Jack Bennett

I am supposing that by “dab”, you don’t intend on doing a major “wheel” rehab job. And, since the question is fairly elementary so far an antique car maintenance is concerned, I also suppose you want to learn a bit more about your wheels. Well, the “wheel” you have pictured here is apparently from the front axle of what I’d guess to be an early 1920’s model car/pickup, I’d guess to be a Dodge Brothers. I am stymied by the absence of a “split” in the rim, but that does not change the fact that the tire and rim are easily removed from the axle, but the removing hub and wheel can be a real bear. The spokes on this wheel can be worked on without removing the hub from the axle since they are (neither easily or comfortably) accessible from both the front and rear of the wheel. However, on this particular car anyway, treating the rear spokes are a totally different story. Restoring the aesthetics of the wheel by “dabbing” something on them is cool, but it has little to do with the parts of the spoke which are also prone to damage and catastrophic failure. Remember that only a small portion of the spoke can be seen, or are accessible for dabbing whatever. The centers of the wheel also contains a whole bunch of wood, which is professionally and precisely fitted together behind steel plates, and in case of the rear wheels, bolted directly to a large brake drum. I would use some linseed oil to add some resilience to the wood, but I’d also use several, over several days/applications of tung oil and finish up the dabbing with a coat of either a good polyurethane or spar varnish. Keep in mind that the center of the wheels, and more specifically, the spokes between the steel plate and the brake drum in the rear cannot be accessed without removing the spokes from the hubs and the drums and that entails both removing the hub (got puller and seals?) from the car, 🚗 removing spokes, pressed into place decades ago, by a professional spoke right, on a press specifically designed for this purpose, and believing all the while the bolts/nuts will come out clean and easily, and when they do finally give, or you end up cutting them off, they will be cheaply and easily replaced. I am certain anyone who can believe this also believes the spokes will be easily replaced, in their proper order, when it comes time to replace them on the hub. I believe this amount of dreaming should include finding the portion of the spokes which have been concealed by the hub and metal plates to be rot or crack free and aren’t buckled or warped from age, moisture, rot and rust. The take away from this whole spiel is the caution that there is far more to these old wheels than meets the eye, and this caution must be known and appreciated prior to doing anything to them. Jack

As I tore the panels and decking from the metal frame of the Fargo, I found piles of indistinguishable pieces of rotted wood which had been confined and concealed for possibly decades. There was badly rusted bolts, with the (square) nuts and washers still attached, and little shards of wood, clearly cut square, with holes drilled in them. Even rhe larger, and somewhat distinguishable pieces of wood, which literally fell apart as the bolts and screws which held them together was cut, gave no clue as to what the smaller pieces was used for. Now, over a month into the reconstruction of the wooden portion of the body, and some really vexing minutes trying to figure out why my measurements were so far off in fitting the pieces back together, I made a monumental discovery. I had done basically the same thing to reconstruct the badly rotted frame of the 1927 Willys Knight I bought a few years back. And the most notable thing about the construction of the car was the craftsmanship which went into piecing the frame together. I was truly amazed at the formed corners and finger joint attachments holding the frame together, and blending it into a super strong unit, although it consisted of many tiny pieces of a number of assorted wood types. Totally baffeled by the mountain of seemingly useless debris I had collected as I disassembled the Fargo, I decided, rather than “think outside the box” I needed to “discard what I thought the box should look like”, and take some time to reconstruct the framework as near to what it was originally, and use the debris to fill in the vacant spots. It made me as happy as it disappointed me to discover that the debris was actually pieces of material the workers had used during assembly of the framework to correct errors in measurement, and to economize use of every piece of wood available. In the construction of the Willys, it seems as though they used a plan with dimensions layer out whereby they could use two 7” pieces of wood, joined together by a finger joint at the center to make a 14” long piece, glued and supported by planning the intersection of other pieces. But, on the Fargo it looks like they took, to accomplish the same thing, a piece of wood 12” long, bolted it to the nearest cross piece, and the took a 2” long piece of scrap and used it to fill in the vacant 2” to make it meet a nailed corner piece. Consequently, the extreme amount of stuructural damage found in the Fargo, but not in the Willys, is due to shoddy construction practices and a G-a-S attitude regarding the quality of construction materials used to fabricate the Fargo. The term we use to describe a modern version of this atrocity is a “Friday” or a “Monday” car. This quip suffices to explain, in as few words as possible, how the days of the week affected the level of pride and attentiveness the workers employed as they assembled the car. Those showing for work on Monday were worn out from the weekend and possibly hung over from a two day drinking binge. Those leaving work on Friday didn’t mind if a shoddy job was necessary to complete a task prior to starting a weekend, and possibly, begin a two day long drinking binge. It appears though, that the Canadians involved in the construction of the Fargo, didn’t even own a calendar, and every morning was a Monday, and every afternoon was a Friday. No complaints though, because now that I have figured this out, I no longer need math skills to finish the project. I just estimate the length of a piece, cut it way too long, and chop it off how ever many times it takes to make it fit…….and that folks, is what makes this hobby so dang fun.🤪. Jack

