vintage

Vintage vehicles including antique cars, classic cars, muscle cars, and collector cars.

Moonlighting as Mr. Good-Wrench
A month ago, I took a chance on a potentially pricey investment. To be specific, a 1996 Mercedes SL-500 (R129). It’s worth about $9500 ($89,500 MSRP), so I figured whatever it cost to get it going would be worth the profit. Non-surprisingly, the vehicle was sold to me bone dry out of gasoline, and with a bad battery. Surprise, surprise. After getting a jump start (As these vehicles are instructed for one not to do), and $10 (2 gallons) of gas I put it on the wide-open road. The first thing a noted was a deep rumbling that appeared to come from the rear suspension that went silent after achieving 40mph. So not the biggest deal in the world, but significant. The carpets were showroom clean and pristine leather seats have no scratches, tears, or scuffs. Notably the rearview mirror is missing. There seems to be a struggle achieving 55mph, but I insist we must reach 70mph to keep up with traffic. Like a Christmas Tree all the service lights are shining. I try to restart the vehicle, but the speed odometer keeps tilting backwards. An impossibility with a bad battery. Thus, AAA tow service is summoned by yours truly to bring it back to the house. It sits for a month; I purchase another battery and take it through town. The performance doesn’t feel confident at all, rather if I push it too hard it’ll stall. I attempt again a couple of weeks later and it stalls at 40mph and continues to do so. Running out of patience to keep this extremity of my business running, I call a mobile mechanic. Dirty-South standard, no one answers the phone except for one dubious fellow driving a 2013 Hyandai with muffler and engine modifications who tinkers around the hood and squeezes the radiator pump causing the engine to accelerate. “Ah-“ he says. “You’re MAP Sensor is bad, and you’re not gonna like the sound of this boss.” “How much is it?” I demand. “$225, at O’Riely’s”. I pull the part up on my phone, it’s $125. Several rude text messages later he loses my business forever and I retrieve the part and install it myself. The car runs even worse. So, I swap it back out with the old part it came with and the engine evens out. I run the service code again on the vehicle P0101 which equals the MAF sensor. So much for that. The part is old and rusted and takes me 6 hours to remove. Knowing I should pay $79 for a new one, I grew tired of casting dollar bills in this direction. I happen to find in my friends’ house MAF SENSOR CLEANER. I spray the contents on the sensor and pop it back in. I take the car down the road, and it shows no signs of stalling, and is 30% more confident. Notedly there was a high-pitched whine coming from under the hood that has since ceased. I further note that the RPM Odometer is twitching. The MAF Sensor is the woe amongst other small things that’ll occur with a 26-year-old vehicle. I’ll take a $1,500 hit and remove this Asset from the inventory. I was at a salvage yard earlier hunting for a refurbished battery when I came across a 1996 Mercedes-Benz SL 320, listed for $2995. The car was visibly totaled and had “bad wiring harness” in addition added to its description. So $8500 is fair and square, at least this one drives and has never been in an accident. To all that are interested.
By HAIQEEM4 years ago in Wheel
What's That?
One of my younger work colleagues, who fancies himself a “car guy” and I, were talking about the various cars we have owned. The conversation was going along smoothly until I mentioned that I once owned a Buick Reatta.
By Mark Gagnon4 years ago in Wheel
Nissan Micra K10 - Classic Car Enthusiasts Best Kept JDM Secret
If you're looking for an affordable, ‘modable’, timelessly cool vehicle with a punchy little engine to match, then boy have I got the car for you.
By Fred Bickle4 years ago in Wheel
A Labor of Love. Top Story - February 2022.
We met one sunny spring afternoon. I had stopped off at a colleague’s new house to help him move when I first laid eyes on her. The previous owners had abandoned her in a field behind the house. Tall grass hid the multicolored exterior, flat tires, and cracked and torn interior. I found a weathered top along with both side curtains tossed haphazardly in the trunk. For me, it was love at first sight.
By Mark Gagnon4 years ago in Wheel
My Dad's Gold Star
In 1861, the Birmingham Small Arms (BSA) Company was formed by a group of gunsmiths. In 1880, the company found that the tooling for firearms was adaptable to making bicycles and bicycle parts. In November of 1919, the company premiered their first motorcycle, a 770cc side-valve vee-twin, Model E motorcycle. As the years passed, the other arms of the business did not prove as profitable as their motorcycles. Today, the BSA name is synonymous with quality motorcycles.
