Terry Bond

Not sure when it first started - maybe Peter can give us the whole history. But-it's been enjoyable. Think I first started when as a fairly new board member, I was asked to serve on the first "Internet Committee." It was Ron Barnett who worked to help create the internet awards that year, so I was glad to have a role in that part of it. We used to have meetings at Hershey until one day I though to ask why we needed in person meetings? It's the internet - if we can't do business by email, what good are we? Don't think we have any more meetings at Hershey after that! Enjoyed it when we started relying on some of our regulars to help moderate things. It was the "wild west" back then and there were some interesting characters. I'm sure if there was a basket load of old deleted posted and threads that could be published, it would make fascinating entertainment (but certainly would be banned in Boston - and Hershey!). I just enjoy the forum, looking most of the time, adding my 10 cents worth when I can, and over the years have seen it really develop into something special for AACA and the old car bobby. Kinds fits nicely with our mission I think. To all who read/post and enjoy - keep up the good work! Terry

Thanks West - looks interesting. Might spring for that and I have a permanent "dent" in my forehead from the old wire-brush technique. Got it working on the 1912 Triumph, where we had to try and save a lot of original hardware. Just one quick question though - when do you have time to work on cars? Let me know how you arrange that. Terry

10/4 on Google Earth. Give you a nice look-down view on the motels so you can see what the parking area looks like, how accessible it is, and if there might be any potential problems navigating a rig. Another great thing, it also gives you a chance to check out the neighborhood! We used that a lot trailering up to Watkins Glen, and have used it going to Fla for the winter meets. We do prefer to use a motel chain where we earn bonus points. Gets a free night or two every-so-often. Terry

Globes have certainly gotten interesting over the years. I recall many years ago searching thorugh an old oil company in NJ that had fallen into virtual ruin. There were globes all over the place, along with old pumps. The guy who took me there told stories about when he was much younger, he and friends would toss globes down the embankment behind the place, into the rivers-edge. He said those things literally "exploded" when they hit bottom! We managed to find a few undamaged ones there and that's where my very small collection began. I've have some older guidebooks in my library and while they are good for reference, the values are just "guestimates" based on today's numbers. If you watched the just concluded Morphy auctions sale of the Kyle Moore collection, there were some great globes there that made interesting prices. A couple of years ago a friend found a rare globe in an antique shop, and consulted one of the price guides and he was astonished - so, he contacted the author and immediately sold him the globe at listed price. Needless to say, he was shocked again when he learned that today's value of that globe was more than twice what he had actually sold it for! It's impossible to keep a price guide current, but any info on rarity would be helpful. The info on oil company histories sounds interesting.

I started collecting these while Iived in Scotland back in the early 1980s. Picked up a good bunch over the years at the Beaulieu autojumble, and in some antique shops. Even found some while digging bottles. There were a surprising number of American pins and buttons around, especial things like Buick and Overland. I've always love the Brooklands members pins and badges and have a few of those, but they were always in big demand in England where they came from. Do you sell them on ebay? Terry

Yup, aftermarket spark intensifiers. There is an air-gap inside them so the spark has to jump. That does actually intensify the spark a bit. These were commonly sold to help cure oiled up spark pugs and help smooth out misfiring. The idea was accidentaly discovered in Europe in around the turn of the century when engineers at Panhard-Levassor discovered that an "outside spark gap" produced a hotter spark at ignition. That basic idea has survived ever since, even being incorporated into spark pugs themselves. These devices were sold in all kinds of shapes, sizes and configurations, some with glass windows in them so you could actually see the spark jump. The most well known of these is the Rentz Lighthouse spark plug that included an adjustable air gap inside a glass tube. It must have been quite a show seeing cars equipped with these things running in the dark of night. Terry

Nope. I think it a tool used with those old wood-burning kitchen stoves. It's a handle to help move the hot plate covers around on top of the stove, or to help open doors or draught portals on them.

