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This is my selection from the OCF. Gary

Visiting the Old Car Festival at Greenfield Village of the Henry Ford in Dearborn, Mi. Beautiful weather has the public clicking the turnstiles, spectators everywhere and people are asking intelligent questions. I managed to catch a ride in a fast two cylinder Maytag, designed and built by the Duesenberg brothers and a 1909 EMF (Every Mechanics friend). One more day, Sunday, to savour the 800 pre 1932 vehicles without modified or hotrods. Since it is a festival rather than a car show under hood problems are studied like in the photo I snapped of this Buick. Regards, Gary

There is an interesting blog on the model t ford forums from a man ( Jeff ) driving alone in a 1915 Ford from Kansas to attend the OCF. He left home Aug 29th to be in Dearborn by Sept. 5th, stopped by a friends for an oil change and made other roadside repairs. Many photos of rural America. Ron; last year I think you had 2 Kissel Kars on the Green? In the photos are my car with some OCF regalia, a Lansing to Dearborn pennant and a decal from Henry Ford which dates back to the 60's. I first saw this Buick, which I later bought and take care of, at the OCF in the early 90's. My wife says this is her favourite car event and if we just went to 1 thing it would be the OCF. Regards, Gary

Labour Day weekend is nearly over with just a BBQ to go and now is the time to plan a trip to the Old Car Festival (OCF). Not as prestigious as Pebble Beach, the OCF does not have an auction and not as early as the London to Brighton Run in England, 1928, the OCF is not to be missed for believers of the 1933 and earlier cars and without hot rods. Since it is a festival over 800 vehicles will be cruising, playing car games, visiting with historians, dancing in the street with a live orchestra, a gas lamp parade in the evening and visiting friends. Below are some general photos from recent OCFs. Rolls Royce, Doble steam car playing up, 1929 Chevrolet with a limousine type body, The Henry Ford's own Sweepstakes race car, young lass piloting a Columbus electric, Same Day Response and a mom and daughter in a Hupp are mine, feel free to add your photos of the event. Gary

Another milestone restoring a 1915 McLaughlin C25 was passed today. I installed the last fender, bolted everything up tight and added the runningboard trim. Looks like a car again after I gave it a sponge bath in the driveway. All the flat sections of the fenders have been wet sanded with 1000 grit, next will be finer and finer sand paper until I machine compound then hand polish until everything is beautiful again. Spoke with my "friendly" mechanic who will hopefully issue a provincially required safety inspection so I can attach antique auto license plates. The safety inspection was changed a few years ago and is much more stringent now, my car, however, only has a few safety items like steering, brakes and lights to check. Also when Bev and I were visiting Flint and Back to the Bricks we met an upholsterer who I believe I can talk into helping me finish this project. There is a light at the end of the tunnel, hope it is not a train. Regards, Gary

Genevieve, 1953 British film with actual footage from the London to Brighton run is my favourite. A line from the movie is when two ladies are talking and one says Ambrose only cares about that silly old car and the other thing. Wendy says "what is the other thing, oh, Alan only cares about the car." There is a scene which still plays out, after the run there is a dinner dance and the men are talking about carburetors and self generating lamps and their wives look on in sheer boredom. Many more funny scenes, Gary

Returned home late Sunday afternoon from a pre war car weekend thanks to the Antique and Classic Car Club of Canada, A4C's, with a positive outlook for usefulness of early cars. There were no children on tour however there were young adults participating or driving their own car and are proud of their cars. I estimate at least half or maybe more had jobs and were too young to retire. I call BS on the theory people are only interested in cars from their youth. The A4C's host 3 pre war weekends per year in Ontario, the AACA Vintage Tour, the Gilmore Museum has a pre war weekend in Mi and the Old Car Festival (OCF) in Dearborn is in less than two weeks, these are the good old days for early vehicles. In the photos are our hosts Buicknutty, entertaining the group at his home after a welcoming BBQ. The second, as I traveled past 7 foot tall corn I stopped to get this photo of our 1939 Buick. See how the light separates the roof of the car from the dark background and the corn from the other side of the road is reflected in the center of the doors. This was the first time we used this car for an overnight trip and it performed well and without incident. We were in great Buick company since there was a '32 McLaughlin 67S; 2 limousines, '37 and '41 series 90's; '40 Special coupe and a '41 McLaughlin Roadmaster coupe. Also a 1914 B55 and 1916 D45, and Studebaker, Plymouth, Nash and others. When at the OCF look me up, Gary

Here are my photos from todays pre war tour in Ontario. After supper I asked the driver of the big 6 1914 Buick b55 if he would give me a ride in his car and before he could start the engine he had a car load of guys. With the cool dusk air blowing we felt the torque of the 55 HP engine and everyone of us enjoyed the experience. Life is grand. Regards, Gary

