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. 

One that reverberates with us because we experience that same reality within our own lives.

Where it is played out on a lesser, but no less dramatic scale.

In the Great World, Empires fall, Kingdoms are usurped and great Nations wither.

But in our reality, our personal history it is the only one that really matters.

Our ascendance into maturity, the plateau of adulthood, and then the long steady decline.

The end times punctuated with wistful remembrance.

What does all that flowery language have to do with old cars? That's a good question. I thought that I'd just take the opportunity to get all lyrical. Trying the satisfy my writer's itch.There is something that as car enthusiasts we do have to watch out for. If it doesn't happen to us directly, we are surely exposed to it by our peers. That's the phenomenon of "The Next Big Thing."

Moving on, moving forward, leaving the old in the dust. Nowhere was this better manifested then in the Car Buff magazines that we all read for years. Hero to Zero, just like Hercules in the Disney animated movie.

Scene from the movie.
"One day you're on top of the World, then..."

How can they rave about a car this year, and then next year it's a pig? They didn't "notice" any terrible problems or shortcomings until the arrival of  next year's model!

Well, they traffic in hyperbole. Their job is not just to raise our enthusiasm, it's also to encourage our hunger for the new, and our dissatisfaction with the old. After all, there are new cars to sell.

Sure, there is real progress made every year, or at least it looks that way.

There is a constant bombardment of our senses, exposed every day to the new, the now, the trending. We tend to forget that our own lives are more deeply rooted in existing relationships and commitments. The echoes of choices that we made in the past.

Certainly not a Zero today.

Last week I was giving my Daughter a ride home from work. We chanced upon a Datsun 280Z on the expressway ahead of us. It was neat and complete, but could have used a new paint job. It was driven by a young guy who obviously took a lot of pride in his machine. As I passed alongside I gave him a smile and a nod of the head. He smiled back, it was the car guy connection.

This encounter launched me into a soliloquy about the value and experience of owning a vintage car.  Note that I said soliloquy, not discussion. My Daughter is not a car person and it didn't take long for her eyes to roll back and glaze over!  But since she was a captive audience, I continued on.

I started talking about the progression, how cars just kept getting better through the 30's 40's and 50's. All the way through the 1960's. The rise of the muscle car. Then something happened. The upward curve of evolution hit an imposed ceiling. That of reduced emissions and increased need for improved fuel economy.

Because of this, the older models that preceded them were seen as so much more capable and desirable. Objectively, the new cars couldn't hold a candle to the late 60's machines. This bathed those earlier cars in a special light. 

Those headlights were the light at the end of a very dark tunnel.

This situation with new cars lasted well in the 1980's. Think about when the new 1988 Mustang GT was launched. "The Boss is back!" 

It certainly was. The trend continued with the newest versions of the Mustang improving every year. 

The fabled Boss 302 was reborn, better than ever.

"Is there no safe harbor of truth that withstands the harsh storms of the passing of time? We need to look within. We carry that safe refuge within us as the core of our experiences."

Back to the point. The new can distract us, and make us dissatisfied with the things that have pleased and satisfied us in the past. 

The value that was there, is still there. 

We have to realize that we have to reconcile the past with the present, and with the future.

We have to do that every time we look in the mirror. That person staring back at us, is still "us" but not the "us" that we knew from our past. A version improved through learning and experience. Our appearance may be grizzled, our performance might now be diminished, but the records of our achievement remain intact.

The cars that we cherish still maintain the qualities that attracted us to them in the past. That's probably the key to happiness as an automotive enthusiast. We have to value what they were, and to accept the inevitable progress that is taking place. This will only diminish the warmth of our memories if we allow it to.

In other words, it's a conscious decision that we have to make.

There is a large faction in the Model T community that build Speedsters. Obviously they are not going to be very fast, but I'll bet that they are going to be very fun! 

The Honda CB160. I'll never be 16 again.

I remember the thrill of riding my Honda CB 160 motorcycle, my first "real" motorcycle. It had a 16 horsepower twin cylinder motor, was freeway legal, and could achieve a top speed of 70 mph. But more importantly, it was powerful enough to easily climb the Oakland foothills behind my neighborhood. That opened up the freedom to explore all the back roads in the area. I can still remember the feeling of exhilaration, freedom, and joy. I'll never be that 16 year old kid again, but just the memories alone are enough.

That 1988 Mustang GT for example. It was, and still is, what it always was. It will never be a four cylinder LX model, or a Hyundai Tiburon, or anything else like that. Just like we are, who we have always been. Older, a bit worn down by life, but with our own personal records of achievement.

I was once standing around at work with a few of my fellow old timers talking about the Good Old Days. One of the new kids was shaking his head and silently laughing a bit. "You think that we are just a bunch of has-beens, don't you?  But it's better to be a has been, then a never was. You kids aren't  "even there" yet, but you will be, if you're lucky."

We've all heard the phrase, "Drive it like you stole it!" Which means to drive it and use it, as it was built to be used. Without all the worry and concern that you are using it up.

For 2021, I want to coin a new catch phrase."Drive it like you love it!" 

Let's drive the cars that we currently have and see if we can rediscover the qualities that attracted them to us in the past. If we are lucky enough to survive these trying times, and hold onto some of the things that we cherish, let's be grateful and thankful. 

On that note I want to wish everyone that reads my blog a Happy New Year.  I appreciate your support of my writing efforts. I hope that I have provided a few minutes of enjoyment in your day. I sincerely hope that 2021 will bring us all better days.

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!

It's not that Cadillac ever completely disappeared from my consciousness. My relationship with Cadillac goes back a very, very, long way.

