What have you done to your wagon lately? (Let's keep the thread going!)

I have tried the LED replacements for the 1157 brake lamp bulbs. When (for a very short time) I got them to work, they were no brighter than the regular bulbs, and I specifically went for the 'extra bright' ones. At something like $10 a piece, they were a complete waste of time and money. Plus, the base on them did not fit the old sockets very well, so keeping them working was a pain in the patootie. I even tried a brand new socket in case that was the problem. No such luck. I'll stick with the Sylvania extra bright normal bulbs for about $2 each. Cheap and cheerful, plus they actually WORK!

 

Had some issues with LED replacement bulbs also. If your car has red plastic lenses I read and verified that the red LED bulbs will be brighter than the white LED bulbs. Also make sure you have the correct flasher for them to work properly.

 

I'm glad to hear this. I had been thinking about whether I wanted to bother doing the work to switch my exterior lights over to LEDs. I'm so happy with the way the interior light swap worked, but the exterior lights seemed to be a whole lot more work. To hear how expensive it would be for a marginal upgrade at best seems not worth it. Thank you.

 

Personally I'd go to 1157 style BRITE BULBS. (Dual contact) 1156 (Single contact) These bulbs American made rarely burned out.
As MikeT learned el cheapo made somewhere else bulbs rarely even fit the sockets.
And I've also heard that a LED bulb can only be seen dirrectly behind or in front of the lense. That's why modern car lenses are made differently to reflect the LED off to the sides also.
I've also heard I shouldn't believe everything I hear!

On my 1955 Chevy wagon I lucked out. It already had LEE style early Buick tail lenses and did not come with back up lights. I knocked out the metal socket plug below the 1157 tail/brake bulb and added another 1157 socket. Now I have two tail/brake/ blinkers on each side plus an upper third brake light.
People still ignore my signals and follow too close but at least they can see my rear.
Did you know that many cars did not come with back up lites until the government decided we needed them? Like AC and radio, they were an accessory. Just because there was a white lens or light did not mean the car had back up lights.

 

Car show time!

Taking the wagon down to the AOH Car Show in the morning (6 SEP in Virginia Beach). It would be great to have some wgon-competition but so far- I'm it!!!!

If you folks decide to jump in the wagon for a drive, head to Virginia Beach and knock me out of 1st place---

 

Broken manifold bolt LT1

Manifold was leaking and know I know why. I have a broken bolt the last one by the firewall. hoping to drill and easy out it tomorrow.
What size are the bolts on the LT1 manifolds?
All of the bolts came loose, Thanks to my PB blaster for the previous 2 nights.
Will get pics up soon of the boat. This is only the beginning of what I hope to be a long journey with this car. Also need a driver side tail light.

 

Bummer, nothing worse IMO than a broken bolt. How ever if you have loosened bolts that means they will come out and you then will have the size you need. Also a good parts shop will be able to fix you up just by knowing your engine size/year etc. Good luck and IMO I'd replace every bolt with new weather or not they are broken

 

Thank you for the info Fat Tedy. I was debating on getting new bolt's, Now I will.
We shall see how the drilling goes this morning.

 

I stuck the 1990 Mercury Grand Marquis Wagon in a car show right in front of the house I'm living in. I think it was the only Station Wagon in the whole show (I walked and looked through - Nice cars but no other wagons that I saw!) and as I was getting ready for the car show, A man with a black 1989 Mercury Grand Marquis Sedan in nice shape came up in line and I talked with him. We ended up parking next to each other in the show.

I showed the Wagon to people, a lot of folks didn't know how the tailgate worked! There was a kid who said the tailgate is cool.

One guy had a 1971 Ford LTD Convertible (Originally blue, re-painted white) and I ended up talking with him for a while and walking around looking at cars with him. He won a $30 card to a local automotive place. I ended up getting a five-quart bottle of oil. I may see him again at another car show on the 21st, at a town nearby.

I also saw a white 1976 Cadillac Eldorado. Is that the type the Oldsmobile Toronado was based on? There was also a 1952 Buick Roadmaster Sedan, And it didn't have a roof or back seat or trunk or hood or fenders. Very bare-bones as a car! Some of the new Dodge cars do look very similar to older cars from the 1960s and 1970s, too.

 

The Olds Toronado was out before Caddy Eldorado.

 

Ah. Which of the Cadillacs was the Toronado based on?

 

The Toronado wasn't based on anything. It was a new car for GM and Olds in I think 1966.
New idea being full size,luxury type car, front wheel drive, V-8. It had a 425 CID Olds motor at around 385 HP.

 

None. It was visa-versa.
The Olds Toronado debuted in model year 1966. The new Eldorado using the Toronado chassis (but not the body) came out in 1967.

 

Oh. Thanks, now I know.

 

Finally got everything pulled down on the OCC in order to fix the broken head bolt. Now the real fun begins not only getting the remnants of the head bolt out of the block but I also had to remove the alternator bracket from the front of the head with a hacksaw!

I curse the engineer that spec'd T45 button-head cap screws to hold that accessory bracket to the head! Of course the Torx bit breaks off inside the head of the completely obscured bolt. After molesting the damn thing with punches and chisels with no results, out came the hacksaw. Now I need to get the rest of that bolt out of the head.

I love old cars, I love old cars, ...