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OLD CARS -The truth .Owners tales.How they really were.

309 messages,  Last post on Jul 08, 2008 at 7:21 PM

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What is this discussion about? Coupe, Convertible, Sedan

Messages Page 29 of 31

#280 of 309 Re: Chrysler B block engines [ljgbjg] by lemko

May 05, 2008 (12:21 pm)

Replying to: ljgbjg (May 05, 2008 11:30 am)
My 1968 Buick Special Deluxe with a 350 V-8 also had an external oil pump at lower right front portion of the engine. The Buick engines will last forever as long as you don't starve them of oil.

#281 of 309 Can anyone advise... by kreuzer

Jun 04, 2008 (9:04 am)

me on a 1964 2-door Ford Fairlane? I believe it's the basic model and has a 260 v-8 with automatic. What should I look for in this car and any tell-tale signs to watch out for? Does this car have the single cylinder breaking system (suicide) or does it have the double reservior? The seller is saying that it has minimal rust. Where should I look to see if the rust problem will be major?
Thanks for any advice and much appreciated!

#282 of 309 Re: Can anyone advise... [kreuzer] by andre1969

Jun 04, 2008 (9:39 am)

Replying to: kreuzer (Jun 04, 2008 9:04 am)
I don't think the dual master cylinder was forced onto cars as standard equipment until 1967, so most likely the '64 would just have the single.
 
As far as rust goes, I don't know anything Fairlane-specific, but I'd say check the usual suspects, like the lower rear quarter panels, bottoms of the fenders and doors, the spot where the rocker and quarter panel join together. Maybe lift the trunk mat and check the floor underneath. Also probably around the base of the windshield and the base of the rear window.
 
I think the '62-65 Fairlane was unitized, meaning that it doesn't have a real frame. But it would still have a front and rear sub-frame to cradle the engine, tranny, front suspension, and rear axle. Might be a good idea to get up under it and check areas where the suspension connects with the sub-frames, and also where the sub-frame connects to the actual body of the car.
 
It might not be too hard to convert the car to a dual master cylinder, if that bothers you. FWIW, I've had cars with dual master cylinders that would experience complete brake failure, so even that's not foolproof.

#283 of 309 Re: Can anyone advise... [kreuzer] by Mr_Shiftright HOST

Jun 04, 2008 (9:47 am)

Replying to: kreuzer (Jun 04, 2008 9:04 am)
Pretty basic car,not too much to worry about. As for rust, THAT'S something to worry about if it's in the wrong places. The wrong places are:
 
suspension anchoring points on frame or chassis
 
Where a door frame meets the floor (that's REALLY bad)
 
Bottoms of rear fenders as they wrap under the trunk (difficult to fix)
 
Bottoms of door edges (difficult to fix)
 
You might bring a magnet along to see if it sticks to the body everywhere or not. Where it does not stick, you have "bondo", which is hiding something.
 
Mechanically, the timing chain tends to go slack making the engine run rather weakly on acceleration for a V8; you might also hear chain clatter near the fuel pump area.
 
Oh, squeaky ball joints when you jump up and down on the front of the car.

#284 of 309 Thanks for the replies... by kreuzer

Jun 04, 2008 (6:30 pm)

I'll have to be sure to bring a magnet with me when I check 'er out. Rust is something I don't like, but if it's not too bad then I guess I could always have it undercoated to prevent anymore. The thing about these old cars is that you can do a lot of the work yourself and I would think just about any good mechanic can work on them. I would also be inclined to think that the cost for most parts would be cheaper compared to the modern cars.

#285 of 309 Re: Thanks for the replies... [kreuzer] by texases

Jun 04, 2008 (6:36 pm)

Replying to: kreuzer (Jun 04, 2008 6:30 pm)
Having had a rust-bucket '65 Mustang, don't underestimate the rust issues, just check everything, suspension/spring mounts areas especially. Bad floors could also point to rust under the cowel air intake.

#286 of 309 Ouch... by andre1969

Jun 08, 2008 (2:31 pm)

here's one nasty little blast from the past that I had almost forgotten about. I went out to see if my '79 New Yorker would start up today. It's usually fine when the weather is cooler, but used to have the habit of starting up just fine in the morning, getting me to work without incident, but then flat-out refusing to start in the evening.
 
I took it to a mechanic who's not afraid to tear into older cars, and he ended up having the carb rebuilt. It's been much better, but there have been one or two times where it seemed real easy to flood.
 
Well, I figured today, with temps well into the upper 90's, it would be a good time to see how it acted in hot weather. I immediately burned the hell out of my fingers with the igntion switch. Remember the "good old days" when those things were chrome and the key was just a small thing? Nowadays, you just stick your key in and it's big enough that you just use it to turn the car on. Not so back then. All I can say is OUCH!!
 
But, on a brighter note, the car did start, even in 95 degree weather with the sun beating down on it. So maybe its troubles really are over, and I can start trusting it more.

#287 of 309 Re: Ouch... [andre1969] by british_rover

Jun 08, 2008 (4:23 pm)

Replying to: andre1969 (Jun 08, 2008 2:31 pm)
Yeah but can you really trust any vehicle built in 1979?

#288 of 309 Re: Ouch... [british_rover] by andre1969

Jun 08, 2008 (5:11 pm)

Replying to: british_rover (Jun 08, 2008 4:23 pm)
Yeah but can you really trust any vehicle built in 1979?
 
I think I would, if I had enough experience with a particular car to know what its weak points are. For instance, my other '79 NYer, the 2-tone beige 5th Ave, has always been reliable. The only thing it will do, which I've noticed is common with many older cars, is that if I'm running errands in it, it seems to get a "hot spot" on the starter. So if I turn it off and then try to re-start it soon after, it'll stumble just a bit, but then fire right up. I guess, if the battery was getting old, that would be hard on it and would be likely to leave me stranded.
 
My "new" '79 though, the one with the recently rebuilt carb, has left me stranded enough that it might be awhile before I trust it unconditionally!

#289 of 309 Re: Ouch... [andre1969] by lemko

Jun 09, 2008 (7:49 am)

Replying to: andre1969 (Jun 08, 2008 5:11 pm)
Heck, I had a 1979 Buick Park Avenue with the 403 V-8. It was an extremely reliable car. I think I'd trust it more than many new cars.

Messages Page 29 of 31

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