Edward Roberts

Beautiful aerials! Would love to visit SF. Almost did a few years ago, but the wife and I decided to spend the money on a big TV for the family... what a dumb decision.

Were you piloting/co-piloting that Mitchell??!! More pics, more pics, MORE PICS!!!!!!!

Coupla questions on this: "1961 Mercedes-Benz 220SE Ponton Cabriolet! Here is a, 1961 Mercedes-Benz 220SE Ponton Cabriolet, has been with the same elderly gentleman since 1965 and kept in dry storage since 1973..." Has this gentleman been elderly since 1965? Doubt he has many original parts either. Was the car in this condition when he bought it? What did HE see in it? P.O.'s sure can be rough on a car. Let's say his storage costs averaged $100/month for the last 37 years... he's spent twice the asking price on MAINTAINING the car in THIS condition. Is this guy a US Senator??!!

PM.

Thank you, thank you, thank you. (Sorry this is so late... tied up with a test for the last week.) What great advice. This belongs in a textbook... give the college kids some real knowledge. I will be taking full advantage of it. And thanks for the attorney information. My ex-wife and her lawyer can tell you I am terrible at picking lawyers.

HAHA! That's the guy I'm worried about.... unless he's really good at it.

Origin and cause, including autos. What type of auto engineer are you?

Big John & Neto, Thank you very much for the advice. Glad you were able to recover form the New York mess. I will be putting a lot of research into finding an accountant. Definitely a position you pay a lot for now or much more for later. And thanks to everyone for your advice. If anyone out there has more advice or resources for vetting accountant histories please feel free to post or send me a pm or email.

A forensic investigation company. The accountant is the one hire I am most nervous about. When lawyers can go to jail because of something their accountant does, you know you are dealing with a powerful position. If not names, does anyone have info on how to check accountant credentials?

Thanks, Tim. It's the business equivalent of breaking up with a girl on February 13th. As for headhunter fees? Let's see: I can offer a La Estrella Cubano and a screwdriver on the back deck. If the company takes off we can bump that up to a Man O' War Ruination and a Glenfiddich.

I have lost my job. Actually, I know where it is, they just can't afford for me to do it any longer. So I am starting my own business. Small, one-man job with a very limited budget to start, with plans to expand from there. I am looking for an accountant who can be with me from start-up through regional then national growth. Anyone have a contact that might fit the bill?

...but it works. Thanks again for the specifics. I ended up making a new grounding cup by modifying a part from a syringe kit that I use for collecting automobile fluid samples for chemical analysis. Not original specs, but the spring fits right in and the horns sound great. Lesson Learned: NEVER throw anything away... you might need it one day.

Thank you very much! I've been out in my shop, much of the contents of which I inherited from my grandfathers. Found this piece. Too small all the way around, but funny that I found it. I wonder if it served a similar function on a 1951 Citroen or 1968 Mustang, both of which my grandfather owned for years. I've found a large washer that will be going through a bit of metamorphosis today.

Does anyone have a photo or more info on the horn button cup - Part 8-33-29 for the 46-48 Plymouth? I'm surmizing it is a steel washer of 2 1/4" outside diameter and 5/8" id. The P.O., that funny guy, reassembled everything without it. I am about to pull the SS ground wire (with guide wire attached) and fashion a grounding cup. Just want to make sure I do it right the first time. Is it more advisable to pull the retainer and contact and go in through the top? Everything looks to be in really good shape and I always like to work at a simple bullet disconnect rather than anything clamped if I can. Plenty of things wrong on the car without my two left hands adding any complications. I know Dodgeb4ya and BobT-47P15 have had plenty of experience at this end of the circuit. Thank you in advance everyone.

Maybe it's a novelty jack, like fake dog pooh... only more tragic.

That is one absolutely beautiful photo! The subject matter helps, but what composition. Did you do that yourself?

Got news for you all: The Guv'mint don't do none of that stuff fer trackin' yer every move... too expensive. When they want to know where you are, where you're going, what you're eating, who your kids are, which relative just died... they just look at your Facebook page. It's already there.

