lump

When I was a young part-time tire-buster at a local Goodyear store, our service manager was really good with spin balancing tire & wheel assemblies on cars. He personally balanced all the really difficult cases. One customer came to us with fairly new used tires on his car, which were clearly way out of balance. So Dave put it up in the air, balanced the wheels one by one, testing each one after adding the weights and removing the balancer, to be sure he had it right. But the right front was really bad, and he was reluctant to add that much weight. But he did, and got it right. But when he spun the wheel up again to test it, it was way out of balance again. As a young trainee, I was baffled and fascinated. Dave stopped immediately and removed the wheel, and dismounted the tire. It was about half full of liquid. So whenever he balanced it at speed it seemed right. But of course, the water moved! How that gallon or so of water got in there, none of us knew.

I found another one. This was taken July 27, 1974, when my wife and I were married. The 40 Ford coupe was our wedding present. The photo of us leaving the church on the same day is in the 1921 Kissel touring car which now belongs to Ronald Lee Hausman, an AACA member who is active on this forum. (I should have SAVED some of that hair for my use on my bald head today!)

Most photos of my cars from back in the day don't include photos of me. But here is one capturing a memory my wife and cherish still. The year is about 1976 or 77, and the car is our "2nd car," which I drove to work daily. The occasion was the day my wife and I brought her mother along when we went shopping for a Christmas tree. The house we had recently bought then had vaulted ceilings, with room for a really tall tree. So I bought the tallest one I could find, and having no truck, I tied it on top of the car. The tip-top branches were rubbing the ground in the back, and the stump end hung almost to my front bumper. I had to keep dodging the waving branches in order to see where I was going. Everyone in traffic stared at us in disbelief, which my wife and I thought was hilarious. But my poor mother-in-law was shocked, embarrassed, and about half frightened. It was only a few block drive, but I was too young and dumb to be concerned that something could go really, really wrong! When we got home, my wife insisted on a photo to show how tall the tree was, and having no ladder...I stood on the quarter panel! If you look closely you can see that the roof on my '68 Impala 2 door hardtop has been smashed in a bit. Caused by a swinging I-beam overhanging from the bed of a truck where I worked. After it happened my boss asked me what I had paid for the car. I truthfully said I had paid $300 for it, and he wrote me a check for $300 and said I could keep the car. I drove it for another year. Oh, by the way, it still had its original 427 big block engine, 400 turbo automatic transmission, positraction rear end, and black over black color. After a year I sold it for....you guessed it...$300. Wonder what that drivetrain would be worth today? LOL

Happy birthday, Paul.

Thanks, Craig. I enjoyed that article. Don't see the one that Fred had on display. It was a diner. LOL

Ron, Well, I assume one of those previous owners was Joe Antrim of Dayton, Ohio. And since he was friends with our family (and others in the Southern Ohio Chapter AACA), I'm sure my parents knew that story about the Kissel. But I never knew it before myself. And I was really familiar with that car. It would have been fun to know it then! LOL

I have a Yugo story. A bunch of them were donated to some art school in New York, according to my friend Fred Kanter. He was really into "automotive art" at the time, and loved creating humorous custom cars. Anyway, he explained to me that these donated Yugo cars were given to students, who were assigned to make something creative out of them. Fred showed me photos of a few which were made into giant shoes, a diner, etc. Eventually, Fred bought the "Diner Yugo," and displayed it right in his car museum inside his auto parts business building, next to the Dual Ghia convertible, Muntz Jet, 56 Eldorado convertible, etc. I have no idea what happened to the rest of those "art project" Yugos, and can no longer remember what all they were made to look like. But it was pretty funny at the time.

