Turbo-charged Interlude

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Amskeptic
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Turbo-charged Interlude

Post by Amskeptic » Fri May 21, 2010 5:32 pm

So, yeah, I visited with Vdubtech in Syracuse NY after my Vermont call then drove to 55 miles northeast of Buffalo to work on my poor 48 year-old Lincoln Continental, the car that started up after a painful year of cold lonely solitude with just seven cranks of that huge cast iron V8 from a 14 year-old Duralast battery:

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Don't be fooled by its tidy appearance, it is a looooong car:

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. . . this much longer than a VW bus in fact:

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What a great car. Still yanks you up to 70 mph with gobs of torque, the mechanical servo-motor cruise control works fine, and the ride is lush Lincoln.

Anyways, I was feeling terminally bad about these great cars sitting here languishing in the barn year after year, so I just spontaneously decided to cursorily check the hoses under the Mercedes:

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. . . and hit the road back east to Albany and up to Plattsburg to visit my mommy while giving the poor BobD a breather:

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So here I am at a rest stop on the Thruway east of Syracuse after lunch with Cindy in Skankyattletease.......... :
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........... with pangs of remorse that I wrested this great old lion awake from its slumber with no more than a car wash and tire pressure check, and hit the road hard. After an hour or so, it started asking for more. One of the last real hand-fitted Mercedes, I know of no other car in my fleet that speaks as clearly as this thing on the road. The steering is immediate, the brakes are uber-modulable, and the engine is sheer Teutonic Autobahn schnell. And don't worry, it is free of the old Establishment Trophy days, nope, this car knows that its owner is strictly appreciative of its engineering as he finagles the oil filter cartridge from under the car in a parking lot behind a closed warehouse. No right turn going on here:
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BobD - 78 Bus . . . 112,730 miles
Chloe - 70 bus . . . 217,593 miles
Naranja - 77 Westy . . . 142,970 miles
Pluck - 1973 Squareback . . . . . . 55,600 miles
Alexus - 91 Lexus LS400 . . . 96,675 miles

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Vdubtech
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Re: Turbo-charged Interlude

Post by Vdubtech » Fri May 21, 2010 7:39 pm

Amskeptic wrote:So, yeah, I visited with Vdubtech in Syracuse NY after my Vermont call
Awww I was hopin I'd get mentioned on this year's Tour. It was a brief visit but I had a hell of a good time. You're always welcome here as you know. If you feel so bad about those cars being so lonely down the road in Rochester, fire me off a copy of the keys and the directions, I'll make sure they get the proper love and affection in your absence. See ya again Colin, safe travels.

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chitwnvw
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Post by chitwnvw » Fri May 21, 2010 9:25 pm

Brian makes BobD look like a clown car.

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Post by BellePlaine » Fri May 21, 2010 9:34 pm

Doesn't that Lincoln look kind of like Kennedy's limo? I had no idea that you had so many cool cars.
1975 Riviera we call "Spider-Man"

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jimbear
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Roch-cha?

Post by jimbear » Sat May 22, 2010 5:12 pm

Colin, are you from Rochester?

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aopisa
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Post by aopisa » Sat May 22, 2010 6:48 pm

Great collection! What else do you have tucked away in that barn?
1977 Westy 2.0L F.I.

Flow with whatever may happen and let your mind be free. Stay centered by accepting whatever you are doing. This is the ultimate. - Chuang Tzu

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Post by Birdibus » Sun May 23, 2010 9:45 am

Wow! I wish I had a barn.
71 bus, 74 westy

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Re: Turbo-charged Interlude

Post by Hippie » Sun May 23, 2010 4:09 pm

Amskeptic wrote:...my poor 48 year-old Lincoln Continental, the car that started up after a painful year of cold lonely solitude with just seven cranks of that huge cast iron V8 from a 14 year-old Duralast battery
That's when Lincoln hand fitted and balanced the engines together, ran them 500 miles, tore them down for inspection, and reassembled them before they went into the car.

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Re: Roch-cha?

