tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5837660608809488753.post8599547713130393724..comments2024-03-18T19:58:19.662-04:00Comments on The Adventures of Roberta X: Flying Predator With Three-On-The-TreeRoberta Xhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09956807794520627885noreply@blogger.comBlogger29125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5837660608809488753.post-12993521544974323972011-09-18T00:55:02.519-04:002011-09-18T00:55:02.519-04:00I like that '78. Having lived overseas in the ...I like that '78. Having lived overseas in the late 70's I saw plenty of autos we never see here. I would dearly love to have that 1991 Falcon for a week, just to pull into the service bay at the local Ford dealer(s) here in Des Moines, Iowa; about as middle America as you can get. Oh the looks I would get, the head scratching... too fun. I mean we sometimes see something odd come down from Canada, but not this.James family outpost, Iowa.https://www.blogger.com/profile/00062611090739281431noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5837660608809488753.post-1257315090564697532011-09-17T21:15:05.842-04:002011-09-17T21:15:05.842-04:001972 Fiat 128 four-door sedan.
Green, with yellow ...1972 Fiat 128 four-door sedan.<br />Green, with yellow wheels.<br />And when I say green, I mean olive drab green. Looked like an Army reject.<br />It was a great car.Larryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11308171394825291900noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5837660608809488753.post-65789139325540509142011-09-17T20:00:53.996-04:002011-09-17T20:00:53.996-04:00Old NFO:
I had a 64 Corvair in the early 70s and ...Old NFO:<br /><br />I had a 64 Corvair in the early 70s and while I liked the car (until it caught an engine fire), the thought of being inside it at 90mph can still make <i>me</i> shudder. I take it for granted the car would...<br />QAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5837660608809488753.post-54537594439725136092011-09-17T19:55:02.614-04:002011-09-17T19:55:02.614-04:00TJ is right, the first 64 1/2 Mustangs WERE rebodi...TJ is right, the first 64 1/2 Mustangs WERE rebodied Falcons. My first car was a 63 Corvair Spyder I paid $300 for, and yes it WOULD float the front end at about 90mph. :-)Old NFOhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16404197287935017147noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5837660608809488753.post-47393089191374538852011-09-17T19:48:48.147-04:002011-09-17T19:48:48.147-04:00Ah. Fixed. Or was it a '62? I've slept ...Ah. Fixed. Or <i>was</i> it a '62? I've slept since then.Roberta Xhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09956807794520627885noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5837660608809488753.post-29243774174585524742011-09-17T16:58:20.659-04:002011-09-17T16:58:20.659-04:00So was it a '62 or '62 Falcon?
Read the e...So was it a '62 or '62 Falcon?<br /><br />Read the entire blog post, particularly the bit about patching the gas tank with gum... ;-)<br /><br />My first batch of cars were '65 - '71 VW Bugs. The '65 Bug had the auxiliary gas heater, which was really nice in Wisconsin winters, while the '71 was one of those oddball Autostick models!!!Gewehr98https://www.blogger.com/profile/14440119702457734221noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5837660608809488753.post-6308234215816501972011-09-17T16:56:24.915-04:002011-09-17T16:56:24.915-04:00This comment has been removed by the author.Gewehr98https://www.blogger.com/profile/14440119702457734221noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5837660608809488753.post-81672315271648250542011-09-17T00:18:20.361-04:002011-09-17T00:18:20.361-04:00And a good convo it was, too. :)And a good convo it was, too. :)Matt Ghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03500429239798601210noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5837660608809488753.post-63976694982104097732011-09-17T00:05:57.637-04:002011-09-17T00:05:57.637-04:00The first car I ever bought with my own money was ...The first car I ever bought with my own money was a 1964 Plymouth Valiant that I got for $450 back in the early 90's. Dad had bought me my first car, but this one was MY car. <br /><br />I still have it, although I need to do a little work on it. Nice thing is that I CAN do most of the work on it. Having Dad teach you about mechanical stuff is it's own form of awesome. Whenever I take a car in to get an oil change, I can tell right quick if someone starts trying to BS me about it needing something additional. Not as much of a problem now that I have a steady mechanic that I can trust, but it's a good skill to have.Philliphttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12244142931909670053noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5837660608809488753.post-15149822413774478572011-09-16T21:44:10.575-04:002011-09-16T21:44:10.575-04:00Cool. Kind of a Volvo 2-series Turbobrick look to...Cool. Kind of a Volvo 2-series Turbobrick look to those later ones, too.