Avanti R2, 1963, refresh

[unimogjohn]

Still Tuesday, but PM. Made it to Sterling Hot Rods this morning and talked to Tom, the owner and Billy, the painter. Both agreed that the primer and new paint are lifting from the old finish. They agreed that both front fenders should be repainted, however, they want to wait until the spring to do it to let it continue to outgas. So more later.

On a more positive note we picked up the Jaguar painting today. Our local artist did a fantastic job. Exactly what we wanted. It is on our mantel now, a place of honor. The artist is Cody Leeser. This is the first car she has ever done.

This is her web page. http://www.codyleeser.com/home

[unimogjohn]

Still Tuesday, Wayne sent me a couple of pics of his 64 Corvette assembly. He just finished his bumper installation. I will head over there tomorrow and get some some pics of the car. He says that he also has the carpet installed. So he must be getting really close to completion.

[unimogjohn]

It is Wednesday, October 23rd, AM. Well we have an early morning report from Greg. And it is suppose to get into the 30s tonight. So I think I will move the Avanti to the barn and the 23 McLaughlin Buick back into the garage and drain the radiator and engine block. I guess winter is coming. Have to do it this morning as the rain is coming too.

Anyway, for your morning coffee, here is Greg's report. A good one too.

"Yesterday was another really good one.

Having departed Williamsburg VA, Glenn Miller arrived first thing for a play day. A man with the engine background that he has, early two stroke automobiles, all manner of early cars, he's retired from Ford's power train development where he has had his hands on their products like the 1902 Sweepstakes racer to the Ford GT's of this century. I felt it only right that he have his name in my Operation Log of the Wright engine #20.

The only original Wright artifact that is started and run on demand, I felt he needed to be checked out and experience it. Given the oil can he was shown what I lubricate, the method of fuel management, priming of the inlet manifold and it's rpm control by magneto timing.

The old thing is well behaved, it started and ran well after sitting dormant since May. I think he liked it.

Then we were off in the maroon Avanti, old Seabiscuit, in the direction of the Udvar-Hazy museum at Dulles where we were to meet Peter Jakab. He had taken time from his busy day at the downtown Air & Space to greet us. Part of the plan was to surprise Malcolm Collum, late of the Henry Ford Museum. Now the Chief Conservator for A&S, he and Glenn were old friends and it was a nice reunion and Peter had to dash off with duties downtown.

We were given a wonderful behind the scenes tour. My first visit to the new restoration facility, Malc explained some of the new equipment used in the forensics and conservation of artifacts.

And on to the main restoration shops. You know you've "arrived" when you enter via the freight elevator. Not fully operational , they are still arranging and installing equipment. We were shown the progress of a couple projects, explained by the personnel doing the work.

A quick lunch and the two old friends caught up on Detroit and HFM news. Having spent all the time he could with us, Malcolm got back to business at hand, Glenn and I walked through the exhibits and aircraft on display.

Knowing he had a deadline and miles to go in traffic, we started for Hyde Manor. To add a little drama to our day, Seabiscuit had hiccupped a couple times. The nature of it seemed ignition related, but the 'biscuit got us back alright and in time for Glenn to depart.

What an enjoyable day surrounded by good people and great artifacts. It's probably a good thing that the Millers live six hundred miles from here. Closer could be real trouble.

Photos: *Glenn oiling and running Wright #20.

*Peter, Malcolm and Glenn investigate artifacts in the NASM lab.

* A pic of Glenn and Malcolm with a German Horton wing.

A brief note about the calibre of work accomplished in the lab. One project shown was a sample of aircraft interior panel that had been repainted with a rattle can . Someone had sprayed over original painted stenciling. Malcolm was experimenting with different solvents and Q-tips to see what would remove the repaint without harming the stenciling.

Another: The Horton wing was part of an experimental aircraft captured during WWII. Before it was shipped here, the mostly wooden aircraft was stabilized by the workmen who had built it. Further work done on it here in the states. In order to determine what was done where, various areas of the plywood skin is being studied to determine the country of origin. Museum NCIS.

As for Seabiscuit, I've pulled the distributor for close inspection but the problem was obvious. Spinning the drive i could tell that the points (single point Prestolite) weren't opening enough to see through. I guess nine thousand miles was enough to wear the point rubbing block. Slightly eroded, I just replaced them. It's now ready to go again."

