|
KYOON GRIFFEY JR posted:Probably jack poo poo if he had a propane cylinder with the valve closed. Those things are durable. And DOT certified. And found on many travel trailers and campers going down the road every day.
|
#
?
Mar 30, 2023 13:38
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 15, 2024 05:44 |
|
|
Hadlock posted:How did old timey cruise controls work for carbureted cars? Vacuum solenoid pulling the throttle, governed by aa electro-mechanical clockwork with a relay & contacts that was driven off of the speedo cable from the transmission, as well as reading engine vacuum (some aftermarket units used a magnetic pickup installed on the driveline to read output). A second speedo cable proceeded from the box to the speedometer. There was a cut-out switch on the brake side. PainterofCrap fucked around with this message at 15:07 on Mar 30, 2023 |
|
#
?
Mar 30, 2023 15:05
|
|
|
Cruise on a carb was pretty much the same as cruise on the vast majority of pre-OBD2 (and a good chunk of early post-OBD2) fuel injection, to boot. You start seeing more sensors tied together to make the experience better, but things don't fundamentally change about how it was implemented until drive-by-wire throttle bodies became common.
|
|
#
?
Mar 31, 2023 05:07
|
|
|
Is there a decent brand of seat cover that doesn't look like a pillowcase? My Spark's driver's side seat has the beginnings of a tear, thanks to the previous owner probably having a pocket clip on their jeans or something. I'd like to cover it up before it gets any worse. But shopping for seat covers is an exercise in Chinese made poo poo priced between a cup of coffee to brand new loving actual seats. I don't even need a full seat cover, just the butt cushion would work.
|
|
#
?
Apr 1, 2023 12:29
|
|
|
If you want to keep the OEM look you can get an entire seat on car-part.com for $100 depending on where you are. I don't know if the air bags are in the seat but if they are and blown someone might even sell you the lower cushion. Alternatively lower cushion fabric and hog ring pliers work out to about the same. I haven't seen slip over covers that didn't look like rear end on seats with any sort of bolstering
|
|
#
?
Apr 1, 2023 14:47
|
|
|
Powershift posted:If you want to keep the OEM look you can get an entire seat on car-part.com for $100 depending on where you are. I don't know if the air bags are in the seat but if they are and blown someone might even sell you the lower cushion. Oh, wow, thanks for the heads up. I didn’t know that website existed. I’ll just replace the seat whenever I feel bored enough. It’s not powered or heated, so I cannot imagine that being hard to do.
|
|
#
?
Apr 1, 2023 19:07
|
|
|
So my dad taught me how to change the oil in a vehicle back in the late 70's. When we'd change out the filter, he'd always dip his finger in oil and run a bead around the seal on it before screwing it on. Does that serve any purpose, or am I just carrying on my dad's superstition?
|
|
#
?
Apr 2, 2023 02:04
|
|
|
Lucid Nonsense posted:So my dad taught me how to change the oil in a vehicle back in the late 70's. When we'd change out the filter, he'd always dip his finger in oil and run a bead around the seal on it before screwing it on. Does that serve any purpose, or am I just carrying on my dad's superstition? It helps the gasket make a better seal, so keep doing it. Think about suction cups and how they seal better if they're wet. Same principle.
|
|
#
?
Apr 2, 2023 02:17
|
|
|
Lucid Nonsense posted:So my dad taught me how to change the oil in a vehicle back in the late 70's. When we'd change out the filter, he'd always dip his finger in oil and run a bead around the seal on it before screwing it on. Does that serve any purpose, or am I just carrying on my dad's superstition? It's mentioned to do literally this in every Toyota owner's manual I've ever read which is many. They specify to use the new oil.
|
|
#
?
Apr 2, 2023 02:20
|
|
|
The reasoning I've always heard behind it is that it reduces the odds that the gasket sticks to the mounting face when you go to remove the filter in the future, this making it less likely you accidentally double gasket when putting a new filter on.
|
|
#
?
Apr 2, 2023 03:03
|
|
|
Sounds like he was solid on that. What about using c-clamp vise grips to compress the calipers when you're replacing brake pads?
|
|
#
?
Apr 2, 2023 03:31
|
|
|
We’ve all done that too. Nowadays you need a fancy toolkit for some though. Something like this: https://a.co/d/b7qQSP4
|
|
#
?
