Balthy's House Party

[balthazar]

Lately I've been bringing truckloads of.... stuff home, all sorts of interesting vintage tidbits, parts, tools & whatnot. Tonight was boxes of factory & aftermarket mechanical parts. Anyone need an NOS fuel pump/filter for a '47 Willys?

Maybe someone here recognizes these 2 caps :

This one reminded me of the '79 Eldorado caps (the section with the holes is cast metal, so it's rather heavy for a hubcap), but it's not that. No holes for a center emblem is a puzzler, too. It's not going to be post '85, I believe.

This one I've never seen before, is reminding me of '60s/early 70s Jeep (I think it's the red stripe), but I've not placed it yet. Another one without any sign of an emblem.

This was just too cool to leave behind (it was in a dumpster), made of painted plaster. I don't think it has anything to do with Pontiac, but I'm sure many Pontiac fans would overlook that.

Edited October 27, 2013 by balthazar

[balthazar]

This is a box lot I picked up at an auction earlier this month. Paid $12.50, there's 6 or 8 tools I'll use either in the shop/ on the job, and the purchase was tempered because I knew I could resell the gas pump nozzle. eBay got me $64 for it today, so the rest is gravy.

[G. David Felt]

Very cool, but the hub caps I cannot identify.

[Drew Dowdell]

Did you note the offset of the alloy rim. If it's pre'85, that looks like it would be a fwd car.

[balthazar]

I would say it looks like yes; it'd fit a FWD. C'mon DD, I was counting on you to peg that one!

[Drew Dowdell]

It is so close to the Riv and Eldog alloys, but just a tiny bit different enough.... I'm still figuring. Might see Dominic pop in here.

[balthazar]

This is up for sale, includes removal from ceiling. '63 Tempest body shell :

[SAmadei]

One of my older Hollanders has a hubcab ID section. I'll see if these are in there when I get some time.

Just curious, as I have no place for it, but how much for the body shell? Wonder if that would fit over a chopped down S10... ;-)

[balthazar]

^ Asking $350.

• • •

Went in on half ownership of this this week, my first Olds :

'72 Cutlass S, original 350/auto car, correctly converted to 442 (an appearance option in '72), has built 455, 4-spd, 4.11. Biggest issue is some paint deterioration, looks due to poor prep. For sale

[balthazar]

[Going thru my bookmarks...] In case people have ever been curious about what a 'commercial chassis' traditionally meant :



Cadillac built 2462 in '72.

[G. David Felt]

Did they have a temp seat installed for driving it off the assembly line?

[balthazar]

Prolly. 4 steel 'peg legs' & a seat would sit right into the bolt bosses for the seat frames, or something like that.

[G. David Felt]

Kenworth Truck manufacturing plant has this temp setup, you see the framed semi's with engines running from the one plant to the custom plant where they get their special body and going around the city of Renton here you see the guys on a temp seat driving the semis with no bodies. Pretty funny looking.

[balthazar]

Dumpster-diving find :

[Drew Dowdell]

That's gotta be worth a couple bucks on ebay right there!

[ocnblu]

'72? Look at that bumper and cornering lamps...

[balthazar]

What are U seeing, Bill? About the only exterior differences in the '71 & 72 442 according to my sources was grille color & tails. The car VINs out as a '72....

http://www.oldcarbrochures.com/static/NA/Oldsmobile/1972%20Oldsmobile/album/1972%20Oldsmobile-24.html

http://www.oldcarbrochures.com/static/NA/Oldsmobile/1972%20Oldsmobile/album/1972%20Oldsmobile-28.html

The light in my above pic is a bit wonky.

Edited November 1, 2013 by balthazar

[Drew Dowdell]

I think he is referring to the commercial chassis?

[balthazar]

Ahhh, you & Bill are correct. That's a '74 Cad.

