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Viewing 20 posts - 41 through 60 (of 1,502 total)
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  • in reply to: Floor mats 1929-1931 open cars #465517

    Thanks Craig, a lot of work went into getting the mats nicely done.  I know about what you mean on minor differences, and know about them, but some things I couldn’t quite get the fabricator to go along with.  The ribs are the big thing, lots of work.  I think at this point just a couple of people have shown interest, I’m not doing anymore, and the cost to do a few more is high.

     

    The close up above makes the mat look funny, but I can tell you, as Craig mentioned, they are really pretty.  Thanks David C.

    in reply to: 1911 4 cylinder Motorcycle #465290

    Beautiful bike, does anyone know the history on this one?  With replicas being built it ‘s so very important to know if is real….with an engine one can build a bike…

     

    https://www.mecum.com/lots/LV0121-435629/1911-pierce-four-cylinder/

    in reply to: Old Cars Golden Quill awards 2020 #464982

    Maybe the tag didn’t work, just search Old Cars Weekly Golden Quill 2020   … dc

    in reply to: Floor mats 1929-1931 open cars #458544

    in reply to: Series 80 top questions #433663

    Peter, if you’re going to be using trimmer’s technical terms such as “squishy”, I may need to see your trimmer license!

    That sounds correct to me, that the material ends up on metal in the curve….

    in reply to: Series 80 top questions #433659

    Always hard to tell from just pictures, but it looks to me like the sides of the top are over padded.  The padding should be feathered as it goes around the curve, or if there’s metal in the curve then there should be virtually no padding over the curved metal itself.   Again, this is just from looking at the problem in picture, I’m not specifically familiar with Model 80s…..

    in reply to: refitting vent window #433653

    Yes, the vent windows are a pain to get to work correctly.  When everything was new I’m sure they were fine, but a bracket which bears all the force and made out of some mysterious pot metal after 80 years isn’t always a good combination.

    How many people need H rubber now?  If I could get 8 or 10 orders could make another run of it. This was specifically made for rear vent windows 34/35, would fit other years, and if I had it to do over again I’d have used it in the front vent windows too.  The Steele rubber just seems too thick.  The H legs need to be cut in appropriate places, it’s a little work but not difficult.

    Cost would be $125 per 15 foot length, which includes shipping in Continental US.  I have none now, just asking if there’s more interest. David Coco Winchester Va.

    in reply to: Da baby’s in da crib! #428048

    Beautiful car, for some reason I love the color scheme, I’m trying to remember why. (my phaeton pictured, though my picture appears different, in reality it’s virtually the same color)

    Kroil is fabulous stuff.

    You’re doing the correct thing by researching and being methodical about taking care of any unseen issues.

    in reply to: Proper Finish For Natural Wood Artillery Wheels #428047

    I don’t think you’d damage the wheels once done, it’s just that they need a little time to swell and be really tight.  You might discuss that matter with your wheel guy.  Even though more expensive, I’ve always used Calimers for wood wheels, and know he has a special drying room that gets the wood very dry, and the 1.5% moisture is what I remember him telling me.  I would assume all wheelwrights do the same, but don’t know that for a fact.

    I’d hate for my semi-educated comments to be the reason you missed shows!  David Coco Winchester Va.

    in reply to: Proper Finish For Natural Wood Artillery Wheels #427891

    Well, I can’t answer the finish question, but will make a comment.  To replace wooden spokes, the wood is dried to a very low moisture content.  The wheels are then assembled, and the wood absorbs moisture from the air to swell and tighten the wheel.  I want to say that it’s dried to about 2% moisture and then gets up to about 15% moisture content, but those may not be the right numbers.

    Either way, you don’t want to seal the wood right after the wheels are rebuilt.  I was told once that you should wait at least two months before sealing or finishing wood, to let them tighten correctly.

    Also, make sure the rebuilder knows you’re going to leave the wood natural rather than paint it. This should influence the wood that he uses, so that he makes cosmetically appealing spokes.

    in reply to: Smoke damaged interior #427778

    Yes, signed in works, thanks dc

    in reply to: Smoke damaged interior #427683

    Very sorry to hear this happened to you, as you state, the worst nightmare.

    I’m going to be the naysayer on this, and say get a new interior.  That’s what you have insurance for, to pay for losses, and in my mind the interiors are lost.

    Even if you cleaned the broadcloth, and even if you were able to get the smell out, there are still springs and seat frames that will rust, and padding that will probably mold from the moisture.  If cardboard paneling was used in the interior, even if it was “water resistant”, it will warp, doors and quarter panels.  You have water all in the doors and behind panels, anyway, so all that mechanism and structure will rust or rot or develop mold,  so panels need to be removed regardless.

