[RoadsterRich]

I see many posts referring people to the AACA library. As someone basically new to restoring, what types of things would one typically request from the library. In my case I am looking for information on the 1930 Chrysler 77 cars, in particular the Roadster body style. I have the owners manual, as well as period parts manuals, and various tidbits of information and advertisements. I am looking for more information, but alas I don't know what I am looking for specifically. Basically I want to quench my obsessive thirst for knowledge about the car.<P>So, the short form is, I would like to utlize the Library, I would like to learn more about my car, both technically and historically. What should one ask for when requesting 'general' information from the library. I don't want to waste their time, or my money, and I would like to maximize the results.<P>Any suggestions and guidance are greatly appreciated.<P>Rich

[BruceW]

Rich,<P>Its hard to know what to expect..if you are talking the type of information they have..without checking. <P>They have thousands of pieces of information on hundreds of vehicles. They have sales material, technical information, owners manuals and more. because it was all (or mostly) donated, it is difficult to tell exactly what they have for a particular car without having them check.<P>One of the cars I researched was one built in this rural county between 1908 and 1912 by a carriage comapny. There are not records of the car in the county historical society nor could I find any in the town it was built. I could not even find people in the town that knew any information about it. I filled out the information request (I had very little information to provide) and sent it in to the library. I was looking for any information that they might have on the car.(and to tell you the truth,based on my previous luck with finding information on the car, I didn't expect the library to have anything).<P>Within a week, I received a list from the libaray detailing what they had. The list included the cost of the research, and the cost for copying each piece. I was amazed they had anything much less the amount of information they had. Some pieces were pages containing picture and information on the car from the Car and Cycle Digest for each year, a publication that gave pics and specs on each car built that year..kinda like a buyers guide. The most useful piece was a 4 page article written in 1909 that was like today's Car and Driver Reports with a lot of detail on the vehicle construction. The article contained a photo of the chassis with the body removed. That single article and photograph was worth a fortune in the amount of information it provided to me!<P>All of the pieces were from original documents prepared during the years the car was produced. One piece was from a 1996 editition of an old car reference manual.<P>I checked off the items on the list I wanted, sent in a check for the research and the items I wanted. The total cost for the library to conduct thesearch, copying the pieces, and mailing them to me came to only $5.60. <P>The cost was nothing compared to the valuable information I obtained!<P>The service was prompt and very helpful. I highly recommend that you make a request. A request for in on the AACa main webpage under the Library heading, plus information on using the service.<P>If the list if items they send does not contain anything you want, then you dont have to buy anything and there is no cost. Most likely they will have something that will help you a lot. Information on a Chrysler is liable to be more readily available than information on an early car builder that lasted only 4 years by a builder that hardly anyone has heard of.<P>I cannot guarantee anything....BUT<P>I suggest that you give the Library and Research Center a try. I would be willing to bet they can help you with something useful! [img]images/icons/smile.gif" border="0[/img] [img]images/icons/smile.gif" border="0[/img] [img]images/icons/smile.gif" border="0[/img] [img]images/icons/smile.gif" border="0[/img]<p>[ 01-11-2002: Message edited by: BruceW ]

[SalG (Sal Grenci)]

The person to address your letters to Kim Miller, she is the Librarian. She posted here a few times many months ago and I do not believe she is a regular. She will be at Philly and I have always found her to be very pleasant. [img]images/icons/wink.gif" border="0[/img] [img]images/icons/smile.gif" border="0[/img]

[ronbarn]

A couple of small corrections. There is a fee for the initial research work, but it is very small. Go to this web site home page, go to Library and pull up the research form for details. Also, while much of the initial documentation was indeed donated and donations continue to be important, Kim does have a budget for items to purchase and a good handle on where to concentrate these dollars.<P>One of the first purchases was a comprehensive collection of Marmon literature. I recently requested a list of all the literature available on 1931 Marmon Sixteens. The research fee was $3.50. Kim only listed period literature, not articles from later publications. It was a considerable list, and all of the items (nearly two inches thick, cost about $60 for copying. This was not the first time and certainly will not be the last time I use the services that Kim provides at the L&RC.<P>I could tell many other stories about finding things there, but will suffice it to say, try it, you'll like it and so will your car. And next time you are in the area, visit the library. [img]images/icons/smile.gif" border="0[/img]