XP715

Any last requests you'd like any of us to carry out for you after your heart explodes?

Back in the days before people all pussied out and bought vans and box vans and trailers to transport their work equipment, REAL men and women drove panel trucks or sedan deliveries to get the job done. Please share! I would probably step over my own mother to have a 1948-1953 Chevrolet or GMC one-ton panel like this one, only mine would ideally be a work-worn original. Not really a fan of the 1954 models because of the one year only ugly grille (at least on the Chevrolet) and the one year only one-piece windshield (I like the split windshield- makes the truck look that much older). A 1955-1959 model would be awesome too, and OF COURSE a pre-1948 model would be acceptable as well.

I collect old video games, Hot Wheels/Matchbox/Johnny Lightning, pre-World War II console radios (listening to a local AM station on my 1934 RCA Victor 19K as I type this!), old American coins (and some foreign), car books and other literature, etc. Got a good bit of hockey and baseball and football cards from when I was younger. I also do a good bit of fishing now that the good weather's here.

That stepside longbed is beautiful! Every time I see one I want one even more, from any generation! One of those and a pre-1960 Chevrolet or GMC one-ton panel truck in work-worn condition are my two top wants as far as old GM trucks are concerned. Bonus points if you can find me one in police, fire, military, or Civil Defense livery or with a long-defunct business name and a five number phone number on it! The '60 Coupe DeVille, '58 Fleetwood, and especially the 1915 Buick truck score huge points with me as well.

Course ya can! That's an interesting thing to collect; I think you need to start a thread about it.

Happy birthday, bro! Go buy that Cutlass of yours something nice!

Those are all nice but give me a Packard woody any day of the week! This 1940 Super 8 bodied by Hercules will do nicely.

I, too, think the '56 Cadillac is where it's at. The '58 Impala convertible is a beauty too. And it's from ASSachusetts so maybe I'll get to see it in person sometime! The '57 Chevy with the Hilborn fuel injection setup is super cool too. I made up my mind a long time ago that I WILL own a vehicle with one of those on it before I die; in my opinion, it's the only thing cool enough to warrant slicing a hole in the factory hood of a fifty year-old car (but I'd still try my hardest to get a fiberglass one first!).

See beyond the obvious? Why stop there? How about seeing right through it with this transparent plastic 1940 model GM built for the New York World's Fair to showcase the ever-growing use of plastic in automobiles: Sorry, Saturn. Your plastic body panels were not cool or original or different at all. Pontiac had you beat by a half century. Fun Fact: this car has survived, and has been and still is 100% fully functional and operational and on the road today! I would probably kill somebody for this green '58. Probably. And would DEFINITELY kill somebody for this 1926 boat-tail race car/hill climber!

I've never owned a vehicle with an oil life monitor and hopefully never will because it's just one more piece of unnecessary crap put into a modern vehicle. I find it very sad that the average car owner these days is too stupid to read their odometer themselves, and even more sad that they actually trust these things. I simply change mine every 3,000 miles and have never once had a problem. But that's way too simple for most people.

What the hell is wrong with you, man? 1500 bucks for an '81 El Camino SS with a 4-speed and a fresh 305, 38% of an El Camino Conquista, and the guy's old back porch in the bed(!) and you DIDN'T PULL THE TRIGGER?! I just don't understand it. Actually, I do. Seems like every day a new awesome and cheap car pops up for sale and I can't have it because I have no space or the timing is off. Gas prices soar and everything with steel bumpers gets a For Sale sign tossed on the windshield (or sent to the junkyard, sadly). I think C&G needs to have a "premium membership" option where whoever wants to puts in $20 a month, and then use that money to rent a warehouse the size of Rhode Island so we can start rescuing these things!

Nope, must've missed that. I think maybe because you left it at this: ... which makes no mention of your brother not wanting it. Please tell me one of you guys is driving that deathtrap and mom's got the Intrepid. I'm embarassed for her and fearful for her safety if she doesn't. And smash open your piggy bank and buy that Pontiac!

I couldn't think of a better use for an old Messcort if I tried for a year. Course, I'd be saying that if it were in showroom condition with delivery miles only, too! I hope Dodgefan is taking notes! Seriously, bro; gut the Shadow, give her the old Krylon touch, and send it off to heaven with a bang (or a couple dozen)!

