vermontboy

btt Asking price reduced to $5950 to avoid storage over the winter. Ad will be pulled around mid-November and I will market at local shows in the spring.

Glad to know there are still large parts caches around. Makes me want to find and perhaps buy my father's old Pierce back - beautiful car. We picked it up in Boston in 1960 and drove it back to Rochester, NY. The next year we drove it to Mount Washington for the Eastern Pierce Arrow Society meeting. We blew a head gasket on the way back (perhaps something to do with cruising at 70 mph oe thereabouts). My dad had picked up a spare earlier and had it stored under the back seat - four hours later we were on our way home again. After we got home we had the head milled which cured the problem (prior owner apparently hadn't used a torque wrench). And yes, if I do buy it back (or buy another one) I will drive it - old cars were made to be driven. I used a Model "A" Ford as a daily driver in the late 60's. I remember a local parts dealer (Elmer Bassage) made the trip from Rochester to Hershey every year in his 1918 Larrabee truck well into the 70's if memory serves.

I can understand that if the engine can't be saved it probably seems like a daunting task to find another Pierce-Arrow replacement engine. Perhaps another possibility would be what they did in the 40's and 50's and adapt another more readily available Straight 8 to fit. Thinking along the lines of a Studebaker or other large engine. My dad had a 1933 Model 836 and if I recall correctly (this being 50 odd years ago) there were some things like free-wheeling, a rather odd and touchy brake system, etc. that may require a bit of thought to incorporate or delete depending on the engine chosen. If you can find an old fire engine graveyard the Seagraves trucks used a similar engine (think we bought a timing chain from Seagraves for the 1933). It would not be a purist restoration but it would be a more or less period correct repair and would maintain the original character and feel of the car.

Due to health reasons I find I can no longer perform basic maintenance or minor repairs. It needs a new home. The power steering leak worsened over the winter - fine for a short drive but would not make a long trip. Asking price reduced to $5000 or first reasonable offer. It needs a new home and my wife says we need our garage back. This is a nice original survivor with the odometer showing 58K miles, which appears correct. I have a link below to Photobucket with 32 detailed pictures of the car. New / recent items include rear springs, radiator, professionally rebuilt carburetor, exhaust system, emergency brake cable, front seat belts, as well as various belts and hoses. Tires have a lot of tread left. Vehicle is on the road, inspected and licensed. I pulled the carpets to check the floor pans and rockers. The pictures speak for themselves. There is one approx 6X9 inch old patch on the passenger side pan (shown in pictures). The rest was solid with some surface rust which I painted with Rustoleum. The trunk was detailed by the prior owner and appears to be holding up well. Under dash area is clean (see pictures)….. Paint appears mostly original - no traces of bondo or welds. One corner of each door is starting to bubble and will need attention in the next year or two. Should require minimal effort or expense (the color is somewhat forgiving). I do have the original "Chevrolet" valve covers. Usual minor leaks at Powerglide and power steering. The original undercoating is scaly (from storage) and could be freshened by scraping, rustoleum or POR-15, and applying paint or undercoat. The interior looks nice and is serviceable, although some portions of the cloth inserts are becoming a bit threadbare. I have around $8000 invested and I am asking $6750 or reasonable offer. I really would like to get it out of the garage before winter. Good opportunity to own a nice original low mileage daily driver. Link or cut/paste to view photo album. photobucket.com/WebsterChevrolet Car is located in Webster, NY (Rochester). Henry Brooks hbrookssba@msn.com 585/ 265-4968

Yes - Model "A" block with a "B" head - can't remember why in my memory it was called a "C" head..... That "air cleaner" actually hooked up to the oil filler/breather on the other side of the block - primitive pollution control ????

I always thought that "Model C" heads had the 3 bolt water pump, but maybe Model B engines did as well. Here's a picture of a 31 Sport Cpe I semi restored back in the early 60's with a 3 bolt waterpump head.

btt - Price reduction

btt

I have lowered the asking price to $5750 and added a link for the Craigslist ad in the event the Photobucket link doesn't work. Car is a strong original 1962 Chevrolet Bel Air. I no longer have the time or energy for it. I am not as young as I used to be and even routine maintenance tasks are becoming a bit challenging. Strong points - lo mileage original with original paint, solid pans and trunk (see photobucket pics - one minor repair to passenger side front (6X9) but no weak areas), nice running 283 with cast iron powerglide, good interior, seat belts, trunk refinished. I have the original air cleaner and valve covers. Other - powerglide and power steering leak from non-use. Daily driving will minimize the leaks but new seals will probably be needed to keep it from marking its spot. Original undercoating is scaly from storage and there is light surface rust where exposed, Most undercoat will come off with a putty knife. It will eventually need to have the rubber bushings in suspension replaced. The radiator just sprung a leak and it will need a new radiator. There is a one half dollar size bubble on each door in the usual spot. The original carpets are soiled and could use replacement ….. Licensed - needs radiator to drive. I have about $7500 to $8000 in this with some spare parts, etc. I was asking $6500 for it - asking price is reduced to $5750 and I am willing to listen to reasonable offers. This is an unusual opportunity to obtain a low mileage vehicle with original paint and no structural rust in need of only the usual updates as time permits. See pix at photobucket or Craigslist: http://s1059.photobucket.com/albums/t425/henry49vt/1962%20Chevrolet%20Bel%20Air http://rochester.craigslist.org/cto/3107462770.html Respond through ad or contact by email at hbrookssba@msn.com

