I hadn't heard anything regarding PI for a long time, and their website a few years back wasn't promising. I wasn't sure if they were still around.

I'm glad to see that they are, and their website has been updated and is much better. I've been a PAC club member for several years and may join PI as well. I'm not sure how active they are up here in the PNW though.

-Kevin

I'm not sure what they came with originally, but I agree with you. On the 50's cars it looks better with more white. Some of the 30's and 40's cars look pretty good with black walls, but the 50's benefit from the extra contrast the whites bring.

Biggest size Diamondback offers is 4".

I went with Diamondbacks on mine. 225/75/15 Auburn Premium with 3 3/8" whitewalls. I've been very happy with them. They ride great, very stable on the road. Low road noise. The whitewalls have stayed nearly pristine in the two years I've had them on the car. Just soap and water to keep them clean.

The Diamondbacks don't have the correct "pizza cutter" tread profile on them. But they still look very nice and the lack of correct profile has not bothered me at all.

-Kevin

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Thanks for this. I have the same problem on one of my handles, and I tried to fix it with washer. Didn't work. I'll give this a shot.

-Kevin

Thanks Howard, I had forgotten about the oil hole. I really need to pull that cable and get it done. I drove the Panama for a few miles today and the cable/speedo is getting much worse.

And thanks Tom!


In other news I got sick of fighting the original positive battery cable, and its poor connection. Starting became unreliable and I kept having to mess with the cable to get it to work.

I ordered a 2-0 cable from BatteryCablesUSA (33" length) and it came within 3 days. I know the original is 1-0, but I wanted extra juice so I went with the 2-0. Cable quality is fantastic.

The car started almost immediately, which never happens on a cold start. So far so good. That was $30 well spent.

-Kevin

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Nicely done Kev. I'll be due to replace my brake fluid here in the next year or two. Been two years so far.

-Kevin

Took the longest drive I've ever done in the Panama yesterday. Up to this point I've kept it very local since I was afraid something would go wrong and I would be stranded.

A friend drove his '57 Chevy and my wife and I took the Panama down the beautiful Yakima River Canyon. 60+ miles of fantastic cruising. 50-55 mph the whole way. Car never got warm, brakes were great, smooth on the road. Some definite body roll into the corners, but that's part of the fun. The only issue is my speedo cable was definitely making noise towards the end. I will need to pull it and lubricate it.

Overall very pleased with how it drove and gave me a lot of confidence for longer cruises.

-Kevin

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Now that's a cool venue for a car show. Looks like beautiful weather too. Great time to spend with the kids!

-Kevin

I'll be following suit on mine shortly. Driving season is quickly coming to an end.

How often are you changing your coolant?

-Kevin

Pre-mixed green antifreeze. If you buy straight anti-freeze I believe you are supposed to use distilled water to mix with. Tap water will have minerals in it that can corrode and cause problems.

I just used 50/50 mixed from NAPA. Nothing special and seems to work great.