The car market is definitely in an upswing!

From most reports coming in - individuals, dealers, websites, and auctions; the classic and specialty car market has rebounded from its year and a half downturn and sales are going strong again! Many more cars and trucks are changing hands this year than we have seen in a long time. While prices are down from their highs of two and three years ago, there is no doubt a renewed interest in acquiring vehicles. Vehicles of all sorts. Not just cream of the crop or special limited edition versions. All types!

Some people have had money on the sidelines for a while and have jumped back in. Others, sensing bargains, have scooped up cars at prices that would have been considered steals a few years ago! Sellers have also loosened up their “firmness on price” and have wised up to the fact that to move the metal, you’ve got to drop the sticker!

All this has contributed to a new health in the hobby as people’s buying habits are helping to improve the situation and outlook for the first time in quite a while. I don’t hear the naysayers anymore, nor do I hear anything resembling a lack of interest. On the contrary, after a typically long and cold Long Island winter, people are chomping at the bit to get out there with their rides and enjoy themselves! Part of it might also be a psychological effect from all the negative news over the worst economic downturn in eighty years. People can only take so much bad news. We all long for something good, something positive. And the knowledge that the value of collector cars, while somewhat diminished, still will be a great long term investment, has given people the proverbial “kick in the ass” to buy a sweet ride they can enjoy. That’s some good news and some positive feelings too!

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ARE YOU READY ? Our new and revamped MESSAGE BOARD is up and running!

This handy networking area will be a huge benefit to those of you seeking help with their vehicles, or just with general questions and comments that can be shared back and forth with other users. I am sure most of you have been to message boards on the ‘net and found them as I did, frustrating! I am going to ensure that the one we host will be very user-friendly, uncomplicated, and easy to navigate! Just go to our website’s main page and click on the MESSAGE BOARD link. First thing you should do is register with your own name and password. This will give you access to all the features and the ability to post comments and answer questions!

When you are done with this wonderful edition of the Newsletter, go check it out!!

http://www.liclassiccars.com/forum/

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TABLE OF CONTENTS:

1 Editor’s Introduction

2 Picture Caption Contest

3 Cruise Night Information & New Car Clubs

4 Guest Writers’ Columns

Bill Carberry

Lou Refano

Justin Appelbaum

Rick Erdody

Rich’s Tech Tips

5 My Car Story

6 The Archive

6 Editor’s Closing

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Long Island Classic Cars’

AUTOMOTIVE PICTURE CAPTION CONTEST

Submit your entry along with your name and e-mail address to: newsletter@liclassiccars.com

This contest is open to everyone! (LI Classic Cars.com paid personnel, regular column writers, and business advertisers are not eligible.)

Winners will be notified by e-mail and/or phone.

Please submit all entries by the 20th of the next month. (Ex: for April’s contest the entries are due by May 20th)

No substitutions of prizes will be allowed.

In the event of prize choices, winner will be given the opportunity to select the one they want.

All decisions are final and are made by the paid personnel of Long Island Classic Cars.com

Winners must claim their prizes within 30 days of contest end or forfeit the prize to the runner up.

If there are multiple correct entries on puzzle, matching, fill-in, or Q&A contests - winner will be randomly selected from all correct entries.

A few simple rules:

1) Be creative !

2) Answer by 5/20/09

There is no winning entry from last month’s contest because – no one entered it!

I am disappointed in the apathy! First time in seven years that has happened!

(Hey readers, you should all be ashamed of yourselves! It is a fun and easy way to win prizes!)

OK – now that you all have been properly admonished – here is this month’s contest…..

Go to it! Send in your funniest comments by 5/20/09 and win the prize!

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“EXTRA EXTRA! READ ALL ABOUT IT!!”

The Cruise Nights are starting! Check the EVENT listings on our website’s main page for full information.

2009 Cruise Night location updates:

TUESDAYS: McDonald's. Metropolitan Ave. & 69^th Road, Forest Hills, NY.

