unimogjohn

It is Tuesday, December 2nd, AM. Just a quick update. Three of the four tires for the Jaguar arrived yesterday. Number four should be here today. Looks like they arrived in great shape. Here they are. I finally admitted defeat on the LED lights for the Jaguar dash. They are just too long to fit. But I found another style that may be short enough. Here is a pic. Got them in red and white. I will see what looks best if they fit. Not much money, only a couple of dollars each.

It is Wednesday, AM, November 26th. It has been raining hard here since about 2 AM. Woke me up it hit the roof so hard. Now at 8 AM it is 40 degrees and still raining hard. Weather folks still say that it will turn to snow and to expect five or more inches before it is done. David/Trimacar called last night. I had sent me the pics of the side curtains. He said do not deliver the curtains, he is coming over. He wants to see how they install on the car and integrate with the existing top that he made for the car. I look forward to his visit. And Greg has an Overland report for us this morning. Happy Thanksgiving everyone. Hope everyone has a great day with family and friends. Here is Greg's report: "The Overland wheels are back! Sunday Barb and I took them over to the Vintage Motorcars shop in Inwood, W. Va. where the pinstriper type was to perform. Paul Rose made the arrangements since he had a customer car that needed decoration. After unloading them, Paul gave us a cook's tour of the facility. Worth the trip just for that. With the impending snow storm I decided tonight was the night. And the paint would be dry. Nice job by Tom VonNortwick. Advertises at Welloiledmachines.com Now to get them mounted on the chassis and move it from deep storage someday." Happy Thanksgiving! =

Al, the fittings are there, and I would like to get them made to complete the car. Would like to complete it to the best of my abilities over the next few years. I still have some things to do to make it complete. For example, the fuel gauge does not work. The mechanism inside the tank is gone, and it took me five years to find a replacement. Just have not wanted to drop the tank to get everything working again. And the throttle on the steering wheel is not hooked up as I am missing a special little arm on the post by the distributor that is unique to the left hand drive car. I have collected several of the little arms and have to take some time to see if any one of them will work with a little modification. Slowly but surely I am getting her done. Still Tuesday, PM. Now they are saying we could get 8 or more inches of snow. It is suppose to start at about midnight and continue to around 6 PM tomorrow. I went over to see Wayne tonight. He has the two Corvettes and the 64 Buick Skylark convertible. He picked up a 67 Chev P/U a couple of months ago. He is using it right now as a "mule" to test and break in an engine and transmission that will eventually go into the 72 Corvette. The engine is a correct 327 for the year. It has some performance modifications to allow it to run on pump premium fuel. He also had a transmission that has an overdrive in it along with some performance mods. Here are a couple of pics. I told him that I would come over and help me put them in when he is ready. Sorry, no pics of the truck, it is in a trailer and could not get to it.

It is Tuesday, PM, November 25th. Just a few things to update you on. I received the Jaguar clock back from the repair shop. It will wait on the shelf until I get the tachometer back. Looks great. Received word from Summit Racing that the 4 tires for the Jaguar have shipped out of Nevada. Coming FedEx Ground so expect them early next week. Tried to install the LED lights into the Jaguar console. They are too tall and will not fit. They do not go in far enough to permit the light housing to snap into the console. One suggestion from the Jaguar forum was to open up/spread the little tines of the socket so it locks into the console earlier than normal. Will give it a go. Talked to David Coco/Trimacar about making a set of side curtains for the 23 McLaughlin Buick. David agreed to make them and knows that I will need them by the Virginia Beach AACA show. Here are some pics of my originals. The rear panels are the ones where fabric has been sown in, and the fronts are the ones where the isinglass is gone. There are two other panels and they are fillers between the front and rear sections. Remember these are over the doors and have to open with them. David is going to use them as templates and then come over and install the snaps and clips. We are suppose to get a nor'easter late tonight and tomorrow. The weather folks are telling us to expect six inches snow or more. It looks like it is going to be a white Thanksgiving. Here are a couple of pics of our sunset tonight. It was spectacular.

It is Sunday, November 23rd, AM. Just got a note/update from Greg. "Well its been a while since the last communication. Lots been going on, not a lot to show for it. Nature of the business. Day job has got me swamped with work. Enough that the boss wouldn't mind if I worked 24/7, but I can only do what I can do. Working on Curtiss OX-5 engines has even left me with a trophy. A finger splint. And now I know why they call that tool a breaker bar. The Matheson project no longer neglected, I'm beginning to sort out the spark advance linkage and when installed I'll have to individually time the sparkers. The 5054 Avanti and Dodge are hibernating in the cold storage. I guess they're still there. I'm not interested enough to venture up there to see. Maybe when the daffodils and robins reappear. The '10 Overland. With the tire mounted on the fourth wheel, I've made arrangements to have the wheels pinstriped while they are off the chassis. Tom VonNortwick is driving up to Paul Rose's shop to do a customer car and I'm going to drop the wheels off there tomorrow . The plan is to have him match the striping I've already done on the undercarriage and rely on his talent to do the rest of the car someday. The factory photo is my blueprint." =

This is the link to the Eastwood Radiator Paint that David mentioned. I have used it with good results. I only put on one good coat. If you try to put on multiple coats it may crackle on you. http://www.eastwood.com/eastwood-radiator-black-paint.html

You can always use JBWeld to fix it, abit permanently.

