Year End Wrap up.

photo source:vogue.com
Celebrate a little!

It's pretty hard for me to believe but I've been producing this blog since 2014, I will be starting my ninth year! I hope that my writing and editing skills have improved over that time. I fell into a pretty steady schedule of a new post every week. Some months have five weeks and so the yearly output varies. 

 More, On more doors.  Part Two.

Something that you might see on CL,
but not parked at your local supermarket.

Expanded edition.

My Son was visiting and I got my chance to have some car related conversations, 

We were showing each other cars that we'd seen for sale on CL or Facebook. 

He showed me a car that he seemed quite intrigued by, it was a '62 Pontiac Ventura four door flat top sedan. He found the grille and especially the tail end treatment to be intriguing and unlike any car he had ever seen before. 

 I know that it's progress, but isn't kind of annoying that new cars do everything better than old ones?

photo source: Car and Driver.
This is the '23 Cadillac Lyriq 
but you don't have to have anything this fancy.

If we are going to be out, running some errands My Wife will sometimes ask, "Which car are we taking?"

Or, if we lock the house and are walking to the car and I steer her in the direction of the Mustang, she'll ask, "How come we're not taking the Flex? "

Good question. 

 Vintage More doors, dope or nope? Part One.

Yes, I've tipped the scales in my direction. Hard to believe that this is a Packard
a shadow of it's former grandeur.

,

Yeah, I know who Drew Peacock is!

Four slams, no clams. More on this later.

 What have I been searching for all these years with cars and motorcycles?

photo from the Web.
I might have had something like this as a child.

Transportation of course, but there was something more. Something that made me a lifetime enthusiast.

 Lately I've been finding myself browsing the forums of the AACA.

Their new logo is much snazzier and appealing than their old one. 

That's the Antique Automobile Club of America.

 Rust - again.

This centuries old painting was destroyed
by a well intentioned amateur attempt to restore it. 

The best of intentions can lead to tragic results without the required resources and skill. Just like the tragic tale of this painting from a Spanish church that made international news.

 That don't impress me much!

You're one of those guys that likes to shine his machine

You'll make me take my shoes off before you let me get in

I can't believe that you kiss your car goodnight

Now c'mon, baby, tell me- you must be joking, right?

Oh-oo-oh, you think you're something special

Oh-oo-oh, you think you're something else

Okay, ...so you've got a car.

That don't impress me much!

So sang Shania Twain back in the Nineties. 

 I found the nuts, but lost my carb parts. 

This is after I sprayed down the moving parts.

I had ordered the part to replace the broken needle/jet seat as well as some rebuild gaskets. Again, I put them somewhere that I was certain that I'd never forget, or I'd recall that clever connection.  NOT!

 I can almost hear the hub bub that I've aroused over  my direction with the Mark VII.

photo source: beverly hills car club
If my car's interior had looked like this, I wouldn't have bought it!

Real restorers, or a least those that claim to champion that cause, are outraged upon hearing that an owner is merely going to "fix up" their car. When I've posted on the Jaguar forum I've heard from commentators about how expensive it will be to fully restore the car. Others have advised me that if the job can't be done properly, then it shouldn't be started at all! I suppose that these old school, "Old  World" cars are mostly of interest to older enthusiasts. Maybe even older richer enthusiasts. 

 Nuts!!! 

photo source: bigstockimage.com
There's only five there, I need eight!

That's what I get for trying to be cute! 

I don't mean cute as in being childishly good looking, I mean cute as trying to be clever! Sometimes I will make some imaginary "connection" between two things and will be confident that I'll remember that connection later. That doesn't always work out as anticipated.

 It's kind of hard to believe. but look at the difference!

There was a blistered, rusted area on top of the left fender. I used a putty knife to scrape off loose paint and rust.  Then I used a hand held wire brush on the metal. The metal underneath looked terrible, could it even be saved? 

 Rust never sleeps, at least that's how the old saying goes.

My Mark slept for 25 years, but not in the best bed. 

Looking at the decklid and roof, the lighter red areas are splotches of primer that was applied years ago. The darker red area is rust. 

 What should I do with my old '51 Jaguar?

It's actually a pretty good looking car. The lower profile wheels, whitewalls
 and shiny caps are a definite improvement.

 Another project on the XJS?

It wasn't always a garage queen.

The radio in the car needs a security code to function again. 

I've poured through my forum for suggestions and "universal" codes. Nothing worked.

So I decided to pull the radio and see if the code had been written on the radio chassis. 

It was actually much easier than I thought that it would be. 

Unfortunately it wasn't there. I'd looked in the glove box, under the hood and in the trunk. 

 Things don't just stand still.

photo was taken at the Luther Burbank Gardens in Santa Rosa.

