What's the mileage on your car?

Another thought occured to me while staring at the walls today (I have little to do while out of work)... How many miles has my car seen?

Well I know it had just rolled over 290k when the 307 was yanked around '95, and that was 18 years ago, averaging 10k a year, my car would have another 180k, but it hasn't moved that much, I'd say an average of 7.5k a year is what this car has done. That's 135,000 miles, so, simple math, 135k + 290k = 420,000 miles... Well THAT'S why my front springs feel like they're made of marshmallows!

Fun fact: My front springs, ball joints, all of the bushings except ones attached to things already replaced, center link, idler arm, ect, have not been touched. Differential is even original, I'm gonna wind up going through it when I drop in a new engine, it's got a lot of slack. I'm pretty sure when I take down the A arms to rebuild them the bushings are going to turn into dust and blow away like a warner bro's cartoon character who just had a bad run in with fire.

So yeah, how many miles have your tanks (or assorted other cars) seen?

 

1978 Buick Estate Wagon with Buick 350. A little over 91,000 miles, so lightly used, although a leaking rear main doesn't help it look "young"

 

Well aren't you a lucky one? I wish my car hadn't rolled over yet... At least not for the fourth time.

 

My wifes Town@country has 318,000 kms

My Grand caravan sport has 308,000 kms

there wagons right?

 

I have no idea how many miles our 55 Chevy wagon has. I bought it in late 80's. It came originally as a six with three speed. I bought it with a 350 and BW 4-speed. The speedo worked but can't remember what it showed. The original was not showing a large number but who knows if it was always hooked up or replaced before.
I remember replacing the gauges and the speedo. I recalibrated that one to all zeros.
After I traded it the other joker had a sick 307 and Powerglide put in out of his 70's Chevelle. After driving it a year or so I couldn't stand it any longer.
I bought an old Chevy work van for $500 with a 305 that was supposedly nearly new. Found out from the machine shop builder that it was nearly new maybe five years earlier. He estimated it had 50,000 on it by then.
I still used the Powerglide which wasn't even hooked up to shift correctly. Swapped to HP Camaro 305 heads. Replaced the Powerglide with a rebuilt 2004R and used block hugger headers. Eventually it ran decent. Again I replaced the speedo and set it to zeros.
Son replaced the dash with Dakota Digital dash. Again it showed zero. It's been driven very little since the 305/2004R swap.
We rebuilt the original 55 suspension and springs which didn't look real worn. So I'd guess this wagon still does not have much over 100,000 miles on it. But nobody knows. The steering wheel, pedals, and carpet have been changed many times so there are no clues.

 

Yeah, lucky I don't have to rely on it as a daily driver, but I do use it like a wagon. I bought it so I didn't have to buy an SUV, but it gets used for trips to the dump, lots of camping activities and lately, furniture shopping. It also doubles as a second car for my father so he can be mobile when my mother is running around in their one car

With the exception of some of the things I've hauled around in it, I reckon it's had an easy life.

 

All in all I'm surprised you didn't go with a 350 in that '55 Chevy, Denny. I feel like my car needs a bit more power than it's got, I think it's around 160 horses, and it weighs, according to the title, 4,004lbs. I have to pay a heavy vehicle tax because it's 4lbs over two tons. But yeah, all in all my car is in great shape for the mileage, which is to say if you found it sitting in a junkyard you'd not be surprised it's there.

If I listed the things wrong with my car, I'd be here most of the day, though aside from the transmission, ball joints, front shocks and springs, and every single bushing on the car, it's mechanically fine. Which is to say, she's broken down and tired.

 

Yea Dead but your wagon has memories and all those things are normal repair things. Just do one end or one side at a time.
As for the engine in my 55 Chevy wagon. I needed an engine fast to enjoy the cruises and didn't have the extra cash for a crate engine or decent 350. I saw the van in the "Thrifty Nickle" type local paper with supposedly a rebuilt 305. An early 305 is a good engine. Even though this one ended up with way more miles on it the price was right.
I knew the engine builder and he said it was still agood buy. I just swpped heads for big valve 305 HP heads and my engine dress up things along with Edelbrock manifold. My son used the 350 automatic and we both used many other parts. My wife uses the long no-window van as a storage container. Way cheaper than a metal building. Nice to live in the boonies and it's white so hardly anyone sees it between a shed and the pool deck..
But, yes, now I wished I'd bought a crate 350 or the rebuilt 409 I later found. Shoulda woulda coulda!
The 305 and 2004R gets nearly 20 MPG and burns rubber. Starts everytime and purs like a kitten. It'll never win a race but gets us to the cruise ins and across the state with ease.

 

Wagon has 196K.

The odometer on my Toyota says 07024. Hasn't worked since I got the car. No idea.
100K+? 200K+?

 

Yeah I know those words, that's what my father says about dropping a 350 in the wagon when he rebuilt it. He'd just rebuilt the transmission and engine had been rebuilt less than 100k miles ago, so he figured it was solid. Nope, lifter went out in it. At the time he could've gotten a 350 and trans pretty cheap.

Side note, my father bought a 1978 Ford LTD wagon back around '88 or so, was a year before or after I was born, can't remember which, he only had the car about five years before it gave up the ghost, and then we got the Custom Cruiser, and then it broke down. Anyway, one of my father's SWC's was that he should have bought a '83 Olds Custom Cruiser instead of that '78 Ford, it was black, black interior, those fancy pillow seats, low mileage 350, but... It was used as a flower car at a local funeral home and occasionally hauled a body, my father was fine with it, my mother... Was not.. Only after did he realize he could've just cleaned it out and said it came from some florists shop. Oh well, would've been an interesting turn of events, either way I'd probably still have a Custom Cruiser.

 

Oh wow, I completely missed someone saying that minivans where wagons. Minivans are the arch nemesis of station wagons, they are the bane of our existence, and the reason these cars are almost extinct.

 

Well give him a break, he's a senior member older, mind starting to slip......


Most likely he thought he was on his other forum.....

http://forum.chryslerminivan.net/forum.php


All in fun GN....BUT........

 

262,500 on the old OCC. Took the family to Jersey for vacation in July; just keeps on truckin'! :icon_drive:

 

OK, not a wagon but this lady wins!

Rachel and Chariot.