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Hiking Lifestyle/Car Talk :)

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    • Don't envy the van.
      They are a lot of work to keep running reliably.
      You can't bring an old, air cooled engine, car to just any shop.
      First they'd have to find the engine in the back.
      Then, most young mechanics don't understand a Kettering ignition system, or have any experience with things like points and condensers.
      And on, and on, and on................

    • LIhikers wrote:

      Don't envy the van.
      They are a lot of work to keep running reliably.
      You can't bring an old, air cooled engine, car to just any shop.
      First they'd have to find the engine in the back.
      Then, most young mechanics don't understand a Kettering ignition system, or have any experience with things like points and condensers.
      And on, and on, and on................
      Word :D

      My roommate had one...he was always under the hood, even at traffic light, I still don't have a clue what he'd do back there, but he kept it runnin' :thumbup:

    • the motors in the old bugs were easy to change. Growing up my friend had a vw kit car and one weekend his parents went to the beach and we swapped in his dads supped up motor in like 30 minutes. Hot rodded around town all wekend and switched motors back on Sunday
      "Dazed and Confused"
      Recycle, re-use, re-purpose
      Plant a tree
      Take a kid hiking
      Make a difference

    • it was called a Bradley GT. Fiberglass body with gull wing doors. Engine in back behind an access door. Just 4 bolts for the motor, throttle cable and fuel line was all there was to undo/hook up. Swapped the motors with two floor jacks- his dad had an identical car. We were some crazy teenagers.
      "Dazed and Confused"
      Recycle, re-use, re-purpose
      Plant a tree
      Take a kid hiking
      Make a difference

    • jimmyjam wrote:

      it was called a Bradley GT. Fiberglass body with gull wing doors. Engine in back behind an access door. Just 4 bolts for the motor, throttle cable and fuel line was all there was to undo/hook up. Swapped the motors with two floor jacks- his dad had an identical car. We were some crazy teenagers.
      i remember that! i read an article in a car magazine or popular mechanics or something like that years and years ago about the bradley gt. that car really looked neat to this teenager. i even sent away for a brochure.

      i was trying to figure out how i could somehow swing one of those...
      2,000 miler

    • max.patch wrote:

      jimmyjam wrote:

      it was called a Bradley GT. Fiberglass body with gull wing doors. Engine in back behind an access door. Just 4 bolts for the motor, throttle cable and fuel line was all there was to undo/hook up. Swapped the motors with two floor jacks- his dad had an identical car. We were some crazy teenagers.
      i remember that! i read an article in a car magazine or popular mechanics or something like that years and years ago about the bradley gt. that car really looked neat to this teenager. i even sent away for a brochure.
      i was trying to figure out how i could somehow swing one of those...
      My cousin try to convince me to try that, but I didn't.
      The road to glory cannot be followed with much baggage.
      Richard Ewell, CSA General

    • jimmyjam wrote:

      it was called a Bradley GT. Fiberglass body with gull wing doors. Engine in back behind an access door. Just 4 bolts for the motor, throttle cable and fuel line was all there was to undo/hook up. Swapped the motors with two floor jacks- his dad had an identical car. We were some crazy teenagers.
      It takes a little longer on a VW bus.
      The later the model year the more it took as they added smog control, fuel injection, and a rear motor mount bar

    • I had a buddy in college (mid to late 1970's). His dad collected.........Corvairs. BUT, only from like 1965 to 1969 as he agreed with Nader....those copied-from-VW Swing Axles....... Anyway, he kept spare motor and transmissions (3 speeds, 4 speed and auto). On a Saturday morning, he could change out an entire drive train. He had like NINE Corvairs. One was like a 1969, 4-door, convertible. I saw the letter from GM, pretty much said "name your price, we want the car back". My buddy said the funniest thing was watching his dad decide, everyday, to go to work. He always sat at the same seat at the kitchen table. Right behind him was a key rack with 9 sets of Corvair keys. Without looking, he'd reach back and grab a set. THAT car was to be driven to work. Even if it was in the garage. Which meant moving....all of them. He had two in the garage, three parked right behind the garage, then two more parked side-wise to that.
      We had about 3 VW beetles around the same time. Oldest was like a 1965. Interesting to keep running. We also had a VW "1600 Sedan", which was never imported into the US! My dad was retired military and all we could figure was a GI shipped it back (we lived near a base) OR, it came in thru Canada. Interesting to get Metric parts from the ONE dealer in Fort Worth Texas who had any idea what a "1600 VW Sedan" even was.
      Pirating – Corporate Takeover without the paperwork

    • rhjanes wrote:

