SBCs and Powerglides taught me two things...
Pretty car! A car with 70K - 100K miles back then was pretty much wore out!SBCs and Powerglides taught me two things...
1] Introduced me to being a mechanic and made it necessary EVERY SINGLE DAY!
2]Finally made a loyal FORD man out of me , which meant I could live some distance from work and arrive on time every day.
In addition to that, Chevrolet was instrumental in making me a good living with an early retirement!
My first Chevy was a BEAUTIFUL 1957 BelAir Convertible (283 PowerPack with a PowerGlide)
It was a one owner by a local banker with 85,000 miles on the clock when I got it.
I drove it on a 700 mile trip and burned 37 QTs of oil after which It was my first engine overhaul when I was 16 years of age.
After 5 Powerglides I finally switched it to a stick shift.
It had a Carter AFB which delivered 10MPG highway( might as well have been a KOHLER toilet)
I hate to say it but I LOVED that car anyway.
It looked like this one from 30 feet away...
If I had kept that car it would now have ....Pretty car! A car with 70K - 100K miles back then was pretty much wore out!
I had a 57 BelAir 2 door hardtop in High School. Built it up from scratch. It had just been painted in a dark Olive Green (not my fav color BTW), and had fresh black tuck & roll pleated upholstered seats. Engine was sitting disassembled on the ground. The pistons were still in the engine, but water was sitting in the cylinders (I lived south of Miami and it rained every afternoon in the summer), which had a rust ring at the water line. Oil pan was off, but bottom end was still intact.
I traded a 13" color TV and a high dollar Fisher in Wall Stereo unit for it! I was 16 at the time, and my parents were away for a few days. They came home to find it sitting in the front yard! I rebuilt that engine, found fuelie heads (double hump camel back) in a nearby junk yard and put the car back together. I had classic SS Crager wheels on it.
My best friend had a 57 Chevy Nomad in classic Chevy Malibu blue, and we helped each other.
Sold it when I enlisted in the USAF right out of HS.
I wish I had kept both the 57 BelAir and the Fisher Stereo, both are now classics! Mine had the black rubber bump stops up front and backup lights (rare at the time). Looked similar to this but no front license plates.
No the truck is fresh off the delivery semi at the dealer. Thats just the way the factory made it. My new tailgate damper is in the mail and should be here any day now. I will resist installing it until this issue is sorted.
I resisted -6 months. I’ve owned the damper half a year longer than the truck so far.
Smart man! ?
Still in the plastic packaging. I lack the strength to open it.
Did you remove the strong arms (dampners) on your SUV's hatchback?
If you lack strength I suggest you use your tailgate to build muscle mass. When you are able to lift damper with one hand and the trash can lid with the other toss said muscle reducer and keep working out.
Your friends will be so impressed they'll run out and buy a Ranger just so they can add a damper. Get your camera ready because their first reaction is always the best.
