Terry Bond

Good luck on the roads Earl, I know with Wayne paving the way you'll be ok. Wish we could join you but we're taking a little detour and going over to Watkins Glenn Ny for the Vintage Races. Leaving next Wed and driving up to Harrisburg PA then north on 15 straight to the Glenn so hopefully our traffic issues will be minor compared to the route you're going. We're taking Susan's 48MGTC up there since MG is the featured marque this year. Should be good with plenty of touring roads, visiting wineries, and driving the old course thru the village. Lots of MG activities. Can't be in two places at once and my boss still likes to me show up at work occasionally. Gotta save some annual leave time for Hershey too. We're looking forward to 2016 as it'll be a bit closer to home, and now that we've got the MG we have a car much more suitable to the Sentimental. Looking forward to touring with you guys on that one. Hard to believe it's been so long since we were on that first one together years ago. You've done well to make them all. I know I really enjoyed driving your 35 Buick - you almost converted me! Safe travels- Terry

Sounds like Napa Valley was hit pretty hard by an eqrthquake. If there is any news from our AACA friends in Santa Rosa and surrounding area, let us know. Looks like it did a bit more than just spill some wine! Anxious and hopeful everyone is ok. Terry

Noted with sadness there will be an empty space in the building at Carlisle with the passing of noted literature dealer Bob Johnson. He was a nice man and did great things despite his handicap. Does anyone know what will become of his literature? I know he had a ton of it and some pretty rare stuff too. The basis of his collection was the tons of literature from the late Nat Adlestein, who at one time was one of the biggest literature dealers around. Just curios as he helped be find some nice sheet music and accessory catalogs over the years. Terry

Like Keiser, we're involved in that as well. My wife does plans for custom homes. She of course has a side-line specialty helping club members with their garage plans, and local zoning can be a problem, so be sure to check everything out carefully. With zoning you dont' want to try using the technique of "easier to ask forgiveness than gain permission." Re the 16X21 size - We work on MG's and Model T's and I agree that about all you can do with 16x21 is store someting in it. I did restore a motorcycle in a shed smaller than that but by the time you get tools, parts, etc. in there you'll be rolling the car outside to work on it. Head to Lowes or Home Depot as they both sell books on how to build your own shed. Check this link for some interesting plans and ideas - http://www.toolcrib.com/blog/2008/11/build-your-dream-workshop-23-free-workshop-and-shed-plans

Sign up for a couple of AACA Tours. You can stick your thumb in the air and take a seat in many different cars and be a passenger for a few days or a week. You can switch off and ride with someone different every day of the event if you wish. We're always eager to give rides and sometimes people need navigators. Experience touring and riding in some different cars form the era you are most in love with and you'll gain a lot more knowledge and experience with particular cars. Whether it's MGs or Model Ts there is plenty of choice. Stop and see us at Hershey and let us know how you are doing. Keep an eye out for the annual list olf who is where that comes out every year just before the big event. See you there! Terry

A brief article in an antique newsletter I get regularly had a story from Paxton IL "Town Declares Antique Cars Must Run." The article reports that the City Council in Paxton (Eastern Ill) amended a local ordinace to make clear that for a car to be considered an antique that can be kept on someone's property, it must run. Supposedly the change will help local police as they try to force property owners to haul away "clunkers" that litter some lots. Apparently they are now conducting a survey of properties that the amended ordinance might apply to. Would be interesting to learn more about this from the old car community perspective. Anyone out there involved in this or know anything about it? Terry

Ok - Marty beat me this time with posting photos. Truth is I've been so busy have not even downloaded from my camera yet, but shot plenty! It was a pleasure to see all those nice cars in the sunshine. It actually got hot in Wisconsin! Wish we could have had both of those Sandusky Couriers together for a photo op - one unrestored, the other a fabulous restoration that I never tire of seeing. How about those HPOF cars? There was a beautifuly 1912 Buick Roadster, and a later Buick touring that has been in the same family all it's life, complete with a photo-story of a trip taken back when the car was new. I think I took a zillion pictures of that fire truck from Kalamazoo, Mich. The gold leaf on the white truck was striking, and it was dripping with brass! Ok Ok Ok - pictures! Will try to download some tonight. It was a great meet! Terry

Amazing to see something like that being rolled out of barn!

