Avanti R2, 1963, refresh

[SeventhSon]

Lucky dogs - one is being chauffeured around in a fancy Buick and the other in a Cadillac! It is truly a dogs life!

[unimogjohn]

Roger, it is always great to have a co-pilot.

It is Wednesday, October 24th, AM, and we have Greg's report from last night.

"Well, another night of Matheson mania.

I've given each cylinder a light putty rub and the first casting has been hand sanded. Not a difficult job, just mindless pushing of sandpaper into nooks and crannies. The object here is to eliminate definite scars, flaws, and any damage done my Father Time. Not shooting for over restored.

You'll see however, I'm protecting the stamped serial and placement numbers.

Now I'd like to stay and visit with you a while, but you'll have to excuse me so that I can get started on the next one. I'd like to have the four sanded by the end of the week."

=

[Roger Zimmermann]

Is the outside surface not too high for this cosmetic improvement? Having that engine, I would hate to see the coating peeling after a short time...

[Woodfiddler]

John - is the 23 MB leaking at the lower radiator area? Those front end shots say maybe? If you answered this question somewhere else, sorry for asking, I just don't remember. Keep up the great work maintaining your stable of classic antique autos. Thanks again,

Chuck

Edited October 24, 2012 by Woodfiddler
pneumo-cephalic with digits (see edit history)

[unimogjohn]

Chuck, good eye. Actually, if I over fill it I have a small crack at the filler on top. To fix it I have to remove the radiator and the radiator shell. Just not a priority. It is a "get around to it" task for the future.

Still, Wednesday but early PM. Just got back from a five hour road trip with Steve. He found a very nice 67 (I think) Camaro in a town about 75 miles west of us. A very nice #3 ++ car. Restored in the 80s, but still very presentable. Here are some pics.

The car has PB/PS, auto, AC (but not working), PW and a nice interior. Has 108,xxx on the odometer. Newer tires and SS exhaust system. Underside and frame is very clean. No rust except for one seam in the trunk. Engine bay is nice and clean.

We took it for a long test drive and seems to be in very good running condition. No surprises really. Only a couple of gauges on the console that do not work, but the clock does, go figure. Radio crackles, but does not work. It is AM/FM. The headlight covers do not work, you have to move them out of the way when you want to use the headlights. Smells good inside, no musty smell.

The owner wanted $30K, but now would accept $25K. Steve has offered $20,500 after some back and forth. Seems that he will get it for close to that. Owner is going to sleep on it and call Steve tomorrow.

Edited October 24, 2012 by unimogjohn (see edit history)

[unimogjohn]

It is Thursday, AM, October 25th. Going to be our last really nice day for a few days so have to get a car out and just drive. Big storm coming in over the weekend, maybe they say. Anyway it is a good excuse.

Here is Greg's midnight report. The pics of the Mathison engine do not do it justice. The jugs are massive when you see them in person.

"As of now all four Matheson cylinders have been sanded. Then, while still in the mode, I knocked out the four Overland cylinders too. The next step is to get them cleaned and taped off. Then sprayed with a light coat of epoxy primer.

Today is officially over.

No need to call for Mr. Sandman. Sleeping is never a problem here."

[unimogjohn]

Still Thursday, PM. Done for the day, but thought I would do a couple of posts on the 23 McLaughlin Buick.

Started the day vacuuming the inside and underside of the top and fitting the storm curtains. I then took some leather conditioner and worked on the all the leather to include the door panels, seats, etc. There is lots of leather in the car, seems like acres. Everything came out fine, and I even replace a couple of fasteners that were difficult to use. I took a couple of pics of the doors as they have some fine detail in them, a trademark of a McLaughlin.

Also you can see the door in the back seat where the side curtains are stored. I have the original side curtains, but sometime in the past all the isinglass was replaced with fabric, with the exception of the front seat area where they were left open. I think that I will have David Coco (Trimacar) on this forum to see how much it would cost to do them in black Stayfast. Or I might have him just put in plastic boat glass. You need to have side curtains when the car is being AACA judged, but they need not be on the car. I think I would get dinged a point or so for having the wrong color/fabric.

As a FYI, David did the top, back seat and back seat side panels. He did a great job. If you need some work done on an early car, I would recommend him highly.

OK, here are some pics.

[unimogjohn]

I also did some work on the exhaust. Sometimes I am so stupid .......... A few years ago, when I noticed the exhaust pipe starting to go bad, I bought a replacement pipe from Waldron exhaust. They advertise on the net, magazines, etc. So I got one. Not much money, I think about $70. I got it and left it in the box and did not even take a look at it. Well, last year I opened the box and saw that the flange that holds on the exhaust pipe to the manifold was 180 degrees off to be able to attache it. No way that was going to work. I was going to call Waldron, but heck it was my fault for not opening the box. Hence my decision to have another one made.

