In the early 1900’s automotive engineers were trying some crazy stuff. That is one of the reasons that I love older cars so much. These guys didn’t really have a “norm” to start with, so they attempted to create it. Cars in general were in their infancy and each manufacturer was completely different than the next.
The other day I spotted an engine that still had an old clutch assembly attached. It was something that I had never seen before so I snapped off a few quick pics. Judging by the planetary gears on the back of the clutch, it was probably from a tractor or some piece of farm equipment, but it was cool looking & genius design nonetheless. It vaguely resembled a modern puck clutch with it’s multi-pad design. From what I am told, you could swap those friction pads out without pulling the transmission. Now that is a good idea! Just imagine how much cheaper clutch jobs would be if the transmission didn’t need to come out. Even if clutches didn’t last as long, it could be a 30K mile service that is 1 hour of labor, and likely ~ $50 in friction material. What am I missing here? Why was this design lost in history? Why doesn’t somebody reinvent this for ultimate profit? What the heck?
Each weekend I find myself at car shows, junkyards, swap meets, and generally surrounded by the car culture. This past weekend I was at a swap meet that we call “Amherst”, but it’s actually called “Cruising To Amherst”. I have been going there on the last Sunday of every month for as long as I can remember, and it is always a great time. There is never a lack of bizarre cars for sale or interesting people people to watch. I usually bump in to old friends, co workers, and sometimes even cars and parts that I used to own!
This month was no exception for interesting people and cars. One of my favorites was a 1933 (I think?) Chevy that appeared to have been freshly pulled out of a barn. The body itself wasn’t that bad, but the running boards on the sides were almost completely rotted away. I don’t really know how that’s possible, but hey, whatever. The frame was cover in grease from looooong ago so it wasn’t too bad looking in the grand scheme of New England cars. I was afraid to ask what the price tag was, because I’m often left flabbergasted, and I wasn’t mentally prepared for that type of risk so early in the morning. If I had to put a number on it, I think $1500 is probably a fair estimate of value for a car like this.
Pro’s:
– It was a complete car
– You won’t need to hunt down little odds and ends that nickle and dime you to death.
– You may be able to get free delivery if your local?
– Cool looking car
– The metal is fairly straight
Con’s:
– Quite Rusty
– Needs lots of time and money invested to restore it
– 4 Doors, not as desirable as the coupe
– Your significant other will not like this in the yard / garage / property. You may be kicked out of the house.
1A Auto Blog Readers: What would you guys and gals value this car at?
Owner Says: “Automotive experts agree the CCX is as sweet as supercars come, and for more reasons than just its 3.2-second rip from 0 to 60 miles an hour; its quarter-mile run in 9.9 seconds at 146 m.p.h.; or its roughly 245 m.p.h. top speed.”
My Thoughts: I could buy 2000+ Pontiac Fieros for this price. 2000 cars or 1….. hmmm. Not sure.
Owner Says: “For your consideration is a 1965 Mustang Shell. Most of the parts have been removed. It still has the rearend, and front suspension as well as the wheels. The quarter panels have some rust in the bottoms. The quarter windows are still there and lots of various other parts including: Steering column, Brake Assembly, Heater Motor. The floors are in decent shape. The roof is not usable.”
My Thoughts: In New England, normally the roof is the only good part of an old car. Apparently in Oregon, not even the roofs are safe!
I recently decided that I hated the stock brakes on my 1989 Dodge Ram 50. (It also has a 4G63 turbo engine, custom blah blah…..etc. ) Anyway, a friend of mine gave me four super low mileage calipers and rotors for a early 2000’s Dodge Viper, so I knew what I had to do.
I then realized that the 13″ front Viper rotors were just not going to work out because their depth was too deep, and hit the spindle. Soooooo I did some researching and end up with cross drilled and slotted Cadillac CTS-V 14″ rotors. They fit much better.
Now that I had the “right” rotors, it was time to make some Viper front caliper > Dodge Ram 50 spindle brackets.
At some point, I made the rear caliper brackets & brake lines. I apparently didn’t take pictures of that. I used the 13″ Viper rear rotors (I used to have like 10″ drums), and Viper calipers. I even hooked up my e-brake so it works properly.
Once together, I decided that black wheels are way more rad than silver, so black wheel paint was added (don’t mind how dirty the wheels/truck are).
Ta-da. Now I can stop fast enough that my tongue sticks out.
-Jeremy
At The 1AAuto Car Show!
I recently decided that I hated the stock brakes on my 1989 Dodge Ram 50. In the 4 + years that I have owned the truck, they have never been quite right. Rather than putting time, effort, and money into the stock brakes, I decided to do a little bit of an upgrade. A good friend of mine gave me four super low mileage calipers and rotors from a early 2000’s Dodge Viper, so I really had no choice with what to do with them. One way or another, I was going to get them onto my truck.
I began the swap by purchasing a 2008 Dodge Viper master cylinder and designed a way to mate it to my truck’s brake booster. Then I had my brother in law build the adapter with his absolutely amazing machining skills. While he was working hard, I provided the moral support, entertaining banter, a delicious meal, and beverages. After a few hours and some serious mathematics, the adapter was complete.