My Uncle Fred  had a '49 fastback back when I was a kid in kindergarten. He sometimes gave my Mom and I a ride to run some errands when we visited my Grandmother in Berkeley. At this time the car was only a bit over ten years old, as this was 1959. My first impression was that it was kind of plain inside for a Cadillac. It must have been a lower trim level as it had manual windows and simple, cloth upholstery. It didn't look nearly as jazzy as my parents '59 Impala, but it was a Cadillac!

Fast forward to 1964-65 and were now living on 21st. St. and 11th. Ave. in Oakland. Back in those days kids would routinely walk ten or fifteen blocks to school, unaccompanied, if you can believe that! At this time all Cadillacs were held in very high regard and even older models would be maintained and driven with pride. There were two such cars on my route to school. One was a 1960 Coupe de Ville and the other was a 1959 four window Sedan de Ville. These cars were parked at the curb in front their owner's houses.

I would study these cars as I walked past, oftentimes stopping to peer through the window at those amazing interiors. The dash was padded and the instrument panel was heavily chrome plated and filled with knobs and buttons. The radio had a signal seeking bar, that was labeled "more stations."     ( Could the radio produce more radio stations on it's own, like magic?) In front of the driver on the left side of the dash was the "Autotronic Eye" headlamp dimmer. It looked a ray gun out of the War of the Worlds' movie. The seats were big and thick like the armchairs at my Grand Ma's house, upholstered in a intricate brocade cloth with leather bolsters. The door panels were likewise finished with a chrome door strap and power window buttons. Of course there was plenty of room inside. Both models were adorned with gigantic fins but the '59 had the advantage of the jet pod tail lamps!

This book was quite the critique of 1950's American car design.

As I would walk alongside the car my finger would trace the path of the chrome piece that highlighted each fin. What a delight! Even in my young mind I knew that these cars were just five and six years old but that automotive design had moved far beyond the space age fantasy of these vehicles. The intricate chromed bumpers and grilles were now out of fashion with buyers, but not with fifth grade boys with active imaginations. Here was a car that could take me anywhere that there was a highway, street, or back road. Believe me, that's where I longed to be! One of these Cadillacs could be my ticket to independence and freedom.

Lucky for me the owners never came out and chased me away while I was admiring these insolent chariots. These cars were in immaculate condition; washed, waxed, with spotless interiors and glass. They were both obviously cherished by their owners. They were actually quite typical of the slightly used Cadillacs  that were very common on the streets of Oakland.

Yes, there was definitely some subconcious imprinting going on. Like a baby duckling waddling after it's mother, my psyche became enmeshed with these incredible cars, and my intense gaze followed them whenever they appeared.

Another very telling episode occurred three or four years later, on a trip to an auto parts store that I took with my Dad. It must have been a Sunday because we ventured over to Oakland's Chinatown, to the only parts store we knew that would be open on a Sunday. There was a gas station next door. As we parked at the curb I immediately noticed a sinister looking vehicle lying in wait next to the building. It sat there looking massive and low slung like a Komodo Dragon resting in the shade. Though it's heavily lidded eyes were almost closed, it remained cunningly alert. It was a 1956 Cadillac hardtop Sedan de Ville. And it was for sale!

I eagerly pointed it out to my Dad and he agreed that we could look at it after we took care of our business.

Oh! To have been the kind of folks that bought these things when they were new!

Exiting the store we approached the old Cadillac and I was impressed by the massive blunt hood and ferocious bullet over riders. Standing next to the driver's door I took in the gentle curve of the "Florentine" rear window effect. This was the first year of the four door hardtop design, GM introduced it through their entire line up of models. From Cadillac to Chevrolet. The lack of a center post and window frames left a spacious opening for the wind to spill inside. Even today I maintain a very soft spot for hardtops. My Dad opened the front door and I slid behind the wheel. The interior remind me of those Cadillacs that I walked past a few years ago, the family resemblance was apparent. The same chrome plated dash and controls, the same slim steering wheel rim. The same thickly upholstered seats. But this time I got to inhale that intoxicating old Cadillac fragrance! 

As I slid behind the wheel I knew, I just knew, that I'd possess one of these beasts....Someday.

And wouldn't you know it,"Someday" did finally come! Though not until I was in my Fifties.

My first Cadillac was a '64 convertible, white over gold. I found it on a used car lot near Broadway Avenue in Oakland. The bus stop was right in front of the car lot. I saw the Caddy parked in the back row as I was exiting the bus. 

The '64 convertible was a straight, tidy, good running car, I'd replaced the cloudy plastic rear window, and really rubbed out and waxed the bodywork. I was proud of the car and thought that it looked pretty good. Unfortunately a man driving by my folk's house saw it parked on the street and had the same opinion. He offered to buy it. I hadn't really considered it, but he kept raising his offer until I caved at 650.00. 

That sounds pretty cheap now, but consider that I'd only paid 340.00 dollars for it out the door a couple of years earlier. I was almost doubling my investment. With all this profit I became involved in an unfortunate ownership experience with a '66 Lincoln sedan. I'll leave that story for another time.

I was getting the Cadillac itch again and I scratched it with a '70 Coupe de Ville. Another nice tidy straight, good running car. The seller had been using the car for family vacation trips, but was now looking for something that got better fuel economy.  Fuel prices had started to rise by the mid 1970's when I bought this car.  The car had more plastic in the interior due to safety regulations, but had the most incredible set of high back front seats. They were like leather armchairs!

Now, That's what I'm talking about!
These are very similar to the seats in my 2007 F150.

I drove this car a lot and pretty far. It never really gave me any problems. I drove it out to Fresno to attend "Low Rider Happening #1."  I skipped out of my swing shift job at General Motors Fremont, at lunch time with several of my buddies.  We all met at Centennial Hall in Hayward and caravaned down to Fresno. My buddy made his wife drive their '64 Impala while he decided to sleep in the back seat of the Caddy! Life was so much simpler when you were young. 

