Jack Bennett

I suppose I should have used boating or scuba diving, rather than golf clubs as a hobby choice. Regardless though, there would still be argument that knocking a tiny ball around a expansive course, and feeling exhilarated beyond belief when it falls into the tiny hole is not comparable to same sort of exhilaration a guy who drives his/her antique car the very first time. At the summit of my long climb up this wordy mountain is the question……ANY HOBBY….may it be golf, tennis or bare back riding, is some activity we set aside as a refuge to escape into as a way of relieving the pressures and stress of a vocation. So, at what point does a person who ELECTS to acquire a item, specifically intended as the focus of a hobby, let the item become a obsession, rather than a possession, and consequently, pins his/her very existence to being identified as a possession of the item, rather than vice-versa. The crux of my post was the level of disappointment, and I did say “disappointment”, and not achievement or elation I feel when I look out the window, see my poor, and decrepit Fargo Panel, knowing that I have a few choices to make within the coming minutes. I am single, have no debt, very few bills and have enough money and holdings that I could simply call a restoration shop, and within a short time, be owned by a 1929 Fargo Panel truck that “I saved” and accordingly, preserved a part of history which had previously sat, ignored and rat eaten, in a garage for over 50 years. Or, I since I value the opportunity to be physically, mentally and financially able to participate in a hobby which affords me the aforementioned escape, I can welcome the privilege of getting off my butt and repair the damage to the truck to the extent it can again function, with some level of safety and dependability. Or, I can obsess about what I SHOULD do to RESTORE the truck to a condition which put a strain on my health, causes a drain to my budget, and may possibly cause irreversible damage to my personal, professional, and family life. The consequence of allowing the third choice to impose itself on my life is only apparent when it becomes impossible to ignore the number of “restoration” projects being advertised for sale due to poor health, lack of space, or some other catastrophe which developed over the 15 or 20 years the project has sat abandoned and ignored, in a dark corner of the garage (barn), waiting for the next savior to look beyond the rotted wooden blocks supporting the vehicle. Unlike the guy I was who undertook the project of returning the Willys to a drivable condition, or resurrecting the Dodge to be the show car Vernon had in mind when he died, or even the Plymouth, which was a cross over between the rude behavior of the Willys or the erratic handling of the Dodge, I looked at the Fargo as a HOBBY in which I could enjoy looking at as well as selecting whether I repaired the engine, banged on sheet metal, cut wood or sanded wheels. Now I look at the truck as a hopeless mess, well beyond my abilities or interest to RESTORE it to a condition better than when it rolled off the assembly line. I DO NOT……..EVER……intend on driving the truck for any purpose other than recreation. I have no intention of returning it to service delivering produce or eggs, and I most certainly never intended it to be a show car with people slobbering over the chrome and insanely babbling about its historical value. Simply put, my old machines are my hobby and do enjoy driving them, not as a self gratifying way of extracting repayment for my “saving” them, but a a means of getting someplace, where my only concern is getting back to where a I started, and having some fun in the process. And, a huge part of this is my knowing exactly what each clevis and pin in the mechanical brake system does when I need it to stop the car. That pretty well sums up my feelings when I hear someone bragging about how “original” their car is while, in actuality, they have never changed a tire on it.

