Avanti R2, 1963, refresh

[unimogjohn]

It is Monday, August 20th. And we have a report from Greg.

Also I have started prepping the Jaguar for a big show in mid September. It is going to be it first showing in the big Jag community. I have entered her in the driven class. So over the next few weeks I will spend some time primping and cleaning. I have her in the trailer as it is the only place where the cats will not walk all over her.

On the way home from Greg's I noticed that the oil pressure gauge on the Suburban is pegged at full pressure so the sensor has probably failed. So ordered a new one yesterday. Now to figure out where it is located on the engine.

And I got a call from a friend of Greg's who lives close by. He is looking for someone to trailer his 1973 Bentley to White Post Restorations for brake and suspension work. I told him that I would take him in the enclosed trailer as it is all hooked up. So will do that this week. Should be fun. Never been to White Post before. Greg says they are restoring a Jaguar 120 so it will be great to look at that too.

And here is Greg's report from the weekend.

" Spent some down time this past weekend, a little under the weather. I did find time to finish one project, one that I'd been working in during lunch.

I have been looking for the proper rear axle snubbers for the Stoddard Dayton. No luck so I decided to just go ahead and make them. Studied the period photo with a magnifyer, sketched them out and then started hacking.

The brackets are 10 gauge steel that were cut, bent and drilled. The rubber cut and ground from a block that came in Friday's UPS.

Another check mark on the list."

Edited August 20, 2012 by unimogjohn (see edit history)

[unimogjohn]

It is Wednesday, August 22nd, PM. Sorry that I have not written much. Been a busy few days, and Greg has not sent me a report.

But here is a recap. I have been working on a barn shed roof. The old one had started leaking due to water sitting on the shingles (not enough pitch), so decided to put a metal roof over the shingles. That has taken two full days. Here are a couple of pics.

And then this morning I picked up the old car to be taken to White Post Restorations, which is about 35 miles from me. I knew it was a Bentley, but since I have never seen a Bentley, I had no idea what to expect. So in comes a 1954 Midnight Blue Bentley model R. What a beautiful car. New paint and interior, but mechanicals are a bit of an issue. Bad brakes, leaking fuel pump, etc. Been with it current owner since 1970. So it is going to White Post for a mechanical refresh. Starts on the first pull and the engine sounds great. Here are a few pics.

[unimogjohn]

Even though it is local I had never been to White Post Restorations. What a facility, first class. The shop is organized by compartment (interior, body, paint, etc.) But each car has its own permanent stall and parts move in and out. It also has one dedicated mechanic responsible for car and its restoration. Lots of cars being worked on, Jags, Rolls Royce, Chryslers, Corvettes, etc. I did not go through the facility but will one of these days. Had to get back home. Of interest were five identical Chrysler limos being done for an owner in Saudi Arabia. All are receive a full, body off, restoration. They are almost done. Each had dual AC compressors. I took a few pics. I dare not ask what things cost, but looks like you get good value for your dollars. Oh, the Bentley is not scheduled for a work slot for another month. They just wanted it there to get it in the Que. Also met the owner and his son. Both were happy to talk cars and were interested in what I had too. Had a great time.

[unimogjohn]

It is Friday, August 24th, let's us say its early. The cry of a kitten woke me up at 1 AM. Alice's mom is sick and had been caring for a mom street cat and her kittens. Well, long story short. Alice brought home mom cat and her two kittens. They are now residing in the master bath. So it looks like we now have ten, yes I said, ten. A proper cat house for sure.

On the car side I had a fun afternoon putting in new rear shocks on the 02 Chev Trailblazer. She is my little workhorse with 175,000 miles on the odometer. Still going strong. But the rear end floating was getting to me. Always looking for a deal I spied a close out shock on Rock Auto for $13 ea. Only two left, so sprang into action and bought them. Today was the day to put them on. Not a hard job and had fun doing it. Now the Trailblazer is now back to it proper form.

And Greg is pressing ahead on his projects. Compared to Greg, my stuff is boring. Here is his report.

"Fast and furious week. Haven't been able to catch Jason at his shop to see progress on 5054. Maybe tomorrow. A project tarnishing in my IN BOX is the Lunkenheimer regulator from Idaho. It needs replacement parts and while the sample is here (on the Stoddard), better get reacquainted with it. Tonight I began whittlling brass.

Day job Wright 8-60 progressing nicely. The crank is fitted to the maiin bearings and I've test fitted the plastic prototype connecting rods. As of now, the engine is loosley reassembled for me to ponder while I return to one of the Wright fours, a repro 1910 type that needs to be finished and run.

Trying to stay ahead of the power curve here. Where do the days go?

Ps. There's more to report on the Due Cento lettering project, but not tonight."

[Woodfiddler]

1956 Chrysler Crown Imperial Limousine, 175 built - 5 are being restored at White Post Restorations. Wow! That sure looks like a great place. The history of the vehicles they restore is mind boggling. Thanks for the info John. I have missed your "for your morning coffee" updates. Many good cups of coffee have gone cold on my desktop, waiting! You sure stay busy enjoying your "retirement!"