I also took a trip down to LA with my younger brother and his buddy to visit the newly opened Universal Studios attraction. The car made the trip without any problems. Those big Caddys were great road cars. 

I bought and rebuilt my first Harley Davidson at this time. A chopped '70 Sporster XLCH. 

Why did I ever sell that car? I was attending community college and I wanted to quit working full time and transfer to a four year college. I decided to get something that got better gas mileage and maybe I could cut down on my expenses. I don't remember selling the '70 or how or much I got for it. But I paid cash for a two year old Chevy Vega clone, the Pontiac Astre.  I guess I still had a pretty healthy savings account.

It seemed like the right idea at the time. 

Well, it wasn't that good an idea. I needed to change my major so I would have more flexibility once I transferred to San Jose State. That led to another year and a half working for GM. That turned out okay, as I traded my chopper in on a brand new Sportster Cafe Racer XLCR. 

I also decided that good gas mileage wasn't all that it was cracked up to be.  I sold the Astre to my buddy and went looking for another old Cadillac. Luckily I found one.

 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. 

I found a nice, little old wood sided house, in an older neighborhood in Whittier Ca. 

The driveway was long and ran alongside the house to a detached two car garage. The garage featured a two car wide, concrete apron and a pair of sliding barn type doors. Plenty of room to park in the driveway and plenty of room in the garage for my motorcycles. 

I had located this rental house before my wedding. When my soon to be Wife asked about the house, I enthusiastically told her. "It has a great driveway and garage!" She didn't exactly share my excitement. In many ways this type of garage arrangement is preferred. For one thing, activities in the driveway and garage are hidden from the street and your neighbor's eyes. 

There are a lot of neighbors that don't share your enthusiasm for DIY activities, which can get kind of messy looking at times.

The downside of these garage arrangements is the lack of actual yard space for grass and plants, in contrast to the amount of concrete paving on the house's lot. On the other hand, the downside is an upside, with less yard work to do! 

When I moved back up to the Bay Area, I found a duplex in a real nice area. The landlord told me that they didn't want any mechanical work being done in the driveway. There was a garage that I was able to use to store my motorcycles.  So didn't I do a thing to my cars while I lived there. Luckily, I only lived there for six months.

You've got to keep your priorities straight.

My Wife and I wanted to buy our own home, eventually, no matter  how small. 

There was some lower priced, new construction going on in a developing area. There were also quite a few older homes available in the same greater neighborhood. These houses were at least forty years old and most looked it. Also they weren't all that big. 

But they all had two car garages and driveways.

This is not my old house, but part of a different development. 
This is the same facade that our home had.You can 
clearly see the two car driveway.

The home we found was part of a new development of "duet homes." They were duplex style dwellings. The strong selling point for me, was that they had a two car driveway right in front, and a single attached garage. It also had a small backyard. Like a lot of planned unit developments, PUDs, they had narrow private streets with no curb parking. There were a couple of small guest parking lots, but you might guess that residents might try to stretch the definition of guest. I was very satisfied to have the driveway in front of my home, and of course, the garage. I kept my motorcycles in there. I didn't have to worry about someone parking in my driveway, like what happens in condo developments with assigned parking.

I didn't do much wrenching here either.  We only had one car at first, the '84 Mercury Cougar. We'd only had that a few years at this time, it wasn't even paid off yet. Later I bought an old Honda Civic.

While housing prices were always going up, it made sense to try to find something that we would want to keep long range. We only lived in the duet for two years, and we saw enough appreciation that we decided to make another move.

Buying our first house had taught me a lot about saving, working some overtime, and not buying an expensive car or motorcycle. Keeping those various little expenses down. 

So I felt okay about taking on the biggest mortgage that we could, even with the adjustable rate loan that we needed to qualify. I guess that it was the right choice, seeing that were still here over thirty years later.

"Is this where old cars go to die?"

It was only just big enough, three bedrooms two baths. It had been a bit tight as the children were added, but over time it turned out to be just right. There's a two car garage in front of the driveway. Next to the garage is a ten foot wide side yard. I turned the fence into a double gate and I use it to store cars there, it takes some of the pressure off the driveway and curb parking. 

Like most people's garages it has varied from being a storage catch all, to holding at least one of our cars. At one time it held two cars and two motorcycles, though one car was a Honda Civic.

I have done a lot of work on my cars in the garage and driveway.Of course as part of the circle of life I've made my driveway/ garage available for my Son's use. 

We've been here for over thirty years, the house has become ideal for us as the children have left. I think that we'll be a couple of happy "empty nesters" in the future. For a long time I dreamed of moving somewhere in the country and buying a house with property big enough to build a big shop. Those ideas have kind of fallen by the wayside over the years. The truth is, I don't think that I'm going to be doing that much heavy wrenching in the future. But I still plan on doing plenty of driving, with the emphasis on enjoyment.

 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. 

There's that little pressure release valve.

If you're going to work on the fuel system you have to depressurize it first. That little schrader valve sits at the end of the fuel rail under a little black cover. I pressed it and was rewarded with a little geyser of gasoline. I also undid the fuel cap. I stopped short of unplugging the inertia fuel switch and letting the engine run dry.

There's the little bugger.

1996 is the last year where the fuel filter doesn't use those metal high pressure connectors. Instead it uses plastic clips to retain the fuel line. It does make the job a bit easier, but prepare to get doused in gas.

  

To get to the filter you've got to get it up in the air.

                                                I've always liked the presentation of the 4.6 engine

                                                                        in the Mustang.

