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I have used Then and Now, nice people. Other nice people are Terrell machine. Some people might disagree, I have my pumps all set at 5 pounds pressure.
This is a lot of good information. However, I restate my question, after all this discussion, and conjecture, how do we tell a real one in those mid thirties cars?
There are many 33, 34,etc convertible sedans especially that pop up as supposed “LeBaron” bodies. Someone who is an expert in this area should define what is and what is not, and how to determine readily such authenticity.
If Ol’ Car Bearing could not supply this bearing for you, I would be surprised. George is very accomadating. Not real inexpensive, but not unreasonable either. Access to him should be all over.
sold
Leo: I remember a wonderful day at Meadowbrook, you and Joand with this car, and Claire and I with the ’36. I swore the car was an 8 cylinder, wasn’t it?
This reply is self explanatory. I have owned this car for 45 years, this month. If you have read “Memories” before, please disregard. Tony
Memories by Tony Zappone
It was in the spring of 1968. I was 26 years old, a young manager in a new car dealership, and a budding old car nut. I had already owned a 1929 Franklin, (rough), a1940 LaSalle series 52 four door, (rougher) and a 1937 Packard 115C coupe. (roughest).
I also had a 1936 Pierce Arrow convertible coupe that was a pretty decent old car.
For the third or fourth time in my short life I was in the process of trying to quit smoking. The twelve-hour workdays, the subsequent closing of the bars most nights, were wearing on me. I thought that if I quit smoking, the burden on my physical being might be relieved somewhat. In the process of weaning myself from tobacco, I found that I was waking very early in the morning. On this particular Thursday I found myself in a diner in Holley, New York at 5:30 in the morning, drinking coffee and dreaming of a Camel. Cigarette. Our local butcher saw me sitting there, and asked me about the Pierce-Arrow. We chatted about this car for a while, and our conversation attracted the attention of a stranger who was sitting a couple of stools away. He piped in, “I know of a car just like that, only it’s a four door.” Sure. Here’s another quest that ends up being a model A doodlebug with a barn roof caved in on it. He further related, “It is a maroon car with a white top. The old man that owns it had a heart attack and he can’t drive it anymore.” I knew of such a car. I had seen it at an AACA national meet on Grand Island, Niagara Falls, the previous summer. I asked him who this old man was, and he told me that he owned the largest rendering plant in Western New York, and that it was located in downtown Buffalo. There being no immediate pressing duties at 5:45 in the morning, off I went to Buffalo. (driving a 1968 Oldsmobile 442 coupe, black with white stripes, four speed, no power steering) At this point someone might ask me what I had for breakfast this morning, and I wouldn’t remember. Ah! but for the love of cars!
I arrived at Schrowe Rendering Company at about 7:00 a.m. A tall, older gentleman arrived subsequently, as I recall, driving a newer Cadillac. I told him that I too had a Pierce-Arrow, and that I had heard that he wanted to sell his. He said, no, he did not want to sell the car. He enjoyed driving the car; a friend was going to install power steering such that he could continue driving this big car. (three tons on the hoof, 144 inch wheelbase) I asked him if I could at least look at the car. He said sure, there was no harm in that, and we motored off to East Aurora, a very nice Buffalo suburb. As we approached a big yellow house on a hill the excitement was unbearable. The quest for an old car can only be compared to the quest for a member of the opposite sex, although this narrative is not the forum for the comparison of those sorts of quests.
He opened the door and here was this huge maroon car. A 1936 Pierce-Arrow model 1601 convertible sedan with partition. As wealthy as this gentleman was, he was frugal in his restoration procedures. The car had a white nylon top, (easier to clean he said), an enamel paint job (his old painter was too old these days to rub out lacquer) and an interior with leather seat cushions, but whipcord backrests. (his back perspired too much with leather backrests) Okay, I had never thought of that. Truly, here was a gentleman with a mind of his own. He let me drive the car. It ran beautifully, and drove like a modern car. I began to weasel around the subject of passing the car on to someone younger: all the stories that we use, to try to get something from someone that that someone does not want to give up, whatever that something might be. He further advised me that both his sons-in –law were old car people, and both of them had expressed interest in the car. He expected that one of them would have to end up with it. However, they were both on vacation in Florida, and would not return for a week or two. The old car acquisition fangs emerged from my jaw, and I went for the throat. After offering undying admiration, and a promise of keeping the car forever, and other long forgotten words of Pierce-Arrow devotion, he said, “Where would you get $5000.00 anyway if I decided to sell you the car?” This was a very good point. I may have had $400.00. I also owed my future partner $12,000.00 the following month for my first payment on the buy in on our dealership.
