Comments on Bear Ridge Project: Survival Car

Bear, I had one just like it when I was in school,...

2008-07-09T23:24:00.000-06:00

Bear, I had one just like it when I was in school, mine was gold. Great little car, the back seat lets down for extra storage or what ever a 16 year old boy would want to do. lol I had almost forgot about that car, thanks for the reminder. Great purchase if you ask me.

Chris

The Sunbird was made by Pontiac (GM), rather than ...

2008-07-09T12:29:00.000-06:00

The Sunbird was made by Pontiac (GM), rather than Ford, and was a genuine P.O.S. if there ever was one (unfortunately I've had two).
Most vehicles manufactured since the late 1970's have had an emergency fuel cutoff device installed. On my Ranger, it's under the passenger's side kick panel.

The front hitch is a good idea.

Forget the hybrids, they're not the least bit eco-friendly nor do they retain their longterm value, thanks to all the short-lived and toxic nickle metal hydride batteries in them. In addition, the batteries start losing charge potential almost immediately, down to just 30% within 5 years (how long do you rechargeable tool batteries last?).

A 1991 Geo Metro (51mpg EPA) gets comparable gas mileage to a brand new Toyota Prius (48mpg EPA) with a fraction of the complexity, cost, or weight (1/2 as much).
I see you found something similar, way to go!

'nother thought occured to me. Instead of having ...

2008-07-09T06:09:00.000-06:00

'nother thought occured to me. Instead of having trailer hitch on the car, maybe buying one of those detachable hitches to secure to your truck bumper would make more sense.

Treat the car like a trailer, filling with supplies (leave drivers seat open) and hauled off behind your truck. That way, when you run out of gas in truck (hopefully a long way to destination), you take car off and continue on your way.

1978. those were the days! if it has electronic ...

2008-07-08T11:14:00.000-06:00

1978. those were the days! if it has electronic ignition i would store an extra module for it in an ammo can somewhere, along with a voltage regulator. some cars of the era were also starting to carry computers, not a problem except in a bad EMP situation.
great find.
...irishdutchuncle

Smart man - not only an inexpensive buy, but total...

2008-07-08T06:13:00.000-06:00

Smart man - not only an inexpensive buy, but totally innocuous appearance and won't gain attention. Well - current color sort of grabs the eye :o), but a cheap paint job would take care of that. Put a roof rack on top for extra cargo. Maybe a strengthened steel front - rear bumper (trailer hitch for light trailer?). Pair of spare tires, aired and ready to go.

One thing to know and this is on memory here so I may be wrong. But I think these cars have a reset switch near the rear gas tank that turns off gas pump if a strong enough bump occurs. My wife had a Ford Sunbird years ago (I think) and a pothole was all it took to render car helpless - it just died and she had to pull over and . Luckily, tow truck operator knew his stuff, opened trunk and reset switch - back on track.

A Volkswagon Thing would be great in this same type of car, but not sure if parts availability is worth it now. My Dad had a '76 Rabbit - awesome vehicle. Reliable as hell - it never left us stranded by the side of the road.

Hope this helps.

Good sense. Even if you did have enough dough for ...

2008-07-08T06:10:00.000-06:00

Good sense. Even if you did have enough dough for an SUV, why waste the money and resources? Better spent, as you say, on food and ammo.

Put a bike rack on the vehicle and extend your range come SHTF.

Bear- Great find. Now just put some eyes on the ho...

2008-07-08T05:44:00.000-06:00

Bear- Great find. Now just put some eyes on the hood and you have the great pumkin, charlie brown. The real point is like you said staying ahead of the curve and move away from sheeple.

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Working on the moat...

Rook