Maybe I'm not really a Car Guy. Part Three?

I knew that I'd have to confront the issue someday.

But, I was hoping that someday would be a bit later!

Or maybe I've just realized that in a few days, I'm going to be a septuagenarian with a stable of older cars and a busted garage door!

Or, maybe I'm just not the kind of guy that loves any particular car.

Actually, I'm trying to find out where I am currently in the hobby car thing, and where do I see myself going?

I've written on this subject over the years.

Many enthusiasts have very strong connections with a particular model car. This can be built from real, lived experiences with that certain car. They grew up with it as the family car, it may have been a car that belonged to them at a certain period of their life, and they eventually sold the car and moved on. But they never forgot it.

Or, it was something that they lusted after for years. They might have been just a young kid and unable to buy any car for themselves, or they might have been a young adult without the means to purchase a special car. Or it wouldn't fit into their current life requirements. You can't get by with an Austin Healey if you've got three kids. Either way, it was something that they wanted to own quite badly, at least at the time. 

Many of these enthusiasts harbor that desire for many, many, years. Usually until the time is right for them to acquire that car. They are now in a place in their lives when they can afford to indulge themselves and buy THAT car. 

This type of relationship always makes for a nice ownership story. I have never been the kind of guy that obsessed about a particular model car. 

I just have never had strong emotional ties to any car. There were never strong familial bonds forged with a particular car through family relationships or experiences. I was also never going to inherit a cherished family car.

Thomas Murray has his viewpoint.

I'm not a car fan in the Thomas Murray kind of way. I don't use them to try to relive the past. 

Murray saw old cars as a way to connect to, and make the past real. He wrote that he could see the faces of friends and relatives from the past, reflected in the shine of the paint and chrome. Driving down a lonely stretch of road, he could imagine himself being transported back to the special times in his past.

Egan's outlook is closer to mine.

I'm more of the Peter Egan type. He's kind of a serial car owner. He gets very interested in a particular car, and learns all he can about it. He puts a lot of work into his cars restoring them, but he doesn't mind moving on. He realizes that he has to sell his cars to acquire new and different ones. 

I've been involved with cars for quite a long time, I've been driving for almost 55 years. I have been interested in cars and motorcycles since I was a kid, but lately something has kinda faded out.

I keep asking myself, "Is there some particular car that I really wanted to own, one that I have dreamed about owning for years?" Maybe the time has come.

That's a hard question for me to answer.

I've had a wide variety of cars over the years. At first they were used for regular transportation, they were just my car.

Later I started to buy "hobby cars" just for the experience of owning them. Those have numbered up to twenty vehicles so far.

Maybe part of my problem is that I was willing to settle for something that was close enough to what I wanted, something that was currently attainable. You know, the "low hanging fruit."

There's a lot to be said for this approach. At least you currently have something that more or less satisfies you. You are also "doing" instead of "dreaming."  

You might not have exactly what you think that you want, but at least you've got "something."

For example, I wanted a Big Twin Harley Davidson since I was in high school. Realistically they were out of reach for me at the time. But I was able to buy several big Japanese motorcycles that satisfied my craving, and provided me with years of motorcycling experiences. And sure enough, the time finally arrived when I could afford to buy a Big Twin. Though I found that the Sportster model better fit my preferences, so I took that route. 

Wouldn't you know it, when I finally did buy that Big Twin, I found that it wasn't that impressive, and I actually didn't like it that much. I ended up selling it, and keeping my Sportster! 

I met an old guy at a Car show last Summer, who was displaying an immaculate '55 Chevy hardtop coupe. I was admiring the car and asked him how long he had owned it. I expected the usual response, that he'd owned it for years. Struggled to hold onto it, then finally had the money to really cherry it out. He surprised me by saying that he had owned it less than a year! I asked if he had owned other vintage cars and he said no, he hadn't ever owned an older car until this one. Which he purchased at the age of 80!

That's a long time to wait.

At least he was smart enough to buy a nice one.

I keep asking myself these questions.  

I think that part of it is just my age. I've reached an age where I don't really want anything that much.

I don't really need anything that much. I don't care about anything that much. I should clarify by saying that I'm talking about things, material objects. I do care very strongly about certain things in my personal life, but stuff, nah, not that important. 

Honestly, I'm lucky enough to have what I need, and that includes reliable running vehicles that serve as transportation.

I still enjoy driving and taking trips in a car. I still amuse myself by looking at cars online. I still own a bunch of hobby cars. I'm still active on a couple of forums, and still producing this blog.

About a year ago, I started going to local C&Cs and small shows, but I'm starting to lose interest.

My Wife once asked me why I thought that I needed to own a vintage car, couldn't I just go to shows and events and enjoy other people's cars? Why did I have to have one of my own?

Leave it to a woman to ask a sensible, honest question! 

I told her that I really do have an actual interest in owning an old car, but I also want to attend these events as a participant. Going to these events in my own hobby car makes me a part of the action. It doesn't matter if my car is something that the other guys would think is that special or desirable. It is special and desirable to me. I've found that the interests of the show attendees are actually pretty varied, they aren't just interested in '57 Chevys, Camaros, or early Mustangs.

Is part of the attractions of owning a hobby car sharing it with others at shows? Is that one of the main reasons? I have an older friend who bought a Model A hot rod when he was in his mid 70's. He's regularly at numerous local C&Cs and shows. It's one way to get out and socialize and interact with other people. 

I've met a lot of guys that have put years of work and effort in their cars, and they are enthusiastic about talking about them.

While I appreciate that, and respect their efforts, I'm just not that guy. 