Then came the road to the close, a we use to say in the trade. I said I don’t have $5000.00, but I have $4000.00, and I will give you a check now. I meant business. He reluctantly agreed. I am sure he had paid $500 or $600 for the car, and he had a real Mallard, as we called a mark in the auto trade, and he was going for my throat, only for a good profit and not a great classic car. I quickly wrote him a check for $4000.00, removed the plates from my demonstrator, put them on the Pierce-Arrow, and drove to Brockport, where our business and our banker were located. I pulled up in front of the old Marine Midland Bank. I showed my young buddy Bill what I bought, and told him I needed $4000 to cover the check. In those days there were no loan committees, officer approvals, whatever. He gave me the money, and I paid $100 a month on that note for what seemed like forever.
What about the $12,000.00 for my partner? Surely he would understand and give me a couple of more months. He did not understand. I called Roaring Twenty Auto sales, sold him my other Pierce-Arrow, the two other old cars, and borrowed the rest of the money from a cousin. Well, the Pierce-Arrow that went to Roaring Twenties is in the Staley collection in Norwich, and the other Pierce-Arrow is still in our garage. I kept my promise to Mr. Schrowe, and regard the car as an integral part of my old car devotion. We are old car people; these are the silly things we do.
Tony Zappone
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I think there were at least three different dashboard designs in 1936. The first one had the steering wheel going through the dash, and had white gauges with different outside light indicators. The second, like my convertible coupe (now in the Staley collection) had white gauges, normal steering wheel placement and the later outside indicators. The last, as in my later production convertible sedan, has the dark gages. It would be fun for someone (maybe Bob Sands or George Teebay) to explain all the different dashboards for 1936.
David: As a past treasurer and President of the PAS, I have seen many very capable and affable conributors to the Society come and go. Indeed, you surely would be placed somewhere near the top of that group. It delights me that Susan, a most pleasant and capable person would be your replacement. When I took over from Paul Mogel as treasurer, I inherited two index card size banker boxes, with the old black and white marble finish, and a couple of yearly financial statements. The bankers boxes contained membership cards, the number of paper clips on the cards indicated the number of years for which the member had paid. Hurray to all the new computer sophisticated younger people who have come forward to carry on and make the society such a great organization.
On all three 1936 cars I have owned, the struts were chrome.
I had Optima red tops in both Pierce-Arrows (the 1931 has been sold). One battery with good starters and cables spun both cars over on the hottest days, with a hot engine. As near as I can tell the 12V Optima in my 58 Cadillac has been installed for 15 years. At this point, I have to be playing Russian roulette.
I have added the diesel fuel to the gas tank. It stunk up the garage, and did no good. I honestly believe Ciselak has the right idea with the larger gas lines, and a good vane type new style electric pump.
I cannot addrss the 1932-33 issue. However, I purchased engineering notes from Pierce-Arrow in Orleans County, N.Y. (probably in the late 60’s or early 70’s) that showed the interchangable parts between the 1929 small Pierce, and the Studebaker President. Some people were not happy about that at the time, but that is the way it was. I think I gave all that stuff to Bernie, although I don’t remember for sure.
Leo knows, he was there.
David: Are you sure it doesn’t say Fedders?
I went on ebay to confirm that Halon 1211 extinguishers were still available. They are not. There were a few in the $300 to $400 range. This opportunity is over, it looks like.
I have a Halon 1211 extinguisher in each car. Go on ebay, look for them. I have paid between $40 and $90 for each one. I have had one leak empty in the last 6 or 7 years that I have been using them. I have gone to confession and asked for forgiveness for any damage I may be doing to the ozone layer.
George: All this is well and good, except the ’36 and later cars have a pipe with a grease fitting at the end that is accessed under the left front wheel well. Using sae 600 or the modern thick steering grease available from Australia, the only way to get that in would be a high pressure pump type apparatus, unless you have another way to accomplish this.
I guess I did not respond to this topic. I have a set of Phil Hill’s gears in my ’31 model 42 convertible. Arlo Bo installed them, many years ago, and no problems.
Richard: I too am excited for you. I wish I could have been there.
