A GDYNETS® PUBLICATION © 2010, G. DAVID YAROS. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
Car Collector Chronicles ®
Volume III, Issue 9
Exploring:
Car Collector Chronicles
Car Barn Activity
Car Collecting Today Classic Rides Reports From the Field Oldsmobile (1897-2004) Cadillac (1902- )
Allanté (1987-1993) Corvair (1960-1969)
It is the first day of June, and here I am working on the September issue of CCC®. It is hard to write something about summer winding down, when it has only just begun! It makes you wonder how pubs with a 4 to 6 month lead time do it? I can report, summer has been a busy time in the car barn. The Gray Lady, at long last, is “road worthy.” It took a while, given that the ride arrived in the car barn in March of ‘09!
IN THIS ISSUE:
Car Barn Activity
1
GDYNets On the Web
1
GM Marketing
3
Put a Shine on That Baby!
3
Name It!
I did discover the source of her gas tank leak. It is leaking from the tank sending unit gasket. The screws holding the sending unit to the tank were not very tight. They are now, and I am waiting to see if the seepage has been stemmed at the source. Fasteners not being tight seems to be a common phenomenon with The Gray Lady. I found the same circumstance
WHERE YOU WILL FIND GDYNets (me) on the WWW:
5
5
Dave’s Den Saved 62 http://www.freewebs.com/ jeandaveyaros The Gray Lady - 55 Cad de Ville
EMAIL: OldsD88@gmail.com
when I did the carb rebuild back in May (discussed in detail in the August issue). Also, when I recently checked the screws on the fuel pump, they too required tightening. “Loose screws” remind me of a favorite pronouncement of my late father. If you went to dad and said there is a problem with the car, he would respond, “You know what the problem is? There is a loose connection between the seat and the steering wheel!” Good ol’ Dad! The top storage cover on the Allanté, when raised, is held in place by gas support pistons, not unlike those seen on hoods or trunks. Well, the ones on Auntie Pearl lost their holding power. I was able to get together with another Allanté owner and replace the pistons on both of our cars. The task was not particularly difficult, but it did take all four of our hands. It pays to belong to a car club!
Jean drove Auntie Pearl down to Indy over the Memorial Day weekend. On the way back the car lost the power steering. Let me tell you, she is not easy to handle without power steering. It was all I could do to turn the wheel to get her into the Continued–P. 2
GDYNets on the Web
http://GDYNets.WEBNG.com
Coming Next Issue
September 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.
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.
Page 2
Car Collector Chronicles
CAR BARN ACTIVITY—Continued car barn for a closer look! Inspection revealed the pump was bone dry. Yet, there are no visible signs of blown hoses, or leakage? I have refilled the pump and am now closely monitoring this situation. I have been told to check the struts. Can one say “pump rebuild?”
“… [T]he absence of pre-drilled holes for the trim screws, [at] … the bottom of the door panel ... [requires] a bit of patience and precise measuring to drill the holes in the right spot the first time … .”
This summer saw the installation of new door panels on SAVED 62. On seeing them Jean said, “They do look good!” My response was one of, “For what they cost, they better!” As I have said before, SMS Fabrics did a bang up job. If I have any complaint, it is that the exterior finish material was not cut out for the window regulators, door handle and armrest. That was easily rectified without incident. Of more concern, and difficulty, was the absence of pre-drilled holes for the trim screws, located along the bottom edge of the door panel. It takes a bit of patience and precise measuring to drill the holes in the right spot the first time, as there are no second chances! Last summer, when I actually had an occasion to drive SAVED 62 after sundown, I became painfully aware of how poor the lighting was on the car. I mean, I had to light a match to determine if the headlights were on! Not literally of course, but figuratively speaking. I did in fact have to exit the vehicle and walk around to the front of the car to see if the lights were working. To my chagrin, they were! SAVED 62 was running the Guide™ T3 headlamps installed by the factory in 1962. I am here to tell you, after two score years, plus, of operation they do not light up the road as they were originally designed to do, or may have done once upon a time. In fact, continued use of these headlights was deemed by me to be outright dangerous.
