About drjim

drjim · ‎20-01-2021

R.I.P., Jerry. You fueled the dreams of an astounding number of people. I was living in San Pedro during Vector's time in Wilmington, and used to drive past the Vector building on a regular basis. Even got to see a car or two in front, but rarely. The closest I ever got to one was a few years later when I was living in Redondo Beach. The was a popular breakfast place along PCH, and I saw one parked there one Sunday morning as I was driving past. Did a U-turn, parked my car, and spent about 15 minutes walking around it. Really stunning to see one up close. I also saw an F-40 there during the same period, and did an extensive walk-around on that car too. I still think he was *this close* to hitting his goals. - Jim

drjim · ‎18-01-2021

"Throw away that QudraJet and put a Holley on it". The only thing "wrong" with a QuadaJet is that most people don't have a clue about how they work, or how to adjust them. And in 50+ years of working on them, I've NEVER seen the well plugs leak, so put away the JB Weld..... - Jim

drjim · ‎07-01-2021

The only one I'd be interested in is the Cougar, and even that's out of my "price range" by a factor of 5 or 6! - Jim

drjim · ‎06-01-2021

Oh, goodness....I sure would like that Nash! - Jim

drjim · ‎06-01-2021

I saw the Group 44 GT6+ race at Road America. Wonder if this is the same car I saw...? - Jim

drjim · ‎04-01-2021

I attended a Hagerty event at a "local" Ferrari restoration place, and was able to look at numerous engines being rebuilt. I learned a lot just looking at things like the porting in the cylinder heads and the bottom-end of the engines. Too bad all this COVID stuff pretty much shut down the Hagerty events, at least in this area. - Jim

drjim · ‎04-01-2021

Way to go, Rob!

drjim · ‎02-01-2021

My Dad's last new car was a 1976 version of this, the last of the "full size" cars before GM seriously redid them. Quite a boat, and he had it until he passed in 1991. It wound up going to my brother-in-law, who had always admired these big bruisers, and he passed it on to a son-in-law in about 2000 or so. - Jim

drjim · ‎01-01-2021

Well done! It's always a good feeling when I see a person actually finish a project of this magnitude.

drjim · ‎01-01-2021

I have to admit that I like the dashboard on it. I'd never buy one, but they're interesting to look at. - Jim

drjim · ‎28-12-2020

Hi, Rob I disagree about cut springs and coil bind. I've cut quite a few springs over the years, typically just a single coil, and I've always seen the as-installed distance between the coils increase. I've never seen, or felt, any signs of the coils binding. I've seen other people cut several turns off the springs, and that can definitely lead to some issues, usually with the spring coming out of it's pocket. - Jim

drjim · ‎27-12-2020

The first Citroen I ever saw was a DS in about 1961. I was 10 years old, a real Space Age Kid, and I thought it must have been powered by a turbine or something special. I as I got older and more into cars, I read about them, and was fascinated by how they did things. I'm still wowed by the styling and engineering, but sadly have never had a ride in one. - Jim

drjim · ‎26-12-2020

That thing would look really badass in a dark color.......just sayin'..... - Jim

drjim · ‎26-12-2020

Great to hear you have a close by, reputable, specialist shop to help you sort out your "new" car. You mentioned "CD" in your description of the audio system, but I don't see a slot on the head unit for a disc. Does it have a remote-mounted CD changer?

drjim · ‎26-12-2020

My Mom had a '64 Spyder coupe, and it was a joy to ride in. I was only 15 at the time, so any "drives" of mine were in a parking lot, or on a deserted road with Mom! She loved that little car, dark metallic red with a black interior, and I probably would have taken my driver's test in it if it hadn't been rear-ended and totaled when my sister was driving it. Mom replaced it with a brand-new 1967 Corvair Monza, but, alas, it only had the 110HP engine, and -GASP- a Powerglide.

drjim · ‎26-12-2020

AND....we drank from garden hoses, rolled around in the dirt all day, rode bikes without helmets, and did everything that would give the Nanny State a stroke!

