Stopped by to see a friend and saw the cleanest 1951 Ford you are likely to see. Nearly perfect, inside and out. Only $26,000.
My first car was a 1951 Ford, four door in faded green, three on the tree, and a different colored passenger fender. A real pimp mobile as the shifter was moved to the left side of the steering column and the interior light bulb was painted with red nail polish.
I added plastic seat covers so my date would slide over when I turned right and I could save her by putting my arm around her. One -40° morning when I got in the plastic seat covers shattered.
Colorado at the time required a “safety” inspection twice a year (repair shops loved that!) and my muffler was worn out. To pass I pushed steel wool up the tail pipe then slowly drove to where I could get it inspected. Worked well enough to get by and lasted maybe a day.
Courage
A neighbor lives with an artificial heart and a paralyzed right side. She doesn’t ever complain and is always upbeat. Her Yorkshire terrier, LexiLou, is fourteen with no teeth but thinks she is a 120 lb Pit bull.
I admire this woman.
Entitled Assholes
While waiting for a physical to clear me for my cataract procedure I noticed this sign. In years past this wouldn’t be necessary as more people then had proper fetchings.
Sisty has dedicated decades of volunteer work to Salud.
Mortgages in Default
My assignments keep rolling in. The weather has slowed me down. Two days ago negotiating side streets the snow was bumper high on the car. Shod with Firestone M+S tires the Buick handled the streets with no problems.
Arguments/opinions on tires likely exceed those about firearms. What I like is what works for me; revolvers and Firestone M+S tires.
Jowl Shaker
One assignment was in a new “upscale” development in Northeast Fort Collins. In the driveway were two Audi vehicles, A SQ7 (MSRP $90,200) and a S3 (MSRP $46,000). Given our recent weather why they weren’t using their two car garage makes one speculate what is inside the garage. One thing is certain; they are one step away from foreclosure.
Electric Clothes Dryer
Mine quit heating. With all the broken pipes in our building and the resulting damages the maintenance people are way behind. Ah, the internet! Ghastly experience, had to read directions! One tip was to check circuit breakers. The ones in my apartment don’t visibly trip.
After flipping the appropriate breakers off and on twice, the dryer now heats.
2023
Somehow we survived 2022 so we can have hope we will survive 2023.
As always, YMMV
15 comments:
You will love your new eyes. I had the surgery a few months ago and I only need glasses to read. And things are clearer now, and more colorful without glasses all the time. I would love to have that 51 Ford, but alas, I can't afford to even pay attention. Maybe one day.
I'm glad to hear that you survived the last snow, that the dryer is working, and that you're not hurting for work.
Happy New Year, my friend.
LL
Wishing you an yours the best to come. Hope your new business venture succeeds and some deserving people find employment using their hard won skills.
CP
I'm hoping for improved night vision. I'm 20/10 in the left eye but have some macular degeneration in the right.
Nice shoebox Ford! Appleton spots, a flat head, and a push bar (?) on the front. I've seen plastic seat covers crack and split in very cold weather, but never shatter. Steel wool has many uses. I've even seen it used to "repair" rust holes! Just slap some Bondo on it, and they'll never know.
SLW volunteers at Poudre Valley Hospital as both a "Wayfinder" to help visitors, and as a "Cuddler" in the Neonatal ICU. The little preemies respond very well to human contact, and SLW is a cuddler by nature.
The truck has Goodyear M&S tires, and so far they're very good. Haven't got stuck yet, at least in what I've driven it through. If it gets really bad, I'll execute a 180 and get out of there!
Willing to bet the two Audis are leased, and also whatever is in the garage. Maybe they left them out for the repo guy?
I've had to unplug our washer once. Somehow I got it stuck in some weird mode, and cycling the power was the only thing that would bring it back.
And Happy New Year to you!
DrJim
Bondo, JB Weld, duct tape and zip ties are my go to for nearly everything.
While I don't keep score, I see a lot of upmarket vehicles at the homes I visit.
I turn down all assignments in the foothills. Gravel roads, 12%+ grades and indifferent snow removable make for a poor risk/reward decision.
And a happy new year to SLW and you.
Beautiful old Ford! Happy New Year to you and yours and best wishes for 2023!
May 2023 be a better year for all of us.
Happy New Year! And we have to wonder how many foreclosures are coming down the pike. My guess? Quite a few.
Debt's a tricky thing, eh? Problem being, someone typically wants to get paid back, at interest.
LSP
I've been through two of these cycles. The first under Tricky Dicky. The second under George the Lesser in 2007-2008. What is see coming is far worse. When the market hits bottom, the wealthy will start snapping up the houses and turning them into rentals. The bankruptcy courts will be jammed.
Debt to secure a roof over your head and the necessary things to compete in the modern world are acceptable. Debt for "things" and "experiences" are not. Fidelity requires the bills be paid before you buy that fishing pole you want, but don't need.
I've been delivering Meals on Wheels part-time for almost a year now. The requirement to qualify is that you must have a disability that precludes you from coming to get the meal yourself.
Similar to your experience, many of the meals I deliver frequently go to homes with two cars nicer than mine. (But a big percentage of clients really need 'em.)
My first car was a '53 Ford with basically the same Flathead V-8 that probably was under the hood of your '51. Get that engine hot? You'd crack the block. I bought four used engines during the time I owned that car.
GB
I never had that problem with a flathead V-8. Then again, can't remember having one overheat.
Now that this post has been on-site awhile I thought I'd share this with ya:
https://autorestorer.com/articles/more_on_ford_flathead_overheating-1535
Interesting. As a family we had several V-8 flatheads in both cars and pickups. I don't remember overheating problems. Perhaps we were lucky. My 1951 was purchased from a family member. He may have modified the water pump. Most of the men in our extended family were good country boy mechanics.
IIRC, the first few years the flathead was in production it suffered overheating due to where Old Henry had the water pumps located. Later ones moved the water pumps so they could pump water and not steam, and the issue went away.
Nice to see AutoRestorer has a website up. I used to subscribe, and then they went bankrupt overnight and disappeared.
DrJim
Guess I was lucky to get an improved version but never had a problem even in the summer crossing Colorado Passes.
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