Lake Powell

Hi again Rick: Your attitude represents what we need more of in here, and, sorry to say, I can't say the same for this fellow JD26 and the VERY small minority of people like him - their attitude does not contribute either to our learning, or our helping legit. auto hobbyists. To them, the sharing of knowledge and the supporting of fellow old car owners comes in a far "second" to their desire to "have the last word"- even if the incorrect information they like could disadvantage a fellow hobbyist. Note how these types would rather have incorrect technical information, than allow beneficial technical information that for some odd reason displeaes them. Happily, most legit auto hobbyists are like you - sometimes we have to give em a shove in the right direction, but their over-riding basic attitude is "what can I learn from this". In any event, I think we have fully answered the fellow's questions that started this "thread". So that we do not take up any more time from the Forum, if there are any further questions on this particular technical issue, may I suggest any further questions be directed to me privately ? P.S. Please do not even refer to anyone as having the letter "P" in their first name, or letter "H" in their last name. Sorry to tell you that, at least in the past, that small noisy minority who just do not have much LEGIT interest in the exchange of technical info, have had the 'ear' of the "powers that be", and as a result, they may delete your entire contribution.

Hi Drill: Yes - I agree with you as far as residential real estate values are - definitely up in real value. But I think this is a "population explosion" issue, meaning, more people - people supply expanding faster than the home supply. My question to you is - what about taking the "comparitive dollar" of any given year, against the cost of the typical consumer goods. For example, my dad's new 1950 Buick Super with Dynaflow and "all the trimming" went "out the door" if I recall correctly, for around $1,600. What would that be in today's dollar value ? I really dont know what I am talking about, since I am not an economist, and my math skills are such that I have to take my shoes and sox off the count past ten - but...fact is, I would make a wild guess and say the "real value" of the 1950 dollar was a good twenty five times or more of today's dollar. If that assumption is correct, and my guesstimates are anywhere near in the ball park, this, I would argue, shows how we of the middle class have been "de capitalized".

Hi Twitch: If you like, I can E mail you photographs of my own collector vehicles which proudly support "YOM" plates. Again, the plates I had made (counterfiet, if you like that term !) have the correct number sequence to match the documents in my car. The "validation/year/month" stickers are in their proper places, but do NOT block the plainly visible "year of manufacture". Dont be "put off" ( by what you "heard from a couple of plate dealers" ) on having so called "counterfiet plates made (see my more detailed discussion above). Is it possible they told you that just to scare you into doing business with THEM ? The best..in fact the ONLY authority on this issue is your own state's vehicle code. YOU should look it over carefully YOURSELF; dont take the word of some self-styled "expert" (who just might have some ulterior motive !) The "dealers" you spoke to COULD be right that in a few states, it would be illegal to do this. I just dont know. I havn't bothered to research this for OTHER states, because in my own state (no longer a Californian, thank heaven !) it is perfectly legal to do this, and I have no intention of moving!

Hi Jack: Regarding your comments on when Packard first offered "factory air". I cant imagine why any legit. car buff would call you a "liar" when we are all simply trying to learn what we can from our fellow hobbyists. If you go back and pull up those old "post" discussions about when Packard first offered factory air, I think you will find some of the people discussing that issue indicated simply that they were not aware of any earlier than 1941. We learned from that discussion that there was factory literature offering it for the 1940 model year. None of us should be the least bit surprised, nor question your recollection that you saw a 1939 Packard (again, as distingushed from the 1940 model year which came out a couple of months PRIOR to 1940) as having air conditioning. I know there are even earlier examples in several other makes of cars. What I do NOT know, and would enjoy learning from you, is whether the 1939 Packard you saw would qualify as "factory air" in the common use of the term. Of COURSE up to the end of production in Feb. 42, Packard shipped its cars to Babcock's factory in Ohio for the actual installation of its offering of "factory air" . The above dosn't change the fact that, as we learned in here, there was an offering by Packard of "factory air" in 1940 in its new car sales literature. I think we all agree that regardless of where the actual refrigeration unit hardware was actually put into the car, the 1940 - 1942 Packards qualify within the common meaning of the term, legit "factory air". What can you tell us about the year 1939 ? Do you know how or even IF this was actually marketed by Packard in that model year ? I have never seen ANYTHING about that from Packard. Or was it simply one of the long list of sometimes fascinating, sometimes just down-right nutty things that individual customers would come up with, and would DEMAND that Packard would take care of as part of a new car order ? ?

