bamfordsgarage

I expect that if the wheels have been repainted, the presence or absence of stripes would be a non-issue. And maybe the wheel repaint will be lumped in with the body repaint and wouldn't draw any further deduction.

The repaint alone shouldn't keep you from achieving HPOF status. You'll recall we showed my heap at Hershey in 2010 and despite a 1975 repaint it lost very few points elsewhere and we got the HPOF recognition. One thing we got dinged for were plastic tire-valve caps, so if you have those its worth it to replace them with metal ones.

Thanks, Greg — here's hoping it works out for you. I've edited the original post to show the Saturday flea market actually runs to 3 PM.

Here is the gasket set for my 25" Canadian block ('47 Dodge D25, essentially the same as your engine). This one came from NAPA, but the Fel-Pro number should help you source it elsewhere. Good luck!

Right now its very mini... 40Phil41 with his 41 Dodge and me on a rented bicycle. Phil is showing his Dodge in the HPOF class (Historical Preservation of Original Features) at the AACA Eastern Spring Meet on the University of Buffalo Campus. I'll be hanging around for a few days with my son Morgan in Niagara Falls where he is presenting at a weekend conference — I've reserved a bike in NF and am planning to ride the 21 miles each way to the event in Buffalo on Saturday. Should be a fun time, with a flea market 08:00-15:00, and 400+ car show. I particularly enjoy the HPOF cars which are judged to a standard of originality, not of cosmetic condition. For example, original, ratty upholstery earns full credit whereas brand spanking new exactly-right-material and professional installation gets one nowhere with the judges. (Not to disparage Phil's '41 which is probably a lovely car.) Event details at AACA Eastern Spring Meet So, who else is up for a get together on Saturday May 31? Greg G, you're only 162 miles from Buffalo and it looks like Dan Hiebert is practically next door...

1947 D25 Canadian Dodge, complete rebuild: 090 overbore, new pistons, rings, bearings and timing chain, shaved head, valve job, knurled guides etc. Intended to look like it had never been out of the car.

Both definitely Model T Ford. One on the left is a '15 or '16, one on the right is earlier like '10-'12.

Me too! Me too! Me too!

Thanks Glenn. and here is my favourite period advert for the Orient, pitching the optional $25 front-mounted car seat. My, how times have changed...

I bought this '06 PT Cruiser for my beloved at a local club member's estate auction in 2009. She is very happy with it — we both like the style and colour (and this red is about the only Cruiser colour we like) and she finds it easy to park and comfortable to drive and easy to get in and out. I agree with the above sentiments about ugly convertibles and Cruisers being hard on tie rods. Replacing the timing belt is a big job, but ours was done courtesy of Chrysler when the water pump (IIRC) was replaced under warranty. Pictured with Michelle's Cruiser is my own '06, an Orient Buckboard Runabout. Coincidently, I paid almost exact the same amount for this car in 1995 as we did for hers 14 years later. Difference is, mine has appreciated 20-fold from its new-car price and the Cruiser loses value every day.

Hello all, Day 3, 451 Calder Ave to 123 Wilderness Ave., 1/2 block today. It was 20° below this morning, we plugged the car in at 06:45 and tried to start it at 09:15… almost caught, tried again and an ominous clunk came from the starter region, followed by a whirring like gears kissing gears. Crap. A neighbour stopped by to look at the car and visit and offered a tow to his heated 30x30 shop and use of his tools to help sort out our problems. He didn't have to offer twice. The plan was to address the starter issue then do a compression test and proceed from there based on test results. Sadly, that never happened. It would appear this starter is toast. Perhaps I overworked it trying to start a too-cold engine. In any event, we pulled it out and apart, saw nothing wrong but still no go on reinstallation. It sounds a bit like a low battery but that is not the problem — what we have is a massive short whenever the solenoid is engaged. Crap. A parellel examination of the radiator revealed evidence of seepage in two places. Perhaps all the pounding we gave the car coming up the winter road yesterday shook loose a couple 65 year-old solder joints. The nearest rad shop is 354 miles away. Crap. We still suspect a bum head gasket, based on coolant consumption, overly-white tailpipe gas and possible air/vapour pockets around the temperature bulb. Crap. And, finally, Jerry noticed not one but two bulges in our LF tire, again possibly from yesterday's pounding. Crap. My spare starter and rad from the parts car (both as-pulled and not yet checked) are in Edmonton. The closest bus service is also 354 miles away. The Alberta Motor Association (our version of AAA) would happily tow me home with free pickup, first hundred miles free and $3.50/km thereafter. In round figures, about $4,000. Crap. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Time for a time out. With heavy hearts we took the neighbour's kind offer of an outdoor parking spot and are flying home tomorrow. $454 each. Crap. In a few months we'll return in Jerry's modern, packing an overhauled radiator and starter, more tools, four summer tires on rims, and a positive cheerful attitude. Our hosts here, and the folks where the car is say we are welcome back anytime to stay and work until the car is back on the road. No Crap! So, sad news and a big disappointment, but I'm trying to look at the bright side — since 2008 we've driven that car to all four coasts, 35 states, three provinces, two territories, in all seasons, on all kinds of roads and, frankly, giving it all kinds of abuse. Our problems have been minor and our fun enormous. We've beat the odds for a very long time and this was only to be expected. And so much better to have all the problems at one time than spread them out over many trips. Till later this year... Photos: Finger points to a small bulge, the big one opposite is obvious; Heading down to the neighbours yard; Big Mike and son John with their new yard art.

