30 years!

[fanaudical]

Originally Posted by GH85Carrera

Yea, but I am long past getting to blame the previous owner for problems!

My late father had an '83 El Camino he bought in '85. 485k+ on the engine and driveline and never had a rebuild. Was still running strong with factory compression numbers when I finally sold it to a young local guy who always wanted one.

Incidentally, my dad seemed to always blame the previous owner for problems, especially fresh scratches and dings...

[herr_oberst]

Originally Posted by GH85Carrera

Yea, but I am long past getting to blame the previous owner for problems!

Hey, another good reason to always buy used cars!

[tabs]

October 7, 8, 9..all have been hard days for me..cause on each of those days i have had to deal with the death of a loved one.

[KFC911]

Originally Posted by tabs

October 7, 8, 9..all have been hard days for me..cause on each of those days i have had to deal with the death of a loved one.

Ouch ... sorry 'bout that Tabs... life just sux sometimes.

Be well...

[astrochex]

Originally Posted by tabs

October 7, 8, 9..all have been hard days for me..cause on each of those days i have had to deal with the death of a loved one.

Sorry to hear that tabs. Prayers for you.

[sugarwood]

Originally Posted by GH85Carrera

I fully realize I am weird, or maybe "different" (special?) in several ways.

Since 1974 I have only had three cars, and I still own two of those. I don't count my wife's cars, as they are her cars, even though my name was on the title with hers. The 911, I have had for 26 years.

You're definitely different. When I read your posts, I read them in the voice of Forrest Gump, since you repeat your old posts so often.

So, what was the car you drove from 1974 through the 90s, when you acquired the 911 & El Camino.

[KFC911]

^^^^ Why don't you do a search? The rest of us already know

[ted]

The El Camino was neither a good passenger car or a good truck.
It was never enough truck for me.
I had one for a couple years let the girlfriend drive it.
Nice to see with care and light duty yours has lasted so long.

[Fast Freddy 944]

You cant beat a classic Chevy, the bodies last for ever, new ones are made out of country, but 70's and 80's chevy's are the best. I miss my old 76 camaro, you could walk from the hood, over the roof and back down the trunk and not put a crease or dent on the skin. The 350cid 4bbl rodchester carb would do massive burnouts in parking lots, dougnuts and it would plain haul ass. The massive steel bumpers would wad up any tesla-hundae in a accidental wreck, hell it would wad up a new truck, no problem, and it was fast.

[GH85Carrera]

Originally Posted by ted

The El Camino was neither a good passenger car or a good truck.
It was never enough truck for me.
I had one for a couple years let the girlfriend drive it.
Nice to see with care and light duty yours has lasted so long.

It is certainly NOT a real pickup. It was never designed to be. Think of it as a car with REALLY big trunk.


This is the most expensive thing I ever hauled, a $490,000 aerial mapping camera, the Wild RC-30 that we bought brand new.


This was this spring. A load of cypress mulch, and cotton seed hulls, and several concrete blocks for my wife's garden projects.

I had to replace the front brake pads a coupe of years back, so I ordered GM Mr. Goodwrench branded pads and they cost me a whopping 12 bucks. My water pump, starter, alternator, power steering pump, are all guaranteed for life, so just labor to swap in a new part. It is super cheap to operate on the cost per mile basis.

Yea, it is a 1980s car with manual door locks, and wind up windows. No backup cameras, adaptive cruise control, tire pressure monitors, and all the stuff new cars have.

Not a month goes past that someone does not offer to buy it, or tell me about how their cool uncle, or brother or someone had one and they loved riding around in something different.

I can't image owning some generic econo-box car "plunger car". A car, no one really wants, but you have one. Or yet another pickup like 1/3 the vehicles on the road. I don't have a boat or RV to haul around, and if I need to haul a heavy load, I can borrow a friend's real pickup.

Just this week we had a 92 degree day, and I was sitting at a traffic light after a 45 minute drive, the AC was blowing 40 degree air, the engine temp was 185, oil pressure great, and voltage at 13.2 volts. My El Camino is worth more than I paid for it, and it gets more comments than my 911 does.

[Seahawk]

Originally Posted by GH85Carrera

...Or yet another pickup like 1/3 the vehicles on the road. I don't have a boat or RV to haul around, and if I need to haul a heavy load, I can borrow a friend's real pickup.

That is exactly right.

As soon as I don't need a 1/2 ton, I am out of the bigger truck business. The RV I want can be towed with the smaller truck. Friends of mine that I never thought would own smaller trucks are buying the Honda RL, Tacomas, Rangers and two have order the new Maverick Hybrid.

Before we went doen the hrose trail, I manged the farm with a 4 cyl SR5 and a 4x8 utility trailer. Easy day.

Great pics!

Is it for sale?

[GH85Carrera]

Originally Posted by sugarwood

You're definitely different. When I read your posts, I read them in the voice of Forrest Gump, since you repeat your old posts so often.

So, what was the car you drove from 1974 through the 90s, when you acquired the 911 & El Camino.

I always think of Pee Wee Herman when I read your posts.



It was this. My 1974 914 2.0 that I special ordered from the dealership. All Porsches were sold only at a VW dealership in those days. The salesmen knew nothing about the 914 or any Porsche. It took them 6 months to get my car delivered. I took delivery on September 13th 1974. I had already made 5 payments on it to the credit union before it was delivered. When I got married my wife rode with me to Arkansas for a fall foliage tour. She told me I needed a car with air conditioning. That is when I started looking for my 911. I bought my 911 in August of 1995. I sold the 914 the next spring. I still miss it, but I don't have room to keep it.

The photo above is from about 1979. I still had the CB radio in it. The rear springs had finally worn out and the Bilstien shocks were stiff enough that if I hit a dip in the road, the springs would compress, but the shocks would not allow the wheel to move down fast enough. I set up the camera, and had a buddy shoot several photos, and then I replaced the rear springs. It fixed the issue.

[gregpark]

El Caminos were Chevelle station wagons with the back half reconfigured into a truck bed.

[GH85Carrera]

Originally Posted by gregpark

El Caminos were Chevelle station wagons with the back half reconfigured into a truck bed.

Almost. All the running gear and suspension and brakes and such were. But the El Camino has a frame all to itself, that is longer than a Station wagon. It was a frame only for the El Camino. And it came with load leveling shocks that sucked. They lasted 12 months max, and had to be changed. I trashed them went to Bilstien shocks, and air bags. I can load level left to right or compensate for a heavy load.