How the Mighty have fallen! 

photo source: wilkipedia
Titans of the past.

The cruelest of phrases, either said with smug satisfaction or merely relating the current situation.

It is, of course, the story that is the oldest in human history. 

Thinking about old Cadillacs... again.

The face that only America could love.


It's all about the base.

In my opinion the 1963 model of the Coupe de Ville displays the perfect roof and fin line.
I found this particular car on Craig's list for 7,800.00. If I had the space ( and the money!) I'd buy it in a minute!

 Space, the final frontier, Part Two. 

This isn't the house, but this configuration was typical.

When it came time to move out on my own, and move down South for my new job, I kept my automotive and motorcycle needs straight in my mind. 

 Today was quite the successful Day.

Overall they looked pretty good
 but a couple on the left had some deposits on the electrode.

This time I threw the old plugs away as soon as I fired up the car and determined that it was running fine. For some reason over the years I've had the compulsion to hang onto the old plugs, "just in case." Just in case of what? Would I ever reuse these old plugs? No. It's not like this car is an old lawnmower that routinely fouls it's plugs and I've gotta constantly come up with a replacement. Modern, that is within the last Quarter of a Century, ( !) cars only get a plug change between 50-90,000 miles. 

Are you still working on Cars?

photo source:Vintage Images
Yes.

I had a conversation with my brother on my birthday a couple of weeks ago. He posed that question to me. He has told me that he has read the entire library of my blog. The question is innocuous enough, though the inflection of the voice can give it a different meaning.

Thinking about old Rivieras...again.

The seller is asking 5,000 dollars.
Located in Bakersfield California.

A design analysis.

Why would I want to buy a car that I've already owned? Actually the count so far is up to four; two 1966s,  a 1967, and finally,  a 1971.

 Space, the final frontier.  Part One.

photosource:popularmechanics.com
I was thinking about Space when I was a kid in grade school, but not in the same way.

Capt. Jean Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) has a Jaguar XJS convertible exactly like mine! I highly doubt that he is as constantly concerned with space as I am. 

I'm talking about the space that are cars  occupy. The real estate.

As well as the unreal estate.

Space is a limited resource like money, time, and energy.

Compromises.

My XJS seen in it's natural habitat.

I've been getting out of town a bit since the pandemic has stabilized, at least in my part of the State. But we are still very careful.

Present Day Custom Cars. Are they possible?

These designs are iconic. I've got this early automotive
themed rock boxed CD set.

I was reading Pat Ganahl's blog about modern customs. He used a 1962 Pontiac as an example. Modern? That car is 60 years old. Modern geriatric customs?

 It's always something, the more cars you have the more stuff there is.

Sometimes I feel like I'm buried
at the bottom of that pile!

I reported that I replaced the radiator in the XJ6. 

I'm quite concerned about the up coming smog test. 

The person in the passenger seat.

photo source:Carcoms.com
That seat back there was reserved for the Mother in Law!

In my case, that would be who is often humorously referred to in old car stories as "my long suffering spouse."

Maybe newer cars are better for older enthusiasts?

2015 V6 Mustang 18,995.00

Or at least some of them.

Like me, Maybe?

The Progression (?)

photosource:medium.com
Keep it moving. Movement is the illusion of progress.

Sisyphus knows all about futility.

He worked so hard all day long only to find that he had lost all his ground overnight.

His curse was the result of divine decree by Zeus, for his transgressions in life. Mine is a self imposed futility. Perhaps for my transgressions of hubris?

 Thinking about historical registration. Part Two.

That's a lot of red!

Sometimes action takes precedence over thought.

 Installing the radiator in the XJ6.

This the old one that I just removed.
Hard to believe that they want over 700 dollars for a new one.

                                                                      

 Unfortunately, The radiator cap might not have been the problem with the Mustang over heating.

Image source: motorworks.com
It isn't that bad...yet.

Is anything ever that easy?

I topped up the radiator with coolant and sealed it with the new cap. Now all I had to do was try it out.

Thinking about historical vehicle registration. Part One.

Why not, my XJS isn't pulled by any horse!

I posted earlier about my '96 Mustang being considered a vintage vehicle. Is it just an old car, or is it a historical vehicle? It' s obviously old enough to bring back memories of many onlooker's youth.

Comparing the new to the old.

These things are nice, and get the job done.

Last week I drove 1,200 miles, to Oregon and back, in a rented 2020 Dodge Grand Caravan.

I've been trying to drive my cars a bit.

Why is this pavement wet?

I have been cycling through my stable.