To save my life I cannot understand why he would be considered a recluse when he was out and about enough to acquire between 300 and 500 cars. They mention that he had customers, to name one, the guy offering $7000.00 for the car. And the story leaves it to be supposed that he owned the place, and that is some accomplishment for a hermit. Jack

Hi 24Chry48. I had a psychotic episode, and when I woke up I had bought a 1929 Fargo Express Panel truck. There is not a single inch of rust free metal or a shard of rot free wood on the body. Indeed, the truck had died and would have looked as much at home in a grave as it did out of place in my yard. I am not sure exactly when, but sometime during the reconstruction of the 1923 Dodge, I took a blood oath, promising myself that I would never put myself at the mercy of the eBay and Craigslist “antique car” parts scalpers again. So, when I got a better look at the Fargo, and recalled paying $170.00 for a single door handle for the Dodge, I seriously considered going into a cult and spend the rest of my life involved in a day long routine of self-flagellation. Tires for these old machines might as well be molded of gold, and their quality is as questionable as the stability of the stock market. Being a hobbyist, and any money I spend on my old cars is a “expense” rather than a “investment”……..well, it doesn’t take a scholar to understand why I didn’t welcome the idea of paying Coker $1600.00 for the tires, and another $300.00 or $400.00 shipping for tires needed for the purpose of moving a scrap pile around the yard in hopes that one day it may run. The other consideration is buying four tires, again at the scalpers price, on eBay or other internet seller only to find they were the wrong size, and have more cracks than Mount Rushmore. And, it does give me a immense amount of pleasure to learn that there are still folks around who are trustworthy and place their respectability beyond the reach of a dollar. Thanks for your response, it is appreciated. Jack

That is, unless the new owner is an inside trader, high on the list of EPA managers, who sees a fortune to be made by advertising the classic car parts for sale on Craigslist, or eBay as being “rare”, “antique”. “Collectible” and “priceless” artifacts, and developing the land into a affordable, multi-family dwelling, community. Jack

AKA, “Heaven”.

Hi dship……But, do you ever wonder if one morning you woke up, poured a hot cup of coffee, and decided that it was time to say “Phooey with the rules, regulations, town council, and the judgmental opinions of others”, what you would choose to do? Factually, we have one go around in life, and I have a special sort of admiration for the fellow who has the testicular fortitude to cut the cords to all the naysayers and antagonists, and live the way he chose.. Not meaning that we need to form a commune or go into seclusion, but I, personally, am saddened that a country which advertises itself as being “free” would frown upon, make laws against, and pass its judgement on any person who was not considered to be Presidential material or chanting some anti-this, or anti-that slogan at some riot or protest. Just saying…… Jack

HI Ben…….Since my 2nd retirement, the death of my daughter and then my wife, and having my world reduced to myself and my dog, this forum has gained a level of importance gathering at the family supper table once had. That said, I will move on after adding that I must watch how far I wander off topic, because doing so could put me off the forum also. Looking back, I sometime think I too should have chosen a different path in my life, and put more energy and effort into pleasing myself and paid far less attention to tending the needs of others. Either this fellow was successful, in the financial arena anyway, because the property alone was worth a good sum, and, as evidenced by his downfall, being his girlfriend, he apparently had a side social life also. And, it would not take a Mister Geppetto to tell when a Pinocchio car collector said “No……..I don’t need another car, and I think I have too many already”…………. Jack

