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Tony,

With the kind of weather you’ve been having in the Northeast lately, I hope you had your winter front grill and good snow tires on your Pierce!…

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It is in a situation like this that you have to ask yourself, what do you do?..

Do you look at these cars and say, I have the means necessary to restore these back to original condition, or do you look at these and say, those two cars would make great street rods!…

I have already stated that I am a purist, and, if I had the means necessary to restore both of these cars back to original condition, I would.

What would you do?…

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Carl,

I deleted my entry because no one was responding to it.

I guess you had to do what you thought was best. However, I do hope you decide to restore the original engine and trans and put it back in the car someday.

Just my two cents.

Curtiss

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Tony,

I agree with you on this subject. I am a “purist”. I believe a car should be left original or restored back to original.

But, I also understand that sometimes a car is not worth what you put into restoring it if you are looking to turn a profit in reselling it.

That aside, I also feel that hot rods and original cars should not be put in the same show together.

Case in point, I took my ’26 Pierce to one of the biggest shows in the state of Michigan a few years back. It was sponsored by Street Machines Car club. There were both original cars and rods in this show. One of the judges came to look at my car. He was about 25, he asked me what the car was, I told him, and his response was “Never heard of it!” He proceeded to write something down on his clipboard and walked away.

I never took my car to that show again.

My point is that there are guys out there that only see the street rod potential of these cars, even cars like Pierce-Arrows. I had one guy tell me how great my ’32 would look if I chopped and shaved the bumpers, dropped a big block Chevy in it, etc, etc.

I agree, why would you do such a thing to a one of a kind vehicle?…

And Ken, while you are correct that “To each his own”, I would rather see my cars crushed than to see them get chopped up into street rods.

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Edgar,

Love those flappers!…

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So, does anyone know who finally ended up with this Pierce? It sold yesterday for $27,400, pretty good deal I think. I would like to have bid on it but my wife made it very clear, no more toys. Hopefully it was a fellow P-A member.

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Mike,

You are correct, that would be the “new” series from 1993-94. William Forsythe played Al Capone and this P-A was advertised as his car in the series.

Although I have not seen any of the episodes mentioned, I will be looking on Youtube to see if I can spot that car.

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Joe and Dave,

Thank you for the advice, when I get them back I will have Ed Linn take them apart and see if they can be salvaged, if not, I will give Clean Sweep a call and see if they may have something I can use.

Thanks again.

Curtiss

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Ed,

The gears that are installed on my Pierce may also have been a set from his first run. Though I do not have the serial numbers available, the gears are running just fine. You should not have any problems with those gears. If you have any questions I would call fellow PAS member Ed Linn, he should be able to help you with any concerns you may have. As noted, Ed has installed over a hundred of these sets and could arrange to install them for you as well.

Curtiss

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All,

I too, have had a set of Phil Bray’s high speed ring and pinion installed on my ’32 Pierce V12 limo. Though I purchased this set several years ago (I believe it was one of his first run sets) they have been installed and are functioning just fine.

As I am not a mechanic, My friend and fellow PAS member Ed Linn (the mechanic John Dillman referred to in MI) installed these gears.

As noted, Ed has installed over a hundred of these sets and has the experience needed to do the job right. If there is a problem, he’ll find it. If not, he can install them successfully. I did not experience any problems with the installation.

I know Phil Bray personally and the last thing he wants are any ill feelings being circulated about the ring and pinions sold by him.

Right now he currently has several members sets (including my original set) that he is checking for problems. If the need arises, I have given him permission to remove the high speed rear end out of my car to help look for clues to solve the problem and to help eliminate any problems for the future.

While I cannot take away the headache and expenses some people have suffered during this process, I have been in several lengthy discussions with Phil and Ed and they are both trying to resolve the problem.

I hope the problems can be mended and you guys have your cars out on the road soon.

My two cents.

Curtiss

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Stephen,

If you are planning on going to the Gathering at Gilmore in a few weeks, take a look at my 1926 series 80 Town Car on display in the Pierce barn, it is completely original from top to bottom. Also, the original top and side curtains are still located under the front seat. I plan on being there Sunday so maybe we could have a look at it together.

Curtiss

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David,

Thank you for the heads up. I guess I will just have to wait and see with my wheels. If it is going to take as long as you said it might, it looks like I won’t be doing any touring this year. As for the powder coating, it was not my idea, if they come back discolored I will refinish the rims with a good coat of paint. Thank you for all your help and suggestions.

Curtiss

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Jim,

I just called them and ordered 4 lenses, (just in case I may need extras in the future!) Thanks a million.

Curtiss

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Forrest,

Thank you for the response. It helps more than you know. At least I know what to look for now. Thanks again.

Curtiss

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