Apr 2, 2023 04:42
|
|
|
Hi! me again with the 68 318 barracuda. I wanna show you my spark plugs! ok, thats not all. i really want to ask if these look like carbon fouling, and if yes would throwing this at the thing be helpful and wise? https://www.summitracing.com/parts/sum-851003-1/make/plymouth/model/barracuda/year/1968 Its a summit proform distributor kit, comes with stuff that would replace all my crusty stuff. I dont know that mine is bad, but i dont know that its not bad either. i assume its pretty crap though. I figure it cant hurt to replace it..
|
|
#
?
Apr 2, 2023 06:20
|
|
|
Yes, it's carbon fouling. Do you often run it in short spurts without letting it get up to temperature? Don't do that. You can also run a hotter plug. You can also use one of the multi grounf electrode or similar design that reduces carbon foiling. But just try some modern plugs first if those are old. There have been several improvements to reduce fouling since whenever you got those. Old, I'm sure. Well, I'mnot sure if those design features are on these old plug designs. What is that, m14 hex18? Man just get a new car :P
|
|
#
?
Apr 2, 2023 09:16
|
|
|
Your current ignition is a points setup, right? Ditching that for anything newer is almost always a huge upgrade.
|
|
#
?
Apr 2, 2023 09:32
|
|
|
So, just took my car to get the battery checked out as the auto-stop/start and door handle sensors weren't working. The TLDR is that my battery is slightly low (about 65%) due to WFH and that it needs to be charged up to 100% (about 80% minimum for the doors and 90% minimum for the stop-start). They said it would be an overnight job and could leave the car there but I need it for things like nursery dropoffs in the mornings, so that's not really an option. However, they also said I can also get home charging kits for it from Amazon seeing as it'll probably always drop to the level it's at every 3 months or so if I don't use the car more. I drive a 2019 Ford Focus Titanium, but there are a lot of different chargers on Amazon, does anyone have a recommendation on which one to get? Also, having never played about with a car battery, how much risk do I have in either electrocuting myself or breaking something? If it's an overnight duration they're suggesting I'm also just trying to suss out the logistics, like, I'd presumably need to leave the hood open so I'd rather not do that. I don't exactly live in a dodgy neighbourhood or anything (so can leave it charging through the day while I WFH), but I'm assuming it's the kind of thing you can just leave to take care of itself too?
|
|
#
?
Apr 2, 2023 15:04
|
|
|
hedgegnome posted:Hi! me again with the 68 318 barracuda. I wanna show you my spark plugs! It looks like carbon fouling, but we don't know when, or for how long, the engine's been last run up to operating temps and kept there. I'd give then a few swipes with a wire brush, a couple passes with a file to clean the electrodes, gap them, and reinstall. It's way too early to know. As for the distributor: unless the bushing is worn to the point that the driveshaft & rotor are wobbling around, it's probably fine. Read up on gapping the points, and get it running reliably before you do anything. Then I would suggest eventually updating the points with a Pertronix kit. And keep the points in storage. https://pertronixbrands.com/products/pertronix-1381a-ignitor-chrysler-8-cyl?variant=42604177817771 Kin posted:So, just took my car to get the battery checked out as the auto-stop/start and door handle sensors weren't working. This 'percentage of charge' thing is bullshit. They need to load-test it. Sounds like you need a new battery. PainterofCrap fucked around with this message at 15:07 on Apr 2, 2023 |
|
#
?
Apr 2, 2023 15:05
|
|
|
Kin posted:there are a lot of different chargers on Amazon, does anyone have a recommendation on which one to get?
|
|
#
?
Apr 2, 2023 15:12
|
|
|
If it's just dying from lack of driving, a solar panel trickle charger on the dash should work fine. Especially if the car keeps the power socket/lighter powered all the time, that way you don't have to run cables to under the hood. Driving it for an hour should easily have it back to 100% if it was the battery.
|
|
#
?