Our first overnight trip with the "39 Century is to a pre war weekend hosted by the Antique and Classic Car Club of Canada (A4C's) and forum member Keith, Buicknutty. It is a trip of 100 miles from our house along two lane roads, but I have a map showing various cruising routes aimed at motorcycle riders because it is water resistant. Should be more interesting with great views of Lake Erie. In the photo is the trunk packed for two adults for two nights and includes a small took kit and lawn chairs. Regards, Gary

Bev and I last Saturday in Flint, Mi. Back to the Bricks. The Buicktown Chapter of the BCA posed every Buick which attended the Buicks on the Brick exhibit in front of the original Durant Dort Carriage Co building for a photograph. Next event for this Buick is the Old Car Festival in Dearborn, Mi after Labour Day. Regards, Gary

A part of having a Snapper's car is giving rides, something I know does not happen in other vintages of the car hobby. This is the first time however I have ever gotten a thank you note via email. "We did not properly thank you after your hubby took us and our granddaughter for a ride in your beautiful vehicle in our village of Bath recently. It was such a lovely and generous gesture on your part. The Horseless Carriage Club of America coming to Bath was a unique and special event for us. We hope you had pleasant time during your visit to Kingston." We did indeed and your welcome, Gary

Just got home in light rain from Flint and Back to the Bricks, thanks to Buicktown chapter of the Buick Club of America, Bev and I had a great time. Mostly people caught my interest, my friends Mr Chevrolet, Pinky Randall and Joyce in front of their 1914 Chevrolet light 6, a fellow dressed in WW2 garb, a procession of veterans and there were cars too. Thanks again Buick Club of America for the invitation, we had a great time Saturday. Regards, Gary

After five days of driving with the HCCA I had to degrease under the bonnet and try to get the 1913 Buick clean to go on display at a cruise in Flint, Mi this Saturday called Back to the Bricks. In the first photo is the mighty 201 cu in. (3.3 l) 32 hp engine, Buick built this engine for three years, 1911 to 1913. The second photo is after a liberal hosing down with Spray Nine, rinsed with copious amounts of water and blow dry with compressed air followed by new oil for the rocker arms and valve guides. Walter Marr, Buick's chief engineer invented the overhead valve engine. The third photo is my Air Friction carburetor, though not original to the engine, works well and is simple enough for me to understand. I have the correct Schebler carb but it is not consistent, sometimes the carby will go to very rich mixture and blow black smoke everywhere. Embarrassing. In the fourth photo is some oil staining on the felloe of my right rear wheel and that means, likely, a leaking axle seal. Finally my car carries the monogram of Mary Ellen Carter (mec) it is a folk song about a fishing boat with a great story, please look it up on Wikipedia. Regards, Gary

Loaded the 1939 Century for a day at the Bothwell, On car show. Arrived early, paid $10.00 entry fee, parked and unfolded lawn chairs, we we're set for the activities. A middle aged man approached my wife and I and declared his love for a '39 Imperial sedan. I gave him the whole tour of our car and he said he especially liked our side mounted spare tires and wished he had that option on his Chrysler. He also thought our dynaflash engine looked more interesting than his spitfire straight 8. I then went over and viewed his Imperial, I coveted his beautiful, crack free, ivory steering wheel. Why should Buick wheels be so poor? His car had a standard overdrive transmission and he explained the operation to me. I didn't ask but I think most overdrive cars have very slow rear axle ratios and my faster ratio likely gave me similar engine speed as his car while cruising. I noted his Chrysler was outfitted with radial tires and he told me he drove about 80 miles down the freeway to be at the show, Bev and I came about 35 miles on old bias ply tires. The first two pictures are my car at the show and then his, followed by as many general photos as are allowed. BTW I informed him of a pre war car weekend later in August so we may see him again. Hope so, good guy. Regards, Gary

Sometimes my 1939 Century clutch will not disengage. A mechanic friend of mine has a shop which is now closed because he retired but he offered some help with the clutch problem. He adjusted the linkage to get the maximum push, made sure the throw out bearing was not contacting the forks, and I was helping him the whole time. It is not the kind of shop where you talk to a service writer, fill out a work order and wait in the showroom. He also found a rear brake issue and we repaired that as well, we adjusted the brakes for best effect. Might have saved a life. The '39 is driving better than ever, so far the clutch is working perfectly. Today Bev and I are driving across the county to a mega car show at Bothwell, On, next weekend we are going over to Flint, Mi for Back to the Bricks, then a pre war car weekend in Simcoe, On, next a car show in Essex, On where I plan to have the 1915 McLaughlin on display for the first time and finally the Old Car Festival in Dearborn, Mi with our 1913 Buick. Life is grand. Gary

Thanks for the photos from the Vintage Tour. Glad the Buick performed well, see you in Flint. Today, Saturday, we are off to Bothwell, On for a huge car show with a swap meet. Gary

