You gotta love peoples "car knowledge"

-
70DusterDev

70DusterDev

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jul 22, 2008
Messages
408
Reaction score
316
Location
Bethel, Vermont
Sometimes it amazes me how much people think they know about mechanics and cars and aren't afraid to speak up about it too! I pulled into a pizza joint last night with my girlfriend and saw a buddy standing around his newish vette. Not really knowing Vette's I asked what model ls it was and a friend of his spoke up and said "Its a real fast 350 longblock" :banghead: I just looked at him and said "Yeah I bet it is" and walked away lol. Another kid one day was telling me about his turbo 350 5 spd manual trany he's gonna put in his 83 camaro..... I insisted it was a T5 but he swore he knew what his own trany was.... lol I bet u could sell these kids blinker fluid AND new muffler bearings at the same time :-D

Lets hear some encounters with "car people"
 
Well the guys back when I was a kid ran around saying everything had "three quarter race cams in er".
I even heard that terminology when I lived in San Diego around 01 from some maniac.. This guy had an 1980 4x4 chevy with a bb, which aparantly came out of a "drag car" and had three quarter race cam(s) in it. I could tell it was a bbc and that it had some sort of lopey cam, too bad this fellow was a tweaker and had set the truck on fire a couple times accidentally while adjusting the carburetor.. I believe he claimed it was sabotaged.. Idiot..
 
Too many examples to count- I run into a lot of Chevy guys.

One of the worst though, was meeting a guy in a 7-11 parking lot with a sweet '69 Swinger. Naturally I complemented him on it, to which he responded, "Actually, it's a 1970." We were standing about ten feet from my '70 Dart at the time. I skirted around the issue enough to find out that the thing had probably been misregistered at some point (this was in the early '90s, basically "pre-computer" days up here in the wilderness) and left it at that- seemed bad form to argue with a guy about his own car. Still sad that somebody could own such a nice machine and not even know what it was.
 
Rice Nuker said:
Well the guys back when I was a kid ran around saying everything had "three quarter race cams in er".
Click to expand...

That's the way the cam companies advertised and sold them (1/4, 1/2, 3/4 and full race) back in the 50's and into the 60's. The actual duration and lift was not used. So you can't blame people from that era for using the terminology of the day.

I am actually continually surprised at how many folks actually know what my car is and the year too.
 
I always found that I learn a whole lot more by not feeling the need to "prove" my knowledge. Instead of spending my time running my mouth about what I know, I'll use my time with people trying to learn more about the things I don't know. Funny part is the odd looks I get from some guys when I openly admit I don't know something.
 
The last goodguys show I attended I overheard a guy saying to his friend "those Mopars were the most expensive cars Chrysler ever made".
 
I have a 1971 Demon with a 360 in it. The scoop has 360 decals on it, & of course it has the factory 340 decals. We have a couple of races during the season that bring in the spectators. You get all kind of comments, this one guy told his son that he had owned a 360 Demon, that he bought new in 1971.
I mentioned that I didn't know they made a 360 Demon. He said it was special order. LOL
Anymore, I don't try to educate them. I just shake my head & agree with them.
 
THe part about being a mechanic that I love the most is the diagnosis I get when a car is dropped off...

"I think it's just a wire"......little do they realize they have had a friend wre in the stereo and put a ground to a hot...lol or......

"I think it just needs a tuneup"...it was ran low on oil for a year and a half with 2 vacuum leaks....lol or .....

" I think the timing slipped" .... the plug wires are out of order and the timing is so far advance so it will start with that LARGE vacuum hose disconnected.....lol


OR when people try to tell me that a 355 chevy small block that runs on pump gas makes 600hp, or "they only made 5 of these GTO's with a 427 chevy", or "my dad had 2 of these with factory blown hemis in 'em".....

I will save and cherish all these stories...
 
Its also funny yet disappointing when your admiring a Duster or something u see in a parking lot and people walk buy and say, "Look at that beautiful Nova" :banghead:
 
Rice Nuker said:
Well the guys back when I was a kid ran around saying everything had "three quarter race cams in er".
I even heard that terminology when I lived in San Diego around 01 from some maniac.. This guy had an 1980 4x4 chevy with a bb, which aparantly came out of a "drag car" and had three quarter race cam(s) in it. I could tell it was a bbc and that it had some sort of lopey cam, too bad this fellow was a tweaker and had set the truck on fire a couple times accidentally while adjusting the carburetor.. I believe he claimed it was sabotaged.. Idiot..
Click to expand...

