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Classic Cars as daily drivers

552 messages,  Last post on May 11, 2009 at 8:03 AM

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#485 of 552 Depending on where you live... by andre1969 Feb 22, 2003 (1:00 pm)
...you're going to have a time finding parts for old 80's Japanese cars as well. It might be hard to fathom this, considering that the Accord, Camry, and Civic have been top sellers for years now, but as recently as 1985, the only Japanese car in the top 10 selling nameplates was the Nissan Sentra.   Maybe down south or out west, it might still be easy to find these cars in junkyards, but up this way most of 'em rusted out years ago. I dunno, maybe a Volvo would still be harder to find parts and service for, though. Some neighbors of mine had an '89 740 or 760 wagon that, every time it broke, they had to take it 30 miles to the nearest Volvo dealer because nobody around here would work on it.   I'd say your best bet, if you want something cheap to maintain from the '80's, is a RWD GM, Ford, or Mopar product. Sure, they're not the most exicting things in the world but hey, it was the 80's! NOTHING on wheels was exiting back then!
#486 of 552 by Mr_Shiftright HOST Feb 22, 2003 (1:58 pm)
Oh,no Andre, you can find parts even at Kragen Auto Parts and AutoZone, like tune up parts, gaskets, water pumps, brakes, alternators, etc. You won't find much of that for an old Volvo in discount stores. Also the dealers carry a lot of parts for older Japanese cars. About the only really tough parts to find for an old Japanese car would be body parts and of course trim pieces. But then, as you say, there's a lot of them in wrecking yards, many more than Volvo, which was a small time producer compared to the Japanese Big Three.
#487 of 552 f-body daily driver by camshaft1 Mar 18, 2003 (5:59 am)
does anybody drive an f-body camaro as a daily driver?
#488 of 552 which generation? by ghulet Mar 18, 2003 (2:40 pm)
I think all Camaros and Firebirds are considered 'F-bodies', aren't they?   My uncles had Camaros when I was a kid (mid-late '70s), one had a '68 coupe, in that greeny gold with black interior, 327 automatic, that he basically drove into the ground, another had a really nice looking '73 Z28, 350 automatic (which he said was a 'dog'), no rear spoiler, burgandy with white vinyl interior and the cool graphite spoke wheels.
#489 of 552 camaro by camshaft1 Mar 21, 2003 (5:33 am)
1st generation camaro, sorry. i just want some basic info on what are the best ways to set the car up for a daily use. i.e. performance, suspension, and security. does anyone know how check if the rear in has positraction if it does not have the posi dif. fluid tag? i know you jack it up and turn one wheel and the other is supposed to turn in a certain dirrection. but, what is it?
#490 of 552 IIRC... by andre1969 Mar 21, 2003 (6:32 am)
...when you jack it up, if both wheels spin in the same direction, you have limited slip (Posi). If one wheel spins in the opposite direction, you have an open rear.
#491 of 552 by rea98d Mar 23, 2003 (5:45 pm)
The best way to tell is to take it out on a dry stretch of pavement and stomp on it. Two skid marks= posi, one = open diff:-)   Okay, okay, so it's not the best way. It is the most fun, however!
#492 of 552 posi by camshaft1 Mar 24, 2003 (6:22 am)
what's the benefits of posi? is it worth the few hundred to upgrade or is there a swap i can do?
#493 of 552 The main benefit... by andre1969 Mar 24, 2003 (7:29 am)
...with limited slip (Posi, Surgrip, Traction-Lok, etc), is that if one wheel starts to lose traction and spin, then power will go to the other wheel. With a normal "open" rear end, once one wheel starts to spin, you're screwed, because all your power will then go to that wheel, and not the one that has a more sure footing.   I've never had a limited-slip car, so I can't personally attest to the benefits of it. If you have a high-power engine though, it should get the power to the ground better, where an open rear would just put too much power to one wheel, which would lose traction and just keep spinning, without really going anywhere until you let off the gas.   I've also heard that if you do a lot of turning, like say in a downtown city area, that limited-slip rear-ends will wear out quicker. This is one reason why city police cars often had open rears, while highway pursuit units had limited slip. (BTW, I'm a Chrysler guy, so I have trouble saying the word "posi"
#494 of 552 limited slip by camshaft1 Mar 24, 2003 (11:24 am)
thanx andre1969. that clears up a lot of confusion. what you wrote is pretty much what i thought. do you have any ideas on what is better for pro-touring? i think the previous owner had this car set up for street/strip. i ordered a g-machine suspension and have a super-t tranny. i've been a back yard mechanic for a while but i've never taken on a project like this one. i live in baltimore city so i will be doing a lot of turning but i want the best over all car. i had a 95 bmw m3 that has a tuned suspension. other than the occassional rough bumps it was great in the city.

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