About 1989, a salesman from one of the automotive suppliers came into my office and tried to sell me on new Panelescent lighting. It was going to be featured on the new Lexus LS400. It happened that I had my 1960 Chrysler t work that day, so I took him out and showed him the 30 year old Chrysler technology. I'm not sure he was impressed, but it was the last time i heard from him. The first Lexus was quite a car, even if they did pretend to reinvent 30 year old Chrysler technology. ... View more

Is this car any more dangerous than a 5500 lb Continental that can do 0-6 in 4 seconds, and top out at over 200 mph? One of the reasons to have a true luxury car is to know that extreme power is present, even if you don't feel the need to use it. Neve having to use more than 1/8th throttle in any condition is part of the luxury experience. I think Bentley's CEO has a perfect grasp of the luxury car buyer. At least they sold me one. ... View more

I'm kind of a Chevy guy these days, so I celebrate 4-27. ... View more

If i had a 2007 Chrysler 300C, I'd spend my money and my efforts on making it stop better, and corner more securely. Those are greater shortcomings in a 300 than lack of engine power. Mopar Performance makes brakes, and sway bars, that will greatly improve both braking and cornering. And, I'd buy one of those imitation Bentley grilles for it too. ... View more

At what age do you move past performance and into reliability? I'm 75, and it hasn't happened yet. If I was buying another Mustang, having owned 2 so far, the V8 is still the only choice. Neither the V6 nor the turbo 4 has the sound of the V8. One of the best ways to predict reliability is to look at the charts in Consumer Reports. They have the largest and best public database on reliability. If I recall, the V8 Mustang was somewhat more reliable than either the V6 or the 4. ... View more

Having looked under both an LH car, and a W210, I'd have to say it looks a lot more like a Mercedes than a Renault (which was the basis for the LH). Not an exact Mercedes copy, but it looked like a lot of Mercedes hardware. As time went on, Chrysler refined the car a lot, and the newest ones bear only the faintest Mercedes relationship. I've heard many Chrysler chassis engineers refer to the Mercedes parts in the 300, over the years I worked there. ... View more

300s were, and are, made in Canada. MOPAR Performance made an aftermarket gill for the 300 that was explicitly advertised as a "Bentley Style" grill. If they had 2 toned the car like a Bentley, most people could not have told the difference. ... View more

So, the judge orders the owner, in Peru, to demolish the building. The owner throws the order in the wastebasket. The judge orders the city to demolish the property and bill the owner in Peru. The owner throws the bill in the wastebasket. Then what? The owner, in Peru, gets a nasty letter from the judge never to visit Detroit again. I suspect that a year from now the ruins are still there. ... View more

Another thing to consider is the bolts that hold the head on. Many modern cars use torque to yield bolts, which is another way of saying they can't be re-used. Plan on new bolts, often a dealer-only item. Olde cars sometimes see the bolts corroded, reducing cross section area and strength. Old cars, where the bolts are exposed, such as flathead engines, will sometimes have bolts with different style heads than modern bolts. Originality suffers when modern bolts are used. If replacing bolts, make sure the lengths are exact. Too short and you might not have enough thread engagement in the head, stripping when torqued. Too long, and you might damage something in the block, or the bolt might bottom out before clamping the head tightly. Don't let this stop you from doing the job. Just be prepared. ... View more

While this article has a lot of good advice, there are times when it is not a good idea to attempt this job yourself. For example, removal of the heads on a Lincoln Mark VIII, and some other Ford SUVs, requires removing the engine. Or the cab, on some trucks. On other Fords, the head gasket blows because the engine block flexes, or has warped, not the head. 3.8 liter V6 engines are notorious for this. There are other cars where the studs that hold the head on are actually stripping out of the block, causing the head gasket to leak. Fixing that can be a real challenge. Cadillac Northstars, and Corvairs, did that. Heads often have bolts of different lengths. Put the wrong bolt in the hole in a flathead Cadillac, and you will crack the exhaust ports, or strip the threads in the block. Some modern engines require special tools to hold the camshafts in a certain position when the head is reinstalled. An impossible job without the special tools. Chevy Vega engines had no iron liner for the cylinders. A speck of antifreeze ruined the block, which was immediately visible when the head is removed. An overheated Vega engine should probably go straight to the junkyard. Cars with timing belts should always have the belt replaced when the head is off. But, other than that, changing the head gasket is pretty simple. Good luck. ... View more

