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Well, well, well, from the you're never too old to learn file. I parked our 1915 McLaughlin C25 touring car and we gave it a thorough wash in preparing to give the paint a polishing. After we finished and the car was drying in the gentle breeze my Mrs said would like to learn how to drive the car. I gave her a lesson, mostly the backward gear selection, she started the car, set the spark advance until the engine was purring and drove the touring car slowly into the outbuilding garage next door. Couldn't be more pleased she shares our hobby. Stay well, Gary

Happy use of an antique car Larry and Joyce. I have visited the Piquette factory museum, time has not looked favourably on that part of downtown Detroit. I have a friend who often declares you are welcomed and can go anywhere in a brass era car, as you have shown. BTW, here is my photo when our Buick was invited to a wedding. I know you will have a great time at the Gilmore Pre War show next month, Bev and I will miss it dearly this year because the US/Canada border remains closed except for essential service. Thanks again, Gary

Update my 1913 model 31 rear axle grease leak today. The shop who relined my 1915 McLaughlin brakes does not answer the telephone and though their website is up the shop seems closed. I got another name of another friction shop about three hours away. Kent Fabricators is the name of a large shop in Blenheim who I believe can repair anything, farm equipment, elevators and antique cars. I showed the broken sleeve to a fellow and asked them to source a replacement. He said it could be TIG welded because I needed a temporary repair so I could use the car for a few hundred miles before winter. I checked with a bearing store and was told there was no modern sealed bearing which would work without adapters, so that will be winter work. I am putting the old parts back into service for one more gathering with my car buddies in Chatham, weekend of September 27th. What could possible go wrong with my plan? After much scrubbing and brushing with paint thinners the greasy wheel looks good again. Regards, Gary

Hello Doug; Thanks for the comments and hope events improve for you and Windsor. My mechanic has provided me with many safety inspections and he knows I would not throw him under the bus. Since I am riding in the vehicles I want them to be safe. However, there are only a few items such as lights, steering and brakes, horn, tires etc. which apply. Bev had her first ride in the McLaughlin this afternoon, the spinning oil sight gauge seemed to delight her. She has driven the 1913 Buick but she doesn't like it because I am a nervous passenger.

Interesting issue with my 1915 McLaughlin, the engine would start, run less than a minute and stall. The car has a gravity flow fuel system and the path the fuel line takes was not obvious to me so I had a rubber temporary installed. I thought I had an air dam so I took it out and put in a 5/16th" hard copper line, still not sure the path is correct. Problem persisted. Next was the Marvel carburetor, I removed it and saw a threaded pin which the float/needle pivots on was absent. I can only think it vibrated loose and I lost it. Luckily the missing pivot caused the needle to shut off the fuel flow and not open the carb to fuel. So, over time the carb bowl would fill but not open enough to replace the fuel the engine burned while idling. I had a spare carb and I hated to rob a part from it but I did. I've never had a pin loosen before but there is no thread lock and it is a brass threaded pin in a bronze carb. I used a sharp punch and lightly tapped the joint of the pin and body to lock the threads. I spoke with my " understanding" mechanic to arrange for him to come to my house and perform a Provincially required safety inspection before I can get the McLaughlin licensed for the road. He told me the officials have made things more intolerant and he could not do that anymore. He has to inspect the car in his shop, I will load the car in the trailer and deliver it to him next week. another problem solved. Regards, Gary

When I get advice as adamant as I got from John concerning my new brake linings I have to take it. Thanks John. I already had the 1 3/4" X 3/16"ths woven material and rivets on the shelf and a tool to install them. Here you go, parking brakes are finished. I have shop trying to source a new bearing sleeve before they have to turn one up. Perhaps the Buick will be back and running by Labour Day, fingers crossed. Classic Coachwork's Stan Uher phoned and said he is installing a new top on the 1923 Gray Dort touring car and it looks fabulous. Great work. In another month the car will be finished and on it's way home to northern Manitoba. Hood and fenders are painted, Stan has to fabricate and cover the runningboards in gray linoleum and give it a test drive. Hope to get a ride before the Gray Dort leaves for the West. Two things to look for in the photos, I copied the dark blue colour on my 1915 McLaughlin, with Stan's permission and notice the wings ( or strengthening ribs ) on the top beside the rear window. They are unique to this model and rarely seen on other cars. Regards, Gary

Joe wins. This year at the AACA Grand Nationals in Gettysburg, Pa Cardinal95 won the Zenith Award, second consecutive year Buick was chosen. Here is my photo of Joe's 1958 Buick wagon, taken at Flint, Mi last summer. Congratulations Joe, you deserve it. Stay well, Gary

