IndianaCarGuy

I second St. Christopher,..but Let's not forget St. Jude,.... One saint will not cover all cars. Always keep a spare.<P>RS

Ya know,..it's just possible that people might actually have to take such volume seriously!<P>RS

Please post it, there are too few brass vehicles being put up online.<P>RS

Hey! Now I worked for Housing and food at a college,...why would they make living conditions that awful in a dorm?? Oh,..it's a dorm,...nevermind.

It was Auburn, Indiana, and the National Truck Museum, but I see you got a WORLD of info already,...by the way,..someone asked why the vehicles were returned to the factory after a body was put on it,..that was usually, at least in the midwest, due to the fact that the money was paid either in cash or installments to the dealer, and many companies would not send out a car to the dealer until after the payment had been received from the dealer. This practice went on until the depression, and it was only after the 30's that banks were involved regularly in the business of loans for cars.<P>RS

Gee,... isn't it amazing that there are teachers who will go in for classes sponsored by AACA groups,....maybe there should be a non-profit organization that would care to sponsor such things and make money,.....like a museum, or something. Things like that DO happen, oddly enough!<P>RS

I use "this old wreck" as a term of endearment,...something to be saved, cherished and passed on to everyone.<BR>I don't like the idea of giving up on<BR>something before it has a chance, but<BR>I think there is a lot of people who have been driven away and out for a lot of reasons which need to be dropped and forgotten so any hope of a museum can<BR>continue. Rather than go into all that, let's begin here, and see if we can decide what best to do next.<P>Does anyone know what the "Mission statement"<BR>for the non-profit museum is? If you look really close at the museum section, you will find it, and I should mention that it includes the word "educate," ask anyone involved with a non-profit, and see WHY this word is included....... If we begin at that point, I think it can best be determined what else needs to be done,... According to the non-profit regs, any non-profit must fulfill BOTH it's mission statement and obey the regs laid out for non-profit organizations. Why start this far back? I think maybe the original flaw may have been in misinterpreting the mission, that term "educate" needs to be given a far wider meaning than it's current interpretation. Correct that, and then go on. There is another, more practical reason to begin here, which,..hopefully, someone else will point out later. If not,..I will.<P>As for traveling to Philly,... anyone who is going can bring this up. Some of us spend too much time working full-time to go, I will do what I can from here, but I am a nobody who has neither connections, nor proximity to there. Austin, Texas is a ways from there, and Hershey, too! Besides, I just found a 1913 Buick which may require a new home!<P>Again, I encourage people to look at other museum and museum association sites, Brookline Museum, MOMCC, ALHFAM, American Association of Museums, Smithsonian, Museum Resources Board,..and get familiar with the difficulties EVERYONE is having in starting up and running museums these days. It takes more than displays, it takes people, educational outreach programs, professional grant-writing services and a professional staff to run it all. There is no chance of anyone doing or organizing one part-time,..just does not happen.<BR>RS<P>[This message has been edited by IndianaCarGuy (edited 01-09-2001).]<P>[This message has been edited by IndianaCarGuy (edited 01-09-2001).]<p>[This message has been edited by IndianaCarGuy (edited 01-09-2001).]

If getting crap from a Cobra is an issue, keep your old car until you learn better,...My first car was a 1970 Lincoln, and my only issue was getting enough gas to drive it,..I learned it went fast,..but then I could not go as many places, so I learned, very quickly, to slow it down. Before I would consider any car, I would find one insurance would cover for less than a mint at your age. I want a 1913 Studebaker, but I can't quite justify it as a daily driver.<P>RS

I think she just said a lot,....we can stop laying blame, and do something! Here is a group of 8-10 people who not only like the internet, but are able to communicate on it!<BR>If WE few can do that, imagine what would happen if people who really mattered could do it!! Let's keep conversing, keep talking and see what we can do to raise interest, expectations, and see if this old wreck is runnable. There may be a few parts broken, and some missing,...but the more friends you make, the more you look, the more people will want to tinker under the hood. I've seen worse wrecks run!<P>RS<P>

understandable, and again, thanks.

I saw one.<P>RS

trueoil a good product, but it has less UV protection than I would use for a touring car. Still feel that "Waterlox" marine oil has more protection,..also it costs more.<P>RS

It's a start.....I hope someone feels like they just gave birth to an elephant! Now,...Since everyone else is sitting around happy to be informed of SOMETHING, it falls to me the tired task of asking,...would it be an even more difficult task to find out exactly what has been done in the way of finding a group of people who can work together to get this thing either done or locate people who CAN get it done?<BR>Questions of<BR>A): working director and staff?<BR>: A meaningful museum purpose beyond display?<BR>C): how does it get paid for?<BR>D): ongoing communication?<BR> <BR>By the way,..I am tired of feeling like I have to be hardnosed, unfortunately, someone has to find a way to get answers, AND THANK YOU VERY MUCH, PeterG!<BR>RS<P>[This message has been edited by IndianaCarGuy (edited 01-08-2001).]<P>[This message has been edited by IndianaCarGuy (edited 01-08-2001).]<p>[This message has been edited by IndianaCarGuy (edited 01-08-2001).]

