[grhazelton]

That is one mod I chose not to undertake for fear of losing my beer stowage

Back in the day a Bud who had a '63 Corvair removed the drain plugs in the front trunk for beer storage. That let the melting ice drain away very nicely.

[hollywoodfred]

Back in the day a Bud who had a '63 Corvair removed the drain plugs in the front trunk for beer storage. That let the melting ice drain away very nicely.

LOL, this reminds me of my past. I may regret passing this story on, but what the heck...

So, when I was in my very early twenties (1973?), I owned a '66 Plymouth Satellite, which had a huge trunk and spare tire well. On multiple occasions I'd remove the spare tire and the drain plugs from the well, and then load up with beer and ice. As I recall, that well held at least a case of beer nicely. (What? No spare? I've never had a flat in 46 years of driving.)


One evening, I was pulled over by the local law enforcement, but not because I was speeding or involved in any sort of traffic misdemeanor. The officer explained that he stopped me to tell me my gas tank appeared to be leaking. I told him I didn't think I had a problem, and I would head right home to investigate and correct the issue. I'm not sure if he bought my story, but he let me go. That was the last time I used a trunk for a beer cooler.

cheers,
Fred

[Sailor]

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Our new Mercedes suggests that if any of the LED lights (almost every light except the headlights) fail, the entire light should be replaced. I really hope they last forever and that current drain is low. The car lights up like a Vegas hotel just unlocking it.

Hey Dave - that's one slick looking car; those wheels are wonderful - they look like something AMG would come up with. I don't know Mercs well; I recall you were talking about getting an SLK - is that the one you bought?

I'm a big fan of Miatas - I owned three of 'em over the years, and the last one was a Mazdaspeed version in which the old 1.8L mill was given a turbocharger/intercooler for a little boost. I enjoyed all three, but the first one, a '95, was my favorite. (If I told you all this in an earlier thread response, please give an old man like me a pass. The memory is the second thing to go . . . . . . . . or is it the third casualty . . . . . . I can't recall )

Jer

[Ratmagiclady]

That was the last time I used a trunk for a beer cooler.

cheers,
Fred

See, there's boat parts you could fix that problem with. (Though I suppose the nice thing about my fondness for space in back, etc means I could just put an actual cooler back there.

[hollywoodfred]

See, there's boat parts you could fix that problem with. (Though I suppose the nice thing about my fondness for space in back, etc means I could just put an actual cooler back there.

Now that's just being way too practical!

[Just1MoreDave]

Hey Dave - that's one slick looking car; those wheels are wonderful - they look like something AMG would come up with. I don't know Mercs well; I recall you were talking about getting an SLK - is that the one you bought?

I'm a big fan of Miatas - I owned three of 'em over the years, and the last one was a Mazdaspeed version in which the old 1.8L mill was given a turbocharger/intercooler for a little boost. I enjoyed all three, but the first one, a '95, was my favorite. (If I told you all this in an earlier thread response, please give an old man like me a pass. The memory is the second thing to go . . . . . . . . or is it the third casualty . . . . . . I can't recall )

Jer

That's the car; we've had it about a month, still on a learning curve. It's an attention-getter. We have to get it up in the mountains sometime before it snows. The wheels have an AMG stamp on them, part of a package that in some places is called the AMG Sport Package, with swoopy side panels. In the UK you can get an AMG Sport SLK diesel, drives the AMG fundamentalists crazy.

The SLK is a nice contrast to the Miata, an example of how adding a lot more to the car doesn't make it that much better.

[dave sz]

These are crappy cell phone photos, but you can get the idea. I purchased this car about 15 months ago and modded it about as far as I can take it including some electronic tuning. It is actually a fairly easy car to work on. Scoots well for what it is. On the fence about trading up for a turbo model when the warranty on this one gets closer to expiring. I kinda like the simplicity of this one.

I was contemplating getting an Abarth for the longest time.

[lammie200]

I was contemplating getting an Abarth for the longest time.

That is what I would be trading this one in for if I want to. Why did you choose not get one? BTW, the single most reason for me getting this car was because it fits in my garage without having to move anything else to get in and out. 2 cars, 3 motorbikes, 3 bicycles, xmas decorations, etc. - you can get the picture.