Well today stupid me took another look at the pipe to see if it was the correct length and diameter. It was too long, but instructions said it had to be trimmed to fit. The size was 2 and 1/8 inches versus the rusty 2 inches of the original. Then I looked at the flange. It was wrapped in clear plastic and when I removed the plastic the flange rotated. Stupid me. Now I can use the exhaust pipe.

I then decided to see if I could remove the pipe from the cast exhaust riser. Worked very carefully with a small screwdriver (an old one) and gradually collapsed the pipe as I went around it. Finally, it gave up and came out. I did not damage the riser either. I then test fitted the new pipe, yes it is too long and needs to have the back end expanded and cut to go around the riser opening versus inside of it like the old one. It is just too large to fit inside the riser opening. So will still take the car to the shop for the pipe to be fitted.

Then I used a air saw to cut off the end of the exhaust pipe were it exits the car. First it was too long and also looked funny with the end pointed down. The AACA judges did not like that either and I got something knocked off for that. So made some adjustment by cutting off the curved end. Still may be too long, but it looks better.

So here are some pics.

Edited October 25, 2012 by unimogjohn (see edit history)

[unimogjohn]

OK, just one little more bit. There is a rod that goes between the carb and the exhaust manifold flap valve. My car has never had it as it was long lost when I got the car. But the flap works so John Lee from Australia said that I need to install one, and he would send me a drawing when he got home.

The rod opens the flap on the exhaust as you press on the accelerator. For example, when you mash the pedal, the flap goes to full open allowing all the gasses to go down the pipe, as you ease off, it closes the exhaust a bit so it starts flowing through the heat riser on the carb. Does anyone know the advantage or reason for this?

So today I sent Alice off in search of some rod stock. She was successful and tomorrow I will bend some rod per John's drawing.

Here are some pics.

[dalef62]

John,

In looking at your cast exhaust riser it looks to be tapered slightly where the pipe goes. If you get the new pipe expanded to go over the top of it, it will tend to want to slide off and then will get looser with time. My suggestion would be either to see if the muffler shop has a reducer (yes they can reduce the size of pipe now) or cut the pipe shorter and get a piece of 2" pipe that will slide inside the cast exhaust riser and then make it slide inside the 2 and 1/8" pipe (expand the 2 1/8" pipe), then weld it up nice and then put it together, or butt weld the two pipes together. Will make a much nicer fit and look more like original. Just a thought.

Edited October 25, 2012 by dalef62 (see edit history)

[unimogjohn]

Still Thursday, PM much later, actually around 9 PM.

Just got a call from Steve, the Camaro owner accepted a counter offer of $21K. So we go to pick up the car Monday after next as hurricane Sandy will be upon us this coming Monday/Tuesday. Steve is so excited. He is getting a very nice car for the money.

And I got a call from John Lee from Australia. He said to gut the flap and block off the two exhaust tubes going to the carb. He said they are not needed due to the volatility of modern gas and leads to vapor lock. He said to leave the flap lever and make the rod so it will look correct. So I will heed his advice and see if I can do it over the weekend.

Warnings on the hurricane Sandy are getting more ominous for the area. Now they are forecasting that it could hit just above us, but we will get lots of rain and wind. They have started telling folks to get prepared for a week of power loss. Suppose to hit Monday/Tuesday. Winds are suppose to be in the 40 to 60 mph range.

Edited October 26, 2012 by unimogjohn (see edit history)

[unimogjohn]

It is Friday, October 26th, AM. Heading in to get the newest mom cat fixed so that will take a chunk out of the day. Plan on pulling the manifold section that holds the flapper valve. Then will head down to Carquest to get a set of gaskets.

Oh, woe is us. Now they are forecasting that we may be ground zero. Guess I better clean the gutters. And I see that the central US is going to get a lot of snow. Crazy. Enough for the weather report.

But car guy extreme Greg has a report for us.

"In my prime. Epoxy prime that is.

This evening was spent cleaning, masking and spraying cylinders. A couple light coats of epoxy to seal and locate

any areas that I'd like to go over.

Got'em all, Matheson and Overland. Getting closer to putting the enamel on the Mathesons, Overlands will wait.

Now to clean up. Not fun when neglected and the stuff hardens in the gun."

[Woodfiddler]

Herd up the animals, batten down the hatches, count all the cats, full ops check on the generator, double check chainsaw, get bread and milk - ya better get started John! :-)

Chuck

[unimogjohn]

Chuck, as of this morning they are calling this a "maga storm". Set to sit over us for 36 to 48 hours. One forecaster just said that this could be the largest NE storm of all time. Run for the hills! Will keep everyone updated.

