®
A GDYNETS PUBLICATION © 2010, G. DAVID YAROS. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
Car Collector ® Chronicles Volume III, Issue 4
Exploring:
Car Collector Chronicles
Caravan Touring
Car collecting today Classic rides Reports from the field Oldsmobile Cadillac
What is caravan touring, you ask? A good question! Actually, it is a term I have made up to describe the type of adventure we experienced last summer. Caravan touring is when a bunch of classic car owners get together and take a multi-day, multi-city, organized tour on the by-ways of America. The tour incorporates daily car shows along the route. The one we were on had 2 car shows a day.
Allanté Corvair
IN THIS ISSUE:
experience, it is very well organized, and a fun activity. The reason for this topic, this month, is that I AM SEEKING READER INPUT AND HELP. We have been searching for another such tour to take this summer. I find there a slew of them, if one lives in Europe. We don’t! Apparently, such carvavan tours are few and far between in the good ol’ U.S. of A.?
If you have never been on one, you need to check it out. One cannot go wrong by participating in the Hwy. 27 Tour, which takes in 10 cites in 5 days, right through the heart of Michigan. We did it last year, and had a ball. Here is the link for that tour: http://old27tour.com/.
I do know that the Antique Automobile Club of America sponsors one, the Founder’s Tour. The problem we have is, Jean’s summer vacation does not start until a couple of weeks after the tour. I am also aware of a Route 66 tour, but need more details, as to the dates, activities, etc. So readers, here is where you come in. Have you been on a caravan tour? Do you know of any? If so, please send me the contact info, links, whatever.
Caravan Touring
1
GDYNets® On the Web
1
1962 Olds Dual Exhaust
2
Web Activity
3
The Hwy. 27 Tour requires no club membership, and places no restrictions on the year or make of vehicles that may participate. I can tell you from
One Thing Leads to Another Revisited
3
GDYNets® on the Web
Wisconsin Winter Classic Daily Driver
4
Coming Next Issue
4
WHERE YOU WILL FIND GDYNets (me) on the WWW: Dave’s Den http://GDYNets.WEBNG.com Saved 62 http://www.freewebs.com/ jeandaveyaros The Gray Lady - 55 Cad de Ville
EMAIL: OldsD88@gmail.com
April 2010
Car Collector Chronicles -
DAVE’S DEN:
A website devoted to a myriad of interests. Foremost is extensive information on the “Steel City” of Gary, IN. There are also offerings on steel making, U.S. Steel-Gary Works, U.S. Marine Corps, M14 assault rifle, of course Oldsmobile, and the tragic story of the murder of Gary, IN Police Lt. Geo. Yaros.
Do feel free to tell us what you liked, did not like, about the tour. Do you recommend it? Just maybe, CCC® can become a repository for this info? That way, we all can access it and benefit from our collective experiences? -Thanks!
SAVED 62: A website devoted
to our 1962 Oldsmobile Dynamic 88 convertible. The site also has a lot of information on Oldsmobiles and its founder, Ransom Eli Olds. THE GRAY LADY: This website features our 1955 Cadillac Coupé de Ville and Caddy information.
Car Collector Chronicles
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1962 Oldsmobile Dual Exhaust Back in the day, as a high school kid, I was fortunate enough to own a 1960 Oldsmobile Super 88 Holiday SceniCoupe. It came from the factory with 3-on-the-tree and dual exhaust. It did not come from the factory with a clock, power brakes, power steering, power windows or A/C. This was still at the point in time when GM let you have your car your way. You decided what equipment you wanted or did not want, and it was built to your specifications. This particular ride was built to the specs put forth by the original buyer, my older brother.
“I have been told that Oldsmobile used a different left exhaust manifold on the dual exhaust system.”
