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How did we tow our boats before 4X4's?


Old Ironmaker

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On 2/13/2020 at 8:04 AM, OhioFisherman said:

 

64 GTO 389, single quad, 4 speed, I had one.

 

Oh my goodness Paul. I would venture a guess if you had that car today the way it came out of the showroom you are conservatively looking at 40 to 50 grand. That's low balling it. I need to look on the Interweb for one for sale, if there is one in the World today. A few months ago we were listing the cars and trucks we once had. I am looking at about a million bananas if I had them today in new condition. Just my 72' TR-6 I bought new out of the showroom in grade 12 for $3600.00 is going for anywhere from 30 to 40K. An identical 69' 280SE Benz convertible I once had in 75' sold recently at Barrett Jackson for $75,000.00. There's over 130K CDN for 2 cars. I still have my 82' 560 SEC Mercedes with the AMG package stored in buddy's heated quancet hut, I think I still have it unless he sold it! He has around 75 classics and not so classic cars of all makes and models. He leases them to television and movie production companies for big bucks. Some do not have drive trains. My list is long, I had an eye for mostly European, not 1 American muscle car. Oops I'm wrong, had a 76' Stingray L-88, the last year Stingrays were offered. No regrets. Ooops again, sort of, 70' Camaro, had it for a week, threw a coat of paint on it (Mayco) and nearly doubled my $$$, but certainly not a muscle car with a silly 6 banger in it.  

It was pointed out to me the other day talking about car. vs truck towing and launching that the pre uni body frame  cars we have now were preceeded with full steel framed bodies of basically the same frames as our trucks are today. 

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1 hour ago, Garnet said:

Lew  you could move that boat 1-2 inches back taking amazing amount of tongue weight off. 

Yes I knew that but it was a good excuse to buy a new truck  LOL

I also didn't like the single axle trailer that came with the boat so I had a custom 2 axle trailer built in Michigan and it made a huge difference in the towing.

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John

On 2/14/2020 at 11:03 AM, Old Ironmaker said:

Oh my goodness Paul. I would venture a guess if you had that car today the way it came out of the showroom you are conservatively looking at 40 to 50 grand. That's low balling it. I need to look on the Interweb for one for sale, if there is one in the World today. A few months ago we were listing the cars and trucks we once had. I am looking at about a million bananas if I had them today in new condition. Just my 72' TR-6 I bought new out of the showroom in grade 12 for $3600.00 is going for anywhere from 30 to 40K. An identical 69' 280SE Benz convertible I once had in 75' sold recently at Barrett Jackson for $75,000.00. There's over 130K CDN for 2 cars. I still have my 82' 560 SEC Mercedes with the AMG package stored in buddy's heated quancet hut, I think I still have it unless he sold it! He has around 75 classics and not so classic cars of all makes and models. He leases them to television and movie production companies for big bucks. Some do not have drive trains. My list is long, I had an eye for mostly European, not 1 American muscle car. Oops I'm wrong, had a 76' Stingray L-88, the last year Stingrays were offered. No regrets. Ooops again, sort of, 70' Camaro, had it for a week, threw a coat of paint on it (Mayco) and nearly doubled my $$$, but certainly not a muscle car with a silly 6 banger in it.  

It was pointed out to me the other day talking about car. vs truck towing and launching that the pre uni body frame  cars we have now were preceeded with full steel framed bodies of basically the same frames as our trucks are today. 
 

John, Dave, here all the big 3 auto companies had their own versions of the small block = big block thing.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chevrolet_small-block_engine

Chevy and GMC trucks and vans shared the same engines, the 4 bolt main 350 was standard in them ordered with a 350, only seen in the high performance models of cars.

I don't have any real idea of the customs problems of getting engines made here across the border, so it may have been possible that they used Chevy engines in other GM brands made there, like the Pontiacs.

Most of the small block Chevy motors had a lot of interchangeable parts, intake manifolds, heads, crank, rods, they and aftermarket performance enhancing parts were readily available.

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6 hours ago, OhioFisherman said:

John

John, Dave, here all the big 3 auto companies had their own versions of the small block = big block thing.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chevrolet_small-block_engine

Chevy and GMC trucks and vans shared the same engines, the 4 bolt main 350 was standard in them ordered with a 350, only seen in the high performance models of cars.

