FAV CAR THAT YOU OWNED

[Islander]

The girlfriend that had the Technics turntable and BIC speakers had a 1971 442 convertible with the 455 V-8 and an auto trans, probably 3-speed.  Like my ‘71 ‘Vette, it seemed to have a lot more miles on it than the odometer showed.  I suspected this when the timing chain skipped a tooth or two and the engine stopped.  Unlike the base model Chevy 350 that my car had, the Olds 455 turned out to be an interference-type engine, which is how some valves got bent when the timing chain skipped.  That added a few bucks to the repair bill.

 

I didn’t do the repair work on her car (a shop repaired it), but when I had to replace the camshaft sprocket on the Corvette, I was disgusted to see why it failed.  It was made of aluminum, which I thought was a bad idea, but making it worse was the plastic outer cover on the sprocket.  I read later that its purpose was to reduce engine noise, but the more noticeable effect that the plastic would eventually crack and fall off in bits, until the chain began to fit the sprocket so loosely that it would, you guessed it, skip a tooth or two.

 

When that happened to the Corvette, during a midwinter Toronto blizzard, it started running really badly, as you would expect, but it kept running, and it got me home.  Later, under a tarp in an outdoor parking lot, I swapped out the sprocket, maybe the chain (can’t remember for sure): and the water pump (it was off anyway, so it’s a good idea to replace it while there’s no extra work involved).  After a couple of years of fun like that, I sold the car and bought a very cheap Dodge Dart Swinger with a Slant Six.  I still had my bike for thrills, and for a car, I just wanted something that would run, without eating half a week’s paycheque every month.  That got really old.

[Bubo]

1 hour ago, Islander said:

 Unlike the base model Chevy 350 that my car had, the Olds 455 turned out to be an interference-type engine, which is how some valves got bent when the timing chain skipped.  That added a few bucks to the repair bill.

 

 I had to replace the camshaft sprocket on the Corvette, I was disgusted to see why it failed.  It was made of aluminum, which I thought was a bad idea, but making it worse was the plastic outer cover on the sprocket. I sold the car and bought a very cheap Dodge Dart Swinger with a Slant Six. 

 

Eating the valves is not failing gracefully

 

Surprised they would use a soft metal for the sprocket, chains and sprockets have been around for a while.

For a powerful engine, you would think double chain with tensioners.

As to the cover, stamped sheet metal would have been the way to go, with corrugation would have been light and strong.

 

Chrysler slant 6 was a great engine.

[Islander]

Yes, the Slant Six was super reliable.  At one point, the oil pump failed.  I’m not sure how I knew, but the engine ran too cool most of the time, and the oil looked like cream of mushroom soup, a suspension of oil and water.  I may have noticed a lack of oil motion when I added some oil.

 

Interestingly, the oil pump on the Slant Six is external, and is not accessed by removing the oil pan.  It’s on the low side of the engine, not far from the motor mount.  So I called a garage that serviced taxis, drove over (it was less than 10 minutes away), and had the bad oil pump quickly swapped out for a good used one.  I think the charge was under $50.

 

Another time, the car needed a new exhaust system.  Replacing everything from the engine back cost me only $179.  At the same time, there was a Rolls-Royce on the next hoist, and it was getting the same job done.  The difference was that the charge was $3,000.  Some cars are unaffordable, even if you get them as a gift.

[Islander]

2 hours ago, Bubo said:

 

Eating the valves is not failing gracefully

 

Surprised they would use a soft metal for the sprocket, chains and sprockets have been around for a while.

For a powerful engine, you would think double chain with tensioners.

As to the cover, stamped sheet metal would have been the way to go, with corrugation would have been light and strong.

 

Chrysler slant 6 was a great engine.

 

I meant the sprocket itself was covered in white plastic.  The cover was stamped steel, as you would expect.  Yes, a double chain with tensioner would have been the way to go, but I suspect that the company reasons that a typical Hy-Vo/silent chain and cheap sprocket will last maybe 100,000 miles, or at least until the first owner has sold it.

[geezin']

Made a very stupid mistake last Friday. A major lapse in attention allowed me to drive my WRX into a concrete filled pole in the parking lot when I jagged to get a better angle on a parking spot. Almost $5K later we should be good. A most embarrassing moment for sure. I did get a new set of tires for my troubles....................that were on my to do list for this past week. Curious to see if my rates increase.

 

 

Dammit.

[Bubo]

1 hour ago, geezin' said:

Made a very stupid mistake last Friday. A major lapse in attention allowed me to drive my WRX into a concrete filled pole in the parking lot when I jagged to get a better angle on a parking spot. Almost $5K later we should be good. A most embarrassing moment for sure. I did get a new set of tires for my troubles....................that were on my to do list for this past week. Curious to see if my rates increase.

 

 

Dammit.

ouch ....

[Bubo]

2 hours ago, Islander said:

Yes, the Slant Six was super reliable.

 

Interestingly, the oil pump on the Slant Six is external, and is not accessed by removing the oil pan.  It’s on the low side of the engine, not far from the motor mount.  So I called a garage that serviced taxis, drove over (it was less than 10 minutes away), and had the bad oil pump quickly swapped out for a good used one.  I think the charge was under $50.