Hi again, Len: Good question ! You are observant! The standard method engine re-builders of old "babbit bearing equipped" cars, for resolving the side-play issue, is to simply braze a series of bronze "[censored]" around the side-face area in question. Then grind them down to where they have at LEAST a "slip fit" to the bearing. As you probably no, SOME "side play" is just fine - this particular operation is NOT that critical. Just be careful (at this point..someone refresh my memory..I forget when Packard went to a "stress reliever fillet" on their crank-pins) to make sure the bronze "[censored]" that will serve to fill in the space left does not interfere with that fillet. (For those who want to know what we are discussing, modern connecting rod insert bearings have no provision for side-play. Side-play must be taken care of, or it is possible under some "load" conditions the rod could move far enough side-ways on the crank-pin to cause major hurt ! Poured babbit style rods have the poured babbit both on the bearing surface itself. The first "insert' type connecting rod bearings DID have a provision for side-play, in the form of a "lip", as do most modern insert MAIN bearings. I have not found any modern MAIN bearing (which, again, would include a "side-play provision) that I could use to make connecting rod bearings from). Incidentally, Len, because my above "posts" were getting too long, I did not take the time to discuss in detail the problem of "high speed engines". A common mis-conception is that the old engines were "low speed" and only modern engines are "high speed". While modern engines, with their short strokes and superior connecting rod bearing design ARE capable of sustained duty at rotational speeds that would tear an old-design motor apart, the fact is, in actual day-to-day service, our old engines are usually spinning as fast, if not MUCH faster, than a modern car. THAT is why I am so strident about urging you and other restorers to go with modifying the connecting rods to take a modern "insert" type bearing. How is this so ? Look at the final drive gearing. Modern cars are often geared 2. to 1 or even "higher". You cruise down the highway at 70 mph, and your modern engine is "loafing" at WAY below its design limits (probably around 1,600 rpm or so). When you go 45 mph, how fast is the crank-shaft spinning in that 5 inch stroke Packard Super Eight ? Faster than the modern car at 70! What are the reciprocal "loads" on those crank-pins....pretty scary...eh !

Rick - you are a true gentleman for finally admitting your post was in error. But again, this is not a contest - it is simply a forum for us to try and learn. Sadly, while the overwhelming majority of people who frequent these chat rooms simply come in here to learn and assist others, there are a few "bad eggs" who would rather insist they are right, and silence anyone who disagrees with them regardless of the cost to legitimate automobile hobbyists, then help others with technical issues. Rick - you are on the right track by trying to find out more info. Good for you. Hope you will serve as an example to others who are not so friendly.

Hi again, Rick: Again, please dont think I am picking on you personally. This forum is a great place for all of us to exchange views and learn something. However, "posting" just for the pleasure of seeing one's words in type, can ill-serve other hobbyists who may need accurate info. I hope our discussion will encourage you to look at diagrams, manuals, tech. articles written by competent experts, so that you will benefit from well-grounded REAL technical knowledge. Who told you a "29 crank wont fit modern crank machines". Do you realize the consequences of that kind of nonsence ? You might discourage someone from getting a proper repair. In fairness, what the person you talked to MIGHT have meant, not understanding that so many makes of earlier crankshafts had their balancing weights attached, is that the balancing weights must be removed before the crank-pins can be ground. This is something that RESPONSIBLE crank-shaft grinding outfits either KNOW how to do themselves, or recognize what has to be done, and they simply ship it off to a facility who can do this work. Secondly, stop and think - obviously you do not actually KNOW what a "babbited" connecting rod looks like, how it is prepared to receive poured babbit, and how different the machining is on connecting rods that will receive "inserts". If you did, you wouldnt tell us about some "mechanic" whose "father told him how to do it" . Again, you can not use modern "insert" type bearings in od-style babbeted rods without machine work modfication. The fellow who started this "thread" needs useable info. He has a problem (rod bearing trouble) that has caused many old car hobbyists to come to grief, sell their cars out of disgust, and abandoned the old car hobby. That dosnt do ANYONE any good.