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[unimogjohn]

It is Saturday, October 26th, AM. Not much car stuff going on. Getting ready for winter as temps have dropped below freezing during the night for two days. It is 26 degrees this morning. All was going well until I attempted to start the rototiller. It was a no go. Looks like an issue with the carb. Put some fuel into the spark plug hole and got it to run for a second or so. Did this several times, but won't continue to run. So will take off the main fuel line and see if I have a clog. It is a brand new machine, only about 6 months old.

Well, this morning the neighbors are gathering for a fall old car tour. I think that there will be a half a dozen car. Heading up into the foot hills to see the foliage and visit historical plantations/farms in the area. Of course there is a spot for lunch too. I think we will have a 64 Buick Skylark convertible, a 1963 Avanti (aka Seabiscuit), a 67 Camaro, a 37 Hudson Terraplane convertible, and of course, the Jaguar. I will take a few pics and post when we get home this evening. Should be a great day for a fall run, probably the last one for the driving season.

[Roger Zimmermann]

Should be a great day for a fall run, probably the last one for the driving season.

Yesterday, I gave back to the authorities (a Swiss specialty) the license plates from my old cars. I'll take them back during April 2014. With this trick, road taxes and liability insurance are credited from the date the plates are given back till end of the year and they will run again when I ask for the plates next year.

[unimogjohn]

Roger, that is a good deal. In our state, Virginia, you have to have the car licensed and insured throughout the year. This goes for project cars too. We also have to pay yearly personal property tax on all equipment including some farm stuff. An car with antique plates we have to pay $25 a year. So a antique car costs about $125 to keep per year, which includes taxes and insurance. Not too bad.

It is Sunday, October 27th, AM. Saturday, what a great day for a neighborhood or "hood" tour. Ended up with just three cars, but oh so fun. Jon's 37 Hudson lost its battery hold down in the pasture and the battery was banging around so it did not make the trip, and Steve in his Camaro had a police call out in the middle of the night so he was still sleeping. But Wayne and Greg with Jon riding shotgun headed out at 9:30 AM and 26 degrees. Yes, we had the wives on board too.

First stop was an a apple farm, of course we bought lots of apples and had a good time looking around the old farm. They had some kind of processing machine, but it was not running. They were working in the fields and harvesting field corn. They were putting the surplus in a shed where they had made a big containment circle out of huge hay rounds. They just loaded the corn into the middle of the bales, clever.

We then headed to a restaurant for lunch, which was up into the mountains. Had great BBQ. Then we went down into the valley to an old covered bridge. Alice caught Wayne's Buick going through. Wayne was the leader of the pack. Then we were off to a potato chip factory called Route 11. It was interesting to see them process, fry, flavor, and pack up the chips. I did not know they filled the bags with nitrogen to keep the fresh. Of course we got samples. Finally a quick stop at a winery. It was packed with folks so we looked around a bit, looked over the wine list and headed home.

Then we weaved our way through the Shenandoah Valley and passed many small towns and hamlets. Everyone waved as we passed by. We had a great drive. The weather was perfect and the cars really got to run for a change. We pulled into Wayne's place about 4:30 PM and everyone jumped out for a light dinner, heavy dessert, and great conversations. It was just a great and perfect car day.

And all the cars ran great too. No issues. Wayne figured that we ran about 140 miles. Here are some pics that we took.

Of course we all had to go to Wayne's garage to see the progress on his 64 Corvette. She is really looking good. The back carpet is in and glued down. On to the front. He is getting close to getting it done. I would say that he is about a month away from saying "all finished". Here some pics, one with Wayne by the car.

[Roger Zimmermann]

Roger, that is a good deal. In our state, Virginia, you have to have the car licensed and insured throughout the year. This goes for project cars too. We also have to pay yearly personal property tax on all equipment including some farm stuff. An car with antique plates we have to pay $25 a year. So a antique car costs about $125 to keep per year, which includes taxes and insurance. Not too bad.

That the difference between both countries: we have to indicate the year the car was bought and the price (nobody is checking that) and each year there is a depreciation. Result: my 3 old cars have zero value for taxes. But road taxes are about $ 600 per year depending of the GVW. For recognized oldtimer by the authorities, we can use one set of license plates up to 8 cars in Bern (other cantons have a different rule). Same for liability: one contract up to 8 cars in Bern. But, depending to the bonus or malus, the costs are about $ 600.00 to 800.00 per year. You can understand now why I'm using that trick!

