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Wednesday, October 4, 2000 THE OAKVILLE BEAVER C3 B (Continued from page C2) of 1968, a 1955 Chevrolet lacked the classic car desirability quotient it enjoys today, and my initial thought was not overwhelmingly positive. But, without any viable alternatives, I agreed to inspect the Chevy before dismissing it out of hand. The '55 sat parked on a garage less driveway beside a tiny, white bungalow not far from where we lived. The 13-year old car was a black two-door mid-range 210 model, right between the strippeddown 150 and the fancy-pants BelAir. The body was in decent enough shape, other than some bad rust-through on the fenders above each headlight. Lifting the massive hood revealed Chevrolet's 232 cu. in. O H V Stovebolt inline six-cylinder engine along with its massive oil bath air cleaner. The motor pro duced 123 gross horsepower and was mated to a surprisinglysmooth-shifting three-speed col umn-mounted standard transmis sion. But the best part about the Chevy was the odometer reading. The 44,000 original miles showing translated into a usage rate of less than 3,500 miles per year. "Geez, this car has had an easy life," I thought as I quickly started warming up to the idea of owning this specimen. A quick trip around the block revealed sticky brakes (probably e s t W h e e l s O a k v i l l e I I T I I 1 I t I F irs t car m em ories grow fonder w ith age from lack of use, I thought) and some front-end clunking noises that likely indicated that some sus pension parts needed to be replaced. But the car was otherwise sound, and, more importantly, felt perfect. The asking price for this under used GM mainstay (around a quar ter-million two-door 210s were built that year) was a whopping $200. The owner, his wife glaring beside him, reluctantly accepted my counter-offer of $150. The deal was done, new plates were bolted on, and I happily headed for home feeling, well, freer. Plus, I still had a few dollars in left over, which further widened the grin on my face. I wasn't sure how my buddies would react to my purchase, but, as it turned out, I needn't have wor ried. Most of them were still stuck driving various parental loaners and all were envious that I could come and go as I pleased needing only a buck or two for gas and the occasional oil change. Besides, driving an aging Chevy in decent shape that cost peanuts to buy was the ultimate in cool, they figured. Back then, it was popular for people to give their cars nick names. It sounds corny today, but my friends and I spent a great deal of time trying to come up with something suitable ffo my '55. We kicked around plenty of names but nothing seemed to fit. Then I remembered I had seen a number of plain, black cars when I was a kid driven by members of the cler gy as they visited parishioners on our street. Someone suggested `The Reverend' would be the perfect monicker for the Chevy. The vote was unanimous. During the next two-and-a-half years, The Reverend and I got to know each other pretty well. As with most relationships we each had our good days and our bad. We tolerated each other's'quirky habits and survived a few annoying prob lems. But mostly we had fun. We went everywhere together, driving from coast to coast over the course of a year with hardly a hiccup. We eventually and reluctantly parted company after I purchased a very clean 1962 Volvo PV544 and my mother cruelly invoked the one-car-per-family-member house rule. In late 19701 virtually donated The Reverend to an impoverished university student in dire need of some wheels for $50. It was for a worthy cause, I rationalized. But to this day, I miss that car. About two or three times a year I dream I still own it, and I promise myself that, sooner or later, I'll buy another one. But, like most of the meaningful things in life, the memories of that first car and all that it meant to me and -- above all for a car guy -- how it kept me mobile, are irre placeable. Understanding how valves work Intake valve open Air/fuel coming into the engine · When the piston travels downward in its bore, it creates a vacuum. Air from outside the engine rushes in -- and mixes with fuel -- to fill the cylinder. The size of the intake valve, how far it opens and hew long it stays open, directly affects power and fuel economy. The camshaft governs these factors with varying lobe patterns. Valve spring It has one job -- to return the valve to its seat after it has been opened Vah* guide Keeps the valve perpendicular to the seat to maintain a good seal (Right) Top view of intake valve shows air/fuel mixture flowing over and around valve when it is open Exhaust valve open Keep the valve(s) from dropping into the combustion chamber. Exhaust gases leave the engine Unlike the intake cycle -- which relies on differences in air pressure to fill the cylinder, exhaust gases are forced out of the engine by the sweeping motion of the piston. In fact, if the exhaust ports, valve, or any part of the exhaust system are so restrictive as to allow cylinder pressure to build on the exhaust stroke, the resulting backpressure can impede engine RPM, performance and fuel economy. How the velvet teal The valve makes contact with a seat. Both the face of the valve and the seat are ground on angles that complement sealing ana airflow. Sealing surface (metal against metal) Because of the intense heat of combustion, exhaust veKes are often made of different metal than thefettake valves. Top view of exhaust valve shows exhaust gases being forced around the valve by the piston rising to the top of the cylinder. C OP YRI GHT WHEE LB ASE COMMUNICATIONS Cylinder head Cross section Windshield cleaning tips Automotive glass takes a lot of abuse. Bug im pacts, road grime on the outside, evapo rated solvent haze and ciga rette sm oke on the inside are too tough for house hold cleaners, resulting in streaks and smears. Use a clean, soft, 100 per cent cotton terry towel that contains no fa b ric -s o fte n e r, silicone or dryersheet residue which tend to cause streaks on glass. Start with the exterior windows first, wiping in a side-to-side motion. Next, move into the interior and wipe in an up-and-down motion. This will allow you to identify where any streaks are coming from. Always fold your towel into quar ters and turn fre quently to ensure you have a clean surface. Traditional household glass cleaners are inef fective at remov ing vinyl fog (caused by sol vent evaporation in vinyl, plastics and leather) and sm oker's residue. A m m onia-based household glass cleaners can potentially harm tinted windows. L ook for glass cleaners that are non ammoniabased, streak-free and safe for tint ed windows. C a n a d a ' s B est C ommunity N ew spa per Y CltUiVAEW; Ck>A«vhy our New spaper Hamilton man charged in bank robberies The only Newspaper dedicated to covering all of Oakville, 3 times a week. The O a kville The Oakville Beaver Gunman sought in Opposition growing to RCGA use of park Teen cyclist Idled crossing QEWramp J fg & y Poke chopper swoops down on pot growers IfE rraV A rsN NEW PIZZA O we***,----T W V f tn o t Y W K E R W fa w * * A Week For O nly $6.00 a · that' s less than 464 a day - Ph o n e : 845-9742 Fa x : 337-5557* `This offer Is only open to Carrier Collect and New Custom ers *A ll N ew subscribers ana converted subscribers w ill receive onei entry to be random ly d draw n on December 1st 2 0 0 0 . ____ r W in ne r w ill be notified by December 1st 2 0 0 0 6 p.m. I am a current carrier-colled. I I Please convert me to pre-paid |____ | I am a new O akville Beaver subscriber. U fo O m iE B e a v e r I I __ .............................................. A d d res s :. P h o n e : (.......... ) .................................... N a m e :. Mail to: i I Postal C o d e : e x p . d a te : e x p . d a te : / / /. / Entertainment Tim Turn a Week I I ^ O akville 1 Beaver 3S 4_j 1 N E W S&S P O R T S J e h 8 4 5 - 9 7 4 2 F a x _ 3 3 7 -5 5 5 7 _