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Make sure you pick the right shaft material. I once used a stainless
steel that didn’t last for 200 miles.
Another case of a President pandering to the voters. Bless your heart.
My Pierces thank you!
My ’35 has a registration showing Burbank, Cal. in the ’50’s. Would
LA or Pasadena most likely be it’s dealership? My ’36’s first home
was Bakersfield, Cal. What agency was closest to it?
Upon searching for a reasonable process for restoring 100 year old
springs, the painting of, re-arching(sp.), and lubricating, caused more
headaches than other questions that had to be answered. Everybody had
a different conclusion. The only thing they agreed on was that a
different outcome would occur if a different approach was followed.
They mostly agreed that grease or rust would eventually blemish the
highly visible light colored paint. One of the things they shared with
me is that the springs needed friction to do their job. They couldn’t
provide me with a path to get the right amount. Do you paint the spring
totally before assembly? Is reaching each spring necessary? Do you use
graphite? If you look at early car pictures, you don’t see springs
being a focal point for ugliness. Later Pierces were covered and not
easily viewed. What did they do at the factory? What about in 1912?
As usual, my restorer listened to my very clear instructions and did
what he pleased.
Pierce-Arrow would extend professional courtesy as they didn’t
produce a pick-up truck and both makes were produced in the same
state.
My ’12 36HP is a better car than a ’20 Franklin in every way except
the lack of a self-starter. Maybe they wanted an enclosed car?
Franklin was unusual in that they produced more closed cars than
open ones as early as the mid-teens.
Merry Christmas! The palm trees can be seen packing up and leaving.
I experienced 16 below zero last week. We’ll fix those pipes when
we find them. I can’t take much more of this fall weather. I went to
a club Christmas Party in Redding Ca. Saturday(in the Sacramento
Valley). They are about 4,000 elevation lower than me and get snow
once every ten years. They had 8 inches, where we have 6 inches. Best
Holiday Wishes from California.
Peter,
What’s an iPad? Does Dave Murray or John Cislak stock them? It’s
great to have a fearless leader with his ear to the ground. Do
you need a cigar to make them work properly? Have a Merry Christmas
to all!
Tony
I have a 1912 Marmon that is original with a paint job. It has a
broken front spring. I drove it a short distance with it that way. It
handled normally. It took a mechanic to turn me on to the problem.
Unfortunately, the spring is tapered on the edges and will cost about
$300+ to have a new one constructed. I get physically ill thinking
about the cost to rebuild every leaf on that car!
If you drive with abandon like Ed, you would be well advised to have
new ones made.
Does anyone have advice on painting/prep and lubrication of springs?
I’m in agreement that P-A didn’t publish or list 836A’s in 1935
literature. If they had, I wouldn’t be writing this letter. My
problem is that from 1080700(my guess)to the end of production
(my guess), every 836A left the factory with 1935 style hood vents.
The reason this is significant is that this was the only major
styling change(also headlight lenses)between the senior ’34 and ’35
cars. Name one prestigious company that used the major styling cue
of their senior cars on the entry level car the year before. Why not
throw a 840A vented hood on it if there were overheating problems
( I would think that they were interchangeable). The 836A was born
in the left over ’33 parts bins. Why would they tool up for a mid
year change for a car that they were going to discontinue? Were they
running out of parts and had 200 more bodies they needed to
complete? Make them look like the ’35 models to move them out (like
E L Cord did with the ’25 Auburns)? By the way, if there had been a
recall, most 836A’s would have vents. That’s not the case (and why
wouldn’t they use ’34 vents, which they had on hand?).
Lots of suppositions on my part based on knowledge passed down to
me by a genuine P-A guru (who will remain nameless to protect the
innocent).
Joe, you may have started a styling trend with your “factory” Olds
headlight “up-grade” photo. There will be a lot of nervous ’37 to
’39 Olds owners out there, guarding their headlights with shotguns
lest a skulking 836A owner will make off with their guiding lights.
If the ’34 836A was deserving of vents (mine cools beautifully without
them),why wouldn’t they put 1934 vents on them (840A) instead of 1935
845 style vents? If they were recalled, why don’t all of them or most
all of them have vents? One would think that this recall would have
happened in 1934 and that dealers would have had information on the
whereabouts of each car sold months prior to the recall.
It looks like a nice car. Most Pierce-Arrow history books don’t even
recognize that they were produced. Concerning ’35 836A’s, even the
experts are working on conjecture, as they can’t direct you to written
proof of what they believe. Perhaps 250 were produced. The vents on the
hood only appeared on the ’35 model 836A.
Does anyone know of another 836A with a two tone paint job?
In the early days of cars, horse coach paint processes prevailed.
There were limited colors and each coat was hand brushed. A car could
take 30 days to paint and most would fade and need to be redone in
two or so years. Because of this and horrible roads, cars lost half
their value in two years. The first auto loans(1908 or 1909) required
50% down. I think Henry Ford applied paint from a vacuum cleaner like
nozzle allowing it to collect on the floor. The body on rollers would
be put in an oven. By early 1920’s nitrocellulose was introduced. It
dried quicker. The Classic Car Club accepts “metal flake””(actually
ground oyster shells or some other mollusk) paint jobs as early as
1927.By the early ’30’s Enamel(alkyd)became dominant. Modern lacquers
happened about 1947.
“
David,
Your wife must be extraordinarily strong to turn over that
car. I don’t think She wants you to have it. You may be next
to get over turned.
Tony
Dear Greg L.
You helped me get the locomotion going( along with another
stalwart fellow with much knowledge). You should get the P.-A.
Society Mother Teresa Award, for helping lost souls!
Thanks, Tony Costa
Mr Lind’s comment about a rear spare denoting an 836A revives
an old question in my mind. I have an 836A in my garage with a
rear spare. Two out of The P-A Roster’s listed 13 remaining 836As
have rear spares. The 836A was the cheapest P-A ever built(except
some 1 cyl. ones).Why, in the depths of a depression, would you
buy a car, trying to compete with a Series 90L Buick, price wise,
and load it up with side mounts, and optional right tail lamp, and
whatever else they offered? Why not just buy the 840A and get a bigger
engine thrown in? My 836A even has the audacity to have a front seat
in black leather or leatherette. Towncars of the time were so equipped
to remind the professional driver of his place in society. How does
Plain Jane rate such up-grades?
This is not an 836A. My 836A has a built in trunk that opens out
from the top. It also has different tail lights and grill. If it’s not
an 836A, it must be an 840A. 845’s are very similar, but your head
light lenses look 1934. Be careful with them or you’ll be very sorry.
Who has the joy of putting up the tent? What is the car guarding the
tent? Oivind, I always enjoy your fine pictures.
I had a close friend who lived at the New York Mine in Gold Hill 6 miles
up the road. I would pass the trailer often on my way to visit him. I
kind of figured it was a P.A. but didn’t want to get shot verifying it.
Ed, what evil has struck this trailer since the meet?
Ed,
Is this the car that set a record for ’32 pierce-Arrow Coupes at
Watkins Glen a few years back?
