CatBird

Building two garages on our land in Georgia. Two metal buildings. One as a display for about 14 cars it is 80x100 feet. 14-foot eaves and 16-foot gable. Red iron skeleton. Skinned out in metal. Clear space. I will have FOUR Commercial 2000 rollup doors on one side, three doors 12wx10h and 12x12 and another 12x12 door on the far side so to drive through one side and straight our the far side. The four doors on one side should make it easier to bring cars straight in with minimal turning radius. Pad is 5" high-pressure concrete with fiberglass reinforcement and rebars. Of course much thicker at support attachments over hard red clay ground. 4" insulation walls and roof. Nucor Building systems. The secondary work area and modern car parking. The building will be 30 feet by 60 feet, also 14' eaves and 16' gable. This building will have four 12x10 roll-up doors on one side. Same other specs. Both buildings will have commercial walk through doors. Buildings will be burnt slate color with evergreen doors and trim. Similar to the building below except the colors in mine will be reversed - building reddish brown and doors evergreen and my roll-up dors will be in the sides of the buildings. The red iron structure is also as an example, but ours will be similar, but to our size footprints. The CAD drawings are our exact structures. Basic blank boxes that I can modify as desired, windows, skylights, awnings, etc. My plans have been approved and permitted will begin as soon as the concrete guy can get here. Buildings are to be delivered May 11 or 18th.

Hmm, no responses. Well. . . . . Just for the record, we just got our permits and are ready to begin by pouring foundations.

Very simple flexible plastic slotted tube that fits over your trailer ball in your truck bed. Sight in on the yellow tube, back slowly until you gently knock over the yellow tube and you are perfect to hook up! It just takes less than a minute and perfect!!!

Thanks.

If you find something like this. Please post it! Here is an idea, but seems a bit lightweight. I am more interested in a solid aluminum box on top of a deckover trailer. https://www.facebook.com/softsidehauler/

Is there a Ford as a full classic considered by the CCCA except for Ford Brewster?

It is really exciting! Brewster began making carriages in 1810 and our serial number is 2310. Not sure what that means, but it is early.

Digging deeper into our Brewster Buggy and that it was restored by the Amish, I found a small album of pictures under the seat and located the son of the man who restored our "buggy." He has a family business in Ohio. Daniel Raber. A&D Buggy Shop in Millersburg. He is restoring two Brewsters in his shop, among others. I asked if he knew about Brewster cars and only received silence. Prompting me to do some research on the Amish Community. They still use horses for most transportation. Even in farming horses are used in many Amish communities since that driving a tractor is a short hop to driving cars. In addition to not using tractors because they do not drop manure, like horses and the belief that tractors compact the earth and hard earth is bad for seedlings. Daniel was a delightful conversationalist and gave us a fascinating glimpse into his community. He gave me some tips where I can acquire the proper harness (ours is missing), we can get "fancy" (low tone as not "proper") or "plain" which would more fit our "Buggy." I asked him what he had was restoring in his shop and he mentioned names "Victorias" and "Broughams" and he was referring to buggies, not cars! Since he and his family had restored many buggies he was not sure which was ours until I described our lamps. He thinks he remembered ours and he said that most of the early Brewsters lamps were lit by candles though some did have whale oil lamps. I looked at our lamps and do not have reservoirs for oil. They do seem to be made for candles. He suggested that I send him some pictures of our buggy and see if he can remember ours. He said that Brewster was one of the greatest buggies in the world. Though there are exceptions, an interesting community who are very close to the earth and enjoy a pure lifestyle. While some Amish use electricity live more simple lives. It is ok to have some lights in their buggies, but not in their homes. Anne and I would like to visit a community that lives, 'way back in time

Really want a turntable for a car. Would be good to have it flat on the floor, but could be raised later. I do not plan to spend $20,000 for this and think it can be done cheaper, maybe a whole lot cheaper! Am quite good at fabrication and DIY. My cars average about 20 feet long and about 5,000 pounds. Any ideas?

Am building two garages. One is four bays. 60feet wide and 30 feet deep.14 foot eaves 4" insulation. Clear span. PBR roof panels. Four post lift. Other has four roll-ups on one side and an additional rollup on the far side and be able to drive through. The footprint at 100 feet (rollups on these sides) and 80 feet deep. This will primarily for display and show. Building basic blank boxes. Have all preliminary drawings approves. Hoping to begin pouring first week in May.