Sponsored by East Coast Car Association/Toys For Tots

TUESDAYS: Audrey Ave. Oyster Bay, NY

Sponsored by Oyster Bay Chamber of Commerce

TUESDAYS: Old Key Food Shopping Center. Dogwood Avenue. Franklin Square, NY

Public Gathering

WEDNESDAYS: Nathan's Famous. 3131 Long Beach Rd, Oceanside, NY

Public Gathering

THURSDAYS: Wendy’s Shopping Center. Montauk Hwy and Locust Ave, Oakdale, NY

By Bill Carberry & Andy Turano

On Sunday March 22 The Empire Chapter of the Ford Galaxie Club of America held its annual Cruise to Orient Point at the tip of Long Island. This year we were raising money for a fellow motor-head suffering from double kidney failure. Our day started at 7:15 AM when we arrived at Airport Plaza in Farmingdale. Other Empire members soon arrived and began setting up, selling raffle tickets and registering early arrivers. WBAB was right there in the parking lot distributing goodies and providing background music. The temperature was a balmy 31 degrees but we were too busy to notice it. All but one that is. He told us that his heater was not functioning today and he had driven all the way from Staten Island at that ambient 31 degrees. There was also the guy with the Cobra but he was bundled up pretty good.

We hit the ground running. As other members of the club arrived they jumped into the various jobs and the many hands made these tasks easier. The coffee truck soon arrived and supplied the roughly one hundred people with the much needed coffee, hot chocolate and vitamin enriched breakfast snacks that our bodies craved.

Things quickly smoothed out to a fine tuned machine. We raffled off some of the prizes so that people who were not going all the way to Orient but still came out to support the cause would have a chance to win something. Before we knew it, the time was about 9:30 and a Suffolk County Sheriff Sgt. arrived with two officers in their patrol cars. Even though we are a Ford Galaxie Club we open our cruise to any and all automotive enthusiasts that want to help out in a good cause. We even welcome motorcycles. We assembled into a single file procession of forty-eight cars with one patrol car in front, one in the rear, and one along side to keep errant tourists from intruding into our parade. We were on our way northbound on Rt. 110 to the LIE. Once we got onto the LIE, the Sheriffs guided us into the HOV lane, and we had a pretty smooth ride to the end of the LIE where the escort ended. We proceeded on Rt. 48 to the Home Depot Mall parking lot and stopped to regroup, repair, and treat ourselves to some Strathmore Bagels and hot coffee. Our clubs’ secretary had made arrangements with Strathmore Bagels to use their porcelain facilities too.

We only had one repair which was to a 1993 Mustang Florida State police car that was decommissioned and now owned by another Ford enthusiast. It seems that his heater core decided to quit on him. We didn’t have to look too far for someone who had some knowledge about radiators. A quick bypass operation and soon we were on our way.

Pete had mapped out the route very accurately and soon we were driving on a smooth and scenic ride to the sandy beaches of Orient Point. Once there, Dennis, our club photographer, took a picture of a group of folks that looked as happy and proud as if they had climbed Mt Everest. No more mechanical problems were encountered for the rest of the day and soon we set off for the Soundview restaurant.

We were greeted by the manager who was glad she had reserved the main part of the restaurant for us as I asked for a table for seventy six. The Soundview is divided into three dining areas-- two accommodate about fifty people each and the main ballroom, which we used, is for about one hundred people. All sections have a fantastic view of the LI Sound. There isn’t a bad seat in the house. The food is tasty and reasonably priced. After lunch we raffled off the rest of the gifts and did the 50/50. Once again the winner of the 50/50, our own Empire Galaxies member Scott Sindt donated back his winnings to the fund for our designated recipient. The tally as of this writing is $2,091.00 with possibly more on the way. This proves that we seem to get as much out of giving as we do receiving.

Lastly we want to thank all of the people who came, helped run, supported, and enjoyed the day with the Empire Galaxie Club. I won’t begin thanking all of the generous people by name for fear of forgetting someone. We hope to see you all again next year.

(Bill, its great to read a story about a club that actually cruises!) Pete

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THE OVERLOOKED MOPAR

by Louis Refano

From 1929 to 1961, Chrysler Corporation produced a high-quality car with advanced engineering and reliability. It was a medium-priced car with luxury touches, priced just below the top-line Chrysler division. It had conservative, yet distinctive styling. And it maintained the Chrysler tradition of solid dependability. It never quite found its niche in terms of selling in really big numbers. And sadly, it has been overlooked by many classic car enthusiasts, and is quite rare at the typical car show or cruise night. Personally, I have always had a soft spot for this underdog Mopar.