So, the 1929 Fargo Express panel is the fifth vehicle, sixth, if you include my 1947 Ford 8N tractor, I have, perhaps a bit insanely elected to adopt. Each successive project reeks of the steps one takes in progression of life…..rather, the progression of one’s trip from infant to elderly. My first project, a 1927 Willys Knight was my introduction to wooden spokes wheels and a transmission with three super low gears, and one super high gear, and the probability there will be some grinding and gnashing between them. This car was my token “old car”, and as such, was hastily, but tastefully done with every intention to make it look, and drive like a new one. Next came the 1923 Dodge roadster, and attention to detail was of utmost importance in selection of the floor coverings (only battle ship gray) and the thing (motometer with DB badge) which topped the orange hosed radiator could not be compromised. Then came the 1995 F-250, with the wrecked body and lame engine which hemorrhaged oil through the leaking rear main. I’ll add the 1951 Plymouth Cambridge here simply because it was a needy car, and I believed I could nurse it back to some state of self mobility. This was done…..so……onward. Now it is the 1929 Fargo express panel. This truck was doubtful even before I finally bought it. To add insult to injury, a forum members comment to my first photos of the truck, as I trailered it home, was “I should have taken measures to secure the debris, which probably fell from the truck during transport, which could have injured or killed someone had it struck them”. That said, I totally agree that the truck is a hobbyists gold mine only if the probability of having a entire lifetime of something to do, in a single project, adds value to buying the truck as a hobby project. Now, to the topic at hand……..The Willys brought stars to my eyes and a quiver to my butt (as I envisioned all the twilight drives along peaceful coastal roads). The Dodge caused me to explore rooms in my cobweb cluttered brain, and I became acutely aware that the little four cylinder engine block, which I was furnished with the car, was NOT a “Fast Four”, and the Willys was not a “touring”. The Dodge runs good, is “fun” to drive, but the antique nature of the steering and location of the gear shift lever constantly reminds me that I am north of seventy five years old, and those who loved to drive this car surely did not celebrate having a shoulder replaced on one arm and a badly torn rotator cuff on the other. I had visions of talking the Willys and the Dodge to some of the nice State Parks Washington hosts, and drive them in a environment free of BMW’s, Audie’s and Mustang’s, which know nothing of speeds between dead stall and 90 miles per hour. Considering this, I bought the 1995 Ford F-250 and a 18’ car trailer to haul them on. The pickup is also a classic, so returning it to a ambulatory and fairly dependable state of REPAIR was in keeping with the hobby. I was Chairman of the committee responsible for the (non-paid, totally voluntary) maintenance of the Historical Steilacoom Masonic Cemetery, for a number of years. I surrendered the job of Chairman to a younger, and much more aggressive Lodge Brother, but my desire to remain involved in the maintenance of the cemetery continued. This, the 1947 Ford 8N tractor and her 1941 Massey Ferguson brush hog. Someplace in the buying, and fixing, of all this old stuff, I noticed that the only commonality of my victims was their advanced age. And, rather than the sense of pride I had expected to experience when I managed to get a 100 year old engine started, or a 94 year old clutch to engage, and the transmission effortlessly glide between gears, I experienced a feeling of despair in that there is always something I could have done better. I see machines on this forum, the DB forum, the Fargo owners forum, Hagerty’s Drivers Club magazine, and every other form of media which features the hobby of antique car collection and “restoration”, and I actually feel that I am guilty of vehicular assault in my dealings with my machines. Very probably, had I possessed the level of knowledge I have acquired since buying my first old car project, that I possessed before buying the Willys, I would have became a Habitat for Humanity volunteer rather than a old car fan. My journey through the rotted wood, rusted metal, frayed wires, broken glass, flat tires, and mountain of other things I have encountered as a antique car hobbyist has left me fraught with questions regarding the “why” of it all. I wonder where the idea of acquiring a vehicle, with no intention to ever use it for daily transport tasks, moves from being a device procured to serve the same purpose as a golf club or a fishing pole, to a device which fills every niche normally described as being a obsession. And the initial goal of having a benign hobby, usually involving skills which are both physically and tactically fulfilling, evolves from making “repairs” to a “mild restoration” to a full blown “come on into my garage and I’ll show you my exotically painted, and exquisitely chromed, brass cajonie’s”. As I look at my poor, neglected, and long dead Fargo, I feel the urge to say “Go next door and see his Harley. Then come back and I’ll show you my old Cushman”.

Hi Kegan. It’s been over a year since your last post and I must admit, I’m yearning for a follow up on your project with the 1927 3/4 ton Graham delivery. If you have followed my posts you already know that I recently adopted some wood and sheet metal that was advertised as a 1928-29 Fargo Canadian Chrysler panel. I suppose this is good enough to say that the truck isn’t a Hudson or a Packard, but it is better identified as a 1929 Fargo Express Packet Panel 1/2 ton delivery. And, most notably, appears to be identical in every (apparent) way to your 1927 Graham delivery. I said “apparent” because, after viewing your posts, I can see some obvious differences which I find very interesting, and would like to learn more. It appears that your truck has external brake shoes on the rear, and from the look of the front wheel, it has no front wheel brakes. This is remarkable because, although it appears to be identical in body construction to my 1929 Fargo express delivery, my Fargo Panel has four wheel hydraulic brakes and that makes me curious about other differences which may not be so obvious. I do hope things are going well with you and your Graham, and I do look forward to see some updated photos of your truck.

