John_Mereness

Good to hear it is the same as just not anybody should ever restore it (takes a "right" person). First Duesenberg that I ever really "experienced" on the road (as in Jim drove it like a real car) - we did probably 85mph for 15 or so blocks though Auburn, IN one midnight.

Irony: last night on Facebook I saw these for sale: Here is another gone wrong Pilot Ray adaptation - these are Duesenberg Pilot Rays on a Drum Headlight 1925 Packard Lionel Velez Packard Automobile Classics 16 hours ago Pilot Ray lamp Dallas, TX $2,350 Selling Pilot Ray lamp currently fitted on my 1925 243 Series Touring Packard. $2,350.00 plus shipping These are in excellent conditions.

This came up as a topic again - anyone have a updated photo ?

I built up a 7" single Pilot Ray for the 30 Franklin (all be it never installed it). A Franklin seems to be able to pull off a single Pilot Ray, though do not recall ever seeing a double set on a 1929-1933 Franklin and would probably be way too much going on the front of the car (a single is in the accessory catalog). Franklin's tend to also look a little awkward with Trippe Lights with the traditional Senior brackets too (I built a pair of the more rare "lower slung" Senior Brackets all be never installed these either). What looks good on a Franklin is a nice set of period correct "Pierce" flat amber lens Dietz fog Lamps (and that set was never restored and eons later is still sitting on the basement shelf).

This is a car I probably would not have a Pilot Ray on (I do like the wheel disk covers though - aka as we move into what people at the time had in mind as a modern car).

Here is my experience with Pre-WWII cars - Greens, whites, beige's, fleshy tan's that were popular on 50's through late 60's restorations, tan/brown combos and especially tan/brown/orange combos, interestingly enough a lot of grey combos, metallic on anything that should not have them, "just does not look time period appropriate," and a few other color quirks I am sure exist that are not coming to mind = generally all end up discounted to some degree (and again, the person who is buying may love it, but asks for the discount too as most realize they get stuck with the problem when they go to sell). By the way, yesterday I was standing next to a Mercury Cyclone owner and he was telling me how rare the green color was and all that could cross my mind was "because literally no one wanted it and it may be rare, but ..." - I was nice though and said "Thanks for telling me all about it." As an additional sidenote too: While plenty of exceptions, I have had to finish a few cars as have found incredible resistance on the part of buyers when selling an "unfinished/project car" for over 100K (all be it $99,000 seems to work) unless you are talking something that stands a serious chance of winning at a major concours. Again though, someone should pick-up the Reo Royale asap as not something that grows on trees and especially at this price.

The 30 Cadillac handles will be a challenge and quite expensive, but absolutely nothing you can do with originals as they turn to junk. Here are the options: This Australian company has nice castings http://www.vintageandclassicreproductions.com/cadillac.htm // Verdones I believe is out of business // Pete Sounders www.classicautoandmachine.com // The Filling Station www.fillingstation.com for a 1929-1930 Chevrolet handle that will get you by // Bobs Automobile https://bobsautomobilia.com for a Buick handle that will get you by. And, periodically someone has recast them and there are their defective castings laying out on a table at Hershey. And, I personally would not worry about exact duplication as cars seems to have a host of solutions on them - nice to just have 95% and functional.

As it is a very rare part - my advice is to tape off chrome and plastic polish it - Then keep an eye open for a better one over time - perhaps one will show up on ebay. Perhaps if you can get it appear then from backside you may be able to carefully scrape off the blue and gold and repaint - I stay off of the black though if it is on the backside of the plastic verses the chrome casting.

Last week, I was just over at friend's house and in 70's when their Chrysler was first started to be restored (which they are now finishing as time to sell it) their machine tool shop of choice milled the head "to get extra compression" and turns out now it leaked upon assembly - we pulled it apart and head gasket is nice on block, but as to head they just cut away too much meat and it over enlarged several water passages and bottom line it they now have a new boat-anchor (fortunately it only took this week to get another head found and shipped - not a cheap problem though).