Thanks again. :-)

Chuck

Edited August 24, 2012 by Woodfiddler
forgot to cross my i's and dot my t's (see edit history)

[unimogjohn]

Chuck, thanks for the comments. Only 175 built, pretty amazing to see five at one place. And four were pink and one was a pale apple green. Odd colors for sure.

It is Friday, August 24th, PM. OK, here are a couple of pics of cats 8, 9 and 10. Alice promises me "no more". Somehow I don't believe her. After all she rescued me.

Well, when Greg had the truck he said that the oil pressure gauge on the dash was pegged. I figured the sensor was bad so got one to replace the old one. So this afternoon, after going out and picking up and stacking another 35 bales of hay, I looked for the sensor. Did a search on Google and everyone said that the sensor is on the rear of the engine on the block, below the right head. After looking for ten minutes I could not find it. Not much room to look around either. So got out my mirror with the extension and looked around. OMG, that thing is buried down there. You cannot get your hand down there from the side, you have to lay across the front of the engine and go straight down. You cannot see a thing, so you can only go by feel.

After scraping up my hand and arm I can feel the sensor and the little clip that holds on the wires. So I do know that I can get the wires off. I am going to get a blanket and triple it up so I can lay atop the engine without busting anything. I have to find a long socket to get the old one out too. It is going to take some doing to get a socket down in there with long extensions and swivel. I just hope that I do not break off the plastic end. Oh well, tomorrow should be interesting.

Here are the pics of the new sensor and the engine bay getting closer where the sensor is.

[unimogjohn]

It is Sunday, PM, August 26th. It rained its brains out today. Almost tropical. We got over two inches in 12 hours. I did get some time in the trailer with the Jag. Polished the spinners on the wheels, the front bumpers, and rear light covers. They all look pretty good.

And I just got this weekend report from Greg.

"Ok, as promised here is an update on the computer study of the Due Cento Avanti artwork.

Dick Bennett, he's included a great closeup of a letter showing the burnishing of the guilding. You gotta like that one. There will be more to come as his time permits.

As for me, this past weekend was spent indoors dealing with the drought that we've been subjected to this summer. Again this weekend it has been coming down, not in buckets but washtubs. Got in more good time on the Lunkenheimer project and for myself, I've gotten a couple door hinges overhauled for 5054. Machine a rivet, let some paint dry and then I can get the others together and off the list.

-----------------------------------------ooo000OOO{}OOO000ooo------------------------------------

Greg

Here's an update with some details so you can tell what's going on.

1 First, the basic dimensions of the car went into a simple CAD drawing- just enough to have something to compare to the photos. This let me move around the point of view in the computer until the drawing matched the 1964 picture. We were then able to set the camera in the right place to photograph your car from the same perspective. A little graph paper was taped to the car where the Studebaker artwork would be.

2 With the new photo laid out in CAD, the distorted grid pattern was traced and copied onto the 1964 photo.

3 This results in an image of how the grid would appear laid on the 1964 artwork.

4 Here's a 1964 Studebaker print ad showing a lettering style that looks a bit like what was used on the car.

5 Using photoshop, I have straightened each letter using the grid as a guide. Here I've overlaid the shape of the 'S' from the print ad (in yellow) on the straightened 'S' from the original artwork, and you can see the lettering is different.

6 There seems to be a dark boarder around each letter. Here's a rough idea of how the 'S' might have looked with a 1/8 inch black border, 5 3/8" letter height.

We'll do the same thing with the other period photo.

Bill

=

[unimogjohn]

It is Monday, August 27th, AM. Greg sent another report late last night. So I get to have it for my morning coffee. Here it is.

"A few loose minutes so I might as well bring you up to date.

Enclosed are pics of the Lunkenheimer exhaust regulator project. Shown is the machining of the poppet valve in the lathe and slotting it on the milling machine, and removing some corroded assembly screws. Also a shot of the various components. Make a few gaskets, find a fitting, and it will be done.

I know, what in heck is it for? Friend Baldwin sent it for me to restore. I don't know his plans for it, but I'm sure it will find itself on a 1910-12 era car of some sort. It's purpose in life is to receive exhaust from the exhaust manifold, cool and strain condensation from it, then adjust and regulate the pressure to be fed to the sealed fuel tank. The resulting pound or so of pressure then forces the fuel from the tank to the carburetor. You might say the thing is a hot fuel pump.

Prone to being choked with carbon and tempormental, I'd suspect that they are so very rare because they likely were removed and pitched into the nearest lake. These things are nearly impossible to find .

Another photo shows the disassembled door hinges for my 5054 Avanti. I've got two of them back together, the upper ones to go.

I looked in on the car Friday. Coming along, he says it might be ready to come home from the paint shop in a couple weeks. He's usually optimistic."

=

[unimogjohn]

Still Monday, late, in fact almost Tuesday. Just got home from Rob's place in MD. Greg called and said that he and David Coco (trimacar on this forum) were going to go see Rob and his projects, and did I want to tag along? I checked with the boss and she said OK. So it is boys night out. We had a great time and will tell you what Rob is up to tomorrow. But Greg's Studebaker R5 was there and so here are the pics. One awesome engine for sure.

