For those who drive, what was your first vehicle?

[Nitro]

The 572s are only offered as a crate engine. None of them went into production vehicles,so someone changed it. GM rated the engines after they built a few and rated them at the lowest horsepower they produce by one of them,so many of them actually make more than the rating.

 

[Nitro]

Yeah, they tend to overheat and catch fire. Thankfully, that didn't happen to mine. I owned that car 8 months until the maintenance of it got too expensive. It ended up in a junk yard! 2nd car was 1992 Honda Prelude which never gave me any problems and very fun to drive.

It is my honest professional opinion that Honda makes the most reliable vehicles in the world.

 

[Nitro]

This 572 was originally put in a pick up truck. Would it still be 620 HP?

The drivetrain gearing between each gear is pretty wide and low. Torque converter inside the transmission multiplies engine torque 2.5 times.

Torque multiplication in a converter is a factor determined by the actual stall speed of it.

A street converter in a production vehicle starts to hook up at about 1,000 rpm at lower power outputs so it doesn't tear parts up.
Higher stall speed converters work the same as engaging a manual clutch with the engine revved up and further into it's actual power curve where it is more efficient. They hit harder because the engine is producing power closer to it's rating,but at the cost of added stress to driveline.
Towing converters are generally made with a stronger housing that prevents the ballooning of it under hydraulic pressure and hit early on so it can get a load moving quick without slamming the drivetrain.

 

[Mia]

First car I ever owned was an AMC Concord, girlfriend's Dad managed a car dealership and got it as a trade-in. He called me the day it came it, it cost me eight-hundred dollars, money I had to borrow from my brother who charged me twenty percent interest monthly until it was paid up. Yeah, my brother is a peach

Best car I ever owned, kept it running for fourteen years. I'd likely still have it if it wasn't for the salt they used on the roads in Canada, the body rusted out eventually. Traveled all over Canada, the US and Mexico in the car, lost a bumper in BC and a door in New Brunswick. When I had to junk it, I cried for some time. For years I didn't even drive when I lived in the city, eventually my husband and I bought a Jeep Cherokee years later.

 

[midlife aspie]

That was my 1st car too. My Escort was $1000 and it started falling apart a month after buying it. I had to replace the water pump, thermostat, and alternator. Then the brakes went out too! That Ford Escort gave me hell, lol, but it was nice not walking everywhere.

You got a lemon! Mine did very well. All I had to replace was the muffler and rack and pinion. It would barely make 60 mph with the gas floored while going downhill though!

 

[midlife aspie]

My favorite car was my 1991 Camaro RS with the old TBI 305. It was solid black and in excellent shape. It wasn't the baddest machine on the road, but it looked good and everything was easy to repair with parts cheap and easy to get too! Wish I had it back.

 

[Rayner]

I've got a towing torque converter, it Stalls at about 1,250 engine RPM

Torque multiplication in a converter is a factor determined by the actual stall speed of it.

A street converter in a production vehicle starts to hook up at about 1,000 rpm at lower power outputs so it doesn't tear parts up.
Higher stall speed converters work the same as engaging a manual clutch with the engine revved up and further into it's actual power curve where it is more efficient. They hit harder because the engine is producing power closer to it's rating,but at the cost of added stress to driveline.
Towing converters are generally made with a stronger housing that prevents the ballooning of it under hydraulic pressure and hit early on so it can get a load moving quick without slamming the drivetrain.[/QUOTE

 

[Nitro]

First car I ever owned was an AMC Concord, girlfriend's Dad managed a car dealership and got it as a trade-in. He called me the day it came it, it cost me eight-hundred dollars, money I had to borrow from my brother who charged me twenty percent interest monthly until it was paid up. Yeah, my brother is a peach

Best car I ever owned, kept it running for fourteen years. I'd likely still have it if it wasn't for the salt they used on the roads in Canada, the body rusted out eventually. Traveled all over Canada, the US and Mexico in the car, lost a bumper in BC and a door in New Brunswick. When I had to junk it, I cried for some time. For years I didn't even drive when I lived in the city, eventually my husband and I bought a Jeep Cherokee years later.

AMC to a garageman is called an All Makers Car because they sourced some of their parts inventory from the other big three

 

[Nitro]

I've got a towing torque converter, it Stalls at about 1,250 engine RPM

Sounds about right

 

[Nitro]

I've got a towing torque converter, it Stalls at about 1,250 engine RPM

When a torque converter is mismatched to the application or not being an efficient unit,the byproduct of it is damaging heat. In order to compensate for added heat when towing,it is recommended to add a secondary transmission cooler to prevent such damage

 

[Nitro]

It wasn't the baddest machine on the road, but it looked good and everything was easy to repair with parts cheap and easy to get too! Wish I had it back.