What I've been trying to do is to evaluate where 'I" currently stand in the car hobby. "Where am I now?"

What do I want, where do I go from here? I've still got some energy and gumption left. But realistically, at my age, I'm not that enthused about getting my hands dirty.

After all, I did crawl around under my Mustang to replace the oxygen sensors. But, I don't want to be having to do that all the time.  

I'm going to turn 70 in a few days. How much time do I have left as an active "hands on" car guy?

How much do I want to remain as an active DIY car guy? If there is something that I want, newer or older, maybe I should really think about getting it, I've only got a limited time left. 

I also don't want to leave my Wife with a mess of old cars to dispose of. 

Which of the cars that I own today, do I see holding onto into the future?

What do I think that I would "want " to have, and why. 

Am I still having fun, and if not, why? 

That's probably the most important question.

As I mentioned, I've touched on these subjects lately.

Who are we keeping our cars for? I don't own anything that is valuable, or is likely to become valuable in the foreseeable future. Realistically, my kids aren't going to want any of my vehicles. Well, my Son might want my truck.

Do I have some kind of Holy Grail car that I've dreamed of owning?

Is there some kind of late model car that I want?

Would I really want another project car?

Shouldn't I streamline my hobby car affairs and simplify my life?

I have had some health issues and luckily I've been able to work through them, and am currently feeling pretty good. But how long will that last?

I'm far from an affluent guy, but I have a reasonable amount of funds available to dabble around with my lower level hobby cars.

So, where do I go from here? 

I apologize that this is going to be all about me. There will be a lot of sentences that will start with the letter "I."

My hope will be that there will also be other enthusiasts that are going through a similar period of soul searching, and they can benefit from this period of introspection. It's going to be a prolonged period of thinking out loud. 

I'm going to run this series along with my day to day car stuff to keep things from getting too boring!

Oh, that broken garage door leaves me with two of my cars trapped inside. My '06 Mustang and Riviera. I still need to change out the water pump in the Riv. Luckily I had positioned the Riv, just right, to provide me with enough room to work on it. 

I'll do that first, then deal with the garage door later, probably after Christmas. 

I guess that I'll be getting a new sectional garage door as a late Christmas present.

It is always something!

 What is going on here?

Why do I like stuff like this?

 7,000 dollars.

This '41 Cadillac Series 60 sedan showed up recently on CraigsList. It is not that far from me, as it's located just south of Gilroy, about a one hour drive. This is a model that I have admired for a very long time. I had gone to look at a '40 LaSalle sedan earlier this Spring, and I thought that it would be a good idea to take a look at this car. These don't turn up that often, so I didn't want to miss the opportunity. 

The car had not been misrepresented by the seller, it had been stored in a barn for over 15 years. It was a car that had been continuously used for a long time, and it was pretty worn out. 

The story was that this car belonged to the seller's Wife's Grandfather, who drove it for decades. At one time the engine was rebuilt before the owner passed away. The seller had inherited the car, which had been stored for over fifteen years. At one time the seller had wanted to completely restore the car, but he had lost interest in the idea and thought it was best to sell it. Talking with the seller, I felt he was in that stage of life where he wanted to simplify his life.

Although the seller was younger than me, I can't fault that sentiment.

Bill Mitchell's styling triumph established trends that lasted into the 1970's.

It is a pretty neat car, but it is pretty worn out. The body is straight with only a few noticeable dents. The paint is faded, the chrome work is pitted and rusted. The interior is worn down and dirty. The trunk is locked and since the seller couldn't find the key, he removed the rear seat back to access the parts that are stored inside.    

Oh, it smells like an old car.

You can see the added gauges and the added speakers for the 8 track stereo that the previous owner installed. In many ways this car reminds me of my '51 Jaguar Mark VII, it was a car that was in steady usage for decades, but was not restored or cosmetically maintained by the end of that time. Then the car was moth balled, for a couple of more decades. Luckily this Cadillac was stored in a barn.

I don't think that my Wife would want to go for a ride.

The front seat looked pretty rough, that battery was used to start the engine when I was there. It fired right up and settled into a smooth idle. 

The back seat area looked even worse. The floorboards looked to be quite solid.

It would take a lot of cleaning to make the inside of this car bearable to use without a feeling of disgust. All the door panels are there and mostly dirty, but intact. I saw the missing window and door cranks in a box on the floor. Maybe the panels could be steam cleaned and stained a darker color?

Perhaps a set of sturdy seat covers could be sewn up using some Army surplus woolen blankets? 

Dynamat and generic auto carpet could be used to recover the floor.

The bottom edge of the trunk lid has the most obvious rust. This could be fixed properly, or I could use POR 15. I know that it works.

The rusty areas of the bumper could be scrubbed and polished with Simichrome, and the worst areas could be sprayed with silver  paint. I'd done that before and it goes along way to making a car look presentable. I read on a forum that the bumpers can be wrapped with a chrome looking vinyl. Certainly something to think about. 

It is a handsome car.

I told the seller that I would be interested in making the car into a driver, and would never attempt to restore it. While all the trim is there, it is in very poor shape. The die cast parts are pitted badly. It would cost a fortune to replace all that bright work. The head liner is gone, and the seats are toast. Of course the car would need the braking system and other mechanical systems gone through completely, the wiring would also probably have to be redone. But the engine appears to be in good shape.

I went to Kanter's online parts catalog and found that most common parts like water and fuel pumps. starters, generators, and brake master and wheel cylinders were available and fairly reasonably priced. I've done a lot of auto rewiring, so there's no need to pop for an expensive aftermarket wire loom. Still it would take a lot of work, and a bit of money.

