Today I am going to talk about something that is going to reveal what a sentimental sap I am…almost to a fault. 

It’s no secret that literally for as long as I can remember I have been infatuated with anything mechanical that is powered by an internal combustion engine…especially cars and tractors.  It wasn’t until my college years that I really began to appreciate early examples of cars and the older I get the early my interests seem to trend. 

Naturally, this love for cars at an early age meant that I was living for the day I could drive on my own.  I remember saying at my 10th Birthday party “only six more years before I can drive!” and that was a loooong six years for this guy!  With the farming side of my family I was fortunate to have chances to occasionally drive pick-ups through the fields when it was necessary and I savored every moment I had at the driver’s seat.  Nothing made me feel more adult than being able drive….

Once the day finally came when I got my license my first car was a 1991 Mercury Cougar LS with the 302 (5.0 liter) high output V8.  I was very proud of it.  If I remember correctly I purchased it for $3500, which was funded from a combination of lawn mowing money, what little savings I had at the time, and a short term loan from my mother for the remaining difference.  It initially needed some minor body work to make it cosmetically perfect and my uncle who owns a body repair shop took care of that for me.  From that point on I kept it as detailed as I possibly could….both cosmetically and mechanically. 

I only drove that car for just under two years when I thought I needed something different and sold it for about what I paid for it to a local person.  Life went on but I would occasionally see that Cougar around town and a part of me wished I hadn’t sold it.  During my junior year of college I found out it was for sale again.

Once I started paying more attention to vintage cars I would regularly hear old timers say “if I only had my first car…” and that would make me wish I had never sold it.  I know a 1991 Cougar is nothing special by any stretch of the imagination, but it was special to me because it was my first car. 

If you haven’t already guessed…I bought it back when I had the chance.  The asking price was $700 and the kid I sold it to did a really nice job of not taking care of it.  It now had significant rust and the interior was trashed.  But, it still ran great…

That was eight years ago when I purchased it back and it has been sitting in my mother’s barn ever since.  I needs body and interior work as well as some overdue mechanical maintenance.  But, surprisingly it runs great.  181,000 miles on the odometer and it has never had any significant mechanical work done to it. 

Today I took it on its annual 20 mile exercise route on the country roads and I totally get why people yearn for their first cars.  It isn’t just because the car itself is special…it is because of the memories and time of your life it represents.  Back in the barn it went until this time next year.  Someday I will invest the money it deserves, but until then at least I can say “I do have my first car”.

Tell me about your first car…and the stories that go along with it.  I’d love to hear other people’s perspective…

Below is a photo from this morning.  Don’t look too closely as you will see the the work it needs….  Although it actually doesn’t look too bad in this photo….I wish it looked this good up close!

Something that I have been meaning to talk about is the fact that the spark advance lever on the Mighty Model A has become rather difficult (and by rather…I mean very) difficult to move.  It is surprising to me how stiff it has become knowing the simplicity of the set-up.  One would think that with the amount of daily use it gets that it would continue to get looser as it is really only supported by a couple of bushings. 

I think is really has to come down to a lack of lubrication plus a build-up of gunk on the bottom end.  Maybe this is the result of all the winter driving?  Bottom line is I think it simply needs to come apart to be cleaned and re-lubed…possibly even replace the bushings. 

Has anyone dealt with this in the past?  I have tried simply spraying lubricant at the bottom portion with very little change….

This evening I ended up in a conversation with my step-brother and brother-in-law about modern day performance cars and the fact that even that segment is trending away from a conventional manual transmission with three pedals.  Even some of the high-end super cars are moving to sophisticated automatics with paddle shifters.  While I will fully admit there is no way I could personally shift through the gears as fast as these modern automatics (or auto-sticks) can I still want to be able to connect with what I am driving by actually shifting the gears myself using a clutch and conventional gear-box.  In my opinion there is something to be said about feeling like you are the boss of the vehicle versus letting a series of well engineered computers decide if your input is appropriate or needs tweaking. 

Lastly, as an update to yesterday…I finished the job of repairing the starter motor in the John Deere 317 which required removing the engine.  While I was that far into it I took the time to pressure wash 25 years of grim off the engine and entire frame while they were temporarily separated from each other.  It is amazing how well layers of grease will preserve paint over time.  The good news is after taking the starter to the shop that was going to rebuild it they reported that all it needed was new brushes and a thorough cleaning and re-lubing.  The total cost was $60 and it now whips that engine over as if it didn’t have any compression.  It feels good to accomplish a task like that which ends up costing far less than you originally expected. 

Some people were questioning me if I was enjoying those few weeks when I was battling engine issues in the Mighty Model A.  I joked about how quickly a person can remove and disassemble a Model A engine after you’ve done it a few times.   The beauty of working on just about any early car is the fact that they are so simple to work on. 

Earlier today while enjoying time off with my family I decided to tear into an older garden tractor that my family uses as a secondary mower and to tow the lawn cart…this is a John Deere 317 from the late 70’s/early 80’s.  The electric starter doesn’t sound very healthy so it is a matter of time before it gives up the ghost completely. 

