robe rail

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Hi Greg, that would be great i can make the rod….Ed

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Here is a better picture of the end of the rail, it has the same pattern in it as the door handles and window cranks.

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Ed, this is what my 1928 PA series 81 robe rail end looks like. Yes it has the same pattern as my window cranks and door handles have.

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Hi,

Now I am wondering if mine is correct on the Series 80. I have a Rope not a Rail.

Can someone post a Picture for the Series 80?

Thank you,

Ken

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Ken, a rope, not a rail, is correct for the S80 5-passenger sedan. If you can post a photo, I’ll tell you if it’s right. Your car was a 15,000-original-mile Harrah’s Collection car when I saw it in 1998 and before. Although some twit “restored” it, if they left the hardware in place and just re-covered the rope, you should be fine.

George

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Hello George,

Nice to hear from you. The car now has 15,410 miles on it. The underside is still like new. The “twit” that you are talking about sold the car a Japanese Guy I talked to a

couple of months ago. He told me he Paid $100,000 for the car. After talking to him I believe him. The Japanese guy sold it to the Couple I bought it from in Arizona. I am glad that I bought the car an brought it back to California.

Here is a picture of the Robe Rail.

Ken

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Ken, that’s the right hardware; the interior has been redone, and I don’t remember the style of the original “cord” AKA rope. If you turn the metal loop 1/4 turn (clockwise on the right side, CCW on the left side, the decorative metal comes loose from the base and the assembly comes off–don’t know why you’d do that, though.

I was present at the auction at Claar’s in Oakland, CA in April 1998 when the all-original car sold for about $15K. An agent of the original Japanese purchaser was there and we spoke; he wanted to hire me to go to LA to teach his boss how to drive it. I’d retired a few weeks earlier but had a consulting gig starting shortly, so I declined.

I heard that the Japanese guy had it restored–and if you saw it as I did, you’d never have restored it. I’d previously seen it at the 1996 Silverado Concours when Wayne Sheldon owned it, and at that time, and at the auction, it wore dangerously ancient if not original red radiator hoses and fan belt.

Some years later it was on eBay with a starting bid of $125K. At the time I messaged the lister, who was the agent for a second Japanese national resident in LA.

I don’t recall the numbers on your car but it’s a very early S80 and a wonderful machine,

Hope we can get together so I can meet you and see that car again. If your travels take you to the Bay Area, please let me know.

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George,

Thank you for the information. I also look forward to meeting you and will look

you up. We wanted to attend the Regional Christmas Brunch but we had another Dinner for our local car club on the same day. I still owe you a drink.

We will be at the National Meet in Napa in 2018. We are looking forward to it. If you make it down to the Central Coast please give me a call.

Ken

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Ken, I’ll try to get your way. FYI, AACA is holding a 4-day Western National Tour out of Sonora in late April 2017, and I’ll likely participate in that.

I should put some of my previous remarks, perhaps harsh, in context. When the first Japanese national purchased the car in 1998, super-original cars were appreciated by far fewer people than those who appreciate them today. Bill Harrah had a keen eye for super-original low mileage cars. One of them is owned by our member Warren Martin–a 1926 Franklin touring. Previous owner of your car Wayne Sheldon was an advocate for originality. So my characterization of the 1998 buyer as a “twit” reflects my own prejudice in favor of such low mileage originals. I believed the, and still do, that such cars should not be restored–but that’s my own perspective.

At the 1998 auction, I restrained myself from bidding, as I already had two Series 80 cars (a coupe I sold earlier this year and a twin to yours, which I still have), and didn’t need another, but I would have bought it to keep it from going “too cheap” or to a street rodder.

Come to think of it, your car may have had 14,xxx miles on it at the time of the 1998 auction, so you have a truly low mileage chassis!

Bests, George

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Ken, Here is a picture of the robe cord in Peter Williams Series 80, again, taken at the Buffalo meet (I was begging rides from anyone that would have us). I can’t give you any more information on originality etc., but I am sure Peter can. Peter, are you lurking out there?

Dave

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George,

Your comments were are pretty mild compared to the conversation I had with the Second Japanese owner about the guy he bought it from. We can talk about it when I see you. Twila and I would like to try and make the Meet in Sonora, we like that part of the State. If you get a chance I would like to see pictures of your Series 80 that is the Sister to mine.

Dave,

Thank you for the Picture of Peter’s Rope. I notice that the back of his seat also has handles on it. Do you know if that is because his is a 7 Passenger?

Ken

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Ken,

His car is listed as a 7 pass sedan. I know that it has been in his family for many years. I don’t know about the handles. Perhaps someone more familiar with Series 80s will join in.

Dave

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Ken, my Deluxw 5-p sedan identical to yours has no handles on the seatback of the front seat as on Peter’s 7-p sedan. I do have smaller handles, chased/engraved, as door pulls on the rear doors, mounted at an angle near the hinged end of the door.

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Hi George,

About that AACA meet in Sonora you mentioned. The Nickel Era Registry (HCCA group) is having a tour out of Murphys, a few miles away, the same week. Maybe all of us Pierce_Arrow owners can have a mini meet somewhere in the middle one day that week. Have a Merry Christmas. Dave

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Hi Dave,

Yes I know. A week ago I emailed the head of the Nickel Era Registry (I am a HCCA member) asking for an application if he had one (not on its website) but no reply received. I’ll mail him my $10 check and see if that helps! Then I heard that as of 10 days ago 29 of the 30 available slots were already spoken for.

I’m trying to convince Greg Long to come out and run his 1932 conv coupe, which lives at my house, on the tour. Although the Registry has 1929 as its upper limit, I think John allows cars thru 1932. I’m planning on driving my 1918.

Pity the two tours are simultaneous. Yes, I’m definitely willing to go early or stay late to link up. Let’s discuss in Tucson.

George

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George,

As of Dec 12 he said he had gotten extra rooms so contact him ASAP. His contact info: Email: [email protected] Telephone: (562) 697-2075 cell (562) 665-0381

It would be great to see you and Greg there. He allows cars to 1932.

I am not going to make Tucson, we’ll be in New Zealand.

Dave

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George,

Here are the Grab Handles on the doors of my Series 80 First the Rear Passenger side.

Is these like the Grab Handles you have?

Ken

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George,

This is the Front Passenger Side.

Ken

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First, profound apologies to Ed for hijacking his thread on S36 robe rails! We’re off on at least three different topics…

Dave, thanks very much for the NER tour info–I’ll call John tomorrow. Enjoy New Zealand!

Ken, I have the same handles as you but mine are placed differently: My rear handles are on the same angle as yours but are much closer to the hinge side to permit a person fully seated in the rear to reach the handle and close the door from his seated position. My front handles are horizontal, about 1.5-2.0 inches below and parallel to the molding at the bottom of the front windows. Both of our cars have been reupholstered, so we may need to search catalog and other period illustrations to see what’s right. There was a running change in the placement of the vanities. Early ones such as mine had them on the rear doors near the hinge; later they were placed below the quarter window after an entirely different rear arm rest was used to permit the (second) more logical placement. This is documented in the first two (of three) Salesmens’ Data Books for the S80.

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Ed: I spent an hour or two this last weekend going through swap-meet boxes of parts, with no luck so far. I did find lots of parts that brought a thought to my mind: ‘Oh, So that’s where that was hiding’.

I’ll keep looking, I’m not giving up yet..

Greg Long

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