Jeff, Yes, they are beautiful, and I'm sure would draw an admiring crowd at any event. You just don't see enough of that early stuff here in the USA. But I have to wonder about some of the add-ons also. Having been there and enjoyed some of the larger shows featuring steam traction engines, etc. I've observed our British friends have always had a soft-spot for big trucks (lorries). They tend to "doll them up" a bit with lots of polished brass and paint them in bright colors. I note those wonderful self-generating Lucas headlamps and oil sidelamps for example. Well suited to an early automobile also. I'm not sure that there is as much concern for total authenticity as there is an enthusiasm for making them look flashy. Of course in 1915, if I was buying a truck to help promote my business, first thing I'd to is get out the paint and polish. Still, things of beauty, and some of the vehicles offered were spot on. Just wish I had a garage big enough for something like that.

I was watching and looking over the results too. There was a mix of good value and over-the-top for stuff. I don't need trucks, but was especially following the wonderful collection of brass that was also sold. There were some bargains to be had on early lamps. I was following just to see how much some of the stuff I acquired years ago over here had gone up in value. It certainly has, but by today's standard, there were some good prices on ready to use pairs of self-generating headlamps, etc. My guess is that a lot of it went over to the continent. Terry

Yes, it'll soon be time to start the list of "whose going." Like Andy says, we just keep on even in the rain. Actually did pretty good last year finding stuff tucked away in tents. Terry

This response comes from a guy who has far too much paper laying around. I've received a lot of certificates over the years and don't know where most of them went. Granted a certificate for a national award would be a cut above the average, but it's still just another piece of paper (framing optional) to get lost in the shuffle. I think having the badge mounted on the car is great. It stays with the vehicle, and that trumps a certificate anytime IMHO. But - here is a thought...some may like to have a certificate framed, along with a picture of their car hanging on the office wall. This could be a potential money-maker (or at least a break-even) for AACA. How about when you win a national award, if you want a nice suitable for framing certificate, send in xxx$$$ and it'll be mailed to you. That way, no extra cost to the organization if price was properly structured, and if the club made a buck or two on them it could help defray costs for awards. I might even order a couple for my vehicles to frame and hang at the office along with photos of them. I think that we used to do that with membership certificates years ago - you got your card when joining, but a framable certificate was something you could order.

Such a problem - with only one open seat...

Great - appreciate it. I had a feeling this was an image that was used in multiple ways. I note the example shown in the link also has the hole thru the top, so that was meant to hang as well. Wonder if the calender is just missing from that one? The blank back would have provdied space for some advertising from a tire dealer, and if the calender were left off, there would have been additional advertising space below the image. I suspect though they were all intended to be calendard. I've managed to collect a few images in multiple formats and have several items that found in lithographic print form, as well as small advertising prints, post cards and even magazine ads using the same imagry. I'll be looking for this as a postcard but have never seen it before so it might be a never-ending search. Terry

Just added this jewel to my collection. Have been collecting automotive related advertising calendars for years and this one came in the mail Saturday. Was wondering if this particular ad ever appeared in any other format - magazine print, lithograph, postcard, or? Would have posted under memorabilia but that section has degenerated into a for sale column and didn't want my question to get lost.

