Wheel Tracks Articles Archives - Page 28 of 48

Brake Fluid – Dave’s Garage

This month we have a question about brake fluid from Ed Hilbert.

Hello David,

I am redoing all of my Mercedes brake components except for the steel brake lines which appear to be in good shape. What are the different types of brake fluid and when to use each type? Would I do well to change over to the newer silicone brake fluid or stick with the standard DOT type 3?

What are the advantages of the silicone over DOT 3 – perhaps silicone won’t absorb moisture and thus lessens the chance of rust? If I do change over, must I completely flush out the old fluid and if so with what – alcohol? How incompatible are the two types of brake fluid?

What is brake fluid made of? Why is it used instead of standard motor oil?

Can it be used as a paint stripper? If so, how would one clean it off the surface so paint would stick again?

Anything else we should know about brake fluid?

Thanks for your expertise!
Ed

Dear Ed,

The types of brake fluid are DOT 3, DOT 4, DOT 5 and DOT 5.1. DOT 5.1, like DOT 3 and DOT 4, is a polyethylene glycol-based fluid (contrasted with DOT 5 which is silicone-based). Polyethylene glycol fluids are hygroscopic and will absorb water from the atmosphere, necessitating a flush/replace every couple of years. Polyethylene glycol fluid WILL absorb moisture. Failure to replace contaminated brake fluid will lower the boiling point of the brake fluid, and the moisture will cause rust and corrosion of the brake system. Silicone, DOT 5 fluid will absorb just a minuscule amount of water.
Brake fluid is classified by its boiling point. The “dry” boiling point is with no moisture in the fluid. The “wet” boiling point is brake fluid with moisture in it. “Wet” brake fluid is defined as having 3.7% water by volume.

Dry boiling point Wet boiling point

DOT 3 205 °C (401 °F) 140 °C (284 °F)
DOT 4 230 °C (446 °F) 155 °C (311 °F)
DOT 5 260 °C (500 °F) 180 °C (356 °F)
DOT 5.1 260 °C (500 °F) 180 °C (356 °F)

I would highly recommend changing over to the DOT 5 Silicone fluid. Cars that I switched over to Silicone in the early 1980s have no issues, and the fluid continues to function well.

DOT 4 brake fluid has a higher boiling point than DOT 3, and is specified by many manufacturers for better braking performance.DOT 3, 4 and 5.1 brake fluid will remove paint, but there are much better paint removers. DOT 5 fluid, Silicone, will not harm paint. If it is accidentally spilled on the paintwork, it will not damage the paint, and can easily be wiped off.

I would imagine surfaces contaminated with brake fluid could be cleaned up successfully before painting.

DOT 5 Silicone brake fluid does have some drawbacks. It is very expensive, much more expensive than DOT 3 and 4. DOT 5 fluid can absorb air bubbles, and these air bubbles take some time to settle out. It can be difficult to bleed the air out when bleeding the brakes. Silicone fluid can not be used on vehicles with anti lock brakes.

I have been wrenching for years, and I have fixed countless cars with damage caused by moisture in contaminated brake fluid. I have had to free frozen pistons, and replace wheel cylinders, calipers and master cylinders due to rust and corrosion. I have also had my brakes fail due to the boiling point of the brake fluid being so low, that the fluid boiled resulting in the total failure of the brake system. Old brake fluid is extremely dangerous, as it can and will cause the brakes to fail without warning.

The ideal time to switch to Silicone fluid is when the rubber parts are all being replaced. Blow the metal lines out with compressed air, assemble the brake system and then flush with Silicone fluid until clean fluid comes out of the bleeder screws.

While somewhat expensive up front, if your car is a long term investment Silicone brake fluid will pay for itself many times over, saving you the cost of perpetual fluid replacement, the cost of repairs due to corrosion of brake components, and the cost of paint repair due to spilled brake fluid.

