An ancient language not heard in a 1000 years

Friday

Friday

Go outside and play
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Gap the points at .017
Spark plugs around .034
Hold the timing light on the flywheel and turn the distributor.
Try turning the air screw next to the float bowl.
The fuel pump is bad. You'll need a new one. $12. Get a new gasket too.
Take the auto adjuster off the drum brakes and just do it by hand from now on.
You'll need that big 4-point socket to get that axle out.
That vacuum hose is broke. That's your problem.
 
Dont forget all the special tools for this real old school.......

Oh right none of that crap ran on computers. We need a SUN TESTER

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Friday said:
Gap the points at .017
Spark plugs around .034
Hold the timing light on the flywheel and turn the distributor.
Try turning the air screw next to the float bowl.
The fuel pump is bad. You'll need a new one. $12. Get a new gasket too.
Take the auto adjuster off the drum brakes and just do it by hand from now on.
You'll need that big 4-point socket to get that axle out.
That vacuum hose is broke. That's your problem.
Click to expand...
I don't remember the 4 point socket, but know the rest. I've set ignition timing with a test light as well.
I still like a test light although many trainers decry them advising to use an ammeter; both have their rightful place.

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you forgot steel toe boots to kick that damn thing when it didn't start
 
Geezer said:
Remember when you'd raise the hood on a car, look inside, and see the ground?
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I had two of those.

‘79 C10
‘89 D350

The ‘89 was the first year Dodge used the Cummins, before they added an intercooler, and I think there were only 2-3 wires under the hood. :D
 
Every 75,000 miles you had to do a valve job
Fuel pump and water pump only lasted 50k miles
Not uncommon for an exhaust manifold to crack on Fords
If you hosed off the engine odds are that the distributor cap had to be removed and dried out.
Vapor lock!
On older mechanical linkage cars, when the motor mount broke on the drivers side if you goosed it the throttle linkage would bind at full or partial throttle. That was exciting....
Drum brakes all the way around left a lot to be desired.
 
Geezer said:
Remember when you'd raise the hood on a car, look inside, and see the ground?
Click to expand...
You could drop the tool box and it would hit the ground in a 65 Falcon with a 200 cui 6 cylinder in it.

Dad bought us kids (three of us) that 65 Falcon for $200 in 1978. We drove that car for better part of 10 years.

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Remember the GM 305s of the late 70s early 80s that would wear one of the lobes round. Fun jobs those were.

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BloodRunsThicker said:
Remember the GM 305s of the late 70s early 80s that would wear one of the lobes round. Fun jobs those were.

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Quite possibly the slowest V8 I ever drove. Lol
Or maybe it was my 63 Rambler.
It’s a toss up.
 
Exactly. Stupid metric 3 speed auto transmission too. Crappy years for sure.

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I remember wishing Ford & Chevy would collaborate -- just once! -- and agree to make a distributor that was mounted in the front AND had the little sheet metal door so you adjust the dwell angle while it was running (and not risk any dangly bits).
 
In my “A” school right after basic we learned all of this.

I clearly remember Petty Office Gagne saying “I need to teach you this s...stuff...but you don’t need to f..freaking... learn it. “
 
Scsmith42 said:
Every 75,000 miles you had to do a valve job
Fuel pump and water pump only lasted 50k miles
Not uncommon for an exhaust manifold to crack on Fords
If you hosed off the engine odds are that the distributor cap had to be removed and dried out.
Vapor lock!
On older mechanical linkage cars, when the motor mount broke on the drivers side if you goosed it the throttle linkage would bind at full or partial throttle. That was exciting....
Drum brakes all the way around left a lot to be desired.
Click to expand...
Cars were simpler, so you could work on them. And you had to, very often. I am at 71,000 miles on my Tahoe with zero problems.

Think about this while you're waxing nostalgic: the spark plugs in a modern engine can last 100K miles or even more. Most cars of the 1960's didn't make it that far or if they did they were being held together with baling wire and willpower.

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GoWolfpack said:
...Think about this while you're waxing nostalgic: the spark plugs in a modern engine can last 100K miles or even more...

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Click to expand...

No doubt! I have a 283K Honda Element, my wife's Accord has 182K, my last Accord was rear-ended and taken out at 519K.
That said there is too much gadgetry and electronic intergation going on now. I was in the Acura/Honda repair field for 30 years, we were seeing cars people could not drive because a multiplex system failure won't allow the headlights, wipers and turn signals to work. It's not just Honda products either, a co-workers 2018 Cadillac was in the shop 6 times because the courtesy lights would come on at random times and kill the battery. They replaced 3 multiplex units under warranty before it was fixed. Components are very expensive and much troubleshooting instructions end with "Retest with known good ***** unit". Neither shops or customers can afford that.
I don't know the answer, consumers want the gadgets, automakers will provide gadgets.

End of rant. Have a great 2020! [emoji6]

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GoWolfpack said:
Think about this while you're waxing nostalgic: the spark plugs in a modern engine can last 100K miles or even more. Most cars of the 1960's didn't make it that far or if they did they were being held together with baling wire and willpower.
Click to expand...
RangeSquirrel said:
That said there is too much gadgetry and electronic intergation going on now. I was in the Acura/Honda repair field for 30 years, we were seeing cars people could not drive because a multiplex system failure won't allow the headlights, wipers and turn signals to work. It's not just Honda products either, a co-workers 2018 Cadillac was in the shop 6 times because the courtesy lights would come on at random times and kill the battery. They replaced 3 multiplex units under warranty before it was fixed. Components are very expensive and much troubleshooting instructions end with "Retest with known good ***** unit". Neither shops or customers can afford that.
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Both of these statements ring true! Usedta be, a car with 100,000 miles was a "Golly!" kinda ride. But, here in the future, I just turned 308K miles on my '02 F150, and I have NOT pampered it!