Is this car just a sad piece of junk?

No, but it would be a foolish mistake to buy a car in this condition and then decide to do a full restoration.

The guys on the ACCA forum would call this a parts car, they don't think that any car warrants a full restoration anymore. It would probably cost around 100,000 dollars, over twice what the car could be worth. 

When I got home, I told my Wife that I liked the car, and if it was selling for 500 dollars, I would have bought it right then, but not for 7,000 bucks. I didn't make an offer at the time, it doesn't make any sense to throw out an offer unless I'm seriously interested in it. 

I'm going to follow this car on CL, I'm pretty sure that the seller will be reducing his price over time. I don't think that there will be a long line of buyers queuing up for their chance to own this car. 

The '40 LaSalle that I'd gone to see, earlier this year, had originally been listed for 10,000 dollars. By the time I went to see it, the asking price had been reduced to 7,000 bucks. It was still listed on CL for another month or two, before it disappeared. I don't know if it was sold, or if the seller had just pulled it and will relist it at a later date. And that was a nice car, running well with a redone interior and nice trim. My issue was really whether or not I wanted such an old car.

I've still got that guy's phone number.

There is a very nice '41 Cadillac coupe listed currently on CL for 24.5K/offer. This is a restored, show level car. Truthfully that 60 Special could not be brought up to this level for just 25K. 

Wouldn't it make more sense to buy something like this?
The hard truth is that it would end up cheaper in the long run.

My plan for the '41 Cadillac that I went to see, would never produce an example like this. I would hope to clean it up, redo the seats, and maybe paint it. Would it be a good idea to buy it, even if I could get it for 1,500.00? 

It depends. I would have to be satisfied with a pretty rough car, even after it was rehabilitated. Once it was back in good mechanical condition, the cosmetics could be improved over the years, bit by bit. 

My '66 Riviera was never restored, or even repainted, though I spent quite a few years improving it. I used that car extensively and without apology. Maybe I'm just past the stage where I can, or should be satisfied with a rough driver. It looks a lot less appropriate to an old guy. It just kind of marks him as a bit peculiar and eccentric. 

 If I really want an old car, I'd give the guy with the LaSalle a call and see if it is still available. I told my Wife that perhaps someday, someday, the stars might align and that LaSalle and I might end up together.

She got quite a laugh out of that. It's no wonder that Men don't open up and share their feelings!

 Getting the '96 Mustang ready for sale. Part two.

This was the long section of hose.

This process has been a bit unusual, because these events are happening almost in real time.

I started this job almost two weeks ago. I first posted about the repair last week. I had started the process at the beginning of the week that I posted.  The car has been up on jack stands all this time. A couple of days after I posted, I was still trying to install the passenger side upstream oxygen sensor. 

Without success.

I just could not get my hand far enough up to turn it, and get it started. Working upside down under the car is probably the worst situation. I ended each day with a bunch of familiar aches and pains.

It looked like there was plenty of room on the driver's side, and I was right. I removed and installed the sensor in about fifteen minutes. 

I thought that it was a better idea to concentrate on the most difficult side. Though I was frustrated, I didn't get mad, I just kept plugging away. 

Luckily I could just stop when I got frustrated, since I didn't need to use the car.

This was with the medium section of hose.

First, I tried using a section of fuel line that I taped on the sensor, so that I could turn it. I'd been doing that for years with spark plugs. You don't want to cross thread them. However I couldn't find any success. I spent six hours on one day. I tried a long section, then a medium section, then a short section. Again with no success.  When I was finished for the day, I got cleaned up and told my Wife that I'd spent six hours in what was equivalent to trying to screw in a light bulb! 

ARRRGGGHHH!!!!

The heat shield I spoke about last week wasn't a factor. I'd gotten my orientation mixed up, the heat shield was actually a bracket to hold the sensor connector a safe distance away from the exhaust.

To the right of the green connector is the 
starter, next to that is the bung.

What do you do when you need some ideas? You look it up on YouTube!

I watched a lot of YouTube videos trying to glean some hints.  

It looked like the only way that I was going to be able to do the job would be by removing the starter. There were quite a few videos on that subject, and this was a pretty difficult operation with very limited access,

I went out today, Monday, and thought that I should just button up what I'd removed. So I re-installed all the bolts I'd removed back into the chassis brace. Then I decided to investigate how bad the access was to remove the starter.

It was quite a tight fit.

I saw that in one video, that the repair guy removed the right front wheel on a 2000 model, and found a opening in the body, under the plastic inner fender liner where he could insert a weird, right angle ratchet extension wrench. I couldn't find a similar opening on my car.

I also saw that some guys could access the starter bolts by placing a long extension in from the front, in the space under the exhaust manifold and the cross member. I couldn't get my 3/8 extensions through that space. 

 After that, I figured that I'd do the easier two downstream sensors for now. I raised the rear of the car another three or four inches, which gave me a bit more space to work.  These sensors are right out in the open, and were very easy to remove and replace.

After that success, I thought I'd give another final (?) attempt to replace the passenger side sensor without removing the starter. Which I really did not want to attempt.

 After watching several videos, I realized that the best way to remove the starter is by dropping the exhaust down pipes and the mid pipe unit. I wasn't prepared to do that, so I decided to give it just one more try. I had just gained some practice replacing the downstream sensors, and had familiarized my "touch" at screwing those in. 

This time I decided to try the bare sensor, without any "aids."

The "bare" sensor.

