Mark D

Eighty mile round trip in Ruby today! Drove from Lancaster MA to Uxbridge MA all back roads. Temps here are in the 40's as well. Hoping for warmer weather soon!

Still no snow here yet. We're about 200 miles away from you. But they say its on its way... Thankfully the snow melts quickly at this time of year. Just hoping for some dry roads by Saturday.

Greg, The gents over at Roberts warned me about that. Actually gave me a call to chat before the sent the parts. Really nice of them to take the time. I took a gamble as I wasnt near the car when I ordered the parts or when they called to check. Roberts isn't too far from my home (+/- under an hour away) so I guess worst case is I end up making a personal visit to make an exchange and grab some more loot!

Excellent truck there mate! Definitely not going to be 88f around here anytime soon, but spring is in the air! We're due for a few flakes tonight, I hear 1-3", but that's what we call mother natures fertilizer round these parts. Cheers!

It's Wednesday night and I've been thinking about the weekend since Monday. Last weekend was practically all honey-do list, so this weekend I'm headed to the man cave for some serious me time! Placed a serious $217- order with Gary Roberts at Roberts Motors and the package arrived today. (He was awesome to deal with by the way.) Looking forward to getting some grease on me on Saturday and potentially a test-drive on Sunday if the weather cooperates.

Randy, the snow left about a week ago. We've had more rain than sunshine for the past 12 days. But the warm overnight temps have really made a difference. Sorry for the poor quality pics of the back of the dash, I was in a rush. Everything there is original to the car. In the shot of the wiper motor you can see the "L" leg from the knob disconnected from the motor. Ten seconds of fiddling and that was marked off my fix list. Dash lights where another issue... Seems I have a fuse holder that needs replacing as well as a few bulbs. Drove her at night last night and didnt get any rotating colors, so looks like I may be pulling the speedo to get a better look. Left side of the dash was also dark.

What a great weekend! Started it out on Saturday afternoon by having a long phone call with Nick Essinger of Ohio. He's got a cool p15c that's a twin to my car. Nick's recent claim to fame is an article that he wrote for the Nov/Dec 2010 WPC journal. An easy read and good information in general. Got up Sunday morning and took the wife for a nice breakfast and then a little local touring around home. First ride for the two of us alone, and Ruby's bench seat made it all that much better. Also took some time later in the day to do some familiarizing under the dash board. Fixed the problem with the wipers and found out that I need some new bulbs for my dash lights as well as a new flasher unit for my turn signals. All in all a pretty good weekend. (by the way even managed to get a significant honey-do list completed as well)

Got a phone call yesterday from Nick Essinger himself! Nicks a young at heart 70 year old AF veteran that loves his cars. Had a great conversation with him and he certainly has seen a lot in his lifetime. He gave me quite a few pointers (I'm still quite a virgin when it comes to P15's) and we've agreed to keep a channel open for questions anytime I need a hand.

Awesome interior...

Hyvää huomenta Pekka! Very interesting story about the Desoto. Would love to know more, but it seems lost to the sands of time. I've been to Finland about 11 times in the past 15 years and love to see the old US steel roaming around on the streets over there. Vastaus kysymykseesi: I was raised in central Massachusetts in a town filled with Finnish immigrants. Quite literally surrounded in my neighborhood. Suomen kieli was heard all the time. In 1988 I married a girl with deep Finnish roots. Perheen sukunimesi on Tervonen ja Niskanen. Most of the family lives in Raahe, Oulunsalo, Haapavesi, and Lappeenranta. The family farm still operates in Veneheitto by distant cousins. So that's the story. I traded a few emails with "fireball1" recently. He's another Finn member of P15-D24. Learned he lives in Tupos up near Oulunsalo. I've probably driven right by his house many times in the past 15 years. Which part of Finland are you located?

Accidently found this POC article while surfing their list back issues this past week. Nick's got a great car and an easy to read writing style. I even went so far as to email Nick, offer these comments and say hello. We've started a little parlay of emails, and he's offered his many years of advice if needed. My car and Nick's are almost twins with the exception that his is in mint condition and mine is in near original condition. But as the saying goes, "it's only original once."

great work going on there!

I was hoping to get to see that car one afternoon here in Mass! Guess I need to wait for my own move to NC someday. Best of luck in the new state with your car!

With a new kid on the way and an imminent move in your future, where do you find the time? As soon as the weather breaks lets pick a date.

As usual you guys out perform all the time. Appreciate the feedback and the tech pages. I just got my service manual in the mail today, but I must have a different version as that exploded assembly view isn't in there at all. As a novice this is all very helpful. Moose my friend, be careful what you offer! I may just have to take you up on the offer.

Got Ruby on my mind this afternoon as a fine weather Sunday draws near. Maybe you fine folks have some clutch knowledge to offer a novice? Please keep in mind I've only had this car for a couple months with very little driving time or experience with this vintage. (But I am looking forward to a long love affair.. ) So here's what's on my mind: the clutch action is really high on the pedal. Could this simply be a linkage adjustment or could it be indicative of a worn friction plate? Moose drove my car a couple weeks ago and showed me how the clutch seemed to be slipping with some quick acceleration. If this all points towards a replacement, I'd love to hear referrals for mechanics in Central Massachusetts that are familiar with these old timers. thanks all - Mark

Not sure this has been posted before. Just found this cool video with some pictures of one of the manufacturing plants on you tube... enjoy. Love to see more of these if you got 'em. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nb6o0Zv05Xw

Pekka, did these ever get made? I'd love to have one too!

Mikä kaupunki oli tämä kuva?

Looking forward to seeing the entire series. When exactly is that Plymouth meet in Monterey? I travel to CA frequently and would love to try and get to see that.

Congrats on the new addition to the family!

Great video. Inspires me to make my own.

I've driven by Tupos many times on the E8. Last visit was this past August. I recall seeing many new houses on the stretch of road. My wife's cousins live in Pellonpää, quite near the airport. Husband and wife both work for Nokia in Oulu. He's originally from Pattijoki, she's from Oulunsalo. Love seeing so many old American cars when I travel around Finland. Always surprised to see so many 50's cadillacs roaming around over there. Kippis!

Public library in my little town of Bolton, MA.

Very nice car. Cool to see you are from Oulu! My wife's family is from Oulunsalo. We have many friends in Oulu as well as in Raahe. Going to drop a note and have them bring me a copy of the magazine when they come visit in two weeks! Ehkä näen sinun auton vieressä vierailu Ouluun! Terveisia, Mark