envoy_to_the_stars

Way ahead of you. We had an old 6V mechanical siren from an antique Childs pumper truck that was laying around...which wired right up to an antique momentary switch I have, and the switch fit perfectly in the hole that was drilled in the dash on the passenger side. It almost looks like it came that way from the factory...I'll post a picture of it soon. The siren itself mounted underneath the car and is hidden away for normal use. I used cloth-woven wire so everything looks period correct.

About a month ago, I bought Mark Shaw's "Fire Engine Red" 1931 Buick Model 57. I work for a local Fire Department, and saw a perfect opportunity to let the car play dress up! We pulled some images of apparatus from the past and designed some gold leaf emblems and added some genuine antique emergency lamps with "FIRE" etched into them. It was a huge success, and gave us the opportunity to teach hundreds of children and adults the history of the Fire Service AND the history of American vehicles. That's what antique car ownership is all about!! Enjoy the pictures below!

Do you have any pictures of the wheels?

The number of Low-Ballers on craigslist is incredible. I recently tried to sell my 2003 BMW M5 on craigslist - the KBB value was $18k. I can't tell you how many e-mails I got with atrocious grammar stating that I should sell it to them for $7k because no one will want it and it'll just sit forever, "bro." Really? Less than half my asking price? Ended up selling it back to the previous owner for above my asking price. All was well. But I couldn't believe the games some people try to play on CL! ........and then there's the traders. "Would you take a broken ATV and a 1964 bass boat without a motor for your $1000 stereo?"

Hello Everyone, I've been here for a few months now, but I wanted to formally introduce myself. I just recently purchased Mark Shaw's 31 Buick Model 57. I'm in the process of giving it a tune up, polishing it up, and adding a few period correct features to use it as a parade vehicle for the Fire Department that I work with. Thus far, I have adjusted the brakes (one wheel was locking up), adjusted the timing, and changed the oil to a 30W with some Lucas Oil Stabilizer to help lubricate those hard-to-reach areas. It seems to be making a difference, because the car no longer smokes on start-up. Next step is to adjust the Air Fuel Ratio using a probe and get some miles on her! She has been affectionately named "Betty Lou Buick" by my girlfriend - and I can confidently say that at 28 years old, we are the only couple on the block with a bunch of pre-war automotive tools and white wall cleaner in the garage. I look forward to learning more about the car and carrying on its legacy! Below is a picture of my " new" Buick with two period correct "FIRE" emergency lights that our department had from our 30's Childs pumper that is no longer mobile. Next to it is my 1972 Mercedes 280SEL 4.5, which has an aftermarket "AccuAir" air bag suspension system that is adjustable from my phone, so we didn't have to run any cables into the car. It's a huge hit with kids, who love making it bob up and down at car shows.

$20 + Shipping I had some driving lights that came with their original mounts. I needed the lights, not the mounts - so rather than toss them, I figure I'd see if anyone needs them. They are not rusty, but they will need to be re-finished if they're going on anything but a basic driver. But - it's all period correct! They are set up to be installed between the frame and the front bumper. The arm pivots around the base so you can change the position of the light. Please let me know if you have any questions or interest. NOTE: Lights not included, just the mount/stems.

Hello Everyone, I just took delivery of Mark Shaw's old 1931 Buick 57. It's in great overall shape, with just a few minor things that need to be looked at. The most important of which (being that the car is now in Southern Texas) is the temperature. When the car is sitting/idling, the temperature climbs slowly, and never really levels off. This morning in 80 degree heat I watched it get up to 190 before I got nervous and pulled the plug. It has the original honeycomb radiator. The louvers on the front work properly. Mark mentioned that has gotten hot in the past, and it may need a chemical de-scaling. I'd like to try that first before I start getting more intense. I've done this on other modern vehicles using a Prestone pre-mixed bottle that you let run through the coolant system for 30 minutes....I am happy to do that again on this vehicle, but I want to check and see if there are any intricacies I'm unaware of, or if there is a different method I should be using. This is my first pre-war car, and I'm very excited to get started! Thanks in advance for everyone's help.

32nd and Chestnut Street, Philadelphia PA. I believe GE had a 100-year lease on a building that was located across the street from Drexel University. They tried to make a change to a new building in King of Prussia, Pa. when the Drexel kids got to be a bit much to handle, but it never came to fruition. This was back in the 70s/80s.

Mark, I will send you a private message with my email address - yes, your pictures would be very helpful! Carl - I just found the Private Messaging feature on the forum and sent you a reply. Look for my message there.

I don't mind a little heat. If I take a Pre-War car out in the summer, it's going to be going to a casual lunch or a show, where I'll be in shorts and a t-shirt. The A/C in the Model A was a perk, but my passion is more around the bigger and more uncommon sedans of that era...and the Model A is a bit too small and that one doesn't have it's history or "story" intact. It's just being sold by a used car dealer who wants to get it off his lot. I have decided to move forward with the REO. I had long conversations with the owner, talked to the mechanic who has worked on it since the 90s, and did some research with the Reo Car Club. The owner has its full history available since 1930. That's worth its weight in gold to me. Sure, the fabric seats will be uncomfortable in the Texas summers, but it's really not that big of a deal. I can just park in the shade, roll down the windows, and get over it. The mechanic who has worked on this car for the last few decades went over everything they have done with it. He has an impressive working knowledge about the car, and noted that they recently did a compression test and oil pressure test, with great results.