My goal after changing the plugs, air and fuel filters, and coils on my '96 Mustang was to successfully pass the smog test. First though, it was time for an oil change. The oil didn't have that many miles on it, but it had been sitting in the pan for almost exactly one year. Years back I remember hearing some advice on a talk radio show. The topic was, how to ensure that your car will pass the smog test. Most people don't worry much about it, but my Mustang has 215,000 miles on it. It's passed every time without drama but I still worry. I must say that it's running like a champ. According to the results on the emissions read out, the car passed well below the margins. Obviously if there isn't a high reading for unburned hydrocarbons, the cylinders and valves must still be in pretty good shape. It also idles really smoothly at 600 rpm. I always say that a car that idles good, is good.  This same SOHC 4.6 has been used in the Lincoln Town Car and these are routinely posted for sale with 300,000 miles on the clock. This is a very well designed motor, it evens includes an oil to coolant oil cooler. It's a motor that responds well to proper maintenance. It also probably doesn't hurt that it gets regular usage and not just around town. This year I've driven it to Lake Tahoe and Pismo Beach twice.

It was also time to pay the registration fees on my XJS. I went to AAA and they stated that I owed 112.00 and that the car needed a smog check. I told them that it is now on historical plates and was exempt from the smog check, and was only supposed to be 25.00 for registration renewal. They went back inside to do some research (we were in a Covid outside based transaction) and told me that they could waive the smog check but the fees were still 112.00. They advised me to contact the DMV directly for more clarification. I was a saving 85.00 on the smog check, so I said go ahead and ring me up! I'll look into this a bit more later. The main thing is that I got my tags. 

The funny thing is that the XJS also passed the test by wide margins the last two times. I hadn't even changed the spark plugs since I bought it.  Pre OBD II cars don't have a check engine light so there's no visible indication of problems. If it's running right it should be good to go. I still worry, so I put it on historical plates.

There was a lot of car talk between the Wife and me over the last couple of days. She is feeling the Christmas Spirit and would like me to have something that I want. She often tells me that she doesn't really know what I want, which is not surprising. I often have a problem trying to figure that out!

Getting to the heart of the matter the only new cars that I'd really want are a 2015 or newer Mustang GT convertible or new model Lincoln Aviator.

Then my Wife pressed me, "Do you mean that you wouldn't want to have a "hobby car" anymore?

Uhhhmm, Uuuhh! I'm treading on very precarious ground now.  I better think twice before I say anything. 

While I don't imagine that I'll be wanting to buy a car that needs complete rebuilding, I don't want to close that door completely. 

"I just can't see you not having a car that you want to work on. Even if you had both of those cars you probably wouldn't be satisfied." She is right, but I do have to streamline the fleet.

Several months ago I wrote a post about modern custom cars. I've been doing a lot of thinking about that as I was cruising around in my '07 Mustang last week. I was listening to my Brian Setzer CDs. I'm a big fan of his Rockabilly and later Big Band music. I got to thinking again, is there a newer car that would let me reference the late 50s and early 60s? 

I loved my slammed Riviera and my old 50's and 60's Cadillacs, but I don't see myself going down that path again. Neither, I'm learning, does my Wife. I''ll be mulling this over for the next several months. 

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

Reading and hearing it without inflection, it is just a straight question.

Are you still working on cars? Just asking for a little information.

Are you STILL working on cars? That is asking a different question. It's pretty judgmental about how I wish to invest my time.

Are you still working on CARS? This sounds like the speaker is incredulous of my activities. Don't I have anything better to do?

You can read a lot of subtext into a simple question, if you want to. 

I think that my brother has read a lot of my opinion pieces lately.  More of the memories and ramblings. Maybe he missed the post where I changed the radiator on my XJ6?

I'm still working on my cars. My challenge has been to get the XJ through smog. I've had the car four years now. It was originally smogged for sale. I was able to get it to pass with only minor fiddling two years ago.

This time I was checking out the air injection system and discovered a disconnected vacuum line. I reconnected it, cleared the codes and started driving the car. I was piling up the miles and was quite hopeful. Especially when it went past 100 miles. I thought that it might be a good idea to get an oil change first, before taking it to the smog tester. I thought I'd better obtain a filter first as they are not the most common item in stock at a garage.  The fuel gauge stuck in the empty position as I filled the tank, I knew that it needed to be at least 3/4 ths. full for certain evaporate fuel  system checks to be made.

Even my favorite auto parts store had to special order the filter. The day before, I had gone to the garage that had done a lot of work for me over the years. Unfortunately it was now held under new ownership. I asked the mechanic Andy, if I could the get the oil changed now, or did I need an appointment. He told me I could be next in line. I asked if he had the filter in stock and it turned out that he needed to order it also. I made am appointment for 11:00 the next day. As I merged on the freeway to return home. I glanced down at the fuel gauge. Still stuck. Right then the CEL lit up. Damn! 240 miles had rolled by on the odometer before that happened.

I had just washed the car after the first rain and it was looking pretty fine. There is just something about this car that really grabs me. It's a real rich guy's car! Well it was when it was new. Now maybe not so much.

Sure, I was disappointed, but I thought that I'd swing by Wheels and Deals and see if they have anything on the lot that could catch my eye. No such luck. I'm either getting too fussy or too broke, guess which one!

The next day I scanned the codes, they had come back, except the one for the air injection. I also saw one that related to fuel level. That gas gauge sometimes will go back to normal after a fill up. I've got the replacement sending unit but I've been waiting until I was ready to also replace the fuel pump. I'm pretty sure that I can replace the sender without removing the tank, but I've got to get the fuel level nearer to empty. That's going to take awhile since I almost filled it up completely. Darn.