I squeezed my left hand in, over the top of the starter and squeezed three fingers of my right hand through the narrow opening, holding a bare sensor and fed the end into the bung. I held the sensor up with my left fingers, and turned the sensor body with the index finger and thumb of my right hand. I also turned the sensor body by turning the faceted collar with my left index finger. I kept a tight hold of the sensor which would try to unscrew itself, as the wire lead tried to untwist itself. I would stop and let the wires unwind themselves. I could finally feel, and see the threads engaging. I took my time, and worked slowly and steadily and eventually seated it as far it would go by hand.  

This is the shorter 7/8 wrench that worked the best.
The socket was not needed with this car.

I used the smaller of my 7/8 open wrenches to firmly tighten down the sensor. The open jaws are much slimmer than on the longer wrenches. The short length was also a better fit into the cramped available space. 

Success! Finally, and believe me, it was a very hard won victory! 

After this, I decided to call it a day, I could put away tools, lower the car and clean up the garage, ...tomorrow. 

That's just what I did. 

After I finished cleaning up after myself. I took the car out for a test drive. After twenty miles of mixed driving the car ran fine, it seemed better than ever, with no CEL light. 

Success at last!

Now, what's that funny sound coming from under the hood of the Riviera? 

It's always something!

 Getting the '96 Mustang ready for possible sale.

The Mustang has been sitting on jack stands for a couple of days.

Or at least for next year's registration.

As I said earlier, the CEL lit up on the dash. However, the car seemed to run as good as it ever has. I continued to drive it until I swapped places with the '06 to put a new set of tires on it. The CEL went out on it's own before I made the switch.

When it came out of the garage, the CEL promptly lit up again. I used a code reader again, I have to figure this out, registration is due soon. That means a smog test this year prior to renewal.

I put a code reader on it and came up with the codes PO136 and PO141. I looked in my Haynes manual and the codes were identified as oxygen sensor codes. It indicated a problem with the sensor heating circuit. This engine uses four O2 sensors, two upstream and two downstream. Which translates to ahead of, and behind the catalytic converter. 

The manual didn't offer much of a description so I googled; "1996 Mustang 4.6 engine, what does a code of PO136 mean?" I found a lot of info. It indicated that it could be the wiring harness, a leak in the exhaust system, or a bad sensor. There were several videos about the repair/replacement process. I googled the same question about the PO141 code and the answer was similar. 

My car has over 215,000 miles and I'd bet that the sensors were bad. My Brother had a '80 BMW 320i that started going through O2 sensors every 50,000 miles, so I guess that I've been lucky. 

I went to  my local O'Reilly's and found that they wanted almost 60.00 per sensor. 

Then I looked on RockAuto. I believe in supporting my local businesses, but I already spent 200 bucks  buying a battery at my local Indie auto parts store in June. I gotta find ways to save some money. 

You can see the special socket on the right.

Rock Auto had the sensors for about 24.00 a piece, so I thought it best to replace all four if I'm going to be under the car. I also decided to spring for the special socket. This is where Rock Auto got an extra bite out of me; extra shipping, since the items originate from different locations. That's something that you have to watch if you are buying several different items at one time. However the RA price was so much lower that it was still a good deal. 

Today I switched out the Riviera and the '96 Mustang so that it would be ready to receive the sensors when they arrived.

First I have to deal with the sensors, then I'll get the oil changed, and have the smog check done.

While I was at O'Reilly's the young counter guy expressed some interest in my car after a bit of conversation I told him that I was thinking of selling the car.

Last weekend I brought my Mustang to a Cars and Coffee event in San Jose. Just before I was planning to leave I went and placed the for sale sign on the dashboard. I returned to the car and saw an older guy  photographing the for sale sign. I engaged him in a conversation and learned that his Son in law was looking for a car. His Daughter in Law was with him, so she got to see the condition and we discussed the car.

I would prefer that I replace the sensors, change the oil, and perform the smog check before I put the car up for sale. The expenses would be approx 130.00 for the sensors, fifty bucks for the oil change, another 50 bucks for the smog test, and 160 dollars for the '25 registration fees. 

I have priced the car at 3,000 dollars which I feel is a fair price even after I spend this money on the car. Even if I don't end up selling the car, I still need to do this stuff anyway. 

I watched a few videos on YouTube, which gave me an idea on what to expect. Except that one the videos showed a car that had changed the stock exhaust manifolds for headers and a front sensor bypass. Also the car in the video was a coupe, while my convertible has a large cross brace that ties the front cross member to the rocker panel area. This brace makes access pretty tight around the passenger side upstream sensor.

You can see the front end of the brace.

I initially thought that I would remove the brace to gain more access, it is held on with quite a few bolts, mostly 13mm. However at the rocker area there was a big plate under a plastic cover with a 10mm bolt as well as three 13mm. bolts. I tried to loosen the 10mm bolt, but it was very tight, and while it moved a bit, I was afraid that it might snap off. I don't like to break bolts and decided to try to remove the sensors with the brace still in place. 

The only location with really restricted access is for the passenger side upstream sensor. This is where the starter motor is located. I easily removed and replaced the driver side upstream sensor since I could insert my hand into the space.

Below the green connector and above the cross member you can see
the bung where I unscrewed the sensor.

Removing the sensor was pretty easy as I have a few large 7/8 combination wrenches that could reach the sensor. I can insert the sensor in the hole easily, using the wires to position it. The problem is to start the sensor threads into the bung. Like a spark plug, you want to make sure that it is properly threaded by using your fingers. I tried turning it by twisting the wire harness attached to the sensor, but that didn't work as it's not stiff enough. The problem is to hold it in place, and turn it by hand. Unfortunately, I can only get the index and middle finger of my right hand into the space. 

