The ugly truth about messing around with old cars.

It's always a roll of the dice!
photo source unsplash.com

Maybe not ugly, but unfortunate.

But that doesn't make it any less true.

 What to do about my car's sunburned areas?

Too late for Coppertone!

I need an effective, easy, and cheap, DIY solution. So...

I looked for ideas online.

 Locating a spare wheel and tire for my vintage Plymouth.

This was the 30 dollar wheel that would fit a larger Chrysler product.

My Plymouth was missing a spare tire/wheel when I bought it. That wasn't a deal breaker considering the overall condition of the car. I figured that I could source another wheel somewhere. But...

Where was I going to find a 1946 Plymouth wheel? It's not like I could go to the local Pick and Pull yard and find one. 

But I want to find the proper wheel, as I want to keep the original look of my car.

I figured that I' have to hit up some antique car swap meets or search the web.

 Thinking about a higher level of the car hobby, Part Two.

"Somebody Save Me!"

Preservation and not restoration. This relates to the topic of stewardship.

I'm going to reuse images from my previous post, because this discussion concerns cars like that '31 Cadillac discussed in the previous post. An intact, complete, original car, or older restoration that has fallen upon hard times. Due to the lack of proper storage the car has suffered a fair amount of deterioration. It appears that at one time it was a nicely restored vehicle.

 This post marks quite a landmark!

A different kind of 501!
These aren't mine!
photo from the web.

This marks my 501st. post, who would have thought that I'd last this long as a blogger! My first post was on August 15, 2017, almost twelve years ago. In the earliest years my posting was kind of sporadic, but after a time, I fell into my current routine of weekly posts. I found my way in how I was going to present my material, and I have cycled through the ownership of several vehicles within this period, which of course has provided much of my content.

 Thinking about a higher level of the car hobby. Part One.

1931 Cadillac.
This poor car has fallen on hard times.

The concept of stewardship.

"There are several definitions of the word. While none captures it's true essence, my favorite is: The careful and responsible management of something entrusted to one's care." Stewardship implies a special kind of care, responsibility, and trust. Yet it is more than this. Stewardship means something sacred." ( definition found on the web)

I have always concentrated my interests on low level type cars and their ownership.

Cars that are affordable and accessible. The type that most people have had experience with, and exposure to. 

Sometimes, I'll admit, that I push my bottom feeder narrative to the extremes. 

 Could this bike be the beginning of my Dream Build? 

The Sportster was always a very basic motorcycle.

Maybe. It does get some things right. 

 Thinking about Then Came Bronson. Part Two.

While it looks like a stock XLCH model, it isn't.

The Bike.

The motorcycle was always the focus and star of the show in my eyes. Any TV show that featured motorcycles, even if in just one episode would catch my attention. Maybe some of you out there can remember the episode in the old Dick Van Dyke show where Rob bought a small 50cc tiddler. He is out riding and encounters a group of serious bike riders. Years later I was able to find the episode on YouTube and saw the the other motorcycles were HD Sportsters and a couple of Triumph twins. Looking for motorcycles on TV was like looking for dinosaurs, even if they were just an iguana with a fin glued on it's back, they sure were worth watching!

 Thinking about Then Came Bronson. Part One.

"Gee, I wish that I were you!"
"Just hang in there."

This iconic exchange was part of the opening sequence to every episode of Then Came Bronson. Jim Bronson is headed out of town and stops at a traffic signal next to a harried commuter. The motorist looks over at Jim sitting on his bike and asks if he is going on a trip, Bronson replies that he is. When he is asked where he is headed, Bronson replies, "I don't know, wherever I end up." The motorist then declares that he wishes that he could be in Bronson's situation. Bronson replies, "Just hang in there." then he rides off to chase that long  lonely highway.

 Taking stock of my newest purchase.

The tires look good but are quite old.
The hubcap and trim ring are in fine shape but need cleaning and polishing.

Once I got the Plymouth safely home it was time to take a more detailed look at it. As well to put some miles driving it to get better acquainted. 

 Fetching the '46 Plymouth. Part two.

The car looked even better in person.

After a thorough test drive, inspection, and interview with the seller, I decided that I definitely wanted the car. My Wife had arranged to have a U Haul trailer available at a nearby rental yard. We called to confirm the reservation, then asked the seller if he would drive the Plymouth back to  the Albertson's parking lot for us, which he agreed to do.

 Driving down to So Cal to pick up my "newest" old car. Part One.

I finally made the leap!

Driving down to So Cal to look over my "newest" old car.

I called the seller of the '40 LaSalle that I had seen last Summer, and he advised me that the car had been sold. Drat! It had been a good car and a good deal. I had been hoping that the car was still available, it had been listed twice, and I knew that it sometimes takes a long time to find a buyer. 

