It’s not that often that I get out to a car swap meet. Here in Arizona you are in for a hot time…tempature-wise, do to the lack of shade. Car parts so hot you’ve got to have oven mitts to handle ’em. But the are still fun.
Down the street at the local drag strip they had one this weekend and I thought I’d pass on a few of the gems they had for sale. There was a bit of a car show there as well.
You could pick-up some ‘Field Fresh’ projects like this coupe:
“Trailer Not Include”read the sign
Love the rear window
The floors are solid.
$3500 and the cob web are no extra charge.
Or this Pick-Up:
You could also find some project that the owner just couldn’t finish…some with some very extensive ‘restoration damage’ like tons of bondo holding the fender together.
This Chevy wasn’t the worst, but it had a lot of bondo.
This Dodge pickup wasn’t horrible. It would make a nice starter project.
This Plymouth Barracuda was pretty stripped down.
I actually think the owner had a lot of the parts laying on the ground for sale separately.
This ’65 Chevy is has been lowered and that’s about all.
Lot work left on this project.
Some cars did find new homes:
This Dodge found a new home.
This Imperial looks like it’s going to its new garage under its own power.
I love this car!!!!
Going to need some interior work. This one sported the push button shifting.
Cars have come a long way from their roots as steam-powered horse carriages, but the internal combustion engine will always have an Achilles heel; overheating. It doesn’t matter how old your car is, all cars are susceptible to overheating, especially out on the race track where they can run at wide-open throttle for a long, long time. Nobody likes to see that temperature gauge start creeping up, as it could indicate any number of engine issues from a leaky radiator to a blown head gasket.
For such a simple-yet-integral part of an engine, there seems to be a million and one things that can go wrong with a radiator.
A good mechanic always starts by checking the simple stuff first, so for the purposes of this article we will focus on diagnosing a busted radiator. Much of what we discuss here can be applied to a broad spectrum of motorsports, as well as non-racing endeavors. When it comes to pushing an engine to its absolute limit though, there are few events as demanding or brutal as circle track racing.The Common Cause Of Corrosion Is You
The obvious first step to diagnosing a busted radiator is a visual check, inspecting for leaky hoses, loose fittings, and so on. Sometimes finding a leak requires running the engine; other times it can be done by just looking under the car. Checking and tightening all the connections is a great first step, but a leaky radiator is usually just a symptom of a deeper problem, and diagnosing why your radiator is leaking is a job best left to the experts.
That’s why we turned to Jason Danley of Speedway Motors to fill us in on some of the most common issues when it comes to diagnosing a damaged radiator. “The biggest things with radiators are internal corrosion and leaks, damaged fins and a clogged radiator,” says Jason.
Radiator damage can take on many forms, though the two most obvious issues are corrosion and bent fins.
“On passenger cars the biggest issue with radiators is that people don’t change their coolant enough, or at all. What it will do is actually corrode the inside of the radiator, blocking passages and restricting the water, preventing the radiator from passing water through the passages to cool it. I’ve actually seen that corrosion break loose from the radiator and spread to the water pump, intakes, and even the engine block,” says Jason.
If the corrosion goes unchecked, it can even eat away at parts of the radiator and cause small holes that will only get bigger over time. These small holes can be difficult to find via visual inspection, so Jason recommends using a pressure checker. “Auto parts usually have these, and you just put it in the place of a radiator cap and make sure your cooling system is holding the pressure it is designed for,” says Jason. “The pressure depends on the car and the radiator manufacturer, though it is common for radiators to hold between 10 and 12 PSI.” Again though, that number depends on the specific radiator.
Depending on the age of your car and the condition of the radiator, corrosion may or may not necessitate a replacement radiator. If you want to keep your radiator in good condition though, the simple thing to do is replace the coolant every now and then. “The general rule of thumb is to change it every two years at least,” explains Jason. “If you’re putting a lot of miles on whatever you’re driving, you’ll want to do it more often.”If you do find yourself with a leaky radiator caused by corrosion, you may consider using one of the many magical fluids claiming to stop leaks. “Those will work on pinholes on a radiator, or something like that,” says Jason. “The big thing with that is every time you change the fluid, you have are going to lose that stop leak, so you have to reapply it. And if you use too much, it cold plug up the system, preventing water from flowing through the radiator.” As we’ll see later, it is also important to ensure that you’re not causing a chemical reaction with whatever additive you put into your radiator.
Bent and busted fins like these can causing serious cooling issues.
Does time fly or what? I started this series last year and this is the next installment.
As you know the US government asked and eventually forced the auto industry to contribute to the war effort. This series is to highlight some of the major contributions. This time is Nash.
As many know, Nash was a premier car manufacturer prior to the war.
Here is their 1942 Nash Ambassador
During the war Nash used it plant in Kenosha, Wisconsin to produce engines for (among others) my favorite aircraft of all time…the Corsair.
The WWII Corsair.
Nash build the Pratt & Whitney engines that powered this awesome aircraft.
Nash produced Pratt and Whitney Aircraft Engine
Their work force consisted mainly of women.
Here they are being sworn in at the WI Plant
Later on Nash would morph into the American Motors Company (AMC).
I have a Ford and as I’ve said before, though the years (ok….40’s, 50’s and 60’s) they produced some of the more interesting cars with some of the most powerful engines. Of those engines the Cleveland and the Windsor were major players.
I’m not alone thinking that the only real difference between the two were the names each being made in the plant they were named after. The Windsor was named after the Essex Engine plant in Windsor, Ontario and the Cleveland Engine Plant in Ohio.
