60FlatTop

The big oops where due diligence was side stepped, like the company legal officer who could have filled out a chit declaring it spoils of war and selling it to the soldier. Screw up number one. Then 60 years of "Where did that car come from?" "Um, a guy brought it back from Germany." "Legally?" "I would assume so." "Oh, OK, then. I'll take it." You know, one of the problems with growing up in 1950's America is that you were taught to recognize when you did something wrong. Now it's all muddied in legal issues even though they know it's wrong. Sometimes a word like "conniver" just doesn't get used as often as it should. Seeing a situation of turning the blind eye is a good reality check. Maybe that collection of misfits that dominated TV for two weeks last month could have learned something. ALL OF THEM. Bernie

I looked, as well: https://www.historicvehicle.org/national-historic-vehicle-register/vehicles/ and partners: https://www.historicvehicle.org/about-us/partners/ They always say it is easier to criticize than create. Not saying the Y-job isn't a good choice. Just wondering about where the National comes from with a modified AC Ace and a 300 SL. International? 375,000 members? "Join the movement"? I have been in the hobby since 1959. Did I miss a movement? Bernie

Interesting, I would enjoy seeing the detailed provenance on that car from 1945 forward. There must be one big Oops! in there where due diligence was side stepped. The value certainly made a compelling case for the lawyers to pursue it. The timing isn't bad. Three weeks ago I bought a 1958 Austin-Healey Sprite last registered in 1965 and sold to a friend of mine in 1969. I found the people associated with the paperwork and licensed the car in order to have it legally in my name before spending the second nickel even thought it is a major project car. I got the plates and proof of ownership last Thursday. Six million or three thousand, one really needs to make the effort to establish ownership. How many are sitting on decades long restoration projects without personal proof of ownership? Out of the 300 jobs associated with the restoration is that one #300? Bernie

I have never seen a brake pin break like that. Of course, they are just getting to be 50 years old. Anyway the most frequent neglected brake system failures are on the fluid side. On my cars, and when asked for advice, a check of each wheel cylinder is the starting point before driving the car. I full brake job costs about the same as two bumpers; yours and theirs. Those parts look pretty clean. You have three more that should have the boots rolled back enough to see how much red mud is in the cylinder. If you see it you need to take action. The water absorbed by the fluid over years rusts on the bottom of the cylinders and lines. I check the lines by gently squeezing the sides with vice grips and watching for a crack to show on the bottom because the rust has corroded the wall thickness. Do that in a non-destructive manner. Water settled in the wheel cylinders between the piston cups pits the inner surface. If you adjust the brakes or replace the shoes the cups change position in the cylinder and tend to rest in the pitted spots and leak. I have seen a lot of new shoes installed followed by a leaking wheel cylinder. Expect it and do the brake job. Before doing any brake service remove the contaminated fluid from the reservoir, wipe it out and replace with clean. At least you won't pump the black stuff into the system. I like to remove the emergency brake cables and give the inner cables a good coat of Never Seize. When the brakes failed did you press the parking brake pedal? Many forget it is there. Lots of proactive stuff to do on these old cars. New cars seem to need less attention, but they aren't 50 years old. Some new cars go from manufacture to scrap in ten years without ever having the hood opened. I know there will be lots of details on converting to a dual master cylinder now that the car is... 50 years old. Mine are all single, freshly maintained, and the black fluid is flushed about every two years. Way back, years ago, I had a friend named Snake. I took a ride with his girlfriend to a plaza parking lot in her Olds Cutlass. When we stopped she told me the shift linkage was out of adjustment and asked me to put a rock they carried in front of the wheel because Park didn't work. I asked her if the parking brake worked. Ever hear the story about the Pollock with the chain saw? Yeah, that's how she looked. Bernie

And always remember, if a car really rings the bell for you, causes heart palpitations, makes you wonder where the extra money will come from, and you are afraid someone will buy it if you leave, you better buy it! Disregard all the pragmatic advice, all the warnings, and all the common sense. If you understand that you are buying a 20, 30, 40, 50 or more year old car, you are not even working close to genius status. There are a lot smarter things you can do. Since you are still in school, I would guess, take the time to write a 500 word essay on the meaning of discretionary money. That's what you use for old cars. How to use it and how identify it and how to get it are real important. This topic reminds me of the mid 1990's when Oldsmobile came out with a car called the Intrigue. I walked around one, stepped back, and thought this car makes me think of a girlfriend my Mother would pick out for me. Don't always follow the rules. Bernie

