LOT of far more expensive iron with far more expensive rubber look bad running a set of Sumitomos on the track and at the autocross.

I've become a fan of expensive Michelins lately. It's not that they put up better track times (some testing says they do), but that they are able to do it while combining longevity/durability (treadwear life), with heat tolerance (track durability), with a comfortable ride, and with a quiet ride.

I believe they are able to do this right now better than the other guys. Whether that means they are the most profitable tire company right now I do not know.

qbrozen

The Pilot Sports are phenomenal. But, yeah, EXPENSIVE. The premium outweighs the gain, IMHO.

tjc78

Michelin in general are one of the priciest tires out there. I cringe to think what the 19s on our Enclave cost. Great tires and my personal favorite, but you pay for it.

The Pilots on my 12 Lacrosse IIRC were $275/tire

fintail

I ran PS2s on my E55 - $1300 a set 10 years ago.

explorerx4

One of my kids is getting ready to replace the 19 inch Continentals on her 2013 Escape.
The just passed the 70k mark.

xwesx

explorerx4 said:

One of my kids is getting ready to replace the 19 inch Continentals on her 2013 Escape.
The just passed the 70k mark.

Yikes. 19" tires are not cheap (event the cheap ones aren't cheap), but at least she managed great life out of the last set!

explorerx4

@xwesx,
The Escape has the same mileage on it, so they are the original tires, except one that had to be replaced early on due to a pothole blowout.
My wife bought it in Oct 2012 and we passed it on when she got her MKC in Feb 2016.

fintail

70K miles on any set of tires is impressive.

The low profile PS2s on the E55 were good for 20K miles if treated gently, staggered wheels.

berri

Overall, I lean toward Michelin's also

qbrozen

70k is ...wow. I thought we did really well with 50k on the Continentals on the minivan. I just bought an identical replacement set. 

explorerx4

My wife's 1990 Explorer(4 door with v6 and 5 speed manual trans) got 70k out of the original Firestones.
Put the same tires on as replacements. The guy at the tire store said 'What did you do? Drive on marshmellows the whole time?'
I'm pretty sure the Conti's on the Escape were rated for 60k.

tjc78

I had 55k on a set of Michelin Symmetry’s and they still had at least another 10k to go. This was on the 04 Grand Marquis.

qbrozen

I should probably note that I am REALLY hard on tires. If my wife exclusively drove the van, I'm sure the tires could have gone far longer.

tjc78

I get it, I seem to be hard on brakes. The 15 Enclave had warped rotors by 20k, the 17’s are warped already at 13k. Next oil change, dealer is going to have to cut them.

stickguy

I would not do everything the same, but conceptually, I like this.

Of course, my dream GTO is the 74 model, making me, you could say, unique. if you are being kind.

https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1972-pontiac-ventura/

explorerx4

Managed to crawl back from the BAT cave in less than 1/2 an hour.

stickguy

I would have been there that long if the wife wasn't waiting to go out to run errands.

fintail

The Ponton uplanderguy spotted in South Bend was indeed still there:







Surprisingly solid looking (I didn't check underneath), the body panels looked pretty intact, and much of the chrome was OK. However, the interior was a mess, this car has sat outside in a harsh environment for many years.

explorerx4

The dryer vent hose doesn't really help. Other than that looks good. Color combo is probably 70's cool.
https://newlondon.craigslist.org/cto/d/1977-cutlass/6726642128.html

fintail

Had the old dear out today in the bright sun (feels tropical compared to where I have been lately) for the first time in 4-5 weeks:



Started right up on the first turn of the key, running fine, but just the hint of a miss, I think it is time for the seasonal idle speed adjustment, which seems to also mildly influence timing. Next time I drive it, I will work on it. More alarming during this drive was the presence of blowby from the dipstick area. Usually when I drive the car, it will leave a random drip no bigger than a dime-nickel, and not from this area. However, today I noticed a bigger drip coming from the blowby spot. I guess it is either some kind of crankcase ventilation issue, or a compression issue - the latter probably being quite expensive to correct. The next time the car goes in for service, I am going to get an opinion, and cross my fingers.

