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I spotted an (insert obscure car name here) classic car today!

29583 messages,  Last post on May 19, 2013 at 10:39 AM

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Messages Page 2784 of 2959

#27830 of 29583 Re: '58-60 Ford pickup seen twice this morning [uplanderguy] by andre1969

Feb 07, 2013 (9:24 am)

Replying to: uplanderguy (Feb 07, 2013 8:58 am)
I've never had enough road to get up to 50, but on level ground, most of my old cars, when warming up, will idle up to around 30 mph or so without touching the gas pedal.
 
They might actually get up higher, but I've never had the opportunity. Either a red light, stop sign, sharp turn, or hill would present itself before I got going too far.
 
Even once the fast idle has kicked down, my '67 Catalina and '76 LeMans still feel like they pull harder than they should. But, I'm afraid to mess with them too much, because then some other issue will most likely crop up!

#27831 of 29583 Re: '58-60 Ford pickup seen twice this morning [fintail] by tjc78

Feb 07, 2013 (9:41 am)

Replying to: fintail (Feb 07, 2013 9:13 am)
I swear it had an 85mph speedo too - in 1993!
 
It did. I remember because I had it pinned when I got snagged by the cops for well over the limit!
 
Andre,
My one and only carbed car (79 Continental) idled really fast before it warmed up as well. 30 MPH without touching the pedal was certainly possible.

#27832 of 29583 Re: '58-60 Ford pickup seen twice this morning [fintail] by ateixeira

Feb 07, 2013 (10:13 am)

Replying to: fintail (Feb 07, 2013 9:18 am)
I'm too cheap. Plus I enjoy doing it - to a point.

#27833 of 29583 Re: '58-60 Ford pickup seen twice this morning [tjc78] by fintail

Feb 07, 2013 (12:09 pm)

Replying to: tjc78 (Feb 07, 2013 9:41 am)
I remember pegging the needle on my mom's car, too.
 
Actually for the day, that 3.8 seemed like a decent enough performer, or maybe just felt that way after driving the fintail.

#27834 of 29583 Re: '58-60 Ford pickup seen twice this morning [ateixeira] by fintail

Feb 07, 2013 (12:10 pm)

Replying to: ateixeira (Feb 07, 2013 10:13 am)
I passed that point when I was in my 20s - the resultant oil spill + oil in my hair and skin was more annoyance than the money saved. And now, I like to see my cars up on a lift so I can give a good inspection, and have someone else check for any immediate needs.

#27835 of 29583 Re: '58-60 Ford pickup seen twice this morning [fintail] by tjc78

Feb 07, 2013 (12:30 pm)

Replying to: fintail (Feb 07, 2013 12:09 pm)
Actually for the day, that 3.8 seemed like a decent enough performer,
 
The 3.8 had a decent amount of torque so it was quick out of the gate, however, it ran out of steam quickly. I just looked it up and for a 92 LX (which must be 3.8) a time of 9.2 0-60 and 16.8 quarter. The 93 GL shows 11 and 17.8. IIRC the HP difference betweent the 3.0 and 3.8 wasn't much so that is a surprising difference.

#27836 of 29583 Re: '58-60 Ford pickup seen twice this morning [tjc78] by andre1969

Feb 07, 2013 (12:43 pm)

Replying to: tjc78 (Feb 07, 2013 12:30 pm)
I think they both had 140 hp, but the 3.8 had a lot more torque. My grandparents had an '89 Taurus LX with the 3.8 and a '94 GL with the 3.0. I had driven them both, and the 3.8 definitely felt a lot quicker. Much nicer car, overall, as well. The '89 only had about 30,000 miles on it when they traded, so it didn't have enough time to cause much trouble, although I think it did stall out once or twice.
 
Going back a bit further, it seemed like the older 120 hp Ford 3.8 had decent power, compared to other engines of the time. Before the Taurus, they had an '85 LTD with that engine. When I had my learner's permit, I logged a lot of driving time in it. It was definitely quicker than my '80 Malibu, which had a Chevy 3.8 (229) and 115 hp. And was quicker than the '82 Cutlass Supreme I had, which had a Buick 3.8 (231) and 110 hp.
 
I think the Buick engine had 190 ft-lb of torque, while the Chevy was really low, like 175 ft-lb or so?
 
Now, once Buick started fuel injecting their 231, its power really improved. But even then, my Consumer Guide from 1985 tested a Century with the 125 hp 231, and an LTD with the 120 hp 232, and got 0-60 in 11.5 seconds for the Buick, 11.9 for the Ford, so not a huge difference. They also tested a Celebrity with the 112 hp 2.8 (173) and I think got 0-60 in 11.2.

#27837 of 29583 Re: '58-60 Ford pickup seen twice this morning [tjc78] by fintail

Feb 07, 2013 (12:43 pm)

Replying to: tjc78 (Feb 07, 2013 12:30 pm)
Sounds like a GM 3.8, both even have an achilles heel.

#27838 of 29583 Re: '58-60 Ford pickup seen twice this morning [fintail] by ateixeira

Feb 07, 2013 (12:56 pm)

Replying to: fintail (Feb 07, 2013 12:10 pm)
Your girl friends don't like the smell of gear oil cologne?
 
That stuff does stink!

#27839 of 29583 Re: '58-60 Ford pickup seen twice this morning [ateixeira] by lemko

Feb 07, 2013 (1:17 pm)

Replying to: ateixeira (Feb 07, 2013 8:03 am)
My wife had a 1991 Mercury Tracer when I met her. The paint didn't hold up well and the rubber door sill trim dry-rotted. I broke down twice behind my house in my old neighborhood and needed to be towed so I could get my car out of the garage it was parked in front of. She traded it with 107K miles for a new 2001 Chevrolet Impala.

Messages Page 2784 of 2959

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