Good article on threaded fasteners. Keep in mind that many cars have a mixture of metric and Imperial, SAE, threads. It is real easy to mix up a 5/16-18 and a M8x1.25 bolt or stud. I once had a Cadillac that had studs that were 5/16-18 on one end, and M8x1.25 on the other. Metric threads are measured by pitch, but SAE threads are measured by the number of threads per inch. It has been many years since I had to work with Whitworth threads, thank God. Among other oddities, the threads are called out by the size of the nut. That is, a Whitworth bolt that looks like a 5/16 bolt is actually called out as a 1/2 in bolt. English Fords of the 60s used both inch and Whitworth bolts. Really old cars, teens and earlier, don't use unified threads. Thread pitches and profiles weren't standardized until the 1920s. The moral here is don't lose the fasteners. Happy screwing. ... View more

I backed away from a problem with my Lincoln Mark VIII. In fact, I backed away from the entire car. It developed an exhaust leak, between the right manifold and the head. It was a small leak, but I could hear it outside the car, and I knew it was only going to get worse. I could actually feel the leak by putting my hands (carefully) near the manifold. I could feel the nuts holding the manifold on, and they were practically round, and nothing more than rust covered blobs. I just knew that if I could actually turn the nuts, the steel studs would snap off in the aluminum head. That would require removing the head and drilling out the studs. On a Mark VIII, you can't get the head off without removing the engine. Removing the engine meant it had to come out the bottom of he car, which meant removing the entire exhaust system, partially disassembling the rear suspension to get the drive shaft out, partially disassembling the front suspension, and, finally, having to get some kind of lift and support tools. I knew I wasn't up to this job. I knew that if I kept this car, the noise would get loud enough so I could hear it inside the car. The whole point of having an expensive luxury car is the pleasure of driving it. So, I sold the car. The next owner could worry about the noise. ... View more

Jack's take on electric cars may be a little morbid, but he has his points. Daniel Yergen, a respected expert in energy affairs for many years, expresses his pessimism about electric cars in his latest book. There may be money to be made shorting Ford and GM stock down the road. ... View more

Didn't Ford actually make a Fusion Sport fairly recently? It sounded attractive to me, but I never got to drive one. Decided to stick with rear wheel drive BMWs and Mustangs. ... View more

Great engine, great story. With any lick, there will be a crate engine version. How much does this engine weigh? Is it heavier than a typical LS engine with an aluminum block? ... View more

Ford had a major recall on the parking pawl problems. Their ultimate solution was to give everyone a sticker for the dash reminding them to apply the parking brake before getting out of the car. In Ann Arbor, a man was killed when scraping the ice off the rear window of his Lincoln. He had applied the parking brake, but when the transmission slipped from Park to Reverse, the parking brake automatically released. I would not count on a transmission rebuild fixing the parking brake issue. You could make it good as new, and it still would be a problem. Perhaps you can find a genuine Ford sticker on E-bay to put on the dash. ... View more

I was working at GM when these cars came out. Aside from teh fact that they looked like a Grand Am, which sold for half the price, they were pretty poor cars to drive. The bodies were loose and rattly, the acceleration weak despite having a V8. I remember driving a BMW 3 series back to back with one of these at a GM ride and drive. The BMW was $2000 cheaper, and the driving experience was 300% better. The fit and finish was far superior as well. None of this registered with the Cadillac execs at the time. So I would pass on this. an 85 Eldo, or a Mark VII would be just fine. ... View more

Years ag, when I still had a thing for French cars, I did similar jobs on Renault 16 transaxles, which look just like this one. You have to have a special frame of mind to work on French stuff. I eventually got over French cars and bought a Cadillac. It sounded French. ... View more

A good automatic transmission would have avoided the whole problem. ... View more

