George Cole

Completely illegible. All I can see is black bars.

Anyone thinking of replacing a trailer better check prices. The price of a new ones has increased 50-100% in less than a year...which will drive up prices of used ones as well. I guess part of it is costs of materials have increased...a sheet of 3/4-inch plywood is now approaching $100.

1895 Duryea Ad 1896 Winton Ad 1897 Haynes Ad 1898 Winton Ad 1899 Autocar Ad

1888 Motorwagen Ad.

Ed, FL DMV will accept a serial number check done by a DMV rep, dealer, or cop in another state. At least they did for me with a bike I purchased in MN. And in reverse, PA accepted a serial number verification by a Cocoa Beach cop to clear up a title problem with a car I bought there and had already brought to FL. But again, this is all in Breeeevard County where our DMV reps seem to be more cooperative than what you're dealing with.

The ads I've found are in hard copy books of vintage advertisements, published within the past 20 years or so. All have copywrite protection statements. One says: "All rights reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or used in any forms by any means - graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying or storage and retrieval systems - without written permission from the copywrite holder." That's enough for me to believe I should not be wantonly copying them here from that source. Regards, George

I've now found some ads dated to 1888 but will not copy-paste them here due to concerns of copywrite infringement.

The first known car advertisement appeared in an 1898 edition of Scientific American. Titled: Dispense with the Horse, the Winton Motor Carriage Company stated the hydrocarbon engine produced no odors or vibration, and cost about 1/2 cent a mile to operate.

David, the pleasure was all mine/ours. My wife and I thoroughly enjoyed the time we spent visiting with you. Thank you for opening your garage and cars for us. It was an honor signing your garage door. We had spent the previous week in NC-TN riding The Tail of the Dragon, and doing other touristy stuff. The dog leg on the way home to FL for the opportunity to meet you and see your cars was well worth it. Regards, George

When did cars transition from running board luggage carriers to rear mounted external trunks? Thanks, George

I spent a couple of hours in the Revs Institute Museum in Naples, FL, this past weekend. The 150+ cars on display are billed as one of the finest personal collection in the world. Perhaps...but not to me. It was very heavily flavored toward foreign race cars, with a large Porsche contingent. There were some American makes displayed, but they were in the minority. There were perhaps a dozen or so U.S. significant antique cars, including a Duesenberg, a couple of full-classic Packard, and a Pierce Arrow. One of the original Corvette Grand Sports is on on display. The shop tour is worth the additional ticket cost for a behind-the-scenes look. I was surprised to hear the docent tour guide say they paint antique cars with the same methods which were used 100 years ago, including brush application, waiting up to 18 days for the varnish to dry, and hand-rubbing to get the final finish. I got bit by their no-flash photography policy. For some reason I couldn't get the flash turned off on my SLR Canon 50D, so thought I'd try to take a few pictures with it anyways. Within seconds of the first flash, I was reminded of the policy and directed to take non-flash pictures. As usual, taking pictures with my not-so-trusty phone resulted in very blurry pictures. They looked okay on the tiny phone screen, but when I downloaded them on my PC at home, I was disappointed with the lack of clarity. Museum tours are by on-line ticket sales only. There were 9 people in my tour group. Was it worth the visit? Yes. Will I go back? Probably not. Here's the web site for anyone contemplating a visit. https://revsinstitute.org/

No. I don't believe there was a thermostat.

There should be a gasket between the head and the gooseneck. You can make one out of gasket material, and put gasket sealant on both sides as you install it.

Hi Herman. I sent you a personal message about the radiator hose and head bolt. Perhaps if you post pictures of your headlight measurement, someone else may be able to help. Regards, George Cole

This was one of the 5 Captain America bikes used in the movie 'Easy Rider.' It is documented with 4 provenances to be the original bike from the movie which was burned in the last scene. The other 4 Captain America bikes used in the movie were stolen and to date have never surfaced. The burned carcass was eventually turned over to Dan Haggerty, who restored it to it's operable movie condition. This documented original bike was expected to bring at least $500k at the auction. The auctioneer tried opening the bid at $2 million and got no takers, eventually getting an opening bid of $100k. The final hammer came down at $255k. It's likely this bike is worth much more than a copy which sold for $1.3m (yes, million,) not too long ago. Either the market has gone way soft, or the right people weren't aware of the sale. Again, it's only worth what someone is willing to pay for it at the time. But if the new owner is going to flip it, I suspect (s)he will get a return on their investment many-fold. https://www.proxibid.com/Collector-Cars/Collector-Motorcycles/1952-Harley-Davidson-Captain-America-Crash-Bike-Motorcycle/lotInformation/61691950

I'm really kicking myself that I wasn't in a position to make a move on them. They both appear to be outstanding cars in different ways. I would love to have the pair sitting side-by-side in my garage. According to the auctioneer, this was a court-ordered sale from the Granger estate, so no reserves. Apparently the estate was either in probate court, or the will was contested and being settled in court. Regardless, it was an opportunity to pick up several rare and desirable cars at entry-level prices. I haven't even mentioned what was perhaps the best deal of the day...the original Captain America bike from the last scene in the movie 'Easy Rider,' where it was burned.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe they were originally brush painted at the factory. That includes the bodies, which were left to dry for a couple of weeks, and then hand-rubbed to a gloss finish.

Sold for $28.5k. Needed some work but overall a LOT of potential. According to the auctioneer, the engine turned over and fired, but wouldn't stay running. This was the case with many of the vehicles from the same collection. My guess would be old gas, gummed up carb, etc. At least some of the cars (including this one,) had evidence of smoke damage. They said they had been involved in a warehouse fire sometime in the past. They had a restoration shop clean up the cars, buff the paint, etc. Fire couldn't have been too bad as there was no evidence of burning or scorching, and soft tops and interiors were all intact. https://live.proxibid.com/BidderWeb/main.do?auctionId=201078&wo=false#

I was drooling over it and am kicking myself that I didn't jump into the fray with it, and the 1929 Packard roadster which also went cheap.

Classic example of something being worth what someone is willing to pay at the time. There were 4 bidders who wanted it The bidding bounced back and forth between them.

The auctioneer said the late owner paid $330k for it.

The phaeton sold for $310k.

A 3/8" stainless steel fender washer will work. ACE Hardware has them in various outside diameters.

AAA Premier + RV + Motorcycle for many years. Never used them. AAA Classic: white card. 5 mile towing. AAA Plus: gold card. 100 miles towing. AAA Premier: platinum card. 200 miles towing. Rates vary based on zip code.

Hey Ed, I don't have a Stewart vacuum tank manual, but I've attached the pages from 1915, 1918, & 1920 Cole owners manuals regarding the Stewart fuel system. They show the tops of the respective tanks and the outlet line from the bottom of each tank going directly to the carburetor, with no bowl at the bottom of any of them. If these aren't clear enough, PM me your email address and I'll send the attachments to you directly. Hope this helps. George