drjim · ‎26-12-2020

That's quite a car. I was 10 years old when these were new, and I was far more interested in Corvettes and XKE's than station wagons, so I never gave them a second glance. When my buddies and I got older, though, and seriously into working on cars, the utility of wagons came shining through, and a couple of my friends had some really cool ones. How about a '67 BelAir with a 396 and a 4-speed? Another had a '66 Galaxie with a 390 4-bbl and a C6 he inherited from his Dad. But I sure didn't see many of the big Chrysler wagons, let alone one with fins! - Jim

drjim · ‎26-12-2020

I used both studded and plain snow tires growing up in Illinois. After we moved to Colorado after a 35-year stint in SoCal, I decided I needed a set of Winter tires for my Grand Cherokee. Wound up with a set of Blizzaks, and was really impressed with how much better they were in the snow and wet than the Bridgestone Duellers I had on it. I knew tire technology had vastly improved over the years, but was still surprised at how much difference a set of good "Winter" tires made. And they don't drive you nuts on the highway like they used to!

drjim · ‎24-12-2020

Hi, dough I've fixed more than few. Mostly scratchy volume/tone controls and old, dried-out electrolytic capacitors, but I've fixed dead ones before. Could be anything from a broken wire/cracked circuit board foil to a blown part. I'm assuming you've checked the basics? Fuses good? Connections solid? Is there power at the OEM connector in the harness? Do the indicator lights come on with the car lights? And an important one - *did it _ever_ work*? - Jim

drjim · ‎23-12-2020

I hope the seller has all the missing pieces....

drjim · ‎23-12-2020

Unfortunately, it's not a very attractive car. Reminds me of a Continental MKVII with the mumps.....

drjim · ‎23-12-2020

I have several 3/8" wrenches I made decades ago for getting at the header bolts on my American Iron cars. And I have some larger wrenches for suspension bolts in odd places, and a deep socket I had to grind down so I could remove the wheel bolts from some oddball, off-brand mag wheels I had on a long forgotten car. Just like the articles on making your own special-purpose tools from bits of scrap, I hope this article will help people that don't have 60 years of skinned knuckles.....yet. - Jim

drjim · ‎21-12-2020

Thanks for the insightful post, Rob. I've been buying and selling on eBay since just after they opened, but mostly vintage radio equipment and stuff for my Supra, never a whole car. BaT is fun to read and follow some listings, like Tom Cotter's Ford station wagon, but I don't spend much time there, and had no idea how they conduct business. Good luck with your next sale! - Jim

drjim · ‎15-12-2020

Interesting to see that this is a four-door car. I guess our Australian friends didn't apply the same stigma to four-door cars that the U.S. did.

drjim · ‎14-12-2020

Oh, YEAH! I've been fortunate over the years to have found a few parts stores and dealerships that were outstanding to work with. Always patient and friendly, and if it wasn't in stock, they'd get it ASAP. And yep, they'd always ask about what I was working on today, or how my project car was coming.

drjim · ‎13-12-2020

My Dad had a 1971, and "Nimitz Class" describes it perfectly. My Hot Rod buddies and I referred to them as "First Class Guardrail Destroyers" as calling things "Nimitz Class" hadn't caught on yet. And he HATED it! He'd traded-in his 1969 version, which was a much nicer, better-built car. The '71 had an anemic two barrel engine, while his '69 had a 375HP, 4-bbl 455 with dual exhaust. The '71 also had some of the worst paint I'd ever seen on a GM car of that era. Orange peel galore, no shine, and thin in spots. He got rid of it a year later, and went back to Chevrolet.

drjim · ‎09-12-2020

What about replacement pads? Will GM sell original specification pads, or will West Coast buyers be forced into the black market for them?

drjim · ‎08-12-2020

Well done, Rob! I agree with the others here about the young man being financially responsible for this. And I agree about him needing a talking to. - Jim

drjim · ‎01-12-2020

What do I think? It depends on how well built they are. I saw too many American cars turned into "classics" with big zoomy fenders and flex-tube exhaust pipes, and none of them were very well made. They looked OK, but put one on a lift, and.........RUN!

