Paul Dobbin

This hobby can sneak up on you over time, but as we aged we adapted with additional garage space. 42 years ago we bought our first 1934 Ford, we had a one car garage and it was for our 1965 Mustang Convertible. Next we bought a home with a large two car garage and the 34 & the Mustang co-exisited inside. When the 41 Ford arrived, it lived outside, but when the Model A joined the family, we build a 3 car shop to supplement the 2 car garage and the 41 was replaced with a Model T basket case. After that the next 30 years got blurry with lots of cars coming and going. The most kept inside at once was 6, but work space was short. Now we're a stable household with a 2 car garage and a carriage house for the RV and 5 antique cars and an old motorcycle and a shop big enough to still be crowded. Oh yea, plus two carports and a enclosed trailer to serve as the annex. My bones tell me it's time to limit my numbers or hire help for routine maintenance. Nah, forget that, Ill be caught up soon. It's a great hobby and full of nice people with the same disease, and nobody has enough space.

Well said Mr. Helfen! For a guy with a lot of posts, you got this one right. My hope is that a real restoration shop or Jay Leno gets a show that shows the best of our hobby. So far we're mostly mis-represented by the "reality" made up drama, but it's still more interesting than the soap opera's without cars.

Chris Coon, Thanks for trying to help your mother-in-law. Ladies in her position have a problem that we all wish our widows won't be burdened with. The advice you are getting is all good, but needs an additional mention. Model A Fords are the largest segment of the antique car hobby and very good first cars for new hobbyists. This is because parts and restoration knowledge is so plentiful. The Model A Ford is always the largest grouping on all the antique car tours for AACA and the VMCCA and well as two (2) major national Model A Clubs. In my Florida Club there have been 3 or 4 Model A Fordors' change hands in the $15,000 to $17,000 range. All were good older restorations with histories of Glidden Tour participation.. I mention this because value is not just a function of beauty, mechanical condition trumps new paint in setting a value. Also remember it's easier to come down in price to close the deal than to increase it. If you mother-in-law's husband was an active local club member, the other members are a good source for valuation.

Thanks, However I've done that, it's a recored radiator, all new, including oversize overflow tank. Problem is I can't see the timing mark on the crank pulley when it's running, to tight and enclosed. Therefore I can't use a timing light and have to time it by ear. Now what?

Need help! Car runs cool all day at 55 MPH, even with A/C. But over 55 MPH the temp creeps up and up. (Car is a GM small block Buick V8, stock with a 4 barrel carb.) I think changing the timing might help but don't know which way to turn the distributor to accomplish a cooler running temp. Any Suggestions?

As you will learn, selling off 100% of a collection is a costly thing when you add up all the related expenses. I hope you'll find an auction company who can do it all for you for a reasonable fee. I had a friend who died of cancer about 8 years ago. He called an auction company with a good list of buyers and held a one day auction. By sundown all the cars, parts, tools, trucks, trailers, gas pumps, etc. etc. were sold and GONE. The seller paid 10% plus the advertising cost, and his buddies drove the cars across the block. The buyers paid 10% and everyone was happy. The auction company came a few days before and sorted and box lotted the stuff. That sounded fair to me. My friend watched the whole thing from his bedroom window and had another great antique car experience. He told me that if by some miracle he survived, he could buy an all new collection of stuff, but his old stuff would not be a burden to his family. Finding the auctioneer with a good buyer list is the key.

Lots of strong opinions, but very little factual stuff to support the Katie Pavlich article. Since she didn't offer any facts either, I looked her up and found this on Wikipedia. Katie Pavlich (born July 10, 1988)[1][2] is a Croatian-American conservative journalist, primarily known for her work at the online news-magazine TownHall.com as well as for authoring the book Fast and Furious: Barack Obama’s Bloodiest Scandal and Its Shameless Cover-Up. A National Review Washington Fellow, she's appeared numerous times as a television commentator, notably on the Fox News program

Cute little car with suicide doors! Reminds me of the time I brought home a Subaru 360 and my family and neighbors all laughed. Got it running and sold it to a guy who still enjoys it by parking front of his Italian Deli with a Fiat. This could be a fun project, whatever you do with it. In the States it would be good street rod material if nothing else you could recover your $1000. It will be interesting to hear from this Forum what it really is.

I thought we had this discussion on this car a few moths ago.

I have to assume it was a joke. A really UGLY joke at that.

"What Should I do?" You are doing it, ask questions. When I was a kid I asked people who knew how to do something (That I wanted to do) and usually they were more than glad to tell me how. Sometimes you must be persistant, but keep asking. Most people who have a skill are proud of it and will share secrets with you if they think you are REALLY interested. Don't expect to be good at it on the first try, but build on your experience and ask again why what you did didn't come out like the pro's. Learn by doing an we'll all be glad to share what we know. Welcome to the old car community.

Congratulations to all who won at Charlotte. Thanks to all who showed real antique vehicles at the Autofair. The hard work of the AACA Hornets Nest Region has built a giant festival of automobilia. Also thanks to all who participated.

What a bunch of cr*ap. Been towing my toys for over for 30 years to tours all over the country. Never a problem not even in California with a Great Race car on an open trailer full of signage. Have towed with a van, SUV and a Motorhome. Just a private person enjoying our hobby. I'd be really mad too if some Barney Fife stopped me.

Interesting car but not enough information to estimate it's value. We need to know body style because 51 Mercury had a 2DHTP and a 2 Door Sedan ad maybe a business coupe. Also pictures tell 1000's of words. A 1951 Mercury in the condition you describe could be worth the $2500 suggested or more if components are nice or less if they're not. Remember this is a site whose members primarily restore cars to the shape they were when new. But, there are many of us who do them both ways and we'd be willing to help you make the buying decision based on millions of years of combined experience.

