are you old enough to remember?
12-03-2014, 01:40 PM
#41
Burning Brakes
Thread Starter
Never heard the "Plastic Pig" moniker before. Stovebolt most definately. Rebuilt a couple of those back in the late 60's and raced one in a 27 T Altered at Pocono Drag Lodge in 1969 and 1970. My 63 Impala SS 4 speed convertible and my 70 Nova SS 4 speed lived on Sunoco 260. I consider myself fortunate to still have all of my mostly working parts even after 22 years in the Army and then another 20 years in law enforcement. Retirement really is great. If anyone ever says retirement isn't what it's cracked up to be, they aren't doing it right.
I have driven a car with mechanical brakes, a 1923 Model T Touring Car. You have to push really hard but the good thing is that you don't get to go really fast either. As for non power brakes, the 69 Corvette Roadster was non power and my wife's 69 Camaro SS is non power 4 wheel disc.
I have driven a car with mechanical brakes, a 1923 Model T Touring Car. You have to push really hard but the good thing is that you don't get to go really fast either. As for non power brakes, the 69 Corvette Roadster was non power and my wife's 69 Camaro SS is non power 4 wheel disc.
Bill
12-03-2014, 01:42 PM
#42
Intermediate
Wow, I'm in my 60's and I remember hearing the phrase "plastic pig" back in the 70's when some of the corvettes were considered, by some, to be dogs in the performance area. I don't think you could possibly justify that name these days.
12-03-2014, 01:48 PM
#43
Burning Brakes
Thread Starter
I have a vintage Schlitz beer tap handle.Now if I could only figure out how to take a picture of it,wife says I'm to old to work one of these dang cellphone dodads
12-03-2014, 01:49 PM
#44
Melting Slicks
I owned a 63 split window, a 64 convert and a 67 AC coupe, all were brand new when I bought them and without a doubt out of the 25 vettes I have owned the 63 SW was my least favorite and regretted buying it in less than a week. It was noisy, hot and the visibility was horrible. Traded it off after only 6 months for the 64 convert. There was a good reason why the 63 SW coupe was gone after the first year and why the C2's run was so short. I bought a brand new 68 convert when they first came out in the fall of 1967 and it was a huge improvement over any of the C2's I owned.
The C3 generation was by far the most successful generation to date for sales and outsold both the C6 and C5 generations combined.
My favorite generation for me was the C1 and will always be in my mind the most classic design of any vette to date. My first vette was the 1953 when I was 17 and the second was a 1957 2 top fuelie and both would easily be in the top 5 favorites for me of the ones I have owned. Interesting side note the reason the 53 had the two speed powerglide auto trans was that GM did not have a manual trans then capable of handling the added power of the blue flame six.
12-03-2014, 01:56 PM
#45
Race Director
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C6 of Year Finalist (performance mods) 2019
I'm definitely old enough to remember the introduction of the '53 Corvette and I'm quickly gaining ground on the inability to remember anything at all.
The only plastic pigs I recall, had a slot on the top for coins.
The only plastic pigs I recall, had a slot on the top for coins.
12-03-2014, 02:25 PM
#46
I'm 56 and remember them being called "Plastic Pigs". I grew up in Indy. It was probably something I read in a magazine. Magazines were my only connection to cool cars until about 1975.
12-03-2014, 02:56 PM
#47
Team Owner
Member Since: Mar 2014
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not really -- you'd take the Rod Bearing Cap off -- put it in a vise and use a very large file and take off a bit of material equally from both flat faces where the cap bolt hole is ... then take the filed rod cap and crawl back under the car - install the cap - tighten and see how the rod slop is. still a little sloppy?-- take it off and repeat the process. best fit if I remember was once tight if you'd tap the cap back n forth with the hammer handle and it moved -- it was just right.. if you could move it back n forth by hand it was too loose. You always new you did a good job if it sounds good when you started it up and you did not have to use any shims cuz you took off too much material.
Nice thing is you could do all rods without removing the motor. same for the main bearings but Rods were more of the problem back then.
