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Shawn Miller

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Posts posted by Shawn Miller

    1929 Pontiac Top

    in CCCA - General

    Posted

    Sounds like a typical sedan top from that era. Since there weren't Metal Presses large enough to press out an entire sedan top, a vinyl covered insert was installed. This is usually built of a wood infrastructure, or frame with numerous slats in it and sometimes even chicken wire over it. the vinyl is then stretched over this frame. I am sure you can get some photos of sedans in the process of restoration or before shots of cars with bad roofs on the AACA pages.

    Shawn Miller

    How much car is needed to call it a "restoration"?

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    Actually Howard, what will probably happen is that more than one body will be built here. this car is a prototype, and it would be cool to have the other bodies that he did design for it around as well. I think it would be better to build the sedan from scratch versus using the remaining cowl and tub and trying to build onto it.

    for now I am just getting the chassis restored and will haul it around as a show chassis for the first season or so as I figure out what to do with the remnants of the body. The easiest solution is to build the back half again

    (chop#1) and have a fair weather car. Since it was in this configuration for 20 years, I feel this is historically better than fabricating a roadster rear section, although if I do that it will be a removable deal that can showcase the chassis like he wanted. After all this car is really JSB's car not mine, I just am a custodian.

    But thanks for your comments and suggestion. I was wondering what the AACA would say about this car, how your rules would effect its showability, etc. and thought this was an interesting dilemma to bring forth in this thread.

    I will probably never sell this car so ROI isn't a consideration in my opinion.

    Shawn

    Duesy, what does it cost to get into one?

    in Automobiles and Parts - Buy/Sell

    Posted

    Mike Dube was right as far as A's go, they are/were the last good deal out there in the prewar car world, although dont look for that to last as there arent very many of them, about 50-60, as opposed to j's-about 300.

    Personally I like A's better than J's. Mrs Duesenberg was quoted as saying "now this is the real Duesenberg" when referring to a Model A. These cars were built entirely by the duesenberg bros. here in Indy. the J was as much of an EL Cord idea as it was the Duesenberg Bros. In fact I doubt the Duesenbergs would ever have had the balls to build the J's without EL, having pretty much gone bankrupt building the A's which cost about half what a j sold for. Folklore has it they thought EL was nuts aiming that high.

    A's arent as flashy but they were still light years ahead of anything else built at their time. That's why EL wanted the company so badly. they also sound great with the cut out open.

    It is interesting to note that the Duesenbergs didnt die rich men, but EL Cord did.

    How much car is needed to call it a "restoration"?

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    This is a documented and significant piece of history, but unfortunately the Original Owner and designer/builder of the car chopped the body on 2 occasions, first in the 30's to update it, then in the 50's to showcase its unique chassis for museum display. He also designed 4 other bodies for this chassis that were never realized, but the blueprints still exist, one of these is a speedster design.

    Obviously it will cost alot more to rebuild the Close coupled sedan body than to create a speedster/roadster or return it to the convertible sedan configuration of chop #1. I want to use what is left of the body in whatever i do and think it might be real difficult to do that and end up with a sedan, physically not ROI wise.

    Part of the history of this car is that the body was chopped up.

    My feeling is that Booth was an engineer at heart and when you think about it these cars were all about the chassis design, not the body. Any number of bodies could be installed on a pre war chassis. the body is a superfulous ornament.

    I dont see anything wrong with rebodying cars as long as it is done honestly. This happened all the time during the classic era.

    Your thoughts?

    Shawn

    Hey I'm a Packard man!

    in CCCA - General

    Posted

    Right you are Chuck...it was tuff not to just go buy another Cord, as I miss mine much more than I miss the 41 Caddy, and I believe it was faster than the Caddy as well. I will have another some day, but am excited to get a Packard...my motto is "so many cars, so little time". Time to try to something new (well old).

    Shawn

    Hey I'm a Packard man!

    in CCCA - General

    Posted

    Thanks again Peter. Luckily we have several talented mechanics here in the area, sounds like something one of them will get to handle, HA!

    The car gets here tomorrow evening, having bought it from only seeing the pictures, tomorrow will either be A. Christmas, or B. Halloween.

    Hopefully A, and then the only things I will have to deal with are the little preventative things you have suggested.

    Shawn

    Hey I'm a Packard man!

    in CCCA - General

    Posted

    Thanks for the tip Peter...sounds like a good idea, particularly since this car hasnt had lots of miles put on it.

    My computer is acting up, that's why the pictures would not load right onto the page. Of course i am really just exposing my ignorance about technical stuff, or I could attach a file here on the site...it said it was too big.

    As far as the wheels go I could always buy a set of discs or wires for higher speed travel...my philosophy is more to just not push a car beyond its limits and to never be a hurry when driving an old car like this one...sometimes other drivers make that difficult however.

    Shawn

    Hey I'm a Packard man!

    in CCCA - General

    Posted

    Yes they are wood,and they are stained versus painted. Couldnt get the image to load onto this site but you can see some shots of the car at my webpage www.4stargallery.com/mycaraddiction The interior is the only thing that has been redone, about 10 years ago, otherwise this car is original (reportedly). There was some debate amongst Packard cognoscenti about the mohair interior. the owner said that is what it had, so he redid it accordingly. Others said Packard didnt offer mohair, only broadcloth, then I verifed that you could, in fact, get mohair in Packard, so feel confident this car is correct.

    Good thing too..that interior is really nice and i would hate to have to redo it.

    Shawn

    Hey I'm a Packard man!

    in CCCA - General

    Posted

    Well, Peter I dont expect to be driving her on the interstate, but will probably go ahead and install high speed gears this winter, as someone in know said to me "you do this for the car, not for yourself". I still am looking for a more modern Full Classic, but ever so carefully at this point, now that the Packard has been acquired. As you can see (if the pic loads) it has artillery wheels so I don't expect it to be a high speed car. I am sure it will be faster than the daVinci no matter what!

    Thanks for the kind words guys!

    Shawn

    Hey I'm a Packard man!

    in CCCA - General

    Posted

    My search for an affordable, drivable, presentable Full Classic has ended! I am now the proud owner of a '31 833 7 passenger Sedan with 30,500 original miles. Can't wait to get it home. Always wanted a Packard. Bought it from a club member...is this a great club or what?

    Shawn Miller

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