Ye Ole Coffee Shoppe XXIII

[vato loco]

Jeff, I know about LTD's...I owned a 1980 2 door model with a 302 under the hood! As Terry could confirm, that thing was a killer! the body of it was very sound, but the engine and tranny was another issue. Then around 1999 a old lady (89) driving the wrong way on a divided road in a 1990 LTD hit my son and I in my Chevy s-10. She damn near killed us and all my little truck did to that LTD was scuff the bumper! Then 5 years after the accedent the same little old lady in the same car. Parked the car in the middle of the salvation army store. got scared....Backed out of the store. then got back out on to US 19 and drove away! I know this......I watched it happen and when the cops showed up to take witness reports.....i told the officer her name. They already knew her by the wake of damage she would leave every time she got behind the wheel! Either way that old lady proved the LTD was a tank and she wasn't afraid to use it either!

 

[kbkchooch]

LOL!!

LTD= Last True Dinosaur!!

Mom had one, so did my ex's Grandma. Whale of a car!

 

[jeffrey-wimberly]

LOL!!

LTD= Last True Dinosaur!!

Mom had one, so did my ex's Grandma. Whale of a car!

You got that right! My wagon was so big it could haul an entire little baseball team plus their equipment and there was seating for everybody, even two pop-up rumble seats in the back section of the cargo area.

 

[screen48]

LTD - LOL
My girlfriend (now my wife) lent me her Dads new 66 LTD our senior year and I proceeded to sideswipe a C&NW railroad pickup. Much damage to the pickup but the LTD only had scratches. Yes a tank. I also got my first speeding ticket in that car. We won't talk about what else I did in that car. LOL

 

[blownoutcylinder]

LTD - LOL
My girlfriend (now my wife) lent me her Dads new 66 LTD our senior year and I proceeded to sideswipe a C&NW railroad pickup. Much damage to the pickup but the LTD only had scratches. Yes a tank. I also got my first speeding ticket in that car. We won't talk about what else I did in that car. LOL

Hey--welcome to the diner --

My Mustang was a tank as well--I had a fellow hit my car from the rear and all I got from it was a scratch on the bumper---his car was a total wreck!!

 

[kbkchooch]

You got that right! My wagon was so big it could haul an entire little baseball team plus their equipment and there was seating for everybody, even two pop-up rumble seats in the back section of the cargo area.

Jeffrey, you just reminded me about my Dad's longtime affair with a couple of Country Squire wagons.......seating for 9!!! Yeah, sisters of the family truckster

 

[Steve B]

We have a really good steam special to look forward to soon, it a standard pacific loco up front and a 4-6-0 pusher at the rear for the climbs,,, how cool will that be. Pity i wont be able to see it

 

[jeffrey-wimberly]

Made up this front plate and frame for the van. Until I can get something better it'll have to do.

 

[vato loco]

Happy WEEKEND!

We're going to Adventure Island water park today! Plan to get Some R&R, and do some sliding around. CUL8er......

 

[jeffrey-wimberly]