It's also time to get my '96 Mustang smogged. It seemed to be running fine except on a long pull in high gear the engine would stumble a beat. This would only happen on a steady light load. My '94 Cadillac Seville did that also. It took several trips to the dealer before they decided to replace some of the coil packs. My Mustang only has two coils so I ordered them and a new air filter from Rock Auto. Hopefully that will cure it. I probably should have ordered a replacement temp sensor also.

The coils seemed to help but there was still some hesitation on full throttle acceleration. I was looking through the shop manual's trouble shooting section and it stated that a clogged fuel filter could cause that symptom. So I dropped by the auto parts store and picked a new filter and a fresh set of spark plugs. The manual recommends filter replacement at 40,000 miles or four years. It's been a bit longer than that! I haven't replaced the plugs much either. I guess I'm used to the 90,000 mile replacement period of my GM cars. 

I'll have to get to those jobs soon. The Mustang needed to be smogged last month. I've paid the fees, just like I did for the XJ6. I wasn't going to get burned by penalties again. I've got to get it done. If for some reason they won't pass then I'm going to be in a real jam. I know that it's a constant refrain from me but it's a constant concern.

Thanks, Mike. 
Keep smiling.

I've been watching these Youtube videos by Mike Frankovich. He started a Facebook group; Californians for classic car smog exemptions, `that is trying to place smog exemptions for vintage cars on a twenty five year standard. Currently in California only vehicles that are model year 1975 or older are exempt. That means the car has to be at least forty five years old! A lot of cars get junked either because they don't pass, the owner can't afford to fix whats wrong, or the owner gets sick and tired of dealing with it and gives up. 

I've asked that question myself.

 

Mike has made a series of videos entitled, "What the F... is that doing in a junkyard?"  He goes into various wrecking yards and records the cars that he thinks should be unlikely to be found junked. The cars are in too good shape, or are somewhat desirable models.  They are cars that could have been saved. A lot of those cars come directly from donation sites. The cars are donated to contribute funds to a certain charity or cause.  Some are donated for tax deductions, some because it's less hassle than trying to sell them on your own, some because they have no value as a trade in.  And some, just to get rid of them. 

I can't blame anyone that doesn't want to sell their car through Craigslist. It is a hassle dealing with flakes, low ballers, and sometimes even criminals. We've all heard the stories. I'm not going to get killed over a 500.00 car. No way.

As enthusiasts we hate to see any savable, somewhat desirable car go to the wrecker. But we have to be realistic.

Let's face it, a lot of cars that we quirky enthusiasts are interested in have almost no value, and almost no  interest from the general public. A '32 Ford or '57 Chevy is recognized by almost anyone as a valuable  collectible car. A somewhat worn '73 Plymouth sedan? Probably not so much. But there might be someone out there who might want it. 

I remember reading an editorial in Street Rodder magzine back in the 1970s. In it the editor wrote that there was a "Clean up America" ad campaign that featured a derelict '58 Buick lying on it's side in a ditch. The ad referred to the car as an eyesore. The ad was meant to raise the public's demands to local governments to clean up the junk. Someone had contacted the editor of the magazine and complained that the ad would contribute to the negative feelings that the public might have about old cars. The editor could understand the concern, but the ad didn't depict a Street Rod or a restored old car. Not even a fairly well preserved and used old car. Instead it depicted a derelict car that had been dumped down some country back road. It was an eyesore. If a reader has an interest in '58 Buicks or any old car for that matter, and wants to save all of them, well how about just saving one? Pick the car you like and fix it up, make it something that you and the hobby can be proud of. Get it now, while you can still find one.

That was reasonable advice.

I imagine that if the smog exemption cut off date is changed, it will probably be for cars which are titled as historical vehicles.  They will have the usage and mileage restrictions in place. That would make sense to me. The idea is not to allow people to drive cars that are possibly not smog compliant as daily transportation. It's to make it possible to preserve a larger number of cars that currently have, or will have, historical interest in the future.  

We'd be lucky to see that happen. California just passed that law that will prohibit gasoline powered car s from being sold in the state in 2035! 

I've even been trying to keep up with my newer cars.

The '07 Mustang has been pretty neglected. I wasn't driving it for the last several months. It's been sitting under a big tree through the last couple of rain storms and was quite filthy. There are these terrible little seed/leaves that fall off the tree and find there way into everything. When I sweep the front of my house I'll often fill 1/3 of a trash can with just those seeds. My first task was to clean the car thoroughly, then to actually start driving it. It 's hard to be familiar with the condition of a car if you never drive it.

photo source:123rf.com
Not finished yet.

 

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.


The car that I'm thinking about is a '70 model. Interestingly enough, this face lifted model followed the highest selling year and only had a single year run. The '71 was the debut of the boat tail series and it was totally different from any of the proceeding second gen cars.

This design was not that popular new and hasn't been that popular since. Some would describe it as ugly or at least ungainly.

It all depends on your vantage point.

Since I've been mulling over this CL find I decided to do a little research.

I've often thought that this model referenced certain classic Buick styling themes.

Perhaps inspired by a baleen whale?

The uncovered headlamps, paired with the vertical grille bars that extend below the center of the bumper seems to echo the 1950 Buick. Fortunately, in a more delicate manner.

A face only an orthodontist could love?

This sweep spear trim was optional.

The sweep spear side trim reminds me of the 1953 Skylark. This theme became a very strong Buick styling trademark and continued for many years. It has been even used on more current models like the La Crosse.

1953 Skylark sweep spear.

The roof appears to be the same as the '66-69 models but the rear quarter panel is no longer separated from the plane of the C pillar. A more "fuselage" look is achieved, contrasted against the earlier raised hip styling. The quarter panels also have a heavier appearance along the bottom edges, there's even fender skirts!  A choice of two lengths. The rear bumper continues the downward sloping look of the quarter panel. This combines to give a somewhat humped back appearance to the rear deck.  Combine that humped look with the smaller bumper mounted tail lamps and it kind of mimics the rear of... the 1953 Buick.  I'm surprised that the portholes hadn't been reprised!