Please email all inquiries to: Dave
or snail mail
32 Turkey Hill Road
Richmond VT 05477

1932 Plymouth PB

1932 Plymouth PB Project Parts Ken Squier’s Plymouth came to him in parts and had spent many years in the garage of former owner Stewart Raydell of Williamstown, VT. Ken is very fast to say that he has had very little to do with working on the project. His step son-in-law, Sandy Thompson, has taken on all the wood related work between his obligations at his business building staircases and handrails at his company in Stowe. Most of the wood is ash and it appears Sandy has done a better job than the 1932 factory workers. The mechanical work is being done by Gary Scott of East Barre. 1932 Plymouth PB Gary has his own garage business and has a long history of working on Ken’s projects. Mr. Raydell’s neighbor, Steve Stephenson, remembers the car and told Wheel Tracks that he was the person who rebuilt the engine some 15 years age. At one time not too long ago there was a plan to have the car completed for the 2014 Stowe Car Meet this August but they all agree it might now be the 2015 meet instead. They have a ways to go yet.

Ken Squier has a ‘bit’ of a history of being around cars and got started when he was 12 announcing sport events on his dad’s Waterbury radio station, WDEV. He was well known for his skill announcing live play-by-play dirt track races in Vermont during his younger years. His early Vermont announcing booth was an old logging truck. In fact he became so involved that he was able to convince NASCAR and CBS to get together and then basically created an announcing job for himself with CBS for many years.

He announced every Daytona 500 race from 1979 to 1997 using his ’special style’. He often described NASCAR drivers in his era as “common men doing uncommon things” and describing wrecks as “side over side, end over end” for flips and for calling wrecked racecars with the phrase “all torn up”. A battle for position involving a large pack of cars would periodically be referred to as “an Oklahoma land rush.” Ken is still very active in the sport today.

My Dad and Cars

My husband suggested that I should devote the “Softer Side” to my Dad’s interest in old cars. I have to admit that as a teenager, I didn’t think much about cars, except as a means to get to a dance, a ballgame, or a friend’s house. In my earlier years, Dad was always busy farming (milking, making and selling butter, haying, plowing, sugaring, selling insurance, being a Selectman and banker. He was also a Grange member and a Mason. Restoring and/or working on an old car I don’t remember. Yes, he had a 1935 Packard, a 1936 and a 1937 Chevrolet, as well as that 1928 Dodge coupe I wouldn’t drive, preferring the family 1955 Chevy station wagon! I know, shame on me. Sorry, Dad, —and Wendell. Guys of my teenage years were always fixing up a “clunker” car and then driving it around town to impress the girls, and each other. Cars now seem to be more of a status symbol, not a tribute to the authentic restoration of a car. But back to my Dad. Growing up on a farm certainly builds character and gives one an appreciation for work being a good thing. (Of course, for some it means to get away from all that work as soon as possible.) We learned that when the hay was dry, it had to be raked, put into windrows, and pitched onto the hay truck to the person “treading” the hay to get as much as possible on at once. When the beans, peas, tomatoes, etc., etc., were ripe, they needed to be picked, made ready for canning or freezing right then. Cows need to be milked twice a day. Basically, my brother and I learned the valuable lesson of not putting off what needs to be done. Our reward usually was a trip to the “dairy bar” for ice cream cones or frappes (I’ve learned to call them milkshakes, but in New Hampshire, a milkshake had no ice cream in it).

Presently, I do appreciate classic cars (I know, I still have only driven the Dodge twice) and truly enjoy riding in them, plus being impressed over and over again by the patience and tenacity of classic car restorers. So, kudos to you all!

E-15 Ethanol – Dave’s Garage

By now you have probably been made aware of Ethanol, and the associated problems with it. We have been forced to buy E-10 for a few years now. E-10 is 10% corn based alcohol. E-10 is about 15-20% less efficient than conventional gasoline, resulting in a significant decrease in the miles per gallon. The alcohol in Ethanol is hydroscopic, it absorbs moisture. Once the alcohol absorbs all the moisture it can from the air, it becomes saturated, and the water falls out of suspension. This is called “phase separation.” When this happens, the fuel is useless and must be removed and discarded. This is of particular concern with older cars that have gas tanks vented to the atmosphere. The “shelf life” of Ethanol exposed to the atmosphere is only 3-6 months.

Although Ethanol has less energy in it than conventional gasoline, it actually burns hotter. This is a problem. Modern cars are now burning valves. This problem virtually disappeared with unleaded gas and hardened valves in the 1970s. Imagine my shock when my 2000 Chrysler minivan burned an exhaust valve.

