46 woodie

There is a company in Columbus Ohio called Heritage Antique Automobile Interiors, 614-451-8893 that will restore your original window shades.

Bill, last year I used the tank sealer from Bill Hirsh and it worked out well so far. That being said, in the early '70s, I used the latest and greatest gas tank sealer and with the advent of Ethanol gas it literally clogged my gas lines every month. All we can do at this point is hope the government does not come out with some sort of gas additive that will attack the "latest and greatest" sealant.

Hello Hans1, you have me beat by 5 years, this will be "only" my 55th HERSHEY. I would also like to stop by and say hello and especially shake the hand of your 100 plus year old friend. Let us know where you will be! He needs to have his picture taken for the A.A.C.A. magazine.

Sure, there are several things you can do to make your car drive like a modern car. New independent front suspension, new rear, disc power brakes, power steering and new crate engine and trans, BUT WHY???? Please do not cut that beautiful '49 Plymouth Station Wagon apart. It is way too nice to modify, enjoy it for what it is. If a modern type driver is what you want, sell the '49 Plymouth and find a Wagon that needs work. One that would take too much money to restore and build it how you want. That way you are bringing back a car that might never get done and you saved the life of the '49 Plymouth.

Bumpers! I would like to see some form of a bumper that prevents $3000 in damages by someone simply backing into you. I cringe whenever I pick up my grand-daughter from school and see some ditz in a huge SUV trying to squeeze into a parking spot that is too small for her car. It never fails but as the car is backing up, the car in front of me starts to shake. That tells me that that the ditz is parking by feel and has bumped into the plastic grill of the parked car in front of me.

There should be some kind of law against parking a "Woodie" outdoors for long term storage, Mother Nature is not kind to wet wood! The bright side is that many part's on that Buick station wagon are rare and If you remove them now, can be used in someone's restoration.

The antique car hobby is cyclical. I have owned several Model A's and naturally gravitate to that section at car shows. My first year going to HERSHEY was 1968 and I still have the program. It lists over 200 Model A's on the show field, last year there were about 10 Model A Ford's on the field in total. Back in the 60's and 70's the people that were restoring model A's were probably middle agers that had some skills and cash and wanted an old car. Those people are probably gone and now their heirs are disposing of those cars. Model A's and T's are parade cars and are not a car such as a 55' Chevy or 65' Mustang that you can just get into and drive. Very nice Model A Ford's sell for less than they sold for several years ago and you can't give a Model T away, every time I look the prices are coming down. It's just a fact of life that things change and we all need to change with them.

I purchased a box of coins last year and one of the silver dollars was from a belt buckle that someone had chrome plated. I placed the silver dollar in a small cup filled with muriatic acid and after about two weeks the chrome was gone. It did not affect the silver dollar at all but how it affects steel I don't know. Try a small piece of steel in some muriatic acid and see the results.

I actually didn't notice much of a difference, but in all fairness the mounts were not bad when I replaced them. I just figured that if I'm restoring everything, else why not the body mounts.

Well, you don't mention what year and vehicle you are working on, but I replaced the body mounts on my 1946 Ford Station wagon with out removing the body. It was during the restoration so everything was out of the body and the fenders removed. I loosened all the body bolts and lifted each spot that a mount was near with a small bar. I slid the old bushing out and slid the new one in and replaced the bolt. I didn't notice anything different when they were all tightened down.

NOW, it looks to me that the front header needs to move forward about a 1/2". Whats puzzling is the tenon is about an inch and a half back, towards the rear already. I don't think that the side rails could have shrunk that much, something is amiss.

What a great video! I know that many of the scenes that were depicted were during wartime, but it was a time when all American's were all "on the same page". I did notice a few wrong dates listed.

I just read on another site that the catalytic converter was stolen from the Oscar Meyer Weinermobile. It was parked in a hotel parking lot in Las Vegas and when the driver came out to drive it to an appearance, he realized it was gone. I hope they catch the thief and kick the mustard out of him.

The problem with mechanical brakes is that the pulleys, shafts, bushings, rod's, rollers and levers wear out. I have owned Model A Fords since 1968 and they all had mechanical brakes. I can't tell you how many times I have heard a Model A owner say that they did a brake job on their Model A, but it still did not stop quickly, only to climb under the car and be able to move the brake levers a 1/4" because of the slop. A totally restored brake system on a Model A will set you back a couple grand if done correctly and will stop just fine if done right.

Alec, I have only met Ron Heiden once, but from what I have heard, he is a good guy. If you are only 5 miles from Ron, I would take a trip to his shop and tell him what your exact plans are and if he can help and supply your wood parts. Show him your pictures and see what he recommends, what's the worst thing that can happen?

