Advice thread for newbies to the old car hobby.

[Boydsdodge]

Auto Temp or not, I love my Tux and any other like it.

 

[rags]

Don't buy it unless you can shelter it to store and work on

my opinion, that's the most important thing. also the most difficult. not so long ago, a person could have a job, live their life right, save their money and buy a property. it was just the responsible thing to do. get some security in life then move on to a hobby. i wouldn't want to start over again today.

 

[rags]

Tux and any other like it.

i wouldn't hesitate for a moment to buy that car if the right opportunity came along. we can swap 4 speeds into c cars but we can't find ways to make an hvac system work? hah!

 

[saforwardlook]

Right, rule number one, don't but Auto Temp.

I see nothing wrong with the Auto Temp II systems from 1971-1973. The only problem with those was the original housing for the electronics was made of Bakelite that cracked in about 2 years but the reproduction ones have housings made of aluminum that go the distance. There are two vendors for those systems and both of them sell comparable quality reproductions.

Anything for 1969-70 or 1974 and up are the ones I would avoid.

 

[rkrochen]

Because I daily-drive old cars, people often ask me about how to get into the “vintage car” hobby. And I think that’s a great thing… Strength in numbers and all that.

The problem is that what often hooks people into the idea of an old car is not compatible with a satisfactory old-car experience. In all the car magazine and websites I’ve been reading for 30+ years, I don’t know if I’ve ever seen such an article written on the subject.

What is the hook? The open-air feel of a convertible. The awesome sound of a heavily-cammed engine. A paint job that looks six-feet deep. Maybe a desire to be one-of-the-guys at the local cruise night, or relive some youthful memory. But remember, these are all intangibles. This is like me saying I want to feel what it’s like to be hoisted up by my teammates after scoring the winning basket. But I can’t dribble reliably and haven’t been on a court since middle-school.

The internet can be a huge help, but it won’t turn wrenches for you. Everyone wants to be the hero and solve your problem, especially people with poor reading comprehension. I’ve never personally witnessed someone restore a car with a checkbook, but I hear it happens. What I most definitely have seen are people being ripped-off, disappointed, frustrated and ultimately abandoning their dream.

People ask me, “What’s a good shop”? I have no answer for that question. I have a local guy I trust to change parts that I don’t want to attempt without a lift. But even that boils down to boring, mundane things like inner tie-rod ends on a fairly modern car, or change a coolant hose on a minivan. He doesn’t want to cheat me, nor does he want me to tie up his shop familiarizing himself withPrincipals of Modern Carburetion, Bantam Books, 1969. That’s why our arrangement works. I’m sure people eventually reach a stage where they can afford to have other people fix things… I don’t know any of those people. I probably can handle a restoration bill, but I’m frustrated before I get the first estimate. I considered farming-out some work on my ’73 Polara and traveled to three local shops. I walked past the Autorama trophies and custom-billet laser-etched oil breathers and spoke to Miss December who put my name in a database. See you in 2021. I don’t think we’re a good fit.

So my advice… if you’re a neophyte, just starting out; is to forget about having the coolest old car with perfect chrome, a rumbling cam, stops on a dime, lays rubber on command. Think about what attracts you to the hobby? If I handed you the keys to a nice but shelf-worn, low option, triple-green ’73 Newport sedan and said “drive this for a year”; would you?

Buy your first old car based on condition and learn to fall in love with it. Think of it as an arranged marriage and everyone in both families is smarter than you. The good news is, you can move on as your skills improve and no one will declare a Fatwa, kill your family, or demand you return their sacred goat.

My 1976 Royal Monaco would have been a great car for a first timer. It was never abused (except briefly before I rescued it). It was always maintained. It doesn’t stink. The seats are nice. It has some minor rust, but it’s not going to structurally collapse. Because it’s on the newer side of the C-body scale, it has a lot of nice things like good disc brakes, a 100 amp alternator, a better wiring harness, modern dash lighting, and so forth. It would give you a chance to learn things like carburetors and linkage before you need to master cleaning bulkhead connectors or rheostat rebuilds. Because it’s an undesirable 4dr sedan, it was under $3000. I see cars like this for sale all the time. That’s where you should begin your quest. That’s the advice no one ever listens to. They want what got them hooked. Shiny. Loud. Fast. OK, go play basketball with the street kids, get smoked and never touch a basketball again. My advice is to start slow and build your skills.

Forget about modifying it on day one. Everybody wants to share their success story, but people who’ve been burned-out on projects aren’t posting on this any forum. They’re off cursing behind the wheel of their leased Hyundee about all the money they pissed away on an old project car. Always, always, always keep in mind a few things:

· These are machines. They don’t know how old they are. 50 years ago, people expected their new cars to carry them reliably through the desert on a tank of gas they bought in Tijuana. Or up a mountain pass through a snow storm. They had points, 60 amp alternators, and tar-top batteries. If your car isn’t up to any of that, it’s because something isn’t functioning to design intent. None of the companies around in 1968 would have existed in 1969 if their products couldn’t perform these tasks. With the exception of tires, my daily driver is much the same as it was 40 years ago. I’d drive it to Arizona RIGHT NOW if you got me the time off work. (I mean that. If anyone can pull strings… it’s raining again and I feel sick.) The same engineers designed whatever you’re looking at, if you’re shopping Mopars.