Here's a bit of trivia. Those Buicks in the certificate background came from Buick, celebrating THEIR 50 years in 1953. Then, in the mid 1980's, the Kreamer's, The Buick Farm, had the 1953 showroom poster reprinted, according to Lois Keamer. They still had copies. So I got one of theirs, had it digitally scanned to resize on a computer. Cindy Livingston replaced the Buick header and footer with the certificate modifications and made it look good. I ended up with a nice 34" poster for the garage. Bernie

I just went back and read post #1. That's kind of why I make sure I have a dime in case I need a screwdriver. It ended up that I couldn't make the Allentown trip, but I did show up at the Cadillac Club Niagara ice cream social as an interloper with my '60 Buick on Sunday. Good thing you only had the mechanical problems. I had to come back through Indian country (Seneca Res.), cross the headwaters of a river (Oak Orchard), pass through a primordial swamp (Bergen), and across an ancient glacial lake bed (Lake Iroquois muck land). And that was only 60 miles. I felt like one of the sons of the pioneers. Those jaw breaker hits on the highway that you mentioned can really be aggravated by negative camber. Just dropping a string for a quick check is probably a good idea. Bernie

The XJS is a comparison to a Buick. The E-Type is a whole different animal. Had one of those, as well. It's a sports car. The XJS is a mid-priced touring car. The key is not to skimp on the springs. In the mid-1980's I ordered a set of $50 rear springs from J. C. Whitney. They were way too high. In the early 1990's when I did the car again, I used rears from a spring specialty company that were about $190 as I remember and perfect. MOOG from NAPA went on the from and set fine. They were around $100. Bernie

There is a story that Bill Mitchell wanted to build the boat tail Riviera design on an A body platform and make it more performance related. At the time it would have gone head to head or replaced the popular GS cars. It didn't happen but the story stuck in my mind over the years. About 2004 I bought my first of two Jaguar XJS V-12's. I bought it long distance and had it delivered to my house in a trailer. At the time I had dealer plates and as soon as the hauler left I pulled out of the driveway and eased about half way into the throttle. My first thought was "Wow! This is the car Bill Mitchell wanted to build." It felt like a Buick, a British one. You know it weighs 4000+ pounds, it's tight, quiet, smooth, pulls great, has IRS, rack and pinion; all those modifications proposed and even the ones that are a stretch. If you haven't tried one out, do it. Everything you want is there and refined. I think it's a lot easier with less sorting. And they really, really feel like driving a Buick. That might be more satisfying in the end. I'm kind of looking for a third. I sold the others. Handling, I bought a 1959 Austin-Healey Sprite three weeks ago, I guess that's handling.... like a skate board. My wife is laughing at me. Bernie

Just a used car on the scales for scrap. Bernie

To go beyond the literal interpretation of a word is far beyond the grasp of many. I get the concept of an antique car because of the values I was raised with. I have a 1994 car licensed and insured as an antique. There is a reason and it ain't the cheap plates. If you know why, you understand. If you don't, maybe someday you will. Bernie

Don't marry a car. They are not lifetime commitments. If you get one home and figure you made a mistake send it down the road. I have never owned a car I did not want to keep that was a 100% loss. It is a lot easier to get more money than it is to find a good car. Don't pinch every penny and try to be a cheapskate. You will end up hurting yourself in the end. A lot of old guys won't admit that. Take all advice with a gain of salt. Just because someone is 60 years old doesn't mean they have 45 years more experience. It just means they are 45 years older than you. Spend a few bucks in a pool hall. It will teach you to be calculating, to plan ahead, and develop focus with a goal. Having those skills will put you far ahead of the crowd. When it comes time to compete for the job to get car money you will have the advantage. Don't look at a guy's restoration album and imagine how you can do all the work they did. Instead, try to figure out how you can buy his nicely finished car. Just a rule of thumb I came up with; for every $1,000 more that you are willing to spend you can get $3,000 to $4,000 worth of someone else's work (that works in reverse, too!). And be sure to read the last line of my signature. Bernie

I haven't washed the body of one of my collector cars in over ten years. I use detailer spray and those glass cleaner towels frequently to keep stuff shiny. The only thing I use a hose on is the tires and undercoated areas like wheel wells. Two weeks ago I had my '60 on a lift wiping down the torque tube and frame rails with a rag dampened with a little WD-40. I do have a three or four gallon washing bucket for the tires. My son and I picked it up one day because it had a picture of a child falling into the bucket embossed on the side. I told my Son it is an international symbol warning him not to fall into the bucket. He has been careful. In fact, it may have scared him away permanently! That bucket sits in a corner, dry, with three or four pieces of folded Wet or Dry, a sponge, and a plastic scrub brush in it; only for the wheels and tires. I usually use it once a year, maybe twice. The rubber treatments seem to have a light oily film that attracts dirt. I quit using that. I dry the tires and wheel covers and polish as needed. I took all the die cast pieces off the wheel covers and made thin rubber gaskets to keep them from clicking. Once tightened I trimmed them close with a razor knife. When the wheel is done I spray the wheel well undercoating with glass cleaner and pat it dry with the sponge from the bucket. Then I give the exposed undercoat a shot of Armorall and pat that down with a slightly damp sponge. If I do some 800 to 1000 finish sanding I toss the used paper in the bucket.Then I always know where to get some with the tooth knocked off. And my keys are always in my left pocket, my change and folding money in my right. I have some funny stories about how annoying I can be to work with in the garage. Maybe that is why my Son hasn't fallen into the bucket. Bernie