This nasty brew is also very corrosive. Ethanol is a strong solvent. It will rot and destroy rubber components. Many fuel lines, carburetor gaskets, fuel pump diaphragms and gas tank sealers are not comparable with Ethanol. Remember that fuel tank sealer you used when you restored your car? That sealer is probably not Ethanol compatible. Rubber components will rot and be destroyed from the inside out (note picture to right). This damage will not be visible, until the part fails and begins to leak. A fuel line may look fine on the outside, but be rotted on the inside. Ethanol will combine with the dissolved rubber components, forming a gelatinous gunk and gum up the carburetor. Ethanol will also remove paint. Remember the moisture that is being held in suspension in Ethanol? Another nasty consequence of Ethanol is that water being held in suspension will rust metal components very quickly.

Ethanol is ok to use in Flex-Fuel vehicles. If your vehicle is a Flex-Fuel vehicle, you have nothing to worry about. How do you know if you have a Flex-Fuel vehicle? Your vehicle will say “Flex-Fuel on the side, have a yellow gas cap, or will have such identifying information in the owners manual.

How can this situation get any worse? Wait! It does get much worse! The government has decided to up the alcohol in Ethanol another 50%. What’s worse than E-10? E-15!

The government will flat out tell you not to use the mandated E-15 in vehicles manufactured before 2001; but that it is ok to use in Vehicles manufactured AFTER 2001.

However, (according to snopes.com) “several automakers and the American Automobile Association (AAA) have disputed the EPA’s claims, maintaining that E15 could damage fuel lines and void vehicle owners’ warranties in many cars, particularly vehicles manufactured prior to 2012:

Only 12 million of the more than 240 million light-duty vehicles in the United States are approved by manufacturers to use the gasoline, according to AAA. Automotive engineering experts believe that sustained use of the gas, both in newer and older vehicles, could cause accelerated engine wear and failure, fuel-system damage and false “check engine” lights for vehicles not approved by manufacturers to use E15, according to AAA.

The EPA recommends the use of E15 only in flexible-fuel vehicles and those built in 2001 or later, but critics maintain that even if E15 is safe for most or all cars in that class, many vehicles still on the road (up to 45% in some areas) do not fall within that class, and the newness of E15 means that many drivers could end up filling their tanks with the gasoline, not knowing it’s not approved for all vehicles.

“It is clear that millions of Americans are unfamiliar with E15, which means there is a strong possibility that many may improperly fill up using this gasoline and damage their vehicle,” AAA President and CEO Robert Darbelnet said. “Bringing E15 to the market without adequate safeguards does not responsibly meet the needs of consumers.”

BMW, Chrysler, Nissan, Toyota and VW have said their warranties will not cover fuel-related claims caused by E15. Ford, Honda, Kia, Mercedes-Benz and Volvo have said E15 use will void warranties, citing potential corrosive damage to fuel lines, gaskets and other engine components.

The AAA says the sale and use of E15 should be stopped until there is more extensive testing, better pump labels to safeguard consumers and more consumer education about potential hazards.”

Fortunately, Vermont’s congressional delegation are on the right side of this issue. Peter Welch is a vocal opponent of Ethanol; senators Sanders and Leahy have voiced opposition to Ethanol. The Obama administration, however, is actively pushing for E-15.

The only Silver lining in this mess is that the overall demand for gasoline is down, so there is less of a push to go to E-15.

Please email all inquiries to: Dave
or snail mail
32 Turkey Hill Road
Richmond VT 05477

Modern Timing Lights and Six Volt Electrical Systems – Dave’s Garage

This month we have a question from Wendell Noble. It seems his trusty timing light has given its last flash, and he wants to know what modern replacements will work with older six volt electrical systems.

There is no simple answer. Most modern timing lights designed to work with 12 volt systems will actually work on six volts. Some, how-ever, will not. For the ones that won’t, a 12 volt battery or a battery charger will have to be used. Timing lights take power from a battery, but the trip wire feeds from the number one spark plug wire.

