1912Staver

I wasn't 100 % going but it is a great event that I have been going to most years for the last 25 + years. Greg in Canada

Unfortunately you are having many of the same problems with repro parts as I have had over the years. I generally avoid Moss parts except as a last resort. My cars are always just drivers so I try to find the best used example I can out of my MGA parts pile when something needs replacing. I have parted 3 of them over the years so I can often come up with something. But my stock has definitely run down considerably from what it once was. A good friend also runs an A and we dip into my stash as necessary. You will find that the more you can do yourself the fewer mistakes will be made. Your engine problems are unfortunately all to typical these days. I never send anything out except as basic parts , for example the head with valves by itself , the block as a piece for boring and piston fitting, the crank for inspection and polishing. If balancing is desired { a good idea } I take the necessary parts to the balancing shop myself. And re -assembly I always done by yours truly. These are very simple engines , no reason why a first timer that follows the factory manual can't successfully do a re- assembly themselves. All those " British car " mechanics had to learn somewhere myself included. I did my first engine , a MGB 3 main at 17 . It gave years of service afterwards. By age 20 I had also overhauled several gearboxes both for myself and friends. The manual is very well written, just follow it closely and use intelligence when working around NLA special factory tools. Very few of the "British " shops have them these days either. It looks like things are moving along. Just remember the skills you master now will put you in a good position for the rest of your life. 45 years since I bought my first A. I am hoping for another 20 years before my MG days are over. Greg in Canada

I am not saying buying is a bad idea , just buying right now might not a wise move. A month to six weeks from now might be more prudent. It's always a calculated risk but at the moment further drops seem a given. Greg in Canada

If anyone comes across Staver Chicago material I am probably interested. I have about 3/4 of the yearly sales catalogs but I am missing at least a couple. And the only parts book I have is a photocopy from Harrah's library probably copied at least 30 years ago. It's usable but it would be nice to have an original. Greg in Canada

I am not convinced the current 20% discount is worth the risk. We seem to be very early in the overall situation . The potential for a large , world wide economic change is a definite possibility. Yes, without a doubt after a length of time things will gradually return to normal. The million $ question is what is that length of time ? Greg in Canada

The stock market has always made up its losses ,...given enough time. I doubt this time will be any different. But the short to medium term is very murky. As long as you don't need dividends or capital { retirement income for example } for the near future ; 1 -3 years, you will probably do alright. Anyone say a decade from retirement can probably just call this noise in a bigger picture context. Greg in Canada

I am retired for over a year now but I still enjoy going fast. But not on the street, the penalty's today are wallet flattening. Bought a Lola sports racer late last year. Its a heck of a lot cheaper than a Hemi Charger but very entertaining to drive. I was hoping to have it on the track this summer but I can see now it's not going to happen until next year. Race meetings might end up being canceled this year anyway, along with who knows what else. Greg in Canada

Ed, that is what I am seeing out on the West coast as well. Greg in Canada

Smith may be the wheels however the rims and possibly the fellows { and clamps , studs and nuts } are probably Firestone , Motor Wheel , or Goodyear. I don't think Smith made their own rims. Greg in Canada

I have seen that type as well on formed steel fellows used with wood spoke wheels. The two ovals correspond to the inner and outer sheet steel surface of the fellow that have matching oval holes. When you said carriage bolts I assumed cast wheels . I bought a couple of wood spoke , steel fellow wheels along the way because the rims are the same as what my truck uses. Unfortunately the studs that came with those wheels are no better than yo Greg in Canada

Some early truck wheel studs look like carriage bolt heads from the outside. Usually part of the shank is serrated to prevent the stud from turning once installed. I have never seen an early truck wheel with a square recess to hold the square protrusion on a carriage bolt. This is how it is done on my 1923 or so Packard { Firestone } set up. Factory optional wheels. I suspect yours will be similar. Greg in Canada

Probably not very much. Very few people collect vintage welders, generators, pump outfits , etc. It's not really from a vehicle, but rather a separate piece of equipment that used a Hercules engine for power. Greg in Canada

You do realise the entire M1 project was aimed at providing a FIA Group 4 competition machine. The Road cars were just an afterthought way of selling the cars that were not used on the track. Much like Fords GT 40 program in the 1960's Greg in Canada

Does anyone know what is going to happen to Walter Miller's collection ? It has to be an enormous amount of material. Greg in Canada

