T.Tom Meshingear

I thought this was an interesting idea for a way to finish the exterior of your car and if you get tired of the color just peel it off and change it. Could it replace painting? You can see more pix at http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=135662

I don't have any Dodge plates because I never had a good enough original to copy but I am looking. There are two Dodge types - one with the Dodge Brothers logo and those with just the word DODGE. Number stamps work well for the plates if you aren't too heavy with the hammer. That will cause the plates to curl upward. The hand stamping looks more original because the numbers are a little irregular in their spacing and not in too straight a line. Places that do engraving/monogramming by machine can do a perfect job, it just looks different. The generator/starter tags need 1/16" numbers and are hard to find locally since they are so small.

John, Since I make those tags I have the measurements handy. Overall Length = 4.125 (104.77mm) Height = 1.625 (41.20mm) Hole center to hole center = 3.250 (82.55mm) Tom

Federico, It's a 1929 or possibly 1930 Pontiac. Big clue is the split head engine designed by Oakland for Pontiac and the shape of the radiator shell especially at the top. Tom

Think of them as very tiny lobster and I get enough flack because I can't do oysters on the half shell. Let's here from the lutefisk eaters way up north.

Mmmmmmm, crawfish.

In my 1949 the original decrepit mats were still in place. The front were ribbed with the same unusual pattern as shown in the owner's manual. The ribbing went front to back at the front of the mat and side to side on the part under your feet. The rears were rubber but had a loop pile carpet pattern molded on the surface to make them look like carpet. That may be why some people think that the raer was carpeted. Look at Johnny's first photo at the heel pad area and you can see the carpet shaped surface treatment. Reproduction mats in the correct pattern would be a dream come true. Tom

Alright, I'll take a guess. I'm pretty sure it's an early 50s SKODA and as exhibit A I offer a page from the ambulance brochure that Walter Miller has for sale at this very moment. That's my guess and I'm sticking to it.

Follow the link to see all the photos. http://englishrussia.com/?p=388

John, If yours are in good shape then repainting is a good choice. But for the beat up and missing plates I have been reproducing the firewall/gen/starter/heater plates. Unlike the originals they are made of anodized aluminum so they are unaffected by oil, chemicals heat and pretty much anything else. They are blank so you will need 1/16" letter stamps or the local trophy supplier can engrave them. They are $20.00 each and the photo is of a generator tag. Tom

1929-31 Chevrolet "Viking" Just missed one on everyone's favorite auction site. I found it looking for more pix. http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=180188887303&indexURL=0&photoDisplayType=2#ebayphotohosting

Bugatti Veyron (the world's most expensive Volkswagen) $1.3 million US The Eurofighter Typhoon $122.5 million US

Check out the troubleshooting paragraph. Tom

How about using Visibolts http://www.visibolt.com/ in place of the outer bumper bolts. They wouldn't stick out like the proverbial sore thumb and supposedly they are bright enough for daylight work. Tom

I found this and am more sure now than before Tom

I'm going to guess a 1931 Studebaker Model 54 (6 cyl). The double bumper bar with the center dip, the slightly triangular shaped center bumper bracket and the headlamps tied to the almond shaped grille are all Studebakerish clues. But then again it could be a Rockne. Tom

While flipping through the channels this morning I stopped on the episode of Horsepower TV where they take the Raunchy Rat to the Murfreesboro Friday night cruise. What did I see in the background - yep, the one and only Coatney Racing Special. It was a fun Sunday morning surprise. Tom

1953 Ford Comete or 1954 Simca Comete made by Ford SAF (Ford Société Anonyme Française) the French subsidiary of Ford Motor Company, which existed under various names between 1916 and 1954, when Ford sold it to Simca Tom

