As The Leaves Are Falling…

…As the leaves are falling, old cars are being readied for their winter rest, gardens mulched and the lawn mowers put away, I watch farmers trying to get in their corn, chop the last loads of silage, and, of course, spread that aromatic slurry, I marvel at their tenacity in keeping their family farms intact and maybe make enough money to be debt-free. That ethic, in my opinion, is the best of Vermont. Wouldn’t it be nice if those who wish to demonstrate, wave signs, and do “sit-ins” put their energy and enthusiasm into helping folks trying to recover from tropical storm Irene or even help out on a farm. How much better off we would all be if that time and energy were put into producing material well-being. And there are jobs to be had; nothing wrong with a “menial” job – we can’t all be, or want to be, CEO’s. It is necessary to take the first step to get to the next one.

While in high school, I worked as a waitress, in a shop at a golf course (never did play golf), babysat and when in college, tutored a student who was dyslexic. She once asked me how you look up the spelling of a word in the dictionary, if you don’t know how to spell it. Good question since we didn’t have spell-check, let alone computers! I guess my point is, there should be a “point” to what we do in life, and we are so very lucky to live in a country where we have the opportunity to do so. See, I didn’t even mention manual transmissions or trash thrower outers!

Removal of Broken Studs and Bolts – Dave’s Garage

We’ve all been there, especially while working on vehicles that are driven in salt. We start to wrench a nut or a bolt, and… SNAP!

sheered boltHere, the fastener is broken off, the metal has been cleaned up and is ready for the weld.

Easy outs can work, unless they twist or snap off. Ever try to drill out an easy- out? It’s almost impossible. The metal is very hard, and when they snap, they usually give no warning. It is also almost impossible to drill and tap without going off center. I have a little trick I’ve been using for years, very handy if you have access to a MIG welder. First, weld a bulb on the end of the broken stud or bolt. The resulting heat from the weld will heat the fastener and usually break the rust bond.

broken stud boltHere, the metal bulb is welded to the end of the broken stud. While the weld is still hot, penetrating oil is sprayed on the broken stud.
Second, either place a nut over the bulb and weld it to the bulb, or latch on to the bulb with a pair of vise grips. If you elected to weld a nut on the bulb, place a box wrench over the nut.

broken bolt vice gripsAfter locking on the bulb with vise grips, the broken stud was coaxed out by gently rocking it back and forth until it easily unscrewed. You can see the shiny steel weld in the jaws of the vise grips, and the rust colored threads of the broken stud.

Soak the fastener with penetrating oil, then gently work it loose by rocking it back and forth. Now it should easily back out. This process is much easier when trying to remove a steel fastener from a non-ferrous metal (brass, bronze, aluminum, etc.) because these materials will not weld with a mig welder, and the weld will not stick to anything but the fastener. I have also welded nuts to rounded off bolt heads and nuts to facilitate their removal.

Remember, when reassembling these parts, use a liberal amount of Never-Seize, so the next time you take it apart, it will come apart.
I hope this tip helps!


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

Buick Reatta – A Car Forgotten

To start off with, I wanted to thank you for letting me adorn the front cover of Wheel Tracks with a couple of cars that may seem a bit out of character for such a publication. I say this because when you crack the door open on most feature article cars, the new car smell has pretty much worn off. But at the ripe young age of only 20, these babies are still wet behind the ears. Enter, the 1991 Buick Reatta coupe. I would also like to introduce my daughter Jessica (she has taken a special interest in the Polo green) and my son Jason (he’s got dibs on the Maui blue).

My first sighting of a Reatta seemed almost magical. It was in the spring of 1988 and I was stopped at a busy intersection. From my left came a white streak that as it passed in front of me, seemed to be moving in slow motion (you know the feeling). As the car traveled over the crest of the road, the chassis sprung up and the car appeared to be airborne. As it darted away, I was trying to guess what I had just seen. I didn’t know what it was, but I knew I liked it. I would later find out it was an American made luxury two seat sport coupe that was hand built at the Craft Center in Lansing Michigan. With a price tag way out of my reach, It became a forgotten memory. As the years passed, I would make random sightings of this rare and elusive automobile.

