mrcvs

Hang in there! The post from a few days ago stated that the Brass Era car market is soft, and it is a few moneyed folks who don't need to sell keeping it propped up. I am OPTIMISTIC! In a few decades we will get that Brass era car (maybe not the Pope Hartford, though) for a price far less than we ever imagined!

Well, I am happy, with my modest cars. My income is above 'average' whatever that means, but I am firmly in the middle class, and, unless I opt for living in a trailer on a lot with a cheap lease, the Pope-Hartford will remain out of reach, for now. I am happy with what I have, but...I work for others, and the means of hitting it big working for others are extremely limited...unless others means working for a wealthy father or uncle! I was never one to really take risks. I was not one to work for free. I have worked 48 hrs, or greater, per week, for as long as I can remember, sometimes significantly greater. I 'thought', by going to college, I was setting myself up for a significant income to do things beyond my wildest dreams, but, then again, so did everyone else who went to college. If I had it to do over again, business and engineering all the way, and form my own company. At age 22, you have nothing to lose, so why not? Of course, you can work for others and make it big, like Jack Welch did (General Electric), but those types are the exception, not the rule. I had these big ideas, but so did everyone else...and this means competition, something I had little concept of. I read something recently, written by Bill Gates, Warren Buffett, or someone similar, and it basically stated that getting a college degree, and going to work, that sets you up for a middle class lifestyle (hopefully!), you major in childhood education, it might be lower middle class, petroleum engineering, higher middle class. The truly wealthy have an idea, a concept, etc., that is truly unique and that is rewarded with a lot, if it succeeds, and of course, the chances of failure far exceed that of succeeding exceptionally. I NEVER thought of that when younger, and it is a novel concept to me, but the author is right. I may not WANT this to be true, but it is indeed valid. So, yes, I can be happy. Did I succeed beyond my wildest dreams? No. Will I ever? Probably not. But, then again, of the HUGE number of folks on this planet, what percent does? Infinitely small.

Incidentally, the nation's largest employer, the Federal government, is a POOR employer as far as 'climbing the corporate (or government) ladder' goes. Most folks NEVER make it beyond their entry level job, and, if this is the nation's largest employer, and 'should' set an example for other employers as to what a 'model' employer should be like, what do you expect it will be like in the private sector? Also, pay increases in the last 6 years if one works for the Federal government have been 0, 0, 0, 1, 1, and 1% (projected 1.3% next year), so Uncle Sam continues to set a poor example for others.

Climbing the career ladder is a misnomer. Sure, a few do it, but it is being in the right place at the right time, being well-liked by a progressive employer, etc. When I was in college in the late '80's and early '90's (the first time around), there was talk of the 'new' economy, where, with lots of baby boomers retiring, and few to fill their shoes, unprecedented demand for goods and services, the information age, it seemed like I would be 'at the right place at the right time'. Of course, attending a state institution, these were all great ideas by folks with little experience other than in the la-la land of a government (and not private employer). Now that I have gotten older (and hopefully, wiser), I have come to the conclusion that employment is pyramidal in fashion--you cannot have more than a very few at the top, and most folks get an entry-level job and rise no further--myself included. It cannot be OTHERWISE, in order to remain sustainable. Another myth (I don't know what else to call it) is that there would be far more demand for workers than supply. I reasoned, picking up a copy of the Wall Street Journal, that, with all those companies in microscopic print listed on the stock pages, many of which hire thousands of folks, that getting a corporate job would be incredibly easy. I NEVER did land that corporate job, and I don't know why, other than there simply aren't more positions than folks to fill them. I don't know if that was always the case, but it is certainly so in a post-NAFTA world. Also, I have since come to the conclusion that college has become 'promoted' more than ever before, because there simply aren't enough jobs to go around, and, if one works approximately 40 years, and 4 of those years are spent in college (at a minimum), it 'artificially' causes 10% of working years of most folks to be spent not in the work force, thereby making unemployment seem less than it really is! Also, the last few comments about life being easier than it ever was, or not being so...I think life has always been 'tough' out there, except for a unique period of post-WWI expansion, maybe 1945 to 1985, when things got progressively better for everyone. So, in the 'old days', pre-WWII, life was tough for most, except for a few elite, then, after the war, it got good for all, and, since then, it is getting increasingly tougher for all but a few elite, so, in a relative sense, it is getting worse out there because it is not like that unique period of time which is now long gone. As far as retirement...saving for one's retirement may be better for a select few, but most folks in America are not financially savvy. It worked far better when one had to do nothing except put their time in and collect a pension. Sure, there are exceptions, of course, but with stagnant wages and increasing financial responsibilities, in order to obtain the income one needs to survive, it is often done by decreasing the proportion of income devoted to retirement/IRA's/other savings vehicles. Stable jobs...these are increasingly rare. Change occurs far more rapidly than the time necessary to devote to a career (30-40 years). Employers are aware of this. Employers know that the job market out there, except for a select few, is progressively more dismal as one gets older (few opportunities, lots of folks in need of those few opportunities), so wages are flat or cut if one loses one's job/income once not much beyond age 40. Hence, the reason why wages remain stagnant/flat.