“The most exciting car today, is sure delighting the far highway, It’s de-lovely, it’s dynamic, it’s DeSoto!” - 1957 DeSoto commercial

The DeSoto make was founded by Walter P. Chrysler on August 4, 1928, and introduced for the 1929 model year. It was named after the Spanish explorer Hernando de Soto. Chrysler wanted a medium-priced car to compete with cars from GM, Studebaker, and Willys-Knight. Shortly after DeSoto was introduced, however, Chrysler completed its purchase of Dodge Brothers, giving the company two mid-priced makes. Initially, the two-make strategy was relatively successful, with DeSoto priced below Dodge models. Despite the economic times, DeSoto sales were relatively healthy, pacing Dodge at around 25,000 units in 1932. However, in 1933, Chrysler reversed the market positions of the two marques in hopes of boosting Dodge sales. In 1934 DeSoto shared Chrysler's streamlined Airflow bodies. Unfortunately, this radical design did not catch the public‘s fancy, particularly on the shorter DeSoto wheelbase. Unlike Chrysler, which still had more traditional models to fall back on, DeSoto was stuck with the Airflow design until the 1935 Airstream arrived.

Aside from its Airflow models, DeSoto's 1942 model is probably its second most memorable model from the pre-war years, when the cars were fitted with powered pop-up headlights, a first for a North American mass-production vehicle. DeSoto marketed the feature as "Air-Foil" lights: "Out of Sight Except at Night".

Two of my favorite DeSotos are the stylish 1950 and equally handsome 1954 models. In the ’50s DeSotos were competitive with Buick and Oldsmobile models; the wide vertical tooth grille up front resembled a Buick. The 1950 DeSoto was the second edition of a major restyling in 1949 which saw the car reduced in length and increased in height over the ‘48 models. This made for a more maneuverable and roomier car. All 1950 DeSotos featured six-cylinder engines rated at 112 horsepower. The 236.6-cubic inch Powermaster six promised “flashing performance and faster getaway.“ The DeLuxe model comprised a four-door sedan, club coupe, eight-passenger sedan, and Carry-All sedan (with folding rear seats). The higher-priced Custom series included a wagon, club coupe, sedan, and convertible. It also featured DeSoto’s first hardtop coupe, the Sportsman. Hardtops were in big demand in the early ‘50s; despite being introduced very late in the model year, it sold better than the convertible. The wagon was a true woodie for the last time.

DeSoto promoted its cars’ plentiful “hat room”, as well as “big, wide doors [that] let you walk in…not wiggle in.” The Custom series featured Tip-Toe hydraulic shift and Fluid Drive transmission, which required the clutch only to shift into reverse or low gear. Flush-mounted fender taillights that included the stoplight were new, compared to 1949’s center-mounted stoplight. DeSoto's new 12-inch brakes with cyclebond linings were among the largest used on any American passenger car. Shipments for the year came to 136,203 as DeSoto recorded its best sales year ever.

“From every angle…DeSoto is the car that makes people stop and look. The car you’ll be proud to have standing in front of your house. It’s smart to own, the smartest of the smart cars. Outside, accenting the Forward Look, is the dramatic splash of color we call Color Sweep.” - 1955 DeSoto commercial

The ‘54 DeSoto lineup was a simple freshening of the new-for-’53 models. The top end model was now the FireDome, and the lower priced one was the Powermaster, both named after their engines. The FireDome V-8 was a Hemi of 276.1 cubic inches, rated at 170 hp. Interestingly, DeSoto promoted the fuel economy of the engine. The L-head Powermaster Six developed 116 hp; it was the last six-cylinder engine offered by DeSoto. PowerFlite, Chrysler’s first fully automatic transmission, was made available, as well as power steering that “made parking child’s play”. Both DeSoto models were offered in four-door sedan, club coupe, Sportsman hardtop coupe, eight-passenger sedan, wagon and convertible. Top seller for the year was the FireDome four-door sedan, with 45,095 built.