There was a 1917 Harroun in LaPorte, Indiana which was semi-rebuilt when I was a kid in the 1970's. I saw the car twice, and heard from my Great uncle that it was destroyed in a fire sometime in the 80's. It was also believed to be the only one left. I really think it was an assemblage of cars, and had a pretty badly done paint job. The whole body was loose, and I seriously doubt it could have been driven, despite the fact it did run. I have no other information about it,..but I do know that it had an inline 8 and a cone clutch, I have serious doubts the engine was original to the car.<BR>rs<p>[This message has been edited by IndianaCarGuy (edited 01-08-2001).]

A wood question. No to polyurethane. There are better products than that. It originally had a marine Varnish or oil finish, and that is what I would suggest, Either "Water-lox" Marine grade tung oil, which has a bit more water protection than just an oil finish, is also UV stabilized and contains a fungicide for protection from dampness and fungus.<P>As for the repair and stain, first of all,..find out as much as you can about the original color, which was either natural or "ebonized" black. if it was natural, go with an oil finish in the original color, then cover that with "Water-lox" or a similar PENETRATING finish, if ebonized, go to a black aniline dye for wood, and then cover with PEN. finish.<P>Repair will be the hardest part, depending on condition, I would suggest an epoxy to glue the two parts together, but if the displacement of parts is too extreme, I would consider a professional rebuild, which would mean disassemby, cleaning and possibly steaming the parts to return them to usable form. <P>Please, don't even consider a poly,..it feels awful and was not what was used originally. In cold weather, it is slicker than (you know what), and I'd consider that unsafe! Clear lacquer or even a decent application of coats(3-5) of amber shellac would be both authentic in style and feel very decent, while maintaining a fine appearance. Go to "Woodcraft Supply" online to get most of these materials, or contact Robert at the Austin, Texas store for further details on wood refinishing.<P>RS<BR>

I'd sure like to know more about the system there, and the kind of insight a country has to making sure there is a national museum program.<P>RS

Looking for early (1900-1920) Indiana built autos, and owners,..wanting to compile a catalog, maybe eventually organize assembled car group or club.

We spend money on cars that sometimes have not built in 50 years,...we bring home piles of rust and call them projects,....we think having car parts on the bookcases and mantle is art. What I am saying is,..We IZ stoopid!! and I am not changing just because someone is petty, inconsiderate and feels obligated to display his own extreme faults in this forum by acting as self-appointed editor and pompous nitpicker! I am quite happy in my stopidnitity,..and will support proliferating idiosynchatic spelling and uphold the right of people to be itinerantly illiterate whenever and wherever they please.<BR>In the words of Andrew Jackson, who was a profligate a-hole and liar, which made him a better politician, ..."If you only know one way to spell a word,..you don't know much,..." That sums up my feelings on the subject of whatever it was I began to talk about.<P>RS<P>

If'n ya duzzant want yer Doozenberg no mor,...pleez send it too mee. Ay kin drives it to werk. Pleez send this ad toos anywho what duzzant drive ther carz no mor, or anywho what wud ruther chek speling.<P>RS

Good lord! Did Maxwell change the wiring every year for the model 25?? I have a model with an Atwater Kent ign., auto-lite gen,. a Simms-huff gen,. AK ign, a Remy "good"(?) model,...which do you need? I must have at least 7 different pages on different diagrams for the Maxwell from 1915-1925,..and they are all pretty different. I need to get this stuff photocopied, I feel like I need a secretary to keep up with this. <P>RS<BR>

The US Postal Service has had just such an office for years, whenever they have an unanswerable question, or a letter which cannot be read,...it goes to the dead letter office. Such efficiency!<P>RS

Hired personnel who don't know a tire from a hood ornament is a big concern. Does anyone know what it costs to hire someone who knows a darn about cars? It requires a lot of volunteers to do the work at a museum, but who gets paid, and how much to actually work? Volunteers can't run a museum, and it is very easy to see what happens when you leave the administration of a museum to people who are not there full-time, and do have other duties in other places.<P>Let's stop putting off the inevitable, and put people in full-time to deal professionally with this thing. <P>RS<p>[This message has been edited by IndianaCarGuy (edited 01-06-2001).]

I was hoping someone would bring up this "planning" agenda. What concerns me is not so much the form of display and exhibits,..but who is going to set about making this agenda a reality by creating a workable organization to do all this??????<P>RS

don't suppose you have a picture or a price for that, do you?<P>RS

One of the things I enjoy about a couple of museums I have seen is when they group old furniture, radios and have music playing from the era of the cars shown. Best display I ever saw was a 1924 Lincoln (which had been a police car) displayed inside a speakeasy, with a player piano running, and a uniformed officer smashing a beer barrel with an axe. there are plenty of internet sites for music, which play 24 hours a day vintage music, such as "live365" <BR>I'd like to see more ekhibits of the cars and items from that year displayed together, including music/radio broadcasts. <BR>RS