      I had a buddy in college (mid to late 1970's). His dad collected.........Corvairs. BUT, only from like 1965 to 1969 as he agreed with Nader....those copied-from-VW Swing Axles....... Anyway, he kept spare motor and transmissions (3 speeds, 4 speed and auto). On a Saturday morning, he could change out an entire drive train. He had like NINE Corvairs. One was like a 1969, 4-door, convertible. I saw the letter from GM, pretty much said "name your price, we want the car back". My buddy said the funniest thing was watching his dad decide, everyday, to go to work. He always sat at the same seat at the kitchen table. Right behind him was a key rack with 9 sets of Corvair keys. Without looking, he'd reach back and grab a set. THAT car was to be driven to work. Even if it was in the garage. Which meant moving....all of them. He had two in the garage, three parked right behind the garage, then two more parked side-wise to that.
      We had about 3 VW beetles around the same time. Oldest was like a 1965. Interesting to keep running. We also had a VW "1600 Sedan", which was never imported into the US! My dad was retired military and all we could figure was a GI shipped it back (we lived near a base) OR, it came in thru Canada. Interesting to get Metric parts from the ONE dealer in Fort Worth Texas who had any idea what a "1600 VW Sedan" even was.
      This reminded me about my uncle, who always had some form of a VW. ( I actually have to Uncles that are obsessed with VW's!) but thus one, when I was very little lived up in the Schenectady NY area and had this really cool VW Dune Buggy that he would take us out on all the time. When he moved to Ohio he sold it and bought, I believe, 76 VW convertible bug. When they then moved again to the other side of Ohio ( He was an engineer that moved with the company he worked for) he sold the bug. Now Im older and Im in his garage talking shop and i see this transmission laying on the floor of the garage and inquire about it. He tells me its a rare 4 speed Corvaor transmission that he's been lugging around since he lived in NY.
      Anyway, just reminded me about that! lol
      RIAP

    • I didn't mention, the two Corvairs on the street. My college buddies was on the street, a 1966 Corvair Corsa (hot rod model), had like four carbs, close ratio 4 speed. It was quick! The other Corvair on the street was his brothers. I forget what model it was. And the moms Chevy wagon, the one with the 327.....
      We had fun with cars back then. I had my Mustang (still have it). We ran with a girl whose family had MG's. She'd tell us where the key was stashed and we could "Borrow" the convertible for lunch. Another friend, just sold his 1966 Mustang. his dad.......1968 Torino 428 Cobra Jet (bought new), 1968 Shelby GT500....a Viper.....a hot rod truck....I think he forgot where he had some of his Ford's parked (he had rent houses).

      Sadly, both those wonderful men are deceased.
      Pirating – Corporate Takeover without the paperwork

    • rhjanes wrote:

      I didn't mention, the two Corvairs on the street. My college buddies was on the street, a 1966 Corvair Corsa (hot rod model), had like four carbs, close ratio 4 speed. It was quick! The other Corvair on the street was his brothers. I forget what model it was. And the moms Chevy wagon, the one with the 327.....
      We had fun with cars back then. I had my Mustang (still have it). We ran with a girl whose family had MG's. She'd tell us where the key was stashed and we could "Borrow" the convertible for lunch. Another friend, just sold his 1966 Mustang. his dad.......1968 Torino 428 Cobra Jet (bought new), 1968 Shelby GT500....a Viper.....a hot rod truck....I think he forgot where he had some of his Ford's parked (he had rent houses).

      Sadly, both those wonderful men are deceased.
      When my uncle went off to Veitnam, my Grams took over his Corvair....she loved it. Drove it till he got home.......she then bought one of our towns first 'Tyoters'.....what she called it!
      Cheesecake> Ramen :thumbsup:

    • Blue Jay La Fey wrote:

      A thousand years ago I had an old (even then) VW Bug. Changed engines a few times with my Father laughing at me.
      He's gone and I'd give anything to hear that laugh again.
      He never found out that when the floor rusted out I built a frame and poured a concrete floor. It went much better in the snow.
      My first car was a 65 Mustang. Had a 289 in it. I immediately put headers and glass pack mufflers on it ... I beat the living hell out of that car!! As is typical of mustangs my floor boards rusted out and replaced them with old wall panel king. Worked great! Drove that for a little over a year until the rear end, the tranny and then eventually the engine went.
      RIAP

    • I learned to drive on a 68 VW squareback wagon. Great car for doing doughnuts in the snow (rear engine, rear drive). I used to see how much I could drive around town without the clutch. Get the engine running the right speed and you can shift with no clutch. If you come to a stop light you would have to idle in first gear at a few mph and try not to come to a complete stop.

