Dan Hiebert

How your car was originally registered would depend on the State(s) it has been titled and registered in. How it would be done now is still up to the State you're in. Most will allow a registration with the engine number to carry forward, as long as that same engine is still in the car, but if you're starting from scratch, they will want the serial number. If registering as an antique auto, they may give you the option. Either one will come up in their system as a non-compliant VIN, which they can override. Whichever is used will be entered in the State's system as the VIN. If you are seeking to title/register your '47, it would be best to ask your State's DMV. If you're just curious - Vehicle identification numbers were not standardized until 1981, at which time the number was statutorily called the Vehicle Identification Number by Federal legislation. Until then, it was up to the individual States to decide whether to use the serial number of the engine, or the serial number of the car for its titling / registration requirements. The legislation mandating VINs also mandated the States to use the VIN for titling and registration for 1981 and later cars.

Could have something to do with it, we've actually had normal rainfall this year...which may have indeed been the perfect conditions for mild peppers. What we have also had this year are consistent temperatures, it's been in the 70's and 80's during the day and 50's and 60's at night all summer, and I think it got to 90 once, for maybe five or ten minutes. I know the media was forecasting "unheard of" and "record temperatures" for Maine a few weeks ago, but that was all heat index, not true temps, and didn't come to pass. Temps the last few summers were all over the place. I'm sure there's some agricultural science to it, but it doesn't keep us up at night. Come to think of it, my stomach is rather thankful for the mild peppers this year.

Our gardening is doing quite well this year, really good weather this season for growing everything. By July I'm usually down to needing to mow once every two weeks or so, this year I'm still mowing every week. Slightly annoying, but the yard sure looks nice. We can hardly keep up with the cherry tomatoes and jalapenos. For some reason we have good flavor in the jalapenos, but they aren't very spicy. I'd say it's a soil issue, but this is the first year we've grown dull ones here. More likely we got "bad" seeds, which is a funny notion, since they're beautiful plants, just no kick in the peppers. A matter of perspective, I guess. No apples this year, though. We have 10 trees and not a one even bloomed this year, the ancient orchard on the adjoining property barely even bloomed. The regular orchards in the State are supposed to do well, though. I'm mildly surprised we aren't having critter issues worth noting, so far. Even the red squirrels are minding their own business, just fussing at us when I take the dog into their turf.

Ditto positive responses. It is not the preferred method, it will indeed work, but you do have to be careful. When we were looking at our D24 before we bought it, it was in the back of a used car lot. The proprietors weren't car guys, (that's a longer, slightly amusing, but unnecessary story), and when we wanted to see and hear the car run, they jumped it with 12v - several times over a week. Not because it would work, but the car having a 6v system went right over their heads. They went directly pole to pole on the battery. I wasn't as suave on old cars then, but I still questioned what they were doing. They were so anxious to get rid of the car that I talked them into a short warranty on the charging system. Thankfully it didn't seem to hurt the system, I have all the same electrical components in it now.

I've got a period aftermarket Fram AF-2 dry filter on our D24. Originally intended as a direct replacement for oil bath filters, so no mods necessary. I've never had the / an original oil bath filter for our car and found this one the owner was willing to part with on a '48 or so Ford F4 farm truck. Originally orange, painted it black and no-one is the wiser...so far. Oil bath filters are relatively easy to find, but this could be an option. Only "if" would be availability of the filter element, I bought a case of them 30 years ago and haven't bothered to see if I can still get them.

Reads like you want to replace that twist lock buss fuse with a circuit breaker. I'm assuming someone makes an inline circuit breaker, in which case I would just remove the buss fuse holder altogether (cut the wires) and splice in that breaker in the same place. What is suggested above will certainly work, but that just adds another potential point of failure to that circuit.

Same "problem" I've ever had with Walmart batteries - limited selection, at least at our location. I was a bit surprised they had the right group for my BIL's '57 Ford (don't remember what that was, now, though). This location has whatever battery you may need for your zero-turn mower, lawn tractor, or riding mower, anything else it's more likely you'll have to order on line and pick it up in a few days. That, or go to one of the four franchise places.

