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Opinions on my dilemma

3K views 18 replies 10 participants last post by  jmt455 
#1 ·
Here is my dilemma. I need a little bit of work done to 71.I know the owner of Griffin and sons. He told me he would charge me $75hr, but there are 2 hot rod shops in the area that want $50hr. Should I go with who I know and trust won't try to nickel and dime which is the most expensive or the unknown cheaper shops? Who would you go with?
 
#7 ·
Here is a DUI from Summit for $305 + some parts store wires and a set of plugs you are under $400.

This is easy stuff, do it yourself, save some money and learn something.

Typical "garage" if you tell em' you've got $500 to spend it'll either be $499 or $599 lol and you'll be lucky to get the plugs, wires and cap and rotor installed for that.
 
#11 ·
Is your old dist worn out?

Who told you to get rid of the points? You could just put in a new set of points and condenser, very cheap and easy to do. Just need to set the gap on the points. Make sure the cam in the dist that opens and closes the points is'nt worn out.

You could put a Pertronix electronic conversion kit in your old dist, it's very easy to do.

If you do elect to replace the dist you will have to do some wiring changes which are fairly simple to convert to the HEI style dist. There are write ups on the conversion to help you do it.

You do have a timing light, right? It's a must have tool.
 
#14 ·
Two kinds of people will tell you that:
1) Those who've spent big bucks on a fancy electronic system only to find that their car doesn't run any better/quicker, so they're trying to justify the expense in their own minds.
2) Those who are just repeating what they heard someone else say, or read in a magazine, but have no experience themselves.

Points systems are dead-nuts reliable, and they're simple. A few bucks worth of spare parts and a plain old screwdriver, and you can be back on the road and driving literally within minutes. Further, they always give you some 'warning' when things are about to go bad. When an electronic system takes a dump, it does so immediately with no warning. Then it's replace time - and the parts aren't cheap.

Moral: Be very careful whose advice you take when it comes to cars. There's a large number of people out there who love nothing better than telling YOU how you should spend YOUR money, even when they have no real experience in the matter themselves.

Bear
 
#15 ·
Do I need the motor pulled if its running? I had a friend of a friend of mine came by to look at it and I told him I wanted it dependable and he said he would pulled the motor and rebuild it for me. Even though he suppose to be cutting me a deal I don't know if it really needs to be pulled if its running; plus I only have about $600 to put in the motor and I know it's going to cost more than.
 
#16 ·
Several things you can do to determine the "health" of a motor. Biggest one to me is compression test. Autozone, O'riely's "rent" compression testers basically free if you don't have one and it's a fairly easy thing to do. Lets you know the condition of rings and valve seal.

If the motor does'nt smoke excessivelly while idleing and does'nt use oil I would suspect you could get a few more miles out of it. Really a good tune up and just making sure everything is up to spec is the most important.

I never took any automotive classes in school or anything, all my knowledge is "hands on" from experience and from books. Don't be afraid to get some books or look things up online. DON'T trust everything you read on forums, this one is kind of an exception to me, most are filled with "know it alls" who really don't.
 
#17 ·
This car is not your daily driver, its your hobby. The more you do yourself, the more you learn and the better you feel about driving your car. I know people who do very little work to their car and are afraid to drive it more than a short distance. This is not what you want. You want to feel that you can take yours out for an all day if you wish.

Bottom line is don't be afraid to make a mistake when working on your car. There is always a way to fix anything and you already know where to ask for help if you get stuck.
 
#18 ·
I agree. I bought my '66 not knowing how to even jack up a car a few years ago (made sure to by a running, driving car and had my dad to teach me the basics) but I learned how to do stuff myself.

A tune up is simple, have a friend show you how and buy the beer in the evening. It can be done in an afternoon even if he shows you every little detail and go at a slow pace. Don't bother with an engine rebuild until you have a reason to, like lots of smoke or a knocking engine.

Changing points, distributor, oil change and spark plugs made my car run MUCH better after I took her home.

You have a car that is incredibly easy to tune up, learn something new and enjoy the feeling of doing it yourself! I cannot stress how simple a tune up is on these cars.
 
#19 ·
All good advice above.
I wouldn't rebuild the engine unless it has major problems.

Points ignition systems are dependable. HEI does offer easier starting, but that's ts major advantage in a street car, IMHO.

Get it home, tune it up and drive it!
 
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