Replaces that is, boot as in shifting boot. (Were you thinking…since I just got back from the Barrett Jackson Auction.. I was considering getting rid of the Stang ? Nope..but I tell you there were a couple of cars I’d even swap for…that’s for sure!!)
When the 4 speed trans got installed we used the old rubber boot and it did tear. So I replaced it with a nice leather replacement from Scott Drake.
The chrome plate (well not really chrome) was originally held in place by the last fold of rubber on the boot. This isn’t possible with the leather replacement so I had to improvise.
So the boot and trim are in stalled, but of course you leave those ugly bolts sticking out. I originally thought that I would get some chrome bolts to replace, but they aren’t inexpensive as I found out when I replace my 1984 Corvette’s valve cover bolts with chrome…hey..they keep the chrome locked up at the local Ace Hardware!!! <<>> So since I still have to replace the carpeting (I could change my mind later about the bolts) I opted for some plastic chrome-like covers – they are actually cover for license plate screws. Here are a couple of pics:
One cap on and one off.
Both caps on, held in place with a touch of easily removed household rubber silicon glue
Back in 1973-75, when I was 16 to 18 years of age, I worked in the maintenance department of Ray County Memorial Hospital in Richmond, Missouri. I mopped, swept, and vacuumed floors, cut the grass and trimmed hedges, hauled trash (that you don’t want to know about) to the local dump, and sometimes cleaned out ambulances after particularly “messy” runs. I earned $1.65 an hour to perform these duties.
During the 2 ½ years I worked for the hospital, I owned four different cars. These cars, my first four, were all Chevrolets: two ‘65 Impala Super Sports, a ’68 Impala Custom, and a ‘67 Malibu. No one handed me these vehicles: I bought them, insured them, and maintained them from the money I earned working nights, weekends, and summers at the hospital. Yes, I’m sure that seems like a lot of cars in a short period of time for a high school kid to buy and keep up with, but cars were cheap in the ‘70s, and I was good with money . . . then.
Now I dearly loved my first four cars, but there was one car I really, really had my eye on during the time I worked at Ray County Memorial . . . but, unfortuately, the car was way out of my league at the time. The assistant administrator for the hospital (a yuppie before there was such a thing) owned that car. I used to salivate every time I went past it on the hospital’s tractor as I mowed the grounds.
What the administrator had was a 2-door fastback 1971 Oldsmobile Cutlass S (not a Cutlass Supreme or a 442, but a Cutlass “S”). The car was burnt orange with a matching interior (I would later learn that the color’s actual name was, Bittersweet). It had a white vinyl top, white pin-striping on the front fenders, and a new set of Firestone 500 tires. It also featured cool-looking hood louvers that gave it a bit of an edge. Not only was the car sporty-looking, it screamed sophistication at the same time. It was one damn fine looking car—I swore then that I’d have one just like it someday!
I graduated high school, moved on from my hospital employment, and went to work in a women’s clothing warehouse/distribution center in Kansas City. There I earned the princely sum of $3.52 an hour! About a 1 ½ years into my employment there, I was driving home from work one day and what in the world did I see at a local car lot, but the same ’71 Olds that I used to covet! As soon as I could get my butt to the bank to get a loan, that puppy was mine!
Although I can remember exactly what I paid for nearly all of my cars, for the life of me I can’t recall what this one cost me. It seems to me that it was in the neighborhood of $2,300. But money was no longer an impediment: I was making $3.52 an hour and working lots of overtime, so the car was within my reach; no longer was it something I could only dream of owning.
Now that I had the car of my dreams, I gave my ’67 Malibu—my former love—to my little brother, Steve (look for a future posts on both). I then got to work on building a relationship with my Olds.
I chose not to personalize the car. Rather than slapping decals on it, jacking it up in the back with air-shocks, running loud dual-exhaust, and sticking wide tires on it—as was customary at the time—I decided to leave it stock. It didn’t need all that junk: it looked perfect just the way it was!
I was constantly cleaning this car—believe me: I made the local car wash owners rich! After hitting the car wash, I would use Blue Coral, Blue Poly wax on the body, and Lemon Pledge on the vinyl interior—and the tires. I can’t adequately describe how slick this car looked when cleaned up! (It also felt slick: due to the Lemon Pledge us on the interior, one tended to slide across the seat when going around a curve.) The car was beautiful, and to use a tired old expression, it had class! In my opinion, the ’68 to ’72 Cutlasses had some of the best body-lines and interiors that General Motors ever produced!
I was the proud owner of this car for a little over a year and I enjoyed every second of my time with it! It was a pleasure to drive and cheap to operate. Other than the cost of routine maintenance, I remember spending a grand total of $33 in repairs on it during the entire time I owned it—not bad at all! But although I absolutely loved the car and appreciated the fact that it was a really well-made vehicle, I ended up trading it in on a ’74 Cutlass.