The picture doesn't accurately represent the hardware in the 72 Imperial. There were 2 rear brake modulators, and the rear brakes were discs. The electronic controller was at least 4 times as big as the illustration. I might still have the service manual for this system. I haven't looked in 40 years. That Imperial was best forgotten. It was such a poorly constructed car it made my Vega look good. ... View more

The aftermarket makes adjustable bracket kits for just these kinds of problems wit power steering pumps, and not only for Chevys. Start with Summit Racing and go from there. These cars all used Saginaw pumps, sometimes with different pulleys or reservoirs. Other cars, especially Chryslers, also used this pump. ... View more

Chrysler Imperials had a 4 channel ABS system more than 10 years before Lincoln, or anyone else. I had a 72 Imperial with that feature. Once I finished the development that Chrysler didn't do, it worked very well. 4-wheel discs, too. ... View more

As I recall, neither end of the front shock absorber on old Chryslers is attached to the frame. That is, 1 end is attached to the lower control arm, the other to the upper control arm. As I recall, there is a loop type connection at both ends. I would make sure that the shock absorber shortens as the suspension goes into jounce. This may sound odd, but it is indeed possible that in this setup, the shock absorber could extend as the suspension goes into jounce. I had a Monroe catalogue that had specifications, lengths extended and shortened, of a lot of shocks. For my 60 Chrysler, I found one with the right dimensions and end attachments, found the vehicle it was meant for, and then went to Rock Auto for buying choices. I'd start there. At least the Chrysler has modern tubular shocks, unlike old Cadillacs and LaSalles, that used lever shocks. Damping could be increased in those by using heavier oil, at the risk of blowing out seals on a bad bump. ... View more

I once had a Corvair that overheated because half the fan blades had broken off. I had another Corvair oveheat becaused the intake slots in the hood and body were clogged with leaves and other junk. Rare occurrances, but worth a look. ... View more

GM first offered airbags in 1971, in their large cars, for fleet sales, and in 1973 for general public sales. In addition to steering wheel and IP bags,they had lower bags for knee restraints. They were options in the large cars, and were not popular options. 1976 was the last year they were offered. Claiming airbag "firsts" for cars in the 80s is ignorng an important part of history. In the 80s IIHS (Insurance Institute for Highway Safety) was advocating for airbags. To show the reliability of them, they bought a junked 1971 Chevrolet Caprice. It had long since become inoperable. But they put a new battery in it, and did a 30 mph barrier test. The airbags worked perfectly. GM used, and still uses, gold plated connectors and contacts in the electrical system for airbags to prevent corrosion from causing a failure. It was a long time bfore other cas offered comparable airbags. ... View more

I forgot to mention that it's good to see Robert Farago in these pages! Welcome back. ... View more

I've only spent a little seat time in the latest Bentley Continental. It's definately quieter and more isolated than my older Bentley. I didn't get a chance to really push the car, so I can't say much about hanling, but it seemed confident and capable. The rotating instrument panel is an $8000 option, but well worth it. I think that's the only option I'd get on the car. I'd be happy with the base Continental GT, with a V8. The W12 version is slightly faster, but not enough to notice. One of the pleasures of the Bentley I have is simply opening the garage door and looking at it. The new one masures up. ... View more

Fuel lines that are rusty on the inside are on their way to rusting through and leaking. Replacing fuel and brake lines is a nasty job, but the alternative could be watching your car burn to the ground some day. ... View more

Good points about aftermarket prts.Somtimes they are the only parts you can get, though. I recently had a power steering pump, from a reputalbe supplier that I had used before, on my Chevy start to leak about a year after installation. The warranty had expired, so I had to buy a new one. But even dealer supplied parts aren't immune to problems. An extreme example is my alternator saga with the Lincoln Mark VIII. Ford parts repeatedly failed, 8 in 1 year, stranding me in Chicago, and in Erie PA. I sold the car rather than risk interrupted trips. ... View more

You have a Lotus expert on your staff, the Hack Mechanic Rob Siegal. In fact, he wrote a whole book about it! If it was my car, I would just keep driving it, checking for leaks and for getting worse. I've driven Chevys many miles with a looser water pump than that one, and the Chevys had a great big fan on them as well. ... View more

