Sunday, January 5, 2014

1948 Plymouth Coupe


Most club members will be familiar with my two “rag top” vintage cars (1929 Chev Tourer and 1930 Model A Ford Roadster) which I have owned and rallied for much of our club’s long history. Although I dearly love these sometimes cantankerous old girls, there are nonetheless times when I have wished for a vehicle more suitable to drive on the longer rallies we sometimes get involved in. As many members are well aware, old vintage cars can be quite tiring on really long trips.
 
Accordingly, last October found me at the famous US Hershey car swap meet, largely to check out what the market was offering there. My interest for a possible purchase tended to something a bit rare to Australia, such as a coupe or convertible from the 1940s. (I actually owned a ‘47 Ford Mercury coupe many years ago when living in Canada.) Of course, I saw many interesting cars at Hershey, but anything nice cost plenty. Furthermore, there was nothing reasonable in the brand and body style I favoured, namely a 1940s era Plymouth.
 
It wasn’t until I was on my way home, in part travelling by train from Hershey/Carlysle to Detroit and Chicago that I spotted an ad in Hemmings Motor News, listing a 1948 Plymouth coupe for sale. This was described as an original unrestored, low mileage model, located in the eastern state of Ohio. Unfortunately, by then I wasn’t in a position to sidetrack my journey, so had to put off further enquiries until I returned home.
 
Back in Canberra a week later, I called ‘Gene’, the Plymouth owner in Ohio. When I obtained more details about his car (and that he approved of its export), my interest went into overdrive! However, I still was not convinced enough to make an offer on the car without a formal inspection. Fortunately, by a stroke of luck, a Vancouver friend had relatives in Ohio living within 40 miles of the Plymouth. Furthermore, they had a background in farm equipment/motor mechanics, and seemed quite happy to inspect the car for me. To cut a long story short, back came a fairly glowing report that “my” car was a little beauty, being solid and well cared for, with low (43,000) miles and with great potential. By then, wild horses couldn’t dissuade me, and, as other buyers were ‘in the wings’, I immediately contacted Gene offering him the listed price and commenced arrangements for shipping the car to Australia out of New York.
 
When the car arrived in Sydney this autumn, readers can imagine my excitement as I pulled up at the Botany shipping terminal with my ute and car trailer. There it was, an original 1948 Plymouth Special Deluxe Coupe, just out of its shipping container, parked beside the Customs facilities. It was slightly travel stained from its long voyage, but nevertheless, to me it looked pretty terrific and very pleasing to the eye.
 
Once back in Canberra, I carefully checked out the car and was amazed to find it in such good order. Virtually everything worked, including the various electrical accessories; the cloth upholstery was original and spotless while the black (factory?) paint was very acceptable for a 63 year old vehicle. Even more surprising, the chromed bumpers and stainless steel trim were unmarked while the motor ticked over like the proverbial clock. All in all, I was now convinced what a fortunate purchase this had been.
 
Later, on putting the car through rego, I was not too perturbed that the inspectors found a few minor faults. These were principally leaking seals on the brakes, transmission and differential, probably suggesting long periods of storage. Fortunately, Gene had sent a parts/repair manual with the car, and I was able to order replacement seals from the US. Our club’s Albert Neuss (a Chrysler product fanatic if ever there was one!) wrestled with the very rusty bolts etc on the brake cylinders and a Fyshwick company adjusted the steering. (I have no plans, by the way, to convert the car’s left hand drive.) The final motor registry inspection took place in early June and the car now carries historic plates on club registration.
 
So there you have it, the story of yet another car (a ridiculous 3rd) in my stable. This car I feel will quite satisfy my needs at this stage in my ‘vintage’ life, although the true test will only come with extended driving and how it stands up to future events. I can only wish we both will have many years ahead of happy rallying together.
 
Brian McKay.
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1964 Humber Vogue Estate



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OK so you have a vehicle to restore. It has four wheels—glass—gearbox—engine—sort of. The body looks straight—has no brightwork—has no interior—or dash. It is a basic shell.
 
So let us remove the glass, door handles, etc and take the shell down to be grit blasted back to bare metal. DISASTER. The paint hid a multitude of sins—like bog in the door sills, front mudguards and evidence of rust holes.
 
Now we dig out all the old bog to see what is underneath—yuk—not a pretty sight—any panel damage has not been panel beaten, but filled and is centimetres thick.
 