[unimogjohn]

It is Monday, October 28th AM. Clean up time around the farm yesterday so no car stuff, but of course Greg had stuff to do. So here is his weekend report.

"Just a very brief weekend update.

The weekend evidently started Thursday evening with a call from a favorite Studebaker parts supplier. An item I'd ordered could be delivered to me at a Studebaker swap meet in Reedsville, Pa. Up near State College. That meant an early start on Friday morning. Arrival at lunch time, we walked the "parts department" and with a few things in hand, made it back late Friday night.

We'd also hoped to attend a local old car tour sponsored by neighbors. Since any previous tour plans had always been squashed by weather, timing or some other excuse, this one was a go. Another early start, we met up with two other cars, a Buick convertible and a '53 Jag. A very nice day was spent driving the Va highways and byways, crossed the Blue Ridge , down the Shenandoah Valley, crossed the ridge again and meandered the foothills back to Fauquier County. Stops at an apple orchard market, the local egg supplier, BBQ for lunch at a scenic overlook restaurant, a winery, a potato chip manufacturing plant and finally a very nice home cooked dinner.

Today? There was time for a little Matheson engine work buffing brass before we blasted off for a liver performance at the Weinberg Theatre in Frederick, Md.

Now there's time for some midnight chow , some sleep and ready for a day's work in the shop. And another road trip tomorrow evening. We'd better get this road work over with before the roads are snow covered and icy. Won't be long you know."

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[unimogjohn]

It is Tuesday, October 29th, PM. Who would have thought that this little blog would go over 200,000 readings. My hat is off to everyone to has participated in our car adventures. Thanks!

Not too much on the car front. Just too much to do on the farm painting, cleaning and getting everything ready for winter. And of course we always seem to have problems with our pets. This time it is Shadow, the dog. He has a bad case of Lyme disease and his back joints are so bad that he can hardly walk at times. Yesterday he was much worse so off to the vet again. We started to give large doses of antibiotics, anti-inflammatory tablets, and some pain medicine. Well, today he is much better. Will be on antibiotics for a while. Alice has to give him shots every day. We must have five big bottles to give. Oh well, at least he feels better and that makes our day.

Over the past few weeks I have noticed that the plywood in the enclosed trailer is starting to deform (aka sink) where the front wheels of the Jag sits, exactly in between two metal braces. So found a couple of 2x6s, cut them to three feet and spanned the plywood between the two metal stringers. I screwed them down and now I have some additional support for the Jag's front end. The back wheels are directly over a string so it is supported. Here is a pics. I have to move the car over just another inch or so, but for now it is OK.

[packick]

John, just think . . . in another few months you will have 1/4 million viewers of your blog. Congrats. Maybe you can buy us all a drink when that happens.

[unimogjohn]

Joe, when I see you in January, yes, I will buy you a drink for sure.

It is Wednesday, October 30th PM. I finally got some trailer time in this afternoon. The metal on the enclosed trailer's frame is starting to get mighty rusty. It all started when I picked up the Jaguar two years ago in Indiana. Of course it was January and the various state DOTs were salting the heck out of the roads. Never saw anything like it, the salt like material was actually thicker than the snow coming down. When we got home I washed everything down, but the damage was done to the trailer and the Suburban. It just instantly took all the paint off the metal.

So today I started to painted the exposed metal on the underside of the trailer. I am using Eastwood's Rust Encapsulation black paint. I have had great luck with the stuff over the years. It goes on quickly and drys quick. It leaves a hard shell on the metal. Best of all you can just wipe off the scaly rust and then just paint over the remaining surface rust. I think that I got about 20% of the underside done. Will hit it again tomorrow. Messy painting on your back with a brush, but it has to be done.

David Coco, Trimacar on this forum, sent me some pics today of his projects. He is restoring a 1910 Buick and has the engine out for a rebuild, and he also just finished the top for Rob's 1910 or 11 REO, and then installed a top kit for a friend's MG TF. He said the kit was a bugger to install as it had sat folded in a box for at least two years and the fabric had taken a set. Very hard to stretch it back into shape and have it fit right. David is a very busy guy. Thought you all might like to see the pics.

