edinmass Posted October 23, 2020 Author Share Posted October 23, 2020 (edited) Guess what we are doing!👍 Insurance and Title. Still no registration.........xxxx it!👍 Those are the original plate bolts and wing nuts! Edited October 23, 2020 by edinmass (see edit history) 6 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Walt G Posted October 23, 2020 Share Posted October 23, 2020 21 minutes ago, edinmass said: Those are the original plate bolts and wing nuts! Reminds me of Austin Clark's column he used to write for Old Cars newspaper in the early 1970s ( I was working for him in his library at the time) "Young Nuts and Old Bolts". 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
padgett Posted October 23, 2020 Share Posted October 23, 2020 If you now have the title and insurance, may be able to get a plate on line. but first go here to make sure the title is in the system. Be nice if you could print a temporary tag. Life is a lot easier if you have a valid plate to transfer, have now used all of mine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edinmass Posted October 23, 2020 Author Share Posted October 23, 2020 (edited) Update: Fifty years in the hobby, and only for the second time in my life I drove a Pre WWII car that had more power and speed than I have balls. Adjusted the clutch, and off I went with me driving and my trusty helper “Phil” with the hands like George the Animal Steel. Phil and I together tip the scale at 500 pounds total. We are a NOT thin! Anyways, it shifts fantastic when you get use to the personality of the transmission. We drove it through the neighborhood and then took it out on the devided highway. We pulled out with Friday evening rush hour traffic...........went through the gears, and finally hit OD. Shit......this thing has long legs! We got the thing going like a freight train..........had Waze running for an accurate speed by gps. We went through 40, 50, and 60 with ease.......we were well on our way to 70 and then we had a bit of shaking and vibration......so.......we do what any good mechanic would do........fxxk it, step on the gas! At 72 MPH I felt an issue.........front end started dancing, and then............SMOKE! Backed it down and jumped off the highway.........and got about 100 yards past the turn off.......and the White was NOT happy. Pulled over.......and while Idling on the side of the road we were having a smoke show. Turned out the left rear brakes were smoking like a chimney. We sat on the side of the road......with no tools.........after all, the car was thought to be properly prepared..............and within three minutes, it cooled down and released. So we drove it back to the shop. While we had driven it just a bit around the shop........out on the open road we got tons of looks and thumbs up’s. This thing is insane..........you need a lot of testicular fortitude to run this thing fast. We need to go through the brake system......and I think a tasteful but modern upgrade is going to be needed to drive this thing to the edge and do it safely. IMPRESSION.............one of the best driving cars pre 1931 I have ever driven......never mind it’s a 1917 automobile. We parked the car, and went to the bar for some Rye. More later.........tomorrow........more driving, and with some luck, a video that will blow your hair back. Remember our shop motto.........”Drive it like you stole it!” In this case......we did......but the car beat us.........THIS TIME! Edited October 23, 2020 by edinmass (see edit history) 4 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
padgett Posted October 23, 2020 Share Posted October 23, 2020 At 70 be glad it wasn't a speed wobble sounds like one was starting then the brakes saved you. Would be an interesting safety item: if front end starts dancing, apply rear brakes. ps "good mechanic" ^H^H^H^H (anyone remember that) Roadkill. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edinmass Posted October 23, 2020 Author Share Posted October 23, 2020 When in doubt.......give it gas! You either pull out of it......or the crash is spectacular? Either way.....lots of thrills and adrenaline! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SC38dls Posted October 23, 2020 Share Posted October 23, 2020 (edited) 72 with a dragging brake! What a beast! They thought they had a great White in the movie Jaws it’s on the road in Florida! Have fun be safe edit - C Carl is right and giving good smart advice below. Edited October 23, 2020 by SC38DLS (see edit history) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