If one needs a refresher on how “Kentucky windage” is applied, it isn’t necessary to look up a octogenarian, B-29 tail gunner, and ask about leading a WWII German fighter plane. Simply ask any duck hunter and they will tell you that the surest way to miss every duck you fire at is to let it know you’re shooting at IT. Commercialism is the same way, and information is a marketable product if it can be acquired in a timely and surreptitious manner. I have no doubts that the survey has some valid, and perhaps very important goals in mind. But I am equally sure that, as with even answering a phishing phone call, just replying to the survey provides a wealth of information to whomever has access to it after it is submitted. Sadly, being identified as the owner/collector/driver of a antique or classic car points a finger directly at you as being past middle age, probably retired, or near to it, having access to “spare space” i.e. a garage or warehouse, in which to keep/store your vehicle, and this all speaks of money. The OP of the thread says that the survey was sent directly to the classic car owners. This openly announces that they have already searched the records at DMV, and have singled out their targeted audience. It appears that CARB is an agency which is funded, and functions, as a government entity within the State of California, and as such, have no need to ask private citizens for squat. They simply go to the “system”, find whatever information they seek, bend and distort it as felt necessary to fit their agenda, and introduce it as a statute, regulation or law…….done and done! Washington State has a thing called Rapid Transit Authority (RTA), which is called a “fee”, rather than a “tax”, so it cannot be repealed by the voters, albeit this has been attempted (passed but denied) twice by Washington State voters. This fee adds a considerable amount to the cost of registering a vehicle in the state, and, admittedly, is to pay off a debt incurred to build a rapid transit rail network not expected to be completed for another 30 years. We (Washingtonian’s) have no say in this matter, as we didn’t in the absurd vehicle emissions test which netted the government $30.00 every other year, from nearly every vehicle owner in the state. And the program continued to flourish in its state of total absurdity until it was made obviously apparent that the program was a rip-off since one of the test stations was located at the end of the McChord Air Field runway where hundreds of aircraft land and take off every day, and dump tons of exhaust emissions directly onto the test station. So, the little probe inserted into the tail pipe of your car/truck/motor home is actually sampling the emissions of a C-121 or C-17 cargo plane, and you will receive a “failed emissions test” and sent to a certified repair facility to have the car repaired. Is it any surprise that the mandatory requirement to have your vehicle emission tested every other year was dropped with no reasons given?

Not really sure what your question is here. As Don said, there are many ways to pay for a purchase on eBay. Cash, check and direct payment from a debit or credit card is not only a undesired way of payment for many, it is a dumb way to pay for any. So, there are brokers, such as PayPal is, which acts as a middle man in transactions, not only on eBay, but widespread throughout the internet world, who uses a prearranged method of payment for internet, or on line purchases. Company’s such as PayPal sets up an account whereby your chosen method of payment, as a default, is on record with them. May it be a credit card, debit card or, I think, a prepaid cash account, which is established at the time the PayPal account is opened. It gives a seller a small amount of assurance the purchase will be paid for because payment arrangements is previously made between the seller and PayPal. For this reason the seller pays a variable amount to PayPal for their services, and the buyer has some assurance that the purchase is of a legitimate item, can be made without providing the seller with personal credit information, and will support a buyers request for refund if a seller misrepresents, or doesn’t provide, a item, and a refund is requested. PayPal has made a sneaky change, and it is worth knowing about. That change adds an option, which appears as a default method of payment selection which allows the purchaser to set up a payment plan, meaning….make multiple payments for the same item, using their default method of payment for funds. If you did not close this option as a method of payment, the seller has a open door to make as many charges to your credit/debit card as they want. You must have a default method of payment on record to use PayPal, but you have no obligation to allow them to make payment, other than previously agreed to.

I know you live in Oregon, and I live in (the other) Washington. And I know that our DMV’s handle licensing and titles of vehicles different. But, it sounds like you bought the truck without a title, perhaps I’m wrong here, but I did buy the Fargo without a title. And, from what I understand the VIN of more than a few Dodge, and Dodge related vehicles were identified by a small aluminum tag, with the VIN printed on it, affixed to the dash panel in the vicinity of the drivers left knee. I was also informed that Dodge Brothers and their future owners also manufactured some trucks which weren’t even numbered of titled, and were manufactured for export only……..as was mentioned in regards to the Fargo EXPRESS, as compared to a conventionally constructed Fargo (no Express) truck. Regardless,, Washington State law dictates that I have the truck inspected by a Washington State Patrol inspection station and have them give the truck a assigned VIN before I can submit a request to be issued, even, a title where ownership is in doubt, or a junk title. A stipulation here is that the linage of the vehicle must be documented for a junk title, and a receipt must be shown for every part used to refurbish a car seeking a bonded title. I may never drive the Fargo, and I surely will never sell it, but having a title is the way I do things. Bottom line is, if you do have a title for the truck, will you sell it?