Actually, if you go back far enough, 3/4 and "full race" cams were cataloged that way.

I personally put a "3/4 race" cam in my 64 Barracuda in 67, and the part store that sold it to me, had it cataloged that way.

The cam technology has progressed a tremendous amount, like most everything else since then.
 
Thanks for the explaination of the 3/4 race cam. It was still being used when I was a teenager in the early 80's in NJ.
 
Bertha, the '83 D150 shop truck, was getting a 440 swap a couple years ago. I called Advance Auto in Martin and got the manager. After asking for header gaskets and being put on hold for awhile, he came back on the line and argued with me for 10 minutes that what I was really looking for were head gaskets because "they didn't make headers for a 440."

Ahhhh, it's fun being a woman in the automotive industry. :-D I can relate to your story She Devil LOL!!!
 
Just the other day some guy was telling me 'That's a really cool Fargo! Whats it got for an engine?' 'It's got a 318, but I have a 440 for it, just have to find a bellhousing.' 'Ohh.. you should find a 455 for it! I bet it would bolt right in!' 'Uhh, ya I'm not putting a Chevy engine in it, I'm keeping it Mopar' 'Well a 455 would destroy that 440, but have fun with that' .. I just shook my head and walked away.
 
dgc333 said:
That's the way the cam companies advertised and sold them (1/4, 1/2, 3/4 and full race) back in the 50's and into the 60's. The actual duration and lift was not used. So you can't blame people from that era for using the terminology of the day.

I am actually continually surprised at how many folks actually know what my car is and the year too.
Click to expand...

HemiEd said:
Actually, if you go back far enough, 3/4 and "full race" cams were cataloged that way.

I personally put a "3/4 race" cam in my 64 Barracuda in 67, and the part store that sold it to me, had it cataloged that way.

The cam technology has progressed a tremendous amount, like most everything else since then.
Click to expand...


Thank you, guys!

My Pops cut his teeth back in the '50s hot rodding flat heads. It irritates me to no end when some of the guys half his age look at him like he's a senile old man when he talks about "race" cams from those days. No, he's not full of s*** and, no, he's not some senile, forgetful old dude who's seen better days. He's thirty years older than I and will still work my *** off trying to keep pace with him. :-D

Some of those old timers have a lot to teach. Don't dismiss them because they have a different terminology.

By the way...he's also come into the modern age. Now he wants specs!
 
Yeasterday I replaced the spark plugs in my daily driver ('68 ford). I couldn't find the Chilton that covered cars, just trucks, so I called the parts store to see if they could look up the proper gap for me. The kid at the counter told me to check my owner's manual (which I'm sure disappeared some 30-odd years ago), then he told me to use the gap they came with !!! Most of the people there are pretty good, this guy must be a ricer, or a fake-buick-porthole specialist. Anyway, I went with the truck spec. of .034 and it seemed to do ok. Just for giggles, I tried to check the gap the plugs came with, but they were all too wide to measure with my gage!
 
70DartMike said:
Just the other day some guy was telling me 'That's a really cool Fargo! Whats it got for an engine?' 'It's got a 318, but I have a 440 for it, just have to find a bellhousing.' 'Ohh.. you should find a 455 for it! I bet it would bolt right in!' 'Uhh, ya I'm not putting a Chevy engine in it, I'm keeping it Mopar' 'Well a 455 would destroy that 440, but have fun with that' .. I just shook my head and walked away.
Click to expand...

455 would be an Olds motor, Chevy had the 454...I know picky, picky...it still not a Mopar..

Had a guy telling me about his 65 D-Dart with the factory Hi performance 318...
 
