John Reddie

My most sincere sympathy goes out to his family. John R

Although I can appreciate the work and time it takes to change and update a vintage car to a modern running gear and to customize it, I myself will take an original any day. Many old gems are becoming scarce and I love to see them left or restored to original. John

Bob, It's great that you are putting the coupe back in shape after the unfortunate accident. If you can, post some pics of the progress. Thanks. John R

Good deal:). I had a '49 Chrysler Windsor coupe and it was a great car. Other than missing taillight lenses, yours looks complete in the photo. These are nice driving cars. John R

Jim, You had a '39 Plymouth convertible didn't you? Do you still have it? John R

Flatie, You said the most important words, "I love it":). That is what these old gems are all about, our love for them. Good luck to you on this project. John R

Gee, I thought this guy would be swamped with bids on this :D:D John R

I would check out Hemmings Motor News magazine or website. I believe that they list functions in different states. John R

Hey Bob, We've all done stuff like that. Some of the things I have done with cars over the years is laughable now but then it was anything but humorous. I am glad to hear that things are working out. John R

It is a Studebaker for sure. No mistaking that rear window which if I am not mistaken, could be opened on some models. Great photo. Keep em coming. John R

Back when the filming of "The Brinks Job" was to take place in Boston, an ad was placed in local newspapers for cars 1950 and older to use in the film. A man who ran a small diner near the shipyard where I was working had a '37 Plymouth four door sedan and responded to the ad. They were interested in the car and wanted to use it as a checker cab. They painted the car yellow with the black and white checkers around the beltline and even put in a meter. He was allowed to drive the car dressed as a taxi driver and besides being paid for the use of the car, the deal was to issue him a check after filming so he could paint it any color he wanted. Unfortunately, the scenes were cut from the film. I remember he left the Plymouth looking like a taxi and banked the check. A really good film just the same. John R

I am 68. John R

I personally would rather really clean the block surface and paint it with a good quality engine paint. John R

If you see the movie "The Defiant Ones", the D24 convertible that is pictured in the other post is started by Tony Curtis cranking it with a hand crank (or so it appears). I had a '48 Dodge and don't remember a crank opening but that was a long time back. Do any of the D24 owners here have a crank opening on your car? Can they actually be started this way? John R

Wow Michael, I've seen a lot of car do dads but never one of these little gems:). Does it actually light the cigarette for you? Thanks for posting. John R

Hey Bob, I am glad things are looking up for you. Great that there is no cylinder damage. I once had a '52 Ford with the v8 and one of the wrist pin clips failed allowing the pin to slide out and really gouge the cylinder wall. As they say, "it wasn't pretty":eek:. Keep us posted on your progress. John R

Bob, You should make sure it is a rod or bearing problem. How is the oil pressure? Try the spark plug wire procedure. These engines can make noises at times that can be serious and then not so serious. My '49 Chrysler started making a knocking sound which was diagnosed as a rod, or wristpin, or valve lifter, or loose timing chain hitting the cover. The oil pressure was perfect. Another mechanic told me that it could be a spark knock caused by a carbon piece glowing in one of the cylinders (he really said that). I was young and had hardly enough money to put food on the table so I gambled and used the car. Within several days the noise vanished and I ran the car another four years. What I am saying is to try to find the exact cause. Good luck to you. John R

I believe that priming the carburetor like Rockwood said with some fuel will get the engine to fire up. Once the engine starts the pump will pump much faster than when the engine is just turning over. Good luck to you. John R

Great photo Bob. Keep posting them. Old cars and old photos rule:). John R

Please keep the '42 original, please. John R

Can you tell me what network that show appeared on and if it is scheduled to air another time? I'd love to see that. John R

My wife was great in supporting my automotive efforts. Back in 2005 when I had the devastating fire that ruined the interior of my '67 Plymouth Fury III convertible, it was her encouragement and support that got me to repair it. I was ready to throw in the towel. She was 100%. Before and after pics attached. John R

I retired from my job as a middle school custodian last August. I am keeping busy now working on my house and my cars. John R

Thanks for the kind words. The only drawback with this Chrysler was that in very cold weather, it wouldn't start. It seemed that it just would not spin fast enough and after several attempts, the battery would be too low to function. I was using single weight oil in it which did not help. Then one day at work, a man who also worked there has a Studebaker, the one with the bullet in the grille. He told me to get an electric dipstick and to be sure that I put it in right after shutting the engine off at night when the oil was still hot. What a difference that made. That old Chrysler actually started up one morning when it was 18 degrees below zero. The dipstick was my savior on cold mornings:) John R

When I first bought it it had 100,000 miles on it and at the end it had 200,000 miles on it. I did one valve job and replaced the timing chain and gears. It used a minimal amount of oil. Like we've all said at one time, shuda kept it. John R