project 1951 Pontiac Chieftain

[busmansholiday]

On 2/20/2021 at 4:48 PM, PhilA said:

Bumped into a local guy who just got his Rocket 88 running, which is great. Nice to see it on the highway.

 

Phil

Have you introduced him to AS yet ?

[PhilA]

No, doesn't seem to totally be the type, despite the cars. 

I've just been driving the heck out of the car though. To and from work, to the store. It's been doing really very well.

Up due service soon.

Phil

[hairnet]

Rutroh

[hairnet]

You know that thing where @dollywobbler hubnut get stuff from.wish without asking

I've not ordered from Amazon 😛

[hairnet]

Wtf

[PhilA]

23 minutes ago, hairnet said:

Wtf

Crawfish de lys. Meant to take the price off. Oops.

[hairnet]

not a real $5 bag

 

[hairnet]

*scrapes and bows

[hairnet]

Woo

[hairnet]

thanks phillip

[PhilA]

Tried to make up for having a really freaking awful week at work, totally forgetting our conversation and inadvertently stealing your teeshirt.

[hairnet]

hehe the LOL of you posing with the car was worth it

 

[hairnet]

dodge update?

is your house free of fiats now?

or did the boss realise theres no mopar in them

[PhilA]

I got my 35mm film photos back from processing.

Getting used to the camera again, snapshot in the garage.

Out on highway 307, fighting with traffic and mist that didn't want to hang around.

Out at the baseball field.

Sun was starting to set.

Silhouettes, bridge and bayou.

Final photo on the roll, twilight on hwy 24.

 

Phil

[hairnet]

1 hour ago, PhilA said:

 

Out at the weird cricket field.

 

👍

[PhilA]

Racking up the miles. Didn't feel like cooking so went grab breakfast. Car is running better, I advanced the timing a bit and it's pulling a hell of a lot better than it was. Nice to have all the gauges working still.

I took a look at the car when I got home and decided it was far too dirty, the wheels being graywall rather than whitewall.

Scrub scrub scrub. Now the rest of the car looks worse because the wheels are clean.

Better. All clean. It's a bit warm for this malarkey today, 28c. Now inside, sitting in front of a fan, wishing I had a beer.

 

Phil

[hairnet]

dodge has a/c

do dodge

 

[hairnet]

1 hour ago, PhilA said:

 

 

Phil

what a heap

that pic made me think of shawshank where brooks nearly gets run over by i thought one of these but its not its a buick

but in the same scene there is i found out a 51 chief

drink a lemonade and get back out there and work on tan

 

[PhilA]

Tan? No need to work on, already got that. Live down here a decade and you get burned to a crisp.

[Cooper1]

Great motor this.. 

 

whats it like on the Highway? can you get her up near  70mph? 

 

A chap I know has an old Packard beautiful old thing, but he says it tops out at 45 lol 

[PhilA]

Just now, Cooper1 said:

Great motor this.. 

 

whats it like on the Highway? can you get her up near  70mph? 

 

A chap I know has an old Packard beautiful old thing, but he says it tops out at 45 lol 

 

Uh. Maybe? I've never tried. Book top speed is 83, so 70 is pushing it to the limit, the 83 is partially engine power related, partially mechanical RPM limit.

It'll putz about all day long at 35, at 45 you need to rest it a little after a long run (sit and idle before switching it off) and 55 it'll do but the fuel economy goes to hell.

It was designed with most streets being a maximum of about 45 anyway, there were still a large number of unpaved roads here back in the fifties.

Pre-war yes, it was not uncommon for a basic car to top out at about 45-50mph.

Phil

[hairnet]

wasnt that why 55 as limit was picked as when interstate and stuff started being built most stuff couldnt go quicker?

bit like here your A35 wont do 75 m9 :D down preston bypass :)

 

 

[PhilA]

1 hour ago, hairnet said:

wasnt that why 55 as limit was picked as when interstate and stuff started being built most stuff couldnt go quicker?

bit like here your A35 wont do 75 m9 down preston bypass

 

 

No, the limits have been traditionally in the 5's (35, 45, 55). The interstate system was mostly poured slab concrete and wasn't smooth by any means. I think 55 was chosen as the maximum "safe" speed initially because yes, a lot of vehicles just couldn't do the high speed running you see in cars built from the late 60's onward. Limits were increased.

 Then, OPEC saw to a reduction of maximum federally allowed speed of 55 to save on fuel during the 70's and after that was lifted in the late 80's some states chose to implement higher speeds, some removed them altogether and some remained at 55 on state highways.

 

Phil

[somewhatfoolish]

Damn the double nickel!

[PhilA]

Started the car up in the garage tonight. It left hazy sunbeams.

Being Thursday, the dog and I went get chocolate malts.

Having fun just buzzing about right now, exercising the fuel gauge needle.

 

Phil

[hairnet]

5 hours ago, PhilA said:

 

exercising the fuel gauge needle.

 

Phil

*All europeans gnash teeth

[PhilA]

7 hours ago, hairnet said:

*All europeans gnash teeth

I do too because it's not cheap running about at 8-9mpg, even here.

[Rocket88]

My ‘88 would cruise happily at 65.... after that it would get a bit floaty....

[PhilA]

I just don't like pushing it that hard. It feels significantly happier at slower speeds though dynamically it's pretty stable at 55.

Like a lot of older cars it goes through an unhappy wandering-about at about 35 which stabilizes as you go faster and the loads on the suspension (worn) bring everything into line.

Phil

[PhilA]

Wow, it is a nice day. The mail van (late Grumman Kubvan) just rattled on past, running pig-rich; the breeze is cool, the sun is warm and I'm just sat in the garden watching the dogs play.

I should get on with oil change and grease, really.