2nd Gen Non-Engine/Transmission OLD TIMERS only..

[kenny61]

I bought my 96 new. I plan to be buried in it!

 

[Grizzly]

Great story Gene and very true. I remember those GM cars my dad had in the 50's and 60's any significant hill and they'd overheat. And if the car made it to 100K, you were very lucky. Technology has come a long way.



In 2000 I had a brand new Toyota Camry. Within a year a young lady hit me head on totalling the new car. Thanks to modern seat belts, air bags and the crumple design of the new cars, I walked away with a scratch on my knee and rash on my face from the air bag. If I had been in a 1960 Furd or Chevy, I may not have made it.

 

[GCroyle]

KnightR,



Thanks for a great enjoyable post. some of my stuff is getting a bit old but not all of it.



I had to finally put a slight whap on the starter/generator of my 1964 vintage IH Cub Cadet 100. The old Delco unit most likely needs a set of brushes, the regulator has not had a wire touched or cap (yes cap) removed since installation in '64 and the GOODYEAR rear turf tires have NEVER EVEN been off of the frame since it rolled out of the showroom from the IH dealer it was bought from in Westlake OH on Center Ridge Road, long closed.



The digital dilema has us all, can't live with it can't live without it.



But I still don't have cable.

 

[Gene Arnold]

Alan,



I posted a picture today on the thread you mention. Look for #15. I've also posted a couple of others-- Dec. '08 Towing & Hauling, Let's see your rig #11, and Nov. '07 Towing and Hauling, Opinion of Airstreams #3.



I've enjoyed reading this thread. I bought my first car in 1951. It was a 1934 Chevrolet Standard 4door Sedan. In my life I've owned at least fifty cars, trucks, and motorcycles. I've had some of the finest; Mercedes, Cadillac, Lincoln, Packard, as well as some of the worst, Renault, Falcon, Jeep (OK, I'm positively weird, but my CJ 6 was a troublesome thing even though it was very low mileage. Of course I ran a rural mail route over some pretty bad back country roads and only drove the Jeep in bad weather when nothing else would make the run).



Best two of the fifty: #1 is the '95 Continental I still have, and a 1954 Hudson Wasp I owned from 1956 until 1959.



Worst two of the fifty: #1 by far was the 1951 Mercury I traded for the Hudson. #2 would be my 1960 Falcon.



Most fun car: 1961 VW Beetle that was my family car and mail car. I got rid of the Jeep when I got the VW because it would go over any road the Jeep would! I could and did fairly fly through the canyons on my 118 mile route.



Favorite car of all time: I'm extremely blessed to say it is my 1995 Lincoln Continental that I own today. I absolutely love to drive it, it has been relatively trouble free, it fits my big frame as well as anything I've ever had including the Mercedes, it is economical to run, yada, yada! The weak spot is the air suspension. It's on the way out. I think when it quits I may order a complete new Strutmaster conventional suspension conversion. I can buy it for less than $600 and keep running the old thing.



Gene

 

[robbiesworld]

I'm 38 and my favorite car is my 59 Pontiac..... ok both my 59 Pontiacs. My 1995 CTD has 331,000 miles on it and I don't plan on getting anything newer for the same reasons you mentioned.

#ad

 

[Gary - K7GLD]

Favorite old cars of the past?



I started driving my own car in about '49 or '50 - my best memories are of the '40 Ford tudor sedan in about '52 - and the hopped up '50 Olds coupe of my army years in '55-'57 - a really fun car that really irritated the '56 Chevy Power Pack owners who thought THEY owned the road in those days... :-laf



BUT, I've had so many - some I built myself - that picking "special ones" is hard. For sure, the current '02 Quad-cab rates right up there - the combination of looks, overall quality, economy, power and comfort are extremely hard to overlook - I seriously doubt I'll ever part with it - hope the 2nd owner appreciates it as much as I have...