Andy J, doesn't that tick you off. I had the same issue with the wheels on my car. One day I came out and had a flat in one of my tires. No big deal, I'm in my driveway and I'll just jack it up and take it to the tire shop. Well, I had to use a 24" breaker bar to loosen the lugs. If I was stranded by the side of the road I would have needed to call for help. When I dropped off the flat to be repaired I could see the mechanics installing wheels with air guns using 120 PSI. I asked why they over tightened the wheels and the mechanic said they need to be tight so they don't fall off. Now whenever I get new tires on my car, I break the lugs and re-torque them to the recommended value.

Alec, as far as looking for the screws, you can get away with common 5/16" flat head screws in most of the locations. A few years ago a gentleman named Ed Clarke had most of the hardware you need, but Ed passed away and his inventory seems to have disappeared. What you will need are the special screws used on the door hinges. They are flat head, but with a very small head. I did a lot of business with Ed and purchased dozens of rubber, anti-rattle balls for the tailgate irons that I reproduce. I also reproduce the tailgate counterbalance spring if you need one. I miss Ed and wish I knew what happened to his inventory.

Alan, I admire your enthusiasm, but your station wagon is very needy and I think you need to rethink your "it's very complete" statement. You "might" be able to save some of the door structural pieces but all the doors need to come apart and be addressed. As far as the roof is concerned both front and rear headers and the main structural driver and passenger side beams need to be replaced. Rotted wood will not re-generate itself and you have nothing to nail and screw to. Both require a lot of labor to install and fit correctly. I would suggest contacting the woodworking shops that advertise in the Woodie Times such as Ron Heiden and Mike Nichols and others for prices. I talked to Mike last month and although he went thru a tragic fire in his shop he plans to get back up and running soon. Do you have all the interior roof metal parts and window riser mechanisms and door handles? Your car is a desirable one and should be restored correctly. Are you a member of the National Woodie Club?

I belong to a car club, it has two members, I'm the President and my wife is Secretary-Treasurer, no meetings, no due's. Don't get me wrong, for some people it's a great thing but not me. Years ago, I was a prospective member of a local club and attended my first meeting. The meeting started off well but soon turned into one big shouting match over the simplest and silly things. The argument was over attending a nearby car show. Several members wanted to leave at one time and others wanted to leave earlier. Some wanted to drive straight thru while others wanted to stop for breakfast. Some wanted to park together as a club and others wanted to park with their car grouping. Screaming and shouting and It almost came to a fist fight, in fact the club president broke his gavel trying to get some sort of order. Needless to say I did not join.

If you aren't a "purist", fiberglass rear Woodie fenders are available from Treehouse Woods.

Well, whatever it costs it's only going to get more expensive if we keep losing the people that supply Station Wagon parts. Last June we lost Tom Kline of the Kline Family Workshop. Tom and his brother Mike were true craftsman and supplied the wood parts for my '46 Ford Wagon. The parts fit like they came from Ford with pre drilled bolt holes that aligned perfectly with the metal brackets. Tom and the Kline Family Workshop will be missed!

Ed, Before he passed away, Ed Clarke sold specialized screws for Woodie Station Wagons and two items that he had in his inventory were 5/16"-24 special flat head screws but not in oval head. He sold them in 7/8" and 3" long and fit 1941-1948 Station Wagon door hinges. I have been trying to find out who purchased Ed's inventory since he died, as I purchased dozens of "anti rattle balls" from him when I was reproducing tailgate irons. So if you have the time to do some research to try to find Ed's inventory your'e in luck. If you are interested I can give you Ed's telephone number and see what transpires but I just do not have the heart to talk to his wife again.

It's been done, but if you are thinking about doing it, I would have some recommendations for the dealer. Remember, you aren't dealing with "old car people". Everyone that enters the dealership will want to sit in the car, so all your switches and other dashboard items will be played with, ask the dealer if you can lock the doors. Everybody will want to touch the sheetmetal and say "boy, they don't make them like this anymore", so you may want to rope the car off. At a car show most people are car people and will respect your car and at a show you have some control of what goes on with your vehicle. Most dealerships are open for 12 or so hours, seven day's a week and you won't be there to babysit your car. It's your car but if it was me I would not do it.

Don't get your hopes up seeing any "classic" vehicles. What you will see is a bunch of cobbled together vehicles, many having "jury rigged'', Russian GAZ diesel motors with boat fuel tanks in the trunk or back seat. Remember, Cuba is an island surrounded by salt water and most Cuban cars have serious rot issues. Things like transmission fluid and power steering fluid is "Unobtanium" and somehow they make their own, from what I don't know. You will see some interesting stuff though.

I was cutting off a frozen and badly rusted exhaust flange using a 4" grinder with a cut-off wheel. The grinder had a "click on click off" switch and somehow kicked back and landed running, on the top of my right hand. The cut off wheel sliced thru tendons and ligaments and put a 1/8" notch in the bone. Four hours of surgery and 3 months of PT and it's good as new. Oh, by the way, the grinder went into the trash and now have one that stops when you release the trigger.