47-55.1 55 years ago I was given this USAF 54 3100

[VWNate1]

Don't B.S. ! I can see that's a nice roomy tin shed with Concrete slab in VGC .

I have to work out of doors even when it rains and my 1923 bit of Concrete is beginning to crumble .

We old guys make do with what we have, right ? .

No complaints from me ~ I'm building a vintage engine outside right now .

[vintovka]

Originally Posted by VWNate1

Don't B.S. ! I can see that's a nice roomy tin shed with Concrete slab in VGC .

I have to work out of doors even when it rains and my 1923 bit of Concrete is beginning to crumble .

We old guys make do with what we have, right ? .

No complaints from me ~ I'm building a vintage engine outside right now .

Its less than a 2 years old. Concrete floor ran like $15/ft alone. The very day after i signed the contract the steel for the garage took like a 30%+ jump and builder was crying the blues. Then first winter builders spent over $2000 trying to stop the leaks. I charged them a another couple grand to "buy" them out of their "no leaks ever" contract and gave them the boot. Down to one catch bucket and will hire someone else this spring. It is nice but colder than a witches Mammary glands north of pole. It works but no endorsement here due to cost and performance. Your dollars a dime.

[vintovka]

Originally Posted by Rickysnickers

Going to start a new thread in General area so as not to kill this one. Please respond there to my question

Thanks!!

[vintovka]

Well after nearly 7 months the 54 is back on the road. Weather, illness and mechanical issues really been just a few of the problems. Finally found a great mechanic and things are looking up. The leaks from the, intake, valve covers, oil pan, rear main, transmission and differential have hopefully been fixed and engine is now running well.

In that time both the state of the art radio in the glove box and the brand new in dash Garmin GPS in the dash are now obsolete. I would install a nice headset in the grill spot but i fear they are already obsolete. Now Thinking of replacing both with just my cell phone in a dash mount. Comments?

[VWNate1]

Whatever you like to listen to, should drive your choice of onboard entertainment .

Unless the dash has been cut I suggest leaving it alone .

I listen to NEWS and music so I prefer to have an AM/FM radio, I'll always seek out, refurbish and use a stock unit if I can .

My '49 3100 came to me with a massive center console full of fancy audio equipment including a graphic equalizer (? remember those ?) and I junked or gave away everything but the vintage Alpine cassette deck, I put that in the glove box .

Since then cassette tapes have gone the way of the Dodo Bird so now I have in one car an elderly KENWOOD AM/FM/CD Player that's -so- old it was made in Japan (!) . I installed new speakers all 'round and it plays great, it will easily play loud enough to hurt my ears so no need for amps, sub woofers and other things that might cause problems .

My current work truck is a base model with factory rubber floor mats, wind up windows, Vinyl or perhaps Pleather bench seat, super basic and reliable just as I like them (stick shift !), I went junkyard hunting (it's good exercise / P.T. for us Geezers) until I found a fancy model of the same truck that had a CD player and bought it and all the factory harness' for $16 as no one wants CD players anymore, fitted factory premium speakers and hand fitted the factory harness and plugs, MPC's and so on .

It too easily will blast anyone out of the cab and still gets random AM stations when I'm in the middle of nowhere plus it plays all my CDs both purchased and made as I have a wide taste in music .

I'd suggest avoiding the CD players that carry multiple CD's as sooner or later they quit leaving your favorite CD (? maybe) trapped deep inside .

Yes, they're repairable (with help from You Tube) but that's a long & fiddly job, I find the single disc factory fitted CD player works well twenty five years later and this includes getting caught in zero visibility dust storms in Death Valley....

Some are savvy enough to know how to copy (? "rip" ?) your music to thumb drivers and so on, I don't and don't care to learn .

There are my considered comments & thoughts, I plan this old rig to be my last truck and I travel far and wide in it over bad roads, never a hiccup .

FWIW, the factory up grade CD player I'm using was made in BRAZIL and has a large sticker on it "DISCARD IF DROPPED" but it's working *perfectly* and _never_ skips when I'm barreling down a washboard road .

[vintovka]

My dash radio grill area was smashed more than a half century ago. Had a big aluminum plate over the area since 69. Had the half a-- resto guy fill it in flat as shown. Only issue is i like the google earth gps in my other vehicles and Garmin just doesn't do it for me anymore and i need a hands free answering device. My only use for the radio is music downloaded on a SD card and only reason i may keep it. I thought CDs were beyond obsolete now. Even the thrift stores won't take them or cassettes.

[VWNate1]

Oh contraire mon frer ! .