Edited October 31, 2013 by unimogjohn (see edit history)

[unimogjohn]

It is Thursday, October 31st. After doing farm stuff I got back under the enclosed trailer. Am now wire brushing the bad stuff and then painting. I have used one quart so far and am about half done. I now have to take out the Jaguar and drop the nose of the trailer to get the back end high enough to get under it to paint. The main frame to the axles is done, but I still have the out riggers to do from front to back. Not looking forward to them as there is little room to get the brush into it. Here are some pics of the before, during and after. You can see why I am doing this now.

[unimogjohn]

Still Thursday, PM. David Coco finished the top for Rob's 1909 REO. Here are a couple of pics of the top and body. Looks to be an outstanding restoration.

Edited November 1, 2013 by unimogjohn
corrected year of the car (see edit history)

[unimogjohn]

It is Friday, November 1st. Well October just few by, where did all the days go? About half the leaves are off all the trees, and today we are suppose to get 50 mph winds at some point. I would hazard to guess that by the end of the day most leaves will be long gone. Rain is coming in too. Remnants of a storm that dumped 16 inches down south. I sure hope we don't get anywhere close to that. I think my painting of the enclosed trailer will be postponed for a couple of days.

Greg has been busy during the week. He told me that he will be rebuilding three Curtiss Jenny engines over the winter, two for customers and one for the boss. Right now he is in the research and discovery mode, and had one apart for familiarization and planning. They will be certified for flight use.

And without further a due, here is his report for the past few days.

"Golly, Thursday already?

Took time tonight to work on the black Avanti heater assembly. The replacement housing is very nice. After cleaning, I repainted the steel fan compartment. The blower motor has had the mouse chewed wires replaced by ones from a donor motor. It's now in the paint room while the primer dries overnight. A quick check of the heater core shows that it is soon to find it's way to the radiator shop for leak repair.

Also, took time to hang some trim on the 5054. A New Old Stock hood ornament (gunsight, it's called) and a nice script for the front panel. I prefer using original equipment trim even though they are being reproduced. I find that the repros aren't quite the same in fit or installation. The mounting pins seem to be undersize so the original Palnuts won't fit. They've got push on clips to retain them, but that 's a one way trip. To remove the emblem you don't unscrew the studs, you break them off. No thanks, I'll do it the old way.

The Matheson engine has it's new water manifold studs finished and installed.

For you flying squirrel fans, more progress. I've been feeding them at a certain location, a tree near the building. The thought occurred, are they homing in on the black light I use to illuminate them, my whistling to call them, or the tree itself? I decided to find out.

We have a corn cob feeder on another tree, so last night I called them to it. And the tree is illuminated by our motion sensitive night light. They didn't waste any time following me to the new location.

Not only that, but I can see them. The drawback is that on one of my visits to deposit feed on the feeder, I noticed another with a keen interest. At the base of the tree crouched a cat. That's going to be a problem. For the cat.

Photos tonight of the new 5054 Avanti trim and heater parts.

Couple pics of the new Flying Squirrel Diner. Note that in the one shot, there are actually three of them and the one can evidently blink it's eyes.....or wince in the flash."

=

Edited November 1, 2013 by unimogjohn (see edit history)

[unimogjohn]

It is Sunday, November 3rd. Another cooler, but sunny day here in Virginia.

Looks like a road trip for us on Wednesday. Heading up to Ohio to pick up a 2003 Pace American 24ft enclosed trailer. It will be a 700 mile jaunt so it will be at least a fifteen hour road trip for us. Bill listed the trailer in the sell/buy section of the forums. We emailed back and forth, and this morning we agreed on a price and sealed the deal.

This will give me some better storage for either the Avanti or the 23 McLaughlin Buick. Anyway, all the cars will be out of the barn. Wednesday should be a great day. Here are pics that Bill posted on the trailer.

[unimogjohn]

Still Sunday, PM. Dave, trimacar on the forums, Coco just sent me a quick note and said that he is slowly finding all the parts for his 1910 Buick engine. Now that is progress. Tough to find parts that you place around the garage after twenty some years. I think that he has almost everything to make an engine again. But looks like a lot of work to do to get them serviceable again.