[Lozierman]

John,

The Lunkenheimer exhaust pump/regulator is interesting. They were standard equipment on several brands of 1909-12 era brass cars. I know they were found on Loziers of that era, both the four and six cylinder versions. Many, many years ago a former Lozier owner, Dr. Russell Hunsberger had a 1909 Lozier Briarcliff and needed one to restore his Lozier. Unable to find one, he had patterns made and reproduced a few and sold them. I don't know how many he had made and whatever happened to the patterns. He has passed on, and I checked into the parts and pieces he had left after his Lozier was sold....nothing found.

My 1913 Lozier also needs air pressure to force gas to the carb since the tank is lower than the carb. In 1913 Lozier utilized a valve lifter to provide the few pounds of air pressure to accomplish this. You are correct in stating carbon caused the Lunkenheimer to clog. They are next impossible to find today.

I really like reading your posts, but I must ask what is the current status of the Matheson motor? Thanks!

[unimogjohn]

Mike, thanks for you recollections. Great stuff. Re the Matheson engine. Greg said that he is waiting on a few parts from the plater so he can begin final assembly, which should be within the next month. I asked if it was still the plan to start it at the shop before shipping off. He said yes, but did not have an idea on how he was going to do that yet. The rest of the Matheson is ready out in the Northwest US someplace. So Greg's work on the engine is holding up the train and he knows it.

It is Tuesday, August 28th. The reason that David Coco wanted to go to Rob's car museum was to look at his 1909 REO. Rob wants a buggy top made for it to keep the sun off and a little rain if that happens. He also wants take to construct a front storm curtain to keep rain from the front. Kinda like a poor man's windshield. Rob loves taking the REO on tours, and he beams talking about it. A beautiful car. He also started it up. Started on the second pull and sprang into life. Here are some pics.

After looking at stuff and discussing old cars, Rob grabbed the keys to his 1954 Chrysler New Yorker, Deluxe, Newport. We had a great ten mile drive through the country side to the local diner for dinner. Great time. Here are a few pics of that car. Rode like a magic carpet.

[unimogjohn]

Still Tuesday, PM. Alice headed off to Baltimore for a couple of days so decided to do some little stuff on the Jag. First up was to see if I could glue the windshield interior chrome strip on the center windshield post. I have to glue it as the rubber bracket will not hold it as it is bent. So thought the easiest thing to do is to glue it. So far, so good it is holding. See pics.

Then I tackled the missing knob on the header vent. I have one, but one is missing. I bought two, but only put on one, and will keep the other as a spare. I kept the old one that is still on there to keep the car as original as I can. See pics.

[unimogjohn]

Oh no, Alice is back home. She got about 45 minutes away and decided to close the sun roof of the Passat. Went half way and then did an auto retraction. Will not close and is in the full open position. So she traded cars and headed off in the Trailblazer. Now I have to stop on the Jag and figure out what is up with the Passat.

But I did get to put on a special style clip on the shifter boot. I asked a question on the Jag forum on where to get them. No one knew. Found them and let the group know that I was putting them on. That caused a furor of comments from, incorrect clamp, never any on there, etc. I even wrote the chief Jag judge and he confirmed that it should be there. So put it on.

So here are a few pics. I have also included a couple of pics from a restoration guide showing the clip. All I can say that it is ugly. They could have put on a nicer clip/clamp.

The new clamp is larger than the original, but the smaller one is unobtainium. So will use what is available.

[Roger Zimmermann]

I'm surprised that Jaguar had not a better solution to close the shifter boot...

[unimogjohn]

Roger, me too. I will live with it for a while and see if it grows on me. I am going to spend three days at Hershey so will look for something better and use this one when I am being judged at at show.

Oh, and fixed the Passat sunroof. I got out the emergency crank and closed the sunroof manually. Then tried a couple of times with the electric controls. Worked OK, just like normal. I figure some debris from the trees got in the track last night and got itself jammed in the tracks to the point that the auto kick back switch sensed an obstruction. So manually closing it cleared the tracks. So we are in good shape. Let the rains come.

[unimogjohn]

It is Wednesday morning, August 29th. Think I will pull the Jag out of the trailer and take a run with the pooch, Shadow. He loves to ride.

And here is Greg's report from last night.

"Lunkenheimers R Us. OK Baldwin, now for the hard part. I've got to get it boxed, addressed and taken to town for it's ride cross country.

Tonight I cut that last bowl gasket and assembled the exhaust regulator. Nowhere near as enjoyable as last night's excursion.

That was the result of an early morning call from friend Coco. "When are you ging to Rob's?". Found out I was going that very evening because Coco wanted to. As the day progressed, decided to call friend Feser. "Can you come out and play tonight?". He could, so we all met in different places and we were off to Rob's Auto Emporium near Frederick, Md.

Coco is pursuing a new career in early auto top and upholstery, is in the midst of maybe having some vintage fabric manufactured and Rob is in need of a top for his REO and also in the same building is my REO that has it's original top fabric for a comparison.

The four of us hung out for a while, then decided that dinner was a good idea, going in Rob's '54 Chrysler hemi hardtop was an even better idea.

A wonderful evening, all the windows down, (top would have come off it it would) and we took the old way into the diner.

I had the back seat on the way in and as we cruised along, I couldn't help but recall a long time ago when in my Dad's Packard, I'd lie on the rear package shelf and look up at the stars as we rolled along.

