Avanti R2, 1963, refresh

[unimogjohn]

It is Saturday, April 28th, PM. I was not going to report in as I did not do much on the car front. But habits are hard to break. It is just natural to post every day.

Just did a quick polish of the Jaguar for the show tomorrow. I will remember to take the camera and take a lot of pictures. We are excited about going.

And spent four hours on the barn. Just as I though we got about 1/3 of the roof on, about 7 feet. Here is a pic. Sorry about the quality, just went out and shot it at 8 PM.

Spent the rest of the day mowing the pastures, about four acres today. And of course I have hay fever so after three hours I was miserable. Gave that up for the day.

[unimogjohn]

It is Sunday, April 29th. Heading out to pull the Jaguar from the barn and warm her up before the trip to the show. Rained hard last night, but today is suppose to be beautiful and in the high 60s. My kind of weather.

And here is Greg's report. Looks like his tour is off. Bummer.

"Been busy.

Yesterday I clocked out early to tighten and cotter axle nuts, fill the differential with gear oil , mount the rear wheels and try out the new Avanti axle on the maroon car.

I was really anxious about it. Seems most of the Studebaker enthusiasts I've talked to told me that I was making a mistake, 3.07 gears were too tall. Maybe if I lived in flat land I might get away with it, I'll have to be light on the clutch, etc.

Well, let me tell you. With the four speed, first gear starts fine, be light on the clutch if you start in second. If you enjoy listeneing to the supercharged Studebaker engine as it gathers rpm, the 3.07 is all the more pleasant. I haven't punched it yet, but it accelerates very nicely. Out on the Interstate, now I can keep up with traffic with the engine loafing. What was 22 mph per thousand rpm with the 3.73 is now 27. 60 mph was 2700, now just a few over 2200. So now Seabiscuit really lives up to it's namesake and really has found it's stride.

I'll get into trouble for saying this, but when I hear stories of the guys setting Avantis up for the drag strip with 4.xx gears, then they tell me about trying to drive the car to the strip and getting in the way of traffic even though their engines are screaming...I just cringe. To me, the Avanti signifies FAST. On the drag strip it falls into the category of just another car. Way lown the list of et's.

Where they were meant to shine was on top end running. When you could take a showroom or dealer prepared car, maybe drop it off at Paxton for a little supertune, and run the 160 speedo out of numbers......that's their reputation. Top Cat.

( Now an Avanti powered Lark, that's the ultimate drag car in my opinion.)

So, I used to like old Seabiscuit. Now I REALLY like it.

Today I spent getting the Dodge ready for a tour tomorrow. Feser's trailer outside ready to be loaded for the early start to the collection point an hour and a half from here. Reset the ignition timing. Gathered the tools. The spare was always flat, so I pulled it down and stuffed a new tube in it. Found the jack I bought at Hershey and made the missing handle. Aired the other tires, packed the usual equipment under the seat and put some gas in the tank.

And of course, true to form, just as I finished the boss came in. "You're going to be here tomorrow aren't you?! When I said that "Well, I had other plans", I almost had to give him oxygen. I'll be entertaining tomorrow. So, no complaints. It's because of him I get to do what I get to do.

PS. Paul Johnson. There's a Horseless Club tour coming through your neighborhood tomorrow. A stop at the train museum and lunch at a country store out your way. I won't be able to blow my horn at you.

PPS. Anybody know of a 2.87 gearset for the Dana 44? I think my black R3 automatic needs one.

=

[unimogjohn]

Still Sunday, but PM. Just arrived home from the Britain on the Green annual car show. The weather was great, the grounds were beautiful, and there were over 200 cars.

The show was held at the Collingwood Museum for American History. It was one of George Washington's five farms.

The Jaguar ran great, and we arrived about 9:45 AM. We found our designated spot and unloaded. Almost immediately folks came over to see the car and talk to us. We just had a great time. We made sure lots of folks got to sit in the car and picture themselves owning a classic car.

We were in the Jaguar Sports class, which was comprised of all the XK cars (120s, 140s, 150s) and all XKE type cars. There was probably about fifteen total in the class.

All the cars were great and decked out to the 9s. A couple of the 120s were recently restored, and one was original to a family. The son of the owner was there with his 150 and he told us that he is passing it on to his son. All the cars were really nicely presented and were certainly more than driver quality.

It was then to our surprise our Jaguar won first place in its class. So we got a metal and lots of praise on the condition of the car.

The car ran great too, we were on the freeway most of the time and just pooped along at 60 to 65 mph at 3,000 rpm.