[unimogjohn]

It is Tuesday, November 5th, PM. Just a very quick note for those that are following along. Heading to Thompson, OH from northern VA early tomorrow morning, like 3:30 AM, to pick up the new enclosed trailer. It will be a 700 mile round trip. We are going to do it one day, eight hours driving each way. We will make frequent stops and will probably stop once or twice for quick naps. Alice is a great driver and has pulled both an open and enclosed trailer several times. So we will be spell each other every couple of hours on the way home. We hope to be in Thompson by noonish and back on the road early afternoon.

[trimacar]

Nice looking trailer, glad you got it.....safe travels!

[unimogjohn]

It is Thursday, AM, November 7th. Made it home last night. More on that adventure later as I try to collect my thoughts.

But waiting for me was a Greg Matheson engine report. Here is Greg's tale.

"Things still progressing on the Matheson front. I'm working on the ignition spark advance linkage. Some tarnished brass needs buffing, which I've been doing. Not a fun job.

I also got up the nerve to investigate the water pump assembly. It looked to be reasonably intact but showing signs of rust, tarnish and corrosion. And If I'm to sign off on this thing, I'd better open it up.

The fascination of this early stuff is the different methods they used. Sometimes the difficulty of disassembly is not knowing how they put it together. This water pump falls into that category. With the cover removed it was evident that the drive gear end had to be stripped of anything that wouldn't go through the packing gland. The gear came off ok, it had a retention nut and washer, it also had a couple radial slots that allowed for timing adjustment. That meant more washers and nuts. But removal of the gear exposed a flange that had to come off. Couldn't tell how, but I did find a clue. Hidden by the gear itself was what looked like a pin or setscrew through the flange. In fact, someone had drilled it about halfway through the shaft. There was faint hint of the other end of the pin.

So I began step drilling it from the other side. When just a shadow of it remained, I took said pump to the hydraulic press and put some pressure to the end of the shaft, but very gingerly.

Not knowing what else might hold that flange in place, I reminded myself of the Great Steering Wheel Removal Story from Idaho. Trying to remove the steering wheel casting from the column, my associate removed the big nut on the end of the shaft to expose a square key that locked the wheel in place. That is typical of most cars, key seat in casting, key seat in shaft, put the key in and press the wheel on, and then the nut.

My man found out the hard way that Matheson had a better idea. What they did was thread the wheel onto the shaft and then press the square key into place to lock the threads. So I put a little more pressure on the shaft and it popped and started moving .

That's tonight's success story."

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[unimogjohn]

Just a quick update on the yesterday's trip. Total trip was 765 miles, got 15.5 mpg going up and 9.5 coming home. We left at 3:30 AM and arrived home at 8:30 PM. Alice and I shared the driving, but it was really tough driving in the dark. Just too many critters trying to commit suicide. The cost for the trip was about $200 in fuel and $70 in tolls in OH and PA.

The Suburban ran great, BUT ....... Coming home it went to limp home mode. Alice pulled to the side of the road and I hooked up the trusty scanner. It was throwing codes related to the electric throttle not seeing the pedal, voltage out of range. So cleared the codes to get the engine back to full power. It threw the same code every time we turned off the car. So we just kept it running when we stopped for fuel, refreshments, etc.

The Pace American trailer is great, and pulled nicely. The only thing not working are the interior lights. Will have to look into that. I am very happy with the purchase.

Edited November 7, 2013 by unimogjohn (see edit history)

[unimogjohn]

On the Avanti front. I have been replacing windshield rubber blades like crazy. I have a lot of old blades and that is the problem. They are old and falling apart. By chance I saw that Trico now has a classic blade line. So I ordered a couple from Amazon for about $8 each. Put them on today. Looks good and new rubber. Could not be happier. Here is a pic.

[Roger Zimmermann]

By chance I saw that Trico now has a classic blade line. So I ordered a couple from Amazon for about $8 each. Put them on today. Looks good and new rubber.

Interesting news! I see you have 15" blades, same as '59-60 Cadillacs. Are they available in various lengths?

[unimogjohn]

Roger, yes. Here is a link. http://www.tricoproducts.com/Drivers/WiperProducts/MoreProducts/Classic

[unimogjohn]

Bill, the guy I bought the trailer from, also had a nice Porsche 356 that he restored for his son. I thought I would post the pics. Of course his son is in NY and cannot find a spot in the garage for it. So Bill gets to exercise it.