I wrked on the Caprice police and taxi program in the late 80s. We first benchmarked the Caprice agaist the Dodge Diplomat, but it was so inferior that we leaned nothing. Th Ford was better, but not much. So we benchmarked the Caprice agaunst the BMW M5 for peformance and handling. The Caprice beat the BMW on both counts. . The BMW was far superior in build quality, interior quality and downright niceness, though. But then, it cost twice as much. I once swapped a Cadillac 500 CID engine into a 77 Caprice. It made a nice hot rod. I did a high 12s at the dragstrip, with the air conditioning on. I worked on the successor Caprice, but I'd rather not talk about that one! ... View more

I'd try another master cylinder and a thorough brake fluid flush before I spent big money on other brake parts. I had numerous defective master cylinders, all with aluminum bodies, on my wife's ougar, before I found one with a cast iron body. Symptoms were the same, a soft brake pedal. Where in the brake system is there copper, exposed to brake fluid? ... View more

If I recall, adjustment of the caster and camber requires either shimming behind the cross shaft for the upper control arm bushings, or by rotating eccentric bolts. I would make sure these are free before taking it back to the alignment shop. I would also adjust the steering box to remove all play, before going back to the shop. ... View more

Or both. ... View more

This sounds like yet another argument for having an automatic transmission. ... View more

Why wouldn't you use a small block V8? Also period correct, and a lot better engine. Before I did something radical like changing a frame crossmember, I'd think about making adapters, for both the engine and transmission. How 'bout swapping in electric wndshield wipers, while you're at it. Also period correct. ... View more

The 65 Cadillacs used a new frame and suspension. Did this 65 use the new frame and the old body? Or was it completely a 64 car? ... View more

At the risk of sounding like the old guy that I am, I have heard the death knellof automobiles sevral times. When high insurance rates killed off muscle cars in the early 60s, it was going to be the end of the world for fun performance cars. The oil embargo of 1973 put the final spike in the coffin. The fuel economy mandates were the end of the world in the 80s. Remember when a 110 hp Dodge Omni, and a 125 hp Pontiac 6000 STE were the hottest things around, and even made he cover of Car and Driver? Right now we are living in the golden age of cars. The future won't be the same, but there's lots of hope that it might be better. I personally think that EVs won't mak much of a det in the arket, and that some companies that aren't making really big EV commitments will still be around to make cars and trucks we want to buy. I'm also convinced that autonomous cars are still a long way in the future. As te problems in real world environments raise their ugly head, autonomy will recede further down the road. I think that companies who proclaim that they are "all in" in EVs might provide a chance to make some real money. Think about shorting GM stock, again, when the last ICE GM car rolls out of the factory. ... View more

That's a low pressure hose, maybe 50-75 psi at most. My first try would be to pull the fitting outof the pump, coat the area with red loctite, and tap in back in place. Wait 2 days, then hook of thehose and try again. I would also check that te hose isn't the problem, instead of the fitting. If i was goingto get nto drilling and tapping, I would tap for a pipe fittig, perhaps a 1/2 inch. Then I'd put a brass fitting into the hole pipe thread on one end, barbed for a hose on the other. It looks like a 90 deg fitting would be in order. AN fittings require not only threads, but a good place for the O ring to seat. Not a minor machining job. ... View more

I think that, visually, the C pillar should have some relationship to the rear wheel. It should look lik ethe roof is supported by the wheel. The 76 Seville did a masterful job of this with a nearly vertical pillar and rear glass. The edgesof the pillar are tangent,in sde view, to the mass of the wheel. It also added headroom for the rear seat passengers. Lots of car copied the upright C pillar, for quite a few years, but few, if any, had the perfect proportions of the Seville. The 77 Caprice coupe also had a great C pillar to wheel relationship. The pillar was slanted forward, but the edges of the pillar were sttill tangent to the wheel. The wraparound rear glass, with a nice crease at each side, provided headroom for the rear seat occupants. It also allowed the use of the same trunklid as the sedan, which had a much more upright pillar. The Bentley Continental coupe has a C pillar that is shaped to balance its mass over the wheel, while providing a fastback profile. A good bad example was the redesigned 91 Caprice. The C pillar was pulled back a lot, and made much thinner. A quarter window was added aft of the rear door. When combined with the partially covered rear wheel, the car looked like the rear end was drooping. Sales fell by 65%. I had one of these cars, and I improved the looks, somewhat, by adding fender skirts to completely hide the wheel, and blacking out the bright trim that led your eye to the most awkward part of the car. GM tried to fix it by gluing a small triangular body colored piece of plastic to the quarter window, to try and move the visual mass of the C pillar forward. Convertibles avoid these problems altogether when the top is down. Another reason to put the top down. The 2005 Mustang is one of the few convertibles that look as good with the top up as down. The shape of the top is visually supported by the rear wheel. In fact, I think the 3/4 rear view of these cars is visually seductive. It's no wonder, to me, that they sold a lot of these cars. My wife bought one,and she loved it. This is probably more information than anyone needs. ... View more