A very heavy rear aspect. This car features the long skirts.

1950 "humpy" trunk.

None of these changes were done by accident. The question remains of why GM went with such a radical face lift of the Riviera's biggest selling version. I could understand if they had just tacked the front end on the existing body. I think that it would have looked pretty good and would have maintained continuity.

Instead we end up with a mish-mosh of historical styling elements.

But wait, it gets worse.

With GM design, the answer is always Bill Mitchell. What Bill wanted, Bill got. He had certainly rolled out the hits before, the Corvette, the original Riviera, Toronado and Eldorado. Really, the entire Cadillac line since the early 1960s. He had a fascination with certain Classic styling elements and tried to incorporate them into current models. Usually, but not always with success.

I think that the 1970 Riviera can be seen as a precursor to the new 1971 Eldorado. That car picked up the simulated quarter panel air scoops of the 1955 Cadillac. The trunk took on a blunted, boat tail look, that stood proud of the extend blade style quarter panels, bumper and tail lamps, The bumper rolled under giving a very vintage look to the rear end. Overall, the car took on a much heavier aspect. Such a divergence from the razor sharp 1967 to 1970 models!

Maybe Bill wanted to gauge public reaction to his neo classical designs. The Lincoln Mark III had debuted a year earlier and though a new model, it carried some strong references to the earlier Mark II series. I don't think that public response could have really made any difference, as the design was already rushing towards production. But perhaps he wanted to "pre-condition" the public for the unveiling of the Eldo. This way the neo classic elements wouldn't be a complete shock.

This is one of the more sympathetic portraits of this model Riviera.

I found an article on the website, "How stuff works," which had been printed in Consumer Guide magazine.  According to this article, Mitchell decided to change the focus of the Riviera from "Ferrari/Rolls Royce" to something else. He directed the new chief of Buick styling, Donald D. Laskey to put some "French" into it. Specifically, to put some Delage into it!  It was the 1937 Delage D8 120 Aero Sport coupe that had caught Bill's imagination.  This accounts for the heavier rear quarter panels and deck.

1937 Delage D8 120 Aero sport coupe.

                                                                                     

Hey, this things got a "humpy" trunk too!

It's pretty difficult to recreate Classical styling with a modern envelope body. You can see some of this French influence in the fender bulges of the 1973 Chevrolet Monte Carlo. It is even clearer in the quarter panel design of the subsequent 1971 Riviera. I guess Bill saved a little for that model!. At least he held back on the skirts!

Now those quarter panel haunches make some kind of sense.

This ones got a "humpy" trunk too!

Ultimately, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Is the 1970 Riviera beautiful? Is it ugly? Or is it just one influential man's interpretation of a Modern Classic? In my judgement it is just distinctive. They don't make cars like that anymore, and truthfully, they didn't make too many like that then!

Would I buy one? I think so. It is the last of the second gen design. I've had a few, and it remains the same size, and it debuted the potent 455 cid. engine. The third gen Boat tail feels like, and looks like a much bigger car. The difference to me is that the second gens are more like a big muscle car, while the third gen is more like a Coupe de Ville.

If I was to get one I would play up the classic elements by using wire type wheels and wider whitewalls. I'd prefer the deeper fender skirts also. I'd also modify the segmented look of the tail lamp lenses into a single red lens. I think a set of Bellflower pipes that follow the bottom of the quarter panel would be a nice accent. No vinyl top. The paint would be a simple deep dark color.

I think it would look pretty good and be a great highway car.

Everyone's got an opinion.

 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.

I suppose that if you are lucky enough to live on a couple of acres you might have a different opinion.

Each of our cars takes up space. Not only physical space but mental, and physic space.

We know that it's there.  If not in the forefront of our thoughts than it is buried slightly in our subconscious.

This line of thinking leads too:

                                       -----------------------------------------------------------------------

Garages that I have known and loved. 

At different times in our lives we are faced with certain opportunities and certain limitations. 

Like most of my peers, I grew up in a neighborhood of small houses with attached garages and driveways. As a kid growing up I didn't have any space that I could call my own.

Whatever space I used was communal space, well, family space. My folk's garage and yard.

But I was lucky to have that. Once I moved out on my own it was on me.

Limitations arose due to my financial status, and living arrangements. There were a couple of years where minimal wrenching was going on. I was almost like a normal person, I had a car that I'd drive and wash every couple of weeks. But some guys had it worse.

The least favorable arrangement is when you are forced to do any servicing and repair of your vehicle while it is parked in the street. I've seen lot's of instances where guys have to change starters and do brake jobs while their car sits parked at the curb. Sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do. Many car guys have managed to keep their cars running and some have even built modified cars under these trying conditions.

An improvement to this situation is if you have a parking space available in a parking lot. At least you don't have to worry about passing traffic and it might be closer to your apartment. You might even be lucky enough to have a car port, which beats having the sun beating down on you. However your rental agreement and manager might have different ideas.

A driveway right in front of, or next to your house, is even better. More privacy and more convenience.

If that driveway leads to a garage, then you really have it made.

The first house that I remember is the one from my early childhood.

It was a small two bedroom house with an attached single car garage and a single driveway. It had two clam shell type doors.  The back of the garage was the home of the washing machine and a set of those double compartment concrete sinks that the washer emptied into. The washer was a  tub type with power rollers built in the top. My Mom would would feed the wet clothes through the rollers to squeeze the water out. I used to enjoy watching my Mom doing  that and as young kids we once got the idea of trying it for ourselves. Putting small objects, plastic army men and eventually my older brother's arm through it!

photo source: Walmart

I don't recall my Mom looking that happy doing laundry.