drjim · ‎01-12-2020

Funny how certain cars get under our skin and become family members. I'll be watching carefully to see this play out.

drjim · ‎01-12-2020

I fondly remember those as well! The GTO had a unique crest/light on the rear as well. Hmm....Maybe another Hagerty article in the making?

drjim · ‎23-11-2020

#1 "Bucket List" car for me!

drjim · ‎23-11-2020

I feel for you, Sam! In the Spring of 1985 I broke my left ankle, and severely sprained my right one. My daily driver was an X1/9, so I was relying on friends and family to get me around until I was able to drive again, about 6 weeks until the cast came off. Even with a "walking cast" I couldn't manage the clutch and throttle at the same time.

drjim · ‎23-11-2020

I've seen a couple of the two-door coupes get the full restomod treatment, and they look really good all hunkered down. - Jim

drjim · ‎21-11-2020

Well done, my friend!

drjim · ‎21-11-2020

Thanks for "Ugga-dugga", Brandan. Been doing this stuff since the late 1960's, and that's one I'd never heard. - Jim

drjim · ‎21-11-2020

Another one outta the park, Jack.

drjim · ‎19-11-2020

The first Parts Hauler I owned was a 1972 El Camino SS. Very good utility, but unless I had three or four bags of sand in the bed, I could get stuck in my driveway. Big Block engines with very little weight over the rear tires don't get along well with Northern Illinois winters. These days I'm driving a Chevrolet Colorado Z71 crew cab short bed, and it has greater utility than the old El Camino, along with vastly improved handling and fuel economy. - Jim

drjim · ‎16-11-2020

I remember these cars quite well. The were Gen-You-Ine "Iowa Class" American Guardrail Destroyers. I always felt like I was sitting in my grandma's sofa when I sat in one.

drjim · ‎10-11-2020

My impact screwdriver and 5-Lb hand sledge have gotten me out of many a "tight spot". I'd never seen one until I was helping a buddy work on his motorcycle way back in high-school. When I saw how well it worked, I drove by Sears on the way home and bought one. But be careful, as Kyle points out. With Great Power comes Great Responsibility, and if you miss with your swing, you'll probably break something. - Jim

drjim · ‎09-11-2020

Then schedule it for the future, Rob, and collect all the parts to do it once. I only have one project car, and I've found that works for me.

drjim · ‎07-11-2020

I thought this was a very good article. Yes, it's an "opinion" piece, and I think these articles have a place here. I also happen to agree with the author.

drjim · ‎06-11-2020

At one time I had a collection of combination wrenches that had been heated/bent/ground on so that I could get at the header bolts. Never had to modify a socket to get the plugs in and out, but I definitely would have dome something like this if I'd needed to!

drjim · ‎04-11-2020

I had something similar happen to me, but it involved a 1984 Toyota Tercel which I'd traded in. I was living in SoCal at the time, and bought the car from my first wife. It started having smog-test issues, and it was on it's third extension from the DMV. My Credit Union was having huge car sale, so I traded it in on a very nice Jeep Grand Cherokee, and life was good. Six months later, I get a letter from the Orange County (CA) Sheriff's department, informing me that the towing and impound fees were piling up, and what did I want to do about "my" car? A quick phone call cleared it up, but somebody had been driving the car on an open title, with expired plates, for six months!

drjim · ‎31-10-2020

Reminds me of my younger days!

drjim · ‎28-10-2020

* As far as they’re concerned, this sort of monkey business is okay for some people but not for others.* Bingo!

drjim · ‎12-10-2020

Thanks for recommending the book, Jay. I picked up a copy and it's wonderful. My Dad was a Tool and Die Maker, and I grew up in a machine shop. I've always been fascinated by "How We Got Here", and this book is a treat! - Jim

drjim · ‎10-10-2020

One of my "Bucket List" cars.

drjim · ‎09-10-2020

Yeah, but did they fix the soggy brakes? - Jim

drjim · ‎08-10-2020

Too much of a dice roll to tell from the pix. Might be a good deal, or might be a disaster. If it were a Ram Air IV, it might be worth it, but that's a base engine car.