Museum Display

Hey Guys,

I'm looking for some advice...............

I'm going to put on display my 1919 Bush in the Va. Transportation Museum for a short period of time.

I'm wondering what methods I should use for the gas in the tank. Can I get by with just a stabilizer or should I drain everything.

I'm guessing it will be on display for about 6 months.

As an FYI, The car that Oliver Kuttner won the $5 million prize, the Edison2, will also be on display.

Your thoughts would be appreciated.

Steve:

I would use a fuel stabilizer such as Sta~Bill in the gas tank.

Any cars with a battery should also remove & properly store & charge them at home.

BEWARE !

Make sure you remove or tighten securly any radiator caps , fuel tank caps, and anything that might "Walk-Away" while on display in the museum !

There are a lot of stickey fingers around today !

A friend loaned his Rolls~Royce Silver Ghost to a local museum for display.

This was not a car museum.

When he returned to pick-up his car the great Rolls~Royce "Flying Lady" Spirit Mascot & cap along with his fuel tank pressure cap were missing !

Since the fuel system was a pressure fed system the car could not be driven !

He had to hire a flatbed to bring his Rolls~Royce home !

The museum said it "Was Sorry" for his loss...

BUT~

Did nothing to help replace the rare and valuable $$$ missing items !

The German Silver original Radiator cap & Flying Lady mascot cost $1200. alone to replace.

It took over a year to find an original German Silver gas tank pressure cap !

Use whatever means necessary to properly secure any items that can be easily twisted off or removed !

I have loaned a car to a museum twice for at least 6 months each and here is what I did: added fuel stabilizer (I prefer Hirsch brand) and filled the tank, fresh oil, greased suspension, over inflated the tires to help eliminated flat spots, removed the battery, exterior - washed / waxed / polished the chrome / stainless and for the interior - cleaned / vacuumed / treated the leather, polished the chrome / stainless. Seems like overkill however by doing all this it will make it much easier to wake her up and with a lot less cleaning needed. In fact my car came out of the museum on a Saturday and we took it on a regional tour the following day.

Some museums may require that you only have a few gallons of gas in the tank so check wit them for specifics. Also take pictures of you vehicle after it is in its display, plus ask what kind of insurance they carry on your vehicle and request a copy of the policy.

>>>> Mascot and other pricey easily removed parts.....

Does anyone make cheap plastic reproductions of these kind of parts that might be used for display purposes?

That way if they got stolen it wouldn't be a big loss.

Thanks guys,

I appreciate the advice.

Pointed noted on the "removable" items...............

Thanks,

Hi Steve- taking the battery out is good advice, as is minimal gas with a stabilizer.

I once had a Model A roadster in a mall show, I came around the corner and there was a fellow sitting in it trying to figure out how to start it. When asked what the H-E-doublehockeysticks he was doing, he said that the car was out for public use, right?

In other words, all the advice about taking care of the loose things is great too. I carry a little bag with me in the Pierce Arrow, anytime it gets parked, the Archer ornament goes with me in the bag.......

So glad you got the Bush........later

I leave the unusual items in / on the vehicle as they are part of the vehicle and its history. I would think that the Va. Transportation Museum would be a decent setting where your vehicle is roped off from the general public, unlike a mall type show. If it isn't secure and safe I wouldn't display it.

Like I said above take pictures of everything including all the painted sheet-metal and ask about their insurance. Might also want to ask them what type of security they have (cameras, guards, etc) and how often does an employee(s) get out to the display areas.

Don't loan anything unless it is insured by the museum. This is the minimum requirement for the loan of paintings and works of art (like our cars!) to any legitimate gallery. The value is agreed upon in advance and put in writing.

Phil

I have been a Docent at a car museum for a number of years.

First of all, no museum is going to take out a special insurance rider or policy for your property, particularly for a temporary exhibit. They will undoubtedly require YOU to have insurance. Ask about their policies on employees touching, moving or dusting vehicles. If you don't like them, insist they follow your own rules for your car and put them in writing.

That was good advice on removing or securing collectible or removable accessories such as mascots. We have had visitors attempt to rip off bulbhorns (literally) from bras era cars, tool kits from unlocked trunks and open cars, primer cups or anything that unscrews from engines or other parts. Mascots are of course favorites.

Inquire as to the museums security measures for people who try to get "inside the chains". Are there motion or laser alarms? docent's patroling the floor? Museums on a budget will probably not have the former but may have the latter and it may be enough.