Then stop talking about restoring a $50 Dodge Shadow that's ready to break in half with rust and a $50 Dodge Caravan with a bent unibody and pull the trigger! There's not a thing wrong in the world with a '67 Catalina.

Don't worry, be strong; the Lord will guide you and cure your case of homo yet! But seriously, hang tough. It might seem like a big giant $h!burger right now but it seems like you're beginning to see a light at the end of the tunnel with at least SOME stuff (school, getting tenured at work, etc.). And when that's over you can concentrate more on moving and finding somebody worthy of your time.

I don't do energy drinks at all; they all taste like $h! to me. I did, however, once purchase and drink one of both flavor of Steven Seagal's Lightning Bolt energy drink for posterity's sake. I have the cans in a place of honor on one of my shelves. And, no need to ask which I liked better; they both sucked equally

Well God bless ya. I think I'd just sell the kid to the circus and have the interior replaced with the money if I were you, so you're obviously a better man than I am!

Wonderful machines. I owned a Bright White Diamond metallic '96 for almost three years and loved every minute of it. It was a great car right up until the end. I've often considered looking for another. Best of luck with yours; she's a beauty!

I thought the wreath and shield (as we know it today) originated on the '67 Eldorado and then moved to other models as time passed, no? Mine has it on the front of the hood and on the C-pillars in the top. Think of the DeVilles and Fleetwoods from their beginning to the late 70's/early 80's: only a shield, or a shield and V on the hood depending on how fancy it was. Standup ornaments were shields ONLY, never with a wreath unless it was on an Eldorado at least until 1979 if I'm not mistaken. I think Sevilles in 1980 got the wreath because they were Eldorados underneath, and the Fleetwoods got them short after. I've seen DeVilles with just shields as late as 1985; I think they were finally given a wreath and shield when they all went front wheel drive.

Relax, man. You just don't know what living is until you have a cabinet full of egg cups, ravioli crimpers, and garlic presses! And original NES and Super Nintendo could wipe the floor with Genesis with ten percent of either of their libraries and one controller tied behind their back!

You mean the $50 $h!box that had slightly lest rust than the Titanic? Yeah, that be the one.

No need to kick yourself over things that were completely out of your control; it just adds undue stress to an already incredibly stressful situation. Just focus on the good and concentrate on doing everything you can now as she recovers. Everything will turn out for you two; I know it will. Stay strong, bro.

Unfortunately I'm way too busy to go this year. Hopefully next year I'll be in a better spot and will be able to bring the Suburban or DeVille. If anybody going wants to pick me up a copy of that book, though, I would gladly pay you back (or give you the money in advance, whichever is easier)

No, it's not just you. We all agree. Only money that should be invested in this thing is $8 worth of gas to get it to a junkyard or the railroad crossing of your choice and put it out of its misery. I'm not kidding you: this car is literally worth more in scrap value than it is as a whole or even as the sum of its parts. They are worthless. You do realize that you can buy a much nicer and lower mileage Shadow for around the $1400 your brother wants to flush down the toilet (literally, like just empty his wallet into the toilet in your house and press the handle down; it will be quicker and easier) in "restoring" (pardon me while I fall off my chair and roll around on the floor laughing with tears in my eyes) the Shadow you have now, right? Honestly, at what point did this ever seem like even a remotely good idea even on paper? Sixty8 has an excellent idea. If he wants a weird quirky FWD four banger good on gas Mopar, buy a turbo (or even non-turbo if you're worried about it failing) Daytona and work on that. It's got at least a tiny amount of value should you ever need to be rid of it; they have a small but dedicated fanbase. They're kinda neat in their own weird way. A Shadow has zero redeeming value in it whatsoever. None. You can't even pretend that it does. If it was a Spirit R/T, which is the only four door unibody FWD Mopar from this era that will ever be worth more than its scrap value, that would be a different story. Try finding one of those. If you guys really can't live without the Shadow, then slap a water pump in it and be done with it and make it an around town beater/backup car/winter beater until it breaks in half (which should be any day now) while you guys work on something for him that's worthy of your time and money and effort. Let him learn and make his mistakes in that POS so he knows the ropes by the time his real project car is ready for daily service.

Jeez Fly, where you been? You just get out of jail or something?