Better Beaters - Building Cars and Daily Drivers

The State of my Auto Union.

No, not that Auto Union. I haven't bought an Audi.....yet.


A beginning of the year update on my fleet of Better Beaters.

1996 Ford Mustang GT convertible.

This could easily still be my only hobby car.
A convertible Mustang checks almost all the boxes.

My "No Drama" machine.

I have had this car for the longest period of time. When it was my only hobby car it could receive all of my time, attention, and money. Now it has to get in line to get a little love. Last year I did quite a bit of work on it, Front suspension, brakes.  I still really like the car, but it is waiting for me to repair that intake manifold leak. Is the manifold cracked?  I replaced it only a few years ago. The original manifold lasted for over fifteen years and well over 150,000 miles. Sometimes the replacement part doesn't even match the life of the OEM part. That was my experience with the fuel filler grommet.

1989 Jaguar XJS convertible.

Sweat equity in progress.

Lots of progress made here. The transmission was replaced and I got the car smogged and registered. It got a new battery and donated the old one to my Mark VII. I even drove it to work a time or two. It ran quite cool even during the last Summer's heatwave. I waxed and polished it and patched up the top. It is still waiting for that suspension rebuild.

1997 Jaguar XJ6L.

Where I found it. I sure do miss driving this car!

In so many ways this is my favorite car. I spent most of my time driving this car until the worn front suspension introduced some very disturbing shimmying into the steering. The CEL has been on for quite awhile which hasn't appeared to affect the running, but it will have to pass a smog check to complete the registration. There are many additional minor repairs needed;  the fuel sending unit, rear trunk lift struts, radiator mounts, one headlamp mount is loose and rattling. I will probably replace the fuel pump while I'm working on the gas tank. Then a new set of tires.

1951 Jaguar Mark VII,

I haven't forgotten about it. The holidays came down hard.

This is a car that was advertised as needing "a full restoration." You've seen the pictures, it does. I still believe that it can be put back on the road as it is, taking care of some vital systems first. I lost a lot of time fussing with those seized brake cylinders which kind of de-tuned my enthusiasm.

1996 Ford Explorer

This car has turned out very well. I am surprised by how much I enjoy driving it.

This little truck has been seeing quite a bit of use. I have been driving this thing quite a bit. I was late to the game, but I now can see why SUVs are so popular. It has been running quite well though like all old cars it has some idiosyncrasies. It stalled once at a signal light when my daughter was driving it and it was  towed home. It hasn't repeated that trick in a couple of months of use. It really needs the speedo lights replaced, half of the instruments are dark at night. I still have those seat belts and emblems that I bought from Pick and Pull sitting in a bag. The seats still have those cheap seat covers on them.

My other "good' cars have had their own problems. The "07 Mustang needs new tires, and some belts and hoses-soon. The F150 needs front brakes, the rotors are warped and it's time for new tires also. It's always something. Which is what you would have to expect when you are managing a fleet of older cars.

Maybe I DO have too many cars.

The Garage.

The great shining hope.

This process of cleaning out the garage is still going on. The backyard shed, although pretty big, is already filling up. The garage still has a lot of stuff in there. Not to mention that we still have a large Public Storage space filled with even more stuff. Where will all this go?

I want to be able to park two of my cars inside the garage when I'm not in the middle of a repair project. That means that I have to keep the floor clear and have a method of moving around some of my tools and equipment. My transmission and floor jacks take up a lot of floorspace, though they will fit under the rear of my cars. I have some metal shelving units that can fit behind the garage door hinge mechanisms. I plan on storing equipment like my grinder, hydraulic press, and drill press on those shelves. I will probably have to forego my workbench and go with a smaller work station cart.

Getting my garage set up to handle my needs is one of the biggest priorities on my Wish List. I need the garage to be available and usable as my shop. I've accepted the fact that I probably won't be moving out to the country and building a big shop, anytime soon. If ever. I will have to do the best I can with a conventional suburban two car garage. Honestly, I know that this can fill the bill. It's just so difficult to keep the garage clear of "stuff". By that of course I mean my Wife and families things. My stuff belongs in the garage!