random thoughts

[enjenjo]

When I was 20 most anyone could afford a Corvette. I know I could and I was not making top money. I could not afford the insurance though. Today most people can't afford one unless they are making top money The same goes for new pickup trucks. A loaded Chevy C10 pickup was priced under a loaded Impala in 1965.

What happened to all the 20s and 30s street rods? I know that many of the owners passed away, but the cars must be around somewhere. But you don't see them at the shows anymore.

I have been driving fuel injected cars for over 30 years now. I had forgotten the pain in the butt setting up a carburetor can be. I don't know if I want to deal with it any more.

How long do you think it will take for electric hot rods to really become common? I know for guys our age that is a pretty big jump, but for the younger guys that is just one step.

I would like to hear your take on this.

[WZ JUNK]

I plan to replace the old Holley spreadbore on the WZ JUNK truck with a Holley Sniper this winter.   I will work on the fuel part first and when it is sorted out, I will add the ignition.

[kb426]

I have no real answer. At the last 2 shows of the season, I saw some of the older street rods that I used to see at Pueblo. Crushed velour, 2 tone paint, older wheels. I didn't see any of the drivers so I don't know if it was an old guy or a younger owner. Myself, I'm not ready for an ev. I'm aware that they have performance but they also have the time factor for recharges. Living in an area of long distance traveling, I'm not ready to sit and wait while traveling hundreds of miles. The recent trip I made to swap my wife's vehicle was 604 miles roundtrip. If you add at least one and maybe 2 recharges, that would have been a real long day. I've been efi all the way since 2006. The last build I did with a carb was 2003.

[idrivejunk]

The suffix "ette" on a noun denotes relatively small size, an imitation, or substitute. I hereby posit that Corv is an automotive cryptid, having never existed full size.

Everything is ever increasing. If world population doubles, this has no effect on the number of existing builds. It does affect the number of individuals who want and can buy one however. For now.

Using a carb and arguably, efi sans cat in mainstream modern traffic has achieved "downright inconsiderate" status in my perception of the collective perception. Toys only, for tame local back roads. Its rude and offensive to the people.

EFI in originally carbed junk assassinates the beloved retro character of the vehicle and merely delays it's inevitable obsolescence. But if you want transportation you better just set that body on something else and look at at more than use it. The old bodies'll get you killed sportin modern gear rubbin elbows with nascar inspired commuters.

Non-Pontiac engines, I just can't see in mine. A stack of motors rather than some warmed over retired work truck engine that ain't even electric but flounders without chips seems more sensible strictly from a seat-of-pants viewpoint. Misses every other base there is though.

What we're left with? I'll cry when they heave mine into the chipper, vintage desireables and all. But you are supposed to dispose of things you create for you properly, so they don't get in anyone's way or cause lifting a finger for anyone. Thats my take. The car only lives today because I forced it to once upon a time and its better to put her to sleep than risk burdening others.

This is not a real answer either. I'm not here. 

[Crosley.In.AZ]

Cars & trucks have changed a lot. My 1973 Chevy 3/4 ton truck I bought new is way different from the F-350 Ford 2021 truck I bought 18 months ago. We put about 5 times the cash down on the Ford as the Chevy actually cost & still make a large monthly payment. .. . The Ford MSRP was $62k , which was about $20k below the other 2 brands we were shopping. Ford was the only 1 offering base level diesel trucks. GM & Dodge were all upper level , high option trucks priced at 80+ $$$. 

Electric conversions on cars is nothing new. We had a few running around in Phoenix AZ area decades ago. They were weak and short range compared to 2022.  There was an import wagon (Toyota I think) with a large solar panel on it. He had signs on the car about being solar powered. LOL

My view on EV automotive stuff is simple (I think). The battery is a storage tank. It is filled via 70% of fossil fuel produced electric.  That takes hours for a full charge.  I can fill the fuel tank on my F-350 in 10 minutes. The truck's computer usually tells me I have 600+ miles range 

The Electric vehicles are not green or clean or which ever term you may use. The manufacturing process of the batteries is dirty , filthy , toxic. Many fossil fuel powered equipment is used for the manufacture of the whole car, same as ICE cars. An observation of Tesla car drivers local here is: They have taken over for A--hole BMW drivers. Actually the BWM school of A--hole driver training appears to be "pre-school" for Tesla drivers.

I agree:  older (20s , 30s) hotrods seem to have disappeared? Where? Garage parked? I do not think this is Chinese flu caused. I have noticed this a few years ago.  Out here fewer of the olde stuff were at car shows

[chimp koose]

I still like carbs. I guess that is because I have an aversion to computers.I think however that I will probably build an EFI car next time . My daughter wants a v8 vega and has the body already , we are talking about a vortec 5.7 and OD auto for it from a 97 silverado that is kicking around the acreage . I also have an 8" from a MII with 4 bolt axles so might be able to stealth this one with quiet exhaust. I would not be against an EV drivetrain for a street rod if and when there is the ability to recharge as easily and at as many locations as refuelling . As was mentioned , charging takes time and there are not as many options where to do it . Can you imagine being on a long trip and having to wait your turn at the recharging station ? For in town commuting with charging at home , there might be a good argument pro EV , but get out on the open road and things change.
   As for the cost of a new vehicle , I have never owned one as they have always been out of my price range but from what I understand , the average buyer is not concerned with the total price ,but rather are concerned with the monthly payment.

