About acooper529

acooper529

I agree with Snailish overall. What do the numbers actually tell you? Are you talking brand loyalty? total numbers sold? registered? insured? ... and what does Mustang vs Corvette even mean in general? Different animals completely.

acooper529

Worked for a Dodge dealer in Mt Ephraim NJ in the early 70's. I personally wouldn't buy any of them. They really did have some GREAT body styling and some fairly potent power train combinations. The bodies were poorly made, spot welded junk. The suspensions were marginal, at best, but did seemed o.k. when driven in a straight line (on the highway). The rest of the vehicle's systems were fairly simple and straight forward. I would rate most of the 70's Dodge cars as "good/ serviceable". I still cringe when I see the "full rotisserie" restorations done to these vehicles (on TV). Why? We appear to be in an era where EVERYTHING is declared "rare/ special" to increase its value.

acooper529

Riviera. Just don't like driving or working on little box type cars, or any older German cars, period. Driven, repaired and maintained many of them over a 50 year career. The Buick is a perfect match for the (mostly) wide open American road.

acooper529

I know I can't be the first one to mention this but what about the recycling or disposal cost of these massive battery/ platform assemblies? Will the time come when the "older" battery liability could overshadow the residual value of a used EV? The batteries WILL weaken, fail and eventually "time out". Compare it directly to the depreciation of an aircraft as the motor(s) approach the maximum recommended TBO hours. The cheaper (older) EV models could, and probably will just get scraped.

acooper529

The early year GTOs (pictured) always seemed to have a better feel as far as build quality, especially on the road, and very similar to the Buick GS. Long time Chevy guy, but they never felt as solid as far as body and suspension. I am talking about driving them when they were still new (3-5 years?).

acooper529 · ‎08-04-2022

As an antique and classic car guy (mostly US production iron), I am also a longtime NASCAR fan. The NASCAR thing is a lot like quicksand in that the more they "wiggle around" with rules and changes to influence the outcome of races, the further they sink. The HANS device really DID make sense... after Dale Earnhardt was killed in a huge wreck... along with roof flaps to keep them on the track and even the "safer" barriers... and then it was on from there. I think they have nearly lost me with the massaging and the "sameness". That's just not how things play out in the real world, and the fans all know it.

acooper529 · ‎04-04-2022

Engineering degrees and driving junk cars? I guess that is o.k. with.... someone out there? Among my group of highly skilled friends, we have always fixed the up the junk cars or just sent them away. Of course, we don't have the engineering degrees either.

acooper529 · ‎25-03-2022

They are probably too busy now pushing the fraud which is global warming to waste any more time on this existing problem.

acooper529 · ‎24-03-2022

The first paragraph is the best of the entire article. If people would listen to that, then I believe they would be in a much better place, especially if they do decide to go forward. You have to remember that many of these barn finds were ABANDONED... and in the barn for a good reason (usually). I must admit that the "needle in a haystack" and "holy grail" stuff really does make for some good TV.... as long as it's not another version of "Oak Island" like so many of the "Pickers" shows have become.

acooper529 · ‎19-03-2022

Having been in the auto world for 50+ years, I would warn everyone about this current "barn find" hoax phenomenon that is sweeping through the classic car and hot rod world. Remember that TV shows with various "PICKERS" are made for entertainment... but are 75% or more contrived BS. We all (me included) can easily drift out of reality and become drunk on false optimism when it comes to that idea of bringing some abandoned "whatever" magically jumping back to life and then tooling down the road again, with us behind the wheel. This is possible, except for almost everything! Take a very experienced, working professional mechanic with you to look at any "barn find". You probably WON'T hear what you want to hear, but you will be saving yourself a ton of aggravation AND a boatload of $$$ too. There is usually a very good reason that these "gold nuggets" are sitting under piles of useless junk. GET IT?

acooper529 · ‎19-03-2022

test

acooper529 · ‎10-03-2022

The original MicroBus was known for the look and the time period that it represented. In the shop, it was just a cool looking rust bucket that really didn't do anything particularly well. The structure itself was marginal as was the steering, suspension and power train. But that's o.k. A couple of us long hairs, bell bottoms, tie-dyed shirts, some beer and lots of weed smoke billowing from the passenger compartment.... and you had the whole picture. The new deal is just another EV platform with something slightly different on top. You can't recreate the original Bus, so maybe you should just be happy with what it represented. PEACE OUT DUDES!