If I had to guess I would say this is close. Greg in Canada

That's a much smaller car than a H45. If it a Buick it will be one of the 4 cyl. cars. Greg in Canada

Have you removed one yet ? You will probably find the diameter where it goes through the wheel is larger and possibly serrated similar to a regular more modern stud. A standard carriage bolt probably won't work and they are usually quite low grade. You need to look at truck wheel studs and adapt as necessary. The Firestones on my Packard 2 ton look like carriage bolts until removed , then the difference becomes clear. Any idea of the make of the wheels, Firestone , or similar? I have a wheel catalog from the early 1930's that shows some of the truck parts. Greg in Canada

I don't know what it is other than a reasonably small car. The headlight mounting appears to have been modified. It's hard to be sure from the photo but it looks like there are mounting holes lower on the RH. splash guard section of the front fender { wing }. This would be the expected mounting location for any American car I can think of. Circa 1918, Maxwell, Dort or similar small car. Greg in Canada

I am not sure I would agree that the vintage car market has been down for several years. The last two or three yes , but only in specific category's. Many of the cars I like went up steadily up until recently and have for a couple of years been holding at what is still a reasonably high price. And like the stock market the general trend compared to say a decade ago is substantially higher prices. But definitely the graying of the hobby is effecting prices , especially in the lower 3/4 's of the price spectrum. History has shown that regardless of short term events, recessions, world wars, depressions and such over the long term the stock market eventually trends upward again. Vintage cars are definitely more difficult to predict. I doubt the truly great cars will ever be in danger of plummeting in value. But the others may well see a steady decline over time. Greg in Canada

Once again it's just my practical point of view speaking that anyone with this sort of financial clout would be better off care taking a few Brass Era cars rather than a display case full of uber rare and expensive emblems. But again I do recognise that individuals exist in this hobby that have pockets deeper than I can imagine. I doubt this price is a result of two emblemless Matheson car owners duking it out. I just hope there isn't a Matheson basket case out there that could have put this emblem to good use . Greg in Canada

That bottom emblem looks a lot like the emblems on the factory canopy's on early / mid 70's Ford Pickup's. Explorer , Explorer XLT etc. Greg in Canada

I have used Border Buddy on a couple imports from Washington State to Canada. They have a Washington State office and a British Columbia office. They seem to be a reasonably good outfit. The first transaction had a bit of a hiccup but it was a slightly unusual import ; a race car, and the person was a bit new to that sort of import. The second one went very smoothly. The broker fees are quite reasonable. And coming in to B.C. it is mandatory to use a broker { U.S. Customs export process requirement} . For an import situation to the U.S. I have no experience. Lots of Canadian cars heading South these days. { not a good thing from a Canadian car guy point of view } So I doubt it is too hard. Greg in Canada

The immediate effort should be ensuring the ability to comfortably survive a 2 to 3 week "self isolation" should it become necessary. The medication situation has the potential for real trouble. I don't think anyone has a solution to that in the short term. I personally think the actual death rate is unlikely to exceed the current 1% - 3% estimate and may indeed get closer to Influenza's .1 % death rate. However it is still a definite possibility that it will be a number of times more fatal than influenza. Unless the virus mutates to a far more fatal form 95% or more of the worlds population will survive. The medium term disruption of normal supply chain activity is a real wild card. Stuff ; including much of the food we eat , is often transported long distances. A very good chance serious problems will arise regarding long distance transport. Greg

Joe, I am definitely not suggesting people react irrationally to this situation. A clear , well thought out appraisal of each one of our situations will suggest the prudent action to take. The underlying gist of the situation is that the virus has a 1% - 3% fatality rate, that it can have a comparatively long period of asymptomatic infection. { making it a very likely condition to have high transmission rates } And that it is quite likely that no one has a natural resistance or immunity to the virus. Your analogy about driving does not hold water. If driving was 1% - 3% fatal I doubt any of us would drive. Greg in Canada

My wife is a Health Care System Professional ; 30 years as a Nurse then last 5 years as a program Coordinator { Head Nurse in the old days } who unfortunately has an underlying moderate immune system deficiency. She is taking the situation very seriously as is her employer. A good friend has a strong microbiology / biochem background, although he works as a Marine Biologist . He is advising to take the situation very seriously. There is more to this than butt covering by legal advisors. Greg in Canada