6th, actually, but whose counting?

Hey Steve,

The '32 looks great! I'm definitely not putting them on any of the Olympics.

You mean there's a half dozen Peterson boys??? If (W)Ryan was number six, what was number five's name?

Dear Steve,Don't throw that Westleys out as it does a great job making blackwalls really BLACK.NOTHIN worse than dirty blackwalls the exception being wide whites on ANY Model A and V-8 Ford.Check em out at Hershey....The exception will be the A or V-8 with blackwalls and it will really stand out.diz

WWW


stevo

Steve

I agree with you. Blackwalls look better on Franklins. Also, I am SOUTH of the Mason Dixon line. Dave

Westleys is a good cleaner for BW also. Here is a conditioner. Many years ago I read about a mix of sugar and water that was supposed to be one of the best ways to get tires to their blackest. Anyone remember this mixture, and if so the measurements? It was in a magazine like Hot Rod or maybe a Corvette magazine.

Steve, It comes premixed, it is called Coca Cola.

Actually, Simple Green is just as good at cleaning, too.
But my all-time favorite product for Black sidewall tires is "Forever Black." You clean your tires, apply the Black, and they clean up with regular soap and water after that with no additional applications needed. Actually, for a quick clean up, I used to just wipe them off with a dry towel if all I was cleaning was daily dust.
Also, Forever Black gives your tires a great rich black rubber look without the oily shine that many products leave. The best part, though, is that it's a one-time application. (well, maybe more if you use your car a lot)

I go for the black walls. First time in my life, but the car looks GREAT with 'em!

Then another question... What are people meaning with Mason-Dixon line?
Just yesterday I heard Waylon Jennings singing about it, but I didn't catch it...
I guess it separates north and south .. but ??

Oh, did I tell You that I just enrolled in finnish university for studying history?

Here you go Mika. Check out the site below.

Mason-Dixon Line

Another of those American pastimes, fighting and scrapping among ourselves.

Wayne

Thanks Wayne!

Blackwalls vs whitewalls depends on the car and the era when it was built. In my opinion your Franklin looks much better and obviously more authentic with blackwalls. In the photo showing the whitewalls the focal point is the whitewalls. In the photo with the blackwalls, the Franklin becomes the focal point which is the way it should be. The blackwalls blend with the overall design of the car and allow you to more fully appreciate the great lines of the car. The Franklin was conservative, not flashy and the blackwalls are much more fitting.

47 Buick estate wagon

Mea culpa. I had forgotten that West had a brother named Whitney who passed away as a child, I believe. He was son 3, according to father Don.

Eloquently said. This is why I prefer all the gee-gaws left off of Classic-era cars as well, such as driving lights, spot lights, high-contrast two-tone paint jobs, flags, flashy hood ornaments... Let the car stand on its own merits.

Ditto both of you guys--I never heard it explained that way, 47, and I also tend to agree with West's comments about the Classics also (there's a local guy who drives a '31 Chrysler with very subtle two-tone paint--two deep reds that are very close, and of course blackwalls--it is beyond elegant.

By the way, based on West's recommendation, I did some research on Forever Black, and a friend with VW dealership connections reported that at least one long-standing well-respected VW dealership here in CT also highly recommends the stuff. My Amazon order for some Forever Black has been placed...I'll report back once I've had a chance to try it out...

I have to add my vote for the white walls. I like the elegant look of the White Walls on the pre 1940's cars. I intend to put the white walls on my 28 when it comes time to get the tires for it. Although the black walls might be more in line with what the dealer sold the car as, to me it's just blah. The white wall adds class, I think.

Wow, I never expected to start such a firestorm with this thread. The north/south name calling is really not necessary though. I really like 4buick7's explanation of whitewall aesthetics. In my opinion, whitewalls are like makeup. Some need it to leave the house, some need it to be bearable, and some are just naturally beautiful without it. I guess I prefer the latter. (BTW, my wife rarely wears any makeup. She doesn't need it.)

I just returned from a two-week vacation in the Franklin with my family. First we attended the Franklin Trek in Cazenovia, NY. Then we visited some friends in Saratoga Springs and Argyle, NY, took a quick side trip to Vermont, then attended the AACA Eastern Divisional Tour to the Berkshires in Massachusetts.

We covered 1,200 miles without a mechanical incident, unless you count a flat tire. Good thing I bought new tires. It turned out to be a defective tube. The stem came loose where it's vulcanized to the tube.

On the way home, we drove through a storm in Connecticut that I was later told included a tornado. There were people in modern cars stopped under bridges to hide from the rain, but I had a ferry to catch and so kept on going. The vacuum wiper in the Franklin barely moves, and my Rainex was doing its best. Luckily, I had also replaced the roof and windshield seal just before the trip. In downtown Bridgeport there was a flood that I had to get past to get to the ferry terminal, and a Honda was dead in the middle. Luckily it allowed me to judge the depth of the water and determine that it would just touch the Franklin's running boards, so I slowly drove though.

People who say you can't drive long distances in an old car are really missing out. My Franklin is all original, including the engine. It's old and tired, but it keeps going. My two-year-old daughter Julia loves playing in the back seat.

I did get many compliments from people that know my car and prefer the blackwalls.

Gang, nothing to add to this topic but to express admiration for Steve in how he approaches the hobby! I was on this last tour in Mass. and got to meet him for the first time and see his great car. It is fabulous to see a young hobbyist and his FAMILY enjoy driving their vintage automobile. He sure won a lot of fans this past week and deservedly so...

Thank you Steve. Your words mean a lot to me. It was a pleasure meeting you and taking part of an AACA tour. My last AACA tour was the 1988 Glidden Tour. I was 14. We all had a lot of fun last week.

My favorite part of the hobby is driving old cars. I don't care about trophies. My car is usually dirty from the road, and it's only been trailered twice since I've owned it. My trophy is my ever-increasing odometer, and the memories of the places that the Franklin has taken me.

Dear Steve,GREAT stuff,THANKS for sharing.diz

It's only name calling if you add the word d**n in front of Yankee or Rebel.

Love the photo of the roadside seminar on how to change a tire on a Franklin.

And thanks for adding the photos to my Young Kids and Old Cars thread.