Michaell

fintail said:

Had the old dear out today in the bright sun (feels tropical compared to where I have been lately) for the first time in 4-5 weeks:



Started right up on the first turn of the key, running fine, but just the hint of a miss, I think it is time for the seasonal idle speed adjustment, which seems to also mildly influence timing. Next time I drive it, I will work on it. More alarming during this drive was the presence of blowby from the dipstick area. Usually when I drive the car, it will leave a random drip no bigger than a dime-nickel, and not from this area. However, today I noticed a bigger drip coming from the blowby spot. I guess it is either some kind of crankcase ventilation issue, or a compression issue - the latter probably being quite expensive to correct. The next time the car goes in for service, I am going to get an opinion, and cross my fingers.

Still looks great!

But, I've got a question which may be difficult for you to answer. Will you know when enough is enough, in terms of keeping the old dear on the road?

I think of your fintail like I do my dogs. They're 15, 11 and 10, and I know my time with them is coming to an end in the not-too-distant future. I just invested over $1000 in dental work on the 15 year old, and the youngest has already survived back surgery and rehab. The wife and I have talked a bit about how much more we're willing to invest in their care, and just keep them comfortable until the day arrives that we have to let them go.

If this latest problem is going to cost $1000's to rectify, will you bite the bullet and do it, or ….. what?

stickguy

one good thing about a collectible like this. they usually get so little use, that you can go a long time with a problem that would take down a daily driver.

who cares if you use a quart of oil every 500 miles, if you only put on 1,000/year?

fintail

I think I'd pretty much have to bite the bullet. It's hard from a pure financial standpoint to defend expensive work on a not-so-high value car, but at the same time means the car is effectively a parts car if it isn't running and driving. The car is sound and roadworthy otherwise, without other major needs, keeping it running isn't the worst chore - beats rust work anyway. The car is also a sentimental object, so I suppose I don't need to be completely logical.

I had the same dilemma in 1997, when a piston ring broke - fix it (either repair the engine or swap it), or walk away. Even though the parts alone cost a couple grand even then, I decided to fix it, as I couldn't get anything better for the cost of the repair.

Michaell said:

Still looks great!

But, I've got a question which may be difficult for you to answer. Will you know when enough is enough, in terms of keeping the old dear on the road?

I think of your fintail like I do my dogs. They're 15, 11 and 10, and I know my time with them is coming to an end in the not-too-distant future. I just invested over $1000 in dental work on the 15 year old, and the youngest has already survived back surgery and rehab. The wife and I have talked a bit about how much more we're willing to invest in their care, and just keep them comfortable until the day arrives that we have to let them go.

If this latest problem is going to cost $1000's to rectify, will you bite the bullet and do it, or ….. what?

ab348

If it has a PCV system that is the obvious place to look. If it uses a draft tube perhaps that is the problem. Some other engines in that era used a combination crankcase breather that was connected by pipe or hose to a catch can, which can get blocked.

ab348

This car is my favorite 1960s Ford full-sizer:

https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1966-ford-galaxie-3/

It is owned and being sold by Jason of Denworks in Oregon, who has a very good reputation on that site. It is a bit unusual as he says it was his personal project car and he did all the mechanicals before deciding he would not be able to finish it and is selling it off.

It's a shame the other needs are so extensive and would be costly to fix. Seems like it has some flaky electrical issues too. I think the colors would be stunning if it was redone. Deep pockets would be required to finish it off I suspect.

stickguy

I always like that style too.

texases

While it would take big $$ to restore everything, how about just doing the seats and dying the carpet, plus chase down the electrical bugs? While not my pot of porridge, someone could end up with a pretty nice one for not too much money. But I'm thinking the engine would be much better than the handling or the stopping...

fintail

I think I have the crankcase breather system, and I think I know which plumbing makes up the system - but I don't want to dive into it and take apart the wrong thing, then be stuck with a non-running car. I am also limited in tools and workspace. I'll budget a little more for 2019 maintenance, and cross my fingers that "engine overhaul" doesn't appear on the list of needs. It's running fine anyway, and oil pressure on the gauge appears normal.

