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Is this car being auctioned off again?
When I went to the RM Auction website I see that it sold January 19, 2012 for $206,250.
Thanks for the reply, David.
Sometime soon I plan on pulling the spring shackles apart and go through them as you can hear a slight creak when you step up on the running boards.
I just wanted to know if I was going to have to hunt down some springs as well.
Speaking of springs, my ’29 is very original and I noticed that the springs are just about flat with no arch when at rest.
Should the springs have at least a little arch to them when supporting the weight of the vehicle?
Car drives and rides nice. Other PA owners have said the car rides nice but I know the rear shocks are weak.
Some nice pictures in the article after the jump.
Great to see a car that is still in the family since new.
I was very tempted to go to this auction since it was relatively close but the rainy weather made me not want to sit in traffic for hours and hours.
If I had known a PA was there I would have braved the traffic just to see the car.
Congrats on the great find and rescuing this car from its extended slumber.
Please keep us posted on the progress and hope to see the car in person some day.
The water jacket area looks to be in great shape.
Thanks for keeping us updated.
Welcome to the Pierce Arrow Society, there is no better source for all things Pierce Arrow than this organization.
Good luck with the search for next your car.
The depth of knowledge of the PAS membership never ceases to amaze me.
Only two and half hours after the original post a ‘spot on’ solution was posted.
Great work, guys.
Bill, thanks for completing the information I was lacking.
I have been very busy with family obligations and did not have a chance to post a follow up.
The Onan condenser is the one I am using.
The points need to have a tab removed to make them work.
It was a very simple process with a dremel tool.
I purchased the Echlin C-778 and C-779 points, listed in the Parts and Services Directory, from Napa and made the slight modifications needed to make them work in my ’29 distributor.
I don’t remember what the part number was for the condenser but I can get that when I get home.
As I recall it was one that was not for industrial use, not automotive use but it has been a few years since I purchased everything.
There have been folks that have said the points listed in the parts and services directory are not the right ones since they have to be modified but I have never seen any other part numbers offered up.
The car runs great with the points listed above so I’m happy with them.
Thanks for showing us the progress and keeping us up to date.
The black wheels really make the chrome trim ring stand out.
Looks great.
Karl, thanks for actually listing the kit part numbers.
It helps those of us who look for parts whenever the opportunity arises.
I’ve been to Ford Model A swap meets and run across PA stuff from a vendor or two.
Having part numbers in a notebook sure helps when roaming the four corners of the country hunting for parts.
Great picture of your Pierce in one of the caves.
Twenty minutes is a long time to be driving underground.
I have also have a 3 leg dog bone puller that I used for the rear drums on my ’29 Pierce and I’m in So Cal so I could get it to you one way or another.
Right now the puller is at my Uncle’s place in Lucerne Valley but I could drive up there and grab it from him.
Let me know, my contact information is in the roster.
Thanks for posting the original tag.
According to the page above, I think your warranty has expired.
What a great offer for anyone needing something transported.
It’s gestures like these that make the PAS one of the best groups of car enthusiasts out there.
That looks very nice!
Can’t wait to see the rest of it all put together and running again.
I grew up with our Pierce Arrow, it’s been in the family a little longer than I have.
Back in the mid 60’s my Dad purchased a ’26 Rickenbacker E6 Brougham and one of my uncles picked up a ’24 Chrysler Model B Roadster. A few weeks later another uncle bought a ’29 Franklin Victoria.
All three brothers joined the Roaring 20’s Car Club and enjoyed driving their cars and meeting other old car people. It was this new circle of friends that led to the Pierce Arrow.
At a gathering someone mentioned a lead on a Pierce Arrow for sale. It was a big car and was in great, all original shape. My Dad and one of my uncles went to see the car and decided it was a good car at a fair price. Since my Grandfather did not own an old car they talked him into buying it. It was an all original ’29 Pierce Arrow 143 ED Limousine in fantastic shape. Now they each had old cars to drive and tinker with.
The Pierce was my Grandfather’s pride and joy. He didn’t drive it very often but he’d call my Dad and we’d go over, pull the cover off and extract it from its hiding place. He loved the car and was, at times, a little paranoid about something happening to it. For this reason the garage that he kept it hidden in had no hinges on the door and from the outside the door appeared to be just another portion of the wall of an outbuilding on his former chicken ranch. The door was also only about 6 inches wider than the car giving you 3 inches on either side to slip it out into a large concrete slab. You had to enter the garage from a side door and have someone on the outside get ready while you removed four large pins at each corner holding the door in place. Then you had to push the door out and help the person on the outside slide the door to the side.
As far back as I can remember this was the beginning of our ritual when we’d take the car out for a ride. My Grandfather was an expert at tuning a motor by ear and he’d make sure everything was just right before we’d head out. Some of my fondest memories of my Grandpa revolve around the Pierce.
The Pierce was the wedding car for my Aunt’s wedding and even though she passed before her oldest son got married, the Pierce was used for his wedding as a connection to his mom. I was chosen to drive the car for my cousin’s wedding since out of all the grandchildren I knew the car the best having spent the most time with the car. It was also at my Grandfather’s funeral parked at the curb right in front of the church doorway.
Once my Grandfather passed my Dad took possession of the Pierce and I began to really dig into the mechanics of the car and form an intimate knowledge of all the quirks Grandpa’s Pierce had to offer. I quickly became the main mechanic and driver.
Even though the Pierce had been in the family for quite a few years we were never active in the PAS. I’m not really sure why.
I did join the PAS in the late 90’s, I think it was, but after a few years I let my membership lapse. Shorty thereafter my Grandfather passed and my Dad got the Pierce since he had been the main one pressing Grandpa to buy the car. In 2005 my Dad joined the PAS and decided he wanted to take Grandpa’s Pierce to the National PAS Meet in Oregon. The car had a few things that needed to be ironed out so I worked on the car at my place and then joined the PAS in early 2006 to have easier access to technical info.
The Oregon PAS Meet was an amazing event for our family and it was incredible to be able to drive Grandpa’s Pierce through the Cascades surrounded by so many other stately Pierce Arrows. The scenery was breathtaking, the other Pierce Arrows were gorgeous and most of all the other members were warm and welcoming, treating us like old friends.
In 4 months it will two years since my Dad passed and I became owner of Grandpa’s Pierce and Dad’s Rickenbacker.
At this point I don’t know who the Pierce will be passed on to, I just know that as this generation’s caretaker I will do everything I can to keep it as original as possible and preserve our little piece of family history for the next generation to enjoy.
