Akstraw

Beautiful!

I think the magic of corn head grease is not how it behaves in a cup, but rather how it behaves in a gearbox. It turns into a heavy weight oil when agitated by moving gears, as in a transmission, and hardens like grease when stationary. No problem if you don’t use it in your cars; it’s easy enough (and safe) to stick with steam cylinder oil like the original manuals recommend. I think the real risk is using it in a steering box where there is not sufficient agitation to soften it into oil.

I am using it in the transmission of my 1914 Maxwell, and it seems to work well. Having seen the promotional films for it, I would not use it in a steering box, though.

I have had some industrial experience with bonding glass. My recommendation would be to use a two-part epoxy on a very clean surface. Pre-treatment with a silane bonding agent will improve adhesion. If you have tried other adhesives already, methylene chloride (hazardous, but used to be available in many paint removers) will remove them. Use isopropyl alcohol to rinse, then wash with silane, dab dry, and apply the epoxy per instructions. Suggestions above for fixturing are good, too.

TAKerry, as a non-native Carolinian, I had to climb this learning curve myself many years ago. Red is the color of The North Carolina State University or “NC State” in Raleigh. Light blue is the color of The University of North Carolina, or “Carolina” in Chapel Hill. Two separate institutions.

I checked three brands of starting fluid at random (Valvoline, StaBil, and Johnson’s), and all three contain an upper cylinder lubricant. So I don’t see an apparent risk of damaging the engine from periodic use of starting fluid. I suppose to be sure one should check their specific brand to verify that it contains such lubricant.

Happy Easter everyone! A great spring day for a Sunday drive in North Carolina, especially when (for college basketball fans) your car is ‘NC State Red’

I am curious why you would say this. What would be the mechanism of degradation?

I made it there in 2016. It was worth the trip. Sorry to see it end; I had hoped to make it back someday.

$65 to $95 seems to be the going rate within my circles right now, for those shops that can actually find good employees and have available capacity. I am sure there are wide variations across the country.

Personally, I don’t see how you can go wrong with Rock Auto. They clearly give you options and state the supplier of each up front. If you want OEM (Motorcraft, Delco, etc.), you have the option to buy that one. If you want something less costly; e.g. Cardone, Dorman, you can buy that one. I get it that some folks have personal beefs with them, but to answer the OP’s question, there is no question about trust in quality. You get what you order and they are fully transparent. I use them monthly, if not weekly.

Generally speaking, I would expect a cloth top to last longer, as it would be less prone to embrittlement and cracking with age. As mentioned, though, many variables including temperature cycling, sunlight exposure, and flex cycling. Chemical exposure would be another; in particular I am referring to cleaners and surface treatments. I recently looked at a '26 Chrysler that had been in indoor storage for 30+ years. When I touched or lightly flexed the fabric top, it crackled like a potato chip. I think that was the result of the hardening of some type of waterproofing treatment. The fabric top on my '30 Franklin is still in great shape after 40 years. The major signs of degradation are fading, and some thread wear from scrubbing out rust stains. Of course quality is another variable. There are better engineered fabrics, and cheaper, less sophisticated products. Some of the offerings from Haartz, a high end supplier, are PVC over cotton, thus can be described as both vinyl and cloth.

Mark Plante, Do you recognize it? https://hymanltd.com/vehicles/7166-1932-detroit-electric-model-97b-brougham/

Sorry I can’t help. Interesting photos, though. Thanks for sharing, and good luck!

Good luck, Jon. I’m sorry I can’t help. I am about to embark on the same adventure to do my own nickel. Hopefully somebody with hands on will chime in.

One of my local shops now uses it. Very effective at chassis cleanup. I think their rate is $150/hour, with a typical undercarriage taking 6-8 hours.

I like the Charlotte meet, and have been attending for 30 years. Having said that, I think the swap meet today is largely late model Ford/Chevy parts, tools, and automobilia. Not many truly vintage collectors and suppliers vending there like Hershey. Still a few, but you have to sort through a lot of chaff to find a grain of wheat. As for which days, Friday and Saturday still seem to me to be the strongest, unlike Hershey which has shifted to a weekday event.

I haven’t seen anything yet on a BeautifulBrass Car (BBC) meet and tour in southeastern Pennsylvania for May 2024. Is there going to be one this year? Does anyone know the when and where?

I plan to go again this year, and will have my own space for the first time. Bringing mainly A and T leftovers and odds and ends, some vintage spark plugs, and a few pieces of old automobilia. The local club cooks up and serves a reasonably priced breakfast and lunch on site, which I enjoy. Nearby Luray Caverns is a nice attraction. They have a small auto museum there, too, which is worth a look. The Luray Days Inn is very convenient. It is an older motel, but clean, functional, and well kept. Can't say as much for the one out on I-81.

Interesting that the text on the map on their homepage is in Cyrillic script.

I am looking for a courtesy lamp similar to the one shown. This is for a 1922 Marmon touring car, but similar lamps may have been used by other makes. It mounts to the back of the front seat.

It seems like I have seen an ad in a recent Hemmings or HCCA magazine for somebody who is making them. I will see if I can find. Losing George left a void for sure.

I have had much success with Evercoat products as well.

Purple wheels, eh?

Looks like a modified jeep, maybe a barnyard custom, or perhaps a mock-up made to look foreign for military or re-enactment purposes.