CLICK & CLACK’S CAR TALK

LITTLE ROCK — DEAR TOM AND RAY:

I am interested in buying a vintage/classic ice-cream truck such as the Divco for a new, gourmet-ice-cream truck venture. I have found inoperable trucks for $2,000 and restored trucks for as much as $25,000. Is this a reasonable truck to actually put back into service, and at what price? Do you have a better recommendation for a “cool” commercial vehicle? Or just tell me I’m crazy, like my mother, brother and husband do, and maybe - maybe - I’ll let this business idea go.

- Kara

TOM:

We don’t think you’re crazy, Kara. We think it’s a great business idea. And, more importantly, a really fun adventure.

RAY:

Yeah. Maybe you can buy a truck from some other nut job who tried this same idea and recently gave up.

TOM:

The cool commercial vehicle right now is the Ford Transit Connect, which is a city-size delivery van. But if the truck is also your “store,” rather than just your delivery vehicle, I like the idea of reviving a Divco.

RAY:

The old-fashioned Divco truck, with the sales window on the side, screams “ice cream.”

TOM:

I would make two suggestions for your Divco search. One is to look at ones that haven’t been restored. You don’t want the $2,000 rusted heaps. But if you pay $25,000 for a restored truck, you have no idea how well it has been restored. You also may be paying for restoreddetails that you have no need for.

RAY:

Find one that runs, so you can evaluate it. But not one that’s had every dent knocked out.

TOM:

And the second suggestion is to find a mechanic who’s willing to go with you to look at your top candidates. A mechanic will be able to tell you whether a truck is worth putting more money into.

RAY:

And then, when you restore it, the most important thing is to make sure it’s safe. Obviously, a good suspension system and working brakes top the list.

TOM:

And then you want to make sure you have refrigeration that you can count on. You’ll obviously paint the outside to advertise your business.

RAY:

And then you have to make a decision about the engine. If it’s in decent shape, you may decide to leave it as is. After all, I’m guessing most of your driving will be local.

TOM:

And who knows? Maybe the worn-out engine will become your calling card. Instead of listening for the sounds of “Turkey in the Straw,” the kids will keep their noses peeled for the smell of burning oil.

DEAR TOM AND RAY:

My aunt called me and said she had trouble trying to find the place where you put in more windshield-washer fluid. She told me the only cover she found was one that said “Coolant.” You guessed it - she put the windshieldwasher fluid in the coolant reservoir. She then told me that she used a bottle of Windex instead of the diluted blue stuff you buy for car windshields. What possible damage did she do?

- Adam

TOM:

Well, the first thing you can do to help her is open her hood and show her where the windshield-washer reservoir is.

RAY:

The next thing I’d do is take the car to a mechanic and have the coolant flushed out and replaced. But I don’t think she did any damage.

TOM:

Me neither. If I had to guess, I’d say the dominant ingredients in Windex are water and ammonia.

RAY:

Th ere’s a small amount of soap in Windex. But my guess is that any suds would be suppressed by the high pressure inside the cooling system. It’s not like she put dishwashing liquid in there.

TOM:

Flushing the cooling system certainly will remove all doubt about any future damage.

Click & Clack (Tom and Ray Magliozzi) dispense advice about cars in Car Talk every Saturday. E-mail Click & Clack by visiting the Car Talk section of

cartalk.com