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49_buick_super

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Everything posted by 49_buick_super

  1. Congratulations on the award, Ben! Nice to meet you and talk Buicks in Denver. Dan
  2. Lynn and I will be coming in the '49 Super. Looking forward to our first National meet. Dan
  3. I went through all his cars and the best one on the lot was a 64 Chevy Impala SS 2dr convertible that was in reasonable condition. Price was $57.5K. Next time you drive through Quartzsite on I-10, stop and see if Silly Al's is open. Order the "Everything" or "Meat Lovers" pizza.
  4. No. When I asked permission to wander about and look at the cars I was told not to open any doors or hoods. The hood didn't close properly as you can see in one of the photos.
  5. Wandering about Arizona and found this 54 Buick Special sitting in Quartzsite. I have included a picture of the sales price to make you smile.
  6. I just got reservations at the Marriott South Park tonight using the event URL/key without problem.
  7. Another tumbler, spring and installation tool kit has become available. Hard to find if you need it. http://www.ebay.com/itm/1948-1949-Cadillac-Buick-Oldsmobile-Door-Lock-Latch-Spring-Set-W-Hubs-Tool-/391851767672?hash=item5b3c2f7778:g:l5MAAOSwXYtY4AwQ&vxp=mtr (I'm not the eBay seller nor do I know him/her or have any monetary interest in these parts.) Dan EDIT: Just noticed - he has three available.
  8. That's great news if someone out there is making reproductions. I just found that the eBay seller where I got mine has posted another set. If any '49 Super or Roadmaster guys and gals out there need this repair, here is your chance. http://www.ebay.com/itm/1948-1949-Cadillac-Buick-Oldsmobile-Door-Lock-Latch-Spring-Set-W-Hubs-Tool-/391825614542?hash=item5b3aa066ce:g:l5MAAOSwXYtY4AwQ&vxp=mtr
  9. In April, while opening the driver's door on my 49 Buick Super, I felt the handle lose tension and fall half way out of the escutcheon on the door. Examination revealed that the door handle remained in this loosened condition but now the door was unlatched and would not close and remain latched. What follows here is a brief description of the problem with a few photos to visualize door lock mechanism including details of how I repaired the lock. The 1949 door lock (not to be confused with the door key cylinder assembly) is hard to find these days. The 49 Buick door lock was a one-year only part. 48 door locks and 50 door locks won’t fit. To make matters worse, this assembly only fits the Super and Roadmaster. And we are only talking about front door locks here. The rear doors are another critter because they do not have the locking mechanism. Hollanders reports that front door parts for the 48-49 Cadillac 60S, 61 and 62 as well as front door parts for the Oldsmobile 48-49 Ninety-Eight will interchange with the 49 Buick Super and Roadmaster. Look for front door lock assemblies for the 49 Super and Roadmaster in Group 10.470. Look for the front door lock tumblers in Group 10.553. If you travel to those parts groups in a Master Parts List book, be prepared to be bewildered by the volume of front door locks. Focus on the 49 model year Supers and Roadmasters. It will help you zero in on the specific part numbers if you need them. This is the door lock for the 49 Buick Super with some labeled parts. Here is a picture of the door lock assembly with the door handle inserted into the tumbler. The setscrew is circled. The TUMBLER is the part that holds the door handle shaft in place after it has been inserted through the outside escutcheon. The door handle is held in place by the SETSCREW. This is a specialty screw and if you have occasion to disassemble the lock on a 49, don’t lose it. The LOCK PLATE rotates in an arc of less than 90 degrees and operates against the ears of the door lock key cylinder to lock and unlock the door with a key. The lock plate is another very delicate part. Cast from soft metal it is easily broken. The original lock plate on my 49 Super was broken when I bought the car and sent me on a 4-year search for a new lock assembly. When I finally got the door lock assembly out of the door, this is what I found. The tumbler is press-fit into the articulating locking lever which is tensioned by a stout spring. Over the years, the collar of the tumbler wears away and when it finally gives way, it allows the tumbler to fall out of the lock lever. This effectively negates the action of the door handle in opening and closing the door against the door latch. The door handle just “dangles” there but won’t fall out because it is still held in place in the tumbler by the setscrew. Here is the fix. This is a new tumbler and complete set of new door lock