The A pillar is an important design element. A pillars that extend ahead of the front wheel centerline have never looked good to me. A pillars that extend behind teh front wheel centerline seem, to me , to add a bit of dignity and elegance, and perhaps a bit of display of luxury. Mercedes S-classes of recent years are an example. The newest Bentley Continentals have moved the front wheels forward and now have A pillars that extend rearward of the front wheel centerline. I think they look better for it. Lots of people argue that roff crush standards drove larger A pillars, but I think the desire for mor torsional stiffnes is the real driver. Regulations get a bum rap for a lot of things. Plus, there is absolutely no excuse for thick A pillars on a convertible, since convertibles are completely exempt from roof crush standards, and the A pillars contribute nothing to the torsional stiffness o an open car. Large A pillars in open cars seem to be driven by cost cutting, to use parts from a closed cr version. The current Mustang is an example of that. You can also make a good argument that the roof standards add cost and weight, while having no effect on safety. There are multiple studies, some even done by NHTSA, comparing teh open and closed versions of the same car. This started with the 1982 Chrysler convertibles, and has continued since. But no regulator or politician is ever going to relax standards, at the risk of being crucified. Back inthe late 70s, when it looked like the roof standards might outlaw convertibles, the issue finally got to teh Supreme Court. The court ruled, essentially, that anyone sentient enough to sign the papers for a new convertible most certainly realized that the car had no roof. That's why convetibles are exempt from the roof standards. ... View more

This sounds a lot like a leak in the dipstick tube or seal. When the engine stops, fluid in the top half of the torque convertor drains back into the transmission case. raising the level significantly. It is not uncommon, in older cars, for a small rust pinhole leak to form in the tube. It's relatively easy to pull out the tube and check, and replace the seal at the bottom. It's also possible, though less likely, that the seal around the shift selector shaft, is worn and leaking. Same results. It can usually be replaced while the transmission is still in the car. Hydra-matic transmission don't have an "overflow tube". They have a vent tube to the atmosphere. If the transmission is overfilled, the fluid can foam and com out the vent tube. This condition corrects itself after enough fluid is expelled. Th fluid will be foamy. Long shot possibilities are the rear seal, and the gasket between the case and the case extension. If the transmission has to come out, you might consider replacing it with a 700R4 (AKA 4L60). It's a much better transmission in every way, stronger and far more reliable. My experience with the Ford 4R70W is that external leaks are usually around the shift shaft seal. Ford has a somewhat complicated arrangement here. Chrysler Torqueflites always leak around the throttle lever linkage. Older ones don't even have a seal here, a certain leak. ... View more

It has been my experience that on Chrysler 727 transmissions, torque convertor ballooning is never a problem. To check, take the convertor loose from the flex plate, 4 bolts. The convertor should slide back into the transmission about a quarter of an inch. If it doesn't, there is a problem with the transmission, or perhaps the flex plate is wrong for the application. It is possible, with difficulty, for the flex plate to be installed backwards. That assumes Chrysler components. Aftermarket convertors and flex plates could present their own problems. I have seen Chrysler engines with this problem, and it has always been due to a problem with the initial machining of either the block or the crank. With the engine assembled, but the torque convertor disconnected, check for end play. I don't remember the specs, but there should be some. It has been quite a while since I worked on old Chryslers, but then again, these are old parts we are talking about. ... View more

