We're on the road again...

[bamfordsgarage]

Well not quite yet, but friend Jerry and I leave two weeks from this morning in the trusty D25 and by suppertime should have reached the Saskatchewan/Montana border on our way to the enormous AACA Hershey (PA) Swap Meet and Show. By all accounts this is the biggest swap meet in the world — I was there in 1993, and, at that time, to walk every row in every field was a 20+ mile trek.

Our path takes us from Edmonton, AB to Rockglen, SK (where our Dodge was traded in by the original owner in 1975 for a new Ford pickup), south to Devil's Tower, WY then over to Sturgis and Mt. Rushmore in SD. From there its a fairly straight run east to Hartford, WI (home of the mighty KisselKar, of which I have a 1912 model), south to Chicago and again east to Detroit. Our next stopover is Venus, PA to meet George Asche (and relieve him of a much-needed overdrive!) and then on to Hershey PA where we will be camping and vending at the swap meet in Space O-AB4 from Oct 06-08.

Our rusty old tub wouldn't stand a chance in the regular judging in the big show Saturday the 9th, but fortunately the AACA also has an HPOF (Historical Preservation of Original Features) category in which they will inspect and certify cars that retain a minimum of 65% of their original components and finishes. We oughta be a shoe-in for that sort of recognition.

After Hershey we'll play tourists for a few days in and around Washington DC, taking in the sights and particularly some of the Smithsonian collections.

I don't like to be away for too long, and after three weeks on the road I'll be ready to get home PDQ. Our plan is to park the car somewhere in the PA/DC/VA area for the winter and fly home from there. In March we'll fly east to fetch the car and take another three weeks to meander home via Chickasha, OK and Pikes Peak, CO (and elsewhere) along the way.

I'll be posting pix and comments from time to time on the trip, and hope to meet up with a few of the forum members for coffee as we go. (Neil Hoback, for example, looks like he is pretty much right on our way once we leave Chicago.)

Right now, I'm looking for a parking spot for the old Dodge over the winter. It doesn't have to be indoors, just reasonably secure, and free or reasonably priced and not too far from a major airport. Any suggestions? It would be nice to have the car stay with P15/D24 folks, but really, any port in a storm...

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Here are a few pictures from our last big road trip, which took us from Edmonton to Cheyanne, WY, then west through UT and NV to San Francisco and back home through OR, ID and MT — a little over 5,000 miles with our only troubles being one flat tire, a busted generator, and a noisy throwout bearing.

[Young Ed]

If you have time stop in for a visit in the twin cities.

[greg g]

If you are interested in the history of flight, make sure you go to the Smithsonian facility out by Dulles Airport, not to say the one on the mall isn't worth a look but the one out side the city is where they do the restoration work, and where they store planes not on regular display. Its better deal in my opinion, and less crowded.

Take good walking shoes for Hersey. Its a hike, from the parking lots to the show fields and between the fields.

[TodFitch]

AACA also has a "driver participation" class. If I recall correctly, cars aren't judged but after enough meets you get a display board.

So if you don't have a show car and your car is not original enough, there is another way to participate at AACA shows.

[55 Fargo]

How about Rodney Bullock, Joe Flanagan, or Dave Erb, someone must have and Idea, where you can park the car for the winter in the DC area.

Hope the trip goes well, keep us updated, enjoy yourself, and take lot's of pics.....all the best Fred

[1940plymouth]

Have a safe and enjoyable trip, looking forward to your photos

[bamfordsgarage]

Thanks everyone for your replies. The excitement is building here — really looking forward to this trip. Still a number of things to do to the car before we leave, but the critical stuff is now done. We're almost finished a rather cool, period-looking car top carrier and I'll post some photos and details next week.

Thanks for the invite Young Ed — we'll have to see how our schedule is as we cruise thru Minnesota. Perhaps if we can't take the time to detour north and if you have the day off, you might bring that cool '48 coupe down to, say, Albert Lea and we can buy you lunch.

Greg G that was a great tip about the Smithsonian restoration facility near Dulles. I spent some time reading up about this online, and it's a must see for us.

Rockwood, thanks for the suggestions... I sent PMs to Rodney and Joe, but was unable to find Dave Erb in the members list. I imagine he uses a different screen name, do you know what it is?

[greg g]

Dave is GRAY BEARD. You might want to make arrangments to see the Rodney Bullock museum of personal transportation, a collection located somewhere in Maryland in the vicinity of Baltimore...

You might want to give Chet Brzostowski a shout also. He is outside Washington, and Jim Yergin is in the area also.

in Northern MD, this is worth a look

http://www.farmcollector.com/Equipment/Making-a-Case-for-Implements.aspx

[Don Coatney]

Dave is GRAY BEARD. You might want to make arrangments to see the Rodney Bullock museum of personal transportation, a collection located somewhere in Maryland in the vicinity of Baltimore...