[unimogjohn]

If you are following the David Coco, Buick engine rebuild, I received a couple of updates in the last day or so.

"With new studs for mounting... Just a test but nice to see it as an engine after so many years...the studs sticking out on left jugs are for mounting intake/exhaust manifolds...the pipe sticking up on left is one of two crankcase breather pipes, internal to that pipe is a downward facing wire mesh cone, and a mesh cover at top of pipe.

So did some mundane things, removing nuts and bolts from manifold clamps and studs , they'd only been in place for 100 years or so.. Broke one square head set screw ....next have to get pipes repaired on exhaust manifolds (shown)...and of course cleaning and paint at some point..."

[unimogjohn]

It is Friday, November 8th, AM. Remember I said that the only thing not working on the new trailer were the interior lights? Well I spent a hour with the meter trying to find the cause of no lights. Pulled the wiring diagrams for both the Suburban's 7 plug connector and the Pace's circuits. Well, Pace say that it gets it power from the number 4 post, which is full time 12 volts when the key is on. Well, no power from the Suburban. What? So got on the internet and found out that there is a fuse for the 4 post. And Chevy in it's wisdom put in a dummy max fuse. No wonder no power. So ordered a few 40 amp maxi fuses. While I was at it I also ordered a can of special, plastic safe, contact cleaner. Both from Amazon. Will be here on Monday. Thank you Mr. Internet.

[unimogjohn]

Still Friday. Boy, David is really pressing ahead on his Buick engine. Here is his report.

Subject:

Buick non-progress

Well, not feeling well today and the doctor agrees, so not much will be done. Did gather some parts. Shown is the exhaust collector into which the manifolds feed, note the through bolt and lever which control the cut-out. Kroil and patience will free it up, I hope. Also, got out the pistons and rods, they’re all set to install thanks to Mitch and his beautiful work. The Arias pistons are works of art, shame to hide them in the jugs….. Also pulled out Remy magneto, Model S, which needs rebuild or replacement, so I’m on the hunt for that….

[unimogjohn]

Still Friday, now PM. Had a few minutes so decided to see if I removed one of the maxi fuses and put it in the open slot for the trailer interior lights, the lights would go on. I wanted to make sure that I was not chasing a ghost. So pulled the fuse for the ABS and inserted it into the socket that had the dummy fuse. Well, it works. I now have lights. Here is the proof.

I also took the time to open the very nice storage container to see what was in it. Bill had told me, but there were a couple of surprises, like a combo wheel wrench and special Pace cleaner for the trailer sides. Both good finds.

I also put the step ladder up to the roof to inspect it. Some of the sealer is starting to peel. So the next nice warm day I will remove some of the old stuff and put on some new. It is not leaking now, but better to do it now rather than later.

Oh, now they are calling for snow next week. Go figure.

Heading to a farm party tomorrow. It is an annual Fall event. We all bring our old cars out for one last time. Alice will drive the Jaguar over and I will take the Avanti.

[unimogjohn]

It is Saturday, AM, November 9th. Ohhhh, cold here this morning 25 degrees, but it is going to be a nice day, high of about 53 degrees. Nice enough to get the Jaguar and the Avanti fired up early in the afternoon and head to the farm party. Should be fun. We may have a dozen or so old cars and tractors in attendance.

The US Mail brought me the new combo trailer hitch yesterday afternoon. Will be very useful around the farm for sure.

I took a couple of pics of the new trailer with the Suburban still attached. You can see in the long shot that the back is higher than the front. I have a hitch now that has a 3.5 inch drop, so bought one that does not have a drop. If this goes not level it out then will flip over the drop hitch and make it a riser.

[trimacar]

That hitch looks like a medieval torture device or weapon.....

[unimogjohn]

David it does for sure. I have a use for all four attachments. The largest ball for the enclosed and open trailers, medium for the horse trailer and the smallest and the hook for my towing strap. Kinda like the Swiss Army knife, only for trailer towing.

And I put it on the truck this morning. both the trailer and the truck are level. The truck is a 3/4 ton with HD rubber bump stops as load levelers in the back. It does not drop much when you have a full load on it. Maybe 1/2 in or less. So I should be good to go.

Started up both the Jaguar and the Avanti this morning and warmed them up. Both started easily, but I could tell that both starters struggled a bit initially. So we are ready to go to the farm party early this afternoon.

