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Topics - MMMM_ERT

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Maintenance / Halogen headlights with Rally Sport option
« on: July 03, 2013, 06:41:06 PM »
Howdy folks...long time no post.

I'd like to upgrade the lighting in my 68 RS.  The stock headlights are horrible compared to a modern car (and I'm getting older!).   I've seen some projector style halogen bulbs available.  Are there any fit issues with the RS buckets/brackets?  Any other issues to be concerned with?  Oh yeah...I have the U46 Vigilite option too.    My car is not totally original so I'm not worried about correct headlamps.

Thanks!

-Pete

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http://www.examiner.com/x-10974-Kansas-City-Classic-Cars-Examiner~y2009m5d13-Driven--2010-Camaro-SS

Let him know what you think...

Driven! 2010 Camaro SS
May 13, 7:19 PM
         

Suddenly, it's 1969.  It looks similar, but it isn't.
I recently had a chance to drive the 2010 Camaro in both the V6 and SS versions, and the experience certainly was an eye-opener.

“But, Craig, why are you talking about this in the ‘classic car’ section?”  Good question.  And the answer really is pretty much skin deep.  Clearly, the styling of the 2010 Camaro was directly influenced by the ’69 model, and as a former owner of a nice first-generation Camaro, the comparison is inevitable.

And a little one-sided.  The only thing these two cars really have in common is the amount of attention they draw.  Let’s face it; an early Camaro is not among the highest-quality rides ever made.  Don’t get me wrong; the cool factor is out of this world.  Equipped right, they can sound mean, run fast, and look awesome.  They are everything you would ever want and expect a muscle car to be.  But if you’re being truly objective, they’re also cheap and tinny.  The seats are as thin as a stadium cushion and the trunk shuts with an unsatisfying clang.  And those brakes—let’s just say, brace yourself, ‘cause this is gonna hurt.

Not so with the new version.  This thing just oozes quality.  So much so, it not only surpasses the ’69 version, but it completely outclasses the last Camaro produced in 2002 in nearly every subjective and objective measure.  Just look at the details—the instrument panel, the seats, the fit and finish.  It’s all loosely retro, but completely modern at the same time.

The driving experience was equally as impressive.  Not a rattle, shake, or shimmy to be found.  The 6.2-liter V8, armed with more than 400-hp, is just as delicious as you would expect it to be.  The 300-hp V6 is no slouch either.  It’s not as satisfying as the V8, of course, but it can achieve 26-mpg on the highway, and blow the doors off of most cars on the road.

The new Camaro represents a different kind of history than those of the past.  One of the appealing parts of an old car is that you can imagine someone looking our over the hood all those years ago, watching the world change through the view of the windshield.  Where had the people been that sat in that seat?  Where had those hands worked that touched that steering wheel.  That car represents history, and you are a part of it.

On the other hand, the new Camaro shows what Chevrolet and General Motors has learned in forty years.  While giving a nod to tradition, it showcases the greatest in technology and engineering.  The idea that a company could take the same basic package and improve it to this extent says a lot about how far their products have come.  The ’69 Camaro will always be the favorite, but the 2010 is the best.

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Maintenance / chirping birds....
« on: May 02, 2009, 11:42:03 PM »
All right experts...I'm at my wits end...(not a long drive to get there)

I have a chirping sound coming from the pass rear of the car.  At first I thought it was suspension, so I silicone lubed all pivot points.  Still chirping.  I pulled all the rear interior out...still chirping.  I checked for squeeks with the trunk pivot points and lubed them also.  Still chirping.  I've checked all fuel lines, exhaust clearances, brake lines etc etc etc...  I even looked inside the quarter window housings, body area.   . 

I seems to do it on the freeway which let me to believe it was suspension.  It comes and goes.  It is now doing it at low speeds where a "bump" in the road will interupt the chirping...but then it goes back to normal.  I've stood in the trunk and jumped up and down...no squeak.     Could it be wheel bearings?

