Woodward Dream Cruise / Back to the Bricks 2013

[Professur]

Thanks guys. You have no idea how it feels to look up things like that and see Michigan phone numbers when I just left. Same thing happened last year with the copper alloy brake line. Can't find it here .. look it up online ... source was right up the street from where i slept. I've said before ... some people believe in God .. I don't. I know ... and he's an asshole with a twisted sense of humour. But he does make sure I do get home every time.

I found those 2 rubber bits for the breather on the Dorman listing ... so I can eventually get them ordered here through a real parts shop.

I could have given this jackass a John Doe and a 555 number, but I was already annoyed, and more than ready to walk away even before this. Like I said, I'd rather have my left testicle chewed off by a broken toothed rabid chipmunk than shop there.

Dunno if I mentioned it ... we must have hit a timewarp somewhere along the 401. the drive from Grand Bend, Ont to home should take 10 hrs at 110kph. Done it several times. We should have pulled into the driveway barring issues at 5am. Somehow, barely managing 80kph, with more than a few stops ... we pulled in at 4:30.

[Frosty]

Dunno if I mentioned it ... we must have hit a timewarp somewhere along the 401. the drive from Grand Bend, Ont to home should take 10 hrs at 110kph. Done it several times. We should have pulled into the driveway barring issues at 5am. Somehow, barely managing 80kph, with more than a few stops ... we pulled in at 4:30.

Pro - this is the year 2525. LOL!

[Professur]

Need to find me a woman then. Well, bog gone it ... bog's gone. Damn fuel filter, my first flammin guess. I knew I should have taken the time on Sunday.

[Frosty]

Need to find me a woman then. Well, bog gone it ... bog's gone. Damn fuel filter, my first flammin guess. I knew I should have taken the time on Sunday.

Homey don't speak Canuckistan that way. Say what?

[Professur]

My bogging problem has been resolved with the installation of a new fuel filter. Had I followed my gut instinct and taken the time last sunday in Detroit to track down a parts store and get one then, I could have had a much more pleasant return drive. 15 minutes of labour total ... I'm terribly disappointed with myself.

[Frosty]

How bad was the old one (pretty bad I gather from what you are describing - especially if it cured your bogging/stalling issues)? Was it a paper filter or one of the old brass style? I am guessing paper. Come to think of it, I don't think I've seen a brass style one in years.

[Professur]

Paper. Couldn't do your blow test as I kinda got it pinched some while taking it out ... stupid place to put a thermostat anyhow. But when I tore it open ... it looks like someone sharpened a pencil with it. For what it's worth, I couldn't blow through the new one either ... there's a check valve at the ass end of it with a spring stronger than my lungs. Took it for a short drive, straight into construction naturally. Finally managed 45 seconds above 100k ... but when I test drove her saturday I managed to get her to bog even before that.

Recalling that the problem started after I ran my gas tank down below 1/8th, the fuel filter had been my first suspect ....but now I'm worried about how much other crap is residing at the bottom. I think I'm gonna grab a few more filters for the glove box.

[Professur]

http://s231.photobucket.com/user/Professur/media/1981%20Olds%20Custom%20Cruiser/P1020037_zps3d88510c.jpg.html

outside of the filter. The black on the high peaks is from my dirty fingers

http://s231.photobucket.com/user/Professur/media/1981%20Olds%20Custom%20Cruiser/P1020038_zps0e0eb25f.jpg.html

Inside ... there's actually loose powder in there. I've never seen the like. IF that's what's floating in the bottom of my gas tank ... I'm seriously worried.

[Frosty]

Pro - Double check the links - I tried to open them and they failed. Said the photo was deleted. I am sure that is not the case.

[Professur]

My bad, I moved them to the Olds album. Didn't realize that would change the URL as well. Links work now

[Frosty]

OK - I have seen worse in the test lab at AC when I was a trainee there. It was amazing how much crap you could throw at one of these. That being said, this is the result of a lot of bad gas being purchased over the years. I have to wonder how old that filter really is. Having some fuel filters on hand is a good idea. Is the same one that is used on the Parisienne per chance? Just curious.

I might suggest you get a can of Seafoam, Gumout, or some other fuel system cleaner to try to flush more of that crap out with the next tank full of a quality gas with a good detergent in it.

What's next on your list of tune-up essentials for this car?

[Professur]

My second tank of gas after buying the car was host for a full can of seafoam. Next up will be ignition, although buying the parts can now comfortably be pushed back to the next paycheque. The missus should be arriving with my timing light tomorrow night, so that should tell the tale whether or not the timing chain needs addressed before the snow flies. The distributor we discussed should fit .. the only question being the metal of the gear at the bottom. Along with the head change in '84, they also changed to roller lifters ... and if I remember correctly flat and roller lifters take different gears. At worst, I shouldn't have any trouble just pulling the old one off and using it. At the moment tho, I'm just going to fall into the "It's working, don't mess with it" position and get the brakes on the Parisienne sorted before anything else happens. Having a back up car is hard to sell when you've 3 on the sick list at the same time.

Pretty sure the Parisienne is the same filter.

[Frosty]

I thought I’d bring this back on topic.

Here are some pictures from the Back to the Bricks rolling cruise in Flint, MI on Thursday, August 15th. Flint is the birthplace of General Motors. The reference to the "Bricks" is the cruise goes down Saginaw St., which is one of the main streets through Flint. In the early days of Flint’s carriage and automotive history in early 1900s, many of the streets in Flint were paved with bricks. The city maintains a mile long stretch of brick paving on Saginaw St, from City Hall down to the Flint River.

According to MLive.com, more the half a million spectators came to Flint on Saturday to view the cars parked downtown in 2012 alone. This event is still growing as an alternative or compliment to the Woodward Dream Cruise

Entering the downtown Flint area. Flint is called the Vehicle City because of its carriage and automotive building past. These arches are exact recreations of the originals that once stood here in the early to mid 1900s.

On the bricks now – with a Willy’s Overland pick-up truck. Willy’s was purchased by Kaiser in 1954.

How about a raspberry colored Studebacker pick-up?

Following a Mustang downtown

Statue of Louis Chevrolet . Next to him (not in the picture) is David Dunbar Buick. Next to Buick is a new statue of William C. ‘Billy’ Durant that was unveiled by his grandsons on Saturday. A statue of Walter P. Chrysler will be unveiled later this year in Flint as well, since he ran Buick from 1911 to 1919 because of Billy Durant.

Here is more information about the statues – if you are interested

http://www.backtothebricks.org/statues/index.htm

[Ringo64]

Cool pics! Very much enjoyed them

[Frosty]

Here is David Dunbar Buick's statue. It's hard to believe he died virtually penniless, even though over 35 million cars bear his name.