For RICK: I am sure you meant well, but you are going to confuse this fellow's thinking and send him off in the wrong direction. There is simply NO way you can fit modern-style "insert" type connecting rod bearings to the old-style con rods originally set up for poured babbit without modifying them. Simply impossible. First, you have to re-size the "big end" to that there will be just the right amount of "crush" to the modern insert's shell. The most common tool for this is known as a "SUN HONE". Without EXACTLY the right amount of "crush", the bearing will not have the correct clearance, and WILL fail. Secondly, you have to cut a "tab" of the correct size, width, and depth in both the rod itself, and the cap, to make sure the modern insert's "shell" dosnt "spin" inside the "big end". Yes, you do often have to modify the new insert rod bearing itself - typically, modern bearings are much wider ( and hence stronger ) then the narrow bearings of older engine designs. Thus you often have to "cut down" the width of the bearing to fit the old connecting rod. You did not mention what MAKE '29 you say you had. Are you talking about a Packard Super Eight ? That monster was a 384 cu. in. power-plant with a huge crank-shaft - not the kind of thing you find thru the usual sources. Again, crank-shaft grinding is not an unusual or exotic proceedure - while not common these days for modern cars (for the simple reason that modern cars do not have bearing/crank problems) a competent machine shop familiar with this kind of work can do it correctly.

For Ex98th: Your dollar figures do not reflect what is REALLY going on. The ACTUAL cost of goods and services has not changed much down thru the years, for COMPORABLE products. What HAS changed, is that thru our own govt's very carefully thought out and deliberate policies, the purchasing power of the middle class has been steadily eroded. In terms of "real equivlent dollar value" I do not think you can demonstrate much difference in the cost of cars now, or in any earlier period (with the qualification that the further back you go in time, the less complex, and thus the less REAL dollar cost a given car represents). The attack on the capitalist middle class has taken several forms. Presidents Nixon and Reagan "led the charge" to de-industrialize our country by sending our manufacturing and technology to the near slave-labor factories of China. However, BOTH parties seem to be allied in the effort to destroy capitalism of the American middle class. There are several good examples and reasons ( that is, if you are a right wing industrialist who truly HATES "merit/market oriented capitalism" ). First and foremost, you dont have to worry about labor relations. The Chinese Army runs the factories, and the unions. Guess what happens if you complain about working conditions or your salary ! Secondly, you dont have to worry about financing. AMERICAN tax money goes to support the AMERICAN EXPORT BANK, whose purpose it is to PAY our industrialists to ship our jobs and technology to China. Thirdly, you dont have to worry about air pollution, water pollution or other enviornmental issues. It was none other than Presidential candidate GORE who lobbyied for China in the American Congress, asking that we "excuse" China and other cheapo importers, from enviornmental regulations. Just as a "hedge", our government has long supported the importation of cheap desparate labor from Mexico. Our government has repeatedly told us they simply do not have the funds nor the manpower to aggressively police our borders. However, the United States Attorney's Office has had no trouble diverting extensive resources to prosecute, on charges of KIDNAPPING, American ranchers, who have made citizen's arrests of the "illegals" when they catch them damaging their property, and transport the Mexicans to local INS offices for processing. The clear and long sought objective is to turn us back to the economy we had before the appearance of a strong middle class. That was the days before World War One, when the rich could be VERY rich, and they had LOTS of poor folk to lord it over. Best way to make more rich folk, is to de-capitalize the middle class. Saddam's government was just a big a bunch of murdering gangsters prior to our invasion of Iraq - their big mistake, was their threat to start selling Iraqi oil cheap, under-cutting our own oil righties agreements with OPEC to keep the price of oil artifically high. Had the Iraqi government stayed in power, they most certainly would have continued their horrible abuses of their own people. But that is not why we invaded - again, our government correctly recognized that jacking petrol prices WAY out of sight is the best way to continue de-capitalizing the middle class. Isn't it interesting that OTHER country's auto manufacturers are having no trouble fielding "reduced fuel consumption" cars, while ours continues to try and convince us of the desireability of gas gobblers...?