Oh……but isn’t it great that we have lived long, and well enough, that we can afford to follow our impulses and do questionable stuff like this? I, personally, could afford to buy a completely, and professionally, refurbished 1928-1929-19whatever Fargo panel truck. Or, I could have the truck taken to a professional, and paid them in money, to return a like new, old, Fargo truck. That is, if I really needed a 1929-whatever panel truck to begin with. But, the second I stop seeing value far beyond a classy set of seat cushions, or a chrome exhaust tip, I’m ready to enter that huge garage in the sky, where the sound of a well tuned engine can always be heard. I suspect, had I not bought the Fargo, you would have. I procrastinated for weeks, or maybe it was just days which seemed like weeks, about buying the truck. And I convinced myself, beyond any doubt, that I did not need another reclusive reprobate of a junk pile, which would never be of any use, sitting, mildewing, rusting and rotting in my yard. I was absolutely certain that I had plenty to do with my other antique cars, truck and tractor, and I swore that I would put the Fargo out of my mind. Like Midas, I done a virtual count of my gold coins, and I had decided they would be better spent for a new Ram pickup, with lots of bells and whistles, or maybe a new Outback with a remote controlled back hatch and was self driving. But, after several long talks with my dog (Boo), my old Willys, Dodge, Plymouth, tractor, Ford pickup, and Archie, (my car hauler trailer) I was coerced into calling the guy with the Fargo, and at least make him a offer on the truck. That was the civil thing to do……right……? And the pot was sweetened in my favor since I KNEW he would reject the offer. Well, he didn’t and I was faced with the possibility that I would be labeled a scam artist and a liar. So, I called my buddy and asked him if he considered making a 400 mile trip, to pick up a old, junky, truck a adventure. He said “sure”, and we needed a adventure, and if the truck came home with us it was no more than divine providence. Not being overly religious, but not wanting to incur the wrath of any deity either, that removed all doubt that I should at least make the trip to visit the truck. Glory be! We had good traffic and fair weather all the way to Chehalis, my old F-250 ran superbly, the trailer trailed remarkably well, and I took all this as a sign that the old Fargo needed to find a permanent home. Considering the nature of the hobby, that is OLD car restoration, and the more restoration the OLD car needs, the better the investment, from a sheer “hobby” perspective, the Fargo is a pot of gold so far as potential for continuing work is concerned. Your big OLD truck is a testament to the fact that you have obtained, and can still do things which may be considered odd, but are literally impossible, for a less mature and half baked person to do. And, while you may have bought the entire crop, one ear of corn at a time, and I bought the whole farm as a lot, we both have the privilege of deciding whether we will eat corn meal muffins for dinner, or save it for pop corn as a snack afterwards. Myself, I like to spend as much time talking about my old cars, and shopping for parts to fix them, as I actually spend time working on them.

Regardless of the number of years one may wonder, all doubts of how stupid a person may be is instantly erased the second they open their mouth. Considering this, “Silence is golden for some, it is the only refuge for others”.

In the same manner I was foolish enough to buy the Fargo, I am still interested in the truck project you have adopted. I do wonder, however, how a project the size of a truck can be looked at without some pang of remorse, or at least the thought of WTH was I thinking. But, since you have the truck, and I have the Fargo, we have a training aid to use in the acquisition of further knowledge regarding reanimation of these beasts. I will use your comment regarding the fact you “really don’t see these (doors) as bing part of the body structure”. Well Sir, I am in the middle of reconstructing the doors of the Fargo, and I might disagree that the doors, and the weight of the wood used in their construction, most assuredly, affect the other structural components of the truck. My primary goal now is to reinforce the wooden parts of the cowl, and cab, of the Fargo to add a bit of surety that the weight of the doors do not, as before, destroy the integrity of the attachments which affix the cab to the frame. A single door takes some effort by two people just to move. In my dotage, I can drag a door from point A to point B, with only a single beer break in the interim, but I choose to do it first thing in the morning, when I have peak energy, or last thing in the evening, when I have all night to recover from the exertion. I am committing the Cardinal sin of replacing the Oak wood structure of the doors with construction grade Fir, to lessen weight, and the humongous safety glass windows, which are no more than memories, will be replaced with plexiglass replicas. Even with this amount of technological magic, and a heaping helping of modern alchemy, I still have concerns that (check it out) the FOUR hinges will still support the weight of the door, because it is spread over the height of the same stanchion which supports the cowl, the windshield and the roof is also made of sheet metal clad wood. So, the doors may not be considered as structurally important. But, the potential they have to destroy the integrity of other structural important parts of the car must be considered. And, please, remember that what I say is just a matter of opinion, and I mean no personal effrontery when I say it. I have colloquially, educational, intellectual and age related limitations to the way I say something. And the choice of words I choose to include in my space, and attention span, limited posts are also limited to the words available, and commonly used in the English language. And, considering this, and the world situation, it is so glorious to live in a nation in which people can talk gibberish without fear of making someone mad, or having the guys in black knocking on our doors🤪.

I think you hit the nail on the head. Were I to concentrate my angst of “All metal bodies” on the 1923 Dodge Brothers Roadster I play with, I would have bought some knitting needles or some crossword puzzle books rather than Bondo and paint. The previous fellow the car owned had started a frame-off restoration of the car. However, it appears that he ran out of good metal to repair, and resorted to some, professionally applied, body putty repairs. As time has passed, the rusted, and hole rich metal has began its return to the state it selected when it decided to revert to being a mineral (rust) other than a material (metal). The simple act of sitting in my garage, subjected to nothing more than expansion from being cool, and contraction, from being warm, and the sweat of condensation consequence, has revealed rust lines where welds were made on rusted metal and Bondo was used to cover the injury. We can talk about the virtues of a “all metal body” if there is enough metal to add credibility to its use, and we can talk about the amount of wood used, wherever, in a car if there is any wood remaining to demonstrate the wisdom of using it as a structural material. And then comes people like us who really don’t care because we will never depend on either the wood or metal for our bread, butter or house payment, and the more that is rotted, the greater the assurance we will still have a hobby years from now.