Old men aren't generally grumpy. Stupid is the trigger and you get so's you can see it coming. Bernie

If you haven't used ONLY poly sway bar bushings, try them, and leave the rest alone. They do a great job. But you have to only do the sway bar bushings, none of the other. And actually do it. Don't just think about what it would be like. If you own a Buick and the handling doesn't satisfy you it should have a soft tire. Otherwise you picked the wrong brand for your taste. Bernie

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Somewhere in my stuff I have a copy of that brochure reproduced by Floyd Clymer. I bought it in the gift shop of the old car museum in Bridgewater, New York around 1972. Anyone remember that place? It was all stuffed full of back row used cars behind a chicken wire barricade. Bernie

Wasn't able to plan the trip, but there is a possibility of just getting up early Friday and running down there, now. Let's see, the car is only 55 years old. Check the oil and water, throw in the map book from my truck. Oops! Personal items. At the grocery store they used to ask "Paper or plastic". Paper is for travelers. I saved some.A couple pairs of jeans, some socks rolled up and underwear, toothbrush and a razor in a paper grocery bag, two bags if I come back on Sunday. And be sure to have a dime in case I need a screwdriver. Bernie

If I was working at GM and an engineer was retiring (especially one who screwed up a manifold design)I might drop by the nonferrous foundry and run off a 3X4 manifold as a gift. Things like get get out in public. It's better than getting an inflatable sheep for a gift. I have a miniature 20,000 gallon bunker C fuel oil tank on my desk, accurate to the bolt holes in the flanges, so accurate I was afraid to touch the black puddle at one end. A guy could splash one of those manifolds out of aluminum pretty quick. Bernie

There is a difference between people and entities. A friend of a friend is a whole different relationship. I created a legal entity, but I like my kids better. It takes horse sense, a cool head, and a keen eye to cultivate that difference. Bernie

Rare is when the beholder's eyes are limited in number. Or an unusual combination, but associated.. Bernie

I read every entry yesterday. Today I am just scanning through the recent ones looking for the names of the people who make me smile most. Security is a very important factor. A guy stole my identity a while ago and I absolutely refused to take it back, even though he pleaded. I heard he committed suicide a few days later. Be careful who you take information from. Looking at it from a business standpoint, I would budget 6% to advertising and direct sales. I would be comfortable laying out 3% of my potential gross for a valid list of potential buyers. For 25G's I would target about $850,000 in sales. If I broke a million I would come back and drop another 8 to 10K. Am agent with a three or more million dollar accounts could do that. I provide services at 2.4 cents per square foot. I pay a bird dog commission of $200 per 100,000 square feet. The math is about the same. Bernie

Mine did that after reassembly. You have to lubricate the hell out of the hinges. And be sure each pivot pin is not worn or pitched. Sometimes a previous own will force an un-lubricated hood down and cause damage. 50 years is a long time and people get in there and screw things up. You might have to take them off, remove the spring, and make them floppy. Does the hood close in one easy motion or do you have to give it one extra push to latch it? That symptom goes along with the hinges. Bernie

I joined the AACA national and local chapter way back, years ago, but the meetings were on Friday nights and didn't fit the bigger organization of us Irish Catholics going out for fish fries. When I joined the Buick Club in 1979 we met on Tuesdays at the Polish Falcon's Club. That worked out well. I guess they were all out bowling that night. ( No stereotypes here.) Like I wrote earlier, I need to get my overdue dues in this week. I consider the Forum as a benefit of the membership. Bernie

Rolling hills and down on power, Must feel like driving the Enclave across RT20 in New York State. What's the 25 day fix on that? On the Roadmaster, always remember, a thoroughly serviced cooling system (hoses not collapsing, belt adjusted, jackets clean, pump in good condition, with unrestricted air flow) is more reliable than a gauge. All the natural laws work for you in a cooling system. A gauge is a secondary system based on assumptions. Stop in a Harbor Freight or Radio Shack and get a cheap infrared thermometer. Don't worry about the actual reading. Just look for a good temperature differential. If the system is rejecting heat you will be OK. Bernie