Jump to content

Vintage Tour-2009


R W Burgess

Recommended Posts

Fuqua-Varina, <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com><st1:State alt=</st1:State>NC</ST1:p—Well, I caught some flack tonight for not posting my promised diary. When I first registered for this tour, I forgot to factor in a new-to-me car that had not been proven. For reasons that I could not control, I got behind the eight-ball and did not even start working on this car until one week before the tour. I had about given up on touring with this car in October. A new friend from <ST1:p<st1:State w:st="on">Pennsylvania</st1:State></ST1:p came to my rescue with a promised carburetor if I would bring my car down. I will not name him, but he like most AACA members came to the rescue and allowed Gloria and me to drive our own car.

Wayne

Link to comment
Share on other sites

...............I’m going to post a few pictures, but first I’ll explain that the carburetor cured my gas ills, until 30 miles into our first day on the tour, at which point we not only lost generating capability, but our fuel tank stopped fueling. A tour trouble truck brought us back to the hotel. As it turned out, another Essex on tour lost a rod, so we had another avenue for parts. A quick trip to Wally-World found a marine 6 gallon gas tank that would set in the back seat, and with some unique tubing fabrication, we got the Essex running again. The other ill Essex gave up its generator coupling device to allow us to generate again…problems solved. Check it out!

post-31395-14313812574_thumb.jpg

post-31395-143138125743_thumb.jpg

Edited by R W Burgess (see edit history)
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Last one about me. We were tooling along yesterday heading back to the hotel, when a very large car came up in my mirror, very fast. Now, we're only running along about 35-40 mph tops. I had to speed up or get run over.....that darn Marty Roth, my friend from New Orleans.:eek: :DThat's when I noticed this station and decided to go back for a picture, but had to run off the edge of the road and wave Marty on by.

post-31395-143138125744_thumb.jpg

Edited by R W Burgess (see edit history)
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Following a group of Model A's today. They would run away from me on the straights, the hills, it was a little different story. We finally caught up with them at a stop light,when one backfired and quit. I stopped, but the resident mechanic buddies had things well under control, and what I know about Fords, you could put in a thimble. :eek::rolleyes::)

As a matter of fact, I know about as much about an Essex! :P

It wasn't long before the guys showed up at the hotel

Wayne

PS, speaking of my Essex, our broken down Essex friend came by and explained to me what the steering wheel lever did (throttle) and the funny looking plate over the oil stick area. (Uh, Wayne, that's where you put the oil in the engine!!:( ) OH! Good thing I found that out, had to add 1/2 a quart today.

post-31395-143138126016_thumb.jpg

Edited by R W Burgess (see edit history)
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Well, we finished off Wednesday by having a night on the town, as Fuqua Varina closed off 3-4 blocks while we filled the town with antique cars, and the town's people. It got dark quickly, so we had a police escort back to the hotel at about 8:30!

Lots of fun!

Wayne

post-31395-143138126032_thumb.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Forgot to mention...three days of touring and I don't think anyone has gotten lost.

Judy Edwards, Tour Chair, along with husband-Barker, has a tour-direction-book that works, and that also should be the standard for every Region in this organization.;)

Wayne

Edited by R W Burgess (see edit history)
Link to comment
Share on other sites

We are having loads of fun and good for Wayne for beating me to the internet with photos of his "engineering?". I still have a few photos to post, but for now we are having too much fun.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

105 miles today. Driving a 35 mph car 105 miles makes for a long day for me, but we persevered. We stopped by the Tobacco Museum today in Selma, NC. A local fellow from that area had this beautiful Lasalle in the parking lot. He told me he had bought it in Hershey about a year ago, a really pretty car.

Wayne

post-31395-14313812631_thumb.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Well, I must have been rearing to go today. Got up before my 6:30 wake up call went off, got dressed, went downstairs and noticed the breakfast area still closed off. I checked my watch again...OH! It's only 5:30 am!:eek:

We're traveling to Fayetteville, NC today, home of Fort Bragg! Ugh! I saw too much of that place each summer years ago, when our reserve unit trained there each summer. We'll be checking out an Air Museum today, along with more food and fun. The last day of our tour, so it's winding down folks.

Forgot to mention that Joanna Cooper is riding with us today. Gloria said she can use the break. I will be bending someone else's ear today. :P

Later guys!

Wayne

PS, Back to school at the Aycock Park yesterday. Girls had to sit on one side of the room, guys on the other. I remarked that I'll bet that was boring, couldn't pull on pony tails or anything. Our young tour guide showed me the "lashing switch", so I straightened up.:(

post-31395-143138126609_thumb.jpg

Edited by R W Burgess (see edit history)
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Well, I've finally rested up enough to wrap up this Tour. Amazingly, I wasn't the only one a little tired. Touring, driving antique cars, and the running of one's mouth, like Wayne does:eek:, wears you out. :)

Friday, we all traveled to Fayetteville, NC on mostly straight roads. Gloria and I had a passenger today, Board member, Joanna Cooper from Oklahoma. The traffic was heavy at times with logging trucks and dump trucks competing for the highway, but I could easily tell when one was near, a deep groaning sound could be heard, as they were in and out of the diesel engine. At first, I told Joanna that I thought it was her commenting on my driving!???:confused:

First stop was the Edgar Allen Poe house?????? Hey! I thought he lived in Richmond, Va, Philadelphia, and Baltimore, where he died. Wrong Poe, Wayne. This Poe was a prominent brickyard owner in Fayetteville. What? A brick man and his house was wood?? Well, it was very beautiful woodwork too. ;)

Here's Gloria on the front porch, with our interpreter waiting for a large group of us to take through the home. This girl was very knowledgeable about what it was like to live in the 19th century. She explained everything from "Sitting up with the Dead"(front parlor) to childbirth (I didn't want to know), to the freed blacks that kept the house in order at the time.

