How not to ship vintage car literature

[auburnseeker]

Now you know why I was happy to get the fender lights.  I thought maybe Hudson had made two kinds,  but realized later the plater just decided to customize them a bit.  It's not a pristine show truck,  but I still like it to look right.  It will go for a ride in the next few days, suppose to be 90 and humid here today.  some rain in the morning tomorrow then a big car show 5 miles away with about 3000 mostly hot rods. I was lazy about pre registering (the show is one of those you wait in line for an hour or so just to get parked,  not to mention how long it takes to get through town to get to the show on the other end.) Plus the entrance fee is up to $60 per car.  I tried registering a couple of weeks after registration opened on February 1st and they were sold out of about the 2000 spots they have.  Oh well.  Sunday you can cruise down and drive in without a pass.  I usually do that for a couple of hours then everyone left finally pulls out.   Much more laid back on Sunday. 

I keep telling my wife,  why couldn't that be Hershey or hell even Carlisle (though Hershey would be my preferred choice) that close by for such a large car event. 

I guess with Hemmings concourse the follwing weekend in the same town 5 miles away.  I can get my car fix.  (I can even enter in the open show the day before the concourse if I want)   I really like a swap meet though and neither of those shows has one.  I always thought someone could make a nice profit setting one up in the vacant lot across the street from the entrance gate.

[1937hd45]

After the election is over plastic lawn signs make great backer boards and cut easily with a box cutter or table saw. Bob 

[bjestes]

Not so fond memories of a padded dash for 58 Bonneville.  "Last one in the country"  $1000. UPS delivered in box with no padding, a little bubble wrap on corners, and about 10 footprints all over box.  Seller said no refunds, but if I show pictures of dash cut up, he would file for insurance.  There's a conundrum for ya.

[auburnseeker]

I once got a 1949 Cadillac front bumper all rechromed with the 4 guards also rechromed via UPS.  The seller wrapped the whole thing with Bud 12 pack cardboard and strapped the bumper guards on with packing tape to it.  Needless to say it arrived with one guard left on it.  Which really was a shame as it had show quality chrome.  The bumper itself looked fine wrapped.  I trucked it to Hershey and met a guy through the forums that wanted to buy it.  I didn't end up putting it on the car and never unwrapped it.  The wrapping didn't have any rub throughs.  Well we got it all unwrapped to the end and there was a goose egg sized dent in the bumper.  It hit so hard the chrome actually popped where the dent was a little and was still in the package so it wasn't like that before shipping.   Unfortunately no recourse through ebay as it had been 90 days.  When I contacted the guy about the guards alone,  he said the place he shipped it from said it was his responsibility,  he said it was insured,  so from then it was a peeing contest with me being down wind and at the bottom of the hill.   

So pack it like it so it can't get damaged in any way if possible.  The shipping company will only honor insurance if they lose the item and then the shipper,  who usually doesn't care or they would have packed it right in the first place,  has to file the claim and handle the whole matter with you just receiving your money back if you are lucky.  Usually with our cars we are dealing with pretty rare stuff so losing it or getting it damaged hurts alot more.

[SC38dls]

I received a new head gasket for my 38 Flathead 6 Studebaker via priority mail. Very well boxed. The shipper even put two flat thin pieces of wood the length of the gasket that were about two inches wide so the box would be ridged. The outside was marked “Do not bend” in several places on both sides. We get our mail at the street in a standard size mail box. The mail girl bent the box length wise then folded that in half breaking the pieces of wood so it would fit in the mail box. She did close the mail box door. When I took it to the postmaster I was told she folded it so it wouldn’t get wet as it was raining. When I asked why she didn’t deliver it to our house I was told she didn’t think anyone was home. I told the Postmaster there is no way she could possibly be accused of thinking when she did what she did to my package. There happened to be a sheriff in line behind me and he asked the postmaster if I was causing a problem and then told me if I continued to cause trouble he would arrest me.  I told him I have every right to complain when a government official messed up including if he does. I then took my time filling out a claim and made him wait in line. I also mentioned I would be seeing the chief at our usual poker night and would let him know about this incident. The look on his face was worth the head gasket problem. Oh yeah I don’t play poker.  

Dave S 

[marcapra]

You take it for granted that USPS, Fedex, and UPS, as well as others, are going to drop and throw your box multiple times.  I once asked a USPS clerk if by writing FRAGILE!  DO NOT DROP!!! on the box made a difference in how the package is handled.  The clerk said "NO!  Stamping Fragile and Do Not Drop on a package is mainly to make the customer feel good".  Another reason to pack well!

[Xander Wildeisen]