Thinking about the LaSalle, I got to thinking that maybe I should look for a car in similar condition; a driveable, usable car that was already in good shape. I would have to expect it to cost me more upfront.

 Is this a car that should be saved?

It looks pretty good in this shot.

This is a '47 Dodge coupe, selling for 1,800 dollars, right here is San Jose. It has a clean title

The first photo in the CL listing displays a pretty good looking '47 Dodge coupe that appears to be very complete and intact. The body looks straight with a shiny finish. There is no collision damage, and only a few minor dents and dings.

 Saying goodbye to another car.

1997 Supercharged Riviera.

My life with the Riviera is coming to an end.

I have decided that I will be putting the Riviera up for sale. It's not that it's a bad car, and it actually has a lot of good things going for it. 

It's got low mileage, and it's in pretty good shape. The interior is in great shape and the original paint is also very shiny.

It all comes down to simplification and space. Two things that I really need.

 Doing something nice for my truck.

The cover fits quite well.

Parking under trees is a double edged sword. On one hand, the trees provide shade, keeping the car cooler as well as protecting it from UV rays which damage the finish and interior. On the other hand, debris like leaves and twigs and more likely, bird droppings are routinely deposited onto your paint.

 Going to see an 80 year old car.

It even looks a bit sad. The yard was asking over 3,000 bucks
for that truck, and it was ROUGH!

In a twenty year old modern Classic. 

Sacramento isn't that close, but I'm glad that I drove up there to check out the car.

Prison break! I freed my two cars from their unfortunate detention.

Eastern State Penitentiary.
photo source: wikiprdia

Today, I shored up, braced, and reinforced the garage door hinge.

 Maybe I'd like something along these lines?

A handsome Post War car, and best of all, it's a coupe.

This is a '48 Plymouth Deluxe coupe.

The seller said that he paid 9,000 dollars for it a year and a half ago. Now he is trying to sell it for 4,500.00

It ran then, now it needs a radiator and a few other parts.

 They were worth the trip!

These are some good looking OEM wheels.

I know, I once said that I wouldn't try to dress up my truck. That it was fine the way that it was. 

 As a "mature" car guy, what should I be driving, and why? 

Am I beating a dead horse with a long stick? 

(Revised 1/30/25. This post was found while I was recently scouring my archives. It was nearly complete, so I dusted it off, smoothed it out, and am presenting it now. I'm still wrestling with these same issues! This is interesting as it was written over five years ago. I did actually take some of those actions I was contemplating.)

I haven't posted in quite a while. 

I have been busy driving my Mustang since before Thanksgiving last year. (this unpublished post was found in the archive while updating the site, it was written over five years ago.)

Since my car was already primed it would seem that it was almost ready for the paint booth.

Not really. I could see that there were some dents and rough patches under the primer layer. (This unpublished post was found in the archives while I was updating the site. It was written over five years ago.)

I know that I had to sell my ‘70 Mustang  to free up some money to move the XJS  forward by fixing the transmission.

Photo taken at the West Coast Kustoms Naionals  in Santa Maria.

This is a well known and respected transmission model. It was used in GM’s big block motor combinations, Cadillac, Buick, Chevy trucks, even in the Rolls Royce. (This unpublished post was found in the archives while I was updating the site. It was written over five years ago.)

 Changing the water pump on my Riviera. Part Three.

In many ways the Series Two engine is a thing of beauty.

It turns out that RockAuto sent me the wrong water pump. Unfortunately I didn't catch that until I compared the old pump to the new one prior to installation.

 Changing the water pump Part Two. Now for some crying!

 We have seen this little guy before.

C'mon buddy, get a grip!

I should be ashamed to admit that I've BEEN this guy before!

I might be feeling like him again.

Why isn't anything easy?

A better question is why I don't make things easier on myself.

 Changing the water pump on the Riviera. Part One.

First step, get it up in the air.

I've been dragging my feet, but it's time to replace that water pump. I ordered it back in November and it arrived from Rock Auto in a couple of weeks. That was before Thanksgiving, but the Holidays are a busy time so I've been waiting to get started.

As I mentioned, my  garage door is broken and I need to fix the car so that it will be ready to drive out as soon as I figure out how to safely raise the door. 

 Well, I finally did it! 

Still looking good, 14 years later.

I finally listed my '96 Mustang for sale on CraigsList. It wasn't an easy decision, but I tried to make the smart decision... for once!

It was primarily an economic decision. I would "lose" less money by selling the '96, as opposed to keeping it, and selling the '06. I keep hearing about how it is becoming a "collectible" car soon, and will be going up in value. That might be true, but I can't hold onto it for another 15 years!