. . . So why would I get rid of a car that I had dreamed of owning for years you ask? A couple of reasons: The impatience of youth for one. Like many kids, I constantly wanted newer and cooler toys to play with. The other reason was the fact that the car reminded me too much of a long-term girlfriend I had broken up with, I figured I needed to let the car go in order to be able to move on.
Ironically, this particular girlfriend—who at the time said she cared for me—never cared for this car much. She found it a bit old-mannish: nice, safe, but a bit boring. She eventually got around to feeling the same way about me and sent me down the road.
My ’71 Olds was Bittersweet in color; the memory of it made bittersweet by the young lady’s rejection of me.
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A few months after trading in the car, I was told by the owner of the car lot I had purchased it from that he had seen it show up at a car action in Kansas City. The car lot owner told me that the car looked as good as ever, but someone had rolled the mileage back about 50,000 miles. He went on to say that the car ended up being sold for more money than I had paid for it. Honestly, even with the mileage fraud, somebody ended up buying a great car! I hope they enjoyed it as much as I did!
The big Scottsdaleauction week is finally here, now with six companies set to to drop the hammer on literally thousands of collector cars in a mere handful of days. In typical fashion, Barrett-Jackson was the first to usher cars through the stage lights, and it’s here where we’ve been alerted to the probable sale of this 1948 Tucker (chassis #1043) currently owned by none other than noted Barrett-Jackson attendee and enthusiastic car collector Ron Pratte.
Specific details about the Tucker are lacking, other than mention of its restoration, on Barrett-Jackson’s auction description. And we use the phrase “probable sale” simply because unlike most of the lots at B-J, the Tucker is listed as having an undisclosed reserve. That said, Mike Schutta of the Tucker Historical Foundation, provided more insight.
This car is very nice and most Tucker fans are keeping a close eye on this auction to see if it will set a new record price for a Tucker. The current record is $1,127,500 paid for Tucker #1045 about 18 months ago. This Tucker is in much better condition.
An interesting tidbit is that Tucker #1043 was used as part of an advertising scheme for a golf driving range in a western suburb of Chicago back in the ’50s. It was painted Tropical Rose and Snowshoe White to match the driving range buildings.
While surfing through the Barrett-Jackson website for more information on the Tucker, we stumbled upon four other Ron Pratte-owned vehicles that will also be offered at Westworld during the weekend, beginning with the car pictured above: the 1947 Bentley Mark VI with coachwork by Franay. The Bentley was last offered for sale by Barrett-Jackson – at no reserve – at their 2006 Palm Beach auction, where the hammer fell at $1,728,000 (including buyer’s premium). At that sale, details of the Bentley were as follows:
4.5 Liter Inline 6 with a four-speed. Coachbuilt by Franay. Magnificent restoration to Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance winning standards. This is the first major winning Concours d’Elegance car after WWII. Winning the first two major Concours in 1948, back-to-back, on the 12th of June at Enghien and the 17th of June at Bois de Boulogne. Mr. Gudol, the original owner and visionary of the Franay, was an industrialist whose sole purpose was to prove to the world that France was not only back from the rigors of war, but ready to reassert its dominance of haute couture and automotive design elegance. The awards the Franay has won over the decades is proof of his timeless vision. Mr. Gudol, in his wisdom, continued to enhance and advance the performance capacity and design elements of the Franay to push the envelope of an ever improving competitive edge in Concours d’Elegance competition. Mr. Gary Wales, who has shepherded the Franay through over 50 major awards and honors since 1990, has scaled back the number of public appearances so that the car is currently eligible for any and all Concours d’Elegance events.
Like the Tucker, the Franay Bentley touts an undisclosed reserve.
Then there’s Pratte’s 1957 De Soto Adventurer convertible, again with an undisclosed reserve. Oft-repeated generic De Soto history aside, specific details provided by Barrett-Jackson state:
Powered by the famous 345/345hp Hemi V-8 with dual quads, an automatic transmission, push-button shifter on dash, and independent torsion bar front suspension. With the division’s top Hemi V-8 under the hood, the Adventurer was an early muscle car with a set of the most aesthetically pleasing tail fins ever seen on virtually any car.