There was still enough room in the garage to park a single car, though not much else. My Dad took a correspondence course and taught himself to repair electronic devices like radios and televisions. He needed a place to work on these devices. He built a wall separating the area where the car was parked and the laundry area. He left a door sized opening on one side. He built a cantilevered work bench that allowed the hood of the car to fit underneath, the upper part of the wall was covered in peg board which allowed for airflow and the opportunity to hang items. The bottom of wall was covered with plywood. 

The workmanship was quite good as my Dad was a careful worker.  My Dad used the space as a workshop as he started up a garage based business for radio and TV repair. The car didn't go into the garage too much after that. But he only had a single car at that time, a new jet black, 1959 Chevy Impala two door hardtop, a car worthy of it's my post someday. He knew that we would often play in the garage on rainy days. Like many parents of the days he felt that the cold concrete floor was bad for us to walk on. He wanted something that would isolate us from the cold, but not get dirty like carpet.

He decided to lay down tongue and groove floorboards that had been salvaged from a torn down house. I remember how my brother and I went with Dad to the salvage yard. We were quite young, I think that my older brother was in kindergarten, of course I was even younger. We were running around the yard, climbing piles of salvaged lumber when my brother managed to step on a board with a nail sticking out of it.  The nail went through the sole of his shoe and into his foot. Perhaps a half inch. Luckily my Dad had finished the order and he carried my brother to the car and straight home. My Mom cleaned up the wound and called the local Doctor, who still made house calls in those days. 

A little cleaning with iodine, a tetanus shot, some bandaging and my brother was recuperating.

My Dad put the planks down and we spent several years of our childhood playing in that garage. 

It looked a bit nicer when we lived there in the early 1960's, bigger too. 
Actually the house right next door is more representative of the neighborhood.

The funny thing is that my Dad didn't spend any time working on his car in the garage. Maybe because it was a new car? Not a bad idea.

The next house we lived in was on a corner lot. It had a detached two car garage. The garage was located at the far end of the yard with the first overhead door that I'd ever seen. It had a two car driveway that was right off the sidewalk. The garage housed a remarkable secret.

The previous owner had a pit dug into the floor! 

In the days before lifts were common in garages and gas stations, a mechanic's "grease pit" was the alternative. It was deep enough for the mechanic to stand straight up and access the undercarriage of a car. It had to be long enough for the mechanic to be able to climb out of the pit once the car was on top. If not one mechanic got in first before the other drove the car into place. He had to wait under there for the car to be moved off to exit!

Not a bad idea.

These pits were primarily used for oil changes and grease jobs. Back in the day cars had to have the oil changed and the fittings greased every thousand or so miles. This was the most common job done at service stations and garages. Also coolant had to drained and refilled with anti freeze every season. Starter motors, transmission and differential plugs, as well as suspension components could be examined from underneath. There was a bit of planning required before you went to work with a shovel. There could be a problem with ground water drainage in some areas.

Most quick change oil service centers still use these pits. They are more like a basement level floor with the service floor built over the top. Access is by a stairway. This is the safest manner to work under a car and it also allows the customer to remain in the vehicle while the service is performed.

This was a rental house and we only lived there for a year. I think that my Dad may have changed the oil once using the pit. I remember that it had the heavy smell of old grease and dirt. Like the wrecking yards that I had visited with my Dad as a kid. ( Boy, does that scent bring back memories!)  It was covered by heavy wooden planks. He never parked the cars in the garage and we didn't use it for storage. There was a very serious rat infestation in that neighborhood, and my brother and I were somewhat afraid to go into this garage by ourselves.

The next house my parents bought was an old house that had an equally old wood frame single car garage built alongside of it. It formed a narrow walkway to the side yard of the house. It also had the clamshell arrangement, with a single driveway in front.  This garage also never held a car though it was used for storage. My Dad parked his car in the driveway. All sorts of automotive related activities took place in the driveway, washing, waxing, polishing. 

Thinking back, some serious auto repair took place there! My Dad straightened out his wrecked '64 Pontiac wagon, and even painted it out there.  We pulled the engine out of his '63 Lincoln and tore it down to have rebuilt. I even spilled a couple of gallons of ATF while changing out the front transmission seal on my '64 Cadillac convertible.  I wasn't as neat as my Dad. 

All of this took place in the clear view of our neighbors.  I didn't even think about that at the time. We worked pretty neatly. The only thing that was noticeable was that the front end of the car was jacked up.We opened up the garage doors and kept the tools; rented cherry picker, and recently removed engine in the garage itself. 

There was a large 10'x15' storage shed in the back yard when we moved in. My brother and I kept our motorcycles back there. We had a ramp set up and we'd push /ride them alongside the house to the front. That arrangement lasted for several years. Until the bikes got too big and heavy.

The shed came in handy though. That's where I worked on my motorcycles. I assembled my 305 Honda chopper, molded the frame of my Kawasaki 650, pulled the barrels on my Kawasaki Mach Three, and assembled the Honda 750 I bought in parts from my brother. 

One good thing about motorcycles is that they don't take up as much room to work on or to store.

The last house that I lived with my parents had a pretty ideal set up.

It was located on a cul de sac and had a two car garage at the end of a long driveway. Alongside the driveway was enough space to park a car, that didn't block access to the garage opening. In fact there was a fence and gate that allowed a car to be driven into the back side yard. This property could have had an additional garage or shop built in the back of the yard. It could have been a car, boat or RV's guy's dream set up. 

Yes that is me, almost forty five years ago!
That's my folk's driveway on my right. Visible is my brother's
'73 Camaro and a '51 Lincoln up by the fence.

