Real Steel

So some guy stops off at a Pep-Boys store and buys a can of paint stripper to remove that pesky old faded original factory paint from his '37 Cord...

The front of the can has a "WARNING- Harmful If Swallowed..." statement, so its not old. In the old days, people just didn't drink that sh**. They had more sense than people today.

I always have my car serviced at the dealer because their work is so impressive, and it's such a great deal. - Said no one ever.

WD-40 turns to a sticky goo in short order. I wont allow it anywhere near my equipment. When I was working in the aircraft repair industry my boss threatened immediate termination if hes saw someone bring it in. To me, WD-40 has always been a product in search of a 'market' (a man without a country if you will). One thing that WD-40 does very well...its their marketing department: they make up 'uses' for it, and the public keeps eating it up.

If you feel compelled to put something on the steel to stop rust, spray it with mineral oil. It's harmless to paint, it stops rust for a long time, and it can be removed at a later date if so desired. Mineral oil is commonly used to treat machining equipment and tools (like Starrett Instrument Oil). This stuff is so safe, it's repackaged as 'Baby Oil'. I know what your thinking at this point...no, that's not rust on a baby's bottom...

Do as Antiques Roadshow, and American Pickers, and the folks on this forum, and many others recommend: leave it alone and enjoy it. I love old trucks with a 'patina' finish...they just belong together! Here's mine-

The tool on the left looks like the tool shown in post #1, except the grease cup has been replaced with a Zerk fitting.

I've solved this by buying excellent used compression testers on eBay. I buy only vintage American-made quality testers. Yes, American tools...you know...they were made for American cars. The price of a used tester is frequently so low, that even if it doesn't work out, its no big deal. Concerned about accuracy? You should be because there can be significant variation from one compression tester to another. This is just as true with new gauges and well as older gauges. Its best to check your gauge with a known source if you can; a NIST-traceable calibrated source would be even better. The biggest failure of the older compression testers is the check valves, most notably, the seals on the check valves. It's best to buy a gauge that requires that you only need to change the Schrader valves in order to fix the problem, then done. Not all gauges can be fixed this way...watch what you buy.

The tool has an internal passage from the grease cup to the wedge. As it sits right now, the cup can still be turned down several more turns to move the grease along.

That's correct, the wedge is drilled for grease to exit.

This lonely and unwanted 100 year old car tool followed me home. It sat there on eBay, embarrassingly cheap, and no takers. It even came with a fragmented original box top. Honestly, what else could I do? ! It literally looks unused since there are no contact marks at the wedged tip. There was a little bit of black grease in the cup and along the grease path, and it had the consistency of un-aged NLGI-3 grease. There is almost NOTHING on-line about this particular tool. I can find it mentioned in auto trade publications in 1915 and 1917, but that's it. Does someone have one, or maybe has seen one ? I'm curious how common this tool is now, and was 100 years ago.

...that would be me! LOL So, how much for the vintage green mud?

I believe that's a NLGI 0.

There are many ash trays on eBay, but few sellers list the sizes. It took almost an hour of searching to find three good candidates, then I asked them for the dimensions. I prefer aluminum, but the one I chose was pewter...it does have a vintage look and its very easy to work with.

Hi Steve. I made it from this:

Yes to having one. I've put them on all my vintage cars after an electrical fire in my 1929 Hudson coupe many years ago. I just mounted another one. This time, instead of hiding it, I made it a feature! The only thing that was modified was the after-market wood floor board. The actual switch is attached to an existing hole in the frame cross member.

There are so many things to consider about older daily drivers, that it's hard to cover everything in a format such as this. Let no one ever tell you that cars (or any machines) are unreliable due to age. NO! They become unreliable due to poor maintenance. Anyone who says otherwise, clearly understands nothing about machines. If 'age' was to blame, you would never see vintage airplanes in the air. Lastly, here is a photo of my lowly daily driver. Just a 1930 Model A. I've used many other types of vintage cars as daily drivers (Hudson, Cadillac, Dodge Brothers, and more). Now I need to simplify and economize, and the 'A' accomplishes that very well.

Okay, Freud may be involved a little bit here, but his push was to blame everything on sex. So is Freud affecting AntiqueCraftsman more, or me more?

You have a deeply rooted condition brought about by your medical condition and age. You see yourself as not getting enough help to be rescued from your current health situation. Your reaction is to rescue those helpless sickly cars that don't have someone caring for them. In the back of your mind you're hoping that, after you pass on, society will recognize your vintage car collection and move in to rescue them, thereby fulfilling your last wishes. Is there a cure? First ask, "should this be cured"? Saving old cars is not a bad thing, especially in the eyes of the folks on this forum. The first step towards a cure (if one is needed) is the recognition, or self-awareness if you will, that what I described may well be your inner-most thoughts. When you come to terms with what you're actually thinking and doing, then no further action or 'cure' is needed, because you're now in control of your situation, not the other way around, OR, it's just a case a car-sickness with a double helping of patina. Yeah.

What rust? That's personality and history! Leave it alone, it looks great and draws a crowd. Look at that super rare California Top! Do only enough to make it safe, reliable, and comfortable. Restore it?...it would be lost in an ocean or restored cars. Original driving cars...they're rare baby, rare.

McKee Glass Company (headlight glass), circa 1920s/1930s, used 'McK' as their identifier. Although, its hard to see the connection between a glass company and a metal working company.

A fantastic piece, I love it! I hope you uncover the history for all of us to enjoy and learn from.

Dear Santa, please bring me that patina Packard and I'll be very good.