    I had an engine fire once that damaged my phaeton, took a settlement and fixed it myself.  Big mistake.  If it were to happen now, I’d take the car straight to a restoration shop which was approved by my insurance company (also Hagerty, I like them), and say call me when it’s finished.

    Just my two cents.  By the way, people need to start signing names and cities when they post, for some reason the forum isn’t showing who’s doing the posting.

    David Coco Winchester Va.

    in reply to: How to remove rear wheel on a Series81 #427448

    There’s one method I’ve heard of, and you more experienced guys can chime in on this.

    Jack the car up from the opposite side of the stuck wheel, so that the stuck wheel is on the ground and the opposite wheel is off the ground.

    Now, use the mass of the car itself, by rocking, to jog the wheel loose.  I’d guess this mean rocking the car, never done it, don’t know, I just thought I’d mention.

    in reply to: Non fender mounted headlights on 1932 #427276

    We’ve discussed the bracket headlights before on this forum.  It was a factory option, then, as now, there were people who didn’t like the fender mounted “frog eye” look.  One has to go back in time and think, when people have seen every other car for years with bracket headlights, that a fender mounted light would, then, take some “getting used to”.

    Research has never found any regulation that made fender mounted lights illegal, and the consensus was that is just an oft-told tale that sounds true because it’s been repeated so many times, when in fact it is NOT true.

    in reply to: top insert stretching #426764

    You need to leave a good “tail” of material past the tack strip area, so that you have something to pull with to stretch material.

    Mark centerlines on top material (chalk is fine), mark centerline on top of car (I use the blue painter tape then mark on the tape, this tape will pull up from painted surface with no problem).

    Tack center of material at the front, in two or three places within 8-10 inches of center.  Go to back of car, line up centerline, pull snug and repeat at back of car.  Do the center of the sides the same way.  then, working a foot or two at a time, tack down the front, the rear, then move to each side, and repeat, pulling taut as you go.

    The best way to cut the excess material without harming paint is to:

    -with scissors, cut a slit in excess material up to the tack line

    -take a single edged razor blade, and pressing it down next to slit and in line with tack line (where you want the edge of material to end up), pull up on the excess material against the blade, cutting it.

    -Move blade and repeat.  It takes a few minutes to do it this way but you won’t harm paint.

     

    David Coco Winchester Va.

    in reply to: Happy New Year 2021!! #426740

    I’d say let’s have a Happier New Year!   A lot of us have a lot to be thankful for, but at the same time a lot of people are struggling.

    I sure hope we can have events this year, sure miss seeing everybody!  David Coco Winchester Va.

    in reply to: Electric Power Steering on Classic Cars #426640

    I have a slightly different perspective on this topic, and it’s due to having worked in a restoration shop for a couple of years.

    If your car is very hard to steer, or drives like a truck or tractor (as mentioned above), then there’s a problem with your car, not with how they were built or that “all of them were like that when new”.

    The reason I mention the restoration shop is that in that shop, every single part of the car was rebuilt to new condition.  In the case of the steering, a LOT of people (and I’ve done it too) look at the components and say “Well, that’s good enough”. I drove some of the older cars restored at that shop, and it’s incredible how easy they are to steer IF EVERYTHING IS AS NEW.  I’d be willing to bet that fewer than 5 out of 100 restored cars have everything back to factory specifications on the steering components, and that includes the whole front end to do it correctly.

    A lot of these modifications are an attempt to take care of a problem, rather than fixing the problem in the first place.

    That’s my opinion.  David Coco Winchester Va.

     

    in reply to: 1970’s lacquer paint #426479

    I remember painting (or helping paint) my 1931 Chevrolet with lacquer in 1965.  The painter would spray 3 coats, then we’d sand the whole car, then 3 more, then sand….did this 5 times!  Also, we were doing it in the open in an old warehouse, one of the advantages of lacquer, it dries almost immediately.

    What are you going back with, single stage enamel?  That’s a great approach to fixing, by the way, one fender a year….so the car stays more or less intact while working on it…  David Coco Winchester Va.

    in reply to: Pierce identification humor #426276

    Yes, a pair of headlight lenses no less!  Never know what’s out there…

     

    in reply to: Top nail strips – 2nd round #426259

    Looks like it’s working well…where did you buy the strip?  I assume you can buy the low temp metal from McMaster Carr…thanks David Coco Winchester Va.

Viewing 20 posts - 41 through 60 (of 1,502 total)