assembly springs as well as the press tool necessary to properly press-fit the tumbler into the lock lever. The springs are easy to find. The tumblers and the tool are much harder to find. Here is a picture of the new tumbler after it has been press-fit into the locking lever. You also set the spring pin that must also be removed and re-inserted and re-staked in the repair process. Once the new tumbler and pin have been properly press-fit into the door lock assembly, the door can be re-assembled and will hopefully be good for another 68 years. Your best friend for door disassembly is the Fisher Body Service and Construction Manual. By all means, locate an original copy because the aftermarket manual copiers usually don’t have a clue on using grayscale to scan black and white images. In manual copies, the photos are almost always black and white with no shades of gray to show image detail. With a copy of the original manual, you will see the full details of parts. I hope you never experience the sinking feeling of having your driver’s door handle come loose and half-way fall out of the escutcheon. If you are lucky, you won’t hear any loose parts falling inside the door, but if you do, it will be the tumbler spring releasing and falling after the tumbler is released. My thanks to BCA member Ken Mitson for his assistance in his machine shop when it came time to install the tumbler and spring pin. Dan
  10. We looked for the shoe tree and did not see it. We were aware of it before we got to Amboy. Rain in So Cal this past fall and winter was transforming to many landscapes so it would not surprise me if it has disappeared. Dan
  11. We stayed overnight in Kingman, again at the El Trovatore. You just can't beat this motel for Route 66 ambiance. There was a group of at least twenty New Zealanders here at the motel, all in ten rental Mustangs in which they are traveling Route 66. This adventure must be costing them a small fortune just in car rental but here they are, foreign tourists enjoying a road trip that is uniquely American. I have learned in my reading that there are almost as many Route 66 Associations in Europe as there are in the United States. I met Gary, a fellow Buick enthusiast, two years ago in Kingman at the Route 66 Fun Run. At the time, Gary was working on his 47 Buick. When Gary learned we would be in Kingman, he communicated with me and suggested we meet at take some pictures of our cars together. It was a great suggestion and, as it would turn out, very fortunate for us. Here's a few pictures of our cars together in Kingman... And a picture of a couple of retired, happy Arizona Buick guys... Before Gary came to the motel to meet us, I opened up the car for the day and as I turned the key in the driver's door lock, I felt the tension release quickly, the door handle came loose and I heard something fall from the lock assembly inside the door. Dang and dang. I must have been the latch spring because the door would not latch when closed. Gary kindly offered to take me to a NAPA store for a length of velcro strap to hold the door closed and offered the services of his garage at home. How lucky could we be? We went to Gary's house and opened up the door. We found the latch spring had come loose from the lock. Nothing appeared damaged. We tinkered about for a while trying to disassemble the lock but it's been since April 2011 when I disassembled the door for the restoration and I don't have my photos and videos along. I have the shop manual but the real details are in the Body Manual, which, of course, is a home. So we decided to apply our velcro door latch and Gary helped me rig some padding and cording to hold the door handle in place and keep it from flopping about while driving. We thanked Gary and his wife, Carol, for their hospitality and help and started home. We arrived home at about 5:15 p.m. All is well. Just a few words on closing. We have had the time of our lives on this road trip. It has been a true adventure. I don't need to go into a long description of the fun we've had because it's all been written about in the posts above along with the pictures. It is my fondest hope that we may have encouraged more members of our Chapter club here in Phoenix, Valley of the Sun Buick Club, to get out on the road and enjoy touring in their Buicks. I also hope that we may have done the same for the BCA at large. You cannot imagine the enjoyment and adventure until you actually do this. Some of you will say that you drive your Buicks long distances to the Nationals. I'm not detracting anything from that experience. It is an adventure because of the destination. But that travel is usually done in the shortest amount of time, usually on direct routes and often on Interstate