Hey Kyle: Great article! And apparently pretty powerful considering all the responses. Good job there. I agree on the use of the term 'Vintage' because it can cover a lot of ground. I do find it interesting; how many positive responses to upgrades get a more negative and in a lot of cases a pretty vehement "get off my lawn" reply. Not sure why that is. Why does improving how your old car functions get someone else's dander up? Not sure why my owning and improving my old car to conform to my way of using it would affect anyone else to a point where they are upset with my changes? That strikes me as the same sort of busy body mentality that seems to permeate one side of the political world too. Old cars are a wonderful hobby. Do they all need to be exactly as original? ... View more

Check out the folks at Scarebird Classic Brakes https://scarebird.com/index.php?route=product/category&path=64 They have all sorts of disc brake kits available for all kinds of old cars. Good people and good engineering. ... View more

Right on TonyT! I'd forgotten about that. Good reminder. ... View more

Wonderful column, Sam... You know... there was that '66 Chevelle over in Wisconsin... Or that short bed pick up down in Iowa. Or that Hot Rod in Nebraska.. Oh, I hear the call of 'The Road". ... View more

Excellent Column Jack; Just to prove my un-coolness; I need to ask: "Who is John Mayer?" For me there really hasn't been a 'cool' Porsche since... the air cooled 911 days. Also, just to stir up the pot; I don't think any 924 or other front engine Porsche could be called cool. That is subjective, of course, but I throw it in there to help stir up those poor souls who think a front engine car could be a Porsche. That's like thinking a Dino is a Ferrari. But, there's no accounting for taste. 🙂 I've never owned a Porsche. I've never owned a Ferrari, unless you count that time when a guy in a red 308 thought he was going to blast by me on a lonely freeway some time ago. I was driving my Wimbledon White '64 El Camino, at the time. (It's powered by a 425 hp 327 and a Tremec 5-speed with a fair amount of handling goodies too.) He came up on me quite quickly, so I gave him the left lane to go by. He was passing me, then for some reason slowed down to meet my pace. He revved his oh so cute V8 a couple times and scooted out front of me a couple times, then looked over at me and smiled. I smiled back and quietly downshifted into 4th and nodded. He nailed the throttle and I let him have a half car length and then slowly pressed down on the accelerator. By the time we were at 90 mph I had pulled up next to him and quietly drove past, still not in top gear. I love guys who think their car makes them cool. As the Dalai Lama once told me: "Swagger, much like Change, must come from within". Or, as the Great and Powerful Philosopher Swamibob has said... "They who stand in the rain will get wet; they who stand in the ocean already are". __Swamibob ... View more

Very nice Phillip! Now that's a really useful bit of DIY. It's also easily scaled for length, as well as thickness. Bravo! ... View more

Hello Sajeev: This sounds like the perfect time for an LS Conversion... Oh I'm only Joking. Just a little nudge to the real MB fans out there to gently needle them out of their slumber. Of course, they might be far more gentrified (or is it petrified?), for such a subtle tweak to their MB-hood to arouse them. 🙂 Really, my first thought was if the car was just a bit newer and the slide valve was electric; the headline could've been "When the Disco air valve loses it's Electric Slide", but I have issues. 🙂 For expertise; I bow to the long term MB mechanic. Though, I would think a dirty air valve could cause those problems also. Given the quality of today's fuels and their lack of stability, the larger causation might also be fuel related. Perhaps after cleaning the air valve and more if that's not all of it; regular use of Sta-bil or Sea Foam, in the fuel, could help keep those problems at bay indefinitely. That and putting more miles on that wonderful car wouldn't hurt either. They were built to be driven. ... View more