Your inquiry raises a number of fascinating issues requiring a much longer discussion than is practical here, if we are to give you any real detail. To summarize, the concept of "poured babbit" was long been abandoned by the autmotive industry, in favor of the " precision steel backed insert" type con rod bearing. It was the introduction of the "insert" type connecting rod bearing in the mid 1930's that permitted durability in higher engine rotational speed service, and allowed the development of the modern high speed short stroke and DURABLE engines we have now. And those old cars really spun their motors fast even at lower road speeds ( see discussion below about "gearing). Packard rod bearings of your era were typical of engines of that period. In order to produce reasonable power from the lower octane fuels of bygone times, it was customary to have very long strokes. At a five inche "stroke", your heavy old connecting rods are imposing "loads" on your crank-pins of MANY times induced by a short-stroke engine. Couple that with the inherent weakness of the "plain poured babbit" design of rod bearing, and you can see why connecting rod bearing failure was so common, a discussion of it can be found even in no-technical American literature of that era (see Grapes Of Wraith, by John Steinbeck). You would do well to research the magazine SOCIETY OF AUTOMOTIVE ENGINEERS - issues in the 1930's will give you a quick education on the evolution of this technology. You should be able to find back-issues at any larger city's public library. To make matters even worse for connecting rod bearing survival in old cars, we have the problem of "low gearing". You'd have to actually DRIVE the kind of roads we had then ( some are still around !) to understand why cars were "geared" that low. Bottom line...at 45 mph, that poor old engine is spinning faster than a modern car at over 100, and on TOP of that, the bearings are being abused at forces MANY MANY times that incurred by a modern short stroke engine. For reasons I do not understand, some of the readers in this forum feel very passionate about re-using the old style "poured babbit" when re-building old engines. Should you receive comments proposing you use the that method, I strongly urge you to do your own research - again, the SAE papers of that era will be of great assistance in helping you better understand the history and limitations of that bearing concept. It is always disappointing to see someone spend a lot of money on an old car, only to find it is not reliable, and thus does not get driven out where people can enjoy seeing it. The bearing failure you have described is typical of the kind of very discouraging and expensive incident that can really give someone a bad taste for the old car hobby. Do it once, and do it right, and you can have wonderful experiences in the old car hobby. To summarize, I strongly recommend you have your connecting rods machined to take a modern "insert" type connecting rod bearing. Obviously, this is a job for a machinist who not only knows his stuff AND understands how to research available modern "insert" type rod bearings. There IS a way to do this for just about ANY internal combustion engine that originally had "poured babbit" type rod bearings. You did not mention the condition of your crankshaft. Bad news - if you heard a "knock" you can just about bet the crankshaft is worn/"pounded" out of round. There is NO alternative to making the crankshaft right. Even the slightest "out of round" condition WILL result in rod bearing failure in short order, even at low speeds under light loads. There is no arguing with the laws of physics. Unfortunately, Packard crankshafts of that era had "off-set" balance weights. You will have to locate a crank-shaft grinder organization familiar with the complex process of grinding out the hidden bolts that affix the balancers, and then, after grinding, replacing the balancer bolts with a special grade bolt capable of handling the "loads" those balancers impose. I didn't say my response would be pretty....!