Don’t despair. In the paper I find a Humber Vogue sedan for sale—phone call—look see—has right colour interior in reasonable condition—1 month rego—doesn’t go. Negotiate a price and drag it home for spare parts. Things are improving—maybe.
 
The vehicle had all surfaces blasted, inside outside, underneath in fact every crevice was treated. Now came the task of removing the grit and dust. I have an industrial vacuum cleaner that can suck pigeons off poles and spit out feathers. With various size hoses and nozzles I was able to extract 2 x two gallon buckets of grit from within crevices and places. Good job done I thought. Had a look inside next morning and the “grit fairy” had been—there were little piles of grit everywhere. What to do? I laid carpet down on the grass and tipped the wagon onto its roof and vacuumed up another bucket full of grit then turned a high pressure water hose into it—cleaned up the mess—allowed to dry, tip back onto its wheels and that got rid of the “grit fairy”.
 
Next turn our attention to the panels.
 
I read in the Humber magazine that Vogues have a problem with drainage from the air scuttle in front of the windscreen and with the front guards being double skin. I decided to drill out the spot welds and remove the front section to make work easier and to tidy up bits and pieces.
 
So after much panel beating, shrinking and beating of panels they were ready to receive a thin covering of bog about 3 mm thick to hide any imperfections. After painting inside the front section it was re-fitted aligned with the bonnet and finally welded into position.
 
Painting was the next step with etch primer, undercoat, spray putty and top coat being applied to all surfaces with much rubbing back between applications of paint. The finished colour is Smoke Green.
 
Now comes the assembling of the body parts, wiring looms, plus extra wires for radio speakers, rear window demister and some spares, window winders, door catches, glass in new rubber, upholstery, roof lining, dashboard, crash padding and so on it goes. How does this fit? Over to the sedan, looking, remembering, back to estate and fit. Lucky to have a sedan of the same vintage to refresh the memory.
 
The mechanicals came next. Out of three engine blocks, one was selected—machined to suit 60 thou oversized pistons, crank shaft and cam shaft journals polished with bearings to suit fitted. I had two alloy heads and the better one was selected, machined, valves seated ready to assemble.
 
The engine components were assembled and stood to one side ready to be fitted into the body. The gearbox came out of the parts sedan with a new bearing fitted to the rear cover and new oil seals to front rear shafts. The gearbox was attached to the engine.
 
The body was then jacked up off the ground about 1/2 metre and on stands to remove and clean the rear and front suspension members. The read end—what a mess—the diff centre had teeth missing off the crown and pinion wheel. New crown and pinion obtained and assembled into the diff centre by a transmission specialist, new wheel oil seals. Dismantle and clean the springs, install new bushes, paint, reassemble and fit back into the body.
 
While the body is off the ground this is a good opportunity to fit brake lines, fuel lines, hand brake cable and anything else to be done underneath.
 
The front cross member was removed from the body, brake callipers removed and reconditioned, new ball joints, components cleaned, painted, reassembled and put back into the body. The brakes had the callipers reconditioned, new rear wheel cylinders, new shoes and pads master cylinder honed. Lines were connected—system bled and now we have brakes. 
 
The motor and gearbox were fitted into the body, tail shaft fitted, all components fitted, battery, radiator, electrics, etc. The big moment arrives—so see if it will start. Petrol in the tank—prime the carby—check oil levels again—turn the key—it turns over—it fires—it goes. A quick tune up on the b=carburettor, depress the clutch, engage reverse gear and it moves. Out on the driveway and down the street—a bit noise as it has no exhaust system fitted. It goes and it stops.
 
The wagon is taken to an exhaust centre where extractors are fitted along with a complete exhaust system. Then next door to an auto electrician where the charging rate is checked—doesn’t work—new generator fitted and the electrics now work.
 
Take it down to motor registry to get it registered—failed hand brake—adjust—re-test and passed.
 
Pay the money, pick up number plates, fit and take it for shakedown drive—don’t forget the tool box—Murphy’s law you know.
 
Chris Berry.
 
Source:  cacmc.org.au

1962 Volkswagen Bus With Standard Sunroof

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Rare 1962 sunroof standard. This is 100% REAL SUNROOF STANDARD, as stated on the M-Code plate. This bus came from California 2011

Fly in and drive it home.