When I was a kid the AACA cutoff year was arbitrarily established at 1928 and older, as I recall. My parents had a '29 Model A roadster and had to park outside the show field at some events where this rule was enforced, such as at the Hamilton parade here in Southern Ohio (even though both my parents were official judges at the event). My dad's friends urged him to paint the steering wheel to look like the red rubber steering wheels of '28 Model A Fords, since this was the most noticeable difference to the average car enthusiast, but he refused. Said that wasn't honest, so we parked in general admission parking and walked into the show field. Personally, I think the 25-year-old rule is probably a good one. Keep in mind that choosing which cars are newer than those which appeal to a person are highly personal. Many of Dad's friends were horrified when a fellow club member displayed his 1955 T-bird among our antique cars at LeSourdsville Lake, near Hamilton, Ohio, yet that car is a mainstream collector vehicle today. I recall an older, well-respected gentleman cursing mad over, "...that G---D---ned used car in our show!" Incidentally, that gentleman's car was from the brass era, yet he rarely ever drove it to any of our events because it wasn't really reliable for road trips. I love antiques, vintage cars, muscle cars, etc. But I confess to having little interest in cars from the mid 70's and up. But after all, we are trying to get younger people interested in the old car hobby, right? So just like that guy with the '55 T-Bird, we need to welcome them all, and call them whatever their owners like. Let's not get names and classifications become differences between us, or possibly discourage any new hobbyists.

Newcastle could even be the name of the car dealer who sold the car last. Definitely a Model T Ford.

How 'bout a photo of a more recent "gangster" and his "Gangster Car?" On my garage door I have a poster which was photographed in the very early 1970's, featuring Dayton, Ohio's Bill Stepp (2nd from left with machine gun). On his shoulder in the flapper dress costume is a girl named Cindy. Don't know anything else about her. The guy sitting against the passenger side fender is Stuart McDade, who drove this Dodge Demon super stock drag car to many wins all across the nation. Standing behind the driver's side of the car is my long-time very good friend Paul Frost, long-time gasser driver/owner---who is still an exceptionally bright automotive "wrench," as they say. He was crew chief for most of the Billy The Kid dragsters, plus the top fuel cars of Pat Dakin, another Dayton, Ohio drag racer. The car is a hemi-powered Demon, which spent it's life racing against guys like Sox & Martin, etc. There are many stories about Bill having been Ohio's most notorious gangster, etc. Everyone that I knew that actually met him described him as a nice guy. He grew up as a paid bare-knuckle fighter on Ohio river boats, even before he was a teenager, and was reportedly a very, very tough man as an adult. His daughter is a friend of mine, and she told me the story of a time when people came to their home pretending to want to speak with Bill, but then broke out guns and started shooting...and Bill shot back. No one was hit, and the shooters fled. So, maybe the "gangster" stories have some basis in fact? Who knows? Bill was never convicted of any serious crime, as far as I know. But many folks around here consider him to be a prime example of a gangster, and therefore THIS is what at least one "Gangster Car" looked like!

Ok, AACAlifer (Ken) responded to my FB message that he sold that decklid in 2019, and later learned that it was for a Pontiac. Sorry. Wish you luck on finding another for your car.

One of my old cars had two accessory pedals like that. One was indeed for the exhaust cut-out, and the other was for an exhaust whistle. (See attached photo):

ok, another gentleman has asked me to buy them also. Do you need them for a current project, or want to add them to a collection, or? I'm trying to figure out how to fair all around. Cheers!

When I was a teenager in Dayton, Ohio (early 1970's), my dad took me along on a visit to the backyard garage of a fellow member of Southern Ohio chapter AACA, to see the project cars he was working on. Howard Riggs was his name, and he had just traded his newly-restored 1930 or 31 Chrysler LeBaron roadster to dealer Leo Gephardt for some cash and a couple Packard project cars. One of those cars was a mid-30's Packard sedan with thick steel armor and bulletproof glass. Howard said it supposedly had once belonged to Tom Pendergast (whom I had never heard of before), who was a gangster-affiliated political boss in the Kansas City area. Howard told Dad that he was trying to decide whether to remove all that armored stuff and put the car back stock or try to restore it as it was. I cannot recall the conversation between him and Dad at the time after that, but after seeing the subject of this thread I googled the name Tom Pendergast of Kansas City, and sure enough he was a real political boss with mob ties. On the way home that night I ventured to tell my dad that I thought the Packard would be more interesting and unique in its armored condition, because otherwise it would just be another 4 door Packard sedan of the mid 30's. He said he thought so too, but the problem was that the glass and armor was really, really heavy, and that it might cost a fortune to restore it that way. In hindsight though, I think that was right. What do you think? I have no idea what ever happened to that Packard sedan. Howard went on to restore the other Packard, which was about a '49 convertible. Wonder what happened to the armored sedan?