Red squirrels up here are the bane of buildings and vehicles, and they're annoying little buggers when trying to take a peaceful walk. If they keep to themselves, I leave them alone, as soon as they point themselves at our house or shop, their days are numbered. I've got one of those Gamo high velocity pellet rifles that works wonders, not quite a nail driver, but I think that's more me than the rifle. So far, nothing bigger than those little red rats with fluffy tails that I've had to deal with, I've got the armaments to deal with bigger critters but haven't needed it. Everything else just seems to sashay through, usually only leaving poop. Previous owner of our house had a problem with porcupines munching on the shop siding, so I keep an extra sharp eye out for them, just one juvenile that wandered through many years ago...so far. I've heard they can be pretty rugged and hard to kill, too.

I recently bought two carburetor kits from The Carburetor Doctor in Tulsa, OK. One for the slightly different BXUV-3 carb in the D24, which had the correct parts for a fluid drive, and one for the Carter W1 in the Terraplane. Initially, I couldn't find a kit for the BXUV, but I sent the numbers on the carb to the Carburetor Doctor, and they identified a kit with the right parts. I imagine they'd do the same for your S-11. They were both Daytona kits. I'm certainly not dissing on Mikes Carb kits, I've heard nothing but good about them, and I bet they'd do the same, I just found the Carb Doctor first.

I've got the distributor out and am rebuilding it right now, not that difficult, it's uber simple. Mainly just cleaning and painting as appropriate. Delayed slightly by putting a new roof on the garage but I should have it back in the car by the end of the week, and see what happens. I kinda like the idea of the ray gun, the car has a sexy red acrylic "zeppelin" hood ornament that looks amazingly similar to how artists portrayed ray guns back then...gotta be for more than just looks! Can't see them very well, but the ornament has slick little chrome fins on the sides and top.

I had one of those banners from the '80's. It came in a box of stuff with our Terraplane, apparently because the Terraplane did a lap around the Indy 500 track when a PO had it. The car was sold new in Indianapolis and spent most of its life in Terre Haute, IN. I don't remember the circumstances, whether the Hudson Essex Terraplane Club did a foray there, or they had an open track day, but it's apparently something Indy at least used to do. Couldn't stop your old car on the track for a photo (they didn't want patches of oil), but you could do a lap and they'd take a photo. I think I still have a photo, but it's from a club magazine article and not very good. I may still have the banner, too. I only suspect where they are, I don't know for sure, forgot all about them until this thread posted.

Someone's got a strange sense of "vintage"...and money on the brain. You can get those at the Indy Speedway swag shop for significantly less.

Since you've already got the stuff, I would go with the "quicker" option with the hot rod parts. While I'm certainly not opposed to a V8 swap, I find them kind of ho-hum. A good running flathead with all the bells-and-whistles on the other hand, will get my attention every time. I like the flat sixes in our D24 and Terraplane, and I'll do whatever I can to keep them going, but if I grenade either engine beyond repair, my first thought will be something else to swap in.

I'll also suggest that the squeaking alternator and water pump may be the belt, since the car was sitting for so long. They make stethoscopes for mechanical use that would help narrow down the source of engine noise. A much less expensive alternative is to use a piece of garden hose, hold one end to your ear, move the other around the suspected noise locations. I keep a short piece handy for such adventures - handy tip - blow the spiders out before you use it.

So - not really an ignition part, then. Albeit in the ignition circuit. FWIW, I cleaned it up, the plate with the curved edge that can be seen in the top picture is a standoff to keep the coiled part away from the distributor and is made of bakelite. The bar between the rivets that the wire is wrapped around looks like a heavy copper alloy and likely contributes to the resistance, the edges of it are grooved to accommodate the wire. Looks like when manufactured, whoever put the wire on had to adjust the number coils for whatever resistance was called for. I'm guessing vintage aftermarket, still can't find any markings, and I haven't found anything even remotely similar in any of my tomes or online.

The critters seem to stay away from the cultivated stuff in our yard. But we do have wild raspberries and strawberries all over the place that the birds and other wee forest creatures scarf up. When those get ripe, it takes me an extra hour or so to mow. I'll be mowing all biff-and-happy and come across a strawberry patch - "ooh, strawberries!" Turn off the mower, sit in the grass, and eat strawberries. Itty bitty things, but they're the strawberriest tasting strawberries I ever recall eating. The raspberries stick around longer, but we have to watch for bears in the raspberry patches, especially later in the summer.

