Mark Wetherbee

After two years and a few weeks I finally got the old gal running... still working on some kinks, which may include a visit to a reputable radiator shop (post shutdown coolant barfing) but it is good to see her move again!

A while back I ponied up about $90 for a box lot of car clocks on evilBay because of the nearly perfect pot metal housings that fit my 31 Pierce. Most of the clock works here are identical but the housings differ. Once I get mine fixed (which is a very low priority) the rest will go back into circulation...

Money is just a means to accumulate car junk... And with how broke I feel that’s pretty much my last $.02 🤣

I think Apperson too, but earlier, maybe 16-17. This was from the collection of a friend up north and could very well be the same as the OP’s.

The most favorite items in a collection have a story, and I personally find that story is worth much more than the $$$

Ray beat me to the easy one...

I don’t know what other years it was used, but if you search 1929 pictures that emblem was located in the center of the headlight bar. I have seen them both enamel and painted, but it’s possible people restoring the cars might have enameled one which should not have been as most of the obvious originals were painted.

There was an eBay auction with three woodlights in it... maybe whoever buys it wants yours to make it two pair. I think both your motometer and the winged cap are recent reproductions, they are still available through the T parts vendors which would give an idea of price new, but being used and reproduction I can’t say about a resale...

Just thought I’d give it another chance...

Just thought I’d give it another chance...

Just thought I’d give it another chance...

Just thought I’d give it another chance...

Just thought I’d give it another chance...

Just thought I’d give it another chance...

Just thought I’d bring it back up.

His first firstborn was Lucas, the Prince of Darkness...

I had bought an inexpensive wireless bore gauge camera for doing this, it attached to my iPad and gave me a great view of the distributor shaft orientation from under the car... it saved me from getting up off the floor with each attempt at getting the timing dead on. It still took several attempts, one tooth each side of correct... If you do keep the car, there’s a wealth of information like Grimy suggests that will be essential in your efforts. Please don’t think any questions are foolish and someone familiar with the mechanics will help when asked.

I strongly agree that this is likely a large part of why my valve job snowballed on me. The car was “got running” without the benefit of a clean oil pan and while it wasn’t driven much it suffered from that situation. If driven much more in that condition I believe that engine would have become a boat anchor. And I should have also put in a word for the Pierce Arrow Society... I joined after buying my car and the very first question was “where can I get a copy of a service manual?” only to find out they don’t exist... However, you can access the clubs newsletters back into the 1960’s where you will find much useful information from people who went through everything already. Absolutely worth the cost of membership!

Cadillac Carl’s response is world class., and I too thought that your query was a one-n-done or flyby... our sincere apologies for that. Carl has the advanced stage of the “originality bug” and a much bigger garage than mine, but that appreciation for the cars is getting far more popular because of the steep costs of a full restoration. There’s also a very old prejudice against closed cars... at one time the sedans were considered parts cars for the more popular open cars (and maybe a coupe) because the additional cost of restoration was “wasted” based on the idea of a lower value. When I bought my sedan one of the very first comments was that it would be a great parts car... I will get back to this soon. Your car looks pretty solid, and a lot will lean on the condition of the wood in the body because the wood is very expensive to have replaced, and time consuming to do yourself if you are talented in that occupation. It also looks complete, which is also a big deal as parts are hard to find and typically expensive because what is always missing are the hardest part to find. This is a phenomenon caused by the era of manufacturing. Pot metal was used in a lot of parts but wasn’t as refined as it is today, so a part brakes, it gets replaced by one from a parts car... remember what I said about sedans? So now you’re missing a hard to find 90+ year old part that was prone to breaking. Those headlights come to mind, I don’t know about earlier PA’s but the later lenses are impossible to find. Top all of this off with the fact that Pierce Arrow never produced a true service manual for their cars and you will need a very clear understanding of mechanics to do the work yourself. That is not to say you can’t learn but it is intimidating to say the least. Thankfully there’s been no shortage of help and encouragement here for many to overcome those issues. Back to my car... So, my 31 Pierce was purchased off of eBay for the initial investment of $15,000 and an additional $1,000 to get it transported to me. It was a running car and I drove it the day after it arrived maybe 40 miles for a picnic. The first thing I noticed were that the brakes were tight — by which I mean the cables were bound up and they didn’t work well at all... The next two weeks were spent going through the entire system by disassembly and cleaning everything I could and replacing the brake linings. Then we took the car to a local show about 50-60 miles away. The engine ran a little rough and was woefully short on compression, so valves are next. Well that has turned into a two year overhaul of the engine including custom pistons, rings, and new rod bearings as well as valves and guides. FWIW, the engine gasket set for my engine was a little over $500 and a carburetor kit was $125 so it all adds up quickly. While waiting for different engine parts I replaced all the wiring with a new harness, new fuel line, tires, the list keeps going but needless to say it’s pushing the $12k Carl tossed out mighty quickly and it was a ”RUNNING” car to begin with. The picture below was before I took the engine apart. I think your car has definite possibility for someone to save, I know if my garage and wallet were larger I would want to save it but I have my car. I think the most important thing you should take away is that the current condition will affect the selling value but there’s someone somewhere who would love to take it in and try if for no other reason than to enter into an enjoyable hobby without a major initial investment, and after a lot of elbow grease would have a great car. Good luck with your decisions, I hope there is someone in your family who is interested as it’s not often you see a one family car...

Frasier emblem, but I don’t know what years... a google search might find one on a car

The movie camera idea has some merit, maybe it was used for a couple Route 66 episodes and then sold...

Not much room... my 15 would hold a couple quarts oil, small tool kit, a gallon of coolant, very basic spare parts, and a lunch cooler. Anything else had to fit on the running board.

When I lived in central PA many years ago, there were several “rumors” about a Brewster bodied Ford convertible sedan in a falling down garage in Warriors Mark or thereabouts. Just a short time before moving it came up at auction along with several other cars and made pretty good money for its condition. What I remember most from that sale were a pair of Auto Robes made from Zebra furs that I think brought $4000 at that sale, the Brewster was around $25k I think...

1915-16 Model T Ford with extra holes in the middle... I don’t know how long they used the handles like that but it might go up into the 20’s.

I’m still laughing at the WSC reference... if you google that mascot you can see why. It’s still a fun aftermarket ornament, probably post war with the use of plastic. Glad you found out what it was while I was typing!