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He might have been messing with you, trying to get you to falsely admit you were going faster than you really were, so he could write you a ticket. Gotta keep up those quotas, y'know!
Driving it to Detroit Saturday. And if I get bumped using my free plane ticket to DC to ride with my sister, I'm driving on down to Chattanooga. Daring eh? :shades:
If only most people were as financially responsible as you are our country wouldn't be in the financial mess it's in. Or, maybe, if most more people were as financially responsible as you are most of us would be less well off, and unemployment would be higher, because the demand for goods and services would be significantly reduced. So, which is it? A or B, or neither? If we asked two economists we'd get different answers, with multiple caveats and "on the other hands." Heck, I don't know whether I should praise you or blame you.
What I do know for sure is that you're doing a darn good job as host.
(Can I borrow $10 for gas money?)
I have never owned a brand new vehicle, never even crossed my mind, the newest vehicle I owned was an 8 month old Toyota Camry & now driving 3-5K a year it makes even less sense (would never spend more on a vehicle than I make in a year & now that is quite a reality even for a cheaper new car) ... though it wouldn't bother me to drive an older vehicle as long as it wasn't subject to chemical fallout... really wish I still had my old Camry, or even, my '95 Lumina APV... probably go down as my favorites aside from a couple cars I briefly had from the early '70's, Late 60's, that didn't fair well in our winters.... I certainly could do without those!
I think body parts are better protected nowadays. Cars are sealed better so they're less likely to leak, and there just aren't as many places for moisture and gunk to accumulate.
However, I'm not so convinced about suspension parts, the sub-frames on unit-body cars, etc. Suspensions seem to have gotten a lot more complex, more parts, smaller parts built to tighter tolerances, etc. Back in the day, there wasn't much to a rear suspension. Just a pair of leaf springs or coils, shocks, and the rear axle. Nowadays, many cars have independent rear suspensions, which are going to have more and smaller parts waiting to fail.
This past summer, I was in Ohio, and noticed a lot of 10-15 year old vehicles that were rustbuckets. You just don't see that here in the DC area anymore. My '85 Silverado, which is 26 years old and looking pretty bad itself, still looked better than many of the heaps I saw out there.
I'd imagine the winters in Wisconsin and Chicago are even more brutal. Rustproofing has improved, though. Where once upon a time, a car in the DC area might have started looking bad after 10 years, maybe it's 20 or more now, but in the rust belt, maybe that interval, while shorter, has still been extended?
I wonder how quick a Vega, '76 Volare, or '57 Plymouth would have fallen apart in the rust-belt?
I had a '70 Datsun 510 (yeah that great, legendary poor man's BMW) that started showing signs of rust after one year, and visible rust spots by year three. I was diligent about washing and waxing, but by the fifth year it had holes in the body, a common sight in the upper Midwest in those days. Now I'd be ashamed to drive such a car, but then not so much. My rationale was, hey, I don't have a car loan, I own my car, it doesn't own me. Anyway, with the help of Bondo, I managed to drive that rust bucket for about 6 1/2 years and 60,000+ miles. I sold it for $475 to a contractor who wanted a beater with good fuel economy. Mechanically the car was very sound because I had maintained it well.
But, it's also almost 9 1/2 years old, and has about 198,000 miles on it. He bought it Memorial Day weekend, 2002 (the '03 came out early in the year). And lately, he's gotten into the habit of parking it on the grass, under a tree, so that he's closer to the front door of the house, rather than on the paved driveway. So I'm sure it's sitting in a spot where moisture gets to it more.
How did that Olds 98 you had hold up, with respect to rust?
All these cars were low to average maintenance, but skewed more to the low side. Pretty good for '70s and '80s domestics, as was a '82 (or maybe it was an '80) Mercury Zephyr with the 200 c.i. six that I bought, used, for my daughter. The head gasket on that car went out at 156,000. The fact that the transmission was going south fast took the decision making out of that one too. It limped to the junk yard in second gear, because it (automatic) would no longer downshift to first or upshift to third. Well, at least none of the wheels fell off.
The Mustang developed an area of rust in the rr wheelwell edge last year.
Yesterday the brakes acted up on the Mustang and I just took a quick look and it seems like the inner disc pad is delaminated from the backing plate and lodged in there loose. The outer pad had 3/8 inch thick pad left. It might be a stuck piston due to corrosion. Half of all my vehicle problems are due to corrosion. I just restored both my exterior stored spare wheels.
