anyone else into bringing classic autos back to life?

[blizz]

here's my project....she runs ok, just has a lot of rust that needs to be cut out and replaced with good metal. after that it's gravy

72 K5

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5063/5647485880_663afce207_z.jpg

[Dr. Gonzo]

Yeah I'm a real mechanic type. I work on cars.

[PM5K]

That's a hobby I just can't afford. I'd love to otherwise.

[TwAnKiEs]

I had a 1963 Mercury Meteor when I was 16. Let it go after a while cuz parts were too hard to find since it was only made 2 years :depressed

[JoeChalupa]

I watch the car auctions on channel 131 on TWC and they have some beautiful vehicles from the past that simply rock.

[rr2418]

A 1975 Dodge Charger ! That car kicked ass!!

[blizz]

That's a hobby I just can't afford. I'd love to otherwise.

that's why it's taken me 4 years already to just put the top on..:lol

[Frenzy]

I would but I don't know enough to restore a car. I wouldn't know whether to get the maya hoff lifters first or the Johnson rod..

[Soul_Patch]

I would love to do it, if i had some space to work on them. Like a barn or something.

[blizz]

I had a 1963 Mercury Meteor when I was 16. Let it go after a while cuz parts were too hard to find since it was only made 2 years :depressed
who is in yer sig??

[Sportcamper]

K-5’s are nice restore 4x4’s…I like them more than the old Ford Broncos…There are lots of them in So Cal with no rust except for the door panels…There are several aftermarket online parts suppliers that have replacement panels for the door rust problems as well as an entire catalogue for factory spec parts…You can do the entire interior yourself…

http://www.chevytrucks.org/

[CosmicCowboy]

Looks like a fun restore project...


K-5’s are nice restore 4x4’s…I like them more than the old Ford Broncos…There are lots of them in So Cal with no rust except for the door panels…There are several aftermarket online parts suppliers that have replacement panels for the door rust problems as well as an entire catalogue for factory spec parts…You can do the entire interior yourself…

http://www.chevytrucks.org/

Meh, I liked the old scouts...they were perfect ranch runners...drop the top and doors off...they were geared perfectly...you could drop it into second and take your foot off the gas and they would just cruise right along at the perfect speed.

[Sportcamper]

Not saying that Scouts were not fun 4x4’s (way back in the 70’s)… but they were unreliable troublesome vehicles…K-5’s can easily be equipped with factory crate 350 CI engines & TH-700 transmissions making them modern reliable trucks…

[CosmicCowboy]

Not saying that Scouts were not fun 4x4’s (way back in the 70’s)… but they were unreliable troublesome vehicles…K-5’s can easily be equipped with factory crate 350 CI engines & TH-700 transmissions making them modern reliable trucks…

My last project truck was a '44 Willys jeep I dropped a 327 Chevy in. Had to get rid of it when my kids started driving it because it was dangerous scary fast.

[Sportcamper]

The Willys was designed for a 60 hp 4 cylinder motor & you drop in a 300 plus HP V8…It could have flipped right over when hill climbing…:lol A K-5 is a much heavier vehicle…It can handle a big block 454 motor…

[CosmicCowboy]

The Willys was designed for a 60 hp 4 cylinder motor & you drop in a 300 plus HP V8…It could have flipped right over when hill climbing…:lol A K-5 is a much heavier vehicle…It can handle a big block 454 motor…

But can it scratch all 4 wheels when you punch it in third?...:lol

[blizz]

Not saying that Scouts were not fun 4x4’s (way back in the 70’s)… but they were unreliable troublesome vehicles…K-5’s can easily be equipped with factory crate 350 CI engines & TH-700 transmissions making them modern reliable trucks…

I've got a crate 350 sitting here waiting to be put in. I'll do that after the rust gets repaired. I like to try my hand at several things, cutting out pieces of sheet metal that are integral parts of the trucks structure and rigidity? I don't think so. I'm having a guy from a body shop come out and to it on the side. Should take him a couple of weekends to complete. Then the new motor goes in and it's on. All that will be left will be to replace smaller parts here and there but it will see significant road time. I need to get a roll bar for it and I plan on having the interior line-x'd so it's not a show type restore, just a reliable, functional daily driver restore. I also need to rig up a pulley system in my garage so that I can take the top off by myself.