This is the answer I was seeking, although, of course, this is a double-edged sword. I mean, I want someone to tell me that my house is worth double what I paid for it a few years ago, and, if I ask enough people, maybe I will get someone to agree to this, but, then again, when it comes time to sell, it's a whole different story. (And, on a tangent, housing is a great example of how it was easier to make money in the past. Folks who sat on real estate for 5 or ten years, in the past, witnessed gains of 30, 40, 50%, and yet, now, in a decade or so, you are LUCKY just to break even!) But, anyways, back to topic #1, I THOUGHT this HAS to be true! Go to old car shows, ask most Gen-X-ers, and younger (some who have NO interest in even driving at all, and would rather just text, and probably would never have any interest in rebuilding a carburetor. Heck, in a generation or two, with self-driving cars, one won't even have to know how to drive anymore!). IT SEEMS LIKE TO ME, that the 70 to 90+ crowd has to own most of this Brass Era stuff, they don't wish to sell, don't need the money, but, in the next 15 years or so, as they fade away, and their kids just see the Brass-era car as a heap of steel in the garage taking up space, and with a relative few, just like myself, with an interest in this sort of stuff, it seems like prices have to soften...probably considerably! I'm not saying I will be able to snag that Pope-Hartford for $10,000 some day, but it seems like to me that in a generation or so, it might be possible to purchase more than the run-of-the-mill brass-era car for substantially less than the few (older) major players in the game are keeping prices jacked up.

I made every cent I have, work hard, and it is sad to see folks who don't want to work and just collect 'entitlements'. How far this country has slid downhill over the years. Fortunately, this is just enough to survive on, and it amazes me that there are folks out there who prefer to have nothing instead of getting up in the morning and going to work. I was lower middle class in an area with lots of inherited wealth, and, when I was a teenager, I thought WOW, this is GREAT! Unlimited funds and not a care in the world. Sort of how I ended up, first degree, with one that wasn't so good. I saw folks who did nothing and had a lot, and thought life was easy (nevermind my parents). Found out the hard way about the School of Hard Knocks! Life has never been easy and 1912Staver is right that it is getting far less easy. Now, being in my mid-'40's, I think that inherited wealth is about the WORST thing out there. First, it breeds entitlement, and secondly, we don't all start out on a level playing field. If I have the money to get that Brass Era car someday, it will mean a WHOLE lot more to me than someone who simply wrote a check for it and barely made a dent in their checking account. My 1917 Maxwell, to others, may not be much, but I worked hard to pay for it, and I enjoy it immensely!

I have a strong work ethic. I work so hard during the week that I am dead tired come Friday evening, and need the weekend to recharge, and still work at least one Saturday a month! I think a lot of what you accomplished is simply being in the right place at the right time. Your wages were not FLAT the first 25 years of your career, you had more job opportunities, and were in the right place at the right time when those cars came up for sale, plus you bought some nice cars that, in hindsight, were (relatively) bargain-basement prices.