<br /><br />My first was a 1977 Ford Bronco. Every body panel except the roof was rusted through, the floors in front were patched with "Call Police" and "Send Help" signs (remember those? Me neither, but they looked neat when I was under it.) The driver's side front fender was completely caved in flat, the rusted-out tailgate had been rebuilt with 2x4 lumber and large wood screws, the door latches and seat belts were bolted to loosely captured, rusted-out pieces of sheet-metal, and the whole thing had been sprayed a sort of Chevy engine orange that had mellowed over the years to the color of the "Melon" crayon in a Crayola 64-color box. <br /><br />On the other hand, it had 3-on-the-tree, too, as well as a 302 V8, a bulletproof Spicer transfer case, a Dana 44 front axle and a Ford 9-inch rear. It was bulletproof. It wasn't a lot of fun on the interstate at 65, but I never managed to get it stuck. I'm sure it could be done, but if so, not while doing anything I needed to do. I loved that thing, but the rust cancer was relentless.<br /><br />I ended up pulling the 302 and dropping it into a 1982 Mustang I bought off a guy on the football team for $500. It had a GT spoiler and a fake GT paint job, but also a 255 V8 that was bleeding oil and losing compression weekly. I'm sure that was about a 150hp V8 . . . . but it was a Mustang and I could spin the tires whenever I wanted and generally beat my buddy's 1982 Firebird, so I was content. <br /><br />BTW, saw Rowan Atkinson on Top Gear reruns the other day telling Jeremy Clarkson about his hobby racer, a Falcon "with a great big 4.7-liter V8." Heh.<br />What would a 4.7-liter be? 289, I guess? Not what an American would call a great big V8 . . . but a great engine.Donhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15824445546892392815noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5837660608809488753.post-68968657969627598332011-09-16T20:40:13.214-04:002011-09-16T20:40:13.214-04:001960 Morris Minor. Very English, 948 rompin stompi...1960 Morris Minor. Very English, 948 rompin stompin CCs and a four on the floor. No heater as such, just a "windscreen demister." When I added another heater core and fan under the passenger seat I discovered that when it gets hot, heater hose stinks really badly.Ritchienoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5837660608809488753.post-68401320593192448292011-09-16T20:19:32.698-04:002011-09-16T20:19:32.698-04:00I started out with a Chevrolet Nova, which still b...I started out with a Chevrolet Nova, which still bore the interim "Chevy II" badge in that wacky year of 1966. Nice boat-anchor straight six with the antiquated (but hard to kill, though I eventually did) two-speed Powerglide automatic. On the upside, every single component under the hood was easily recognizable, something that hasn't been the case since the early days of Federal emissions requirements.CGHillhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03789097361138861462noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5837660608809488753.post-4504311653072657732011-09-16T20:03:34.746-04:002011-09-16T20:03:34.746-04:001976 VW Rabbit, stick shift. 4 on the floor, thou...1976 VW Rabbit, stick shift. 4 on the floor, though. Or 3 + OD, depending on how you wanna call it.<br /><br />In these later years, I wish Is till had that car.perlhaqrhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01920117742664645165noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5837660608809488753.post-7826271833939957432011-09-16T19:10:15.741-04:002011-09-16T19:10:15.741-04:00Car repair's like shooting a gun.
You don'...Car repair's like shooting a gun.<br />You don't <i>have</i> to do it, but you should know <i>how</i> to do it.<br />QAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5837660608809488753.post-8747189628558997232011-09-16T18:37:19.182-04:002011-09-16T18:37:19.182-04:00My first car was a hand-me-down'73 Chevy Vega ...My first car was a hand-me-down'73 Chevy Vega stationwagon that my brother had done his best to kill. I had to drop the transmission to replace the broken flexplate/ring gear. I had finished that job and before I got to drive it my brother 'borrowed' it and the timing belt broke. I never had a problem working on cars because I started helping overhaul tractors and combines when I was about ten.Hat Trickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08789313677285831256noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5837660608809488753.post-70463413972444048202011-09-16T16:24:48.851-04:002011-09-16T16:24:48.851-04:00Dad was a mechanic. Now he's an engineer.