I'm beginning to understand all those ornery old coots that don't want to sell their non-running old cars.

photosource: roadkill.com
"I can't sell that car to you, I'm gonna fix that up- Someday!"

I've been pouring over the Net looking at all kinds of old cars. Looking for something that could grab my interest. I even find that I'm trying to convince myself that I want certain cars.

Thinking about a new paint job. Epilogue

Right behind behind the driver's door is the worst area of the current original paint.

After exploring the different options, and investigating the procedures, have I drawn any conclusions?

One of the first questions that the service writer asks you is. "How long are you planning on keeping your car?"

I haven't really considered my '96 Mustang to be a vintage car.

Until last weekend.

The Wife and I had considered taking a little extended drive  a couple of weeks ago. At first we just considered driving down to Monterrey and back in a single afternoon. But then my Wife suggested that we go down to Pismo Beach.  She found us a reservation to stay just one night.

Maybe I'm not really a car guy. Part Two.

I picked up this magazine at the news stand.
I was 20 years old at the time.

The reason that I made that mention to Pat Ganahl's Rod and Custom blog is because he recently had an article on a pertinent subject.

Thinking about a new paint job. Part Three.

In the interest of full disclosure the information and photos I'm sharing are from this shop's website. I have been a satisfied customer since they painted my '70 Mustang. I have been impressed by their work, their website, and their customer service. This is a full range, collision and paint shop. They do all levels of paint work and restoration. Looking at the website you'll see many examples of their handiwork. There are many high dollar cars such as Mercedes, BMW and Cadillac. Of course the only car you'd really care about would be your own!

Maybe I'm not really a car guy. Part One.

His resume is long and impressive.

Whether I am or not,  Pat Ganahl definitely is. I highly recommend that you visit his website. patganahl.com.

Now, back to my story.

Am I really a car guy?

Thinking about a new paint job. Part Two.

Those were the Days!

Adventures in "Cheap Paint!"

The best option is to preserve what you have. Sometimes though, you would like to jump start the appeal of your car with some new color.

Ol'  Earl, gone but not forgotten.

Looking backwards to find a way forward.

 

I read this book as a high school freshman back in 1969-70.

My best memories of freshman year don't concern school activities. I was a not a popular rah-rah kind of guy. I didn't have a bunch of chums or even a girlfriend. That would take quite a few more years!

Thinking about a new paint job? Part One.

There has always been products available to preserve and refresh your car's paint.
photo source: ebay

Maybe you should try to save what you've got. First.

New paint on an old car.

It's kind of a car keeper's dream. Or nightmare.

No matter how careful and attentive you've been to your car's present paint, the time comes when it can't  be rescued any more.

Spray painting vinyl upholstery.

photo source:dcpaintsolutions.com

What could be easier?

Just point and shoot.

Vinyl "dyes" have been around for years. They are not really dyes, they are paints.

I finally decided to wax my truck. It's only been around ten years.

A valuable Life lesson.

While I like and appreciate my truck it has to live at the curb, uncovered. It's parked across the street so it doesn't even get the shade from the large trees in front of our house. It's not getting driven too much now either. Especially now.  I did make two trips up North last month. One to Roseville, a bit north of Sacramento and another to Placerville east of Sacramento in the foothills.

Can a Smokey and the Bandit fan ever be happy with anything less than a Trans Am?

This is one of my favorite scenes from the movie.

Even the smog choked engines could easily throw up clouds of dust.

He might have to be.

Here are five more gems from the CraigsList mine.

2,500/trade. Nice rake.

A '79 Coupe De Ville. At one time I considered the downsized '77 to '80 Cadillacs to be the best Cadillacs  ever built, at least up until that point.

How does that new Wilwood master cylinder compare to the original?

They both seem to measure out at about six inches.

On first examination, they look to be very similar in length.The original master cylinder is mounted by two bolts that pass thru the body into the frame. The new unit has side mounting as well as flange mounting provisions. My first task is to see if the new unit can be physically mounted in the same position and will be compatible with the existing stock floor pedals and linkage.

Please pass the H.A.M.B.!

It tastes as good as it looks.
photo source: Nueske's

There are forums and blogs on the internet for every conceivable subject and interest. There are some that attract a lot of traffic and there are those are seldom visited.

This is one that has been around for a long time with a dedicated audience.

It is associated with the Jalopy Journal. The name is the H.A.M.B. The Hokey Ass Message Board.

I haven't been just sitting around during the shelter in place.

Those ceilings didn't seem so high
thirty years ago.

