William Romoser

So, it really sounds like I should pick up some Automotive Quarterlys, perhaps a few Dykes manuals, and "Understanding Your Brass Car" by Harold Sharon. I think that is a great list to start with. I also do hear those that have suggested I find a specific group of cars I am interested. For the most part I have honed in on the early 1930s pheatons, so I am likely to start there. Thanks for all the help! Keep the suggestions coming!

Hello everyone, I am a bit new here and same to my new found love for pre-war era cars. Ever since I was a kid I gravitated towards the Duesenbergs and Pierce-Arrows, but knew little to nothing about them apart from the fact that they sat on four wheels. Over the past couple years and after working in a family friends brass era restoration shop and seeing some of the car tours, I got even more excited and interested in the hobby. I meet a lot of gentleman that have a wealth of knowledge in their head through conversation and experience... I envy that sort of knowledge. So, I was wondering if anyone knew any good websites, news sources, magazines, books, or other periodicals that would help me learn some of the ins and outs of pre-war era cars. I'm not completely blind these days, as I do interact with many people in the hobby and do some of my own DIY research, but have a hard time finding some of the more in depth and extensive resources. Any help?

This is very true, but ICE fires are actually a lot more straight forward. Once oxygen is cut off from the flame, it goes in ICE cars. Even the lead acid batteries go out using the same method. This is because unless you have an ignition source there is no reason for any part of your car to catch fire (in modern cars the ignition system shuts off and drains all power in the event of an accident). BEVs on the other hand can reach auto-ignition, meaning they will ignite themselves... this can obviously be very problematic. I'm sure we have all heard the story about when Richard Hamond crashed the Rimac One and the fire went on for days. This is due to several issues, the first being thermal runaway. Lithium Ion batteries can enter thermal runaway, which is when the battery gets caught in a chemical reaction cycle resulting in it heating up uncontrollably. Once in this state it can't really be stopped. If the manufacturer misprograms certain peramiters, the batteries are punctured, there is a manufacturing error, or the battery in an unsuitable environment, the batteries can enter thermal runaway, even from just charging. The biggest problem with thermal runaway is if the neighboring battery cells enter thermal runaway, the heat, chemicals, and expansion of the original cell almost always triggers its neighboring cells to also go into thermal runaway. This leads to hours upon hours of cells going off like a chain reaction. you would have to isolate the battery from oxygen the entire time and once exposed to oxygen it might trigger a reaction again. This also does not go into the explosive nature of these reactions, the intense heat these fires produce, and the hazardous fumes they give off. At the end of the day ICE fires are a lot more straight forward and easy to quell. I think electric cars are the future and think that as time goes on technologies like hydrogen could improve them greatly... but there are still many issues with electric vehicles... especially those that run on lithium ion batteries.

Wow! She's a beauty! I've never seen a mountain wagon in person. They seem like fun considering all the seating. To the original poster, there are people on the forums that transport themselves if you don't trust a company to do it. If you scroll down the forums homepage you'll find some of what you are looking for. People are constantly moving their cars around and often have extra space to carry other's cars too. I'd head down there and see if anyone is moving something sometime soon and has some extra space. I've known guys that have done this and practically got their car across the country for free. Nonetheless, make sure you insurances are both up to date no matter what, these cars are priceless... especially Stanely Steamers 😎

There are quite a few in western Connecticut. I worked for a family friend named Stu Laidlaw for a while who specializes in brass era cars, he's over in Redding, CT. But if you are looking for someone different or closer to home, I encourage you to check out the Horseless Carriage Club of America website: https://hcca.org/ . The people selling and posting stuff often have their contact info on their and often are the restorers themselves. At the very least, they would be able to point you in the right direction. Try reaching out to some of the regional presidents near you, they are often very helpful.

Husky toolboxes seem to get quite good reviews especially considering their price. They have lifetime warranties and can just be taken into your local home depot for repairs if needed. I've been doing research for my own toolbox and I have decided to go with Husky. I have heard nothing but good things.

That is great! Thank you so much for that information!

I'm moving to Dallas shortly and was wondering if anyone knew any shops/mechanics nearby that specialize in pre-war cars (cars of all eras, so any specific era would help greatly). Thanks in advanced!