Some museums will require you to drain all fuel and even the oil once the vehicle is in place. I personally think it is a bad idea to drain the fuel tank and unnecessary to drain the oil. The proceedure of draining fuel is dangerous, not all cars have drain valves in the tank, and I personnaly think a tank filled with gasoline vapor/air mix is a bigger hazard than a full tank. If your car leaks oil (don't they all?) the museum should have unobtrusive pans to put under it to protect their floor.

Make absolutely sure your car has a battery cut-off or at least disconnect it once the car is in place. Ask if they have made sure that any other car around yours is also disconnected.

The museums I dealt with did include my vehicles under their umbrella policy and they asked for all the specific info including value, etc. All was done on official paperwork. Most require the battery to be removed. Ask them about all the specifics before agreeing to the loan.

My 55 Century was on display at the AACA museum. I drove it into the building, disconnected one battery cable and gave them the keys. 3 or 4 months later I reconnected the battery started the car and drove it home........Bob

Thanks again guys for all of the valuable input. Below is some additional information regarding the Va. Transportation museum.

Steve P.

The Rare and Remarkable Cars of Lynchburg From rare antique touring cars to Edison2’s innovative, prize-winning Very Light Car, the Virginia Museum of Transportation celebrates Lynchburg automotive achievement on Saturday, October 23<O:p</O:p

<O:p</O:p

Roanoke, VA – The City of Lynchburg holds a unique place in Virginia’s automotive history, which the Virginia Museum of Transportation will celebrate on Saturday, October 23. Visitors will have the opportunity to see the Very Light Car developed by Lynchburg-based Edison2, which recently won the $5 million Progressive Insurance Automotive X PRIZE, as well as two rare antique vehicles built in Lynchburg in the early 20th century. To honor the city’s heritage, all Lynchburg residents will be admitted to the celebration free with ID. Admission for all other visitors will be discounted to $5 per person, tax included, for the day.

<O:p

The award-winning Edison2 is a Lynchburg-based automotive innovation company led by Charlottesville developer and racing entrepreneur Oliver Kuttner. The Very Light Car, developed by the Edison2 team, was the only vehicle to survive the grueling Mainstream Class of the X PRIZE, in which cars were required to seat four passengers, travel at least 200 miles on a tank or charge, and meet stringent performance, handling and emissions standards, all while achieving over 100 MPGe. Based on the design principles of the Very Light Car, Edison2 seeks to develop a new market segment in the auto industry: lightweight, safe, aerodynamic cars that fit the wide-ranging needs of consumers.

The day also marks the grand unveiling of the Museum’s newest exhibit, an extremely rare 1923 Piedmont touring car. The Piedmont Motor Car Company was the only company chartered in Virginia to ever mass produce cars. The firm built an estimated 1,500 cars between 1917 and 1923. Today, only three are known to exist. The 1923 Piedmont has been donated to the Museum by the Star City Motor Madness Committee to become the centerpiece of the Museum’s car collection as its only Virginia-made car. For the celebration event, the Museum’s vehicle, which is in its original condition, will be joined by a second—a fully restored 1919 Piedmont—on loan from Steve Puckette of Forest, VA.

<O:p<O:pAdditional antique automobiles that once might have shared the road with the Piedmont will be parked in front of the Museum, courtesy of the Roanoke Valley Region Antique Automobile Club of America. Also on display will be the car designed by the Virginia Western Community College’s Baja Team which was the top finishing team among community college competitors and the top finishing Virginia college at this year’s SAE International Mini Baja Competition in Rochester, NY. Additional activities are planned throughout the day. For more information and a complete schedule of events, visit www.vmt.org. <O:p></O:p>

I have worked in auto museums for the last 18 years, the first museum I worked in required that all gas tanks be full, the logic being that gas vapor is far more dangerious than gas. We had to construct ramped berms in the floor so that the fumes could not reach pilot lights on hot water heaters and furnaces. The second Museum I worked in wanted only enough gas in the tank to move the car in and out, a couple of gallons. In any event, the stabilizer is the best way to go. I would remove the battery alltogether, if it is an open casket viewing then leave it in, or use a dummy.

We really did not have issues with theft of removables at either place, a big aprt I suppose was having people (docents or security) walking around at all times. As for touching, the biggest problem was old men and executive-types, kids were absolutely fine because they live in a world of constant rules, and being reminded what they could and could not do. Old timers must think it's OK for just them to touch, open, slam etc because they were around when some of these cars were new and might have owned something like them, executives make their own rules and no one tells them no very often.