Wayne

post-31395-143138127687_thumb.jpg

post-31395-143138127696_thumb.jpg

Edited by R W Burgess (see edit history)
Link to comment
Share on other sites

The Poe house had some very interesting woodwork throughout the home. The ceilings were amazing.

Here is the cute little child's playhouse in the backyard of the Poe Home. Pretty cool, that this building has been preserved since 1897.

Next door to the Poe Home was Cape Fear Museum which had many displays concerning early American life and also Indian artifacts which represented the era.

post-31395-143138127691_thumb.jpg

post-31395-143138127693_thumb.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

As we left the Poe home, the girls and I drove on down the hill to the Huske Hardware House for lunch. This historic restaurant brews bear within the restaurant. You could see the stainless tanks from our table with viewing glass around the equipment, pretty cool. As we left the restaurant, I noticed Marty Roth's Packard parked on the street, with what looked like Mike Jones, our AACa President, going by in his A. You'll notice that Marty doesn't pay much attention to parking lines, sounds a little like me, right?:D

post-31395-143138127704_thumb.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Friday night was banquet night. We were supplied with a shuttle bus so we didn't have to drive our tow rigs downtown. Judy thought of everything! ;)

I didn't know what this gentleman was celebrating, until the wife suggested it might be Halloween.....Hallow, what???:eek::D

post-31395-143138127707_thumb.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

My protege, Ed Hilbush, along with his wife, Anne. Ed is seen here accepting his "Hard Luck Award" for his broken '29 Essex coupe (Rod bearing--made lots of ugly noises, as Ed put her in the trailer.) from Tour Cahirman, Judy Edwards.

Ed saved to week for Gloria and me, by having that extra carburetor handy for our use. I also used his generator coupling after his breakdown. I probably could have made it without a generator by charging the battery every night, but, Ed said, "No, take the hose connection too!"

Thanks Ed, you're special, as are most AACA members.

That wraps up our first Vintage Tour. Someone, maybe Steve Rinaldo, suggested that now, I should buy a brass car. What?

Steve, I think the mechanical sacrifices of this Essex will take care my needs to work on cars every day while on tour! :eek::D

It was fun though, and Gloria and I are looking forward to the 2010 Touring season.

Wayne

post-31395-14313812771_thumb.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Even though Wayne posted the photos of his "Engineering?" before I got a chance, I have been plotting to post some additional photos.

Would you trust this man to work on your car?

I also spotted some sort of tag on Wayne's gas line. I took a closer look and had to laugh and take a photo of it.

That happens to be the only Essex Fuel Line in existence for me to use Matt. You've got to improvise at times, you know? Wayne

post-47089-143138127714_thumb.jpg

post-47089-143138127718_thumb.jpg

Edited by R W Burgess (see edit history)
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Wayne, I'll bet that is the only Essex in the world with Chinese made replacement parts!

I'll bet the Chinese never expected that they were making Essex parts....

We all had a blast. Wayne probably had more fun than the rest of us, even with all the kidding he took for his "screaming fast" re-engineered Essex.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Wayne,

Every time I tried to relax and drive casually behind that pretty Essex, you would pull over and wave me around.

Hey, -- great visiting and touring with you and Gloria -- and with Matt, Beverly, and MaryEllen too!

This was a great tour, but then we have come to expect no less when Judy and Barker Edwards get it all together.

Steam-powered Ice Cream !!

Our Packard has had its Maiden Voyage, cruising North Carolina, and did us proud - just look at your photo with Joanna Cooper ! .... and Dale and I were having even more fun !

Marty

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Here you go, Marty. Just for you.

Now, I want you guys to realize why I got out of Marty's way each time I saw his "Locomotive" bearing down on me. It looks to be at least a foot taller than my car setting beside his in this picture. My car looks like an Austin, doesn't it?

Also, speaking of innovative engineering, please note my "parking brake" on the left front. There were some really expensive cars parked in front of me. I couldn't afford to replace any of them.:eek:

Wayne

post-31395-14313812834_thumb.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks to Barry and Lindie Eash of B&L Enterprises in Windber, PA for all the effort on the '30 Packard over the past year - getting it ready to tour. Engine rebuild and paint, carburetor, fuel pump, radiator, really a complete mechanical re-do; and then the spokes powder-coating and new tubes; and then ALL the chrome re-done at Paul's; then the safety-glass; then the pin striping; then the tonneau covers front and rear to incorporate the rear windshield -- and so many, many more items.

The goal was to take the Paris-Delivered, low-mileage collectable from Formula-1 Driver Abba Kogan's Collection in Monaco, and upgrade it into a dependable AACA/VMCCA/CCCA Tourer-Driver.

Thanks to Barry and Lindie, we were able to drive dependably the entire week, and to offer rides to other tourists throughout the week - we were never alone !

Folks seemed to like the way it looks, too !

Wayne, thanks again for all your effort,

Marty

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...