 

[SRath]

We just finished a 3600 mile trip out West, including some killer pulls up over the Bighorns and other mountains, in my old '83, 350-powered, Class C Chevy with a Suzuki DR650 motorcycle on a bumper rack I built. That old girl now has almost 98K on her and none of it was easy miles since we have used her for 10 years to go MX racing pulling a trailer full of bikes and tools and fuel.

We stuck out like a woody in the locker room everywhere we went: Jackson Hole, Yellowstone, etc. It seems 90% of this country's population makes a whole lot more money than i do! Motor mansions pulling Cadillac Escalades were common. I saw maybe a total of 4 or 5 campers as old as ours on the entire trip. We must have looked like the cast of the "Beverly Hillbillies" to those folks...

But the old girl never missed a beat and everything still works on and in her! I saw lots of broke-down new vehicles across the mountains and desert.

Give me "old iron" any day!!

 

[hammersley]

I'll say YES to one thing GARY.....

YUP - we're getting ever closer to a Cuban economy - no new vehicles to buy even if we could afford them - and it's not warranties that keep those '50's cars running, but whatever can be cobbled together from the scrap yards.

Yup "Change" we can count on... .


Must all be Bush's fault...

For whatever freaking REASON - BUSH refused to stop the new EPA requirements on Diesels... ... sure it was others pushing it - BUT he had the power to stop it and he DIDN't! So - in a way he is responsible for the REGEN mess we have now... . not that it would have stopped it... . but delayed it at least.....

 

[hammersley]

We just finished a 3600 mile trip out West, including some killer pulls up over the Bighorns and other mountains, in my old '83, 350-powered, Class C Chevy with a Suzuki DR650 motorcycle on a bumper rack I built. That old girl now has almost 98K on her and none of it was easy miles since we have used her for 10 years to go MX racing pulling a trailer full of bikes and tools and fuel.



We stuck out like a woody in the locker room everywhere we went: Jackson Hole, Yellowstone, etc. It seems 90% of this country's population makes a whole lot more money than i do! Motor mansions pulling Cadillac Escalades were common. I saw maybe a total of 4 or 5 campers as old as ours on the entire trip. We must have looked like the cast of the "Beverly Hillbillies" to those folks...



But the old girl never missed a beat and everything still works on and in her! I saw lots of broke-down new vehicles across the mountains and desert.



Give me "old iron" any day!!

Screw others who want us to be so freaking VANE to buy stuff to simply look good FOR THEM

 

[SRath]

It's really hard not to be awed by the new vehicles, especially the RV's. Such beautiful woodwork, floorplans, slideouts, etc. are enough to make most houses look shabby, not to mention all the gizmos. But the cost of such toys and the accompanying insurance, registration fees, fuel, etc. is non-stop and mind-boggling.



If I had the money those folks apparently do, I would likely own a similar model, but older and without all the computerized crap. Rebuild and remodel it if necessary. But simple and straightforward is all I will own.



My uncle accompanied us on the outbound journey in his huge Winnebago that he and his recently deceased wife lived and traveled in for years. She was disabled from a stroke for many years and it was designed to suit their needs. It is extremely nice inside and out, but it doesn't take much to cause a crippling breakdown electronically when nothing is wrong mechanically. That's the way I view all the new vehicles, including our new semis at work: Vulernable and unreliable.



Between all the computerized systems and the insane emissions systems on those Cummins diesels at work, they are always breaking down and costing huge money. The increased costs of those new trucks and all their problems went through the roof with the new EPA crap. And we are ALL paying for it with everything we buy since it ALL comes on a truck. Californians are really paying the price since older, non-EPA-ruined trucks are no longer even allowed into their state. Fine by me. I hope they all get real hungry and can no longer ship their own goods...

 

[Gene Heck]

Well as far as the age thing goes, I'm right up there with most of you guys. My 13th birthday was the same day JFK was shot. I'll be 59 on November 22.