Fast forward to the year 2000. On an annual trip back home (Maine), traveling early in the morning on Rt15 east out of Morrisville, we passed Morrisville Used Auto. As I took a casual glance at the car lot, my foot suddenly came off the accelerator (here goes that slow motion thing again). I looked at my wife and without either of us saying anything; she rolled her eyes to the left. This is good because that means “go ahead, you can turn around”. When they roll to the right, it means “you’re crazy, keep driving”. After turning around, we found a shiny 1991Maui blue Reatta in a long line of fine automobiles. Later the next week the car would be in my driveway. I have learned that this particular Reatta had only one twin in 1991. No wonder it was so hard to find.

I picked up the Polo green car in 2010. Its main intention was for parts, but I couldn’t resist, and completed the necessary repairs to get it on the road. July of this year, our family took both cars to the Buick Club of America’s national car meet in Danvers, MA. We had a great time touring the local area, seeing the Red Sox play, and listening to the Boston Pops during the 4th of July fireworks. While at the BCA show, both kids earned their Jr. judging credentials. Jessica helped with the 1940’s class and Jason kept the senior judges hopping in the Reatta class.

Our family has gotten a lot of enjoyment out of the two cars, but the friends we have found in the VAE family and the Buick circle, have been the biggest reward. We look forward to many more stories and adventures within the VAE as our two Buicks motor on.

Fun facts: Years of production 1988 thru spring of 1991. Total number of cars produced 21,751. First 2 prototypes were built in England. Hand built at craft stations, no assembly line used. Cars were sold in house to the PPG paint group, body and paint completed and then sold back to Cadillac. Cadillac owned the Craft Center. Once the cars were completed, Cadillac sold the cars to Buick. 60% of all parts are shared with the Buick Riviera.

When Did I Learn That?

Have you noticed that there are things that you know, that other people don’t seem to? Gary and I have discussed this from time to time. We can’t tell you why or how we know things but seems that we have always known certain things. This was brought to my attention recently, when my left blinker started blinking really fast which is the warning that your directional bulb has blown. Not wanting to take the time to check into it immediately, I decided I could us hand signals for a short while.

WRONG!! Stick your hand out the window to turn left and see what happens! One young lady looked at me like I was crazy and gave me a “look” that said, get off the road Granny! Some blew their horns, saying, use your blinker! I got at least one “wave” back at me! This was something I thought everyone that drives a car knows – hand signals. From this experience, I guess not, but isn’t it still covered on the drivers’ test?? One thing that I hate when driving some of our older cars, you know the ones, the ones without directional’s…. is corners. It is always in my mind, do they know about hand signals?? I can tell you that I decided that a new bulb was in order, sooner than later. Looked in the trunk and then went to the car book of “how to”. I, personally, feel the directions were not easily understood but between Gary and I (and the threat that we might have to ask for help) we got the bulb installed. The book does say that you may have to take the car to the Ford dealer for proper installation. I really don’t think Henry intended that we had to see the dealer to change a light bulb! Changing light bulbs, now that’s something I thought I always knew!