Nice thing is you could do all rods without removing the motor. same for the main bearings but Rods were more of the problem back then.
miss the good ole days when this how you kept your car running. between that and riveting brake shoes, honing cylinder walls with an electric drill, filling points, and using a timing light, rebuilding carburetors - one could run all week and work on it again for your Saturday night date.
My dad had a '52 Chevy also a '56 (6 banger); an uncle had a Chevy pickup, probably about a 1960 with (I think) a 292" straight six, but I do not recall ever hearing the name "stovebolt" anywhere.
12-03-2014, 03:19 PM
#48
Melting Slicks
The stovebolt sixes in the early vettes packed a pretty good punch for that time. The really only hot street car back then was the 1950 Oldsmobile rocket V8's.
12-03-2014, 04:41 PM
#49
Team Owner
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It is a slotted head bolt. Was also a nickname for the Chevrolet straight 6 engine because the valve cover, lifter cover and timing cover used fastening bolts that resembled a stovebolt.
The stovebolt sixes in the early vettes packed a pretty good punch for that time. The really only hot street car back then was the 1950 Oldsmobile rocket V8's.
The stovebolt sixes in the early vettes packed a pretty good punch for that time. The really only hot street car back then was the 1950 Oldsmobile rocket V8's.
I remember them being called "plastic fantastic" back in the 60's
12-03-2014, 07:58 PM
#51
12-03-2014, 07:59 PM
#52
12-03-2014, 08:24 PM
#54
Instructor
This and mine was called that the other day...followed up by a statement that don't judge the book by its cover. This coming from a Porsche, Lotus, Ferrari, Lamborghini owner collector. He than admitted he had just placed an order for an new ZO6.
I think being called names adds to the fact that calling a car by a belittling name only means the person or persons doing it realize that you can get solid performance from something far south of a European price tag.
I think being called names adds to the fact that calling a car by a belittling name only means the person or persons doing it realize that you can get solid performance from something far south of a European price tag.
12-03-2014, 08:27 PM
#55
Advanced
Old enough to remember having driven a 54 vette!!
Then in my new life finally buying a used 2012 GS
One was in 1958 and the other was in 2013, now that was a long time to wait...........
Then in my new life finally buying a used 2012 GS
One was in 1958 and the other was in 2013, now that was a long time to wait...........
12-03-2014, 09:23 PM
#56
Racer
Remember the gas wars? Green stamps and full service? My first car was a 56 Crown Victoria that was a small town police cruiser. It had the 312 Thunderbird engine in it and used a quart of oil for every gallon of gas burned. I paid 25.00 for it. My second car was a 57 Chev, 235 ci six with 3 offenhauser carbs, 3 speed on the floor and 411 gearing. I couldn't keep clutches in it. Totaled it in a snowstorm alas, insurance paid me 75.00 for it. Then a long string of Austin Healeys, Vettes and Harley's. When I think back over the years and I do that a lot now, I feel that I am so blessed to have experienced life in the 50's and 60's when the seeds of our rides today were planted. 
12-03-2014, 09:39 PM
#57
Instructor
My girlfriends' dad (now my FIL), used to kid me about "working for the city"......"For the city", No. Why?" "Well, I thought you were on the street oiling crew." Hahaha, Filler up with oil and check the gas. 
Mine, too, was a 235, I converted to floor shifter, though. Those old Stovebolts did run pretty good though.
Mine, too, was a 235, I converted to floor shifter, though. Those old Stovebolts did run pretty good though.
12-04-2014, 12:13 AM
#58
. My second car was a 57 Chev, 235 ci six with 3 offenhauser carbs, 3 speed on the floor and 411 gearing. I couldn't keep clutches in it. I think back over the years and I do that a lot now, I feel that I am so blessed to have experienced life in the 50's and 60's when the seeds of our rides today were planted.
I remember those offy manifolds. All good stuff. I was Chevy in the early 60's... but friends had a Ford V-8 Flathead and my good friend had a 40 Ford with a Olds V-8 and 3 deuces on top. I always wanted either a 409 Chevy or a 421 Pontiac - maybe next life now.Where the hell would we be today if wasn't for the Swamp Rat and Stone, Woods and Cook Eh?
But never a plastic pig 