I've had other Ram diesels but I went backwards to a 96 and have never regretted it. I bought this one I have now about 4 years ago with about 78000 on it. I don't object to the noise, I like the sound of the 12 valve, and the seat sets like a good old couch. I can ride in it for hours and be comfortable. As stated by others there isn't anything that I have to have any kind of scanner for, a DVM or just a plain old analog voltmeter will do. As with most other old cars and trucks there is a good supply of parts available so you don't even have to kiss up to the dealer to get your stuff. Plus I like the second generation sheetmetal a lot better than the third gens. I need a fresh coat of paint and I'm thinking I would like a new Goerend trans soon. Shucks a couple ice cold beers and I'll be a happy camper. Life is good.



Reading all the other posts make me think of the way things were and are now. Most of us "old geezers" don't have to have a calculator, we can do it with a knife sharpened pencil and a scrap of paper. As a kid in the sixties when I worked at a gas station (and weather permitting) we had to wash windshields always and ask if they would like their oil checked. If they asked we would check and air their tires. We can count change. If you go into any store today the cash box tells the "clerk" the right change to give you because none of the kids today can count change or have any interest in learning how to. If the computer jams or the electric goes out they just stand there and look at you all stupid like. We had an old rotary desk phone and a pushbutton desk phone (real Bell telephones from the fifties and sixties) that we had as a spare in case the cordless phones quit. When my grandson first saw the rotary and asked what kind of thing that was and I told him how phones worked not so long ago I thought his head was going to spin off his shoulders. As mentioned in some of the previous posts a lot of things are for the better like radios, tires, oil etc. When we were out somewhere at a swap meet and my grandson saw a 5 pushbutton AM radio out of some old fifties or sixties Ford he was amazed that that was all we had to listen to. I don't think he has ever seen a 4 or 8 track yet. That should put him over the top. Of course if your high end touchscreen radio takes a dump that won't leave you stranded along the road, not like your ECM will.



Except for the AM radios and 8 tracks I'll keep my old stuff, thank you.



Gene

 

[kenny61]

Want a good laugh if you have time. The next time something costs 6 bucks hand the cashier a 10 after they input the 10 into the register tell them you have a single and hand it to them. Most will have no idea why. when you tell them its so they can give you a five dont be surprised if they give you a 5 and the 4 singles. (No I have never kept the extra money) I once had someone put in 200 instead of 20 and they had no clue what to do. Its amusing when you are not in a rush.

 

[Gene Heck]

I know what you mean. I do it a lot, can't help myself. My example, $10. 14 total, hand over a $20. 00. Cashbox says $9. 86 change, wait until they are ready to start taking money out of the drawer and say "I've got the 14 cents".



Causes an instant TILT about 90% of the time. :-laf:-laf

 

[Bob Cochran]

I know what you mean. I do it a lot, can't help myself. My example, $10. 14 total, hand over a $20. 00. Cashbox says $9. 86 change, wait until they are ready to start taking money out of the drawer and say "I've got the 14 cents".



Causes an instant TILT about 90% of the time. :-laf:-laf

Hey you don't have to wait give then $20. 14 and they will have to ask the manager. Of course only happens on a little older registers that don't tell then what change to return. I just cannot help myself!!!!Oo.

 

[Crazy Horse]

Originally Posted by Gene Heck

As a kid in the sixties when I worked at a gas station (and weather permitting) we had to wash windshields always and ask if they would like their oil checked. If they asked we would check and air their tires. We can count change. If you go into any store today the cash box tells the "clerk" the right change to give you because none of the kids today can count change or have any interest in learning how to. We had an old rotary desk phone and a pushbutton desk phone (real Bell telephones from the fifties and sixties) that we had as a spare in case the cordless phones quit.

Sounds exactly like my life after school work in the 60's. The phone, I had to put these photos up. Back in those days this was a modern day phone, high tech stuff. It still works great today when the power goes out. I happened to win this one in a pool game.