Restorer32

It's pre-1918. It may have been a hedcap medallion rather than a rad badge.

Guess what, there were also competing vendors nearly as far apart. I don't understand your question. Are you suggesting that more than one auction should not be allowed? Was the RM auction even officially part of Hershey? Certainly it, nor the other auction were sponsored by AACA. I thought it was great, the more events the better. No one can participate in all of the events at Hershey anyway. Competing vendors, competing salesmen in the corral, cars competing for awards on the show field. It's the American way isn't it? Pick and choose what interests you and leave the rest alone. Remember, you have folks at Hershey looking to spend $10 on that elusive part. You also have folks ready and willing to spend $1,000,000+ if something strikes their fancy. To each their own.

Bear in mind that many of those spaces that are only used for parking and not for vending are likely being used by BUYERS. In my opinion the quickest way to put Hershey into a death spiral would be to enact too many rules and regulations. Am I to tell my 78 year old handicapped Mom, who has been coming to Hershey since 1969 or so and actually recruited a new member when she remarried, that she can no longer use one of my spaces to park on? I have been restoring for 30 years and have had Hershey spaces for 40 years. The time will likely come (hopefully not for quite some time)when I will turn the business over to my Son. Am I not to be allowed to use my spaces to visit with old friends? Hershey is so very special simply because it is an amorphous, ever changing but always fascinating event. Let's face it, these days buyers and sellers can almost always be more productive in a few hours on the internet than in 4 days at Hershey. Enact too many rules and regulations and you will have far less folks who actually vend, not less. Just my humble opinion of course.

Trying to help out a European collector who is seeking a 1930 Pierce exhaust manifold. Anyone with any leads?

How about chrome discs and dual rear spares, also an option in '32?

Can anyone provide any info, adjustment procedure, maybe exploded drawings of a Schebler SV-2 1 1/4" carb as originally fitted to a 1927 Kissel Model 655. Not really interested in knowing what carb will fit and work better. Need info to complete restoration of this original carb. Thanks!

I would like to see a Packard with full chrome plated discs, another legitimate option, at least on the 900 (poor man's Packard).

Love the chrome hood doors on the second car, a seldom seen option. I have an original 900 hood with chrome doors.

Uh, West? Part # 88248, wheel assembly wire (chromium plated) for the 903 and 904 and part # 98242, wheel assembly (chromium plated hub, painted spokes, nipples and rims) for the 901 and 902. Painted of course also available along with wood and discs.

You will find that while the designs may appear very similar there is very little interchange between vehicles other than the obvious '40s and up Caddy/Buick/Olds tops for example. I used to restore 15-20 convertible top assemblies per year and can tell you that prior to the late 30's there is very little interchange. Packard interchanges with nothing. I have patterns for most Packard top assemblies from '30 to '39 or so. Building a complete '32 top now in fact. I also suspect that at least in the late 30's there were only a few manufacturers. If you look at a '39 Packard Conv Coupe and a '36 Ford the design of several of the parts is so similar that they must have been built, or at least designed, by the same outfit.

Auctions and auctioneers never change apparently. To quote from the auction catalog (referring to the Olds) "Recently taken out of 50 years storage and museum display, it is wonderfully patinated and complete, except for top and top irons, which, like a speedometer, were optional in 1911" After seeing the top iron "traps" attached to the car I figured the above statement was "auction speak" at its finest. Check out E-bay item # 320037623521, which is an original 1911 Olds Limited Sales Brochure. Included among standard equipment are "5 bow mohair top and irons and a 100 MPH speedometer".

Actually, although the RM auction was advertised as "Admission by purchase of a catalog only" ($80) they were giving the catalogs out free Wednesday in the flea market. All of the cars were there for your viewing and even if you had to pay the $40 (catalog admitted 2) it was well worth the price. I knew prices were going to be high soon as I saw the '32 Packard Twin Six display engine hammered down for 20 grand!

Would be interesting to see a Photoshopped pic of your Packard sporting wires with painted hubs and rims and polished stainless spokes, another legitimate option.

These covers are basically a 2 inch cube with 2 sides missing. Problem is the material is only 1/16" thick and the finished size is critical. Very, very difficult to reproduce accurately enough to fit properly. Best way would be to have it injection molded in aluminum but doubtful you would ever sell enough units to pay off the tooling. If you do manage to figure out a way to make them please put me down for 2.

Ruxton did paint cars with those horizontal stripes. I have no idea whether or not this particular Ruxton was originally those colors but it certainly was not outside the realm of possibility. The car is owned by the Nethercutt ( Merle Norman Cosmetics) Collection. Very, very well restored car.