Insulate that back compartment, throw in some frosty refreshments, sell 'em at the bike show for $5 a throw... it'd pay your entry fee. (Static display, of course, unless you left it on the trailer you brought it in on and towed it around the grounds.)

I would guess that your speedo cable is broken; however, that does NOT mean it is the culprit... especially if your car has been "sat up" for any extended period of time. If you are able to spin it from the speedo end there is likely a break between there and the transmission (though there is a slight chance the worm gear inside the transmission housing is broken). I recommend removing the speedo from the dash. You should be able to insert a square bit into the speedo gear and spin the speedo needle freely. If not it is because the lube will harden over time and gum up the works. Use a little 3-in-1 oil poured into the back of the gear and into the oil cup on the top of the worm gear housing. By using a square bit and a drilll you should be able to spin the speedo worm gear rapidly to loosen everything up and move the needle. Be gentle and go slowly at first. Do this until you can keep the needle fairly steady at an even drill RPM. This should get the speedo and odometer working. If not, you may have to open your speedometer to check for broken gearing or a dead squirrel stuck in there somewhere. MAKE SURE THE SPEEDO GEARS ARE MOVING FREELY BEFORE REPLACING YOUR CABLE OR YOU WILL JUST BE BUYING ANOTHER CABLE.

Thanks, Mackster. Just doin' my little part.

Okay, done. Now, how do I get to it? Where do I find groups on my FB page? Not very familiar with it.

Amen! When I correct young'uns they look at me like I have corn growing out of my ears. And it's no wonder based upon how their parents act at the ball field or choir concert or... My own children are required - as was I - to exhibit proper etiquette and manners. They are also given consistent role models at home. My son is 15 and is currently reading his fourth book on How to be a Gentleman. He's really gotten into it and I am glad. Makes for one proud daddy.

Watched the movie Ed Wood this last weekend. Interesting, fairly close to reality, brilliant performance by Martin Landau, about an hour too long. Many great old cars to spy. But the best performance by far was that of the 1940 Plymouth DeLuxe convert that appeared throughout the film. What versatility! It ran the full gamut of automotive cantankery. Smoking one minute, running smoothly the next. Top up and - oh yes! - top down through much of the movie. Even during a rainstorm! You can almost feel the pain as the door is opened and hundreds of gallons of water pour out onto the ground. And the complexity of the role? The car dazzles while balancing somewhere between a warm embrace and a coffin as it carries the title character and Bela Lugosi around, even through drug addiction. One must ask: Would Martin Landau have won the Oscar if he'd had to work with a Furd or Chebby? All Hail the '40 Plymouth!

I'm taking every opportunity I can to point out that I'm under-40 while I still can. I'm 39. I sort addressed how I ended up with "Red" in another post and on my blog, but basically I like anything that is different - everyone's got a '69 Camaro, a 50's Chevy and a 40's Ford. But a Plymouth? Not so much...

Thanks for the responses. The cups look good and I just went ahead and adjusted the rod with the boot in place with the hope that nothing would tear. I discovered the cap vents after clearing the bleed hole. For anyone else looking up a sticking brake situation, make sure you see TWO holes in the bottom of the MC resevoir. One (toward the front of the car) is larger than the other. The second is an indention with a pin hole just south of the first hole. The plunger has to be adjusted to a point very close to and in front of this second hole (you will not, no matter how much adjusting you do before you discover the second hole, be able to adjust the plunger around the first hole - I know because I tried). It has to be clear of the second hole at rest so that the brake fluid can reenter the resevoir, but not so far forward at rest that fluid can be expelled into the resevoir when depressing the brake pedal. This will result in the brake pedal traveling much, much further before pressure is built up in the brake line. (Double-pumping the pedal will help, but doesn't it take long enough to stop these cars when the brakes are working properly?) My PO apparently did rework the brake system with the proper kits and properly adjusted shoes (as far as I can tell) but apparently did not remove the MC from the car to do so. While some parts are cleanish and newish, the brake fluid remains much dirtier than my OCD can accept.