The Isolated Blurt Thread XXIX: No Whining

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sound quality was no better than any other non digital tape. There was a fair amount of hiss to that kind of medium.

I've been talking to my mom lately about her remembrances of my late father's antics. My father bought a brand new 4 door "convertible hardtop" (as opposed to a post, no obstructions with the windows rolled down, but I digress) 1957 Chevy when he was either just out of high school or there abouts. Mom was fairly impressed with the car. I knew about the car and had seen picture but what I didn't know was that he had jury rigged in a turntable to play records on the go.

the only 8-track player that I remember having in a car was my dad's 1969 Chrysler Imperial LeBaron in triple avocado green that he got from his father. note worthy for gearheads my grandfather had managed to order it from the factory with a an honest to god 426 hemi under the hood.
 
they were bulky and expensive and very few people had more than maybe a half a dozen eight tracks that they played till they wore out.

inside the cartridge is a piece of magnetic strip tape like you might be familiar with cassette tapes same idea but about two maybe three times as wide instead of reel-to-reel though it was one long continuous loop when you got to the end of the loop it would start over again.

What was unique about the it was how they were recorded and how they played back. The head which normally reverses on cassettes to read side b of the tape didn't do that it just moved up and down ratcheting in basically 8 clicks up in 8 clive back down.

Since the tape was slightly wider it gave room to record eight individual endless loop tracks. It's the forerunner to the modern CD in the ability to quickly skip from one song to the next and also to put any particular song on repeat.

Ohhh! I can see how in it's day it would have been a big real. Thanks for answering me. :)
 
Every 8 track came with a book of matches to jam under the tape so it would play at the proper speed.
 
Every 8 track came with a book of matches to jam under the tape so it would play at the proper speed.

I remember one 8-track from my childhood (really early mind you). My dad use to do that match thing, I never knew that was why. lol It was Saturday Night Fever. It had the pic of Travolta in the white suit doing the finger point thing.
 
1977 Olds Cutlass Supreme. Ultimately I'd prefer something prior to '77 because here in CA you still are required to have all the horsepower killing emissions equipment for 1976 and newer vehicles.

Punch the cat through, or use a bypass pipe in between CARB visits.

Putting a later model throttle body and fuel injection system is probably legal in California as well.

If you want to sneak over the Arizona I'll help you steal the v6 out of Mike Yates' Grand National. It would be a sweet swap into that car.
 
I remember one 8-track from my childhood (really early mind you). My dad use to do that match thing, I never knew that was why. lol It was Saturday Night Fever. It had the pic of Travolta in the white suit doing the finger point thing.

Saturday Night Fever. A good year indeed that would be 1977 more or less the same year as Space Cowboys Cutlass. That would be the soundtrack to my 8th grade year.

laughs at the book of matches idea. My dad wasn't a smoker so we used bits of cardboard or a plastic picnic knife
 
8-tracks are cool for the nostalgia. That's pretty much it really.
If you're putting together a period correct vehicle, I say put in a period correct stereo. But that's just me.
 
Punch the cat through, or use a bypass pipe in between CARB visits.

Putting a later model throttle body and fuel injection system is probably legal in California as well.

If you want to sneak over the Arizona I'll help you steal the v6 out of Mike Yates' Grand National. It would be a sweet swap into that car.

Even with the emissions that car will run like a champ.

Keep the V8. That is how God intended it to be.
 
All this talk about 8tracks reminds me that in my misspent youth I took apart just about everything we ownd and got most things back together. Some even worked after reassembly. I never once cracked open an 8-track but always meant to, to see how the tape was looped.

That needs to go on my bucket list. Yes, I could Google for an exploded diagram however it would be so much more fun to take one apart. Maybe I'll melt the edges off using a magnifying glass in the sun.
 
The loop was the mechanical weak link and the reason for the shitty sound. Tough to keep it aligned and at the proper speed while dragging a mile of tape thru the device.

The cassette's trade off was having to turn it over. The smaller case and better sound quality kicked the 8 track to the curb.
 
Even with the emissions that car will run like a champ.

Keep the V8. That is how God intended it to be.

Oh trust me, I intend to. My everyday driver is a V6 and I miss the power of a V8. Part of the reason I'm lookibg at aproject is because i muss that. Whatever my project to be turns out to be, it will have 8 cylinders and I will be forced to replace tires on the regular.
 
I remember the first cassette tape I ever bought with my own money.

And waiting for certain songs to play on the radio all day so I could record them - the beginning of the song almost always cut out due to slow fingers.
 
I remember two 8-tracks from my youth: Grease soundtrack and REO Speedwagon, Hi Infidelity. I think they're the only things we listened to in my babysitter's car.
 
I remember the first cassette tape I ever bought with my own money.

And waiting for certain songs to play on the radio all day so I could record them - the beginning of the song almost always cut out due to slow fingers.

Yes. :D
 
Even with the emissions that car will run like a champ.

Keep the V8. That is how God intended it to be.

I could easily be wrong about the numbers and the years but it seems to me that by 1977 GM 350 put out less than 150 horsepower and only had barely over 200 foot-pounds of torque.

Maybe a higher stallspeed converter, a better manifold, headers if legal and some modern valve springs and pushrods so you can rev it higher...

I hate the emission compliant Rochester 2-barrell carburetor. That thing is the second most frustrating I ever worked on. the worst was the hit or miss quality control on the Holly licensed from Weber 2 Barrel Progressive carburetor found on Mercury Bobcats and Ford Pintos.
 
I can honestly say I went through the seventies and never owned an 8 track player. I did have a good turntable and a nice record collection.
 
I remember two 8-tracks from my youth: Grease soundtrack and REO Speedwagon, Hi Infidelity. I think they're the only things we listened to in my babysitter's car.

You're the one that I want; I just want to keep on lovin' you.

Athough I am sorely tempted by the idea of running away with pink in a 1969 Pontiac GTO.
 
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I could easily be wrong about the numbers and the years but it seems to me that by 1977 GM 350 put out less than 150 horsepower and only had barely over 200 foot-pounds of torque.

Maybe a higher stallspeed converter, a better manifold, headers if legal and some modern valve springs and pushrods so you can rev it higher...

I hate the emission compliant Rochester 2-barrell carburetor. That thing is the second most frustrating I ever worked on. the worst was the hit or miss quality control on the Holly licensed from Weber 2 Barrel Progressive carburetor found on Mercury Bobcats and Ford Pintos.

I am not a motor builder but there are plenty of ways to make a V8 happy. The 72 Buick had a 4 barrel Quadrajet (sp?) that once tuned would run great. Had to be patient with it on cold mornings but it was rarely on the road when the weather was shitty.
 
so?
the boob job guy got 86'd?

small wonder...

did the krcwife look-alike catch wind?
 
I could easily be wrong about the numbers and the years but it seems to me that by 1977 GM 350 put out less than 150 horsepower and only had barely over 200 foot-pounds of torque.

Maybe a higher stallspeed converter, a better manifold, headers if legal and some modern valve springs and pushrods so you can rev it higher...

I hate the emission compliant Rochester 2-barrell carburetor. That thing is the second most frustrating I ever worked on. the worst was the hit or miss quality control on the Holly licensed from Weber 2 Barrel Progressive carburetor found on Mercury Bobcats and Ford Pintos.

At the time they were hamstrung by creating a more eco friendly and fuel efficient vehicle. Also insurance companies started charging higher premiums for higher horsepower vehicles. Trust me, the cubic inches are there and that's what matters. There is no replacement for displacement.
 
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