The Good:


New cloth headliner
New sunroof cover
runs and drives great (1600sp with Big nut trans w/ redux boxes)
dual master cylinder conversion
12 volts
New 8 ply Nexen 195-15 tires
powder coated rims
All seats (og como green middle seat, humpback front seat)

The Bad:


Front floor patched
rust in outer rockers
missing bumper overriders

I will have this bus for sale for 30days, if it doesn't sell I will remove the ad on January 29th.

Sorry, No Trades…



Click Here for price and more information on this vehicle.

more pics
Click Here for more pictures.


Source: thesamba.com

1960 Bug Rag Top Original

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This 1960 Ragtop VW beetle is located in Oceanside CA. It has the original 6V system, and all electrical components work great. It has the original yellow CA plates with original DMV 1960 blue reflective sticker (plate restored). It is a daily driver with one mild restoration with same color paint job, body is uncut and not modified in any way, paint has some minor chips and scratches but it still shows well and it is a strong runner, never hit and no major dents. It has the original working radio. The engine is the original 4-cyl 1192cc/36hp 1bbl, which has been rebuilt and works great. I am the second owner bought from original owner. It has under 60K original miles. Priced right for a fast sale. Just ask for more pictures and details. Click Here for Phone Number, Pictures and more information. 

Source: thesamba.com

1960 Semaphore 15 Window

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The 15w is 1960 euro semaphore bus. This would be the coolest the 15w at any show. How many semaphore 15w buses have you even seen at a show?

Needs a lot of lower rust repair repair but its actually better under the chassis than I thought it would be and Drip rail is good.

Today I took off the loose paint and rust off after I pulled motor, trans, and gas tank to flushed it and cleaned carb. Motor actually sounds good and trannys shift good up to 3rd gear no brakes yet.

The euro 15 had later lights cut in it. Should not have any blinkers on front and the K1546 euro taillights.

47 new pics 1960 swr euro 15w w/semaphores
Click Here For Pictures

Now running video.
Click Here for video.
Click Here For Video.

If more specific pics are needed just let me know. Overseas buyers is not a problem and have more buses available so I will do package deals also.

The more work that is done price will go up and thinking redoing brakes and making it road worthy.

If you want to save $400 I can pull the running motor and put the unlocked motor inside cargo area.

I can deliver to the port of Houston for $400 to ship overseas and if you want a Texas bonded title add $450 takes about 3-4 weeks to arrive.

Thank You
Bryce


Source: TheSamba.com 

1979 Beetle Convertible

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1979 VW type 2 Ghia convertible 9k miles with manual factory tires, excellent condition, stored in heated garage always. Owner deceased widow would like to sell.
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View Of Odometer 

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View Of Engine

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Right Side View

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Badging

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Frontal View

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Gas Cap

Click Here for Sale Price.

Source: TheSamba.com

Oval With Original Patina


Barn find oval Time machine

It’s from January 1957 was on the road until 1966 where it was stored in a barn for 45 years !!
it was found while the barn was torn down, this is why the dents in the roof.

Yes it at real time machine with real patina NO fake…

Here are some facts:


The little rust it had in the heater channels have been repaired it’s now without any rust
Running the original drive line a good 1200/30HK engine newly service on a split gearbox Converted to 12 Volt electric with a Porsche 90mm dynamo
Seats have been change to some form a 1957 with seat recliner so still the correct fabric but without holes..
Window rubber have been change.
Lowered with a narrowed beam, dropped to the floor yet still drivable, can be even lower…
All breaks overhauled with new parts

Update: It is now running on new BBT Sprintstar with new tires 145/65 15 and 195/65 15.
Se pictures in here on this site.
Also: an origina standard steering wheel is included in the price.
The car is imported from Sweden and has a Swedish title, but car is in Denmark.
All EU: duties paid.

Drive perfect and gets a lot of attention

Link to Pictures, with old repro Fuchs wheels:


Link To Ad (For Sale) 

Source:  thesamba.com

Classic Motorsports History


Daytona Track Facts

Daytona Beach, Florida, was an early center for American auto racing. Daytona International Speedway opened in 1959 and hosts the Daytona 500, one of NASCAR’s premier events.

The track is a 2.5-mile tri-oval super speedway, 40 feet wide with 12 to 30-foot apron. Banking is 31 degrees.

Dodge Charger Daytona in NASCAR

Originally known as the 'International 500-Mile Sweepstakes Race', the 2.5 mile oval in Speedway, Indiana plays host annually to the largest motorsports event in the world, the Indianapolis 500. With the exception of the years America was in World Wars 1 and 2, the 500 has been run every year since 1911.

