edinmass

It’s got to be easy……it’s just an old car! Or so many people say………🥸

I have been playing with a 32 96C lately. Fun car……

Welding exhaust manifolds………is never a good idea. Ever. Your lucky you found one. Just removing the manifold is an invitation to if failing when being reinstalled. I recommend buying another spare if possible. Use copper gaskets, not the modern stuff. Go gentle on tightening it up. Be sure your electric pump is NOT connected to the ignition system, or you will burn out the Hershey switch and under volt the coil.

Hi, sorry I’m late to the game. Life has become extremely busy and complicated for me the last few months. All is good, and getting better. Still more challenges ahead, but we are gaining on them. My history of using cutting oil goes back to the Springfield Factory Rolls Royce employees. As a very young kid I spent a bunch of time with people who actually built the Ghost’s, P1’s, and PII’s. I learned the foam issue/fix from them. Here in New England, we generally only used it to “get by” till the car could be properly repaired. My experience is 90 percent of foaming is air getting past the seal in the water pump. I disagree the cutting oil will cause problems or separate. Having run it for well over 40 years and countless miles, I stand by it in CERTAIN situations. I’m jumping on a plane…..more when I can get back. Ed.

I try to install sealed bearings with modern or ceramic seals. It can get complicated quickly……and expensive. There is nothing wrong putting it back to as new. It won’t leak, and be much faster and less expensive.

Go to Racingjunk.com lots of trailers for sale. I got a fantastic deal.....you need cash in hand and have to look every day. Ed

Rumor has it this is going back stock.............quite a project. I'm assuming they will start with a sedan..........as a parts car. 1934 Series 56C one of 506 built. If they get this one together that would make 6 known.

Be sure to keep receipts…..they are gonna want to see them. Also photos of the build. It’s a major pain in the ass……been there, done that.

I had a photo of the Marmon on my wall for ten years as a kid in grade school to high school. I was able to drive it when I told Bruce about having a photo on my wall for all those years. Fun car. Best of luck to the new owner.

Great car. I was fortunate to be able to drive a fair bit it a couple years ago. Great lines, and a bunch of fun for reasonable money. Ed.

Plan for the worst, hope for the best. Disassemble it while as hot as possible. It’s sucks, but will help with broken bolts.

So that pump can be modified for modern updates including seals. With machine work to fit new modern seals it's probably 900 bucks give or take. Rebuilding it as it was new should be under 400. Either way is fine. I always update my pumps. John Cislak MIGHT have new stainless pump shafts in stock. 413-530-5712 east coast business hours.

My first car was an identical 1931 Cadillac Series 355A Sport Coupe. Got it when I was 13. Took me two years to make it run. Photo below is me and my father taken on 1989. It was my only drivable Classic for ten years. Over time I ended up with a dozen 31 355A's. Fun cars. At last count, there are 6 or 7 known....and the subject car would add one more to the list. Sold mine about 15 years ago to Europe. Who ever buys this project, reach out to me, as I still have ALL my spare parts. Ed

Matt.....that regulator is still made today....in China. They work decent. I have originals NOS also. They are EXPENSIVE for the NOS units..........the reproduction units are made for the four cylinder Indian motorcycles. They convert easy to car use.

Make sure the water jacket is perfectly flat, and the area around the holes aren't pushed in like a cone from over tightening. Use a sealer on ALL the bolts. Also, glue the gasket on the cover and let it set up over night. Be sure the block is perfectly clean. Do it once, do it right. The odds of your cover being good are small. Bob's sold me their last one for the 50 series last year. Ed PS- Use copper gaskets on the manifolds. More expensive but ten times better.

Been there, done that. Run evapo rust as a coolant at 100 percent strength for a month before you disassemble. My jacket was on since new till 2023.....didn't brake a single bolt with the evapo rust treatment. So 75 bucks in chemicals will save you hours of problems. It's the smart move.

Pull the manifold. It's easy. 1934 Series 56C

Post a few photos of the pump. Not all pumps can be converted over. Some require machining.