That Galaxie is the same color and style as my first car, albeit mine wasn't a 7 litre (rather, a cold blooded 390) and not as fancy. I think my dad bought it in 1992, and although I didn't legally own it of course, I drove it to school until it was hit. Car of that era were quite common in this area during that time, and could be found with little to no rust. I think he paid a grand for it.

I like how that 7 Litre has vintage Montana plates and not tax evader Montana plates.

ab348 said:

If it has a PCV system that is the obvious place to look. If it uses a draft tube perhaps that is the problem. Some other engines in that era used a combination crankcase breather that was connected by pipe or hose to a catch can, which can get blocked.

sda

I agree with stickguy, if it is using some oil, no real harm. Just add as needed. If it is a PCV system that can be fixed, great. Unless it is making bad noises such as rod knock, keep maintaining it as you do and enjoy.

sda

Our neighbor that lived across the street from us in St. Pete had a red on red '66 Galaxie XL with the 7 litre. It was full power, ac, pw, etc. I rode in it several times as their daughter and I went to the same elementary school and the moms car pooled. It was so much nicer than mom's '63 Dynamic 88.

bhill2

Odd little guy that I was at the time, I was attracted to the LTD 4-door. Wanted that engine, though.

sda

bhill2 said:

Odd little guy that I was at the time, I was attracted to the LTD 4-door. Wanted that engine, though.

I like the front grille that the LTD and XL share, with the quad parking/fog light look. Some years later dad's employer had a '66 LTD, turquoise blue, matching cloth interior, black vinyl top, 428, fully loaded. The car had been rode hard and put up wet. I really liked the interior of that car. Dad drove it for a couple of days as he was waiting for his replacement company car. He had a '71 Catalina 2dr, which was leased, and was getting a '73 Catalina sedan.

berri

The 66 Ford Galaxie XL 500 is a favorite of mine, as was the 63. I believe Fintail owned a 66 coupe like that. My favorite big Fomoco's of that era are probably the Mercury Marauders.

qbrozen

Paging @fintail
Any thoughts on this?
https://www.cargurus.com/Cars/share/208363236

fintail

Interesting. Price is all the money in the world for one of these, but if it checks out, this is the kind you want to buy, where someone else has done all the work. If you are really into this, get a PPI, if it checks out, negotiate a bit, and maybe do it - hard to find these that have really been taken care of, many neglected ones out there.

Definitely drive it and feel it first, too - these were not the pinnacle of MB material quality (to be fair, most cars of this era just kind of have odd plastics), and some find that off-putting.

qbrozen said:

Paging @fintail
Any thoughts on this?
https://www.cargurus.com/Cars/share/208363236

explorerx4

Pictures don't lie, so I'm guessing the description is wrong?
https://westernmass.craigslist.org/cto/d/1997-nissan-ud-tow-flat-bed/6754221768.html

Mr_Shiftright

USS Cassin Young (launched 1943). Distinguished war record, fought at Okinawa, hit by kamikazis (hopefully not built by Nissan) ---one of only four surviving Fletcher-class destroyers still afloat.

I'd buy it for $8500. I know just the place to park it, too.

fintail

Maybe the ad for his 71 Lincoln has a pic of the Nissan.

explorerx4

Pictures don't lie, so I'm guessing the description is wrong?
https://westernmass.craigslist.org/cto/d/1997-nissan-ud-tow-flat-bed/6754221768.html

gsemike

Time capsule T-bird

https://longisland.craigslist.org/cto/d/55-bird/6759351552.html

"custom built in late 60s" you don't say.

fintail

Land a plane on your car

Mr_Shiftright

Price seems very high for a chop job.

texases

I guess it's the hat?

xwesx

fintail said:

Land a plane on your car

Dang; they managed to get 26,500 miles on it over forty years in the Seattle area.... without seeing ANY rain or inclement weather? How did they manage that?!

fintail

July and August.

I suspect it is an experience to drive that car over railroad tracks.

xwesx said:

Dang; they managed to get 26,500 miles on it over forty years in the Seattle area.... without seeing ANY rain or inclement weather? How did they manage that?!

ab348

The aftermarket trim on the hidden headlight doors unfortunately makes the front end look like a mid-70s LTD.

Visibility must be a treat with the top up.