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

gsemike

.I never knew those Imperials came in two-doors. I don't think I've ever seen one.

bhill2

Yes, they did. At least in the late 50s and early 60s. In fact, you could get a hardtop or a convertible.

explorerx4

A Pintchero. Looks like it was nicely done.

texases

Reminded me of this:

kyfdx

Rampage?

texases

Yep. Only sold for 3 years, I think.

oldfarmer50

The Rampage came like that from the factory, right? It must have taken some skill to do that to a Pinto.

texases

Yes, it was a competitor for the VW Rabbit Pickup of that era.

fintail

The treasure chest is open:

I kind of like these wacky 80s-90s conversions

German

That window is scarce but no pics and that price give me pause

Uncommon model but too many mods, and again the price

Ad copy looks AI but might be a fair deal, IIRC this was a one year model

Ovals

Unique paint scheme from the local Porsche merchant selling "by owner":

Buckets? And optimistic

Related optimism

Grandma Keith might be a good deal for a driver

Seems familiar, amusing pics

My dad would approve

Same here, never seen one referred to by that name

Big cat

Bro Ham

oldfarmer50

I may have no imagination but the first ones to appeal to me were those two Grand Marquis’.

gsemike

A couple of quick ones from long Island

https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/949720709743976/?mibextid=dXMIcH. 2 door Tahoe. High miles but looks decent for the money

https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/382134381384918/?mibextid=dXMIcH. 20 footer Cutlass. Rust is scary

https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/958700222315114/?mibextid=dXMIcH. Maxima looks decent but that sold as is from a curbstoner is foreboding

https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/1766668800468961/?mibextid=dXMIcH. Great for restoration. Even the seller says so

stickguy

For some reason I always liked that version of the Cutlass. but that rust is bad news.

and sure you can restore the Impala. With enough money you can restore anything, it just usually makes no financial sense.

fintail

Always a good sign when the owner reduces price by 75%

ab348

The Colonnade GMs were not very well built. Some suffered body rust though not as bad as some other makes in that era. The build quality and material quality for trim and the like was an early victim of GM cost-cutting. I remember in the early '80s when I had my '77 LeMans 2-door it needed both door window weatherstrips and outside door window sweepers. Both of those pieces were notorious for failure after just a few years. The window rubbers (attached to the door opening of the body) were an early attempt at using an oversized soft foam rubber seal to hide any misalignment and body shake. The friction seemed to cause them to fail after just a few years. The outside sweepers were always seen in fail mode after a short time - they attached to the top of the door skin and were a metal piece with a rubber coating, which is the part that always failed. Water would get under the failed rubber and rust the metal core.

In my case I went to the dealer parts counter around '83 to get new only to find the window foam seals were discontinued and NLA. The sweepers were found by the parts guy's computer search somewhere out west. He said they were the last set available in Canada. Thanks to the way GM worked then, they did not charge him (nor me) for shipment and I got them for a reasonable cost.

Back then there were still a few pull-a-part junkyards nearby and I began scouring them for the seals. There were a lot of those models in the yards by then but all of them had seals far worse than what I already had. The last visit I made during that search had me find what I recall was a very rough-looking hulk with what appeared to be brand-new seals installed. I could not believe it. They came off very easily and I think I paid like $10 for them.

oldfarmer50

I’d like the Cutlass but those late 70s early 80s GM cars were mechanically and structurally lousy designs. My 82’ Olds 88 was always breaking down and the trunk floor rotted out at low mileage.

gsemike

oldfarmer50 said:

I’d like the Cutlass but those late 70s early 80s GM cars were mechanically and structurally lousy designs. My 82’ Olds 88 was always breaking down and the trunk floor rotted out at low mileage.

Yeah, I think that the 76/7 Cutlass Supreme was particularly handsome but they didn't hold up well

gsemike

Checking Autotempest for new listings on Long Island
1960-1990 listed in the past week

This truck is not typically what you see on a lot here

Time capsule ZR1

1979 6 series Near a body shape. Great shape. Automatic must hurt it

69 Bonneville wagon

Audi 5000 wagon Haven't seen one in years. Unfortunately not running

texases

As much as I like the 6 series, I'd get the later model with all the updates (1982+, just watch out for TRX tires). That one looks a bit tired.

That ZR1 is a 'put it on the shelf' kind of car, drive it much and the value drops. For that money one can get a very nice C7.

Hard to see any value in that 5000 wagon, who will want to go through the work to get it running?

explorerx4

BNW Corvair( ) looks good although driver side door look like it is sagging a bit.

texases

Yeah, and I wonder if the horsehair upholstery padding is giving off that 'old car aroma'. Seats look saggy, that stuff breaks down.

oldfarmer50

https://www.cars.com/vehicledetail/38a52b36-3763-4ac2-b9d2-ee24c57b1cd8/?oauth_redirect=true

And to think I let my old rusty cargo van go for $1000.

gsemike

oldfarmer50 said:

https://www.cars.com/vehicledetail/38a52b36-3763-4ac2-b9d2-ee24c57b1cd8/?oauth_redirect=true

And to think I let my old rusty cargo van go for $1000.