I bought the Mustang 6 1/2 yrs ago after the original owner had just done all 4 wheels new brakes at Ford dealer. The good thing about cheap pads is they wear enough to keep the piston moving and maybe things wouldn't seize up. These were not cheap pads and they never wear out, leading to seizure problems instead.
Not sure what to do about the wheelwell rust yet but it is now about 4 inches long. The car has 135k on it. The Ford easily beats my Astro in number of repairs over the years, but the overall degradation of interior, seats, ride, noise, corrosion, rattles, and suspension is much worse than the Chevy. They are both the same age and have the same miles on them. The Chevy spent 10 years in a garage and the Mustang may have never been kept in a garage.4k by me. I could get a 5 year newer Astro than mine for $4k.
If government wants to make a new law, they should make a law that forbids the use of salts on roadways. :mad:
The left rear quarter panel was repaired and repainted when it was 5 years old.
Within a year someone keyed the same panel.
I have never gotten it repaired and there is no rust.
I did have to replace the rear springs.
Not sure why they broke, could have been abuse or corrosion.
CT stopped using salt/sand on the roads in favor of some other chemical.
I happened to notice an article in the paper where the DOT said you have to get your car washed more often in the winter because the new chemical attacks the seals.
I had to replace the front and rear pinion seals this spring. :mad:
I'd imagine the winters in Wisconsin and Chicago are even more brutal. Rustproofing has improved, though. Where once upon a time, a car in the DC area might have started looking bad after 10 years, maybe it's 20 or more now, but in the rust belt, maybe that interval, while shorter, has still been extended?
I wonder how quick a Vega, '76 Volare, or '57 Plymouth would have fallen apart in the rust-belt?
Don't know just what part of Ohio you were in, though up in the northeast, Morton Salt is a big employer, as this getting storms off the lake & being a snowbelt is a caustic situation. Many of the 'steel' license plates become unreadable after a couple seasons.... the southern part of the state may be somewhat oblivious to this. I have salt leeching into my basement floor & I live very near an expressway, just imagine we are also breathing this stuff in.
True for the gauge of metal, there obviously have been improvements, though I had to have my Tailgate redone in the spring of '09 on my '06 Saturn already for rust bubbles, GM would not cover this either.
As far as the Vega & Aspens, they were rusting after a season, I have heard issues of these rusting right out on the lots. The lower doors, & Cowl were gone on my dads' '71 Vega by the Spring of '73.
Over the winter there really is no defense for this.. other than wait for spring.... washing causes doors to freeze.... many times we do not get above freezing for weeks or even months at a time.
Yesterday I saw an '03-'08 Style Camry with 2 doors with cancer, this I would likely attribute to a bad repair or manufacturing fluke... but never know what is festering under the sheet metal.
However, I'm not so convinced about suspension parts, the sub-frames on unit-body cars, etc. Suspensions seem to have gotten a lot more complex, more parts, smaller parts built to tighter tolerances, etc. Back in the day, there wasn't much to a rear suspension. Just a pair of leaf springs or coils, shocks, and the rear axle. Nowadays, many cars have independent rear suspensions, which are going to have more and smaller parts waiting to fail.
In addition to the crumbling infrastructure, our roads are literally busting at the seams from chemical, & freeze/thaw cycles. .. not good for suspensions. The service Record on my '06 Saturn said it had 8 (yes 8) front wheel bearing services from (new) December '05 till Aug of '08... not durable (or cheap) by any means. .. so this proves your point.
I had a friend that used to spray used motor oil on the undercarriage every fall, & have heard that Hydraulic oil is good too, though the folks in the south call this environmentally 'unfriendly'. This seemed to work too.
I would NEVER rustproof or undercoat a car that has been through a season up here as it traps chemical in the nooks & crannies.
Corrosion protection, in design and materials, got significantly better with the '77 GM downsized large cars. GM's '78 downsized mid-size cars had similar improvements. This spread to other manufacturers with each platform redesign, in most cases, although the Japanese lagged in this respect.
In defense of the Japanese automakers before they began manufacturing and assembling vehicles in North America, the long trans-Pacific voyage meant that corrosive moisture began getting into critical parts before they even landed on our shores.
Before '77, certain cars had better rust protection than others. For example, large Chevys, Pontiacs, Olds 88s and Buick LeSabres rusted sooner than Olds 98s, Buick Electras and Cadillacs.