[jaybee]

I like the idea of EFI on an old school engine. I don't miss the exercise of figuring out just what combination of right foot movements will be the correct magical pattern to keep the engine lit after startup at various combinations of temperature and humidity. I certainly don't miss driving 6 blocks from home, pulling out into traffic from my residential neighborhood, and having the engine cough and die with 4 lanes of traffic bearing down on me from both directions. Better mixture control means almost as much as better oils and closer machining tolerances in terms of building an engine which will live long and prosper.

As I see it, newer tech in an older car has been the basis of hot rodding since the first time someone slipped a 32 Ford chassis under a Model A...or even earlier. Someone else mentioned modern traffic. I see no fun in being the guy driving 50mph on the freeway because I'm afraid some fool in a Civic will dive in front of me, nail the brakes, and be shocked that I can't stop as fast as he can.

I don't know that the coming wave of electric conversions is going to be any different. There aren't a lot of good parts out there for it yet, but they'll come. I have several different thoughts in my head that I'd still like to own, ranging from a built LS to a 347 stroker sbf to a 400 Ford with flat top pistons and aftermarket quench heads. I need to face facts however, and in point of fact the motor fuels we know today could be hard to come by and expensive in 15-20 years. I plan to be around longer than that. I don't plan to give up wanting and driving something with classic style just because it hums instead of roars as it jumps off the line.

[tomslik]

"As I see it, newer tech in an older car has been the basis of hot rodding since the first time someone slipped a 32 Ford chassis under a Model A...or even earlier. Someone else mentioned modern traffic. I see no fun in being the guy driving 50mph on the freeway because I'm afraid some fool in a Civic will dive in front of me, nail the brakes, and be shocked that I can't stop as fast as he can."

they do that when i'm dragging a trailer too!

[Bruce Dorsi]

EV's were quite popular in NJ back in the late 1950's.  ...I first drove an ev when I was 10 years old in 1958.
...The car was grounded to the steel floor and power came from a pole-mounted shoe dragging on an overhead electrified grid.  ....Drivers of these ev's rammed other cars, much like what happens today on our roads.

There are more downsides to owning an EV today than owning a gas or diesel vehicle.  ....Yes, the price of fuels fluctuates up & down, but I rarely see any electric bills go down except for seasonal adjustments.

Prices per KWH vary drastically by area.  ...In my part of NJ, our cost is .17/kwh during winter and .22/kwh during summer.  ....A guy in Ohio was documenting his ev costs, but his electricity was approx .08/kwh.  ...Charging at commercial charging stations can be around .43/kwh.

We often drive 9-10 hours to visit relatives in Canada, 540 miles away, with a 15 minute stop for gas before entering Canada.  ...Can't do that with an EV with a/c or heat on, or in cold weather.  ...Any electric accessories (radio, wipers, seat heaters, power windows, etc.) all get their power from the battery.

We buy, not lease, our vehicles and run them to high mileage (200K-300K miles).  ...I would be afraid to own an EV for an extended time period due to battery replacement cost.

Regarding EFI, in 1996, I installed an Edelbrock Pro-Flo multi-port (non-sequential) EFI on a 350 SBC. ...The computer chip was matched to the cam specs, but was tuned from a small panel supplied with the kit.  ...The system controlled ignition & fuel curves, and stored 3 different programs which the user created.
...I will never go back to a carb.

[Crosley.In.AZ]

Ok,  sit down...  I actually looked into an EV years ago.       It was the time when rebates were new and purty good on the electric cars. License plate taxes were low (even in AZ)   I looked at a Nissan Leaf for the work commute. The daily mileage range was good for me.  The work place said I could plug in (120 volt) while at work. That would top the battery up some..

Then it was coming out that the Leaf battery power was suffering in hot climates.  Battery size appeared to be the issue.  With the a/c operating , the range of the Leaf was reduced a large amount.  So:  I stopped looking at the EV

[enjenjo]

I have been trying to find parts for a 91 S10, there isn't a salvage yard in about 30 miles that has anything older than 2000. I'm tired of looking.

[58 Yeoman]

That's one of the reasons I'm leary about getting another car to work on.  New and used parts are like unobtanium.  You buy new parts at the store and it takes two or three times to get it to work.  My wife will ask every now and then if I want another and I say not really.

[kb426]

Yesterday I priced steel. A year ago in June I paid $6.36 for 2 x6. The best price I found so far was $10.50. As I price components for the 48, I'm not as excited as I have been in the past. Finding a donor car for a reasonable price has been impossible.