A GDYNETS® PUBLICATION © 2013, G. DAVID YAROS. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
Car Collector Chronicles ®
Volume VI, Issue 9
Exploring:
Ca
High RPMs
• Car Collecting Today • Classic Rides • Reports From the Field • Oldsmobile (1897-2004) • Cadillac (1902- ) • Allanté (1987-1993)
• Corvair (1960-1969)
◄ = Clickable Link
IN THIS ISSUE: High RPMs
1
GDYNets On the Web
1
The Gray Lady
2
Me and My Arrow
3
We had the opportunity to participate in the Oldsmobile Club of America-WI Chapter car show last month. There were more than a few really nice rides at the show. For me, the standout was a 2-tone brown ‘48 Olds Coupe (see pic page). It sported repop Cad wire wheels and a ‘59 Chevy Sport Steering Wheel. A whole lot of time, money and energy has been spent on this ride, and it showed. Perhaps the most interesting ride was 1971 Olds Cutlass. It was the most interesting because, even though it reeked of patina, and cried out for saving from the crusher, its owner was immensely proud of it. Equally gratifying was the fact the owner was a youngster, going into his freshman year of college this month. Kudos to this young man! The hobby needs every teen it can get My nephew reminded me that I never reported back on how
CCC® Forum EMail:
◄
OldsD88@gmail.com ◄
5
the lift repair went. I am glad to say it went very well. As it was completed in less than 30 minutes, there was no charge in addition to the $150 show-up charge. There was a bit of embarrassment when the technician did pull out a 6 inch cold chisel I had left inside the column when trying to make repairs! The problem was as I had diagnosed. There was too much slack in the lift chain, permitting misalignment of the column lock. The misalignment made it difficult to release the lock. This was corrected by adding a shim, which incidentally had been sitting on my garage floor ever since the lift was installed; installed improperly dare I say?
Sep
Automotive
Milestones-
9/2/1959 Ford Falcon debuts 9/2/1893 Duryea builds 1st U.S. car 9/7/1954 T-bird debuts 9/11/1970 Ford Pinto goes
on sale with MSRP below $2K 9/13/1899 NYC 1st U.S. auto fatality 9/16/1908 GM formed 9/19/1919 Buick founded 9/19/1937 Duesenberg closes - Stay cool & enjoy your ride(s)!
GDYNets® on the Web Find GDYNets on the web:
CCC® Presents
September 2013
s
CCC® -THE FORUM ◄-A web site to discuss the newsletter, the hobby and our cars. Car Collector Chronicles ◄ Saved 62 ◄-Our 1962 Olds convertible, Ransom Eli Olds and things Oldsmobile related web site. The Gray Lady ◄-1955 Cadillac Coupé de Ville web site.
SAVED 62: A website devoted
to our 1962 Oldsmobile Dynamic 88 convertible. The site also has a lot of information on Oldsmobile cars and the company founder, Ransom Eli Olds.
THE GRAY LADY: This website features our 1955 Cadillac Coupé de Ville, lots of Caddy information and an extensive repair library.
DAVE’S DEN: ◄-A site 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. George Yaros.
Page 2
Car Collector Chronicles
The Gray Lady Surely by the time you read this The Gray Lady shall be back in her stall in the
“[O]ne may now safely assume that the earlier mechanic’s idea of resolving my brake problem was to ‘over adjust’ the rear brakes.”
Yaros Car Barn? What I can say for certain now is that as I edit this on 31 Aug., she has yet to return. I did receive a phone call from the shop the first of August. It was explained that the shop is waiting on the arrival of parts. A master cylinder rebuild kit and a heater control valve seal are on their way from Caddy Daddy ◄ out of Napa, CA. The guesstimate was made that I should have the car back within 3 or 4 days after the parts make it to Milwaukee. The shop owner does read CCC®, as he noted that last month I had written that I thought I would have had the car back by now. He reminded me that when we conferred face-to-face I made it clear that I was in no rush. He is correct on that score. I did make that statement. [Note to Self: Don’t go saying “not in a rush” to service suppliers!] He also pointed out that there are 37 other cars in front of mine at the shop. To his credit, he did indicate that when my needed parts do arrive he will push my car up to the top of the to-do list. I appreciated that, and told him so. Even though I am not in a rush, 76 days (as of 31 Aug), to me, seems like a mighty long time? Here are the “Technician Notes” I have been furnished by the resto shop: Fuel leaking from new level sender at gasket. Tank needs to come down for repair. Heater control valve seized, cable is broken. W.W. motor cable broken. Wiper motor very stiff/gunked up inside. Pulled apart, cleaned, knocking down high spots in housing. Reassembled and should be ok now. Pulled front drums. Front cylinders are seized. All are full of rust. Need to replace cylinders and flex hoses. Front shoes look new. Drums need turning. Front wheel bearings look good but need to be repacked. Disassembled and cleaned up wiper motor. Motor smooth and free. Holds and exhausts vacuum now. Pulled heater control valve. It took a while to free it up. Cleaned it up and kept working it until it finally moved smoothly. The valve does hold pressure and the temp bulbs do activate the control valve when heated. Got rear drums pulled after car got up in the air. The rear cylinders are seized and the brakes were over adjusted, so were probably dragging. New parts ordered. Drums sent out for turning. Interestingly, back in June of 2012 I had a local mechanic who works on old rides deal with both the poor running engine and the under performing brakes. After charging me in excess of $200 for his efforts he informed me my distributor vacuum advance appeared to not be working. He also pronounced my braking system to now be operating fine. Readers know that I removed the distributor vacuum advance myself, had it rebuilt by Terrill Machine out of DeLeon, TX ◄ and did the reinstall. Based on what the current tech has found with the brake system, one may safely assume that the earlier mechanic’s idea of resolving my brake problem was to “over adjust” the rear brakes. Guess I can cross that place off my list of repair facilities to call on in the future? No guessing about it. Done!