I have decided to put my XJ6 front and center. I plan on driving it locally as a daily, while I try to find a way forward. It's currently sitting at 160,400 miles. How long will it take me to reach 161,000?

 I think that I shall never see, a poem as lovely as a tree.

That's where the branch snapped off.

Poems are made by fools like me, but only God can make a tree. 

Apologies to Joyce Kilmer.

 I wasn't done with the '07 Mustang yet. There were still a few things that I wanted to have done. 

What's hiding under that car cover?

Next up was an oil change.

 Now it's time for my truck to get a little love. 

How do you get rid of cars that nobody seems to want? 

photo source: the city.nyc
These things just sort of sit around ignored.

Even when that includes you!

Cars cost money. They have their carrying costs.

 So how do you come to your end as a car guy?

Maybe you just grow out of it?

Do you burn out or just fade away?

Do you just grow out of it?

Does it come to an end with a whimper or a bang?

Maybe it just ends with an ache and a groan?

 2007 Mustang hose replacement Project.  Part Two, with an analysis.

I didn't have any need for this tool.

It turns out that the parts guy at the NAPA store had pulled the wrong upper hose. I was on my way to the store anyway, to pick up the thermostat housing but also to also to ask about the special tool the counterman had told me about. There was no way that I could squeeze my hands into that restricted space. He showed me a tool which was like a long screwdriver with a cup with two fingers on the end. It made it possible to squeeze and pull the connector off in one motion. He showed me a set that he could order for less that 25 bucks. I knew that they would be handy when I started to work on my F150 so I went ahead and ordered it. It would be available the next day. 

Today I started my hose replacement project on the '07 Mustang. Part One.

These are almost all the components.
I didn't realize at this time that I was still missing one heater hose.
 I also had been given the wrong upper hose.

Here's a picture of all the hoses. 

Here's the serpentine belt kit.

I almost lost sight of my goal and succumbed to a distraction.

These are 17 inch. XJR wheels.

So I settled for another distraction, one that was much cheaper.

While cruising through my local CL I stumbled upon a listing for several sets of Jaguar alloy wheels. 

 It's time for me to start on my accelerated maintenance program on my vehicles, 

That would be me, Tim!

This is for my cars that don't need rebuilding or substantial repairs. This will apply to the '07 F150 and '07 Mustang. Also to the '96 Mustang, eventually.

 To all the cars I've loved before,

Sorry Julio, but your song just seemed to fit.

That no matter what, will never grace my drive once more!

 More progress on the XJ6, Repairing the broken cup holder in the front arm rest.

I will be using the super glue/ baking powder procedure.

 I said that there was never anything easy with a Jag,

photo source: memebase-cheezburger.com
Quit yer bellyaching!

I was right.

I just received the new 2021 registration sticker and was anxious to attach it, so I could start driving the car again.

 The Long Drive. the challenge of the true driver.

photo source: Eight Oaks Inc.
There was a time in the 70's when it seemed like everybody wanted to be a long haul trucker. 

"Ten Four Good Buddy, I've got my ears on!" 

Most of us are not long haul truckers, we don't make our living spending the entire day in the driver's seat.

Short haul truckers, even bus drivers also put a lot of miles down everyday.

There are many people that have long commutes, fifty to seventy five miles each way, in heavy commute traffic.

I'm not referencing those types of drivers, I'm referring to the tourist, the vacation driving motorist. 

 Dear Diary; Today I took my XJ6 in for a smog test.

photo source: powercontrol.co.uk
It's good to keep a record.

It passed! 

What do you think about electric cars?

The Ford Mustang Mach E.
not really a Mustang.

Things are going to change whether we like it or not.

Can a traditional car enthusiast develop an emotional attachment to an electric car?

 You're either going to fix that thing... 

photo source: mercurynews.com
Sometimes you just gotta get it done wherever you can.

Or you're not!

'Cause that thing definitely is not going to fix itself!

That is the simple reality of the situation.

 Breaking up is hard to do. Part two of a continuing series. 

Laugh if you will, but I already miss that thing! 

I broke up with one vehicle by having it break down on me. That was easy, if not painless.

 I still love the long roofs!

The Parklane provided the glamour to go against the Chevy Nomad.

This is my favorite wagon advertisement picture.
It captures the idea of family fun.

 Gone Exploring, Part Two. Mea Culpa.

photo source: turmarion word press.com
Yes, It's all on me. Sorry.

I'm more than willing to accept my part in this fiasco. It would have been better if I had changed out that serpentine belt and pulleys. 

 More Mustang miles.

Nothing that I've decided means that I don't still want one.
How's that for some twisted logic?