My Model T’s

I bought my first T from Herb Gallager of Lyndonville in the spring of ’46 for $20 and a single shot .22 rifle. It was a coupe made into a pickup with no top. My father was mad and later I figured out why. He had been a locomotive engineer from 1904 to 1926 and ‘Engineers’ drove Buicks, Jefferys. Etc., not T’s. Since it was spring Arland Noyes, Wally Davis, Charlie Ladue and I decided to try it out on back roads. When we got stuck Wally would pick up a rear wheel (no fenders) and we would put brush under it. We came to a downhill with a bridge at the bottom that no one had traveled all winter. I gave it full throttle in low. Well, the bands were worn so the low pedal stuck on the floorboard. A replacement push-pull switch was located on the right of the dash. It was all I could do to stay in the road using two hands, no chance to reach the switch or get the low pedal up. I decided to concentrate on not hitting the bridge while the mud splashed on the windshield and Charlie…we and the T made it safely. 30 by 3 ½ clincher tires were hard to find in WWII, so I made adaptors to use ford 600:16 rims on the rear, there were plenty of these tires in the junk pile of Blake’s Garage where I worked. The car was always going ‘uphill’ and I drove it this way through my senior year at LI and started UVM in Janu-ary of ’47. I took all of this last deer season off that year to put in new bands. All the old timers at the garage cautioned me about dropping a nut. I didn’t realize how slippery a well-oiled nut could be and that is exactly what I did…I dropped a nut. If there was a loose nut in the engine and you turned the engine over it would stick to the magneto and good by engine. So I pulled the engine and even though I thought I had it sitting nicely on blocks the engine fell off. When it hit the floor the nut rolled out the starter hole. I hope the old timers thought I knew what I was doing. The car had a water pump so while I had it apart I installed a heater. It helped some but with no top or side curtains it was not too effective. Arland and I hunted that season. One day I came back to the car on Hardscrabble Mountain and there was a deer in the pickup back. I knew Arland could not drive the T. It turned out that Herb Gallager came by and drove it down into the field, the deer was his.

Once the registration expired I had to get rid of the car for financial reasons and some scholarship wording. UVM had a scholarship called the Wilber Fund for Vermont students with a B average. The application was what does your father do? (he was a hotel janitor), does he have a car?, do you?, (no & no…good bye T). How much money do you need, how much have you got, subtract, and pick up the check from the president’s secretary the next day. Shortly after my last school payment in the spring of my senior year (1950) I bought a ’26 four-door sedan for $35 in East Montpelier while hitch hiking to Lyndon Center. This is the car you see in the picture above. There were not many cars at UVM then. If I could not park in front of the closest door of Waterman on Prospect Street things were bad. The President’s secretary saw my car and we ended up swapping rear ends (with $10 to boot) for his Ruckstell. I drove this car from Burlington to Lyndon Center on many weekends. When my folks came by bus for an engineering open house the plan was for them to ride home with me. The Ruckstell stuck in low range and it was a long hot ride, getting home at 1AM, at 20mph. I had an interview with the General Electric recruiter. His comment was that they could use anyone who could drive a Model T. Maybe the T had a bigger influence on my life than I imagined. I got the job and drove this Model T to work on my first day at GE Burlington in 1950, on many anniversaries and my Last day at work in 1988. The car was pretty ragged and not used from 1950 until I got married in 1959. It had been stored outside some. I put in a new battery, water, blew up the tires and drove it from Lyndon Center to Pittsfield Mass., where I started a frame up amateur restoration. I completed this with an engine job after retirement in 1988. Now it is time for another restoration, after all some of the work is over 50 years old.

It Pays to Know Good Parts Counter People – Dave’s Garage

No mail this month, so I will discuss the importance of a good parts counter person.