Here are a couple of pics. But all my pics are available for viewing at

https://picasaweb.google.com/unimogjohn/BritianOnTheGreenCarShow2011#

[unimogjohn]

It is Monday, April 30th. Up early, have to get the Jaguar checked out and put away as it is suppose to rain this afternoon. Going to check the transmission oil and rear end oil. Have not done that yet. Just want to make sure that they are topped off.

Attached are pics of David, Trimacar, Coco's Hupp. She is getting ready for her big reveal in a couple of days. Dave reports that she is running, but he has not driven her yet. Still things to sort out, like brakes.

And here is Greg's report from the weekend for your morning coffee.

" Well, another weekend shot .......

Haven't heard any results of the HCCA tour in W. Va, but they sure had a good day for it.

I of course had to cancel, but it was for a good reason and nothing like being punished by being forced to demonstrate the operation of an original 1910 Wright engine for guests. Twice. Can't be many other people in the world who did that today.

Id say "After the smoke had cleared", but engine #20 , even with its original 5/16" plain rings, doesn't smoke.

After the guests had cleared, and supper was done, I was left on my own. What to do? Take old Maroon Avanti Seabiscuit out for a good run.

I'm sure you've been privy to my old friend Dick Bennet's opinion of my choice of axle ratio. Drag racer Dick who prefers a car that can reach top speed before crossing the street. I just hope , as a fellow Studebaker Avanti owner, that he doesn't embarrass us by taking his car out onto the Intestate. By holding up traffic he might anger the Pious Prius owners.

Dick, let's just say that your car might be quicker, but mine's faster. But seriously, exceeding the limit is a real problem these days. Unlike the old days they don't issue warnings. It's all about revenue enhancement.

And getting into the act is the DMV and the insurance companies. They're ruthless and are anxious to do ugly things to you.

Did I ever tell you the story about actually losing my driver's license because of my Stoddard Dayton? And it wasn't even running yet. A title, insurance, and communication problem left me without a permit for months and I didn't even know it. Expensive to remedy, but now taken care of. I don't need more of that kind of grief.

Punching it on the onramp, now that's different.

But Dick was sure right about one thing. Gas mileage. I drove the Interstate to Front Royal, home of the gas war. Filled the tank and made the return run running with traffic, and topped it off again. The last time I did this, the result was 11 MPG. This time, with speedometer correction, the thirty-four miles cost almost two gallons = 17 MPG.

Sometime I want to follow John Erb's advice and start leaning the carburetor to get more . Sometime. Now, I just want to drive it."

[unimogjohn]

Here is what did said about Greg's choice of axle ratios so you know the context of Greg's comments noted above.

OK, you expected it and maybe asked for it, so here goes. I would not want to disappoint.

I'm glad that you like your girly gears as I believe each is entitled to set up his car however he pleases. Look out for the new economy four bangers with their low end torque, they will eat you alive.

I might agree with you if we could drive our Avanti's over one hundred miles per hour on the street, but truth is the only reason to use those gears is for gas mileage (if it is worth the sacrifice). Even the management of Studebaker ( a bunch of old men) suggested a 3:73 with the R2.

I'll stick with the punch when I push the pedal and sacrifice the gas mileage.

Dick

[unimogjohn]

Still Monday, but PM. Decided that today was the day to finish the Avanti bumpers. So the rear came off (again), and I elongated the body hole for the wing bolt. Sounds easy, but that rear bumper has four main bolts, all of which are very difficult to get to. So after two hours I was done. All the bolts are back in and the wings are secure. So the bumpers are done!

After a quick clean to remove the bugs from the front of the car, I put the Jaguar back in the barn. As usual I got side tracked and forgot to check the transmission oil. Oh well. Will leave that for another day.

Since the Avanti is almost done I decided to take her out for a spin and a fill up. Greg's place is close by town so paid him a visit. He was working on the Wright V8. It sure looks big. Greg had seven cylinder heads on. Impressive.

Greg went out and looked over the car. And pronounced it OK. He did not like one of the front bumper wings as it was not parallel to the ground. I tried to explain that the brackets were all busted up and twisted. He said, "Well why don't you fix them?" Oh well, another thing for another day.

We then went for a ride in his maroon Avanti with the new axle. Greg let me drive. Wow, that car is quick. That four speed is one nice shifting unit. The throw is very short.

It would have been great to get the two cars together for a picture. But of course I forgot my camera. Another day for sure.

So Shadow the dog and I headed home. Oh, what is that smell? Damn! Forgot the parking brake again. This is the second time. The rear brakes are probably charcoal.