Scott.....the 34 Buick convertiable is me........😀.........I do Pebble cars all week long, I have now passed over to the other side. The last 5 cars I bought were all original or an early 50's restoration that looks original now. I absolutely hate cleaning, detailing, and polishing cars. The 34 Buick was at Amelia in the "Barn Find Class" and got as much attention as a restored Packard 12. Had a great time with it on the tour, and I must confess......driving past the half dozen trailer queens broke down on the side of the road put a smile on my face. Most importantly the car only has to please the owner.........not the attendies of the show. 2/3 of the people ask me..."when you gonna restore it".........the answer is I will start the day after I wash it.......and I intend NEVER TO WASH THE CAR AS LONG AS I OWN IT!. We dusted it off after seven decades of sitting...........it will never see a wash or detail as long as I own it. I just simply don't care and enjoy. it exactly the way it is!

That car could never win BOS at Pebble. It's the lest desirable of the Custom Dietrich Packards, and there are a bunch of them. Maybe in the 50's or 60's. Today......not gonna happen. Visiting the Pebble show is one thing. Having competed there I can tell you most car guys don't even have a good read on what will do well. Bring a world class car there with a perfect 100 point restoration, and maybe.......just maybe a third in class trophy will drop in your hands. It's impossible to communicate the level of stuff you are going up against. It's the big picture most people can't grasp. Just when you think you have the class in your back pocket......out come the ribbons and you go home empty handed. Restoration costs aren't the only problem.........lack of willing workers to spend a lifetime in a shop doing manual labor at any price is the problem. Restoring cars is totally different than fixing cars or doing crash repairs. Fact of the matter is.......if you're smart enough & talented enough to do Pebble quality work........you're smart enough not to want to do it.

Hooper build quality is less than HALF of Brewster body. As far as the comments of "restoring to perfection" not being required........nothing could be further from the truth. Pre War Ghosts, P1's, PII's, and PIII's are cars that require craftsman hands that do not take shortcuts. Being born and raised in Springfield Mass, and having actually worked with FACTORY EMPLOYEES and managers as a very young guy..........I can tell you 95 percent of the restoration shops in the country can't properly deal with these cars. I have driven American Roll's cars countless miles, as well as the AJS series, and PIII's. There are only three shops in the US I would let service or restore one. It's easier to restore three Model J Duesenberg's than a single P1.

Rates vary by location............Here in Palm Beach the Rolls/Bentley dealer is 425 an hour flat rate. That's a 900 dollar basic alignment folks. Not shims or cradle adjustment. Restore a car in a major metropolitian area like NYC, LA, Miami............and get good experienced workers for PRE WAR CARS............it's gonna be CRAZY expensive. Post war cars are fifty times easier to deal with......yes, they are that much easier. Want Pebble Beach quality work for a pre war classic CCCA car? It is ONE MILLION DOLLARS OR MORE TODAY........YES, ONE MILLION OR MORE. And that's starting with a very good car with no missing parts. Another point......restoration shops today can and do restore cars that look good. Most cars coming out of restoration need 50k to 75k to go down the road once they are off the show circuit. Now understand this is for achieving as close to perfection as possible. That's why 99 percent of the cars out there run and drive like crap. I could go on........but it's a sad fact today that pre war cars are very expensive to own and maintain today. Look at the cost of a new crew cab dually oil burner......120k & add in a 45k trailer. Times and prices are evolving. Buying the car is going to get cheaper. Owning one is going to drag you down.........I do this for a living, and speak to the shop owners and workers........trust me, they realize it also. Need a smile? It's cheaper, faster, and easier to get divorced than it is to restore a 1934 Packard Super Eight. It's also less aggravation. We won't talk about the 12's.

Found some great stuff there over the years. The hobby is changing, and for the dinosaurs like me, not for the better.

I was going commando under those plaid shorts!

Insurance is a wast of time....try collecting it. Make a wooden crate with rope handles. Put multiple addresses on it inside and out.