[Woodfiddler]

I forgot to add - "Get Greg out of the big metal building!" Good luck John, I'll be watching the weather in your area this weekend.

Chuck

[unimogjohn]

Chuck, for sure Greg is going to be hunkering down.

The new folks are now calling this a "Frankenstorm" due to the convergence of several air masses resulting in the ultimate nor'easter type storm. We will see. Winds are suppose to pick up on Sunday here with the storm hitting on Monday/Tues/Wed. They say it is going to stick around us a long time.

Decided to see if I could get off the cast manifold holding the flapper. After some prodding and a lot of Kroil, it finally came off. And I did not break anything. One thing of note that you will see in the pics is that one of the tubes that move exhaust into the carb heat riser was already blocked. So the hot exhaust could not get into the riser, but the tube would get hot. With the flapper closed, the exhaust had no where to go and just stayed in the manifold. I will see if I can seal all four ends of the two tubes. I can read the size of the plug, it says 13/16.

Looks like I will have to drill out the little rivets that are holding in the flapper. It's in the vice now and may tackle it after we bring back momma cat from the vet after being fixed.

Here are some pics. Oh, both gaskets between flapper manifold were leaking. So it is a good thing that I removed it. Will pick up the gaskets today or tomorrow.

[unimogjohn]

It is Saturday, October 27 AM. No real news on the weather front. They said it is still coming and will be a superstorm. The storm is suppose to start for us on Monday PM and hit us with lots of rain and wind on Tuesday.

Before it got too dark I attempted to punch out the little pins holding on the flapper in the exhaust manifold. No go, they are hard steel so will attempt to drill them out today.

Larry (dibarlaw on this forum) posted a pic of his 22 Buick model 45 engine in a response to a carb question on another forum. I noticed that he had the exhaust flange rod installed. So now I know how it is to be installed. I thought it was to go in front of the vacuum gas tank, as usual I was incorrect, it goes behind. Here is his pic.

And I talked to Steve about his new Camaro purchase as we all went out to dinner last night. Plans are to pick it up on Friday if everything works out OK. I will take him over, do the deal, and then follow him home. Should make it just fine.

[unimogjohn]

Still Saturday, but now early PM. Still omnious projections for a huge storm. Wind and rain will be major factors for our area. Some power company's are saying that the major problem will be the wind bumping against trees with leaves still on. If limbs and trees come down then expect power outages. In some cases it could be up to two weeks in some cases if it really gets bad.

Went out and made sure the generator had oil and checked the propane tank. The tank is at 75% or about 400 gallons. We should be good.

I worked on the flapper today. Even with drilling out the rivets, no way that the rod and flap was going to come out whole. So broke it out. Not much finesse, but better than damaging the manifold itself. It has had damage before as I can see welds to reattach the ears. I had to cut the rod and a new one will have to go back in to make the thing look functional. No way was I going to get the rod out of the lever with my limited tools. I will take it to Greg and see if he can drill it out for me. Then I can attach a new rod and push it all the way through.

I did reattach the manifold back on the car. Everything lined up great. I did put on copper anti-seize on all the bolts in case I want to take everything apart at some future point in time. As I mentioned before, I found one tube already plugged. I moved it so the plug is at the exhaust rather than the carb. We will see how that goes. Anyway, the flap is out and I now have an unrestricted flow of exhaust to the muffler and beyond. Here are some pics.

Edited October 27, 2012 by unimogjohn (see edit history)

[unimogjohn]

It is Sunday, October 28th, early AM. Preparations on the farm for the big storm are done. Nothing to do except to wait. Monday PM is going to be bad, all the way into Tuesday. Right now, a light wind and no rain yet. But I can see on NOAA radar that the first rain bands of Sandy will be here soon.

Greg slowed down yesterday for some time away from his work and projects. He has a great report. There are projects and then there are projects.

"Well some time ago I came to the realization that I was old enough to start finishing projects I started as far back as high school.

I've been gaining on them. The '14 International is up and running. So is the '10 REO. The Stoddard-Dayton is now a thing and waits at the ready to go. Seabiscuit Studebaker is too. As is the '21 Dodge Brothers. 5054 Avanti is well underwa,y and I'm sneaking in bits and pieces of the next one up, the '10 Overland. That will leave the '30 Model A begun when I should have been doing my high school homework, it last saw the light of day in '68. But, no new projects.

Not all of my friends are in that frame of mind. Glenn Miller has taken on a new project EMF to do after the one he's already doing. Mitch is threatening to get started on his '08 Mitchell. These projects, although challenging, still fall under the classification of reasonable restorations.

Now there's Rob Burchill and Mike Zerega. We'll get to them in a minute.

