rgshafto

According to Garrison Keiler's Writer's Almanac? "On this day in 1913, the first gas station in the United States opened at the corner of Baum Boulevard and St. Clair Street in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It sold just thirty gallons of gas the first day it was open, at twenty-seven cents a gallon. It was a brick building with a little pagoda on top, and it offered free air for tires, restrooms, and twenty-four hour service." $.27/gal is translates to $4.99/gallon today using a Consumer Price Index comparison. So much for the good old days of cheap gas! And how did early car owners get gasoline before the establishment of gas stations in 1913?

The hood ornament trick as always worked well for me on my '36 Pontiac coupe when it comes to being centered in the lane. I can only see the tip of the LH front fender and nothing out the back, so I learned early to never back up if I don't absolutely have too. I'm completely blind in the rear quarter as well - 3 window coupes look neat, but they are a visibility nightmare. I learned to drive on mine and it's a wonder I'm still here; had a lot of close calls early on. The defensive driving advice is right on the money. I always assume the cars ahead of me will do something unexpected (stop quickly, pull out of a driveway, cross the center line, etc) and try to prepare myself for every eventually. But you also need worry about the cars behind you. I don't have turn signals, and few people know what hand signals mean anymore (except the digital one ), so I give people plenty of warning that I'm slowing down by pumping the brakes. I also pull over if I'm being tailgated. I've got halogen tail lamps to increase my visibility at night as well - those old tail lamps are very dim in comparison to a modern car. You really need to DRIVE these old cars, which is a big part of the fun for me, not just pilot one. Nothing like an old pre-war car on a nice rural road on a beautiful summer or fall day. Have fun with yours.

I am hoping to find a set of Chevrolet reproduction rumbleseat springs for my '36 Pontiac convertible and would like to check the part number against Chevy's for that year. Can anyone help me determine if these Pontiac #s match a Chevrolet: 1935 Back 4061406 1935 Seat 4061403 1936 Back 4067210 1936 Seat 4067208 Thanks very much for any help you can provide.

Yup, we got winter like Florida's got sunshine, and they're loooong. Also beautiful and a lot of fun, if you like snow. Normally, I would pull the battery, but it's so damn inconvenient on a '36 Pontiac that I'd rather not. You've got to pull the floor mat out of the way (with the chance of it ripping), unscrew six floorboard screws and remove that piece (carefully), then pull the battery, hoping you keep it clear of windlace, uphostery, etc. You've also left a big hole for animals to get in (in spite of the mothballs I use). I've been leaving the battery in for the 40 yrs I've owned the coupe, but disconnecting it. I rarely get more than 2-3 years out of them. Now that I've bought a good original style (expensive) battery, I want to keep it as long as I can. I suppose I could run the car now and again - we do get 40+ degree days even in mid-winter - but all I could do is idle them. Too much snow between barn and driveway to get them on the road, which I wouldn't do anyway because of the salt. I did drive it through one winter in college, 120 miles north of here. Often on bitter cold days it was the only car in the lot to start with out a push or jump. Thanks for the feedback.

It is getting close to car storage time up here in Maine and I am wondering whether or not to hook my 6v car up to a trickle charger for the winter in hopes of extending the battery life. (It's the kind that shuts off when the battery is fully charged.) Is there any fire danger to these things? My battery is under the floor, so I'd have to hook it up through the starter terminal. I suppose it would be safest to disconnect the main wiring harness lead so only the battery is getting juice. A fire in the barn would really ruin my day so I don't want to do anything that increases that risk. Appreciate any advice on the matter.

Thanks, also found them for sale on eBay.

Got new tires and tubes for my Pontiac, but the tubes came with new style caps. Where might I find the old style metal caps? Looked in my usual sources, but to no avail.

West, just send you the original scan. Hope you can get a better enlargement. Got an email from someone who thinks it might be a 1900 cn Caddy Made in Canasota NY: 1 Cylinder Gas; a 1901 Empire Stateman Made in Amsterdam NY: 1 Cylinder Gas; or a Pioneer Auto: 1893-1905. Said he had also seen a steam car that looked like it. This house didn't have electricity or indoor plumbing until 1940, so I find it interesting that they had a car back then.

I recently was given a picture of our house taken in 1903, with this vehicle in the driveway. I can't blow it up much more without pixelating, and can't decide whether this thing is a horse drawn or engine powered vehicle. 1903 seems pretty early for a horseless carriage in rural Maine, but then again maybe the date is wrong. Anyone want to venture a guess?

Hello Chevrolet owners. I've got a '36 Pontiac Cabriolet and am looking for rumbleseat cushions, which would be the same as Chevy. I wonder if any of you know of a company that might reproduce them? Thanks.

Hello Buick owners. I've got a '36 Pontiac Cabriolet and am looking for rumbleseat cushions, which would be the same as Buick. I wonder if any of you know of a company that might reproduce them? Thanks.

Try www.restoride.com. I got a set of wires for my '36 Pontiac from them and found them to be a reputable outfit.