[unimogjohn]

It is Monday, Veterans Day, November 11th, AM. Today I feel like moving again. Have had cold for a few days so have been staying inside for the most part. I did get the foot for trailer so put that on. Today we are going to head into town and will be able to get that "special" fusible link/fuse that was not installed by Chev for the trailer interior lights. Small progress.

And Greg has been under the weather too. Here is his report.

"Not much to report.

I'd been outrunning a cold all last week, at least until I took time off Friday to lie down. Then it caught me. Now that I'm on the down side of it, to keep myself out of the cold shop, I hopped in a car and drove to Rob's old car repository where the Stoddard and REO repose. Time to drain cooling systems. And read old magazines.

It was also the first time I was able to see a new arrival. Enclosed photos of a 1914 Brasie. Not quite as big as a Saxon, it's slightly larger than a cyclecar. Made in Milwaukee I think.

Not in bad condition, it's 12 hp four cylinder wasn't nearby. Interestingly , it uses a friction drive system where a driven disc is moved across a rotating disc for different speeds and reverse.

Wishing all you Vets a good Veteran's Day. Check your local restaurants for your meal deals! If they are nice enough of them to offer, we should show our gratitude and thank them by showing up.

Rhodes and Metz! While eating out with Barb tonight I happened upon an old friend that I haven't seen in years. Julian Marple. I worked with him when I was a novice Tool and Die Apprentice at the Intertype Company in the Industrial Park. If you remember him it's probably from the time he accompanied us to Roy's Sandwich Shop in Gaithersburg. His first time there, we encouraged him to get the Bendershmender sandwich (I think it came on a hand truck , brought by the entire staff with a marching band). Always the big talker, when they took our order (and totally unaware), he says "I'm hungry, bring me TWO of them. I think he got his stomach pumped on the way home. We had a good visit and relived some old stories."

= Ed notes. Here are links to the Brasie. Not much information available on the car. http://books.google.com/books?id=XLS3UagARgwC&pg=PA101&lpg=PA101&dq=Brasie+automobile&source=bl&ots=20jEBlzwAv&sig=hDG9mL7Fv82LHew1_a3aASXKSWQ&hl=en&sa=X&ei=MdWAUp2WLcm3sAS7-YEQ&ved=0CFUQ6AEwBjgK#v=onepage&q=Brasie%20automobile&f=false

http://collections.mnhs.org/MNHistoryMagazine/articles/43/v43i03p093-112.pdf

[unimogjohn]

Still Monday, but early PM. Finally feeling better so headed outside. Suppose to get cold tomorrow with some snow flurries. So decided to see if I could get the new enclosed trailer into the pasture and placed for the winter. Rather than towing it with the big and long Suburban I decided to use the little Kubota tractor. Using the tractor allows me more turning room and maneuverability. Our farm is on the top of a small mountain and as a result we have very little flat land, especially in the pastures. I tried a couple of different placements in the pasture, but they either blocked an exit or the ramp too steep to get a car into it. So I settled in putting it next to the other enclosed trailer. Of course there is a tree there, but figured that I could clear it. So with Alice's help the trailer made the corner. I then had to disconnect the tractor and move it back on the trailer to get the right angle on it to move forward. After a couple of tries we declared victory. Not perfect, but it is level and I can easy get a car into it. Over the next couple of days I will place blocks under the back end and then move one of cars into it for its winter slumber. I think I will move the Jag into the new trailer and the 23 McLaughlin Buick into the black trailer. I want to keep the Avanti in the garage as I want to drive it over the next month or so.

The next Jag project is to get the clock out of the tach and have it sent off for repair. Hopefully it will not be pain to get too and remove. Only one electric wire and two screws holding it in. Heck what could go wrong? Hope to have it out in a few days.

Then turned my attention to the Avanti. I put in a special three way fuel filter. This was recommended on the Studebaker Driver's Club forum a couple of months back. It utilizes the Avanti's return line from the fuel pump back to the tank. The Avanti uses this to avoid vapor lock. Since my fuel pump return port is plugged I figured that I would try this fix. So I have run the filter for about a month and have noticed that there is often a little engine hesitation when cruising. So a couple of days I removed it and put back in a new see thru filter. I will see if the hesitation goes away.