Problem identified. A sleeve which is pinned to the axle cracked and broke, but was held in place by the housing. At the same time I will have the asbestos brake linings replaced. I drop the parts and the shop sandblasts and powder coats the brake bands, replaces the friction material with modern lining and glues them on. Turnaround time is within a few weeks. Life is good, Gary

"Drive it, break it, fix it, repeat." I have begun to fix my rear axle leak last night by removing the wheels on both sides. Not sure of the problem or the solution yet and I will post the fix it as I go. The rear end was outfitted with modern bearings and seals? before I acquired the Buick. On another note yesterday I visited a good friend who recently bought a curved dash Olds and he did the antique equivalent of tossing me the keys and invited me to take it for a spin. The car was beautiful to look at, black, shiny with well done copious striping, the Olds ran perfectly climbing a short but steep grade. It was the thrill of a lifetime for me because I've wanted one forever but Bev is uncomfortable and says she feels as if she sitting on a park bench high in the air. There is no Oldsmobile in my future. Stay well, Gary

During our drive last weekend my 1913 Buick began leaking oil from the right rear outer axle seal and made a dirty mess of the wheel's spokes and tire. We completed the drive of about 250 miles round trip with the loss of about a half inch of semi fluid grease. No problem, I was reminded of Larry Schramm's saying " Drive it, break it, repair. Repeat." Stay well, Gary

Invited to meet with a small group of friends and drive near London, Ontario. Gary

Driving around Elgin County with a group of friends in seven cars, EMF, Renault roadster, REO, couple of Fords and White. It is very encouraging to have three young adults, including a third year sports medicine student and a Ford engineer working out of Dearborn. Bev and I left the trailer home to save wear and tear and made the 70 mile trip along quiet back roads in our 1913 Buick, one more day and home to isolation. There is talk of another trip with the group in September. All the members of our group are masked up to protect one of our ladies who is a survivor of a particularly nasty cancer. Stay strong, Gary

Part of driving Snapper era vehicles are these banners which are given out during tours. The owner ties them to your car during the event to show you are part of the group and are really works of craftsmanship. They highlight great slogans such as Brass Does the Fruit Belt, which by the way was over a hundred cars and our largest tour or Wheelin' 'Round Woodstock. After the tour the car owner keeps the banner and they are too nice a souvenir to throw out, but then what. I tie them up in my workshop, they age and get dirty and remind me of interesting days. No banners this year, Gary

Yes, Keith, I bought Mr. Forester's 1915 McLaughlin from a Kijiji ad by phone and I was very happy with the condition when I saw the car. Bruce told me he owned the car from 1969 to 2015 when Bev and I acquired it, 45 years. You likely have heard the old joke when someone has owned something for a long time, "just two more payments." My upholsterer told me he plans to restart finishing the car on August 10th. So it is nearly restored. Thanks, Gary

I have a problem with my runningboard covers on my 1939 Buick. The car needs new runningboard mats though no one is reproducing them for the Century, Roadmaster or Limited, just the Special. My solution is to remove the complete boards and send them 2500 miles to a shop which will make a custom set. Cost is over $2000.00 plus tax and shipping, too expensive for my situation. Watching television, a pitch man is promoting a rubber rejuvenator product. So I bought some. Very easy to acquire and use. Wash the boards with soap and water and spread the thick material with a stiff bristle brush, recoat time is one hour so it is very fast as well. Not as fulfilling as new rubber but much nicer than old, cracked, pieces missing boards, and less than $50.00. In the first photo is the start, original mats, then the product and the first light coat and finally after two more medium coats. Total cure time is one day and I think I can keep adding layers if I think it is wise, Gary

I have not driven or even moved our 1939 Buick since Easter and since the record heat wave had moderated into a hot and dry summer we took a 10 mile uneventful test. When we got back and parked outside the sun seemed to strike the car right to record some detail close ups. The paint is dirty and it shows the brightwork is pitted but too nice to spend dollars to replate, IMHO. Good though, the Buick sat unloved and forlorn, five gallons of fresh gas and all is right with the world again. Gary

House painting task completed, next step is to install new soffits. In my model 31 after I finished adjusting the clearance in the bearings and a short road test the engine would bog down on acceleration, idle, starting and cruising were good though. I have two Bosch magnetos so I swapped one for the other. The point gap was 0.016 and one side was nearly flush with the locking nut and the other was gapped at 0.020 and the platinum points appear stouter. Since the mags are the same make and model and I have changed them often I am able to make the swap in ten minutes. Last fall during the Lansing to Dearborn Endurance Run the Buick developed a high speed miss and I pulled into someone's laneway to take one off and put the other on. It is not as hot as the weatherman said it would be today and the car needed another road test so I collected my Mrs., she really enjoys riding in the '13 Buick. Engine performance is smooth in all conditions and I declare the car ready for it's next adventure. Stay well. Gary

I can picture you and Harold talking since you are both engineers, when he and I conversed he would be patiently explaining a concept and I would try to follow along. Hope all is well, Gary

Private message sent.

