RansomEli

David, There is a Franklin forum on this AACA site. There are some very knowledgeable experts who can help you out. Suggest you repost your question there. A rough guess is that your points and timing are OK -- a spitting/popping sound indicates you are not getting enough fuel. Start from your gas tank to the fuel filter to the pump/vacuum tank to the carb, eliminating each potential problem at time. I have a 1921 Franklin and set my spark plug gap to .034.

I can heartily recommend Mel's Leather and Horsehair. Mel can give you excellent information. He is in Ohio. (419) 368-3226

Tinindian: You really need to produce a YouTube video for us. You could save me untold hours of struggling, not to mention cussing.

My 1927 REO Flying Cloud sedan would do the same. It was a very smooth running car.

I've got an idea. Why don't you list the cars by year and make? Then, give us the condition and asking price for each car. Wouldn't that be easier? A very good friend of mine would like to buy several cars.

As one who lived in San Diego for 50 years before regaining my sanity and moving to Texas... You will not find an unrestored Ford in any junkyard in Southern California. Too many collectors before you. However, you can go to the Pomona Swap Meet early in the morning (before 7:00am) and take a look at a ton of Fords and other cars for sale. You probably won't find any bargains, but you can get a feel for what the market is on 34-36 Ford coupes. You will also find lots of parts and tools to help with your restoration. If you are a newbie to the old car hobby, the Pomona Swap Meet is a must.

My bet is that there is a short in the steering column or the ignition switch. Time to bring in reinforcements - someone who can do a thorough electrical diagnostic. If you can't find someone on Craigslist to go to your house, you may have to tow the car.

I would try jacking the front wheels off the ground, starting the car and then turning the steering wheel. If the engine stops your problem may be a bad ignition switch. Had this go out on my 2002 Regal. Symptoms were really weird; I never would have guessed the ignition switch. Don't waste your money blindly replacing parts. Do some preliminary diagnoses (as recommended by the other posters), then have the car inspected by an electrical specialist. I had to have my car towed because it wouldn't run more than 5-10 feet. Good luck. Let us know the solution.

Did you ever establish a value for the engine and transmission?

Thanks. Very interesting. I'm assembling a '12 Franklin speedster and wonder if that would work on a wooden frame. I'm thinking of lowering everything by a few inches. Please keep us informed of your progress.

Holy Syracuse! Please keep us posted on your progress. I'm very interested in the details on how you lowered the suspension.

I would check past transactions on eBay. You will probably find a lot of low bids and no-sales, but at least that's a start. Replicars don't tend to have a high resale value, since the quality of construction varies so widely. Whatever you do, your best bet is to advertise nationally. You only need to finding the one person who can't live without your car. You need lots of photos and an accurate description of the engine/trans condition. Good luck.

Happened to come across your posting via Google. I agree, this would be a valuable asset for all AACA members. I'm trying to upholster my Franklin and am looking for any tips or videos. I can't believe someone out there doesn't have one or more of the videos you want. Good luck, and thank you.

No, but they look wider than the metal speedster seats I have seen. Would fit me better. Also, you could customize the fiberglass to get exactly the seat you want. Any idea how much they are?

Forgive my ignorance, but how does one lower the steering column? Is it just a matter of re-positioning the steering box by drilling new mounting holes. Or will the steering column drop enough inches as-is?

Anyone have any experience with the Saab Sonnet? It was a two-seat sports car that was definitely built in the Saab mold. kinda quirky; it looked like a kit car. One of my old bosses had one - he thought it looked neat.

I have towed cars using both dollies and trailers. In my opinion, using a trailer is much easier and safer. The tow dolly seems easier until you actually use it. I'll bet you have to remove the drive shaft from the Ford if you use a tow dolly; why risk damaging the transmission? Go with the trailer.

I am interested in the 32x4 tires. Do you have 4 of them and what condition? How do I follow up on these tires? Thank you.

That is one well-designed speedster. Just the right proportions. When you get a chance, can upload a picture of the rear of the car? I'd like to see the gas tank/trunk/spare tire. So many speedster designs seem to give up at this point and end up looking ragged. Your car handles it very well.

Met several Franklin people last year at the Chickasha, OK meet. Had some nice conversations and learned a lot. Who's going and what Franklin parts are for sale this year? I've gone to Chickasha four times now. Better go there on Thursday or not at all. Lots of interesting cars and parts. The Bakersfield HHCA meet is a different atmosphere from Chickasha. Bakersfield had more Pre-15 cars for sale but Bakersfiled had a wider variety of parts available. And, of course, Bakersfield has Lee Webb's Franklin get-together.

Cashiers checks can be forged and you will be left holding the bag, even after the check clears. Only sure way to get paid nowadays is via electronic funds transfer. If you are really paranoid, open a new account at your bank to do so.

By golly, there they are! Thank you, scott12180. I never would have found them without your help. Side sill members -- never in a million years would I have thought of using that phrase. As far as creosote goes, is that what people today are using?

I am building a late 9B Franklin raceabout from spare parts. I have a brand new set of frame rails and am looking for info on where to drill the proper holes and where to mount the chassis parts. Went to the Franklin website and checked out the tech section. Downloaded the pdf parts manual - it's very useful but doesn't give me the info I need. Ran a drawing files search for 1921 Frame and found Card File/25467 FRAME ASSEMBLY. Opened the pdf but it did not show a drawing. Is there some way I can obtain a blueprint showing where to drill holes and what bolts to use? If so, who do I contact? If all else fails, I can use my '21 9B touring to use as a model. I just don't trust my measuring techniques. P.S. Any advice on how to paint the frame rails? They are raw wood and I'd like to know what type of primer and color coat to use. Thanks.

Let us know your results. I've been running W18s for years with no problems, although I seem to prefer the older versions over the modern plugs. Like fine wine....

Thanks for sharing photos and information about your rebuild. It's very useful to have a pictorial history of how to detect and fix problems.