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mariooncrack posted:I'm going to second this. Essentially, you want to take a 50 year old car you've never driven and depend on it to start up every time and get you everywhere you need to. I'd like to third/fourth this! Having a classic car as your only vehicle sucks. If you want to daily drive only classics then you need multiple and a tleast one needs to be something that you don't care about and is not worth much money. You need lots of free time to maintain them. Having a classic as your secondary car doesn't mean that you can't drive it non-stop for a month if you like - but means that if it breaks, or you need to park it somewhere lovely or it gets cold/wet/icey you can jump in the modern car and leave it parked up for as long as necessary. When a classic car breaks it can take a week to get the parts and then another week to get the parts that broke while you were fixing the first issue. (I'm a month into trying to get brake discs for my 40 y.o saab) think about everywhere you drive to and park your current car. would you want to leave a (inherently less secure and more desirable) classic car that you have invested time, money and effort in parked in all those places at all times of day? or drive it down all those roads in all weather conditions?
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Jan 14, 2021 12:49
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STR posted:I'm gonna go against the grain and suggest at least having comprehensive and the lowest rental coverage on it. Also with the rental coverage get the roadside assistance/towing coverage. Last thing you want is to have to leave a nice classic car abandoned on the side of the road somewhere. Just have it towed home immediately, deal with the repair in the morning.
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Jan 14, 2021 14:43
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Also gonna argue against towing coverage.... through insurance, anyway. A lot of the time they'll put limits on where it can be towed (ASE certified shop, for example, instead of home) and pretty low mileage limits for the tow. AAA Plus tows up to 100 miles here (it varies state by state), and doesn't cost much more per month than what insurance would charge. Premier AAA in TX will get you three 100 mile tows and one 200 mile tow, with a free rental car for one day. I can't justify the price difference though, since I have 2 other cars I can drive. Even if I break down on a road trip to see my parents, I could either get towed back home or towed to their house, whichever is cheaper, since I'm ~180 miles from them (so halfway would be a 90 mile tow). I usually wind up using it for friends/coworkers who lock their keys in their cars instead of for myself, but it's nice knowing if my beater shits out, I can get it towed without anything out of pocket (aside from a tip for the tow truck driver).
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Jan 14, 2021 14:48
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Yeah, always tip the tow truck driver. I never even thought of that though STR, I've never had a problem with the driver towing it wherever I tell him to. Coverage through State Farm.
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Jan 14, 2021 15:25
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Agreed that AAA is a good rec. You can always get a tow to at least a nearby mechanic that will probably prevent your car from getting jacked up on the side of the road at minimum.
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Jan 14, 2021 16:09
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Just one warning about AAA towing, as I used to run calls for them: they won't tow cars without valid plates.
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Jan 14, 2021 22:14
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Depends on the tow company to be honest, but it never hurts to keep an old plate laying around if you're trying to tow a "car you bought yesterday"  home. There's one tow company that AAA liked to use for most of their tows when I lived in DFW (at least in that part of DFW), and they never gave two shits about seeing a AAA card, much less registration.TX has windshield stickers for registration (nothing on the plate), and right now we're not supposed to be enforcing expired tags (some bored cops are still using it as an excuse to pull ppl over, since generally you can renew online and in grocery stores, but they're not supposed to ticket for it until April). And you can print your own 7 day temporary tag and just tape it to the car if you don't mind paying for it. I've had AAA tow a very obviously "parked for years" car, complete with 4 flats and a thick layer of dust on it. It had (out of state) plates, but they were long expired. The car WOULD start and (barely) run with a jump (if it had fresh gas it probably would have run a lot better, but it'd been parked 5 years in a friend's garage) - we put a brick on the throttle to keep it around 1500 RPM (just so it wouldn't stall), so it was running when the tow driver showed up, and we got it out of the garage and into the street under its own power to make the tow driver's job a little easier. It probably varies depending on the state chapter too.
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Jan 16, 2021 19:50
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Y’all make really good points. Thanks for the conversation... I have a towing service through my credit union and I’ll have a talk with them about alternative insurance programs. I think they hear “1970” and instantly go into “classic car mode” when I should be looking at liability only to start, which is how the car is insured now. As things progress I can look at other packages. But for now I want to tick all the boxes that’ll let me get it up here, get it running, and be able to take it out for a cruise.