I have several timing lights, from a 30 year old Sears timing light, a cheap Harbor Freight timing light and an Actron advance timing light. These timing lights will work on six volts.

My advise would be to take a chance and buy a new timing light and try it. If the battery is near the front of the engine, I would hook up the light with the positive lead going to the positive lead on the battery, and the negative lead going to the negative lead on the battery, and the inductive trip wire hooked up to the number one spark plug wire. Chances are, it will work on six volts. If it does not, then the positive and negative cables will have to be hooked up to a 12V power source, (either an extra battery, a battery charger or a 12 volt booster pack).

I have been impressed with the advance Actron timing light I bought through Amazon. It was inexpensive, and it works well. With this light, you only need to find TDC on the engine. The light has a knob on it to advance or retard the flash. If, for example, the timing specification is 8′ advanced at 2,000 RPM, the knob on the light can be set at 8′ advance, and then when the engine is at 2,000 rpm the timing will be correct when the light flash shows the timing pointer at TDC.

Of course, there is the occasional car that runs worse when timed according to the specifications. I have had to manually advance the timing a little bit at a time until I can hear engine knock, then slightly retard the timing until the engine knock stops.

As they say, timing is everything.

Please email all inquiries to: Dave
or snail mail
32 Turkey Hill Road
Richmond VT 05477

1941 John Deere B Tractor

1941 John Deere B Tractor The family farm where I grew up in Milton had two tractors, a 1942 John Deere B and a 1929 Farmall F20. The F20 had steel wheels but was later converted to rubber tires making for a smoother ride and easier for the town road crews. I couldn’t wait to drive these tractors and finally when I was nine my dad agreed to show me how. That led to many hours of plowing, harrowing, planting, haying, sugaring, manure spreading, etc. Later, in 1959 Dad purchased a JD 435D, John Deere’s first venture into a small diesel tractor. This tractor had an engine built by General Motors, was made for only two years and is very collectible. That year, 1959, was the year I graduated from high school and left the farm eventually forming my own construction company where I still work.

My interest in restoration started with a 1928 IHC 6-speed Special truck that I found in Stowe in ‘76. I still drive and show it. Anyone wanting to do restoring should be ready for the cost of finding the parts needed all over the U.S. on top of the many hours it takes to do the work. It also helps to have a partner involved. My wife, Velma, is very interested and involved in my projects which makes the work very much more enjoyable.

Our first tractor restoration was the JD-B that I purchased in the 80’s pictured above and on the front page. Then we did the JD 435D and after that the 65 F100 Pickup. We are very proud that our 65 F100 pickup went on to win the VAE’s restoration of the year in 2010 and 1st place in it’s class at the Stowe Show in 2011. We found a Farmall F20 during one of our VAE tours in New York and ended up bringing that home for a face-lift. Our present project is a ‘69 Ford Dump truck (shown on page 16). The JD 435D is the tractor from our family farm and I also have a 1960 JD 1010 crawl-er that my uncle had on his farm.

Velma and I belong to two tractor clubs (listed below) and enjoy many events including the Maple Fest parade, June Dairy Day, tractor pulls, field days, plow days, corn harvest and the Applefest. This year the Northeast Two Cylinder Club will be hosting the New England John Deere Expo VI in New Boston, NH on August 22nd, 23rd and 24th. The main feature will be JD tractors in the number series from 1953 to 1956. For example, in 1953 the JD40 was built and there were 8 to 10 variations in that series….wide and narrow front ends, low and high crop, etc. So between 1953 and 1956 there were series 40, 50, 60,70 and 80’s with many variations of each. The club is also inviting pre-1960’s International tractors (Farmalls) to join our Expo as Special Guests. People we meet in the tractor clubs are in the most part farmers or from a farm background but there is no prerequisite. Tractors are very interesting and fun; everyone is welcome.

1969 Karmann Ghia Convertible

1969 Karmann Ghia Karmann Ghia is 60 years old…..When Wheel Tracks learned that 2013 was the Volkswagen Karmann Ghia’s 60th anniversary we thought it was a good idea to feature the car for our May issue. We asked club members for input and maybe even some stories about their Karmann Ghia’s they presently own or have owned in the past. The results was a surprise. There are only two listed in our VAE Roster and that appears to be it. WT has heard of a number of VW Beetle stories but we assume no other members own or have owned a Karmann Ghia. Our front page Ghia is owned by Ken Taplin of Blue Hill, Maine. The second Ghia, pictured to the right, is owned by your editor in Enosburg, Vermont, a 1968 Coupe.