Hi "Twitch" ! Yes - many of us think it is pretty durn cool to have license plates on our cars that match the year of our "collector car". Because this subject is of general interest to just about ALL "collector car" buffs, should your question and the responses be in the "general" section? I have some thoughts for you, which may be of help. As a side-note, your question about "YOM" license plates (the "YOM" LAWS permitting you to register your old collector car and use a license plate the same year as your car) raises some great memories of how we got this going originally, back in the 70's. As many of you know, California was the first state to allow this in their vehicle code. We tried for years to get a bill thru the Calif. legislature, but what finally did the trick, was "The YOM Girl". She was a rather well-endowed young lady, who posed for a photograph sitting on the fender of a "collector car" (mine!), wearing nothing but a smile AND a pair of early California license plates that barely covered her charms! 8 x 10 "glossy" photographs were sent to key legislators - we had the "YOM" bill out of committe and voted on, and part of the Calif. Vehicle Code in days ! The California YOM law concept "took off" nationally; today just about every state's Vehicle Code law has some kind of variation permitting this. As you may know, to register your car with a YOM license plate you typically need an authentic plate for the year of your car, whose number does not "conflict" with a currently in use number series. Your state then cancels your current license plate, and re-issues you paper-work for your car that lists your "YOM" plate number as the correct one for your car. As a side-note, this caused some license plate collectors problems in California, where the current series of numbers used on California motorcycle plates occasionally clashes with the number sequence on some of the older California plates collectors wanted to use. When that happens, you are out of luck until the motorcycle plate has not been re-registered for four years. First and foremost, those of you desiring to display a "YOM" plate must check with your OWN state's motor vehicle laws. Some are MUCH more reasonable than others! Some states have only a REAR license plate for privately owned and operated vehicles. I do NOT recommend using a license plate on the front, that differs from your "legal" on on the back. That COULD cause legal problems; all it takes is an over-enthusiastic law officer and/or local judge. Under NO circumstances should you have a REAR license plate on your car unless that number is correct, legal, and matches the one on your car's paperwork. Again..NO circumstances..not even if your car is indoors on private property ! There are just too many unanticipated goof-ball scenarios where this could cause you a LOT of grief ! I assume we all know that you MUST have inside your vehicle, correct paper-work for it. In some states, no paper-work ..no car ! Yup...not having the correct paper-work, and/or having license plates on your car that are not correct for the paper-work, WILL result in an IMMEDIATE seizure of your car, AND your arrest! In my own case, I came up with what I think is a rather novel way to get around not finding a YOM plate that I could use. MOST states have NOTHING in their Vehicle Codes against this - but again, a FEW do - get a copy of your state's Vehicle Code and READ the "registration / license" section carefully. There is a firm that is still in business, that USED to advertise in Hemmings, called EUROSIGN - I believe they are in Florida - all I have now is their phone number (954) 979-1488. They manufacture license plates - can make you just about any shape, size, and color you desire. You can design your own license plate as well as tell them what numbers you want ! I registered my collector car for normal street use, so my state issued me its standard license plates with, of course, a number sequence matching my paper-work, (together with the "stick on" to show the year and month my fees are paid to). I then had EUROSIGN make me a pair of license plates using the number sequence on my paper-work, but of a color, design, shape, etc. that match the year of my car (you can find from books the correct color and style of your state's license plate of the year you want). Now, my registration and ownership documents we all must carry in our cars, matches the number sequence on my license plates. So - everyone is happy, except for the occasional law officer with too much time on his hands, who sees the year of my plates, stops me and asks to see my paperwork. Again, MY state has no law preventing this. YOU have to check YOUR state's Vehicle Code to make sure you can do this in YOUR state. EUROSIGN charges about $150. for a pair of license plates - incidentally..they are absolutely PERFECT - stamped and painted in a way that makes them just about impossible to tell from what your state provides. Again, having front and rear license plates that match the year of your car is great fun - really confuses onlookers ! Oh - another side-note - when I last talked to them, they would not make a plate for the State Of California - apparently, that is the one state that specifically dosnt allow this - again...CHECK..could now be others AND..if you are a Californian..check again...it could now be legal to do this! ( I am so mean and nasty they were THINKING of dropping ME on the Japanese at the close of World War Two - but some legal expert pointed out that might be too cruel..something to do with the Geneva Accords..... )

