You Know You Are Old When

[newbury]

If you even remember when you could get a semi-roadworthy vehicle for $100 you know you're old.

In 1973 I got a 1966 Plymouth Valiant slant 6 automatic for $100. This was Burlington Vermont when they still piled the roads with salt.
It took about a gallon of bondo for it to pass inspection. The engine burned a little oil to start. About a can every couple of hundred miles.
I patched it up, had some minimal front end suspension work done.
Spring of 74' I and my girlfriend drove it for a "shake down" trip to Mexico.
And then on about another 50 miles to Bar Harbor, Maine.
Than that summer we drove it west to San Diego, up to Seattle, spent a few months and drove it back. It was starting to break down. Had to patch the brakes twice, dump radiator leak stop in the rad every couple of hundred miles.
By the time we got back to Burlington and home it was almost a total gonner. The oil mileage was approaching a quart every 50 miles. We left a trail of blue smoke behind us.
But it had done it's duty.

 

[Fuddyduddy1952]

Fuddyduddy52 that is beautiful. Awesome condition. What other beauties do you have that you can post pictures of ?

They all need to be washed! The '55 BelAir and '74 Nova wife's Mom bought new and I know mileage is accurate since we've been together since '72. Nova isn't anything special (Nova Custom), 350/350 turbo.
BelAir is a six, powerglide. Mom wouldn't ever have a 4 dr.

 

[Fuddyduddy1952]

Any future plans for the collection?

I ask because I’m in a similar situation.

I don't know. Few young people know anything about older cars.

 

[Jstpssng]

You own an unused selfie stick? Inh my lame defense It was a gift, However I'm guilty of still having that never used thing.

^^^^
What's a selfie stick?
Oh wait, now I just showed that I'm old.

(autospell wants to change selfie to selfish... It must be old, also)

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[JethroB]

I don't know. Few young people know anything about older cars.

Yeah, I don’t think any kids today know what ‘going parking’ means. I have very fond memories of evenings spent parked in a cotton field or on my Pop’s pond dam. Bench seats were
great !

 

[Fuddyduddy1952]

Drinking & driving. Six of us kids stopped at a store one Saturday night & I bought a case of beer. Proprietor asked "Son, how old are you,?" "15" I replied. He said "At least you're honest" as he rang me up. I could be so drunk I could barely stagger and a policeman would follow me home saying just take it slow. I'd have to close one eye.
Quit drinking after those teen years!
That '55 Chevy you could buy all day for less than $100. In 1972 I took wife to a restaurant and manager asked me to move it to back lot! I bought a '57 Chevy 283 for $75, drove it for a while.

 

[Alan46]

Back in 1990 I owned a 69 nova with a 396 and some other minor changes only drove it a quarter mile at a time!

 

[sixdogs]

I don't know. Few young people know anything about older cars.

Very few know anything about any car.

 

[not2old]

I did not know that. Thanks!

"Pontiac differed from other GM Divisions and most other manufacturers in producing only a single sized V8 casting, rather than adding a larger big block to its line-up. The external dimensions of all their V8s, from 326–455 cu in (5.3–7.5 L) were the same. "

From here:

Pontiac V8 engine - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Canadian Pontiacs were supplied with Chevy engines for many years. It wasn't until the Firebird and GTO that I ever saw a Pontiac with their own engine. The bodies on most full sized models were different than the U.S. version as well. I once had a 1966 Acadian(Pontiac)SD with a 283 and Powerglide. Other than the emblems, this was identical to a Nova SS

 

[MoKelly]

You guys are quite fortunate.

My first car and all thru college was a Bobcat! Remember those - the Lincoln version of the Pinto!!!

 

[stuckmotor]

There should be enough old timers here for someone else to have experienced this variation of the 'doorway effect' which takes place when a person walks into a room and forgets why they're there.

Several times lately I've gotten close to what I went to get, forgot what it was, raised my hand, stuck out my pointer finger and found myself pointing right at it. It's almost as if my hand knew I'd forgotten and helped me out.

Has anyone else found themselves pointing at what they forgot they were looking for?

 

[stuckmotor]

If you remember ever making a reverse charge phone call from a phone booth.

When my future wife and I were living in different towns and I didn't have a phone, I'd go to a booth, call her collect and ask for a specific person who wasn't there. She had the booth's number and knew to call me back there at her lower rate.

 

[stuckmotor]

You guys are quite fortunate.

My first car and all thru college was a Bobcat! Remember those - the Lincoln version of the Pinto!!!

My brother had a Pinto station wagon. It ran awful and he hated it.

 

[not2old]

.My brother had a Pinto station wagon. It ran awful and he hated it.

My brother-in-law traded his 1970 SS396 for a Bobcat wagon during the gas crisis that wasn't really that bad in Canada

 

[Jstpssng]

A couple of friend's had Pintos in HS. Is there anyone harder on a car than teenaged boys? They were tough as nails, the guys couldn't kill them.

 

[BleedingOrange]

Is a 1990 miata considered old ? This one is a monster. LOL

 

[BleedingOrange]

Just one more. It is a balanced 347 ford stroker, around 425 HP, mustang T5Z 5 speed tranny, T-bird IRS, in a 2500 pound miata.

 

[groundcover]

That thing must be terrifying! ?I had a stock one, always said you didn't get into it, you put it on .

 

[71bronco]

There should be enough old timers here for someone else to have experienced this variation of the 'doorway effect' which takes place when a person walks into a room and forgets why they're there.

Several times lately I've gotten close to what I went to get, forgot what it was, raised my hand, stuck out my pointer finger and found myself pointing right at it. It's almost as if my hand knew I'd forgotten and helped me out.

Has anyone else found themselves pointing at what they forgot they were looking for?

I sometimes open the refrigerator and forget what I want. I think if I pointed at something it would be a bottle of beer no matter what I was looking for.


Jeff

 

[stuckmotor]

My brother-in-law traded his 1970 SS396 for a Bobcat wagon during the gas crisis that wasn't really that bad in Canada

My '70 Maverick was made in Canada.