Peek a Boo, I see you! 
I just can't reach you.

Can I refer to a shop manual for handy tips to make the job easier? Maybe not this one.

These Haynes manuals are pretty useless.

The Haynes manual doesn't offer any help. It illustrates O2 sensor removal with a photo of a guy unscrewing it from a detached exhaust pipe! No problems with access there!

I decided that an enclosed box wrench would be best to tighten the sensor. However the connector won't quite fit through the 7/8 opening.

I carefully cut off the top portion of the retaining clip with a hack saw. Now the connector fits through the opening. It should still snap together, but I can wrap the connector with duct tape just to be sure.

If you are going to replace the sensors, it would be easy to cut off the connector of the old sensor and use the enclosed end of the wrench to loosen and remove it. So now I've figured out how to snug it down, but I haven't figured how to start threading it in the manifold. 

I have often used a section of fuel line to help start threading in a spark plug. I adapted this idea to the sensor. I slit the tubing, positioned it, and taped it on. This worked well for raising the sensor into position, though it was hard to determine if the sensor was seated squarely in the manifold. Even though the fuel line is not very thick, it was too tight to be able to manipulate the position of the sensor. I must not have gotten the sensor positioned correctly, because even after several hours of attempts I was still unsuccessful. 

I had spent an entire afternoon under the car and had only replaced one sensor. needless to say I was pretty frustrated. 

I need more room to turn the fuel line/sensor unit, or to get three of my fingers into the space. It looks as though I may have to remove the starter. 

Returning to the Haynes manual, it says simply to remove the wires, and remove three mounting bolts. If it was only that easy!

I found a very good video online that dealt with replacing the starter on a convertible model like mine. There is a top bolt which is hidden in view from the bottom. There is also an issue with limited room behind the starter and cross member. If a long extension is used on the socket, once the bolt is loosened, it will jam the ratchet against the cross member. The video guy recommends using three short extensions instead of a single long unit, so you can shorten the extension as the bolt is backed out. 

There is one small ray of hope. There is a heat shield that covers the wires connected to the end of the starter. By removing that, I might gain enough additional space to get an extra finger in, or allow me to manipulate the fuel line and properly position the sensor.

I haven't tried that yet.

So that's where it stands. The car will remain on the jack stands until I can get back to it. I am fortunate to have it in my garage, instead of in the driveway. I'm also fortunate that I don't need the car for transportation, so it can sit for a while. 

Taking a break has a lot of benefits. It reduces frustration, it allows me to put the situation into perspective, and lastly and maybe most importantly, allows the old body to recuperate from the aches and pains of crawling around under the car! 

More to follow in a future post. The job has to be completed, so I will be back under the car again, soon.

 Thoughts after watching American Graffiti.

While I was out of town on a weekend get a way, I attended two automotive events, a Cars and Burgers, on Friday afternoon, and a fairly big car show on Saturday in Sonoma.

Later that Saturday afternoon I watched American Graffiti on DVD. 

I've seen this movie numerous times, but I still enjoy it. But this time I had a different take on it.

While all the kids are out cruising in in their cars, most were just stock cars, many were obviously their parent's cars. There were some obviously customized cars; Steve's '58 Chevy, a lowered '49 Mercury, and of course, Milner's '32 Ford hot rod. In the background there were a couple of customized cars, a '36 Ford coupe, a Fad T Bucket, and a '57 Chevy coupe. Oh, we can't forget Falfa's mean '55 Chevy. 

The subtext in the movie is change. Oftentimes the period in your life calls for you to change, to move on to new things. To close the current chapter that you are in, and seize the opportunities that come along with a change in status. The characters in this story were facing the change from being kids in high school, to young adulthood. Which is a pretty familiar transition. 

Steve and Curt are going back East to attend college, and it's their last night before they leave. Yes this movie is focused on the male protagonists and doesn't deal much with the girls in the story. 

However there was a strong female character played by Candy Clark as Debbie. She was the exact opposite to Charles Martin Smith's character. She was very confident, knew how to hold her own with the guys and get what she wanted. We don't learn much about her personal life, but she obviously had evolved into a confident young woman. The film doesn't tell us what happens in her future.

Toad plays it by ear, while Debbie runs the show.

We don't know Terry the Toad's situation, he doesn't mention high school graduation, and it doesn't seem that he is currently in high school with Curt's sister, who will be a senior. He is pretty insecure, but he seems to be well accepted by the group. However, Milner does like to play pranks on him, and we see that he is often the butt of his contemporaries jokes.

Leaving a familiar little town that you grew up in, is hard. You'll be leaving your parent's home, and friends that you have known all your life. And there is the chance that you will never be coming back!

Steve is the regular Joe.

Steve was initially hot to go, even though he would leave his high school girlfriend behind. Maybe he was looking forward to that!  He was looking forward to exciting possibilities in the near future. 

Curt is not just trapped in the back seat of the Merc, he's also trapped by self doubt.

Curt was unsure about leaving. It appears that he was a serious student and was really looking to leave his hometown and find an avenue for further growth. But the prospect of leaving the familiar behind, has got him second guessing himself. 

Milner is a reluctant hero that would rather stay in the Past.

Milner wasn't going anywhere, he has a job as a mechanic and is living an adult life, though he seems to prefer hanging out with high school kids. My guess is that he's three or four years out of high school. He claims that he's attending Junior College, but we're not sure if that's the truth, or if he just handing some girl a line. 