I will spare the other members of the forum the ocular overload by not posting several photographs of the 1929 Fargo Express panel truck that I am presently ministering to. This truck is more associated with DeSoto and Plymouth, being a victim of the Chrysler Corp buyout of the Dodge Brothers company. But, the cab, body, roof and chassis is 99% wood and less than .01% metal. So, what does this have to do with the amount of wood being used in the construction of a antique car? Not one single thing, but it is the same sort of banter, between old car buffs, on a forum called “Antique Automobile CLUB of America, to which people pay dues to talk about antique cars, and wood qualifies as a viable subject. Remember when Sarge put Beetle Bailey on Artillery duty? I do…..and as a professional soldier I took offense at the ignorance of military process they used to make fun of a serious military activity. No Sergeant ever put a Private in charge of a piece of artillery. And no Private has ever been so stupid that he put a artillery shell in the gun backwards, and no artillery gun ever went “MOOB” when it fired backwards either. And no person, soldier or otherwise, could not appreciate the humor and would have lied had they said they didn’t appreciate the satire. Along this line of talk though…….that is, people sharing a common interest through satire…… When I undertook the project of returning the interior and roof of the 1927 Willys Knight I had adopted to some state of dignity, I was dumbstruck when I discovered the number of different types of wood they used in the construction of this old car. I have a friend who will never see 95 years of age again, and he has absolutely NO interest in cars, old, new, custom or boring, but when he saw my Willys project his eyes lit up and he exuded the interest a young man showed at his first Playboy magazine encounter. Talk cars………?………….Nope, pistons, rod bearings, camshafts and compression ratios were not in his vocabulary. But, saws, planes, squares and joints were. This fellow gave me a understanding of why different species of wood was used in the construction of different body parts of the car, and I had gained a better understanding of why wheels are hickory, and the roof supports are oak, than if I had just completed a Masters Degree program, in wood work at Penn State or UCLA. NO, he did not give me a Chilton or Motor’s Manual, but he gave me a book which reminds me that not all books I need for my hobby are related to transmissions and steering gears, nor, every friend I need to thoroughly enjoy the hobby are gear heads. Looking forward to the day you can make a sojourn into Western Washington and we can argue about our obsession over dinner and a beer.

I love to hate this.

I am putting a 1951 Dodge pickup engine and transmission into a 1929 Fargo Express panel. I have the speedometer cable used with the dodge transmission but it has a square drive on both ends. The transmission does use a square drive, but the Fargo speedometer uses a cable with a flag drive. Do you sell a adapter that will allow me to use the dodge cable on the Fargo speedometer? If so, PM me with a price and how to order one. If not, can you tell me where I may get one?

Me being crushed to death under my old Willys would be looked at in the same way as Alexander being stepped on by a elephant. The neighbors would cast a token glance and return to their sitcoms and smart phones with some comment like “Well, he died doing what he loved, and I’m not getting dirty pulling his old butt from under the car”. I do belong to several antique and classic car collectors clubs. And I have attended some of the car shows in this area, and this was never done with the expectation of someone helping me. What I did seek was someone interested in cars, trucks, tractors, motor scooters, roller skates, ice boats, raising llamas or anything other than politics, finances, and selling something. After nearly five years of peddling myself, disgusted as a old car, a old tractor or even a old motor scooter I have discovered that it is better to be alone sometime because every line cast my way came with a hook. I lost a large part of myself in my wife’s passing. But, I had a passel of friends…at least until they started dying too. It was then I realized that this is not the world of 1950, and the people who moved into my deceased friends homes were not the generation of the 1930’s or even the 1940’s. Rather, they were easily trackable, not because they reach out to be friendly, but because they speed through the neighborhood at the same time every day, and can be easily identified by the blank stare on their face. That is if you can catch them at a moment when their blacked out windows are down and their car sound system is turned low enough that you don’t puke before you see them. On the several occasions I attempted to meet these folks by going to their homes and introducing myself, it took less than 15 seconds to realize it was a waste of time and effort. They were just too involved in snap-chat or Twitter to be bothered with a real conversation. I have firmly concluded that those who are pushing themselves as being old car enthusiasts are either in their dotage, the same as me, or manicuring a potential buyer of something they have to sell. The myth that putting your location, email and telephone number on your club profiles will, in some way, entice like thinking people to open up to you is a sheer fabrication. It was mentioned earlier in this thread that the advocate for posting their approximate location would help in getting help. It did work and the nearly instantaneous reply was to point out that the advocate had neglected to list his/her own approximate location. However, I am a oddity because I registered using my real name and the location could not be more definitive if it were given as a 8 digit grid number and included a GPS link to my house.