Well, it was a 1933 Graham that Cannonball Baker drove from NYC to LA in a record time of 53 1/2 hours. That record stood for almost 4 decades. Average speed close to 60 mph which means he must have been on the far side of 80 a good percentage of the time. And remember, his first cross country record was set in 1914. So in spite of the roads being lousy, normal traffic at a crawl, etc. there were people who pushed the limits back then.

We bought a 1933 Pierce-Arrow back in 1960 and drove it back to Rochester, NY from Boston at around 60 mph most of the way. A couple years later we attended the Pierce meet at Mt Washington. Coming home we opened it up to 65 to 70 until it blew a head gasket. Fortunately had a spare under the rear seat but there are a lot of head bolts on that straight 8 !! They were made to run right along, and if the bearings and other engine components are in good shape there is no harm in driving them the way they were meant to be driven.

1930 Model A, 1950 Plymouth, 1951 Chevrolet - all daily drivers, all started regularly at minus 20 to minus 30 degrees with 6 volt batteries and 00 cables. Did have a bit of a problem with two of them at minus 42 one day - probably thick oil. The A started that day without a hitch.

I believe that the difference is 'Korean War chrome"-original chrome plating from that vintage is notoriously thin and rust started within a few months on the chrome plating on many cars. A lot of inconsistancy as well.

NAPA used to carry 00 over the counter, might also try Tractor Supply

Price and location please

Use 00 battery cables - NAPA, farm supply store or custom made from welding cable. Nothing wrong with 6V systems, usual culprit is replacement cables designed for 12V systems. Always jump started from 12V battery until I changed cables - haven't had to jump start since.

rons49 hit the nail on the head. Very difficult to keep the politics out involving ethanol as it has such a costly effect on all of us.

If the box is locked and you are just trying to get it to open usually a bit of jiggling around with a bent paper clip will open them.... key word being "usually".

I'm sure there is a right way and a wrong way to do everything, but in spite of it being advised against I've never been able to get a stuck head off without ending up prying it off - just be careful what you use and how you drive it between the head and block (I find one of those small flat pry bars works well). Yes, you can damage the head but it can be filed / filled. Same as trying to remove Chrysler product lower ball joints without a torch - never could do that either. Before you go trying to cram a screwdriver in there wait for a few others to answer your question - I am no authority, just saying what has worked for me in the past.

I think I would bet on your book as being correct - I have learned in the past that a lot of information on websites, even good ones, has not been vetted to the extent that books are. Still think a query to a librarian (now Chicago librarian) could pull up a lot of information that can't be found using normal search engines. When my wife was completing her masters there was an incredible amount of information using university, library, and newspaper databases that never shows up on Google.

Oops, can't believe everything you read. I was going off the Historical Construction Equipment Association website. They said Detroit for autos (1905) and Muskegon for Industrial engines. Sorry.

Cars and Parts magazine had a two or three part article on Continental engines back in the early 80's (guessing here - if anyone has an index start in '85 and work back and forth). It had a complete listing of cars using the engines from the early twenties right up on through the early sixties (Checker). I know my uncle's Jewett had one. They were also used in some high priced classics; Stutz Blackhawk series, Ruxton, and Peerless come to mind. Have you tried the librarian in Detroit, MI (original home of Continental Motors Company)? I know that sounds old fashioned but librarians can sometimes provide a wealth of information not available to the general public through Google (they have other databases). Just a thought.

Only because most of the people who violate a contract these days don't feel they should "suffer the consequences" to the tune of a major loss for what they feel is a minor infraction (primary vehicle breaks down and you drive the antique to work for a few days, for example). Poor choice of words on my part - just trying to state that it is very important to understand the limitations of historic plates from both a state law and insurance policy standpoint, and to realize that if you break the rules it can be very costly. They should not be taken lightly.

Not sure about Michigan, but in some parts of New York they are getting very particular about the old "always on the way to a show/repair/cruise". There is also an earlier thread with some real horror stories about insurance companies denying coverage in the event of an accident when their own guidelines are not adhered to. And yes, they will ask friends, neighbors, etc. about prior usage after an accident.

My Dad's 1933 Pierce Arrow 836 Grandfather's 1955 Chrysler Imperial My 1931 Model "A" Sport Coupe My 1950 Chevrolet Pickup (daily driver in the 80's) My 1952 Plymouth Concord fastback There are so many ...........