Susan and I put over 270 miles on our MGBGT yesterday. We did a backroads run with other club members up towards Richmond Va, did a gimmick rally/treasure hunt and ended up under some shade trees at a club members home in Ashland Va for BBQ and ice-cream. It was a delightful day. Came back via the Jamewtown Ferry and home by 8Pm. We certainly appreciate our collector cars! Terry

Here is an interesting picture that shows the Bond pit crew. We had our grandson Jack, and Susan's cousin's youngest son Cole along with us. Jack is a tour veteran but this was Cole''s first outing. Out 1914 T was actually the first car he ever drove. Everyone had their assignments, and when we got into some serious hills, I stopped a couple of times to adjust my new transmission bands. The Trans was freshly rebuilt, in fact we started the engine about two weeks before departing for the tour. When we stopped, it was like the Indy 500. Everyone had their job, and in seconds, the right tools were laid out, the floor boards were out, Jack was ready to turn the engine over so I could check things out, and Cole was ready to perform the " "Thumbs up" (all is ok) signal. I'll share a couple of additional photos later ( I keep saying that). - finally got the T cleaned. It looks pretty good after all that - and yes, it's called a reliability tour for a reason - it originally was a test for man and machine - still is! Terry

Just got home from PA and put the T away in the garage, dumped suitcases in the den and poured a wee dram in celebrating of having survived the Reliability Tour. I'll post more with pics once we download but Marty had captured some additional highlights. The temps broke and the humidity went way down. We encountered some rain on Thursday but it was nothing serious at all. The car just got a bit dirtier and the brass got a few water spots. The roads were much tamer in comparison and we even squeezed in time for a return trip to Litiz PA to pick up some purchases that wouldn't fit into the T, and also got some antique hunting in at Strausburg. Not surprised to encounter several others on the tour in the shops. Thursday evening there was a scheduled gas-light tour through a local retirement community. We lied up the cars at about 7:30, Paul Vaughan gave a public presentation on gas lighting for early automobiles, then we departed on a 5 mile journey through a very large retirement village . It consisted on duplex and single family homes, assisted living, long-term care facilities and all the amenities normally found in such an up-scale community. It was adjacent to the host hotel so we didn't need to drive far. The parade of cars, many with costumed occupants, wound through some areas twice. We were greeted by hundreds of people who had set up lawn chairs, even tail-gate parties to see us drive by. It was a very memorable occasion for us to parade past such an appreciative crowd. One guarantee on any tour - if you have a donut stop at a church or vol fire company you are going to get a treat! The food has been great all around on this tour and the scenery amazing. Yes, there were some mechanical issues during the week - brakes on at least one car didn't do their job on one hill and the result was a fender-bender with a Model T that bent a spindle arm at a 45 degree angle, making the toe-in rather severe and the car undrivable. There was also report of a couple of rear ends going out, a wheel bearing failure, a rod thrown, and a couple of lock-rings that bounced off at Buick, only one of which was recovered from the woods. Friday's route was a bit longer than Thursday so we were under pressure to get back in time for the closing banquet. We visited Fulton's birthplace and then an amazing collection (read hoard) of tractor and gas engine stuffffffffffff!!!! We then followed the rail line of the "Little old and Slow" from which the tour takes it's name. It was an amazing journey through history as we traveled the rail-bed through the countryside. We entered a forested dirt and gravel road and for the next two miles endured ruts, pot holes, mud-filled pools and washed out areas that our cars hadn't seen in a hundred years. Our T literally "bounced" over many of them. A highlight was of course fording the stream three times. We were so deep in the woods we believe we heard banjos in the distance (drive faster!). We were quite surprised to come out of the dirt road at a four way intersection near a bridge over a small stream and met half a dozen tour cars there that all coverged from different directions, and nobody seemed to have a good idea of which way we needed to go to get back on track. We all took off in different directions and tried our individual luck in finding our way back to the route. We repeated a quite steep hill and after stopping to readjust a brake band, we made it back to civilization. It was fun and all a part of the touring experience. A highlight on Friday was a quick visit the the Strausburg railway museum. There's an X on the map for a return visit to this place for sure. One of the more interesting things for us was the chance to see how the Amish have adapted to tourism. No doubt there is a lot of money to be made from tourists exploring this heavily Amish part of PA. There were authentic Amish buggy rides being given for tourists and when the old cars went buzzing by, they leaned out snapping our picture. Our impression was they must have figured we were just a part of the attraction! I was pleased with the way the Model T performed. Having just rebuilt the transmission and relined the bands, as well as mounted two new clincher tires on new front wheels, we did great. Susan had helped be install the engine just a week before the tour and it ran like a fine watch. There is so much more to write about, but I'm tired and ready to enjoy my favorite beverage so will try to post some pics later and add in a few more tid-bits. Meantime, anyone who was along for the ride feel free to post more info. Terry

