Can anyone help with Paint color info??

Exactly, Krash! I couldn't have asked for a better childhood. I'm sure it was similar to yours in that, it was just a different time, ya know. I mean, we only had 5 television channels, we had a milkman, our parents would practically have to drag us into the house at night..we'd be out all day, playing, riding bikes, etc...and we couldn't get away with anything, it was like having parents at every house..if we miss behaved, someone else's parents would surely tell mine! hehe! And kids were taught values and morals back then... Those were the days, I really do miss 'em! I feel sorry for kids nowadays..things are so different.

 

Now don't get me wrong. I like Tupperware. The old containers with those sealable lids make great de-rusting easier. Vinegar, Salt and Water and 2 days later, a crusty old part comes out like a new penny.

But not cars. Krash knows better than me about how some companies are making plastic frames for their vehicles above the window line (beltline) the whole structure. One rollover, and you're roadkill.

And those front and rear bumper skins cost a mortgage payment to replace, let alone all the electronics they put in behind them. They want them to self-destruct and they know the insurance actuaries have it all figured into the rates.

And virtually all the manufacturers are using glue to 'weld' sheetmetal now, not spotwelding. They look good for the guy who trades in every 2 or 3 years (higher resale value) but the next guy has to buy shares in Krazy Glue.

The same thing is happening in house materials. My old house is over 100 years old and I refuse to use anything but real plywood. That chipboard stuff disintegrates after 40 years, and people are people are paying fortunes for the new homes made with it. Even kitchen cabinets don't take the humidity with the particleboard. I get that people want to upgrade their kitchens and bathrooms, but even old plywood is reusable. Not that other stuff.

 

My dad was the milkman.....

 

Ah....you kids have no idea what the REAL Good Old Days were like! I would give anything if they had continued through the years. I loved American life when I was growing up. My dad drove a Model A to work!

 

Hehe..now THAT'S cool!

 

Hey Silver, I'll bet you have some awesome memories! I think us kids born in the 60's though, was the last "Americana" generation... I 'm glad I ws part of it!

A Model A..wow..

 

Norman, I agree with you, cars nowadays are junk! So, how does the vinegar mixture go?? How many parts of each? Y'all are a wealth of info!

 

Back when the horses were faster than the cars and most trains.
Heck they hadn't even thought about speeding tickets back then. Not even a tax-grab glimmer in the tax-man's eye! That American Life?

We lived close to an intersection and the only stoplight in town. The local farmers grew green peas for the packing plant. They had to turn at the light, so a bunch of us, all around 5 to8 years old would hide buckets behind the telephone poles and a few of us would climb up on the trucks and heave the pea vines down to our buddies on the roadside. Our moms would always ask where we got fresh peas, but somehow never were curious enough to go and watch the gig. These old trucks were so slow and full that our short little legs could keep up!

 

Hey, canyon....you better jack that wagon WAY up high and head for the hills yourself. There's a storm heading right your way again! I sure hope it misses you. Don't want to change your name to GULFtide! Be careful and keep us posted on that.

 

That gorgeous region just doesn't get a break.

Been there 4 times for vacations and business conferences before Katrina, and enjoyed the folks and food and jazz.

Keep your chin up and a snorkel handy.

 

Could anyone recommend a simple spot welder of the kind you simply used to use and didn't need to calibrate it like the newer fancy gadgets do? If you know what you're doing, you shouldn't be burning holes through your metal, in the first place. Here are some rediculous units found on ebay:

https://www.ebay.de/sch/i.html?_fro...ktschwei.TRS0&_nkw=punktschweißgerät&_sacat=0

In a worst case scenario, it's always possible to go the Popular Mechanics route, through building one's own, using a lawnmower engine to drive an alternator connected to a diesel-powered vehicle's battery. But, if some simple gadget's available for a modest amount, it would be feasable not to spend time gathering stuff for a home-made do-it-your-selfer