1929 Hupmobile project

[Hupp36]

Dean as soon as I can figure out to post a pic you will see 2 Hupps and a 1960 Merc Conv that I just sold. Chuck

[Guest dmarting]

Dean I think I might have the pitman arm for you. I parted one out several years ago and have many extra parts. I'll check this week if you are still in need of the part. I don't have any use for it. I own a 27 hupp opera coupe (that's what my dad called it anyway)

[Guest dmarting]

by the way, fantastic job you are doing!

[Guest Dean_H.]

Wow! This forum has the most generous people on the planet. The pitman arm I need measures about 1.15" on the small side of the taper and the large is about 1.22".

I called the dealer dude today. He said he is not sure if they have it, but they'd look around. He sounded sincere.

[Guest dmarting]

Dean, mine appears to be 1" on both. It's out of a Century 6 sedan. I do however have both the pitman arm & the gearbox & you're welcome to both if you want them. (actually have the whole front suspension wheel to wheel.) I bought this sedan just to have extra parts for mine and I haven't needed them in 20 years so they're just taking up space. If you run into anything else you need let me know. I have basically the whole car minus the frame/body/upholstery...sorry I didn't read your post earlier...

[Guest Dean_H.]

dmarting, Thanks for checking, would have been all over that steering box a few weeks ago. I think I'll stay with the one I have now. Are you on the west coast?

My steering wheel was missing the center trim piece. I found a big galvanized washer that would suffice if I made the center hole larger.

After looking at some pictures on the internet, I noticed the trim piece I needed had three levels. I attempted to duplicate that.

Here it is on the steering wheel. The original does not have screws showing. It would have taken longer to figure out how to attach it without screws, I'm in a hurry to finish this thing.

It took a while to get the center part with all the levers and horn button together. In this pic it's being installed into the column.

At the steering box end all the levers and and wires needed to be hooked up. The spark advance and throttle work well. The headlight switch seems to function normally, but my headlight bulbs are burned out, so I didn't actually test it. And... drum-roll, the most important part of any restoration.. the horn, works perfectly.

Here's the steering wheel after completion.

[keiser31]

Dean...I just GOTTA keep laughing about how ridiculously talented you are. And that dashboard looks like it will only need cleaning and a little touching up!

[Hupp36]

Hi Dean The new piece you made was originaly some sort of black bakelite. It had 4 nails molded into it.In order to remove the wood part of the stering wheel from the metal cast hub it is necessary to take this black bakelite ring off and if it is not known that its nailed on, in most cases it comes off in pieces. If perhaps someone else is trying to remove the wood part of the steering on a 28 or 29 Hupp A this may help. And yes like Keiser 31 you are one talented individual. Chuck

[Guest Dean_H.]

Thanks Kieser, it helps when you're not smart enough to figure out how difficult this might be. . My dash is almost good enough to reuse. I'm afraid I won't be able to duplicate the wood grain, but I'm really not satisfied with it. I may just touche it up like you mentioned. Hupp36, thanks for decribing that steering center. Too bad I didn't know how they did that. Oh well, when I paint the screws black, they'll hardly be noticed.

I got my third door on, only one more to go. It fit well. Those of you who've been following this, may remember I replaced some structural wood on this side. If everything wasn't put back together right the doors don't fit. We outsmarted them this time.

I've also been fiddling with some odds and ends. In this pic you can see all the floor boards are in. I had to remake one (painted black), the others were OK.

I buttoned up the wires at the fuse box

I ordered some aluminum material to make a center piece for my front bumper, it's missing. Since it won't be exactly original anyway, I bolted in a crank holder, which I'll use to hold my removable center piece. It's easier to crank the engine with a long crank. The original crank is short and the operator reaches between the bumper and grille to start the car. The license plate is also mounted in that space. It just didn't seem like a good setup to me.

[Hupp36]

Dean I have a close up pic of the bumper center piece but I do not know how to post it with this thread. My email is Huppn36@wmconnect.com. I know how to send a pic by email.If you would like this pic, email me Chuck

[Guest 1928Packard526]

Chuck —

Posting pictures on this thread is easy and a valuable skill to have. Even us twisted users of the MAC can do it. It goes like this:

LOG IN

GO TO THE QUICK REPLY BOX OF THE THREAD WHERE YOU WISH TO POST

ENTER WHATEVER BIT OF TEXT YOU WANT TO GO WITH THE ATTACHMENT THEN —

CLICK ON THE "SWITCH TO FULL REPLY SCREEN"

CLICK ON UNDERSCORED "FILE MANAGER" COMMAND

CLICK ON "BROWSE". IN THE RESULTING WINDOW TO LOCATE YOUR SELECTED IMAGE, (I SUGGEST YOU PLACE IN ON THE DESKTOP BEFORE YOU START THIS PROCEDURE FOR EASE OF LOCATING IT)

CLICK ON THE FILE AND THEN THE "ADD" COMMAND.