A great meal, still warm out, this time Coco had the back seat. As we rolled along into the night, he told us of the times when he was a child riding in his Dad's Olds. He'd get up on the package shelf and look up at the stars. These cars are time machines, and I guess Coco and I were riding on different package shelves together.

So last night was a terriffic night, four old car guys doing what we do best. Going out to eat and burning dead dinousaurs to do it."

=

[unimogjohn]

Still Wednesday, PM. Took the Jag out as promised. Had a nice 60 mile run. Ran great. I did three videos for you.

1953 Jaguar XK 120 SE driving through Virginia, part 1 - YouTube

1953 Jaguar XK 120 SE driving through Virginia, Part 2 - YouTube

Jaguar XK 120 SE driving through Virginia, Part 3 - YouTube

[trimacar]

As John mentioned, I'm now retired, and will be looking to do some upholstery work in 2013 and on. My specialty is 1900's to 1930's open car tops and leather interiors. The Reo is this fall, along with a couple of Autocar tops.

Have a few jobs lined up now, will be pursuing more later, if you have a project coming up next year for trim work, and a shop on the East coast works for you, talk to me.

Also, we're working with Eric Haartz to do a run of reproduction Pantasote, black exterior with tan interior, something that's not available right now that I know of, but is a very correct material for a LOT of oughts to teens cars, particularly up to 1914 or so. If any interest let me know, it will be a limited run.

Thanks David Coco Winchester Va. david.coco@comcast.net 540-5332885

[unimogjohn]

Thanks for the info David. I highly recommend David for interior and top work for the teens and twentys something cars. First class work! David did the top for my 1923 McLaughlin Buick. Besides, David is a good friend and fellow car nut.

Still Wednesday. Was not going to post, but I received a couple of packages in the mail that I thought I would share. The first is four new knock-offs for the Jaguar. Mine are original and driver quality. I found these quality reproductions for not much money ($25 ea) so got them. My plan is to only use them for shows. I have ordered a special wood wrench to put them on and off, which will protect the chrome finish. I looked into having my originals fixed and replated. I was quoted $150 each. That estimate made my decision an easy on.

I also bought a repro parts book for the XK 120. A factory parts book is a requirement if you are putting a car back together. This is a copy from the Jaguar North American Club and was reprinted with permission from the Jaguar Heritage Trust in the UK.

[SeventhSon]

John - just got a chance to watch the YouTube videos. What a nice car - sounds great! In the third video I was very surprised to see that old bridge is still there! I thought they had replaced that - glad they haven't. If you go to that bridge at night and have a look down in the fields by the river bank you may make out several flickering lights here and there. Those would be the ghost Civil War encampments that many people have seen. Stories also abound about people hearing the distinct sounds of horses, soldiers, wagons, rumbling across that bridge. That's what they say, anyway - believe it if you want (I do!)

[unimogjohn]

It is Thursday morning, August 30th. Left the Jaguar out in the front of the house, so the cats used it as their high perch so spent the morning cleaning. Don't mind doing it as the car is so small and mostly flat so it is very easy to do.

About a year ago I bought one of those pocket video cameras from Kodak. Never have used it as I have been using my little digital camera in video mode. Not great quality for sure. So I dragged out the Kodak, read the instruction manual (go figure, I have never done that before) and made a walk-around video of the Jag and its engine. So I will post them here for your morning coffee.

[unimogjohn]

And just got this in from Greg. Great story.

"A brief recap of yesterday's progress.

I'd gotten a call the evening before from Roger. He's got the automatic transmission to overhaul, had it for a while. Now that he's got it apart, he said that it looked ok inside, but he'd like a new front pump assembly. That meant the search was on. I'd found one in the big Studebaker catalog, but felt more comfortable dealing with some of the "hands on" guys that deal in Studebaker parts.

Trying first thing in the morning, I couldn't raise any of them. Well, there was a supply company whose name kept coming up. Gave Northwest a call. When I asked about the availability of Studebaker pumps, the voice on the other end of the line obviously knew all about them. Lots of questions. How many teeth on the splined shaft, etc? They've got it all.

Since I didn't know the answers, and I wanted to keep Roger busy, I clocked out. Such a nice day demanded that I enlist the aid of Seabiscuit for the thirty mile run to the shop. Now that I've not only got the answers, but the pump has been boxed and shipped, I'm waiting to regain contact with Northwest with the particulars, and the order to get the pump coming.

Yes, I farmed out the overhaul. Not only to save time, but I've done it before, sort of. Back in '72 when I restored this car the first time, I was trying to do anything and everything myself. Good learning experience. With the transmission apart and the new replacement parts in hand, I reassembled it and considered myself pretty good to have done the rather specialized project. Shoved it back into the car to await the day to startup and go places.

When that day finallly came, I dropped it in gear ® and backed down our gravel driveway. Great! Dropped it in First. Away we went (gingerly) bumped it into Second and everything locked up and I blew the horn with my face. What the?! Back into R and back I went, shoved it into D and no dice. Drug the wheels in the gravel. At least with first gear working, I pulled it back into the garage, totally confused.

Since the Studebaker used the Borg Warner transmission as did Ford, I stopped by Lamar Sloan Ford to talk to their trans guy.