Apr 2, 2023 15:32
|
|
|
PainterofCrap posted:This 'percentage of charge' thing is bullshit. They need to load-test it. Really? It was the official Ford Service center and I've seen videos suggesting the same thing. If it was a new battery I'm sure they'd have told me to get me to buy one. When I've driven for an hour or so the doors do come back online, but they go back off again after a few days rather than months. The auto stop start has never come back online so I dunno if it's more that I need to drive it for an hour or so every few days or something instead. I'm not 100% if the lighter port stays live when the car is off. Is there a quick way to test if I don't have any peripherals? I'll check out the ctek stuff. A Solar panel sounds ideal to be honest. I don't see the car getting used more frequently at the minute and recharging the battery every 3 or so months will be a pain.
|
|
#
?
Apr 2, 2023 19:15
|
|
|
Kin posted:
Take the kids for a drive out in the country for a couple hours every two weeks.
|
|
#
?
Apr 2, 2023 20:24
|
|
|
wesleywillis posted:Take the kids for a drive out in the country for a couple hours every two weeks. Yeah, it's a good shout and it'll get to that point soon enough I think. My kid is just 16 months, my wife is 6 months pregnant and I'm the only driver (with it being our only car). So far, the weekend routine is us going to the shops to get groceries (a 30 minute total drive) on a Saturday morning, followed by my kid and wife napping from about 12pm to 3pm. Then it's playtime around the house until I start cooking dinner at the back of 4 to feed him before going through the bed/bath routine to get him down for 7. I could squeeze something in on Sunday mornings, but it's just my son's midday nap that puts a bit of a crunch on doing any long day treks. He gets pretty miserable unless he gets his 3 hours in bed. Everything we need is fairly local too. Like the nursery is a 5 minute drive away so there's never a natural need to drive anywhere that's far away week to week.
|
|
#
?
Apr 2, 2023 20:39
|
|
|
Kin posted:Really? It was the official Ford Service center and I've seen videos suggesting the same thing. If it was a new battery I'm sure they'd have told me to get me to buy one. FWIW my stepdad's F-150 lost start/stop until he replaced the battery. Also went through the dealer, he managed to edge it in under warranty - barely. He initially took it in a few days before the warranty ran out, but they had logged it, so when the battery did poo poo out, and they tried to charge him for a new one.. "but I brought it in a few weeks ago for a battery issue and you guys said it just needed to be charged  "(he drives his every day though.. 2019 F-150)
|
|
#
?
Apr 2, 2023 23:47
|
|
|
How can you buy new Chinese motorcycles all day long for $1000 but motorcycle sidecars with no engine no brakes and one wheel start at $2500 goddamn dollars
|
|
#
?
Apr 3, 2023 00:52
|
|
|
Tombstone welders are like $50 on craigslist.
|
|
#
?
Apr 3, 2023 01:18
|
|
|
alright stupid car question time. i am in oregon. so i bought a car on craigslist, real poo poo car but it was cheap and it's drivable which is good enough for me. will probably sink some money into it over time to make it a bit better but in general it was cheap but works. the lady i bought it from had bought it from a guy like four days before and then her husband got mad that she bought it and made her sell it again, apparently. i have a title in the name of the original owner (dated 2019) and the registration in the car also belongs to that owner. that is not the person i bought the car from, i don't know if she signed a bill of sale or a title or whatever but she'd only had the car for a few days anyway. there was a bill of sale in the car dated 3/17, and presumably that's who sold it to the lady i bought it from. point is there's a break in the chain somewhere. what the hell do i need to bring to the DMV to get it registered in my name? if ownership of the car or the chain of bill of sales has lapsed or something, am i just hosed and i can't register the car?
|
|
#
?
Apr 3, 2023 08:06
|
|
|
This is mostly just idle curiosity but anyone know which late 80s or early 90s car has the best aftermarket situation today? Like are there any cars from that era that spares are still plentiful or being made for?
|
|
#
?
Apr 3, 2023 11:31
|
|
|
His Divine Shadow posted:This is mostly just idle curiosity but anyone know which late 80s or early 90s car has the best aftermarket situation today? Like are there any cars from that era that spares are still plentiful or being made for?
|
|
#
?