The Pharohs, I'm pretty sure that they aren't going anywhere, unless it's to jail! 

Being bad is it's own reward, until it isn't!

Most people just own and drive cars without any sentimentality. Those kids in the movie grew up to drive Toyotas and Hondas. Then BMWs, Mercedes, and Lexus. 

A question formed in my mind while I was at the car show; "Why do people keep and build up expensive restored or customized cars?" Thirties, Forties, and Fifties cars, very nicely finished, which cost them quite a bit of money. Sure it's a hobby, and these cars may be something that they wished that they owned back in their youth. And maybe they can afford to have nice new cars to drive, and still can afford to have a show car. I wouldn't think that it is just for the trophies. 

I'm not being a hater, or being envious. Of course it would be nice to have the things that you want. Or maybe they have to sacrifice to have that old car. Everyone's situation is different. 

My real question is why are they fixated on those type of cars?

Is it just nostalgia?

They own these cars and they take them to show to other people. There are people that own expensive new cars, but they don't take them to Cars and Coffee events. Unless they are fancy sports cars. They just drive them. 

John Milner was fixated on his high school hero status as the guy with the seriously fast car. Nothing wrong with that. He was still involved with his hot rod, and hadn't yet settled down in married life like many of his peers. He didn't even want to have a steady girlfriend, he enjoyed the cruising and random meetings instead. 

Milner appears to come from a blue collar background. The idea of attending college didn't have much appeal or reality for him. This was the early 1960's and many blue collar youths went straight into the job market right after high school. This was also before the draft for the Vietnam War started.

The Pharohs were fixated on being a gang that is involved in petty criminality, and whose frame of reference is their own subculture. Their goal was to be considered cool/bad by the people in town. The reality of the outside world would surely intrude in the future. Marriage for some, detention or jail time for some, and others would enlist in the military to avoid prosecution and detention. Or maybe just to get out of their old surroundings and the low expectations that their town had for them.

 As we move forward in our lives, we also expect that our friends and contemporaries will do the same. The rites of passage into adulthood occur at roughly the same time for most of us. If one of our friends is stuck at an earlier phase, we wonder what's going on with them. The idea of settling down in a long range career or job, as well as with a permanent romantic partner is considered the norm. Settling down and getting serious about our future. We start to worry about our friends that seem stuck in the past.

This movie is a nostalgic snapshot of Americana and the car culture as it existed after the close of the 1950's but before the societal revolution of the 1960's.  This movie is a favorite among many car enthusiasts. I like it because of the cars and the music, the era of my high school graduation is ten years in the future of the setting of the movie. I never experienced that culture first hand.

Although I had been very involved with old cars and even more involved with motorcycles, I've never been focused on restoring a car, or building up a show machine. As I entered my mid twenties I was busy with school and work. Then I got married and was too busy and didn't have the money or time to mess with expensive old cars. I bought my first new cars, bought a house, and was involved in starting and raising a family;

Yeah, I know. That sounds awful conventional.

But that life has it's rewards, ones that I'm currently enjoying. 

I've come to realize that investing in our future and setting ourselves up to build up the rewards that will follow, is often just a matter of accepting the change and responsibility as it presents itself. 

Are Milner and the Pharohs both examples of arrested development? 

Of course they are all still fairly young as they are presented in the movie. As we know, a lot can change in our lives, and surprisingly quickly. We are often surprised how our old friend's lives have evolved.

Look at all those Porsches!

This current issue Of Road and Track magazine celebrates the heritage of the California car culture centered around Los Angeles. This magazine has always been directed at a different audience than Hot Rod, Car Craft, and  other " dirty hands on" titles. It is also quite different from those that celebrate Kustom Cars and their Kulture, like Rod and Custom, and Street Rodder. 

It featured a more affluent emphasis on sports cars and road racing. It covered more expensive foreign sporty cars, though there was always some overlap with the "do it yourself" enthusiasts, especially in the early days. 

While they recognize the contributions of early hot rodders and builders, they have always been about what is new and current in the market.

So are these the "evolved enthusiasts" who would not likely be thinking about hot rods and Fifties cruisers? They have moved along with the times. Is this where all car enthusiasts should have ended up? Is a fascination with Pre War and Fifties cars, not to mention old time Hot Rods and Kustoms, a sign of arrested development?  

Maybe so, maybe no.

The car enthusiast community is a big tent. There is room for a lot of different interpretations of the hobby. Many enthusiasts who were poor kids building up their cars with cast off and wrecking yard parts, are now successful and affluent enough to have shops custom building components for their current projects, or even doing all the work and assembly. Other guys may still be scraping along, but directing their funds and energies into maintaining their classic Porsche. Or they may have finally attained the ownership of the vintage model that they have spent years wanting.

As I discussed in a previous post, car guys are into more than just cars, so they have tempered their passion as life has taken them in different directions. That's the normal course of development for most people. 

Whatever the intensity that the enthusiast fire burns, we should all welcome and appreciate the light and warmth that it provides.

In other words, 'Do your own thing!"

 More musical cars,

Around and around they go.

The End of Summer edition.

My Wife took off with a few friends for a multi day Girl's Trip in the Flex. This gave me an empty right half of the driveway.

I had swapped out the '96 and the '06 Mustangs back in June, so that I could get a new set of tires on the '06. I have also wanted to drive it more. We had just returned from a trip up to Tahoe, and while the car ran fine, I don't know how I feel about the car. I like it, but I don't like it that much.