I buy CD's at thrift stores all the time .

I don't like having anything that looks worth stealing so I use an old Garmin and a long goose neck extension, it's perfect for my long road rallies .

In any case, it sounds to me like you already know what you want and need to do .

[vintovka]

Originally Posted by VWNate1

Oh contraire mon frer ! .

I buy CD's at thrift stores all the time .

I don't like having anything that looks worth stealing so I use an old Garmin and a long goose neck extension, it's perfect for my long road rallies .

In any case, it sounds to me like you already know what you want and need to do .

You are fortunate. The thrift shops here won't take them ( i tried) They will take the players as they collect them for electronic scrap. Same with cassettes. I just sold my 04 dodge with a player and exactly 1 cd (xmas music). My only fear of commiting to cell phone as gps as sure as heck somthing better will pop up just when i finish!!

[VWNate1]

I feel your pain .

As a certified Geezer and grumpy old man I just do what I like and to heck with what others do / think, following trends is mindless .

[dsraven]

you could stick your phone to one of those sucker arms that sticks to glass, or a magnetic phone holder one that sticks to the flat spot where your garmie sits. my son in law has a magnetic one and it holds the phone well. just a little round disc stuck to the back of the phone so no big deal and if the tech changes the disc can be removed easily from the phone or from the dash and you start over with the newest big deal.yep, phone coverage is still gonna bother you no matter what, well, unless you move to a city maybe. better coverage where more people live and there are less mountains to shade the satellite view or the cell tower view.

[vintovka]

When Sgt Geoge ( the 54) is back on the road i will give the cell phone GPS a bit of a test. Poor old guy is down with rear end incontinences (diff leak) right after installing a brand new yoke and seal ($230!!). Found those peel off 3m command hooks seem to hold all around and can be easily removed. Just so used to screens in my other vehicles and dash seems empty without it. Still wish dash was all original but makes me remember my late cousin. He and my other cousin had just lost their dad and were pretty stressed when he kicked in the dash. It was too much of a reminder for them cause my Uncle loved it so (and why i wound up with it so long ago.) Pic is from late 69 day i got it and didn't get developed until after i got back from SEA.

[vintovka]

One problem i have been having is erratic starting issues. Some days it fires right up and others its all crank and pump. Finally figured out that the electric choke on the Edelbrock 1406 was the culprit. Apparently being powered via the ignition switch is not the best way for these. Leaving the key in the on position without immediately starting engine on cool but not cold mornings is not good. The electric choke heats up fast leading to poor starting. Some on the net suggest powering the choke from the stator on the alternator works well. The stator lug only provides 12V when the engine is actually running preventing choke from heating and opening before starting. Connected the choke with an inline fuse (10A) to the number 2 lug on mine and it seems to work well so far.

[vintovka]

Well connecting the choke positive to the number 2 alternator terminal works perfectly. A slight tap on the gas pedal and it fires up immediately. Also fires up without any pedal when warm which is nice. I may add again that i think i really messed up having an electric fuel pump before the mechanical one on the engine. I would run the electric just long enough to deliver fuel after being parked for long periods to save on cranking. Believe running them this way damaged the diaphragms is one or both leading to reduced flow and stalling. Removing the electric and adding a brand new pump aids in perfect starts and eliminating stalling. Another dumb idea.

[VWNate1]

Thanx for the update .

As a rule I never have the key on without immediately starting the engine cold or hot .

The alternator tip is great .

[vintovka]

One more upgrade. Recently replaced an 04 dodge ram 2500 with a new 23 Tacoma 4x4. Latter was boldly sold to me as having great GPS system. IT does NOT!! I fixed it but that's another story. Out of this experience I learned you can run all your smart phone functions wirelessly (especially Google earth) thru a flat screen mounted on the dash. I yanked the Garmin gps and installed a 7" flat touch screen. Now have unlimited apps in world from hands free phone to full length movies. podcasts and audio books. Heck even this forum!!! It obsoletes every navigation/entertainment/instrumentation system so far and adaptable to most future stuff. Mounts on the simple ball used by the previous 2 GPS. Thing even comes with a backup camera -- and all for $32!!!!!!!!!!!!!! This is gonna be a total revolution in after market electronics and looks flat cool as well. Happy as H-ll now.

[VWNate1]

For $32 the backup camera alone makes it sweet .

I need to fix the dead AM radio in my 1959 VW.......

One of these days .

[vintovka]

These can work to replace all radios depending on the apps you use on your phone. Plus you get hands free cell use.