highways. Travel like we have experience on Route 66 is done without a daily mileage goal - just traveling down a non-Interstate road, driving through towns, stopping and meeting people, seeing what the day may bring with serendipity as your guide. You have seen that our trip was not without problems but I have reported each and every one and as you have probably noticed, each problem was taken in stride and they all worked out to take the experience of the trip in a different direction for a while. Our worst problem in Amarillo, in retrospect, was one of the most enjoyable parts of our trip as we lived like locals in Amarillo for a week and really experienced Route 66 in Texas to a greater degree that we thought we would. Don't let your beautiful Buicks be seen only in car shows. Sure, some guys have cars that are just too valuable to drive. But most of us have Buicks that should not only be shown in car shows, but shown in dynamic shows - driven on the road and shown to a wider audience. People out there love these cars. You won't have any trouble meeting people or starting conversations if you road trip with your Buick! Thank you for riding along. We have enjoyed sharing this adventure with our BCA friends and we have appreciated the many kind comments. All the best of life to each and everyone one of you... Dan and Lynn
  12. We are east-bound on Route 66 today. Amboy is our next stop. This location has been cut-off to westbound travelers due to bridge washouts during the exceptionally wet fall and winter just past. You can still get here, but you have to double back after passing it for some distance on I-40. Old Route 66 is still open to Amboy from Ludlow on excellent road surface. Once you get to Amboy, you must detour north on Kelbaker Road to I-40. Amboy is an iconic Route 66 location. The "Roy's" sign at Amboy is probably one of the most well-known Route 66 symbols, especially of the Mohave desert. Amboy has been a combination of railroad service location and mining community. Two things are still mined here: medical-grade limestone and salt. (Please don't ask me what medical-grade limestone is used for; I don't know.) This is Amboy - Once a very busy location on Route 66, Amboy and Roy's withered and died with the opening of I-40. I-40 is about 11 miles away from Amboy so the loop is really big. The railroad used to deliver potable water to Amboy but stopped doing so when their interests here evaporated. Now, with no drinking water, it is not possible to run the motel cabins, a restaurant or much of anything else. The toilets are operated with salty groundwater. The gift shop is open and manned by a gritty chap who looks like he has lived in Amboy all his life. He say's he owns 40 acres nearby and he lives of the grid with solar and wind power. He trucks in his potable water. He also packs a slab-side cocked and locked .45 on his hip. This place really doesn't feel like California. More like Arizona. I love it. He tells us that tourism and movie production makes up the core of what happens in Amboy now. A horror movie just finished shooting here last week. He tells us that horror movies are mostly what is shot here. He sounds sad when he says it. At least six other cars stopped here while we were visiting Amboy. As far as I could tell from listening to them talk, they were all from other countries. A few views around Amboy. The old cabins - The old school at Amboy - A US Post Office at Amboy which is alleged to be still in operation. No flag flying but it is Sunday when we are here. There is still a mail box out front and I would assume that attests to the active nature of the post office. A view of the motel main lobby as it appeared in days gone by... Here is another peculiarity to Amboy. A "trash" tree which is a pole on which travelers have left anything and everything you can think of nailed or wired to the pole. There is a woman's bra hanging here as well and a number of expired identification cards, cigarette butts, bottles, cans,... Not far east of Amboy there is a lengthy embankment which over the years travelers have taken to writing their names in large stones which have been arranged in the shapes of letters that spell the words. Interesting to see but not my idea of a good time. Our names are not there. This whole area around Amboy is literally in the heart of the Mohave desert. I couldn't leave this area without taking a few photos that convey a feeling for the character of the land and how Route 66 appears as you travel through it. We are back in Arizona tonight in Kingman. Tomorrow we will travel to Flagstaff where we will close the loop on this whole trip and find ourselves right back at the spot in Flagstaff where this whole journey started in September last year. Dan