Let them cool down and took another short ride. Everything is fine.

[unimogjohn]

It is Tuesday, May 1st, PM. Did I say that I hate the month of May. Usually, I am locked in the house for a couple of weeks in mid May due to hay fever, or in my case, tree fever. This year it is at least three weeks earlier than normal. I am really feeling it today. Can hardly breathe. Oh well.

I did get out this morning and check the transmission fluid in the Jaguar 120. I removed the cover on the tunnel and found a fist sized hole. I could not fit my hand down there, but was able to feel the dip stick handle. Then I was able to pull it out. The transmission is full. But then I had to get a mirror to be able to reinsert the stick. What a pain. Here is a pic. I held the camera over the hole and just shot it.

Also are the front and back of the first place metal that it won at the show.

[trimacar]

John, Atarax. Get your doctor to prescribe. Will shut down allergies immediately. Take it at night, sleep time after. Now, the legal disclaimer, I'm not nor have ever been a doctor, nor one qualified to suggest any medication whatsoever, and not responsible for any side affects or side effects or anything on the side at all.....

[unimogjohn]

It is Wednesday, May 2nd. Here is a report from Greg with lots of stories to tell.

"Well, stories about lawlessness with Avantis are beginning to crawl out from the cover of the statute of limitations.

This one from a friend in Idaho.

Greg, I must Comment!..... In Sept of '64 my college roommate and I took his brand new marina blue '65 Stingray to the dining hall at Idaho State U. Another kid had his dad's maroon R-2 at school that week so insults flew. I-15 was brand new waiting for a ceremony to open, so 50 to 70 college students moved the barriers and had a race. 327 (350 hp) Vette ate the Stude...until at maybe 120 mph we were passed and left in the dust of course. Problem was, with lots of bets on, no one had stipulated "drag race" or "top end." So the controversy raged for weeks. Jim.

Sounds to me like I-15 had a proper christening.

Meanwhile back at the ranch. Big day for me at the factory.

The original Wright V8 which was built and installed in a tiny airframe dubbed the Baby Grand had been test flown only a few times before it was to be entered in the big Gordon Bennett race. Orville had good luck with it, unofficial times quoted as high as seventy-eight in a day when the other guys were trying to break sixty. To pilot it in the race was Walter Brookins, the company's star pilot.

An engine problem put him and the BG in the dirt, he lived and the BG didn't. End of the story for the V8. Lost to history.

But fast forward to Mayday twenty-twelve. Photo enclosed of the first glimpse of the recreated 8-60 since the original was shoveled up from the Belmont, NY pile, Oct. 1910.

This is just a dress rehearsal, lots going on inside the case to figure out.

Otherwise, surprise guest Andrew King tonight. He's up to another brainstorm. His always require a lot of hard work and an element of adventure.

This time it is a recreation of a milestone flight. Andrew King of the Skies has commenced the construction of a 1912 Morane-Solnier monoplane, a modern copy of the craft used by Parla Orduna to make the flight from Key West to Havana in May of 1913. (attached is a pic from a google search)

When asked about the ninety-five mile flight over shark infested waters, he quipped "And back". In a wing warping airplane whose name is pronounced moron. So anyway, we knocked out some bronze bushings for him, he took me to dinner.

After a good visit with him, the weather being wonderful for working in the hangar on the hill, I took some time to scrape some paint in the engine compartment of old 5054. Got the right fender, photo enclosed.

That's my story for tonight."

[unimogjohn]

It is Thursday, May 3rd. More storms last night, muggy and going to be almost 90 degrees today. If I get a chance will take the Avanti out to the shop so they can see her all finished.

And Greg is back on his black Avanti while the weather is nice. Here is his report. He has to be getting to the point where he can put an Avanti engine back together in his sleep. This makes number 4 in the past year or so.

"Sometimes you don't get as much done as you'd like.

Got a late start this evening, was going to knock the soft plugs into place on that Paxton block. They have been kicking around here in my way until now. Guess I'll buy another set.

Then, why not get the cam gear mounted on the 288 and put it in. Gear went on fine. Then I noticed that the rear cam bearing isn't there. I guess Lee knocked it out when he sleeved the block. I'll have to go see him tomorrow and hope it's there somewhere.

So, there's always paint to strip. Slow going, but I got most of it off the left fender apron. Once I get the firewall stripped, there won't be much black left. Then it will be sandpaper time."

