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      04-18-2026, 08:37 PM   #13487
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Quote:
Originally Posted by 3.0L View Post
A dime or 2 nickels.
The other way around, iirc.

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      04-18-2026, 09:28 PM   #13488
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Quote:
Originally Posted by flybigjet View Post
Quick- does anybody have a matchbook?

If you know..... you know.



R.


I know. For those who don't know, I'm sure it's an age "gap" thing.
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      04-18-2026, 11:29 PM   #13489
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Quote:
Originally Posted by sygazelle View Post
I know. For those who don't know, I'm sure it's an age "gap" thing.
I see what you did there!

Off.... with your distributor cap!

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      Yesterday, 06:20 AM   #13490
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No idea what you lot are on about and too tired to google it. The end of April cannot come soon enough, stupid tax season. First year I retire I'm going away in April for a change.
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      Yesterday, 09:29 AM   #13491
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Watching The World Burn View Post
No idea what you lot are on about and too tired to google it.
Old ignition distributors used breaker points to create the sparks, and they needed to be set to a certain gap for the spark to happen at the correct time and with the right oomph. Doing so required a set of thin metal feeler gauges, but in a roadside emergency the cardboard of a matchbook cover or folded index card could get you in the ballpark...or at least off the side of the road.....
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      Yesterday, 10:00 AM   #13492
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Quote:
Originally Posted by vreihen16 View Post
Old ignition distributors used breaker points to create the sparks, and they needed to be set to a certain gap for the spark to happen at the correct time and with the right oomph. Doing so required a set of thin metal feeler gauges, but in a roadside emergency the cardboard of a matchbook cover or folded index card could get you in the ballpark...or at least off the side of the road.....
Sad to say I'm old enough to have used a matchbook cover to set the gap. Also used a big screwdriver to jump a starter motor and used WD40 to dry out a distributor cap. Get off of my lawn.
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      Yesterday, 10:05 AM   #13493
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Quote:
Originally Posted by vreihen16 View Post
Old ignition distributors used breaker points to create the sparks, and they needed to be set to a certain gap for the spark to happen at the correct time and with the right oomph. Doing so required a set of thin metal feeler gauges, but in a roadside emergency the cardboard of a matchbook cover or folded index card could get you in the ballpark...or at least off the side of the road.....
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      Yesterday, 10:55 AM   #13494
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Quote:
Originally Posted by flybigjet View Post
I see what you did there!

Off.... with your distributor cap!

R.
Thanks for noticing. My weird sense of humor is not always noticeable.
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      Yesterday, 11:11 AM   #13495
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Murf the Surf View Post
Sad to say I'm old enough to have used a matchbook cover to set the gap. Also used a big screwdriver to jump a starter motor and used WD40 to dry out a distributor cap. Get off of my lawn.
...make room for my lawn chair. I did that big screwdriver trick one time to jump start an engine. One time was enough. Very risky and not very safe. I used to pop the clutch start cars that wouldn't start. Not risk free, but better than the jumping the starter motor if you are working with a car with a manual transmission.
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      Yesterday, 01:41 PM   #13496
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Murf the Surf View Post
Sad to say I'm old enough to have used a matchbook cover to set the gap. Also used a big screwdriver to jump a starter motor and used WD40 to dry out a distributor cap. Get off of my lawn.

I too have done all the above.
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      Yesterday, 02:19 PM   #13497
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Quote:
Originally Posted by sygazelle View Post
I used to pop the clutch start cars that wouldn't start. Not risk free, but better than the jumping the starter motor if you are working with a car with a manual transmission.
At one point, I was living at the top of a mountain in my younger days. The first two miles was all downhill to the main/public road. The battery in my car was on its way out, so I used to park it facing downhill, release the brake, and pop start it when it got up to speed.