If you have taken the cyl. head off, can we presume you have followed "standard shop proceedure" and made certain both mating surfaces (meaning BOTH the cyl. head and the block surface) have been cleaned and are PERFECTLY level ? Because in-line engines have such long heads, "warping" is likely, and should be taken care of by "head milling" / "surface grinding". Use only a head gasket like the origina, which was a "sandwich of VERY thin metal on both sides of a asbestos or similar "filler" with copper rings around the cyls. and water passages. I would also coat the studs with marine grease, so that should you ever have to take the cyl. head off again, it will come off relatively easily. There is a "head tightening sequence" for each manufacturer - Packard shop manuals, like most cars, carry this. It is a combination of a criss-cross and a "out from center" pattern. Here's what I would suggest: Start from the center's middle row, and work out to each end, at about 25-30 ft lbs. Then start criss-crossing the outer bolts, center-out, also to 25-30 lbs. When you are all done, THEN go ahead and go to 60-65 lbs, same pattern as above. Then drive the car for a half hour, let it cool over-night, repeat the same sequence. Because there is so much "crush" to the old-style head-gaskets, I recommend you repeat this process (at all times when the engine is COLD) for several driving, then cooling cycles at 250 and then again at 500 miles. (Why couldn't I have been both good looking AND rich?)

That impressive list does contain a few minor errors, but underscores one of the many reasons why Packard became such a powerful legend in American technology - this relatively small company made contributions to our technical knowledge far out of proportion to its size. In one of the two major Packard club publications in the last couple of years, was an article about a contribution Packard made to engineering drawing standards, that were vital to the development of mass production and maintaining quality. As for the errors in the list - I dont mean to be picky, but let's see what we can learn from getting "technical". AIR CONDITIONING Several "after-market" companies were installing mechanical refrigeration (air conditioning for those who like the more common terminoogy) in cars as early as the late twenties. Not many, but it did happen. But, yes, Packard was the first to offer it as so called "factory equipped" (which was a bit of a "stretch", since the cars were shipped from East Grand Ave to the supplier in Ohio where the units were actually installed there) but this was for the 1940 model year. Oh...all right...so cars of the 1940 model year started coming out of dealer's show-rooms in late '39. PRESSURIZED COOLING in '33 ? Naw... I can't recall when the "Junior" Packards first has pressurized cooling, but it sure as heck wasnt before 1935, since there werent any Junior Packards then ! (for those of you who dont know this - Packard was essentially two companies from 1935 to 1939 - the "Juniors" were built in separate facilites from the so called "Senior" Division - no inter-changeable parts - EVERYTHING made for the "Senior" Division cars was bigger and heavier. The "big" Packards had pressurized cooling beginning with the 1938 model year. Does anyone remember when the first power windows came out ? My recollection was the 1940 model year. ( I would be much easier to deal with if they'd just throw a few more fresh bananas into my cage )