1914 Photo of the Essex Engine plant in Windsor, Ontario
Cleveland Casting Plant where the Cleveland engines started.
Totally different plants and countries about the only they had in common was displacement.
Whenever I can I like post up a plea for someone doing a restoration that may need some assistance. The Sarasota County Lodge #45 needs assistance with restoring a 1953 patrol car. This car is a ’53 Chevy Bel Air 150.
Here are some details:
1953 Chevy Bel Air 150
The Sarasota County Lodge #45 of the Fraternal Order of Police is spearheading a project that will involve the restoration of an antique patrol car. The vehicle will match one that was actually used by the sheriff’s office since the office first purchased patrol cars in 1953. Once the restoration is complete, the vehicle will be donated to the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office for various public uses.
By reviewing photographs in “From Shield to Star,” a book by retired Sgt. Bob Snell that documents the history of the department, several vehicles were identified by make and model. The first fleet of four vehicles consisted of 1953 Chevrolet Bel Air 150s. The project is being coordinated by FOP #45 Vice-President Kevin Lynch, who is a retired SSO lieutenant. Lynch has overseen the restoration of several emergency vehicles including two fire trucks and a Cadillac ambulance that he currently owns.
Tax-deductible contributions to this project can be sent to The Community Foundation of Sarasota County, P. O. Box 49587, Sarasota, FL 34230-6587, marked for the antique patrol car project.
The FOP is also looking for in-kind services and donations such as labor and supplies needed for the project, and possibly the vehicle itself. Storage space will also be needed for the vehicle as well as initial transportation to Sarasota. Questions can be sent to FOP Lodge #45 at P.O. Box 1488, Englewood, FL 34295-1488 or e-mailed to Lynch at floridafop45@yahoo.com. You may also visit the Lodge #45 website at foplodge45.com.
Since I’ve gotten the 4 speed ( T-10 from 1967 Shelby) in the Mustang, I’ve been driving it a lot more. I’m surprised at how much of an improvement it has made in the drive ability. Of course there is more power going to the ground which is remarkable and the RPMs are put to much better used. The original three speed top out pretty quickly and nothing left but engine noise.
Of course with more power hitting the ground, my current tires (wide and hard) tend to grip a lot less and spinning them through 2nd gear is common. That will required some new, softer tread before long.
After driving the Mustang a few days in a row, I took the Vette to work. Now you would expect there to be a difference, especially with the 120 hp disparagement in power the Vette (about 420) and the Stang (about 300 – maybe a bit less) , but what I notice is how both cars arrive at top speed.
Both car’s like to launch, but the Vette does so with much less rear hunching then the Mustang. The Vette feels lighter as it gets up to power – less down force on the road. The Mustang is much different. You can feel it, feeling the road. I can actually feel the power longer and deeper in the Mustang as it move on up through the RMPs and the gears.
I think I’m ready to at a tach to the Mustang, I need to see the RPMs it’s turning out and then I’m going to have it dyno’ed. It will be a good baseline before I get the 351 CJ head and intake installed.
The engines for the 1973 Mustangs pretty well with the rest of the matched up the other models engines, but with some minor “tweaks”.
You couldn’t get a Mustang with a 4 cylinder (yet) but you could get with the standard 6. This was the 250 version, (250 cubic inches of displacement) the bore and stroke was 3.68 x 3.91 also used in the Torino. Topping it with a single barrel Motocraft carb and coupled with a compression ratio of 8.0:1 gave it a ground pounding horse power rating of 88 (Oh don’t worry, it gets worse in 1974).
302 remained the same for the Mustang and was the standard for the Mach 1. The 351’s (Cleveland and Windsor were available and they really remained the same as those for the other models.
Now you might be saying, ‘Well Tim, seems like you typed yourself in to a corner here. Those engines are the same.” But here is what made the differences – options!!!
With special intakes, valve springs, dampers, large 4300 D carbs, 2.5 inch diameter dual exhaust outlets and modified cam, you now talking increased breathing and exhaling capacity. Which we all know means…say it with me…..”MORE HORSE POWER!!!!!” But how much? I’m glad you asked.
The 351 with these types of option produced between 246 and 266 horse power. The 302 doesn’t show being configured with anything other than the stock options.
I just recently picked up a copy of GMs new Performance catalog and all I can say is WOW!! But we’ll dive into that in a future post.
Gracing the cover was the latest and greatest COPO Camaro. You remember those special order packages. Well they have brought it back and factory racing just jumped up and shouted “LET DO IT!!!!” [vodpod id=Video.15839761&w=425&h=350&fv=%26rel%3D0%26border%3D0%26]
Kim’s husband passed and she’d really like this car go to someone who will restore it and not part it out. Car will need some work. If you purchase this car I’ll help project manage the restoration. Might even have some spare part for ya. Car is here in Tucson.
“1970 mustang coupe for sale. It was my husbands, but he passed away and I don’t have the money to fix it up the way he wanted it to be. I don’t want to sell it for a parts car, I would like to sell it to someone who will restore it and take care of it. It did run at one point, but it has been sitting under a cover for the last 7 years or so so it won’t start. He was in the process of replacing the vinyl roof, so that is why the top is rusty. It probably needs to be replaced. The engine is a 289. All the parts he had bought comes with the car. Extra doors, windows, hood, tail lights…and a few other things. This car is a definite project car!! Any questions, please feel free to email.”