[unimogjohn]

Still Thursday, PM. Well I did take the Avanti out for a long run to the body shop and then over to the paint shop. Both groups worked on the car so it was great to show them the finished product. Chris, the painter, was very happy to see the car. He said that he paints them and usually never sees the finished product. Glad I was able to bring the car to him.

There were just a couple of spots on the paint that needed to be polished out. Chris gladly did them in about three minutes. Always pays to take it to a pro.

Then I got two neighbor kids and we went off again to load hay for the llamas. Filled the horse trailer and then an open trailer. Some of the bales were so heavy that it took two of us to lift them. We have about 100 bales put away, another 50 or so to go. Ah, the life of a farmer.

PS: Forgot, we also decided to take the Avanti to the Car and Coffee get together on Sunday. Chris, Seventhson, said that he might bring his now running Avanti. Wayne in his 72 Corvette will caravan up with us too. Going to be a fun morning.

Edited May 4, 2012 by unimogjohn
added a PS (see edit history)

[unimogjohn]

It is Friday, May 4th. Going to be hauling hay for most of the day. Oh joy, and it is only suppose to be 90 degrees today.

I have decided to try to mount the glass headlight covers on the Avanti. Greg said to tape them to the body so I do not drop them. Also going to put foam rubber on the ground just in case. Remember, try means no promises.

More work and stories from Greg. Here is his report.

"Ok, looks like we're going to get a thunderstorm. That means I won't be holding onto any heavy equipment and shutting down the computer so it doesn't blow any fuses.

Nice evening, nice enough to resume scraping paint. Took a look at the dwindling amount of paint remover in the can , the really pleasant evening weather and then Ol Seabiscuit (maroon Avanti). I don't need much of an excuse to go cruising in it.

It was dying to be exercised, so off to Home Depot for more remover. Even though I'm nearing the end of the chemical stripping, I bought a gallon.

Tonight I was able to do the firewall on the black Avanti, or at least what I could reach without climbing inside the engine compartment. Crawling under dashboards, over fenders, beneath cars....it just isn't as much fun as it used to be.

An otherwise busy day, I did find time to see if Lee had my cam bearing and headgasket. No and no. He had to knock out the rear bearing for his tooling to pass through, guess the little people came out from under the equipment and squirreled it away.

I'll have to order another set of bearings and it sounds like old friend John Erb has offered me another gasket. Studebaker people are good people.

And by the way, for those of you who care: Tomorrow is National Steve Rhodes Birthday Day.

My friend since childhood, we've known each other since the days when we set up discarded roofing tin to serve as super speedways for model cars. Push started him on his Moped (the one that had the broken muffler, it sounded like a B-36), the same Steve who drove first a nice '56 Plymouth (with a billion miles on it). Last seen on the day we were cruising Winchester's Valley Avenue and it started knocking , hammering and engulfed us in smoke. We walked away, the last time I ever saw it.

The same guy who's Mother replaced it for him with a '57 Chevy two door. 210 model I think? Cheapest one without even a radio. Six cylinder three speed. But it was a 261 truck block with a 235 head. Geared to climb trees, When street racing , friend Steve would take on anything. Cobra, GTO, Corvette, a rail job dragster if one would have been at the light beside him. None of them stood a chance. The high horsepower stuff would be burning rubber, Steve'd be banging high gear. But it wouldn't take long before the Chev would max out. Like the night we were racing Dickie Breeden in his hopped up '56 Chev. We had him until we topped out at ninety-five when Dickine pulled up beside us, flashed that goofy grin and held up three fingers. Then he casually dropped it into fourth gear and went on.

The Steve Rhodes who always found the pot of gold. Once he was going to take up tennis. Told me he'd flinch when the ball was driven at his head. The instructor recommended that he take up Karate to get over it. It wasn't long before Steve was representing the US in Karate competitions .... in China.

A best friend who I've only seen maybe once since the eighties. He has moved on to become Winchester's (known for it's apple harvesting) premier Avacado orchardist. Sometime I'll have to make the trip to Southern Califorinia in Seabiscuit so that he can again drive his old Studebaker. It's got some stories too."

Best Birthday Wishes.

Edited May 4, 2012 by unimogjohn (see edit history)

[Bill Stoneberg]

Glad to see I am not the only one who have left a car or two along the side of the road, never to be seen again. A Datsun staion wagon and a Vega are the two I have walked away from.