· When and if you make modifications, they should be made after you’ve returned that particular system to working condition… As practical. Obviously if you had a car without brake spindles, I wouldn’t tell you to get the drums working before you swapped to discs. But you’re a beginner, remember? Why did you buy a car without wheels, dumbass? What practical means is don’t do this… “My car has a miss at idle. Johnny Hotrod on the internet told me that points are no good, I should get rid of them.” Then you waste a bunch of time and money without learning you had a plug wire grounding out.

I’m going to stop writing here… I need to pack up for the day and this isn’t going to be a literary masterpiece anyway. Others may have thoughts and I’ll probably chime in again.

This is something that I have always agreed with. Very well written and hopefully it gets the point across.
We need to keep in mind when these were built and how old they are. How many of the new cars we see today will last 50 or 60 years which says a lot for this old technology.
We used to think nothing of jumping in these cars and travel across the country through all sorts of conditions. You don’t need to redesign just learn about them and you will be fine.
These are great cars with lots of character something the newer cars don’t have. Jump in them and drive and you will enjoy the experience.

 

[Just Carbs]

This is something that I have always agreed with. Very well written and hopefully it gets the point across.
We need to keep in mind when these were built and how old they are. How many of the new cars we see today will last 50 or 60 years which says a lot for this old technology.
We used to think nothing of jumping in these cars and travel across the country through all sorts of conditions. You don’t need to redesign just learn about them and you will be fine.
These are great cars with lots of character something the newer cars don’t have. Jump in them and drive and you will enjoy the experience.

If a person is going to leave town in one, the key is to know what parts are necessary to run the car, and what's not available at the parts stores, and have those parts in the trunk.
I travel the roads a lot in carburetor cars. I think the chances of getting stuck in a motel waiting to get fixed because it won't run are a lot less than a computer car.

 

[darth_linux]

I got my first C Body in 1989, when I was 19 years old. It was a '66 Newport, 4 door post, in a gorgeous Turquoise Frost metallic. I didn't know ANYTHING about cars then, but all of my car buddies who drove Novas, Torinos, Chargers, Grand Prix, Darts, etc. told me it would be a great car since it had a BIG BLOCK. I didn't know what that meant either, but it sounded cool.

I bought the car for $500 (about $1200 now) and it was in really nice shape, although it did have a spun rod bearing after supposedly being "re-ringed." My friends with the Charger and Dart assured me it wouldn't be a problem. I bought the car, and before I knew it, we were pulling the engine, spinning it over, pulling rod caps, changing bearings and putting it all back together again. It was like watching Gandalf and Saruman cast some wizardry on my car, or something, to my eyes.

I ended up driving the car from Seattle to Los Angeles and lived in LA with that car for almost 2 years. The only time it ever broke down was when I tried to "fix" something that wasn't broken. I had gotten into reading "Car Craft" and "Hot Rod" so I was really trying to "improve" my car by following their suggestions. Timing, 4 BBL, intake, dual exhaust, etc. I joined the San Fernando Valley Chrysler club and did a few Meet and Greet/Cruises with them. When it needed actual repair for things like brakes, master cylinder, etc, I took it to Sears and charged it. That was the only way I could afford repairs and Sears was happy to give me a charge card for who knows how much interest.

I ended up coming back to Washington. The car blew the power steering pump on the way, so I strong armed it about 1000 miles on the freeway. That was an experience . . . Eventually the radiator failed and leaked antifreeze into the transmission cooler and the two fluids intermingled. I was forced to sell the car off because I couldn't afford to fix it and I didn't have the tools or know-how to figure it out.

30ish years later, after owning probably a dozen cars, I felt like I deserved a second chance with a Newport, the car that treated me so well and got me absolutely everywhere without fail (unless I messed it up, or it suffered major component failure). I wanted to prove I could be a faithful steward to it, and not let it down like when I was young, naïve, poor and lacked resources.

I was lucky to find my VERY clean '66 2 door hardtop in Formal Black that I bought in January. Several people have loved and taken care of this car for going on 6 decades now, and it is an honor to be it's next caretaker. All of my "upgrades" to this point have been in regards to safety, drivability, and reliability. I'll probably move on to some minor performance upgrades in the coming few years, but the last 5 months of owning it have been a joy of seeing my 53 year old self accomplish works of "mechanical wizardry" my 19 year old self could barely comprehend. And the amount of nostalgia has not been a let down either. Seeing that iconic instrument cluster; those fender mounted turn indicators; that distinctive whine of first gear with the torque-flite; the unmistakable sound of the Chrysler starter motor; and those damn near perfect mid-century modern lines of the '65 and '66 Chrysler body panels . . . I'm in love with the car more and more everyday I own it.

When I was first looking to buy another Newport my mind went to all kinds of crazy things - 4 wheel disc brakes; fuel injection; modern HEMI engine transplant, etc. But now that I drive the car, I'm so happy with exactly what "MaPar" built the car to begin with . . .

That's my story, and advice - enjoy what you have, and let things settle in before you go replacing everything with "modern" stuff.