Povertycove

I just dragged home a 1917 Saxon B5R. It's a complete but disassembled car with an excellent body, excellent doors and trunk, excellent chassis, excellent rear fenders etc, with original top and what is said to be a working engine, also a correct B5R. The splash guards and front fenders are in poor condition, as is the floor insert. The wheels and rims, demountable, are in good condition. I bought the car with lots of extra parts ... Notably some complete starter/generator units, carbs, step plates, etc. but I'd like to sell the car itself, complete, to someone with some ambition and skill. I think $2900 would be fair, but you'd have to pick it up here in Maine. I'll take some pictures of the parts as I unload them from the trailer over the next week.

When I saw the car, last year, it seemed to need everything. The paint was off in large chunks, the seat was held together with duct tape, it needed wood and a lot of mechanical repair. For me to get the car where I'd want it, the restoration costs seemed prohibitive. I never thought the price was outrageous if all you wanted to do was to get it on the road. But as a restoration project, I still think one would have to have, at least, a lot of ambition.

I just picked up a Saxon roadster, complete but disassembled. It was disassembled in a basement in Connecticut in the early 50's, and remained in the basement until just now. The tub is in great shape, as is the chassis, axles, engine transmission etc. the splash guards and front fenders are rusty. It comes with several engines and is, as far as I can tell right now, complete. This would be a fairly simple restoration for a skilled amateur.

I have a board meeting in New York every year at this time, so Hershey is out for me once again. I am heading down to Connecticut to pick up a 1917 roadster that was completely disassembled in 1950 and left in a basement. There are about six engines, a couple complete, plus a number of carbs, starters etc. I doubt that I'll ever put the car together, so I should have a lot of parts available when I return to Maine next spring. I'll look for the six splined shaft.

A new email program begun by Saxon Registry guru Walter Pritchard, and endorsed by Saxon historian and technical resource Elliott Fletcher, has shown that there is plenty of interest in Saxon restoration, parts availability, history and the like. I'm hoping that we could expand this growing interest in Saxons to a more general audience. Researching the years of inquiries about Saxons, it seems that this may be a lively addition to the AACA Forum.

SOLD. I learned today, after an inquiry, that this car was sold this summer, likely to someone with a lot of cash and ambition. At least I hope the buyer has plenty if both.

I should add that Franklin brakes, in both my 11B and the series 15, give me confidence. Properly adjusted, the 11 series service brakes bring the car down dependably, and the handbrake works well, too. Unless you drive in very hilly country, You can get by just fine without brakes on all four corners.

I'm fairly new to Franklins, and just attended my first Trek. Great time, great folks, so if I had a recommendation it's to buy the best Franklin you can afford and join the fun. My only perspective comes from my two cars, an 11B roadster and a series 15 convertible coupe. The 11B is a delight to drive, and tours comfortably at 40 mph. It'll do better, but 40 is comfortable. The 15 has wonderful power and is great for hilly country. My car has overdrive and is comfortable at 55-60, though it will do better. From observing other Franklins touring in upstate New York, the earlier cars take a fairly leisurely pace and have some difficulty on steep hills. The later cars keep up with normal traffic. I do a lot of touring in brass cars, at 30-35 mph, so slowness doesn't bother me. What I like about the Franklins is the handling, the comfort and the dependability. After my week at the Trek, I also like the club.

Did this car sell?

Doug ... Good for you, to get parts out so that folks can get, or keep, their Saxons out in the road! And you're right, the blocks for these little continental fours have little value, but such things as the distributor, an original Mayer carb, a two- blade fan, the distributor drive all have real value. The head from the block is valuable, because they sometimes crack. The radiator, if its the old square style, is worth preserving, especially if it has its original shell.

I'd check the grounding wire on the coil.

I put in a Hot Dawg, same size, in my uninsulated (ceiling is insulated) 24x36 garage here in Northern Maine. The ceiling mounted furnace in stalled easily, and brings the temp up from 20 degrees to 50 degrees easily, and maintains that heat easily. In winter, I like working in 50-55 degrees. Very comfortable. The Hot Dawg is a high quality item. You won't go wrong.

I'd like to sell this before I head down to Florida in late October. Ill cut the price to $5500. Such a good, solid Dodge. Everything is there. Drive it now, restore it later. Mid coast Maine is beautiful now. $5500

Sent PM

Close, but not right. I think the hubs are too small for a 31, as the seven lug holes for the 31 are inside the hub, rather than outside. A good tip, though, and thanks.

For the cap and rotor Try Tom Van Meeteren, 11026 E. County Road Y, Valley, NE 68064 - (402)359- 5762 / tsvanmeet@huntel.net. He specializes in NOS ignition ... The rotors, I believe, interchange. If that fails, I think I may have a set I could sell you, though they may be down in Florida, and if so, I won't get to them until the end of October. Again, I can loan you a gear case so you can have one made, or I can have a couple made and sell you one. And I do recommend the electronic conversion, because getting the small AK ignition parts, then getting them right, can be tricky.

Do you need just the housing for the rear drive, r do you need the gears as well? I think we've chatted abou this before, but I can't recall. I can loan you a casing that Walter Prichard had made, as a model for a local machine shop to recreate. Or zi can have someone do it. If need the gears, that's another story, but they're around. The AK unisparker, if you just get the case, can be easily adapted for de with a Petronix electronic ignition. I think I hav an adapter plate and all the ignition numbers. I can have another plate made for you. Because of he cost of getting a real unisparker, complete (about $800 fr the whole thing, last time I bought one) I'd recommend going electronic in a dummy AK shell. Alex

Does anyone have a source for wire wheels? When I got my 31 back from the Trek, I began a list of projects that had been suggested to me, one being to adjust the brakes. As I was turning the rear wheel I saw to my horror that about 12-14 inches of lip had fallen off the rim. It really is a wonder that I didn't lose the tire at some point. I'm checking, but I doubt that the rim can be satisfactorily welded. Fortunately my sidemount spares are in good shape, but I would really like to find a new wire wheel to fit my 650x19 tire.

I have several complete unisparkers,,but I can't part with them at this point. I got a couple of them from Tom Van Meeteren.

Btt

I'm planning on going to the Trek, but does it start on Saturday or on Sunday? The brochure says Sunday August 3, which must be wrong. I'm just a bit puzzled. We should be there Saturday night anyway, assuming that activities begin Sunday.

This is my first Trek. Are politics a significant part of the gathering? I had thought it might be about our Franklins.

A few of us from thevRegistry are discussing having a few of the angle drives made. Stay posted with Walt. I'm assuming that the gears work okay ... They usually do.

They are not available. Walter Prichard of the SaxonbRegistry had some made a few years ago. I think I bought the last one. But presumably he has the plans for making new ones. There are lots of these Saxon continentals around, most of them missing the timer drive.

Suggest you place this notice in The HCCA for sale classifieds as well.