I STILL AT'NT DEAD

[J T]

I figured I'd better post again, before people start sending "have a nice afterlife" e-mails.

And, here is the obligatory free plan.

I'd suggest that if you make a working version, you keep it scaled down, and only use it for cigar cutting, and/or clipping fingernales.

Life is basically good. The doctor has cut back on the blood pressure medicine. The pressure actullly started getting better after I stopped visiting here. Gee, what an amazing coincidence.

The sons are actually starting to work on the Luv. Had to buy a few item to get them motivated, but progress. Started out with a set of block hugger headers (very excellent deal, and on a mini-starter, by the way). Also transmission oil cooler, and lines. Big plus, the younger son bought a Lunati cam to go in it. The crate engine in it as of now is already almost maginal overkill, being as light as the truck is. With the new cam, definitely overkill. But, the horsepower mantra is always right - some is good, more is better, too much is just enough. LOL Plus I'll be working on shortening the bed, and a few other things to lighten it up a bit. But, then I'll be adding a bit of it back in the form of a tube rear bumper, with possibly more weight inside it, to give some needed traction. It'll eventually get a locker too. That'll be my wood hauling truck, I look forward to hauling ash. LOL

I was thinking for a long time they weren't working on it because they were afraid I'd kill myself in it. Now I'm not too sure "what" to think. I'm gonna have to remind them I don't have a lot of insurance. LOL The older kid had got it from an ex-neighbor who'd dropped in a 283 Chevy, and then proceeded to wear it out. My son then dropped in a worn, but good running, 350. I drove it once or twice with that in it, and it had traction issues, but was still quick. The kid took it to the drags once, and, even with that engine, it still turned 80+ mph in the

1/8th, with it spinning down most of the track. That engine had probably around 200 hp, max, on a good day. The one in it now started out as a 250 hp crate engine, had a Performer intake added, and still has only about 45-50K miles on it. I figure with the changes, it'll be pushing well over 300 hp. Now if I can just get them to finish the damn thing.

Just before I posted this I saw a post, from some ass, asking if people had been saved. Saved from what? Christianity? Dipsticks like him? That would be a winner in my book.

I'll probably come back later, and keep track of this thread for awhile. But, I don't think I'll be checking on much else.

Later

JOAT Failure is ALWAYS an option.

- JOAT

[Charlie Self]

younger

That'll

because

insurance.

started

Good you're still with us, even on a small basis. I shot photos of a '57 Chev Bel Air Saturday--one of the original power pack models, and unrestored, in cherry condition, or better--paint is absolutely unreal for a car that is almost 50 years old. The guy had a photo of one of his previous vehicles, a Hemibaker as he called it. A 446 blown hemi, in, IIRC, a '48 Studebaker truck. Bright red. According to him, 1000 HP, and just shifting into gear caused the tires to chirp loudly. That should be enough HP for even you.

[Vito Kuhn]

My first automobile was a 1955 Studebaker Transtar pickup. At the time, I thought it was a rolling pile of junk. Now I see young men restoring old battle axes like that, putting shiny new paint jobs and customs wheels on the things.

VK

[J T]

Hi Charlie. Niice to know you at'nt dead either. Ah, '57 Chebbys. My dad bought a brand-new, black and white, 2-door post, inline 6, with

3 on the tree. His first ever new car. I put many miles on that. His next new car was a '60 Chebby wagon, 4-door, some sort of green color, that would pull 60 MPH in first gear. Nice car.

The Luv, for awhile anyway, isn't gonna look that nice. Interior is nice enough, with used but good Escort seats, floor ratchet shifter, and so on. Body is solid, but the paint(?) is a combination of light surface rust, a couple of shades of primer, and faded red paint, with a spot or two of orange. With a large hole in the center of the hood. And, all the front trim, grill, etc., gone. In other words, perfect. I was gonna have the exhaust go into one, large, pipe, but the younger son wants true duals. So, I'll go along with that, to keep him happy, because when he's happy, he's willing to work on it. Am thinking about cutting one pipe short tho, so it looks like just one. Me? Want a sleeper? What's a sleeper? Heh heh. Perodically, I remind both that it will be for MY use, just in case they get ideas.

A doctor told me the other day, after five years with no problems, they consider cancer in total remission. Five years this year, either April or May, don't recall off-hand. Comes of being pure of heart. LMAO Later

JOAT Failure is ALWAYS an option.

- JOAT

[Charlie Self]

It's fairly nice to be not dead, most days anyway.

Interior

shifter,

Your own private Q ship, for those who recall WWII.