Hello everyone, I am in the process of purchasing my first Pre-War car. It's a 1930 Reo Flying Cloud 625. It is totally unrestored except for an electric fuel pump (mechanical one is included, though). I am trying to determine it's value so I can find a fair purchase price, as well as determine as much about the mechanical condition of the car before I schedule a trip from Texas up to the north east to go see it. Below is a link to pictures taken just yesterday. Overall, it seems to be in solid "Condition 3" shape, with some paint spider webbing around edges and chips around the hood cowl. There is some wear and patching on the seats, but nothing that needs immediate attention. It smokes just a little bit if you rev it quickly, but not when idling or normal driving. It seems to idle a bit high, but the engine was cold and hadn't been driven in a few weeks. All of the gauges work and it does run and drive pretty smoothly. I haven't seen many Flying Cloud sedans for sale in this condition, so I don't have much reference as far as a fair value goes. What should I offer for the car? Any questions I absolutely need to ask before making the trip to get it? http://imgur.com/a/hInES Video of it driving: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jJSrLyhyROM Video of a walk-around showing the condition: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pWMBZcQzFq8

I can try to arrange an inspection, but I don't really know any reo experts in the area. I'll ask the club and see what they think

Hey Rusty, The video was taken while the engine was still cold - they had literally just started it for the first time in a few weeks 10 seconds before the video started. I imagine the choke was pulled, and the picture he sent me of the temperature gauge showed a low temp...perhaps it was still warming up, and that was what caused the high idle. That doesn't explain the slight smoke, though. The owner of this Reo has 5 of them (3 Flying Clouds and 2 Royales), and two are Concours winning cars. He has a mecanic that checks on these cars a few times a year...so my assumption is that the little speaker on the phone just didn't pick up the motor's sound right, or it was still warming up. I will go ahead and check with him on that, though - thank you for bringing that to my attention.

Carl, I'm leaning more towards the Reo. I like that the Buick has been fully and meticulously restored - and all of that work is documented - but it is relatively expensive and doesn't have the history that this specific Reo has. I wouldn't feel bad about working on the Reo myself, and I know that down the road I can do my own restoration job if I feel so inclined. And as others have mentioned, it is a namesake that is long gone, which ads to its uniqueness. I intend to make a trip up to VT to see the car before I move forward...it's a bit pricey of a trip, but it would be worthwhile to sit down with the current owner (he's 85) and learn more about the car's history. He's been around that car since 1941, and has owned it since "somewhere between the 70's and the 90's."

Got a shot of the "dashboard" in the Reo...pretty cool Flying Cloud Clipper etchings...

Hmm, good point. That's the main thing that's keeping the Buick in the running right now. It's a fully restored, Condition 2 car, the only flaw is that one of the seat buttons is loose, and I can probably get it for about $26k. The REO is 100% original and in good shape, but realistically it does have a few paint chips and "stretch marks" on the hood and windshield corners, because its paint is 85 years old. It's probably more of a "10 foot" Condition 3 car, and it's $16.5k. By that I mean, from 10 feet, it looks flawless. But up close, you can see some blemishes, as you can tell in the video below, and the engine smokes just a wee bit if you rev it too fast. I know more about the REO, and the seller has been EXTREMLY helpful, but I worry a little about the implications of getting an ALL ORIGINAL car that is 85 years old.

Envoy to the Stars is a reference to the Voyager I and II spacecraft. When NASA launched those crafts, they calling them the "Envoy to the Stars" because they were the first craft that they knew would leave our solar system. I used to work for General Electric, where we had the "Missle and Space Vehicle Department" (and I even have the Zippo to prove it, below) developed the radioisotope thermoelectric generators that power the craft. It was launched in 1977 and the generator will give it enough power to run about 50 years without any solar influence through 2025. We're pretty proud of that - the new Mars Rover uses the same type of power plant. Look up the Voyager craft...I feel like anyone who likes old technology and classic American ingenuity will get a kick out of those things. The guidance system is run by an 8-track tape! The car will be hot in the summer, that's for sure...but obviously it's not a daily driver, so I won't bring it out on those 100 degree days! I don't mind a little heat, anyway...I'm used to it by now.

A mix of all options. I mostly just want to be able to drive it around and take it to local shows. I don't plan on touring outside of Houston with it in the near future, at least. Maybe when I get some more vacation time!

Thanks for the insight, everyone. I agree with everyone here that the Model A is not going to make me happy long term, so I have removed that one from the running. I'm getting more pictures from the Reo owner today, I'll give yall more details when I have them! The owner of this Reo has known the car personally since 1941...it was his neighbor's car growing up. He has pictures of himself playing on it when he was a kid. He saw the car in the 70's drivign down the road, flagged down the owner, and bought it. Lots of neat stories with the car and interesting history. I am working on figuring out the history of the Buick. Stay Tuned!

Hello Everyone, This is my first post, and I could use some advice. I am not new to antique cars, but I am new to pre-war cars. I am looking to purchase my first pre-war car within the next few weeks! I am excited about the prospect, but I want to make sure I don't get in over my head. I love the big, long 4 dr sedans of the late 20's. And originally, that's all I considered. I narrowed it down to 2 cars: - 1930 REO Flying Cloud Model 625, Unrestored, Original, 2 Condition. - 1931 Buick Model 857, Restored, 2 Condition. Pictures of the two below. Reo first, then Buick. They loog great, and are in good shape. The Buick's interior is nicer, but it's also restored...the Reo is original but almost perfect. These fit the bill for what I'm looking for. But after talking to some owners, I'm a bit concerned about long term ownership. Parts seem to be quite hard to come by. Since this is my first pre-war car, perhaps something more 'common' like a Model A would be more appropriate? They're a bit smaller which isn't exactly to my liking, but it's not a HUGE deal...plus, I know of one that has been restored, converted to 12 volt, and even has A/C. Picture Below: I'd like some advice from the experts...I am mechanically minded and have no issue working on my own cars, but would I be getting in over my head by starting my pre-war experience with a very uncommon car without much parts availability? Should I start with something 'easier' and more 'common?' Or would the Reo/Buick be a solid choice?