FINALLY CLICK ON THE "DONE.." COMMAND TO RETURN TO THE

"TEXTING" MODE.

Just to check out my instructions I posted a picture of my '29 Lincoln with the message as I wrote them.

Pete P.

[Hupp36]

Dean hopefully this is the pic of the bumper center badge Chuck

[Guest Dean_H.]

Pete, I have a full page print of your Lincoln in my shop. I was just showing it to a friend of mine last night. A real beauty, right behind my Hupp of course.

Chuck, that'd be a big help. An email is coming your way. You seem to have a good knowledge of Hupmobile. I may be contacting you for future questions. Hupps rule!

Dean

[Hupp36]

Dean hopefully this is the pic of the center badge of the bumper. Chuck

[Guest 1928Packard526]

Chuck—

One small point I neglected to mention is that your image file must be in the .jpg, or .gif format, I believe. If there are other formats that work I have forgotten them.

This would be a good point for one of the thread monitors to jump in and correct my instructions and explain the real skinny on how image posting should be done. I have obviously missed something, but it works for me, (most of the time):-)

Pete P.

[Guest Dean_H.]

Here's the picture Chuck posted, this will help me a lot. The best people in the world tune into this forum, thanks Chuck.

I was working on my car this morning when I heard a horn out in the driveway. It was FedEx dropping off a box with my new headlight bulbs and some other items. Good things always come in boxes, bad things come registered mail. I don't accept the latter.

Check out those beauties! Both high and low beam! All my wiring worked perfectly. I have a factory wire schematic that has really come in handy. But I did stray a little with a separate ground wire from both lights to the frame.

[Guest 1928Packard526]

Dean —

I am flattered that a picture of my Lincoln is even in the same space as your Hupp. I wish you were a bit closer so that I could take advantage of your talent and ideas in helping me restore my cars. Your innovation and skills are extraordinary. I will be watching to see how you approach the reproduction of the bumper badge. I know how I would do it, but you probably have a simpler and more elegant solution in mind.

I would make a full-size wooden model of the piece and trot that off to a local foundry to have a brass sand casting made that included the fastening studs that must be embedded in the back.

I had such castings made for the door pulls on my Packard. After cleanup and plating they are indistinguishable from the originals but are many times stronger than the original pot metal versions.

Pete P.

[Hupp36]

Pete Someone in the hupp club is in the process having this part repoed but Dean had the material to make it on the way and I bet when he finishes it, It will look so good that it will take a good man to tell the differance. Besides look at all the fun he is having doing it himself. He gives us a I think I can do this if I try.Time for me to get off the soap box.

[Guest 1928Packard526]

Chuck —

I expect you are correct and that Dean will find his own way to repo that badge. It will be as you described and indistinguishable from the original.

I imagine there are some others with talents and abilities similar to those of Dean, but none that are as thorough at documenting their progress in pictures as he has been. I know I'll be watching.

Dean has also inspired me to do a better job on my project cars, and most important of all, to document the steps as I went along with pictures.

From what you say about Dean having material on the way to make a badge sounds like he is planning to "carve" it directly out of the end material. That is a process I definitely want to watch and I know he will share pictures with the rest of us.

Pete P.

[Guest Dean_H.]

Pete, I know a guy who made some parts for his '31 Lincoln just like you described, they came out very nice. But it was a little expensive after getting the parts chromed. Of course I want to be different. I Bought some aluminum stock off eBay. Material costs is only about $5.00. I figure if I can machine something close and buff it out, the price will be right. I usually try to keep these attempted efforts secret. If it comes out terrible I just don't post anything. This one is front and center, hope it works out.

My material arrived yesterday afternoon and I got started on it. First I drew an outline of the shape, using Chucks picture as a guide.

Once I rough cut the piece out I dished out the two areas that go against the bumper. In this picture I'm machining the curve on one side. This is as far as I've gone.

[Hupp36]

Pete I love original cars and your Lincoln looks like maybe alittle touch here and there is what it needs. Original cars are getting a lot of attention these days. Just a thought Chuck

[Guest 1928Packard526]

Chuck —

My Lincoln was originally intended as a preservation only effort, as it ran and drove well when I bought it in '82. Unfortunately it had to be kept in our daughter's horse barn in GA for most of the intervening years between then and almost two years ago.

Both our last two antique cars, (from when we lived in CA), spent the time in her barn while we sailed in the Caribbean and up the east coast on our liveaboard sailboat. That hiatus was not kind to either vehicle.

Our '28 Packard was closer to completely restored so we brought that down to FL first, after we gave up sailing because of health problems and moved onto land.

Both cars are intended as drivers only. Here is a photo of the Packard pretty much as it is now.