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Jan 17, 2021 07:26
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Agrikk posted:Y’all make really good points. Thanks for the conversation... I had similar issues when I went to insure a 1950 BSA Bantam. Interestingly enough when I asked if I could just get normal motorcycle insurance they assumed it would not be possible but came back with a reasonable quote. But in the end the $250 a year classic coverage will be fine since I would struggle to hit the 3000km limit on a vehicle that can barely do 40 mph.
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Jan 17, 2021 15:50
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I’ve had AAA tow cars with no headlights or tail lights I was sending to the body shop to use for donor parts. Just depends on the driver and the day. Have you tried just calling Progressive and asking for basic insurance? They have no problem insuring my weird Japanese imports with shorter VINs
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Jan 17, 2021 16:44
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Agrikk posted:Y’all make really good points. Thanks for the conversation... Something else to consider is storage insurance. You're probably not gonna want to make it a daily driver right away; while it's parked and you go through it, put storage insurance on it. It's basically comprehensive and nothing else. In case a tree falls on it, someone manages to steal it, garage burns down, etc.
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Jan 17, 2021 17:13
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everdave posted:I’ve had AAA tow cars with no headlights or tail lights I was sending to the body shop to use for donor parts. Just depends on the driver and the day. This is also very much true and my experience as a contract driver is well over two decades ago now. What was happening back then, and was the primary driver behind my rejection of these calls for service, was that AAA allowed for rejection when the plates were expired & paid so little for any service call that a rejection call had a much better operating margin. As I remember it a rejection paid 12 bucks, a tow paid 14 plus maybe a buck-per for mileage over 5 unless it was back to my shop, and any other on-site was also just 14. The trucks were calculated to cost 0.25 a mile and 0.25 a minute to operate. This wasn’t a perfect estimation of costs but captured enough to plainly see the cost benefits of rejection. Regarding malice in business; We do it for money.
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Jan 17, 2021 17:14
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STR posted:Something else to consider is storage insurance. You're probably not gonna want to make it a daily driver right away; while it's parked and you go through it, put storage insurance on it. It's basically comprehensive and nothing else. In case a tree falls on it, someone manages to steal it, garage burns down, etc. This is where we get back to having a separate daily and only driving this occasionally. If he takes our advice on that, then classic insurance will do full coverage for similar low dollars. I have full comp, collision, and liability on my '66 and it's less than $20 a month due to the mileage restriction (2500 a year). It hasn't even had an engine in it for 6 years. Storage insurance would be similar. Or not cheaper enough that I care to go through the bureaucracy.
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Jan 17, 2021 19:42
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LloydDobler posted:This is where we get back to having a separate daily and only driving this occasionally. If he takes our advice on that, then Not all of our advice 
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Jan 17, 2021 21:50
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Daily an old car. Probably won't be driving much this year anyways.
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Jan 17, 2021 23:46
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Disclaimer: AI is in no way liable for life issues that may result from following our advice 
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Jan 18, 2021 06:47
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LOL
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Jan 18, 2021 08:02
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A brief update: I bought it! Car is paid for and title and proof of sale is on its way. I'll have the Torino shipped to me most likely next month after I clear space for it here. Once I get it up here I plan on having the suspension and brakes update and have found a speed shop specializing in modernizing older cars. This leads me to a couple of things: 1. When I told the mechanic at the speed shop about the car, he recommended updating the suspension and the brakes. This is inline with my experience with the car, which handles like a boat around corners. He quoted $5000 for the following: - front power disc brake conversion with 4-piston calipers and 11" rotors - performance gas shocks for front and rear - larger front seat bar - new rear seat bar 2. Optional: For $2300 more he'd add a rear disk brake conversion, integrating the e-brake assembly and building new hard lines for the rear end. Is it worth going to a speed shop for ongoing work like this, or would a "regular" mechanic be able to handle this type of work? The reason I ask is that the only hot rod shop in our area is 2.5 hours away, making transport to/from the shop a pain in the rear end, especially for some of the work that could take weeks to perform. Is having a drums-in-back-rotors-in-front brake setup sufficient or should I spend the extra two grand to get rotors all the way around? My experience with older cars is that the front brakes do most of the work so having rear drums should be fine. That said, the OCD side of me wants all the brakes to match, especially if I get rims with a more open design. Clearly a smooth stop is important, but is the esthetic of having matching rotors behind open rims worth two grand? Agrikk fucked around with this message at 19:16 on Mar 9, 2021 |
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Mar 9, 2021 17:57
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Great news! Personally I'd save the $2 grand for something else (supercharger), drum brakes are going to be ok unless you're going to be racing it or something. Unless you just hate how they look of course. Dunno about the speed shop as I tend to do the basic stuff myself. I'd imagine while anyone should be able to do those upgrades, regular mechanics probably wouldnt have the experience and could half-rear end stuff or just take longer even they even agree to do it.
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Mar 9, 2021 18:17
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That's a hell of a lot of money for just a rear disc conversion, Jesus. If he was upgrading the entire rear end with that maybe. [e] 5 grand for that initial list seems way high too, none of that poo poo is difficult to do and i don't think the parts to do it would even be half that cost. Performance shocks, lol. Basically KYB or Monroe gas shocks at $75 a piece and I'd bet and it takes less than an hour to replace all of them taking your time. [e2] Just checked rockauto, $30 a piece for KYB's and $60 a piece for monroes Find somebody else to do the work, don't go to any hot rod shops they will bend you over, those cars are easy as poo poo to work on any indy mechanic can put those parts on your car. Get the parts yourself and call around different shops to get labor quotes to do the installation. Applebees Appetizer fucked around with this message at 18:35 on Mar 9, 2021 |
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Mar 9, 2021 18:24
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 congrats on the car!Generally speaking, drum rear brakes are fine unless you're going on track - the front brakes do most of the work anyway, even on newer cars.
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Mar 9, 2021 18:27
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Yeah, new shocks and sway bars is not a "suspension upgrade" that's base level home mechanic stuff. For that kind of money I'd also want to see tubular A-arms with polyurethane bushings, new springs all around and high performance adjustable shocks. The brake kit, I've never shopped muscle cars but the high end stuff for european cars is $1500-$2500 for the front. And 4 piston calipers are not that high end. It's probably a $1000 kit. We will help you with this. Don't be afraid to ask here, we can build out a parts list that will be very very satisfying and for way less money. Edit: Summit has several Wilwood (good name brand) 4 piston/11.3" rotor kits for your car starting at $575. gently caress that mechanic, he's ripping you off HARD. Shop the Summit catalog yourself, and build out a wish list. Go slow and learn the car before modifying it.
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Mar 9, 2021 21:46
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Here's the summit link: https://www.summitracing.com/search/part-type/disc-brake-kits/make/ford/model/torino Maybe provide a case of beer and some midly sober AI goon will come install it for you.
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Mar 9, 2021 21:54
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If you're willing to do some work yourself now you'll be much better placed to do minor repairs and troubleshooting as well, and those "upgrades" are great places to start.
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Mar 9, 2021 21:58
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Yeah even if that guy is fabricating everything from scratch with custom valved shocks and poo poo it’s still a questionable price and then its way overkill for what you want to do with that car
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Mar 9, 2021 22:00
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Applebees Appetizer posted:That's a hell of a lot of money for just a rear disc conversion, Jesus. If he was upgrading the entire rear end with that maybe.  , that's a perfectly reasonable price for dong an artisanal engine swap in the middle of Manhattan"
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Mar 9, 2021 22:05
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Holy poo poo. I'm glad I asked here, because drat it looks like I'd be getting ripped off. I've swapped shocks before (Koni yellow coilovers. lol), but to hear that guy say it was that it was some kind of involved thing, like the rear-end kit that was linked upthread. But if it's just sway bars and shocks... meh. Thanks for the tip on Summit Racing. I'll be doing some research for sure.
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Mar 9, 2021 22:31
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Applebees Appetizer posted:That's a hell of a lot of money for just a rear disc conversion, Jesus. If he was upgrading the entire rear end with that maybe. don't put garbage shocks on it though. get some nice modern monotubes, especially if you're going to put stiffer springs in it later. KYBs are fine for stock replacement, but if you want something sporty, they... arent does fox/ridetech make anything for that car? they're probably the best "high end consumer / low end racing" brand in terms of bang for buck imo
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Mar 9, 2021 23:02
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Raluek posted:don't put garbage shocks on it though. get some nice modern monotubes, especially if you're going to put stiffer springs in it later. KYBs are fine for stock replacement, but if you want something sporty, they... arent I completely agree, but if that "hot rod shop" isn't specifying exactly what they are putting on the car I guarantee their "performance" shocks are Monroe or KYB gas shocks. For that amount of money he should get a detailed list of every aftermarket part they will be using. KYB are just fine tho unless he plans on putting a modern suspension on it and turning it into a restomod, then yeah monotubes are in order. Monotubes would be a waste of money on the stock oxcart suspension imo.