Recently, I found my self needing to borrow a car. I asked dad if I could borrow his Subaru. The A/C clutch was broken and he asked me if I could fix it while I had the car. The bearing in the clutch pulley was broken. He had taken it to the dealer, and the Subaru dealer stated that the compres-sor needed to be replaced. The compressor was fine, it was only the clutch bearing that was the problem. I pulled the bearing and was fortunate enough to still be able to read the numbers off it. I grabbed my calipers and set off to buy a bearing. The first stop was Advance Auto Parts. The guy behind the counter tried to look it up, then told me that the part was not available. He was trying to look it up by year, make, model and part. I asked him to try to look it up by the bearing number… No luck. I pulled out my calipers and began to measure it so he could look it up by size. He had no idea what the calipers were, and inquisitively asked me what they were and what they did. He then told me there was no way to look up a bearing by it’s dimensions, or by the bearing number. A quick Google search by the bearing number showed the bearing to be available. A google search is often quite helpful in trying to find an odd ball part. Having this information in hand can help the guy on the other side of the counter find a part for you. My next stop was Bond Auto. The guy quickly checked the application by looking at year, make and model, then just used the bearing number. Several minutes later he told me the bearing was available, but would take a few days to get in. He then suggested I try Bearing Specialty Supply in Williston, as they could get it faster. So, with the help of a competent parts counter guy I was able to fix the car for less than ten percent of the cost of a new compressor. If you have the time, it is usually cheaper to order a part on line. If you need the part quickly, or you are not sure what it looks like and want to hold it in your hand before you pay for it, it is better to use the local auto parts store. A decent parts person is a valuable asset; whether it is the local auto parts store or the parts counter at a dealership. A good parts counter person will often tell me if other parts are often needed, and what issues mechanics have run into when servicing a particular part. This information can be quite helpful. They can also tell me how often they sell a particular part…this is helpful information too. I have found the parts guys at both Bond and Napa to be quite helpful. The other guys… Not so much…


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

The Tropical Storm and…

Trying to think of a “Softer Side” topic, I initially drew a blank, so I picked up a new, yellow, lined pad of paper for inspiration. Hmmm, not so inspiring after all. Then came tropical storm Irene and the havoc it wreaked on Vermonters. We were in northern Maine that weekend for a family reunion, where there is no cell phone or radio reception. There were lots of relatives, pine trees, lakes and loons, but no information on the storm‘s track. The last we knew Friday morning when we left home, was that it shouldn‘t affect us until late Sunday afternoon. We left Maine early on Sunday, not knowing anything until well into Vermont. Thanks to VAE member, Ken Squire’s reporting on radio station WDEV, operating on generator power, we were guided safely across northern Vermont and all was well, but, oh, poor central and southern Vermont! Reports of Vermonters helping Vermonters, including several VAE members, men, women and schoolchildren all were working to restore power, repair roads, clean up people‘s homes and posses-sions, bringing in food and water, rescue and recovery operations, were so heartwarming. Such a lot of courage and resilience was shown by all involved. On the lighter side, we have been enjoying the Mountain Slow Spokes and Gypson Tours lately. What is especially enjoyable about old car touring is the great reception you get from people as you drive by. Most people notice and give you a smile and a wave. They all appreciate and are glad to see you. We even pulled up alongside a State trooper who rolled down his window and gave us a thumbs-up, even though we didn‘t have an inspection sticker. When you are in an old car, everyone is your friend. What a shame that some folks miss this experience, and don‘t even realize they are missing it. One can drive an expensive sports car and get attention, but the reaction from observers is more of a single finger wave, than those smiles and waves our classic cars receive. As VAE members, we treasure that reaction and hope more folks will be eager to take the road to that same experience.

The Pozidriv Screw… Not Phillips – Dave’s Garage

pozidriv screw head
The screws have a head that looks like this:

Absent mail this month, I thought I would pass along something interesting I recently learned. Over the years I have seen a lot of screws on antique cars that I thought were early Phillips screws. I always assumed that it was a particular brand of screw. In addition to the slots for a screwdriver, there are a second set of very faint cross slots 45 degrees away. I’ve no-ticed these screws seem to be on a lot of British cars.
These are not Phillips, but rather something called Pozidriv. Here is some information and history on Pozidriv courtesy of Wikipedia:

The Pozidriv, sometimes misspelled Pozidrive, screw drive is an improved version of the Phillips screw drive. It is jointly patented by the Phillips Screw Company and American Screw Company. The name is thought to be an abbreviation of positive drive. Its advantage over Phillips drives is its decreased likelihood to cam out, which allows greater torque to be applied.
Phillips drivers have an intentional angle on the flanks and rounded corners so they will cam out of the slot before a power tool will twist off the screw head. The Pozidriv screws and drivers have straight sided flanks.

