Vintage Car Thread - Discussion and Parts Requests

[AtomicEraTom]

I had a proportioning valve problem on my '79 Electra. Was that ever a hassle. They don't make them for that car anymore.

 

[jamespowers]

I had a proportioning valve problem on my '79 Electra. Was that ever a hassle. They don't make them for that car anymore.

They do have people out here who rebuild those.

 

[AtomicEraTom]

It was just stripped out, re-tapped it and was good to go.

They do have people out here who rebuild those.

 

[jamespowers]

It was just stripped out, re-tapped it and was good to go.

That sounds about right.

 

[Auld Edwardian]

Thankfully I am getting the Proportioning valve for my 65 Lincoln from Baker's Auto. They are a company in Putnam CT that specializes in Lincolns from my car's era forward. I am returning the old one as a core. It is nice to have a place you can almost do "one stop shopping" for a lot of the harder to find mechanical things. They even have some trim items, emblems, and other odds and ends.

 

[Auld Edwardian]

There wouldn't be any Smart cars left to scrape off.

You are probably right, the few bits left in the grill could most likely easily rinsed off with a hose!

 

[AtomicEraTom]

It's always some stupid piddly thing, especially with that car. One of the very few that I could have jumped for joy when it pulled out of my driveway.

That sounds about right.

Sounds like a good place to shop!

Thankfully I am getting the Proportioning valve for my 65 Lincoln from Baker's Auto. They are a company in Putnam CT that specializes in Lincolns from my car's era forward. I am returning the old one as a core. It is nice to have a place you can almost do "one stop shopping" for a lot of the harder to find mechanical things. They even have some trim items, emblems, and other odds and ends.

 

[Auld Edwardian]

It's always some stupid piddly thing, especially with that car. One of the very few that I could have jumped for joy when it pulled out of my driveway.



Sounds like a good place to shop!

By the way I should mention another good business, it's Looper Service Center in Rockville MD. I needed to have the gas tank repaired on the Lincoln as it had developed some holes in the top of the tank, as I'm sure some of you other gentlemen have experienced on your vintage vehicles. As you are well aware you cannot run down to the local NAPA parts store and ask them to pull a gas tank for a 65 Lincoln Convertible off the rack in the back without having them rolling around on the floor in hysterics. After a great deal of research I decided to drive the tank down to them from NJ. The reason I did was the way both me and my wife were treated on the telephone by anyone who answered it. It is a shop that has been in the same family since 1931 and for an automotive shop it is exceedingly clean. The tank repair end of the business was even featured in Hemmings a few years ago, and is an impressive setup to see. In any case, the repaired tank was shipped to my mechanic and he said he had never seen a tank the was so well repaired, and they even fixed the fuel gage sending unit. I found out they do mail order work from all over the country. So if any of you other gentlemen find yourselves in an "unholy" mess with you fuel tank, drop a dime and call them at 301-762-9333. They also have an informative webpage you can take a gander at.

 

[Talbot]

You are probably right, the few bits left in the grill could most likely easily rinsed off with a hose!

Wasn't it P.J. O'Rourke that wrote that a fender accident in a large car is like an uprising in Africa. You know its a bad thing, but its too far away to get really worried about.

 

[Auld Edwardian]

Wasn't it P.J. O'Rourke that wrote that a fender accident in a large car is like an uprising in Africa. You know its a bad thing, but its too far away to get really worried about.

That is a witty quote that has a ring of truth to it. The old land yachts are so big and heavy that they took more of the beating instead of the occupants. And my Lincoln weighting in at 280 pounds shy of 3 tons, and being just a hair over 18 feet in length, looking out over the hood almost seems like you're peering down the flight deck of a flattop.

 

[AtomicEraTom]

I'll keep that place in mind for my next gas tank ordeal. Just replaced one in our '73 Satellite a couple weeks ago. The ones in my Dodge Ram and my brothers' Dodge Ram ('89 and '86) both needed work, too.

There is nothing like driving a land yacht, is there? I have nothing as fine as yours in my fleet, but I do have a Caprice Wagon, a Grand Marquis Colony Park Wagon, and a Cadillac Fleetwood Brougham. There is nothing better than having a mile of car around you in every direction and looking over that mile-long hood, with the hood ornament out there gleaming in the sunlight.