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Thanks Rob. There was no green goo or foam on the dipstick last time I checked, but haven't looked this AM. One other thing I forgot to mention is the temp gauge behaviour. Frequently swinging from normal up to pegged for a few seconds then back down to normal. This might not happen for miles and then happen 2-3 times in a minute. Kind of like there are intermittent air or steam pockets around the sensor bulb.

Hello All, Day 2: Fort McMurray to Fort Smith via Fort McKay and Fort Chipewyan, 332 miles today. We left the hotel at 06:15 on schedule but had car trouble within blocks — temp gauge pretty much pegged with no heat to the heaters. Seemed like a stuck thermostat, but they are tough to find anywhere at that time of day, much less in Fort McMurray where the average vehicle age is probably three years or less. In the end, the local Dodge dealer was most accommodating and found one in the back that would work and charged an hour labour for the R&R. Could have done it myself but not outside in 20 below, thank you very much. The car was a major hit in their shop and nearly every staff member came around for a look and a photo. On the road for good at 10:00 we drove the winter road to Fort Chipewyan and on to Peace Point, almost 200 miles in total before we hit all weather road again. This winter road is much different that the ice road up to Tuktoyaktuk — narrower, hilly in spots and generally quite rough. One 30 mile stretch that took us over an hour. There are seven major river crossings (ice bridges) that are continually flooded to a 4' ice depth before they open the road to heavy truck traffic. Fort Chip is Alberta's oldest continuous settlement and was established as a fur-trading centre in 1788. Unfortunately, it is now also known as a cancer hotbed, with the most likely cause being contamination of groundwaters and the Athabaska River by oil sands operations to the immediate south. We are staying in Fort Smith with an interesting couple, Michael and Andrea, who are both German immigrants. Michael is a charter pilot, often flying a Cessna 185, and tells many interesting stories such as when he was a 20 year old in the East German army at a post on the Berlin Wall the night the wall came down Nov 09, 1989. We had not met before tonight but connected through "Couch Surfing" where travellers and hosts get together, worldwide, on a no-charge basis. First time for me, although my son Morgan has couch-surfed before. While it is mostly a younger persons' game there are a number of older ones involved as well. https://www.couchsurfing.org and scroll down for more info. The car is not right yet — we are losing coolant at the rate of a gallon in 150-200 miles but no visible signs of leakage. At the same time we have a bit more of what appears to be smoke out of the tailpipe (of course the exhaust is always visible when it is this cold out). I'm wondering about a head gasket leak although the car seems to be running fine. Thoughts? PS: Merle, thanks for clarifying about that truck wiper, although I'm sorry to lose a good story as a result. Photos: Old heap is a hit at Legacy Dodge; Typical Winter Road scene. Further north it was rougher and narrower; At the Fort Chipewyan Museum — noticed when taking this photo that we lost a hub cap this morning, dang it; First car in Fort Chip, a 1910-ish high wheeler, probably IHC (who advertised to the farmers that because their vehicles looked like horse-drawn wagons, they wouldn't scare the livestock); Our hosts Michael and Andrea, who met in a massive, stationary traffic jam on the German autobahn.

