Fred Zwicker

Here are the rest of the pictures

Last week, the Packard Club had a tour to TP Tools in Canfield, Ohio. A very nice turnout. Here are some pictures.

Here are more pictures of same lot in Hubbard, Ohio

How about these? These pictures were taken in 2007 and this lot is located in Hubbard, Ohio on Route 62 near the intersection of Interstate 80. The cars are sitting near the road and there is what looks to be an older service garage just behind the cars. The garage is open and there are old cars inside. I don't know if cars are for sale, or are to be restored, but it sure caught my eye when I drove by.

Sometimes it is better to handle this without a letter from your attorney, as the state may think you are hiding something (my attorney told me to do this when receiving such letters from out of state). You can always get the attorney involved later. Write a return letter, stating the price that you paid for the car with documention of the cost and enclose a photo or two (non-flattering pictures). Mention in your letter that since the cost and true value are far less than the threshold, you will not be sending in any money. Then see what they say. You will probably never hear from them again, as this is what Bob Olds calls a "fishing expedition". If you do hear from them again, then go to your attorney, get an appraisal and defend yourself vigorously. The market is soft now, so a low appraisal should be appropriate. Good luck. Fred

Reminds me of the time we were on Lake Erie in our new 32' Coastal and one of the engines conked out (9 miles out in the lake and a little rough - as is usual for Lake Erie). My wife said, "Maybe it is a fuse". I said "No - it is something serious". So we limped in on one engine and pulled into our dock. After about an hour of careful analysis, found that the main fuse to one of the engines had shaken loose and fallen below somewhere, as it was not properly secured by Wellcraft at the factory. My wife was patiently waiting for me to fix the serious problem with the engine and was getting some sun. I then told her I had to go to the marina for something and left in our van. When I resturned she asked what was needed. I said, "A fuse". She hasn't let me forget this as yet and that was about 20 years ago. Fred

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Skyking</div><div class="ubbcode-body"><div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: 1937hd45</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Why keep stuff with no value other than scrap? </div></div> The sad part is, all the scrap is going to China...... </div></div> Maybe the Chinese will "restore" all of the junk cars and sell them back to us like everything else, or if a market for it, they will set up tooling and copy the entire old cars and duplicate them. Fred

Thanks Dave, I recall that my father said these trucks were made with custom bodies, as they needed larger than usual. I would sure like to see one of these today, but doubt if there are any survivors. He also mentioned that they were painted with multiple coats of white enamel and were always kept spotless. I am almost certain that he said that the paint was applied by brush. In the center logo on each truck is a small white snow man with the words "Snow White Service" as part of the logo.

What year International Trucks are these? This is an old photo of my father (far left in picture) in front of the North Side Laundry on Central Avenue in Indianapolis, Indiana around 1933. If you look closely there is a Buick Dealership to the far right. From what I can make out of the sign, it seems to say, "Central Buick Company" They used to carry the clean laundry and drycleaning inside the trucks and the dirty laundry was put into white laundry bags and carried on the the roof (tied to the roof racks). What was once a thriving business finally went bad due to the depression and the company closed. Any information about the year of the International Trucks and also about Central Buick Company would be appreciated. Fred

1966 Cadillac DeVille Convertible - 12 mpg so far (city 30% and country 70%). Hoping that a tuneup will bring it up a bit. Fred

Sometimes Ficken will have a NOS or rebuilt wiper motor in stock, in case your core is bad or missing. I had a bad wiper motor for my 1939 LaSalle and he came up with a NOS motor, which he rebuilt (the insides dry out over the years, even NOS). It works as when car was new. Fred

I was unable to attend Spring Carlisle, which from a vendor standpoint is usually one of the busiest shows of the year next to Hershey. I just talked to my son who reported that attendance was up and that sales were brisk - almost sold out of everything. Good weather helped, although rain is expected Saturday afternoon. Good news for a change in what could have been a bad show (recession and high fuel prices - yet collectors still showed up). Maybe the hobby is getting revived - let's hope so. Fred Zwicker Retired and original founder of TP Tools, Canfield, Ohio

See www.manheimgold.com for other values: Per today (3/30/08) they list the following for a 1937 Packard Series 120 Convertible with 8 cylinder engine: Convertible Coupe: Fair $26,000, Good $36,000, Excellent $49,000, Show $54,000 Loan $32,000. Convertible Sedan: $23,000, $35,000, $44,000, $51,000, Loan $31,000. Hope this is of help. Fred