I then started working on the front brake setup, and it was not looking good. The front Viper rotors were going to hit the tie rod ends. There was no way that the Viper rotors were going to work.So, the research ensued. I measured the night away and decided what the perfect size rotor would be. It turns out that 14″ Cadillac CTS-V rotors were what I need. Overkill much? A short time passed and I was the proud owner of cross drilled and slotted CTS-V rotors. They were massive, so massive that I began questioning my own sanity. Ah well, too late. I began fitting them on the truck and all was looking well. I just needed to bore out the center of the rotor and redrill the mounting holes. Back up to my brother in laws I went…. Food, drink, entertaining banter, and machining happened. Viola! The rotors were now a bolt on affair.
Next up was caliper brackets. There were a bit on the tricky side to make, luckily I was good in geometry class, and I had a brother in law that wasn’t sick of me yet. You know how it goes, food, banter, drink, caliper brackets = done.
The rear brakes were a little tricky because I needed to hook the emergency brake cables into the Viper calipers. Amazingly, with a little drilling and reworking of caliper brackets, it all fell into place. It was as if this was all meant to be. With more braking, I knew I needed more rubber on the road, so I also upgraded my wheels and tires to 18″ Cadillac Escalade wheels with 255/45/18 inch Z rated tires.
The Viper Brakes
Chunk O’ Aluminum
Master Cylinder Adapter Done
Test Fit!
Rear Viper Rotor Redrill
Front CTSV Rotor Boring
New vs old Front Rotors
Front Caliper Brackets
Test Fit On The Truck
Wheels On!
On The Ground!
Completed!
At The 1AAuto Car Show!
Naturally, the obvious question comes next…. Do they actually work? You bet they do. I can now stop fast enough to make my tongue stick out. I’m not sure if I can stop as well as a Viper (maybe better? gasp!), but this big brake upgrade has vastly exceeded all of my expectations. The feel of the pedal is at least 4000x better, and the added weight on each corner actually makes the truck feel more stable. I can’t explain it, it just is what it is. Accept it.
Ok, I have accidentally smashed almost every cell phone that I have ever owned. I certainly don’t try to, but I’m constantly rolling around under cars, sandblasting, painting, washing, burning, and hammering things. My environment is just not conducive to cellular phone usage. Recently my service contract was up, and I had to make a decision. Do I stay in my simple world without internet on my phone? OR Do I wake up to modern technology and get a phone that has internet, cool apps, and a variety of other gadgets? I weighed out all the options and questioned some friends on phone durability. I then jumped into the wide world of modern technology with a new Blackberry Bold. Wow! Some of my friends tried to convince me to go with the Droid, which does look like an awesome phone, but I decided that it never stood a chance at surviving my automotive lifestyle. I knew that I could get an Otterbox case for the Blackberry, and one of my friends has put his to the test with a 40 foot drop onto pavement, without damage. So, mine shooould survive for a while as well.
This brings me to the point of this blog. What apps does an automotive enthusiast like myself need for their Blackberry? I know the flashlight is useful, but I don’t even know what else to look for!? I realize that I could hop on Google and get recommendations from people I don’t know. I would rather get the info from the absolutely awesome readers of the 1A Auto Blog.
What are the MUST HAVE Automotive apps?
Full disclosure: The Apple I-Phone pictured above was owned by a co-worker and was hit with a poorly (?) guided golf ball from about 50 yards. The phone was resting “safely” in a golf cart cup holder with a pair of sunglasses keeping it company. Then it happened, DRIVE! > POW! > SMASH! > CYA! Just imagine those odds!
Seeing cars and trucks used for their intended purposes does wonderful things for me. I like seeing trucks hauling heavy stuff, Mustangs and Camaros being brutally launched at the drag strip, and pricey exotics ripping at the corners of a road course. It’s refreshing. When I went to the SEMA show a few years ago, I remember being absolutely flabbergasted that people in Nevada still drive around old cars daily. Not as show cars, but as regular vehicles. Ah…. The beautiful thing about the dry climates….. rust isn’t desperately clawing at the bottom of your car trying to pull it back into the earth. As long as the engine stays spinning, and the seats don’t turn into dust, you should be able to drive your 75 Malibu as long as you want. I love this. These old cars that are driven daily and used for a purpose often lack some of the pinache’ that show cars have, but they have features that can’t be bought or built, it’s called character.
In my neighborhood, there is an old 58-59 Chevy truck that looks like it gets used for typical yard work, and “around town” type things. It has more character than any other car in town, and it’s tough to pinpoint why. It just looks sooo right from every angle. If I ever were lucky enough to own this truck, I don’t think I would change a thing about it. It is perfection.
Owner Says: “The car was produce hand make in the company Böhminischen Märischen Machine in the year 1934. In this time epoch till 1945 have sitting in the car prominent people. The car is a original and in well condition. You can feel the time.”
My Thoughts: I cannot feel the time for a Prago Picalo.
Owner Says:
“For parts Still good parts left.
And take it all..Come with papers.
Can deliver short distance.
Trans / Rear /Lower motor block unit.
And a few other parts.”
My Thoughts: I STILL cannot feel the time for a Prago Picalo.
