Reply To: Definitive History of Pierce Arrow

[Luke Dwyer]

I’ve felt that most of the books out there will not discuss any negative aspect of a particular car or a particular model for fear of insulting some well-to-do influential owner. Lot of good that does the rest of us.

Like Greg, I’d love to see a book give the history of the company, the people who built the cars. . . but also the technical and mechanical specifications of every model INCLUDING the attributes and detriments. For instance, Dual-Valve cars have a strong tendency to develop cracks from the valve port to and through the cylinder. How many of you know that?? (Thanks, Greg). But there is a simple fix.

Like on Packards, how many know that the ’38 Super Eights have cylinder blocks which are cracked or will crack due to bad metallurgy right from the factory? How many know that aluminum cylinder heads on the Twelves are highly prone to corrosion and need to be replaced? Most of us learn this the hard way.

This is the sort of information that needs to be collected and made available. The internet and forums are good for disseminating such information, but wouldn’t it be great to have a true and honest “Owner’s Manual?”” for your old car? What to look for. What to look out for. And how to fix it.

— Luke”