[SAmadei]

Looked in the hubcap interchange, from '63ish to '76ish... and the only thing was a type G-47, L-37 or X-43 for the top hubcap... which are for big Mopars like Monacos and Furys for '72 and '73. Unfortunately, I could find no supporting photos online.

Can't find my '78ish to '92ish hub cap interchange.

[balthazar]

Yeah, you got it. What cements it for me is, I got an NOS '73 Monaco rear bumper in the same haul. Brochure pic :
http://www.oldcarbrochures.com/static/NA/Dodge/1973_Dodge/1973_Dodge_Full-Line_Brochure/1973%20Dodge%20Full-Line%2038%20%20amp%20%2039.html

[SAmadei]

Cool.

Oh, I had a thought about the other hubcap... while searching for photos of the top hubcap, I noticed that while a lot of companies have employed the red stripe, Dodge has done it a bit more often. Since a whole bunch of Mopar hubcaps seem to be without logos, I wonder if the second hubcap is a pre-Fratzog Dodge hubcap... I don't think its Jeep, as I recall Jeep featuring red/brown during the '60s and red/blue when AMC owned them. Other than that, I'm stumped.

[balthazar]

Doen't 'feel' like Dodge to me, I did look thru '63-60 Dodge brochures, nada. The guy owned strings of Studebakers, Jeeps & AMCs, I've been idly looking there first.

[G. David Felt]

I see the picture now of your purple car and love it. That is a beauty.

[balthazar]

Could be yours!

[balthazar]

I wish we knew the answer to this question :

[balthazar]

Technology is ruining girl's asses. Most now have this large, flat rectangle in one back pocket- their phone. It's killing the view.

• • •

In other news, I just sold an NOS Gremlin sideview mirror on eBay. Who woulda thunk : $113 (I started it at $39).
Now for the real challenge- can I sell a complete NOS cruise control system (including the steering column stalk) for a Pacer?
Is ANYONE working on a Pacer, anywhere??

Edited November 16, 2013 by balthazar

[balthazar]

In addition to the NOS Pacer side view mirror @ $113, I also sold an NOS center console for $162.50 and the aforementioned cruise control system for $99. Not bad for stuff pulled out of a dumpster.
Yes Virginia, people ARE working on Pacers.

-- -- -- --

I had seen this pic of the post-war Cadillac prototype years & years ago. It is commonly ID'ed as the "Interceptor", but clearly this is a clay, 'in-progress' design study.

But I love learning new auto history, and here's today's reveal: the Interceptor was obviously strongly considered, as a functional model was built. :

Boy, would THAT have taken Cadillac down a different stylistic road !

Edited January 28, 2014 by balthazar

[balthazar]

One Man's insane GM car collection : http://www.fleetwoodcountrycruizein.com/private_collection/private_collection.html#1953

[Drew Dowdell]

I think it is interesting that they were so closely looking at the Hudson... I didn't think Hudson would be on Cadillac's radar

[balthazar]

Hudson was in Buick price territory, but I believe it was much more for stylistic reasons; the Hudson was completely leading edge in '48. Even the production Cadillac still retained non-integrated rear fenders, Hudson was ahead here.

As this video highlights approach & departure views, it's styling focused.

[balthazar]

I day dream all the time about stumbling upon anything from Left Field of automobile history :

[G. David Felt]

What the heck is that?

[balthazar]

Hungerford Rocket Car

[SAmadei]

After it crashed to earth?

[balthazar]

Cutting up a 1980 Motor Trend for a (very) few items, noted the following road test results :

BMW 320i ~ 0-60: 12.1, 1/4 mile: 18.7 @ 74, 60-0 was 135'.

Price started in the high $9000 range. EPA city was 19.

Audi 5000S diesel ~ 0-60: 20.4, 1/4 mile: 21.9 @ 61

There were NO accel times over 60. I didn't keep the article, but the implication there sure is that the 5000 could NOT reach 70 MPH.

60-0 braking was 165', or about 10 feet farther than my old '64 Pontiac with 4-wheel drums.

