I generally equate the weekend with car servicing. Either maintenance or repairs. Or visits to spare parts stores or junkyards. Depending on the work to be done, those are hours to look forward to or be apprehensive about. Car model and task have much to do with that. Will it be the easy removal of spark plugs in an old VW Golf or the replacement of some hard-to-access heater core?
Today, I’ll share a gallery of home mechanics, going from the menial to the large; and at times the obligatory, as some of these look like breakdowns. And as shown in the lead pic, for some of us car life starts at an early age, like the kid with the Poncho manual (whose family I believe already appeared in a previous post).
The dog has about as much idea as I do, and more enthusiasm.
At some point about 15 years ago I stopped knowing what was under the bonnet and what to do about it.
Great pictures though.
Nice comment, and same here.
The dad and son in the Imperial pic are getting a crash course in Chrysler assembly quality. Also, what a getup dad threw on that morning!
Love these photos. Americana looking great. I sort of trust the knowledge of that German Shepherd.
Great to see the engine going in (or out) with a stout chain and a come-along (do those of you living elsewhere call these something else?). I never actually participated, but was a bystander a time or two. Very cool selection today!
What kind of motor is in that ’67 Camaro???
It’s a Ford flathead V8! How’s that for different? Maybe they swapped the Camaro’s V8 into an old Ford.
OK, so I wasn’t seeing things. I was scratching my head trying to remember ever seeing weird valve covers that looked like this….. The border date says April 1968, so this was a nearly new car.
People do strange things. I would love to know more about this!
I must say, installing a Ford flathead V8 in a Camaro is a bold choice.
That T/A challenger in the background! Be still my beating heart!
The Barracuda itself is nothing to look past itself, it’s a 340 ‘Cuda.
I had missed the flathead in the Camaro the first time. That’s individualism at its finest I do believe. The engine change under a tree sure brings back memories. Done that a few times! Also used 3 12’ 2×4’s assembled like a teepee with a jackall hanging down. Did that many a time back when all our tools fit into a tackle box. Socket sets came later lol
But it worked! Thanks for posting! Brought back many memories.
I can relate to the photos above.
I carry a tool bag in the back of my SUV. This “security blanket” dates back to my youth with VW Beetles.
I guess the bag scares off the gremlins in my current vehicle as I’ve only needed it to change out a battery and a burnt out tail lamp.
Great shots. The boy at the front of the Imperial could be me, except that my father would never have bought an Imperial.
The guy working on the ’55 Chevy must be quite tall, because he’s making the Chevy look small. It reminds me once again how much I like those ’55s. The best American car ever.
I’ll admit it. I had the same striped cardigan sweater as him. I thought I was so cool.
I’m obsessed with the Camaro pic. The fact that it’s dated April 68, in particular.
So we have a new Camaro SS with a hot 1940s flathead. What the hell is the backstory here?
The shot with the flathead V8 in the Camaro deserved its own post, so I’ve removed it and posted it.
That 55 Chevy picture reminds me of how much I hated working on a car outdoors in cold, snowy weather. It goes without saying that every one of those jobs is one necessary to get to work the following morning.
You have to love the dog.
Every Saturday, my Pap would take me to the junkyard (aka “the Mifflin County Recycling Center”) so I could pick thru the cars for radios and other collectibles – or find parts for whatever we were working on that weekend…usually the 86 Cherokee or 85 Aries.
After, it was over to Stoicheff’s Auto Parts where Pap would sit and shoot the bull with Fred, Ed, and whoever else came in. I would usually roam around the yard out back where they kept a rotation of vehicles in various states of (dis)repair. If Pap was generous, I’d get a few bucks to go to the Parkway across the street for a burger and chocolate milk. From there, off to the garage behind Watson’s Optical Shop to work on whatever project was waiting for us…and the reward was a few cuts of Gus’s Pizza for supper since Pap was a bachelor.
Pap’s been gone for 17 years, but Stoicheff’s is still there. And still smells the same…only thing that’s changed is the AM station Fred plays in the background (used to be 920 WKVA…now it’s Country Gold 1000 WIOO).
Best weekends ever spent looking back…
I can add this of me and my 404.
That’s what I figured, but I just couldn’t believe my eyes!
I like all the Dymo Label Maker labels under the hood of the 1963 Bonneville. That was an organized, dedicated owner/shadetree mechanic. And the FAN written on the metal guard (it would be an overstatement to call it a fan shroud) looks homemade too.
The kid with his dad and the Imperial reminds me of a time along the side of Interstate 95 in the early 1970s as I stood with my dad contemplating something similar (although I was leaning over the fender of a gigantic Ford UHaul truck. My dad looked equivalently confused and ticked off.).
The dog is great. Canine enthusiasm is never something to discount.
The Chevy in the sun and snow, made me cold. Had to go change into long pants..lol
I think the Imperial had an engine fire.
I think you’re right. It would explain the sorry shape of the hood insulation and the fact that the dad is holding some fragments.
Swap a stripper F-85 for the 442, and I’m that kid working on the Olds. The linkage for the three-on-the-tree would hang up from time to time. A screwdriver was needed to pry the lever back into place. Good to go in a jiffy…
Nice pictures ! .
Of course, my favorite is the gentleman servicing the oil bath air filter on his 1955 Chevy with 235 i6 engine….
He even has his hat on .
When it’s cold I tend to wear a watch cap .
I like how the kid looking at the Pontiac shop manual looks so involved .
-Nate