  13. I knew I was going to get a comment like this. LMAO! That water looked cold - and wet!
  14. We got up early today - 2:15 a.m. We left our motel at 2:50 a.m. and headed west on Foothill Blvd which is old Route 66. The remaining distance to the western terminus of Route 66 was 73 miles and all on surface streets. We passed through many cities along the way - Fontana, Rancho Cucamonga, Upland, Claremont, La Verne, San Dimas, Glendora, Azusa, Duarte, and Pasadena. Our route through Pasadena along Colorado Blvd was on the street used each year for the Rose Bowl parade. We passed over the old Colorado Street bridge and drove on the Arroyo Seco Parkway, formerly known as the Pasadena Freeway, one of the first in the Los Angeles area. Arriving in Los Angeles proper, we drove west on Sunset Blvd and through "Hollyweird" on Santa Monica Blvd, finally passing through Beverly Hills. Leaving Beverly Hills, we entered Santa Monica and at the intersection of Santa Monica Blvd and Ocean Avenue - SUCCESS! THE WEST END OF ROUTE 66! These photos were taken at Santa Monica Blvd and Ocean Avenue (on Ocean Avenue) It was still on the dark side when I took these photos. I was actually parked on a traffic lane but was fortunate enough to be right behind a line of food court trucks parked in this lane just outside the Santa Monica pier. After taking these photos, we drove out on the Santa Monica pier... In this photo, you can see the glow of sunrise in the east... I got a picture of the Buick staring out at the waves breaking on the beach... And a couple of photos of the foolish folks who thought this trip up as a retirement time burner quite a few years ago... Here's a view on the north side of the pier... A bit of the Santa Monica skyline... And the view toward the pier entrance from the pier... We left Santa Monica and didn't waste anytime heading east. We are now on the road, headed back to Flagstaff to close the loop on what will be and west-to-east, then east-to-west trip on Route 66. Much later in the day, we arrived back in Victorville and visited their Route 66 museum. Many towns on Route 66 have such museums and they are all quite good at offering a look at life in their communities during the time when Route 66 was a commissioned federal highway. A few photos from their museum... Look at this pin map. Visitors to the Victorville museum are asked to pin their home locations. Notice the distribution of pins in the United States and then the rest of the world... The Victorville museum has a beautiful mural on their building a we took a photo of the Buick posed in front of the mural. - Here's the photo everyone wants at the west end of Route 66 but is impossible to frame - your car with the Santa Monica pier entrance. So we settled for a convenience photo with their mural. While we were at the museum, we were introduced to the Mayor and a City Councilman from Victorville. The Councilman is a Covair guy and I told him about the large collection of Covairs we had seen in Missouri at Gay Parita. He was born in Missouri and is going to look them up next time he is back in his home state. Moving east, we came to the Bottle Farm in Helendale. This is the life work of a man who collected bottles and arranged them on stemmed poles. It is quite fascinating to look at them and walk in among the bottle trees. This has been a Route 66 attraction for quite a while. - We are back in Ludlow, enjoying a good rest after a hectic travel day. Stay with us a few more days as we see a few more things we missed on the way west. We will finally end up in Flagstaff to close the loop. The Buick has been running flawlessly. Today we climbed out of the Los Angeles basin and up Cajon Pass on old Route 66 and some on I-15. This is a demanding climb and if the Buick was going to vapor lock, it would have done so on this portion of the trip. Not even a burp. Still gettin' our kicks on Route 66. Dan
  15. On the way back. Amboy is one of the locations cut off by the bridge wash-outs. We have to do a little double back to get to Amboy now. This is all bad because San Bernardino County is responsible for maintaining this road; they haven't really done a credible job of it in many sections; now they are broke as in bankrupt; now there are three bridges that have been washed out - and if you look at their web site on road closures, they have not a clue when they will have these bridges repaired. The guy that recently bought Amboy is probably a bit worried right now. Dan