He said that I'd simply installed a sprag (one way clutch) in backwards. Easy to fix. Completely dismantle the transmission and turn it around, put it back together.

I found an easier way. Replace the transmission altogether.

So someday if you come to my estate sale and buy the really nicely restored Borg Warner AS2-10.........better go through it .

Now as for last night, that's worthy of an essay."

=

[unimogjohn]

OK, it is Friday, August 31st. I hope to tackle the bad pressure sensor in the Suburban. Has taken me a while to find the right socket to remove it so will make my first attempt today.

And Greg has given us a story from his past. Always great to hear or read Greg's adventures. As a note, Greg still has his Model A in storage. It maybe the next car he restores back to it former glory. You know the story of the Stoddard Dayton.

"Barbara is buying a new car! (Disclaimer! This is meant to be an observation, not a criticism and it may be considered by some to be gender sensitive. If you do...

tell it to Ollie North.)

I've been a car guy almost my entire life. Like, back to days when I'd slip away from school during recess to see how the guys down the street were doing on their forty Ford hot rod. Can't explain it, I've just been that way. Steam trains and airplanes always a factor, but always drawn to the turn of that last century.

And it didn't take long before I wanted an old car of my own. Santa didn't bring me the

'37 Terraplane sedan that I requested ( glad now) so the search was on. I joined the AACA in '62, so I then had a team of advisors in my search.

"Uncle" Dave Plank , the Model T guy, reluctantly offered me a '21 that he'd pulled from a collapsed barn for fifty dollars. Even though I liked it, when I got my Grandad to go with me to look at it, he, the old time garage man, staggered backward shaking his head. I still have the old photo of it in that shed on North Avenue.

John Jackson, always a mentor, said for me to go get that '29 Studebaker (President Roadster !) across from the airport. Two hundred and fifty dollars. Yeah right. Didn't even go look at it.

Then Bob Pierce . "How about a '30 Model A sedan and I could have it for one dollar and it was close to home. No brainer.

Beneath a tree for years, Bob had bought it for the spare overhauled motor.

BUYING MY FIRST CAR

In getting more towards the point of this, I went to check it out as it sat under a tree in Bob's back yard .

I took inventory of it.

* Engine - check

*radiator-check

*sedan body - sortof

*top - no check

*wheels with tires - check

*air in tires - two out of four checks (but Bob would lend me some to get it home on)

Bonus!!, it did have a steering wheel.

As Bob towed it up the street to our driveway, my Dad had to stand on the frame rails and up through the missing top to steer it home. No floor, no seats.

This has been pretty much my method of evaluating the many cars I've bought in my time, although a two tone Avanti did teach me not to buy a car in the dark.

When I bought the Stoddard I was shown a catalog drawing for lack of dental records.

Part II BARBARA BUYS A CAR

To be continued......."

=

[unimogjohn]

It is September 1st, Saturday. Woe is me. We took the Jag out last night to dinner and got about half way and the engine started to stumble. I pulled off to the side. I cycled the fuel pump and it was ticking like a machine gun. That means that it was not pulling fuel from the tank. We waited a minute or so and she restarted. We turned around and headed home.

Now I really do not trust that pump. I have written to a rebuilder so am awaiting a response. So in the interim I am going to install a Carter low pressure, in-line electric fuel pump. It will go in before the SU pump and will be a helper. I really did not want to do this, but nothing is reversible. I am not yet willing to spring for a new pump, which costs over $400. The Carter pump was $46 to my door.

Edited September 1, 2012 by unimogjohn (see edit history)

[unimogjohn]

It is Wednesday, Sept. 5th. AM. Well, not much doing. Waiting for parts and the rain to stop. We have been getting bands of rain from Issac or what is left of him. I have been taking time to clean the Jaguar. Everything I can see and touch. Just about done. She looks great for the upcoming show.

And we got a note from Greg this morning. Just in time for my start of the day.

"It's been a busy Labor Day weekend, now it's time to get back to work. Now that summer's gone, winter schedule.

Part II, Barbara Buys a car.

So for the past couple years, my sidekick Barb has been looking to replace her car. She lives rurally-in fact on the edge of a battlefield from the days when Custer was ravaging our Shenandoah Valley. Not wanting to be stranded during snow events, she wants to step up to more than two wheel drive, a good idea.

Here's the hard part. When I mentioned to Scott abut how painful it is to watch a woman buy a car, he countered with

"No, its not watching them buy the car, it's making up their minds." Boy did he hit it on the head.

We've all had to suffer through the "shopping trip". Guys just do things differently. Take buying shoes. When we've finally worn completely through the soles of our most comfortable ones- we'll go for another pair. We walk down the aisle, pick out a pair (hopefully they had the kind we were wearing) and when the sales clerk asks "Do you wear medium or wide?", we say "Yeah , I think so." Then we go home.

Out to dinner- they'll scrutinize the menu forever, when the server arrives with pad and pencil, they are confronted with a barrage of questions. This past summer we even overheard one woman ask "Are the tomatoes vine ripened?" (oh sure, we grow them in a patch in the back parking lot - I"ll go pick some).

A guy ordering will glance at the menu and point at something.