It's really ruining the driving experience.

 Help???

4
Maintenance / 68 Camaro (V8) Idler Arm question
« on: March 22, 2009, 03:54:45 PM »
Guys and Gals...

THe Idler Arm on my 68 is bad... It seems theres an AC Delco part (45C1013) and theres a few other brands like Moog.

Any suggestions on which brand to get or places to purchase.  I see a lot of "reproductions" at the usual resto sites.

Oh yeah...I have power steering too.

Thanks!

-Pete

5
...hangin out with my car.  ;D

 
I went on a Camaro Club cruise Saturday around the "Rim of the World".  This drive takes you from the bottom of Big Bear mountain up HWY 18  to the top, around the lake and back down HWY 38 for some truly breathtaking scenic views.   Scott Settlemeyer and General Motors surprised us by showing up at Rim of the World High School with the 5th generation Camaro Concept car "BumbleBee" that was the actuall vehicle used in the movie Transformers...   Needless to say, I asked if I could park mine next to it for a nice photo op.



























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General Discussion / Barrett-Jackson lawsuit
« on: January 29, 2007, 06:35:38 PM »
Thought some of you may find this of interest...I jacked it from another board.   It's somewhat long, but interesting. 


http://fourwheeldrift.wordpress.com/

 

Barrett-Jackson’s Westworld Tent Turns Out to be a House of Cards
January 27th, 2007 by fourwheeldrift


As a collector car journalist, I have been watching the Barrett-Jackson auction for years. For the last five or so years, it has been very apparent that the Scottsdale auction is at best a bastion of gross consumption…but now some hobbyists are claiming a worst: fraud.

I’ve discussed B-J with collectors, dealers and enthusiasts, many of whom would be considered “insiders,” meaning they’ve bought and sold cars at B-J and other auctions, or are well-known in the collector car hobby. For some reason, it is this year that people are all finally grumbling and passing rumors in unison.

The bottom line is that Craig Jackson and the B-J company seem to have really screwed themselves this year. Apparently, a well-known judge (legal, rather than concours) selling a vehicle at B-J this year has filed papers with the court, because B-J contracts specifically promise every car three minutes on the stand. Evidently, he was one of the sellers who had his car short-timed. He communicated the story, which got broadcasted via the Classic Thunderbirds List. According to the grapevine, this is already being discussed as translating into class-action status for the benefit of other sellers.

According to this judge and other sources, it appears Barrett-Jackson was operating a bit on the same level as an evangelical healing show. Allegedly they had assistants milling around asking what specific sellers thought their cars would bring. Armed with this information at the control desk, if a lot passed the value at which a seller indicated he’d be happy, the car would be rushed off and the gavel would fall – even if bidding was still very much alive.

Because the event was televised on live television via the Speed TV network, the plaintiff(s) now have video/audio proof that buyers were signaling increased bids before the three-minute marks, but were denied by a too-fast last call and hammer.

While this all might cause Barrett-Jackson to have to pay money to sellers in the form of a judgment or settlement, it is something else that might land Craig Jackson in jail.

It is no secret that Barrett-Jackson owns many cars that are run through the auction – it was something I suspected many, many years ago. This was proven when they started maintaining a showroom of cars in Arizona. This is not illegal, but stay with me.

Along with many collectors, I’ve always suspected that the cars owned by Craig Jackson and the B-J company were often driven up by shill bidders working for the company. Essentially, the strategy works in the sense that ever since the auction focus moved from classics like Packards and Duesenbergs to muscle cars, B-J has been able to shill, say a Hemi Cuda or mid-year Corvette 427 they own, which causes the value of the 10 other identical cars to increase. They wind up “buying” their own car back, but the others go on to regular buyers, who now are paying higher because of the perception the market has moved up.

This suspicion has been supported by at least one auction attendee this year that says he witnessed cars sold at auction headed in trailers back to B-J’s warehouse. The lawsuit allegedly points out that these cars also spent significantly more time on the block than others.