It is good when a plan comes together. I finished inspecting and adjusting the main and rod bearings of my model 31this afternoon and the engine started on the second pull of the hand crank. The engine seems quieter, I thought I could hear some bottom end noise before. The crank is stiffer, more resistance to spinning and I now have 0.002" clearance in each bearing as measured with Plastigage. I also found the plug on the bottom of the oil pump leaking oil, I acquired a new copper crush ring, installed and tightened it, less oil on the ground is good. I installed new locking nuts for the rods, often the rods are secured with castellated nuts with cotter pins, this may be an upgrade. Don't know. I have two Buick Special sparkplugs and I compared the reach to the Champion 44's I am using, the electrode is about in the same location. In the photos, I took a picture of the engine running, see the fan is blurry and a view from the back tonneau and what the driver would see. Next weekend our local car club is visiting a nursing home parking lot and soon the Fleetwood Country Cruise is back and will be an actual cruise instead of a car show. Stay well, Gary

Could be a throwback to the good old days when a few close friends get together before organized events. This afternoon I answered the phone and it was an invitation to join a tour of relaxed driving involving a few cars for a weekend. Happy to be invited anywhere, I said yes. Here are photos of the cars coming. a 1909 EMF, 1913 White, 1912 Ford, our Buick and a 1907 Darracq. Regards, Gary

Have not mentioned it lately, corona virus is changing everything. Today would have been the first day we would have had more than 50 brass era cars running around Chatham, On for five days of touring. The weather is nearly perfect this week, upper 80's F. and dry, calm breezes. Our area has been mostly spared from the virus except for big agrabusiness greenhouses, however we are in stage 2, which means no more than 10 people together and restaurants are open to outdoor patio only. My neighbour gave me a haircut in her backyard, my first since March. The Snapper's have postponed our meet until next summer, the AACA Vintage Tour have announced plans for the second week of July in the Lock Haven, Pa and I am thinking Chatham first or second week in August. Our last event in 2020 has been cancelled, the Old Car Festival in Dearborn, Mi has been a highlight for antique cars for 70 years. Hope it comes back, we need a vaccine before we can put this behind us. Stay positive, Gary

The tropical heat wave has a few more days before a short cooling off and I thought you might enjoy a view of the bottom end of the mighty 4X4", 201 cu. in. 30 HP Buick engine. A few interesting technical oddities make this unlike most Buick engines, aluminum crankcase is common but the crankshaft enters from the rear, it is called a barrel crankcase. The front main bearing is 4" long and poured babbit in one piece, a tube, then machined in place, the rear main bearing is installed from the rear too. The engine is a dry sump and a total loss engine oiling system, in one of the photos of the front main bearing the gear to the right powers the oil pump. It is a plunger pump which lifts one drop of oil at a time and drips in a sight gauge on the dashboard before returning to the center main bearing and is then splashed throughout the crankcase. The oil pump is adjustable, the owner decides how many drips per mile the engine receives. Too much oil in the crankcase results in smoke and carbon build up, though there are four taps. one for each connecting rod, to set the correct level. The valve parts are oiled manually before starting the engine and the timing gears are in a separate gear case at the front of the engine and are lubed with gear oil, not connected with the crankcase. So far all the components check out sound. Gary

One and two cylinder vehicles are special and I agree the REO and Buick are the best, I do not have one. The fours are smoother and more comfortable, when I do manage to catch a ride I feel the firing of each cylinder in the neck. The four cylinder cars have more horsepower so they have larger bodies and wheels. However, great events like the London to Brighton, Lansing to Dearborn Endurance Run or the New London require a one or two car and the guys who run them are wonderful friends. Regards, Gary

Happy Independence Day tomorrow, we had Canada Day Wednesday, Bev and I had a quiet picnic lunch by the side of Lake Erie and another couple arrived in a Ford rag top. When I joined the early car hobby there was a fellow named Harold Sharon with tips and advice which I still follow. With the current heat wave in Southern Ontario raging I am going to use the time to inspect my crankshaft and connecting rod bearings while the 1913 Buick's engine is resting in an air conditioned garage. Mr. Sharon preached inspect and repair the car at home and do not wait for it to leave you stranded on tour. My dad used to implore my brother to not take thing apart, leave them alone, " if it ain't broke, don't fix it ", he was mistaken. I recommend you purchase a copy of Harold Sharon's fine book " Understanding your Brass Car." It's a peach. I am also taking this lockdown as time to replace my homes soffit, fascia and eavestroughs. Luckily the house is a single story and I can work off a stepladder, I start in the morning and quit when it gets too hot. No hurry. Stay strong, Gary