Today didn't work out as planned. Our local Horseless Carriage Club was sponsoring a day tour today. I'd hoped to make it, possibly take the Dodge along, but the onset of Old Man Winter has brought me a cold. I just wasn't up to an early start, so I lost out on the tour. By midday however, I responded to a call from Mitch who was attending a local auction of antique farm equipment. The ambient had warmed and the threatened showers hadn't arrived, so Barb and I struck out for the auction. Father and son Sines were there, had already tagged some rusty iron for themselves. I found my way to a haywagon full of magnetos not yet called.

I told Barb to look for any Remy RL types and she jumped right on the only one. Bingo! Fits the Overland. But I really didn't feel up to waiting for the auctioneer to get to it, so I asked Mitch to bid if he was still there when.

With no interest in doing shop work, I decided it was an opportune time to sit in the truck and aim it towards Rob's place.

Barb and I enjoyed a pleasant drive through Northern Virginia, across the Potomac River and through the rolling hills of Maryland.

I wanted to see the new projects.

Evidently not as old as I am, they are each beginning massive projects. I've always enjoyed the "impossible" restorations.

His '28 Chrysler depot wagon being all but completed, I'm enclosing a pic of Rob's new special bodied '33 Chrysler. A rare model, I understand one of four hundred like it.

Our friend Mike, not having enough problems with the nurturing of two Stanley steam cars, decided that he should take on the rebuilding of a 1911 Warren-Detroit 30. Photos enclosed.

Oh, by the way. You'll notice that both cars are a bit worse for wear. Previously restored cars they were destroyed in a garage fire.

If anyone knows of any Warren parts, better let us know.

And late this evening I got great news from Mitch. Yes he did stay for the magnetos. And yes he did sucessfully bid on it. $10.

You never know what the day will bring around here."

=

[Roger Zimmermann]

They want to restore "that"?

[Landman]

"Oh, by the way. You'll notice that both cars are a bit worse for wear. Previously restored cars they were destroyed in a garage fire."

Do they know who owned the cars before and who restored them ? That would go a long way as a source of photos and information.

[r1lark]

"Well some time ago I came to the realization that I was old enough to start finishing projects I started as far back as high school.

I've been gaining on them. The '14 International is up and running. So is the '10 REO. The Stoddard-Dayton is now a thing and waits at the ready to go. Seabiscuit Studebaker is too. As is the '21 Dodge Brothers. 5054 Avanti is well underwa,y and I'm sneaking in bits and pieces of the next one up, the '10 Overland. That will leave the '30 Model A begun when I should have been doing my high school homework, it last saw the light of day in '68. But, no new projects."

Well, it makes me feel slightly better that at 55 years old, I'm not the only one who still has projects undone that began when they were in high school!

[unimogjohn]

Pat, asked Greg for more background. Here is what he said.

"Been lying low today with my cold.

The only clues I have as to the origin of the burned cars are that they came from Michigan, and Mike said that the guy had the Warren because his last name was Warren.

Cause of the fire rumored to be mice chewing on the garage electrical wiring, fire started and stored paint took off. There was at least one more car, forgot what they said it was.'

Still Sunday, but PM. I spent the morning finishing farm work ahead of the storm. Then I started to go through my 23 MB parts boxes. Found the special McLaughlin vent control mechanism for the 23. I thought I had lost it and had put in a US Buick control. Now mine is correct. However, I cannot hook it up as I do not have all the mechanical connections to make the vent go up and down. I have asked John Lee in Australia for help with the connections as all of his cars are right hand drive like mine. Here are a few pics. The new knob installed, the old knob and its bracket, and then the dash. The dash is now complete and correct.

So I spent a couple of hours sorting electrical parts, wires and light. I got a lot of extra parts from the previous owner. Sometimes it got really confusing when I was putting the car together. Having three or four similar items was a bit perplexing.

I also know what I am going to order from Restorationstuff.com and Bob's Automobilia on Monday. Not too much stuff, but will amount to about $200 in mostly little parts consisting of rubber boots for the ignition 9 mm wires, woven heat cloth tube for fuel lines, dust caps for the Alemite fittings, window wiper, and period aluminum ties for wiring.

Oh, and a storm report. Been overcast all day, but no rain. Winds have been blowing at about 5 mph with gusts from time to time up to about 15. The worse is suppose to hit Monday late PM.

Edited October 28, 2012 by unimogjohn (see edit history)

[unimogjohn]

Found this on the web, it is about the fire. Fire Destroys Four Beloved Antique Cars - WLNS TV 6 Lansing - Jackson | Your Local News Leader

Quick storm report on Sunday, 6 PM. Just started to drizzle and will pick up over the night. The weather folks are predicting up to 12 inches of rain in our area over the next two days. Sure glad that we are at 640 ft and on top of a little mountain. On a side note NYC is expected to receive a storm surge of about 8 feet. No wonder that they are closing all public transportation as of 7 PM tonight. we are hunkering down for the next couple of days. Not going anywhere.