Why don't you just buy an 8-volt battery tender and not have any worries? Available at www.tptools.com and other vendors at around $50. Fred

Where will you get the schematics and diagrams? Without these you have nothing. The other guy's business always looks so easy until you get in a little deeper. Fred

For years I have always carried a small supply of band aids in my wallet - always there and take up almost no space. One time I was in a store and a little boy had somehow cut his finger and was crying his eyes out. His father was with him and didn't know what to do. I asked the father if he could use a band aid and pulled one out of my wallet. The father opened the band aid and put it on his son's finger, stopping the bleeding and the little boy stopped crying immediately and smiled. The father also smiled (at me) and thanked me. I have convinced others of this idea, solving such problems quickly. Any of us working on cars should keep this in mind, unless you are luckier than I am. Fred

The 1939 Cadillac Convertible Sedan on Ebay does NOT have side mounts. I would think that side mounts add a lot to the value. Looks like a nice paint job wouuld add even more to the value! Fred

There are always stop lights for sale at Hershey. Fred

We just had a big snow in NE Ohio and so this message was just in time. I carefully reviewed all of this with my wife so that she doesn't have to keep moving her car all winter. Thanks a lot for the timely advice. Fred

Another is www.stlouiscarmuseum.com Or try www.hymanltd.com Fred

The only thing that was missed last year and this year was a small sign in the middle of Hershey Park Drive to show the entrance to the Red Field. They used to have such a sign. Last year we drove right past the entrance, as did others, resulting in having to make a turn into another street, turn around and try again. Obviously this adds to the traffic congestion. Such a simple thing, but easily overlooked (it was overlooked). In spite of some glitches, Hershey is still the biggest and the best. Fred

I will be at the TP Tools tent in the Red Field RNG 56-61. I am retired but our son runs things now - selling glass bead cabinets, HVLP paint spray systems and other retoration tools of interest. Stop by and say hello. Fred Zwicker

I was at the Canfield show on Saturday and stood in a fast-moving line to get in, which was indicative of the full aisles and many restorers looking for stuff. I was looking for some of the old braided wire without success and came upon a vendor who had NOS old wire harnesses for various cars. I only needed some replacement wire, but at $5 per harness, bought almost all he had. The show starts on Friday, but Saturday is the busiest day. Sunday it winds down quickly. If you have the time, the <span style="font-weight: bold">spring</span> Canfield show is the biggest show in NE Ohio and is growing each year. In the spring, the vendor area overflows onto the 1/2 mile race track. The car corral is always interesting and full of decent cars at prices which are friendlier than at Carlisle or Hershey. If you don't like die cast toys, those vendors usually setup indoors, so just bypass the indoor spots. My recommendation for the Canfield show in order of preference: 1) Spring Canfield Show (larger than fall show) 2) Fall Canfield Show (not quite as large as spring, but growing) 3) Summer Canfield Show (not a bad show, but no comparison to the above two shows) Paved roads, level ground on nice grass, plenty of free parking, good restroom facilities, rasonable entrance fee. Watch your speed while driving in Canfield - plenty of police, but the upside is relatively no crime. I love Canfield. Fred Zwicker

According to an article in the <span style="text-decoration: underline">July/Aug 2007 AACA Magazine</span>: 1-A:5-B:C is all that is required, which "is an excellent general-use fire extinguisher" Or for a larger one: 1-A:10-B:C is another approved choice. There is no expiration date (too difficult to monitor), so as long as the extinguisher shows fully charged, it is OK. Article says it is mportant to shake youir fire extinguisher once in awhile. (Does anyone know why?). I made up a nice tubular bag for mine with heavy clear front from the clear plastic used for boat side windows. See attached picture. This way I didn't have to drill holes in trunk sides for a mounting bracket and it is not necessary to put the extinguisher on display on a piece of plastic behind the car. Also in case of emergency, the extinguisher is quite handy and accessible. Fred

Here is my 1939 LaSalle engine "before" being sent to Shepard's Automotive in Akron, Ohio for a full rebuilding. It is due to be finished in about a week. Porcelain manifolds have been done by Prairie in MN and Shepard's repaints engine to original colors and specs. Below is a picture of my engine compartment now, waiting for the engine rebuild. See complete details at www.fzoldcars.com and click on '39 LaSalle Restoration (Before, Part1 and Part2). Over 200 pictures of the restoration to date. Fred