“DeSoto, the car that puts you ahead…automatically!” -1954 DeSoto slogan

DeSoto had a very well-known spokesman during this time. A popular radio and TV show of the 1950s was You Bet Your Life, a game show hosted by Groucho Marx. The program was sponsored by DeSoto and the DeSoto/Plymouth dealers from coast to coast. Groucho would greet the contestants with, “Welcome, welcome from the DeSoto/Plymouth dealers, say the secret word and share an extra $100 dollars, it’s a common word, something you see everyday.” Before the contestants came out a duck prop would fly down holding the secret word. Groucho would chat with the contestants, usually making them look foolish with his sarcastic humor, then he would give the quiz, then there would be a DeSoto commercial, with announcer George Fenneman intoning the wonderful virtues of the beautiful DeSoto of that particular year. Groucho also got in on those commercials, and in ‘54, DeSoto dealers even offered “Groucho Specials” which were supposedly superior used car values.

Despite the Chrysler lineage and the association with one of America’s funniest comics, DeSoto would be gone in just a few years, victim of the rapidly drying-up demand for medium-priced full-size cars. Its price point was squeezed from above by Chrysler and on the bottom by Dodge, and it didn’t have a strong enough identity in the marketplace. A 1962 DeSoto was in the planning stage, a radically designed car by Virgil Exner that might have been a huge success, but ever-declining sales figures forced Chrysler to pull the plug in ‘61.

“…if you’ll drive this car, and see what it has to offer…I think you’ll be surprised. Because this year DeSoto prices start just above the lowest…drive a DeSoto before you decide.” - Groucho Marx, 1957 DeSoto commercial

Sources: Cars of the Fabulous 50s by James M. Flammang and the Auto Editors of Consumer Guide, allpar.com, wikipedia.org, You Bet Your Life

( I have always liked DeSoto, especially the late 50’s & early 60’s models! ) Pete

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"A Cadillac Passed On"

by Justin Appelbaum

Some might view a 1968 Cadillac DeVille convertible that was literally pulled out of a swamp a waste of time to restore, but not Rich Cullen. It was always his dream to restore a Cadillac of this vintage and he had owned this one for a while but never had the means to restore it, until now. He and his brothers had owned Cadillac’s like this before, as young adults. This car needed a tremendous amount of work, but he did not bat an eye when the car had to be dragged onto the flatbed because all four drum brakes were locked up.

Just as the car was dragged onto the flatbed it had to be dragged off when it arrived at AutoMat Co. to begin the restoration process. For starters, seeing as the car was completely useless after years of neglect, the mechanical restoration was the first aspect that needed to be tackled. Getting the brakes restored was the primary task at hand. A complete rebuild of the drums, master cylinder and a fresh set of both hard and soft brake lines were installed allowing the car to stop, if it ran that is. In order to get the car running first, the fuel system had to be restored and upgraded as well. The original tank was removed and replaced with a new unit along with a new pump, filter and all new fuel lines.

GM engines are known for their durability even after years of sitting. So nobody was surprised when after the spark plugs, cap, rotor, wires and valve cover gaskets were replaced and the carburetor was rebuilt that the car fired up and ran like a champ. More of the basic engine bay items were replaced; like hoses, belts, electrical wires that were old and corroded, the alternator, the starter, and the water pump. The valve covers and air cleaner were sent out to powder coat while the rest of the engine bay was detailed and made to look as if it had just rolled off the assembly line back in 1968. Correct stickers and all.

With a drivable car, the interior was then gutted and the convertible roof removed. The bench seats were stripped apart and prepared for restoration. Seat frames were taken down to the bare metal; the springs were restored and then painted a fresh coat of black. New foam was installed over the frames and new white upholstery that was custom made to look like the original was put back on top of the foam. All of the interior panels were also removed and cleaned up. They were in surprisingly excellent condition, so the decision was made to leave them alone and focus on the more pressing issues. Only the black carpet on the door bottoms was changed. The dashboard for example, was all faded and could stand a freshening up, so that was removed, cleaned and painted. The carpet was also removed, revealing some holes in the rusty floor pans. Which brings us to the restoration of the body.

As the interior was being gutted and restored, all of the trim and miscellaneous body parts were removed from the structure of the car in preparation for the restoration and painting of the vehicle. Replacement front fenders and hood were sourced, as the originals were in terrible shape. Once the car was completely stripped, it was sent out to media blast so that a clear picture of what condition the body was in would be laid out. Upon the return of the vehicle it turns out the body was in real solid condition and not that much body work would be needed before primer and paint would be able to be laid down. So the basic fill work and sanding of the body went rather quickly and the car was sprayed the original blue that it came with back in 1968.