You fellows are not taking something into account. The fact is gasoline and diesel are "commodities", meaning they cost pretty much the same to produce around the world (yes - some relatively minor variations due to shipping costs and local enviornmental regs). The big difference in actual "at the pump" cost to us consumers, is TAXES. Here in our own country, there has been somewhat less greed of our own government as to taxes on petrol-related products. That may change-yesterday's paper carried a story by govt. planners emphasizing the need to increase taxes on fuel products for Americans. Let's also keep in mind who created OPEC and forced it on the Arabs, and why (thank you, President Nixon). Arab economists and lawyers had been to western schools, and were justifiably scared to adopt OPEC and its "price fixing" scam, well aware of western legal restrictions against cartels. We were able to force the Shah Of Iran to accept the concept of OPEC..eventually, we got the rest of the middle east oil producers to agree to join, on our promise to suppor them in the World Court against "restraint of trade" legal attacks. Subsequent Administrations of both parties have traditionally carried out the Nixon Administration's determination to support OPEC, and guarantee to the Arabs we would let them get away with what is a clear violation of most western nation's "anti monopoly - restrain of trade" laws. Thus the price of oil has been artifically kept high (but not so high as to encourage alternate energy sources) for some years now. There are some who believe we invaded Iraq for one reason only. To punish the Iraqi govt. for its increasing threat to start selling its own considerable oil inventory as fast as they could, for whatever they could get for it. Our govt. leaders of both parties recognized that if the Iraqis got away with this, it would upset OPEC's ability to keep the price of oil artifically high. That the Saddam govt. was a bunch of murdering thugs has been widely known for many years. But what crime did they commit that triggered invasion? Again, starting to sell their oil CHEAP ! Those of you who would like to see a "conspiracy" between the American right, our military industrial complex, and OPEC, should log onto the USAF "Institute For Strategic Studies" site to see where our money REALLY goes. Military aid (translation - YOUR tax money) and sales breakdowns are as follows - Saudi Arabia gets the most - FOUR times as much as Israel does...next comes KUWAIT with TWICE as much as Israel does...the comes...CHINA...yes CHINA...they also get twice what Israel does. WHY do we give so much power and control to these people ? What "favors" are granted in exchange for what ? Bottom line, if you like "conspiracy" theories, you will recognize the idea that OPEC is nothing more than a price-fixing "scam" to keep the price of oil products artifically high, so that capital can be transferred from the middle class, to the ultra rich. At this point, some of you might be wondering why we use American tax payer's money to finance transferring our manufacturing technology to the near-slave labor factories in China? That's what the tax-payer financed AMERICAN EXPORT BANK does. The effort to further transfer wealth from the middle class to the far right, by destroying the American middle class worker, is another story for another time. In the mean-time, next time you are in the market for some technology appliance with a famour American name, look underneath and see where it is now made. LOVE MY COUNTRY.....BUT MY GOVERNMENT'S POLICIES...ARE ANOTHER MATTER signed "They only let me out late at night..and if I promise to wear a paper bag over my face..cant have the little children having nightmares..."

If you can figure out how to do a "search" of this forum, you should find "threads" where this subject has been thoroughly discussed. At the risk of repeating other posters more "expert" than I, let me sumarize what you will find. There is something a bit screwy in the way most, (but not all) of the so-called "collector/bias" tires are built. They seem far more prone to tread separation-type failures, and "hunt" every road imperfection. Some of us remember how REAL old-style bias tires behaved; they were NOT as "squirrely" as MANY ( again, not ALL) of the current "repro/collector" bias tires. Additionally, you freqently find the durn things are WAY out of round, making a smooth ride impossible. Even if you can find a tire shop today with one of the the old style tire truing rigs, you will still have a devil of a time balancing them even after they are made round. Bottom line as to bias tires - you will be gambling that you will get a product that will give you good service. I recommend radials for ALL applications. Radial tires are built to modern SAE/ASTM specs, so you will get a ROUND tire that will run much cooler, give a ride and handling superior to even the best of the REAL "old style bias" tires that came on the cars when they were new. Some writers (even some of the collector car tire suppliers) write that "radials will put more of a strain on the wheel than a bias tire". I find this complaint hard to understand, for two reasons. First of all, the amount of pressure trying to push the tire, and hence the wheel, apart, is a function of the tire pressure. Same air pressure-same force pushing out on the side-wall and hence the rim. Secondly, the modern radial side-wall is SO much more compliant than a bias side-wall, that forces coming up from the tread are distributed far more evenly. Several vendors advertise radial white walls that have the APPEARANCE of so called "old timey" tires. if you look in recent issues of Hemmings, you will find page after page of tire vendors advertising these. Good luck ! (from time to time they throw a tire into my cage for me to chew on, so I have become something of an expert on them....!)