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Mar 9, 2021 23:10
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Edit: https://www.heidts.com/part/torino-1970-1972-ford-torino-superide-ii-ifs/
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Mar 9, 2021 23:20
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Here's a post from the first pageAgrikk posted:Let's see: That car now is in it's simplest form. If it runs and drives, there is no job on it that can't be tackled by you now. I encourage you to enjoy it now. Make a list of upgrades after you've put some miles on it.
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Mar 10, 2021 00:49
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Applebees Appetizer posted:I completely agree, but if that "hot rod shop" isn't specifying exactly what they are putting on the car I guarantee their "performance" shocks are Monroe or KYB gas shocks. Interestingly, when I got the estimate for the suspension/brake upgrades I responded asking for the parts list so I could google them out of curiosity. I didn’t get a response. Just a “let me know when you are ready to schedule the work”. So now I find the whole thing suspect. SNiPER_Magnum posted:Don't get so excited over what could be that you don't appreciate what is. This is wise advice and you are a wise person. “Slow down and enjoy the ride” literally.
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Mar 10, 2021 00:59
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Lol that poo poo quote reminded me of when I left my bicycle at some place to get it sorted (adjust gears, replace some minor parts etc) and they came back with a $250 bill or something. Didn't even put new screws in the fenders so they were hanging loose. This was a "reputable" shop. Only reason I did it was because I was stressed out with exams and poo poo for med school. Lesson? Do poo poo yourself even if you don't have the time (which I hadn't) because you'll know exactly what has been done, bodge or not. You'll learn tons and save tons of money. With your running and driving car I'd also take it slow and get a feel for it before swapping stuff out. 
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Mar 10, 2021 07:21
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Applebees Appetizer posted:KYB are just fine tho unless he plans on putting a modern suspension on it and turning it into a restomod, then yeah monotubes are in order. Monotubes would be a waste of money on the stock oxcart suspension imo. imo buy once, though. if he's got all original suspension with rotted bushings, bad geometry, and drum brakes, putting in a swank set of shocks isn't going to make it handle worse. and then he'll already have the good parts later when he goes to overhaul the rest of it but if it doesn't need shocks right now, don't mess with em id just drive it until you're ready to have it apart in your driveway for a couple weekends, where you can do the whole front end at once
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Mar 10, 2021 08:43
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Agrikk posted:the car, which handles like a boat around corners Also, cars of this era have the chassis rigidity of wet noodles, so don't expect wonders in handling without spending a boatload of dollars.
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Mar 10, 2021 09:15
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Yeah using the word "performance" and "suspension" in the same sentence as a 1970 Ford Torino is laughable really. There's nothing performance related to a bloated body on frame car with an oxcart suspension. Old muscle cars are really cool but they handle like dog poo poo. You would have to spend a lot of money and turn it into a restomod to get that car to actually handle well.
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Mar 10, 2021 14:25
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Applebees Appetizer posted:You would have to spend a lot of money and turn it into a restomod to get that car to actually handle well. On the flipside, the dogshit handling is part of the charm! I agree with all the "just drive it and then decide" crowd. The car was just fine in it's current configuration in 1970; depending on how often you plan to use it, you might find that new shocks, brake shoes, bushes/ball joints etc as required might be perfect for your needs.
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Mar 10, 2021 18:53
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Pomp and Circumcized posted:On the flipside, the dogshit handling is part of the charm! This. Flopping around in an old boat of a car is half the fun. Why worry about performance? It's enormous and looks cool as hell. Don't try to make it be something it can't.
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Mar 10, 2021 20:41
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Dave Inc. posted:This. Flopping around in an old boat of a car is half the fun. Why worry about performance? It's enormous and looks cool as hell. Don't try to make it be something it can't. One of my all-time favorite cars is my uncle's '69 Grand Prix. Custom suspension, happily out-corners much smaller cars, despite having the longest hood ever on a production car - in other words, it is Not Small.
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Mar 10, 2021 20:47
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Man, the longest hood in car history seems like it would suck. Like you would have to get a pair of those mirrors that they have in hospitals and restaurants and put them on the front of the car so you can see what's coming on your left and right in the 10 seconds before you can actually see the intersection.
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Mar 10, 2021 20:57
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