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Tom Martinez

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Posts posted by Tom Martinez

  1. I understand in California under certain snow conditions in the mountains it is mandatory to have snow chains on the rear wheels. The police will pull you over and prevent you from proceeding, unless you have chains on the rear wheels, even if you have a front wheel drive car.

    Maybe our California readers can tell us if this law was ever changed.

    Yes this is the law. The reason it is useful in California is because the proximity of snow covered mountains to very large populations of drivers who are inexperienced with mountainous winter conditions. You can drive from 60 degree valley temps to freezing snowy conditions in 20 minutes, I do it almost every day during the winter. Chain control check points are common in the winter on the bigger highways but if you have a 4 wheel drive they rarely make you put chains on unless the conditions are extreme. I've been forced to put my chains on maybe 3 times in 20 years and frankly I needed them. Usually only the mountain commuters like me are stupid enough to drive in these conditions.

    But oh Lord! look out for the flatlanders in Ski season......

  2. I prefer Helicoils over Keenserts because the Helicoil uses a smaller tapped hole, which can be better when you have a thin cross section. I'd also rather remove a Helicoil than a Keensert! I've installed thousands of both with good success.

  3. Hi Bill, see my reply to you on the LOC site. Checking to see if the shaft is turning is a start but will only tell you that shaft is being driven. I had similar symptoms with my 31, it turned out to be a sheared drive pin on the impeller, a very easy fix, but I had to take it apart to diagnose it..the shaft was spinning merrily away but the impeller wasn't impelling. I also easily diagnosed the lack of circulation by feeling the radiator tanks, the top tank was hot, the bottom not, so no circulation. I then checked the flow of the radiator and engine with a garden hose, this narrowed it down to the pump. Just for the heck of it I also removed the gauge and sender, stuck the business end in a pot of water with a candy thermometer and boiled it to check the calibration, it was spot on 82 years after being manufactured. Email me direct if you need more details, you have my address

    Blue skies, Tom

  4. The man behind the early Cadillac and the first Cadillac V8 was Henry M Leland, "The master of precision™ He gave Cadillac the reputation of Standard Of The World. Henry Leland and his son Wilford went on to found the Lincoln Motor Company. It's no wonder that the first Lincolns had a fork and blade rod design similar to Cadillac. The man was an industrial and mechanical genius, founding two great car companies that survive to this day. Anyone interested in American auto history should study this man.

  5. I guess my wording was lame, sorry. I intended to say that Lincoln only had a V8 in 1931, priced between $4700-$7400, and it's price point was comparable to the V12 and V16 Caddy, among other super high end cars of the day. In 1932, Lincoln brought out a V12 of their own to stay competitive. In hindsight it is simply amazing that most all the luxury makers got sucked into the cylinder wars during the worst economy ever, of course many were lost in the "war" with the survivors never again creating the grand machines that were priced in the stratosphere.

  6. I stand corrected. It appears that in 1931 a Lincoln cost nearly twice as much as a Cadillac.

    The Lincolns were nearly twice the price of the V8 Cadillac, but not V12 or V16, which were priced between $3945-$9200, and the Lincolns were priced between $4600-$7400. These cars were aimed the wealthy, or very comfortable to say the least.

  7. This thread is very interesting because there are not many modern comparisons regarding the great price chasm between regular cars and the "fine" cars of the day. This 1931 Lincoln was priced new at approximately $4750, about 10 times more than a Model A. The least expensive Lincoln was the Lebaron roadster at $4,100. The most expensive new Lincoln today is not 10 times more than the least expensive new Ford. Some 1931 custom Lincolns were over $7,000. Did you get 10 or 15 times more car than the Model "A"? There is evidence that the Lincoln Motor Company lost money on every one of these Lincolns in 1931. Apparently there are old invoices that show the cost of the custom bodies that were supplied by Lebaron, Judkins, etc, that are more than the retail price of the entire car! Apparently the final purchaser got the body less than cost and the chassis and assembly for free! Ford had no shareholders to answer to so they could get away with it. a Duesenberg probably cost as much as it did because the company needed to make money. Edsel built the best cars regardless of profit or loss. Another interesting observation is that I'm currently selling this car, and the market says that it is only worth about 3 or 4 times what a Model A is worth.

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  8. I'm offering my 1931 Lincoln Limousine for sale, 145" WB, aluminum body, serial #66179 body style 207B. I bought this car as an unfinished restoration from an estate. The paint and interior had been done, it was partially disassembled. I put it back together and brought it to the state is now. It starts, stops, shifts and runs well. The paint is done to a reasonable standard, the interior is very nice wool. there are few things that remain to do, such as the luggage rack and some nickel plating. Please contact me for a detailed description I've written out. Many more pictures can be found by clicking: http://forums.aaca.org/members/tommartinez/albums/31lincoln/ The price is $49,950 Tom Martinez tmartinez@martinezandturek.com (951) 453-9080, Rialto, California. 92376

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  9. Gary, yes there is a button on top of the shift knob, it is for taking the car out of freewheeling, which is default in 2nd and high gears. The operation is pretty simple, it's a quick clutch release, then push the button, then move the shift lever a short throw. If you leave the car in freewheeling you can shift between 2nd and high gear without using the clutch. I frequently take it out of freewheeling in hilly terrain, but on level roads It's unobtrusive. The button should be nickel plated and what you see is the underlying brass. Many descriptions of the 31 Lincolns say it has synchromesh, I don't know how this error has propagated but I see it everywhere in auction descriptions and the like. I can assure you, 31 Lincolns do not have a synchromesh, folks might be confusing it with the freewheeling shift operation. Real synchromesh came in 1932.

  10. Some recent pictures of the Limo, I've done some more work in preparation to probably sell it. It starts well, hot or cold, idles, runs, shifts, stops, generates juice, rides decent, does not overheat (the shutter system have been entirely restored) It's pretty well sorted out to be a decent driver. The paint is of a moderate quality, the interior is very nice wool, the chrome is all new. The engine compartment and underside are scruffy, but not a disaster. I have a few more things to do like restore the luggage rack, mount the smoking vanities, attach the other horn, and few other small things. I drove it in a parade last week with no problem...it was quite a hit as not many people have seen a big Classic up close. Contact me if you have interest now. post-53322-143142139019_thumb.jpg

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  11. There were two series of Model K in 1934, the KA and the KB, with the KA having a 136" W.B. and the KB a 145" I believe they shared the same engine.

    It's difficult to say what the seller has without a full side view. I think either series could be had with side mounts. Of course the KB with the 145" W.B. would be more valuable, but both series were built to the highest standards, with the difference being the W.B. and trim.

    The picture that Auburnseeker posted appears to be a KA based on how close the spare tire is to the front door, indicating hood length, where most of the differences lie.

    A worthy car indeed, but it will take much money to restore to original.

    Regards from Tom in Ca.

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