Not only has Barb been studying cars on the internet, she's been out shopping. I think she knows every salesman in Northern Virginia by first name. And cars, cars, cars. That's all she talks about. Being totally ignorant on the subject of cars built since 1963, I just smile and nod as she goes on about the shortcomings compared to her police cruiser.

I've even gone with her when she's test driven a couple. She's thorough and knows what she wants. Magic carpet ride, great headlamps, some MPG, and comfortable seats. Plus AWD. Seems she's looking for a combination not easily found.

So the other night we go to look at another one. Found offered on the net, she'd been communicating with the guy. Arrangements were made and we went to see it. Although it had a little Safeway rash, it looked good as we spotted it in the parking lot. The owner appeared as we gave it a walkaround.

Barb had prepared a list of questions and she pulled it out. It unfurled like a cash register ribbon. Things I'd never think to ask. How old is the battery? How many times have you changed the coolant? She studied the service records, everything in the glovebox, even the original window sticker. Armed early on with the VIN, she had already contacted CarFax, even the manufacturer for information on the thing.

I found that my job was to inspect under the hood for leaks, color of the motor oil, and then in the parking lot, I was to take her flashlight and crawl under the car. "Look in the corners for signs of rust".

She idled the car with the AC on to see if it worked and for any overheating. She sat behind the wheel and turned every knob and pushed every button (although she did miss one). Tried all the windows, the sunroof operation, on and on. She'd brought a penny to check the tire tread with Lincoln's head, looked under the foormats.....

This was a real education for me.

Then the test drive. Finding a stretch in rush hour Northern Va to "get it up to speed" wasn't easy but we weren't turning around until we did. The road test went well.

After we were left alone to discuss things, she very cautiously decided to leave a hundred dollar deposit, which of course required a receipt. Worthy of an episode of Perry Mason, I'm amazed that a notary wasn't dragged out of bed, and that the serial numbers of the twenties weren't recorded.

Well, by now she's got the new car. It went straight to her mechanic to have a few things freshend up. Brake pads, trans fluid, some belts, etc.

Oh, and I was right, that button she missed was the horn and yes it does work.

Give me some time to come up with Part III The Epilogue."

=

[unimogjohn]

Friday, September 7th. Call me confused. Just received an update from Greg. Now I do not know if Barb did get a car. Sent Greg a note asking for clarification.

This is what I received from Greg. "Chapter III The Epilogue. Girls do things differently , they just can't help it.

So I guess the moral of this story is, if you intend to buy at the next Barrett-Jackson and need to take someone along to appraise..... I think you know who to choose. Me, I'd check to see if it had a steering wheel (although legend has it that Temple Baldwin once drove a Model A Ford mail truck from Flagstaff to San Diego without one. How did we ever manage before Vice Grips?)

This episode is another reminder of my old friend, the late "Big Al" Place - metalsmith and prophet who I worked alongside at White Post. He's another book.

One morning he had a pained look on his face and I asked what's wrong. "Oh, it's Margaret ...she's ovulating again" (?!)

he said with a sigh. "Just like a little bird getting ready to lay eggs, she's got to refeather the nest. We live in this tiny little house. The furniture will only fit one way, but we've got to move everything in the place to just put it back where it was."

"My back's killing me."

I wonder what Big Al would have to say about this current fad where the girls are scarring themselves up with this tattooing?

How in the world can they decide on what to get (it's kindof permanent ), and where to put it?

As for Barbara, I've already told her, show up with one, you're taking it right back!

ooooooooOOOOOO0000000OOOOOOOoooooooo

And actually, I've been getting a little car work done as well as philosophizing.

The transmission guy needed another Avanti transmission front pump, got it coming. This morning he called to say it had arrived.

Avanti paint guy called this morning. Said he wasn't going to spray color today (another day of pouring drought). Maybe next week.

The Matheson engine cylinders are now at Lee's for a light honing. I made a trip over this evening for him to say he'd start tomorrow.

Tonight I applied the rubber seal to the Avanti 5054 trunk lid and also painted the white background for the backup lights."

=

[SeventhSon]

I don't know - I kind of like girls with ink.

[unimogjohn]

Chris, nice cars!

And got a note from Greg. Barb bought this. 2008 model. Nice ride.

[SeventhSon]

Indeed, John, indeed. I'm particularly fond of the yellow car, myself.

[SeventhSon]

Oh, I almost forgot to comment on Barb's new car. Well done, Barb - everyone should be as thorough when making such a major purchase!

[unimogjohn]

Still Friday, PM. Wow, it is hot outside. Not much fun being outside on the farm.

I have been on the hunt for a Jaguar tool set for some months. I have seen a few, most over $1000 to a high of $1800. A bit to rich for my blood. Even individual wrenches are going for $50 to $100 each. I really need a tool kit so a week ago I bid on a kit in Denmark that had a low starting bid, so I bid. The winning bid was $330, and it was not me. I had reached the limit I wanted to spend.

To my surprise I received an email from the Seller. He has another set and would sell it to me for my bid price of $325. So I bit. Shipping was added in and the tool kit is on it way for $404. A good chunk of change, but necessary.

I am still missing a couple of items including a jack and a jack handle. I can buy a repo jack for about $200, but I think I will wait until I go to Hershey and see what I can find.