Edited October 28, 2012 by unimogjohn (see edit history)

[unimogjohn]

It is Monday, October 29th, AM. Weather report. Think I will post a few reports on the weather here at the farm. I will keep it just in this post and will update by editing. All the old cars are put away and are safe.

Monday 7 AM. Storm just started. Low level winds this morning and rain. Received over 1/2 inch last night. Worst of the storm is to be overnight and into Tuesday. Predicting now up to 10 inches of rain and snow in the mountains up to 2 feet. Storm is 1,000 miles wide. Still 400 miles off the coast of VA. Pics are of storm from space and NYC deserted station and cancelled flights.

Monday 2 PM. Power went off at 1 PM. Rain is coming down like gangbusters. Now have over 1.5 inches since last night. Wind is really picking up. I would say 20 to 25 mph with gusts to about 35 or 40. The house creaks when hit with a gust. Generator is working great. I got a note asking how big it is, it is a 20 KW Generac. Our broadband service provider is on the same electrical grid as us so I am sure that he is on backup battery power so may be knocked off at any time. We have dial-up, but the phone system is on a generator also at our hub down the road. It only lasts for a few hours. Then we will be in the dark so to speak. No cell phone service where we are at either. Such is life living in the country, even in Virginia.

Alice just tried to use the land line phone, dead. At least we are not sitting in the dark.

Monday 6 PM. Power came back on at 5:30 PM, been flickering since then. Phone is back on. The rain has let up just a bit, not a down pour now. But the wind is howling and the trees are bent over. Never have seen it this bad, and more wind is on the way, up to 70 mph in our area. Went out to feed the barn cats, they are not happy with all the noise and ruckus. Worst is still to come. And 40 miles away it is SNOWING! Up to two feet and more. We might get a dusting tomorrow AM.

Monday almost 9 PM. Going to pack it in for the night. Power stayed on for about 30 minutes and went out again. I figured that it would not last long as the wind was really picking up. Right now is is pitch black outside, and we are listening to the wind gusting at over 55 mph. You can hear it gusting and passing through the trees with a shreek and a whistle. Sounds really scary outside. When we get a big gust you can hear the roof shingles lift in a row. I hope that we do not see a lot of damage in the morning. Never in 66 years have I been in this kind of a windy situation. The sound reminds me of those old sea going movies of masted schooners crashing through the waves and winds of an angry and boiling sea.

Anyway, tomorrow is another day. Oh, they say over 2 million people are without power. By morning I bet that will be at least tripled.

Tuesday, 6:30 AM. Last night was a wild one. You could hear, but not see what was going on. Pitch black outside. Now this morning it is still raining. I can see the rain gauge, and it says 4.5 inches. Still raining now. Power is still off, generator just humming along. Will have to wait for a couple of hours before we can venture outside and actually see something. We still have broadband for the Internet so I am thankful for that. Watching the early news reports from NY and NJ, fires and floods, and no power for over 9 million folks. And snow, lots of it all over the place too in WV. Ugly. More later.

Tuesday, 10 AM. Power still out. Checked on the critters and walked the fence line. Everything looks OK, lots of debris as you would expect. The house and roof are fine too. Thankful of no damage. Feel very bad for the folks in NY and every where else. Watching CNN. Just too sad. This is the final weather report.

Edited October 30, 2012 by unimogjohn (see edit history)

[unimogjohn]

It is Monday, October 30th, PM. Just got in a before "Sandy" storm report from Greg. I spent the day inside getting the pellet stove ready for winter. Oh, and the power came back on at 5 PM. The generator ran for 30 hours.

Here is Greg's report. "Sandy aftermath. A day off.

Yesterday day job got another check mark on the Wright 8-60 list. Worked out the gear train and magneto mounting. Sometimes when you just let things sit, answers to questions can appear. Without a clear photo showing how they mounted the idler gear, I decided that simple is best. Complicated just not the Wright's style. Copying the idler mounting stud from the 6-60 and with slight modification to length, things fell into place. An extended the magneto mounting plate lined up perfectly with the idler stud's threads.

With the impending Sandy storm on the way, I knocked off to warm some supper. Storm was to hit at 6pm. When the bell rang on my microwaved rice, the lights also went out 5:57pm. Good timing on everybody's part.

Spent the evening in the apartment with a book and a flashlight. Bundled up and went to bed. The wind howled aloft, but the nearby mountain spared us. No damage to speak of, hardly a campaign sign out of place.