[unimogjohn]

It is Saturday, May 5th. Before the kids come over and we start loading and unload hay, I decided to tackle the Avanti headlight covers. I figured out the gaskets and mounted them on the covers. Then fitted the rings and drilled out the rubber gaskets for the mounting screws. Both the covers and the little beauty rings have R/L on them so it must be easy to line everything up. Wrong, the little beauty rims are bent a bit and do not exactly fit correctly. But after some fiddling and gentle persuasion I got them to fit.

I thought if they do not fit correctly I can always get new ones from SI. So I took a look at the catalog. Well for $140 EACH I could replace them. I think not. So will keep these for now, probably forever.

Here are three pics. The first one is the headlight without the glass cover, the second, with the cover, and the third with both covers.

Then spent 30 minutes or so with vinyl cleaner and wiped down the interior of the car. So she is all ready for Cars and Coffee tomorrow.

I must admit, the old girl looks pretty good.

[unimogjohn]

It is Sunday, May 6th PM. We met Greg and Barbara in their maroon Avanti in town and then proceeded up the freeway for thirty miles to the Cars and Coffee event. Great to see a couple of Avantis running down the road at speed.

We had a great time showing off the cars and talking to folks. But the weather was threatening so not that many car showed up, maybe 50? But we had a good time. Chris, Seventhson on this forum, and Diane came, but did not bring their Avanti. Greg and I were a little bummed that he did not bring his project Avanti. Oh well, next time.

After a couple of hours we left and headed out for breakfast.

Here are a few pics.

[unimogjohn]

Still Sunday. Well next week the 1928 Buick, model 29, Town Brougham will go to the annual Apple Blossom Show. Greg with his 1921 Dodge and I will follow each other to Winchester, VA, about 35 miles one way.

The 28 Town Brougham was the top of the line of the standard Buicks. Only 10,640 were produced. It is estimated that only a dozen or so still exist. We have owned the car since 1984, she has always been part of the family.

She is a survivor too. Still sports her original interior, top, and body color. Only the fenders, hood and driver's door have been repainted. She still looks really good when cleaned up.

She has been asleep in the big trailer since December. So put water in the radiator, turned on the fuel, and she fired right up. I am always amazed on how easily she starts right up after a long slumber.

It will take me a couple of days to clean her up for the show. The interior is fine, but the car needs a good wax and polish.

Edited May 6, 2012 by unimogjohn
added pics (see edit history)

[unimogjohn]

It is Monday, May 7th, PM All the hay is put away for this coming winter. Glad that is done. And Greg sent me a pic of David Coco's Huppmobile. He said that he thinks it is running too. I guess it really smoked up the house. I will let Trimacar tell the story. She looks pretty spiffy.

[unimogjohn]

It is Tuesday, May 8th. Barn roof work this morning and then hope it stays nice enough for a ride in the 28 Buick and then the start of making her pretty. When I put her away for the winter I had to drive through the muddy pasture. Now it is everywhere on the car and as hard as concrete.

And here is a report from Greg about his day yesterday.

"First, thank yous to those who sent birthday wishes my way. If I've been able to do anything right in my life, it's been my abililty to chose family and friends.

On my sixty-fourth year and I've misplaced sixty-three of them. One of my contacts mentioned that he thought I must have done something right in a past life to be able to do what I'm doing in this one. Maybe he's right, but I don't remember.

As I take a minute to reflect, there have been some hard jolts in the road, but for the most part a pleasant ride. I've tried to do what's been expected of me, volunteered to serve my country, pay my taxes and occassional fines.

I grew up in a family that was very much like living in the Beaver Cleaver household. In some regards it sent me out into the world unprepared for losses that life has in store.

I've been fortunate to have made a career of something I enjoy, preserve the past, make some incredible friends, some of which have included me in some real adventures. I can only hope that my two sons , when at near retirement age, can say that their ride has been as enjoyable.

Usually on a birthday someone will come up with a tape measure, pull it out to about eighty inches and have me point to the inch mark that's the same as my current age. It's a graphic demonstration of how far I've come, and perhaps will go. The problem with that illustration is that in life, as the numbers get larger, the inch marks get closer together.

Days like today are the reason they do. Early start, constant course corrections, fires to put out, unexpected lunch and dinner plans, then after clocking out an hour late, I did get in about an hour of sanding on the once black Avanti.

So now, as May 7th comes to a close, what I do remember about it is that it was another good day that also brought contacts from many special people.

Let's all do it again next year."

[unimogjohn]

Still Tuesday, but PM. Brian and I worked on the barn for four hours. Now the roof is about 60% done. He is coming back on Thursday, and I hope to finish the roof. I do have to finish putting on the rafters tomorrow so he can make some headway to the finish.

