1925 Pierce Arrow 80 sedan - stored in the basement of Minnesota family home since 1954

[8E45E]

21 hours ago, Marty Roth said:

I can !

Far too many errors lately, and they've lost some good people lately.

I know it may be fun for automotive writers to fantasize with all kinds of "What ifs" had things been different, or companies wanted to take risks, but they should be based on accurate knowledge.  Even long term writers at Hemmings have made some errors in recent issues, as I mentioned here:  https://forum.studebakerdriversclub.com/forum/your-studebaker-forum/general-studebaker-specific-discussion/1919875-from-hemmings-what-if-studebaker-s-last-days-took-a-different-path

 

Craig

[Mark Wetherbee]

If they go to sell it, it’s going to be a big disappointment on value. I don’t think it’s beyond saving so long as the damp environment hasn’t left some more substantial hidden damage but reading between the lines it’s never going to be sold because of the perception of extreme value to the original family.

 

As for the article, whoever wrote it should stick with post war cars… and likely post Desert Storm!

[West Peterson]

11 hours ago, Gunsmoke said:

WP opined "rule of thumb is that a beam can cantilever about 1/3 of its length". Dangerous rule of thumb in my experience and not supported by normal good engineering. Any cantilever is calculated on a wide range of factors, loads involved, beam dimensions/shape (more height is always better than width) and material, tail weight, buckling implications, point loads versus uniform loads (beam may have a large point load at end) etc. In normal wood framing, a cantilever is usually limited to twice the depth of the beam/joist. and normally you want at least 4 times the tail weight/length as the cantilever (i.e. a 10 foot long 1x12 joist can cantilever 2' max.) The total deadweight loads (not including live loads)in circumstances like those being faced here are much higher than most people guess, typically several tons depending on what is above the floor, so caution is the word, leave any shoring/temporary supports to professionals. JMHO.

 

Agreed. I did ask a Structural Engineer. He retracted and said for this purpose maybe not more than a 1/4 of the length of the beam. Of course, ONLY temporary.

Of course, an onsite professional would be a MUST.

[58L-Y8]

1 hour ago, edinmass said:

 

 

Sorry.....road trip to check out another White! Visited four collections yesterday. All very nice, only could take photos of the car I drove..........

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ed:

What model White do we have here?

Steve

[edinmass]

Steve......it's a 30 hp touring basically a "truck" platform..........four speed with over drive. 

 

[edinmass]

21 hours ago, Restorer32 said:

Why do I just know that Ed was the kid who jumped on the hose at the gas station to ring the bell and irritate the attendant ?

 

Absolutely!  I did it at Muffler King in Indian Orchard Mass...........next to our old 1922 Moon car dealership. 😎

[BillinMd]

One way to do this project is to "part" it out the door. Maybe it all would be able to fit through the door, I do not know. Then when you got it all to your shop, your frame off restoration would already be started.

Seriously, with all the issues especially the water, mildew/mold, rust, the project will be  major money and time. Hope someone will be willing though.

[BillinMd]

1 hour ago, edinmass said:

 

Absolutely!  I did it at Muffler King in Indian Orchard Mass...........next to our old 1922 Moon car dealership. 😎

I did that repeatedly at Kings Gulf in Haverford many years ago. Great fun while everyone was inside.

[60FlatTop]

How easily the topic gets off track when it is about an article by an "author" who needed to get something out for a check to buy a couple bags of groceries and the gas and electric bill.

 

Out in the garage I do have a nice glass jug of oil that mounts on the firewall and can be attached to an intake manifold to draw oil into the engine. It came from a 1941 Buick Super made with real arsenic laden glass, prior to the banning of arsenic glass products and their replacement with blow molded plastic to protect the children.

[Graham Man]

The mechanical bits would not bother me, I would worry about the wood?  The damp basement most likely was not kind to the car?  I pulled a 1928 Graham-Paige out of 40 years of storage had it running the same weekend.  Since the car was stored in the basement, with a little luck he drained the gas tank?  My guess is Grandpa would turn the engine over when he went down to look at it (since the crank is still in it).  I agree on the value, good day maybe 15K, most days 5K.  The structural issues of getting the car out, are all small, unless they have a pool upstairs.  On the bright side for 7 months of the year in Minnesota it would be bone dry, winter here and heating dry out the entire house including basement.