Wow, nice piece of lit Chris. As you know, MG stuff always excites! Interesting that the first of these cars appeared in 1953 based on the MGTD Chassis, which as we all know was a typical British two-seater sports-car. The effort to blend a passenger car, sports car and add some Italian styling by Bertone was commendable but not many were produced. Arnolt Aston started with MG but made the rounds. He had originally tried to build these through Aston Martin but after building only a couple of cars, they nixed the project. Later, following his work with MG he did the same with Bristol and even Bently. The Bristols are the best known because of racing success and larger production numbers. Don't know how many are still around but numbers have gotta be very low! Thanks for sharing. Terry

It's an aftermarket accessory horn circa 1908-10 era. It's commonly known as a "Potato horn" due to the shape of it' round head, as opposed to a normal "bell" shape. In those days (and even later) if you didn't like the horn you already had, you went to your friendly auto parts place and bought what you wanted. Just because you see one on an auto doesn't mean it came original equipment with that particular car. It may have very well been mounted on a Stutz at some point but doesn't specificaly belong to one. Hundreds of different horns were made over the years and I have some early accessory parts catalogs that show endless varieties of them. I know several people who collect brass accessories (lamps, horns, etc.) as I do. If you decide to keep it, it's the start of your brass horn collection. You need two more though - one is just a single, two is a pair, three is a collection! Let us know if you need any other info and I can send pics of some similar horns from my catalogs. Terry

Hey, just realized I hit a milestone - now over 1800 posts and never once banned!!! I realize it doesn't even come close to some of you but I'm proud to be there. Might be interesting to see who among us had the 1st (oldest) post on the forums? Any way to tell? Terry

Wow, that T looks great. Just the kind of patina you'd love to perserve. Love a good swap meet and I always take pics of stuff laying on the tables or stacked in the display cases. I enjoy looking at them later to see what I missed. Just looked at some 5 year old Hershey photos and saw a bunch of stuff I shoulda bought! Prices went up, imagine that. How bout when you guys snap pics at swap meets, include some of the stuff piled up on or under the tables so those of us who can't make it can dream about next year. Terry

Music didn't bother me. Watched with a group of friends and we all had a great time. I even think the commercials were about 99% ok.

Got to see it and we're going to see how we can get the channel at home so we can continue watching. It was great to see neat cars and REAL car people. My hat's off to our own AACA stars, Tom Cox and Chris Ritter. i enjoyed it and am anxious to see more. This is a big stride forward for AACA after years of hard work trying to get air time that provides good exposure to the club. I was impressed that both Tom and Cris were allowed to be themselves in the production. Proud to know them both, only hope I can afford to get their autographs now!!! - Keep up the good work!!! Terry

Sad - would like to know more about the British Transportation Museum - sounds interesting (of course if you like LBCs (Little British Cars). Terry

Got the schedule in the mail and it'll be hard to choose - a great variety. I see the Region/Capter Officers Training seminars are in good hands, and we've got Dave Bausch on the calendar for a look at his great antique toys, as well as more of his superb automobilia collection. You know where I'll be that morning! Looks like I get a year off this time as my proposed brass car seminar didn't make the cut. Oh well, brass is stil beautiful! Terry

I also want to express appreciation for Stacy, Steve and others taking on this big project. I've been involved in seminars for many years and know it's a difficult task to organize things, striving for a good selection of "core" seminars that provide info to help our regions and chapters, as well as a mix of educational and entertaining seminars. It's always tough to strike a good balance given the limited time available. It's a true blessing that this club has such tremendous talent to draw on. It's what makes the AACA Philly experience so great each year. I hope that someday soon, some of them can be video taped and made available on the website for more to see. Technology allows that and I believe it's something that can add great value for AACA membership. Terry

Not sure about the value here in the USA - on my table at Hershey is probably a lot different than yours at Beaulieu. You are right about prices on ebay - all over the place depending on who is watching and who needs your stuff. Dealer or end-user? Book-shelf collector or restorer? Best bet is to use a reserve that protects your investment. Have you tried www.prewar.com to see if anything similar is currently on offer? Perhaps you can send them some pics and have them post a question for you about what they might be used on. There are also a couple of companies in the UK that restore lamps and they might be of help, and might even be interested in finding a good home for them. www.geniusofthelamp.co.uk.