Aside from the traditional Indy 500 race, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway also hosts NASCAR's Brickyard 400, the United States Grand Prix Formula-1 event, and Red Bull MotoGP races.
Indy 500 Race History 1911-1919
Indy 500 Race History 1920-1929
Indy 500 Pace Cars 1960-1969
Brooklands Race History
Isle Of Man TT Race History
Le Mans Race History
Nürburgring Race History
John Greenwood's Wide-body Corvettes
Race Car Quotes and Sayings
C3 Corvette raced by Dave Heinz and Jerry Thompson 1974
Picture Courtesy Fred Lewis Photos 
Source:   classic-car-history.com

Classic Cars And Classic Trucks


Classic Muscle Cars

American Muscle Cars from the Sixties and Seventies.
AMC AMX at car show

Classic Pony Cars

Pictures of Mustangs, Camaros, Cougars, Firebirds, Javelins, and Barracudas.

Classic Cars Of The Fifties

Classic American cars from the Fabulous Fifties.

Classic Sports Cars

A compilation of American, British, Italian, and German sports cars.

Classic British Sports Cars

Carolina Triumph Club's Spring meet in April 2010.

Classic Woodies

Gone but not forgotten, wood-bodied wagons gain in popularity and value every year!

Personal-Luxury Cars

Truly American classics - four-seat Thunderbirds, Buick Rivieras, mid-Seventies Corvettes, the Avanti, and why not the AMC Marlin?

Classic American Trucks

Classic trucks from the 30's, 40's, 50's, and 60's.

Rusty Old Cars and Trucks Gallery

Abandoned years ago, these rusty old cars and trucks are forgotten but not gone.

Source:  classic-car-history.com

Classic Car Articles

1953 Nash-Healey

Sports Car History


Along with the growth of America's middle class, affordably-priced sports-cars appeared after WW2. During 1946 to 1952, many small companies introduced sports cars to the American public, including Kurtis Sportscar (later to become the Muntz Road Jet) and Nash-Healey, introduced in 1950.



Pontiac GTO image

Muscle Car History


Although the GTO is most often cited as the first muscle car, history shows that Pontiac wasn't the first car company to drop a big motor in a mid-sized car, but they were the first to market a mid-sized car with a big motor. The 1964 Tempest-based GTO was wildly successful, prompting other car companies to use the same formula.



1970 Dodge Challenger

Pony Car History


After 1970, Pony car sales started falling. The '73 U.S. Oil Crisis made the gas-thirsty Pony cars fall further in the marketplace. The Challenger, Cuda, and Javelin were gone after '74. GM's Camaro and Firebird would continue, as would the Ford Mustang and Mercury Cougar.



National Corvette Museum in Bowling Green, Kentucky

National Corvette Museum


Corvettes have paced the Indy 500 race a grand total of eleven times, which is more than any other model car. The first Corvette pace car was 1978, and the most recent was 2012. Pace cars are displayed in full force at the National Corvette Museum.




record album by Ronny and the Daytonas, featuring the hit song 'Little GTO'

Top Ten Car Songs


In November of 1973, Road and Track magazine featured a short story by Richard Foster called "A Nice Morning Drive". Neil Pert, drummer/lyrist of Rush, loosely based "Red Barchetta" around Foster's story. It's set in a time and place where the cars we know and love are completely illegal, but not completely gone.





Source: classic-car-history.com

Blueberry Festival

http://www.hankstruckpictures.com/pix/trucks/bc_trucks/2008/08-16/20080816_dsc8097.jpg

On August 16, 2008 there was a Blueberry Festival held in downtown Cloverdale, BC.

Click Here to view pictures from that Festival.

Source:  hankstruckpictures.com

North America's Bus Lines

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Vancouver Bus Line
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Grouse Mountain
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Centennial  Celebration
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Pacific Stage Lines

Source: Internet

Thursday, January 2, 2014

Chinese Chevrolet - A Must Read And Forward

Now That GM is Removing Camaro Production From
Oshawa Have you thought of Buying a GM Car Lately?
 
This will make you sick
 
Why haven't we heard this on the nightly news?
 
Click Here For Video.

Wednesday, January 1, 2014

Happy New Year

A happy New Year! Grant that I
May bring no tear to any eye
When this New Year in time shall end
Let it be said I've played the friend,
Have lived and loved and labored here,
And made of it a happy year.
~ Edgar Guest ~
Happy New Year!