Sidenote: Try to avoid crimp on wire terminals in your starting circuit - soldered terminals are best.

Curti put me onto quick poly some time back and I love it, though as to this particular bow I would glue dowls in all the holes (and wood toothpicks into the more fine holes) to start and then "quick poly" the larger imperfections.

Old or new material aside - Ask someone who casts or a product specialist from the material supplier - there is a solution for the issue of the tiny bubbles - you may be pouring too quickly, pouring at wrong temperature, have to tap mold with a hammer, need to pour in two stages, or ...

The Bakelite steering wheel controls are going to be highly disirable

As a sidenote, there are companies that have matching vinyls for their leather's (ex. when we did the 1935 Auburn Phaeton we did it in vinyl and leather just as original (and you really cannot see any difference) - and it was obvious why they used vinyl (other than it being a lower priced luxury car) and that was it leaks like a sieve in the rain and my guess is they thought the vinyl more weather durable.

If you are doing a Buick, LeBaron Bonney has many kits for various makes and models - very nice and turns out to be very cost effective too.

Having restored several original sets (as well as having several NOS sets over years), I would recommend reproductions from American Arrow (because the original gear housings are die cast and the light base to drive is die cast too, plus hard to get the engraving crisp when rechroming = Don's reproduction lights are brass and ...). As a sidenote: Ed is correct that it helps to know the application as certain cars "big" cars often look better with the 7" junior light vs. an 8" light, certain cars look better with singles verses duals, certain cars look better with certain types of brackets over other types (as well as "height of light"), certain cars have linkage challenges, certain cars should just never have them, certain cars look fabulous with them, and ... Example: Technically, a 30 Cadillac V-16 should not have the dual lights that match the headlights (a single plain 8" senior light is all that is in the the accessory brochure), I am rarely fond of the lights "look" on such as a Phantom I Rolls-Royce, and ...) . I loved them on the 1931 Cadillac's (nice to have the extra light at night too) - they match the headlights and ....- most V-8, V-12, and V-16's look great with them (and both singles and duals were available via accessory catalog) and at Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance you may win Best of Class = PERHAPS, but Best of Show = doubtful, so go with them as it was a "keeping up with the Jones' car" to begin with. http://theoldmotor.com/?p=133530

https://issuu.com/buickclub/docs/bugle_march2018_flip/23

??? The PPG paint code for Gala Green Poly is #40702

http://wildaboutcarsonline.com/cgi-bin/pub9990262549620.cgi?itemid=9990399930196&action=viewad&categoryid=9990475000756&page=1&placeonpage=1&totaldisplayed=50

http://paintref.com/cgi-bin/paintdetail.cgi?paint=1949|Buick|Gala Green

236 cid in the 1928 and I think 274 cid in the 1929. Again, the problem with the BB-1 is that no matter what type of one you put on a Franklin it is not suited for full array of driving ranges (aka you are unhappy with the car and really causes more problem than it solves). As a sidenote: Paul is incredibly "smart" - worth your time to talk with him.

Yes and no - it just depends on the quality of the work to this point (the Lester tires are fairly base line whitewalls and I noticed they painted the lockrings. plus that is a passenger's side door handle on the driver's side) , its' completeness as all its parts being present, and as Kermit the Frog said "it's not easy being green" - hate to say it, but GREEN = DISCOUNT (and people who like/love green cars still ask for the discount). I do agree though that someone should have snatched this up months ago.

Nice color choice !

Yes, it is tinted glass and pretty spiffy for time too.

Unless it was restored in the past year, this should be the late B.C. Hartline, Late Jim Schneck car, and I do not know when it was done, but only J Duesnebery I have seen where everything aluminum under hood is engine turned. (engine J-525, chassis 2555) supercharged Duesenberg Model SJ Brunn Riviera Convertible Torpedo Sedan