I can fortell the future in some cases, (like knowing when you have a screw stuck in something held in the palm of one hand and a straight bladed screwdriver in the other.... it's going to hurt) but knowing when the power company will come through ain't one of them.

Not wanting to spend the day without heat, I crossed the ridge to the Shenandoah Valley to check on Barb and my Mother. Flooding was the major problem over there.

Now, back at the ranch I find that the power was restored just as I was leaving this morning. So Sandy just cost me a day's pay. That's the cheapest anyone got off with."

=

[unimogjohn]

It is Thursday, November 1st, PM. Ever since I bought the 1923 McLaughlin Buick the MotoMeter temperature gauge on the radiator did not work. The red fluid was all the way to the top of the gauge. So it is useless. But never needed it as the McLaughlin has a factory installed temperature gauge on the dash. It did not work either, but had it restored. The most expensive restoration of a little gauge I ever had done. It was $670. Still hurts.

But Bernie (Oldcar) on this forum had a similar gauge problem on the 1921 Packard that he is restoring. He posted how he fixed it so I decided to give it a try. Well, the first attempts were failures. It was only when he told me to pound the gauge on a tire that the fluid started to move down to the bulb. I must have hit it on the tire over a hundred times. But after several more heating, cooling and pounding cycles all the fluid went back to where it belongs. Success.

Here are a couple of before and after pics.

[SeventhSon]

John - what's the deal with the Masonic hardware on top of that unit??

[unimogjohn]

Chris, they were on the car when when we bought it. We have Masonic emblems on the radiator cap, radiator and light bar. History has it that the fraternal organization was formed in London around 1717. Here is some history from the WWW. History of Freemasonry Since our car was from England, it would not have been unusual to have these on a 20's car. Oh, and I have read that most of our founding fathers were Masons.

[SeventhSon]

I was aware of the Founding Fathers connection, I just thought it was odd to see the Masonic hardware on the MotoMeter. Maybe the car belonged to a Worshipful Master or was used in parades for the Masons. Interesting.

[unimogjohn]

It is Sunday, November 4th AM. Here is a report from Greg and another good story. Me, been repairing fencing, cutting up downed trees, the usual farm stuff. And waiting for car parts for the 23.

"Feeling more like working after a bout with a cold, I'm getting the Matheson cylinders ready for paint.. taping, masking, and using #400 sandpaper to scuff the boogers stuck in the prime coats.

While doing this I get time to let my mind wander. I just got good news about my friend Fred Hoch (who lives and restores cars in Jersey), for many years a source of good advice and bad jokes. I had to laugh to myself after recalling a true story.

Some years ago I was looking for some afterwork entertainment. I happened onto a notice concerning a vintage dance class to be held in Cape May. Always an admirer of things early Twentieth Century, this might fit right in. I threw some clothes in the backseat and off for the weekend.

I took a class or two and looked forward to the evening social dance. With time to kill, I found my way to Fred's home in the country. A short visit with him, then back to Cape May for the evening social. I didn't stay long though, I didn't have a date, was way outclassed on the dance floor, and besides, it was a period costume event. After watching for a while I decided to make it back to Fred's where he had a place for me to crash for the night.

Fred lives in an appropriately old farmhouse. He had shown me to my room upstairs. To get to it you had to use one of those secret stairways hidden in the wainscot paneled wall. Really neat.

As I drove back that night, it got very dark and it really started to rain. By the time I got back to his place it was literally raining cats and dogs.

Parking the car in the yard, I ran through the pouring rain to his back door. There I was surprised to find his dog , dragging his chain and scratching at the door. I let him in, a big white long haired thing. Sopping wet.

Fred had company that night, it was late and they'd gone to bed. I said goodnight to the dog and retired up the secret stairway to bed.

Awake the next morning, I gathered my things and made my way down the stairs. As I opened the door at the foot of the stairs I found Fred. And the dog. Fred looked at me, then looked at Rover. Rover looked at the both of us while wagging his tail. Fred had a bemused look on his face and wasn't wagging his. Fred then says "You didn't tell me you brought your dog along!" I responded with "Ain't my dog". Rover just sat there and grinned.

Sure wish I could have seen the look on their faces when , after I had tiptoed up those steps, sopping wet rover had pushed open the door, took a flying leap into bed with them.

Now, when we happen to meet, our standard greeting is "How's your dog?"

=

[Guest Tarheel]

John, good story !, but you left us hanging-what happened to "Rover" ? :confused:

[Roger Zimmermann]

John, good story !, but you left us hanging-what happened to "Rover" ? :confused:

The dog was maybe adopted by Fred?