Excellent article Rob! MMMMMM..... Cookies! I'm not much of a baker, but I do bake cookies once in awhile. I like the parallax thought and apparently I'm also in that time frame with you. My oven was new around the time I bought my house, which is over 20 years ago. My washer and dryer were purchased at the same time and I haven't had any trouble with them yet. They are both, what would've been considered, the lower end because they are fully mechanical without any sort of electronic gizmos to get in the way. 🙂 I did have to replace my original refrigerator, some years back (probably 19, if I was to actually count) because I punctured a cooling line when defrosting the freezer one day. For some reason I lacked patience that day. I bought a new one then, also low end, and it's been working perfectly ever since. In my basement, I had a really old Hotpoint (probably from the middle sixties) that finally broke around 18 years ago. The father of a friend of mine was getting rid of an even older Hotpoint fridge at that time and it's been chilling beverages in my basement ever since. 🙂 All of this seems like it was just a couple years ago. In fact, I was sitting at the annual Back to the 50's car show, a couple weeks ago, and realized the car I was driving had been in my possession for more than 20 years! Then, I realized I hadn't missed a BTT50's since back in the early nineties. Where did it all go? I'm not sure, but i do have a lot of fond memories... Maybe it's time to bake some cookies? Maybe not, it's 90 degrees today, and I don't want to tax the AC unit that's been cooling my house since Nixon was President. Guess I'll just go down to Cake Box, my local bakery, and liberate a package or two of Monster cookies... And maybe some cup cakes... And maybe some... Yummmm. ... View more

It's not quite a Scarab, but it's close. Scarab didn't make a Roadster or convertible version, that I know of. Very cool. ... View more

MMMMM>>>> Chocolate! What nice friends you have Mr. Smith. 🙂 I'd say you did the right thing with the gun. I do have a love for artful objects created by caring hands, but if the medium is Chocolate or cake or some other delectable offering, that 'objet d'art' likely won't be long for this world. 🙂 "Why'd did you eat that? It was Art!" Yes, and it was yummy! Maybe you need to drop a hint or several to those same friends and perhaps one of them will be kind enough to give you access to a CBR? Now, if you'd like to try driving a '64 El Camino with a high compression 327 V8 with 2.5" dual exhaust and just slightly burnt out Turbo mufflers, a Tremec 5-speed and a well sorted, corner turning suspension, I might be out that way later this year... ... View more

Interesting Story Jack; For my part; I also lean toward Chivalry. Given the on track situation, I agree 'Common Decency' would lead a gentleman to give an apology for their poor behavior. Sadly, that sort of thing, and real Gentlemen's agreements seem to have left the building. Even in much smaller venues. I race Slot Cars on both a Regional and National basis. We are pretty serious about our racing and there is a good deal of money involved in building and racing our cars, so things can get a bit heated when another driver does somethgin stupid or myopic and it costs you a $ 300-500 car. The vast majority of participants are regular good people, who have an episode once in awhile, but who generally calm down and forgive those who trespass and hope to get forgiveness when they do the trespassing, but there are always one or two who missed the memo and simply believe the world revolves around them. Bit of an Alcoholic's state of being, you might say. Generally, when that happens, the people running the show, and other participants will have a word, with the offender, and most of the time that's it. Still some don't get the message. That's sad. I wonder if some of it is tied to our not teaching Civics in school anymore? Too often it seems younger people didn't get the lessons about the Golden Rule, when they were young. It's a thought. ... View more

MY, what that car lacks in cute, it sure makes up for in not pretty. 🙂 ... View more

Another good thought Dave: I hadn't thought about a Crank Sensor. Probably because I don't work on BMW's. 🙂 Can you do an ohm test and find one going bad? Possibly using a hair dryer to simulate a warm day? ... View more

Now there is a most interesting idea. Rob did state the fuel level was low, and if the pick up was not covered in fuel, yes that would cause the problem indicated. I'd also be looking closely at the sock for being covered in crap. I also agree; 'keep the gauge in the trunk'. Keeping the tank above 1/4 or even closer to half is always a good idea with an EFI car, because the fuel is the only thing keeping the fuel pump cool. ... View more

