pmhowe

Thanks, Cutlasguy, for taking the time to take the pictures and post them. Much appreciated.

Absolutely beautiful. Thanks for posting. And, yes, I can find room in my garage for one, even if I have to kick the two current cars, the lawnmower, and the weedeater out.

What an impressive car! How did that compare with the contemporary Pierces and Packards - I know the old comments about the "Three Ps". but how did they differ?

Grimy, and Wayne, I’m intrigued by your comments regarding the smoothness of the exhaust. My own experience is that a rich mixture will give a less smooth idle, with a burbling sound. Adjusting the mixture of an otherwise well-tuned car always led to a nice smooth idle. Can you describe further the noise associated with bad valves? (On occasion, of course, I have been accused of “having that famous Cadillac whispering exhaust” - or words to that effect - but that required an entirely different technical solution - and that’s a different story. Thanks

George, It looks like it was a great show. Thanks for taking the time to take and post all the pictures. I'll make a small effort to return the favor: Below is a picture I took last year at the spring AACA meet held in Melbourne, FL. I'm sure you will recognize the car.

I did a search on Google;, looking for more information, but didn't find any. As a resident of Marlton, do you have access to local historical information that can tell us more? It would be fun to see some pictures, and the AACA and the Society of Automotive Engineers would each probably be thrilled to add some data to their archives. And, of course, I 'd like to see some body pictures. I'm thinking slinky coupes.:)

I was in a consignment shop today, and saw this interesting advertisement hanging on a wall. The Marlton Motor Company is another one I never heard of. I thought some of you might find it interesting.

If I were looking at the car with the intention of buying, I would want to chase the compression issue to ground, or use it as a bargaining chip in the purchase discussions. If it were my new car, I would be pleased with the fact that the compression is uniform across all cylinders, and I would be pleased with the fact that, once running - hot or cold - the engine runs well with no excessive noise, no smoke, and very smoothly (with lot’s of power? - you didn’t say). To me, the lack of variability of compression between cylinders is more important than the absolute value, and is good news. I would put my focus on sorting out the hard starting (only when cold) problem, and worry measured absolute compression later. I have a 1928 Packard (just the little six). It has the usual vacuum tank and updraft carburetor. I always close the petcock below the vacuum tank after driving the car, as I know the gas will leak out of the carburetor over time. When the car is cold - i.e, the car has sat for a while, I have to be patient for the carburetor to refill. If I don’t, it refuses to start. Period. I guess what I am suggesting is that the starting issue is not necessarily connected with the potential compression issue, and I would address the starting issue first. Good luck with it. Please post how you make out.

Years ago I had a 1928 Hudson. I'm guessing it is very similar to your Essex. It had a Motometer which always read in the operating zone when the engine was totally warmed up. I assumed that the temperature of the coolant was always hotter than what the Motometer indicated, as the coolant level was always lower than the Motometer probe. However, the car never boiled over, and I operated under the belief that the engine temperature was just where it should be. If I saw 220 F on the block (and not on an exhaust manifold) I would look for a plugged or partially plugged water passage. With a clean engine without clogged water passage, my rule of thumb is that, if it doesn’t boil over or belch large quantities of coolant, it is functioning properly. I’ll be interested to read others’ experience.

According to Steve Moskowitz, as posted Aug 29, 2022 "The current rule for AACA is that any UL Approved fire extinguisher is acceptable. The last I heard the Element does not fit the criteria to be UL approved but they were working on a solution." This was in a discussion of Element brand fire extinguishers, which are reputed to be good for car fires.

I find it fascinating to see how seating space priorities have changed. Most cars of the 1920s and early 1930s have spacious rear seating leg room, while front seating is a close fit. The modern cars I am used to have just the opposite: The premium is on front seat leg room, and the rear seat passengers suffer. Works for me. But I still relish squeezing into the front seat of a pre-war car, sitting in an upright position, and gently working through the gears (double clutching - up and down), and taking it for a spin.

A beautiful job on the entire car! The upholstery really turned out well. I especially like the embossed "DB" on the door pocket flaps.

You can easily spend a day in Los Alamos. There is the Bradbury Science Museum, The Los Alamos Historical Museum, and Bathtub Row houses to see. There is also nearby Bandolier National Monument. If you are sick of seeing desert, drive from Los Alamos up into the caldera, where you will see lots of evergreens and aspen - and probably some elk, and drive past the Valle Grande - a large and scenic open valley in the caldera. You can continue on a loop through Jemez Springs and Jemez Pueblo, finally coming back to I25 where you can return to Santa Fe or Albuquerque. Just after driving through Jemez Springs, you can take a short side ride to see the Gilman Tunnels -two short tunnels cut through rocks by the Santa Fe RR in the early 1900s. They are all worth seeing.

My first operation would be to disconnect the battery, then remove the cover to the generator. If there is a lot of solder scattered about, you need the generator repaired. If there is negligible solder scattered about the generator is still probably OK and you need to replace the cutout and regulator. Also, I'd carefully examine the cutout/regulator. I'll bet the points were stuck together.

Yes, that is true. But for old cars, ABear's points are valid. (Pun intended.)

Gary, thanks. I'd like one of each - but I would prefer the one with the apostrophe in front.

I think the Pierce 66 had the largest engine.

I once read that - for part of the early twentieth century - a number of states/cities made it illegal to enter the car from the driver' side. Unfortunately, I don't recall the source. It seems plausible, as many cars had their door locks on the passenger side, even into the late 'twenties. Included is a picture of a 1928 Packard that has the door lock on the passenger's side (picture from web). Note that an already tight entrance from the driver's side would be exacerbated if the parking brake had been properly set. Entrance/exit would be facilitated from the passenger side by placing the gearshift in either reverse or second gear. My questions: If true when and where were there such laws? How long did they last? Phil

Wow, this sounds great! But wait a second - I missed noticing which car you drove. Since you were hard at work on '50s and '60s cars, I guess you drove a '20s or '30s car to capture a real thrill. That would make the steaks, shrimp and asparagus taste much better. The Pinot Noir and single malt, of course, would go well with any antique car. At any rate. please share a picture of the run.:)

Great gift. Happy birthday! And thanks for sharing.

"The trick is to live long enough and stay healthy and wealthy enough to enjoy the windfalls when they occur. I'm ready for a $10k 12 cyl. Packard,,," I totally agree. I am going to grab the first $10k well-sorted 12 cylinder Packard I see. Plan B, of course, is to buy an occasional lottery ticket.

Seeing that car almost makes me cry! What a neat car it once was.

That is fascinating. Can you post a few more pictures, especially of the back? It looks like there are only wires connecting to the back. Presumably, one wire (or one wire pair) was provided to backlight the red/green/yellow window. You say parts are missing. Was there also a tube connection? Do you have a picture of it as mounted on your Dodge?

JSD, Private msg sent.

Not to date myself, or anything, but is there a can for nickel, as well?