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At his suggestion, I used David’s rebuilder. Works out of his house. As an electrical engineer, I am very picky, and his work is top notch. Once you find someone, stick with them and pay what they ask, it is usually worth it. Same for the radiators. Many folks paint the heck out of them with high gloss enamel, then wonder why the engines overheat…

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David, don’t you think this qualifies for the Darwin award to the mechanical engineer who designed this? Can you imagine trying to design the gear ratio/tooth setup/angles, etc? I bet that wiring glows on a humid evening…. Thanks for sharing, Bill!

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Mine is a ’29 club Brougham that is black with a lot of chrome tubing, much like the picture Greg posted. The air horn (cleaner), water jacket cover, and the oil filler cover is chrome. It was apparently owned by a Phili area mobster. I am just trying to give it some contrast when you open the hood. The intake is black porcelainized as well. With a red car, the black is tasteful. All black and the engine compartment looks dull.

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I agree! Anyone have a paint code, or does Bill Hirsch carry Pierce Green?

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Bill,

What year and model is it? I would be very concerned about the wiring getting in the way of the pedal action. My ’29 does not look anything like that. With some form of rubber motor mount, it looks to be a later model. Nice detail!

By the way, what color/finish should the starter/accelerator assembly be on my ’29? As the car is black, I am hoping to add a bit of contrast to the engine compartment. There was a previous discussion of some engines being green. Is that the Packard green or some other shade?

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When did Pierce start putting the data plate on the left side?

The double ended engine stand, better known as the hoist leveler, is a standard piece of equipment. If you buy a cheap one, you will regret it, and be buying a new block as well… Pierce engines well exceed the rating and likely the engineering design maximum for these tools. As I am an electrical engineer, and therefore not qualified to speak on this subject, I yield to Mr. Coco, a mechanical engineer, to explain. He has an interesting but sad story to accentuate this.

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Again, I would be happy to send you the original picture, which has much more detail on the upholstery color etc. It is original except for the repair from the bullet hole through the metal trunk and the back of the car itself. The bullet lodged in the seat, and cut the upholstery about 3-4 inches. It was stitched rather poorly, but has been very functional since the 30’s, I would guess. You never know what you get when you buy a used car…

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David Coco figured out how to reduce the picture size for me. Thanks, David!

Here it is.

Bob

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Calvin,

Do you have an email I can send this to? You don’t have one listed in the roster. Feel free to email me at [email protected], and I can send a picture in a reply.

Bob

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Calvin,

I will send you a picture of my ’29 Club Brougham interior, which is decent and original. Does anyone know how to dumb down the picture file size in Windows 10? This picture is almost 4 Mb, and simply won’t load onto this site. I used to be able to do this before “upgrading”” to Windows 10…

Bob”

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The Old Cars Price Guide also publishes values based on recent auction and other information. As David Coco mentioned in another thread, they are worth what you think or make of them.

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I think somebody In the Boston area is getting stir crazy. Time for Spring here in the US! Jak, we would be happy to send you some cooler weather!

By the way, Peter, can they expand it to 12 volt cars as well? Some of us own “antiques”” built after 1955. 24 or 27 size would be nice…”

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Admit it, David. As engineers our most common answer to everything is “It depends”. My thought was to use the axle tube on the sprung weight side, and the half moon openings on the frame side. The issue and question for the mechanical engineers is how this could affect the life of the springs. Forget they are 90 years old, and over-engineered by Pierce engineers. If kept in this compressed state long term, could it affect the ride height going forward? I hate to admit a Doctor may have a more logical, or heaven forbid, a more correct answer than an engineer, but…

Ken,

When you order the new trailer, add the extra lights. As soon as you order it, you will get a great deal on a runabout. My friend Murphy just called and told me it would happen .

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Greg,

How about inventing/developing something along the line of a coil spring compressor that can be operated using an 18 volt drill or impact wrench that pulls down the axle between the axle and the frame somewhere? Clearly, this would require two units, one on each side of the pumpkin, but if Ken only needs a couple of inches, this might be the easiest and more importantly the safest way to anchor the rear down. You could even fashion something so it could be installed and then driven into the trailer, albeit without any spring action. As long as the ramps allowed enough clearance to the rear bumper, likely the low point of the rear of the car, it should work. I am thinking of a gearing system akin to a pipe wrench, a power window gear in a ’60’s car, etc. only stronger. The other analogy would be to use some sort of a hydraulic system akin to a port-a-power like was used to straighten frames years ago.

Thoughts? David Coco, you are a mechanical engineer, does this make sense?

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Do not pull that spring system alone. You will be amazed how much torsion that spring assembly has. Besides, you would certainly invalidate any warranty that may be in force. Dr. Peter is right, it would be worth getting a quote from a shop or a Featherlite dealer. While you are at it, get some lights installed in places that make sense for your car. You will be glad you did.

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Greg,

What issue of Motors has the Gemmer Box for our Pierces in it? My oldest is the 14th edition (1937), which covers 1934-’37. My guess is they didn’t realize for a few years there was a problem with these. The 16th edition of Dykes doesn’t cover them much, but the 18th does mention it has a new and expanded section on the steering boxes in general. None of these covers the Gemmer rebuild in great detail, only the Dykes 18th covers the adjustment and lube for the model 120, 135 and 140 Gemmers, which appear to be the worm bearing style. The Motor’s handbook mentions Gemmer had both the worm and roller and the worm and sector, and does do a credible job of walking you through the diagnosis and adjustment, but refers to Chrysler, Hupp, LaFayette, Nash, Packard, Hudson, and Ford, not Pierce. I used to have a ’34 Hupp Aerodynamic, which is why I bought the manual.

Which type box do our Pierces have?

Bob

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Only with houses, and tenting is the way to go. You even have to do this if it is a tear down, as the beetles will cause problems if you build a new house on the same lot. As Jak says, they are pesky creatures. You may want to go back to the company and offer to hold them harmless for any damage other than the bugs. I am sure they are padding the quote for potential risk, and because it is a high end car. Their insurance might not cover treatment for a car.

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He mentioned he was going to make a true air filter for the ’29’s, as they only have an open chrome pipe out the end of the carb inlet. It looks like it is about 5 inches long with an opening at a 45 degree angle. I got the impression he was going to emulate one from a later year that he could install some form of a filter, but still look semi-original. Like all ’29 owners, I am always worried a chunk of something hard will get sucked into the carb, make it past the valves, and knock a hole in a piston. It happened on a TBird I bought years ago, which is why the guy was selling it.

By the way, did John ever decide to make any gas tanks? With this ethanol trash, it makes sense to have a spare on hand. Every time I fill up with ethanol, I think I am pouring a time release molasses in the tank. Might as well put Quaker State in the crankcase so we can fill it with ash as well… But I digress.

Thanks for looking into this for me!

Bob

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Ed,

Has John made the air filter modification piece for the ’29’s yet?

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Well said, Dr. Peter. Most importantly, do not leave the unit in a hot car or exposed to temperature extremes. They are not very tolerant machines.

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