Jim Bollman

I think possibly part of the answer has been stated. We use to see it in every car magazine you picked up. I still do but I get less than half the number I use to. I do read a bunch of car forums. I bet the less dedicated car people have dropped even more out of printed magazines. Hershey was mentioned on a few forums but maybe we should make it a point to drop a thread in from time to time on the forums we read. We would not have to be to obvious, we could just just say that we were getting ready to make our annual trip to Hershey for the big show/flea market an see if it stirs any responses.

Not really a Chrysler fan but the Thunderbolt in the car corral under the clear plastic cover after dark was fantastic to see. We were discussing that it probably had a high price tag on it since it just had a phone number to call if interested and it was an unusual find in a car corral. We then noticed the security guard watching us carefully and he said he was told the price was over a million dollars. I said something like I guess that was why he was standing there and he said he was hired to watch the Thunderbolt and a couple of the cars next to it. One of many great moments at Hershey 2010.

Having a good eye is important. A friend last year found the rear fenders for a 1941 Crosley Woody Wagon that he had been looking for for 35 years. He had to talk the owner into not only selling them to him but taking them off the trailer he used to haul his parts to Hershey. It was the last major parts he needed so he could start his restoration. It won the PreWar class at the Crosley Nationals this year. In years past he has went down the same row I have and found Crosley parts I never saw. I find after walking for awhile I'm just walking, my brain has gotten saturated and can't compute what I'm seeing anymore. I try to catch myself when that happens and take a break, even if it is just striking up a conversation with a vendor for a few minutes. And if you Buick/Pontiac/Olds people thing those parts are hard to find at Hershey try Crosleys, but the fun is in the hunt and I always find lots of other interesting things to buy or at least look at. Much better than a museum where you can just look. People always ask what I'm looking for and I usually tell them I will know when I find it. I believe this was my 40 or 41st time going to Hershey and I usually take about a month to recover before I start looking forward to the next year. I do miss the mud a little. Did stop and chat with the last vendor on grass and he said he still does well off on the side and hopes they let him continue to be on the grass.

1946-47 Crosley grill and headlight buckets.

I went to a "clean out the whole yard" sale a few years ago. It was a better run yard than the one you tell about, this fellow had several buildings and busses of good parts that had been removed over the years. Many nice cars, many restorable, many maybe restorable or rare, and around 1000 rough yard hulks. His approach was everything went over the auction block accept the hulks over the two days of aution (it was open the weekend before for inspection). The hulks were all taged with numbers and those attending were allowed to walk the yard looking at the cars. At the end of the main part of the auction they collected numbers for the cars anyone was interested in. If there was more than one interested person it was auctioned, other wise they could by the car for a small nominal price over the crusher price. Went very smooth and fast. They had equipment to help people get the yard cars out and loaded. I believe you could also just take what you wanted and leave the rest for the crusher.

Here is what I did. I didn't really want to listen to AM radio, even if I could find an original. To cheap to pay for one of the conversions. Most of my music is already in MP3 format on the computer ready to load on an iPod or other MP3 player. I looked for and found an MP3 amplified speaker system that runs off 4 AAA batteries (6 volts). Cost me around $25 shipped online. I cut a board to fit where the original speaker mounted and fitted the speakers with a simple strap across the case to the board, foam was just to keep them from sliding around. Painted the board semi black so the speakers don't stand out when the grill is on. I cut the wall wart off the wire and connected it to the ignition switch (be sure to use the right polarity), tucked the small amp up beside of the glove box and wedged it in (I can actually reach the on/off switch through the ash tray but I just leave it on). Ran the phone jack into the ash tray, where I can plug in my iPod and just let it ride in the tray. Works good, an old pickup isn't the right acoustics for HiFi but it is as good or better to the original radio for sound and I get to pick my cruising music.

My first car is out in my barn. Had it since 1963 so I guess I'll keep it a while longer. Does need some work to get it back on the road, one of those projects I don't get to. My big decision is should I make it look nice or roughly how it looked when I was in High School. If I make it look nice it will be just another 49 Crosley. If I make it like I drove in HS it will look pretty ratty but....

We will be at our usual spots in the Chocolate field CI 8-10 got our packet yesterday. Plan to pull in Tuesday around noon. Repackaged my canope poles today. The main tube we have been hauling them in for years kept getting heavier every year, so split them into two smaller tubes.

We have been going since 1971 every year and I did a few times with the parents in the 60s. I still get that special feeling when we crest that last hill on 39 going south and get our first view of the fields starting to fill up. When I get the standard question of what am I looking for, my standard answer is I will know when I find it. These days you can buy so much online and from specialty vendors that most things I need I can just buy. I go to flea markets to find the stuff I didn't know I was looking for and I'm seldom disappointed.

If you can find an AACA judge in your area have them look it over. Even if they are not up on the make they can point out any easy to fix problems that will loose points. I did this for a friend before Canandaigua. He spent a weekend doing the cheap and easy things. Still had some expensive points to loose but pulled off a 1st Jr. I would say close to half the 2nds and 3rds I have judged could at least make the points for a 1st with less than $200 and a weekend of work.

The Crosley version I saw at our Nationals was "Still plays with little cars!" with a Crosley pictured. One that one of our Maine members made up a bunch of T shirts with "Speed Kills, Drive a Crosley Live Forever". I liked it so much I had it put on the back of one of my denim shirts, since I don't where T shirts.

The Crosley Auto Club does not have an official spot put I have represented them at my space since 1973. I hand out club info and the latest list of Crosley vendors. I am available for Crosley Q&A when I'm not walking the fields which is usually early, meal times and evenings. My wife has heard the speel enough times, she can answer some of the questions. Chocolate Field I 8-10 Watch for the big Crosley banners and the Crosley engine blocks holding down the canopy.

