dibarlaw Posted October 2, 2019 Share Posted October 2, 2019 (edited) I have been running this in the Buick forum as well as the AACA "Parts Wanted" for about 5 years. If you are loading for Hershey please take a look. Wanted A set of Top Sockets /bows for my 1925 Buick Standard touring. This morning I did it again, since people were posting their wish lists for Hershey. Within an hour I had a call from a fellow who was alerted by someone on the forum of my need. The story was (to me) too good to be true. (SCAM?) He also sounded in a hurry since the relator was to be there since they were liquidating the fathers estate. As he said they were going to pitch the top. The1925 Buick Model 25 was supposedly sold over 4 years ago to someone in Canada. His father had sold some other spare parts that went with that car. He said his dad had that set of sockets as a spare. The complete socket set was folded up in a bicycle box. I asked for photos to confirm. I had posted the photos of what Hugh had sent me years ago with dimensions. The caller did say he had no photo capability on his phone. His computer was 160 miles away of course. Also it was located a great distance from me. Near California/Nevada border. Checking on his name there is one noted at Madera Cal. He also indicated that his father had problems with the Buick Club about 10 years ago. I looked up the last name through BCA rosters back to 1997 and the only one is from North Carolina. Still seems to good to be true. NEED MORE DATA! If you are loading for Hershey please take a look. Wanted A set of Top Sockets /bows for my 1925 Buick Standard touring. Edited October 7, 2019 by dibarlaw Added content (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dibarlaw Posted October 7, 2019 Author Share Posted October 7, 2019 (edited) There have been suggestions as to having someone else with a capable cell phone do some photos to send. That is exactly what I asked him to do. He replied that the relator was a real a.. h... etc. and would not help. To me, the relators I have encountered will go the extra efforts. Still, why would he even notify me if he had no way of verifying what he had and had no way of gaining any monies without that verification? Then no desire to keep the item until it could be verified. I tried to ask were the top was at that moment. All he said was that it was somewhere near the California/Nevada border. A pretty long border! His area code indicated Sacramento area. He said that he was 160 miles from home. A target location would have been great as I could have been able to get a local BCA or HCCA member inspect. My impression from his statements was that these were the last items at the parents property. The relator was coming for final inspection and they were going to be pitched otherwise. Checking with a friend in California, he said he would be glad to go look at it and if it is as he said, pay for it and see how to get it to me. My friend is 10 hours south of the Sacramento area! Our plan was to have whoever, could hold the items until my local friend could see them and verify. The fellow called 2 more times to complain about the lack of help but made no effort to find a local solution. I felt that I did offer enough money (pending verification) to have him make sure the top was not pitched. Frustrating and strange. But I had been there before. The discarded 1925 Standard roadster parts from Tennessee in 2012. (Rat rod project). After getting the runaround from Ebay buyers (as the seller said) not coming thru. After I had offered $400 earlier for all the mechanical stuff. Engine, trans, (with torched off torque tube) and axles he took all to the scrap and got $158! Edited October 7, 2019 by dibarlaw Added content (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dibarlaw Posted October 7, 2019 Author Share Posted October 7, 2019 A gentleman from down under gave me contacts. Thanks viv w: I had been trying to get a set made here in the USA from a concern in California. They indicated that they had trailers full of the irons (sockets) and would probably have a set to match. I would give a reminder to them several times a year. Each time I tried to contact them there was no reply. There is a gentleman in my town of Chambersburg who does the bows and said he would make them when I got the sockets. After 5 years I chalked that up as a dead end. It just would kill me to think they were just pitched because he did not want to deal with it. He said his dad had a new top fitted to the set! Why go through all the trouble of informing me if he had no intention of finding a way of getting the top to a possible buyer. Very Strange! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plain City Harley Posted October 16, 2019 Share Posted October 16, 2019 Definately a scam. If you don't mind paying 20 bucks to find out, you can go on line to an identity finder site. Put in the name and address. If there is a hit, you can buy a full report on the person. Scary detailed.... If the person doesn't come back at all you have your answer without spending the money. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dibarlaw Posted October 18, 2019 Author Share Posted October 18, 2019 (edited) Well... I thought we had a winner at Hershey. We checked out about 8 sets of sockets. The closest had all the correct dimensions except the rearmost socket. The correct one is to be 24" long while this one was 32" long. Also the bows were all 58" wide front to back which indicated an earlier car. The cut down set on my car also is 58" front to back. They were also in poor condition with a rusted out section and the bows needed replaced.. The seller pushed the that the bows were useable. I responded that they would not be correct for my car anyway since they were to get smaller toward the windshield at 51 1/2 ". The only bow that could be applied was the rear most bow at 58". And, that was the one that was split at the bends. To have to cut out 8" on the rear socket would still give me exactly what I have now. Still no word from the fellow along the California/Nevada border. If his story was true then the sockets are in a landfill somewhere by now. Or just my imagination? You can see where mine were cut and rewelded. (To the left of the rope holding down the top and between the lift the dot pins), as well as a bend that I had since repaired. With the straightened front socket, correct style top rests and now knowing how to properly fold the top it does look better when folded but only when I have the boot on it. Edited October 18, 2019 by dibarlaw spelling (see edit history) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terry Wiegand Posted October 18, 2019 Share Posted October 18, 2019 Larry, I am having a real hard time trying to understand the fact that there seems to be nobody out there that is capable of building a set of top sockets for anyone's car let alone your car. John Boorinakis out in California went through the sockets on my car when we had the new top put on it and straightened the one tube that was bent. One would never know that there had ever been a problem - the guy is that good with these things. Where do these restoration shops go when they need work like this done? Do they do this themselves? I guess I should consider myself very fortunate that my socket problem was bare bones minimal. Maybe some of the restoration shop guys on here will chime in and help you out. Terry Wiegand South Hutchinson, Kansas Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
50jetback Posted October 20, 2019 Share Posted October 20, 2019 Try these people http://www.dfecustoms.com.au/gallery/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Shaw Posted October 21, 2019 Share Posted October 21, 2019 Many Thanks Stuart! Our guy here in the US is a bit flaky. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dibarlaw Posted October 21, 2019 Author Share Posted October 21, 2019 Thanks Stuart: I have sent my inquiry and will see what they say. Yes, I had frustrations with our person in California. Mark had referred me to them 7 or 8 years ago and after many attempted phone contacts and several letters the seeming lack of interest on their part has had me looking elsewhere. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dibarlaw Posted October 22, 2019 Author Share Posted October 22, 2019 For reference this is what I recieved back from defcustoms. hay mate , i will check my drawings in the morning , i charge $2300 au for tourer irons + 10% gst ,we will have to get a quote for shipping if you get me to make the irons , i will send you a measurement sheet to fill out so the irons are exact fit ,let me no what you think ,cheers deafy I sent him my reference photo. I realize the cost is probably in line for what would need to be done. But, it is way beyond what I could afford to put into this car. Now I will probably just refit my set or just keep the top down. With $2,300AU +10% gst and then shipping I may be over $3,000. Then to get powder coated, bows ( "OAK BOWS" here in Chambersburg quotes close to $2,900 for the set in their 2007 price list) and then a top. It may be closer to $13,000 when done. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AussieBuick Posted October 22, 2019 Share Posted October 22, 2019 Larry, at today's exchanger ate that's approx $1579 US DOLLARS..Norm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dibarlaw Posted October 22, 2019 Author Share Posted October 22, 2019 Thanks Norm. That may give me something to think about now. Larry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
50jetback Posted October 23, 2019 Share Posted October 23, 2019 https://www.xe.com/currencyconverter/convert/?Amount=2300&From=AUD&To=USD This is our pain machine!! Try converting US dollars to Aussie dollars for any purchases we have to make from the US!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dibarlaw Posted October 29, 2019 Author Share Posted October 29, 2019 Thanks to all who have been trying to help me! Several forum members have done a diligent search and some have come up with partial samples. I have had to put them off because a gentleman I have already dealt with and came through for me with a very nice radiator shell keeps putting me off. He has promised to check on them again in the next few weeks. The set he has is from a basket case 1924 Model 35 4 cylinder. If he can get to the rough set he has stored at a seldom visited property at least I have a pattern to duplicate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Larry Schramm Posted October 29, 2019 Share Posted October 29, 2019 And I know who he is. Call me when you get them and if they need to be repaired, I know where to go. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cxgvd Posted October 31, 2019 Share Posted October 31, 2019 (edited) Larry; I just this week received three oak steam bent bows through a local restoration shop to add to the one good one I got with the car. On a packing slip I learned they were made at Witmer Coach, New Holland, Pa and they cost $27.00 each for 57" bows. My top sockets/irons, luckily for me, are in good shape. I sandblasted them inside and out, glued in the wooden blocks with an epoxy which also filled in any pinholes in the steel, primed and are ready to fit the new bows. I will paint everything when the sockets and bows are assembled. Regards, Gary Edited October 31, 2019 by cxgvd (see edit history) 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dibarlaw Posted October 31, 2019 Author Share Posted October 31, 2019 Thanks Gary: New Holland is only about 1 1/2 hours from me! It sounds like a good option for the bows I will need. Hugh has already sent me FULL size patterns from his top. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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