lump

For you Pierce guys, a question re engines... I THINK I recall my Dad telling me that certain older fire trucks used the same exact engines (or short blocks, maybe?) as certain Pierce Arrows. Back in the 1960's, I THINK I recall my Dad and other adults talking about finding a "worthless" stripped-down fire truck with an engine that would be correct for a fellow they knew who needed an engine block for his Pierce. Am I just hallucinating, or is there some truth to that?

Another fact is that the vibration of an impact wrench can often safely remove a lug nut that the steady torque of a hand tool cannot. Of course, like any other tool, it works best in the hands of a seasoned technician.

That really-cool-and-effective wax trick only works when you can access end of the stud. Mag-wheel style lug nuts that cover the threads prevent using that (like an acorn nut). It may also be less effective with really deep lug nuts (although I would just expect it to take more heat, more wax, and a little more heating time). But, it's not the end of the world if the studs do break off. It's usually pretty easy to replace them. Back when I was a tire buster at a Goodyear store, I replaced lots of studs, such as whenever I found one with any stripped or damaged threads. Took only a minute or two per stud, and you end up with brand new, unrusted and undamaged threads. Cheap too, since MOST studs cost very little per piece.

To each his own, but just never did see any appeal whatsoever to Edsel designs. I was only 4 when they came out, and didn't even notice them. But my grandparents bought new Ford cars every few years, and I went with them to the showrooms. Still not impressed with those designs today. Again, to each his own.

An interesting feature in the mystery truck is the sharp angle of the slanted hood...much different than trucks in any of the other photos. But, since it is a truck after all, I suppose modifications are very possible here? Cool photo, nevertheless.

Even earlier than the Hupp in 1960, was my little gas-engine-powered "race car" which my dad and some family friends made from lawn mower parts and sheet metal. I drove it in an antique car parade in Middletown, Ohio in March of 1957, at 3 years of age, with my dad walking the length of the parade on the sidewalk, keeping an eagle eye on me, in case something went wrong. He told me to maintain the exact same distance between my car and the brass-era touring car in front of me, whether it stopped or started going faster. The photo here seems to be Dad and I heading to my position on the street, just before the parade began. The trip went without a hitch, and I was a celebrity among the parade watchers for an hour or two. Great memories!

Here is a photo of me on the running board of the first car my young family owned as a collector car. It's a 1929 Hupmobile Model S. Photo was taken circa 1960 to early 1962, and I would have been in first or second grade. Like a lot of little boys at that time, I was into cowboys, Daniel Boone, etc...hence the hat.

Well said, Matt Harwood. In the end, what is needed in all car-hobby interactions are the same two words I constantly preached to my two sons as they were growing into young adults: "We all owe everyone we meet two essential things...COURTESY, and RESPECT."

Good detective work, 32plywood. Well done (Wonder why I never saw a set of them myself?) Ansen was a well-known brand name of speed parts. Oh well, maybe my old memory is going south!

I was a hard-core street racer, back in the day. I never saw a set like that, and I owned lots of different pairs. They may very well be home made. But either way, they have a small value to people who want to build period-correct "street machine" cars of the early 1970's.

I have one like this. No inscription on back, though.

LOL. I think MANY cars could out run that police car!

Agree that the price is pretty high for a four-door of this model year. Nice, serviceable car. Not the kind that folks will gather around at the next cruise-in, but if you like it, make an offer. But I would guess it's value to be much closer to $3,500. Just my opinion.

Nice car. Join the Hupp club!

I suppose it's also true that we often grow up considering ourselves to be sort of a "fan club" team member of certain brands of cars. Or at least, I and a lot of my friends did. I am a product of a childhood in AACA (back into the fifties), but also graduated high school in 1972 when many great muscle cars were becoming common "used cars." Less than a grand would buy you a hot Camaro, Mustang, Chevelle, Road Runner, etc, etc, and street racing was rampant at every stop light. (I know, shameful and dangerous...but I LOVED it). My dad drove Chevy's (I fell in love with his 57 Bel Air convertible), so I became a Chevy kid...mostly. And admittedly, it was great fun to pick on each other's brand of hot rods...just as it's fun today to pick on the other guy's football team. Mostly in good fun, of course, then and now. But as I've aged and gotten so deeply involved in the car hobby and the industry which serves the car hobbyists, I've learned to appreciate nearly all the brands of cars. I'm a hardcore Chevy guy, but who DOESN'T admire a 426 Hemi, or a 428 Super Cobra Jet, or a Pontiac 400 Ram Air IV, or a Stage 1 Buick, or a 302 Z28, or...well, you get the idea.