Need to see the mounting bracket. The side your showing is the same on a bunch of cars.

I think the wide molding might be right for a 1941. Here is a sketch from the Early Ford V8 Club of a 41 front clip.

3 short junkyard animal stories: One of our regular junkyards when I was in High School had a JY Office dog. If the owner was inside you could come and go and the dog would lie there almost like it was stuffed. If the owner was out in the yard the dog was hitting the door looking out the window at you as soon as the door knob started to turn, teeth at the ready. Local yard I went to a few times back in the 70s use to let you go out in the yard with the rule, "don't go off the paths". Many JY dogs chained through the yard and they could get to with in a foot or so of the path. They would watch almost unseen till your foot moved off the path. Last story, different local yard, long gone. He had junk yard billy goats. He would go in the yard with you to look for parts with a driveshaft. When a billy would come charging at us he would defend himself with the drive shaft and the goat would shake it's head and wander off. The goats acted like it was a game.

Had the same problem a month ago with my new trailer. Since I was running out of time and couldn't make up my mind I went to a bargain building supply and found a nice light colored vinyl floor covering in a 6" checker board pattern. It was cheap so if it doesn't last I'm not out much but it protects the wood for another idea. I spread it out and attached with a couple of screws at the ramp end and just let it lay down without glue. It would be a bit slippery if wet but cleans up easy. The checkered pattern also is nice for lining up the load you can tell at a glance if your going in straight and even on both sides. I painted the ramp with some old white house paint and spread sandblasting sand on the wet paint to get a slip resistant ramp. Worked well, but if I was to do it over I would mix the sand right into the paint so it was more encapsulated in the coating. After it dried for a couple of days I sweep with a push broom and vacuumed up a lot of the access. After the first 1000 mile trip another tablespoon or so of sand had come off and was at the bottom of the door when I opened it.

This is the type puller I use for tapered axels on Crosleys. Just thread on till it is almost tight, rap it a sharp blow with a hammer and they all most always pop off the taper. Crosley is the same size as Model T so they are easy to come by.

Back to the confessional side, I also have lots of embarrassing and stupid moments. I was only the willing accomplies to this not the main perpetrator. For a couple of summers (end of High School begininning of College) I was crew for a fellow doing a few demolition derbies. We found an absolutely perfect low milage 1951 Chrysler Imperial, owned by a little old lady that had stop driving some years before. We bought it for $50 and began preparing to destroy it. This would have been around 1966 so I'll use that as a partial defense since it was just a used car then. But it was perfect, paint was even still shinny. In was the best demo car we ever put on the field as far as taking a licking. We got jammed up in the first heat and got flagged. Its radiator pushed into the fan and was leaking badly. We figured what do we have to loose, we cut the fan belt so the fan would not dig in any deeper, filled the radiator and put it in the consolation heat. Won the heat, not a drop of water was in the radiator or engine, it should have melted down but it just kept running.

Dr. Strangelove, I agree with you about diesels. I made the jump from an F150 to a used 2000 F250 2wd regular cab 8 foot box 7.3l Diesel 3 years ago. I don't think I will ever go back. Yep regular maintenance is a bit higher but having the power to pull either of my trailers with a slide in camper on the back is great. Hills I use to down shift from 5th to 3rd on Rt 15 in PA, I cruise over them in 6th overdrive now with a heavier load and never drop below the speed limit. On trips: 20-23mpg empty, 18-20mpg with just camper, 16-18 with open trailer/camper, 15-16 with enclosed trailer/camper. Speeds are at the speed limit or 2000RPM which ever is lower. The torque curve is in it's sweet spot between 1600-2000rpm. Added note 7/12: My numbers are for comparison. My trailers are a lot lighter than most of you pull since I usually pull Crosleys. I did get 16+mpg pulling my 1950 Ford F1 home on my son's dual axle open trailer last November but no camper. Also keeping the speed down a little makes a big difference.

The Crosley Auto Club will be celebrating at their Nationals in Wauseon Ohio also. Busy weekend.

Instead of all metal so there is even more to be careful with while judging I think plastic or wood is best I use a wood clip board that has a patent date of something like 1889 on it that I bought for a dime about 40 years ago at a garage sale. I still have to be careful but it only has the metal clip. For weather protection I take a clear plastic bag approximately 10X12", slide the paper work inside and clip on board with the open end down. Now just reach inside to make notations. My back up, which my wife swiped to keep track of sales in the flea market area, and I only get back on really bad judging days is a padded fold over clip board. Works great as a knee pad when doing chassis in wet weather or on asphalt. It was a couple of dollars at walley World a few years ago.

I put 3 strips of E-Track the full length of my open trailer about 10 years ago, I love the versatility and have had no problems. I haul lots of different kinds of things on my open trailer. I just bought a new enclosed trailer and am going with four 5 foot strips in the corners for now but may add more after I see how I use it. I may even put some on the walls for non car hauling.

Love it. Having known Paul for more years than I should admit to I can hear his side of the conversation. For those that don't know Paul, he was in one of the American Pickers show talked about this past winter. YouTube - American Pickers - Super Scooter.mov

If the rest of the truck is right you could just take your 10 pts for the floor and leave it alone. You need to be within 10 points of the highest scoring truck and above 365 for a first junior, and 375 for a Senior. It is your truck and your decision, if you like it the way it is, leave it that way.

Sorry Susan, I wasn't implying that we should use shoddy workmanship. I was more trying to make a point that low cost car in particular should be looked at a little kinder. Not that we should take points off if they are well done.