avantey

Grog- I like your style!! Decided I am going to go look just cuz'. ... There is also an '89 MB 560 roadster there and lots of parts/stuff! Will get some pics if I can

I have a chance to get this 1964 Avanti R1 next weekend. It is up to the floor in dirt, it as been there a while, is supposed to be very original and the price is very low. Is it worth saving? I can go inspect it this afternoon if I want or should I walk away? Is it Hershey material- as a car or parts? Probably the hog troughs are gone as is much of the lower end (axles, rear end, suspension, steering links, maybe oil pan, fuel/brake lines etc. I have never pulled a vehicle out of the dirt like this and do not know how bad it can get. The Stude Lark frame under the Avanti is notorious for rusting out at the firewall as well. Is it a parts car at this point or what? Thanks,

Keiser21- I thought most everyone knew my cars but I will try to post a pic now. Haven't done it since the new forum format.... Chuck- Thanks for the good memory! It is a little bittersweet right now since I just lost Linda a month ago but that was a very good, fun 'extra' day for that Hupp weekend we hosted.

You are all better historians than I! I just looked and Budd made all steel bodies beginning in 1913 and the first turret top was made by Fisher for the 1935 Chevy. I learned something today!

I got a refreshed enjoyment from our '31 sedan Sunday! I got it out and went about 35 miles to a local car show and back with a friend. What a pleasure to drive- solid feel, stable at about 45-50, plenty of power and pretty comfortable on a very hot day here in upstate NY. I had the engine rebuilt in 2013, used this car for one tour and for various reasons never drove it in 2014. We were supposed to do the Hupp tour recently but that was not to be as many of you know. I also didn't really care about the car show but playing with the car and being around all the great friends we have in the hobby is good therapy right now for me and I am grateful for the friends. The car ran like a dream- very steady, very smooth and very cool for a 90 degree day. I am very happy with my Hupp now! It is like a new car with the new engine (thanks Steve Bono!) and I see why Hupp competed well with Buick in this era.

They used sheet metal skinned over wood because that was the technology of the time. Wagons were all wood just a few decades before (early 1900's) and the metal exterior was a big improvement over that. The metal work tooling industry had not yet developed to where they could make dies for large panels or intricate forms so stamped panels were a rarity until the late 1930's. I believe the 1937 Chevy with the 'turret top' was the first all steel body produced in Detroit with the large single piece stamped roof panel being the major accomplishment no had done before. In 1931 you could hand bend a piece of sheet metal over the simpler wood form for door skins or side panels or used English wheels or other hand worked dies to form compound shapes like fenders. and rear quarter panels. Formed ribs and substructural parts to be welded together were just not the normal construction of the time. This metal over wood structure was still amazing methodology considering the volume of cars made in the era!

VERY nicely done Marty (and Dale)!

John- So what is the piece price on Avanti filters these days? Or you could put them in my spot on Chocolate field, helps fill up the table. Your garage is an awesome project, wish I could do it just for the lifts! If you go to Hershey I will try to get over to the show field and meet you. Usually by Saturday I am so whipped from walking, talking and selling on the chocolate field the show field is a loong trek......

Try RJL Fasteners & Wiring, http://rjlautofasteners.com/ . They do wire sets from original patterns and supply many of the dealers we all use. He usually knows the correct ends and boots too.

Let's see- the floor is sealed,the walls are insulated,the lights are onso now can we bring are cars in their new home?? Looks good John, wish my garage was as nice!

I just received word today that the man I have used for mag work is retiring and closed his shop. So now I am looking for a new shop, any ideas or recommendations are welcome. My previous guy only had one suggestion that I will check out soon. Thank you,

Congratulations John! Senior only verifies how nice a car it is! I took my Avanti out for the first ride this evening, about 75 and a great eve for a lakeside cruise. Didn't go far or fast but felt great to get behind the wheel (of any old car) again! The old girl behaved herself and seemed to take the winter well except the battery. I had to charge it to go, but it drained quite fast as I cranked the car over. It barely caught and I left her run as I got gas. It is a seven YO battery that just had a brutally cold long winter so maybe it is time to replace it. Will run the car more this week as spring has finally sprung here in upstate and see how it goes.. Again, congrats and nice barn too!

For what it is worth I had a similar issue when I bought my '38 Buick. It would run fine for about two miles or heavy acceleration and then just die. On the day of delivery the previous owner told me do not try to drive it home. It was running fine so of course I did, with my buddy following with the trailer. Three stalls in five miles and we trailered it up then spent the rest of that summer trying to figure it out. Carb, pump, electric pump, etc.- nothing helped. Finally I had my head under the hood with a friend helping and he noticed a slight movement in the semi-clear in line fuel filter. Replaced it and things were fine. Turns out there was a small 'pile' of powdery sediment in the filter that hid in the element and under the inlet tube from the tank completely invisible to the eye. When fuel demand reached a certain level this mass would get sucked up enough to block the outlet and starve the engine. I am sure you probably checked this but it was one of the most frustrating, fixes I ever had to diagnose. Nice shiny new toy and lost a whole summer to a dollar filter!

