Coming home with a Buickload

[TUD1]

Visited Danny today and picked up my 1966 RCA CTC-25 Dorrance. Also found a 1985 Panasonic 4 head VCR at an estate sale for 5 bucks, and it works. On the way back from Atlanta now, in the rain. The Dorrance cabinet is in the trunk covered in plastic.

[Jon A.]

Good haul!

One question about the Buick: does it have the nearly-indestructible 3800 engine?

[TUD1]

It is a 1998 Buick LeSabre Custom with 166,500 miles on the clock. It has the 3800 Series II.

[Jon A.]

Originally Posted by TUD1

It is a 1998 Buick LeSabre Custom with 166,500 miles on the clock. It has the 3800 Series II.

Takes a licking and keeps on ticking. The Buick 3800s are probably the finest American-built engines in my opinion.

[Marco-nix]

Originally Posted by Jon A.

Takes a licking and keeps on ticking. The Buick 3800s are probably the finest American-built engines in my opinion.

For a V6 ... Yes but i had a 3.8 in my Ford LTD 1986 ( the small model with a V6 with a carburetor) Never seen the end but i scrapped it because too much rust on the body ..On GM models this is the 283 V8 . nothing was better than this motor..

[Captainclock]

Originally Posted by Marco-nix

For a V6 ... Yes but i had a 3.8 in my Ford LTD 1986 ( the small model with a V6 with a carburetor) Never seen the end but i scrapped it because too much rust on the body ..On GM models this is the 283 V8 . nothing was better than this motor..

I think you mean 283 V6? as V8s started at 318 CID (like the famous Chrysler 318 which was also another rock solid engine that was built to last but sadly was discontinued when Chrysler discontinued their A-Body cars like their New Yorkers and Diplomats and the Gran Furys in 1989 and replaced them with the M- and K-Bodies which used V6s and 4 Bangers.) Interestingly enough All three car makers had a 3.8 Litre V6 engine of some sort Ford like you said had one, Chrysler had one and GM had one, although GM was first I believe and GM's is more famous.

[Marco-nix]

Originally Posted by Captainclock

I think you mean 283 V6? as V8s started at 318 CID (like the famous Chrysler 318 which was also another rock solid engine that was built to last but sadly was discontinued when Chrysler discontinued their A-Body cars like their New Yorkers and Diplomats and the Gran Furys in 1989 and replaced them with the M- and K-Bodies which used V6s and 4 Bangers.) Interestingly enough All three car makers had a 3.8 Litre V6 engine of some sort Ford like you said had one, Chrysler had one and GM had one, although GM was first I believe and GM's is more famous.

It seems you are a younger boy . i'm 60 years old and a 283 was a small V8 chevy block I had in a Chevrolet Impala 1967. Later , I had a 318 is a small V8 in a ( Dodge Aspen 1977 ) . Not the same .. GM is GM and Chrysler is Chrysler my cap'tain ...

[wkand]

Originally Posted by Jon A.

Takes a licking and keeps on ticking. The Buick 3800s are probably the finest American-built engines in my opinion.

Great haul tud1 and could not agree more with the GM 3800 engine comments. Had a 2001 Regal, perfect 3800, that got totaled in 2015. We now have a 2013 Impala with the 3.5 VVT engine in it. I like it just as well.

[Kamakiri]

Funny anecdote.....I had a picture tube shield just like that sitting in my garage from a parted out God knows what from years ago. I used it to make a new lower quarter panel for my '62 Mercury a couple months ago

[hi_volt]

Would love to see pictures of the cabinet when you get everything unloaded.

[Electronic M]

Originally Posted by Kamakiri

Funny anecdote.....I had a picture tube shield just like that sitting in my garage from a parted out God knows what from years ago. I used it to make a new lower quarter panel for my '62 Mercury a couple months ago

Hope you remembered to degauss it before painting it so that light blue paint job don't develop pink and green blotches.

[SpaceAge]

Is this the one that someone bleached the cabinet?

[mstaton]

The buick 3800 is probably the best V6 GM ever made hands down. They're reliable(aside from intake leaks). There a LOT of well made american engines(most are not made anymore) I drive Ford trucks and the best ones were built in the 90's(300 sixes) were bullet proof but we dont make inline 6's anymore. I have an 06 with a 3 valve 5.4, so far so good at 163K MILES. People will poo poo them but maintenence is the key.

[Jon A.]

Originally Posted by mstaton

I drive Ford trucks and the best ones were built in the 90's(300 sixes) were bullet proof but we dont make inline 6's anymore. I have an 06 with a 3 valve 5.4, so far so good at 163K MILES. People will poo poo them but maintenence is the key.

Amen to that. Most people think "Ford" and "lemon" are synonymous. Our 1984 Mercury Lynx went through two abusive owners before we got it in 1992. By the time we got it there was a leak in the oil pan, the brakes needed a lot of work, a driveshaft had broken and the parking brake was toast. Seems counter-intuitive that the clutch was fine; perhaps it was replaced shortly before the car was parked. Once fixed up it ran just fine while we had it, powered through snow like a 4x4 and was great on gas. The only problem we had with it was the brakes on the left rear wheel seizing once. One quarter panel had a lot of Bondo and the edge of the hatch was rusted through, but I saw cars like it in great shape years later. As you said maintenance is the key.

Originally Posted by stromberg6

I and a friend actually managed to put two console sets into the trunk of my 1964 Coupe deVille. I repaired them and sold them. Ah, the olden days when I could get away with such crazyness...

I still do and have no plans to stop. For instance, yesterday I hauled a 25V set 2.73 miles (4.4 kilometers)* on a four-wheel dolly before I caught a ride the rest of the way. Tomorrow I'm going to the same place to get another big set!

* I always plug my return route into MapQuest or Google to get the distance when hauling something big on foot. The dolly is a convertible unit and easily toted around by bus.

[TUD1]

Here is the Dorrance in its new home. Had a mishap when putting the tuner in, it somehow got crooked and the knobs wouldn't go on straight. Ended up breaking a small piece of the plastic on the mask. I stuck it back in and it was fine. Unfortunately, that's not the only casualty. The top left coil on the convergence board snapped off, but the wires are still attached, so it still works.