To further confuse the issue, the newest PPG "wet sanding" products use very little or no water whatsoever, instead relying on 3000 grit dry paper and special pads. Works very well indeed but the paper and necessary equipment is very expensive. Anyone else remember wet sanding with gasoline as the liquid and final polishing with corn starch?

If you're talking about the solenoids as fitted to early 30's Owen Dyneto starters, Good Luck! The original covers were die cast and are usually broken. I have a cover here that has 2 AACA Senior Awards as I loaned it out to folks who could not find restoreable covers. Luckily they returned it after the shows undamaged both times. Maybe by now someone has reproduced them?

I was contemplating the fact that this was our 40th year in the flea market and realized that 40 years X average of 3 and 1/2 days per year equals 140 days which means that<span style="font-weight: bold">4 and 2/3 months of my life have been spent in the flea market at Hershey! </span> I also realized that in 1979 when we started restoring professionally '55 Chevs were still 1 year away from qualifying to be shown in AACA competition.

Problem is, if you spaced 1200 cars out in even 30 second intervals it would take 10 hours to get all the cars onto the field. Maybe, instead of starting judging at 10 it could be moved back to 12? Would be nice if the judges breakfast was a bit later as well. We had spaces in the flea market and drove back and forth each day, living only 45 minutes from the show. Saturday morn I left the house at 5:15 intending to park on my spaces and hike over to the judges breakfast at 7:00. Lo and behold the Red Field entrance was not open at 6:00. I managed to convince a guard to let me park in the judges parking area even though I did not have a pass. I have a suggestion. Do away with the car corral. I think this feature only began in the '70s anyway. Put the cars for sale back into the flea market. I'm not even sure what this "used car lot" adds to the event anyway, other than greater traffic and congestion. By necessity Hershey will have to stop trying to be "all things to all people" or the meet is going to collapse under its own weight. Just my opinion of course.

Ron Monte in New Jersey used to plate and rebuild Packard wipers. Likely he still does. I have no other contact info.

There is a sewer plant just southeast of the golf course. Now and then it lets you know it's there. Used to be much worse, especially when it was damp or the wind was coming out of the southeast. In the old days, for a few years, the entrance to the Green field took you by the plant. Invariably we would get stuck in traffic right beside the plant.

Thanks Steve. I should have gone right to the top in the first place! West, you can't have my 900 but we are rewooding and doing the metal work on a '33 1001 Conv Coupe that we will be selling sometime between now and Spring. Will be a good project for someone to finish. Jeff

OK, so we saw the framed posters of the Olds being offered at either $75 each or $80 each depending on who you asked. Couldn't afford that so we asked if the posters were available unframed. We received the following answers during our several stops at the tent. (1) No, they are not available unframed (2) Yes, they were available but AACA was out of them (3) Yes, they were available and they were FREE but AACA was out of them (4) They would be available for sale at the auction (they were not) (5) They would be available FREE at the auction (they were not) (6) They were only available framed due to copywrite issues but they were sold out. To be fair we never actually got to talk to Steve while he was manning the booth. CAN ANYONE TELL ME IF AND, IF SO, HOW CAN I GET A PRINT?

We hear constant complaints that "the early cars don't come out anymore". Is it any wonder? I can not imagine a worse scenario facing anyone with a real early vehicle than long, slow lines with a final hill to climb into the show field. Geeze! Please give a little consideration to those cars with cone clutches and rudimentary cooling systems. Certainly something can be done? I heard at least one very well heeled exhibitor of high dollar early show cars declare under oath that he would not return to Hershey if the show field remains as it is. We are restoring a very rare, very early and very crude vehicle. Likely we would not have been able to drive it onto the field under the conditions Saturday. Also seems pretty basic that there should have been signs directing folks to the various fields as well as to the show. First time I've ever actually seen show cars being pushed onto the show field. Anyone else attend the Judges Breakfast? We had the whole Giant Center to play with yet all of the tables were crammed together at one end of the ice rink with less than minimum room between tables. The Pledge of Allegiance had to be dispensed with. There just was not enough room at the tables for everyone to stand at the same time. Ridiculous! One last gripe then I'll shut up. The guy with the whistle...he needs Ritalin in the worst way! Like everyone else I commend the Hershey Region for ther dedication and hard work but the fact remains, someone dropped the ball on some pretty basic matters.

Just order "flatting agent" from your paint supplier.