Rick Marsh

Mr. O'Toole, I'll give a short section of the tire CJE: Radials were available starting in 1945. They did not come on American cars for years because they were more expensive to manufacture than bias ply. GM started offereing radials in 1967 followed by Ford and finally Chrysler. The horse power race heated up in the late 60s and a wider footprint was desirable. The alpha series bias ply was the answer. In the mid 70's these alpha series morphed into a short leved alpha series radial. I'm trying to collect owner information in a registry so we can hopefully drive some demand and generate the need to manufacture these tires.

Good morning, I thought this would be a good time to give a status update. This topic started with a request for details to build a registry. I stated If they would contact me with year, make/model, tire size & contact information, I will log them into a database. AS of today, I have received zero letters , phone calls or e-mails. I guess I will expand my request out to the marque clubs. Rick Marsh

We live in an economy which maybe 70% consumption based. Suppliers respond to perceived demand. The AACA vehicle owners have a weak spot in that demand. Each year we see an increased number of vehicles on our fields which originally had alpha radial tires. These are primarily GM, Ford and Chrysler vehicles from 1975 through 1978. Most called for GR78-15, HR78-15 and LR78-15 tires. I propose that a register be built identifying AACA vehicle owners who have these vehicles needing these or similar tires. If they would contact me with year, make/model, tire size & contact information, I will log them into a database. Once the number of entries is sufficient to gain attention, I will present a summary to Coker, Kelsey & Universal to get their attention and hopefully a commitment. My contact info is: Eric C. Marsh 575 Paulownia Drive, China Grove, NC 28023 c-704-267-9383 ECMarsh@ctc.net I do not text. I will post progress. Please spread the word. We need to build demand!

Gentlemen, Thanks for the feedback. I heard from Then and Now that the distributor has been rebuilt and will ship this morning. If the holiday doesn't delay the US Mail, I should have the unit back in two days. I plan and putting it in and seeing if we have an engine that will start. I'll also go looking for those timing marks on the flywheel. Normally I'm working off the guidance of a factory maintenance manual. In this case, without one, I'm on a learning curve. Thanks, Rick Marsh

Gentlemen, I think we have beat TDC to death. I know about TDC and was in the process of trying to get to this when I observed the subject of my question. I was able to watch the rotor button turn when engaging the starter via the starter pedal (I have a long leg) I saw no movement of the rotor button when rotating the crank pulley while pulling on the fan. I pulled the distributor to see if the pin had sheared and it hadn't. I'm assuming something within the engine is not engaging and would like to have some idea of what to look for prior to dropping the pan. Since the distributor shaft engages with the oil pump, could something be amiss in that department? Thanks, Rick Marsh

Gentlemen, Thank you for the feedback. As I remember from last week, the way I attempted to find TDC was by removing the #1 plug, inserting a wire gauge and then applied downward pressure on the fan belt as I turned the fan. I observed the hub of the crank to turn but the rotor button in the distributor did not. I hope this helps. OBTW, I'll look today for the hole at #6. Thanks, Rick Marsh

Hello, I need some expert input. I bought this car in December and have been going through the usual stuff like, carb, ignition and brakes. Monday was the first long run and it "Plateaued at 40 MPH". I brought it back to my garage and started looking at the ignition again. 1. The gap was OK on the points but I now observe a looseness in the shaft so, I sent the distributor to Then & Now for a rebuild. 2. While going through the basics, I wanted to verify timing and, with no marks on the crank, I started to determine top dead center. The engine cranks just fine with the starter pedal and turns the distributor rotor but, you need to make the cranking slower. I therefore turned the fan and observed that the crank pulley was turning but the rotor on the distributor was not. I checked once again and verified that the rotor button turns with the starter engaged but not when turning manually from the fan. That was when I pulled the distributor to ensure the pin in the shaft was OK and discovered the wobble in the distributor shaft (worn bushing). Now, while I'm waiting for the distributor to come back, my question is why did I observe the rotor button to turn when engaging the starter but not turn when manually turning the fan? Thanks, Rick Marsh

I don't have any negative history with anti-freeze and if you maintain the system, you will probably be OK. In my house the agreement is I can have all the old cars I want and my wife collects dogs. Since I love each and everyone of these creatures, I switched to the non-toxic Low Tox antifreeze. I buy it at O Reilly's and pay twice as much as regular anti-freeze. I mix it 50-50 with distilled water. This is worth every penny because the dogs maybe hanging around and I don't have to worry about them injesting anything harmful.