If this isn’t all interesting enough, during this year’s auction, fellow collector car journalist, Keith Martin of Sports Car Market, was booted from the Westworld premises and his media credentials revoked for voicing loud, specific concern regarding the event while sitting in the media room. Barrett-Jackson accused Keith Martin of “holding court” and attempting to send VIPs and journalists to the competing RM and Russo and Steele auction events. Among the alleged opinions included that the cars at B-J were of inferior quality (and had quality misrepresented,) as well as that the bidders were significantly over-bidding cars, which shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone who has witnessed people paying six figures for cars they could have bought for under $50,000 any other day of the year!!!

This is somewhat of an interesting twist. Keith Martin’s publication has marketed the B-J events and has helped fuel its popularity. Keith is definitely one of the great “insiders” of the hobby, and has been a friend to Craig Jackson. In past years, Keith nor his publication have been critical of the goings-on and rumors, while other collector car journalists screamed that something stunk.

It makes sense, since Sports Car Market really only tracks the value of vehicles and other items sold at auction, rather than via private sales (which really has skewed SCM’s values for years!) So without kissing-ass to B-J, Keith would have missed insider info on the largest events covered by his mag. So we can only guess that Keith and Craig had a falling out of some type.

I applaud Keith for turning the corner on his view of B-J, but I’m with others I’ve talked to about this: I hate to say this about a colleague, but I believe his behavior was a bit unprofessional. As journalists, it is our responsibility to write what we think, but going to the show for years, then promoting RM and Russo+Steele while at Westworld is somewhat unkosher. I agree that Keith, a true hobbyist who started out by writing an Alfa Romeo newsletter, was for a long time too much a part of the “circus” about which he finally rejected, and that SCM has to a significant degree helped to fuel misinformation and a house of cards regarding specific auction prices and bidding behavior. Keith, by all accounts, is a really good guy — an enthusiast, who maybe just needed to take a step back and a big breath and reacquaint himself with those outside of the very insulated collector car “in crowd” — and spend time with some car people who are not trying to exploit the collectors. There are plenty of guys who have dug themselves too deep into this little crowd, and are no longer fun to deal with, because they’ve put personal greed well ahead of the cars and the collectors. Keith will rebound — he has a great internal staff of really fantastic people, who hopefully will help him return to his roots.

And Keith got his chance at revenge today, when his piece in the New York times said: “the red-hot market was cooling a bit.” He likened the high auction prices to the Dot.com craze, then went on to say: “While the prices of some types of cars remain strong, primarily low-production muscle cars with their original engines (“numbers matching” is the trade term) or sports racing cars like Ferraris, other more common cars produced in larger numbers, or cars whose engines have been replaced, are holding their values, at best.”

If you want to get back at someone who owns an auction house, the best way, I suppose, is to tell everyone that prices are too high. Ouch!

While I’ve never met him, the buzz among those in the hobby — both collectors and journalists, is that Craig Jackson is quite arrogant, so don’t expect many to come to his rescue. He inherited his father’s company, and has fueled B-J’s admirable growth with a combination of intelligence, drive, ego, and greed. While there is nothing wrong with that combination, if it results in unethical and possibly illegal activities, that’s inexcusable.

Like many surrounding the hobby, I will be watching the events unfold. Will the Westworld tents come down like a house of cards, or will everything just go away with an exchange of a little money? It’s happened before, like the 2006 event’s Futurliner debacle when investor Ron Pratt allegedly negotiated a $3.0M price (after B-J staff admitted to mistaking the high bid), but the reported sale was for $4.0M.

It’s hard to predict the outcome. None of us have all the facts. Craig Jackson has become a very powerful man, and his company has pumps an estimated $96M dollars into the Arizona economy annually. He’s allowed his say, and the appropriate judge/jury might very well decide he personally has done nothing wrong.