[dave sz]

That is what I would be trading this one in for if I want to. Why did you choose not get one? BTW, the single most reason for me getting this car was because it fits in my garage without having to move anything else to get in and out. 2 cars, 3 motorbikes, 3 bicycles, xmas decorations, etc. - you can get the picture.

Seating position was an issue. It felt fairly high. The choice was between an Abarth, a Cooper S and the Fiesta ST. In the end I somehow ended up deciding on the...Mazda MX-5.

[lammie200]

Seating position was an issue...ended up deciding on the...Mazda MX-5.

Good choice. The new MX-5 looks pretty cool too.

Many people complain about the seating position not adjusting low enough on these new Fiats. I actually reshaped my seat bottom springs to make it go lower. You can also get it to go lower just by cycling it up and down enough times to stretch the cable a bit. Worked for me. It is a puzzling design though. You should see how far up the driver seat will adjust. I am not sure who would be able to drive the car with the seat all the way up. Ridiculous. In the end, these cars are econoboxes and designed for safety at the expense of performance. I spent some coin getting it to perform to my liking. I see many Abarth drivers doing the same thing.

[Jean Poitiers]

Jardins des Tuilieries ... Paris, August 2014 ... fast ice cream ...

[CWRailman]

I’m a bit late to this group. As a former officer in the Phoenix Arizona based Desert Classic Chevy club dedicated to the restoration of tri-five Chevys, 1955-1957, up until about 9 years ago I was very active in the local automotive community.

Here are a few of my rides. The first is my original CRUZEN solid 4 door 1957 Chevy 210. This was a 6 cylinder with three on the tree and overdrive. This car won several original awards. We did the Route 66 tour several times in this machine. It was a very reliable car. Along with some of our club members, This car actually did a couple of laps on the Phoenix International Raceway (PIR) prior to one of our Copper State Classic races.

The second image is of CRUZEN II. This was the second 57 to wear the Cruzen plate. 1957 Chevy 210 dressed to look like a Bel Air. Small block 283 with Munch M22 (Rock Crusher) 4 speed, 3:73 Posi rear end. The interior was rolled and pleated white. This car was built Retro 1960's style. It had been a drag racer in Joplin, Missouri before I got it.

The third image is DADHAD1. My folks had one of the first 1955 Chevy's to be manufactured hence the plate on my 55 Bel Air Hardtop and the name this car has assumed. The 6 cylinder engine in this car is the last engine I personally rebuilt. I had a local machine shop do all the machine work then I put it together. I had worked in an engine rebuild shop when I was in high school and I wanted to do this one last engine. The car has a Power Glide 2 speed auto trans, power steering, and a 3:55 rear end. Except for the green color, this car has been rebuilt all stock. This has won a few awards in the all original class. When my family comes out to Arizona for Cubs spring training this is the car we use to go to the games.

The forth image is a rear view of CRUZEN II. I hated to let this car go but I had other interests developing.

In addition to DADHAD1 the last image shows my current interests. They all sport the CRUZEN theme. These are the reason we use DADHAD1 to transport the family when they are in town as it is the only vehicle I have that can carry more than two people.

[Ratmagiclady]

Nice Chevys! I like the baby blue on white. (I've always wanted a Nomad, myself. )

Today I streetfound a nice chrome wrench from some Harley's toolkit, today. Shame someone lost it. Hope they aren't too bummed when they notice it's gone. No real idea if they're hard to come by at all, but there's a small chance my Harley-guy neighbor will hear mention from one of his customers if it's a thing. Meanwhile, I guess it'll grace the Volvo kit for like battery terminals and whatever happens to fit that metric size.

[CWRailman]

Nice Chevys! I like the baby blue on white. (I've always wanted a Nomad, myself. )

Today I streetfound a nice chrome wrench from some Harley's toolkit, today. Shame someone lost it. Hope they aren't too bummed when they notice it's gone. No real idea if they're hard to come by at all, but there's a small chance my Harley-guy neighbor will hear mention from one of his customers if it's a thing. Meanwhile, I guess it'll grace the Volvo kit for like battery terminals and whatever happens to fit that metric size.

Nomads are very nice but pricey. It's less expensive to just join the National Nomad club and enjoy their events.

[Ratmagiclady]

Nomads are very nice but pricey. It's less expensive to just join the National Nomad club and enjoy their events.

Heh, yeah, all very abstract, anyway. Humbler vehicles are out of my price range, too.