  16. We spent the night in Ludlow, CA last night. This is right on old Route 66. You go to the Chevron gas station and check in to get a room at the motel across the street. This probably sounds really seedy but, in reality, this place is highly recommended by a number of Route 66 authors. We found it to be exactly as described. A clean, nice room and inexpensive. AND, the food in the cafe was very good. This photo depicts the character of the land we were driving through. Mohave desert. This country is rather sparse in vegetation but some of the Mohave is rich with yuccas and large Joshua trees. The road surface of Route 66 for about 27 miles west of Ludlow is in bad shape so we stayed on I-40 until we got to the area of Newberry Springs. We had to stop at the Bagdad Cafe, which is right on old Route 66. I saw the movie "Bagdad Cafe" filmed here at this very location. After watching it once, I said to myself, "Huh?" and watched it again. Jack Palance was in it and as I recall it was produced by a German film company. Even the old Airstream trailer Palance's character in the movie lived in is still here. If you've seen the movie and are ever here, by all means, stop in. The folks that are here now will make you feel like you are in a continuation of the movie. A little west of Bagdad Cafe, we stopped in Dagget to patronize this quaint old market, owned and operated for 17 years by a real nice guy. We bought soft drinks here. In Barstow, we stopped at the Barstow Route 66 Museum, which is located inside the Casa del Desierto - an old Harvey House and train depot. The building is stunning and it has been renovated. It houses a number of organizations now and Amtrak still picks up passengers here. The track-side of Casa del Desierto... Leaving Barstow, we were on old Route 66 to Victorville. At Victorville, we had to get on I-15 for a few miles because old road Route 66 lies under those traffic lanes. But not far south, you exit I-15 and good, old Route 66 re-appears in all her old glory. In this picture, I'm parked on the old north-bound lanes of Route 66. The old south-bound lanes carry traffic today, one lane in each direction. I-15 is up the hill to the left in this photo. While we were parked here, a CHP officer stopped by to admire the Buick. Continuing on, we arrived at our destination for today - the other Wigwam Motel that is still in existance. It is located in Rialto, CA right on old Route 66 and we are spending the night here. Here are a few photos of these Wigwams. This place has been very well maintained and has been updated in ways that the Wigwams in Holbrook have not. The owner of these Wigwams is a very nice guy, just like the folks in Holbrook. I was out taking a few photos of the Wigwams and he came out to talk with me. While we were talking, he told me to get the Buick and put it on top of a grassy little hill that is central to the property. He said he likes to do this for folks driving classic cars because it makes a good photo stage. He sure was right. Look at these photos of the Buick... If you ever drive out here in California on Route 66, be sure to stop here at the Wigwams in Rialto. You will not be sorry. The Buick continues to run fine. Tomorrow we make the final push to Santa Monica. We are thinking about getting up very early because the remaining 70 or so miles are all on Los Angeles area surface streets which used to be Route 66. If we can sneak into Santa Monica around sunrise, like we did in Chicago, maybe we will get lucky and have some better photo opportunities not to mention less traffic. Dan
  17. John, I have not had a bit of trouble with the engine temperature. I show a slight increase on long hills but on the more level portions of highway, she holds a steady temperature for the 180* thermostat installed. Yes, we are on the National Trails Highway across the desert, but as you will see in my last post, Route 66 has been cut in three locations by bridge washouts in last year's storms. This is probably expected but the disappointment is that the governmental authority responsible for repairing the bridges and road surfaces has not set a time for completion and repairs could drag on for years. Dan
