John_Mereness

Cadillac offered a variety of trunks for 1930 - this one is not a higher end metal trunk, but nice trunk nevertheless.

You must have Facebook messenger installed (or I think that may be what issue you face) . There should be a box on the right side called "Contact Seller." Basically, it sends the seller an instant message. I received this reply: It's my dad's car his name is butch 5183612528

In the glutton for punishment and slave to your car category - a well sorted 36-37 Cord is probably the finest in driving pre-1953 cars (problem though is the bulk of them are not well sorted).

Franklin's have a full elliptical spring (on everything but the V-12 and the Olympic) and a somewhat flexible chassis - dreamy smooth ride under even the worst of conditions. You get some nice Horsepower too when you get to 1930 and even better in 31 and ...

Correct !

A friend use to have a 31 Cabriolet (it was turquoise in color and is now red and owned by Brent Merrill) and was restoring a sedan or 7 passenger sedan (never saw it, but I think he was painting it blue) - I asked him one day why Imperials were so few and far between and his reply was they are fabulous cars and people drove them into the ground to the point there was nothing left of them.

Call be a glutton for punishment, but I have a soft spot for L-29 Cords (and well aware of their driving faults). I also have a special garage spot for a Lancia Lambda Touring.

I thought the RR PI Springfield was pretty impressive as far as steering and braking, it just fell short in the gearing (lots of torque, but not enough top end speed) and way too complicated. I do not know about other RR PI, but I had half point steering - much like a race car. I had a bear of a time figuring out how to shift it until I believe Ed asked me if it was one of the later cars with an internal transmission brake - it was as it turns out and that just takes a whole different shifting mindset. Also, had to count to 30 or so prior to shifting upon start-up. Still a really large and heavy heavy car.

They are pretty neat and I believe the second highest HP rating following a Duesenberg.

The ride on a Franklin is fabulous and probably the only car that you can drive over the worst or railroad crossings and never hit the brakes.

Not many people successful with touring with the supercharged cars - there is a whole lot of extra stuff going around. Plenty of people touring with the non-S/C cars though.

With the Lincoln L's the carb sits in a valley in the V-8 and they just toast up to the point that you cannot overcome vapor lock. You can get a little relief from blocking off the engine pre-heater/exhaust cross over, but .... Cadillac V-8's of same era have same issue. It has to do with the formulation of the gasoline.

I always preach Auburns !

Fine cars, but everyone I know with them still having updraft has problems with them - they work a whole lot better when you convert them to downdraft.

There is a lot of this - yes ! And, I have walked into some things that look pretty and do not have a decent mechanical part in them. I will tell you the story of a friend's 1935 Auburn 851 S/C Phaeton that was particularly nice cosmetically, though coughed and died about 10 feet from the trailer on delivery and I knew enough upon quick glace to see car was just plain unsafe. We found 8 lock washers on the entire car and they were on the back axle to springs - yet the nuts were not tight - matched to the whole car literally being assembled from the junk drawer of the workbench. The transmission was improperly assembled, the vacuum from the engine had sucked out all the rear differential oil (everything was just worn out and the problem pretty much finished everything off), the supercharger had a bad bearing, the rod journal nuts were finger tight, and ... - we spent a whole winter changing every piece of hardware on the car and rebuilding everything (interestingly though the machine work was well done and ...). It was not a bad experience as the goal as to make it a road/tour car, but nevertheless.... Sidenote: When you know something is well done both cosmetically and mechanically (and it is rare to have both) - it really does sell for a high premium.

Yep, really nice car - it just needs a bunch of little stuff but certainly decent enough to bring home to any neighborhood without embarrassment (lots of evenings and weekends, a shame someone painted the lock rings and that is not the easiest fix, and a pricey upholstery bill needed) and a fine "open" car when you are done.

It has a limited value, but probably more than you think merely for the fact that someone finished it and it is pretty close to being able to hit the road again - plus it has a decent enough look (actually, I like it and would have a lot of fun with it). And, yes a set of rust free/non-pitted set of Buick wires are always worth decent money - I see them all the time being restored at Dayton Wire Wheel.

Fun cars and this is reasonable priced. You will have to join the club though and not be afraid to ask for help - parts are not uncommon, but they are not available without knowing who has what and asking. Wooden frame sills are usually ok enough on a car of this looks, but the frames do sag. Buy it, try your hand at it, and if not for you then sell it. They also show up on www.franklincar.org

The first time I saw this car was in Vermont back in maybe 1977 - it was just the same. it was a super nice car in an very attractive body style.

Sidenote: Borrani never originally made wire wheels for the 53 and 54 Buick Skylarks (optional until I believe 1958) - they were Kelsey-Hayes brand; and if Borrani did make a Skylark wheel it was for some auto show car and close to a one off.

Sidenote: When I lead Hagerty Junior Judging the only rule is to never touch the car without asking first.

On the flip side of the coin - my nephew and his best friend can be seen through the windshield - they were catching up on their iPad time. They had the jump seats folded down and declared them the best footrests ever and a back seat better than any lounge chair. And, the only real rule is no food and no beverages other than water in the cars. They commented that they heard people walking by say that they should not be in the car. The day we cannot touch one is the day that car goes out the door. I do throw a shipping blankets over the seats when I have the Airedale in a car.

We have ZDDP enriched oil manufactured as a club project - very well researched (by engineers specializing in racing oil). And, your main concern really is with cars with flat tappets. https://inrccca.org/product/classic-car-motor-oil/?gclid=Cj0KCQjwgNXtBRC6ARIsAIPP7RtmVrBzwxjdl-x02BxQ0XH9Cr0YK03pN3GUinUUjpT0p5XgANnqW-MaAjtSEALw_wcB https://inrccca.org/2019/03/28/whats-being-said-about-classic-car-motor-oil/ https://inrccca.org/2018/11/30/motor-oil-and-the-vintage-automobile-today/ https://inrccca.org/2018/11/30/and-if-you-are-still-not-convinced-about-the-need-for-adequate-zddp/ https://inrccca.org/2018/11/30/kleins-korner/

Also, it gets harder and harder by the day - ex. my local hardware store use to stock a nice variety of fine thread bolts/nuts and slotted head screws in stainless hardware - now I have to internet shop. I am putting together a car currently and surprises me what I could buy two years ago when doing the last car that I have trouble finding today. And, age seems to have caught up with a lot of people very quickly.

The only thing we run across is that it can be a 200K restored car, 300K, or 400K or ... restored car when done, but if you price it at say $105 do not expect it to sell overnight unless it is mind blowing extraordinary. I was really surprised the Reo Royale Cabriolet did not sell the day they dropped price below 100K - the only thing I can think of was that it was green in color matched to their not carefully photographing it, as well as photographing all the parts. And even if the restoration was backyard, you still should have been able to do a nice top, interior, and fully assemble with room for at least a small profit (plus, it is a really great 30's car).