The Lincoln has suffered greatly and now needs a mild restoration to be even presentable. I have cleaned up the engine compartment and redone some of the nastiest upholstery. But that is about where it will end except for possibly some rechroming of the bumpers and a repaint. I am still turning the wisdom of those steps over in my mind.

Pete P.

[Hupp36]

Pete Just looking at the Packard one can feel the power. My 8-cyl 1936 Hupp with Hupp Super drive gives me that same feeling. I am glad to hear you drive yours as I have driven my Hupp 18,000 miles since 1991. Chuck

[Guest Dean_H.]

That's a great looking Packard, Pete. In Jack Passey's book, on the subject of how everyone loves Packards. He compared Packard to a painted up floozy and Lincoln to a classy lady. I guess you have the best of both worlds there.

I tinkered with that bumper badge today. In this picture I'm dishing out the back side a bit more, to get a better fit on the bumper.

Comparing my marks to chucks picture.

When I finish this thing, I'll start selling Alumaseal.

Aluminum machines easy, it didn't take long. I domed the front a little so it wouldn't look flat. This picture is after I smoothed it out with sandpaper.

Here it is on the bumper. I still need to buff it shiny, but the fit is good. Keep in mind, I don't intend to take my car to any shows. I figure if someone next to me at a stop light doesn't mention how nasty my front bumper badge looks, I'm OK.

[Guest 1928Packard526]

Dean —

The bumper badge looks great, and will be really sharp when you have polished it. You do truly amazing work.

Might I suggest you clear lacquer the polished piece to keep it looking bright. I have done that on the German silver cowl band I fabricated for the Packard and it looks as good today as when I installed it two years ago.

Thanks for the complement on our Packard. It is fun to drive, as I assume your Hupp will be as well, when it is ready for the road.

Our Lincoln is closer to work to drive. While the Packard is relatively "light on its feet" you are always aware of just how heavy a car the Lincoln actually is. One tug on the wheel confirms it. There are no power assists, of course, and they are needed; particularly for old pharts like myself. A day spent piloting either of these cars would be a truly tiring experience, yet we can easily do just that regularly in our modern cars.

There is no obvious flaw in the Lincoln's behavior, it is just more work to drive. We have been spoiled a bit by our modern cars, I expect.

Pete P.

[Durant Mike]

Dean

This can't be your first restoration project! I don't know if the wife of kids tell you, but us on the forum will. You are one tallented guy! I only wish I had the skill and ability you do with this car. You keep saying you won't show it, but I think you should when your done. You've got something to be proud of and especially when you can say "I made that".

[Guest Dean_H.]

I took your advice pete, and clear coated it.

Durant, I owned and worked on a lot of cars as a teenager. And in my early twenties ('80s) I built a pretty decent hot rod from a 1951 chev P/U. I participated at - Hot August nights in Reno - Beach Street in Santa Cruz - Graffetti night in Modesto and a few others. I had a great time and my truck always attracted a lot of attention. Then one day I decide to enter it in a local car show. It was a slam dunk, I was the only entry with a P/U, and they had a truck division. When they passed out awards I eagerly awaited my certain trophy. Incredibly, to my dismay, they awarded the truck prize to a primered station wagon beater. I haven't been to a car show since.

Sorry about the rant, I hold grudges forever!

I finished up my bumper badge today. I got a little carried away sanding out the scratches and had to regroove some of the detail.

I also stamped a number in it. I do this with all the parts I make. I guess I'm a bad person, but it amuses me when I think about the next guy restoring this Hupp, searching for a badge with the same part number.

Next I bolted it to a milk crate for polishing.

I got my wife to high light detail, I don't have a steady enough hand for this.

Here it is on the car after I clear coated it. I took the crank bracket off. Decided, I didn't feel like removing the badge every time I start the car. I'll probably just use the electric starter anyway.

And last but not least, a shot of the front of the car. It just gets better and better.

[Hupp36]

Dean There are 60 1929 Hupp A in our Hupmobile club. As a 39 year member,I seen at least 10 front bumpers and looking at yours can not tell the difference. As far as a trophy, I have watched you produce a few of them,one piece at a time. Have your wife take a picture of the smile on your face when you put the hupp in geer and drive out of the drive way. Thats some thing that will not collect dust. Chuck

[Guest 1928Packard526]

Dean —

An absolutely super job. The polished aluminum even seems to be a more than acceptable match in luster to the chrome bumper. What's next? You must now be very close to enjoying all your hard work. Are you going to start over with another car or just relax for awhile? If you choose the latter, I know many of us will miss your informative and exemplary posts.

Pete P.

[Guest Dean_H.]

Pete, I'm pretty sure I'll be doing another project when this ones done. Hmmm...If only I could talk you into selling that Lincoln.

You're absolutely correct, Chuck. I'd trade all the trophies in the world for a ride in this old crate. It's a ton of fun driving back and forth in the yard. I can hardly wait to get it out on the open road.