Wow...you can say that AGAIN! The bane of my existence. I stepped into the job market in the early '90's, fell head over heels for the LIES that college guidance counselors made those of us who were Gen X believe was true...didn't seem possible that anything other than that could be true...e.g., baby boomers retiring in huge numbers, no one to fill their shoes, etc. Simple supply and demand dictated one could pick and choose one's job(s), each one being better than the last! Didn't seem at all possible that wages would be flat! Reality: Job opportunities limited, you take what you can get. These days, lucky enough to have a second job (which I do) that pays for hobbies, but Ford Model A's and T's are the best one can really do on (limited) excess wages--forget about the Packard, Pope-Hartford, etc. Doesn't really seem 'fair', but, then again, life isn't fair, isn't it. The PROMISE was that if you get good grades, work hard, you can have virtually anything you want. Good old American greed has placed real money in the hands of the few, and you can work for these folks, or try and be self employed, and maybe make it okay, but unlikely to hit it really big! I don't want to sound like a whiny Gen-Xer, and I probably do, but I think of all the opportunities that were out there after WWII, and they seem to have fizzled by this point. (And those who had all that opportunity due to the vibrant post-WWII economy certainly paid the price by living through the Depression).

No, it's for a Maxwell.

That is an excellent idea! Or, can you buy a sheet or block of cork anywhere, maybe even at the hardware store?

If you see my other thread, it is about installing a K D Carburetor, which is the original carburetor for the car. But, it is not a simple swap-out of the existing Johnson carburetor. Problem with the Johnson carburetor is that it frequently blows out gas and needs cleaning regularly. This time, I cleaned it out, and turn on the gas, and gas comes POURING out the back side of the carburetor onto the engine block...STILL after all this! I assume that it is the cork float that is the problem, and I am in touch with a fallow who can replicate this float...but it ain't cheap! Or, does ANYTHING else come to mind as to why it is pouring out gas now, and is always problematic?

From the attached photo, where does the choke cable install? It appears that it is on the 'toggle' to the lower left? If so, is it the upper hole or the lower hole in which the cable goes? Also, does anyone know the thread and the diameter for screwing the gas line to the carburetor?

Yes, electrically the car now has no problems. Compression now 25 psi in each cylinder (should be 55), turns over, and fires for 10 sec...then kaput. Next step is to pull the engine and have it assessed and see what really needs to be done...but this won't happen for awhile.

I would definitely go for the REO. $10,000 less, AND an original car!

You are indeed correct, without a doubt! After you are done paying taxes and for household expenses, there isn't much left over.

Okay, good...at least I didn't make a huge mistake when I went about purchasing an antique car several years back. Doors don't sag, frame is good, no significant body rot, could use a paint job someday, but still looks okay 'as-is'. I grew up thinking that when something goes wrong with the engine, that is a huge problem...but not so with these old cars. Still have low compression and there is a hairline crack going from a valve to a cylinder. Not the end of the world. The engine needs work, but it can be fixed!

If purchasing an antique car, how do you know that you are not buying a car with serious engine problems not readily apparent without disassembly of the engine, or, at the very least, assessing compression?

I know that you want a solid frame, doors that don't sag, no bondo, etc, when it comes to the body, but what about mechanical soundness. What can you do, and what is commonly allowed, as a BUYER? Are you limited to just a test drive (does it drive well) plus maybe a visual check of the body and frame, electrical, etc.? OR, is it common to remove spark plugs and check compression? What else? Can one remove the head on an antique vehicle, assess for hairline cracks, as long as one is willing to pay to replace the gasket? Or, if not, how do you know there is or is not a crack in the block, etc., etc.?

