How to buy a classic car and live with the consequences: Part 1 - Do you really want to do this?

WHAT?   WHY?   HOW?

It's a given.

Even for the Millennial generation classic vehicles are alluring.  Sometimes the definition of a "classic" becomes a bit blurred with the younger set but so long as they're enthusiastic about something other than smartphones and Instagram there's still hope.

Yeah, I was around when the Honda CRX was just another weird Civic with 2 seats.  Now it's a holy grail akin to my reverence for 70 454 Chevelle with factory Cowl induction.

At least to some.

Here's the reality.  Any car over 25 years old can by law (in most states) be considered a classic car.  Meaning that CRX would technically qualify; of course your mom's 81 Caprice would too.

However,  that doesn't mean every car is destined to become a classic  just because it's old.  Some cars, no matter how "vintage" will never attain the lofty heights of being considered a "classic."

Simply put; cars become classics because a lot of  people consider them to be that way.  It's the purest expression of a free market.  For better or worse.

For example; did you know that in 1969 you could buy an Oldsmobile station wagon with the same engine as it's muscle car cousin the 442?

Believe it or not the famed 400 V8 (one of the 4's in 4-4-2)  was available along with a number of other stout poweplants.

To which I say, So what....

It's a perfect example of what you need to understand about the classic car market.  For one thing while age is important, it has to be desired by someone to have value and to most of the market A Vista Cruiser with a 400 is just dad's old station wagon.

Meaning you won't be getting much interest (or $$$) from the 442 faithful but that 442 bloodline may peak the interest of the Vista Cruiser crowd, if there is such a thing.  Which is an important factor in getting involved with a classic car.  The halo effect or depending on your perspective; guilt by association.

Buying a classic car is no different than a Sci-Fi nerd paying 100's of dollars for a vintage 1977 Star Wars action figure in it's original packaging.  It's a kind of time capsule.  A door open to the memory of happier times unspoiled by the ravages of reality.

It's like any other collectible market driven by irrational motivations fueled exclusively by the intoxication of rose colored glasses.

All collector markets are built on this.  If we were really being honest all these old cars and action figures would be of more use ground up and recycled for raw materials for a half a dozen Hyundai's.  .

HERESY!

Hey, I'm just putting it out there.  I don't believe it and honestly I wouldn't want to live in such a plain vanilla world.  That would be like using the Mona Lisa as a door mat or living on cup-o-noodles for the rest of your life.      Yuk...

Here's the "How"part...

Your first step toward owning a classic car is to answer the question, " Why do you want to do this?"

If you look at a classic car like a retirement account you can expect the same return as that IRA you took out in 2007.   Don't believe the hype over someone's "barn find" 70 Hemi Challenger with 23 original miles going for a million dollars.  Chances are you're going to end up owning a Fury with a 318 and a lot of Bondo.  You can pump 50K into it and not get back half the money

Remember the Vista Cruiser?

It's a market and markets are not only picky but fickle. Fickle equals volatile which translates into yo-yo valuations only a day trader would tolerate.

Don't believe the reality TV car shows either.

Those wrench monkeys have got resources and
expertise available at their fingertips that you'd have to pay extra for.

The words "cheap" and "restoration" don't go together unless you're aiming to own a "beater" not a "classic."

 Older vehicles are going to have problems that need attention and the cost of dealing with them will vary depending on what they are and how much of the work you can do yourself.  Not to mention HOW you choose to deal with them.

Even if you're Chip Foose it can be expensive if you happen to be working on a vehicle with sparse parts availability or serious rust issues.

So yeah, don't buy a 1974 El Camino....

By the way, be honest and know what you're capable of.  A couple of rattle can paint jobs and a few oil changes does not make you an automotive restoration expert.

Playing the Field

From here you have to take a hard look at the car's market and determine what it (and you) will bear.

Paying 442 prices for a run of the mill Cutlass does nobody any favors.  Meaning you need to do some research.  That doesn't stop at just looking up prices on Hemmings or the latest auction either.  You need to connect with people who've already made the leap not only to see what they paid but the cost of upkeep.

Check the more mundane sources like Auto Trader or the classifieds.  See what's available locally before heading into a nationwide or even worldwide search.  Often the cost of transport of a "perfect" car is trumped by one that needs a little more love found in your hometown.  Only after exhausting local resources should you expand your search outward.  Even sites like Ebay motors can be filtered to listings in your local area and by default Auto Trader sites (including classic) do the same.

Know what you're looking at!

Too much of the word "new" can be the death knell of a classic car's value.  Find out what your chosen model originally came with.  Tires and batteries are irrelevant by the way.  We're interested in things like drivetrain and available options.  Some cars demand original everything while others known for unreliability will offer more latitude in modifications.
For example, nobody is going to ding you for swapping drum brakes for disc brakes on a classic that's actually driven.  Safety upgrades are acceptable in all but the most rare of classics and nobody is driving those very often.

Be aware of "tribute cars" and fakes.

