unimogjohn

Woven finish is correct. Also the clamps have the long screw that goes through the rolled end. If you want a pic just let me know and will send you one.

It is Thursday, Dec. 23. Here is Greg's report on his daily work, and pics found in an old camera. "Thought I might start my Christmas shopping tonight, but blasted and primed that Matheson cylinder instead. Also enclosed I'm forwarding some pics sent by my buddy Temple in Idaho. The film was just discovered in an old Instamatic that I had sent to him. My mom gave me that little camera on the day that me and Ron took off on our big adventure. "Greg, the model t is the one I built out of parts from your garage in 1975 or 6. The Olds is a 1905 like yours. The model a chassis is a touring car with an Offy motor I built. A two cylinder Buick and a ride on the freeway in a Mercer I just finished. Jim just found his camera and developed the film this week. The dog is the one we brought up to Idaho with us and died at 22. Note the parts car behind the model t. Temple"

It is Wednesday, December 22nd. Here is some more Avanti racing information from Greg. It was interesting to note that Andy Granatelli stated that there was only "one" R5 engine. "Spent the whole evening in the Matheson engine department. Made a plug with a center hole to setup the repaired cylinder in the lathe. The repair had been left standing a little proud as per my instruction. Tonight I felt like machining the outside of the bore round again. Otherwise: ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: Copies of more Avanti parts correspondence. Jun 19, 1969. I see I'm now stationed at the air base in Wiesbaden, Germany. I have rotated out of RVN, been home on leave . While on leave, Phil Ritter and I traveled to South Bend where we went to Newman and Altman's Avanti Sales to shop for a car. With some used Studebakers available, but none supercharged. I did some snooping and located a black R-2 automatic in Mishawauka. No four speed, but with all the money I had between us, made the deal and drove it home. Don't know how we ate or bought gas, but drove the car back. My first Avanti, RQ 5054. So now in Germany I was wishing I had the car with me so that I could go play on a highway with no speed limit. With no car to play with, I resumed writing letters. And buying parts from Paxton. Even with a pay cut, I had been making as an Airman First, $208 a month. Now in Germany I wasn't getting combat pay and I wasn't income tax exempt either. June 19, 1968 Vince at Paxton has a set of pistons on hand, valves and the 288* cams are gone. August 13, '69 Studebaker is now Studebaker Automotive Sales Company and another autograph from Carl Thompson. August 26, 1969 Another note from Andy. Maybe the other guys were right. I'd probably have better luck with Corvettes or Mustangs."

I have received a couple of PMs asking if the Due Cento exists today. According to the Studebaker Drivers Club forum it does still exist. From what I have read it is owned by Richard Bennett of PA. I understand that it currently under restoration, but not with the original Bonneville R5 engine. Here is one thread discussing the car. It has some great pictures of the car and the engine. R5 Avanti

Since Greg is leading us into the racing world of Studebaker in the 1960s I thought I would post this link to give you all something to read while we wait for more information on Greg's "special project". Bob's Studebaker Resource Website (Car Life December 1963- The Studebaker Avanti at Bonneville )

It is Sunday, December 19th. Still very cold here, too cold to work in unheated spaces. But Greg is pressing on with inside jobs. Here is his weekend report. "Looking back over the last couple days, I can't think of much to report that was constructive. Destructive I can. Made a trip back up to Maryland to install those brake parts on the Stoddard Dayton. Better back on the car than lost somewhere between my toolbox here in Warrenton and the car there in Maryland. That's the good news. After today's efforts, my stock is down. First thing this morning I found myself in Theton's shop to assist with some of the Stoddard fender project. Guess that will teach him not to enlist my help before I'm awake. Trying to form the 5/8" bead on the rear fender "flats", the pencil line we were following got away from us. One thing about flat fenders, flat is only flat once. We tried removing the errant bead with hammer and dolly to try again, but once metal is stretched, it has to go somewhere. He'll have to cut, shape and rewire a replacement. Sorry man. Once back here at the ranch, I had a small piece to prime and paint. But now fast forward to the part where it is now soaking in paint remover. Good thing I wasn't working in a dynamite factory the last couple days. ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: For tonight's reading assignment I've enclosed a few more communications. Trying to keep them in chronological order, but I did back up a little to show you an earlier letterhead and autograph. The May 7, '68 (my 20th birthday) item describes what corporate did with remaining Performance Dept., as well as dealer advertising inventory. June 16, '68 from Halibrand indicated that the type wheels offered for Studebakers were NLA even then. June 25, '68 is a nice note from Andy G. of STP. A long time ago. I was just a pup."