The 305 was a mismatched combination of bore and stroke,the bore being too small to give it the umph needed on it's 350 stroke length crankshaft.Loads of low end torque,but not so good on the horsepower end of things which reduced pollution. It was a compromise of digging thru the existing parts bin to save costs that utilized a crankshaft that was already in production.
When I was looking for performance in a small block Chevrolet,I later chose the 327 inch engine that used a 350 bore on a shorter stroked crank because the rotating and reciprocating mass was closer to the centerline and would stand a bit more rpm before it exploded.The 327 shared it's crankshaft with the 307 which was once again a not so favorable combination. 327s and 427s were magic combinations of bores and strokes. They rev high and hold together better.
When GM was making their medium sized truck engines,they stuck with the 427 combination with an added compression ring to help seal the combustion gases from passing by the rings because the powerplants were run at higher rpms with increased cylinder pressures when pulling their load up a hill. (read flat footed throttle all the way to the floor) The 454 was never offered in a medium sized truck because they weren't suitable for the job with their longer stroke.
Chevrolet 350s and 454s were a product of the horsepower race just to keep up with the other divisions that were offering their larger engines. Once again,failure due to keeping up with the Joneses numbers

 

[Rayner]

There is a secondary transmission cooler. It was installed although with the rest of the aftermarket transmission. I've got you cover there nitro,

When a torque converter is mismatched to the application or not being an efficient unit,the byproduct of it is damaging heat. In order to compensate for added heat when towing,it is recommended to add a secondary transmission cooler to prevent such damage

 

[Mia]

AMC to a garageman is called an All Makers Car because they sourced some of their parts inventory from the other big three

Likely why I kept it running for so long, replaced the fan and heater in the car and the alternator. That car started in -30F and never really failed me, totally reliable that flat six.

 

[midlife aspie]

I got a good idea of what models were reliable by how many I saw come into the shop when I worked at Farm&Fleet. Honda Accords and Toyota Camrys were the most numerous and tended to be the oldest on average. I did not see a Ford minivan that wasn't trash or a Chrysler over a few years old with good factory rims. Dodge truck lugnuts were garbage too. In general, I came to adopt my father's opinion that "all cars are made like garbage, from the cheapest to the most expensive" during my years in that shop.

 

[Cali Cat]

I had a green 1972 Buick Centurion convertible I called the hotel

Funny you would say that. My girlfriend and I spent many a late night sacked out in that car after a hard night of drinking. It slept two comfortably.

 

[midlife aspie]

Something funny did happen to me once at F&F. I had a service ticket for a Voyager van and had to locate it in the lot going by year and color. I got out there and saw two Voyagers of the same vintage and color parked side by side that matched my ticket. I decided to try the key in them. I found the door of the first one unlocked, so I tried the key in the ignition. It started up, so I assumed it was the vehicle I needed. I got it on the lift and half torn apart, when some customers came and asked me what I was doing. I quoted the ticket to them and asked if it was incorrect. They replied by saying that they did not come in for service work. The key I had was for the other van! Something like that would only happen to me!

 

[Nitro]

Something funny did happen to me once at F&F. I had a service ticket for a Voyager van and had to locate it in the lot going by year and color. I got out there and saw two Voyagers of the same vintage and color parked side by side that matched my ticket. I decided to try the key in them. I found the door of the first one unlocked, so I tried the key in the ignition. It started up, so I assumed it was the vehicle I needed. I got it on the lift and half torn apart, when some customers came and asked me what I was doing. I quoted the ticket to them and asked if it was incorrect. They replied by saying that they did not come in for service work. The key I had was for the other van! Something like that would only happen to me!

My ex and I had two General Motors products that were made eight years apart we bought for winter rats.One morning,I grabbed the keys to her car which were only a trunk and ignition key on a simple ring and changed her snow tires. The next day,I took my own car to work to do the same. When it came time to open the trunk,the lock wouldn't turn and I was denied. When I got home,I grabbed the keys that she used that day that were identical in appearance. It turned out that the cars shared the cut on the ignition keys but not the trunks...go figure

 

[Destination Unknown]

I had a '77 Camaro come in my shop with a rusted out floor that had a field stone placed on top of the catalytic converter that kept the passenger from burning their feet and getting them dragged off by the roadway
The biggest POS I ever owned had an emblem on the radiator grille that when translated said Fix It Again Tony

Yes, the biggest POS I ever owned had that had that same logo on it. I don't remember what year it was. Bought it, fixed some rust and replaced a quarter panel. Gave it a pretty paint job and drove it for 2 or 3 years. Something major would break pretty much every week. The guy I sold it to threatened to sue me... This picture is 1982.

 

[Nitro]

Yes, the biggest POS I ever owned had that had that same logo on it. I don't remember what year it was. Bought it, fixed some rust and replaced a quarter panel. Gave it a pretty paint job and drove it for 2 or 3 years. Something major would break pretty much every week. The guy I sold it to threatened to sue me... This picture is 1982.
View attachment 27088 View attachment 27089

This car was fun https://www.aspiescentral.com/media/my-1975-chevy-camaro.5132/
https://www.aspiescentral.com/media/1975-camaro.1304/

 

[Destination Unknown]

It is my honest professional opinion that Honda makes the most reliable vehicles in the world.

My '79 Honda Accord hatchback was very reliable, but that's the car that I had to put the 2x4 in the engine compartment from fender to fender with a chain wrapped around it to hold the engine up, because the brace the engine mounted to had rusted off. Without the chain holding it up, the axle would walk out of the transmission every once in a while, and you would have to get out and climb under and push it back in to keep going.
The 2x4 worked for thousands of miles, however once the chain rubbed a hole in the side of the oil filter.
That car also drank other car and lawnmower used oil by the gallon.