Rained all afternoon so I spent time in the big trailer with the 28 Buick. I got some things polished so it is a start. I maybe have a third done in three hours.

I took a pic of the rear quarter panel without wax, and then another pic with two applications of wax. I do not use any rubbing compound as I do not want to take off paint. Most of the paint is still original as it left the factory 84 years ago. So I do enough to take off a bit of the oxidation and leave some wax protection to the paint. It is enough to give the old girl some shine.

I hope to have her polished by tomorrow PM and then I can start on some detailing on Thursday and Friday. But as usual I will probably run out of time so it is as it is come Saturday morning.

Forgot, there is a pre-show tour on Friday afternoon. So I think that I will fire up the Avanti and take her. They are leaving Winchester, which is about an hour from the farm, and heading up to West Virginia to visit a restoration shop. I know the owner, but have never seen his shop, so it will be see his work shop. I could take the Jaguar, but this crowd is a USA group, not that the Jaguar would not be welcome, but the Studebaker is all American.

Edited May 8, 2012 by unimogjohn (see edit history)

[unimogjohn]

It is Wednesday morning, May 9th. Getting ready to head out for a day of polishing the 1928 Buick. But first, here is a report from Greg.

"I've been ciphering on the Wright 8-60 (eight cyl, sixty horse) pump layout. Did the math, sketched it out to double check and then milled the mounting pads for the pumps (one oil and two fuel). Today I drilled, tapped and mounted them to test the drive gear placement. Looks ok.

Black Avanti R5054: Another hour of sanding the front fender apron, this time the right side of the engine compartment. When this rainy spell has moved on, I'll roll out the car, blow it off and get the nooks and crannies. I notice a couple fractures in the battery box, so there's a little fiberglass repair in my future.

Paxton Avanti block: I couldn't find the original depth soft plugs locally, I had shortened the deep ones available. Those are the ones that are still lost. Tonight I shortened another set and knocked them in the block for safe keeping.

Hitting the showers and calling it a day. Obviously getting into some fiberglass with the sandpaper."

[unimogjohn]

Still Wednesday, spent the morning cleaning and polishing the 1928 Buick. I pronounce her ready for the show on Saturday. Here are the pics. Cleans up pretty good for a 84 year old, don't you think?

I also put in five gallons of fresh gas, so I have almost a full tank. The old gas is about five months old and does have Stabil in it. Smells and looks good, so I should be good to go.

Also spent a couple of hours putting on more rafters on the barn so will be ready tomorrow to put down more metal roofing. I would do more, but I am not ready to get on top the roof and hop around. Will leave that to the youngsters.

Now off to mow a pasture before the rain comes in this afternoon.

[unimogjohn]

Oh, forgot. This is what I hand out at the shows. Thought you all might be interested.

1928 Buick, Model 29, Town Brougham

In 1928 Buick produced both Master and Standard series cars. This is a Model 29, Town Brougham, and is the top of the line in the Standard series. The Master series were larger cars and held up to seven people, the Standard series held up to five.

This car is one of 10,840 produced of this model. It is estimated that only a dozen of this model still exist, and fewer than six remain in original condition.

In 2000 this Buick was presented an Archival Award from the Buick Club of America. It still retains its original top, interior, and body color. Only the hood, driver's door, fenders, and head light buckets have been repainted. The mechanical components are original to the car. While they have been refreshed, the engine compartment is as it left the factory 84 years ago.

Top speed of the car was 70 mph, but a realistic average speed was about 35 mph in 1928. Today, on a good road, she cruises easily at 45 to 50 mph. The engine has 207 cubic inches, and is rated at 63 HP at 2,800 rpm. The car has four wheel mechanical contracting brakes, and an expanding emergency/parking brake on the rear wheels. Gas tank capacity is 17 gallons.

When new, this car costs $1,375 or $19,000 in today's money. A 1928 Ford Model A was $385.

Edited May 9, 2012 by unimogjohn
corrected the Ford model to A versus T (see edit history)

[MCHinson]

John,

One small correction for your information handout's next update.

The 1928 Ford would have been a Model A, not a Model T.

[trimacar]

Your Buick looks great, John....will plan on seeing it in person on Saturday, right now the weather looks typical for this show, sunny with clouds and a chance of showers.....

[unimogjohn]

Matt, thanks, glad you caught it. I guess I do not know my old Fords. The first one I remember for sure was a 1954 Skyliner as it took me to school. My first Ford was a 1959 Fairlane convertible. Ah, the memories.