Roger, yes, I promise it will be interesting at the end of the story on Greg's special project. It is Friday, December 17th. Very cold here this morning about 18 degrees. We got our first real snow of the season yesterday, about 2 inches. Here is Greg's report from last night. "Snow day. When my Idaho connection called this morning from his daily routine of breakfast with the guys at the Burger Stop in Twin Falls, I mentioned that we were getting snow. He lowered the his phone and told the crowd that it was "snowing in Washington". I could hear the collective sarcastic moaning and groaning that prompted me to resume the conversation by having it announced that they were all a bunch of A (censored)s. And they are. Anyway. Matheson engine business. Unboxed the main bearings to be readied for installation when I get the flywheel painted. The bearings look very nice and should only require fitting and lapping. Also enclosed is a picture comparison of pistons. The big one is the five inch Matheson, fifty horsepower and the smaller is a 4 3/8" Wright Brothers vertical thirty-five horsepower model. Get this. The crankshaft and flywheel of the Matheson weigh more (215#) than the whole Wright (180#). Stoddard brake shoe anchor studs are drilled, shortened, primed, painted and ready for installation. No Avanti work tonight. ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: Special Project. Tonight's document is from Paxton Products. The date of the reply indicates that even though it is to my home address, I was then "in country". Interesting that by '68 they were out of R3/4 valve covers and deep sump oil pans. As these Paxton communications present themselves, watch the similarity in signatures. The /sn is for Sue Nadon. Wonder where she is now? To be continued.........

I have had good luck with Eastwood's rust encapsulator. I just lightly sanded the areas to be painted, then cleaned it with their metal prep product and sprayed the encapsulator on. It goes on gloss black, but quickly fades to almost a flat black. I then used normal primer and paint. The results came out fine. But with that said the truck was not a show truck, only a driver, and it was olive drab. I did thin down the encapsulator to make it flow through my gun. You can put it on with a brush and usually do that with frame pieces, etc. It really flattens out and you usually cannot see any brush marks. It does dry very quickly so you have to keep the can tight and pour only what you can use in 15 minutes or so. It also has a lot of solids in it so you have to really mix it well. It is usually on sale for about $25 a quart plus shipping. Rust Encapsulator Paint - Stop Rust and Corrosion I see that Eastwood also sells a rust converter that you can use before the encapsulator. But have never used that product. Hope that this helps.

Can you believe that Greg's love of the Avanti was formed when he was in high school? Well, I asked Greg to document some of his letters with Studebaker and Paxton relative to the Avanti. Where is this going to lead? Well, Greg has been working on his "special project" for a year now, and it is about done or as far as he can take it. I won't reveal it yet, but this will provide you with an opening into its history and the documentation behind it. I can tell you that it is the only "one" and is associated with fastest Avanti at that time in history. Here we go, let the story begin. Greg's story: "I'm going to begin posting copies of correspondence that may be of interest to Studebaker enthusiasts. It was research that I began in the sixties. Most of it with Paxton Products (Studebaker's performance division in Santa Monica). Since Unimog is more familiar with this weblog process, I'll ask him to distribute these to any Studebaker or Avanti related groups that might like to see them. I should also offer an explanation for some of them. As for the correspondence, I've been asked to explain myself. Not sure I can. It would take almost sixty-three years to do. Always drawn to mechanical transportation and history as far back as I can remember. For the Studebaker side of my life, it would date to the day I was walking to school, passing by Kern Motor Company the local dealer. They were unloading an Avanti. A gold R2 fourspeed (RQ 2724). The other guys at school who were interested in cars were talking Corvettes, later on Mustangs, etc. When I saw that Avanti I knew right then it was "me". Still is. No way I could afford one (if I had a driver's license), but I knew I would own one someday. Armed with a parts book, I began looking for performance parts, and a set of Halibrand wheels. By '66/67 Kern Motors didn't have a clue where to find R-3 parts. Thus I began the search. These are typical replies: 2-23-67 From Studebaker. (editor: I believe that this was in reference to Greg's order for a R3 engine cam.) Remember that in February 1967 I was a high school senior still living at home, and owning an Avanti was just a dream. 4-1-68 This reply from Paxton was a postscript to an order for parts. By April 1st of '68 I was almost finished my USAF tech schooling at Chanute AFB, Illinois and soon to be sent to my first duty station. Perhaps of note is that the only car I owned was an unfinshed (still) Model A Ford. My first Avanti didn't occur until May of 1969 after my return from Viet Nam. (RQ 5054 R2 automatic, Mishawauka, Indiana).