New headlamps are now in place. They are new ’62 era T3 headlamps. The “‘62 era” thing is of import to folks with a passion for authenticity. The Guide Division of GM used several T3 headlamp designs over the years, starting in 1956. The differences were purely cosmetic, consisting mainly of the placement of markings on the outer glass. This is the very kind of thing judges, who will mark you down because you have radial tires on an originally bias ply equipped car, look for to impose point deductions. For a textual and photographic presentation on the T3 variations over the years, check out the Lectric Limited web site. Lectric Limited is the supplier from whom I acquired my replacement T3 lamps. Now, I no longer have to put pedal-to-metal to avoid being out on the road after dark; or worse, have a cop catch me out on the road after dark!
Page 3
Car Collector Chronicles
GM MARKETING Over the years Cadillac has had some memorable advertising slogans, such as “Standard of the World”. Not too long ago, I was subjected to a banner ad on the net for Cadillac. This ad proclaimed, “Not Your Daddy’s Caddy Anymore!” It immediately raised a question in my mind of how dumb can the execs at GM really be? These guys are just out of bankruptcy, right? So what does the new GM do, but start bad-mouthing their prior successes? That sure does not sound like a shrewd business move to me? Obviously, the folks at Cadillac Division lack the innate inability to learn from the mistakes of their sister divisions. That they cannot is the reason history is able to repeat itself. Some of you may recall that in its waning years (1988 -The year universally recognized as the beginning of the end) Oldsmobile used the slogan, “This is not your father’s Oldsmobile!” We know the result of that ad campaign, don’t we? Then again, this is the same corporation that recently issued a memo saying stop referring to Chevrolet as Chevy! They backtracked on that one pretty quick. The denial of one’s roots, whether it be by an individual or a corporation, is never a good thing. One cannot escape their past, nor should they want to. Especially is this so where one’s roots contributed to a history that helped make Cadillac the premiere American automaker, as well as one of the world’s top marques. Pray tell, what are these guys thinking? As for the individual who sold Cadillac on this campaign, I wonder how many times s/he has sold the Brooklyn Bridge?
PUT A SHINE ON THAT BABY! In the January, 2009 issue I made mention of the fact that I had acquired a Porter-Cable™ 7424 random-orbital buffer. Its use is for waxing the car. What? Why not just grab any old can of wax, a bunch of rags, and have at it? Ah, that life would be so simple. In the ol’ days, when one wanted to get exotic with waxing a car, they bought and used the ultimate, Blue Coral™. Is it even available anymore? My recollection is that it came in two containers. One had a blue liquid (cleaner/polisher) and the other a powder (sealer). It entailed a 3-step process: wash, clean/polish and seal. All this is by way of lead-in to present my experience after two sea-
“Not your Daddy’s Caddy anymore!”