acooper529 · ‎09-03-2022

The beauty here is in seeing them, reading the placard, saying hmmm? ...to yourself... and then being able to just move on to other cars and curiosities at the show. No bank checks or shipping arrangements needed.

acooper529 · ‎08-03-2022

I am a big Hagerty fan, but the recent spate of "classics" related articles and auction sales shows us that almost anything can be considered a "classic". Among those of us who grew up around real classics, and restorations in general, we do know two things. 1. Very few (percentage wise) cars are really classics by a standard definition. 2. The ugliness of big $$$ "auction prices" has hurt the basic premise of the collector hobby. At the beginning, building hotrods and restoring classics was NEVER just about money. Sad.

acooper529 · ‎25-02-2022

Steering wheel is o.k. Engine compartment also looks good. Otherwise... it just needs to meet the crusher. Even Barris made some mistakes.

acooper529 · ‎15-02-2022

Did anyone notice the "Pratt-Whitney" on the small block's l/side valve cover in the '32 Hi-Boy? That's a very specific reference of some kind? Maybe it indicates that the little Ford can really fly?

acooper529 · ‎13-02-2022

Other than the split window Vette, who remembers ever seeing ANY of these cars on the road or out in public? So we keep seeing these "who in the hell cares" articles, and the feedback from your members and customers is crystal clear. If the magazine is moving toward some elite group of "collectors", just let us commoners know and we will seek alternative reading sources. WE CAN'T BE MORE CLEAR ABOUT THIS!

acooper529 · ‎12-02-2022

So.. having lived and wrenched through this time period, let me ask you.... is any old car that somebody kept in good condition now a CLASSIC? I have had most of these in the service bays and there is almost NOTHING special about them.... save a Dart with some tape-on decals. Exactly what is going on here that I have totally missed?

acooper529 · ‎08-02-2022

For some of the bunch, it looks like Jaguar sent out a kit, including an actual finished car along with a box of odd parts and sheet metal screws. A few of the resulting assemblies should have never seen the light of day. And what is with the deal with the weird little "grill" parts that appear to have been found in the back warehouse? The clash of styling with the grills, of course, has been used in Italian designed production cars for years. Why would you ever want to do that? Hmm? For the guys who wrenched on the production cars, I say this. Just imagine combining Jaguar's inherent mechanical problems with the problems of 60's, 70's and 80's Italian cars? Wow!

acooper529 · ‎29-01-2022

Agree with Copbait73 on the very large, if not compulsively acquired, car collections. So much research, time and money spent, apparently with no final plan for completion. Also... very familiar with the "tied down" and pretty much abandoned aircraft, most of which will never fly, with some sporting "see through" wings. They used to be everywhere!

acooper529 · ‎29-01-2022

That last (final design?) picture does look very similar to a Ford Probe GT, minus the broken camshaft option of course. Now that was a truly crappy V6 engine after very few miles! I don't ever remember the Taurus SHO 3.0 Yamaha being "powerful" but was noticeably smoother. And why does any Car Company waste R&D money or risk production on such a niche vehicle? One design point that I think is just crazy is producing non-framed door windows. Can't we all see how the lack of wind noise control can makes ANY car appear junky after a few years on the road?

acooper529 · ‎27-01-2022

Wow... imagine HYPE from a major manufacturer? Absolutely SHOCKING! Everybody just calm down! (and eventually everyone will anyway). Who dictates what sells and what doesn't? What is popular and what is not? The BUYERS... GEN-POP... and the people who DRIVE them! Advertising and hyping a vehicle that is basically N/A seems pretty stupid, right? Look around, talk to Americans, turn on the tube... We are living in "VERY STUPID" times.

acooper529 · ‎22-01-2022

Are we talking about motor vehicles or gemstones? It seems like the message from 99% or more of the readers is clear. Repeated articles like this from Hagerty are just NOT that interesting to most of us? Who is not understanding this?

acooper529 · ‎20-01-2022

Here is the elephant in the room. I would assume that most automotive people are pragmatic and have (some) common sense. Most people in or around this business understand what is going on. Even to those of us that support looking at (and trying out) real alternatives, there are some basic realities on the street. 1. The sky is NOT falling, and the world is not ending in (fill in the blank) years! 2. The cold truth is that we have little or no say in many things that are happening on this planet. 3. Reasonable people who have actual facts to present will generally win the debate... any day. In a world where people spew lies and hyperbole EVERY SINGLE DAY, who even cares anymore? There is a limit to what sensible people will listen to or care about. We have temporarily exceeded that limit. We will only return to solution-based conversation after the idiots are back in their cages.