It is Wednesday, Dec. 15. Looks to be a very nice day, too bad it is only 8 degrees this morning. Here is Greg's report from last night. Just a comment, I saw the Matheson engine as it arrived at the shop in a huge box. When the box was opened I saw a beautiful engine that looks like new. Greg said that it had been rebuilt and had a few miles on it, but the owner wanted Greg to completely go through it. I said to myself, why? It looks great. Now I know. "Tonight's progress. Removed the rings and wrist pins from the Matheson pistons. I'll send the pistons out tomorrow for magnafluxing. This to inspect for any cracks. Those nine pound slugs changing directions could cause problems if one broke. I'm also sending out the valve rocker arm rollers for regrinding . They are boxed with a sample rocker shaft. It needs a new set fabricated. Same place will do both jobs. As for my Avanti seat tracks, got TWO TOGETHER! For such a simple job, it's been a real bear. Lesson learned is to keep one assembled to serve as a reference. I'm short a couple rivets, I'll make them tomorrow. Photos of: Matheson piston from hole #4. Looks like something came loose and was rattling around. Two Avanti seat tracks done.

Jim, half the fun is the hunt for parts. What is the condition of the other side? If it is still presentable then I would put a wanted ad on the Ford forum for a used one. If your other side is not too good, then I would opt for a pair of repo parts to keep the car "balanced". I would rather find a good used or NOS part. But to each his own. Oh, I buy off of Ebay all the time. You just have to keep looking.

Tom, I have a 1923 45, but it looks the same as your electrical setup. Here are the diagrams I used to rewire the car. The one you are looking for is the one with the view of the starter/generator. If you need higher resolution send me your email address to unimogjohn@aol.com and will send you larger versions.

It is Tuesday, 14th. Holy heck Batman, it is 12 degrees outside! I know other places are colder than us in VA, but it is sure cold for here. We are suppose to still be in the mid 40 degrees. Really cold weather usually does not hit us until the end of January. Greg continues to work inside on his projects. Me, I mounted the new McLaughlin Buick radiator emblem on the car. However, it will not fit correctly into the mounting hole. The hole in the radiator surround is dented and pushed out a bit, so the tab on the emblem does not fit into the surround. I pushed and pushed and could not get it to even start to seat. So it will require some reforming of the hole to get it to seat. So interim I put on a couple of strips of the 3M double backed foam tape to get it to seal against the surround. It does stick out a bit, but not too noticeable. It will be OK for the winter, a project for the spring. At least I will not lose it in the clutter, I know where it is. And here is Greg's Monday report. "Matheson engine first. I guess you're getting tired of seeing rocker arm pictures. Me too. Tonight I reamed the sleeved bores to size. If you play Where's Waldo with previous shots, you'll see that I've also welded holes closed on two of them. Don't know what someone was thinking, the others don't have them and they're not in the factory pics. Avanti: Started machining rivets for the seat tracks. Slow going. I'd better try assembling one to see it I'm on the right track. It's been a long time since I've dismembered these things and the trail grows cold."