Also you can get am/fm radios from temu or aliexpress for like $10 shipped if you watch for them on sale and don't fall for the sometimes very deceptive ads. They also profile you so buy everything you need in first couple orders as they seem to increase prices based on your spending, I hate dealing with the chinese but where do you think ebay, walmart and amazon get their products. Plus all they do is tack on a middle mans fee and some (like amazon) then turn around and use the $ against the US. I have almost stopped buying from the aforementioned 3 altogether. Did stock up on small electrical connectors, fuseboxes, wire and other stuff that kragen and napa prices are beyond insane on for same items. Some might be junk but at least you won't feel robbed.

[VWNate1]

Thank you sir .

I'd rather go without than have a big screen like that but that's just me .

I have several Garmins with suction cup mounts and extended goose neck holders I use when I feel the need, I do Road Rallies and things like that and only want a scrolling map so I don't miss any turns as I'm whistling along .

Two of my vehicles have CD players, the others I'll eventually fix up and old radio made for the car .

I discovered to my delight that a Garmin works fine on 6 volts .

When you shop truck was a '49 3100 I had an old ALPINE cassette deck in the glove box, it was -so- old it had been made in Germany and still worked just fine .

I don't want to use my phone when I'm driving .

[vintovka]

I understand. At first I always get apprehensive when faced with new tech. After a while I'm addicted. Just bench tested the $1.48 back up camera. Flat unbelievable. All 12 leds light up and picture/backup lines are perfect. Whats worse it was so very cheep. All those gizmos on new cars are prolly a teeny tiny percentage of your cost. In 20 years or less we may not recognize much. I think Garmin may go the way of Magellan and other gps pioneers. Both mine have been acting up and having difficulty finding satellites. Also should say they were asking an additional $3K+ for a stand alone GPS on my new 23 Tacoma. When I questioned the cost dealer said majority of buyers now use Google earth via their phones. If anyone wants a heads up on a cheap solution to using a USB to hook phone to headset pm me.

[VWNate1]

I agree, Garmin, Tom Tom, Magellan etc. are all dinosaurs now .

The satellites they use are military and not going anywhere .

I bought a large box of Garmins for $32 at an auction .

One for each vehicle, before I retired they were throwing out small Pelican cases so I grabbed a bunch and each Garmin has it's own damage free carrier in each vehicle .

[vintovka]

Originally Posted by VWNate1

I agree, Garmin, Tom Tom, Magellan etc. are all dinosaurs now .

The satellites they use are military and not going anywhere .

I bought a large box of Garmins for $32 at an auction .

One for each vehicle, before I retired they were throwing out small Pelican cases so I grabbed a bunch and each Garmin has it's own damage free carrier in each vehicle .

Sounds like a good deal. I liked both the 6" Garmin 60 and the little 4" Nuvi. Was planning to sell both but i see they are almost not worth the effort. Will stash them as back-ups should the need arise. Am concerned both have recently had a extremely hard time finding satellites and i doubt its the GPS fault. Its too bad as these older ones cannot be traced for location like a cell. Do love the new backup cam. Seen complete standalone units with screen and camera for like $7 and these have no traceable gps. Will post pics later,

[vintovka]

Been using the backup cam for a couple days before posting opinion. In short its wonderful. Even with a 5 window you need every advantage you can get , Especially us geezers. Nice to have a 71 year vehicle with almost all the electronic stuff in a brand new Lexus. Again the cost is near laughable.

[vintovka]

Should add I haven't adjusted the BU camera yet and yes its tilted. Also the square thing in the pic is a bolt on the bumper just above the tow hitch receiver. Pretty sure will be able to see the whole hitch and ball making hookups a breeze!.

[VWNate1]

Looks most excellent to me .

I drove my Sweet's Honda Civic with one of these and yes it's very handy but I discovered it made me stop looking further to the side where often vehicles are closing fast....

[vintovka]

Originally Posted by VWNate1

Looks most excellent to me .

I drove my Sweet's Honda Civic with one of these and yes it's very handy but I discovered it made me stop looking further to the side where often vehicles are closing fast....

Yes need to check both mirrors, visual and the screen. The latter helps when backing up to garage doors or other obstacles blocked by the tail gate. The camera helps me too as couple neck vertebrae are fused. Insurance companies say the number of backup accidents have been declining since the advent of these cameras. The ones where folks back over small kids is especially tragic. I heard that an aftermarket side detection system exists so looking into that. For fun test drive a 2023 Tacoma with the 360 camera and collision avoidance.
It was amazing BTW.