The Pozidriv screwdriver and screws are also visually distinguishable from Phillips by the second set of cross-like features set 45 degrees from the cross. The manufacturing process for Pozidriv screwdrivers is slightly more complex. The Phillips driver has four simple slots cut out of it, whereas in the Pozidriv each slot is the result of two machining processes at right angles. The result of this is that the arms of the cross are parallel-sided with the Pozidriv, and tapered with the Phillips.

This design is intended to decrease the likelihood that the Pozidriv screwdriver will slip out, provide a greater driving surface, and decrease wear. The chief disadvantage of Pozidriv screws is that they are visually quite similar to Phillips, thus many people are unaware of the difference or do not own the correct drivers for them, and use incorrect screwdrivers. This results in difficulty with removing the screw and damage to the slot, rendering any subsequent use of a correct screwdriver unsatisfactory. Phillips screwdrivers will fit in and turn Pozidriv screws, but will cam out if enough torque is applied, potentially damaging the screw head. The marker lines on a Pozidriv screwdriver will not fit a Phillips screw correctly, and are likely to slip or tear out the screw head.

There are special Pozidriv screwdrivers available from tool manufacturers. Snap-On sells an assortment with five different sizes. If you are finding a lot of these “odd phillips” screws, it may be worth your while to pick up a set of Pozidriv screwdrivers.


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

Vacation “highlights”

Gary and I just returned from a 6 week vacation. I used the term vacation but perhaps it should be more like an Odyssey. It really wasn’t what I would term a “vacation”. Gary drove (and I rode) over 7,000 miles. That isn’t 7000 miles of new road, it is 7000 miles, some of which is backtracking and going forward, sideways and back again! He likes to tell people that he does all the driving, which sometimes is true but this time it wasn’t. After finding a wonderful collection of old cars, tractors, etc. and parking me in the direct sun, I took matters into my own hands and backed the truck (with camper) into the shade!! Thus breaking his record for doing all the driving! Enough of that subject. My main reason for this article was to let everyone know that all roads lead to cars (in my world anyway) and the cars lead to owners or someone who knows the owners. Everyone we have met has some connection to someone or someplace or something that we do. Sometimes it is almost eerie! We started our trip traveling to Ontario for the 4-cylinder Plymouth tour. That proved to be very enjoyable. We met a few new people and many we already were acquainted with which was good to see them again. We went from there to South Dakota to search out Jim Lay, a “Plymouth” owner who was in the process of restoring his car and had contacted Wendell Noble who had given Gary the information. We arrived at his place without too much trouble, (thankful for cell phones), and found that indeed he was doing a restoration. Of course, you know where that leads so I’ll move on. During their conversation, Jim left to get something in the house. When he returned, he gave Gary a picture of a car on a trailer – Gary looked at it and quickly realized that it was a picture of his 31 Plymouth Convertible Coupe!!! He turned the picture over and stamped on it was; Return to Harry F. Olney, 62 Chester Rd., Springfield, VT. That was Gary’s dad. It seems that Jim’s dad and Gary’s had corresponded about 50 years ago and as you could tell, Jim’s dad never returned the photo!! It is now back in the family’s hands! We were eating with our grandchildren (THEY were the reason for the trip!!) in an A&W in Helena, Montana, when a man drove in (with his grandchildren) and probably wouldn’t have caught our attention but he was driving a ’63 Ford Galaxy Convertible. Waiting for food, Gary went and talked to him and found out he was from Connecticut but had lived in Montana a long time. And of course, found the history of the car! When their food arrived, they left and got into their car. I noticed he had left his wallet and cell on the table. My husband grabbed the items and ran after him and thankfully caught up with him. Needless to say, he was very grateful. The point of this story is that if he hadn’t had that car and Gary hadn’t talked to him, we probably wouldn’t have noticed his left behind items. On our way back to Vermont, after putting on several hundred miles going around the flooding in North Dakota, we were able to link up with Jim Benjaminson. Gary and Wendell wanted to thank him for his 40 years of service as an officer in the Plymouth Club and deliver some of Wendell’s wonderful maple syrup to them. What my husband said would be an hour visit lasted all day! Are you surprised?? But, even I have to admit, it was extremely pleasant. We saw his collection, a museum he is involved with and a nice lunch. I couldn’t ask for more. So on your next vacation, go with the flow but make sure to take along a few books (I read 7), knitting or anything else that helps pass the time when you feel you can’t listen to one more car story.!!!