Today is a total bust in regards to working on the Fargo. Wet weather I can stand, and cold weather I can stand…..but cold, wet weather just doesn’t appeal to me as being conducive to working outside on a old truck. So, today I may start on re upholstering the back of the seat, and start shopping for springs to fabricate a lower part of the seat. Yesterday was a bummed out day too with hail, rain, wind and gloom, but I did get the boards which form the base of the bed nailed down, and the sheet metal cover reinstalled. A real plus to the days labor was determining that the flange which connects the 1951 Dodge pickup drive shaft to the four speed transmission appears to be the same bolt pattern used to connect a drive shaft to the 1929 Fargo rear end. I have not actually fit this up to determine it as being fact, but I made patterns of both the rear end input shaft, and the Dodge front drive shaft flange, and by all appearances they are the same. This is a huge load off my shoulders because I have been sweating having a new drive shaft fabricated, and the rear flange made up to fit it. Jack

This is a very sad story. It appears that the man had the ability to buy, pay tax on, and keep the authorities away from his property for several years. Being reclusive isn’t a crime, and if his only offense is collecting junk cars, so be it. For some of us this is a chosen life style, and very often old cars are, by far, better friends than any self serving human. It also appears that he did not open up a guest ranch for wayward criminals, or steal cars to put on his property. I wonder what the people who read this, and close the article in disgust, after they passed judgment on this man, will do in their spare time to appear normal. Jack Jack

Hi 24Chry48…….Yep, they were 5.50X18, and I had given up hope on finding some at a decent price. Only after I got the Fargo home did I realize the immense amount of work, and the potential cost of parts needed to get the truck even rolling. Finding four tires, especially of this odd size, at such a fair price was really a blessing. I am always antsy about buying anything on line, and I, seriously, thought this was a scam. I told the gentleman selling the tires I was Leary of the number of on-line scams targeting people who had antique cars, and I would only buy the tires if he sent them, and then I sent him a check for the tires and shipping. Surprisingly, he agreed, and I did get the tires, and as agreed, sent him his asking price, the shipping costs, and a cash gift for his honesty and trust in me. The tires are new, never mounted, and still in their original wrapping. I am a many denominational guy, and, even though it could have only been one of many deities who intervened in helping me here, I am grateful because it surely was more than luck which put me in touch with such a respectable fellow. Jack

Weather really stinks today in Washington State. Rain all day and cold enough you can see your breath. Even for a hard core guy like me, this isn’t the sort of weather I consider fit for a fellow to be working outside. So I took the opportunity to do some sheet metal work on the Fargo, and have nearly gotten one fender ready for primer and paint. The past couple of days have been nice enough that I have gotten the wooden parts of the bed finished and in place. But, I still need to cut the boards which make the floor of the bed and attach the metal flooring to it.

I will continue my search for more information regarding the location and history of the “Robert’s Motor Company”. But as is expected, the smooth road of a otherwise benign search often contains bumps which are as interesting as they are distracting. If you bleed 30 weight and sweat kerosene, this link may be as interesting as it is distracting https://oldmachinepress.com/2014/10/25/roberts-motor-company-aircraft-engines/ Jack

Hi Jeff……I have been continually cautioned that assigning names, and personifying a machine, or any other inanimate object is extremely dangerous to the maintenance of a suitable social status, and may possibly result in irreversible mental damage. This considered, I neither assign names or personalities to my old cars until they are “reanimated” and I have returned them to a level of operability. Still, there is credence to what you say, and it is a necessity, rather than a just a part, of living with these old machines that we move them beyond the “just another car” stage of existence. It hurts a seventy-plus year old body as much when it is cut by the sharp metal of a new Cadillac Escalade as it does when cut by the metal of a 100 year old Dodge Roadster. But, the Escalade is parked in the driveway while the roadster sits comfortably in the well lit, and heated, garage. A mental search may reveal that the Dodge is considered to be “family”, and the Escalade will never be more than “transportation”. And having a precious relative with no name, or past, is simply unimaginable. Jack

Thanks for your reply and kind comments 24chry48. I procrastinate every time I put finger to key to complete a on-line order for anything with which to clothe and feed my old cars. Most recently I looked across the bridge and could see far enough into the future that putting a new top on the Fargo cold be seen as a reality. Selection of the tires was much easier because I located a fellow which had four brand new, still in the shipping wrap, 18” tires in his basement. He had apparently ordered them many years, aka decades, ago and had never gotten around to putting them on his car. When I saw the price at which he wanted for the tires, and the fact I’d nearly given up on finding serviceable 18” tires of any sort, made the fact they were also whitewalls a negligible consideration. But, the seemingly simple task of selecting a material of a suitable sort for the new top of an old panel truck loomed on the horizon. But, not unlike the tires, an opportunity to buy the material for a new, antique looking, top reared its head, and could not be ignored. I was convinced that the “Long Grain” vinyl top material sold by Snyder’s, and the other antique car outfitters I buy from, was a no-brainer. But, while meandering around the antique car forums I saw a material called “tuxedo”, which is a much finer grained material than the Long grain I used on the Willys, so I ordered 17 feet, and that will be what you see when you look at the top of my old panel truck. Jack

