Keith’s Blog: Creating a Legacy, One Pound of Air at a Time

In a short period, my son Bradley’s access to the SCM fleet have made him a favorite of his cohorts at Lincoln High School, where he is a sophomore. He is the founder and president of the first car club in the history of the school, “The Cardinals Car Club.” (A cardinal is the Lincoln mascot.)

Recently, he was getting the 1972 Mercedes 250C ready for the 200-mile roundtrip to the Oregon Coast. He and three friends would be staying with parents there.

I watched as, on his own, he went through the pre-trip ritual. First, he researched the recommended tire pressures for radials on the W114, settling on 28/32. He then used a hand-held portable electric inflator to top off all the tires.

After that he opened the hood and disconnected the trickle charger. Then it was a glance at the oil level. He’s learned if you pull the dipstick when the car is absolutely cold, you don’t have to clean and reinsert it. The level it reads on the stick is accurate.

The 250 burns a quart about every 2,500 miles. The stick read only about a half-quart low, so we just left it.

He earlier had made the mistake of checking the oil on the 1991 Alfa Romeo Spider S4 when it was hot. The oil read low, so he added a quart. The next morning (and ever since) the cold reading is that we are a half-quart overfull. You really need to let an engine sit before grabbing the dipstick.

Next was looking for the overflow tank, seeing how much coolant was in it, then opening the radiator cap and peering inside. The overflow tank on the 250, which is almost impossible to get to, was nearly empty, but the level in the radiator was up to the neck, so we left it.

This constitutes a good pre-flight check for any old cars. It’s a process that is essentially unheard of with new cars. When I bought my 2021 Hyundai Elantra, I asked the salesmen to show me how to open the hood. His answer was, “Why would you want to do that?”

My inner car guy is enjoying this, as for the rest of his life Bradley will have a situational awareness with old cars. When taking a car out of storage (where our old cars often sit) he will check the pressures and fluids. (A front tire on our Land Rover Disco was down to 16 pounds, from the recommended 40, when we pulled it out for a ski trip last week.) He will be ready to keep a car from running out of oil or water. Those are all good things when you are around old cars.

Admittedly, these are not the most reliable of machines to have my son and his friends driving around in, but if old cars are properly set up and looked after they do well.

Long after I am gone, I am sure Bradley will still remember to check the fluids and pressures before heading out on a drive. That’s a part of my legacy, and I’m pleased by it.

Do you recall who taught you how to check tire pressures and oil level, and when and where?