You might want to give Chet Brzostowski a shout also. He is outside Washington, and Jim Yergin is in the area also.

in Northern MD, this is worth a look

Rodney is about 10 miles south of DC so he, Chet, Jim Yergan, and Joe Flanigan are all only a stones throw away from each other.

If you get near middle Tennessee give me a shout.

[Young Ed]

Thanks for the invite Young Ed — we'll have to see how our schedule is as we cruise thru Minnesota. Perhaps if we can't take the time to detour north and if you have the day off, you might bring that cool '48 coupe down to, say, Albert Lea and we can buy you lunch. QUOTE]

Let me know a date and I'll see what I have going. Other then not having a speedo the plymouth is back and ready for a trip.

[greg g]

Dave gray beard is in the New Holland Pa area, outside of Lanchaster.

[Merle Coggins]

Hey, let me know when you're going to be in Hartford. That's only 30 miles or so away from me. I'd love to meet up with you if possible. I assume you are planning a visit to the Wisconsin Automotive Museum in Hartford? http://wisconsinautomuseum.com/

Merle

[bamfordsgarage]

Thanks everyone, lots of good suggestions. We now have a solid prospect for winter parking near DC. Looks like there are a lot of forum members in the area — I suggest we try to all get together for a meal and some tire kicking.

Greg, that link took me to a Farm Collector Magazine error page. Not sure where to go from there...

Don, we may be passing through Tennessee in March. We have a week or so to wander from DC to Oklahoma, will let you know about TN.

Merle, you assume correctly. I visited the museum about 2001 and am looking forward to a return trip. Apparently they now have a very original 1912 50-HP KisselKar on display — my friend and fellow vagabond Jerry and I restored my 1912 50-HP KK over an eight year period and it will be most interesting to examine an unrestored original. I look forward to coffee and a visit with you in Hartford.

[greg g]

The likn is to an article about Herb wessle of Hampstead Maryland who has a large private collection of Tractors, cars trucks farm and houshold implements, washing machines refrigerators, etc. Don;t kow if he is open to the public but you might contact him to arrange something if you have time. there is some more info at the bottom of page six of the linked PDF

http://www.hchsmd.org/newsletters/Winter%2007%20Legacy.pdf

[bamfordsgarage]

Hi Greg, that was very helpful.

Looks like Herb Wessel is right on the way between Hershey and DC. I was very interested to see that Herb has several Case automobiles — my late dad had a 1913 Case automobile (project) in our basement for many years and they are pretty rare, at least in our area. I know of two in Alberta, one of which was my Dad's and has since been restored. and another on Vancouver Island off Canada's west coast. We'll try to arrange a visit in Hampstead on Sunday following Hershey.

[bamfordsgarage]

Many thanks to Gentleman Jim Yergin who kindly offered a winter parking spot for our Dodge not far from DC and Dulles (says he has extra room in his garage, a concept with which I am unfamiliar).

Some may be interested in the car top carrier we have been building for the Dodge...

I like any modifications to the car to utilize existing and/or recycled materials, preferably as old as the car itself, and with the look and feel of a 1950s Popular Science how-to feature. Not factory-made or flawlessly finished, but looking like a home-shop job by a guy with reasonable skill and a decent set of tools.

1. Early mockup with two recycled fir closet doors from a 1940s home. The centre spine (and two narrower solid edges, not shown) is made from an old waterbed frame. It was right about now we realized what a handy place this would be for watching a parade or pitching a pup tent! We extended the doors a bit at the back for a finished platform size of 57.5" x 86".

2. Edge and covering details. The canvas is from a discarded boat cover, glued on with contact cement and wrapping down the vertical edges (but not onto the bottom). Edge detail is similar to the perimeter of a canoe and also made from the old waterbed frame. All screws that show are slotted brass, recycled from a dismantled 60 year old fishing boat.

3. Corners are rounded to protect the tarpaulin. That's an interior wood stain, chosen to promote premature weathering so as to better to match the rest of the car. Green tape is temporary to protect the canvas from getting stained.

4. Crossbar and mounting bracket details. Wood parts are again made from the old waterbed frame, and each foot has a 1/4" leather sole against the roof. Brackets are hand formed from 20 gauge steel and screwed to the car with period Phillips-head screws (not common here in Canada). The wooden feet carry most of the load and the screws keep everything anchored. The (mentally) toughest part of this job was drilling 16 holes in the roof! The leather and steel were leftovers from other projects and the rubber gaskets between the brackets and roof were made from an old inner tube.

5. The completed carrier with a mocked up load on top — today we ordered a custom waterproof canvas tarpaulin to fit this size load but expandable to accommodate even more bulk. I had hoped the tarpaulin outfit would have some old material around, leftovers from a job they were replacing with new, but no such luck. I had to settle for new, unblemished material instead. We'll probably drive over it a few times and grubby it up a bit before we leave.

[Merle Coggins]

Interesting...

Too bad you couldn't have found one of these vintage ones.