    • LIhikers wrote:

      Everybody from a certain generation or two has VW stories :)
      My oldest sister as teenager was driving home one night from her fast food job and flipped her VW bug over 2.5 times. Fortunately she was OK. The next day we got it flipped back over and I rode with my dad in it to the junk yard. We got some strange looks from people. Wish we had smart phones with cameras back then. :rolleyes:
      The road to glory cannot be followed with much baggage.
      Richard Ewell, CSA General

    • Trebor wrote:

      My first car was a 73 VW Bug. Paid a hundred bucks for it. Drove it for about a year until the engine caught fire as I was driving down the road. The FD had a fun time putting out that magnesium block.....
      Happen to a friend of mine as well, fuel filter they think, the block was in a puddle on the ground. most impressive car fire it was, lasted all of about 6 min. We were at a amusement park and they had their own fire trucks there, lucky for us, but still not quick enough. All I remember him saying was "save the tapes" he had a lot of grateful dead tapes...we saved em. Funny I may see him Friday night and haven't seen him in almost thirty years, that is one story I know will get told again.

    • socks wrote:

      Trebor wrote:

      My first car was a 73 VW Bug. Paid a hundred bucks for it. Drove it for about a year until the engine caught fire as I was driving down the road. The FD had a fun time putting out that magnesium block.....
      Happen to a friend of mine as well, fuel filter they think, the block was in a puddle on the ground. most impressive car fire it was, lasted all of about 6 min. We were at a amusement park and they had their own fire trucks there, lucky for us, but still not quick enough. All I remember him saying was "save the tapes" he had a lot of grateful dead tapes...we saved em. Funny I may see him Friday night and haven't seen him in almost thirty years, that is one story I know will get told again.
      Irony at its finest - When mine caught fire I was a volunteer firefighter and was responding to a fire call......
      RIAP

    • Trebor wrote:

      socks wrote:

      Trebor wrote:

      My first car was a 73 VW Bug. Paid a hundred bucks for it. Drove it for about a year until the engine caught fire as I was driving down the road. The FD had a fun time putting out that magnesium block.....
      Happen to a friend of mine as well, fuel filter they think, the block was in a puddle on the ground. most impressive car fire it was, lasted all of about 6 min. We were at a amusement park and they had their own fire trucks there, lucky for us, but still not quick enough. All I remember him saying was "save the tapes" he had a lot of grateful dead tapes...we saved em. Funny I may see him Friday night and haven't seen him in almost thirty years, that is one story I know will get told again.
      Irony at its finest - When mine caught fire I was a volunteer firefighter and was responding to a fire call......
      The first law of Murphy.
      I may grow old but I'll never grow up.

    • That Pinto gas tank always reminds me of the movie Top Secret. A great movie if you are into a little silly parody comedies.

      On a side not old Val Kilmer did not look so good on the magazine covers at the Walmart checkout stands this week.
      The road to glory cannot be followed with much baggage.
      Richard Ewell, CSA General

    • My first car was a motorcycle, couldn't afford a car, next was the VW

      Astro wrote:

      That Pinto gas tank always reminds me of the movie Top Secret. A great movie if you are into a little silly parody comedies.

      On a side not old Val Kilmer did not look so good on the magazine covers at the Walmart checkout stands this week.
      Top Secret is one of my all time favorites, followed by Airplane and Austin Powers...loved the rest room stall fight scene with #2, the wife and I use some of his lines regularly...."how dare you break wind before me", "I'm sorry, was it your turn".
      I may grow old but I'll never grow up.

    • Drybones wrote:

      My first car was a motorcycle, couldn't afford a car, next was the VW

      Astro wrote:

      That Pinto gas tank always reminds me of the movie Top Secret. A great movie if you are into a little silly parody comedies.

      On a side not old Val Kilmer did not look so good on the magazine covers at the Walmart checkout stands this week.
      Top Secret is one of my all time favorites, followed by Airplane and Austin Powers...loved the rest room stall fight scene with #2, the wife and I use some of his lines regularly...."how dare you break wind before me", "I'm sorry, was it your turn".
      Groovy baybay. :D

    • My first two vehicles were motorcycles, then two 4-cyl pickups, and now a car.

      I could handle the bugs in the teeth for the bikes, I kept my mouth closed. It was the freezing temperatures that did me in. So I sold it and gave that up. Oh, I used the second bike as a trade in on the first one.
      --
      "What do you mean its sunrise already ?!", me.

    • my first "vehicle" was a bike with a lawn mower engine attached to it with power transferred to the rear wheel via a belt drive. then i progressed to a real mini bike.

      at 15 i got my hawg -- a honda 50. step thru model. florida was so stupid, you had to be 16 to drive a car, but they let kids at 15 get a motorcycle license and drive anywhere a car could go. screw up in a car ya got some sheet metal to protect ya. screw up on a motorcyle and its a whole nother story.
      2,000 miler