Ken has owned his convertible for only a few years since he purchased it at the annual “Owl’s Head Transportation” auction in Maine. He had an older Ghia when he moved to Maine in 1967 and that spurred him to bid on one of the three that were in the auction. He has 25 antique and classic cars and drives most of them. If you check the roster you will see he is partial to air-cooled cars, his latest is a 356A Porsche coupe. He drove the Ghia to our 2011 Stowe Show where the front page photo originated, that is Ken pictured with the car.

From Ken…” I saw Wheel Tracks mentioned the ’46 Beetle I had in college. One of the many cars I should have kept, with it’s mechanical brakes and semaphore turn signals but you can’t keep them all. Another one I let go was a ’27 Minerva limo. I did keep the first two cars I owned, a’31 American Austin coupe and a ’29 Franklin 4dr”.

Here is some history from Ronan Glon…. Volkswagen is celebrating the 60th anniversary of the Karmann Ghia. Nicknamed the Beetle in a sport coat, the car was previewed by a close-to-production concept that debuted at the 1953 edition of the Paris Motor Show. The Ghia came to life when coachbuilder Karmann asked Ghia designer Luigi Segre to draw a new body for the Beetle. Operating with-out input from Volkswagen, Karmann believed there was a market for a sleek and sporty convertible based on the cheap and readily available Beetle chassis.

For reasons that remain unknown, the convertible body style was scrapped and the first prototype took the form of a coupe. Segre presented the car to Karmann execs in a small Parisian garage in October of 1953 and although it was not the ragtop the men had imagined, they were thrilled with the result and proudly presented it at the show. The Ghia was generally well-received by the press and by visitors.

Volkswagen chief Heinz Nordhoff examined the car inside and out shortly after the show. He was impressed with what the Beetle had spawned, but he feared the coupe would be too expensive to mass-produce. Karmann proposed to build the coupe alongside the Beetle convertible in its own factory and the Ghia was quickly given the green light for production. The Karmann Ghia was launched across Europe in early 1955 after undergoing only minor changes in its transition from a show car to a production vehicle. It was powered by a rear-mounted 1.2-liter air-cooled flat-four lifted straight from the Beetle parts bin. The convertible that Karmann had initially en-visioned was finally added to the Volkswagen lineup in 1957. Positioned above the iconic Beetle, the Ghia enabled Volkswagen to reach a trendier target audience while boosting its image across Europe and on the ever-important United States market.

The Karmann Ghia was phased out in 1974 after 362,601 coupes and 80,881 convertibles were built. The prototype that debuted in Paris is part of a private collection but it is occasionally displayed at Volkswagen events throughout Europe.

I was heading South on the Jersey Turnpike in the early 60s when it happened.

It was maybe 2AM Monday morning and I am driving my 57 Pontiac Star Chief a little faster than the speed limit…. Mine is practically the only car on the road, I am heading back to my ship at the naval base in Norfolk, VA. As usual I am using 110% of a three day weekend at home in Vermont. The Star Chief could cruise forever at ninety mph, at least empty…. Going home on Friday I had a 500 pound load of potatoes in the back seat area so I had to go slower. My Navy pay was only $76 a month back then, so I bought fresh picked potatoes in Virginia and sold them in Vermont where the new crop would not be ready for another month. The profit from the potatoes paid for my gas and tolls and I had $50 left for the weekend.

Back to that night on the turnpike. There had been no lights in my rearview mirror for some time when I noticed lights slowly gaining on me from a long way back. I slowed down a bit but knowing the cops didn’t bother you much that late at night I didn’t slow a lot. It was not long when the vehicle behind me pulled into the fast lane and slowly passed me on the left. It was not a cop or an ambulance; it was a VW Karmann Ghia. I was able to talk to the gent in the Ghia a ways down the pike at a truck stop and found the little car had only it’s original 40 hp engine! I vowed that someday I would have a Karmann Ghia.