Chuck, since you have been in the Hupp club for so long, maybe you knew the previous owner of my car. Here is a letter from some paperwork I got with the car. The fellow I bought the car from said he bought it from the Kestenbaum estate and had it shipped out here to the left coast. Steve K. started the restoration and now the baton has been passed to me.

[R W Burgess]

Dean, this is an excellent forum thread. I'd like to also add your part number Hupmobile WLH7729 to this post. If some lucky "googler" is looking for a Hupp part, at least he'll realize from this forum that anything can be made.......as long as you're talented.

Wayne

[Guest Dean_H.]

Thanks Wayne,

I stamp the same part number on every part I make. It's my Dad's initials and birth date. He liked cars of this vintage. Lost him to cancer back a year and a half. He was a great one and I miss him a lot. He owned a 1931 Hupmobile roadster in the forties, it was one of his favorite cars. He often talked about it and most likely would of loved owning another. I'm keeping his dream alive and having a pretty good time along the way.

I don't have a picture of my Dad's Hupp, but here he is in front a 1923 Chevrolet he drove around town during the war. He said, since this car was considered an old jalopy, a cop stopped him to check the brakes, horn, lights and the works on it. When everything turned out OK he asked my Dad for his drivers license. That was not OK, Dad was too young and got a ticket for driving without a license. Eventually, this car broke an axle at the four corners in Coralitos, Ca. My Grandfather had it towed to the junkyard.

[Guest Dean_H.]

Hmmm....

I found a skill saw cuts aluminum pretty well.

Roughed out four pieces. The original door handles are cracked up. It should be possible to hammer out some new ones.

Yesterday I couldn't spell masheenist, today I are one!

[Hupp36]

Dean yes I knew Bob Huxtable. He wrote me a letter about 1973 to see if I had a dash insert for a 1929 hupp A. Not the car you have but a 1929A Roadster.I had a dash insert for an M and he could not use it. I believe he was a charter member of the Hupmobile club like myself. When I get home, I wil send you a pic of his 29 roadster. It is to bad that engineers did not test the pot metal for longevity. If they would have we would not have to make so many new parts. I have a friend that is a welder. He says the only thing he cannot do is, mend a broken heart or weld the crack of doom. You and him should get together. chuck

[Scotts_DG8]

Hey look, your back

You know I am so curious how your handles are going to turn out. If things look promising I may just give it a crack with the handles for my '31 DG-8 because one is nothing more than a piece of flat metal and the other is only marginally better but it does have a basic shape. I do see where your going with this and I for one do think you are on to something and it’s looking like it just might be feasible. Scott

[HarryJ]

Dean, again I am in awe of your talent. I noticed you read the biography of Jack Passey. Isn't it great! If you are going to reproduce those die cast door handles by machining them I would consider teaching a CNC machine to make them. In that way you preserve the pattern.

[Guest Dean_H.]

Well here we are again, fat dumb and happy. Harry, no doubt a CNC turning center would be great. I unfortunately only have manual machines... Real men use the old stuff, sissies need CNC.

I haven't done a lot in the last couple days. It's been raining cats and dogs here. I have a tin roof and the noise drowns out my radio. I just don't work well without my favorite country station playing.

Here is what I did manage to do, drilled and tapped the pieces. I don't have a tapping head. The tap is held by a collet, turned the mill speed down slow and it works pretty well.

Found some old head bolts to use for the shaft. I'll drill a pin into each of these to prevent the shafts from spinning.

I stuck some wedges in the vice to force the part to sit at an angle. This allowed me to form a high center crown.

More wedges in the vice to taper the sides.

Here's what the first one looks like after I made the groove around the edge. My original handle fell off the bench and broke in half. Doh!

And this last pic is at my computer. I cut the round base with the lathe. The original has a slight taper. I'm staring at it here, trying to decide if it's worth the trouble to make a taper. Maybe no one would notice anyway.

[Guest 1928Packard526]

Dean —

Go for the taper! You have already created such a good match to the original you don't want to spoil that by deviating at this point. The taper and the small ridge detail at the escutcheon interface should be an easy thing to do for a person with as much skill as you have shown so far.

Small point— Do my eyes deceive me, or is the handle you have made slightly wider than the original, and if that's correct, was that part of your plan?

Pete P.

[Ben Bruce aka First Born]

Good choice in music!! And as said before, VERY good work. Your post make turning on the computer worthwhile.

Thanks. Ben

[aussie al]

Dean

I have been following this forum since about October/ November last year when I started work on the restoration of a 28 roadster about the same time. I googled for any Hup restoration projects and found your forum. Many many thanks for taking the time to document the process and congratulations on the excellent skill and workmanship you are putting into the restoration. It is fascinating to watch. I have attached a photo of the roadster (I hope) fyi.