At some point in the '80s the German and Swedish brands, especially Audi, but less so Volkswagen, also got really serious about corrosion protection.
The Mustang brake problem was a siezed caliper slider pin. A new rotor, mid grade pads, a hardware set, a set of slider pins, and a caliper mount bracket. Total was $75 for parts. The caliper slider pin was rusted into the mount bracket. It was probably siezed for 5 years or more. I notice the car coasts better now.
I knew someone from Montreal whose front seat fell partially through the rusted floorboard of his '55 Plymouth, while he was driving. He claimed that hanging tightly on to the steering wheel may have saved him. I heard of these types of things happening with mid-late '50s Mopars. Now there would be all types of recalls, but recalls were practically unheard of back then.
We went to Cedar Point in Sandusky Ohio, which is right on Lake Erie. Perpetual lake effect snow in the wintertime, I'm guessing? After a couple days there, we went south to Kings Island near Cincinatti.
I had a friend that used to spray used motor oil on the undercarriage every fall, & have heard that Hydraulic oil is good too, though the folks in the south call this environmentally 'unfriendly'. This seemed to work too.
Yeah, I've heard that works. And while it's not exactly "environmentally friendly", well neither is having a car rust and fall apart and need to be replaced prematurely, either! Of course, there's money to be made when a car gets replaced, so they're not going to play up that angle.
Just as there's money to be made by smashing windows, then replacing them. Both are environmentally unfriendly, while creating the illusion for some that it's good for the economy. The same goes for wars, without taking sides on which ones may be worth fighting versus which ones aren't. These are exmaple of activities that boost some economic numbers and employment, but have a negative effect on living standards. Funny how that works.
I've actually heard some people make the argument that throwing trash out the car window good for the economy, because it keeps people employed to pick up the trash!
You mean those guys in the orange vests marked "community service crew" get paid??
I had a friend years back that had a '73 Chevy Laguna S3 (Chevelle), that the passenger had to ride with their feet propped up on the dash as the entire floorboard where you would put your feet was gone , I pretty much was very leery oh how the passenger seat was secure, though he used this as basically to throw garbage out of the car. Ya got a real blast of heat from the engine venting up through the floor too.
If government wants to make a new law, they should make a law that forbids the use of salts on roadways.
While I really agree with the above, people in our 'fast paced' lifestyle still have a 'need for speed', & still desire to drive 70 mph & at a unsafe distance behind someone, even in a snowstorm, forcing the overuse of chemical & salt. I would have suggested incorporating some sort of heating system (steam pipes) etc into the infrastructure on especially high use arteries. High cost at first but would pay off on the lack of maintenance & repair needed over time.
Up where I am, if snow is in the forecast (which is generally daily for several months), they are out spreading chemical whether it's needed or not with the attitude of let's be safe than sorry. I see a gross overuse & abuse of it here.
I saw an ad for Ziebart the other day (at least I think it was), Basically though I had a claim with Auto Armour, they refused to cover a warrantied repair twice, the door was not sprayed initally, their claim was they are basically an insurance company insuring you against rust through, & it didn't matter if the product was applied or not.
I had a vehicle that had Rusty Jones applied when new & was diligently returned for inspections every year, that job failed soon after they went under. I found Tuff Kote Dynol did a sufficient job, though they are no longer around.
Corrosion protection, in design and materials, got significantly better with the '77 GM downsized large cars. GM's '78 downsized mid-size cars had similar improvements. This spread to other manufacturers with each platform redesign, in most cases, although the Japanese lagged in this respect.
I will have to say this was true, these cars held up better than their predecessors, I'm thinking they started using more galvanized parts & less corrosion traps.
Before '77, certain cars had better rust protection than others. For example, large Chevys, Pontiacs, Olds 88s and Buick LeSabres rusted sooner than Olds 98s, Buick Electras and Cadillacs.
Interesting, since these likely came off the same line, in the same plants.
Actually west of Cleveland gets very little snow compared to east/northeast of Cleveland. The Sandusky Area can partake in Lake effect with a direct north or northeast wind, though thats not too common. Wind patterns from November through March run out of the Northwest which pelts the East of Cleveland through the NY State Line (especially the higher elevations) with daily snow... untill the lake freezes over & then it''s just plain too cold for lake effect at that point.
South of Akron, the snow tapers off, Cincinnati's relatively tropical with about 2 months of winter shaved off.