Jumping ahead a few years, it is now 1971. I am out of the navy and back in Vermont working electronics for a local cable TV company, I am married and have two lovely young daughters. I am minding my business one day while driving by Smiley’s used car lot in Georgia,VT when I spot a robins egg blue Karmann Ghia. It was a 68 coupe fresh from a 4X4 trade with an Air Force gent being transferred to St. Albans, he had bought it new in Mississippi and needed something the he could drive in our winters. You can guess the rest, Smiley and I made the $700 deal and I drove it home a few days later.

You had to sit slightly sideways with your feet to the right and the tiny foot pedals made for some tricky foot-work but it was fun to drive. The only problem was when I got on the interstate I could only get maybe 70MPH out of her and there was no more. That is when I determined I needed to get rid of the automatic transmission and the AC. With only 44 HP to start with there was not much left for the rear wheels to use. A transplanted standard shift and nixing the AC did the job…95 to 100Mph was now reachable alt-hough I was, by then, a responsible married guy and I didn’t do high speeds any longer….. well, not as often.

Again, jumping ahead to 2014… (life sure has a lot of ‘jumps’). My Karmann Ghia is parked out in the barn patiently waiting for me to get over my obsession with cars from the 1920s so it can get back on the road again. It was my main driver for 12 years and a lot of nice adventures happened during that time.

How many of you are thinking about my possible mistake of getting rid of the automatic transmission and the AC? The part you are missing is the 12 years that I drove it with all of those 44 horses. That is the part that makes my decision all-right!

Spring Cleaning

Did you ever sit down to a blank piece of paper, and have your mind go as blank as that piece of paper? It seems for some reason that I’m finding it harder to come up with a new clothing subject this month. Could it be that spring is around the corner, and all I can think about is getting the cars out and doing some spit and polishing! I guess I could say the same thing for the outfits too… the need to get them out, and look them over.

I did take time the other day to clean a couple of closets. Might just as well, the snow didn’t look very inviting to do gardening. Pushing things around in the closet, I came across last year’s vintage outfits. Everyone who wore something to the fashion show looked splendid, and it’s really hard to say what was the best outfit. Every outfit is the best and the folks that participate are the best for helping put on a fun show. Last year at Shelburne, we had a few more participants and a few more spectators. I think the interest is there, but folks are not quite sure if what they have is what they should be showing off. It really doesn’t matter if it is a day dress or an evening gown.

Even if you don’t have the complete outfit, it’s still all right to participate. Please come and show us that hat or pair of shoes. Lot’s of time, when looking for items, I have found hats that are just out of this world, and think that just maybe someone would like to see the hat instead of a complete outfit. It’s not so much the winning as it is to show the styles that were worn back when. Now I know that some of you gentlemen out there are just dying to show us a fancy tie or spectator shoes or a shirt that was worn by former family members, and we would love to see them. Maybe there is a fun story that goes along with the article of clothing that you can share with all of us. A couple of years ago Gene Fodor gave us a wonderful rendition of his British Army uniform. Come join us and have some fun with the rest of our club members.

Shelburne’s show this year is going to be held in the courtyard of the Diamond barn, unless the weather is not good and if it isn’t, we will revert back to the “Ti”. Some of the participants expressed a desire to show a couple of outfits, and there really isn’t a sufficient place to change quickly on the Ticonderoga. Also, this year, are some new changes in store for the Stowe fashion show, so I hope that all of you are going to start getting those vintage articles of clothing together for a spectacular event. Jan Sander does a great job with the Stowe fashion show, and is to be commended for her dedication. But, she also needs your help in participation. Please come!

Two Ladies & A Gent!

As you may be aware, my husband won the prestigious 2013 Presidents Restoration Award for his 1971 MG Midget. You may have read the article and saw the project pictures published in a previous issue of Wheel Tracks. I have decided to share the untold story; what you do not know, the details that my husband does not share.

My husband has been tinkering with cars, for as long as I have known him. This was the first time I took an active part in one of his projects. I was drafted at the start of the reassembly phase. How hard could this be, only time would tell?