Now I wanted to take the '96 Mustang out, I need to put some more miles on it. It is due for a smog check in November, along with its registration renewal. I usually park the Navigator on the right side of the driveway so I had to move it before switching out the Mustangs. I don't like to just start and move a car that's been sitting for weeks, so I let the Nav idle in the drive long enough to warm up completely.

It's still one of my favorite cars.

The '96 needs to be driven, since I've got to sort it out soon. Earlier this year the CEL had lit up. I checked the codes and it advised of a problem with the oxygen sensor heating element. I knew that I'd have to deal with that issue before renewing the registration. When I backed it out of the garage, the CEL was not on. It had gone off on it's own, but it will usually come back on after a while. The CEL tends to get ignored if it stays constantly on, so the manufacturer made sure that it will return if the condition is not addressed. 

I put in half a tank of premium gas and decided to see if it would improve with use. I was curious about the Lincoln MKC that I'd seen on CL, so I drove up to Hayward to check it out. I lowered the top of the '96 and cruised up to Mission Blvd.

It was a warm but not oppressively hot day. Top down weather is rapidly approaching, Fall and Spring are the best seasons for open air motoring. 

The '96 is always pleasant and relaxing to drive. I found the car lot selling the Lincoln on Mission Blvd. Hayward is sort of the Used Car Capitol of the South Bay, there are endless lots located next to each other for miles and miles.

it looks just as good in person.

The MKZ looked as good in person as it did in the ad. I really liked the nice blue color, so many of these are a shade of metallic grey or silver. The interior, which was in amazingly good condition, looked like new. Unfortunately it was black leather, I would have preferred a tan or light grey interior, but it's not a deal breaker. It is spacious for me in the driver's seat, and has a large trunk. I have reached the point where I can accept the push button transmission controls. 

I'm curious to try the turbo four engine, especially after driving the MKC earlier this Summer. I liked the way that car drove. I've read that the fuel economy is very good, and I haven't heard terrible things about it's reliability. Overall the MKZ is a pleasing car, and I really don't need to buy another SUV at this point, the Flex is our everyday driver. I think that my Wife would love a car like the MKZ, it is a fancy luxury car that is a bit smaller than our '94 Seville.

The next day, after I parked the '06 in the garage, I decided to take the Navigator out for a spin. I had to run by Whole Foods store  downtown, then I wanted to check out a Cadillac XTS for sale on a San Jose used car lot. I would finish up with a visit to Barnes and Noble in Santa Clara. The Cadillac was listed by one of those brokers that doesn't have a car lot, they only list the suite number. I drove by and didn't see any Cadillac around. 

I rarely buy any new magazines, so I also spent time at Barnes and Noble browsing the DVD collection. I'd have to find something really special if I was going to spend forty bucks on it! There are lots of inexpensive used DVDs offered at Rasputin's Records and Twice Read Books.

Since I still had time before the Flex would be back, I uncovered the Riviera in preparation for pulling it out of the garage, to put some miles on that car.

The Riviera came out for a drive on the hottest day of this Summer. The weather prediction was for 100+ heat. The day did not disappoint. My car was just about the only one with it's windows open, everyone else had their a/c on. Then, while I was driving, the fan started to blow hot air out the vents! It seemed to vary in volume as if the unit was trying to regulate the temperature. Since I wanted to give it a chance to work through some of it's functions I decided to let it run and observe what would happen. 

For the most part, I don't miss driving without a/c on most days, which are only in the high 80 degree range. My Wife cannot stand it, which is okay since she seldom rides in the Riviera anyway. The thought occurred to me that maybe the valve that controls the coolant flow to the heater could be stuck open, though modern a/c systems usually keep the heater core hot to aid in dehumidifying the air. The core is only cut off when the system is operated in the max position. The air control flaps are supposed to isolate the heater in normal operation. 

The Riviera ran fine, and it has not displayed any problems with the cooling system, even though I have driven it quite a bit during the last two heatwaves. 

It takes a bit of effort to keep the cars in constant driving rotation. I have written about this in prior posts. I also mentioned the need to generate new content. I don't see any way that I'm going to add another car to the fleet, though there may be some changes coming in the line up. 

I drove the '96 Mustang to the local OReilly's to get a quart of oil. While I was there I also checked their prices on oxygen sensors for the car. I got into a conversation with the young counter guy. He showed me some spacers that could be used to "fool" the OBS system. They looked like the old spark plug extenders that were used to reduce spark plug fouling. They might fool the system, but I don't think that they'd pass a smog test. I mentioned that I would rather fix it right to get it ready for sale. 

He expressed some interest in the car, which he could see parked outside and asked how much I was asking for it. I've been considering this for quite some time. While I could be flexible on the price, I wisely responded with a price that would cover the cost of the repairs and leave me with some wiggle room. I told him that I wanted three grand. 

He did not act like the price was too high, in fact he wondered why it was so low. I told him that I'd owned the car for over fifteen years and that it had pretty high mileage. Then I told him about all the repairs and maintenance I'd performed over the 65+ thousand miles that the car had been in my ownership. 

We went outside to look at the Mustang and he was impressed by the cleanliness and good condition that it was in. Most of these old SN95 Mustangs offered at this price are usually thrashed. We exchanged contact information and he said that he would keep in touch. 

We'll see.

I have been kind of burned out on C&C events, but I think that I'll head over to Ronnie's Get Together on Saturday morning. I can take the '96 Mustang and stick a "for sale" sign in the window. Maybe there will be some interest?

I had received a couple of e mails from ROA members in the Sacramento area, I told them that maybe we could get together at an event in the North Bay, perhaps around Concord. I had pretty much left this effort for dead, but maybe there's a little life still there. 