C Carl Posted October 23, 2020 Share Posted October 23, 2020 Ed, I feel compelled to give you some advice : Slow down. I have been spellbound reading your resurrection here. Seem to remember that the tires are old. Seem to remember that this is a 2 wheel brake 100+ year old platform. The car has just warned you. I am warning you. SLOW DOWN, ED ! SLOW THE HELL DOWN !!! You are a real "people person" who seems to love your fellow old car nuts as much as the cars themselves. We all love you and are grateful for all that you share, and the help you generously lavish upon us. You have just got away with proving a point, and do not have to equal or beat it again. This is not a well sorted Duesenberg J with big juice brakes on all 4. Please slow down, precious irreplaceable forum friend. - Carl 9 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edinmass Posted October 23, 2020 Author Share Posted October 23, 2020 (edited) No worries fellas......I know my car and my limits......I had no intention of holding any high speed......just rolling up to some theoretical place and backing down. I won’t run the car that fast again..........no need to. Was more interested in understanding what zones the car is safe and stable. 60 mph seems fine and steady without being nervous, or busy.........either the chassis or engine........the driver is up on pucker! We still need to deal with the top and secure and stabilize the material. I expect for the next few weeks 45 will be our top end. 👍 Also remember boys......I had this car all apart, inspected, adjusted, and lubricated. Calculated risk is reasonable..........for short spurts. It also proves radiator flow........we didn’t push water out of the overflow or the cap. Pushing a car is part of sorting a car. Road selection is also important. The highway today had full break down lanes on both sides of the road.......open with no trees......we were going along a reservoir. Safety was number one. 👍👍👍 Edited October 23, 2020 by edinmass (see edit history) 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edinmass Posted October 23, 2020 Author Share Posted October 23, 2020 (edited) Found a huge amount of information on the car today. It was sharing a garage with six Bugattis and a 4 1/2 Liter Bentley. This guy had great taste, disposable income, and free time. Story on the car is evolving, but every lead and history remembrances have all been accurate but jumbled. The car went from the Auto Salon floor to Flushing in Queens, out to Long Island, then up to the Hudson River Valley along the Hudson River near Hyde Park. Lots of fun stuff..........more artwork and a possible photo of it with the original owner are on the program for lunch tomorrow. And yes......I have photos of the Bugattis and Bentley. Odds are we will get a photo of the White in the carriage house with the others. The little boy on the right is now elderly and still sharp.......we are trying to contact him. PA- Want to see the car today? Call Leno for a tour.......he has it now. The car came East from Bunny Phillips........the 1937 Indy driver that had the terrible crash. Google it. Edited October 23, 2020 by edinmass (see edit history) 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
padgett Posted October 24, 2020 Share Posted October 24, 2020 Wow, kid's clothes look like 1950's. Only thing different was I had a Tom Corbett suit (though built more like Astro). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edinmass Posted October 24, 2020 Author Share Posted October 24, 2020 Walt......did you know the Bugatti collection on Long Island that moved to the Hudson Valley in the 60’s. I’m sure Austin knew him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cobalt1959 Posted October 24, 2020 Share Posted October 24, 2020 On 8/1/2020 at 10:18 PM, Rusty_OToole said: Quite a few expensive cars used a dual valve, T head engine in the WW1 era. Stutz, Pierce, McFarlan, Simplex, American Underslung and apparently others. Stutz, yes. Pierce, yes. McFarlan, yes. Simplex and American Underslung, no. The one I haven't seen mentioned yet is White. White also built a dual valve T-head. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edinmass Posted October 24, 2020 Author Share Posted October 24, 2020 3 hours ago, cobalt1959 said: Stutz, yes. Pierce, yes. McFarlan, yes. Simplex and American Underslung, no. The one I haven't seen mentioned yet is White. White also built a dual valve T-head. The car that is the subject of this thread is a Dual Valve High Power White GL. Stutz was a four, as is the White.....the White is a mono block, the Stutz is a traditional T head. The Pierce was a six.......if I remember correctly, cast in two sets of three. I have driven them all......and they are very much different animals. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grimy Posted October 24, 2020 Share Posted October 24, 2020 20 minutes ago, edinmass said: The Pierce was a six.......if I remember correctly, cast in two sets of three Three sets of two.... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edinmass Posted October 24, 2020 Author Share Posted October 24, 2020 (edited) 19 minutes ago, Grimy said: Three sets of two.... Duces........I stand corrected. 