Hello everyone...my other intro thread was moved to classifieds so I'll do a genuine hello over here. Grew up in Michigan as a car guy and my dad had all sorts of cars...mostly Wagoneers but all sorts of other muscle cars. In my 20s I had a 79 Pontiac Trans Am but now I've hit mid 30s, I've become a station wagon guy. Found my dream car at a local hot rod shop and have since become a station wagon beach bum. Noone seems to "get it" down here in Wilmington, including friends and my wife but at least I made it through the summer. This forum is awesome. It's been sort of my secret support group. When I engage in civil discourse over the finer points of owning a old station wagon, I know where to spend some time first. Why people would spend 30-40-50K on new SUVs is beyond me. I've definitely changed some minds however...once you sit in the plush seats, throw in old Bruce SPringsteen or Neil Young 8 track and do a sunset cruise.....they realize there is no experience like a station wagon filled with family and friends on their way to a good ole Saturday night for pizza, beer and drive up ice cream. All the neighbors kids love the car so I hope we are a positive influence on a new generation as well. Anyway, hello and glad you all are around. Cheers Dave
Welcome Dave! Great intro. If you get into a heated debate about about gas-guzzling big a$$ wagons, throw in a Turbocharger and have them tell you why their tupperware wheels use more gas than yours and less power.
Thanks Norman....that was my next stop. Looking to improve MPG (I'm at like 7-10 now) and find some old chrome pieces (or re-chrome existing). Will check out Turbochargers...
Aha! You got in hotwater down in the Classifieds! Those 400s weren't very fuel budget friendly. Think about this. A slant six with a small 2.2L mopar turbo. Read all about it here: http://www.allpar.com/fix/holler/slant-six-turbo.html
Dave. I'll meetcha at Buffalo wingz at Monkey Junction over the holidayz and we can work on my Son-in-Law with this wagon thing. Daughter 'n Grand Baby are on our side so we're 2/3rd there
I know. I should have known better than to do an introduction then jump right to the sale. That first post was moved to the classifieds, of which I cannot post and defend myself. Oh well. Newbs getting flamed is part of interweb life. Just got to power through. I do own the car and part of the reason I need to sell is pregnancy, but another factor is my wife and I are supposed earth loving hippies so she claims owning this car goes against everything we believe in. So if it doesn't sell, I'm not exactly heartbroken. If I can get increase the gas mileage, maybe that will help my case to keep it....So thanks for the link...
I don't envy you. Caught between an Earth Mother and Mother Earth. Do yourselves a huge favour. Ask yourselves if a brand new Volvo wagon, turboed up, with more than 250 HP, weighing over 4,400 lbs, getting 28 MPG, is more environmentally friendly than sending yours to the smelters in Asia (shipping emissions + smelting and steelmaking emissions) versus keeping your 4,200 lb wagon running a turboed 6, with 170 HP, getting from 25 to 32 MPG in the city, with enough traffic torque, and more on the highway, with trailer pulling torque. Once you make the conversion, you can add water injection too (windshield washer bottle will give you a whole week's work travel) and save Mother Earth even more. What you won't get with the new Volvo is the ability to haul drywall and lumber in the back, like you have now. AND you'll pay some material delivery $50 to drive up in their 5 ton emissions monster so you can build an extension for the baby. A fuel injected engine is better for water injection, but it costs a lot to do, and very complex. If you want to be wholistically green, you have to be inclusive of all the costs. My details don't even cover burning off the paint, plastics etc, or making new trim parts. The slant sixes are one of the most solid engines ever, and a stock one with low compression is ideal for turbo setups. My wife, aka the Den Mother and SWMBO (She who must be obeyed), keeps adding other factors that Green newsbites seem to conveniently forget to mention, like some I mentioned here. Good luck. Its a tough decision, and a slow process to do. Mine was a 302-V8 and I went to a 200 CID 6. I could get more highend power from a Mustang SVO turboed car with a 2.3L 4 cylinder setup, but we use the car more in the city, and on long trips, even at 85 HP, its enough to pull this 2,800 lb wagon, wieghing less than a Prius, BTW. And I can haul plywood on the roof AND lumber inside or pull my utility trailer with 1.5 tonnes of gravel. Our countries grew because of wheels that haul, not wheels that leave the emissions in other countries. All we have to do is clean them up and we can match or even improve on the new krazy-glue plastic cars without the complexity and mortgage payment you get to say "I'm Green." My turbo goes into my 6-banger next year, with a goal of 35 to 45 on a US gallon, 20% more on our 5 quart gallon, before water injection. Water injection will add 10 to 15% fuel economy and emissions reductions and a bit more HP (5% to 10%). You might want to try this site for fuel economy with the car just as it is. Also get a cheap vacuum guage and watch your right foot back off the gas. http://ecomodder.com/
Welcome to the Forum Dave. Some of us would envy your gas mileage - IF WE CHECKED OURS You will find that most on the forums measure their mileage by the smiles they create - in and out of the car - and the good times they have. Glad you found this support group.
to the wagon train. Here is the way I see it. The petroleum industry is not going to release their death-grip. The faster we use up all the petroleum, the faster we can move on to something better. I'm doing my part.
Well hello, I do believe Ive met you and seen your car before! I don't know if you remember or not, but it was just off of Shipyard Blvd,at the station I work at... Its a shame my Eagle wasnt there that day... I do hope you keep your car, because that is one sharp vehicle
you cant put a price on cool ..can ya SAF??... Stevo...thats my new mantra... Welch heres your defense!!! you refuse to buy a new car...because of all the resources inhaled to make it....so your RECYCLING !!!!!
and welcome to the forum. Best of luck with the addition to your family and the subtraction from your garage