I am restoring the same car, 1915 C25. Please let us know where you live and if you mean to say the fastener on the left of your photo, it should unscrew, coarse thread fairly robust. Here is a picture of one of my problems, loose rivets for the backing plate, also the point where the rear axle torsion rod attaches to the frame had loose rivets. Modern brake linings are available and without asbestos. Regards, Gary

Thanks, Bob, for the post. We have many friends touring in Kingston, lovely place to drive antique cars. Hope all goes well. Please send more. Gary

First test drive. I bought this 1915 McLaughlin as a last run in 1991 from a McLaughlin Buick club director four years ago. I've run the engine before but this is the first time using the clutch, managed to get the car into second gear before I ran out of street. The engine ran cool and smooth, seems to have a wide ratio gearbox or faster axle than I am used to. Overall happy consumer and using the original Marvel carb, too. Regards, Gary

A week before our trip to Kingston, On I dropped a large filling in one of my teeth. Luckily for me there was no bleeding or pain but the dentist said it was too far gone for a filling and I needed a crown. Two weeks of eating soft food then yesterday, the dentist, hygienist and I began the procedure. It wasn't very painful so yesterday I finished installing new glass for the windshield in the '15 McLaughlin, and picked up the right front fender from the restoration shop. They made a new skirt, sanded the fender down with 80 grit and sprayed it with epoxy primer, ready for me to finish and paint. I did not feel up to starting the last fender today so I began to fabricate a metal plate for the floor which is missing. Many people say car restoring is too expensive and a person should buy the best car they can afford. I say it is expensive, maybe more than if I could buy one, except every part of this job satisfies me and the car looks just right to my eyes. Bev and I registered for an Aug 23, 24 and 25th pre war tour in Simcoe, On we learned of while we were at the HCCA tour in Kingston. Not this car however but soon. Regards, Gary

On last weeks HCCA/AACA tour in Kingston, On we had three Model 31 touring cars on tour. All three performed well and finished five days of driving city streets and county roads, including a gas light parade. Regards, Gary

One more post from the HCCA/AACA Kingston tour. We had the wrap up banquet last night after 5 days of pre '16 touring and the hosts had a 12 year old boy welcome the guests to the dinner and a young lady from a different family gave the blessing. A student from McPherson College gave a short talk on school life. No awards, trophies or other boring programs. Short and adorable. Regards, Gary

Day five is over except for the wrap up dinner at this hotel. About 30 miles today driving around Kingston, visited an old folks home, a few museums and put the 65 cars on display downtown in Market Square while everyone found a restaurant for lunch. We had lunch with Joe and Lynn Konarowski, ( Joe from Canada) they are hosting the AACA Vintage Tour out of the same hotel as this meet in two weeks with 40 cars ranging from 1907 to 1931. One Locomobile was out with an electrical fault, one of the 1912 Buick model 35 had their muffler fail and long story short one of the 1913 model 31s had a steering wheel rim come apart. The rim was taped up and finished the drive. Likely many of the cars had parts wired together to complete the tour that I do not know about. The first photo is a resident of the retirement home. The second is all three Model 31 Buicks posed together for the first time in five days of trying. Enjoyed our trip to the HCCA/AACA Kicking it up in Kingston tour. Next year the Southern Ontario/ North Jersey HCCA annual meet will be in Belfast, Maine starting the week of July 19th. Bev and I are hosting the AACA Snappers in Chatham, On for five days starting the week of July 12th. Regards, Gary

Finished day four and a few interesting items. We were on a boat trip through the 1000 Islands and the sky and radar said there is going to be an unforecasted rain shower or thunderstorm. Out of 60 cars, only 6 decided to wait for the rain to pass. I was one and we had a nice coffee break with another couple, drove back to Kingston on drying roads, missed the stop and go rush hour traffic. Got back to the hotel at 6PM and heard everyone got wet. That would be 90% of the drivers thought they could beat the rain? There is a nice mixture of cars, 7 Buicks second most popular after Ford, 4 big Locomobiles, '14 Cadillac, '13 Stephen Duryea and a Columbia were the large powerful cars. Mid sized cars include 2 REOs, '14 Overland, EMF, '10 Cadillac and small cars included 2, 2 cylinder REOs, '05 Northern and an '07 Cadillac. Also there are 4 professional car restorers here and on tour and they are all helpful sorting out problems and keeping the cars on the road and having fun. Todays photo is my 1913 Buick at one the stops. Regards, Gary

Day three was a wow. We all visited the town of Bath, On and had three stops before lunch at a luxury golf coarse, but because the stops were small we broke into three groups. Antique cars driving everywhere and in all directions, smiling, waving buzzing horns many visitors in town to talk to. All of the Buicks still running and getting stronger. Todays photos are 2 1912 Model 35 touring cars in beautiful trophy winning condition and at lunch 4 Buicks in a row, 2 model 31, a C37 and a Model 35. Tonight, it's 9:30 PM and the group is out on a gaslight parade. Regards, Gary