Hello All, Day 1: Edmonton to Fort McMurray via Fort Saskatchewan and Fort Victoria, 318 miles. No particular car trouble today aside from a brief and mysterious coolant temp rise to 200+ (stopped for a look see and it went back down to normal within a minute. Maybe a sticky T-stat?). Fort McMurray, smack dab in the middle of the Alberta Oil Sands (or Tar Sands if you don't like 'em) describes itself as one of the hottest regional economies in the world. The numbers back this claim up: 2012 average household income $189,458, 7.1% annual growth rate 2000-2012, and the 66,000 population with addresses are bolstered by some 40,000 mobile workers in camps, campers and hotels. We experienced this last fact ourselves — in trying last week to book a room for tonight, most of the "budget" hotels were full right up and the cheapest room we could find was $185 + tax. For that one would expect luxury. We get a fridge in the room and a continental breakfast. Tomorrow we set off early for Fort Smith in the Northwest Territories. It's said to be a slow drive over the winter road and we want time to enjoy the experience and take lots of photos. Photos: The World's largest Mallard in Andrew, Alberta. Other "Alberta Monuments" include the World's largest badminton racket, beaver, pumpkin, perogy, mushroom, cowboy boot and Easter egg; Highway 63 to Fort McMurray is finally being twinned to better handle the heavy traffic both directions and oversize equipment heading north to the oil sands; Twinning didn't come soon enough for this guy, one of several abandoned vehicles we saw along 63; Jerry (top left, waving) on deck of a giant mining truck at the Oil Sands Discovery Centre in McMurray. These bad boys are up to 32' wide and run 4000 HP V-20 engines to carry a payload of 400+ tons; In one at least one respect, however, they are just like our Dodge… note the vacuum windshield wiper!

You got that right… I bought mine in 1998 to build a speedster much like the one you illustrated. Did the engine, got sidetracked and as all too often happens, once a project falls off the rails it can be very hard to get back on it again. The ALF has been parked untouched in a tent garage for over 10 years now.

Bingo! 1916 to be exact.

Gas

Looks like neither one could keep their traps shut.

Close but, sadly, no cigar for you. That one is only 373 in3.

Not for reasons of traction, as we do pretty well with the studded knobbies. More for compactness and convenience, and besides I quite like the look of a vintage roof rack — the idea with this one was that it should look like a 1950s Popular Science DIY feature. We also made it big and sturdy enough to pitch a tent on top (have never done it) or use as an event viewing platform. Besides, it's harder to carry a 16' garage door on a small trailer and the view from a trailer is not near as nice...

Quite right. And for bonus points, what is this plate for? (Hint: the frame is not a hint.)

Who is first with the translation?

Hi Ken — there's some info about the car and our previous trip north in this thread: http://p15-d24.com/topic/28444-arctic-adventure/?hl=%2Barctic+%2Badventure Thanks to all for your kind wishes. We are really looking forward to this one!

Hello all — friend Jerry and I set off Thursday for another run up to the Northwest Territories in the rusty trusty '47. Dubbed the Northern Forts tour, we are following the footsteps (tire prints?) of some of the first Europeans in Alberta and the North. If all goes well, we will pass through the fur-trading outposts of Fort Saskatchewan, F Victoria, F McMurray, F MacKay, F Chipewyan, F Fitzgerald, F Smith, F Resolution, F Vermillion, F Assiniboine and F Edmonton. Time permitting we will take an extra day on the way back for Fort Dunvegan up in the Peace River country. It will be a quick trip — we have our local club meeting tomorrow evening and the club executive meeting one week later. The 202 miles between Fort MacKay and Peace Point promise to be some of the most interesting... this is Alberta's Winter Road, open only from January, usually, through March, usually. Unlike our 2012 trip up the wide and flat ice road to Tuktoyaktuk, the Alberta Winter Road is largely overland and narrow, with lots of up and down and occasionally quite rough. I'll be shooting lots of photos on the way, and posting to the forum most evenings as long as we have the 'net. Photos below: Bing map of the planned route. Google maps does not recognize winter roads; 13"x20" Frost Shields (double glazing) on the front windscreens; At JiffyLube this morning as Rick-the-old-guy wows the next generation with the wonders of postwar Mopars; Draft-dodger Jerry applying a little more weatherstrip; Vintage thermometer (with a very vintage 'phone number) mounted under the roof rack.