In my even younger days, my family lived on a small hill with a steep driveway down to the street. There was many a time that I snuck away from the house in the middle of the night by climbing on the bike and rolling the motorcycle down the driveway and into the street before popping the clutch to make a stealth getaway.....
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      Yesterday, 02:39 PM   #13498
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Y'all need to get back to the You know your old thread...
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      Yesterday, 02:46 PM   #13499
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      Yesterday, 03:03 PM   #13500
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Quote:
Originally Posted by sygazelle View Post
...make room for my lawn chair. I did that big screwdriver trick one time to jump start an engine. One time was enough. Very risky and not very safe. I used to pop the clutch start cars that wouldn't start. Not risk free, but better than the jumping the starter motor if you are working with a car with a manual transmission.
My first car was a '69 Firebird with an automatic transmission, I did the screwdriver start more times than I care to admit. I've also done it on lots of other cars. Lots of sparks and drama but I'm still here to talk about it. Bump started lots of manuals in my day. I did it with my wife's Mini last year too. I still got it.
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      Yesterday, 03:24 PM   #13501
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Quote:
Originally Posted by vreihen16 View Post
At one point, I was living at the top of a mountain in my younger days. The first two miles was all downhill to the main/public road. The battery in my car was on its way out, so I used to park it facing downhill, release the brake, and pop start it when it got up to speed.

In my even younger days, my family lived on a small hill with a steep driveway down to the street. There was many a time that I snuck away from the house in the middle of the night by climbing on the bike and rolling the motorcycle down the driveway and into the street before popping the clutch to make a stealth getaway.....
And what about Part 2: the quiet motorcycle return uphill towards the driveway ? Sweaty clothes ?

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      Yesterday, 03:35 PM   #13502
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Artemis View Post
And what about Part 2: the quiet motorcycle return uphill towards the driveway ? Sweaty clothes ?
Even easier! Pass the neighbor's mailbox at 32 MPH, hit the engine kill switch with my thumb, and have just the correct amount of momentum to roll to a stop at the top of the driveway without having to touch the brakes (which would probably squeal).....
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      Yesterday, 04:14 PM   #13503
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Quote:
Originally Posted by vreihen16 View Post
Old ignition distributors used breaker points to create the sparks, and they needed to be set to a certain gap for the spark to happen at the correct time and with the right oomph. Doing so required a set of thin metal feeler gauges, but in a roadside emergency the cardboard of a matchbook cover or folded index card could get you in the ballpark...or at least off the side of the road.....
Ahh, I see now.

I did not live in that time, although my grandparents did gift me an '85 Grand Marquis with a penchant for stalling. Since it was carbureted, I used to carry a clothespin with me in the car so that I could use it to prop the butterfly valve open to get it started when it stalled. It was literally the only way I could get it going again, thing would stall randomly, even on the highway. Got it fixed eventually and no issues after that.

One time it stalled in the middle of an intersection (with a light) - I'm out there under the hood unscrewing the cover so I can prop it open and a cop pulls up and asks me if I'm aware that I can't park there. I honestly wasn't sure if she was serious or joking, said it so deadpan, but she was about to call a tow, so I told her just give me two minutes and I'll be gone, sure enough, she started.
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      Yesterday, 04:34 PM   #13504
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Watching The World Burn View Post
Ahh, I see now.

I did not live in that time, although my grandparents did gift me an '85 Grand Marquis with a penchant for stalling. Since it was carbureted, I used to carry a clothespin with me in the car so that I could use it to prop the butterfly valve open to get it started when it stalled. It was literally the only way I could get it going again, thing would stall randomly, even on the highway. Got it fixed eventually and no issues after that.

One time it stalled in the middle of an intersection (with a light) - I'm out there under the hood unscrewing the cover so I can prop it open and a cop pulls up and asks me if I'm aware that I can't park there. I honestly wasn't sure if she was serious or joking, said it so deadpan, but she was about to call a tow, so I told her just give me two minutes and I'll be gone, sure enough, she started.
The clothes pin manual choke fix, I'd forget about that one.
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      Yesterday, 08:59 PM   #13505
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      Today, 05:19 AM   #13506
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Every time I see either one of them from now on.......
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      Today, 05:33 AM   #13507
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      Today, 07:44 AM   #13508
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