What's a Tribute car?

Simply put, a tribute car is a model upgraded to a more desirable model after the fact.  The only difference between a fake and a tribute is how honest the seller is about it.  Don't be fooled into paying 50K for a fake 67 GTO that's really a 30K LeMans.

That research thing again....

If you really want to get to know a car you're interested in get to know the people who own one.  A quick Internet search can yield dozens of resources and forums where you can learn about a car you're considering.  Use multiple sources and treat it the same way you would as if you were buying a house.  Ask questions like: What are the problem areas?  What are the parts availability?  What's it cost to fix?

Speaking of fixes.  Don't buy someone else's failed project.  Rust buckets will continue to be rust buckets AKA money pits.  Protect yourself and learn what to look for so you don't buy one.  It's never a bad idea to bring along someone who knows what they're looking at.

Don't limit yourself to one information source either.  Online car forums are wealth of information  but realize that not everyone in them is an expert.  Don't just rely on online either.  If there's a regular car show or meetup near you go check it out.  One thing about the classic car hobby is that owners love nothing more than talking about their cars.   It's a great source for finding things like car clubs and good local shops too.

Buying the car is just the beginning.  Living with it is more than just Sunday blasts along the coast.  You've essentially purchased another mouth to feed much more demanding than the Kia now displaced in your driveway.

We'll get into that next time....

Avoiding a blowout: What that tablet in your dash won't tell you.

It's a fact of life, bad things are going to happen and most of the time you don't get much, if any, warning.  We are an imperfect form of life that produces imperfect things most of which will not persist after us.

Knowing this I find it maddening that so many people have so little clue about a 2 ton hunk of metal they trust their lives to every day.

To most people they give no more consideration to it than just jumping in the car and driving off.   Oblivious and ignorant to the condition of anything but the gas gauge.  

You don't have to be a ASE Master Technician to have a car but you owe it to yourself and those along for the ride to be aware of more than the difference in gas prices on either side of town.

In my case, I drive older cars meaning I have to be a lot more vigilant about a lot more things than just waiting for the "Fix Me" light to come on in the dash or some flashing icon in the "Information Center."  

I kind of blame companies like BMW, Mercedes and other so-called "luxury" brands for that mindset by the way.  They've constructed a fantasy where nothing ever goes wrong and never needs to be checked.  

If anything does, however, the car will just beam itself up to the starship Enterprise and Scotty will get right on that warp core problem straight away!  

It sounds stupid but it's literally the fantasy the luxury brands sell and it's dangerous.

Most newer cars have some basic level of diagnostics for such things as tire pressure, oil life and MPG and that's fine.   Thing is, a tire pressure monitor won't tell you of an impending blowout at 75MPH due to a bad tire.

Learning what to look for AND ACTUALLY LOOKING once in awhile will.

Which is the basis for the video below.   In it you'll see the early signs of impending disaster that can be averted if you're just the tiniest bit alert to the problem.

So watch the video, learn a little more than your "Driver Information Center" will tell you and be safe out there.

The Optispark distributor, the best and worst idea GM ever had

Ever get that sinking feeling? 

Gearheads do, all the time.  For many it's almost like ESP.  We just know something's off even if we can't quite put or finger on it.  Maybe it's subtle.  The occasional misfiring ignition, a hard start condition or maybe the not so subtle hint that's something gone wrong when your car just stops.

Any of those symptoms can indicate a problem with the ignition system but when it's a car equipped with the GM Optispark optical distributor you're going to be questioning the "excellence" in the "GM mark of excellence"

What's an Optispark?

The Optispark is a unique ignition system found primarily on GM's venerated LT1, LT4 and L99 V8's from 1992 to 1997.  This was the second generation of the GM small block V8 motor and the first major design change since 1955.  Unlike its predecessors, the Optispark distributor is an optically triggered ignition system much like those seen in high performance and race vehicles. 

Optisparks showed up in everything from Corvettes to Cadlillac Fleetwoods and they all have the same design flaw.  That being, putting it in the absolute worst place you could possibly locate a component sensitive to heat, moisture and oil contamination.

Put yourself in the following scenario.  Imagine having a job where you were forced to work next to a blast furnace every day with the threat of a huge water pipe bursting over your head.

That's pretty much the life of an Optispark distributor.  Buried deep under belts, hoses, pulleys and a water pump, the unit can be barely seen and hard to service. Replacement is always a major undertaking involving the removal of the aforementioned bits and pieces as well as assorted brackets, wiring harnesses and other assemblies depending on the vehicle being serviced.

So just what's different about an Optispark?

Other than the look of it, not much really.  It's still a distributor that requires a rotor, Ignition module and coil to provide spark to the spark plugs at the right time.  The primary difference is that timing is determined via an optical signal instead of the position of a reluctor or cam follower.  Normal distributors usually have shaft with a rotor on one end and a gear on the other that meshes with its counterpart on the camshaft.