November 20th, Thursday, late AM. Finally, we are coming out of the deep freeze. Been as low as 11 degrees at night and struggled to get above freezing during the day for the past week. I am not complaining considering all the snow that has been coming down up north. We are suppose to get into the 60s over the weekend. As for car stuff, nothing is happening. I did get the new inner tubes for the Jaguar tires, which are coming the first week in December. I did score a big win on Ebay today. I got condenser, points, and a rotor for the 1923 McLaughlin Buick. These are hard as hens teeth to find and when you do they are big bucks. I got the entire lot for $39. A really great deal.

Here is some information for you that might be helpful. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flanders_(automobile_company)

Roger, I saved over $100. That gives me a little more coin to buy some other things I need. I was looking around YouTube for Hershey videos. Found one with our 1923 McLaughlin Buick in it. I was really surprised that he knew what it is.

Hidden Hunter, heck I knew that, but .............. Here are a couple of more pics of the 23 MB in Australia.

Bob, this would certainly work for you. It has a spring inside of it so you could either use a heavy wire for a push/pull to the bottom of the brake pedal. Price is right too. http://www.ebay.com/itm/Ford-Model-A-Brake-Light-Lamp-Switch-30-31-1930-1931-/271248694100

Terry, I have two sources that confirm the combo tail and stop light as standard on the 1923 McLaughlin Buick. The first is an advertisement where the combo is mentioned at the last paragraph. And also a pic of the combo on a 1923 McLaughlin Buick that is in New Zealand. Good enough or should I look in my junk for more information?

It is Saturday morning, November 15th. Cold here for us, 28 degrees. Did you know that llamas are part of the camelid family? But unlike some camels they need water all the time. We have big water buckets for them, and in winter we have heaters in them to keep them from freezing. We have them turned on now. As the water get low I have to hump five gallon buckets of water from the house to refill them if it is freezing outside. Otherwise if the hoses are not frozen it is a easy fill. Usually we do not put the heaters on until December, but the polar vortex has hit us hard. We are almost 20 degrees below normal. That is the farm trivia for the day. For now the old car stuff has been halted. But I did receive the little LED lights for the Jaguar dash lights. Here is a pic. The little LEDs are sure packed in there. Should only take fifteen minutes to do the installation. Matt and Kerry, thanks for the tire advice. Summit Racing has the Firestone WW tires I want. All the vendors want the same price $197 each. But Summit offers free shipping. So that is a significant savings. I think I will order new tubes also. Might as well go all the way. Will let you know when they arrive. The vendors have the Jaguar clock and tach. I expect that it will be a month or so before they come back. Update: Well, I have ordered the tires and tubes from Summit. Two tires are on back order, but will be here on 12/2. Not a problem. Total cost is $864.

Terry, my 1923 McLaughlin Buick (made in Canada for export to the UK) has an original tail light with included stop light. It is original to the car. The switch is a little rectangle box with a sliding lever (in and out) that is connected to the frame and to the brake pedal with a spring. I have a pic of the light and will take a pic of the switch if anyone wants one. The light for the stop light is just a single filament bulb.

Matt, thanks. Found them. Free shipping is great. http://www.summitracing.com/parts/cok-643510/overview/

It is Thursday, November 13th. Cold, just above 40 and possible snow showers tonight. Certainly not as bad as they are getting up North. A couple of days ago I started looking for new tires for the Jaguar. They are now over ten years old, and one of the fronts has abnormal wear on its inside. So I know that the car is out of alignment. The tires now on it are Coker Classic Radials. They ride real harsh, squeal around the slightest corner, and the rubber feels rock hard. Here are two pics of the tread. You can see the inside wear in one of the pics. I have decided that I am going to go with the Firestone 3 and 1/4 WW bias tires. Universal Tire in Hershey, PA has them so I can head up there and pick them up to avoid shipping. No rush, so will wait for a day when I am bored and need a road trip. Here is a pic of the Firestone tire. Oh, they are $200 or so each.

It is Tuesday, November 11th, late PM. I want to thank all Veterans, past and present for their service. I have great memories of my four years in the Army in the late 60s. Spent all my time at Ft. Lewis, WA. I would also like to recognize my brother, Jeff. Jeff was a Lance Corporal in the Marines. In was killed in action at Hill 881 on the DMZ in VietNam, June 11, 1968. RIP my brother. Well, a busy day. Lots going on at the farm as it was a really nice day. I changed the oil in the whole house generator. It is good for another two years. Hope I will not have to use it this winter, but it looks like it could get a real workout. About noon I started work on the Jaguar. Time is running out before the latest polar vortex hits us with some real cold weather. It is now or never. I have been collecting tools since I was about 15. I still have them today. Also have my Dad's tools and some of Alice's fathers too. Good thing, I think I need a bunch from each set. I was able to remove the four bolts holding the dash to the console. Tight, but did it without too much of a problem. Disconnected the drive to the speedo and then was able to pull the dash about four inches out. Just enough to get to the little clamps holding the tach to the dash. With the clamps out I was able to pull the tach out the back. I did not remove the lines to the oil and temp gauges. I had enough room to work. So I was able to keep the car in running condition. So will box it up tonight and send it off tomorrow for a rebuild. I think that the cost will be right around $200. So I will have about $300 into the clock and tach rebuild. I also ordered four LED lights for the dash instruments too. Here are some pics. It will be fun to put everything back together. Not much room and a lot has to be done by feel.