Car Collector Chronicles
Page 4;;
sons, of detailing the exterior finishes on my cars with the Porter-Cable™ buffer. The first thing one may notice is, I said “detailing the exterior finish,” instead of waxing my car. Believe me, there is a reason. Now days, one almost needs a degree in chemical engineering to properly shine their car. There are so many different products that one may use today, all having different functions. Additionally, the item(s) used to apply them have their own unique characteristics that one should appreciate before starting. Let’s start at the beginning. The first thing to do is wash the car. Sounds simple enough, right? In may ways, it is. The only point I would make is don’t waste your time and money using any soap product that says it will, in addition to cleaning the surface, give your car a shine. This is because whatever shine it may impart is only going to have to be removed as you progress with the exterior detailing process. Now that you have you car washed, what is next? Wash it again! Why? With the first wash you have only hit the high spots, and moved the dirt around. The 2nd wash ensures that hard to remove, and overlooked, grime does not remain to mar the rest of your work. With the car thoroughly washed the next step is claying the car. I must admit that claying a car was a new concept to me. I did not understand what it did, or how. Nor is what it does readily discernible to the naked eye. I subsequently learned that claying removes pollution deposits, oxidants and contaminants that attach to the finish, making it difficult to clean and polish the paint. To clay a car one uses a clay bar, readily available at any auto parts store. It actually looks like, and has the texture of silly putty. Remember that? Shape the bar into a form convenient for you to use. Have at the ready a spray bottle filled with warm water and no more than a smidgen of plain, simple, unadulterated, liquid hand soap. Spray a small area and begin running the clay bar in strokes over it. When you do so, you may notice the bar picking up minute flecks of contaminants. Knead the bar when you want a clean working surface. As you progress, you will notice the drag on the clay bar lessening. When done properly, the car surface will actually become very slippery. It will also begin, minimally, to look better. Finally, after all this, you are ready to begin applying chemicals. The first is a paint cleaner. This chemical removes swirls in the paint, fine scratches and other imperfections. It does not put a shine on the car. To apply it a medium-coarse buffing pad is used. You can tell which one is medium-coarse by the color. In my case, that color is yellow. Place the liquid on the pad and smear it over the working area, without having the buffer running. Use the buffer at a medium speed, and keep it flat on the surface. Run the buffer over the working area in opposite directions, working the chemical into the paint. Do not let it dry. Once you observe the resulting haze is diminishing, it is time to remove it. To do so, place a microfiber bonnet over a dry pad and buff the area clean. Again, here you will notice some improvement in appearance, but it is far from what you are seeking, and will have when the whole job is completed. Now that the paint is clean, it is ready to be glazed, or polished. What glazing does is fill in any uneven surface areas, as well as make the paint pop. Use a fine, for me white colored, pad for this step. You will definitely notice a difference now. Your paint will now exhibit depth, luster and sheen, which is what all this hard work has been about.
Page 5;
Car Collector Chronicles
The choice of a sealer, like all the other chemicals, is myriad. (I have found the Meguiar’s™ line of products perform admirably.) You want a product that does one thing, and one thing only, seals the surface. You do not need one that cleans, polishes or waxes. You have already done that! For this step, I use an ultra-fine, black colored pad. On this stage, less works better than more. What you need to know is, a quality sealer takes time to harden, before it can protect the surface. How much time? It depends on the temp, but 24 to 48 hours is not unusual. During this hardening time the finish is most vulnerable. So, avoid touching it, or exposing it to the elements. Let the sealer cure. When it has, you are protected for 6 months to a year. Sit back and admire a job well done. You have earned that right! In my case, I am continually amazed with the end result. One of our cars, the Olds, is black. I am telling you that one would have no problem at all using its hood as a shaving mirror! It is a thing of beauty, a sight to behold, and well worth the couple of days of work required to “detail the exterior” in 6 easy (?) steps: 1-Wash, 2-Wash, 3-Clay, 4-Clean Paint, 5-Glaze Paint and 6-Seal Paint.
NAME IT! Here is a brain teaser, or two, for you. Left, you will find pictures of a couple of common items. The first person to contact me with the correct ID of each wins the prize! What prize, you ask? It is to see your name in print on the pages of CCC®! Submit your answers to me via email, here. Item #1
Item #2
A word of caution — As to Item #1, we are looking for the correct name/nomenclature for this part. Don’t tell me where it goes, what it does or its function. What it is called is the answer being sought. Here is a hint: It is part of the door hardware. Item #2 is a tool, not a part. What it is, what it is used for, or the name is an acceptable answer. 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 help spread the word about our pub. Everything sent shall indeed be reviewed by me. Submissions should be sent to CCC® at: OldsD88@gmail.com. Do feel free to rattle my tree … . _______________________________________
-- RESTORE 'EM, AND DRIVE 'EM! COMING NEXT ISSUE:
High RPM’s For Want of a Nail—Fin