Category: Wheel Tracks
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The Duster Coat
The Duster Coat first caught my attention when my daughter, Tammy, decided to make one for a friend. She obtained a pattern from Etsy online and fabric from Joann’s. She completed sewing the duster in time for her friend to wear it driving his 1903 Cadillac for a car tour in England. One of the first…
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How Do You Make Antifreeze
One of the most effective coolants for water-cooled engines is, you guessed it, water. Water is a good heat conductor and has a high heat capacity, meaning it can absorb a lot of heat. However, as we all know, it freezes solid at low temperatures, becomes ineffective as a coolant and downright destructive as it…
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The Times They Are A-Changin’
Come gather ‘round people Wherever you roam And admit that the watersAround you have grown… I will let you google the rest of the song if you wish. It wasn’t really the subject I had planned on reporting. It is February 5, 2025, today, and my birthday. About 3:15 am, I turned 77! I will never be 76…
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The Planetary Gearset
In my last article, I wrote up the basics of the automatic transmission. One of the key components that I talked about was the planetary (or epicyclic) gearset, and in this article I will get into a little more detail of their history and versatility. First off, why are they called “planetary” gearsets? According to…
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Barns
A little while ago I was talking to an old-timer who grew up in Underhill. We were reminiscing about the old days here in town. He went back further in time than I do. He was asking about the barns on our property. Well, the house is gone and the big barn is gone. I…
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The “Automagic” Transmission
One of my coworkers, when I was in the auto industry, jokingly called automatic transmissions “automagic” transmissions. At the time when they first came out, I imagine they did seem a little like magic — no clutch, no gearshift, and the car just did it all itself. There was no actual magic involved, just some impressive…
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1929 Buick Roadster 54CF
This is Eric & Silver Annie. Are we ready on the left? Are we ready on the right? Eric Osgood prepares for the August 2024 Waterbury parade with his beloved 1929 Buick Roadster, Model 54CF… Silver Annie for short.
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Ralph Shepard’s Steamboat
Ralph Shepard lives in Ferrisburgh, VT not far from Otter Creek where his steam boat resides most summer days. Ralph is pictured at left. Ralph and Pat’s home is one of those special places where you want to stay for a while because there is a lot going on. Adventures can be felt all around! Thank you…
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Vermont’s Local Racers
While researching background on Dave Dion , the famous local race car driver, for the following story, I got to thinking about something that happened way back in the 1970s when my youngest brother, David, and our cousins, John and Billy, were around 8-10 years old. They were nuts about Vermont’s local racers… Bobby Dragon,…
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1910 Metz Runabout
From Tammy….. During my travels to England this summer, I participated in the Ellis Journey, a tour retracing the first British motorcar trip in 1895. The Honorable Evelyn Ellis traveled the original journey in a four-horsepower Panhard car. He traveled at 10 m.p.h. flagrantly disregarding the 4 m.p.h. speed limit. Today, only automobiles from before…
