@DUB6, I didn't really state things as well as I should've. My enthusiast cars are generally immune to this kind of calculation. I mean, I have a brown Lotus Europa Twin Cam Special with a highly-distressed original paint job that I just keep dumping money into, way in excess of what the car's worth, because I love the car. The vintage BMWs that I keep for years don't really see an upside calculation. But the E39 530i, as much as I like it, is just a commodity daily driver. The issue isn't dropping a new fuel pump into it. I'm perfectly willing to do that. The issue is more that, because of the complexities of modern cars, it's very difficult to parts-replace your way to erasing the 200k on the odometer and come out of it with a car that you feel is dependable enough to drive anywhere the way you do with a 50k to 100k car. For example, I could drop in the standard cooling system replacement parts of expansion tank, radiator, water pump, thermostat, and hoses, but then there are two hard plastic hoses that run beneath the intake manifold that are a bear to replace. I've replaced them on other E39s, only to have other parts break and strand me. Even if I prophylactically replaced the alternator, I'm still not sure I'd drive the car from Boston down to New Jersey and back instead of borrowing my wife's 40k-mile Honda Fit, as I did last weekend. ... View more

Agree with @DUB6; vapor lock is much more likely a problem on cars with low-pressure fuel pumps and no return line. ... View more

@Smithsonite, yeah... in truth, I have a Winnebago Rialta (a VW Eurovan with a Winnebago camper body) that, every spring, "just needs a recharge." I've never been able to find the leak, I top it up, it lasts all summer. But, in general, when someone is trying to sell a car with non-functional a/c and says that it "just needs a recharge," that's almost never true. If it did, they'd "just" top it up and sell it with working a/c. ... View more

Yes. I'd add that upgrading to a heavier-duty radiator is almost always a good idea even if you're NOT retrofitting a/c. I'd also add that, when you install a big honking fan that draws 15 amps on a big honking condenser, you may need to upgrade the alternator. ... View more

TG, I'm posting the same response to several people about refrigerants, oils, and flushing. When I rejuvenate a system, it's because it's a) old and b) long dead, in which case the only component I reuse is the evaporator assembly. I always (well, almost always) like to start with a known-clean system, and that means removing the evaporator assembly, taking out the expansion valve, and flushing the evaporator core. My perspective is: Why would I want to leave a question about the cleanliness of the only component that I'm reusing? If, on the other hand, you're converting a system without replacing the compressor, condenser, and hoses, I can appreciate how the perspective is different. If your experience is that you don't need to flush the entire system before converting unless you see contamination, and you've had good results, I can't contradict you. Put another way, you're correct that I don't know for a fact that removing all traces of the R12-specific mineral oil is absolutely essential. My routine of flushing has more to do with being absolutely certain that I'm starting with a known-clean system. ... View more

DougL, I'm posting the same response to several people about refrigerants, oils, and flushing. When I rejuvenate a system, it's because it's a) old and b) long dead, in which case the only component I reuse is the evaporator assembly. I always (well, almost always) like to start with a known-clean system, and that means removing the evaporator assembly, taking out the expansion valve, and flushing the evaporator core. My perspective is: Why would I want to leave a question about the cleanliness of the only component that I'm reusing? If, on the other hand, you're converting a system without replacing the compressor, condenser, and hoses, I can appreciate how the perspective is different. If your experience is that you don't need to flush the entire system before converting unless you see contamination, and you've had good results, I can't contradict you. Put another way, you're correct that I don't know for a fact that removing all traces of the R12-specific mineral oil is absolutely essential. My routine of flushing has more to do with being absolutely certain that I'm starting with a known-clean system. ... View more

I'm posting the same response to several people about refrigerants, oils, and flushing. When I rejuvenate a system, it's because it's a) old and b) long dead, in which case the only component I reuse is the evaporator assembly. I always (well, almost always) like to start with a known-clean system, and that means removing the evaporator assembly, taking out the expansion valve, and flushing the evaporator core. My perspective is: Why would I want to leave a question about the cleanliness of the only component that I'm reusing? If, on the other hand, you're converting a system without replacing the compressor, condenser, and hoses, I can appreciate how the perspective is different. If your experience is that you don't need to flush the entire system before converting unless you see contamination, and you've had good results, I can't contradict you. Put another way, you're correct that I don't know for a fact that removing all traces of the R12-specific mineral oil is absolutely essential. My routine of flushing has more to do with being absolutely certain that I'm starting with a known-clean system. ... View more

If the compressor locked up, there's the possibility that it shed metal or other particulate matter such as shredded seals into the system. I'd strongly recommend that the entire system be flushed out. At a minimum, when you disconnect the hoses from the compressor, examine them for contamination. If they look clean, you could take your chances, but if you see goo or particulate matter, it may well have found its way into the evaporator and expansion valve. I always (well, almost always) disassemble and flush systems to be certain. What else you do depends on the car and your level of expectation. If the rest of the system is tight as verified by pressure-testing, and you were happy with its performance with R12, you can save yourself a lot of work by recharging it with R12 and not upgrading anything, but as I said, as time goes by, I'm less and less sanguine about it. ... View more

That's a very good question. Sanden has a recipe that's difficult to follow, as it involves draining and refilling the compressor. I just look up what the original oil capacity was of the system, and if I'm increasing the size via a substantially larger compressor, add an extra ounce. Your mileage, as they say, may vary. https://www.buyautoparts.com/blog/sanden-ac-compressor-service-operations-oil-change/ ... View more