acooper529 · ‎13-01-2022

One of my auto shop customers still has his Grandfather's all White 1963 Lincoln hardtop w/suicide doors in near all original condition. It has the 430 (2-3 years only?). We did a lot of mechanical work on it over the years, but EVERTYTHING is now a total pain the ass as far as repairs or for parts. We worked on "as a longtime friend" but always for big money and very little profit. Interesting fact; It is one of the first BIG, very heavy non-frame unibody cars I have ever seen.

acooper529 · ‎11-01-2022

OK I must say.... the last of the big square body Mercury Marquis were pretty damn nice when new or maintained in good condition. How about the powder blue ones with dark blue velour interior? Ahhhh!

acooper529 · ‎11-01-2022

Had 4 bay shop from 1977-2019 and Ford mechanic friends very close to a local Ford-Lincoln-Mercury Dealer in NJ. The electronics in all of those cars, late 80's to late 90's and beyond, were absolute trash. Just the ride adjusting systems, especially on the baby Continentals were an absolute nightmare! Swapping out (scavenging) electronic modules with new cars right on the lot? Stunning how bad some of the systems were. Even so far as close to "unrepairable" under warranty! How do you think that you will ever get around that in 2022? Remember the wiring "break-out" boxes?

acooper529 · ‎11-01-2022

Well... it did say "LETS GET WEIRD" right?

acooper529 · ‎11-01-2022

The '87 Grand National looks as good as the day it first appeared on the streets. What an awesome and beautifully understated look for a real street monster. Some changed to bigger rear tires and headed right to the Atco Dragway here in Southern New Jersey! As a lifelong mechanic and shop owner, I would still like to get ahold of a T-type. They came out in gray paint and with a smaller turbo. I wonder how many still exist. A much cheaper way to get a very similar vehicle. They really ran very well. A real street sleeper too.

acooper529 · ‎07-01-2022

The "less is more" looks interesting to me having at least 4 new suburbans and 2 WTs going back to 1987.... along with maybe another 10 used Chevy trucks.

acooper529 · ‎07-01-2022

I believe the Extreme Electric article said 130% grade or 52.5 degrees. Surely someone can easily check that?

acooper529 · ‎06-01-2022

WOW! This seems so basic that I don't really know what more to say? So many words wasted? 1. PAINTING... needs to done in a PAINT BOOTH! 2. A garage or Auto Repair Shop IS NOT a paint booth. Am I seriously missing something here? Somebody... please let me out NOW!

acooper529 · ‎30-12-2021

Gummy bears and coffee

acooper529 · ‎25-12-2021

The 500 window VW Bus and the Santa Hertz 'vette are beyond iconic.

acooper529 · ‎25-12-2021

C'mon... It's the TRANS-AM scoop on a black body with gold accents and in combination with the stock type Firebird decal (just like the picture). I forget what the REAL name was for the BIRD? We could ask Sheriff Buford T. Justice or Burt Reynolds himself, if either one is still kickin'.

acooper529 · ‎21-12-2021

What I am hearing is... this kind of article is just basically irrelevant to the lives of most Hagerty readers/ customers at large. Now then... did that sound better?

acooper529 · ‎16-12-2021

Wanted to add a BIG READ FLAG on the fake GTO's that are out there. I have seen first hand at least one shop/Dealer that did this on a regular basis for years. Hearing it is one thing but seeing it yourself is quite another. Some will do anything to make a buck. Do yourself a BIG favor and just pay up for a fully documented example of whatever you buy... INCLUDING ALL GTO'S, real or fake.

acooper529 · ‎16-12-2021

After spending 50+ years in the automotive business, mostly performing P/M and repair, I ask this. Who is going to maintain and or repair these vehicles? Are any parts actually available? It's your choice as to what you like, but you MAY want to actually DRIVE one of these vehicles? The Pontiac and the Caddy would be the easy best choices of cars that could be maintained and ready to drive on a regular basis. Just a heads up to the younger generations.

acooper529 · ‎12-12-2021

Saw all of these new and even worked for Dodge in the early '70s. The early square body Road Runners and Chargers had the style and could FLY on the street. BUT they were spot welded junk with pitifully weak front suspensions. Ok straight line only. The best quality were the Olds 442 and similar Buick mid size cars. BUT not as well known (stock) for outright speed or quickness. Much better ride... by far.