  18. Last night we stayed at the El Trovatore Motel in Kingman. This is another Route 66 landmark motel. Constructed in the 30's, it featured large rooms with a shower, toilet and sink in each room. Norm for the day were communal bathrooms in travelers' accommodations. Because you didn't have to share toilet and bath with others, it is alleged to have accommodated a number of celebrities in the 30's and 40's. The motel saw a lot of government and military use during World War II as the Air Force kept a large bomber command on desert airfields near here. Very nice rooms to go along with the Route 66 theme. Our room from the outside. Note how the door and windows blend into the mural... Murals adorn all the buildings. A mural that pays respect to the motel's role during WWII... One of the building has a 206-foot long Route 66 map, as attested to by this mural... And the real gem, the on-sight tower that holds the motel's sign done in neon. Beautiful. The building displaying the mural of the Santa Fe train engine supposedly was the location of many USO activities during WWII. We left Kingman this morning and headed west on Old Route 66 toward Sitgreaves Pass and Oatman. Classic southwest desert scenery surrounds you as you travel along the highway. Little has changed. This could be 40 or 50 years ago. Along the way you pass Cool Springs. Built in the mid 20's, it has been a fixture on Route 66 since inception. There used to be a restaurant, several lodging cabins and a sizeable service station here. Most of the cabins are gone now and the service station only displays pumps, but there used to be a couple of service garages. It burned to the ground, languished in disrepair, had a Hollywood resurrection when "Universal Soldier" had scenes filmed here. Bought by a private party in 2001, it is a popular tourist spot now, especially during the Route 66 Fun Run in May each year. Another unique piece of history along the Mother Road. It was about here that we passed a man and woman on bicycles. We stopped to chat. They are from Switzerland. They started in Chicago and are headed to Santa Monica, all on Route 66. Guys (and gals), I was stunned. Visually they both appear to be in their mid-70's and here they are pedaling across the United States while my tired, mid-60's overweight fanny is sitting quite comfy in the front seat of my Buick as I effortlessly watch the world go by. Time for some introspection. A ways down the road, we crossed Sitgreaves Pass. This location and the climb up and down used to strike fear in the hearts of Route 66 travelers. The rumors were circulated about treacherous curves and shear cliffs along narrow roads. The locals did nothing to calm these fears and often travelers along this section of the road would hire locals to driver their cars up and over Sitgreaves Pass. Our Buick at Sitgreaves Pass. The view is to the west. The farthest land visible is in California. Next stop - Oatman. The pictures of Oatman speak for themselves. Eclectic and kitschy all at once. Read the signs and notice the diversity in the town's population. The burro population is descended from burros abandoned on the desert by miners in the late 1800's and early 1900's. The roam feral here and, like dogs, have learned how to survive around humans. The town clings to a version of history that Clark Gable and Carol Lombard spent their honeymoon night in the Oatman Hotel. Most Clark Gable historians say this is not true. There is a bit of movie history in the town. See the caption on the run-down building. We have crossed into California today and have discovered that a good portion of the old road Route 66 has been closed in 3 locations due to bridge washouts. We are in a motel for the night and planning our route in and around these road closures. The Buick is running great. Dan
  19. John - The daytime temps for the most part have been running in the high 70's to mid-80's. Today we saw 88 in Needles as we passed through. There is an expected high of 90 tomorrow for San Bernardino and we will be in that area. My navigator-meteorologist tells me the temperatures are expected to drop a bit as we start the next week. I think that thermometer at Hackberry was registering a bit high. 75 might have been more accurate. Dan
  20. Day 6 - Part 2 Last night we stayed in Seligman at the Supai Inn. Another example of an old Route 66 motel that is well-maintained and sought after by Route 66 travelers. Leaving Seligman, we headed west and stopped at the Grand Canyon Caverns. This attraction is located on private land east of Peach Springs. The Grand Canyon Caverns have nothing to do with the Grand Canyon but they are a large expanse of deep-underground caverns left behind by water erosion of limestone after what is now the Pacific Ocean receded from this land hundreds of millions of years ago. The caverns lie 21 stories below the surface and are accessed by an elevator. Photographs taken inside the caverns are not especially remarkable because the majority of what can be seen is limestone and limestone is just a chalk white/gray. There are exceptions, though. One of the incredible features of the attraction is the motel room - a complete room with two beds, shower, toilet, sofas, chairs, TV with DVD player and a table service for