Okay, here is where we stand now: I rewired the wire going from the instrument panel to the junction box and coil, the wire going from the junction box to the coil, installed a new coil, and rewired the wire going from the junction box to the starter and generator. Touched briefly the negative cable to the battery and a little bit of smoke. Reassessed and it was at the ammeter (which, the first time I opened the instrument panel, wired going to it were wrapped in paper towels and electrical tape). Bypassed the ammeter and no smoke, no problems whatsoever with wiring. So I need a new ammeter. Noted when doing voltage checks that there is voltage to the generator at the end of the cutout wire, so one would think that lights would work, but they don't. When lights are turned on, voltage at coil, generator, starter, etc. does not register. Not sure why. I replaced the points in the distributor previously, and, now, when a piece of paper is placed in the points arm, no voltage. But it could be me. I have a Model A mechanic coming tomorrow, and he will place a good distributor on and see what happens. Also, the starter never had any problems, and, now, it made the whirr after all this for one second, and then now nothing, not even a click. I removed the starter switch and cleaned that up and still no better. As I have a mechanic coming tomorrow, and REALLY want to get this going, and want to have everything available that I need, obviously need him to bring a new ammeter, maybe points, but what about the starter? Anything ELSE come to mind? Trouble with this car, once you get one thing improved, something else becomes a problem. Now it's the starter.

Wiring is on order from Bratton's, but...thinking about this on this rainy day today...Is it just possible that the wire going from the junction box to the starter and generator was shorting all along, and this was my problem, and my smoke/fire incident just ended up causing what already was wrong to go up in smoke? By replacing this and other wiring, is there a very good chance the car might just start? Won't be able to get to it to Friday, in all likelihood.

I ask this, about where to get a car, because I want to do better the next time, which might be sooner rather than later...well, sooner, because I am seriously thinking of unloading this car once I get it running, or it could be later, because I cannot afford to by anything much better right now! I don't mind fixing something, or getting all that dirty, but there is a lot of emotional capital in this, as someone pointed out. I have learned a LOT about cars, trying to get this running, but also, it really stinks that I have done ALL this to it, and still the same thing--a car that turns over and won't fire. If there was a productive result at the end of all this, much earlier on, things would be a lot better. It puts me in a foul mood all the time. The weather was beautiful this weekend, and I still have a very expensive paperweight! 1912Staver is right, too. The stuff I like keeps on getting ever more expensive, and increases faster than my ability to save for it. There IS light at the end of the tunnel, though. Someday...I will be mortgage-free and will have more cash to spend.

Yes, I had the money at the time and spent well under $10,000 for this car. Thought having the money available would get me the better 'deal', but...not really!

Yes and no. When it all is said and done (e.g., when the car will run), all I have is just a driver, nothing special, just a car, with lots of headaches along the way to get there. The paint on it is old and peeling, the interior is an older restoration, much of the mechanical components have been 'make do' fixes along the way. I regret my purchase. Had I it to do over again, I would have held out for something better. But...what does that mean? Having an extra $2500 to spend on a car five years from now? Not exactly a significant amount. Ideally, I would have that car that looks good, mechanically is sound, not a bottom-basement price. I thought I was getting something mechanically reliable, that, maybe in time, I could get repainted. I didn't know what I was doing. Bought the car pushed to the end of the driveway 25 miles from home. I will be happy, yes, when this car is running. But, in the end there is so much better stuff out there, maybe not at the same price...

Absolutely! I bought it because it was the EASIEST car to work on, and because it was in running condition. I figured, worst case scenario, I might have to fool around with the carburetor a bit, change the oil annually, maybe replace the spark plugs. If you drive it only 500 miles a year or so, that should get you a long way. No such luck. I am AMAZED that there are long runs with several Model A's, and they go off without a hitch. My car does not seem to be in the same category.

Hold my last thought... QUESTION: I have wondered time and time again, WHY is it so that folks in this country are not rewarded handsomely, even overpaid considerably (I surely am not) so that they have money to burn, spend frivolously, without a care in the world? It would stimulate the economy, increase revenue in state and federal coffers, enable folks like Mr Harwood to have MORE customers who spend MORE money. I am obviously not a student of economics, but it seems that holding wages low and flat in this country benefits few. With LESS wages, I pay LESS in taxes, have LESS to spend on hobbies, etc., therefore causing those who make their living in the hobby I am interested in, such as Mr Harwood to earn even less. Even the burden of saving for one's own retirement...well, there is money that is not being spent, stimulating the economy and the old car hobby, etc.