Thanks, I've been advised to use lemon Pledge on older upholstery by a number of upholstery shops. I guess these suitcases are covered with "oil cloth" and lemon Pledge would probably be the way to go. Thanks again

Since you are leaning towards turning this into a street rod, contact me when the drivetrain comes out so I can find it a good home. Many of us drive mopars because they don't need to be modified. My slant six, for example, will turn 500K miles this year. Thanks, Rick Marsh

A little while ago I purchased a 1931 Chrysler sedan which has a rear mount trunk. Within the trunk are two suitcases from the period. They are in good condition and very light. The construction appears to be of some "paper product" and the exterior is a black grained surface. My plan is to clean the exterior with a diluted Simple Green (perhaps 10 to 1) and then apply some product that will "renew" the exterior which appears to be dry from age. A friend has suggested linseed oil. Has anyone been down this road before? What is the suggested process? Thanks, Rick Marsh

I normally do not spend much time on the forum but I felt I had to jump in on this one and respond particularly to the statements by Mr. Stein. Yes, AACA has a fixation and it is on authenticity and preservation. We have even documented it in the AACA General Policy which in brief says the vehicle should be displayed as a manufactured vehicle intended for road use that left the dealer with factory authorized accessories. Over time we have had to stray from original content, most often due to availability. Examples would be Paint - Not much lacquer left, seat belts - I wouldn't want to drive far without them, safety glass - sure beats plate glass, tires - we can only buy tubeless bias ply and mount them with tubes inside. Each meet that I attend, I observe vehicles (mostly from the 60's and 70's) that have been restored to the factory documentation and the owner can talk about upholstery right down to the feature code, give me the minute details on the fuel system, tell me the paint code for the metallic finish, etc. When I ask about the tires I find they called an 800 number and were sold what was in inventory and they are "dimensionally correct". I just bought six tires for my 1931 and had few choices when looking for a source. When restoring a 60's or 70's vehicle we have more choices and should do the due diligence. The judges are trying to judge vehicles from 2800+ manufacturers. The owner is restoring one vehicle. That is why the weight of authenticity in AACA is on the shoulders of the vehicle owner, not the judge. Most of our members understand that and embrace the effort required to restore a vehicle to match the factory documentation. Maybe 2% would rather lobby for a deviation and they keep us busy with their constant drumbeat.

OK, I was able to find a partnumber on the underside of the exhaust manifold. It is 603033. Rick Marsh

The background is the following. I purchased the Chrysler back in December. They originally came with updraft carbs. This one probably displayed some problem and rather than making a repair, some previous owner dis a swap. The engine now sports an intake / exhaust manifold setup using a downdraft carb. The 603032 partnumber is on the top of the intake manifold. If I can get that partnumber identified as to year, then I can determine which carburetor should be mounted to match the characteristics of the original setup. If you have an intake and exhaust manifold and any other 1931 CM6 parts, I'm interested. My e-mail is ecmarsh@ctc.net and you could drop me a line and, perhaps, include a picture or two. Thanks, Rick Marsh

Hello, I've got a 1931 Chrysler CM which apparently had a intake manifold change by a previous owner. My partnumber books don't go back that far so, can someone tell me what the intake manifold PN 603032 came from? Thanks for any help.

I was able to find my ignition parts through a combination of NAPA and Special Interest Autos. Thanks, Rick Marsh

I checked the Egge website and didn't find anything there beyond engine rebuild parts. I'll keep looking. Thanks

Good evening, I'd be interested in talking about the car cover if you still have it. Thanks, Rick Marsh c-704-267-9383

I recently purchased this vehicle and could use some information about the ignition. My local NAPA store was able to locate a set of ignition points and rotor button. They stated the distributor cap is no longer available through through them. The distributor has a fairly large condenser on the outside rather than inside with the points as in later setups. I'm looking for a reliable source for the distributor cap and the condenser. Any leads? Thanks

Good morning, I normally don't spend any time on the forum because I have other things on my plate that need to get done. Last night the phone rang and I was informed that a tire thread was making a run and maybe I should chime in. I've just read each of the entries and I believe Susan has done a pretty good summation. I wish to add this. We have an AACA General Policy that says we are to ensure that our vehicles look the way they did when accepted from the dealer with factory authorized accessories and intended for road use. We are the club that focuses on authenticity first and workmanship second. That takes time. I can build a street rod in 90 days but it takes 2,000 hours or better to restore a vehicle. Our members have a choice. If they want to restore, they show in class judging (like our 1953 Kaiser). If they want to take a deviation or two and still "look" authentic, we have DPC (like my Barracuda) In class judging, 98% of the people understand this and go to great lengths to get it right. Look at class 36 for example and these folks are right down to the inspection marks. In class judging we also have the 2% who don't get it and say," It's up to the judge to catch me". I would like to just buy them a trophy out of my own pocket and send them home because they have completely missed the spirit of the club. The wrong tire situation has been pretty much a post WWII vehicle situation and two suppliers have changed that situation. Their sales reps are knowingly selling our members the incorrect tires. This is not illegal. I personally think it is unethical. I have already found other places to by my next set of tires. We as judges do the best job we can to verify that the car vehicle was restored correctly. With over 2,800 manufacturers, this is a big job. When I get down on two knees (one knee doesn't work in my world) and see no markings on the sidewall, I look on the backside of the tire for size / type just to be sure. Yes, Mr Burgess, you can see the backside of the tire in most cases. I also ask the owner for documentation. That is usually when the owner says the tires are "dimensionally correct". Where do you think the owner picked up that language? I've rambled on so let me close with this and then I'll go back out to the garage. We are arguably the leading club in the old car hobby. We attract membership based on quality. Quality can be defined as conformance to the specification. Our specification is our AACA General Policy. These vehicles are pieces of our history. An authentic restoration is a statement of respect for that history. See you down the road, Rick Marsh

