Category: Wheel Tracks
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A Franklin Automobile Enthusiasts
Do you remember the TV series Mash? Did you know those helicopters that flew in wounded soldiers were Bell 47s units….and the engines they used were Franklin engines? The Franklin O-335 air-cooled aircraft engines were six-cylinder, horizontally-opposed displacing 335 cu in with a power output of around 225HP. When the Franklin auto company went bankrupt…
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The Vermont Antique & Classic Automobile Show – 1957 to 2019
Not a lot was written about 1957 other than a race up the Mt. Mansfield Toll Road by a Stanley Steamer and a Model T. In the 1958 VAE Show, there were eleven cars registered. This year, we expect over 600 registrations in 34 classes. We have grown-up! The Stanley Steamer won the race in 1957. It turns…
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Driveshaft Fail – Don’t Ignore the Warning Signs
Absent any questions this month, I will share a story about how costly it can be to ignore warning signs and delay needed maintenance. A friend of mine has a towing and recovery business. He recently picked up a Subaru from out of state after it broke down on the interstate. The owner told him…
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Been there, done it in a Probe
I admit it. I’m not that into cars. If it has 4 tires and a steering wheel and can get me to where I want to go safely, I’m happy. My husband, on the other hand, is what you’d all call “a car guy.” Over the years he’s purchased antique (I say old) cars and…
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Saab 900
Absent any questions this month, I will briefly discuss some cars in my shop this month. Both of my sons now have cars. I wanted their first cars to be something durable, safe and inexpensive. Somehow, each of them ended up with a Saab 900 four door. When I learned how to drive, people maintained…
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1926 Ford Model T Speedster
There is a new “muscle car” in town and hang-on Lucy if you want to race! This Ford Model T Speedster is the creation of VAEer, Dennis Dodd of East Fairfield, Vermont. Dennis has the Patience of Jobe, as this #7 is his 2nd version of the same speedster and has just recently exited his garage, complete and ready to run.…
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What Things Have Changed?
Every time I go to Williston and pass by Friendly’s restaurant, I remember my days in X-Ray school when we would collect our paychecks (second year students were paid $80/month plus call pay, usually amounted to about $160) and we would head out for Friendly’s for a cheeseburger deluxe and milkshake. The burger used bread…
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The Classic Auto Festival at Shelburne Museum
A collaboration between the museum and our VAE, June 15 & 16. The first was in 1969 and it was called the “Shelburne Vintage Automobile Exposition”. Different name, same great fun. June of 1995 was the 17th VAE Annual Vermont Auto Expo at the Essex Jct. fairgrounds and it’s last. From old Wheel Tracks archives, the weather…
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Some Serious Cleaning!
Circumstances, here at home, have forced me to do some serious cleaning. I always said that Gael was the hoarder, but I have added my name to that list. When you live in a house for fifty years, things accumulate, especially if you have room in closets and spare rooms. That’s the case here. I…
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The 12,806 Mile Quest for Old Cars by a couple of VAEers….
Gary Olney and Vin Cassidy have “the old car syndrome” that most of us have. Our level might be called a “melody”, theirs might be called a “fever level”….just an opinion, mind you. Here is an attempt to track their travels that took place in about a period of one month. Please excuse us if…
