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Nah, no estimate yet, although he did say he'd call me today.
It sounds like you just spent your Christmas bonus and it isn't even Halloween yet.
Christmas bonus? Surely thou jesteth. Usually our "bonus" is a $25 gift check. Last year it was a sweatshirt with the company logo on it. :sick:
Nah, this baby's going on the credit card, where I'll at least get 1% back. :P And the mechanic said that he'll probably have the car at least two weeks. If it gets put off until after around October 9, I won't have to worry about paying for it until the end of November. :shades:
Just for kicks, I added up my vehicle expenses so far this year. Not counting gasoline and insurance, but including registration fees, I'm at about $2350, which isn't bad spread across 6 vehicles. Well, 7 actually, but the LeMans hasn't cost me any money this year...yet. Or about $261 per month.
Heck, just the down payment on the Intrepid was $2,000, and its monthly payment was $347.66. So that's my way of tricking myself into the mindset that these repairs on the convertible won't set me back too much.
I think my next goal, once the dust settles financially, is to get the DeSoto roadworthy again. It would be cool to be able to take it to the Mopar show next year!
Worse than zero pressure? Wow. That's indeed bad.
;P
'11 GMC Sierra 1500; '98 Alfa 156 2.0TS; '08 Maser QP; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '11 Mini Cooper S
2025 Ram 1500 Laramie 4x4 / 2023 Mercedes EQE 350 4Matic / 2022 Icon I6L Golf Cart
One of my friends has two '78 Mark V's, both with 460's. A couple months ago he spun a bearing in one of them, and it pretty much toasted the engine. Luckily it was his ratty one, which had over 100,000 miles and other issues, and not his good one, which is pristine and only has about 15K on it.
At one point, I had entertained the idea of buying the ratty one from him when he talked about selling it. This was before the engine blew. In retrospect, I guess it's a good thing I didn't! Plus, the last time I saw it, it really deteriorated a lot from what I had remembered. It wasn't bad looking when he got it about 4 years ago, but it's sat outside all this time, and that's really taken its toll.
I agree with your mechanic - I wouldn't worry about 15 psi at idle on one of these, the ones I've seen with the light come on were down around 5 psi. So if the gauge checks out, I'd just watch it, start worrying when it does get under 10 psi.
True, we're not talking about an M3 here :P My Suburban would get down around 15 psi when hot at idle, no problems.
2025 Ram 1500 Laramie 4x4 / 2023 Mercedes EQE 350 4Matic / 2022 Icon I6L Golf Cart
So in other words, don't try that with my 2.7 Intrepid! :P Actually it developed a similar issue back in late 2003, where the oil pressure light would come on, fully warmed up, at idle, such as sitting at a traffic light. The rpms would drop to about 500 in situations like that, and the light would flicker. If I put it in neutral it would go away. And once I got moving, it would go away. So it was acting JUST like the Pontiac! Although I imagine trying to put 20W-50 oil it it would have done more harm than good...
In the Intrepid's case, there was a TSB. There was some kind of issue with the wiring that would get hot and trigger the light. The fix was to insulate the wiring better, and install some kind of vent, IIRC. That was almost 5 years, and 50,000 miles ago, so I guess if any real damage was getting done to that Intrepid, it would have surfaced by now.
You can't do this with a modern engine. They are very french-poodle like when it comes to upper engine lubrication and oil pressure. And you can't run heavier oils with those engines that have variable valve timing because the cams won't shift when cold.
damned shutterfly. can't link the pic, so ya gotta click the link.
'11 GMC Sierra 1500; '98 Alfa 156 2.0TS; '08 Maser QP; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '11 Mini Cooper S
And I think you're right, in that the 351/400 are the same block, the Cleveland, while the 460 was a totally different block. The 460 was a big-block, while I think the Cleveland was considered more of a "medium" block. By 1979, I think the 400 was down to 159 hp. Probably still enough for leisurely cruising in a big boat like a '79 Lincoln, but nothing you'd take to the drag strip.
Even after sitting for weeks, it pegs immediately. Here's a video I uploaded to carspace, a "cold start" video after the fintail had been sitting for a full month. The oil gauge is top right.
It'd be cool if we could embed videos here, we can't even embed carspace material.
2025 Ram 1500 Laramie 4x4 / 2023 Mercedes EQE 350 4Matic / 2022 Icon I6L Golf Cart
i keep a piece of plywood under the engine/tranny in the garage. i think it cuts down a bit on the cold coming off the concrete in the winter.
i'm not sure what mythbusters would make of that.
It's calling Andre's name
Pure Roseburg, via California
Has some rust but I have the patch panels to fix it. May trade for a pickup.
The pictures just struck me as being really funny!
Could you do some "before" and "after" pictures of the Catalina, so we can see for ourselves the improvements you are having done?