Hello Walt……Having a single track mind, and even more focalized as I work on these old machines, I immediately Googled “FEDERAL” and “KENWORTH”, thinking they would return a location where the truck may have been used. Instead the results always came up with “KENWORTH” being a truck, and no cities named “FEDERAL”. We do have a “Federal Way” not far from Tacoma, but the truck was bought over 200 miles away in Oregon. So, I Googled just the word “Federal”, and the truck brand “FEDERAL” popped up, and a new link to my 1927 Willys Knight was opened. That sort of history makes my timbers shiver, and I just had to share it. Jack

Hi 1912 Minerva…….How very strange you suggest that. I had nearly finished sanding one panel of the truck side, and I noticed flecks of red and white paint mixed with the green base paint. So, I set aside the surface preparation tool and reverted my scraping to a razor blade. All that was left of the lettering on that panel was the numbers 123-***, but everything had been erased with the paint removal. So, I stopped working on the first panel and began carefully removing the paint on the second panel with a small scraper. Sadly, there was no number on the second panel, and I thought the rest of the letters had became unreadable too. But, a few more minutes of scraping began revealing letters, and the first thought in my mind was putting the clear varnish I’d bought to do the cab inside to a new use. What a cool idea! It will be a tedious task to scrape all the old black paint off, and remove the badly rusted parts of the panel without damaging the lettering……but, isn’t this what it’s all about? Thanks for the suggestion. With my tiny 750 megabyte memory it will be easy to find as I work my way through this. Jack

Just a bit of Deja Vu. In case you missed it, in the comments on the link I provided, Federal trucks were equipped with the same Willys sleeve valve engine you will find under the hood of my 1927 Willys Knight 70A, and were marketed under the brand “Federal Knight”…….and the circle is completed in the Bennett stable. Jack

While not the discovery of King Tut’s tomb, or even finding the lost White House corner stone, in Tacoma, Washington archeology, this rates as a ten on a scale of 1 to 10. I have nearly finished up all the wood work of the cab and bed on then 1929 Fargo Express Panel, and am now preparing the sheet metal for re-installation. During this procedure I use a surface preparation tool, large and small grinders, a small sander and steel and copper brushes. If you have the picture, it isn’t hard to imagine the amount of metal and paint which can be laid to waste very quickly. But, sometime this is destructive, and can actually destroy the historical information shed along with the metal and paint. Thankfully, I was able to move from a power sander and grinder when I found very fragile lettering under the old coat of black paint covering the side panel of the truck bed. So, I discarded the haste of getting the panel prepared for painting, and instead went into the preservation mode and switched to using a scraper and a awl to carefully remove the rust, crud and paint. I dote on history, and the origin and use of my old vehicles is as important as the metal, wood and rubber they are made of. In this case I found, concealed under the flaking paint a hint at what sort of job the Fargo Express Panel done during its service life. We all Know Kenworth, but I had not heard of the “Federal” truck brand https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Federal_Motor_Truck_Company until I began stripping the layers of past from the Fargo’s bed. This made my day, and I am seriously considering on using the “ROBERTS MOTOR COMPANY” logo on the repainted truck bed panels………. Comments are welcome and will be part of my decision as to how the truck will be finished. Jack

