CK5
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Dad's 'Mad, The no longer hibernating 1957 Nomad.
- Thread starter ZooMad75
- Start date
We can run "YOM" plates here. "Year Of Manufacture". You need both plates, and the numbers/letters must not be in use in any way shape or form.
I have a nice matched pair of 1957 Alberta plates for my Pontiac.
I have a nice matched pair of 1957 Alberta plates for my Pontiac.
It’s one of the plates ever made.
We can too here. Which I have 3 NOS unused sets 1957 Colorado plates to choose from. However Colorado being as complicated as they can we can’t just do it like Michigan does. ( I ran ‘69 MI plates on my nova back there)We can run "YOM" plates here. "Year Of Manufacture". You need both plates, and the numbers/letters must not be in use in any way shape or form.
I have a nice matched pair of 1957 Alberta plates for my Pontiac.
Here in Colorado you have to first get classic plates. Then they have to run the number of the YOM plates to make sure they are not in use. This is where the confusing part comes in. According to one dmv person you can display the car with the plates but not drive on them. Another says you can drive with the YOM plates but must keep the actual registered classic plates in the vehicle. The registration is only tied to the classic plates.
I didn’t want to deal with it. So the personalized plates filled the need.
In Tennessee the YOM are easy, we only use one plate anyway.
In Colorado, Eileen went personalized plates because of the lame collector plate. And the restrictions on when it could be driven.
In Colorado, Eileen went personalized plates because of the lame collector plate. And the restrictions on when it could be driven.
My understanding was you could run them to car shows. I have them for the 66 and it's a separate registration paper.
Alberta is single plate too. Was weird to me when we moved here, now when I see a front plate I think that looks weird, and redundant.
Always be wary in Illinois. They see your lack of front plate and watch you since they immediately know you’re an out of stater.
It seemed like that, but the clerks at Arapaho County can't seem to understand.
Of you don't like the answer you get at the DMV, just hang up and call back to get a different person and answer.
We only have 2 people at our DMV. And no lines.
Very true. I probably would have pushed for the YOM plates if I couldn't get the zoomad plate.
Rub it in dude.
Me too! It only been since 99 and still…
Well, the Nomad just keeps racking up miles. A couple more shows, a little further from home. Both of which have been with @Capt Ron with his '33. I met up with him at his place and cruise over together. We did manage have a little impromptu race at a light on west Colfax. Knowing the '33 is capable of a 12 sec slip at Bandimere I realized I had Zero chance in beating him, but what the hell right? I snapped the throttle to get the 327 to bark and get his attention at the light. He looked over at me and smirked. The green lights up and clutch pedals released in both cars. I'd say the Nomad hung with him in first, but that LS3 just pulls! He granny shifted second and I stayed in it, catching him a little and then he picked it up hard again and was gone in a flash. That car pulls. I caught him a little ways up after he got out of it.
I didn't take any pics at that show, just hung out with Ron, his brother and youngest son. Good times.
Yesterday would be the furthest it's driven. Met up with Ron at his place to cruise together. The show was up in Northglenn. Going by way of Ron's place would keep the Nomad off of the freeway for a good chunk of the run.
We did have to run some highway to get there though. It was a pretty morning. The smoke from CA makes for amazing sunrises.
It was a good size show. A little ford biased as it was at a Ford dealer, but there was still some variety. I think I've earned my New Balance shoes from all the car shows I've attended. Its funny you start seeing a lot of the same cars out to these larger ones.
I stopped and added fuel before getting to Ron's house. Fuel economy between two prior tanks is downright awful. Either I'm driving like an idiot (probable), gearing is too aggressive or both. I'm seeing single digit numbers for MPG. Like on the highway section yesterday trying to catch Ron at 70 mph the tach was pushing 3600 rpm. I just don't get how my Dad could swing 17mpg out of this car back in the day. Yes, the speed limit was down to 55mph. Plus my Dad was a pretty conservative driver. I just need to slow down and keep my size 15 clod hopper in check and see if I can squeeze some better mileage out of it. It's pretty sad my 7,000 pound house on wheels gets way better mileage with so much more displacement, bigger tire and deeper gearing. OD is a big factor on the Blazer which the Nomad lacks.
So I've got a couple of options to make the car more highway capable. One., I've got a 3.08 pumpkin I can drop in the rear end pretty quickly and drop that down a lot from the 3.55's that are in there. Two, gear vendors OD. Bill has one that Larry and I pulled from a suburban for cheap at a junkyard. Before anybody dismisses this option I do not want to switch out the Muncie for a newer 5 speed. I don't want to loose the hurst shifted 4-speed as it is soo good as is besides the highway rpm.
The Gear vendors lets me keep the muncie and the 3.55's out back. Gear Vendors has adapters for Muncie's. All I need to do is buy the adapter, coupler and wiring. I've researched it and the gear vendors fits on '57's with muncies with no need to modify the floor pan to make it fit. I need to do a little more research.
I didn't take any pics at that show, just hung out with Ron, his brother and youngest son. Good times.
Yesterday would be the furthest it's driven. Met up with Ron at his place to cruise together. The show was up in Northglenn. Going by way of Ron's place would keep the Nomad off of the freeway for a good chunk of the run.
We did have to run some highway to get there though. It was a pretty morning. The smoke from CA makes for amazing sunrises.