Gee Ben……I will post photos because if you don’t have a picture, it must not be true, of the tires I bought for my 1951 Plymouth Cambridge, and my latest 1929 Fargo Express panel projects. It did take a Saturday drive between Tacoma, Washington and a little town in Southern Washington, probably less than 400 miles total, to pick up the tires for the Plymouth. The tires are six, period correct, white wall tires, with barely any mileage on them at all. The total cost of the tires, from the time I seen the ad on Facebook marketing until the Plymouth rolled out the driveway on the professionally mounted and balanced tires was less than $400.00. The four, still in their protective wrapping, and in every way brand new tires for the Fargo were less than $375.00, including shipping. In both instances I had the nearly extinct privilege of sharing time, and filling a need, with people who share my need to reinvigorate these old machines, and they too, find it impossible to verbalize the amount of pleasure we experience when a child gently strokes the Skinner Vacuum tank, and says………”Wow….that is really cool cool, What is it”…….and we know the next words out our mouth will indelibly change every thought the child may have for the remainder of their lives.

I suppose a $80,000.00 Mercedes does impress the neighbors, but the benefit of impressing the neighbors must be weighed against the failure to impress your doctor when he reads your blood pressure right after you make a Mercedes payment. It is questionable how any sane person could find pleasure in immersing themselves, sometimes knee deep, in a 90 year old collection of rat feces, rotted wood and fabric, sharp and rusted pieces of metal, each capable, and just waiting, to inflict a cut which may lead to blood poisoning, gangrene and amputation of the extremity. Add the hope, and possibility, that the removal of crud and filth will allow access to a area which resembles a deep pit into which a incalculable amount of money my be tossed, and resold for penny’s on the dollar at your imminent estate sale. And, that small amount of windfall money, being spent by the lazy son-in-law on Nintendo games, live video streaming and stale pizza. Yep, better to buy low and sell high, flip that puppy and invest in off-shore bonds, or just go to the bar and get mind numbingly drunk, fall down, bust your skull, and die a remarkably bad death. Or, accept the fact that a old car, truck, tractor, pedal car or bicycle does not need to be restored, especially to the tune of to the $30,000.00 or $40,000.00 dollars in precious cash, years of (if you despise doing it) work (🥺) and gallons of shed blood it will cost to restore it to its original new car value of a staggering $1700.00 plus change. Or, it can still be considered as a hobby, pursued because it is a chosen way to spend time and money……you heard correctly……I said spend and not invest time in a positive and, possibly productive way to spend the well earned, non-vocational, period of your life which sets aside the right to enjoy yourself over the requirement to measure up to the status quo, and meet the requirements of others. Smell the exhaust, back off and realize that repairing a tire with a .70 cent patch, and enjoying the ride on a inflated tire is one heck of a lot more enjoyable than leaving a car on blocks, and griping because the new tires cost too much while it rusts and the engine seizes up.

We still meet for breakfast at Denny’s, and I feel no shame by ordering their $6.99 senior special, I don’t balk at taking my military discount, and I ask if there are any coupons on line I can use to further reduce the cost. But, I can choose to eat at Denny’s, Applebees, Red lobster, or my own dinner table. I can also choose whether or not to pay the $88.00, plus another $40.00 in shipping and “handling” to buy one, of the eight, hinges I need for a 90+ year old truck. I can also decide whether or not my 90+ year old truck is even worth spending a hundred dollars for a single hinge to do nothing more than to (safely) hang a 90+ year old door. My decision to pay the $100.00+ for the hinge does nothing less than remove my ability to be rewarded for my choice of selecting a old car hobby over spending time (on your dime) on a hospital ward, while rewarding the scalper with the ability to dine at Red Lobster rather than meeting me at Denny’s for breakfast.

If it is “Bill” of “Bills” auto works…..thanks Bill. If it isn’t I still appreciate the reply. When I write these tirades I use a method which entails typing one word, not actually knowing what it will be until it’s typed, and then finding a need, or should I say “being compelled” to quickly think of another word to hook to it. After a period of time, and a number of key strokes, I have made some rather impressive strings of words, and those strings, now called “sentences”, need to have other words connected for the sake of a well constructed paragraph. And from there it’s a real toss up as to the value of the whole thing. These journey’s into a hereunto unexplored land of digital highways may end up in the virtual trash can, or, they may be offered up as lengthy, and rambling posts on forums such as this. I believe you run a car transport business, and as such, feel assured that you understand the criticality of finishing every journey you start.