👍 Had the famous automotive author and historian Brooks Brierly stop by today. We took the White out for a spin, and then put a bunch of miles on the 1929 Stearns Knight. Two cars from Cleveland........interesting day. Edited October 24, 2020 by edinmass (see edit history) 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edinmass Posted October 25, 2020 Author Share Posted October 25, 2020 Here is an ad for my car........ 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wayne sheldon Posted October 25, 2020 Share Posted October 25, 2020 Nice! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edinmass Posted October 25, 2020 Author Share Posted October 25, 2020 (edited) Update: More photos of my White’s garage mates from the 40’s to the 60’s. It’s interesting that a collector would have these cars so early in the post war years......only to sell them off and keep the White......which he never drove after the war. Seems he actually drove the White during the war! I have located his four children, and will attempt to make contact with them soon. One in particular seems to have an interest in the history of his fathers old cars. Lock ing down the history of cars before all knowledge is so important to provenance, and unfortunately many people never make an effort to start a book and write it all down. Enjoy the photos...... Edited October 25, 2020 by edinmass (see edit history) 3 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edinmass Posted October 25, 2020 Author Share Posted October 25, 2020 And the last two...... 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edinmass Posted October 25, 2020 Author Share Posted October 25, 2020 Final photo.....interestingly all his Bugatti’s except one have remained original........this Bentley is on its original chassis, and engine and coachwork are original to it..........a very rare unmolested W O Bentley. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wayne sheldon Posted October 25, 2020 Share Posted October 25, 2020 He had good taste in cars! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
padgett Posted October 25, 2020 Share Posted October 25, 2020 With Lucas 576 driving lights. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edinmass Posted October 25, 2020 Author Share Posted October 25, 2020 Posted this in the wrong thread...........sorry about that. I don’t know how or if I could swap it over, so I just did two screen shots and am posting it here........sorry about that. I was sober when it occurred......so I have no explanation. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SC38dls Posted October 25, 2020 Share Posted October 25, 2020 You were just “giddy” over the Great White running so well! I think I would rather say I had too many bourbons before posting than say I was giddy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edinmass Posted October 25, 2020 Author Share Posted October 25, 2020 Too many bourbons is possible, too many rye is not..........😎 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Walt G Posted October 25, 2020 Share Posted October 25, 2020 Ed the only Bugatti collection/collector of note that I knew of on long island belonged to Miles Coverdale who also had a t head Mercer touring car from the brass era. Miles and his wife Enid were great people. Do not recall their collection moving off long island. Walt 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A. Ballard 35R Posted October 25, 2020 Share Posted October 25, 2020 Walt, the name of Miles Coverdale occurred to me also but I didn't know how many Bugattis he had owned. As you know, his 1911 Mercer Toy Tonneau was owned by one of your illustrious neighbors - the iracsible Warren Kraft. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
padgett Posted October 25, 2020 Share Posted October 25, 2020 Being from Maryland, I agree about Rye. Understand the FL prefix on tag, differentiates between states with same SN and satisfies the Bureaucratic brane. Overdrive for 45 or better sounds like my Reatta. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Walt G Posted October 25, 2020 Share Posted October 25, 2020 Yes, Warren Kraft owned the Mercer toy tonneau after Miles Coverdale sold it. Miles owned at least 4 or 5 Bugatti's. This included the black Bugatti team car that won many races in France. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nzcarnerd Posted October 25, 2020 Share Posted October 25, 2020 13 hours ago, edinmass said: Update: More photos of my White’s garage mates from the 40’s to the 60’s. It’s interesting that a collector would have these cars so early in the post war years......only to sell them off and keep the White......which he never drove after the war. Seems he actually drove the White during the war! I have located his four children, and will attempt to make contact with them soon. One in particular seems to have an interest in the history of his fathers old cars. Lock ing down the history of cars before all knowledge is so important to provenance, and unfortunately many people never make an effort to start a book and write it all down. Enjoy the photos...... The Bugatti in the family shot looks similar to the Type 44 that an acquaintance of mine has here in NZ - Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edinmass Posted October 26, 2020 Author Share Posted October 26, 2020 (edited) Update: Took the White out twice today between storms just to exercise it. A slow continuous dial in is evolving. Finally got use to the insane shift pattern, and remembering to keep my hand off the shift gate lock.........otherwise lots of noise occurs! I’m now able to shift effortlessly..........and drive the car in it’s envelope. Took my neighbor out for a spin......a car guy of thirty years........he had a ball. Some of the other neighbors who had been asking about it finally got to see it. Worked on the top a bit today.......it will live in its current condition........I just need Dave C to come down and work some magic on it. It’s probably ready for another oil change. I need to clean all the fingerprints off the windshield. Also need to order the rubber moulding that goes between the glass. I’ll install the rear view mirror tomorrow. Brakes are settling in.......without adjustment. Must have had surface rust on the face of the drum. Was able to lock them up today. I’m comfortable behind the wheel. Shifting still requires thinking, and does stopping. Most important lesson is knowing how fast you can get in trouble with it if you put you foot into it too much. In a way, it’s similar to a Model J Duesenberg. Feather the throttle and it feels like a F700 dump truck from the 60’s. Drop a gear and mash it..........and now your in a performance car and things happen fast. It seems too refined to run with the cut out open all the time.......for me, that’s a first. Fuel consumption it awful........and approaching terrible. While the factory carb works fine.......and seems to run out of fuel on the high end..........exactly opposite of what a barrel valve unit should do..........We will run the Zenith in a week or two. AJ wants me to play around with the Stearns Knight.........he’s coming down to visit in a few weeks, and it needs more sorting. He’s owned it more than six months and still has never driven it. More later, Best, Ed. Edited October 26, 2020 by edinmass (see edit history) 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alsancle Posted October 26, 2020 Share Posted October 26, 2020 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael J. Barnes Posted October 26, 2020 Share Posted October 26, 2020 Ed: Where will you order the rubber molding for between windshield and cowl? I have been looking for one for years for my 1924 Cadillac, assumed I needed to make a mold and pour it myself. Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edinmass Posted October 26, 2020 Author Share Posted October 26, 2020 For my 1917...........www.restorationstuff.com you can easily upheave an extrusion made..........the die cost with water jetting is very reasonable, and fifty feet isn’t too expensive. I made some years ago..........and sold it all within a year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edinmass Posted October 27, 2020 Author Share Posted October 27, 2020 Street legal and out to lunch. 👍🇺🇸 18 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edinmass Posted October 27, 2020 Author Share Posted October 27, 2020 (edited) It was a three hour nightmare at the registry of motor vehicles and I had to stand my ground with them several times and after a 2 1/2 hour standoff at the window I left with my title, my registration, and my license plate. It was 30 pages of paperwork. Edited October 27, 2020 by edinmass (see edit history) 8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wayne sheldon Posted October 27, 2020 Share Posted October 27, 2020 Congratulations! A battle well fought, and a truly deserved win. Car looks proud to be out in the world again! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SC38dls Posted October 27, 2020 Share Posted October 27, 2020 41 minutes ago, edinmass said: It was a three hour nightmare at the registry of motor vehicles and I had to stand my ground with them several times and after a 2 1/2 hour standoff at the window I left with my title, my registration, and my license plate. It was 30 pages of paperwork. After all that I assume it was a liquid lunch. Glad all that is over for you and you can get on to more important work and fun. 1 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grimy Posted October 27, 2020 Share Posted October 27, 2020 1 hour ago, edinmass said: out to lunch Don't give me a straight line like that! 🙂 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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