Wonderful article Sam. Just between us, I talk to machines all the time. 🙂 I've been a machinist and builder for many years. It's been my experience; that if you listen and pay attention, most machines will tell you what's going on. Some are more Cherubic than others, some downright stubborn or demanding, but when you listen, you can often make magic. On more than one occasion I walked into work and was told; one of the thread grinders was acting up. It didn't want to keep tolerance on threads that were measured in the tenths and hundredths. That's four and five places to the right of the decimal point now. In an hour or so, I would have the machine cranking out parts at a prodigious rate, right on the numbers, with nearly no scrap. Just by listening to what the machine was telling me. Thus surprising my co-workers and making the boss very happy. Over a lot of years I met a number of other shop guys who also understood what I was talking about. We'd tell stories of guys who thought we were nuts and didn't understand. All of us would smile and try to explain, no preaching, just facts and real figures. Some would scoff and say; "It can't be done like that; the machines can't do that, or the manufacturers say "that won't work". Sometimes, generally with younger guys, who were curious and wanted to learn, they would listen and they'd begin to pick it up. Much like we did from those who taught us. Just passing the torch, down the road. I have several old cars that I talk to a lot. They all have their own personalities. One, my '64 Chevelle 4-door, has been called a 'Happy Car' by several people. It got the nickname "Happy putt, putt" for that reason. People just smile when it's around. Especially at gas stations and the occasional trip to the Super Market. The car is a bit like an old Labrador; it just lets anybody wander over and pet it and scratch it behind it's ears and coo at it. It just sits there, exuding joy from every surface. And when I turn the key, it starts up and is ready to go putt wherever we want to go. 🙂 So, I understand, where you're coming from, and will keep this just between us. Inanimate objects are just that, inanimate. Well, they are to those who haven't been listening... Thanks again Sam! P.S. On the DI carbon front. A friend of mine and I were talking about this several years ago and my buddy predicted a carbon build up problem in the future, with those engines. Neither one of us realized it was going to cause a particulate problem like is happening, so we did miss on that. I like the idea that it gives us an excuse for driving in lower gears at higher RPM's because it good for emissions and the long term health of our engines. 🙂 ... View more

Hey Sajeev; Good responses so far. What that car really needs is a good tune up and a change to an electronic distributor. Either a drop in unit like a Pertronix or Crane XRi or a different distributor all together like Pertronix or MSD makes. Also the accompanying coil for that electronic ignition. I've used both and the better spark makes an enormous difference in how old engines run. I don't doubt the old two barrel need some cleaning and a little love too. Would an EFI make it even better? Yes, it would. Holley makes excellent kit for that job and their best retailer is the guys at EFY System Pros www.efisystempro.com They have the BEST Sales and more importantly Service anywhere. Holley and EFI System Pro's have a kit to work with the original fuel tank. I don't work for either company, but I have used a lot of Holley products aincluding their EFI systems and I and several friends have had excellent interactions with EFI System Pros. ... View more

Hmmm Jack.... Uranus Fudge Factory... Too EASY! 🙂 Love the idea of a group of guys just getting together and driving from Ohio to St. Louis to touch the Arch! Great idea. In my younger years A couple buddies and I packed ourselves in a '72 Pinto (this was in the early 80's, so it was getting old and rusty) and drove from Minneapolis down to just outside Dallas/Ft Worth, so I could see one of my brothers and buy a '72 Camaro. We we did have a lot of fun, but a Pinto is no place for three guys and their gear and a straight through drive to Texas, but we did it and celebrated the Great American Road Trip. They left shortly after we got to our destination. I stayed two weeks, bought the Camaro and drove it back; again celebrating the Great American Road Trip. If I can find the right car, this Summer, I will do the same thing again. Anyone have a nice '64 Tempest or Lemans or Chevelle or Buick Special? Bring on Liberty! ... View more