My other thought was to put the Navigator in the front of my driving rotation next month. I'll probably be using it for my Wife's craft vending during the holiday season. I'll have more thoughts about the Navigator in future posts.

 Most Hot Rodders are into more than just old cars.

Pat with his '47 Chevy parts car.

Who would have been surprised by that?

Pat Ganahl wrote an editorial on this subject, many years ago in March of 1978, when he was about to take over as the editor of Street Rod magazine.

He commented on a copy of Drag Racing magazine from 1959. The announcer that was the M/C of the event, would provide the elapsed times of the racers, but would also entertain the crowd with tidbits of background information about the race drivers. One of the most interesting bits of information was what the occupation of the racer was during the week. This was back when drag racing was an entirely amateur event.

Car people come from every walk of life.

Pat recalled that the mayor of the City of Industry, a small southern California city south of Los Angeles, campaigned a successful drag car for many years. 

Others that built hot rods or drag racers led busy lives with families and demanding occupations. Actually anything that would earn a livelihood can be considered a demanding occupation. The cars were a passionate interest, of course, but they were relegated to hobby status. Other aspects of their lives took precedence. Anyone with kids doesn't need to be told this.

There are some folks that are professional car people. They work in auto related industries; classic car dealers, restoration shops, specialized machine or mechanics shops. Body and painting, and upholstery businesses. They may specialize in antique or vintage cars, or deal primarily with modern day vehicles.

At one time the stereotypical hot rodder was a young single male that that spent all their time and money messing around with old cars. They would invariably age out of the sport, as they got a steady job or career, got married and raised a family. 

They might return to the hobby at a later date. The hobby of street rodding has evolved into a more family friendly activity.

The old car community is primarily made up of hobbyists, people that mess around with old cars for fun. A large number of them are serious DIYers. They will tackle many difficult technical jobs because they enjoy the challenge, and like the feeling of accomplishment that comes from completing the job in the correct manner. It also helps keep the expenses of the hobby somewhat in check.

Even people that are involved in the old car business as a livelihood, usually have other interests. Most people do. Generally the interest in the old car hobby has to be balanced against other life pursuits.

Car people don't have to maintain cars as the sole interest in their lives.

Pat closed out the column by saying, "Nobody expects street rodder's to eat, sleep, and breathe old cars. We're just expected to have fun with them!"

Content creators in the automotive blogosphere however, have a particular problem; content! They need to constantly come up with new material for their blogs, which means that they have to be constantly thinking about cars. That leads to the need for constant action; doing something with their current cars, and it makes them continue to add new and different cars to their stable as one way to provide this new content.

Many successful bloggers have started out covering their own vehicles and situations, then transition into a format that covers a succession of "new" cars.  

This Hoovie, of Hoovies garage,
you may have heard of him.

He's gotta stay busy.

Guys like Hoovie, maintain a constant stream of different vehicles, this process is baked into the program. These different cars provide situations that will develop more continuing content.

While I'm nowhere close to being in Hoovie's league, I've still got a similar problem. I just finished up a twenty installment series of posts for a large old car web site. I was glad to do it. It was fun, and I like the opportunity to improve upon my writing skills. Finding a larger audience is also a big plus, but it took up a lot of my time and energy. That took it away from my efforts with this blog.

This blog is my product, and I'm very proud of it. I managed to keep producing it for over ten years with regular weekly posts. 

I usually cover three general areas: My work on my own cars, my recollections and memories, and my ramblings about the hobby industry. 

I usually haven't covered shows or events that I attend. I did post photos from the Bering Museum, the Petersen Museum, as well as a British car show I attended in Clovis. I attend Cars & Coffee events frequently, but I haven't photographed any cars there. This is an avenue that I might develop further in the future. 

This is not a job for me, in the sense that I don't derive any income from my writing. Truthfully, I don't know if I could develop a large enough readership that would provide me with any kind of income! 

However, the internet has allowed everyone the opportunity to express themselves, present their ideas, and  showcase their talents in different fields. There is no requirement that the product be good, or even worthwhile! This has it's good, and bad points. It's significant, as it doesn't keep people from giving it a try. All someone needs is a smart phone, or a lap top, and they can be off and running. 

While I enjoy writing, I don't think that I'd like to provide articles to other sites as a freelancer. I'm retired, and I don't want to be saddled with deadlines. But I might enjoy it if I could add something to the discussion. 

The need to generate new content is a nagging concern, maybe not really nagging, this is a voluntary production after all. I'm going to dedicate more time towards producing this content. I used to get an idea for a new post and jot down the main idea, then flesh it out with a few sentences. Then I'd let it percolate on the back burner of my mind, and revisit it and continue to develop it into a full post. I had several of these unfinished posts constantly simmering for a long period of time. I don't enjoy having to rush to put something together for a self imposed deadline. 

I got to thinking awhile back; what will I do if the well runs dry, and I can't come up with anything new? Would this spell the end of my blog? 

I've seen many blogs that died out over time, I suppose for various reasons. Some due to lack of enthusiasm of the producer, some due to lack of the enthusiasm of the audience. Sometimes the producer's interest shifts towards another direction. Many more due to issues of the producer, primarily health and financial problems. It takes quite a bit of time to maintain a blog. Even a weekly updated site requires quite a few hours behind the keyboard. If this time cut into the time needed for gainful employment, I could predict which would have to go. 

Luckily I'm still enjoying the process, so I will carry on.

Sometime you need to put down the parts and tools
 and pick up the guitar.