It is Sunday evening, Greg just sent me his weekend report. "It's been a while since I checked in. I've gotten some work done, but mostly complained about the weather. This cold and damp makes my bones hurt. It also makes travelling worthy of a second thought. I did make another trip or two to Rob's place where some of my cars are stored. The Stoddard Dayton still has a list of things to be done. I had a problem with the foot brake anchor studs that I'd made for it. Difficulty with cottering the adjusting nuts. Couldn't find the holes, so I'd saftied them with wire. I've since removed a sample stud and made a couple more today. This time I made them too long and haven't drilled them. I'll test fit them and mark for length and cotters. Of course I'll forget to take them along next trip. I've also spent some time on the Avanti seat tracks. Found a grindstone that would fit in the channels . I ground out those grooves worn by the ball bearings. Right now they are hanging in the paint room where they've gotten a coat of cadmium in a can. I haven't been in a hurry to get them done because I haven't heard a thing from the seat upholsterer. Getting kindof torqued off. Of course I don't guess there's a hurry now. Even if had them in the car so I could drive it to this bulding, right now there isn't room for a Smartcar. Matheson flywheel has been waiting for me to do some cosmetic work to it, spent some time doing that. Otherwise, not much exciting to report at this time. But I'm working on it. Photo expanation: 1. Stoddard brake shoe anchors 2. Typical seat track wear 3. Grinding the grooves 4. Seat tracks hanging in cluttered paint room

Chris, I think that you are dealing on the high end of the dollar spectrum in my opinion. In the past year or so I have seen nice, complete driver/parade examples going for around $12 to 15K. With said, I think that a restored #1 car would be in the $25K range. There is a nice one on Ebay that you might want to take a look at. Buick : D-35 - eBay (item 260704480900 end time Dec-13-10 18:51:58 PST)

Brian, out in farm country with lots of trees we lose power frequently. And when we lose it the time is measured in days. For example, we were without power for 7 days and then 4 days a month later. We have two little generators, but they do not power the water pump or furnace. So at this point in our lives, I thought it wise to purchase a generator that ran everything. What really was the tipping point was that almost everyone that had a gas generators ran out of fuel and had to walk out through almost three feet of snow for help. It was luck that I had about 40 gallons of fuel and could help out a couple of neighbors. At the end of seven days I was down to one gallon. With our 500 gallon propane tank, fuel should not be an issue if I keep it over half full at all times.

It is Sunday, Dec 12th. Looks like the midwest is getting hammered with snow and blizzard conditions. We may get grazed by it on Monday. Have not heard anything from Greg in a couple of days. I know he is working on his special project that is up in Maryland. But things have been busy here. The electrician finally finished up at 8 PM on Friday. So now we have a working generator. In total he spent 23 hours on the install. I thought it would be an easy install, who knew it would be so major? I have not got his bill yet. I am bracing myself for the outflow of dollar bills from my wallet. Oh well. Pics of the transfer switch and upgrading of our main circuit panel, which is now a sub-panel to the transfer switch. Yesterday we took the 23 McLaughlin Buick to a town bonfire holiday event yesterday. I though there would be a few old cars there. Nope, only us. Lots of people and good food. Had a hounds demo also. Here are a couple of pics. Shadow was not too happy, did not want to leave the car, just too many people. Also found a McLaughlin Buick radiator emblem for the 23. I have one on the radiator now, but it is too small and was probably for a tail light bracket. But it was all I was able to find a year ago. So now I have a correct sized one. But this also is a compromise. It should have a diamond shaped one versus the rectangle. Well, at least it is one step closer. Have some repairs to make to the emblem so will head to the hobby store on Monday for some model enamel to see if I can match or make up the missing blue sections. Here are a couple of pics.

It is Thursday, Dec 9th. Let's just say it it the coldest morning of the season today. Next week is going to be even colder. Pls. let the snow stay away for a bit longer. Electrician was here all day yesterday running wire for the new generator and making our main circuit panel a sub panel to the new transfer box. He is coming back this morning to connect the transfer box to the main meter. Oh boy, we are getting close. Had to crank up the little generator to keep the stove going for most of the day. I forgot how loud it is, but in a pinch you seem not to mind a all. As for Greg, here is his report for Wednesday. "Ok boys and girls. Tonight I've been getting in some time on Project X . Also, for the Matheson fans are some pics. One of the cylinders had been replaced due to damage to #3. Cracked where a head stud thread intersects one of the make and break ignition components mount. Further damage to the cylinder wall, a large chunk missing. Also one of the heads had cracked. They were sent to Jim Snyder in Georgia, the wizard of fabrication and welding. Somehow he was able to weld the head and retain the brass plug. It' still serial numbered. They just came back, weren't gone any time."

I don't have Ron's email address, but have asked Greg to forward this link to him. I am sure that he will enjoy seeing the pics. Thanks for posting them.