David, see you there. Glad you are coming. Greg and I are meeting up at about 8 AM in Marshall and then will caravan down Route 50 to Winchester. Should take about an hour or so. Looking forward to the drive. The weather looks to be fantastic, sunny with temps in the 70s.

Edited May 9, 2012 by unimogjohn (see edit history)

[unimogjohn]

It is Thursday, May 10th. Getting ready for a morning of roofing the barn. Hope that it will be done today, or really close to it.

In the meantime, here is Greg's report.

"Ok, I need to get more done on the Matheson engine. I've got some parts that need to go to the nickel plater's. Gathered them, inventoried and used Dychem bluing to indicate the areas to be masked. I won't ship them since it would be curtains for me if they'd get lost, so if the weather is nice tomorrow, I'll take time off work and hand carry them.

And now that the Wright 8-60 is off the Bridgeport, I've set up the repaired Matheson cylinder to touch up the patched bore. I'm really surprised how round the bore is after being subjected to welding and heat. Hardly a thousandth runout.

As for the Wright engine, today I spent time fitting the fluid pumps to the case and did some preliminary fitting of the drive gears. One of the mysteries remaining is how to anchor the driven ends of the gears , how to keep them positioned with the camshaft.

You'll see that I've been thinking out loud, carving some wood to determine what the bearing support must have been like using any possible dimensions from those in the four. When I'm satisified that they (mirror images) will work, they will turn into casting patterns.

I'm also beginning to believe that with the gearing and the eight cam followers inside the case, that the curious offset of the connecting rods because of cylinder mounting without staggers might also be required to clear this internal confusion.

I've made my revisions to the standard four cylinder shaft and have authorized metal to be cut. Don't have a completion date, but they are usually pretty prompt. While that's in the works, Scott and I are going to make a mould of the forged 6-60 rod and cast a couple in plastic so that I can do some full scale alteration and fitting.

It dawned on me that this whole Wright eight project amounts to something like a random thought, "Hey, I'd like to build a space ship and fly to the Moon!" And then the boss says, "Gee, what if we built a space ship and flew to the Moon".

So, considering this a green light to start making parts , extra time is devoted to filling a box with parts.

Now it has progressed to the point that it occurs to me..."Holy crap, I'VE got to build a space ship and fly it to the Moon?!"

So far so good."

"

[unimogjohn]

It is Friday, May 11th. The barn roof is only four panels from being finished. It is so shiny I think you can see it from space. Here is a pic.

Will do a quick clean of the Avanti this morning and then head out to the pre-show tour early this afternoon. It looks to be a very nice day and will be good for a run.

And here is Greg's report from last night too.

" Day job: I think I've got the pump gear bearings where I want them. After test fitting, the carvings were turned into casting patterns. I'll look them over in the morning to see if they are ready for a ride to the foundry.

Nice day today, so took the afternoon off to deliver the Matheson hardware to the plater's.

Evening shift: Got in a little fiberglass repair on black Avanti 5054. There were some cracks developing in the battery box. I drilled out the rivets to free the battery clamp retaining bracket to expose the fracture, also opened the ones on the lower edge, ground them out and layed up some fiberglass mat material to fill and strengthen them. We'll see how they turned out, then maybe go over them again.

Night shift: Set up the boring head and started sneaking out the repair in the Matheson cylinder bore. Taking a couple thousandths at a time to assure a good finish and lessen the possibility of oversizing the bore. Slow going."

=

[unimogjohn]

Still Friday, but PM. Just got home from the tour and visit to the restoration shop. All went well with the Avanti until I got about half way home. I was sitting at a light and the engine just shut off. Like someone had turn the key off. I tried to refire it, but nothing, not even a pop. I was able to pull over and out of the way and opened the hood. Nothing out of place. I checked and jiggled the ignition/coil wires, and they were fine. Got in the car, hit the starter and she fired right up. No clue as to what happened, but I think that it was electrical.

Had a great time on the tour and the visit to the restoration shop. Quite an operation. The owners handle everything except for plating work. They must have had fifteen or more cars in the shop for service or restoration. Paul, one of the owners, said they had eight full time employees. Lot of work there for so few people. They work ten hour days and get three days off.

Here are pics of some of the cars that went. And I will post pics of the shop in another response.

[unimogjohn]

Here are some shop pics.

And remember the big show is tomorrow. All I have to do is transfer the tool bag from the Avanti to the Buick and then I am ready to go. It will be fun following along with Greg.

The group leader said that they had about 270 registrations and expect another 40 to show up.

