ericmac

I am embarrassed to admit that I stand corrected. My embarrassment is a product of 1. I know that about the Gowland model and 2. I own one! Duh.... Then it crossed my mind that there is another. It is a 1908 (ish) 2 cylinder Buick Runabout that is about 1:16 scale made by Aurora....and I own that one too!

To my knowledge no Buick prior to about 1955 has ever been offered as a model kit. It's a shame as they were great cars, and great looking cars, particularly the 33-34 90 Series.

Here is my latest, a Hudson Miniatures 1903 Rambler with a resin repop of the SMP 1911 Chevrolet in the background. The diorama is the Tonka 1913 Ford downtown scene.

I have been following along and really admire your work on this car and your ability to break down seemingly complicated tasks into simple steps. It appears you may be local (ish) and I would love to see the Nash...and your pickup too.

Scott, I just found this thread and am most impressed with your work and progress. Scott refers to himself as a perfectionist and having seen some of his work, I agree...and I mean that as the highest possible compliment. I would talk to Andrew Larder (owner of Larder's upholstery for those of you outside the central Michigan area) about leather adhesives. Likely, he could steer you in right direction. I will be following along with interest! Eric

Professionally, I am a Psychologist and see anywhere from 7-10 people every day who are experiencing some measure of distress. When interacting with each and every one of them I try to inject some small bit of joy. I think we all need that every day, whether it is an ice cream cone, a hug, listening to a well written piece of music or executing a perfect 1-2 shift in a 110 year old car. If antique cars are the conduit of joy, all the better.

Peter, I am so relieved to hear of your survival. I am originally from Kalamazoo, MI and was closely connected to the group of cyclists who were struck en-mass by a drunk driver, killing 5. I was an avid cyclist up until that time and will confess the accident spooked me. While I still ride on bike paths, I have done next to nothing on the roads since that time. Needless to say I am relieved that you fared better than the locals did here. I wish you a speedy recovery.

1915...though here is case in point of how things get tricky. In the illustration the car has brass trim in the headlamps, cowl lamps and no port hole window in the top, all indicators of a 1915. In 1916 the headlight rings and trim for the cowl lamps were painted steel, black. And the porthole window was also a running change...but when between 1915 and 1916 did those changes occur? And that is what makes car collecting maddening, but in a fun way.

1914.

Well, the car has already been featured in several magazines and was actually on the cover of the Antique Automobile shortly after the restoration was done. To be candid, I felt it best not to mention how much I was using the car so my insurance wouldn't be canceled. About driving it daily, yes, I drove it for errands, to the hardware store and though the course of one summer, to work every day, rain or shine. In a different life I was a faculty member, teaching a couple courses at a University and at the same time I was competing my PhD. In short, I was poor because I was changing course in my career, and at the same time my wife was expecting our daughter. Then my truck (a Ford F-350 with the dreaded 6.0) broke down. I had to get to work, a roughly 60 mile round trip commute on back roads. I didn't want to be without an old car but didn't have the money for another car. The solution? Drive the Ford all the time. It got me through the summer and I had a lot of fun doing it. Upon completion of my doctorate, I got a better job making more money and stopped abusing the car all the time...and traded the F-350 on a GMC Denali!

I have never believed that a 400 point grand national winner and a reliable driver needed to be mutually exclusive entities. I won literally everything a Ford Model T could win and drove it daily in the process. Yes, I spent a lot of time cleaning it, but thoroughly enjoyed the car and myself in the process.

I personally think your Auburn is one of the more attractive Auburns I have seen. I agree, leave it creamy, tannish yellow.

Normally, brown is the kiss of death for any car. In this case the color looks exceptional. I like it.. a lot.

I have used Bill's Auto Works myself (he transported my '37 Cadillac 70 series) and what he says in this post turned our to be 100% true. Next time I have a big move of one of my cars, Bill will be my first, and only, call.

I am proposing a new AACA National award, the Harwood Perseverance award given to the outstanding overcommence of a car that resists a return to running condition every step of the way!

I used to run marathons for fitness and relaxation. Training for the Boston Marathon one morning we were out for a short (7 mile) run and the weather was absolutely miserable, a wet slushy rain, water over the tops of our shoes, 33 degrees and did I mention slush? I turned to my running buddy and said "what in the hell are we doing out here?" He responded, "building character for when we need it most." Six weeks later while suffering in the hills of Boston he looked at me and said "at least there's no slush." We finished the race strong. Matt, I have no idea what sort of character you are building related to this car but after your marathon restoration I have no doubt you will have it when you need it.

After a bit of a break to install some flooring in my house (when I say some, I'm talking about the entire main floor...ugh) I am moving on to removing the passenger side rear door and will be disassembling the inards of it. The first two pins came out easily but the third (closest to the rear fender) fought me. Clearly, the fender needed to be removed before I could proceed. Here, I found a significant amount of dirt, corrosion and, well, fight. Tonight I was able to remove but two bolts, breaking off both, but before doing so I photographed them so I could replace them with correct style hardware. This car. I'm predicting, is going to fight me every step of the way. Part of that statement comes from a belief that the car has never been fully apart before, yet the restoration must be done to halt the tremendous amount of deterioration I am finding. My dad had a lot of fun with it but it is clear that he simply wore it out. Good for him!

I am enjoying watching your work on this job. You are definitely doing this the right way. Thanks for the updates.

Honestly I struggle to fit working on the car in with all my other life/work tasks. Any time I do get time in the shop it is a real joy.

There are no good words here. I too lost my dad, about 5 years ago. I still find myself going to the phone to ask him questions. My deepest sympathy. Eric

Indeed, I share the condolences with the others. I'm glad you are alive to tell the tale.

I am greatly enjoying watching your progress on what will be a truly magnificent car. Your work is inspiring!

I like that a lot. You will get a tremendous amount of enjoyment from that car.

Indeed, I agree the price is optimistic and a bit of cleanup would help.