The Official Hot Rod Thread - Part 2: No Replacement For Displacement

[RustyHornet]

You know how to put vinyl tops on?

That is a lost art!
Only one body shop in our area has an old dude like CM that can work on the old cars.
Perfect color for a aged GP only thing better would have been poop brown.

Oh no. I will not attempt a vinyl top.... Leave that to the pros. Maybe someday.

 

[thunderchicken]

FIFY.

I love me some sleeply fox shoebox.

I had a 79 Fairmont back in high school. I never really understood why Ford took the foxbody platform and put such an ugly brick body on it

 

[comm2679]

Top is on! Waiting for the glass guys.

That shop looks like heaven!

 

[femurphy77]

Woo that his months mod money went into daily driver repairs. Time for a timing belt on her Rio and the right front wheel bearing is getting sloppy. Once that new bearing and hub are in the entire front end of that car will be new. In all fairness we bought it cheap and were 3rd owners. It started life as an Avis rental car then the second owners beat it like a rented mule. Great little beater though. 8300 miles on this oil change and it burned a single quart of oil. Can’t be mad at that.

Don't you hate it when that happens? I had $1000 in unplanned vehicle maintenance last month so other plans had to change!!!

 

[bobzilla]

Luckily it’s a Kia so replacement parts are cheap. Knuckle, hub and bearing $100. The rest is timing belt junk for another $80

 

[dung]

Where is this shop and can i borrow it?

 

[WebSnyper]

FIFY.

I love me some sleeply fox shoebox.

I had an 81 Fairmont back in the day (1986/87 or so). Dressed it up a bit but didn't do anything fun to the motor.

I had a 79 Fairmont back in high school. I never really understood why Ford took the foxbody platform and put such an ugly brick body on it

I'll have to dig up some pics of my old Fairmont that I bought off my dad way back. I dressed it up a bit on the cheap on minimum wage while in high school. Paint, new vinyl top, wheels/tires, tinted windows, etc.

I unfortunately grew up in the era of the Fairmont and K car, while my brother (5 years older) had Mustangs (he had a Fastback and a Mach 1), Dodge Chargers, etc. Yep, it was a sad thing.

 

[churchmouse]

Don't you hate it when that happens? I had $1000 in unplanned vehicle maintenance last month so other plans had to change!!!

Well, I feel your pain. I put over a grand in my truck with brakes and a new window modulator (yet to be installed) and my son came to me yesterday hat in hand. His 1996 Impala SS dropped a lower ball joint in traffic yesterday morning. The baby's were in the car and it was freaking scary. No body damage but it was on the roll back and waiting. Turns out it needs everything. I mean everything. B-joints/tie rod ends/center link/shocks. It is a damn good looking car. 116 on the clock and straight. Thing is it had those stupid ****ing 24" Hot wheels looking wheels on it when he bought it. They tear up front suspensions. He took them off when it started acting up but to late.
They are struggling right now and that is their only car as the Honda crapped out on them. So dad to the rescue. I am waiting on my guy to call me as we dropped it at the shop 1st thing this morning. This is gonna hurt.
If not for those baby's he would be riding his thumb right now.

 

[Bigtanker]

Runs mid 9's with a turbo LS. But it looks like poo.

 

[WebSnyper]

Well, I feel your pain. I put over a grand in my truck with brakes and a new window modulator (yet to be installed) and my son came to me yesterday hat in hand. His 1996 Impala SS dropped a lower ball joint in traffic yesterday morning. The baby's were in the car and it was freaking scary. No body damage but it was on the roll back and waiting. Turns out it needs everything. I mean everything. B-joints/tie rod ends/center link/shocks. It is a damn good looking car. 116 on the clock and straight. Thing is it had those stupid ****ing 24" Hot wheels looking wheels on it when he bought it. They tear up front suspensions. He took them off when it started acting up but to late.
They are struggling right now and that is their only car as the Honda crapped out on them. So dad to the rescue. I am waiting on my guy to call me as we dropped it at the shop 1st thing this morning. This is gonna hurt.
If not for those baby's he would be riding his thumb right now.