57 Chevy's have always been one of my favorite, classic and timeless designs, so I prefer that. However, I used to not like the Fords much, but a red and white 57 Fairlane convertible is a gorgeous car. (I vastly prefer the regular convertible; not the hardtop convertible, from an appearance perspective). I remember admiring one in a movie years ago, called "FORD FAIRLANE, ROCK N ROLL DETECTIVE," starring Andrew Dice Clay.

I would really love to have a Briscoe radiator badge for my collection. Got any spares?

Congratulations on your 7,000th post. I always enjoy reading the knowledgeable insights that you and other veterans of the hobby share here. ?

If you're going to have the cylinder portion of the tank made, I suggest making it from stainless steel. It CAN be painted, and will not rust. Whereas even galvanize will rust at every welded seam. And that zinc coating doesn't last forever. I had a stainless tank made for my Hupp, by guys in the same sheet metal union I used to work out of.

Wow, I am a sucker for 40 Ford coupes and convertibles. Sigh.

When casual friends and acquaintances find out I am a lifetime car collector, they often mention that they have been thinking about buying an old car, and ask me about what models they should "invest in," I always tell them, "None!" Buying an old car with the intent of "investing for profit" is not the best idea as far as I'm concerned...especially if you are fairly new to the hobby. Even seasoned pro's get burned when buying and selling collector vehicles. In MY opinion, unless you plan to become a serious professional dealer in vintage cars (and already have a lifetime of experience with same), the only reason to buy a vintage vehicle is to enjoy it. Sure, we collectors all like to get a bargain, and to be able to sell our vintage car for more than we paid for it (whenever that lucky circumstance happens). But I often point out to "newbies" that they should contrast the "investment" in a nice collector vehicle against the cost of buying a new boat, for example. After a few years, you MIGHT be able to get some or all of your investment back out of a good vintage car (much less any profit). Compare that to the resale value of that boat that you bought brand new, and you can quickly see why I say that buying and owning a pre-war vintage vintage vehicle can be a better "investment" than many other hobbies... even if you eventually sell it for less than you bought it for.

As for the changes in the pre-war market....I recall being a kid in the rumble seat at AACA tours in the 50's and 60's. When we would gather at a shopping center somewhere waiting for the tour to start, bystanders would come look at our cars, and ask questions like, "Wow, can you even find parts for a jalopy like that?" or, "Is that thing even safe to drive on the road?" In other words, we car collectors back then were part of a very small fraternity of "uncommon" people who appreciated old iron. But when grand classics (Duesenbergs, Bugatti's, V-16 Caddy's, etc) and eventually muscle cars started bringing big bucks on televised auctions, suddenly EVERYONE thought vintage cars were cool (and unrealistically valuable). Now today, whenever I park my Hupmobile at the grocery store, people will see the car and ask me questions, just like those other folks did years ago. Only now, the first question is always, "Wow, how much is that thing WORTH?!?!?" They always seem surprised and disappointed when I tell not, "Not very much really, in terms of dollars and cents." Yet when my grandkids are riding with me and waving to everyone, and begging to honk the oogah horn, that old car is priceless to me. Someday when my kids or grandkids sell it, I hope they will get some of my "investment" back. In MY experience, "garden variety" pre-war cars like my 1923 Hupp touring never were extremely valuable, and still are not today. Nothing really changed about that. Big-bucks collectors always were focused on expensive "super cars." But those old ordinary pre-war vehicles are still much appreciated by a small fraternity of true old car hobbyists.

Got my first car in 1956, when I was three. Drove it in an antique car parade in Middletown, Ohio in March of 1957, and ended up being featured in a couple different newspapers. Adults were making such a fuss over a little kid who could change a spark plug, and drive his own little car. I loved the attention, and never looked back. Grew up riding around in rumble seats and the back of touring cars. Later became a notorious street racer in my area (I know, shame on me! ?), and later a street rodder, and then a collector/restorer and automotive editor. It's been my whole life, really.

Welcome, Kevin. Great car! I wish you good times and good luck in your old-car adventuring. It's been a great lifetime interest for me, and tens of thousands of other folks.

EXCELLENT idea, Grimy. Deeply appreciated, I assure you! We have always relied on discreet reflectors, installed between bumper sections, etc. But the lights would be WAY better.