Are you a Pontiac-Oakland Club member? That's the best place to find other owners, and they are out there. www.poci.org

I think this is a great site and log in frequently to see what's being discussed. It actually led me, and perhaps others, to become AACA members, so Steve, the club's investment in the site may actually pay off. I haven't actually met any of the regulars yet, but do hope to get to a show or two where I might do that. I feel like I know several of you already. Thanks AACA, Peter, moderators and you regulars for making this site a valuable forum for us old car lovers.

Thanks everyone. I plan on getting on it this weekend.

Installed new ignition wires and R45 plugs in my '36 Pontiac Six and last night. It fired right up and runs great, until about 50 mph. Then it starts breaking up and misfiring. Is this likely due to the resister type plugs I used -- perhaps they require more juice at that speed than the system can deliver?

Wow, go away for 10 days and lots of things happen. Interesting reading all your posts. Thanks for the feedback/information. Not sure I will go the judging route myself, but find it an interesting subject.

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Someone told me that GM used Pontiac as a testbed for a lot of features. If they worked out they went into other divisions. If that is so I would think there would be a lot of things that might not look right to some judges. </div></div> Any idea of what some of those were? My 36 has an automatic choke, and idiot light and the 8 cyl. had an elaborate gas pedal initiated starting system. Were they common to other 36 GM marques? Thanks for all the feedback. I did download the Judge's Manual Peter. Quite interesting. Wish I had a way to get me and my car to AACA events easily -- most are some distance from Maine.

We need get the information on these cars documented not only for the current judges but for future judges and people that might be restoring that one car nobody knew about "that was bricked in the bottom of Uncle Ed's barn". Talk to Fred Young, judge's training. If you need contact info let me know. If you think it would be useful, I'd be glad to put a reference guide together keyed to the judging checklist of the kind of unobvious things I cited. A 1936 Pontiac isn't particularly rare, but the cabriolet is - less than a dozen known to survive. I also saw a GM Heritage 36 sedan they had restored at the show and even it had 6-8 incorrect features. The older these cars get, the harder it will be to find anyone who knows what they ought to look like. Unfortunately, I don't live very close to many AACA judging meets, and don't have a way of transporting the car great distances, so judging school is probably a long shot. Thanks for the responses.

I'm nearing the end of a restoration of what I intend to be a very nice, 99% complete and original driver, but now I'm thinking I may want to have it judged a few times to see how it stacks up against AACA regs. It is a rare, but not particularly valuable car, but when done it will be very close to its original "like new" condition. I just got back from a national convention in which a similar car, which has already won a 1st Jr., was exhibited. It's a beautiful car and did very well in their points judged competition. But knowing what I know about how it should be ? what's correct on it and what's not ? I could find 25 or more things "wrong" about the car, some small, others pretty large. I've owned a car of this type for 40 years; have been restoring this particular one for two years; have done extensive research on the vehicle; have (and read) all the factory literature/photos; talked to old timers about it; etc. etc. So I know that it should have an oval, not rectangular, back window; that Phillips head screws are incorrect for this '36; that the heater color is wrong; that it's on a sedan, not convertible frame; that wire wheels are correct for '35 but not '36, etc. But how can a typical judge ever know such things, things it has taken me years to learn, about such a rare car? As I said, this car, beautifully done, scores very well in AACA meets, but technically speaking it is not a 365 point car. How do judges handle situations like this? Assume it is probably correct because the owner has obviously spent a lot of money on it and because what has been done was done very well? Challenge most everything and make the owner document each item? From what I can see with this car, the former seems more true than the latter. I left the show appreciating how difficult a judge's job is in these circumstances. I'd be interested in hearing how some of you who take on this challenge handle situations where you have no particular indepth knowledge of a particular marque/year, yet are asked to indicate a score. Thanks!

I got my 36 Pontiac coupe as a high school senior in 1965 - $75 for a 68K original with the owner's manual still in the glove box. Forty years later, I'm still driving it!

How about storing an old engine? I just picked up a spare 36 Pontiac 6 that was running, still turns over, but has since sat awhile. I thought I might pour some oil down the cylinders, seal off all the openings, and let it sit. Any advice?

Thanks guys, all things considered, I guess I'll put it back up on eBay!

I picked up an Appleton bulb-type spotlight on eBay awhile ago for $22 that is in very good condition, thinking I might put it on my 36 Pontiac cabriolet. Now it's time to decide whether I really want to do that or not and I'm looking for advice. First, is this light authentic for the period -- might it have been on such a car, albeit as an aftermarket item? And more importantly, do you think it will add or detract from the car's overall appearance? That is, is this an option worth adding? This isn't going to be a 100 pt. show car, but maybe a 95 point driver. And what good are they anyway? I suppose pre WWIII there were a lot fewer (& dimmer) lights along roads and on houses, and maybe more need for late night deer hunting, but now? Please tell me about your experience, and what you recommend, and why. Thanks!

Thanks Steve, I'm surprised someone hasn't carved out a niche doing this kind of thing. Seems like there is a craftsman for every other kind of specialty.