I get the thats a nice nova all the time with my dart, But the best one is the manger @ autozone telling me that a 350 chevy intake was the same as a 318, and would bolt right up. Where do they get these people from, I found out if you really know about cars they won't hire ya
 
I'm getting a little tired of the podunk assclowns that show up to car cruizes and let their dumb *** kids put their friggin hands all over other peoples cars and the loudmouth Dad's acting like it is a perfect opportunity to to give you their stupid business card for something you will never need like sweeper sales or carpet recoloring in between F-bombs.
I've prety much came to the conclusion to not go to any shows at home depots, wal marts, or other stores that are open for business unless you want total, non car idiots comin' to look at all the kewl cars after Diddy is dun shoppin for maw, maw's new circus tent sized dress for their 12 year ol dawters weddin' to cousin Elrod wo dun nokked her up at the last famly re-yoonyin.
 
mr.318 said:
I get the thats a nice nova all the time with my dart, But the best one is the manger @ autozone telling me that a 350 chevy intake was the same as a 318, and would bolt right up. Where do they get these people from, I found out if you really know about cars they won't hire ya
Click to expand...
Yep, cause they are afraid you might steal something, or worse yet, they might have to pay you what you are worth.

I needed a water pump for a 440, and told the counter man 426 Hemi a few years ago, before the Germans made it a household word. Thought I might impress him, and he calmly asked me if it was a v8?

cudaspaz said:
I'm getting a little tired of the podunk assclowns that show up to car cruizes and let their dumb *** kids put their friggin hands all over other peoples cars and the loudmouth Dad's acting like it is a perfect opportunity to to give you their stupid business card for something you will never need like sweeper sales or carpet recoloring in between F-bombs.
I've prety much came to the conclusion to not go to any shows at home depots, wal marts, or other stores that are open for business unless you want total, non car idiots comin' to look at all the kewl cars after Diddy is dun shoppin for maw, maw's new circus tent sized dress for their 12 year ol dawters weddin' to cousin Elrod wo dun nokked her up at the last famly re-yoonyin.
Click to expand...

:toothy10:
 
My car club has a cruise night every Friday in a Wal Mart parking lot, we have between 500 and 700+ cars showing up at this cruise.

The Wal Mart management pretty much kisses butt to keep us there since it's the busiest day of the week for them. The family comes to the store, mom goes shopping and dad and the kids look at the cars.

95% the parents keep the kids away from the cars and the other 5% get an education real quick about not letting kids touch the cars and don't repeat. I have never witnessed anyone pushing business cards unless it's automotive related an mostly it's a flyer dropped on the seat.

For the folks I talk to at the cruise everyone loves to see the kids get excited about the cars. It's not unusual for our cruise to attract some rail dragsters or a Late Model Sportsman Stock Car and quite often these folks will let the kids sit in them. It makes quite an impression when the race cars are unloaded at the far end of the parking lot and are driven into the cruise. You have to cultivate the next generation of Hot Rodders you know! :)
 
The only people that get on my nerves are the moron's behind most of the parts counters...

I went into advance awhile back--- I need a tie rod end for a 84' cutlass, the guy looks on the computor and says we don't have one-- so I say ok, see if you have one for a 79' malibu, he looks on the computor and says yeah we have one, "IT'S THE SAME FREAKIN G-BODY TIE ROD END"... So I guess that makes me smarter than the Advance computor----- THATS SCARY..
 
Same story, Greenhornet, went looking for sway bar bushings. Didn't have then for my app, were going to have to special-order them, I asked for 3/4" bushings, had them on the shelf. I can remember a few years back all the counter guys at Advance were ex-dealership mechanics or servicemen, you'd have 1 Dodge guy, 1 Ford guy and a couple of Chevy guys. Now, I just don't know. It's a rare person who got their liscence after 1990 who even knows how to adjust a carberator, let alone a points-style distributor. I guess I'm lucky my first (several) cars were old, barely-running peices of crap!
 
The main reason i stopped going to car shows dumbass remarks by people who don't have a clue what their talking about...
 
4flats said:
Same story, Greenhornet, went looking for sway bar bushings. Didn't have then for my app, were going to have to special-order them, I asked for 3/4" bushings, had them on the shelf. I can remember a few years back all the counter guys at Advance were ex-dealership mechanics or servicemen, you'd have 1 Dodge guy, 1 Ford guy and a couple of Chevy guys. Now, I just don't know. It's a rare person who got their liscence after 1990 who even knows how to adjust a carberator, let alone a points-style distributor. I guess I'm lucky my first (several) cars were old, barely-running peices of crap!
Click to expand...


My younger cousin is a good mechanic, he's been wrenching for years.. Mostly newer stuff, minor repairs, he makes a living at it.. I still have to go over and build his engines for him, I don't know if he's scared that he'll mess something up or what... A few months ago I had to go by and put a set of points in his old ford truck... Dunno...
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
-

Back
Top