He quickly put me to work cleaning, scouring, painting and polishing parts. I quickly discovered that steel wool and bare finger tips were not a good combination. Note to self: wear gardening gloves when doing this type of work.

One afternoon, I am busy working in my home office, my husband’s out working in the garage. I hear something that sounds like, possible domestic abuse? Yelling, cursing, more yelling, more cursing; I go outside to investigate when it hits me. It’s not my neighbors, but my husband and his British lady having a disagreement. I went into the garage and told him to simmer it down; someone just might call the police. There is no doubt that this car will be the death of my husband!

Our next task was testing the back-up light switch. It was not working and we did not have a wiring diagram. After hours of unproductive painful tinkering, I suggest using the internet to see if anyone else has had this problem. He looks skeptical, I get a couple of key words out of him, and I am off. Twenty minutes later, I am back with a list of potential faulty parts and directions. The internet is our new best friend! He sends me off frequently to do his research: replacing the head light switch, downloading a wiring diagram, how to install the window door weather strip clips, and installation of the side door glass windows. It was all there, imagine that!

There were moments when I was not sure that the three of us would make it, but we did and we are all a little better off for it.

I have a new found appreciation for the car restoration process; My husband thinks me clever and worthy of a wrench; and the MG Midget is enjoying her new face lift.

We look forward to seeing you on the open road, hopefully not attached to a tow strap. I have more stories, please ask and I will be happy to share.

Signing off from the Softer Side, Christine Stone

1927 Dodge – My Dodge has Feeling Too

1927 Dodge A comment on a VAE tour… “I could hear you and your ‘clutch’ behind me”

Can you imagine how deeply feelings can be affected from comments like this? It just goes to the bone… hah… frame, but my Dodge can take it! Those other cars, well, we will not go there, because my Dodge has manners.

The quote you read on the front page came from a respected VAE elder after spending the day in the Dodge, traveling the mountainous back roads in central Vermont. He was correct, in a way. There had been a few vaper-lock problems… well, quite a few; then the split rim problem that happened on the way down a steep hill and compromising the braking… a bit. The clutch also gave a few grunts during the day. The problems did in fact happen one at a time but don’t you think he could have made his comment a little more delicately?

The quote above came from one of those Plymouth guys all puffed up with his shiny paint job… oops, must remember, manners.

The 1927 Dodge with the Fast-four engine can be traced as far back as Pennsylvania but with very few details. A gent near Mystic Conn. bought it in Pensy and then sold it to me when he needed to down size. There were real tears in this big guys eyes as we left with his car on our trailer. That is how these old cars get to you. They can make huge and great memories. I have had it only a few years now but I can go on for hours telling adventures “we” have had.

I started finding babbit material when I changed the oil and some VAEers with more experience than me could tell there were problems with the engine. I spent my career in electronics and had never ‘rebuilt’ an engine. Grinding valve seats, new rings, new bearings… that was always very mysterious to me. With a lot of encouragement from fellow members I decided to give it a try. As you can see from the pictures, the end is insight. If I have not forgotten something and if all goes as planned, there will be quite a day not long from now when I will hear that engine come to life. I can’t imagine yet what a great day that will be… and I will have another “adventure” to tell!

Let me see if I can tell you about one of these ’adventures’ we have had.

There was the weekend we (the DB and I) joined a VAE tour to the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont. And a great tour it is was! I had found my two mechanical rear brakes were not up to par so an ‘elder VAEer’ (there are a lot of them) agreed to follow me home via Canada where the terrain is flatter. Crossing back into the U.S. I had not been able to stop soon enough at the border crossing and was getting bald-out by an official for my transgression. The official was overdoing it a bit and I could hear the ’elder’ behind me making snide remarks about the scolding. No matter how much I motioned with my “left-turn-signal hand’ the elder continued… ”I knew him as a kid and he was a jerk then also” was one of many. The only thing that saved us (the DB and I) that day was when the official turned smartly for his control shack and smacked his head loudly into the stop sign I had gone through. The laughing behind me was deafening. Within minutes the DB and I, with the elder following, were on our way home.

Car adventures, great memories and wonderful friends are all by-products of owning an old car and being a part of a car club. We, the DB and I, haven’t gotten apologies yet but what the heck, what are friends for…