Apr 3, 2023 12:23
|
|
|
Mustang, Civic, Miata, Jeep Cherokee XJ, Jeep Wrangler, pickups in general…. I think also probably Mk3/4 VW, E36 BMW, Porsches, Corvettes and anything “sporty” Anything with even a slight enthusiast community usually has a decent enough aftermarket for stock/stock-style or modification parts, unless it’s like incredibly rare or esoteric. Also as certain cars appreciate that changes things (a good example of this is Porsche and the whole cottage industry that has grown up around turning $10k Porsches into $50k Porsches) trilobite terror fucked around with this message at 12:35 on Apr 3, 2023 |
|
#
?
Apr 3, 2023 12:30
|
|
|
Dodge K cars? Camaro? The dodge neon was sold in '94 and variants of that engine went into the pt cruiser and probably base model dodge caravan through 2000 Crown Vic is on the panther platform that ran from '79-'12 Mustang is probably best answer Comedy answer: Citroen 2CV, VW beetle, Shay Ford Model A, Fiat 126p Extra comedy answer: Trabant 601
|
|
#
?
Apr 3, 2023 12:34
|
|
|
His Divine Shadow posted:This is mostly just idle curiosity but anyone know which late 80s or early 90s car has the best aftermarket situation today? Like are there any cars from that era that spares are still plentiful or being made for? If we're talking about new OEM-like parts then lots of things. My little sister in law who just turned 16 has a new to her 95 Dodge Dakota that we've all helped her get going (it was $500 bucks  ). Replaced the entire brake system, suspension, AC system (sans condenser), entirely wiper arm system and a bunch of other smaller things like light housings all from Rock Auto and local shops cheaply. We haven't had trouble getting new replacement parts for it at all. Aftermarket performance parts will be Mustang for sure, Corvette maybe?
|
|
#
?
Apr 3, 2023 14:41
|
|
|
If you're looking for things with long term parts support you're better off buying things made in huge quantities that have pretty long life - mid 90s camrys, etc. Platform sharing for mechanical parts helps. The first stuff to go is usually sheet metal and maybe interior trim bits. Sheet metal can be available used but it's a bit of a crap shoot especially in rust prone areas.
|
|
#
?
Apr 3, 2023 15:25
|
|
|
I was mostly curious since a guy from the US I know, sold his 1989 Mazda pickup because getting parts for it was getting to be a hassle, he claimed. Which made me wonder if that's a common thing, or if Mazda pickups where rare where he was or if it's just the breaks when dealing with older cars. I've been keeping an eye open since last year for an 80s or early 90s Japanese pickup as well as a project car so it made me think if that was gonna be a think. I'd like a toyota though and those where made in large numbers. I did run across this sweet Mazda B2200 just now however: 
|
|
#
?
Apr 3, 2023 16:07
|
|
|
Thumbtacks posted:alright stupid car question time. i am in oregon. So you bought a car with a jumped title? That's not a very good idea. And how you deal with it is 100% state dependent. His Divine Shadow posted:I was mostly curious since a guy from the US I know, sold his 1989 Mazda pickup because getting parts for it was getting to be a hassle, he claimed. It's a ford. There are parts for it at every corner parts store. There is no problem at all finding anything other than body sheet metal. I have no idea how that would work outside of the US.
|
|
#
?
Apr 3, 2023 16:18
|
|
|
The 98+ mazda were fords built in the US, an '89 was manufactured in Japan (according to wikipedia) which yeah would make parts difficult to find probably Domestic trucks are really easy to find parts for going back to the 1950s. Cars tend to have much shorter parts availability except for notable exceptions
|
|
#
?
Apr 3, 2023 16:27
|
|
|
LMC truck will repop a lot of bits. Some parts will still be exceptionally rare. Painless still does not support post '88 fseries. Corvettes/camaro/mustang will also have lots of support in a similar vein. Getting into weird esoteric fox or panther derivatives may result in trim and such that's not available.
|
|
#
?