I'm glad you are taking some $$$ to update the Catalina ... kinda like when my dad "refreshed" his '70 Chevy C-10 a few years back. Yeah, it cost him something like $6000 when it was all said and done, but he's got - for all intents and purposes - a brand new truck. He had the engine rebuilt just after it passed 100K (about 15 years ago, IIRC). I think he's still got less than 200K on it - and this is after 38 years!
He's turned down unsolicited offers of $8500 for it (before the 'refresh', mind you), though I suspect when the time comes to sell it, it probably won't fetch that much.
Of course, he's 73 now and doesn't drive as much -- and, due to the price of gas in California, he takes mom's car more often than not ('03 Sonata V6).
Picture of Dad's Truck
Here's a few pics I currently have posted of it. The first three were taken in Spring of 2007, the 4th was taken in the Summer of 2006. The 5th was taken in late 1999, with my then-new Intrepid just visible behind it. The last pic was taken in late 1998.
The new wheels are 15x7, whereas I think the current ones are 14x6. In addition to being wider, I think they're also offset more, so they will fill out the wheel wells much better.
Nice pics of your Dad's truck. Looking good! I like the way the stereo speakers are set up so they'd be easily removable, and not damaging to the interior. I always hate it when a nice interior gets cut up for a modern sound system.
And this isn't the first time I heard this. Years ago, I was chatting with a guy who had a '72 Impala convertible, and he said the same thing.
I feel kinda bad just chucking the thing in a dumpster, but I guess if it has no value or use, there's no sense in hanging on to it.
Some people are obsessed with these
I wonder how many mundane looking sedans could outrun it today...80mph speedo...the height of malaise
Bluesmobile
Decent amount of looks for three grand
I know he had the stock AM radio in the truck for many many years - not sure when he replaced it, to be honest with you. I also believe he replaced the ignition system to something electronic as well, but I couldn't tell you the details about that.
A buddy of mine from HS did the work on the truck - when we were in school, he took the afternoons off to work with his dad, who did body work at a local Chevy dealership. He eventually opened up his own shop - not sure if he does any work on anything without a bowtie on it.
I know I've mentioned this before, but when he bought the truck ($2900 in 1970) my mom told him that it would be the last truck he ever bought. I think he might have taken her seriously on that, given that he still has it all these years later. I don't think anyone in town would recognize him in anything else, he's had it for so long.
It's never been on any real long road trips, to my knowledge. He used to pull a boat with it when I was a kid in the 70's, so it would go to some of the local lakes and reservoirs from time to time. Other than that, it was just his around town transportation - he worked two jobs most of the time (firefighter and carpenter/contractor), so the truck saw a lot of use to haul tools and wood.
Once, before I had my own car, I used it in a TSD rally with a buddy of mine. Was quite a bit of fun punching the throttle to get the other 2 barrels of the carb to open up. Plus, he had added some sort of custom exhaust that really sounds nice.
It is a daily driver. I have mainly had it in storage.
Huh. I imagine it must get mighty boring driving it everyday around in circles inside a storage shed.
'11 GMC Sierra 1500; '98 Alfa 156 2.0TS; '08 Maser QP; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '11 Mini Cooper S
Ummmm... methinks I want to avoid doing business with this fellow.
'11 GMC Sierra 1500; '98 Alfa 156 2.0TS; '08 Maser QP; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '11 Mini Cooper S
OH, and no pics of the inside? Hmmmm...
That '85 looks to be pretty sharp. No idea what the man's reserve is, though. And his 0 feedback is probably what's killing any interest in it. REAL tough to sell any car with 0 feedback, let alone a 20+-year-old Italian.
'11 GMC Sierra 1500; '98 Alfa 156 2.0TS; '08 Maser QP; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '11 Mini Cooper S
And another one hits the market...they must have all survived
that reminds me, at the fly-in/car show over the weekend, there was a black gen1 barracuda with a 383-s badge on it. my porsche driving friend/neighbor pointed out that the body was beautifully straight and the black paint was flawless.
after that we saw a 64/65 fury 2 door with a mild looking white/light gold or tan paint job. under the hood was a big hemi with a very flat top manifold with two big offset double pumper carbs on it. his unsollicited comment was 'that will sneak up on people'.
Yeah, I was thinking that, too. If that sucker was closer, and if I was in a financial position to afford it, I'd really be tempted. But after sinking $13K into a heat pump and electrical mods to the house, plus whatever these repairs to the Catalina cost me, I'm not in the best financial position these days. Oh, and did I mention that with the economy the way it is, I've "lost" more on the stock market so far this year than what I'll end up making at my job for the whole year? :sick:
For some odd reason, I tend to get attracted to cars that ended up being "losers" in one way or another. For instance, the 1976-77 LeMans was the least popular of GM's midsizers in that era. The Malibu, Monte Carlo, Century, Regal, Cutlass, and Pontiac's own Grand Prix all outsold the LeMans, and by a wide margin.