How you react to the look and feel of an aftermarket evaporator assembly under your dashboard is a personal thing. The hot rod world is all about rolling your own, so there it's usually not a big deal, but with other vintage cars, it can look out of place. Unfortunately, depending on the car, sourcing everything for an original interior a/c installation including dashboard with integrated vents, evaporator assembly, and console may be prohibitively expensive or simply impossible due to supply and demand. In addition, people are sometimes swayed by the possibility that the blower fans in old evaporator assemblies may be weak, whereas those in newer units may blow stronger and move more cold air into the passenger compartment. It really depends enormously on the individual model of car. ... View more

That's a great question, especially since, due to operator error on my part, I once did have the mid-rise lift depressurize. I don't use jackstands--they're not tall enough--but if I'm working under it for extended periods, I'll put a wheel and tire under it as a last-ditch fail-safe. ... View more

Whoops! Thanks! ... View more

You got a PROBLEM with that? (yes. I use hockey pucks all the time for this.) ... View more

Don't get me started on pillows... ... View more

Oh, totally. ... View more

I'm a former software engineer. Mad props for the Richard Stallman reference :^) ... View more

Excellent, thanks. I'll add that one to my bag of tricks. ... View more

Wow, good catch! ... View more

That is correct. If there's a ballast resistor, you want the red Pertronix wire to go on the input side of the resistor. I have yet to personally fit a Pertronix to a car with a resistor wire. ... View more

Excellent tips all, thanks. ... View more

Have experience, do I. Know how to pound out many words, do I. ... View more

Aw, thanks! ... View more

As my wife says, "Just go look at it, and then you'll know. Plus, then you'll stop talking about it." :^) ... View more

Exactly. If you do the buying thing right (or, really, ANY big decision), you think it through and calibrate the offer to the point where you're equally happy with either outcome. Of course, if you REALLY WANT the car, all that flies right out the goddamn window, and that can have its own excitement as well. ... View more

You are a smart man. I stepped outside my comfort zone with the Lotus, and it's been great, but long, drawn-out, and wicked expensive. ... View more

Thanks. See the comment above regarding the lack of vintage American iron. ... View more

Thanks. Regarding no American cars, see my comment above. And, yes, if all my cars needed nothing, I WOULD have nothing to write about, so I DO tend to buy hanging needy pieces of German junk (or, in the case of the Lotus, British junk). Hey, we love what we love. ... View more

See my comment above. ... View more

I'm trying to correct that. I wrote pieces last winter about getting bitten by a C3 Corvette and a lakester-inspired Track T hot rod. And I keep looking for a fully-loaded '63 Rambler Classic or Ambassador with a V8, factory air, and power everything. Or a well-priced Avanti. ... View more

The Right Stuff is great for certain things, but it's a bit thick and it dries VERY quickly. ... View more

See comment above. ... View more

I'm trying to correct that. ... View more

See reply above. ... View more

All three of my kids were in theater in high school, two of them heavily involved in stage crew. One of them was involved with a production of "Grease" which used these huge hand-painted canvas-on-wood-frame reproductions of vintage movie posters as part of the set. After the run of the show, when they were about to strike the set, I looked at the "Forbidden Planet" painting and said "I'd LOVE to have that in the garage," never thinking that they'd actually give it to me. My son said "Take it; it's just going to get trashed." It's HUGE. I have access to a pickup truck with a utility body on the back, and it was too big to fit through the door. I had to strap it to the roof and drive the two miles home very slowly. ... View more

It's oddly reassuring to me to hear of this happening on a car like a '95 Lexus that's the poster-child for Japanese reliability. ... View more

Yup, I totally should've mentioned that, thanks. ... View more

It's the curse of being a finger-style guitar player AND a mechanic :^) ... View more

Without a spare wife? ... View more

Yup, you got me, thanks! ... View more

Yes, and who knew that there were Vulcans named "Stan"? ... View more

As human beings, we all have the power to determine the ending of our story, but few of us exhibit that level of determination and control over our lives. As writers, we have the power to not only determine the ending of our story, but to actually WRITE it as well. Great ending, Jack. ... View more

I powered them with a Phase Linear 400 :^) ... View more

Knowing most of the people involved, it's such a hoot to read the dialog and automatically hear their voices in my head. ... View more

Holy crap. ... View more

On my Facebook page, I've gotten comments from no less than twenty people saying that this also happened to them (except without the drama of the wheel nearly going through a plate glass window). ... View more

Yes, that's another good dividing line. ... View more

Yeah, I ROM'd out a 50x80 steel building, soup to huts, at about $80k. Anyone who says it's easy and cheap probably hasn't done the math. ... View more

My friend's son--the one who put the car up onto the median strip surrounded by sharp curbstones--says he did it at night, after working a 17-hour day, to avoid an oncoming car, and that the impact occurred at about 20 mph. I don't think the damage (the bent wheels, the bent lower control arms, the bent condenser, and the shattered aluminum a/c bracket) is inconsistent with a head-on 20mph curb strike. ... View more

GoFast, the first photo of the broken compressor bracket is shot from the front. The next photo is of the same area but shot from the side. The photo of the comparison of the replacement and broken brackets is also shot from the side. The final photo of the installed replacement bracket and tensioner is shot from the front. --Rob Siegel ... View more

Thanks! ... View more