Apr 3, 2023 16:47
|
|
|
My parents have a 97 VW Cabrio that was in cosmetically very good shape when it was moved outside in 2010. Despite my constant kvetching about it for 13 years the car has been allowed to deteriorate and get wet. The vinyl soft top cracked on it some time in the early 2010s and that allowed water to get in over the years, causing spots of concentrated damage against an otherwise mostly still very clean car. Also, in spite of the relative neglect in terms of exposure the car has always been fairly well taken care of mechanically and in a general sense. It runs well and drives well and is mostly in good order as a vehicle. Mostly it’s been used as a “summer car” and then left alone in the winter unless I’ve been around and then I’d usually take it out and give it a look over, etc. So anyway, now after 13 years of “nobody’s going to give a poo poo about an old Volkswagen, shut up Comboomer” my mom and dad talked to their Ford Thunderbird restoring neighbor who pointed out that they should fix it up before it got worse (at least replace the soft top) and that Cabrios were cool and so now they wanna fix up the car (finally, otherwise I would’ve done it). Everything is mostly fine. It needs a new top, a new rear seat cushion cover, a new muffler, and paint refresh on the bumper covers, hood, and trunklid. However- the passenger side door has a seriously bad case of rust cancer. This was my main sore spot in college/etc, because I remember pointing it out like a decade ago when it was a small spot on the inner lip and my dad kept telling me he wasn’t worried about it. Now the whole corner is as brittle as a nacho chip. Assuming that the whole car probably has a few rust spots I’m not fully aware of that need addressing for longevity’s sake but is otherwise in as good shape as I hope, how reasonable is it going to be to repair this door? At minimum, the whole corner needs to be removed and welded/patched. I’m worried that the door is just lost at this point, too expensive to fix, and that the best option will be a hard-to-source replacement. You can buy a cosmetically good Mk3 or Mk4 (ie “3.5”, since the Mk4 Cabrio is just a facelifted 3 with Mk4 front and back panels + factory rear discs, as opposed to the Jetta/Golf which were whole new cars) for like $5-7k with similar or fewer miles often with recently done fabric tops. My dad wants to spend maybe up to that amount getting the car refurbished and sorted (ideally probably more like $3-5k), because he’s attached to it and it’s his car, but if the budget gets too unreasonable and it makes more sense to just go out and get another Cabrio then he might just do that instead. Everybody in the family is very fond of this car. We know its history more or less, aside from the first owner, and AFAIK it doesn’t have any hidden lemon problems. I hate to think that the car’s value will be shot or that it will become economically untenable to keep because of the stupid door that I spent almost a decade and a half bitching about. I also wouldn’t want to have to go looking for a Mk3 Cabrio door in less rusted shape, or have to buy a more busted car for its door, etc.
|
|
#
?
Apr 3, 2023 17:05
|
|
|
Is the rust in the door, or the frame rail/sill that supports the weight of the car You can probably go pull a cabrio door from a junkyard and swap out the electronics to get a fully functional door for a couple hundred bucks, more if they're different colors If it's the frame rail, on a convertible, that's a different story
|
|
#
?
Apr 3, 2023 17:44
|
|
|
Hadlock posted:Domestic trucks are really easy to find parts for going back to the 1950s. Cars tend to have much shorter parts availability except for notable exceptions The only reason I can fathom why a "truck" would have better parts availability than a "car" is because the big three left the underpinnings of each of their trucks alone for the better part of decades at a time. It's entirely demand-based, and when the same single part number for a set of front brake pads covers literally thirty years of GM products, you're still going to have no problem finding those. A pre-Ford B-series I would still expect to be able to find the most routine maintenance items in stock at nearly any parts store, and less common replacements available in-town for same/next day availability. If OP's friend claimed parts availability is the issue, either a) they live two weeks from everywhere, or b) they really mean aftermarket modifications, and I would expect the pickings for that truck to be pretty slim if you can't hop in a time machine and call up some vendors from Minitruckin' Magazine 20 years ago.
|
|
#
?
Apr 3, 2023 19:06
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 15, 2024 05:44 |
|
|
IOwnCalculus posted:The only reason I can fathom why a "truck" would have better parts availability than a "car" is because the big three left the underpinnings of each of their trucks alone for the better part of decades at a time. It's entirely demand-based, and when the same single part number for a set of front brake pads covers literally thirty years of GM products, you're still going to have no problem finding those. Ford still uses twin I beam dating from the 60s. The floor shifter for the 4wd system on my 1990 F350 is the same used in the 2021 F350. Theres a safe ~10-20 year span where electrical connectors and such can interchange. Wiring harness color coordination ime are a 6 month to 20 month production window with specific harnesses for each trim line.
|
|
#
?
Apr 3, 2023 19:24
|
|