"There's no fun quite as fun as telling people they need to eat cicadas from the comfort of your Gulfstream." Now there's a T-shirt! Maybe the other side of the t-shirt advertising travelling to Uranus? Just recently; the Governor of my state was nearly forced to raise the mask mandates for buildings. Of course that didn't stop the Governor from giving up his Emergency Powers, even though there isn't any sort of Emergency, but I digress... When the mask mandate fell; virtually all local businesses dropped any pretense of needing a mask. Shortly after the mandate fell, i was walking into my local Mega Super Market and it occurred to me to go running through the entire store "FREEDOM... FREEEEDOOOM; I was able to stave that desire off long enough to get my needed groceries and go back to my gas guzzling car and take a nice long, lazy drive around back roads and Dales enjoying my newly realized freedom. So called, "Fossil Fuels" might be a limited thing, but the current known reserves will for several centuries. ... View more

Wonderful story Bryan! Thank you. I'm not a train guy or a steam guy, but I am a mechanical device guy. I love looking at how problems were figured out and fixes and improvements accomplished. Please feel free to write about this wonderful railroad again. ... View more

We really need more info on how the car was built! What made it so good and why? ... View more

Well Rob: First: I need to congratulate you for using 'quaternion' in your article. It's always good learn new terms from Irish mathematicians. Second: My name is Tom and I have a car problem... Said no car guy that I can remember. 🙂 You are living in a time of plenty my friend! I say, enjoy it. Regarding selling Hampton, or possibly other cars, you could find a dealership, for specialty cars that would be willing to take your car in and store it while they sell it. I've done this several times with cars I was moving on from and it worked very well for me. Yes, it does cast a percentage or so, but it's not in your driveway, and it's safe indoors until it sells. ... View more

Love the article Jack! It is an interesting conundrum. I drive old vehicles, so having a payment for a vehicle is anathema to my normal function, but i do understand. If I had that sort of cash available on the table, I'd sell the truck, pocket as much cash as possible and go buy an old Chevy LUV 4wd. They are an excellent small truck with had a very good 4wd system and can even tow a trailer. They might be a bit hard to find, but when you find one, you would have plenty of money to outfit the interior and whatever else you might want to do to it and still have a ton of money to bank. And, when people ask; you could tell them you're: " all about the LUV ". You could even invite them to 'feel the LUV', like you did. You could even say, while you put your arms around the little truck, you just had to 'embrace the LUV. 🙂 It's a thought. I'm just here to spread the LUV. 🙂 ... View more

Here, Here! ... View more

All RIGHT Sam!!! Now it's time for Concour de Lemons and then you and your associates, acolytes, quislings... Enablers, that's the word. 🙂 Can take it to the 24 hours of Lemons and race it, just like God intended a 2002 tii to be driven. Love the story, the camaraderie, the lifestyle choices. Those sorts of memories and the stories will feed many people who are tangent to that group for many years to come. Thank you again! ... View more

I agree I need several of those! ... View more

My, my , my; that front end is... Distinctive. Yes, that's the word I want to use. ... View more

Very interesting Phillip! I'm glad you saved that sort of cool from the scrap yard. Please do get it running and do another article on it! I'd love to hear what you did to make it work and run properly. ... View more

I'm thinking the buyer might be best described as "Optimistic". 🙂 ... View more

Best of LUCK to you Kyle! Fair winds and following seas to you. Here's to your making it through with nothing but a few bruises and most of those being emotional rather then physical. 🙂 ... View more

What is needed here Sajeev; is someone to do a nice write up on that system. Perhaps do a comparison on the old Touch-down Overdrive and the current Gear Vendors units? A nice semi-deep dive on how they work and install would be wonderful. ... View more

I love the unintended consequences! 🙂 While I'm not a fan of soot: I'm entertained by the idea of the latest technology ( well not really a new technology; Ford was doing this with their stratified charge engines back in the 70's; others were doing direct injection further back) causing more problems than older tech. I'm also a bit entertained by the adherence to CO2 being evil. 🙂 If only all the flora on Earth were aware that their food is causing the Earth harm, maybe they would just die off and save the Earth for everyone else! 🙂 As this is dug into a bit deeper you will find that the quality of fuel matters a great deal also. Certain fuels, with certain additive packages, will cause more soot in GDI engines. Makes me a bit nostalgic for the days of Bruce Crower's High Mileage Engine systems from the 70's. ... View more