When I bought my 2nd antique car, a 1923 DB roadster basket case, I was also offered another car hauler trailer load of chassis, body, engine and power train parts for DB vehicles ranging in age from 1922 to 1925. The place the Dodge was stored was the garage of a huge house, which had been sold as a estate, and the (deceased) owners son told me that the parts would be scrapped if I chose not to take them. I had already paid the operator of a commercially operated truck and trailer to move the car, and he said he would include moving the load of parts at no extra charge. So, over the next few months, after I had sorted out the parts I knew fit the 1923, I began separating the other parts and tagging them as being spares. After the first year I had done about as much to the 1923, in a mechanical, electrical and structural sense, and had made up my mind I was tired of moving around tons of old car body parts, clutches, steering gears and transmissions. I have, will not now, nor have I ever sold anything since I was seven or eight years old and sold Clover Leaf Salve. Now I had nearly four complete vehicles, consisting of parts which appeared to be newer or recently renewed, and I needed to remove them from my personal asset inventory. Naturally, it was only expected for me to return these parts to other old car fans who may have stalled projects while they searched similar parts out. So I put a ad on Craigslist offering the truck load of parts, which included Sixteen new clutch disks and three complete timing chains, offering them free to anyone willing to pick them up. Within the next 15 minutes I had a fellow, driving a old pickup with a older camper shell, back up to my back gate. Surprised, but pleased in the rapid response to the ad I went to the gate and inquired if the fellow was there for the antique car parts. He informed me that he wanted the parts……all the parts…….and didn’t break his movement toward the parts when I told him I had four hoods, at least three sets of fender braces and a couple of radiator shrouds for, what appeared to be, the same model car. He loaded the parts, the last pieces extending the rough the open canopy door, thanked me, and left. Since that time I have acquired a few more basket case projects, and in each case I ended up with parts which neither fit the project or were surplus to its completion. These parts too I put on Facebook marketing or Craigslist as free offers, and none of the ads ever stayed up for more than a day. My most recent, and presently ongoing project is generating the need for me to return some of the parts I got with the 1929 Fargo Express panel to those who can use them. These items, if considered “a engine” may be too much to justify shipping, but if a water pump, distributor, carburetor or manifold is needed, and as I have found, are simply unobtainable, getting on for free, even if paying postage is required, can’t be a bad deal. That is unless you depend on a on-line store to sell the same parts for “unobtainable”, “rare” “scarce”, “antique” or “collectible” prices, and depend on the jacked up “handling” charges to take care of shortfalls in product pricing. That said, I am having thoughts that, while “gifting” of old car parts may be welcomed among those actually involved in the antique car restoration hobby, it may be considered as a unwelcome intrusion into a very specialized business by a well meaning numb skull. Of course, it is not beyond consideration that the winner of the first place in line for “free” parts may NOT be the guy like me who refuses to pay $1295.00 for a old Dodge steering wheel. Rather, I must now deduce that the first person in line for “free” antique car parts may actually be the guy hoping to score a old Dodge steering wheel to sell to me for a scalping price of $1295.00. Just thinking………….pro and anti comments are welcome.

Change………..Nope………..Adaptation……….You bet! I was fortunate that I did have the privilege of spending 57 years of my life being married to my wonderful wife. Even more fortunate, as compared to many others, I was privileged to spend the first 13 years of my life as a full time retiree with her. But, as with abs, glutes, long hair and late nights, that too had to end, and the passing of my wife made it possible, and necessary to make some adjustments to my hobbies, and how they were done. I was building bicycles when I was 12 years old, and my favorite toy was a single cylinder Maytag gas engine. I spent more time with my old Maytag engine than I did family or friends. And, that seemed totally normal until I got my first twin cylinder Maytag engine, and heard a P-51 Mustang fighter plane engine, and than things became complicated because a triangle love affair had entered into my 14 years of life. Now I have both the time and finances to play at whatever hobby I choose to pursue, but have lost the wander lust, no longer spend weeks of RV travel, camping or fishing. Rather, I enjoy the freedom I experience while working on my antique machines, and the time I spend with them are of equal value as a source of relaxation or excitation as visiting Niagara Falls or Carlsbad Caverns. I did say freedom because the topic of the thread asks for comments on how age has changed my interests in restoring/fixing up my old cars has changed. And my first comment on that involves the freedom to exercise my ability to select what it is that I choose to do/not do in regards to restoring/fixing my old cars. I will never believe I can “restore” a 100 year old car to a condition it retained for scant minutes from the time the last bolt was tightened, and the few minutes it took to be moved from the assembly line to the resale lot. And, it makes no sense to me to place myself in a constant state of competition with the professionals who MAKE big bucks from humongous amounts they are paid to restore a car, or a person afflicted with OCD or a compulsion to keep everything they possess just a smidgen bigger, more luxurious, taller, faster, brighter or deeper than anyone else. Instead I have accepted the idea that, at nearly 80 years old, there is no such thing as a MINOR injury. It now takes longer for things to heal, and the single accident which may lead to total physical or mental disability may be waiting mere inches behind the bumper of my old Fargo panel truck. That does not mean that I can’t/won’t tear the bumper off, use a zip tool to slice a few fender bolts loose, or even do a questionably necessary engine-transmission exchange. However, along with the ability to buy a replacement engine-transmission, for a hobby car, spend time, energy and money on a vehicle which rides like a buckboard, steers like a semi and will never be safe at speeds above 35 MPH, comes the wisdom which also makes it reasonable for me to do absolutely nothing. And there are days I choose to do exactly that……nothing. My hobby machines range between an old Cushman motor scooter, through an old Ford tractor, and include an old sedan, an old roadster and an old panel delivery truck. This assortment provides me with something to do regardless of my energy level, joint pains, weather or time of day. There is always some body work to be done, paint can always be applied, electrical tasks on these machines will never end, upholstery needs can run from re-carpeting a wood floor to cutting new floorboards, and now, with the Fargo Express panel, there is always another piece of wood to be cut or a metal piece fabricated. Of course there are times when no physical effort is required, but the amount of pleasure derived from the old car hobby is not age related. Shopping for parts on eBay, Amazon or one of the old car forums can be mentally stimulating and rewarding when the part, especially those made of unobtanium are found and procured. I guess I should have mentioned the mechanism our old obsessions provide in regards to the social community. I am retired military and retired department of corrections. I have worked in blue collar supervisory positions, but I have nothing in common with the real estate mogul or the president of a bank. But there was no physical exertion, no super human feats of mechanical ability, and gender or nationality never came into play during the three hours I spent talking on the phone to a fellow three thousand miles away about the motor mounts for my old Fargo panel truck. Now, that is a strange occurrence these days!