Had similar with my son's truck recently (I say kid's truck, but I own it). Kid went away to school (at Univ of Alabama) in August, and we didn't let him to take his vehicle. So I try and drive his truck about half the time and mine the other half (since his is parked behind my spot). It is a 2004 Ford F150 with the triton engine (but the 4.3 2 valve per cylinder I believe), and so when we bought it in Aug, 2016, I had my shadetree mechanic change the plugs, as I didn't want to chance breaking them due to the horror stories I had read. Kid probably had about 1200 miles if that on those changed plugs, when it blew one while I was driving in Sep, 2017. So got that taken care of by a more trusted mechanic this time (with a thread insert, changed all the plugs again with OEM, etc), and then about a month after that I decided to have some shocks put on the back with the more trusted mechanic and found out the front ball joints and one of the front wheel bearings was going out. So back to back months on his truck cost me some $$$, and now got some stuff going on with the wife's vehicle. I guess it is better than payments, but can get expensive quick.

 

[WebSnyper]

FIFY.

I love me some sleeply fox shoebox.

I had a 79 Fairmont back in high school. I never really understood why Ford took the foxbody platform and put such an ugly brick body on it

Runs mid 9's with a turbo LS. But it looks like poo.

Nice, mine looked cool, but wouldn't get out of its own way. I'll dig up some old pics and scan them when I get a chance.

 

[churchmouse]

Had similar with my son's truck recently (I say kid's truck, but I own it). Kid went away to school (at Univ of Alabama) in August, and we didn't let him to take his vehicle. So I try and drive his truck about half the time and mine the other half (since his is parked behind my spot). It is a 2004 Ford F150 with the triton engine (but the 4.3 2 valve per cylinder I believe), and so when we bought it in Aug, 2016, I had my shadetree mechanic change the plugs, as I didn't want to chance breaking them due to the horror stories I had read. Kid probably had about 1200 miles if that on those changed plugs, when it blew one while I was driving in Sep, 2017. So got that taken care of by a more trusted mechanic this time (with a thread insert, changed all the plugs again with OEM, etc), and then about a month after that I decided to have some shocks put on the back with the more trusted mechanic and found out the front ball joints and one of the front wheel bearings was going out. So back to back months on his truck cost me some $$$, and now got some stuff going on with the wife's vehicle. I guess it is better than payments, but can get expensive quick.

I have heard those engines will spit plugs just because.
Who ever came up with that design was a bit left of center. We changed out the plugs in the 5.4 in my Ford van before I gave it to the daughter. What a chore that was. I was told by a mechanic I trust to do the change out with the engine hot. We did. Broke nothing.

There was a day I would have rebuilt the Impala front end myself and let the shop line it up. Those days have come...............and gone.

 

[RustyHornet]

Oooooooo.....

Well hello there sexy!!!

 

[ChristianPatriot]

Stop by the wrong side of town today and got the ball rolling on the Ventura motor. Big thanks to Churchmouse for being a standup fella.

 

[RustyHornet]

Stop by the wrong side of town today and got the ball rolling on the Ventura motor. Big thanks to Churchmouse for being a standup fella.

Oh no.

 

[churchmouse]

Oooooooo.....

Well hello there sexy!!!

Nice...........

 

[ChristianPatriot]

Oh no.

 

[bigretic]

question of the day is wtf do I do with this thing out of the 73 vette. cost more to build than buy a crate - so it's really just taking up space in the garage.

 

[churchmouse]

question of the day is wtf do I do with this thing out of the 73 vette. cost more to build than buy a crate - so it's really just taking up space in the garage.

I have an idea.

 

[Brad69]

I think wal mart has a return credit on most SBC stuff?

CM I heard something about somebody stopped by and helped you stand up?