The...Dad was a <i>mechanic</i>. Now he's an <i>engineer</i>.<br /><br />The only time I didn't work on my own car was if we didn't have the tools or facilities to do it at home. The only reason I didn't have to rebuild the transmission myself on my first car was because we didn't have a garage at the time to keep the parts out of the weather for the couple of days we figured it would take. Spreading them out under the tree in the backyard just seemed like it would be asking for trouble.<br /><br />I'm glad, actually. It means that if you give me a Chilton's manual, the right parts, the right equipment, and enough time, I could pretty much repair anything I needed to.<br /><br />Except welding. I really need to get Dad to teach me that before it's too late.Jake (formerly Riposte3)https://www.blogger.com/profile/02976718318892210404noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5837660608809488753.post-42934512714812509612011-09-16T15:34:17.421-04:002011-09-16T15:34:17.421-04:00Actually I would drive that 91 falcon. and I hate ...Actually I would drive that 91 falcon. and I hate fordsAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5837660608809488753.post-62103007683705220422011-09-16T15:21:34.289-04:002011-09-16T15:21:34.289-04:00I miss cars that actually had distinctive styling ...I miss cars that actually had distinctive styling such that you could tell at least manufacturer if not model at a glance.<br /><br />My old S class Mercedes looked like a Mercedes and no one ever thought it was anything else. Today, Mercedes, BMW, Lexus, Toyota, you can't tell one from another without being close enough or wearing your reading glasses to read the nameplate.Cincinnatushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10424218376882403880noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5837660608809488753.post-46975581416476217362011-09-16T13:06:00.233-04:002011-09-16T13:06:00.233-04:00I almost bought a '65 Comet as my first car, a...I almost bought a '65 Comet as my first car, as the end of college approached in '81. It was a hot-rod convertible, owned a guy in Boulder Creek - with a hole in the hood for a scoop and converted to a Hurst floor shifter. The linkage wasn't quite right and it was hard to shift, but the motor roared and it hauled scary-ass fast through the redwood trees and canyons, barely on the edge of control. <br />I anticipated it would take too much additional work, and that with all the extra new-found power (and crappy suspension) I would drive it off a curve into the treetops, and so I kept looking. Yes I was a wuss.NotClauswitzhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14358707844087117280noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5837660608809488753.post-16771593700332168732011-09-16T11:08:05.318-04:002011-09-16T11:08:05.318-04:00My first car was a '66 Chevy Biscayne (essenti...My first car was a '66 Chevy Biscayne (essentially a Bel Air without chrome), 250 straight 6, auto trans, kind of a beige color. It had been my grandparents', then my older cousin drove it till it practically dropped (which took about a year), and then I got it in exchange for cutting my aunt's grass (1/2 acre on a nasty hill with an old worn-out Lawn Boy) the summer before I got my driver's license.<br /><br />I drove it for a couple of years in high school. Great car once I fixed it up a little. Wish I still had it, actually.Fuzzy Curmudgeonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03802539927743643041noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5837660608809488753.post-52597521614031423612011-09-16T11:05:04.071-04:002011-09-16T11:05:04.071-04:00My first car was a black 1960 Mercury Comet.My first car was a black 1960 Mercury Comet.BobGhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15405172215849046373noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5837660608809488753.post-4266022592720701022011-09-16T11:03:46.976-04:002011-09-16T11:03:46.976-04:00This comment has been removed by the author.BobGhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15405172215849046373noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5837660608809488753.post-22612583988882288422011-09-16T10:11:06.087-04:002011-09-16T10:11:06.087-04:00My maternal grandpa had a Falcon when I was little...My maternal grandpa had a Falcon when I was little. I liked it.<br /><br />My first car, ironically, I got from the same grandpa -- a '64 Buick Special 4-door sedan with the drivers' side doors roped shut. :-) He said, "Kenny, it needs a brake line and a front wheel bearing. You fix it, you can have it." Lasted me through my sophomore year of college, after which I bought a '71 Duster (225 slant 6, Torqueflite, 21 mpg highway) from my younger brother for $100. I did a <i>lot</i> of brake work on that thing.Kenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04780425923108876647noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5837660608809488753.post-6778601407786168832011-09-16T09:37:36.411-04:002011-09-16T09:37:36.411-04:00I don't think I'd seen the Argentine Falco...I don't think I'd seen the Argentine Falcon before, but I'd found the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ford_Falcon_(Australia)" rel="nofollow">Australian Falcon</a> on a Wikiwander. Started out as a localized version of the US car, evolved through a sort of 4 door Mustang phase into a modern car.Sevesteenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10167315201563562644noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5837660608809488753.post-33698331680018683462011-09-16T09:35:33.980-04:002011-09-16T09:35:33.980-04:00On my AMC Gremlin (a hand-me-down from my older si...On my AMC Gremlin (a hand-me-down from my older sister) I recall repairing the clutch linkage with one of her bobby pins, found in the back seat trash pile. Worked with that bobby pin for months without failure.<br /><br />I replaced the stolen iconic gas cap on that car, as my only act of vehicular maintenance, only to have it stolen again within a week or so. Went back to the Molotov rag, no problems.mikeenoreply@blogger.com