The  silver lining in the cloud.

We had to rent a car for the trip home, and the lady behind the counter asked about upgrades. She suggested a Cadillac. I asked about Mustangs. They had a few. So we found ourselves in a brand new Mustang GT convertible. My Dream Car!

 Gone Exploring. Part One.

Ford had a creative ad campaign, 
which really hit the target.

The curiosity shouldn't extend to whether or not you'll reach your destination!

I recently had quite an adventure with my Explorer. I really don't blame it for my problems.

 Newsflash! Better Beaters writer is sick and tired of cars! Film at 11!

I don't think that Ron Burgundy would cover this story. 

Is it really true? What does this really mean, and what does it mean for Better Beaters? Inquiring minds want to know! 

 Breaking up is hard to do. 

This picture has nothing to do with the opening of my post.
I just knew that it was eye catching!

I guess that you could say that mulling over my stable of cars, is my Buffalo fat to chew. In other words, you can spend a lot of time doing it, without making any real progress. 

 Mustang Miles.

This is not an actual photo of the Wife and me!

  

I've recently put a few miles down on both the Mustangs, the '07 and the '96.

We have been trying to arrange an appointment to get the Covid vaccine. We decided that going all the way to Fresno wasn't such a bad idea.

Pride goes before a fall. 

When you can't go through, you go around.
Just keep moving.

It isn't always pride but sometimes your dream can blind you to reality. Of course rose colored glasses come as standard equipment with that dream. 

Like a lot of people over the years I've dreamed of building a small business.

Am I sick and tired of looking at cars? Maybe. Don't they all have four wheels?

No gold chains in sight!

I'm beginning to think that I am.

 Tire Tracks Back.

photo source: LA Times
Sometimes those tire tracks don't lead anywhere you really want to go!

Back in January I mentioned this book by Thomas Murray and said that it was still worth a read.

I just finished re-reading the book. It is a pleasant enough collection of stories, but it is more about nostalgia, than about the cars themselves. 

It's actually very heavily into nostalgia.  It is nostalgia for a very specific time period, more so than for any specific car.

The book was probably received the warmest by people that are a part of Murray's generation. The generation that "Came of Age" with the beginning of the Second World War. 

It is a paean to a simpler, more innocent time in America. Especially when viewed retrospectively. It was actually a very challenging, very frightening, period of insecurity for all that lived through it. 

Memories are Mr. Murray's stock in trade. 

In one story about the reintroduction of a new replica Piper Cub private aircraft, he discusses the difference between an original item and a replica. The Cub is an airplane that has a warm spot in many pilot's memories. When he learns that the Cub is going to be reintroduced as a replica of the original plane, he is initially quite excited. Maybe he would even consider buying one for himself. 

Perhaps he could rediscover the pleasures of how he learned to fly behind the controls of a Cub. He gives it some serious thought. But then he considers how a replica is only the illusion of something that existed in the Past. He asserts that only an original item can take you back, because it has already been there. It already knows the way. 

As you stand by an antique car at a show, you might see visions of the past reflected in the chrome. Ghosts from your own past that want to draw near and gather around the car. The ghosts are not only of people from your Past, that have already died, but also of the living. The memories of the times that they shared with you. 

The need to reconnect to our past is almost universal and very strong. It's one way that we try to make sense of the events in our lives.  

In our memory, the friends of our youth, the boys and girls of our childhoods, remain as young as they were, back then.

Murray even states that he doesn't want the reality of the present to intrude upon the reminiscences of the past. That girl that you knew as a 17 year old in high school might still be around, but you don't want to think of her as being as old as you are,- now. There's not a lot of magic about that! 

He relates how the desire to re-experience the past can become so strong that it can influence behavior in the present. A common theme in some of his stories concerns a middle aged man that will revisit the hometown that he left decades ago, and try to reconnect with an old flame. The one that got away.

He finds her telephone number and arranges a meeting at a local eatery, she tells him she'll be wearing a red silk scarf. He eagerly enters the restaurant and observes that the only women wearing a red scarf is a chubby little older woman, with graying hair, that couldn't be her? Could it?

What happened to the beautiful young thing that made his heart flutter? 

The same thing that happened to him, though he hasn't paused to notice it. In his mind the passing years have not taken their toll, he still sees himself as the same dashing young man. Though that does require quite a bit of squinting!

Murray does relate a story about an informal reunion that he arranges with his childhood neighborhood friends. It was prompted by seeing a photograph taken of the group at a birthday party. The group was the neighborhood kids that shared a long period of their childhood and adolescence. These friendships lasted well into high school and even several through college. 

When he sees his old buddies he will admit to the ravages of time. However he says that the essence of the inner boy and girl still shine through. They are the same, yet different. Life has changed them as much as it has changed him, but not beyond recognition. 

