'58 Complementary Triumph TR3 Motorcar

On Mon, 02 Feb 2004 17:12:38 -0800, Jim Weir wrote:

The only reason I'm looking for a '58 is that the Cessna is a '58 also.

A Studebaker Avanti then?

Don
(Ignoring the gullwing SL.)

Another random thought or two, starting with California aviation
history: For many years, the FBO at Santa Ynez had '58 Chevy
Biscaynes as their rental fleet. Maybe they bought them from a
Tijuana taxi company. I seem to recall that they went for $8/day in
1970. Gas was thirty cents a gallon.

Typically, V8s of the '50s got 12-13 miles to a gallon. Caddys got as
much as 17. Remember the "Mobilegas Economy Run"? 20 mpg was
unheard-of for Detroit iron. Until the Falcon and Corvair. (OK. I'm
slighting the Nash Metropolitan.)

'58 was the only year for Chevys with that particular rounded body
style. The next year, Chevy went to the Martian Ground-Chariot body.
Basically, they hammered the fins on the '57 over sideways. '55s,
'56s and '57s all used different tricks to hide the gas cap behind the
left tail=light so that green gas-jockeys couldn't find it.

My old man had a '58 that he must have bought around '61. It was
painted what could only be called, "GM chalky sorta-blue." I learned
to shift on his '54, which was "GM chalky pretty-much-gray."

Don't mind me, I'm old.

Don

In Don Tuite wrote:

Typically, V8s of the '50s got 12-13 miles to a gallon. Caddys got as
much as 17. Remember the "Mobilegas Economy Run"? 20 mpg was
unheard-of for Detroit iron. Until the Falcon and Corvair. (OK. I'm
slighting the Nash Metropolitan.)

And of course the Nash Metropolitan used the same basic engine that is
installed in my MGA, albeit with a somewhat milder cam and only one
carburetor. The MG gets about 28 mpg if you can keep your foot out of
the throttle.

----------------------------------------------------
Del Rawlins-
Remove _kills_spammers_ to reply via email.
Unofficial Bearhawk FAQ website:
http://www.rawlinsbrothers.org/bhfaq/

Don Tuite wrote:

Another random thought or two, starting with California aviation
history: For many years, the FBO at Santa Ynez had '58 Chevy
Biscaynes as their rental fleet.

If you really object to tinkering with cars to keep them running, don't buy *any*
American iron made in '58.

George Patterson
Love, n.: A form of temporary insanity afflicting the young. It is curable
either by marriage or by removal of the afflicted from the circumstances
under which he incurred the condition. It is sometimes fatal, but more
often to the physician than to the patient.

"G.R. Patterson III" wrote in message
...


Don Tuite wrote:

Another random thought or two, starting with California aviation
history: For many years, the FBO at Santa Ynez had '58 Chevy
Biscaynes as their rental fleet.

If you really object to tinkering with cars to keep them running, don't
buy *any*
American iron made in '58.

George Patterson

We had a '58 Chevy with a 283 in it. My dad put 100k miles on it and then
he sold it to a family in Madison County who put another 100k on it before
it was junked. We had a '59 Chevy too. It had a 283 V-8. I would sneak
it out in the dark of night and do 120 in it up Middle Fork Straight.

They bought them from the City of Santa Ynez as surplus when the city bought new
cars. They must have had twenty or thirty of them at one time.

Jim



Don Tuite
shared these priceless pearls of wisdom:

-Another random thought or two, starting with California aviation
-history: For many years, the FBO at Santa Ynez had '58 Chevy
-Biscaynes as their rental fleet. Maybe they bought them from a
-Tijuana taxi company.



Jim Weir (A&P/IA, CFI, & other good alphabet soup)
VP Eng RST Pres. Cyberchapter EAA Tech. Counselor
http://www.rst-engr.com

Don Tuite wrote:

Typically, V8s of the '50s got 12-13 miles to a gallon. Caddys got as
much as 17. Remember the "Mobilegas Economy Run"? 20 mpg was
unheard-of for Detroit iron. Until the Falcon and Corvair. (OK. I'm
slighting the Nash Metropolitan.)

What, no King Midget?

Don Tuite wrote in message . ..
Another random thought or two, starting with California aviation
history: For many years, the FBO at Santa Ynez had '58 Chevy
Biscaynes as their rental fleet. Maybe they bought them from a
Tijuana taxi company. I seem to recall that they went for $8/day in
1970. Gas was thirty cents a gallon.

They still have one of them, but not for rent any more. I suspect that
they were bought in a Government Surplus auction at Vandenberg AFB.

David Johnson

"David Johnson" wrote in message
m...
Don Tuite wrote in message
. ..
Another random thought or two, starting with California aviation
history: For many years, the FBO at Santa Ynez had '58 Chevy
Biscaynes as their rental fleet. Maybe they bought them from a
Tijuana taxi company. I seem to recall that they went for $8/day in
1970. Gas was thirty cents a gallon.

They still have one of them, but not for rent any more. I suspect that
they were bought in a Government Surplus auction at Vandenberg AFB.

David Johnson

I remember flying to airstrips in Idaho in the 70's. Many of them had '58
Chebby's parked there. They were retired state vehicles which, instead of
being auctioned off, were taken to remote airstrips and left for the use of
transients. You'd use one for a day or two, fill it with fuel, throw a
couple of bucks in the ashtray for maintenance and leave it for the next
guy.

Seems like another planet from this one.

Rich S.

On Thu, 5 Feb 2004, Rich S. wrote:

I remember flying to airstrips in Idaho in the 70's. Many of them had '58
Chebby's parked there. They were retired state vehicles which, instead of
being auctioned off, were taken to remote airstrips and left for the use of
transients. You'd use one for a day or two, fill it with fuel, throw a
couple of bucks in the ashtray for maintenance and leave it for the next
guy.

Seems like another planet from this one.

Rich S.

I have found many free loaner cars lately. The one at Clearwater
Florida is/was a brand new Buick!

George Graham
RX-7 Powered Graham-EZ, N4449E
Homepage http://bfn.org/~ca266