HI 24Chry48……..It is without a doubt that your “cringe” at spending money, while totally dependent on its availability and liquidity, on tires for your collector cars is figurative, rather than literal, I’m placing my bet that you do it, regardless. I do metal detecting with a machine which cost me over $800.00 in the 1980’s. The tools (digger, pin pointer, battery packs, and my essential camouflage clothing and sexy finds pouch) probably cost another $500.00 or $600.00 dollars. I will not expound on the other expenses such as gas and car maintenance here, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t worthy of consideration as a major expense. And, not unlike the flotsam I collected while engaging in the equally expensive hobby of genealogy, at the end of a days metal detecting search I have some pull tabs, a few bottle caps, a penny or two, and loads of discarded lip stick tubes and bobby pins. Yet, I can’t wait to buy more batteries, add a new sniper coil or a set of waterproof headsets, and head for the inviting mud and dog poop to search a new park. In appreciation of forum “topic” rules, I need to be super careful not to let this post stray too far from antique cars, so I’ll talk about that instead of my boats and bee keeping hobbies. I have a fake left arm……..no complaints though because the titanium holding the pieces together feels no pain, and it is much better than having no arm at all. However, the people who installed this arm don’t know much about mechanical devices, and upon completion I had lost a good percentage of the range of motion normally expected of a fully functional arm. The lower half of the windshield of 1923 Dodge Roadster I adopted was broken and needed replacing. It really stymied my aspirations of returning the windshield to its magnificent state of clarity when I learned that the replacement glass would cost $200.00 and change. Being retired and frugal to a point of being painful, I resisted paying this much for a piece of glass, cut and installed by a professional auto glass dealer, and, instead opted to buy a piece of uncut glass for about $95.00, and cut it myself. I had missed the fact that the windshield was 1/4 inch narrower at the top than at the bottom, and therefore, the perfectly rectangular piece of glass I’d so carefully cut did not fit the frame. So, a bit of force, applied to strategically determined places around the top perimeter of the glass would surely force it into the snug, but very wobbly frame. Remember the goofy arm…….? Well, it doesn’t respond to pressure, and can do some really stupid stuff if pressed beyond it’s own limits. As the frame twisted, and the spiderweb of cracks spread across the face of my previously flawless glass, the $200.00 cost of having the glass professionally replaced, seemed far more reasonable that it appeared to be only seconds before. Reasonably, I could have just reinstalled the windshield frame without any glass at all. Or I could have opted for a much cheaper, non-safety glass replacement from Lowe’s, but that was not reasonable. So my next trip was to Tacoma Glass, and in my company was a empty front windshield frame from my 1923 Dodge Roadster. A few days later I returned to the dealership, handed them my credit card and collected my beautifully finished windshield. Now, as I nurse a cold MGD and peer through the magnificently clear windshield of my roadster, I don’t even think about the cost of replacing a piece of glass on a 100 year old car, I am just grateful I still have the eyesight to enjoy the view and am capable of having the car and the ability to do it. Jack

Hello Walt…..Hooray……Bravo……..Whoopee…….Kudos………Accolades and any other source of praise you could be rewarded with for making this post. I am 100% certain that you already realize that my wheels will be painted on a whim, and that will probably be determined by the time of day and number of MGD’s I’ve drank prior to starting the task. The wheels I am about to paint is on a 1929 Fargo Express Panel truck I, admittedly, bought on a whim. Thus far I have chosen purely transportation related vehicles as the receivers of my ministering, and this panel is the first 100% commercial vehicle I have owned. In the nearly eight decades I have been afforded life, I have learned that there is no “right” way of doing anything, and the illusion that I would even need to replicate the way the wheels on this truck looked in 1929 is surely nothing more than a mirage. I do appreciate the thought behind your statement, leading into the comment “I am not going to get into this much, because it would take a lot of comment”……………………… On a 95 year old commercial vehicle, or a solely transportation/luxury, and totally hobby related vehicle, whether or not it is painted, fully restored or just sitting on rims in the garage, its rich, and rust colored patina allowed to shine through is wholly dependent on a great number of things which go much deeper than a layer of paint or the type of tires were chosen to compliment the cars appearance. Rather, your statement echos and amplifies why I would post a thread and make a time worn and much overworked topic, such as the selection of tires being appropriate to the vintage of a car, the main subject. It is needless to say that whatever I choose to do with anything, in this instance the tires, on my old (zombie) truck is done on a spur of the minute whim, is immune to criticism or judgement, may be totally insensitive to period correctness, and its undoing, and redoing is what the hobby is all about. And, the comments which impart the welcome inclusion of those who are physically, financially, demographically or, for any other reason unable to actively own their own car, or physically work on one, is indeed what this sort of forum is all about. Personally, my old car hobby is just like a juicy pie, sliced into manageable portions, and served up in quantities which are both digestible as well as fulfilling a taste particular to the minute I select to partake. Now that I have had my fill of the verbal side of working on my old truck (making comments on the forum) I will retire to the garage, crank up my radio to some good music, and sand the fenders of my old truck in preparation to painting them. And, Sir, that is a comment, and I welcome anyone with a old car, a radio, and hopefully a cold MGD, to chime in and keep this forum rocking. Jack