Test Starting an Unmounted Engine – Dave’s Garage

I hope your summer is going well… it is nice to finally get somewhat of a break from the rain. As I am sitting here typing this, I think I can actually hear the grass growing outside my window. I have been quite busy with my MG TF project, the body tub went back on the running chassis yesterday, now I am hooking everything back up and trying to find all the parts I took off last year…

This question came to me this month:

Q. I have the “sliver” of a ’25 Moon. Continental 6 motor, chassis, wheels, radiator, hood, steering wheel…umm that’s about it. I had the starter rebuilt & now want to try to see if the motor will run. The flywheel does turn & it doesn’t appear to be “stuck”. I think it’s a 6 volt system, but is it negative ground? The radiator leaks real good, too! What do I have to do to test it out? Is there a basic flow chart/ or some diagnostic chart to follow for basic engine starting? Thank you for your response.

A. To test an engine, the engine needs to be firmly mounted to something. I would recommend bolting it in to the frame. Before you attempt to start the engine, the carburetor should be taken apart and cleaned and the engine oil should be changed. You need some provision to check for oil pressure. Do you have the gauge from the car? If not, do you have a mechanical gauge? With the engine bolted down, the carburetor cleaned and the oil changed the spark plugs should be removed and the engine should be turned over using the starter until there is good and stable oil pressure. To run, the engine needs three things; air, fuel and spark. You can hook the distributor up to any coil, six, or twelve volt, positive or negative ground, the electrons do not care, and the point and condenser system will work with any combination of the above to test fire an engine. I would check the points to make sure they are clean and working first. Either wire a switch in to the wire, or hook it up in such a way to be able to quickly disconnect a wire to shut the engine down. With the carburetor cleaned you can take several feet of hose and either hook it up to the fuel pump (if it works) or si-phon fuel through the hose from a gas can to the carburetor, keeping the gas can higher than the carburetor. Since you are test firing an engine, and only running it momentarily, you can put the coolant hoses in to a five gallon pail of water. To start the engine, use jumper cables directly on the starter. The starter has permanent magnets in it so it is not polarity sensitive. Place one lead on a good ground, and the other on the starter terminal. When you have power going to the ignition coil and you are ready to start, connect the jumper cable to a battery to activate the starter. BE prepared to “pull the plug” and keep a good fire extinguisher near by! This will quickly tell you if the engine is running or not, but will not give you much information as to the condition of the engine. Since it has been sitting for so long, it will probably not run very well, and it will smoke. Taking compression readings and noting the oil pressure will give you a good idea of the condition of the engine. I would not run the engine for more than a few seconds. Best of luck to you and keep us posted with your results.

I received this tip from Ken Taplin, and I am passing it along. I do not have a cell phone or a GPS, but I know most people do. I have not tried this, but would assume that it will work since most electronics operate on low voltage DC power.

Dave, Maybe I’m the only one that didn’t know this but I recently discovered that you can run a gps and charge a cell phone just as well on 6V as 12V. I used to carry a 12V battery pack for that. You do need the right polarity and In my positive ground cars I have installed marine grade power points. The cases are plastic and therefore not grounded so you can hook up the two wires for the right polarity. – Ken Taplin Blue Hill, Me.


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