Thanks for the great info. I noticed the round wicks but did not know why. Hmmm, where can I get some round wicks and squeeze a few whales?

"I have joined the Carriage Club of America (CCA not to be confused with AACA) and I am waiting for more info." Quote myself Unfortunately, CCA does not have Brewster records before 1888 where 5 digit serial numbers came into play. The best they can tell me that our Brewster Carriage is a very early model since it has serial number 2320. Still researching. Ours is titled at 1848. Could be earlier. If anyone knows better info, please let me know.

It might be interesting, but probably not. Not a fan of horses and don't have the harness but do have the tree. So I have a seriously old horseless carriage. I have joined the Carriage Club of America (CCA not to be confused with AACA) and I am waiting for more info. We live about one mile from Stone Mountain Park. It has a lot of roads at 25MPH (Patrolled) so a perfect ride for our old clunkers. It does have over 15 miles of hiking trails including one mile to the top of Stone Mountain when you are ready to climb 1600 feet of granite. There is a Skylift for us curmudgeons. Our Brewster was normally the transport of the seriously wealthy, probably not for back roads. It was called a "Park Model" under other names and was used to take the rich around New York city and parks. Maybe they had some small reins attached to the horses' testicles when they needed an extra burst of speed.

Interesting replies. I normally use a disconnect. Maybe I should stay like this. I also have a heavy duty 6/12 volt car starter, has wheels. Works fine. I also turn off the electric fuel pump and let the engine run a few seconds until it stops on its own and drains some of the gas in the carburetor.

Best battery charger/maintainer recommendations? Too many of our cars sit for a long period of time. I have disconnects on most of them as many cars have some grounding issues a really good idea if you are not using one. I have some cheaper, "float tenders" and thinking to upgrade and want bang for the buck since I have about 20 cars, multiple "tenders" for each and have both 6v cars and 12v cars. In buying charger/maintainers see features in these "chargers", many are only for "float" only in that these will keep a charge on the battery, but will not bring back a dead battery. Others will charge a dead battery (more expensive device) and others will also recondition batteries. Also, there is a range of amps, from milliamps to much heavier. As I am thinking about getting 15 of these 'chargers' what do you recommend?

Our Brewster buggy has the Vanderbilt family colors. I am continuing to research through an Amish group that restored this carriage to original condition with a very few minor upgrades in the harness. Our oldest drop top, 1848 Brewster Victoria, Park Model -two horsepower (if it had two horses!) Made for the Vanderbilt family. This was a very powerful buggy. Usual carriages were pulled by only one horse. Vanderbilt family color maroon and black (fenders) with muted orange pinstriping. You could ONLY have that color if you were a Vanderbilt. The major families had their own distinctive colors. J.P. Morgan had bottle green and John Jacob Astor had light blue. The Brewster Company was honored in 1878 Paris Exposition Brewster & Co. won the Gold Medal for the best exhibit and a number of the firm’s craftsmen won distinguished awards of excellence as well. Marshall Macmahon, the President of France, personally awarded Henry the coveted Chevalier of the Legion of Honor. Brewster & Co. was now able to proclaim that it stood alone as “the finest manufacturer of carriages in the world”. Brewster & Company would receive many more honors at the 1893 Columbian Exposition in Chicago. http://www.coachbuilt.com/bui/b/brewster/brewster.htm Brewster went on to make some of the finest automobiles in the world, including Rolls Royce and others. Note our pictures of our 1934 Brewster car, being driven by my dear wife, Anne and followed up with a 1926 Stutz, (Not our car, but in Vanderbilt colors).