AHHH - I beat Marty Roth posting something!!! We're just finishing the Wednesday leg of the event here in Lancaster PA. It's been brutally hot on the road and it's been a real challenge for the cars and participants, but the scenery is amazing, the shops fascinating, the food great, and I never knew there were so many back roads and covered bridges anywhere. Monday we covered (supposedly) over 80 miles, but I know that Susan and I did over 100 in the 14T because we missed a couple of turns and had to "redo" a couple of the toughest hills on the route. We stopped at a historic mill, rode a train, caught a fab antique shop, ate too much and had a great time adjusting transmission bands in the Model T. I'd just rebuilt the trans and installed some new bands. Normally I'd have figured on about a month of driving around with a couple of adjustments, but I did more in half a day than I could have done in a month or more. The roads were a challenge and the directions were coming almost faster than Susan could keep up with them, but we didn't go too far astray, and of course we had good company doing so. Loved all the farms, old stone houses, country stores, the farmers market and took a batch of pics that I'll try and post later. We lost a few cars on the first day but noting that isn't repairable (eventually). Know of a couple of damaged wheels, at least one rod and a rearend that broke. Tuesday the humidity went way up and it must have been near 90 bu the time we turned the directions in our tour book to home. We were drained by the time we got in but had a fine day that included a wonderful lengthy respire in Litiz park under some shade trees. We enjoyed a pub lunch with the Barnets, Leshers and others from the tour, then did some shopping before heading back for home. In the evening it was an ice ceam social and a tour of a silver mine. No give-aways there! The ice cream was home-made using an old hit-n-miss engine. Love it when someone announces that they are having trouble giving it all away before it melts. Having two young kids along helps. Our Grandson Jack (he toured with us last year up in Maryland) and Susan's Cousin's youngest son Cole are enjoying the tour and have their own jobs in helping maintain the car. Cole's first time behind the wheel of any car was learning to drive my Model T! We pulled over to adjust bands before getting into some serious hills and it looked like an Indy 500 pit-stop. Today's run was flat compared to the first two days. The Lesher's did a great job laying everything out. It approached 95 today, so after the lunch stop and a quick visit to Mt. Gretna, most headed on back to the AC at the Doubletree Resort. More great stuff to come, and the promise for weather is a break in humidity and temps only to the 80s, so it should be much more comfortable on cars and occupants. Gotta check the oil, polish some brass and get a "refreshment" to celebrate the half way point. Oldest car on the road is Reggie and Cindy Nash with the 1904 Rambler. Some interesting cars including Marmon, Dorris, Pullman, Stephens Duryea, Coey Flyer, Abbott Detroit, Franklin and the normal compliment of Overland, Packard, Chalmers, Cadillac, Buick, Model T and several others. Stand by for more on the youngest drivers, oldest cars and some pics hopefully of some great stuff on a great tour.Terry

A professional painter I know gave me one of his trade secrets - Kimball Ultra Pro paint in rattle cans. He showed me some parts he was restoring and I thought the gloss black he had used was powder coat - not so, it was straight from a spray can. It's got far more solids in it that anything I've ever used, so it goes a lot further. I have one can of gloss black in the shop that I use just for small touch ups on the Model T. Spray a little into the bottom of a plastic disposable cup, then use a fine tip brush to dab a bit onto chipped nuts, bolts, scratches, etc. It's wonderful stuff. Not cheap, and takes a while to dry hard but it's amazing stuff. I won't be without a can of it. Have not tried other colors but they have an assortment. Kimball supplies equipment and stuff to the auto body industry. https://www.kimballmidwest.com/Catalog/CatalogIndex.aspx?p=464.539