Chrysler's 1979-81 full-sized R-body was a flop. After a mediocre 1979, the platform took a nosedive, and then was yanked halfway through the 1981 model year. And while the 1957 DeSoto was a hit when it was new, its quality was bad enough that, along with botched marketing and mis-management, the entire brand would be gone within 4 years.
Similarly, the 1974-78 Mopar "C" body was sort of a loser. It was launched in 1974, just as the oil embargo hit. And the suckers were massive, heavy looking cars, even compared to their peers of the time. Once the economy started to improve, the big Chrysler Newports and New Yorkers actually sold fairly well, but they started trimming back the less popular Gran Furys and Royal Monacos for 1976, and dumped them completely after 1977. Years ago, there was a nice 1974 Gran Fury hardtop coupe for sale at the Mopar show in Carlisle, in a pale blue. I should have bought it, but I didn't have the money at the time.
I've always liked these cars. I think my first choice would be a 1974-75 Gran Fury or Monaco hardtop coupe or hardtop sedan. The hardtop sedans were pretty rare, and were only offered in 1974-75, IIRC. And while the hardtop coupes were technically offered right up through the end in 1977, a common option was a landau roof, which gave them stationary opera windows. The true hardtops, with roll-down rear windows and no B-pillar, are pretty rare. They were more common in the New Yorker and especially the Newport series.
I know I've posted this pic before, but here's a '74 Plymouth Fury coupe:
I think it's just a nice, clean, handsome style. Plenty of glass area too, which I like.
My response was basically "well, it probably won't DEpreciate, but if you are looking for an investment, there are better choices than a 1980s Alfa Spider."
'11 GMC Sierra 1500; '98 Alfa 156 2.0TS; '08 Maser QP; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '11 Mini Cooper S
So it gets another 2-year lease on life.
I believe I will have to treat it to some bondo on the hood and a coat of that spray on bed protector stuff. I'm pondering painting the whole truck in black primer, but my wife just looked at me weird when I suggested it.
'11 GMC Sierra 1500; '98 Alfa 156 2.0TS; '08 Maser QP; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '11 Mini Cooper S
I think if you stuck with the smaller engines, like the 318 and the 360, a '74 Fury or Monaco wouldn't be too bad of a car. That was the first year they put Lean Burn on the 400 and 440 though, and it was troublesome. I think it was expanded to all engines by 1975.
As for looking like a Buick, check out the 1974 Monaco!
I don't think these cars were too horrible when it came to rust resistance...at least no worse than their Ford or GM rivals. However, because they were unitized, once they did start to rust, it could be more critical.
I think the 4-door hardtop in the Fury/Monaco line was an attractive car. Here's a pic of one done up to imitate a police car:
It does look like a straight ripoff of a '71-72 LeSabre, though!
Preserved 914
"This is a great example of the luxury 260 Series!"
Volvo 260 -- a good car for hauling big sloppy dogs around. I sure hope it wasn't as bad as the old 164. Oh wait is that the V-6 engine? Then yeah, it's as bad.
A couple of initial thoughts. It isn't substantially like any other car I've driven. It just has a different feel. I don't think my wife will like to drive it. The steering is stiff, the clutch is stiff, the gearbox is stiff, the brakes are stiff and the suspension is really stiff. I am probably leaving out some other stiff things. None of that bothers me to much, but I've driven it every day for a week and I have decided it probably isn't an ideal daily driver. In fact, my 944 feels like a Lexus in comparison. I'll probably split time between the 911 and 944 as the mood strikes me while I look for a third car.
The only thing I really don't like about the 911 is the throttle. It feels like I am pushing on an orange. Even when I am really mashing the orange, I am not sure if I am giving it full throttle (or squeezing out all the juice to continue the analogy). It seems to accelerate pretty fast in any case. I just wish it had better feel.
it's in your dna.
it's in your dna.
Yeah, I think it is, too! Still, you never know. My Intrepid isn't getting any younger, and it might pay me to have one new-ish car in my fleet. This probably isn't something I should confess to, but yesterday I was on the website of the dealer I bought the Intrepid from, looking at Crown Vics and Grand Marquises! :surprise: Lotta car, literally, for the money, but if I get a newer car, I want something that's smaller and more fuel-efficient. And this is gonna sound downright hypocritical, considering some of the cars I've owned, but I just don't feel like I'm "old" enough to drive a Grand Marquis or Crown Vic! Maybe if I could find one that was an ex police car, that might take some of the stigma off, but then I'd run the risk of it being ratted out. And getting worse fuel economy than a civilian model.