I think I got lucky & bought one in that sweet spot of technological benefit w/o suerfluous electronic crap.
 
Volvo used to make a big deal about cars that would go 100,000 miles, now that’s table stakes...except for Jeep.
 
Scsmith42 said:
I used to have a van with 3 on the tree. Haven’t seen one of those in a long time.
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Drove an '81 E150 with the same across country! That was one stiff clutch for the George Washington Bridge at rush hour...

My favorite truck was also 3-on-the-tree: a '78 F-100 stepside. Drug it around for 2 years after the flood, finally let it go to someone who claimed they'd restore it. :(
 
Odometers with five digits 99,999.9 Motor Oil SECC
 
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My great grandfather kept a book of all his finances when he had a young family balancing working and studying in the seminary. In 1936 his car had 43,738 miles on it and he had to have the valves ground and the piston rings replaced. Barring some kind of terrible failure I will never have that done to any of my cars.

Of course the people in dealer service departments see cars that are broken. I don't take my fully functional vehicles by just to say howdy. On the average cars are significantly better functioning and safer now than ever before.

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Scsmith42 said:
I used to have a van with 3 on the tree. Haven’t seen one of those in a long time.
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Had a slant 6 Duster with 3 on the tree. Couldn't kill that thing, probably still running.

this was a family car, my Uncle bought it new, passed it to my Dad, who passed it to me. I have no idea how many miles it had, but it was alot, also in snow and salt country. I know the odometer was around at least once. Before I got rid of it we tried to kill it, thing wouldn't die and I ended up selling ii.

I remember, after having it for awhile, I got one of those floor shifters from JC Whitney. when we put the shifter in we lost the cir-clips that held a clutch rod in place, I drove it for a week or so like that, you would be going down the road and it would make this noise and then CLANG as the rod would come off and go bouncing down the road. Have to stop, chase the rod down and find it, put it back in again. did it about 10 times before I finally got some safety wire and rigged it up. Another time, after shortly putting that shifter in, we had a rainstorm, we came down a hill at about 40 and hit a stretch of standing water, probably about 6-inches deep, about 50-75ft across. It was like someone had stuffed a 3in fire hose in there and hit it wide open for about 5 seconds, there were 4 of us in there, drenched doesn't even describe it at all.
 
phideux said:
Had a slant 6 Duster with 3 on the tree. Couldn't kill that thing, probably still running. Before I got rid of it we tried to kill it, thing wouldn't die
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A hot rodder friend had a daily driver slant 6 with 100K, while building a 44 Cuda. Once the Cuda was GTG, there was a party to destroy the slant. Step one was a cinder block on the accelerator, it stayed spooled way up until the gas ran out. Step 2, pull the lower radiator hose and drive like a bat out of hell for 10mi then turn back, it was only smoking. Step 3 was to pull the oil drain plug and stand on it , turn around @ the 5 mi mark and drive back, it was starting to make a little noise, we turned it off.
That engine was bulletproof.
 
phideux said:
Had a slant 6 Duster with 3 on the tree. Couldn't kill that thing, probably still running.

this was a family car, my Uncle bought it new, passed it to my Dad, who passed it to me. I have no idea how many miles it had, but it was alot, also in snow and salt country. I know the odometer was around at least once. Before I got rid of it we tried to kill it, thing wouldn't die and I ended up selling ii.

I remember, after having it for awhile, I got one of those floor shifters from JC Whitney. when we put the shifter in we lost the cir-clips that held a clutch rod in place, I drove it for a week or so like that, you would be going down the road and it would make this noise and then CLANG as the rod would come off and go bouncing down the road. Have to stop, chase the rod down and find it, put it back in again. did it about 10 times before I finally got some safety wire and rigged it up. Another time, after shortly putting that shifter in, we had a rainstorm, we came down a hill at about 40 and hit a stretch of standing water, probably about 6-inches deep, about 50-75ft across. It was like someone had stuffed a 3in fire hose in there and hit it wide open for about 5 seconds, there were 4 of us in there, drenched doesn't even describe it at all.
Click to expand...

Roflmao! Been there, done something similar.
 
LeeMajors said:
I remember when spider gears were welded to make a posi trac because it worked and was so much cheaper than a true posi
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In the late 80s thru the 90s I crewed for a coworker that raced in SCCA with a Datsun 510. We ran welded diffs for about 10 years before going to a quick change with a Detroit Locker. The locker was $uperior, but we had great success in regional competition using welded diffs.

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Geezer said:
Setting the points with a matchbook*.

*The youngsters won't know what a matchbook is.
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Man, when I'd sync up the 4 carbs hangin' off my old KZ650 & set those dual points just so, it'd blow off the tire grabbin' 2nd gear, then loft it about a foot off the ground grabbin' 3rd at redline.

I learned to drive at 10 y/o in a '36 Plymouth dump truck & have watched my grandfather weld a cracked split-rim wheel with a oxy-acetylene torch & a coat hangar. Might be I picked up a bit of that vernacular keeping worn out farm equipment & crappy cars running as a kid.
 
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