From Iowahawk http://iowahawk.typepad.com/ with one correction for accuracy. Parlez-Vous Hot Rod? So you want to be a hot rodder. You're ready to amass parts, and tools, and second mortgages, and... whoa there, young feller! Sure, all these things are important, but as any veteran hot rodder will tell you, the first step in becoming a hot rodder is learning that crazy hot rodder lingo so you don't come off like a total dorkwad when talking to other hot rodders. To help you along the way, here's a handy glossary. Study, memorize, and avoid painful beatings from your new hot rod friends! A-Bone: Model A Ford; also, a-gift for a-dog Bored: Frequent complaint of wife/girlfriend at car show Blower: Lawn maintenance device, frequently used by hot rodders trying to earn extra money to pay for expensive supercharger Channel: What to change if 'American Hot Rod' comes on Dago axle: short for "San Diego axle," heat-bent in order to lower a car. Note: avoid using around hot rodders of Italian descent. E.g., "Nice Dago axle, you greasy wop." Deuce: Hot rod slang for 1932 Ford. Also, bathroom slang for "number two." Flathead: Common garage injury caused by $3.95 Harbor Freight jackstands Four-Banger: Technique used by wife/girlfriend to lure you out of garage Frenching: Prelude to a four-banger. Example: "He frenched her headlights." Gasser: Exhaust fumes from a Burrito Supreme. Example: "Don't blame me, that was Willy's Gasser." Hiboy: Car show greeting used by female admiring your bitchin' hot rod Jigglers: What you admire about this female Jugs: see "Jigglers" Juicers: see "Jugs" Lowboy: You, after wife/girfriend brains you with tire iron for admiring those juicy jiggler jugs Mill: What car show crowd does while wife/girlfriend continues thrashing you with tire iron Nerf: What you wish your wife/girlfriend's tire iron was made out of Ported: Opposite of imported Quick Change: What your underwear needs after seeing the price tag on the swap meet Halibrand Rat Rod: car carefully assembled using traditional 1950s techniques such as tack welds,carpentry nails, hot glue, zip ties, velcro, smeared feces, and midnight demolition derbys at the Pick N Pull. Also, what non-hot rodders will call your car. Examples: "Is that a rat rod?" and "Cool rat rod!" Relieved: How Willy felt after getting rid of that gasser Section: What wife/girlfriend will do to you if she sees all those parts receipts Shoebox: Where to hide parts receipts from wife/girlfriend Split Wishbones: Method for deciding who pays the check at Roscoe's Chicken and Waffles Stroke: What wife/girlfriend has after finding your parts receipt shoebox Suicide perch: probably a good option if wife/girlfriend find the receipts Three pot: three carburetor intake; also, deluxe Tennessee outhouse Toploader: Manual transmission with access cover located on top. Also refers to a toilet. Examples: "He dropped a toploader into the deuce." Or, "He dropped a deuce into the toploader." Tuck and Roll: Emergency safety procedure after igniting you hair with acetylene torch X Member: Guy who can't pay his car club dues Z'ing: Sleeping. Example: "after she found his parts receipts, he ended up z'ing in the back seat of his rat rod."

Robert, Try this link http://www.millertire.com/tire_catalog.asp?class=1 Tom

This is what I have reproduced so far. The two different firewall tags - single line border for P17/18 and later, double line border for the P15 and earlier, heater, generator and starter. They are made using the metalphoto process where the red dye is impregnated in the pores of the aluminum and then hard anodized so that the image can't be removed. They are $20.00 each. 3 or more $15.00 each. Tom

James, Back in the late 70s I ran a unit made by a company named Vehtek. It was a passive unit consisting of a 5 gallon container, hoses, a small reservoir with a float/switch unit on the lid and a washer pump to fill the reservoir from the 5 gallon container. A tiny hole was drilled in the carb body to locate a tiny brass tube right at the narrowest part of the venturi. Air flow then sucked the water into the air stream to mix with the fuel - more air = more water so it was self regulating. It was very simple and reliable. It did lack a method to stop water flow when cold so I don't know about winter icing problems. I was running it on a 300ci Ford 6 cylinder engine in my 1965 Econoline. It was still on the van when I sold it in 1984. Do you know how smooth your car runs on a foggy night? It was like that all the time even in the summer. I was looking for the patent info and the installation manual but haven't found it yet and I have a complete unused kit in the Museum of Weird Car Stuff™ that is my garage. You are welcome to it if you want a water injection with no electronic controls. Tom

Chet, Looks like a fun drive. When I got out of the Army in 1971 I bought the pictured 1930 Dodge DD6 for $600 and it was my only car for a year and a half. I spent so much time behind the wheel (33,000 miles in that 18 months) that I could shift it without using the clutch. So the same rules for getting to Carnegie Hall apply to shifting with straight cut gears. Practice, practice, practice. From the pictures like my Dodge had the same fenders, the same Kelsey-Hayes wheels, and a bunch of other bits from the parts bin. It was a much nicer car than the Model A to drive on a daily basis. I know because my only car before I got drafted was a 1929 Model A. I'm still kicking myself in the butt for selling it. Tom

Robin, The carburetor shop lists one for sale http://www.thecarburetorshop.com/Carbsaleapplication.htm and this one for sale on our favorite auction site http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1938-Buick-Stromberg-Carburator-AAV-2_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQcategoryZ34202QQihZ005QQitemZ150093117095QQrdZ1QQsspagenameZWD1V and this one that got away http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Stromberg-Vintage-NOS-Buick-Carburetor-AAV-167-380237_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQcategoryZ33550QQihZ001QQitemZ110113604330QQrdZ1QQsspagenameZWDVW but the seller says he has more NOS carbs. It couldn't hurt to ask. Tom

I have one of these (older version with single hose) that is used for cleaning fuel injection systems. I figured since it holds fuel and can be pumped up by hand it would be the perfect portable fuel supply. I drove the Plymouth for about 10 miles with one using it as the tank and fuel pump. If you hook it up to the fuel line going to the tank you can flush backwards with fuel under pressure. 75 psi really cleaned the tank filter. It seems like overkill but the tank and fittings were free so it was well within budgetary guidelines.