Copied and pasted from TTAC...

Post #304,912 by Another Scott 3/1/09 11:12:10 PM Reply	Copied and pasted from TTAC... HereÂs my list (many of them my parentsÂ): 1955 Chevy Bel Air - My DadÂs daily driver for decades. 4 door, 6 cylinder, Â3 on the treeÂ. He finally gave it away in the 1990s. 1960 Rambler - My MomÂs car for a couple of years in the Â60s. The front seats reclined all the way, forming a handy bed with the back seat. It was fairly reliable, but quirky. The Â3 on the treeÂ shifter would often hang up shifting from 1st to 2nd, so sheÂd have to stop, open the hood, free the linkage, close the hood, and get in and try again. One headlight would go out going over bumps. 1969 Chevelle - My MomÂs for a couple of years. 1970 Pontiac GTO. My MomÂs car when I was in HS and college. 400 CID, Â350 HPÂ, automatic. I loved that car. The original engine threw a connecting rod driving through Indiana as it overheated. (Turns out the water pump impeller was eaten up by a cooling system cleaner that ate aluminum.) I replaced it with a used 455 CID engine that had an an astounding amount of torque. Unfortunately, she loaned it to a friend who wrecked it. :-( 1966 Olds F-85 (the lower trim version of the Cutlass). Given to me by a friend. 330 CID, 2 speed automatic, manual steering. A very light, very simple, reliable car. No A/C. Top speed of about 90 mph (tested driving on a new asphalt road in Oklahoma when it was about 110 F outside). Given to my Mom who had it for several years before I gave her a used 1988 Olds 98 (she put about 300k miles on that before it disintegrated). 1974 Ford Galaxie 500 2 door. Given to me by an uncle when I was in grad school. A comfortable car, except for the out of balance wheels created by a service tech who used a sledge hammer to try to get the rusted wheels off the axles. Had terminal rust problems (said uncle stored rock salt in the trunk for too long) - even the gas line rusted out. 1987 Buick LeSabre T-Type. 3.8 litre V-6, 30 mpg highway, 20 mpg commuting. Given to me by my step Mom who had it as a business lease. It was a reliable car and I put over 130k miles on it (about 185k total) before giving it away. Had the tranny replaced under warranty, and the usual maintenance, but it was cheap to run. The paint went to hell after about 7 years though. I had to replace the harmonic balancer shortly before I gave it away - I had to use a 10 foot long lever arm to get the bolt to budge! 2004 VW Jetta TDI Wagon 5 speed GLS. Bought new in late 2003. I wanted a small wagon that got at least as good highway mileage as the LeSabre and had very few choices. ItÂs been quiet, fun to drive, good stereo, and very reliable. I get 45 mpg per tank average commuting to work (I drive like a granny) and up to 51 mpg on the highway. I love it. Cheers, Scott. (Who fixed a typo or two.)
Post #304,914 by static 3/2/09 12:43:49 AM Reply	Car stories... 1960 Rambler - My Mom's car for a couple of years in the '60s. The front seats reclined all the way, forming a handy bed with the back seat. It was fairly reliable, but quirky. The "3 on the tree" shifter would often hang up shifting from 1st to 2nd, so she'd have to stop, open the hood, free the linkage, close the hood, and get in and try again. When I was growing up, my Dad had a Vauxhall sedan, model unknown, possibly a Wyvern. I was just old enough to remember replacing it with a Holden Torana. Anyway: Dad had several stories about the Vauxhall, notaby involving the gear linkage, as it was also a column shift. Apparantly it used to "fall down" and to change gear, you first had to "pick up" the linkage, somehow re-engaging the gearbox. However, sometimes that didn't work, and you had to go under the bonnet and reset the linkage from there... He said doing that twice in a few metres in a busy shopping centre convinced him it had to be put out to pasture. Wade. "Ah -- I take it the doorbell doesn't work?"
Post #304,915 by malraux 3/2/09 12:49:17 AM 3/2/09 12:54:55 AM Reply	Interesting... My parents had a 1969 Buick Le Sabre convertible with a 400. That engine also threw a rod and was replaced with a 455, and yes, that's a ridiculous amount of torque. :-) What a great car... bench seats like twin beds, perfect for cruising the beach, and a phenomenal engine sound. That car could hit 130 without breaking a sweat, but it felt like 60. Until you had to turn, that is... http://www.gmphotost...s/53218245_pr.jpg - except red, not white. Regards, -scott Welcome to Rivendell, Mr. Anderson. Edited by malraux March 2, 2009, 12:54:55 AM EST Expand All History
Post #304,945 by Another Scott 3/2/09 11:14:08 AM Reply	Pretty. That must have been a blast in the spring and fall. Our GTO was similar to this http://www.americanb.../1970-GTO--29.JPG But in our case, the color was called "Palomino Copper Metallic" and it had a tan vinyl roof. THM400 transmission, column shifter. It wasn't a monster by any means, but was a blast. Late '60s and up until about 1971 GM iron was a great for kids in the late '70s. Cheap, fairly abuse-tolerant, great to learn wrenchin' on, and could be made scary quick for not a whole lot of money. Of course, those cars killed a lot of kids, too. The highest speed I ever saw in the GTO was 120 (indicated) with 6 people in it (with the 400). It was pretty tired when we got it, and for the longest time it wouldn't do above about 60. It would accelerate like the dickens, but never be able to get above about 60 mph. After throwing a lot of money at it replacing parts (carburator, fuel pump, ignition stuff, valve job, etc., etc.) because I didn't know how to properly diagnose it, I finally discovered (with the help of my friend's dad who was a farmer and always tinkering with his machinery) that a piece of rubber fuel line at the gas tank was kinked. Cutting off about 1" of it and reinstalling it fixed that problem. Another good thing about having a car like that when you're young is, at least in my case, you appreciate the memories but don't want to relive them (at least not as a daily driver). Cars are so much better now. :-) Cheers, Scott.

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