Ok, now for a follow-up. I just sent him a detailed personal message. He and I have known each other as kids in the Southern Ohio Chapter of AACA since the early 1960's, so I'm sure he will read my message.

Andreas, I know AACAlifer personally. He lives not far from me here in Ohio, and I am in touch with him regularly. What would be the best way for him to contact you?

Folks I have an old tail light housing and stand which appears similar to 1934 Dodge units I found photos of online. But they had different part numbers inside the stand. Maybe it's for a different body style or something? Anyway, this tail light stand is marked with the familiar D P C D icon, and the raised number: 604160. The outside is painted gray, but the inside suggests that it may have been plated at one time. Can anyone confirm what this light assy fits, please? Thanks in advance!

I keep saying I'm never going to another garage sale, but in spite of myself I stopped at one in an old affluent neighborhood a couple weeks ago, and for ONCE I found something vintage automotive. Check out this pair of huge old nickel-plated drum-style headlights with fork mounts. I naturally ASSUME they're from a fire truck of the early-to-mid 1920's (note the old red paint on the iron forks). Yet I wonder if these approx 12" diameter VESTA brand lights may have also been used on some very large cars from that same era? Is there any demand for a pair like this, or do I have some really cool wall-hangers on my hands? Any insights you can offer will be deeply appreciated.

I believe Auto Metal Direct (AMD) in Gainesville, Georgia is now making very good reproductions of these deck lids. Heavy gauge, correctly stamped, and proper fit, or so I'm told.

Some of you may already be aware that the Hupp Motor Car company was saved from financial ruin by war production, and after the war never went back to automobiles. They produced Gibson brand appliances (and Hercules engines, among other things). Gibson was eventually bought out by either Frigidaire or White (both, now?).

Serious collectors often prefer cars which are as correct-as-original as possible. If your 455 has correct casting number, production date codes, etc, then it will certainly be more desirable to some folks. But take your time with this decision, as there are many important complexities here. More later...it's a very busy week!

I made a home video a few months ago (my first attempt at a how-to video for YouTube) on how to mount tires on my Hupp. It's over-long, and I have planned to re-do it before putting it on YouTube. But after this busy week is over, I will try to find a way to share it with you, if you wish.

Where are you located? I mount my own tires on my 23 Hupmobile with the split steel rings around the original wood spoke wheels. No big deal, really. I'm in Ohio.

Welcome to the AACA forum, Carolina. We applaud you and your father for wanting to preserve a vintage vehicle. And the 1957 Oldsmobile is a beautiful car. The advice above from Walt G is very good. It is easy to make a mistake by just ordering lots of expensive parts, before you have a plan. You'll need to carefully photograph thousands of small details about your car, which will help you to remember which fastener goes in which hole, and how the wiring is run, and so very much more. You'll need to be certain that the frame and undercarriage are solid enough to serve as a foundation for the body that you plan to restore. You have made the very best possible first step, which is to join this forum, and seek advice and support here. There are many wise and experienced car collectors and restorers here, and they are happy to share good advice with you. I hope you have also joined the AACA, which is a wonderful car club. There are also Oldsmobile oriented clubs. I recommend joining them too. Wishing you the best of good luck.

For the last 35 years or so I've come to realize that in 9 out of 10 cases, buying a finished collector vehicle (even at top retail price), is much wiser financially. Moreover, I'm already over-committed with too many jobs and projects in front of me...I've got a real case of time-poverty (I haven't even gotten my beloved Hupmobile on the road yet this year!) But I would love to drive out to Colorado to see this sale. And unless prices go to astronomical heights, I could easily fall victim to the dreamy siren-call of a beautiful patina-clad project car. And I'm well practiced at that most commonly uttered phrase when car collectors have just bought a project car (or when an owner wants to sell a project car): "ALL IT NEEDS IS...." 😉