On some cars, replacing window motors can be a little dangerous. There is a big spring that counterbalances the weight of the glass. Removing the motor can, in some cases, release the spring, causing parts of the regulator to move suddenly. They can act as a guillotine and slice off your finger. Sometimes part of the mechanism can be clamped to the door to prevent its movement. Always a good idea. ... View more

Sajeev, The switch in my Mark VIII shorted out and started smoking. Had i not been in the garage at the time, it would have caused a major fire. I immediately disconnected the battery. The switch is exposed to brake fluid as it senses pressure, and that is how the short circuit starts. Bob Elton ... View more

I liked the interior of my Mark VIII a lot, but the build quality was poor, and the quality and durability of the materials left much to be desired, especially as the car aged. One of the wildest interiors, I think, was the 1960/61 Chrysler 300 F/G. The instrument cluster was half a hemisphere, with the instruments stacked, much like a pinball machine. It has electroluminescent lighting, so even the needles glowed in the dark, floating against a black background. The radio also had electroluminescent lighting. 4 bucket seats, and the front ones swiveled out for easier entry. Or just to show off, depending on your point of view. A full console that ran the length of the car. Pushbutton transmission controls, with matching pushbutton HVAC controls. No visible steering column, as it looked like the steering wheel was connected directly to the instrument cluster. The turn signal lever came directly out of the dash, under the transmission buttons. The steering wheel was clear plastic, and the steel reinforcement inside the plastic was chrome plated. The door panel armrests were styled to match the fins on the body. The inside door handles looked like control levers from an aircraft. I could go on, but the theme was to make the inside of the car look as outrageous as the outside. ... View more

The last picture is the gas gauge. It's a dipstick. To use, you pulled it out, swung it around a few times t dry off, re-inserted and then pulled out to check the level of gas in the tank. 2CVs are all about simplicity. I had several, though not a 4x4. The 425cc engine was considered the "big" engine at the time, as many still used the 375cc engine. Later, they got a really big banger, a 602 cc engine. Once, I swapped a 4 cyl Ami engine, 1100cc, into a 2CV. It was really dangerous. Some years ago I swore off French cars. Now I have a Cadillac, which sounds French. ... View more

I think Bentley Continental GTs are the best looking new cars today. So far, they have been pretty good at not screwing up as they made facelifts and a new platform for these cars. Let's hope the new styling people can do as well. ... View more

I remember these cars well. We had a V8 version, 1975, that still used the Vega brakes, solid, unvented front discs. The brakes got so hot that they melted the plastic wheel covers, giving them a Salvador Dali-esqu look. At some point, Chevy offered a "spark plug changing kit". It has a hole saw, with a paper pattern of were to put the holes in the inner fender. I also remember that the front frames cracked and sagged, giving the front wheels a lot of negative camber. I know this was a common problem because GM offered a "frame repair kit". I had a Buick version of the hatchback. It had the Buick V6, an even-fire engine, with dual exhausts and a 4 barrel carb, and a 4 speed manual trans. It was quite peppy for the day, and faster than my wife's V8 Monza. The Buick had clad lug nuts. That is, te steel nuts were covered with a thin stainless cover. The steel would rust and break the stainless cladding, and the lug nuts would ten be unable to be removed with the lug wrench supplied with the car. Even in the shop they were difficult to remove. The V8 Monza, with air conditioning had 3 cooling fans, a pusher and a puller electric fans, and an engine fan. It never overheated, but then we live in Michigan with a moderate climate. I thought these cars were cheaply constructed, but then I took an engineering job at Chrysler and found out what really cheaply constructed cars were! ... View more

How 'bout Cadillac's, "Penalty of Leadership" in 1914? That one ad catapulted Cadillac into the front ranks of American luxury cars. Too bad they seemed to have forgotten it long ago at Cadillac. Rolls-Royce had a good one, in early 20s I think. Picture of Henry Royce, quoted, "Strive for perfection in everything. Take the best and make it better. When it does not exist, design it. Accept nothing nearly right of good enough". He was plugging Rolls-Royces built in Springfield, MA, so I suppose this is sort of an American ad. ... View more