It was a good size show. A little ford biased as it was at a Ford dealer, but there was still some variety. I think I've earned my New Balance shoes from all the car shows I've attended. Its funny you start seeing a lot of the same cars out to these larger ones.
I stopped and added fuel before getting to Ron's house. Fuel economy between two prior tanks is downright awful. Either I'm driving like an idiot (probable), gearing is too aggressive or both. I'm seeing single digit numbers for MPG. Like on the highway section yesterday trying to catch Ron at 70 mph the tach was pushing 3600 rpm. I just don't get how my Dad could swing 17mpg out of this car back in the day. Yes, the speed limit was down to 55mph. Plus my Dad was a pretty conservative driver. I just need to slow down and keep my size 15 clod hopper in check and see if I can squeeze some better mileage out of it. It's pretty sad my 7,000 pound house on wheels gets way better mileage with so much more displacement, bigger tire and deeper gearing. OD is a big factor on the Blazer which the Nomad lacks.
So I've got a couple of options to make the car more highway capable. One., I've got a 3.08 pumpkin I can drop in the rear end pretty quickly and drop that down a lot from the 3.55's that are in there. Two, gear vendors OD. Bill has one that Larry and I pulled from a suburban for cheap at a junkyard. Before anybody dismisses this option I do not want to switch out the Muncie for a newer 5 speed. I don't want to loose the hurst shifted 4-speed as it is soo good as is besides the highway rpm.
The Gear vendors lets me keep the muncie and the 3.55's out back. Gear Vendors has adapters for Muncie's. All I need to do is buy the adapter, coupler and wiring. I've researched it and the gear vendors fits on '57's with muncies with no need to modify the floor pan to make it fit. I need to do a little more research.
The gas was better back in the day also. And we used to stretch the truth on MPG claims.
1 vote from me for the GV unit.
1 vote from me for the GV unit.
Gear vendors here as well. 3.08’s are just to dang high to have even a remote amount of fun.
Couple of thoughts just for info purposes and not opinion
Not sure how much the adapter is for the GV to Muncie combo
Presumably there are no issues inside the Muncie requiring more work, but does it need anything changed out or such?
Most of those are solenoid shift, which makes for a clean install, but a new driveshaft
I've driven each of the Muncie's and the TKX. After a bit of break in, there's zero complaints from this kid driving the TKX or how it shifts
That includes balls out no lift.
Price of the TKX as a whole may be lower
Not sure how much the adapter is for the GV to Muncie combo
Presumably there are no issues inside the Muncie requiring more work, but does it need anything changed out or such?
Most of those are solenoid shift, which makes for a clean install, but a new driveshaft
I've driven each of the Muncie's and the TKX. After a bit of break in, there's zero complaints from this kid driving the TKX or how it shifts
That includes balls out no lift.
Price of the TKX as a whole may be lower
Fuel quality certainly is an issue. Plus only being able to get 91 octane when I know the engine could use more. Though the octane probably won't make much difference on the economy side.The gas was better back in the day also. And we used to stretch the truth on MPG claims.
1 vote from me for the GV unit.
Agreed. The pull from first through third is pretty dang fun as is right now.
I haven't run the numbers on the parts I need to complete the GV install vs a TKX or any newer OD unit. I have a feeling with a bellhousing, clutch various other doo-dads needed in the swap would net out higher than the components I need to complete the GV unit with a new driveshaft.
While the higher torque input and no lift shift ability is pretty cool in its own right it kills the vintage flavor of the car. I'm not going to make any more power than it does already. Nor am I going to hit the track with it to require no lift shift. If it was going to be raced I'd probably do exactly as you did and probably recoup some money selling the Muncie.
I'm going to pull some numbers together to see the difference. But in the end the GV is easier to reverse if I want to remove it. I'd keep the old driveshaft and get a new one made for the GV unit. Ultimately, its going to come down to cost. As long as the 3.08 pumpkin is in decent shape (which I thought it was when I last looked at it) it's only going to cost me time, a gasket and some gear lube. If I'm really going to go to the Nomad Club Convention It's going to need something done.
For about 6 months I daily drove a 89 1ton extended cab dually with a 454/th400 and a gear venders. In town it got 15mpg gear splitting. On the highway empty it was a dream. I never towed with it but I wanted to out that combo in the 82 after I totaled it but dad said it was to much power. 
Hey @Bent77 hows a guy figure out if he’s got a 2.20 low gear close ratio Muncie or a 2.52 low gear wide ratio unit?
So far the TKX street price is $2850, using the same mount pattern as the Muncie so I don’t need a bell. But the clutch has a 28 spline input vs the 10 spline on the Muncie. If I can reuse the bell I don’t have to go to a hydraulic slave either. It does show I need another kit to relocate the shifter to the forward position as the rear location won’t jive with the bench.
GV does not have a listing of components and pricing separately so I’ll have to call to find out.
So far the TKX street price is $2850, using the same mount pattern as the Muncie so I don’t need a bell. But the clutch has a 28 spline input vs the 10 spline on the Muncie. If I can reuse the bell I don’t have to go to a hydraulic slave either. It does show I need another kit to relocate the shifter to the forward position as the rear location won’t jive with the bench.
GV does not have a listing of components and pricing separately so I’ll have to call to find out.