The only two cars listed by Pratte without a reserve are this pair of 2007 Shelby GT500s, which are to be sold as a pair. Details per the auction site are identical for both Shelbys:
In January 2006 Ron Pratte bought the Ford Motor Company’s newest car, a 2007 Ford Shelby GT500 VIN 00001 that benefited Carroll Shelby’s Children’s Foundation. In the past, Ford reserved the first fifty cars produced for Ford family members and senior executives or by other people on a selective list. Ford was so grateful to Ron for his generosity, they offered him the opportunity to buy two more, VIN 00002 and VIN 00005. While Ron is keeping VIN 00001, he is selling the orange Coupe and matching convertible as a pair. The successful bidder will get both cars for one price. These cars are special in other ways as well, as part of the purchase of VIN 00001 was a trip to the Flat Rock assembly plant where these legendary cars are manufactured. At the end of the tour of the assembly plant, Ron was presented with the keys to VIN 00001, VIN 00002 and VIN 00005 by Carroll Shelby and Carroll autographed all three cars for Ron. Along with his cars were three other 2007 Shelby GT 5000′s, for Carroll Shelby, Steve Davis and Gary Bennett. Ron then threw Ford a curve and said he didn’t want any of these cars shipped by rail to the owners, he wanted them trucked, enclosed, to his facility in Chandler, Arizona, bypassing the traditional dealer delivery and inspections. All of the cars, including Carroll’s personal GT 500, were delivered to the respective owner this way. This is a unique opportunity to own two pieces of Shelby and Ford history.
Barrett-Jackson’s Scottsdale auction started Sunday and will run through this weekend. For more information, visit Barrett-Jackson.com.
So I’m read a few articles online and a few have touched on Fiat and all the issues they are apparently having with bring the brand back to the US. There are some individual that say the 500 won’t be back and that they tried too
soon or that they didn’t have any dealerships lined up to handle the turn. But I don’t really care much, I’ll never buy a Fiat, unless is an older classic, and then maybe….ummm…naaahh…not even then.
But I did notice that they are now offering a race ready version of the 500 Abarth. That’s right 160 hps of rubber melting power, not too bad when you are starting out with 101 hp. Drop a turbocharger and you’ll get 160. They
tuned the suspension for the track and its light curb weight might make it a bit fun to drive..might.
160HP..enough said...HEY..who snickered???!!!
But the cool part is that included in the price is a ‘Track Day‘. Supposedly you will get (I think car will be available in the spring) a day at one of the Richard Petty Driving Experience events. What would be really cool is if you could return it right after that!!!
Anyway, I got to thinking if any other auto makers offer a track day. We all know that the Big Three are making track ready cars’ some for track only and some for street and track. Here is what I found out.
Fiat got the idea from Chrysler. They are offering a track day with the purchase of some of their SRT models (300 SRT8 and the Challenger SRT8).
GM via Cadillac offers their own at various tracks across the country.
Purchasing a Corvette ZR1 will get you a trip to Ron Fellows Performance Driving School or Bob Bundurant School of High Performance Driving, in Chandler, AZ. (OK….even you can’t afford the ZR1, sell the spouse’s daily driver, rent out your man cave (gal cave) and go to the Bundurant school.) They have a lot of classes at all levels and some fair prices. I did the Formula 1 event at Phoenix International Raceway (PIR) and it was outstanding. Here is a link: http://www.bondurant.com/?gclid=CJD93Luc2K0CFQduhwodNyU1mQ
2012 ZR1 Vette
Not to be out done Ford as a similar deal with the 2012 Boss Mustang. This is at the Miller Motorsports Park in Tooele, Utah. I chatted with one of the Miller Motorsports reps at the 2011 Barrett-Jackson Classic Car Auction in Scottsdale and he showed off some video of their facility and it is extremely nice. I’d make that trip.
2012 Boss 302
If you got to have an “import” (and the Fiat ain’t doing it for ya) Mercedes-Benz will be offering a track day at course across the US if you purchase their top of the line models. (Although I didn’t find mention of which ones.)
So if you are going to spring for a new car, you’ve got some options if a Track Day is part of the deal. Of course the Fiat will run you about $22K and the ZR1 about $108K, tough choice?
C6 performance convertible and its 60th Anniversary Package will be unveiled at Barrett-Jackson, where the first public version will be auctioned off for charity.
Some features:
The 427-cubic-inch (7.0L) LS7 engine is from the Corvette Z06. Rated at 505 horsepower and 470 lb.-ft. of torque. The 427 Convertible is only available with a six-speed manual transmission.
The LS7 was co-developed with the Corvette Le Mans-winning GT1 engine with:
– lightweight titanium connecting rods and intake valves
– racing-inspired high-flow cylinder heads
– a dry-sump oiling system
Suspension/Brakes/Wheels
– the same driveline and rear axle system as the Corvette Z06
– Magnetic Selective Ride Control
– 19-inch front and 20-inch rear lightweight machine-face Cup wheels
– PDE performance packages – come standard and include unique gray-painted pockets.