Got it, thankee kindly!

A couple photos and measurements of the stud in question. The threaded ends are 10-32. This one off of a D24 attaches to the fuel pump in place of a screw directly above the outlet.

Speaking of which, does anyone have a template for the heatshield itself? Or, point me in the right direction? I used to could find one on the Forum fairly easy, but I can't seem to locate it anymore. I acquired one of those studs recently, it's loose so I can go get a couple photos and measurements and post them later this AM. May help with fabricating one. I was gonna start roofing our shop today, but Mother Nature decided to rain on that parade, so I have some unplanned free time.

I'm a tad jealous, love me some good homemade salsa, but don't get enough ingredients here to make enough to put up. Which is kind of a misstatement, because veggies grow very well up here. Just can't get the fresh peppers. BUT, the missus gardens just enough peppers to make a few fresh batches of salsa or pico de gallo every season. Something to look forward to. We've got six acres here, but it's just about all forest, not much room for other than some raised beds scattered about. I wouldn't call us avid gardeners, the wife plants stuff, then barely pays attention to it. I have to tend the gardens, and lean more towards flowers (I grew award winning roses when we lived in NM). This year we signed onto a community supported agriculture program that the Amish are running. Getting some really good and varied veggies every other week, just picked up a couple tomatoes that are almost as big as dodgeballs!

Makes sense. The distributor is mounted low and to the rear of the engine (PIA to work on), which puts it pretty close to the radio, as within inches, and the plug wires are all routed over the rear of the engine, again mere inches from the radio, and I don't think there was such a thing as static suppressing sparkplug wires back then(?). That never occurred to me, it had a Hudson radio, but it was not original to the car, and I took it out shortly after we got the car. Do you think it is an aftermarket item, or a factory one? There are no markings on it at all. I'll keep it, but I won't put it back on just yet.

We've had the '37 Terraplane for almost 25 years now. Until this summer, I've never had a problem getting it to start. Fuel system is good, it's got good compression, and a strong starter. I'm pretty sure the problem is in the ignition (Autolite), I get an arc with the secondary from the coil to a ground, but no spark at the sparkplugs. Something in the distributor. But, in chasing that down, I realized that I don't know what the pictured part is, or if it may be contributing to the problem. I'm thinking it is some kind of vintage resistor, but I cannot find it in any of the parts manuals for Terraplane or Hudson (for any year), nor is it in any wiring diagram. It is made to be attached to the side of the distributor, that big hole in the base is attached to an insulated post on the side of the distributor that goes to the points, and the condenser lead is bolted to that. The primary wire from the coil is attached to one end of the spiral wire with the screw, the other end of that spiral wire is soldered to the base, so this thing is in the primary circuit from the coil to the distributor. It has .5 ohms resistance from the screw to the base. I have no idea if it is an OEM part or some aftermarket whiz-bang add-on, it was on the car when we got it. Could it be intended as a ballast resistor? I have a new condenser on order, and am pondering whether or not I should put this part back in the circuit, leaning towards "no".

My Terraplane had the same set-up. Also touted for anti-theft properties.

Too bad I'm a few thousand miles too far east. Always cold beer to be had here, and/or hot coffee ("usually fresh"). Perhaps you already know of it, but there used to be a nice auto museum / collection in Van Horn, attached to a restaurant. On the main drag towards the western side of town. It burned down many years ago when I was still working in Fort Hancock, but not all the cars were stored there. I'd heard it was rebuilt, but I haven't been back that way in forever to verify. It was always worth a stop if I was in the area.

The Carburetor Doctor in Tulsa, OK is a good source for carb kits, and some parts, too. I've got a slightly different Stromberg in the D24, not the usual BXVD but I don't remember exactly which right now. Couldn't find a kit for it, but sent the numbers to the aforementioned and they had what I needed on the shelf. Had it in hand within a week. They also had a kit for the Carter W1 in our Terraplane in stock.