[unimogjohn]

Roger, the rest of the story from Greg. "Dog? What dog? Oh, the big white hairy dog. Evidently it belonged to a neighbor. I think it still stops by to see Fred when off the leash. (when the dog is off the leash, not Fred.)"

[unimogjohn]

It is Monday, November 5th, PM. Seems like it was only yesterday that it was 80 degrees outside, tonight it is suppose to drop to 25 degrees or lower, and snow is anticipated on Wednesday. So drained the radiators and blocks of the 20s cars. Only takes a second to do so no big deal.

I also received my new distributor wires boots from Bob's Automobilia. They are 8 mm, correct for my size of wiring. In 1923 they did not have these little boots and the wires were just stuck into the distributor, naked. So they were prone to water intrusion and also shaking out of the distributor. So in the following years they started putting on the boots. My boots are age cracking and about to go south, so I bought new ones. You use to be able to only get 7 mm sizes, luckily Bob's saw the need for the 8 mm ones and had a bunch made. Not cheap, but you have to do what you have to do. Here are the before and after. When it warms up tomorrow I will put them on the car.

Today I had the honor of taking Steve over to pick up his new 1967 Camaro SS 350. Here are a few pics of Steve and Bobby talking and exchanging the money for the title. Steve is the one without the hat. Left at 10:30 AM this morning and was home by 3:30 PM. The car ran great all the way home. Only one little hick-up, the driver's door would not open. I think the clip for the lock came off the rod and the car is locked. Oh well, a little issue to be resolved. But the car is home now, right in front of the brand new garage, especially built for it. Glad that I could help Steve out.

[unimogjohn]

It is Tuesday, November 6th, AM. Brrrrrrrrrrrrr 27 degrees. Heading off to vote this morning. Time to bundle up.

But Greg has a report for us this morning before we all head out.

"Tonight I decided to prep and paint the Matheson cam towers and caps. I had a small amount of paint left over from the cylinders and with the exorbitant prices levied on these hardened urethane enamels, you try to use every drop. Stored in the fridge since yesterday, I added a little to it and had enough to get them done. Good, another check mark on the long list ahead.

Today brought a surprise phone call from an old acquaintance, neighbor, classmate. Hadn't heard from him since the early eighties. He had gone to work as a cameraman for one of the DC television stations and was part of the crew filming a segement there at the restoration shop where I used to work. Recently he had run into Paul Rose who was showing a car in Carolina. Today's conversation brought back some memories, one of them he wasn't aware of.

Denny Bly, for some reason, also connected with Studebakers. When I took Avanti 5054 apart for restoration, about 1972, he was driving a '65 two door, light blue with a black vinyl top. It was one of the later cars that used the Chevy V8 .

I had dropped out of community college to take a job at an explosives plant about fifty miles away. Having taken apart my daily driver, he sold me his . It did ok for me, although I never really warmed up to the non Studebaker engine.

When he sold me the car, he'd told me that our local dealer, the same one that dealt Seabiscuit, had done some steering box work on it, but it still did have some wander in it. Nothing new to an old car guy, just keep it in the sweet spot as you drove.

One day on the way to work, an afternoon shift, I was cruising North on I81 and had just cleared Winchester and Rt11 North.

At this point the dual lane highway begins a gradual curve to the right. Running along at 65, the car kept leaning toward the left lane. I gently corrected. It kept favoring the left, so I corrected more. No effect. The more I corrected, the farther into the left lane I went.

As both left side wheels found the shoulder and then entered the grass median, I gave the wheel a snap of my wrist and it just spun like a top. Oh great, and the car had drum brakes, so I was afraid of the brake pedal. A brake grabbing might cause it to careen or maybe even a cartwheel. I just planted both feet on the floor and hung on for the ride.

The median being graded like a trough, we went down into it and up the other side towards the oncoming traffic. I had slowed to about 60 as both left wheels encountered the oncoming fast lane pavement. That's when the car began a downhill trip again and taking me up the other side to put the right side wheels on the friendly fast lane.

Then down again and up the othe side. Needless to say the oncoming traffic was scattering. I did this median crisscrossing five times until I got it slowed enough for me to hit the brakes to stop before I hit a graded police crossover. I had successfully made it to the Clearbrook exit. And I had somehow missed not only a head on collision with any number of vehicles, but also missed any number of culverts and concrete abutments that litter the median on that stretch.

As I sat there trying to envision what had just happened, a passerby pulled up. They gave me a lift to a nearby phone booth (remember them?). I called buddy Steve who was just getting off work at the print shop. Asked him to stop by my garage and pick up the floor jack.

A quick check of the car had made it evident that the big nut that holds the steering arm to the box was gone. When the steering had been serviced at the dealer, they'd neglected to tighten it. For some reason I had one in my toolbox onboard. I put the steering back together and went on to work. Even though I made explosives at work, I knew that the drive would probably kill me.

