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.