For as something as simple as changing the starter in this machine it requires removing the engine because the frame rails are in the way of any sort of access to the starter!  Compare this to the Model A when you can have the starter off in just minutes.

Okay…I know this isn’t probably a very fair comparison and there are all sorts of examples that I could take either way.  And…it really wasn’t that bad to remove the engine.  It is just the thought of it that seems funny.

Another thing to point out…a quote for a brand new starter was well over $200…but a local electrical rebuilding shop quoted $60 to rebuild the starter motor with a same-day turn around.  This shop has been around longer than I have and you can’t beat good service and that price compared to the common practice of “just throw it away and buy a new one”….

Today I did something I’ve rarely done in my life.  I watched a parade.  I’ve been to dozens of parades in my life in the small town I grew up in as well as surrounding small towns.  But, I was always in the parade.  Whether I was driving an antique tractor, antique car, or playing in the High School band it was rare that I ever enjoyed a parade from the spectators point of view. 

Today I sat and watched the local Memorial Day Parade with my Grandpa and other family members.  Like most small town parades it has quite the mixture of participants including antique farm tractors and machinery and antique cars.  Mixed into this is also the modern equivalents… 

I get why people enjoy being a spectator of a small town parade.  Not only is it a chance to see many people (you recognize) show off their talents or non-profit organization they are involved with, but it is a fun way to see our cultural and sociological heritage.  It is like going to a combination tractor, car, emergency response vehicle, equestrian, and Shriner show.  Most importantly it is also a chance to honor our veterans and active people of service.  And the best part about a parade is it walks past you while you relax in a lawn chair.  It is also a good chance to visit with people you don’t otherwise see on a regular basis. 

I guess the whole point of my ramblings today is that it is fun and important to occasionally take a day to relax from your daily responsibilities and just enjoy life.  And, it is even more important to recognize the people of who have sacrificed so much for us to be able to enjoy great days like today.

Happy Memorial Day everyone and I hope that many of you took the opportunity to get your fun car out of the garage and go for a spin!

I did something the other day that no one ever has to think about these days.  I checked the level of electrolyte in the battery.  This has a traditional six volt lead-acid battery with the three vented caps. 

I can’t speak from experience but I imagine that this was a very regular maintenance item back in the day….back in the days of full service gas stations.  This is when it was common practice to check the oil, tire air pressure, coolant level and concentration, and battery acid level at every fill-up.  If anything was low you simply added to it.  These days it is very rare to ever see someone pop the hood of their car at the gas station.  And, if you do it is most likely because they are adding windshield washer fluid. 

In a previous project of mine I pulled a battery out of a car that was from the mid 1960’s.  I believe the brand was “Presto-Lite” and the tagline on the side of the battery was “needs water as 1/3 as often”. 

After six months and 8,500 miles of daily driving the battery level was down slightly, but not as much as I expected it would be.  I replenished the electrolyte to the proper levels in each cell which probably totaled to about a pint of fluid.  I guess I am good for the next six months although with the summer heat I should probably check it a little more often just to be on the safe side. 

One question that I have been asked occasionally is do I have any regrets about this project.  And…I rarely have a good answer to that question.  I really don’t have any regrets overall.  Someone who doesn’t appreciate old cars could easily grumble about the lack of any sort of amenities compared to modern cars but that just isn’t a fair comparison and not even a thought in my head. 

However…I am currently living a major regret.  The regret is I left the Mighty Model A behind to fly back to my hometown for a wedding.  The wedding isn’t my regret…but the fact that I didn’t drive the A and instead subjected myself to the boring process of commercial flight versus enjoying the open road.  The old girl is running like a champ and deserves to be on the road and instead she is deserted back at home. 

I am back for a family wedding that doesn’t actually take place until Friday but am taking the week off to spend time with out of town family.  The reason I chose to fly was because I have a very short window of time to return home next weekend after this family wedding on Friday and another co-worker’s wedding back in Northern Michigan the following Saturday.  Yes, I plan to attend both…hence the choice to fly.  Otherwise I would for sure be road-trippin the Mighty A.

While I am back in Illinois I have a list of projects (old cars and tractors) to work on this week…you can expect more information about those fun projects as the week goes on….

Today I made good on a promise to give a friend’s three daughters a ride to school in the Mighty Model A.  I pulled right up in the “car-line” dropoff and helped them out of the car after a 10 mile ride to school.  The car definitely stood out amongst the mini-van’s and SUV’s in the morning car-line.  I don’t have kids of my own so it is fun for me to interact with them from time to time and I am always amazed at how intuitive they can be.  

They have family in the Detroit area so they have been to The Henry Ford and Greenfield Village several times.  I was shocked and very pleasantly surprised when the oldest girl (who was in the front passenger seat) asked me what the difference was between a Model T and Model A and why the “T” came before the “A”.  I explained to her that there actually was a Model A initially before the Model T in 1903 but not like the Model A’s we are used to.  She seemed to get it…and I had fun explaining it. 

We also talked about important stuff like the characters on Kung Fu Panda and their plans for summer vacation.  Oh…the days of having three months of vacation!

I decided that if I ever have kids and drive them to school they will need to be dropped off in an old car instead of a modern appliance…