dinner served for occupants. The price per night: $850.00 USD. And there are lots of people who do this. Pitch black without lights, no sound, no moisture at all. No critters live in the caverns because there is absolutely no water, not even a trace of humidity. Here's what it looks like... There is a good-sized concert area adjacent to the "motel room" but after it was built, the State would not allow occupancy because there is only one way out - the elevator. No occupancy permit issued. There is an escape ladder but you have to climb out 210 feet to the surface. We were told that two Scottish occupants of the room brought bag pipes with them and regaled the caverns with bag pipe music. If you look closely you can see the shower and toilet facilites enclosed behind the entertainment center. Leaving the Grand Canyon Caverns, we traveled west and passed through the Hualapai Indian Nation town of Peach Springs. It is this town that is reportedly the model for the Radiator Springs town in the movie, "Cars" but the geography and features of the town do not remind me of the fictional town in the movie. West of Peach Springs is the small community of Hackberry. The general store and old gas station here has always been on Route 66 and it hung on until finally closing in 1978. Bob Waldmire acquired the general store in 1992 and reopened it as a Route 66 attraction. It prospered with the resurgence of Route 66 tourism. Interest in the store transferred to other owners after Waldmire's death. You will remember Waldmire from previous narrative in Springfield and Pontiac, Illinois. This place is a huge tourist draw. A bus load of foreign tourists were there when we pulled in and the Buick became an immediate attraction for many tourist cameras. We are staying in Kingman, AZ tonight at another landmark Route 66 motel. The Buick is running just as fine as if it were '49. Dan
  21. Continuing with the Snow Cap in Seligman, a few more pictures. Here is a picture of my wife trying to bribe me not to take her picture inside the store... And some scenes from outside the store. It just doesn't get any more kitschy than this... Not far west of the Delgadillo business, The Rusty Bolt. Tonight, we dined at the Road Kill Cafe here in Seligman. Route 66 doesn't get any better than this. But wait, there's more... Dan
  22. Day 5 - Part 2 We left Williams headed west. The town of Ashfork is the first place where old Route 66 roadway is still there. We stopped at Zettler's Route 66 Store and met Kirk and Yvette, the owners. As is so very usual out here on Route 66, you meet the nicest people. We stayed and talked with them for an hour. Their store is an interesting mix of biker interest and Route 66 nostalgia. An old 50's jukebox and and old console radio from the early 40's also can be seen by visitors. An interesting fact: 80% of their business is foreign tourists and the top-selling item: old license plates. They buy them ahead of all other items for sale in the store. Another interesting business in Ashfork. You don't see many of these anymore. Leaving Ashfork, we headed west on I-40 to exit 139. At this exit we are now on the longest continual stretch of old Route 66 roadway in Arizona - 159 miles. Our first stop on this stretch is the town of Seligman. Seligman is a town rich in the history Route 66. When Seligman was bypassed by I-40, the town almost died. It was the enterprising spirit of Angel and Juan Delgadillo who started what is now the Arizona Route 66 Historical Association and began the transformation of old Route 66 in Arizona into a real tourism opportunity. Angel started a gift shop adjacent to his barber shop and his brother, Juan, started The Snow Cap burger shop. Over the years, Angel and Juan have become real celebrities of the Route 66 crowd. Their businesses flourished and caused other businesses in the town to align with the tourism opportunities. Today, during Route 66 season, Seligman is full of tourists. Just today, we saw five full tour buses originating in Las Vegas, stop in front of the Delgadillo business and disgorge several hundred tourists from all over the world. We had to wait until well after 1:00 p.m. to get into the Snow Cap for lunch. Here are a few photos... Inside the gift shop... Inside Angel's famous barber shop... And the Snow Cap... I have a few more photos and I will put them in the next reply. Dan
  23. I LOVE THESE SIGNS! They were everywhere when I was a kid. Dan
  24. Like time travel, Ben. These are cars used in the 50's and 60's - all restored. Riding the train was almost as much fun as driving my Buick. Dan
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