Actually I have been sitting around a lot. I've shared the results of some of my internet searches last week. What I haven't been doing is any work on my cars. I had to move the XJS and XJ6 out of the garage into the street to make room in the garage for all the  boxes and items that are being displaced from the house. There are rows and rows of U Haul boxes that were patiently filled by my Wife and myself.

Let's look at some of the gems that I've found on Craigslist.

                                                           Video courtesy of YouTube.


My Wife frequently asks me why I spend so much time looking at cars on the Net. I tell her that I'm looking to see if anything grabs me. You know, really fills me with the burning desire to own it. Sometimes cars can have that effect. Back in the days when I actually used to buy brand new cars I sometimes felt that way. I know that's the way a lot of us feel. That's how the sales manager can close the deal. We just have to have that car!

Today I took a big step, I ordered a universal Wilwood brake master cylinder.

New and shiny, and less than 69 bucks.
What could be better?

It's time for me to do something to move the '51 Jag forward. I was outside the other day looking at it. I really do want to get the car up and running.

Personal Luxury Cars, (PLCs) out of production but not out of my heart.

Bill Mitchell always knew what I wanted.

One of the first of the breed was the four seat Thunderbird. It set the tone for this kind of car for many years. Although it carried a Ford nameplate it was often considered to be almost comparable in status to a Lincoln. They were often found parked alongside one another in the same garage.

Smokey and the Bandit, one of my favorite car movies.

                                                 Video source: YouTube

Why? Not because of Burt Reynolds' smarmy acting, or how cute the young Sally Fields was, or Jackie Gleason's over the top antics. Because of the Trans Am, of course!

I just finished re-reading the novel Hot Rod.

A book that I really connected with in my youth.

I first read this novel as a paperback, back in 1962 or '63 when I was in the third or fourth grade. I was always an "advanced" reader as a youngster. The book was in the classroom lending library of the sixth grade classroom that I had my reading class in.

Why did I reread this book?

Hello Darkness, My old friend.

It's not as bad as it looks.

Enough angst and whining .

It's time for a reality check.

I kind of always knew that It would come down to this.

• An unfortunate turn of events. A quiet rant.

The famous painting by Edward Munch.
Kind of says it all.

(I am currently hunkered down due to a shelter in place order. I am quite aware of the necessity for such a drastic action. I hope that you and your families remain safe and healthy during these trying times. This post was written several of weeks ago.)

Five hundred miles.

                                   Who could forget this haunting melody, Five Hundred Miles?
                                          Sung by Peter, Paul, and Mary. Video from YouTube.


That's the distance that I arbitrarily chose for the end of my shakedown miles run of my XJS.
At the end of this distance I'm expected to come to some conclusions. First, how reliable has the car been? Does it start easily cold and hot, does it idle smoothly, Does it ever stall out? Does it get too hot? Will these questions will be answered by then?

Trapped in a prison of my own making.

photo source: wikipedia
Eastern State Penitentiary

What do I mean by this, and even more importantly, how did this happen?

Survivor.

I've been a fan for a long time.

Outwit, Outlast, Out play

I'll admit that I'm a longtime fan of this show. Tonight I was watching the first episode of the 20th season."Winners at War." That got me to thinking.

California US101, my favorite highway

For many years these old signs were commonplace.

Route 66 gets all the nostalgic glory, but my favorite highway in California is US 101, The El Camino Real. The King's Road that connects the California missions.

The Great Garage Massacre.

My own Better Beaters version.

This is nothing awful, terrible, illegal or immoral.

Dollars and Sense Part Two. Other People's money.

photo source: billboard.com

Bruno Mars has a great line in his hit song, Twenty Four Karat Magic: "I'm a dangerous man with some money in my pocket!" Ain't that the truth!

Dollars and Sense. Part One.

photo source: cardomain.com
Not the car I'm talking about, but you get the idea!

Dollars and Sense, that kind of takes the fun out of the hobby, doesn't it?

The Car Keepers Guide.

Written by Joseph James (1982)

Just what kind of car guy am I?

This is an excellent book that lays out the economic and practical reasons to hold onto a car for a long period of time. It stresses the need to maintain the car properly, because you are making an investment in providing yourself with long term, reliable transportation.

Going through the "shakedown" process.

image source: getty imagesbank.com.
This would not be the result that I would be hoping for.
Looks like the driver abandoned ship!

I never once, even once, thought about doing a bad lip sync of Taylor Swift's hit "Shake it off!" Though it seems that many, many, other people succumbed (sadly) to that desire.