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He did one for me 6 months ago, it works well. Ed
Car has been listed for sale several times over the past few years.
It is a very nice automobile. He has been a very long time collector in the hobby. I first met him in the early 80’s at a CCCA grand classic, when I was attending my first ever car show with my own car. We were parked next to each other. A true gentleman!
Estimate in the auction says 75 to 90 thousand……….😜
Gemmer series 215 if my memory is correct. Used in Stutz, Pierce, Jordan, L29 Cord, and one or two other off the wall cars. They were made in both right and left hand drive. Ed.
Sorry, big finger, little phone!
Rmmember, Greg’s skills as a mechanic go back many years of auto and airplane background, and he has more mechanical talent than most of the restorations shops I have visited. To be polite, I would say that the Gemmer box is beyond 98 percent of the general mechanic’s skills. It’s a very steep learning curve, if not adjusted properly(I have seen this many times!) the box will tear itself apart and become junk, no longer even a core. And I can also tell you you don’t want to try and find a good used one, they don’t exist. Virtually every box you can find is an old take out that has suffered an incorrect repair, and is also no longer a core. The cheapest and easiest solution is to remove th box from the car and inspect it on the bench. What ever you do, don’t try and adjust one of these in a car. You will not be successful. Ed.
Photo will not post.
Looks like It’s been changed out. Here is a photo of NON STOCK parts and seals Cislak used as an upgrade. If your worm and bearings are good, and the bolt in the roller wheel is welded with the correct bearing load, you should be ok. Setting up the box is not easy, Greg Long posted a few months ago on how to properly set it up. Understanding how the box works, and it’s adjustments is not for the shady tree mechanic. I will post more photos of the box build from the start of this thread as it progresses over the next few months.
I am sure he does. I havn’t been to the shop in a few days, he is around. Keep trying, after 7 pm is best.
Nice car, great dog!
I have seen one car with a thin piece of stainless, polished and installed with a few screws. It looked original, and maybe was done as a “show car” upgrade by the factory. The car had lots of little extras I was sure we’re done when new. If you have ever seen a LaBaron door sill on a Pierce, you will get the idea of what I saw. Very plain and understated, just fit well and several screws. I am sure if you ordered a car new and wanted something installed there, either the factory or the dealer would have got it done. While I am a purist when it comes to restoration and maintaining my cars, such a small thing in a place that’s almost never seen, I would make the piece and install it, it’s not like adding a over drive, modern transmission or the like, it’s very easily removed. Why not try it and post a few photos. Most importantly , enjoy your car the way you see fit. It’s a great car, hope to see it at a PAS meet soon. Ed.
Yes, the 29’s suffer from that issue. Many have been changed out already. Aftermarket companies in the early 30’s sold them at local parts stores. They were also made by a PAS club member back in the late 60’s or early 70’s. They fit both 29 and 30. They have a different spline count than the 31 and later cars. I can’t remember the number off the top of my head.
Featherlite is top of the line.
week = wheel. Sorry!
Total steering box overhaul. It’s a difficult fix. Direct replacment bearings and races are no longer available. Plus it’s welded together so the axel wheel and roller week require replacement, which means making new parts of correct dimensions that are heat treated correctly, as well as changing the design to accept a more modern and better designed bearings and races. Other steering box items usually also need attention, assuming the worm is good. John Cislak makes parts, but does not sell them due to liability issues, and only offers a rebuilding service. It very easy to have incorrect material and heat treatment issues, and it’s a long and expensive learning curve. Then with the box correctly rebuilt, you still need to set it up correctly, which is no walk in the park if you hadn’t done a lot of steering box work. It’s a rather important safety issue as you can see, all the cars were manufactured like this, many were run dry over the years, so it can be a can of worms issue. I have personally seen the race failure, and it’s no joking matter. Basically, I think it’s good advice to remove your box and have it inspected if you can’t handle it yourself. To be honest I have helped John do a bunch of these boxes, they are used in L-29 Cord and Stutz as well. As time goes bye they aren’t going to get any better! It’s just something all 29 and 30 owners need to understand and address. No one would run down the road at 60 mph on seventy five year old tires, as that would be insanity. But it’s time for all these Gemmer steering box cars are examined. From what I see going through John’s shop, ninety percent of the boxes have several different and consistent issues. Not all show signs of this type of failure above, but the question is not if but when there will be an accident with a club members car, and if someone get hurt, and a car gets wrecked. While I wouldn’t panic, I would not own a 29 or 30 and drive it without dealing with this issue. I recommend anyone with questions contact Cislak, as he doesn’t always have the rebuild parts in stock, and even the modern replacement bearings have to come from obsolete bearing houses, and they are pricey and not always available. My guess is the safety issue will eventually require a safety check on these boxes before they are allowed to tour in various car clubs in the future. The other issue is lead time for any restoration shop to deal with the box. Parts and machining as well as shop time can cause a repair such as this to take three to six months or even longer depending on the shop. I’ll try and post some more photos of the box repairs and upgrades as this one goes along. My best, Ed.
On = one , sorry, it’s hard to type on a phone!
Cislak has on sitting on his desk when I was at his shop an hour ago. Ed.
Another photo.
Body looks like Brittish coach work to me. Hooper is first to my mind. The windshield was popular in Englans between 23 and 28. For some reason I think I know the car from long ago, but can’t place it. Maybe a photo in the PAS or from some book. Ed.
