Better Beaters - Building Cars and Daily Drivers

More from the Blackhawk Museum.

This Stanley Wanlass sculpture summarizes the conflict of 1950's car enthusiasts;
Show or Go? Many cars had a bit of both!

The museum features a quite a few of these bronze sculptures on display throughout the hall. They are table top sized but very detailed. They all manage to convey a sense of urgency and motion. The artist has enlivened and captured the spirit and vitality in his portrayal of the vehicles and their drivers.

A 1950's Plymouth Dream Car displays a clear Italian influence.
There is a definitively a level of restraint displayed that is uncommon in most 1950's Dream Cars.

Besides Classics and one off Dream  Cars the museum displays some relatively "ordinary" cars. These are cars that were pretty commonly seen in my youth, but were rarely found in such a well preserved state. These have probably been restored to a much higher level than their OEM build quality.

Jaguar E Type

There had been several opportunities for me to buy one of these beauties in the past. I remember a nice convertible that was for sale when I was in Junior College back in 1975. It was parked in a prominent spot in the lot, and I drove and walked past it many times. Who would have been crazy enough to pay 1,000 dollars for a decent runner then? Not me. My interests at the time were motorcycles and old American luxury cars. I was driving a '66 Lincoln sedan. I also had a '70 Honda CB 750 motorcycle. Other opportunities presented themselves over the ensuing twenty five years at higher, but still reasonable and attainable prices. I had not been bitten by the Jaguar bug and there  was always something else that I wanted more. Besides, there would always be plenty of time to buy one in the future!

My Uncle bought one of these Austin Healeys when I was in the eighth grade. I remember being wedged in the backseat when he gave me and my brother a ride up to the UC Berkeley campus. I was pretty impressed. I thought that this sports car thing might be something to get involved with. Cars like this were not exactly common in my East Oakland neighborhood when I was growing up. My Uncle lost his enthusiasm for the Healey when a front wheel came loose and feel off on an early morning drive along the Sacramento River. Knock off wire wheels were not something that he was familiar with.

These cars were once common, driven as old beaters. Like with most old British sports cars they have also increased greatly in price. I like the classic mounting of the driving lights. It makes you miss metal bumpers.

The original an still the best.

It seems that there were once orange and other brightly colored Zs everywhere. I even managed to snag a couple for myself in the not too distant past. Luckily I sold them before they were worth anything, my usual practice! It's good to see the Z get the attention that it deserves. It was a real game changer. It's popularity and acceptance sounded a death knoll for the popular British models. The Z, and the 510 were also the first Japanese cars that earned the respect of the American motoring community.

It's nice to see examples of cars at their best. Sometimes you want to remember these cars as shiny and new, like the first time you saw them. I enjoy seeing survivor cars, not only at shows and museums but parked on the street displaying the patina of actual usage. My favorite website, Curbside Classics, is devoted to showcasing cars like that.

As in most museums, you can spend your time and focus on what you now find interesting. That will definitely change over the years. I have found my appreciation of many other types of cars expanding from what I would have liked when I was younger. You might visit this museum and choose to highlight another selection of cars, that's what keeps it interesting and fun.


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From Glamour to Grime!

I have been keeping an eye on the Explorer and I had noticed that there was coolant pooling on the top of the timing case, under the thermostat housing. I knew that the coolant was either coming from a leaking hose or the housing seam. I checked the hose and it was okay. It seems that it was coming from the housing so I decided to remove it and replace the gasket.

As it turned out, there wasn't a gasket in place. The surface had been sealed with an application of RTV silicon sealant. It had deteriorated over time until there was a leak. I went to the local auto parts store and bought the gasket, a new bypass hose, and a new thermostat. If I was going to remove the housing I might as well replace the thermostat. The bypass hose was replaced because I anticipated bending it to point where the old hose would possibly break, or worse, start leaking at a later time. Much easier to do it now. I hadn't experienced any cooling problems, but better to replace these inexpensive parts while I'm in there. I could easily replace the upper hose when it becomes necessary.

I loosened the radiator connection of the upper hose, then disconnected the other end from the housing. I just bent the hose back and it didn't let any water escape from the radiator. I wasn't so lucky at the other end. Still, the loss was minimal.

Good old aluminum casting.
Unlike the plastic parts used on my 2007 Mustang.

There was enough room to work and remove the two bolts holding the housing after I disconnected the hose and removed the small bypass hose.  A small amount of coolant spilled out of the housing spigot and even more when I removed the housing itself. I used a long 1/2 inch box wrench to loosen the bolts initially. There was  limited space available to swing the wrench. A ratchet and an internally ratcheting box wrench really made the rest of the job easier.

These wrenches are worth their weight in gold when space is tight.
This design is now available at discount tool suppliers.

I cleaned up the two bolts by initially using a wire brush and then my die set to chase the threads of the bolts. They were pretty cruddy from rust and previously used sealers. A little extra time spent on this can save lots of problems later.

I keep my roll around work table covered with cardboard.

I just used a Q-tip to clean out the internal threads. (Don't tell my Wife!) The mating surfaces were also carefully cleaned. I applied my favorite sealer, Gasgacinch to the gasket and sealing area. It's good stuff!

You shouldn't wander too close to the racetrack
 with a sticky gasket in your hand!

Like many items sold to old time mechanics, the manufacturer used a picture of a pretty girl to get their interest. The can has't been redesigned- yet.

Yes, I was too lazy to bring out my tap set.

This is the type of basic repair that any hobbyist can do at home. As long as you don't mind getting your hands a little dirty. After buttoning everything up I refilled it with coolant and started the motor and let it heat up to check for leaks. There weren't any. Just to be sure I used the Explorer that week to drive to work. Check this repair off the to do list.