I also bought wood take off/on wrench for the wire wheel hubs. It should protect the new hubs that I bought recently.

Here are some pics. Tool kit in the red roll is an original. You can use it for reference to the black roll I purchased.

[unimogjohn]

It is Saturday, September 8th. Worked on the final detailing of the Jaguar for next week's show before it just got too hot and humid. Decided to put on the new knock-offs that I bought last week. The old ones were original to the car and pretty beat up and pitted as you might expect. It took about an hour to remove and replace all four. Boy, who ever put the old ones on they must have used a twenty pound sledge hammer. Those puppies were on tight. But I got them off and the new ones on. Put a little chrome polish on them too. Looks good now and completes the body. Here are some pics.

Expecting a huge storm this PM, will be interesting if we get hit.

[unimogjohn]

Still Saturday, but late, late. Almost Sunday, but Greg is hard at it. Here is his report.

"During my Friday, I did get that call from Lee who needed some sort of riser to adapt the Matheson engine cylinder to his power hone. We came up with a plan to use MDF compositon board for this temporary jig.

A scrap sheet of 3/4" MDF was cut into five 8 1/2" squares, a hole band sawed on their middles, and then glued into a stack.

Drying overnight, this morning I set the block on the milling maching to allow me to use the boring head to open up the center hole to accept the cylinder.

That led to a road trip to deliver the riser to Lee, that got him off my back. Also the trip was exteded to Roger's transmission shop where we dropped off the newly painted Avanti pan for the automatic transmission.

The nice part of the day made even better by exercising the Avanti.

Rob did make several calls from the Greenfield Village old car meet. His glowing reports only reminded me that "you can't be everyplace". Maybe next year."

=

[unimogjohn]

it is Sunday, PM, Sept 9th. Well, I washed the enclosed trailer today. Wow, that is a lot of surface area. At least it was all flat. And I put a coat of polish on the Jaguar. I think that my arms are about to fall off tonight. It is going to be a two aspirin night.

And Greg just sent me his weekend report. So some light reading before you head off to slumber-land.

"Today was a day to get a little more done on the black Avanti 5054. The painter might be getting color sprayed on the thing this week, so looking ahead to the day that it returns, I decided to bring the rear window out of storage and get it ready to install. Stripped the old rubber, scrubbed the glass inside and out. Then came the worst part. Buffing the stainless. Not a job for the novice and a very demanding job for the veteran. Nothing less than complete concentration and a good grip when holding a piece of steel spaghetti against a fast revolving buffing wheel. I've seen a lot of hard to replace things get mangled with the buffer, even when being polished by the best.

When the trim for the back window was done, I decided to press my luck and get some of the windshield strips done.

To further reduce some of the clutter in my bedroom, I withdrew the new rear window rubber gasket from storage and applied it to the glass. This one seems to be a better fit than the one I used on Seabiscuit, aka the Maroon Avanti

.

That's a bonus because that one required four attempts to get that window installed.

When 5054 comes back, there will be an effort to get the front and rear windows in place for their own safety.

Today's coolness is a further reminder that any work on the hilltop hanger will be drawing to a close, and......

Hershey is less than a month away."

Edited September 10, 2012 by unimogjohn (see edit history)

[SeventhSon]

Hmmm...a timely post here, for me, since my window seals loom on the horizon. After I get the door locks straightened out and some interior cleaning done the windows are next up at bat. Not looking forward to it. I will be cleaning the stainless by hand, so I'm OK with not having to worry about sending a piece into the ceiling (or worse). I'm glad to see the pictures and how the rubber was installed on the glass. Is the next step installing the stainless? It will be interesting to see how those strips go on to the rubber.

[unimogjohn]

It is Wednesday, Sept. 12th. Not too much going on. Yesterday I received the new Carter in-line fuel pump for the Jaguar, and also the newly rebuild power steering pump for the Avanti. Both are now on my "to do" list, which grows every day.

I finished the Jaguar yesterday too. Gave it a final going over and then strapped it down inside the trailer. She is ready to go. I then had to take the trailer out into the pasture, turn it 360 degrees to line back up with the gate so we can get out easily. Naturally, everything is on a down slope, so am sure glad that the truck has 4x4 drive or I would not have made it. So we are ready to go on Saturday.

And Greg just sent this report. "It's Tuesday. Well, there hasn't been much to report. The 5054 Avanti that was sent out for paint is still out for paint. He called last week to say he wanted to shoot it while we had nice weather this week so I haven't bothered him.

Lee has the Matheson cylinders, stopped by today to see how he is coming. One cylinder had been weld repaired and he had it underway. The displacement (bore x stroke) is so great as to stretch the limits of his power hone. In fact he has to hone the cylinders by doing have the stroke, then inverting it to catch the other half. The first one is halfway done. An impending dyno job might preempt me for a day or so.

So, when the Avanti returns I need to take some time here and there to put the doors and trunk lid on, front and back glass just to get them out of harms way. I might sneak in some small part restoration this winter, but the plan is to sit on that one until warm weather returns. With the Matheson being my main focus, I haven't charged into any other projects while I wait for the cylinders."