My first new car, when I was 19, was a '57 Chevy. White convertible, dual fishpole antennas, red and silver upholstery, radio (no fancy stuff in those days), and a 283 V8, 3/4 race Duntov cam, dual 4 barrel,

10.5 to 1 compression ratio (think of THAT on today's panther pee gasoline), close ratio 3 speed (column, of course). And not so great breaks, plus a tendency to fling the fan belt when you really stood on it and popped the clutch. I slapped steel packs on it and got run out of DC, and N. White Plains, NY. It's a marvel I survived to enlist in the Marines at year's end.

[Dave Hinz]

What're _you_ doing out of the killfile?

[Lawrence L'Hote]

I know it don't matter to most but the first car I ever drove was my dad's

47 Hudson. He then got either a 49 or 50 Hudson, ICR...and ya know? You could lay down in the back seat of that Hudson and neither your head nor feet would touch the doors ;-). Later in h.s. my brother and I shared a 49 Mercury two-door....just like the one James Dean drove in 'Rebel w/o a Cause" It would go 60 in 2nd gear.....trailing a cloud of smoke, however. Traded in that Merc for a 56(ummm not sure) Chev Bel-Aire HT with power windows.....my sister later burned out the back seat with a cigarette she thought she tossed out the window...

Larry

[Larry Jaques]

On 23 May 2005 08:57:23 -0700, the inscrutable "Charlie Self" spake:

My first car, when I was 15, was a '57 Chebby, a white 4-door hardtop with 283 (PowerPacked heads and only a 2bbl), and PowerSlide tranny, the one with the whine you could hear all the way to NYC from Vista, CA. I rode my Kaw 90 with my learner's permit while the guy who sold the car to me helped me put the rebuilt engine in it. It was on the road when I got my license at the ripe old age of 16.

How about the brakes? (-ed) Mine had rough upholstery so Dad and I took it down to Tijuana and watched them put real padding materials in it (no sweepups) while stitching the naugahyde with good nylon thread. Total cost for both front and rear seats in 1968: $25 and a couple bucks for gas down there and back.

I put a Hollywood wolf whistle on it and got pulled over by the meanest cop in Vista. He called it a siren and wrote me a ticket for it. I had to go to court with an inspection ticket signed off before they dropped the case. Whew!

Ah, the good old days. I remember the time a friend and took it up to Palm Springs, picked up a couple of biker chicks who got us a fifth of vodka and 1/2 gallon of orange juice, and we all had ourselves a bang-up good time. The reason I, a young and naive lad, realized that she was a biker chick was the tattoo on her butt cheek "Property of Hell's Angels". We were lucky to have escaped that one with our lives and peckers intact. Ayup, the good old pre-condom/pre-AIDS/pre-anti- biotic-resistant-Viet-bugs days.

- The only reason I would take up exercising is ||

so that I could hear heavy breathing again. || Programmed Websites

[Lew Hodgett]

In 1957, mine was a 41 Buick coupe that still had a bunch of bullet holes in then sheet metal.

Was told it had been used for running booze during WWII.

Don't know, but it made a good story and for $35, it got me where I needed to go.

Lew

[A.J. Hamler]

I got you guys all beat: My first and *second* cars were '57s. The first -- which I got in 1967 -- was jet black and just loaded with power... power windows, seats, antenna and even had a "Wonder Bar" on the radio. It developed a serious rear-end problem about a year and a half later, and rather than fix it, I took advantage of another '57 that came up for sale on exactly the same day as I got the bad news on my '57 from the garage. So I sold the black one, and bought the other one. It was all-white, had a Hurst 4-speed on the floor, and had the engine from a 1965 Impala (I think that's what it was) in it. The previous owner bought the engine from some woman who totalled her Impala by hitting a cow. For some reason, that always appealed to me. I installed red metalflake rolled-and-pleated upholstery (ordered from J.C. Whitney), redid the headliner, and painted the dash and all interior metalwork candy-apple red metalflake, replaced the standard steering wheel with a smaller red-metalflake-and-chrome one, and topped the whole thing off with a set of chrome reverse wheels.

A.J.

Lew Hodgett wrote:

[Upscale]

Your mention of a "Wonder Bar" on the radio reminds me of the AM-FM radio I had on my 67 Thunderbird. The push button station selectors could be rotated

180° to alternate between AM or FM selection. I found out long after I sold the car, that this type of radio was supposed to be worth quite a few dollars.

[Charlie Self]

Within a certain age group, the '56-'57 Chevy small block may be the all time favorite. I just shot that unrestored '57 for Cars & Parts magazine, and had a blast, even though it was a bright, sunny day (worst KIND of day for shooting chrome and gleaming onyx black original paint, even with a circular polarizer). Gorgeous car, makes me drool, but also makes me glad I'm not paying the insurance on it, though it probably isn't driven 500 miles a year (it gets driven, to shows, more than that. The owner has his own hauler).