I am not sure how to say this gently but I am beginning to think we in the snowy, miserable North are nuts. We flew into Florida Sunday and I am sitting in Punta Gorda (SW Fl) at 8:45 PM and 63 degrees. I am in shorts, the door to the motel room is open and it is simply delightful. If only I had an ol' car. I'd be cruisin' right now!! But explain to again why we stay in a place that woke up at -10 this morning, when we return in a week or so i will have to snowblow my way in at 2AM and we will have another month of winter. There was a car show in PG today, on a Tuesday no less! I think I may stay 'til May...... or permanently and go north for our stuff in May! - Bill

Magnus, I am not a Chevy expert but generally speaking a roadster has snap in side curtains for bad weather. A cabriolet was considered more upscale or deluxe car because it has roll up side windows which were a huge improvement to the side curtains in bad weather. Looking at your pictures the only clue I can see may be that your cowl has a bolt on windshield or stanchions. This is more typical of a roadster body as most cabbies I have seen have rigid posts as part of the cowl. Again, Chevy may be different since it has been quite a while since a local casual friend had a '1931 Cabbie that won all kinds of awards including AACA Senior or higher. Regards,

Very nice Marty and Dale! Happy holidays to you and yours! Nice pic of your gang too!

Chris and John- I guess I am the odd man out on this battery issue. My 3EE is seven years old, still cranks the old girl fine with mostly original wiring. As an advocate of originality I have had no problem with the 3EE, placement, longevity or function, in my Avanti. My start problem is with the AFB not being set up right. It cranks hard and has flat spots in the secondary so I need to set it up right next summer. Once started the choke circuit works fine and when the 4 barrel opens it is pure sweetness, I love the throatiness of the exhaust every time!! On a sad note I put the Avanti to bed for the season today. It is always sad when the last toy goes down but it is a where we live.... Ran about 20 miles to get rid of most of the ethanol gas and storing the old girl at about 1/8 tank with stabilizer. All the toys are now in for the winter and yard work beckons......

Our Model a was the first old car I bought in 1979. After a frame up resto in '93-95 it has been our go to touring car. Very reliable, very easy to fix when broke and parts are easy to get at reasonable time and access. Our A has been from Acadia Park in Maine to Springfield, Ill and stuck all four paws in the ocean at Daytona Beach for a picture once. Once you get an A tour ready it will go anytime, anywhere with good maintenance. I am a big 6'3" and the 31 cabriolet is a comfortable car for me to drive. I have been in other body styles like sedans that are not as good to me. A coupe is OK and a friend moved his seat 1' back and 1 1/2" more tilt and his coupe had tons of room for both us at 6'+ so it can vary by body. The other nice thing is that their are a lot of them around so there is a vast knowledge base, locally and nationally if you need help with anything. SO get one, get it robust and have a blast with it. They are fun to drive to boot!

John- Don't know how I missed you on the show field but it is my loss. Meeting you and having my second year at Hershey friend see the show for the first time were mainly why I went over there so I was disappointed a little. But the cars were stunning! Some really good brass there, less big classics than usual I thought and some great HPOF in the back. I talked at length with the guy with the '13 Stude model 35 in HPOF, loved the restored garbage truck near it in commercial and the small blue bus. The guy was in full driver's costume and made a beautiful restoration look even better even if he felt a little foolish like he told me. About the only thing I saw that did not impress was the gray Avanti. Nice car just did like the Avanti in gray, had never seen one before. Being a flea market rat I love having the old cars cruise the fields. This year the '10 Rambler and John McAnliss '12 Loco were my favorite drive by's. I want to take the '12 or '13 some year just to do that! Did I mention I love Hershey?....... Can it go two weeks next year???

Thank you HR!! Had another GREAT Hershey!! Got to see a lot of friends but not all of them unfortunately, had a lot of fun and showed my friend the car show for the first time. He was impressed at the scope and quality of cars- said he had not seen that level since leaving SoCAl thirty years ago. Did real well selling to many happy people and found a few goodies and leads. I agree with Steve everyone seemed happier this year and we had fun all the way the way thru the chocolate field Rascal scooter races Friday evening after the rain. Can we just make it two weeks next year ?? that would be my only improvement!!

As I get ready for Hershey after running the '12 on the Glidden I would like to get a new/backup condenser and points for the car. It has an American Bosch MJC4C 106 magneto on it. Does anyone know what points and condenser it uses? I repeated this question on the Horseless section also. Thanks,

As I get ready for Hershey after running the 12 on the Glidden I would like to get a new/backup condenser and points for the car. It has an American Bosch MJC4C 106 magneto on it. Does anyone know what points and condenser it uses? Thanks,

We also just came home from the Glidden. Ran four days in the '12 Overland with little trouble. Thanks Howard for chasing us down when we smoked the e brake!! (forgot to let it go at the coffee stop.....) Had a good tour on nice flatland roads for the brass cars- PLENTY of food (5#-er probably), met some new friends, saw a lot of old friends and some great collections! The Glidden is the best!

Friartuck- they have a good possible piece and I am getting a quote for it. Thank you,

Hi all, Anyone have sources for a piano or continuous hinge to replace the hood center hinge on a 1928 Hupp? There are a lot of sources out there on the web but the exact size eludes me. It needs to be about 1.5"+ wide (when open), have a 3/8" diameter pin and a knuckle OD of about 1/2-5/8" diameter. That OD is important so the hood panels fit up right and can close well down the sides without huge gaps along the hinge on top. Any leads would be appreciated. I have looked at Resto Supply in Ca and in Pa, and a few industrial houses like McMaster, MSC and Grainger. Thank you!