gwells

When I stopped at Bert's in Denver on my trip to drive my Oregon-purchased Model A back to Atlanta in late 2014, I was advised by a very experienced Model A guy to ditch the Air Maze cleaner that was on my car. I did so the next day and did notice an improvement in the way the car ran on the rest of the trip. If you wish to run an air cleaner, there are people who can 'air balance' your carb to allow for the restriction the air cleaner causes. Most of the air cleaners for Model A don't filter much out of the incoming airstream; just the larger chunks. You asked and that's my opinion.

My memory only goes as far back as punch cards. That was our data storage medium at Ga Tech in the early '70s. But... "The last year the Encyclopaedia Britannica was printed was 2010. That final edition consists of 32 volumes, weighs nearly 130 pounds, and contains approximately 50 million words and 300 million characters. It requires roughly one gigabyte (GB) of disk space to store the entire text of that final volume." I'll let you do the math for 100 GB of data.

Take it. I have a two-car garage with about three and a half cars in it.

Kind of difficult to backup a 100 GB database on paper... Or even a 25 GB one.

Matt, I actually clicked the button to delete the thread in error, thinking I was just deleting the one blank post. Not a software issue, but human one.

You think you need a drink!?!? LOL...

Steve and Peter: Thank you, thank you, thank you!!! I don't know if I'd admit to actually loving you two (I do have some standards...), but I'm definitely buying the beer for both you guys if I make it to Hershey this fall (if there is a Hershey this fall...) Just to give a little insight into how this happened, my hobby forum uses an older version of the same software package as does the AACA forum, and there is a minor difference in some of the mod/admin controls that led to my error. It wasn't just a fumble-finger after a three-martini lunch... Thanks, everyone, for your understanding and support. It means a lot.

To all the fine forum posters, and especially to Walt Gosden, I am incredibly chagrinned and terribly saddened to report that in trying to delete a blank post from from Walt's 128-page photo thread, I accidentally deleted it. And Peter G. confirms it cannot be recovered. I promise everyone that it was an accident, completely unintentional, and beseech you all for your forgiveness, if you can find it in your heart to do that. I've never felt suicidal in my life, but I'm a lot closer to that condition now than I can ever remember. Didn't think anything could make me feel worse that the pandemic does... Again, my sincere and humble apologies to everyone who has, like myself, been following that thread with delight and interest.

I was told by the group of Model K guys at that 2018 NL to NB tour that there are 23 Model Ks known. FWIW.

Help out an old guy please. Where was the recent article about Model Ks that refuted the long-held view that they were not very good cars? Was it in the Antique Automobile or somewhere else?

Bob, The best book on Dreyfus is "My Two Lives," his autobiography written with the late Bev Kimes. A friend surprised my with a copy as a gift and it turned out to be signed by Dreyfus! Wish Bev had signed it as well and really wish I could have met Rene and had a meal at Le Chanteclair.

And here's photographic proof of this info. Two photos of the same Model K taken at the same time in the same location, one from the right side and one from the left. This was during the 2018 New London to New Brighton run BTW. At the time, I was told that there were five roadworthy Model Ks (with a couple under restoration) and four of them were on the tour! This is the one that made me weak in the knees...

I think this last issue is one of the very best West has put together since he's been editor of the AA. A terrific mix of wonderful content. Doesn't hurt that I just finished reading "Faster" nor that I know the Peterson boat tail so well, and not just because I stored it for Don in my basement in Chamblee, GA, for a year or two (along with two of his other cars: a late V16 Cadillac and an early Karmann-Ghia). Bravo, West! Keep up the great work!

Is that not a road draft tube?

Yes, Georgia does this.

Early on, there were few auto dealers, so cars were most often purchased directly from the factory. What I've read in several places is that in rural areas if a person purchased a single car, and indicated an interest in representing the make in his area, a dealership was often included. Makes sense, as the automaker would have a vested interest in getting new dealerships started, and the purchaser would have a car to demonstrate. Some of the early Floyd Clymer books discuss this.