That is a witty quote that has a ring of truth to it. The old land yachts are so big and heavy that they took more of the beating instead of the occupants. And my Lincoln weighting in at 280 pounds shy of 3 tons, and being just a hair over 18 feet in length, looking out over the hood almost seems like you're peering down the flight deck of a flattop.

 

[Auld Edwardian]

I'll keep that place in mind for my next gas tank ordeal. Just replaced one in our '73 Satellite a couple weeks ago. The ones in my Dodge Ram and my brothers' Dodge Ram ('89 and '86) both needed work, too.

There is nothing like driving a land yacht, is there? I have nothing as fine as yours in my fleet, but I do have a Caprice Wagon, a Grand Marquis Colony Park Wagon, and a Cadillac Fleetwood Brougham. There is nothing better than having a mile of car around you in every direction and looking over that mile-long hood, with the hood ornament out there gleaming in the sunlight.

You're quite right about that feeling you get, and that feeling of pride in owning a classic. I love taking the family out for a spin, especially when the top is down. The old girl is a little bit of a diamond in the rough but all original. She still gets a great deal of admiration. I recently had a gentleman in a new Mercedes convertible pull up next to me at a light and comment on how nice my car was. I am still enjoy how quite it runs, even with that big 430 under the hood. And she is quite spritely for a car that is as heavy as she is. I am still sorting some of the dreaded electrical things out. She spent more than 20 years under a car cover in a family member's barn. I just got her on the road the summer of 2011 after a lot of dint, determination, and money after a years effort. I'm also glad the gas tank repair information is helpful. Here is a snap of her.

 

[AtomicEraTom]

Beautiful car. I was expecting black, looks even more lovely in red. Nice to see someone else who enjoys a quiet engine. Loud pipes are the rage in my neck of the woods. Yours sure doesn't look like it was under cover in a barn for 20 years!

Dealing with electrical gremlins in my Colony Park right now. Recently had a fire in her while I was driving. Melted all the wires in the B-Pillar. I had no power inside the car whatsoever. I've got it working now where the dash lights up, the clock and radio, visor vanity lamps, and door panel lights all work. However, the dome lamp above the driver's seat, the one above the tailgate, and the opera lamps (on the outside b-pillar) are still inop.

I think I'm going to have to find a donor car with all that wiring for that portion of the car. The wires in the b-pillar are completely fried and melted.

You're quite right about that feeling you get, and that feeling of pride in owning a classic. I love taking the family out for a spin, especially when the top is down. The old girl is a little bit of a diamond in the rough but all original. She still gets a great deal of admiration. I recently had a gentleman in a new Mercedes convertible pull up next to me at a light and comment on how nice my car was. I am still enjoy how quite it runs, even with that big 430 under the hood. And she is quite spritely for a car that is as heavy as she is. I am still sorting some of the dreaded electrical things out. She spent more than 20 years under a car cover in a family member's barn. I just got her on the road the summer of 2011 after a lot of dint, determination, and money after a years effort. I'm also glad the gas tank repair information is helpful. Here is a snap of her.

 

[Auld Edwardian]

Beautiful car. I was expecting black, looks even more lovely in red. Nice to see someone else who enjoys a quiet engine. Loud pipes are the rage in my neck of the woods. Yours sure doesn't look like it was under cover in a barn for 20 years!

Dealing with electrical gremlins in my Colony Park right now. Recently had a fire in her while I was driving. Melted all the wires in the B-Pillar. I had no power inside the car whatsoever. I've got it working now where the dash lights up, the clock and radio, visor vanity lamps, and door panel lights all work. However, the dome lamp above the driver's seat, the one above the tailgate, and the opera lamps (on the outside b-pillar) are still inop.

I think I'm going to have to find a donor car with all that wiring for that portion of the car. The wires in the b-pillar are completely fried and melted.

Sorry to hear about your car fire. I have a brother in law that had one under the hood of one of his show cars when he stopped to get gas on the way to car show. He was devastated and it took him quite some time to fix the car again. As to my car, you should have seen all the "mice motels" I had to pull out of under seats, in door, under the dash, etc! And it took some real detail cleaning to get ride of the mice and musty smell, but I did it. And the old leather seats have some cracks in them, but it surprises people how comfortable they are for 47 year old seats. I took the family to the last drive in movie in NJ, and it was like taking your living room couch with you. People there loved seeing her and talking with me about the car, and took snaps of her up until it got dark. What a fun night.

 

[jamespowers]

Beautiful car. I was expecting black, looks even more lovely in red. Nice to see someone else who enjoys a quiet engine. Loud pipes are the rage in my neck of the woods. Yours sure doesn't look like it was under cover in a barn for 20 years!

Dealing with electrical gremlins in my Colony Park right now. Recently had a fire in her while I was driving. Melted all the wires in the B-Pillar. I had no power inside the car whatsoever. I've got it working now where the dash lights up, the clock and radio, visor vanity lamps, and door panel lights all work. However, the dome lamp above the driver's seat, the one above the tailgate, and the opera lamps (on the outside b-pillar) are still inop.

I think I'm going to have to find a donor car with all that wiring for that portion of the car. The wires in the b-pillar are completely fried and melted.

Holy Crimony! That was quite a mess. They don't sell that harness anymore? I am sure there is someone somewhere who has one. Finding it is the problem.
Oh wait, I found this:
http://www.andysautosport.com/harness_bars/mercury_grand_marquis.html

I have no idea how good they are though. Hope that helps.

 

[AtomicEraTom]

Thank you. Those under-hood ones are even worse. I had a carburetor fire on my '63 Impala, once. Burned all the paint off the top of the hood inside and out. Real mess. I got her running and sold her after that. It's great that he had the gumption to fix everything again, and didn't lose hope in the car after everything.

Well, you sure did a heck of a job cleaning it up. Even if it has its flaws, so what? I bet you didn't pay 30-40 grand for her, either.

Sorry to hear about your car fire. I have a brother in law that had one under the hood of one of his show cars when he stopped to get gas on the way to car show. He was devastated and it took him quite some time to fix the car again. As to my car, you should have seen all the "mice motels" I had to pull out of under seats, in door, under the dash, etc! And it took some real detail cleaning to get ride of the mice and musty smell, but I did it. And the old leather seats have some cracks in them, but it surprises people how comfortable they are for 47 year old seats. I took the family to the last drive in movie in NJ, and it was like taking your living room couch with you. People there loved seeing her and talking with me about the car, and took snaps of her up until it got dark. What a fun night.

It was scary. I was in the drive-thru at Jimmy John's and saw smoke coming out where the seat belt retracts. When I shut the car off, got the fire out, and started it back up, nothing inside worked.

I'll check into the link. There was a guy with a LTD Crown Vic for parts about 25 miles from me, I've been e-mailing back and forth with him, hoping to get not only the harness, but all the extra window switches, motors, rims, tires, and well, anything that will fit my Colony Park. He hasn't gotten back to me in about a week, so I may give your guy a shot. Thanks!

Holy Crimony! That was quite a mess. They don't sell that harness anymore? I am sure there is someone somewhere who has one. Finding it is the problem.
Oh wait, I found this:
http://www.andysautosport.com/harness_bars/mercury_grand_marquis.html

I have no idea how good they are though. Hope that helps.

 

[jamespowers]

It was scary. I was in the drive-thru at Jimmy John's and saw smoke coming out where the seat belt retracts. When I shut the car off, got the fire out, and started it back up, nothing inside worked.

I'll check into the link. There was a guy with a LTD Crown Vic for parts about 25 miles from me, I've been e-mailing back and forth with him, hoping to get not only the harness, but all the extra window switches, motors, rims, tires, and well, anything that will fit my Colony Park. He hasn't gotten back to me in about a week, so I may give your guy a shot. Thanks!

Jimmy John's near the High School? Did you have the #17?
Well, he isn't my guy but he has what you need---I think.

 

[AtomicEraTom]

Yes, Jimmy John's near the high school (I'm kinda scared you knew that lol)

I had the Hunter's Club, I think it's the Number 11.

Jimmy John's near the High School? Did you have the #17?

 

[jamespowers]

Yes, Jimmy John's near the high school (I'm kinda scared you knew that lol)

I had the Hunter's Club, I think it's the Number 11.

I told you. I am like The Shadow.

The Club is number ten. I thought you might go for the J.J Gargantuan. Ever had that one?

 

[Talbot]

That is a witty quote that has a ring of truth to it. The old land yachts are so big and heavy that they took more of the beating instead of the occupants. And my Lincoln weighting in at 280 pounds shy of 3 tons, and being just a hair over 18 feet in length, looking out over the hood almost seems like you're peering down the flight deck of a flattop.

My wife and I were discussing a driving holiday in Europe the other day and the subject of what car to drive came up.

I reckon a mid 60's land yacht with a dent on every panel would garner maximum respect on continental roads