And we had a great time with the neighbors at our "hood" third annual cruise in. Great food and great conversations. We had a few folks that do not have old car, but all said that they were now thinking of getting an old car to drive. So we were successful in getting folks thinking about cars. The only downside is that it was rather cool and windy, which made it uncomfortable by the end of the day.

[unimogjohn]

Final report for Monday. Leveled and blocked the new trailer. It is in it new home for the winter. Tomorrow I can move cars around if the weather is OK.

And fixed the license plate light on the new trailer. It had the wiring to the plate holder going thru the frame of the tailgate. When someone backed into a tree, the outer frame was pushed in and cut the line. So I removed the plate holder and pulled out the wiring from the inside of the frame. Put the wires back together and now the wires run outside of the tailgate. Doesn't look too bad. Only about two feet of wiring showing. No way to get wire back down through the frame of the tailgate anyway. So it is what it is, at least it works. Life is a compromise.

[Guest BillP]

Hi John,

Glad you're having fun with the new trailer. Thanks for not identifying the moron who backed into a tree, blithely severing the license plate light wire.

Having been in construction, I tend to think about water and all the ways it can find its way in when it ought to stay out. It's good that you leveled the trailer, but I always leveled it nose down, to A, let the water run off the roof, and B, keep it away from the back door and its seal that Murphy says will leak. But of course, do it how you like.

Regards, Bill

BTW, we had a clear morning and rain this afternoon so you should have the same for fooling around putting cars away.

Edited November 11, 2013 by BillP (see edit history)

[Scotts_DG8]

John,

It's been a bit of time since I commented on your thread even though I check it out every time you post an update. The trailer looks real nice BTW and I'm sure you'll get a lot of use out of it.

I also had a thought though while reading this update what it was that I truely enjoyed following along your thread. I guess it boils down to it's the simple nature of the thread and content, not 100 percent car related but more like a reading a good book. Every time you pick it up (see what the current post is about) it's like a new chapter and following along with the many characters. Sometimes it's a mystery and at times a thriller, there is drama, humor, and the rocket science/MacGyver guy (Greg) shows up now and then to show/tell all of us how it's done or should/could be done. In gerneral it's a great thread.

How I got off on that line of thought tonight I've no idea and although it not always good to say what you think, this time I guess I just had to share. Scott...

[unimogjohn]

Bill, glad that you are now following our little activities. And thanks again for selling me your fine trailer. I will get a lot of use over the years to come.

Scott, well the blog has sort of morphed over the years as things get done. It is like a book now that you think of it. Actually, it is a good historical document too, I often refer back to it for what was done to the Avanti and what we started with. And why don't you post pics of your cars too? We all know the van, but I don't think that we know the history of the others.

Re David Coco and his 1910 Buick. I asked David what does the Buick look like sans engine. He replied that he purchased it many years as a burned out hulk. He has a body for it, but it is a reproduction. I think that he will let us see it when the engine gets back in the truck. Mitch, our local premier machinist, has been doing the work on the engine. He told me that he still has the valves and cages to do yet.

[Scotts_DG8]

John,

Oh, one more point on why I was saying you thread has very much a book feel to it. It has to do with the author, your writting and story telling has grown since the start of this thread, and you can't leave out the great adventures that both you and Greg have taken us all on.

As for posting photos and additonal info on my cars, photos of two of the cars have been in my gallery for almost three years and can be viewed by clicking on the images listed under my user name shown at the right of my posts. The van obviously I have the thread I've been posting to in this forum. The TR3A I only have a single picture of as it is in garage jail, that is I have it stored in the back corner of the garage and have a temporary platform built above it for parts storage. Now as far as getting into the background info on each and their status I've not had a venue to actually discuss them. Scott...

[unimogjohn]

It is Wednesday, November 13th, early PM. Boy, seems to be really cold outside, or at least I am, 34 degrees at noon. Well, I put jack stands under the front frame so now I have three hard points in front and two in the back of the trailer. It is as solid as a rock. So moved the Jaguar from the black trailer to the new white one. Looks right at home. Tomorrow will attempt to start the 23 McLaughlin Buick and move her into the black trailer for the winter. She is really hard to start when cold, so will see how she does. Here are a couple of pics of the Jaguar in her new home.

[Bill Stoneberg]

Looks like there is room for another one in that trailer...