Hello 69merc. For fear that I would be home-locked during the fairly long, and all too common, Washington State rain, damp and windy season, which makes a week end drive in my old Willys or Dodge border on insanity, I undertook reanimation of a more modern 1951 Plymouth Cambridge. I has electric windshield wipers, which aren’t appreciated until you remember your vacuum powered wipers won’t work during a long hill climb, modern lighting and a heater. Also, it has full wheel covers, and, in spite of it not being a Porsche 911, it is a classic Plymouth with gobs of aura and pride. This, after looking at your beautiful Mercury, I am certain you understand. Not putting wide white walls on my Plymouth would be the equal to you contracting me to install a new, glistening white, environmentally friendly flush mechanism and ultra modern styled commode in your refurbished bathroom. And, upon completion of the install, and my departure, for a long weekend, from your home, you notice I overlooked putting a seat on the commode. And why I like white walls on my Plymouth becomes perfectly clear. Jack

Hi prewarnut…….You are a lay-psychic in that you have touched on a subject I am presently at odds with myself. I like to close out my day by doing nothing other than looking at the work I’ve accomplished on my old cars, and making a loosely structured plan for the work I intend on doing tomorrow. On both the Willys and the Dodge I disassembled rhe wheels, separated the spokes from the drum, and meticulously sanded each piece prior to painting and reassembly. Regardless of the color the wheel was previously painted, the spokes were left neutral, sealed, stained and recieved several coats of spar varnish or lacquer. But, these two cars were in far better shape than the Fargo, and I am not looking forward to removing the spokes from the drum or the rim from the spokes to renew their appearance. I will repeat what I’ve previously said many times before and that is the belief that “Far more damage is done while “fixing” these old cars than was ever broken by normal use”. And that includes removing age warped spokes from a rim to which they were attached ninety five years ago, and, sanely believing they will go back together without use of a tool which went extinct in the 1930’s. That fairly clearly dictates that whatever I do to the wheels of the Fargo, it will have to be done with the wheel intact, and that eliminates removal of the rim and hub from the spokes, and that really complicates doing a decent sanding and paint job. I have been looking at photos of other Fargo panel and pick up truck projects and find that it is a fairly common practice to paint the spokes and rims in a color which matches the paint scheme of the body. As a interlude to a final finish of the wheel dilemma, I am thinking about putting all white walls out, painting the rims, hubs and wheel center black and painting the spokes green, to match the body color. One good thing about working on a zombie machine is the amount of latitude I have in doings things like this. Especially, with full knowledge that what doesn’t work today only means I still have something to do tomorrow when I change it. i too am involved in a dilemma with the immorality of hijacking someone else’s thread, and stepping on their topic when I reply to a comment addressed to me, on their thread. Seems like a self defeating expectation of a viable format for a forum, kept alive, and interesting, when it is based solely on exchange of written ideas and opinions, and users are discouraged from answering another members question regarding “spark knock” with a response more related to atmospheric temperature, spark plug temperature range and gasoline octane rating than saying “thunk……thunk…….thunk…….”. That said, I want your input on the wheel color thing and, if it’s done on this thread I promise I won’t complain, and if you put it on a new thread, I will read it. Jack

That is one beautiful car…….and the white walls emphasize the colors very well. On this this car it is easily seen that the tires, being a common accessory on every car, regardless of year, make or model, acts in the same manner as proper punctuation does in a sentence to impose a breath of pause between essential words, and those which define the meaning of the sentence. There is absolutely no doubt that these tires did not happen by accident, they define the space between the pavement and the car, and demand, without words, “Look at me”………”Aren’t I beautiful”? Jack

Going to add this….If you noticed that there are four, brand new, white wall tires on the Fargo Express Panel I’ve recently adopted, you may have also noticed that one side of the truck has one white wall and one black wall exposed to view. The other side has two black walls exposed to view. Sadly, the truck doesn’t have third side because it would have two whitewalls exposed. This weird arrangement gives me the ability to get some idea as to whether I want to show the truck with white walls out, or all black walls, as I progress through the body work and color scheme. I am leaning toward all white walls, and, regardless of whatever input I get on this thread, think I will stay with that decision. But, it is a topic I can post without (hopefully) evoking a argument, and I do, sincerely, appreciate the opinions, information and assistance. Jack