Gotta wonder what they gave him on the trade

fintail

Here's a good project, barnfind in Portugal - W111 fintail aftermarket wagon conversion. This was something of a trend in Europe for awhile - these conversions can bring significantly more than sedans, wagons are hot no matter what they are:

stickguy

I was just there a week ago. I could have picked it up for you!

xwesx

That could be a beautiful car again after restoration!

tjc78

@xwesx said:
That could be a beautiful car again after restoration!

And many many $100 bills

oldfarmer50

fintail said:

Here's a good project, barnfind in Portugal - W111 fintail aftermarket wagon conversion. This was something of a trend in Europe for awhile - these conversions can bring significantly more than sedans, wagons are hot no matter what they are:

And to think that station wagons died out because people thought they weren’t cool any more. Too bad my dad got rid of the 66’ Dodge Polara wagon that I learned to drive on.

kyfdx

stickguy said:

I was just there a week ago. I could have picked it up for you!

I'll be there in July.. I can get it. Drive it home.

fintail

stickguy said:

I was just there a week ago. I could have picked it up for you!

I'll let you arrange payment too, even in that state it would probably be out of my league. When someone posted it in a fintail group, there was a barrage of "for sale?" posts. Wagons seldom come to market, but from my anecdotal memories, they bring 2-3x the price of a sedan.

fintail

oldfarmer50 said:

fintail said:

Here's a good project, barnfind in Portugal - W111 fintail aftermarket wagon conversion. This was something of a trend in Europe for awhile - these conversions can bring significantly more than sedans, wagons are hot no matter what they are:

And to think that station wagons died out because people thought they weren’t cool any more. Too bad my dad got rid of the 66’ Dodge Polara wagon that I learned to drive on.

That would be somewhat desirable now too, for sure. I think for many period cars, a wagon is not far behind the 2 door HT body in terms of market, and maybe equal.

Funny thing, the "uncool" still seems true for new cars in the USDM - the wagons we did have I think might be all lifted and cladded now. Either a market demand or profit margins on the cladding.

fintail

Fintail behaved a little like a project car today. Drove to a local show not too far away, and noticed a little steering moan. Once there I checked the power steering fluid, and it was a little low. The reservoir lid is partially blocked by the base of the distributor, and you have to rotate it just a little to gain access. I guess I repositioned it poorly, as when I drove it again after adding some fluid (I will admit to not checking it in probably 3-4 years, no leaks so I never bother) it ran poorly, very sluggish, like it always wanted a lower gear, slow on hills, etc. I pulled over and played with it a little - I think rotating the piece under the distributor changes the timing in some way. I must have found a better position, as the car ran fine after. Do other old cars have something like this?

oldfarmer50

fintail said:

Fintail behaved a little like a project car today. Drove to a local show not too far away, and noticed a little steering moan. Once there I checked the power steering fluid, and it was a little low. The reservoir lid is partially blocked by the base of the distributor, and you have to rotate it just a little to gain access. I guess I repositioned it poorly, as when I drove it again after adding some fluid (I will admit to not checking it in probably 3-4 years, no leaks so I never bother) it ran poorly, very sluggish, like it always wanted a lower gear, slow on hills, etc. I pulled over and played with it a little - I think rotating the piece under the distributor changes the timing in some way. I must have found a better position, as the car ran fine after. Do other old cars have something like this?

The only time I experienced anything like that was in my old 85’ F-150 with the bad timing chain. With that truck turning the distributor slightly would restore performance until it slipped a tooth on the timing gear.

Michaell

What happened to the two door car?

ab348

Generally, the way most domestic cars of that vintage were timed was to loosen the distributor hold-down clamp bolt and while using the timing light, sloooowly rotate the entire distributor one way or the other until the light hit the desired spot on the indicator tab on the engine. It would not surprise me if M-B came up with a different way.

fintail

oldfarmer50 said:

fintail said:

Fintail behaved a little like a project car today. Drove to a local show not too far away, and noticed a little steering moan. Once there I checked the power steering fluid, and it was a little low. The reservoir lid is partially blocked by the base of the distributor, and you have to rotate it just a little to gain access. I guess I repositioned it poorly, as when I drove it again after adding some fluid (I will admit to not checking it in probably 3-4 years, no leaks so I never bother) it ran poorly, very sluggish, like it always wanted a lower gear, slow on hills, etc. I pulled over and played with it a little - I think rotating the piece under the distributor changes the timing in some way. I must have found a better position, as the car ran fine after. Do other old cars have something like this?

The only time I experienced anything like that was in my old 85’ F-150 with the bad timing chain. With that truck turning the distributor slightly would restore performance until it slipped a tooth on the timing gear.