Went to Lowe's and picked up some items I'll need to start work on the van for painting. I got a 1/4 sheet heavy duty sander (as the light duty one I use for the layout would never survive), 6 packs of 1/4 sheet sandpaper, a couple of packs of full size sanding sheets to use as needed, a couple dozen rolls of masking tape, 10 cans white spray paint and 10 cans black spray paint and 2 different sizes of letter and number stencils. One thing that'll be on the left back door is the message 'FREEDOM ISN'T FREE!'. From halfway up the sides to the roof (with the exception of the doors which will be all white) will be black. From halfway up the sides to 1/4 of the way down will be white, from there down will be black. The front, including the hood and the roof supports framing the windshield will be white with the Dodge lettering on the hood done in flat black. I'm not going for a full paint restoration job here. I have neither the money or energy for that. Most of the body already has primer on it. I intend to sand back the areas where surface rust is showing through. I figure just about anything will look better than the splotchy primer gray/light blue/dark blue/ faded black is has now. Besides, the white and black plan I described is the same one I use for my Midland Gulf (L&A subsidiary) locomotives. I can figure out how to work in the Midland Gulf logo later. As far as the gas tank and steering column are concerned, if the scrap yard network can't locate them I can make a poor mans fuel cell from the gas tank of another vehicle secured inside the rear of the van with that area closed off to keep gas fumes out of the passenger area. For the steering column I'm sure my nephew and I can cobble something together that will work. We're a couple a gear heads with slightly different specialties. He'll take parts from two or more vehicles (not always the same type) to build a vehicle that works and is street legal. As for me, one of my hobbies used to be building hot rods and sleepers. A sports car getting it's doors blown off by a hot rod isn't all that unusual but a sports car getting the paint sucked off it by a beat up looking old family sedan with a 700 hp crate engine under the hood is VERY embarrassing for the owner/driver of the sports car. I had a good hearty laugh with that when I sucked up a Dodge Super Bee and blew it out the tail pipes of my '94 Century. The guy didn't know I had a modified V6 stroker engine in it. To add insult to injury I gave the Super Bee (He wanted to race for titles, how could I resist) to a friend of mine so his son would have something to drive to (high) school! We did of course put a governor on it so he couldn't go over 80. I can't take credit for the V6 stroker engine in the Century. That was put together by a friend of mine who lives near Alexandria. He used to build race car engines for a living. The last sleeper I personally built from the ground up was a somewhat rebuilt 1968 Dodge Coronet (Aspen R/T) that had a weak 318 in it. I pitched the 318 and it's tranny and slipped in a 426 Hemi with a 3 speed automatic with overtake (overdrive on steroids) and put in a 2 speed differential. Believe it or not it was considered to be street legal! The engine had a cross ram high rise intake with two 4 barrel Holley's feeding gas to the thirsty engine. It didn't pass many gas stations! I never did find out exactly how fast it would go but it was clocked at 161 mph on a race track with a very experienced race car driver handling it. He said he still had over an inch of pedal left and it was running smooth. I certainly had no problem blowing past a '78 Vette with it. I sold the Coronet in 1985 for $5,000 to a street racer. He loved it. I helped to build/rebuild cars for some years after that but the Coronet was the last one I did on my own. I dropped that hobby when my health no longer permitted me to do it.

 

[jeffrey-wimberly]

I been out power sanding the rust spots on the van. I forgot how much work that is but it's fun too. So far I haven't a single Bondo spot and only one small rust through in a non-structural area.

 

[screen48]

Workahaulick!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Steve B]

got my new metal shed in situ today, what a nightmare job carrying it round the garden into it's final resting position, i could not build iti in situ because there was not room,,, so it was a mega move by hand

 

[jeffrey-wimberly]

Workahaulick!!!!!!!!!!

Who, me? A workaholic? Not hardly. I take it slow and easy but I get the job done. My fastest walking speed is about that of the average 80 year old and forget about running. I haven't been able to do that for years. I can't work anymore and anything I do here that involves being on my feet or having to get up and down has to be done with frequent breaks so I don't overdo it. Can't be having another heart attack even though my first was very minor.


Anyways, I got the problem areas primed and most of the first coat of gloss white on before the rain started. I', using a fast drying paint from Valspar so it shouldn't be much of a problem. If there is a problem I can sand the area(s) and repaint the location(s). I have to get more paint also, at least ten more cans of white and black both. On the white I still have most of the drivers door and some of the area around the windshield. As for the roof I'll get someone to go up top and paint it a light color. I haven't even started on the black yet. There's more area to cover with it but it won't have to be as heavy as it's much darker, to say the least.

 

[bnsf971]

Who, me? A workaholic? Not hardly. I take it slow and easy but I get the job done. My fastest walking speed is about that of the average 80 year old and forget about running. I haven't been able to do that for years. I can't work anymore and anything I do here that involves being on my feet or having to get up and down has to be done with frequent breaks so I don't overdo it. Can't be having another heart attack even though my first was very minor.


Anyways, I got the problem areas primed and most of the first coat of gloss white on before the rain started. I', using a fast drying paint from Valspar so it shouldn't be much of a problem. If there is a problem I can sand the area(s) and repaint the location(s). I have to get more paint also, at least ten more cans of white and black both. On the white I still have most of the drivers door and some of the area around the windshield. As for the roof I'll get someone to go up top and paint it a light color. I haven't even started on the black yet. There's more area to cover with it but it won't have to be as heavy as it's much darker, to say the least.

If you paint that thing white over black, and hang your light bar on it, people will think it's a paddy wagon...

 

[jeffrey-wimberly]

If you paint that thing white over black, and hang your light bar on it, people will think it's a paddy wagon...