Today, as you may know, I have a 1962 Oldsmobile Dynamic 88 convertible. It came from the factory with a single exhaust system. I would like to change that over to dualies. The sight of twin tailpipes underneath the rear bumper appeals to me. Evidently, it also appeals to others, as I have been contacted by a CCC® reader, Scott in New Zealand, who also wants to make the switch. One would think going from single to dual exhaust would be a relatively simple task? When it comes to old rides, even the simple becomes complicated. Olds utilized a crossover pipe on the single exhaust system. It ran from the left exhaust manifold, down and around the engine, to the right exhaust manifold. The right exhaust manifold then empties into the exhaust pipe, resonator, muffler, tailpipe system. Well, why not just remove the crossover pipe and block off the crossover pipe connection of the right exhaust manifold? In fact, I already have what purports to be the correct blocking plate to do just that. The problem is, there is not enough room between the left exhaust manifold drop and the steering gear, to route the needed, new, left exhaust pipe. I have been told that Oldsmobile used a different left exhaust manifold on the dual exhaust system. The drop on it, where the heat riser and exhaust pipe connects, is in a different location, supposedly? If this is true, it may make the changeover easier. However, this assumes one is able to locate a 1962 Oldsmobile left exhaust manifold for a dual exhaust system today. The likelihood of doing so is complicated by the fact that my Oldsmobile parts book lists no such critter! It does list both the crossover pipe and the aforementioned blocking plate. It also lists only one part # for the left exhaust manifold. So, who is right, the folks currently advising me, or the 1962 parts
Car Collector Chronicles
Page 3
book? If I had to put my money on one or the other, I would place it on the parts book. Maybe when I awaken Saved62 from her winter nap I can eyeball the exhaust system and get a better idea of what is, what is not, possible. Right now, purely in theory, it seems like one would simply yank the crossover pipe and route a new exhaust pipe in its place. If anyone knows this can’t be done, do get in touch!
WEB ACTIVITY, or “Hey Kids! What time is it? It’s Net Time! In addition to spending a bit of time putting this pub together every month, and uploading it for you to read, I also expend more than a few hours monitoring my sites, surfing the net and sending/answering emails. I find that to date, some 6,000+ folks have read some edition of CCC®. The Saved62 web site has had over 14,000 hits, while The Gray Lady has welcomed nearly 10,000 visitors. The Cadillac repair library on The Gray Lady web site has had 179 user downloads; the most popular being docs on carburetors, brakes, radio removal and engine timing. One of the really interesting things to me is from where visitors are logging in. I have had folks connect from Bangladesh, Bulgaria, Kazakstan, Latvia, Qatar and Viet Nam. That has the makings of a pretty diverse group of classic car fans! Most of the sites that I try and frequent daily, just to stay up on the latest news, are marque related. I try to keep up on Allanté, Corvair, Coupé de Ville and Oldsmobile traffic. I also make sure to check in on the AACA website. It has Allante, Cadillac and Oldsmobile fora all in one place. The folks there do know their stuff. It is a veritable warehouse of valuable information.
ONE THING LEADS TO ANOTHER—Revisited Last month we talked of how one thing leads to another when it comes to our rides. Here is but another example: my pending carb rebuild. Of course, I had to a) buy the rebuild kit. Then, I determined I needed a b) carburetor stand to perform the repair. I also felt the need to get the c) appropriate tools (Kent-Moore) to do the rebuild. In order to know what I am doing, as I have never rebuilt a carburetor, I also had to have the appropriate d) Rochester Carburetor manuals. Maybe now I am ready? Wait one, I still need … .
“I have had folks connect from Bangladesh, Bulgaria, Kazakstan, Latvia, Qatar and Viet Nam.”
Car Collector Chronicles
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For you folks reading this in a clime where spring may have already sprung (which is not SE Wisconsin!), I thought you might get a kick out of this? This is a pic of a Wisconsin winter classic car daily driver!
An interesting accessory, it is a gear shift knob:
↑ Snowmobile photo courtesy R. Peroutka
Ok, I have had my say for this month. Now it is your turn! I invite/encourage submission of your comments, opinions and contributions, and ask that you do help spread the word about our pub. Everything sent shall indeed be reviewed by me. Submissions should be sent to: OldsD88@gmail.com _________________________________________________
— RESTORE 'EM, AND DRIVE 'EM!
COMING NEXT ISSUE:
Gentlemen, Ladies, Start Your Engines! Indy Sidebar Spring Has Sprung