MSRP was $12,110, $13,360 as tested. Trade-off for such glacial 'performance' was an EPA city rating of 36! I guess there is a flip side to only having 67 HP.

Caprice ~ 0-60: 10.9, 1/4 mile: 18.1 @ 77. 60-0 was 164'.

MSRP was $6579, $9,890 as tested. EPA city was 17.

Edited February 17, 2014 by balthazar

[balthazar]

Anyone have a guess what the "Karl & Gottlieb Memory Minute" refers to?

[G. David Felt]

Wasn't that to do with boing between two museums/buildings or something?

[balthazar]

Nah, it was in reference to the wait time to turn over a diesel Mercedes.

-- -- -- --

Crumple zones (?)

Edited February 19, 2014 by balthazar

[balthazar]

Been working on my Cab Over starting a few weeks ago. Here she be :

Whole brake system needs a go-thru; I had the wheel cylinders bored & sleeved a number of years ago, along with new brake hoses. Last week or so I've been bending new brake lines. One front brake is all rebuilt, but I think I'm going to take it apart again & check it over/ regrease the contact points. Brake lines are pretty easy when they're pre-flared.

Tonight I see the Co. that did the brake work, put the wrong fittings on the front brake hoses, pretty sloppy when they had the wheel cylinders in hand. Auto parts store tomm to see if there's an adapter...

- - -

Next up is the wiring. The factory fuse block looks servicable, but the wiring is horribly bad and will have to be 100% replaced. One would think this would be laughably easy; there's only TWO fuses in the fuse block, but there sure are a lot of wires snaking around for zero power equipment. Probably a good vehicle to learn on; very few circuits and excellent access.

[Drew Dowdell]

Does the engine run?

[balthazar]

It did when I bought it, but hasn't in a number of years. Not stuck tho; that I checked last month. I bought it in '03, it's been inside since '05.

- - - -

Here's the front backing plate. Lots of decades-old dried grease. I painted this inside & out, since.

Here's the rear of the frame. I whacked about 10" off each rear rail, moved the tow hooks forward, and welded in a 4"x1/4" piece of angle iron to join the 2 rails at their end, plus added a 1/2-in carriage bolt thru the top.

To the far right in the above pic is the hanger bracket for a mud flap (if I chose to observe the law here) and beyond that is the rear hanger for the spring pack.

Edited May 2, 2014 by balthazar

[balthazar]

COE, happily, has wood floors (as small as the square footage may be). Above are the original & a newly fabricated replacement of the driver's toeboard. The steel plates encircle the steering column and the brake & clutch pedal arms. Below the column is the dimmer switch. Pass toeboard is done, have to make the 2 floorboards next.

[A Horse With No Name]

Interesting project

[balthazar]

Went to 4 different places looking for the hydraulic fitting adapter so I can attach my brakes hoses to the wheel cylinders. 1 is missing (I can reuse the other) and no one has anything like it. Perks of working on a 74-yr old vehicle, I guess.

[GMTruckGuy74]

Don't know if a hardware store would be of any help, but where my parent's live - Pemberton Borough, Burlington County - there's an old time hardware store that has the rarest of parts. I was looking all around for a locking nut for a 30 year old Nylint toy truck and this store was the only place that had the exact part in a display that looked 50+ years old

[balthazar]

Most of the 'old time' hardware stores are gone in central NJ. There's one in Lambertville, tho that's right about 60 mins from me. The one good hardware store by me had nothing like it.

I need a display that looks like it's 75 yrs old.

There's a hydraulics shop about 20 mins away I will try soon. The 2 'big truck' service centers had nothing, in fact one carried nothing for hydraulics- they were mostly all air.

EDIT : The hydraulics shop had nothing. A great old-time place in Trenton is long closed now- I'll bet boxes upon boxes of NOS parts went right into the dumpster. The guys running it were old men when I was there 20 years ago. Looks like it's the used circuit next.

Edited May 9, 2014 by balthazar