[Sportcamper]

You can't go wrong with a 350 crate in a K-5...Looks like a nice project…:tu

Maybe give yourself a year though…Take your time before installing the motor…You are going to learn a lot of new tricks...Go online & check out Chevy Truck forums…I learned a lot about Suburban’s & big block over heating fix’s from tips I received online…Most guys cant wait to drop in the new motor & slap on rims & they cut too many corners…In the 80’s I spent 2 years making a VW show car that had no rust or body damage to start with…When I was done I beat out the cover car of Hot VW’s at an LA Auto Show…

[blizz]

Oh I've had the blazer for close to 5 years and have been a member of a blazer forum for as long. I've had the motor sittin for almost a year. My brother bought one shortly after I bought mine and we have about 5 friends that we met off the Blazer forum that live here so through them and the board I've learned quite a bit about these trucks. I've been stockpiling sheet metal and am ready to have that fixed up.

[benefactor]

I was going to fix up my high school car...a '56 Bel-Air sedan...but I had to sell it when I bought my new house. I'm torn between going after another old school or buying a Can Am Spyder.

[Wild Cobra]

I had two cars in the past I wish I kept. The first was a 1970 Coronet. Not special at all, stock with a 2bbl 318 and tall gears. However, after getting rid of it, I found out it was rare among the "B" body cars. The rear side windows were different than most of the same model and year. The second was a 1977 Firebird Esprit. It was the same type of Firebird in The Rockford Files when the '77 was used. Same nose as the Trans Am in Smokey and the Bandit, the '77 and '78 shared that nose. Mine had all the Trans Am body parts attached and repainted a marine blue. What was special about it? Not too much except it was the '77 with the optional engine. The Esprit standard engine was a 6 cylinder. The optional V8 was the Oldsmobile 350 Rocket. With that engine and automatic, it was all factory stock with a 4 core radiator, 4BBL quadraject, and 2.73 gears. I had the car in Germany, and it would easily break 160 MPH, no sweat. It would always nicely pass German spec licensed cars with the ignition cutoff at 250 KPH (155.3 MPH). That 350 Olds, with it large intakes loved that 4500-5000 RPM range for high speed cruising. I've probably been past 170 MPH, but the speedometer only read to 85, and would stop just at the 0 peg, and I would still gain speed.

[Wild Cobra]

Before someone says "they never put an Olds 350 in a Firebird." Had this discussion before with so-called experts.

Motorera: 1977 FIREBIRD (http://www.motorera.com/firebird/firebird77.htm)

[marini martini]

Would love to have my HS car!!!:tu


http://i788.photobucket.com/albums/yy168/vw_stylin1/My%201968%20VW%20Stylin/3037451959_32b25da133.jpg

[benefactor]

Before someone says "they never put an Olds 350 in a Firebird." Had this discussion before with so-called experts.

Motorera: 1977 FIREBIRD (http://www.motorera.com/firebird/firebird77.htm)
I grew up around old T/A's. My uncle is a huge T/A head and has had many really nice ones. My favorites where his '73 455 SD and his '79 Silver Anniversary. After years of buying and selling, he's now settled into a '79 Y84 Black Special Edition. He bought it with like 30K on it and it's completely original. Only about 1100 were made. People at T/A shows geek out every time he shows it.

[Sportcamper]

I was a teenager during the peak of the muscle car era…It is no secret that today’s cars are far superior than the cars made in the 60’s & 70’s…The Hemi's were temperamental…The Vets & Firebirds had inadequate braking…Road Runners & Chargers were great in a straight line but had the sloppiest steering & handling imaginable…Javelins broke down just leaving the show room…But there is one car that we had that was the perfect balance of reliability, power & handling…My father had a 1970 Malibu SS…350 cu in Small-Block …3-speed automatic…It was one of the finest cars Chevrolet ever made….Not as fast or powerful as most other muscle cars but it ran perfectly, handled well, the brakes and tires were oversized for a vehicle of that era…He later traded it in for a brand new 1973 Mustang 302…One of the biggest pieces of junk to ever come out of Detroit…Live & Learn…:lol

http://t0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQJNW3Ed8AlOkKkxW3Tvm87nrbR7o18g AeclGr6EpzWal60ZnMB

[4>0rings]

My dad got rif of his 69' Mach 1 because of his ex-wife...



FUUUUUUUUUUUUUU

[CosmicCowboy]

I was a teenager during the peak of the muscle car era…It is no secret that today’s cars are far superior than the cars made in the 60’s & 70’s…The Hemi's were temperamental…The Vets & Firebirds had inadequate braking…Road Runners & Chargers were great in a straight line but had the sloppiest steering & handling imaginable…Javelins broke down just leaving the show room…But there is one car that we had that was the perfect balance of reliability, power & handling…My father had a 1970 Malibu SS…350 cu in Small-Block …3-speed automatic…It was one of the finest cars Chevrolet ever made….Not as fast or powerful as most other muscle cars but it ran perfectly, handled well, the brakes and tires were oversized for a vehicle of that era…He later traded it in for a brand new 1973 Mustang 302…One of the biggest pieces of junk to ever come out of Detroit…Live & Learn…:lol

http://t0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQJNW3Ed8AlOkKkxW3Tvm87nrbR7o18g AeclGr6EpzWal60ZnMB

I think back on how bad the steering/suspension was on those muscle cars compared to how much power they had and it's a miracle any of us survived high school.