I don't have any real idea of the customs problems of getting engines made here across the border, so it may have been possible that they used Chevy engines in other GM brands made there, like the Pontiacs.

Most of the small block Chevy motors had a lot of interchangeable parts, intake manifolds, heads, crank, rods, they and aftermarket performance enhancing parts were readily available.

I have brought a few cars from the US across the border like my Benz from The Auto Toy Store in Lauderdale I think in 91'. Duty and taxes were not that bad. Engines and such from any of the big 3 do not have duty as long as similar parts are produced here. Toyota and Nissan as well. Ticha's Nissan was built in Kentucky. I found out my brand new then 011' Chevy Silverado was build in Mexico. I wasn't too happy when I found that out. Maybe why I paid over 10K less than my next door neighbour Jim paid for his brand new similar F-150. Things get complicated these days. I can't wait to see our new deal with Mexico and your POTUS looks like. USMCA??????

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1 hour ago, Old Ironmaker said:

 I can't wait to see our new deal with Mexico and your POTUS looks like. USMCA??????

Toyota is moving Tacoma production from the Texas plant to Mexico.

They are moving Sequoia production to Texas in it's place. 

This is so they can produce more Tundra's out of that plant. 

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1 hour ago, DRIFTER_016 said:

Toyota is moving Tacoma production from the Texas plant to Mexico.

They are moving Sequoia production to Texas in it's place. 

This is so they can produce more Tundra's out of that plant. 

Hi Drifter, Off topic of course but I found an obscure local TV station from South Western ON. a few months ago, CFTV. what a great little station, old movies, classic TV shows. Just the other day they had an old My Favorite Martian on in B&W followed by I Dream of Genie. Zero commercials, nada, nieti, niema, zitch. With this Interweb thing I'm sure you can get it. The reason I tell you this is that an old Clint Eastwood spaghetti western was on and guess what of all things he played? A DRIFTER that reluctantly saved the town from a band of Mexicana bandito's and desperado's. The Monkeys are on now. I did not know Peter Tork passed a few years ago. He had $$$. His Mom invented "White Out." So much for $$ when you are 6' down under, and that ain't a band from Australia. 

Ok back to real life. I thought there is or was a Toyota plant up Cambridge ON way. I know there was in fact as a pals wife commuted there from Hamilton in the 80's. Or was it Honda? Nope Toyota. 

Paul most all of the GM products I ever owned all had versions of the 350 CID engine. My Eldorado had a big block Caddy engine in it, 400 something. The thing wasn't close to 200 HP. My wife's little 4 banger in her light as a feather Kia Optima is something like 250 HP. Her 07' 3.5 LT Nissan Altima was close to 300HP. I don't think my 76' Corvette Stingray L-88 350 was close to 300 HP Google time. My 011' Silverado is a 5.7 LT/350 CID and I have no idea how many HP. I knew once, doesn't matter to me these days, not like 45 years ago. I'll tell you what though, when I push down on the right pedal you instantly know it's a V-8. A sound and something you will never hear or feel from a 4 or 6 banger no matter what the HP is. People ask me what mileage or how many liters I get per 100 KM's? I have no idea, it doesn't matter, when I need gas I put it in. That's the ride I chose. It's like the old saying if you had to worry about gas mileage in a Cadillac you can't afford one. If I was still commuting to my office in St. Kitts and I was summand to The Home Depot in London I got in the car and went. Then it mattered. 

Paul I did find a 64' Grand Prix on the internet that was close to your specs. It had a recent restoration numbers matching and they were asking $52,000.00. Only found 1 64' GP for sale. 

Johnny D/Selkirk ON. 

Edited by Old Ironmaker
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  • 2 weeks later...

had a 65 Plymouth fury 2- 313redram motor. posi .a tank. never had an issue pulling. also had 83 k-wagon 2.6 motor . pulled a 21 ft senter consol to marina. was a don't hit the brakes. top speed 42mph.. changed over to cummins diesels. could pull a house..that one we had a q10ft slide in camper and pulled a 23ft trphy. weighed 20,000 53ft long and was 6 inches over in width..4 wheel trailer surge brakes. was a dream on hi-way.a gentle hobby horse ride lol..maybe im a redneck.

Edited by outllaw
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