Yeah, I've heard that works. And while it's not exactly "environmentally friendly", well neither is having a car rust and fall apart and need to be replaced prematurely, either! Of course, there's money to be made when a car gets replaced, so they're not going to play up that angle.
I coat the back of my License plate with oil so it won't fuse itself to the car (which has happened)... seems to work. ... boneheads in Columbus don't have a clue.
Hmmmm I don't have Cable/Pay TV, a Mobile phone, HS internet, only shop for things on sale, clip coupons etc, me bad for the economy!!?? (smack, smack on the hands). At least I'm the blame of my own demise. :P
I checked the Riv rr brakes and the pads are wearing evenly. They look like they can go another 10k miles which could be 2-3 yrs or almost 10 years total since last changed.
I took the mini spare out of the Mustang trunk and found it to have no air in it. I gave it 50-55 psi. I should probably check the '96 Riv spare and top it off too. I guess they lose their air after a decade+ in the trunk.
The Jelly Belly's are higher pressure, the cold air also tends to zap them in the winter. Perhaps fill them with Nitrogen too, many do that up here in the cold & especially when chemical eats at the rim seals. A few places guarantee the Nitrogen from leaking. Years ago I tried this & only had to return once for a refill in several years.
May also want to put some conditioner on this such as 'No Touch'... keep the dry rot & chemical rot away. I use this on my stored vehicle too.
Reminds me of the 2nd car I ever owned, a 59 Chevy. The rear floorboards were gone, you could look down at the ground, water splashed in driving in the rain. My father helped me patch it, we used roofing tin, flattened out with a rubber hammer, sealed the edges with roofing tar, and secured it with sheet metal screws.
"SACO, Maine (AP) — A Maine man and his car are celebrating a million-mile milestone.
Joe LoCicero (luh-SISS'-er-oh) was given a 2012 Honda Accord at a parade in the city of Saco on Sunday after surpassing the million-mile mark on the odometer of his 1990 Accord. He reached the milestone last Thursday.
A Honda spokeswoman tells The Portland Press Herald (bit.ly/otOqd1) it's the first time the manufacturer has documented an Accord reaching one million miles.
LoCicero says he bought the car in 1996 with 74,000 miles. The former mechanic did much of his own work. The secret he says is following maintenance schedules, using quality parts and driving safely.
He swears the transmission and engine are original.
Now that he has a new Accord, he's not sure what he'll do with the old one."
I would have thought that Honda would have wanted Joe's old Accord, as a museum/marketing item, in exchange for the new one they gave him.
They are one of the oldest in the country and we are not too far from Long Island. Just another excuse for him to drive somewhere, I am sure.
I did a quick google, and it looks like the engine has been rebuilt twice. Supposedly the transmission and differential are original.
Irv Gordon does mainly highway driving, though. Here's a story of a high-mileage car that was really put through the wringer! Evidently, it was the highest mileage car in North America when it was taken out of commission. I'm not sure what year it was wrecked, but I remember hearing about it in the late 1990's, and one of the pics has a 1999 stamp on it.
It was a 225 slant six, and was either rebuilt or replaced at least 5 or 6 times. I'd imagine with a slant six, in those days at least, it was cheaper to just go find another one out of a wrecked car, rather than try to rebuild one. They were common engines, sturdy and simple, and often sent to the junkyard with plenty of life left in them.
The transmission was a Torqueflite, but I'm not sure which one. In 1963 I don't think the 727 was out yet, so I believe that would leave the 904 and the 488. The 488 was the one that came out for 1957, and the 904 was the lightweight model that was developed for the Valiant. Eventually, they'd start using the 904 in larger and more powerful cars, but in 1963 I think they might have been putting the beefy 488 in all big cars, even the 6-cyl models.
Good eye, Lemko! I just noticed that. I think that was also the standard hubcap on the 1969 Dodge Dart GT. That's the style that mine had, although nowadays if you see them at car shows, most of them will have some sort of rally wheel.
Yeah that was the case, that gaping hole was enough for a person to fall through if they weren't careful, he had put some expanded metal over the hole eventually as a safety measure (he liked the heat in the winter), what was really surprising the drivers floorpan was in great shape.
Remember the one dad had in the late 60's (very briefly) a '60 wagon that had holes already in the cargo area. the car came off of a Muni fleet so it probably was also well taken care of.