Page 3
Car Collector Chronicles
Me and My Arrow Me and my arrow Straighter than narrow Wherever we go, every one knows It's me and my arrow HARRY NILSSON, Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Me and my arrow Taking the high road Wherever we go, everyone knows It's me and my arrow I wonder, does anyone besides me remember the Plymouth Arrow automobile? There is no reason you should, as it was a pretty unremarkable vehicle. My contact with it was certainly very limited. In the summer of 1974 I bought my first brand new car. It was a 1973 AMC Gremlin. As part of the deal I traded in a 1963 Ford Falcon Futura convertible. By the winter of 1976 I was again in the market for a car. This was because the Gremlin went into a skid on an interstate overpass north of Indianapolis, IN, hit a guardrail and went careening off into a farm field. The only useable items left after the accident were my aftermarket Stewart-Warner Oil/Amp/Temp gauges and the car license plates! Somewhere, somehow I had heard of the Arrow. I decided I would go to the Plymouth dealership and check one out. I recall that it was late in the day when I made my appearance at the dealer showroom. They had 3 cars lined up, front-to-back, alongside the showroom windows. The car I was looking at was #2, in the middle. To complicate matters the keys to cars 1 and 3 could not be located. What to do? Being wedged between two cars without keys proved to be no problem whatsoever for the enterprising sales staff. Why not? Because the Plymouth Arrow was so light, less than 2,000 lbs, four young sales persons were able to lift the car at the corners and free it from the cramped space. They were quite proud of both their ingenuity and the masculine prowess utilized in an effort to get me behind the wheel of the Arrow for a test drive. As this was nearly two score years ago, my memory of the car is a bit hazy today. I do recall the interior appointments were, shall we say, sparse. So sparse that the car had no carpeting. It did have, however, a wall-to-wall rubber floor mat. I also do recall that the car had little-to-no power whatsoever. Stepping on the accelerator yielded wonderment; a wondering if the car was ever going to speed up! I did feel bad, especially after the extra effort undertaken to free the car for a test drive, that I was not even remotely interested in buying an Arrow. Ultimately a new set of wheels was purchased by me; a 1976 Ford Pinto. At my insistence the Pinto was cloaked in racing orange paint. This was because I wanted the car to be able to easily be seen by fellow motorists. It must have worked, as no one ever ran into me? That Pinto clocked 185,000 miles before I passed it on to owner #2! I doubt the Arrow could have so endured? The Plymouth Arrow by the Numbers: Sold from 1976 through 1980, the Arrow was but a rebadged Mitsubishi Lancer Celeste. It produced all of 83 horsepower in the 1600 cc/8.5:1 compression version, which took 14 long, painful seconds to get up to 60 m.p.h. The engine options were 1.4 L, 1.6 L and 2.0 L. four cylinders. Available transmissions were the 4- or 5-speed manual or a 3-speed automatic, depending on configuration. The wheelbase was all of 92.1 inches. The vehicle dimensions were 157.28 in. long; width 60.43 in. wide and 53.74 in. tall. The car sat on 13” x 4.5” wheels with a 4-bolt 4/12” bolt pattern. Tire size was 600 x 13 (P155/80SR13 ). Surprisingly, the Arrow did come with front wheel disc brakes. Not a lot of cars presented with this feature in 1976. Gas mileage for the 1.6L was rated at
“Because the Plymouth Arrow was so light, less than 2,000 lbs., four young sales persons were able to lift the car at the corners and free it from the cramped space.”
Car Collector Chronicles
Page 4;;
26 City—39 Hwy. The MSRP was $3,175. One of the more interesting options available for the Arrow was a small tent ($80). When the rear seats were lowered and the tent was clipped over the open hatchback, it would allow the back of the car to be used for camping. It was named the Arrow Tepee.
During its lifespan the Arrow was also offered as a pickup truck. It sold about as well as the hatchback car. 1980 witnessed the end for this ride. It had served its purpose, which was dual in nature. It provided an opportunity for the American motoring public with an economy mindset to buy American instead of Japanese. It also gave Chrysler Corp. the time needed to develop in house its own econo box, the ubiquitous Plymouth Horizon/Dodge Omni. This ride is so (fill in the blank) that today I am not able to locate an Arrow car club or find a Plymouth Arrow being offered in the pages of Hemmings Motor News. Hagerty Insurance reports that the Arrow never got the love it deserved back in the day, and nobody seems to be collecting them now. Nor does it list the Arrow in its valuation database. I suspect that is because there are no records of the car being offered for sale or being purchased by buyers. I think it would be interesting to know how many even exist is this, the 21st century. A number less than 100 would not surprise me at all. A number in excess of 100 most certainly would.
– Ok, I’ve had my say for the month. Now it’s your turn! I invite/encourage submission of your comments, opinions and article contributions. I also ask that you please help spread the word about our publication. Everything sent shall indeed be reviewed by me. Submissions should be sent to CCC® at OldsD88@gmail.com. –– Now that you have finished reading this month’s issue of the newsletter, come start/ join an ongoing dialog with other CCC® readers and like-minded car collector folk on the CCC® Forum. Stop by, check us out and share your views … . ______________________________________
-- RESTORE 'EM, AND DRIVE 'EM! COMING NEXT ISSUE: • TBD • Operational status of The Gray Lady
Page 5;;
Car Collector Chronicles 速
CCC Presents 1948 Olds Custom Coupe
Saved 62