I need a bit of time to finish getting the Dodge pickup engine installed and running. Once I am certain I will not be stuck with no engine at all, I want to hold on to the 1929 a little longer. I have your post and you will be first in line after I make certain I can part out the original engine.

I am looking for two hinges which will work on the doors of my 1929 Fargo Express panel truck project. Snyders has them listed as being for 1928-1929 truck and panel delivery…….and I simply can’t see paying $88.00 plus S&H for a single door hinge. Any help here will be appreciated and I will pay a fair price and the S&H charges are to be expected.

LA is one huge city, and it isn’t hard to believe that much of the area covered by its Sheriff’s Department is rural and remote to the city. According to the piece, there are “hundreds” of Crown Vic’s still in service, and the “429” seems to reflect the number, and not the engine displacement, of cars still in service. Nor is it hard to believe that a Deputy Sheriff , sitting in a completely stock 2011 Crown Victoria, parked in the lot of a rural shopping mall, doesn’t attract a lot of attention. Since the danger to a law enforcement officer is increased exponentially at the end of a high speed chase, and the officer, driving a naturally aspirated, 2011 Crown Vic, in pursuit of a 2023 Mustang or Porsche, chance of actually catching them is reasonably unlikely. Thus, reducing the possibility of the Deputy being injured as the result of a successful chase is one consideration. Another is the funding of a well populated Sheriff’s Department, which can only be helped by voters held aghast by seeing one of their own driving a classic cruiser, in pristine condition, and kept running by a endless supply of 2011 Crown Victoria donor cars. Now, I rest my case regarding the serviceability, and continued expenditure of good money, on car a scant decade old, and will retire to my garage to work on my 100 year old Dodge Brothers Roadster, or maybe go outside to work on one of my other 90+ year old cars🙄.

I am in the process of media blasting the frame of the 1929 Fargo Express panel truck I recently adopted. I have noticed that there are loops, as you would use to attach a belt, cast into the spring ends where they attach to the shackles. My 1927 Willys Knight has similar loops, attached to the axles by u-bolts, which are used to terminate the axle end of the belt attached to the Gabriel Snubbers. However, there is no mounting point on the Fargo’s frame to hint that there was ever a snubber installed. And the availability of printed information on this truck is so sketchy that I will probably never find a authored answer. So, I will throw this out to the “feet on the ground” group of Fargo/Dodge Brothers fans who frequent the AACA and DB club forums. Did the 1929 Fargo Express panel delivery (packet 1/2 ton) have an option of installing snubbers, Gabriel or otherwise, on its suspension system? It’s Monday, and, if you are reading this post, must be mired down with too many “have to do’s”, as I am. So, the time it takes to respond to this thread is duly appreciated.

Just to be clear, this is the body of my 1923 Dodge Brothers Roadster, most assuredly, and totally verifiable as being a “all metal body”……which is only partially true. The car has metal springs on the seat bottom, but the seat back and all attachment points for the top are wood. And, just to continue the argument as to when the use of wood, or another fiber material was discontinued for use in attaching upholstery, well, if it were not for the fiber strips built into my 1951 Plymouth Cambridge, there would be no trim or upholstery in the car.