This all being said, there’s no doubt that Barrett-Jackson “jumped the shark” this year. Unlike when Fonzi did it, this story has Craig Jackson driving his allegedly shill-bid Hemicudas over the tank and down a ramp that could lead to six years in a minimum security prison-issued orange jumpsuit. If that’s the case, maybe he can get Sports Car Market in the slammer to keep-up on Russo and Steele, RM and Kruse auction results.

8
I want to do Redline tires on my car after seeing all the pretty Camaros at Barrett-Jackson last weekend....  I don't want to use the original (Coker) Bias Plys, I want to use the radial type Redlines.  Driving safety is my first concern.

Anyone familiar with DiamondBack?  Experiences?

Heres the link.

http://www.widewhitewalltires.com/index.htm

Heres a quick and dirty pchop of my car with Redlines...  Will this look good with my car?




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General Discussion / Body mount bushings.....how hard to replace?
« on: January 05, 2007, 12:30:08 AM »
Howdy folks....I was tinkering around under my 68 last weekend and noticed all my bushings are in pretty bad shape (body mount)

How hard are these to replace?   Any reason to go with original style rubber or use poly?    Which kit is best...I've checked multiple outlets and they all seem to have the same thing.

Thanks.

 ;D

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General Discussion / Rally Sport Vacuum problems. HELP!
« on: March 20, 2006, 05:43:08 AM »
Okay experts.

I just replaced my actuators, My originals that I had rebuilt years ago quit on me...actually only one of them went bad.  I bought some of the reproductions and installed them today.

Heres my problem:  The light doors (if open) when the car is NOT running will close as soon as the car is started, which is what they are supposed to do.  When I turn on the lights at the dash, the doors stay closed.  I also try to bypass by switching the Relay to the "open" position...but the doors still stay closed.
They were working previously, the only thing I can think of is this.  My Relay valve broke at the inlet from the light switch (red hose).  I epoxy'ed it and it seems to be  tight fit, but maybe it's the culprit...any ideas?

Also, in the assemby manual, the diagram shows the relay hoses as TOP=Green, Middle=Yellow, Bottom=Red.   Well on the relay itself, it shows TOP=Red, Middle= Yellow and Bottom=Green.   I never noticed that before. Any ideas on this?

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Looks like I need new vacuum actuators or possibly need to have my originals rebuilt.  Anyone have any luck with the new "GM" repproduction which are re-tooled and "guaranteed not to leak" versions?

I was looking around and I found this on Steves Camaro Parts site.  A great diagram for the 68 version RS hoses... Note that the 68 reservoir tank has two hose "nipples" where the 69 has only one.  ;)

http://www.stevescamaroparts.com/sitebuildercontent/sbsimages/misc/show_image.html?linkedwidth=actual&linkpath=http://www.stevescamaroparts.com/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderpictures/68rshoseroutingcolor.jpg&target=tlx_new&title=click%20to%20enlarge


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General Discussion / Howdy! ...and a Fan blade question
« on: March 08, 2006, 06:44:28 AM »
Hi folks,

I'm new to this board.  Some of you may remember me, I used to be on the old f-body-classic email list.  Pete Serino is the name and I still have my gorgeous 68 Camaro.   ;D

Got a few questions and I searched the board for an answer but nothing came up.  This relates to an original fan-blade for my car.  I have long since replaced the original fan blade with an aftermarket fan (original got bent to heck when the water pump froze up and went through my radiator. ARgggh!)  Anyway, I am wanting to go back to an original 5-blade fan and fan-clutch (my car has original A/C)  I've been looking for  a fan for a while...a few 5-bladers show up on eBay, but no part numbers or just an "H" on them. 

Any input on where to find a good original fan?   What is the bolt hole spacing of said fan?  I read on CRG site something about 3" diameter for my application and 3.25 for big block or Z28.  What is the dimention between holes center to center?


Anyway, heres a pic of my car.   She made the Dan Lyons 2004 Camaro Calendar!

  

Thanks for your help!

-Pete






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