No light bar for this one. The light bar pulls 40 amps an dthe alternator puts out 65 amps at best, not enough power. Nice thing though, no electric fuel pump and relay, no electric radiator fan, though the fan on the water pump pulley has a weak clutch. I'm gonna pull it off and drill a hole through the clutch hub and thread a bolt through it to lock the clutch.

 

[vato loco]

If you paint that thing white over black, and hang your light bar on it, people will think it's a paddy wagon...

or put good humor icecream stickers all over it and become a icecream man!

 

[Littlefoot14]

Afternoon everyone, sorry to bring up some older posts but ive been gone for a week

Jeff- sounds like your making improvments on the new van. weve seen the before, wheres the after pictures?

Chris- ever owned hermit crabs? I bet those frogs make a ton of noise, but when we had hermit crabs it was almost a nightmare. Theyre nocturnal, and while doing their thing in the tank, theyd occasionally rub there shell against the glass. It might not sound like much, but the first time i heard the godawful screech in the middle of the night i was up like a shot!

Terry- your dogs story reminds me of our cat dusty's. He was out running around across the road so we took him in. Found the owner and everything was all good, for the night. Next day the little guy was out there again. That time we didnt bring him back

It looks like weve got a few new people here, welcome.

 

[UP2CSX]

Afternoon, everyone.

I've been MIA that last 10 days or so again. I've spent most of the time figuring out the cheapest and best solution to termites that were found in some of the attic rafters and trusses. Not a huge amount of damage yet but it would have been bad if they hadn't been found in a couple of years. I finally ended up having the rafters, trusses and decking torn off to the last place there was no sign of termites. The infrared camera they have is pretty good at detecting any activity by the little bastards. Tore off about a quarter of the roof, replaced the wood and plywood decking, and had it re-roofed. They did a good job but I'm going to have to move in with Chris if they find any more big problems. So far, it looks like we got the worst of it. In hindsight, it would have been a darned good idea if I bought termite insurance when I bought the house.

I've also been on the phone all week fighting with my and my sister's congressman, trying to get my brother-in-law a space to be buried in a military cemetery. He served two tours in Vietnam and had two Purple Hearts and the Silver Star, so it seemed to me he deserved to rest with his fellow vets. We finally got a grave site in the Western Reserve National Cemetery. The service will be this Saturday, with full military honors. I'm going to be there with my sister, since none of my other brothers or sisters will be able to make it.

I checked the cost of flying but, with parking at the airport, airfare to Cleveland, and getting a rental car, it would have been about $1,000! It's only about 715 miles driving and I figure I can do that for about $400. Also saves the hassle of a six hour plane flight with two stopovers and going through all the security. I will also feel a lot safer armed in Cleveland, since my sister lives in a bad neighborhood...well, just about all of Cleveland is a bad neighborhood. The hotel I got was about the only one I could find (and afford) where the reviews didn't complain about bullet holes in the windows. I'll drive up on Thursday and return on Wednesday. This means I'll miss the SER train show, dang it. I always seem to miss every one of the few train shows that come down this way.

Haven't had a chance to read any of the other posts here but I hope I can catch up over the next week. Even driving to Cleveland will seem relaxing compared to what I've been going through lately. I'll bring the netbook with me so I can use it on the trip. I also need to finish studying for my ham radio license test, which is scheduled for the Saturday after I get back. I hope everyone is doing as well as can be expected and nothing terrible has happened to anyone.

Well, I guess the bright side is I can't complain about being bored.

 

[vato loco]

Chris- ever owned hermit crabs? I bet those frogs make a ton of noise, but when we had hermit crabs it was almost a nightmare. Theyre nocturnal, and while doing their thing in the tank, theyd occasionally rub there shell against the glass. It might not sound like much, but the first time i heard the godawful screech in the middle of the night i was up like a shot!

Thank God, we got's no Crabs! Just frogs and Lizards, The frogs got bird owning beat noise and mess wise! Although, I have learnd things I would have never guessed..... 1. Frog's will eat other frog's, lizards, and just about any moving thing that will fit in their mouths! 2. Frogs are agressive to other animal if the the PO levels get to high. 3. They are noisy and loud inside and outside the house. 6 frog's in one tank = no sleep! 4. frogs are messy!

On the plus side they are neat to watch, and at feeding time let the show begin!