Donn, thanks, will check them out. I know that they are available from XKS unlimited, a Jaguar vendor. The cost is about $700 for a 35 amp unit. It is Sunday, November 11th, PM. Headed off this morning for our little Cars and Coffee. Four of us showed up. Just too cold for most folks. I think we are done until the Spring. But we had a real nice ride through the countryside. Great to whip up the leaves running down the road. Too much fun. Arrived home and decided to remove the tachometer and clock from the Jag. The clock works some of the time, and the tach gave up the ghost over the summer. I did remove the cable from the tach and made sure that the cable was turning. Going to send both out for rebuilds. I got the clock out pretty easily. The hot wire and two screws and it was out of the tachometer housing. Here is a pic. It is missing three tiny screws from the brass back plate. Sending it off tomorrow to Mike Eck in NJ. He does clock repairs by refreshing/rebuilding the clock and putting in a solid state control mechanism versus the mechanical points that are in the original clocks. Do not want a quartz conversion, which are available, because you would not hear the little tick, tick, tick of the original. Besides, it is only $75 to fix the clock. I looked on how I might remove the tach. Lots of wires and not much room. Cannot see how it is attached to the back of the panel. Removed the radio to see if I can get a better look. Better, but no cigar. It looks like I may have to remove the center console that holds all the gauges. I can see the bolts (four of them) that hold the panel to the dash. Will see if that works tomorrow. If the four bolts come out then the panel will lay down and I will be able to get at everything. Here is hoping and wishing. I found a good repair shop in NY. It is called Nisonger Instruments and Smith gauges are their specialty.

It is Saturday, November 8th, PM. Wayne just called, and he wants to have Cars and Coffee tomorrow/Sunday in Warrenton, VA at the Safeway. Same place as last week. We will take the Jaguar. Going to meet at 9 AM.

It is Thursday, November 5th, AM. For your morning coffee, we have a Greg report. "I know, I'm way behind in progress reports. Trying to adjust to the change in weather , time and projects. The Avanti 5054 is dormant for the winter. Resuming the Matheson engine project, I've begun swapping out temporary hardware for some freshly nickel plated. Of course this disturbs the ignition adjustments previously done, so it will be good to remind myself how I did it last time. And then I can try out that coil that Rob found for me. I'm also trying to move the '10 Overland along. Three tires mounted and the fourth held up by repair to the remaining wheel. The rust damage has been sandblasted, primed and filled. Touching up the rim itself has been hampered by not having a wet sample of the custom mixed Overland Blue Dark or the formula so I've sent the wheel to Rob's painter who is aces in matching color and texture of paint. I also like the fact that he deals with the firm who mixed this color for me back in the day. I hope he'll go ahead and blow the color on the rim and it will be ready for me to mount the tire. And in order to move along, I've devoted some of my lunch time to prep of small parts on hand. The steering box a good candidate to get underway. Rusty gears and bearing races have been sent out for an estimate for duplication. Scaring up any good used parts has yet to be successful. Meanwhile the housing and related parts are getting prepped by glass bead blasting, some round parts get a cleanup cut in the lathe and all stabilized by brushing on some epoxy primer. One photo shows a typical component after blasting which details the damage inflicted by time and man with a pipe wrench. I could duplicate this part easily enough, but I'm dedicated to restoring the car, not replacing it. Also included a couple shots taken at a local car show. Barb is having a hard time trying to decide between the Agnes Moorehead T-bird and the undertaker's Corvette." =

It is Wednesdday, November 5th, early PM. All is quiet on the old car front. Been spending lots of time on farm stuff getting ready for winter. Got 250 gallons of propane yesterday so I think that we are all set with a total of about 400 gallons. I received my detailed scoring from the Jaguar concours event. I received very minor deductions for fit and finish, but lost a total of 3 points (major deductions) for three things. First, an alternator versus a generator; second, an exposed to the eye plastic fuel filter; and three an incorrect oil line, which was braided versus a hard line. I should have known to fix the fuel filter and the oil line. We were told that we came in third, but evidently we came in second. Here are the results.

Thought you all might like to see a pride of Jaguars in Australia.

Until we get more information and pictures, this is what Wiki says. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lada_Niva

If you have plugs to attach the exhaust system then how is the exhaust going to get out of the engine? That engine just has to run. Just add a bit of fuel and I bet it will run with all the work you have done. Actually, I continue to be amazed.