Once the paint was dry and all the trim was polished up and put back onto the car, the assembly of the interior could begin. First to go in was the dashboard and carpet along with the door panels and the rear quarter panels. After that, the rear seat and the front bench would soon follow. Wanting to keep the car as original as possible the factory radio was left in the dash and a new modern unit was installed in the glove box, out of site. Certainly a speaker system from 1968 would not do, so all the speakers were upgraded and new units were mounted in all the factory locations. Finishing off the restoration was a new white vinyl convertible top.

Typically with the Cadillac finished you would be able to see Rich and his ‘68 DeVille at the local car shows and cruise nights that he loved to attend. Unfortunately due to a terminal case of lung cancer that advanced quicker than expected, Rich passed away before the project was fully completed. His brother Jeff now owns and loves the DeVille and will be making the rounds with the Cadillac. AutoMat sends their best to the entire Cullen family.

And if you have a car that need a little TLC stop down at AutoMat Co. and show them what you got.

(Its always nice to see a great car get saved by its owners. I wish them well too.) Pete

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Long Island Corvette Owners Association (L.I.C.O.A.) 50^th Anniversary Celebration!

by Rick Erdody

The Long Corvette Owners Association is kicking off its 50^th Anniversary celebration year in 2009. L.I.C.O.A. is a club attended by over 250 dedicated hobbyists all involved with the General Motors Corvette (Americas Sports Car) since 1959. Although the Corvette was first produced in 1953, not much interest was shown when the car was introduced. Sales of the first Corvettes were so dismal that GM considered cancelling the car. In 1955 a V8 engine was introduced in the Corvette and sales began to pick up. From that point forward many performance options (keeping in mind for that era) were offered and the car became a desired product for the enthusiasts.

The following history summary captures in a very condensed format, the L.I.C.O.A. history.

Back in the late 50’s on Long Island, New York there was a group of Corvette ‘junkies” that hung around a local gas station-garage and on Friday and Saturday nights worked on their respective Corvettes and spent time “shooting the breeze”. After doing this for a while, it was decided to form a little club so to speak, and then the question came up-what do we call the newly formed club? The name “The Long Island Corvette Owners Association” was mentioned and hearing no objections- it was unanimous- L.I.C.O.A. was formed! The club adopted the early era Corvette Spinner as its logo and signature decal. The same group then decided that since they all keep “souping” up their Corvettes, they should get into racing.

There was a famous SCCA track on Long Island at that time-Bridgehampton Race Track and the “guys” (and their respective significant others) would go out there on a Friday evening after work and camp out till Sunday afternoon and have two days of all out racing! This soon spread to other area tracks and racing facilities such as Lime Rock in Ct. This tight knit group would charge out on a Friday and hopefully (if their Corvette was drivable) get home on Sunday!

Toggle the hands of time into the 1960’s and then the 1970’s and the club grew to a few additional die-hard Corvette hobbyists. L.I.C.O.A. became one of the founding clubs of EMRA and to this day remains as such. The racing soon branched out to “let’s party after the racing” and the social aspect was then born and blossomed as a large part of L.I.C.O.A.

The racing aspect continued to branch out to include something called a Corvette Car Show! The club in the late 1970’s and into the early 1980’s began to do Corvette only car shows and displays. These were usually done at a sponsoring dealership and Long Island, NY had a few dealerships that were into the Corvette hobby and sales. Socials continued and the club included day and weekend trips to points of interest in its agenda and yearly club calendar.

The 1980’s saw a downturn in L.I.C.O.A. with the club almost disbanding. In 1989 it was rekindled by one dedicated member - Richie Shields, and the club really started to take off! Our membership grew in leaps and bounds with many events being added to the annual calendar. These included shows, displays, socials, tech sessions, weekend and daily cruises. The membership was growing and the interests began to get very diverse as the original theme of just a local Corvette Club was changed forever.

The 1990’s saw continued growth and a really aggressive calendar of events. The calendar was so filled that there were actually multiple events on a given weekend to cater to the varied interests of the newer members! Our By-Laws were overhauled in the 1990’s and any person could join the club as long as they owned, leased or had access to the use of a Corvette. Our membership grew to over 400 members and we were really having fun with a large core group of members.

