Classic Hifi Care

The Chevy went into winter storage today. Note the classic Mustang being hauled away for restoration to the upper right.
The storage barn owner rents quite a bit of space to a fellow who collects tiny Chevrolet SSR vehicles. They were all blocking entry because the barn owner had moved them to center so he could vacuum the storage barn (!). The owner showed up to move them back. He's Dale Wiltse. I mentioned that my car was a one-family vehicle that had come from Hugh Hanson in Standish. Well, that got his attention. His family owned the dealership after Hugh Hanson had moved on. Then I got out copies of the original documents. This was better still: the printed invoice bore the salesman's name. Mr. Wiltse had known him, and he and his siblings used to go to the salesman's property to sled down a big hill.

And then everybody agreed that the Chevy's blue color (Jewel Blue in the GM lexicon) was the best ever. That's the Chevy's most common compliment. Everybody likes Jewel Blue. The woman at the Burger 81 drive-thru was the most recent one previously, last week.

See if the short video opens:

https://photos.app.goo.gl/gu6JqmgGybgr2Rx86

Chris Campbell

Now it's May and the Chevy came out of storage today. Started on the second crank (sometimes I get lucky and it's the first crank). Ran just fine. Got horn honks as I drove along. 65-year-old cars are not common in Michigan, and the biggest employer in town years ago was Chevrolet. Everybody likes the Chevy.

The regional go-to guy for Powerglide rebuilds can't work on it this summer but told me to call back in the late summer. Since I'm still working F-T and putting money INTO the retirement account at 79, it is much easier to say "heck with the cost, I want it done right." [Notice how I worded that, Mr. Moderators!!] It actually leaked less than I expected over the winter, but it flares between shifts a bit. It will be a 40-mile trip, a recent distance record for the Chevy, and will take it near Flint, where it was built.

I was reminded today of the brilliance of those GM footwell vents of long ago. Open them up all the way and it's almost hurricane-force fresh air on the legs.

Now out to apply this season's coat of Rain-X.

Chris Campbell

Nice job, Chris! Both on driving your Chevy and for the use of "the word". Enjoy your Chevy. The weather here has been unseasonably moderate for a change. Typically, this time of year there are NO old cars running about. I plan to go to a cruise-in with the Buick yet on Saturday, only supposed to be in the 90's, like being in the 60's in Michigan. Won't be long before it goes into hybernation for the summer.....

It's not storage time for the Chevy just yet, and the weather was better for driving than for sailing so the Chevy became my daily driver over the weekend. I've left the top down all summer, and throw an old cover over the interior to keep the sun off and to catch the shells that the squirrels are dropping from the big red oak over the driveway at the cottage. For the first time ever in 65 years, I washed the car with the top down.

Twice over the long weekend, other drivers at stoplights dropped their windows and hollered over, "Beautiful car!" Not cool car, not great car, but beautiful car. It's not because it's restored or perfect--far from it--but likely because everybody likes the color, GM's "Jewel Blue" in 1961. It really is a pretty color.

That was from an era when we were more exuberant in our color choices. You could choose from 3 different blues for your Chevy in 1961, if we include the turquoise choice. Then you could move on to other color families. Life is dull now. Black, white, silver. We need more color these days!

Chris Campbell

Colors raise costs, both production costs and repair costs. Black, white, silver are cheaper to make the paint. Red is the most expensive. I never thought until you mentioned it, but it's been quite a while since I saw a new blue car. Wonder why not?

Well, I saw a new Chevy--SUV, of course--while going to work the other day in a very similar shade of blue. I was on the bicycle so I couldn't chase it down. Toyota has a near match, a little bit grayer.

Chris Campbell