[unimogjohn]

It is Friday, September 14th. Have been doing a mix of farm stuff, getting the place ready for fall and winter. Still have about five acres of electric fence to repair before I can open up a winter pasture for the critters. But before I do that I will get the Avanti out for a run today.

And speaking of Avanti, Greg's car is about to get a new coat of paint. Here is his report.

"Today was expensive. I've been waiting on:

1. Lee to hone the Matheson cylinders.

2. 5054 to be painted

3. The 5054 transmission to be finished.

Lee called to say he wanted the cylinders out of his way. Come get them (bring money).

Jason called to say the 5054 Avanti is in final stages of primer and should get color coats tomorrow. Come look and bring more money.

Roger called to say the transmission is ready, get it out of his way. Bring money.

Word came that there's a set of new water manifold castings available for my 1910 Overland. I need'em. Sent money.

So, I fetched the cylinders, the transmission, inspected 5054 and mailed a check for the manifolds. I consider these car payments. They stretch from Virginia to California.

The transmission will get a repaint before 5054 arrives after spraying, sanding and buffing. Probably two/three weeks.

Everything in life has a cost."

=

[unimogjohn]

It is Monday, September 17th. We made it home from the Jaguar concours late last night. We had a great weekend and saw some spectular cars. Will post later on today when I get a chance to collect my wits and download some pics for you. But here is Greg's weekend report. Now he is making some big progress.

"Not a lot to report , although the time was definitely spent. Saturday's pleasant weather was an opportunity to pull the Stoddard from it's resting place and give it some exercise.

I had drained that crap ethenol and that was the time to run some real gasoline through its veins. I've also noticed that coolant has been weeping from a couple places, in went the bottle of stopleak. Out the back road we went. Another reason was to test the speedometer against Barbara's GPS. Her speedo function certainly works when I"m driving her car...("It's FORTY-FIVE here!").....but the screen was invisible in the sunlight and an open car. Scratch that idea. The car must have liked the time at the Wisconsin track. It started nicely, ran well, after the initial startup it actually gave me "free starts" (careful manipulation of switch and levers resulting in engine running without the use of the hand crank, it just lights off).

This morning began with a surprise phone call from Germany. An old friend from my Air Force time there was keeping in touch and that was a nice surprise. I'd mention some of the old car adventures we had in those days , but he'd have to kill me.

The rest of the day....I eased into a chore I've been putting off. Housecleaning my space for doing engine work. Piled high with parts from Wright Brothers to Studebaker to Matheson to miscellaneous. So I've been sorting, tossing, boxing and labelling. In order to work on this Matheson, I needed to remove the clutter.

Not being known for being neat, the place just doesn't look like mine. A secret to getting things done is to be comfortable, and I'll begin making it looked lived in right away.

Oh yeah, I called Jason for progess on Avanti 5054. Friday evening saw it with two coats of black. It's to sit over the weekend, get a light scuffing and then reshot with two more coats.

Saturday's lunch break was an opportunity to put some paint on the transmission, so it's ready for the car to be installed."

=

Edited September 17, 2012 by unimogjohn (see edit history)

[unimogjohn]

Still Monday. We got home late last night from the Jaguar concours. Spent the entire weekend talking and seeing great cars. The first evening was a club dinner. We met several very interesting folks, of course, all jag owners. The next morning we got up early and took the car through the inspection process for lights, horn, etc. To my surprise, the brake lights and back-up light failed to work. Opps, there was six points down the drain at the start. Not a great start to the judging for us.

But the rest of the day went smoothly, and we had a great time talking to folks, having them sit in the car, and making new friends. The meet was in a mall area where their were lots of spectators, and that really made it fun.

There were some great Jaguars at the show. I would say that a least a dozen were national quality, and at least four were good enough to make the best or lets say in the top five. At this show there was a beautiful Mark IX in blue and gray, a Mark 2 in Maroon, and a XK 120 roadster in a light gray with red interior. All won first place in their class. They were all spectacular.

We were entered in the driven class. That was a good choice, as no way we could compete in the champion class with basically an unrestored car. But in the end we did good. We received a third place in the driven class. We were happy and proud of that.

We will get the judging sheet in a couple of weeks, but I know what they did not like. The bumpers are not well chromed and you could easily see imperfections, tail light is loosing it chrome finish. Rusty washers holding on the bumpers, and poor finish on the bumper attachments. And some of the rubber moldings are starting to get a little checked. So these give me some things to do before next year to improve our overall score.

So here are a few pics. The three first place finishers and then the two top finisher is the drivers class ahead of us. And then in the next post I will just put in some miscellaneous pics. The first place finisher in the driver's class was a red 140 and second was a dark blue FHC XK 150. A pic of some of the cars in the various classes and then of Alice talking to folks as she did all day. Finally, the award we were given.

Edited September 17, 2012 by unimogjohn (see edit history)

[unimogjohn]

and here are some more shot especially more shots of the three big award winners. Sorry they are not in order. I cannot get the forum to post them in the order I want, so you will have to mix and match.

Also, I did some testing this afternoon. I by-passed the hydro switch for the brake light. The lights work, so the switch is bad. I ordered a new switch and a new tail light assembly too.

I have not received my tool kit yet. Pics of that when it finally shows up.