Here's the YOM plate on my 1930 Model A. Had a heck of a time finding one and the few I could locate were silly expensive, hundreds of dollars. Finally searched this one up on craigslist for a lot less and when I went to the seller's place of work to get it, discovered that he had been the manager at a NAPA branch where I'd done a lot of business for better than a decade about thirty years ago. Didn't recognize him from his face but rather his voice, as we had done so much of our business over the phone. Georgia has a YOM program and they check to see if the number is in their system, i.e. already in use. When I went to register the plate, they said nope, that number is already in use on a 1930 Buick somewhere else in the state. I laid the plate on the counter and told them that it was clear the guy had sold the Buick and kept then plate. He can't be using it now because I have it! Took about three days for the local DMV to get through to the one state employee who could unlock things so that the number could be registered to me.

Sure looks like Charles Lindbergh to me. Am I wrong?

Keiser, You continue to amaze me with your knowledge!

I really should never have made the Canadian reference in the last part of my last post. That was an extraneous part of what I was trying to say, which is that a group of people with common interests (i.e. the AACA) is much effective in combating those who, intentionally or not, work against them, than are individuals working alone. And that supporting and/or being a member of the AACA is important for that reason.

Oh, but every old car fiend needs to do a hour or two in a rumble seat. It's a rite of passage, isn't it? They can bring a lot of enjoyment. Many years ago I was riding to a show with my best friend in HS in the rumble seat of a 1932 Packard 903 coupe-roadster. The owner and his wife were in the front. We'd gotten fairly near our destination when my friend got the idea to use his hand on the outside to start gently tapping on the tail of the car as we moved away from a stop, varying the frequency of his tapping to match the speed of the car and tapping harder the faster we went. When the car slowed, he'd slow down the tapping and vice versa. We could the see the owner's face and it was clear he was hearing the noise and was trying to figure out what it was. He sped up and slowed down several times, listening carefully, and as his concern about what might be wrong grew, the frown on his face kept getting bigger and bigger, while our grins increased and we tried not to laugh. He finally glanced in the rear view mirror and saw us both almost doubled over with mirth and realized instantly what was happening. His relief was palpable but we were still chastised soundly. And, yes, he did still bring us back home in the rumble seat after the show was over... West will probably know who that widely-loved Packard owners was. Wonder if anyone else does?

The obvious solution to your problem is to simply forget Steve's number. That should free up a lot of time for you and for him! LOL...

And just what prevents you from making a donation to the club that represents what it is worth to you? Is it worth 10 cents a days to you? Five cents? Two cents? I have run a hobby forum for 15 years and offer memberships that basically cost 3.8 cents per day (and eliminate 99% of the advertising in exchange). I have members who are on the forum for hours virtually every day who indicate they don't feel the need to support the costs and effort that keep it online for them to enjoy, often because some say they have ad-blockers that are free. If the AACA can''t support the costs of the club's forums and shuts them down, what are you going to do with all the spare time you then would have? LOL... I used to belong to 15, may as many as 20, collector car clubs and, like you, I've cut it back to a much smaller number, maybe six or seven, largely based on the quality of information I receive from the club magazine. The AACA will absolutely be the last to go. If you think the AACA's annual are dues are excessive, I would encourage you to check out what the other collector car clubs ask and to assess what services they bring to their members. The AACA may be least expensive of all the clubs of which I am a member and may provide the highest level of services. The other point I think you may be missing is that AACA is of a size that it can have a major impact on any future legislation that may negatively impact those of us who enjoy old cars. As individuals, our influence in such matters is essentially non-existent. Maybe, as a Canadian, you weren't taught Benjamin Franklin's famous quip made at the time of the American Revolution: "We must, indeed, all hang together or, most assuredly, we shall all hang separately."

Great reply, Wayne!

Ron Harris, Here's some more info on your mascot, 'Spirit of Triumph.' 1920 Spirit of Triumph Car Mascot, Hood Ornament "'Triomphe' by F.Bazin. Spirit of Triumph mascot, suitable for Isotta Fraschini car. 1920. Silvered bronze, signed, superb totally original mascot. This is the larger and heavier version of the two produced. Photographed and described in Michel Legrand book 'Mascottes Automobiles' Plate 530. This is the rarest of all to locate, and is a totally correct earliest example." From http://www.mascot-mania.co.uk: