Practically Used Homestead Wheels

Article Tools

Image Gallery

Print

E-mail

Comments

RSS

The more you replace of a failed or worn system the cheaper it will be in the long run. A rebuilt Chevy 350 engine block and heads a casts $754-1,500 stock, $2,500 and up for an over-bored block, bigger pistons, a hotter cam, and more horsepower. Not cheap, but less money than diagnosing and repairing an endless succession of problems. While the engine is out of the car, replace clutch parts ($100 + labor), and as much else as you can afford. Have your carb rebuilt by a pro ($10 p.l.) or buy a rebuilt ($120) stock carb or hi- performance replacement Garb ($2500) and intake manifold ($100) Bolt on a new water pump ($40), a fuel pump ($25); timing gears and chain ($30), and other parts that aren't part of the rebuild.

Don't fix just one worn or leaky brake—do`em all while the tools are out and the car is off the ground. And, rebuild the whole thing: new hoses and wheel cylinders, backing plates, rebuilt calipers, and new drums and rotors.

It is usually cheaper to replace whole body parts than cut out rust, weld in patches, and smooth with lead. (Don't use fiberglass/plastic—Bondo—to patch a great vehicle.) But, shop hard. A used door that may rust out in a year costs $250 at a junkyard. A NOS steel door shell can cost more than that, while a new Taiwan-made door shell costs $95 and new door and window gaskets about $20. Prime and paint the metal inside and out, and move window and latch mechanism yourself Se sure the drain holes at bottom are open, and the door will last for decades.

SPECIAL CARE
After $1,500 in repairs to his used car, my friend told me, "Tell your readers to check their fluids."

Driving the Older Car

Until and unless it's fully rebuilt, treat your own "experienced" car gently—even if (or perhaps because) it only has a few thousand miles on the odometer. Time takes its toll as much as wear and if a car has been stored for a while, the bill can come due all at once. Recall my friend with the white Caddy convertible? When I told him I was writing this article, he said, "Tell your readers to check their fluids." Turns out that he'd treated the car as if it were as new as it looked. In the first month the car "blew up" on him four times; he had to repair the radiator and replace all the hoses ($300), replace four new-looking but 12-year-old tires ($425), broken fan belts ($30 plus a big towing bill), and the automatic transmission when he let it run out of fluid ($700, used). His $4,500 bargain had cost another $1,500. And, stranded four times by sudden parts failure, he was losing confidence.

Buying an old car to free yourself of monthly payments and costly high-tech repairs comes at a cost of its own. If a car's been sitting long, hoses and belts will split and oil seals will dry out and leaksometimes suddenly and catastrophically. For the first 1,000 miles, keep fresh newspaper on the floor under the wheels and drive train. Before you leave, check for fresh puddles. Always check engine oil, auto-trans, brake, and power-steering fluid, plus coolant with every tank of gas. Till leaks reveal themselves and are repaired (some will self-repair in time), carry a complete fill-up of all fluids in the trunk.

RSS | Comments | E-mail | Print