Where the only indication of incorrect timing on a regular distributor is a poorly running engine, the Optispark ignition provides feedback to the engine's PCM.  Using data from other sensors at its disposal, the PCM can then adjust the ignition timing to optimize engine operation.  

It utilizes an optical pickup assembly that reads a thin rotating disk with two rows of perforations punched into it.  One row is comprised of 360 slots on the outer ring with another row of 4 cutouts of differing size on the inner ring corresponding to 90 degrees of engine rotation.  The disk rides on a bearing assembly mounted into a base plate that engages with the timing assembly on the front of the engine.  As the engine rotates the optical pickup reads the position of the disc and reports that information back to the PCM where it can adjust the ignition timing according to current conditions. The major components of the distributor are fairly simple consisting of:

• ·         A cap
• ·         Rotor
• ·         Plastic separator
• ·         Metal separator
• ·         Optical pick up assembly
• ·         Timing wheel
• ·         Wheel support disc
• ·         Bearing assembly
• ·         The man body or base plate

Aside from some sealing gaskets and the wiring harness there's not much more to it.

Depending on the year of the engine, the distributor engages the crankshaft timing gear with either a splined shaft or on later engines (95+) a large bearing resembling a hockey puck with cutouts to engage a pin on the engine's timing gear.  An issue with condensation and ozone buildup in earlier models of the Optispark (92-94) caused premature failure.  GM redesigned the distributor for later models in an attempt to eliminate the issue.  The easiest way to tell the difference between the two is the presence (or absence) or two rubber hoses connected to the distributor.  One is connected to vacuum while the other usually connects to the intake ducting of the engine.

The Optispark distributor allows for both fine and coarse tuning of the engine timing and has a certain amount of redundancy because of the presence of those two timing rings.  Should something short of catastrophic failure (which usually happens anyway) interfere with either timing signal, the engine can continue to run at reduced power levels.  It usually sets a code in the engine's PCM that will trigger the Service engine light. 

Most common codes are:

P0372 - Loss of the high resolution timing signal ( not reading any of the 360 slots) 
* 92 to 95 engines will set an OBD1 code of 36

P1371 - Loss of low resolution signal ( Not reading the 4 cutouts) 
* 92 to 95 engines will set an OBD1 code of 16


The design allows finer control of the timing by reading not just what cylinder is firing in relation to mechanical engine timing ( what valves are open, where the pistons are in their stroke etc.) but exactly what degree in rotation the engine is currently in.  In this way the Engine's control computer or PCM knows exactly where the timing sequence was in relation to a specific condition and how long it lasted.  For example, If a condition such as a misfiring plug were indicated, the PCM would be able to either correct the condition or set a trouble code.

Sounds great, so what can go wrong?

Oh wow, let me count the ways...

I remember when optical pickup distributors were cutting edge.  Using light to time an engine might as well have been rocket science to most shade tree mechanics. 

Usually, optically based ignition systems are among the most accurate and reliable ignition systems available.  Even modern so-called "Distributor less" ignitions use "flying magnet" or Hall effect sensors that operate similarly to optical triggered ignition systems but use magnetism instead of light to determine timing.

BUT...

Unlike most ignition systems that are generally designed to keep the most sensitive components away from harm the Optispark stands in stark contrast.

It sits low on the front of the engine between the water pump and crankshaft pulley and sandwiched between a rats nest of cooling hoses, brackets and engine accessories.  It's at just the right height to get drowned by the undercarriage spray at the local car wash and sit's below a notoriously leaky water pump.  Lest we forget seals for both the distributor to timing cover and water pump shaft whose inevitable failure are sure to coat the Optispark in a greasy mess. 

There's usually some degree of warpage on most Optispark distributor caps which allows gaps in the seal between cap and distributor.  That makes it even easier for infiltration of water and oil.

Then there's the issue of varying quality of replacements.  I've yet to find any source for replacement of just the optical pickup assembly which is the most critical component of the Optispark.  That means failure of it requires replacement of the whole distributor.  With prices ranging from $50 for a unit guaranteed to leave you stranded to $900 for a GM aftermarket unit that may be no better you could go broke before you found a reliable source.  Nothing like doing the same job two or three times before you finally get one that works.

We've talked a lot about failure of the Distributor itself but don't forget about the wiring.  Mid 90's wiring harnesses tended toward the flimsy and after 2 decades they can get a bit crispy.  It's always good policy to check the wiring  before going to all the trouble and expense of replacing an Optispark only to find out a $20 Distributor harness would have fixed the problem. 

A good source for troubleshooting Optispark ignition issues can be found at SHBOX.com.  While focused on 93-97 Camaro and Firebird models the troubleshooting steps will work on LT1's installed on other models.  If you have one of these engines, this is a bookmark you'll use often.

http://shbox.com/1/4th_gen_tech2.html

So if you've made it this far you'd probably like to know how to fix your Optispark problems.  Aside from the link above we'll leave that topic for the next article.