Didn't check the dates on this thread, but it's a topic that refuses to disappear regardless. I did my tap dance in Richmond quite a few years ago - probably 15 at least, and it was probably before a lot of stuff was ever computerized. In understand that older antique car registrations are still not in a data base, so there must still be a few "humans" left there. It'll take you a day to make the journey and try and get things done, but there at least you've got a bit less chance someone will just shrug their shoulders and say no. Let us know how it turns out. Terry

These are always such fascinating threads. Been there, done that. A few years ago I bought a 1914 T and a 1915T all in the same package. The Ts never had titles. The 1914 was off the road during WWI, long before Virginia became a title state in the later 20s. The 1915 was bought as a bare chassis and never registered or licensesd It was used in a warehouse as a "truck" to haul stuff around indoors. The local DMV office wanted me to initiate a title search (process for locating lost title) but doing so was a paperwork nightmare requiring information I didnt' have, and autographs from dead people I couldn't get. I drove up to Richmond to the main DMV Headquarters, took my number, stood in line and eventually approached the clerk - who after looking at pictures of the car and listening to my tale, disappeared into the "inner sanctum" for a while and then returned, with the proper approvals for my new titles. My thinking was that at the DMV Main Headquarters, there would be some higher-level folks capable of making a decision, and there would least be a higher level of expertise/knowledge than existed at the local office, where the window clerk was no brighter than the high-school kid working at McDonalds. (not to disparage highschool kids in their first job at Mc-D's). It took a little while, but it illustrates that not every situation fits the norm, and there are people working within the DMV who realize that and have the horsepower to make decisions. You just have to reach them and that'll take a little pushing sometimes. I'm sure we'd all love to see some pictures of the curved Dash Olds, so please post so we can all drool Oh - my Model T went for many years being used in parades, etc using a set of plates bought in a swap meet some place. The Virginia Antique Vehicle tags that were on it when I bought it were registered to a 1938 Oldsmobile. Terry

Don is right - consider the entire powertrain. It all has the same kind of miles on it. If you can find another trans and rear end in a junk yard it might be proactive to grab and stash them away, provided they are lower mileage units that you've currently got. As a side-note, it seems that in this country, we're more obsessive about original engines. I recall when living in the UK years ago, it was common to replace engines. Of course when you start talking about high dollar muscle cars, it's a different matter. For your car, I don't believe a good replacement motor would be doing any harm at all.

The memories keep flooding back. Dave and I were elected together to the National Board. From Day 1 he was someone I learned could be counted on and we so often bounced ideas around and discussed everything you could imagine - from AACA and the car hobby to the Navy and politics. I'll never forget the pride in his face the first time I asked Veteran's to stand and be recognized at a National event. Dave was always among the first to stand when that was done. He was proud of his service and we were proud of him! His term as president was inspiring and I so enjoyed our time serving AACA together. Even as his health declined, I would call him while on a tour or at a meet someplace to check in with him and it felt as though he was there with us. I know he was in spirit. And so it will always be - Dave, you'll always be with us. Keep the family in your prayers, keep Dave's memory alive in your hearts, and keep his spirit alive as you enjoy the hobby and AACA. Thanks to his dedication and hard work, he has done a lot to keep this hobby alive and the club thriving. The article in Antique Automobile Magazine, and his spirited last visit to Philly is testimony. I pray that Brenda and family will continue to enjoy the hobby they shared. I am always ready for a hug from her. Rest in peace good friend. Terry

Great to see a familiar name - MORRIS - I'll post pics later of our 1935 Morris 8 4 door saloon along with our MGs, related of course to Morris. Your Cowley sure looks great. We developed our love for the Morris (and other British cars) while living in Scotland many years ago. More later - Terry