My own experiences vary quite  bit from his. While I have had a few close childhood friends, my relationships with them usually only lasted a few years. I attended three different grammar schools and two different high schools. My best school buddy was the best man at my wedding, though it's been twenty five years since I've seen him. 

Maybe because Murray had an upper middle class upbringing, he has better stories that he shared with his friends. He is also a lot older than me. He was born in 1920, ten years before my Mother, and thirty four years before I was! He was a part of my Grandparent's generation, though their life experiences had nothing in common.  

My family was blue collar, but the real difference was that my Mom did not like being close to people outside the family. She did not include outsiders within the family circle of life. Our family life was lived much more privately. 

I guess that I'm a lot like her. 

I remember my early childhood, grade school and high school years, and the years that followed. 

There were always cars.

I first remember a '59 Chevy Impala. Then  a '61 Corvair Greenbriar Van, a '64 Pontiac Tempest wagon, a '60 Chevy Suburban, a '68 Pontiac Le Mans wagon, a '63 Lincoln sedan, and a '75 Chevy Stepside pick up. 

I've got memories that are attached to my experiences with each of these cars. I've shared a couple about the '59 Impala and '64 Tempest wagon. 

But I can't say that seeing one of these cars makes me relive those experiences. 

I suppose that some people are just more attuned to their pasts, Nothing wrong with that. I suppose that they hold onto all kinds of mementos. They are probably surrounded by photos on their walls.  That helps keep them in touch with their past.

I choose to experience the memories of my past differently. I have few mementos and photos. I kind of prefer to leave the past, in the past.

I found a yellow '77 Coupe de Ville for sale on CL and showed it to my Wife. This is the model of car that was present during a pivotal time in both of our lives. The instant when we met, got married and started the beginnings of our life together. She didn't express much interest in it! I told her that if any car could bring back the past, it would be this one. 

Did I want to buy it? Not really. I'd rather get a newer Mustang GT convertible. 

The Past is the Past, it's gone and isn't coming back. The present is Today and you'd better not blink, or you'll miss it. The Future is the mystery, but we've got a pretty good idea how the story is going to end!

I think it's time to take a cue from Forrest Gump on this subject. "That's all I've got to say about that!"

 Okay, What's up with all this design analysis business? 

I would love to have a first gen Riviera.
But would I want to start with this?  Especially for 4,500 dollars!

I'm just mulling over various cars that I'm considering buying.

I've got this recent infatuation of finding a modern car that can resonate with Classic Hot Rod and Custom car themes from the 1960's.

 An Anniversary worth noting and celebrating.

The welcoming highway beckons to me.
This is what my drivers license has delivered.

It's been over Fifty years since I obtained my drivers license. In many ways it was perhaps the best day of my life. 

This anniversary was something that I'd overlooked. For some reason I thought that I was going to turn 66 years of age this year. I'd forgotten that actually I'd turned 66, last year! 

I hadn't really thought about all this until yesterday.

 The Next Big Thing?

I found this video featured in a comment this morning on Curbside Classics. 

 Spinning my Wheels. 

photo source: depositphotos.com.
Vainly trying to gain traction.

             

I find myself in a familiar position, standing still when I would like to move forward. For much of this time I haven't been putting any power to the wheels, I've just kind of letting it sit where it is, and settle into the muck! I've just let things sit for the most part. It's time to try to make a little forward progress. 

 Now that the Holidays have passed it's time to get back to work.

Serpentine belt and pulleys.

My Explorer has been making a low moaning sound upon start up for quite a while now. It's intermittent and usually goes away after it warms up. It hasn't gotten any worse so it'd been pretty easy to ignore. I made an inspection of the serpentine belt and pulleys and didn't see any noticeable wear. 

 Remembering Thomas Murray and Car Collector magazine. 

It was great while it lasted. 

I subscribed to Car Collector magazine back in the 1990's. It was a well produced collectible automobile magazine of high quality. Unfortunately it suffered a downsizing move and a switch to lower quality paper at the end of the decade. I let my subscription run out after that. 

Thinking about old Cadillacs, a little bit more.

My car looked just like this one.

It's hard to believe now, but twenty year old Caddys were once commonly found on used car lots. I had my eye on a particularly nice '58 Coupe de Ville, but it was sold just before I unloaded, ahem, sold the Pontiac.  I was disappointed, but I just kept cruising by the used car lots that lined E. 14th. St. from San Leandro to Hayward.  As luck would have it I found a very clean Sedan De Ville hardtop. Yes, I would have preferred a coupe, but four door hard tops are pretty cool, and I'd lusted after that '56.