acooper529 · ‎07-12-2021

I was surprised to see this crap (and other similar garbage lately) in what has been a serious Company's "driver's Club" section? Isn't this a company that, I believe, just went public? How does being STUPID and/ or involved in CRIMINAL ACTIVITY fit in with the Hagerty Company image, basic customer demo or anything else having to do with Hagerty in general? If you are trying to pacify the gangster wannabe crowd, then just say it out loud. Alternately I suggest that you all grow a pair before you alienate and lose some of the best people of the antique and classic car crowd has to offer. To the newer editorial hires that are obviously doing this: Thanks and see yuh later... and don't let the door hit you in the ass on the way out! To the Corporate adults at Hagerty, I say that the customers WILL let you know this sooner or later. Make it stop before you "hit the guard rails" of your current customer base sentiment.

acooper529 · ‎22-11-2021

...should say trans

acooper529 · ‎22-11-2021

So you are telling me and thousands of others who spent our entire lives in Auto repair that this NOT just another throw away piece of horse hockey? And the first time that the magic 200 horses hit that the golf cart quality teams was not sent straight to the road? This is a story, but doesn't belong on these pages because a couple of idiots trolled someone into BUYING this thing. I am personally hitting the BS button on this one and am EXTREMELY tired of hearing about this silly cr**. Its a fugitive from a junk yard... AT BEST! GIVE US SOME MORE QUALITY PLEASE.

acooper529 · ‎16-11-2021

I always try to read.... WAIT.... and then (maybe) post a response. I have 50+ years in everything that moves, but most of it was the 42 years in my own auto shop. Who among your readers is seriously interested in a 60K Bronco... for real? You guys have covered this like the second coming for so long that it COULD appear that you have a interest in pushing (selling) this thing or filling space? 1. I DO NOT think for one minute that the above is true, just the perception. 2. You are wearing me out with this thing. All (or most) prior Bronco models (from the beginning) were rusted out junk somewhere between their 5th and 10th birthdays, along with horrendous handling and poor to modest performance (and REALLY **bleep**ty gas mileage). What the hell? How much copy has been dedicated to this NEW Bronco in your Mag and online so far? All the haters can begin now with your responses, but what do the regular customers think? And what if this thing turns out to be another FJ Cruiser? OH MY GOD... NO!

acooper529 · ‎16-06-2021

Wake me up when it's over. I really do miss the harnesses packed with what? All white wires to the PCM or FI controllers. So much fun!

acooper529 · ‎09-06-2021

The early 3.8 odd fire was "funny" with it's "boogedy, boogedy? idle. Traded an airplane 1/4 share (that I was stuck with) for a 1929 Model A Hot Rod with one of these. It was an older build. Also worked on many of the later 3800 Gen1, Gen2 and even the Bonneville Superchargered ones. These things ran so good that is one my top 5 favorite GM motors. Also had several with the loud knocking at idle, which turned out to be ONLY a broken ($300.00) damper/harmonic balancer assemble. A quick back and forth on the front alternator nut would confirm the problem.

acooper529 · ‎07-06-2021

Very cool, iconic and all that. Having worked on these back in the day, all I wonder is how you would keep it from rolling over on anything but fairly level terrain and at slow speeds? The pictures sort of implies that they were intending to go 4-wheeling with it? And of course the bus and beetle already had awesome traction (say like out in the Jersey Pinelands) with just standard RWD, right?. The beetle would even "float" across most big "rain induced" puddles on the sand roads... usually.

acooper529 · ‎07-06-2021

Older Z cars that are not rusted out completely? Does that really exist? That is the only thing that would make them rare IMHO.

acooper529 · ‎02-06-2021

Maybe it's just me, but IMHO this is just stupid. It has nothing at all to do with the average car enthusiast, who would seem to be the target audience for Hagerty. Did they buy it with Bitcoin?

acooper529 · ‎26-05-2021

Are there some timeframe or other limitation to leaving comments that we don't know about? Is there a comment/ reply 101 to read somewhere on the site?

acooper529 · ‎17-03-2021

The one thing I never see is projected battery life and cost to replace/ rebuild/ whatever. Seems that those factors should be brought into the conversation and stated as an agreed upon formula. One possible example; Audi says the retail vehicle price is $109,000 US dollars and the BL&RRC ratio is projected to be 10.17 which could mean 10 years and $17,000. dollars.