Thanks - a pair yes indeed. Cowl lamps circa 1914. I'm certain they are generic and not specific to any particular vehicle. You might try watching the UK version of Ebay for Lucas lamps to see what turns up. There are certainly more lamp experts over there. I've got a few early English auto accessory catalogs and will try to get into them over the weekend to see if I can find something similar. Terry

Are they really a pair? Two different style Lucas badges on top of them are not usual, although the are generally the same, I've never seen a "pair" of lamps that had that kind of difference. With spade mounting they are either cowl lamps for a large car, or might even be side lamps for a smaller cycle car. Size would be helpful to know, but there were so many cars made that used Lucas lights, then they were also readily available after-market you may never know what they specifically fit.

Saluting all our Veterans and families today. Thanks for your service! Terry

Spillled some on a gravel driveway once and it's held up better than the blacktop! Terry

We've done it a variety of different ways here in Tidewater Region. We had a large AACA logo made into a puzzle with enough pieces for officers and board members. Each of the new officers was given a piece of the puzzle and then introduced by the Master of Ceremonies, who gave a little background on them, then asked to come forward, place their piece of the puzzle in it's proper position, and then remain standing. When everyone was done and all the new officers/board members were standing a few simple remarks/instrsuctions were given and then the traditional group picture was taken. It was a semi-formal and nice way to do it. We've also just done simple introductions. On a couple of other occasions we've symbolically lit a brass side-lamp, passed car parts around representing the different offices, and had a mock-up car assembled by asking the incoming officers to place representative car parts in their proper place. It was a cute "skit" with cardboard cut-outs. The whole idea is that the sum of individual parts represents the whole and needs to work in synch, and no single piece works on it's own. Like spokes on the wheel - I've seen other organizations where they place their right hand on a copy of Hemmings Motor News and recite a "pledge" to protect the club, etc.etc. Do it your way but have some fun with it.

I remember stoping to visit Lying Lee's Used Cars in Morehead KY on the way to the Louisville Meet. Interesting place with lots of "classics" and other stuff. Interesting name and an interesting place!

The Jeep is something you can learn with. There is a tremendous support mechanism for Jeeps - parts replacement, technical espertise, clubs, etc.etc. I don't know of any Citation clubs where you could get moral support or technical advice. Chances are the Jeep doesn't owe you anythilng so use it, tinker with it and don't take any chances on jumping to an unknown replacement. Although the Cutlass sounds interesting, it may cost a lot more to maintain and repair than your current ride. Both our Son and Grand-daughter are Jeep enthusiasts. PS - we enjoy our MGs but wouldn't try to use one for everyday transport, although I know some folks who do. It takes a special relationship with Joe Lucas (aka "prince of darkness) to keep them rolling.

What do you think - I recently looked at what amounts to a pile of parts. It started life as a car I am pretty sure I knew of back in the 1980s. It's a 1935 Morris. I've got the companion car in nice condition, and there are not many in the USA that I know of. The car was dismantled in the 1980s but not much has ever been done to it except move it around and loose parts (wheels, headlamps, every nut and bolt that came off it (Whitworth), and a lot of small stuff. At some point it had a replacement engine added to the mix (unknown condition, and not correct). For the last several years, it's literally been spread around a Virginia farm, much of it ourdoors. The body (what is left of it) is useless except for perhaps a patch panel or two if ever needed. The rear end is there but condition is unknown (was a well used car when I last saw it complete). Same for transmission. Other sheet metal (fenders, etc) are in rough condition with only one front and one rear that "might" be restorable. In essence it was an "American Pickers" type adventure climbing over, under, around and through overgrown weeds, sheds, barns, etc. trying to find stuff. I'm guessing the car is only about half there and that may be an optimistic estimate. The current owner is a neat car guy who just wants to pass it along to a good home. He has an amazing collection of stuff that we enjoyed looking through - but as for what remains of the poor old Morris, I don't need any of it. Nothing there upgrades anything I've already got either on the car or packed away in the parts dept. I'm trying to talk myself out of it, but at the same time, the inner old-car lover wants to embark on a "rescue mission" just to get the stuff under control and stashed away. I know there is little market for it, don't know of anyone who is restoring one and might need a good frame, and if I ever need one I've got bigger trouble that just that! I wouldn't offer much on the basis that I'm just going to rescue what is left, I'm thinking just a few hundred bucks based on the value of the rear end, transmission and some misc parts like a decent looking gas tank and a restorable fender or two. So, what would you do? Let it stay down on the farm or try to rescue what's left? Terry