Steve, here you go on the pics. The last one is turned sideways so you can see the full length. Notice you do have a "J" shaped drip trough under the moulding. The moulding sits on top of this plate. I woould imagine that there is some kind of "goop" that water proofs the drip rail, moulding and fabric together so the top does not leak at the joining points. Just a note. It looks like hidem welting is used where it goes down the back window side. I did not take a pic of that but will if you need it.

Roger, yes, it is a private collection. It is amazing what Bob collected, there are just boxes and boxes of books and manuals still to be unpacked and put on shelves. Rob is doing a great job getting everything sorted and out of boxes. It seemed like almost every car had tools a bit parts next to it, so Ron is working hard to keep the collection alive and running. I can barely keep four cars running, let alone 40. My hat is off to him. It is Wednesday, Dec 8th, colder than yesterday, about 16 degrees. Yesterday, Wayne, the Corvette guy, came over with a huge load tester for the whole house generator. He hooked it up and went through a process to condition the engine and the generator itself. It basically, was a electrical load test at various demands for electricity, from 5KW, all the way to 20KW. Wayne explained that this breaks in everything correctly. He checked all the electrical outputs, and pronounced it good. I guess that we had the generator running for about an hour. Today, Mike, the electrician, comes over and will complete the connection to the house. So it will be done, not that I did that much. Here is Greg's report for yesterday. "Pearl Harbor Day. Time to pause during a busy day to reflect. In my opinion, on this day in 1941, this country began it's finest few years. Years of sacrifce and suffering. A country unified in a struggle. My father's generation. Some years when not only the men served our cause, but everyone. Veterans of the First War or wars before who were too senior for combat were working towards our victory. Our women were in many ways to allow our men to offer their lives. Even children were helping with scrap drives. All , no matter the persuasion, Americans with a goal. If you are reading this and old enough to remember.....thank you for what you did. As diverse as this country has become, I can't imagine we'll ever see that unity ever again. As for today's progress, not much. Outside it is windy and it is colder than a teacher's wit. Didn't find me in that tin barn where the Avanti waits. Matheson got a little attention. Enclosed is a picture of the pistons. Five inch bore. You can see that the last guy working on this has made a substitution for the 5/16" wide rings. Some rings omitted, the rest of the ring lands filled with double rings. I'll use new 5/16". OK, somebody has to be the purist. And for you gearheads, get this. Piston weights: 9 lb, 3.8 oz 9 lb. 3.9 oz 9 lb. 5.2 oz 9 lb. 6.9 oz =

Bob's Automobilia did or does sell the moulding. It is a clam shell design in that you nail it on and then fold over the other side to hide the nails. On my 28 the moulding is over the visor. I still have the original roof on the car. If you want I will take pics tomorrow AM, just let me know.

and more. Hope you enjoy them all.

more pics of the Burchill collection.

It is Tuesday, Dec. 7th. Cold here today, 22 degrees this morning. Alice came home from the store yesterday and said that she saw Greg, and he asked if it would be OK for me to go to Maryland to see the warehouse. She said sure. A boy's night out! Turns out that Greg needed to head back to MD to get some more measurements on the "thing" he is working on. He has set a deadline of the end of this year to get it done. Hence the frequent trips. So off we go, 160 miles round trip. We talked about old cars and hobbies all the way up. Such fun. Then we arrived at the "warehouse". What a place, three stories of cars and related stuff. It was the Rob Burchill collection of mostly Chrysler cars collected by his Dad, Robert, and Rob. The main/2nd floor holds most of the collection. He has it separated into three section, unheated storage, heated work area and display, and office area. The office is almost as big as our entire house. The basement holds 70s/80s low mileage cars, and the top floor hold parts, books, etc. The whole arrangement was well thought out. I was really impressed. While Greg worked, Rob took me through his collection. All the cars are running through my head, and I cannot remember the year or model of any of them. All I can say is that Ron has some beautiful cars, many unrestored originals. I think that there must have been at least 50 or more cars in the building. Here are a few pics. Some are a little dark. As we were getting ready to leave Rob handed me a wheel cap for our 23 McLaughlin Buick. He said that it needed to be back on a car. So today, it will go on the car. Thanks Rob!