Yes, we have and use seat belts in all our collector cars, only one is new enough to have come with them. I've also installed shoulder belts on our 35 Buick, they are not stock for 1935 but a wood framed body that we drive on the pulbic roads should be safer than the 1935 equipment. Same goes for any car, you are safer if you stay in the car during an accident than flying in traffic. I even have seat belts for the all the passengers!

1/2 is better than nothing! How about 1/8?

How much would I pay for this? $5,234.26 is all. It owul make a great towable for our RV and would carry more car nuts than the current one. http://i133.photobucket.com/albums/q62/PaulDobbin/DSCI0266.jpg

The 2014 AACA Sentimental Tour (Forvehicles 1928-1958) will be held in Portsmouth NH in September. Wehave been accepted to participate in our 1934 Ford. We intend totrailer it to NH and tour New Hampshire, Maine & Massachusetts inthe 34. Our tow vehicle is a motor home and we need a place to“camp” as close as possible to to the host hotel (Comfort Inn) inPortsmouth. Our passengers will be staying in the host hotel, we'd like to stay in our Roadhouse. As usual, about 10-15% of the participants will arrive via motor coach, we're among them. We don't need a Resort, a Mom & Pop trailer parkwould be fine. Any Portsmouth AACA Forum members with knowledge of campgrounds out there? The closest we've found are 25 to 30 minutes (15-20 miles) away and that adds alot of miles to the 80 year old car every day. Thanks for what you can share.

I think auburnseeker is correct. However it reminds me of one of my favorite finds. Years ago (Maybe 1986), I found and bought 1940 Ford Coupe in a orange grove in central Florida. It had no engine or transmission, no floor or even a good sub-frame. The body & fenders were intact, but it was only a shell, good enough only for a for a stock car. After dragging it home and getting it on tires that held air, I pulled the vines and trees our if it, washed the one window glass and put it in the local "Auto Trader" (Which was a relativiely new publication) for $400.00. I described the car as in the last paragraph Soon it was sold and buyer and seller were happy. It would become an antique race car. Some months later the "Trader Publication" started a new magazine called "Old Car Trader". Apparently they didn't have enough ads to fill the new book. The re-ran my $400 ad with a picture. I started getting calls from all over the USA (The picture was excellent B & W). After getting so many calls explaining that the car had been sold to the first person who came to see it, I got a little annoyed when they were mad that I didn't have it still for sale. After saying that they should have called earlier, and the sad tale of to late for the deal. They would ask how good was it was? I explained that it was stock car material, probably because the paint was faded, the upholsterty was rotten, the glass was fogged and the engine smoked real bad. I hope that left them with a good story about the one that got away. Sometimes the chase is better tha reality.

A friend told me about the Facebook Garage Sale page for our local area. I signed up not using picture or a biography,just my own name. Soon I had lots of middle to older age women wanting to be my friend. I quit. SO far i've met no forward women on the AACA site. Good thing, we just celebrated our 47th Anniversary.

I think Matt made some good points and as an owner of several of the "less desirable cars that are simply going to be left behind". , I dont really care. In the early 70's when old cars were cheap and the "hobby" was for fun and enjoyment, I bought cars for the pleasure of ownership. In those days, restoration costs for the hobbiest/do it youselfer were affordable. We bought a few cars to turn over for a profit to support our hobby projects. Then old cars became "Investment Vehicles". After that we spent more on restorations than we wanted to, but always had to keep an eye on expenses to not get "over invested." Many lost the "Hobbiest" outlook and got caught up in the "Investment Vehicles" and throphies, competitions and trailer queens. For me, they're still old cars and hobby vehicles. When my widow has a sale, she'll recover some of the money, but the fun will be the memories of all the tours and outings with other old car nuts. The plus is, she always knew where I was and that the other woman had 4 wheels.

Congratulations to all you that have overcome this situation. I'd like to share a story of a guy some of you may remember. Ken DeWitt in Clearwater Florida was in a auto accident in he 80's and lost a leg. He got a wooden one and continued life as normal and was restoring Model A Fords to age 100. He was building metal bodied roadster pickups with new bodies and old restored chassis & running parts and selling them as fast as he could build them. Friends organized a 100th Birthday Party two weeks before his actual birthday, which he attended and enjoyed. Then a week before his actual 100th, he died. He enjoyed telling the story of driving one of his Model A's down Gulf Blvd. in St. Pete Beach when his wooden leg became wedged between the brake and clutch pedal. When he pulled back the leg came off. Then he reached down with one had to retrieve the leg while driving the Model A with the other hand and foot. As he told it he then waved the wooden leg in the air while honking his horns and weaving through traffic yelling, "my leg came off"! Every time he told the story he relived the excitement and the humor of the moment. My hat is off to him.

Remember all these mis-informed heirs will try to sell your Corvette for the $5,000 you told them. On the other hand I always find heirs with a $5,000 unrestored car that they think is worth $150,000. Why? because that's what they were told. Plus they saw one on TV from the Scottsdale auction. They justify it buy adding, that a $199 Earl Schriebe paint job and a $99.00 set of Rayco seat covers and it will be identical to the $150,000 one sold on TV. From my prospective I rather find the $5,000 model

In most states a car without a valid title means no registration or ownership transfer until you meet their requirements. I no longer buy anything without a valid title. In th e old days you could get one from a non titile state and then proceed. From everything I've heard that doesn't work anymore.

People have often ask if any of my cars are For Sale. I reply, "talk to my wife at my Estate Sale". Tip for others in this situation: There is a thing called "Separate Writings" that you can put in your will that allows you to have a modifiable list of who gets what. If you include those words (Separate Writings) in your will, you can change the benefactor at will. So, be nice to me, express an interest in my cars and join AACA.