Our monthly meetings were packed and we always had good discussions about our favorite car, the Corvette. We were at the opening ceremonies of the National Corvette Museum (NCM) in Bowling Green, KY back in 1992 and had a ball! Many of our members journey to Bowling Green and many members have taken advantage of the NCM delivery option for their new Corvettes.

The new century brought still more new events to the calendar. L.I.C.O.A was part of the 2003 Anniversary caravan and we cruised day and night to get to Bowling Green, KY. The club still meets the first Wednesday of each month in North Bellmore, L.I. NY with our membership meeting being attended by 50 plus members. Our current membership stands at over 250 with new members knocking on our door monthly! This says something for a local little group of dedicated Corvette enthusiasts that gathered around in a local garage way back in 1959! Of noteworthiness, L.I.C.O.A. still is a club for the members, by the members. Simply put, the membership decides the events and direction the club is to take.

What will the future bring? L.I.C.O.A. will continue on and we see many events planned. One keynote event is the annual support of the Marty Lyons Foundation Make-A-Wish for terminally ill children. Marty was a popular New York Jets football player and lost a very close young person to an illness. Out of this grieving and personal loss, Marty began to sponsor the foundation. Each Holiday Season around 1,200 children including family members and siblings, gather for a totally free party and some gift giving! I have the honor of playing Santa Claus and have been doing this now for 3 years and I so enjoy doing it! L.I.C.O.A. started its affiliation with the Marty Lyons Foundation under one of our former Presidents. Our affiliation is now well into its 15^th year and the support and dedication by our members grows each year. L.I.C.O.A and the Corvette continue as part of the American dream. We are looking towards the future and new members of the hobby to carry on the Corvette heritage in the New York area.

L.I.C.O.A. continues to offer its members and guests a ”full” calendar of events including social, technical, competition, show and just getting together with other Corvette owners and clubs. “Share the Wave” and please feel free to visit our website for additional information on the Long Island Corvette Owners Association. www.licoa.org

(Congrats Rick and LICOA members on a great history! May your club continue another 50 years!) Pete

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RICH’S TECH TIPS

By Rich Fiore

ENGINE DIAGNOSTICS - PLAN AND EXECUTE

Figuring why an engine does not perform well is a skill that can sometimes elude the professional and backyard ( always my front yard ) mechanic. The term “parts changer” came about when an individual replaced everything until he solved the problem! Another issue I have is when a mechanic ( technician ) states that “they all run that way”. The manufacturers never produced a car that purposely ran rough , stalled, hesitated, or pinged.

Diagnosis requires some serious knowledge about the overall workings of an engine inside and out. Anyone can replace a part but the crucial thing is to determine which is the bad part to change or adjust. Some as stated, will replace everything until they finally find the bad part ... at somebody else’s expense!

There are 7 main areas to look at on our classic rides: Rough idle, stalling, lack of power, ping, hesitation, excess oil consumption and exhaust smoke.

The first question I ask before I even look at the car is what kind of work has been performed on the car recently? The next step would be to perform a visual inspection. I check if any wires burned or came off. Did any vacuum hoses chaff, crack or fall off? Is there any gas leaking? One must check from the tank to the carb. Check things for looseness. I have seen carb base/body bolts come loose. My brother’s car had an idle that wandered like crazy. Problem was a cracked intake. One can spray carb cleaner or propane over everything from the intake gaskets up. I have seen intake manifold bolts come loose.

After the visuals, start the engine. Again look for gas leaks or plug/coil wire arcing. Put your hand partially over the carb. If there is an increase in RPM there could be vacuum leaks elsewhere. If idling rough, I will pull one plug wire off the distributor at a time and look for a drop in RPM. If one plug yields no change, this indicates this cylinder is not producing power and there is a problem with a bad plug, wire, or compression to that cylinder. The next thing is to rev the engine and look down the throat of the carb. There should be a nice squirt of gas. Again look for wire arcing. On some cars like GMs you can feel if the distributor vacuum advance is working by revving the engine and feeling the rod for movement. See if the choke pull-off has completely opened the choke after normal operating temperature is reached.

Now its time to take the car for a drive. See when the problem occurs. Is it while the engine is cold or is it all of the time. Is it at idle, light, or heavy acceleration. Is it upon de-acceleration ?