– a rear-mounted battery
The 427 Convertible Body has:
– Carbon fiber raised hood (introduced on the 2011 Z06 Carbon Edition)
– Carbon fiber Z06-style fenders
– Carbon fiber floor panels
– The “CFZ” carbon fiber front splitter and rocker panels
Weight:
427 Convertible’s curb weight to 3,355 pounds.
Other specs:
– 505-horsepower LS7 engine, it gives the 427 Convertible a power-to-weight ratio of 6.64 – or one horsepower for every 6.64 pounds of vehicle mass
– one of the fastest convertibles in the world, delivering estimated 0-60 performance of 3.8 seconds, quarter-mile performance of 11.8 seconds, lateral acceleration of 1.04 g and a top speed of more than 190mph.
The Ford Mustang has some strange skeletons knocking bones in its closet, including the Mustero. Believe it or not, the Mustang/Ranchero hybrid you see above was actually a Ford-licensed product. The company authorized Beverly Hills Mustang LTD to produce the machines for just two years.At the time, the conversion came carrying a price tag of $6,500. That made the Mustero as expensive as the Shelby Cobra. Needless to say, buyers weren’t exactly lining up with cash in hand for a pint-sized pickup sports car, and only 50 were ever produced, including this well-restored example.
According to the owner, this ’66 Mustero received a complete restoration in the ’80s and has been carefully stored indoors since then. A 289-cubic-inch V8 lurks under the hood, mated to a three-speed manual gearbox. Manual steering and brakes are part of the party as well, so be prepared for a work out when it comes time to wheel this machine through town.
There will be hundreds of collector cars going up for auction at Barrett-Jackson this month, but few will be as interesting as this custom creation nicknamed the “Lockheed Lakester”. The car, registered for road use as a 1917 Crow Lakester Custom, was hand-built from the wing tip tank of a Lockheed Super Constellation and uses a mix of automotive and aircraft parts. Wedged inside the tank is a 1.8-liter turbocharged Hemi four-cylinder mated to a five-speed manual transmission, and the two-person cockpit features gunner seats and an air-speed indicator in lieu of a speedometer.
We’ll be bringing you live coverage of Barrett-Jackson later this month, so be sure to check back for more photos of the “Lockheed Lakester” and more in just a few weeks.
Yes another posting for the up and coming Barrett-Jackson auction in Scottdale. If you are going in person or just watching on the Speed Channel, you’ll enjoy the cars they have coming up.
I recommend going in person. There is a ton of things going on at Barrett-Jackson events, it’s even fun for non-car people.
If you are going to Scottdale this year…give me shout. It would be fun to meet up and say “hey”.
One of the most famous television cars in history will cross the block in Arizona later this month at the Barrett-Jackson auction in Scottsdale. Lot number 1291, a 1969 Dodge Charger base model with a 383-cu.in. V-8, is said to be the very first Charger used in the making of The Dukes of Hazzard. It’s also the very first Charger destroyed in the making of the show as it was laid waste and left for dead after being used to jump over a Hazzard County police cruiser (presumably that of Sheriff Rosco P. Coltrane).
Movie and TV cars are tough to estimate before an auction, but The Dukes of Hazzard was all about the car, making the orange Dodge Charger every bit the center of the action as much as Bo, Luke and Daisy Duke. It’s kind of hard to imagine a car upstaging Daisy Duke, but this Charger did. Replete with a Confederate flag on the roof and distinctive “01″ on the doors and known by car fans and casual viewers alike as The General Lee, the Charger has been instantly recognizable for more than three decades since the show’s 1979 debut. And the value of 1968-1970 Chargers today likely owes something to the show’s popularity.
Wearing the VIN XP29H9B193680, this particular car was dubbed Lee 1 by Warner Brothers in 1978. It has the distinction of being the only General Lee to appear on every episode of the show out of some 320 or so used – and used up – by Warner Brothers during the show’s seven seasons and 145 episodes. That first jump over a dirt ramp, 16 feet up and 82 feet long, nearly bent the car in half when it landed on its nose, even with a trunk full of concrete used to balance the front-heavy machine. Although that pretty much wrote off Lee 1, the shot of that jump became an iconic and enduring moment in the show’s opening credits until it went off the air in 1985.
Edmunds Inside Line ran a thorough piece on the discovery and restoration of Lee 1 five years ago that tells a bit more of the background of what was otherwise a pretty ordinary used car back in 1978. The restorers put the car back to its condition as it was used on that fateful day in 1978, meaning hastily and sloppily painted with a nowhere near concours-quality finish.
Like any car up for auction, all it takes is two determined bidders to drive the price up. With a no reserve sale, Barrett-Jackson viewers will know exactly what the car is worth when the hammer falls. The question, really, is how much provenance can a plain-Jane 1969 Charger have with some cheap day-glo orange paint and sloppily applied numbers and flags.