Good analysis Rob; I suspect a bad body to chassis ground or grounds. I've had similar problems on cars where people had tossed the grounds that go from the firewall to the cylinder heads or valve covers. Might be time, given the cars age, to check those grounds and install a new battery to block ground also. ... View more

Gents: I can't buy into your premise. The world's climate has always changed and will always change. From day to day, hour to hour, it changes. Human kind have little to do with what Mother Nature does. We're just a spec on a gnat's butt to Mother Nature. She doesn't care about us. No, that doesn't mean I believe in dirty water and dirty air, but last time I checked our water and air is far better than even when I was a kid in the 60's. We're not killing the Earth. That's just a bunch of BS from a lot of people who regularly fly on Private jets and have a carbon footprint hundreds of times larger than any of ours. I'll start getting worried about these things when the rich people stop buying up ocean front property and building mansions! 🙂 Why do we have to change when the people crying out for change never seem to change? I don't buy it. ... View more

Love this story. I've known know Bob Beers for many years, he is a fountain of knowledge on Aurora slot car racing. I've been racing Aurora cars since the early 70's, when T-jets were on their way out and AFX was on the way in. I'm also a collector. I race locally and nationally in a class called Fray class. Named after a race that takes place in Ferndale CA every year called The FRAY in Ferndale. Teams from all over the country and some from overseas show up to compete, over a week long period, in both individual and team competition. The Fray cars use the original T-jet chassis as the basis for the class. Some modifications are allowed, some for reasons of difficulty finding good part or competitive parts, some for better handling and driving. The racing is quite intense even in this small scale. ... View more

Good analysis Sajeev; I do agree with a previous reply regarding a filter, but I doubt it would be the tank filter. I'd change the fuel pump and the fuel filter, give it a general tune up with plugs, wires, cap, rotor and air filter. Double check the timing and make sure the distributors centrifugal and vacuum advance mechanisms are working properly. Then, after that works and the end user really wants to make the lovely smog era machine run with smog era parts, give it a heart transplant with a 460 and an overdrive tranny out of a Lincoln. 🙂 Sure the mileage would suffer, but I think the constant ear to ear grin would make up for that. ... View more

Great article Rob! I really love the bleeding wheel. If you did it right; I think there's some sort of Automotive equivalent to a Stigmata there. Maybe you can get Car guys (or maybe just BMW guys?) from all over the world to come and see your Clown shoe's (Clownshoes?) Stigmata? Well, it's a thought. 🙂 Think of it as a great way to sell the "Hack Mechanic Hot Wheels!" An excellent idea, I thought. I'm a bit surprised you didn't dig around Craigslist etc and just find another set of nicer wheels with slightly better tires on them that you could slap on the car for the shoot? I suppose that was a bit uncharitable, but you did ask to be flogged. 🙂 Regarding "What is seen can’t be unseen. What is known can’t be unknown." As the great and powerful philosopher Swamibob once commented; to this very quotation: "Perhaps not, but a good concussion can fuzz up a lot of memory!" 🙂 ... View more

Jeff Beck, unlike the rest of these musicians, builds his own cars! A serious Hot Rodder. ... View more

Hello Larry: I think it's a great idea to buy any sort of project you like and get out there and git er done! Now, I will courteously, and respectfully disagree with you on that Dino being a Ferrari. That's a Fiat Dino. Calling that a Ferrari is like calling a 924 a Porsche. 🙂 That said; you're in it cheap and you've got all kinds of fun ahead of you during the re-build. I wish you well! ... View more

Very Groovy Matt! Very Groovy! ... View more

I don't think it didn't sell well because it was ahead of it's time: it didn't sell well because it was UGLY! If you look a the 1936 Zephyr, (as stated in the story as being a near identical car) it is much better looking, particularly the coupe version, and it had a V12 engine. I don't see much comparison between the two machines. I think the designers just missed the mark on the looks. Much like Ford missed the mark on the Edsel, in later years. ... View more

