Da' Classic car pic' pick-me-up!

[elagache]

Dear mid-60s Buick owners with d'em Wintertime blues, . . . . .

Winter is always a hard time for classic car owners, so I thought I would make a point to post a few classic car photos whenever I come across them.  Something to bring a smile to everyone's faces.  A while back I spotted something really amazing and I finally managed to lug my camera over there and take a photo of it:



It is a "do-it-yourself" bone-yard for the Nash Metropolitan!  It must be the source of spares for this car that appears regularly at the Orinda Classic Car Show:



This photo was taken during the 2017 show.  Here is another view:



If you are curious on the history of the Nash Metropolitan, there is a good description of the car's history on Wikipedia:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nash_Metropolitan

Considering how rare these cars are, the owner is simply bring prudent in having two parts cars around for spares!

Enjoy!  Edouard 

P.S. If anyone else has photos that they would like to contribute to this thread - by all means go for it! . . . .

[elagache]

Dear mid-60s Buick owners with d'em Wintertime blues, . . . . .

This morning there was a tree service working on a nearby house.  When I went over to investigate I found something rather surprising:



It is a Ford F-series truck from around 1965!  Okay, it isn't a Buick, but it is certainly rare to see a 50 year old truck continuing to be used for business.  This one has clearly been kept in good shape!

Not enough to chase away those Winter blues?  This may come as a shock, but we already have some plum trees in bloom!



These trees are against a creek and that apparently allows them to bloom very early.  Last year they were in bloom about February 1st.  This past December was very dry and unusually warm in the daytime.  I suppose that was enough to get these trees blooming almost a month earlier than last year.

So however dreary it may look outside at the moment, be reassured that Spring will most certainly come to you eventually!

Cheers, Edouard 

[GS66]

I like it! We still see some pretty old farm trucks in use around here yet too, fun to see.

[option B9]

   Thanks Edouard   The truck is real cool, but the photo of the plum tree is even better considering that we have been in the deep freeze for two weeks now. last night was the worst with a reading of -10 with the wind chill factor and ice & snow everywhere. I covered my fruit tree at the end of November but it may not survive this extreme cold period. Was just looking at some Laurel & Hardy videos while drinking some hot chocolate.  I know they were shot in and around Culver City area of Los Angeles, Its fun looking at the model T's and all those PALM trees.   

                                                                             Tony

[elagache]

Dear Tony and mid-60s Buick owners caught in a harsh winter,

The truck is real cool, but the photo of the plum tree is even better considering that we have been in the deep freeze for two weeks now. last night was the worst with a reading of -10 with the wind chill factor and ice & snow everywhere. I covered my fruit tree at the end of November but it may not survive this extreme cold period.

Sorry to hear about your yard suffering in the extreme weather.  Here in California we are experiencing another kind of extremes where either there is no rain or the storms are very powerful.  In France and other parts of Europe there is a lot of flooding.  It certainly has been a tough winter thus far.

Was just looking at some Laurel & Hardy videos while drinking some hot chocolate.  I know they were shot in and around Culver City area of Los Angeles, Its fun looking at the model T's and all those PALM trees.

I'm glad you found a way to take your mind off of the cold weather.  Let's all hope for a way out of this mess soon.

Cheers, Edouard

[Super65lark]

It has been a bit of a bizarre winter. Most assuredly waiting for Spring.

Edouard as you're probably away Montecito is close to my neck of the woods. I've never heard of rain this intense. Usually 1 or 2 inches per hour is considered heavy rain. They had half and inch in 5 minutes. Just mind boggling.

[elagache]

Dear Iain and mid-60s Buick owners with an eye on the weather,

It has been a bit of a bizarre winter. Most assuredly waiting for Spring.

Well don't rush too much into Spring.  At the moment California is back in a drought.

Edouard as you're probably away Montecito is close to my neck of the woods. I've never heard of rain this intense. Usually 1 or 2 inches per hour is considered heavy rain. They had half and inch in 5 minutes. Just mind boggling.

That works out to a rainfall rate of 9" inches an hour.  That's a lot of rain and is the sort of thing you'll see in the Midwest (although not continuously for an hour) and during a hurricane.  That sort of rainfall rate isn't unheard off elsewhere, but for California it is basically unheard of.

Cheers, Edouard

[Super65lark]

Few things here: 1. Forgot to say, I like the pic. It was my mom's first car! Can't imagine driving one of those.

2. How many minutes do you have in your hours?

3. Yes, more drought. Last winter was really a fluke and we got really lucky. At the moment we aren't Cape Town, South Africa. In my little town of Nipomo, we never left 'Stage 3' restrictions because of the drought. Technically, no outdoor watering, no building, etc. (though it happens)

4. I have been intentionally spelling my name wrong with only 1 "I" because it confuses people. It's Gaelic and rarely seen in this part of the world, but often seen in Scotland and the UK.

[elagache]

Hi Iain and mid-60s Buick owners who wish to be handy with figures,

Few things here: 1. Forgot to say, I like the pic. It was my mom's first car! Can't imagine driving one of those.

Agreed!  They are cute to look at, but drive one? . . . . 