Post by Amskeptic » Mon May 24, 2010 8:10 am

jimbear wrote:Colin, are you from Rochester?
West of the big city . . . out in that thar countryside that is so gorgeous and serene as it witnesses all of us try to survive.
Colin
BobD - 78 Bus . . . 112,730 miles
Chloe - 70 bus . . . 217,593 miles
Naranja - 77 Westy . . . 142,970 miles
Pluck - 1973 Squareback . . . . . . 55,600 miles
Alexus - 91 Lexus LS400 . . . 96,675 miles

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Post by Amskeptic » Mon May 24, 2010 9:48 am

Got back to the barn last night at sunset. What a great driving car that Mercedes is. It just ate up the roads through the Adirondacks with that wonderful Mercedes howl whine V8 thunder swooping up and down, and that weird automatic transmission that provides a soggy 1-2 shift then hammers 2-3 home like Ja? You vantt to go? GO! No car tracks like an old Mercedes. No matter the camber of the road, no matter the suspension loading or unloading, these things absolutely hew to the line.

Wine glass posing in 1986 BMW/2010 MB
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We had a beautiful little visit with my brother, and a sister, her three kids and their significant others, and we all celebrated my mom's 80th birthday a bit early for her sake, then we stayed up pretty much all night drinking wine and beer down at the water's edge of Lake Champlain. I love this bunch, loosely wrapped though we may be, I adore people who have a pulse and give a damn. (if I get a decent picture sent to me, I will post it here)

Had to empty the Mercedes in a hurry and throw it all in the BobD before the sun went down. Back into the barn. Full gas tank, tires at 50 psi, disconnect the battery, 1,000 new miles on the odometer (122,688), pull the plates, and scram.

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BobD - 78 Bus . . . 112,730 miles
Chloe - 70 bus . . . 217,593 miles
Naranja - 77 Westy . . . 142,970 miles
Pluck - 1973 Squareback . . . . . . 55,600 miles
Alexus - 91 Lexus LS400 . . . 96,675 miles

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Post by glasseye » Mon May 24, 2010 5:32 pm

Amskeptic wrote: Full gas tank, tires at 50 psi, disconnect the battery, [/img]
Amazing. Living life on afterburner as usual. Looking forward to Maupin.
"This war will pay for itself."
Paul Wolfowitz, speaking of Iraq.

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jimbear
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Fairport...

Post by jimbear » Mon May 24, 2010 8:51 pm

I'm from Fairport. I miss it up there. But we have enjoyed GA and very much look forward to moving to RI in July. Looking for a northeastern swing from you and BobD in the fall?

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Re: Fairport...

Post by Amskeptic » Tue May 25, 2010 6:29 pm

jimbear wrote:I'm from Fairport. I miss it up there. But we have enjoyed GA and very much look forward to moving to RI in July. Looking for a northeastern swing from you and BobD in the fall?
Keep an eye on the itinerary. If you see me anywhere nearby, gimmee a PM holler.
Colin

Image
BobD - 78 Bus . . . 112,730 miles
Chloe - 70 bus . . . 217,593 miles
Naranja - 77 Westy . . . 142,970 miles
Pluck - 1973 Squareback . . . . . . 55,600 miles
Alexus - 91 Lexus LS400 . . . 96,675 miles

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Post by TrollFromDownBelow » Tue May 25, 2010 6:48 pm

Hey Colin - what year/model is your MB? I had a 450SEL (I think) either an 87 or 88. Wonderful road car. Got pretty good mpg for such a large car....would get 17-18 around the burbs and 22-23 hwy at 80 mph. DANG were parts expensive though...
1976 VW Bus aka tripod
FI ...not leaky, and not so noisy...and she runs awesome!
hambone wrote: There are those out there with no other aim but to bunch panties. It's like arguing with a pretzel.
::troll2::

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Amskeptic
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Post by Amskeptic » Tue May 25, 2010 7:24 pm

TrollFromDownBelow wrote:Hey Colin - what year/model is your MB? I had a 450SEL (I think) either an 87 or 88. Wonderful road car. Got pretty good mpg for such a large car....would get 17-18 around the burbs and 22-23 hwy at 80 mph. DANG were parts expensive though...
It is a 1978, same as the BobD. Fascinating to see what we thought was hot stuff in 1978, it won accolades in the press for doing everything right, but lawdy lawdy the climate control and seat adjustment ergonomics and the Blaupunkt stereo are painfully embarrassing. So is the fact that the passenger outside mirror was optional equipment.
But the quality and driving experience are splendid . . . still.
Colin

Image
BobD - 78 Bus . . . 112,730 miles
Chloe - 70 bus . . . 217,593 miles
Naranja - 77 Westy . . . 142,970 miles
Pluck - 1973 Squareback . . . . . . 55,600 miles
Alexus - 91 Lexus LS400 . . . 96,675 miles

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