That is an outstanding car! Love old Buicks and especially anything with a nailhead. I agree with a complete rebuild of the cooling system along with a flushing of the engine block and heater core also. Sometimes a good flushing is all that is needed, along with a new, properly rated and proven radiator cap. I've seen a number of cars that were overheating because a radiator cap spring was going bad or someone had replaced a correct cap with a cap of much lower rated pressure. It's really important to have the correct pressure cap on a cooling system, for it to cool properly. Most auto stores have a radiator pressure tester, that can also double as a cap tester, and will do that testing for you. Nearly every Auto shop would also have those tools also and would be happy to help someone with such a cool car test a radiator cap and or radiator. ... View more

Years ago I ran into this problem with point sets from Filko; that used a built in capacitor rather than a separate condenser. The capacitors seemed to work for 10-15 miles before failing. I tried two or three before informing Filko that that idea wasn't a very good one. It wasn't long after that built in capacitor part numbers went away. ... View more

Hey Gary: I've installed lot of these, over the years, on GM vehicles. You can power it from the "R" terminal on the starter or one of the accessory terminals on the fuse box. Just make sure it's powered, both when the ignition is 'on' and 'start'. It works great. ... View more

So, Jack... One of my brothers owns an early Miata. He doesn't drive it much... I have all the parts to build a really fast 351W engine. I also know where I could lay hands on an aluminum block for that Windsor... Hmmmm... Are V8 Miata's allowed in SCCA racing? How about in the Enduro's? ... View more

I love the concept. They just need to do it with pit bikes or mini bikes for old people, or people who don't ride bikes regularly, like me. 🙂 ... View more

Good day Jack et al. and congratulations on the new venture! I'm not a motorcycle rider, but I do enjoy good writing and nearly everything mechanical, so I will be a willing reader. Looking forward to many excellent articles in the future. For suggestions: I'd love to see a multi-manufacturer test involving monkey's and or mini bikes. 🙂 Because they just bring an instant smile to most peoples faces and I really want to see you and others try to ride them through an autocross (or mini-cross?) course dressed in full leathers and helmet. Or, if you're in a more California or just a 70's vibe maybe in shorts and sandals! If you're in a slightly larger motor cycle mood; how about a head to head match up of pit bikes. Either of those would be excellent. Keep up the good work, Jack. I really appreciate a writer who can conceive of and use the word 'ennui' correctly in a sentence. Thank you! ... View more

"I would say it’s possible to have good taste and enjoy a great performing car at the same time." I agree completely, but I believe that would be Buick GS or GSX from the late 60's or early 70's. This is garish and out of proportion. althoguh some of that might just be teh weird angles of the pictures? ... View more

Good article Rob! I've always thought "Ran when Parked" would be a great Band name. 🙂 I will get a copy of your book and read it. I enjoy your writing, nearly as much as my own, so I'm sure I'll love the book. 🙂 🙂 🙂 I've purchased several really questionable cars, including the '64 Chevelle more-door that i use as my daily driver in the Summertime. I got it in non-running condition from the original owner's granddaughter. All it too w was some minor carb work and then a quick shock to my concussion-strained brain to realize the huge vacuum leak was really a bad PCV valve! I've put nearly 40,000 miles on it since I bought it. The original 194 ci six cylinder is still going strong at 125000 miles. I've also made some bad purchases that, as you pointed out, ended up with my heart overruling any sense I might have had ( a '64 Chevelle Convertible that "ran when parked" comes back in painful retrospect) went out the window when I NEED THAT, got loose. I'm sure we've all had those episodes. Fortunately i haven't made any really bad choices since then. Though I am on the hunt again for a '64 Tempest, this Spring. Wish me luck! ... View more

Love the car overall. I could pass on the wheels. I think the big hoops just look a bit silly and out of proportion to the car. I'm sure they will have options in that area though. The headlight buckets look a bit like stainless steel bowls built into the front fenders, so I'd change that; or just paint them body color to take away from their taking away from the lovely curves. I really want to hear one run! 🙂 ... View more

I would third that! ... View more