Ps. In today's conversation, Denny was pleased to say that the segment they'd done for Channel 9 had been nominated for an Emmy. Must have been good, I didn't get to see it."

=

[unimogjohn]

It is Wednesday, November 7th, AM. Having my morning coffee with a cat on my lap and the pellet stove blazing. Life is good.

It was cold yesterday, did not get above 45 degrees, but decided to put on the new distributor cap boots. It was just too cold. The wires have taken "set" due to the cold and would not cooperate. I also had to take off and redo the little brass end of the plug before putting on the boots. Even though they are for the 8 mm wire you have to lubricate them to get them onto the wire. Going to be a lot warmer this weekend. So gave up before I broke anything.

But Greg is made of sterner stuff. Here is his report from last night.

"It's been a busy day, and so far a good one on both sides of the Blue Ridge mountains.

First thing I met my Mom and we went to vote. After pressing the big red VOTE button and I backed away from the machine, the voting assistant then asked me if I voted the way I wanted to. I said "Yes" but I should have told him that if I didn't vote the way my Mother said , I'd get my butt beat and that she's standing right over there.

Dropped her off and then picked up the radiator for the Avanti 5054 at the radiator shop. It had been pronounced clean and in good condition. When he asked me how long it has been since it's last checkup, I said that he should check his invoices. I think it was in '73 when he last saw it.

Met David Coco (trimacar on the forum) at my storage garage, and after he found my errant Overland rear main bearing cap, we extricated his air compressor. He had bought a new industrial upright, which he dropped off at my place around twenty-five years ago. For storage and handling charges it cost him lunch. And we had a good visit at our old haunt, White Post Restorations along the way.

Tonight I elected to work on the Matheson engine. I cut some cylinder base gaskets out of brown wrapping paper, then having run out of excuses, began the cylinder installation.

As of now, all four jugs are in place and retention nuts snugged. Getting them torqued will be next. Since they also tighten the main bearing caps, it may take some patience to get the hardware tight and the main bearings not too tight. With this milestone accomplished, if I drank beer, I'd go have one. "

=

[trimacar]

Yep, Greg and I extricated the air compressor from his warehouse, no easy task as it was behind cars, and it weighs about seventy eleven pounds, and is very top heavy.

I'm now like Rover, the dog, catching a chased car.....I've got it, now what do I do with it....long ago I was going to set up shop with compressor and bead blaster, the bead blaster is long gone, and I don't have room in my garage for this monster.

So, it either goes in my storage warehouse or I try to sell it.

1909 Reo touring coming to my house this morning, will be putting a top on it.

We're having some Pantosote top material replicated, with whipcord interior lining. All that's available now is black on black. If anyone has an early car that needs a top with this material you may want to start thinking about it, this will be a limited run of material, working with Eric Haartz to have it replicated.

Greg has some good projects to work on, can't wait to see him get back on the Overland!

[unimogjohn]

David, you will have to post some pics of the Reo. Is it Rob's car?

Still Wednesday, early PM. Am looking at radar and watching the snow start to come into the area. I see that NJ and NY are already getting lots of it. Hopefully, we will be on the fringe.

Went out to check on the Jag in the trailer. She is fine, but have some water staining on the floor. So got the ladder and went up to see what I could see. Well, the old calking is going and letting in just a little water. So check all the side seams and gave those that looked suspect a bit of new calking. That should fix it before the storm, rain or snow.

Still too cold outside so decided to see if I can rewire the 90 plus year old spot light that I have on the 23. It is in good condition for its age, but it also looks its age. The wiring for sure is shot and the handle that you twist to get it on/off feels very loose so I know that the spring that gives it tension on the contacts is probably broken.

Now how to get it apart? I took off the rim bracket, which was held together with a small screw, gently pried the glass from the rim. The cork gasket is still partially there, but will make a new one, and pulled out the bulb. The bulb still looks good with the little dimple on top. It is a Mazda 1130.

I figured that the thing must unscrew so sprayed everything with Kroil and let it sit for 30 minutes. With just a little force the bucket started to unscrew from the attachment. So that solves that, everything unscrews. Great.

However, the wood handle must come off for everything to come apart. There are two small holes in the handle. One I can see just looks like it goes over the light base, the other hold has a round pin poking up through the wood. I figure you must just push in on the pin and it would release the handle, which would pop off. Well, pushed in the pin with a drill, it does not move, and cannot get the handle off.

Anyone have any ideas?

Here are some pics.

Right now I have some more Kroil soaking the pin and will try later to push it in. But please do chime in if you have any recommendations.

[trimacar]

Yes, Rob's car, body is off the frame, which will make it easier (lower level work!) to put the new top on!