Edited May 11, 2012 by unimogjohn (see edit history)

[unimogjohn]

It is Saturday, May 12th. The Apple Blossom AACA show was great. I followed Greg over and we arrived without mishap. Both cars ran great to and from the show, about 70 or so miles total.

One big hit of the show was David Coco's (Trimacar). I thought it was a Hupp, but I wrong. See the first pic. There are a few more pics of David's car. He has done a great job on it over the past few years. Great to see it back on the road. He told me that he still has a lot of sorting to do. Said that the throttle control is scary. But she is a great "Simply Orange" car thanks to Greg Cone.

I took a lot pics so will post a bunch. Lots of nice cars. Over 250 in attendance, a real nice turnout.

Edited May 12, 2012 by unimogjohn (see edit history)

[unimogjohn]

And here are some of the cars and motorcycles from the show.

Edited May 12, 2012 by unimogjohn (see edit history)

[unimogjohn]

and still more. See your future dream car?

Edited May 12, 2012 by unimogjohn (see edit history)

[unimogjohn]

The end.

[unimogjohn]

Forgot, uploaded a short video Greg going down the road. The Dodge really scoots down the road. I think that we hit 45 mph at one point. We had no problems going up and down the mountains either, did not have to shift down, and my modern cars have to shift down. Go figure.

[unimogjohn]

It is Tuesday, May 15th. The loader bucket for the Kubota is done. We get to pick it up tonight.

We had a great car weekend with the tour and show. And on Sunday we went to a bring your old car farm party. To my surprise a 1962 Austin Healy 3000 rolled up. It was our neighbor. He had heard that I was bringing the Jag so he brought his blue AH. I had heard that he had a British car, but I had no idea. He said that he as owned it for 34 years. The car is in great shape for its age. Only a repaint in Europe twenty some years ago. Still very presentable. Here are a few pics.

Speaking of the Jag I have decided to install a radiator fan. I talked to several owners in person and on the net, and all have said that it is a must especially in the very hot VA summers. So I have done some research and am going to order a ten inch pusher fan by SPAL. I am restricted to the smaller size as I have a big air-cleaner canister in front of the radiator. Even a ten inch is going to be a tight squeeze. I will put in a auto on/off thermostat too, 185 degrees.

I also worked on the Avanti this morning in between storms and chores. I was not happy with the speed nuts for holding on the glass headlight covers as I only had three versus the four required. So I bought some nuts yesterday and remounted the glass/rubber/beauty rim combination. Here are some pics.

Finally, a few months back we rescued a little black kitten from a back alley in Baltimore, MD. It was just a little thing and so sick, we thought it would not last the night. But after a little time and many visits to the vet (the most expensive free cat I have ever owned), Lucky is fit as a fiddle and growing like a weed. Here is a pic.

[SeventhSon]

That little kitty is lucky indeed, to have met up with John and Alice. Now he will spend his days chasing field mice around the farm.

[Roger Zimmermann]

This cat story let remember another one: the last day from our Easter vacation 2003, I heard in the morning a miaowing in the threes between us and the neighbour. Not thinking a lot, as there are many cats around. Suddendly, a small cat was on the pavement, going strait ahead to the dog we had during our stay in France. I called the dog "aircraft carrier" as his back was flat, a result of overweight; next to that, he was a normal dog, running after cats. Not this time, as the cat came to him, he was totally upset as the situation was not like he had learn.

Short before we leave, Chritine (my almost wife) went outside with the dog, the cat following both, with the tail up in the air. We closed the house, let the dog go into my '80 Olds Cutlass, had a look around the house. When we returned, the cat was sitting on the rear seat next to the dog! As we could not have a cat home, he was "disembarked" to our dismay and we leave.

When we came back for summer vacation, we learned from our neighbour that the cat stayed there and finally adopted the neighbour's home. The cat is still there, but during all those years (we are 4 times per year in our house), we could never approach him.

[SeventhSon]

Pretty couple - you should have taken the cat home with you Roger. Now he won't speak to you, giving you the cold shoulder.

[Roger Zimmermann]

Pretty couple - you should have taken the cat home with you Roger. Now he won't speak to you, giving you the cold shoulder.

It's exactly like you are saying, but my limited English could not allow me to explain that way. Anyway, we have the impression that the cat has a much better life at the place it is now, outside during the day and inside the house at night, in a climate much milder than here in Switzerland. We are also living in a rended flat, the cat could hardly go outside.

[SeventhSon]

Funny story - animals are so quirky sometimes. They can bring a lot of happiness though.