2. How many minutes do you have in your hours?

Bummer dude!  Yes I did the math too fast.  That's 18" of rain per hour.  That's getting rare.  I don't think even hurricanes can sustain rainfall rates like that for very long.

3. Yes, more drought. Last winter was really a fluke and we got really lucky. At the moment we aren't Cape Town, South Africa. In my little town of Nipomo, we never left 'Stage 3' restrictions because of the drought. Technically, no outdoor watering, no building, etc. (though it happens)

Well, we got our restrictions lifted for last summer.  I've more than had enough of the drought routine.  We already had a drought-tolerant yard since we went though the 1976 drought and we still lost some plants.  I've had enough of this nonsense. 

4. I have been intentionally spelling my name wrong with only 1 "I" because it confuses people. It's Gaelic and rarely seen in this part of the world, but often seen in Scotland and the UK.

Hey, if the correct spelling is Iain, spell it that way!  People should get used to it! 

Cheers, Edouard 

[elagache]

Dear mid-60s Buick owners with d'em Wintertime blues, . . . .

Yesterday, I ran over to Orinda Classic Car center to get their opinions on Jet-Hot coatings.  Believe it or not, yes they had some classic car "customers," they were working on.  One of them was this Ford pickup truck:



It is of the series built from 1967 through to 1973.  So while trucks don't seem to "age" as much as cars, this truck could be about as old as any of our cars.  Here is another view:



Trucks typically live a hard life and most are driven into the ground long before they reach age 50.  So it is nice to see this one being well cared for - even if it is just a Ford! 

Cheers, Edouard 

P.S. This truck must have been rescued because it has modern license plates.  According to Wikipedia, California license plates didn't take the blue lettering on a reflective white and the script version of California until 1994. 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vehicle_registration_plates_of_California

Therefore this truck must have lost its original plates sometime in the past.

[Mister T]

I had an interesting classic car fix while driving to work this morning. To set things up, I'm in Manitoba, Canada where it can get extremely cold in January. So I end up following a 66 Pontiac Beaumont 4 door sedan for a few miles. It was snowing, the wind was howling, roads were becoming icy, and this dude is driving a 52 year old car!! Only managed a quick look at the driver side which looke in good shape.

Probably the last classic I'll see until later this spring once our roads are snow, salt, and sand free.

[elagache]

Dear Tom and mid-60s Buick fans who try not to be distracted drivers,

I had an interesting classic car fix while driving to work this morning. To set things up, I'm in Manitoba, Canada where it can get extremely cold in January. So I end up following a 66 Pontiac Beaumont 4 door sedan for a few miles. It was snowing, the wind was howling, roads were becoming icy, and this dude is driving a 52 year old car!! Only managed a quick look at the driver side which looke in good shape.

Very interesting story!

. . . . But, why didn't you pull out your smart-phone and take a picture.  Post it on Instragram, then add it to your Facebook page, post it on Twitter, . . . . . . . .

This morning I turned from a major intersection to our local Trader Joe's to spot a car with the backup lights on.  The car sat there with another person wanting to take the space.  It still sat there as I arrived at the entrance.  I had to decide if it was safe to enter the parking lot with this car about to back up into the entrance.  After waiting a second or two and seeing that I had an empty space that I could quickly occupy, I took the risk and rushed into the space.  The car didn't move even if the car had been reverse all the time.  As I got closer I could see.  The person had put the car into reverse and - then - checked their smart-phone! 

Be safe on the road!

Cheers, Edouard

[WkillGS]

Nice Truck! I like those old Fords.
I mentioned a few weeks ago that I had bought a 1991 F-150 brand new. Technically, it now qualifies as an antique since it's 27 years old! However, my classic car insurance company doesn't agree... they will not insure it. They claim it has 'high mileage' (110k), and is just a retired daily driver. 
I find it ironic that some of my antique Buicks were also daily drivers, have in excess of 100k miles, and are not in as good original condition as my truck is.... and they would have no problem insuring those!
I sure wish this '66 vert I just bought had been cared for as well as my truck has been!
Here's a pic of my two antiques:

[elagache]

Dear Walt and mid-60s Buick owners who take good care of their vehicles,

I mentioned a few weeks ago that I had bought a 1991 F-150 brand new. Technically, it now qualifies as an antique since it's 27 years old! However, my classic car insurance company doesn't agree... they will not insure it. They claim it has 'high mileage' (110k), and is just a retired daily driver.

It is a strange position for an insurance company to take.  Since your truck is in such good condition, they are most likely going to make money on your premiums.  That's an example of a policy that is misguided.

Indeed I wish most people took better care of the vehicles they possess!

Cheers, Edouard 

[jmos4]

Hi all,

If you're worried about insurance value just do stated value insurance, you tell them what you expect when its totaled and then if something does happen your at least where you want to be dollar wise.

I have a good friend with a 79 F350 on 40's think he has it insured for 40 grand or more at this point, nice clean truck, may not be worth that to others but its what he expects if something was to happen

A few years ago I had my daily driver totaled, needless to say with 200,000 miles and a little rust we went round and round about the pay off

Nice Ford and future project.

Cheers,