We ride the back roads in our early cars, Anne and me. I love the incredible beauty that surrounds us. At 30mph, we can feel everything, every flower, every blade of grass. I am in no hurry. I could be on an expressway, but there it is all a blur. No connection. No Zen-like moments. And the people? Ah, the people! every smile, every wave, every thumb's up -- connected in a way that encompasses all boundaries! Beneath me is a 1916 Pierce Arrow 7 passenger touring 102 year-old-car, not just beneath me but it surrounds me in History. Handmade by skilled but delicate craftsmen wove inanimate aluminum, brass, hardwoods, steel, leather, and rubber into one of the finest technological automobile creations the world never saw before -- a living being? It seems to be. A huge powerful beast that has been doing its job for over five generations. It has seen 18 Presidents rise and fade. But it continues long after its makers. I think it will be going once we are all dust. Born in World War 1, August 1916. It was rolling at the end of WW1 1918. Prohibition. Roared into the 1920s. Jazz was king. Carried flappers. Hats and veils. Full of life, carried laughing people. Exhilarated. Crashed through the Depression. Kept going as owners rose and fell. Another owner to love it, feel its mighty engine, squirted Neatsfoot oil into the massive clutch, waxed it. Polished the brass. Changed the oil. Passed through WW2, a blink of an eye in its history. Leaders came to power and were gone again, but this car lived on. Shining at car meets. Two Pebble Beach tours. 2014 and 2015. And now to me. I am in awe everytime I see it! Caress the metal work, slide across from the passenger door, enrich the carburetor, retard the advance, a tickle of throttle, squirt of gas, switch on, press the starter. Sit there in quietude. In silent joy, as the 525 cubic inches come rumbling to life, again. Ready to roll! It cannot be better than this. If I were to pass on at this point, I would have known life at its best. Come go with us sometime. It can carry seven passengers, comfortably at a time! Me and Anne and five more! Come on!

Folks, I am not into pain to show at concourse events! <grin> I want drivers. Local events, Sunday afternoon drives, making bank deposits at drive through windows.

Ed recommended the same eight cylinders to me.

I like the Rolls. But I am up to my ears in getting this garage built. There are many fine cars mentioned here. If something came along at a cut-rate price, I would probably shake loose my garage-building-focus and buy one. Not sure I want a 12 cylinder - more expensive to buy and more expensive to maintain.

Thanks, guys, turning over some ideas, but most of my mind is on getting my garage and display barn. But it is getting ready to just get it built. The wrinkle is in getting the right people to install and concrete pads. A 100x80 and another 30x60 I have three touring cars and freeze my tail off in the winter. I like the space in a 7-pass, but the side curtains are a pain. Maybe look for something else So I'd like something that has four-wheel brakes, a heater, some kind of enclosed space, something easier to drive in my 1916 Pierce, but I really LOVE this car! I like the high-end cars, maybe a Cord? Duesenberg? Packards are very good. Maybe a Studebaker Presidential? I like cars with a story. Even just a good story. I love my 1933 Packard Victoria and it does well with the above. I probably should redo the final drive as it feels like it is screaming at 60mph. Not too hot for Fords, Chevies, that ilk. I am selling off my real estate portfolio and buying cars. Having fun. Why the hell not? Have worked hard all my life, time to play. I love the amazing technology in the grand old cars. The '16 Pierce is a masterpiece of tech!

Tempting.

Mea Culpa about the 7 pass touring. in my defense, I blurted out the initial request battling the flu and thinking this illness will EVER end? Haven't even had a cold in years. I have Rethinking the idea may be along a convertible sedan and I need to drive a few and see how well they drive. I have a 1933 Packard Victoria that is more difficult to steer, especially at low speeds as opposed to a 1935 Auburn Phaeton that feels like power steering. Possibly the Packard has a steering issue? Our 1937 Lincoln Model K, Willoughby Limo, is quite easy to drive. Not to big deal for me to drive either, but my wife loves to drive classics. She has a blast in the '35 Auburn, but the '33 Packard is a chore for her. All my life I have had convertibles and even though rarely put down the top. Possibly should be looking at a sedan? Or a Limo? I like to take friends with me.

Not at all. I put it in "neutral" engine off, get lined up with the rack, and it rolls right in. Sometimes, the steering wheel may move about an inch but the rack keeps it easy and straight. All our Cadillacs have power steering (except the 1920), but it makes no difference. I am sure that the front of the trailer is above level in the front, but I have chocks in place in case the car does roll forward. The Featherlite has electrically operated landing gear, so it is easy to get the right inclination. To take the car out, just remove the tie-downs and reverse the winch. Love to show it to you when you come to the Winter Mini-Meet.

Want reliable and I like the open 7 passenger touring cars. I like the style up until 1935. Reliable, classic lines, 8 cyl is fine, rollup windows. I like the high-end marques. What do you recommend?