edinmass

In 1930 you went to a gasoline station to buy gas. Today, we go to the gasoline station to buy what the EPA says is fuel. Fact is, anything pre war is a bit of a chore to make right, and some are very very difficult. Fitting any non stock carburetor to a pre war engine larger than 300 cid can be a challenge, and it WILL be expensive. If you do it half assed the first time, you get to pay twice.......which makes it ridiculously expensive. And the odds of your car running right? Slim to none.........there are about ten shops in the country that still have a clue. Find the right guys to help you.....yes, it costs money. At least the car will start hot or cold and run down the road decent.

The best 10,000 dollar advise you can get......and it’s free. Sadly, almost no one will listen. No, I don’t own stock in the company......but I wish I did.

That pump is how we shall say.........not worth the effort, because I can’t curse in public here. They are trash.....and are broken when new out of the box. In the shop we call it an “outstanding pump.” Put it in your car and you will be out standing on the side of the road broken down.......buy a Carter........for 125 bucks and you will be fine.

The carb you show the close up of with the brass plug is failing from pot metal fatigue, and probably has already failed internally.........not only can the body’s crack......the fuel channels restrict and plug......so a carb that looks good on the outside, or doesn’t leak, doesn’t mean it will function properly. I have worked with countless Strombergs but have never rebuilt a DD-3. Most Strombergs made from late 1928 to mid 1930 suffer from the issue. The earlier the carb, the more issues it has. Once you see the pimples develop.......it quickly becomes unstable and deterioration accelerates. DD -3 ‘s are fairly rare and one doesn’t seem them for sale often. Carbking can be helpful to you but carburetors usually can be difficult to identify without spending hours on them..........Joe M in New Hampshire is the go to guy on all things when it comes to big Chrysler’s.

It’s a Mayfair Packard owned by a friend........it’s actually a very nice car, and very well,restored. Most post W O Bentley era English coachwork does nothing for me..........

Just got this one in the mail yesterday! 👍 Merry Christmas! Thanks for the Packard heater! 👍👍

Looks like a fun car for the right guy..........

Yes, the exact nomenclature for that window is......... not particularly attractive rear side window. Thus ends today's lesson! 😂

Jon, the issue is one guy who lives in the flatlands places it on on a car.....and he THINKS his car runs well. It doesn't, it's just that it ran so shitty for years that the new incorrect carburator is an improvement over the POS they had on it for forty years. Fact is, less than five percent of pre 1942 cars are running and performing at 100 percent. Most are usually around 75 percent at best. Too many shady tree mechanics are certain of their skills........when actually they have no skill. For a car to run correctly..........as you know, you need a perfect ignition system, a perfect fuel delivery system, and a good mechanical system......the three are almost never present in the same engine........I could go on for hours, and I'm sure you could go on for weeks........my new carburator is doing the exact same thing as the old one held together with JB Weld........... I just got a car in that had 12k worth of work done on it, and the hole in the carburator was fixed correctly.......with J B Weld..........literally true, and just in the last 60 days.

When you build a car for God, divine intervention comes in the play somewhere! 😝

Walt, Lee and Anne Davenport were good friends. As the youngest guy at the CCCA events, and he as usually the elder.......I became close to them. I would carry their bags, keep an eye on their car, and just generally keep close to them on the tours. Lee was similar to Bob Stark........both American hero’s from WWII, and they never said a word about their accomplishments. Lee Davenport actually changed the world, and no one knows who he is, or what he did. He saved hundreds of thousands of American lives in the war.

The list is short, and distinguished. A breed quickly going extinct. Like the Passenger Pidgin, from billions to zero in a few short years............only question now is who will be the last man standing.......and breathing.

Ok, it’s not a Christmas theme, but it’s from a Pierce Arrow guy who shared it with me..........

So, it’s interesting that while I have no idea about the transaction, I’m 100 percent certain who here bought the project. Let’s say it’s up in the cold, cold north. The pre war car world is a small place.........😎

Bad safety glass……..

Busy…..

Bob Stark was a great American, and a fascinating human being. I got to know him as a very young man, and he was generous enough to let me drive his cars. He worked into his 90s. Sharp as a tack. Never had a negative word and always had a smile on his face. I miss my old friend. Someday I hope to get up to the museum and get that Lincoln running again.

The Flying Wombat is a national embarrassment, and should have been put in the crusher years ago. B&S fxxxxd up ten times more cars than they improved. Anyone who would admit to designing or building the Wombat has no soul. PS- yes, I have had my hands on the Wombat…….only for a few minutes, so I know what I am talking about. It also smokes more than a WWII destroyer laying a smoke screen at the Battle of Leyte Gulf.

Not Pierce Arrow..........

Walt......I agree. I always thought Inhad good taste in Whiskey, Women, and Willoughby’s!

A 1934 Lincoln KB Willoughby Enclosed Drive Limousine has always been one of my favorite cars........

We have been running those solid state condensers since 1986. To my knowledge, every one I ever installed is still driving down the road.

Today, it’s not so much what a Buick is worth.......it’s what you can buy for the equivalent money. A open Buick is a great car........but at the numbers getting tossed around a Pierce 12 sedan or a Packard 8 coupe come into the same range. Unless you have a specific Buick buyer, you have lots of competition in the nice used car market right now. Buyers have more choices......supply is up, so the buyer has mor purchasing power and can afford to be price sensitive. I recently saw a fabulous big car for sale at 50 cents on the dollar.....in my humble opinion. It’s still for sale two weeks later, so my market estimate of the car was way off........and I do this all day long. Unless cars are exceptionally well restored and are still as show level, cars that are less than perfect or show wear and patina can be very hard sells unless you market them on price. The competition on this car isn’t from other Buick’s......it’s from EVERYTHING.

First off, I agree 99 percent of the inspectors are more like inspector Clouseau, than real car guys. I only do pre war stuff. My price for a day? 1500 plus all costs….flight,rental, ect……. That eliminates any car under 50k 99 percent of the time. In this world, you get what you pay for…….some of the time, and excellence is almost impossible to find……and hire. I really don’t like the inspection business and try and only do it for friends and major collectors who won’t second guess my opinion. No, I don’t do appraisals………fact is, if a car is truly rare you don’t have any variety as to what you can purchase………and if you need to do the numbers in any direction, you won’t end up with the car anyways. PS- I don’t do a condition report, I don’t compose ten paragraphs on the car. It’s a conversation of expectations, people who buy a old car based on price will NEVER be happy with their purchase. People who buy based on condition, authenticity, drivability, and get a feeling for a car they can’t or won’t look at themselves for whatever reason usually have realistic expectations. And ever conversation I have just before the phone hangs up is…….expect to put 25k minimum into a true 100 point car to go down the road……and it could hit 50k in the blink of an eye. Big cars generate big bills. Sadly, the hobby isn’t getting cheaper.