Good morning, I'll be going to Chikasha and looking forward to seeing other Airflow folks. If anyone is pulling an empty trailer and will be coming by Phoenix on the way to Chikasha, I'd like to talk. I've got a 37 Airflow parts car in Phoneix and would hope to find a ride for it to Chikasha and then I could transfer it to my trailer. If anyone is interested, Rick Marsh ECMarsh@ctc.net or 704-267-9383 Thanks in advance for any help.

Good morning, I normally spend very little time on the forum but, I just happened to catch the questions about authenticity. AACA Judging does not accept clones. A Pontiac GTO should be a Pontiac GTO, etc. The judges are instructed to ask the owner for "factory" documentation. The owner is expected to restore the vehicle for class judging back to the state as delivered from the dealer with factory authorized accessories. It is the responsibility of the owner to get it right, not the judge. Unfortunately, we occasionally have an owner who says,"It is up to the judge to catch me". This is not in keeping with the spirit of the club. As I said, I spend little time on the forum and I type very slowly. I do, however, attend AACA National Meets and tours and am always happy to discuss our judging program. Thanks, Rick Marsh

Good morning, I see the subject of tires is being kicked around again and my name has been inserted. I've been teaching the CJE on tires for several years and updating the material as new information comes along. I believe over 1/2 of the AACA National Judges have been through the talk and several have come through more than once. I also provide a handout (referenced above)and if the individual has not been through the tire CJE, thay maynot fully understand what the document says. The tire CJE takes about 30 to 40 minutes based on number of questions raised and number of judges arriving after start of the talk. (this is called the interruption and restart phase) I don't type well so I'll just point out some highlights and encourage attendance at the next AACA National Meet. 1. The owner is responsible for the authenticity of the vehicle, not the judge. 2. If the car came from the dealer with factory authorized tires, those tires should match the documentation. 3. The first place for this documentation is normally the owners manual found originally in the glove box. 4. This manual usually has a page identifying what the original tires were.ie. a 6.70 x 15 bias ply ( I haven't seen an owners manual which says brand) 5. We don't have aftermarket tube type bias available anymore, they all say tubeless. A dummel tool is not required to remove the words tubeless when mounting on your 1949 Chevrolet which calls for tubes. Just put a tube in the tire. ( I explain why in the tire CJE). 6. The handout has a chart on page three titled "general availability". Many judges have gotten a copy without going through the CJE, ignored the title of the chart and proceeded to disagree with the years stated. General availability means the year that a manufacturing line made the general conversion. Redlines, for example, were generally available in 1967 while they were actually introduced in the 1965 model year on the Olds 442. Pontiac got wind of this and a few late 1964 GTOs had redlines. If the owner has the documentation to match the tires then move on. (Mustang had dual redlines and were often on non-high performance Mustangs - I defer from here to Mr. Randall Stone) 7. Radials cause all kinds of discussion. It comes up in every CJE and often at AACA National Judging schools ie. the recent school in Charlotte. All radials are not the same. We have radials and P-metric radials. If your documentation says radials and you're running P metrics, they are the wrong tire. Both types are available on the aftermarket. You may just have to look at more than one source to find them. These are just highlights. I urge judges to attend the schools and debate based on facts rather than emotion. I judge in other clubs as well and AACA has the best system. This is a great hobby and our AACA judges do a pretty good job. Remember rule#1 - We're here to have fun! Thanks, Rick Marsh

Hello, Do you happen to know what year it came from? Are there any markings or partnumbers on the head?

Hello, I'm Eric Marsh and I'm the guy who teaches the CJE on tires. I've studied this subject for years and am still learning things about tires and their history. I recommend that our members restore their vehicle to reflect how they appeared when they were new. You should also drive the vehicle (yes, show cars can be driven) and when exercising an older vehicle for some distance, a new set of rims and tires can be an option. We have two sets of wheels and tires for our Kaiser. Rims and Bias ply for show and radials on modern wire wheels for touring. I make it to most AACA National Meets and try to teach CJE at each one (including twice at Hershey). Please join in and spend 1/2 hour to cover this subject. I do not consider myself an expert but, I'm happy to share what I've learned. I also don't spend much time on the forum as I'm not what you would call a good typist.