 

Hoping a friend of mine buys it, so I can help them get it running, too many projects now.

[edinmass]

West......and the rest of the gang.........you are obviously very inexperienced in removing cars from basements.....I have done it a bunch of times..........and I can easily get that car out of there for less than twenty bucks. 
 

Yes........twenty dollars.........American.

 

All I need is myself and John C........and our special Pierce Arrow recovery trailer and equipment. We have done this more than fifty times over the last forty years............and the twenty bucks? It’s for the saws all blades. Don’t forget to bring an extension cord! Been there, done that. 
 

And yes.......it’s a parts car. I wouldn’t give 7500 for it........in my humble opinion.

[1912Staver]

Worse than that actually. A model 80 so no market for even the rad cap.  At least that's what I hear about these cars. ....

 

But seriously,

 I have personally seen a couple over the years that I would have happily given a home if I could have afforded it. A wire wheel Roadster and a wire wheel touring. Nice cars, older restorations. But at a price of around 40 grand each, not happening.

[SC38dls]

Ed, is it really going to take $20 worth of saw blades to cut the door out or is that $20 going to metal cutting blades to dismantle the salvageable parts of the car that can be carried out the regular man door?  Nobody said it had to be in one piece did they! 
dave s. 

[60FlatTop]

20 bucks? You'd have to sensationalize that one for a magazine article.

 

 

Novel liberation reminds me of the stories John Utz, long time editor of The Flying Lady, used to tell.

 

He was a big fan of Franklin cars as well as Knight engined cars. They came before a nocturnal vision took him to the RR camp. He told me of an early Franklin he purchased in Harrisburg, Pa. that he trucked back to Rochester in the early 1950's. I asked what type of truck and he told me a 1 1/2 ton stake job. I laughed and asked how he loaded it. The obvious answer escapes many. He told me that there were a lot of outside grease rack lifts at that time. They just drove the Franklin to the nearest lift, raised it to the truck bed level and drove it on. In Rochester they drove to another grease rack to unload and drive away.

 

I am  writing this while imagining the options for drama and sensationalism in the script of a reality show today..

 

I would consider paying over $10,000 for the car if it included rights to the extraction video with MY script.

 

Oh, what an entertaining list..... starting with snakes in the foundation.

[Grimy]

2 hours ago, edinmass said:

And yes.......it’s a parts car. I wouldn’t give 7500 for it........in my humble opinion.

That was certainly on my bingo card for your comment, Ed, and on other regulars' cards as well!  🙂

 

If I were interested (I'm not), I'd be poking around at the wood with a screwdriver, especially the A & B pillars and sills--and door bottoms where the drain holes were (but are often plugged up).  If the wood seems OK, it's fixable.  Not worth a full restoration, IMHO.  The good news is the upholstery looks fairly decent and the engine is not frozen up.

 

I'll agree with Ed that $7,500 seems about right:  Figure $2,000 for tires and tubes, fuel system (tank, vac tank, carb) cleaning and/or replacement, water pump and radiator plus the sheet metal water jacket cover (have fun with those 26 rusted-in 1/4" capscrews), pulling pan and cleaning it out, dismantle and clean oil pump and the copper tubing to the seven main bearings, electrical cleaning and testing at a minimum, cleaning body and plating--when you're done, you have a $20,000 car.  There's a lot more father-son cheap labor in there, such as freeing up brake pivot points inside and outside the drums.

[60FlatTop]

Back in the 1930's someone would refurbish the running gear and find or build a nice speedster body for a car like that.

 

That could still be done. And fully documented. I have a friend who is the best notary public money can buy.

[60FlatTop]

Remember that discussion about movie cars having added value? Here's one just a little older.

 

[JRA]

2 hours ago, 60FlatTop said:

Remember that discussion about movie cars having added value? Here's one just a little older.

 

Just 100 years ago!

[Flivverking]

Is a Amur- can, Sprungfield" Rolled Rice "Amur-can?

 I to would lean towards the Pierce Aorra. Probably cuz,it's slightly easier to fix from a money stand point.LOL.

 I drove both a 1916 Pirece 7 pass.touring ,and a  R.R . 1931 Victoria on a 1921 Chassis..

 I felt at home with the Pierce Arrow, The beautifull Rolls, I felt like a pair of brown shoes with a dinner jacket.

 Something George Gobal ,referred to once.