The driveway length could accommodate at least three cars Any work done in front of the garage would be hidden from the view of our neighbors. Besides holding two cars the garage had a enough extra depth for a workbench, storage shelves, and a cabinet against the back wall.

I did a lot of work in that driveway. I pulled the heads on my '57 Cadillac, and rebuilt my '70 Sportster chopper in that garage. My folks were always pretty cool about my activities in the driveway and garage. I always remember that when my Son needs to use my garage and driveway to do a bit of work on his vehicles.

When the opportunity to buy my Parent's house came up I'd already bought my current house, and I'd been living there for twenty years.  But it could have been a car guy's garage-mahal.

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.

My Wife and I were travelling south on Interstate 5 south of Fresno, when I noticed a somewhat familiar form traveling n/b approaching me across the roadway. I identified it a few seconds before it passed by. "Wow, that's an XJS!" My Wife looked up from her phone and asked. "What's so unusual about that? You almost never see one in the Wild."  I replied, "Most of them are seen in garages or parked forlornly in some driveway." She turned her attention back to her phone and I was again left alone with my thoughts.

I spend a lot of time thinking things over while driving on a long trip. We were in the process of a seven plus hour drive, so I had plenty of time.

Why was I so surprised? Probably because I doubt that my XJS will ever be in good enough shape to handle a long road trip. I guess that I should really be embarrassed to admit such a conviction. 

Why? Because it's an admission that I'm not up to the task of sorting the thing out and short of the commitment and energy to seeing the task through.

My car finally earned it's spot in the garage.
It likes it so much it doesn't get out much.

I went to look at a 2005 XJ8 when I was in Southern California last summer. It was white with a light tan interior. There were a couple of dings and scrapes on the outside but the interior was gorgeous. The interior of a late model Jaguar is really like no other type of car. The quality and the detailing is outstanding. The car seemed fine mechanically but there was an annoying dinging chime that would go off occasionally. It turns out to be the proximity sensor. I remember all the threads I'd been reading in the Jaguar forums concerning these models. Timing chains, air suspension, cooling system fragility, electronic gremlins, and those proximity sensors. My Wife really seemed to like the car, and it sure seemed that she would actually like to drive it also. I knew that this car was very vulnerable to sustaining catastrophic damage whenever it suffers a mechanical failure. In other words, if a warning indicator lights up, you have to stop the engine immediately or terminal damage will result. 

I just can't see putting my Wife in that situation. 

While I, and other faithful readers of the Jaguar forum, understand that reality and would do our best to shut it down before permanent damage resulted, most other drivers would not. They would not want to pull over immediately on the freeway, stop in what they think might be a dangerous location, or put up with the inconvenience of not reaching their destination.  They would be likely to just keep on driving until they get somewhere "safe." Consequences be damned!

photo source:pintrest
Just throw the empties on the rear floorboard.

Just pack all of this in your trunk.
photosource:autoweek.com

All that is understandable. Most people drive cars for transportation. They expect their car to fulfill that purpose.  Without a lot of uncertainty, coddling, suspense, or expense. When they were younger and poorer they had to put up with hassles like that. Sometimes their cars would overheat, sometimes minor (hopefully!) leaks required them to refill the oil or even the brake fluid reservoir as needed. The battery or starter would fail, old, worn tires would blow out or suffer a puncture. Maybe they even kept a spare fan belt close at hand, along with the necessary array of hand tools. They carried jugs of water  and jumper cables in the trunk and especially, plenty of dimes! Remember how we carried them to use with the pay phones we depended on before cell phones? They had to be prepared, and they had to have a plan. This kind of uncertainty was accepted and even taken for granted, wondering whether or not we would make it to our destination on time, or even at all! Those were the days when you only drove where and when you had to, and you always had to have an alternate plan. 

Don't leave home without them. I didn't

Still you knew that once you had a good steady job, you'd get rid of that old clunker and get yourself something much newer, only a few years old. Maybe even your first brand new car! With that new car came the greatest of freedom of all, the ability to take an impromptu road trip! It really didn't matter what kind of car you bought. The best car that you could afford was the guideline. Over time, if your fortunes improved, you would have a greater choice, and maybe even someday buy something that you really wanted. 

A new car meant freedom. Plain and simple. 

Freedom from worries about reliability.  Freedom from restrictions on your travel choices. Freedom from suffering in a hot stuffy car. Ah, the luxury of working a/c! Freedom from the constant vigilance of checking fluid levels, monitoring the health of the myriad components and systems that your car depends on, and therefore you depend on. 

My Dad once provided me with a real nugget of wisdom; That people drive what they can afford. 

If you can afford a new car of some type, then most people will. If not, a used car that is only a couple of years old can be just about as reliable. Cars are so well built today that a well maintained car of up to ten years of age can be a pretty safe choice.

Unless you are a die hard enthusiast, we are made of sterner stuff. (Really?) We are not only willing to compromise, we welcome the opportunity!

In order to own cars that we "like" we are willing to buy vintage cars or older versions of the current models that we want. For example, I wanted a Mustang GT convertible. I'd like to have purchased a new one, but as a hobby car, I couldn't afford it. So I found an example that met my needs. The car is old, with a lot of miles, but it was in very good condition. It hasn't needed an extraordinary amount of repair, and has rewarded me with the satisfaction that I was seeking. 

Other car enthusiasts know exactly what I'm talking about, they all do the same thing.

We will continue to do that until we run out of discretionary money, storage space, time, energy, and gumption. It's a familiar story.

I know that I'm starting to run low on those resources

But we can't forget that "that" decision is a conscious choice.

Most regular, "normal" people choose another path. I can't say that I blame them.