By D-Donohoe4 years ago in Wheel
58 Milestones From Bicycle History You Must Know
Bicycles have been a big part of our society for a while now; almost everyone in the first world has learned to ride a bike at some point. We all remember our first lessons from when we were kids, and of course, our first awesome wipeout. These are our own personal biking milestones of course, but those two-wheeled devices (that are often both our favourite tool and worst torture device, depending on how well we can steer) have been around for 200 years, and they have quite a few milestones of their own.So in celebration of all those successful stunts, scraped knees and epic crashes, below are 58 of the greatest milestones in biking history.For all practical intents and purposes, this was the first thing to actually qualify as a bicycle. Invented by a German Baron named Karl von Drais in 1817. Later on this bike, which became known as the Draisine, shifted from its common use to versions that were designed specifically to be used on railroads (which meant 4 wheeled versions), however despite that, this bike was the beginning of cycling’s 200 year 2-wheeled reign. This terrifying-sounding thing is actually the first bicycle to have front-wheel pedals. It is also sometimes known as the first Velocipede.The name boneshaker comes from the fact that they were incredibly uncomfortable. This is because they were hard to control and shakey, with a stiff frame and wooden wheels with iron tires. Ouch.
By asli han4 years ago in Wheel
Classic 50s Cars - The tailfin and swivel seat. Top Story - January 2022.
As a lover of old cars I find it fascinating to look back at vintage advertisements, which are enlightening. The 1959 model year featured gas guzzlers, mostly with V-8 engines. Case in point the Pontiac Tempest 420E where the ad touts the fact that it gets better gas mileage than "economy engines." The front profile is also very stylish with the dual grills featuring two lights on each side, almost like a pair of snake eyes.
By Joseph Rigo4 years ago in Wheel
Trucks Versus Tanks
Trucks against tanks? A truck against a tank seems ludicrous. A truck is just a truck. Tanks are machines of war. Trucks, like tanks, were also sent to the World War II battlefields. Presumably, most were sent for transport, but some were set aside. These were converted into portee mounts. Portee is not a slang word. The term comes from the practice of clapping antitank guns on a truck bed. Portee mounts appeared in World War One as antiaircraft or antitank guns. The Americans copied this British idea from the North African battles. 37mm antitank guns appeared on Dodge WC55 pickup trucks. They became officially known as the M6 Gun Motor Carriage. But why would someone want to do this?
By Matt Whittaker4 years ago in Wheel
Plan a Zimbabwe trip with your family and friends!
Zimbabwe is where you can explore it with your family and friends. You can come here to meet the Zimbabweans. You can take the tourist map so that it becomes easier for you to travel. Plan out and rent a car from the car rental services in Zimbabwe. It is well-maintained and goes through a deep cleaning process for easy travelling across Africa. So, if you are interested in knowing the things you can do in Zimbabwe then this blog is the one for you to read.
By CarsIn Africa4 years ago in Wheel
Auto Erotica
It’s not what you think. This is a story about cars. Cars in my teenage years when a little cash or a little barter bought us transportation at a price that could easily be spent today on a Starbucks coffee break. Cars that rattled and smoked. Sometimes hard to start and often hard to stop. Yet, these cars were the fabric of our youth, our raison d’ etre, where we learned about tools, girls, joy, money, heartbreak, girls, and sometimes tragedy and the loss of friends.
By Ed N. White4 years ago in Wheel
Hot Rod Lincoln-Classic Rock N Roll Car
Check out this list of 10 groups that have incorporated car culture into their songs to find tracks you can add to your next playlist. If you know that Beach Boys and old rock stations have written "Beach Boys" and "old rock stations" for your parents "music, think again.
By F sapkota4 years ago in Wheel
15 ways to make your car life longer
Would you be willing to try all 15 of these tactics if I told you that they may help you extend the life of your car? You may be avoiding a lot larger expenditure in a few months by making a minor outlay now, even if it will not go well for you right now. Maintaining your car at home is an essential understanding that all drivers need to know and research about to learn.
By Jack Ward4 years ago in Wheel