There's a little gauge under the distributor, on the part that rotates. I am going to fiddle with it again today and see what happens. I suppose I should post it to a fintail group, but if I can "fix" it easier, all the better. It ran much better after I adjusted it yesterday, but the engine was hot enough to where playing with it wasn't fun. The car was running fine before I moved that piece to access the PS reservoir, so logically that did it. After I moved the distributor piece, It seemed to idle fine, if not a little slow, but it drove terribly - very lagged slow accelerator response without kickdown, and kickdown in these cars is not a smooth experience.

fintail

This must be something for timing advance etc - S and F - slow and fast:



How it all relates - I move it with the piece touching the PS reservoir (bottom left). I didn't drive the car but did play with it at idle - a slight movement produces a change in idle speed. I got it to a position where the car was idling very smoothly, we will see how it does on the road in the next drive. I've never played with fine tuning the car by rotating this before - I will need to make a note or maybe a mark where the best spot is. I found some chatter in a fintail group, but not much to help - maybe I moved it just enough to throw it out of time a little:

texases

S=Schnell?
But F doesn't = Langsam....

And I'm not seeing what points at the marks on the dial. But here's some discussion (probably what you saw):
https://www.benzworld.org/threads/set-timing-on-w111-220s-fintail.2175945/

fintail

texases said:

S=Schnell?
But F doesn't = Langsam....

And I'm not seeing what points at the marks on the dial. But here's some discussion (probably what you saw):
https://www.benzworld.org/threads/set-timing-on-w111-220s-fintail.2175945/

Yeah, there's no indicator. That's the discussion I found - I guess I will seek out the fintail-specific groups on fb (the site is useful for hobbies anyway). After having the car for 29 years I should probably learn it - had noticed it before but never had this issue. I also wonder if my car being fuel injected makes a difference, along with having electronic ignition - something I had done in 2001 that was well worth the minor investment.

Langsam also makes me think of this classic - don't you tell me lawn summer, you kraut meathead:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D3neQZqFP3M

(at least starting wasn't my issue, getting moving was the problem)

fintail

Fintail verdict from some old timer experts in a model specific group - distributor might be installed in the wrong position, the piece (vacuum advance) overlapping the PS reservoir isn't supposed to overlap like that. The S-F gauge is for slight timing adjustments for fuel quality (was not told how one adjusts it). Apparently moving the vacuum advance piece, which moves the distributor, messed up the timing just enough to make it drive poorly, and was returned to normal when I played with it. I am not sure I want to tackle correcting this without a helper, so it will be on the list for yearly maintenance probably next month. Someone also gave me a PDF of the factory shop manual, which is pretty cool - the internet is useful!

gsemike

Spring shopping on Long Island
Checking 1960-2000

Boxster but a presentable Porsche for 10 grand Should correct the listing to show that it's a stick

Starion / Conquest Looks like fun

Grandpa's Cougar

MG that has been off the road a long long time But he says no ruse and turns over

Nissan President which I believe was the Q45 here

Looks like a nice parade car

stickguy

Boxster deal looks ok. Brutal attempt And spelling maintenance and props for the old “AC just needs a recharge” ploy. Color combo though, is just awful.

stickguy

Starion looks exactly like I would expect one from mineola to look like. Scary workmanship I’m sure.

MG Could be a fun project. If really rust free a huge plus. Mechanical on that car is not hard. Negative is rubber bumpers but you can do a swap. Only makes sense to me if you want a platform to mod. No title, not good in NY. seller really needs to sort that out before selling.

explorerx4

Took the cover off a few weeks ago and wiped it down with some waterless car wash today.

fintail

explorerx4 said:

Took the cover off a few weeks ago and wiped it down with some waterless car wash today.

Solid values for those cars now, the generation that appreciates them will do so for a long time.

oldfarmer50

fintail said:

This must be something for timing advance etc - S and F - slow and fast:



How it all relates - I move it with the piece touching the PS reservoir (bottom left). I didn't drive the car but did play with it at idle - a slight movement produces a change in idle speed. I got it to a position where the car was idling very smoothly, we will see how it does on the road in the next drive. I've never played with fine tuning the car by rotating this before - I will need to make a note or maybe a mark where the best spot is. I found some chatter in a fintail group, but not much to help - maybe I moved it just enough to throw it out of time a little:

You might want to find someone who has a timing light…like a museum.😎

oldfarmer50

explorerx4 said:

Took the cover off a few weeks ago and wiped it down with some waterless car wash today.

Took mine out for the first time today. I think this is the latest it’s been when the salt is off the roads.

explorerx4

@fintail,
Seeing the front plate in that picture you posted, I've been thinking about a personalized plate for my Mustang.
My first choice is NOT ICE. I like the multiple ways in can be interpreted.

fintail

I am sure I could find one, but have no idea how to use one. Not sure if my dad had anything similar, but I seem to recall he had some kind of related tool. Car goes in for its annual service in the next month or so, I will see what can be done.

I got more info on that S-F gauge thing - there's a lever that has apparently gone missing from my car for setting the speed. After 29+ years, still learning things.

oldfarmer50 said:

You might want to find someone who has a timing light…like a museum.😎

qbrozen

I have a timing light!

I’m proud of that fact.

gsemike

stickguy said:

Boxster deal looks ok. Brutal attempt And spelling maintenance and props for the old “AC just needs a recharge” ploy. Color combo though, is just awful.

I don't mind the triple black on the Boxster