So lets look at some of the basic causes for the conditions we have previously mentioned.

Rough Idle:

Vacuum leaks, worn out of adjustment breaker points, fouled plug, burned valve or misadjusted carb.

Lack of Power:

Insufficient ignition advance, choke not completely open, carb secondary not opening, metering valve/power valve not working, improperly restricted exhaust system, plugged fuel filter, poor fuel pressure, ignition problems ( arcing, bad coil/points, or fouled plug ).

Pinging:

Requires higher octane due to age/carbon build-up, too much distributor advance, EGR - if equipped not working, and worn distributor bushings.

Hesitation:

Weak or no accelerator pump operation, vacuum leak, vacuum advance not working, choke partially closed ( bad pulloff or a binding linkage ), not enough base timing or ignition system break down.

Stalling:

Large vacuum leak, idle speed too low, dirty carb, poor fuel flow ( plugged filter, break in suction fuel lines, bad fuel pump, idle mixture too lean )

Excess oil Consumption:

Worn ring/cylinders/valve guides, oil diluted with gas, oil viscosity too thin, many oil leaks.

Exhaust Smoke:

Worn valve guides ( more so on start up ), bad rings, choke stuck partially closed, blown head gasket ( white smoke )

To correct a problem really takes more diagnosis than one would think. If a little more time is spent in analyzing the problem, less time and money will be spent in the labor department. Brains before brawn!

Smoke em if ya got em !!!!!

Quick and Dirty: When was last time you checked all your under-hood wire, hose, belt and bolt connections?

(Rich – I still can’t believe that people get all this for free here! We should be charging for this knowledge!!!) Pete

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My Car Story Elliott Weiner: 2008 Ford Mustang Bullitt Edition.

This is a limited edition Mustang. Only 7,700 were produced in 2008, with an additional 3,000 in 2009. This is the second attempt by Ford to produce a Bullitt edition Mustang. The first was in 2001, and rumor has it that this is the last of its breed. The first “Bullitt’ was in the 1968 movie “Bullitt”. Steve McQueen played Frank Bullitt, and drove his 1968 Mustang in the most famous movie chase scene ever against a hot looking ’68 Dodge Charger R/T in triple black. The chase scene took a little over seven minutes, and they still talk about it today as one of the best ever. Also, it was all real. No CGI graphics, cuts, nor camera tricks of any kind. These were real men driving real cars at real speeds!!

I bought the car from Syosset Ford in March of 2008. I had ordered it back in January of 08, and couldn’t wait to take delivery. This is my fifth Mustang. I had a 65 in 65, an 89 in 90, a 91 in 91, and an 87 convertible in 2004. I did my homework on the car, and everybody who wrote about it said the same thing “A home run by Ford”

The car has only seen rain once, and that was because I was in New Jersey for a family event and it started to rain. It just turned 6,600 miles, and because of its limited edition status it is insured as a collectable. I’m sure you get the picture as to how I value it. It’s insured for $38,000, but for me you cannot put a price on it

I guess I am obsessed with this car. I ordered custom mats, and a jacket from AutoMat in Hicksville, also a custom trunk lid mat made with Steve McQueen’s licenses plate from the movie. The license plate reads “JJZ109”

I took it to Carlisle PA for the Ford Nationals last year, and I will do the same this year. The car is a basic GT package with an air intake, a little tweaking of the exhaust system and suspension were done by Ford also. The car is clean: no fog lights, no badges. The only way you tell it apart from a GT is the Bullitt cap on the back panel and the horn ring. A story that came out of Ford was that they were trying to clone the sound of McQueen’s ‘68 exhaust to the current one. The majority of the “Bullitt’s” are Highland Green with a small number of them being black. Mine is the Highland Green. That is the color like the one McQueen drove in the movie. The 4.6 V8 produces 315 horsepower, and because of its size, (bigger than all my previous Mustangs) its a joy to drive!

I love to take it to cruise nights on the Island, and an occasional out-of-state Mustang show with my son Marc, and his Mustang buddies. Also the car can be seen in July at the annual Thunderbird & Ford Show at Syosset Ford. See you there!

(Elliott – I have to agree, Ford hit a home run with the retro Mustangs!) Pete

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Pete Giordano

Editor

Long Island Classic Cars.com