[Wild Cobra]

I think back on how bad the steering/suspension was on those muscle cars compared to how much power they had and it's a miracle any of us survived high school.
We only raced them in strait lines...

[blizz]

I was a teenager during the peak of the muscle car era…It is no secret that today’s cars are far superior than the cars made in the 60’s & 70’s…The Hemi's were temperamental…The Vets & Firebirds had inadequate braking…Road Runners & Chargers were great in a straight line but had the sloppiest steering & handling imaginable…Javelins broke down just leaving the show room…But there is one car that we had that was the perfect balance of reliability, power & handling…My father had a 1970 Malibu SS…350 cu in Small-Block …3-speed automatic…It was one of the finest cars Chevrolet ever made….Not as fast or powerful as most other muscle cars but it ran perfectly, handled well, the brakes and tires were oversized for a vehicle of that era…He later traded it in for a brand new 1973 Mustang 302…One of the biggest pieces of junk to ever come out of Detroit…Live & Learn…:lol

http://t0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQJNW3Ed8AlOkKkxW3Tvm87nrbR7o18g AeclGr6EpzWal60ZnMB

My father had a 70 Chevelle SS with a 396 in it. It was red with the black stripes and a vinyl top. IMO, the best muscle car of all time. That thing was beautiful.

[CosmicCowboy]

We only raced them in strait lines...

We did a lot of 1/4 mile stuff, but rat raced too. Was driving a friends brand new Boss 351 in high school (he had just gotten his license and was afraid to drive fast) and got into it with some guys we knew in a challenger T/A. They got the rabbit position first...I was right on his ass as we both went power sliding through a stop sign turning right and damned if there wasn't a SAPD parked about 200 feet down the road filling out reports...he flipped on his lights and whipped around after us...I pulled over immediately and the T/A kept going...I jumped out and yelled "officer, officer, those guys just egged my moms car!" and he said "follow me!" and took off after the T/A. Of course, I turned off after a couple of blocks and got the hell out of there...:lol....

[CosmicCowboy]

I drove a POS Galaxy 500 in high school for awhile that was black on the bottom with a white top...it was basically identical to what DPS was driving at the time. Had a CB radio (we used them out at little green valley (the local illegal drag racing hangout) to warn when the county sheriffs were coming...I wired the CB with an external speaker and bought one of those "Starsky and Hutch" magnetic rotating red lights...I was a real dick...I would slide up behind dopers I knew that were cruising, flip on the light, and get on the speaker and say "pull it over, boys!"...then watch the baggies come flying out the window...

[Sportcamper]

We had Saturday Night street races in an industrial area now known as Warner Center….They carved up the lots & paved some of the streets a decade before they actually got the business district going…No houses or schools nearby…The LAPD would check it out all night and as long as there was no beer or pot they left us alone…Real American Graffiti stuff…There was always a couple Dads present who were really into muscle cars & wanted to see how the new headers or Holley was working out…It was awesome…

My friend had a beautiful 1968 Firebird 400 which he flared the fenders on to fit bigger tires & took the 400 emblems off the hood & put 350 emblems on…Anyone familiar with GM cars knows that the hoods of the big blocks have two humps in them so the big block can fit…The small blocks had flat hoods…But even so before the race the opposition would look under the hood to see the stock engine & Holly 780 & proceed thinking it was a small block…(The two engines look nothing alike)…That car was a smoker & could get up to 100 mph quickly…But the brakes would wash out after two races….If those streets were no so long it would have been disastrous…He sold the car for about $800.00 during the 1979 energy crisis…You could have picked up a Hemi Cuda for $1000.00 at that time….Everybody thought that the V-8 was gone forever…

[Sportcamper]

My father had a 70 Chevelle SS with a 396 in it. It was red with the black stripes and a vinyl top. IMO, the best muscle car of all time. That thing was beautiful.

The 396 Chevelle's are the Collectors choice…Ours was definitely a Small block with the SS package…They made a lot of California Special vehicles back then…Mostly they were the stock version with nice wheels and paint…You know “all show & no go” like the general populace of Southern California…:toast

[TwAnKiEs]

who is in yer sig??

Olivia Munn (yumm yumm munn, lol)