 

Another time, the car needed a new exhaust system.  Replacing everything from the engine back cost me only $179.  At the same time, there was a Rolls-Royce on the next hoist, and it was getting the same job done.  The difference was that the charge was $3,000.  Some cars are unaffordable, even if you get them as a gift.

 

What a joy the old Valiants and Darts were to work on, same for the old AMC 6 cylinders.

 

 

We sold one of these to a mechanic who worked for my uncle, in dark blue, slant 6

He had a million miles on, that was 25 years ago

Maybe 2 million by now

https://www.valiant.org/plymouth/valiant-1960.html

 

 

[Coytee]

5 hours ago, Islander said:

I suspected this when the timing chain skipped a tooth or two and the engine stopped

 

Heh...  I think the year was about 1980 (it was the year the Bengals played San Diego Chargers in the 'Freezer Bowl')  Went to the airport to go to Colorado.  On arriving home...  I believe it was on Saturday (as I intended to watch the game on Sunday)....  the wind chill was 60 degrees below zero.  Went out to get car to pick up my sisters....  it wouldn't start.  Tried & tried....  then the battery started to die.  Got someone from the airport to come jump it....  it wouldn't start. 

 

The car had NEVER exhibited this kind of issue....  so we have this cold....  and kept trying.  Finally, they tried to push start me and were pushing me all around the parking lot....  nothing.  It was NOT going to start.

 

Called Mom who had to get up, drive 90 minutes to the airport in this wretched cold....  picked us up and got us home.  Went back a day/three later with a friend and we towed the car home.

 

Turns out the timing chain had snapped.  So it was never going to start.  Got the car wiggled into the garage and over the next weekend or so, put a new timing chain on.

 

I was very thankful that if the chain was preparing to die on me, that it waited until we got to the airport rather than some of the country roads between the airport & home which would have made it more difficult, especially with that wind chill.

 

 

[OO1]

4 minutes ago, Bubo said:

 

What a joy the old Valiants and Darts were to work on,

https://www.valiant.org/plymouth/valiant-1960.ht

 

Mark ,  My Uncle has a Valiant Convertible  ---the most interesting  novelty was the push button transmission  ---

 

[Bubo]

1 minute ago, RandyH000 said:

Mark ,  My Uncle has a Valiant Convertible  ---the most interesting  novelty was the push button transmission  ---

 

2020 Lincoln Push button shift .....too good to stay dead forever

 

 

[Bubo]

We had one of these too

1950 Pontiac

Has always been my standard for what a hood ornament should be...

[Islander]

28 minutes ago, RandyH000 said:

Mark ,  My Uncle has a Valiant Convertible  ---the most interesting  novelty was the push button transmission  ---

 

 

That speedo looks like it was lifted from an old table radio or alarm clock.  The style, not the numbers, of course.

[OO1]

12 minutes ago, Islander said:

 

That speedo looks like it was lifted from an old table radio or alarm clock.  The style, not the numbers, of course.

Exactly , like an Old TV-/ Radio /Turntable   Console ,  any kid could drive the car -

[Islander]

33 minutes ago, Coytee said:

 

Heh...  I think the year was about 1980 (it was the year the Bengals played San Diego Chargers in the 'Freezer Bowl')  Went to the airport to go to Colorado.  On arriving home...  I believe it was on Saturday (as I intended to watch the game on Sunday)....  the wind chill was 60 degrees below zero.  Went out to get car to pick up my sisters....  it wouldn't start.  Tried & tried....  then the battery started to die.  Got someone from the airport to come jump it....  it wouldn't start. 

 

The car had NEVER exhibited this kind of issue....  so we have this cold....  and kept trying.  Finally, they tried to push start me and were pushing me all around the parking lot....  nothing.  It was NOT going to start.

 

Called Mom who had to get up, drive 90 minutes to the airport in this wretched cold....  picked us up and got us home.  Went back a day/three later with a friend and we towed the car home.

 

Turns out the timing chain had snapped.  So it was never going to start.  Got the car wiggled into the garage and over the next weekend or so, put a new timing chain on.

 

I was very thankful that if the chain was preparing to die on me, that it waited until we got to the airport rather than some of the country roads between the airport & home which would have made it more difficult, especially with that wind chill.

 

 

 

Yeah, the best place for a car to refuse to start is usually in your driveway or garage.  There was only one time my 1990 police Caprice wouldn’t start, and it was at work.  I plugged in the block heater for a couple of hours (it was -20C), but it just wouldn’t start.  I finally had it towed to the garage down the street.  A change of spark plugs, and it fired right up.  For all I know, they could have been the original plugs, from about 160-170,000 km. ago.

 

When the mechanic started it, he had removed the air filter.  This engine had throttle body fuel injection, so it was like a 4-barrel fuel injector unit had been installed in place of the 4-barrel carb.  With a carburetor, the fuel is sprayed into the venturi, down out of sight, but on this unit, the spray nozzles were just above the entries of the throttle body.  When it was first fired up, the fuel was coming out of the nozzles like it was a miniature shower head, but as the engine started to warm up, the rate of fuel flow gradually reduced.  For a cold engine, instead of reducing the air flow with a choke plate, like you’d find in a carburetor , the fuel injection unit added more fuel.  It was interesting to see the different approach, and all computer controlled.

 

After those new plugs were installed, it never failed to start, for the next couple of years that I owned it.  The Chevy High Energy Ignition has always been really reliable for me.