Wisconsinites and Northern Illinoisans

[GlennCraven]

Merle has roused me from my slumber and I decided to at least resurrect this thread and reintroduce myself to the group.

 

The marriage went on as planned -- New Year's Eve, in the living room of the house we're buying in Janesville, Wisc. -- and we're settling in. I've been preoccupied with looking for work (have an interview Thursday) and though that hasn't been a fast or easy process I've at least had snow to shovel and several housekeeping projects (like painting a kitchen) to keep myself occupied.

 

When I find work, I'll be replacing my old Chrysler minivan that has a dead blower motor (brrrrr!) with a truck and planning to haul the rest of my junk (hers is all here) and the '49 Windsor (which I hope is more than just junk) up to Wisconsin, too.

 

Meantime, I'll keep working on the house and stay occupied finding an occupation.

 

I hope everyone's holiday season went well and I look forward to running into Merle and some of the other Wisconsinites and Illinois folks at a swap meet or other event in the coming months.

[Plymouthy Adams]

I know Janesville a bit...been there a couple times...

[Merle Coggins]

I actually have to go to Janesville today to check over a machine for a customer. Unfortunately I won't have any spare time to try to hook up with Glenn. Maybe next time...

Merle

[55 Fargo]

Merle has roused me from my slumber and I decided to at least resurrect this thread and reintroduce myself to the group.

 

The marriage went on as planned -- New Year's Eve, in the living room of the house we're buying in Janesville, Wisc. -- and we're settling in. I've been preoccupied with looking for work (have an interview Thursday) and though that hasn't been a fast or easy process I've at least had snow to shovel and several housekeeping projects (like painting a kitchen) to keep myself occupied.

 

When I find work, I'll be replacing my old Chrysler minivan that has a dead blower motor (brrrrr!) with a truck and planning to haul the rest of my junk (hers is all here) and the '49 Windsor (which I hope is more than just junk) up to Wisconsin, too.

 

Meantime, I'll keep working on the house and stay occupied finding an occupation.

 

I hope everyone's holiday season went well and I look forward to running into Merle and some of the other Wisconsinites and Illinois folks at a swap meet or other event in the coming months.

Check the resistor pack under the glovebox, for the heater blower motor, usually they stick on 1 speed full blast though. The blower motor is not too bad a fix

[GlennCraven]

Well, Merle, I wish you had a minute today, but I understand taking care of business. We'll link up before too long.

 

As for the blower motor, I had a mechanic check it in Kansas last summer, as it first went out when the temperatures started rising, essentially disabling the A/C. He said it was a busted connector on the wiring harness. He said it looked sawed in half as though intentionally, though that doesn't make any sense.

 

Dealerships apparently won't sell just the pigtail to the blower motor. They want $800 for a complete dash wiring harness.

 

Salvage yards are the same, which I can understand I suppose as removing one pigtail sort of ruins the rest of the used harness. I just checked Car-Part.com and they are as cheap as $125 to $150 from some salvage yards, plus shipping if it isn't in my area. The salvage yards the mechanic checked in our home area wanted $250.

 

The van has 235,000+ on it and I wanted to get a truck sooner rather than later anyway, so when the shop offered to stick it back together and see if it worked, I said "sure." (Super glue? Tape? I dunno.)

 

It lasted roughly six months with only periodic outages. Then went full-on bad again right before I moved.

 

I made the apparently false assumption you couldn't GET a pigtail any other way. But AutoZone has this for about $42. … Is that my solution? And wouldn't a shop (at a used car dealer that used to be a GM dealership) have thought to check availability at local parts stores?

[Plymouthy Adams]

ah come on...even if the wire was cut you can still splice it yourself..removal of a mini van blower is piece of cake through '97, a bit more involved due to one screw location....on the next generation but still very doable.....carpet and pad is an issue being in the way a bit...pull it back and have at it, I have done one of each...better get used to stuff like this if you planning on ever doing your old Chrysler...

Edited March 12, 2014 by Plymouthy Adams

[GlennCraven]

A good point on tackling the old car and being willing to do this repair as well. I do plan to rewire the whole old '49 eventually.

 

Now that it isn't -5 in the garage, perhaps I'll see what this blower situation looks like. It'll make the van easier to sell having the blower work.

[Plymouthy Adams]

I automatically assume mini-van is a Chrysler product and not any other type wanna be copy cat version...

 

The first is STILL the first...!

Edited March 12, 2014 by Plymouthy Adams

[GlennCraven]

Yes, 2002 T&C with 3.8. Still pretty fair condition for 235,000 miles. I mean, it's a $1,200 or $1,500 van, not a $500 van.

[Dave72dt]

Check the local parts houses. They may have a listing for a blower motor resistor connector. They are available for a lot of applications and as often as resistors go out in Caravans, they may have a connector on hand.

[fstfish66]

i think  i use to pass thru  janesville to go to the jefferson  swap meet ????   good luck with your relocation,,,i wish  i were abel to as well,,,

[41/53dodges]

I bounce between Platteville for school and home in Kenosha, you're somewhere in the middle!

[GlennCraven]

Yes, you very well may pass through Janesville on the way to Jefferson, depending where you're coming from.

 

And yes, Janesville is definitely about halfway between Platteville and Kenosha.

 

I haven't done much car-thinking the past couple of days, but did do some extensive research on the house we're buying. Seems we're only the fifth family to live in it in 102 years. (Turns out it was built in 1912, not 1909.)

 

It was built by a local dentist so he and his fiancée could marry and move in. He died in 1953 during his 50th year in practice in Janesville. His wife lived in the home for 51 years until moving in with a daughter in Alabama in 1963.

 

After another family lived in the house only about four years, the next two resided here for 23 and 24 years, respectively.

 

I've found numerous online news clippings, photos, etc., of people who have lived in this home, including one from a college yearbook featuring the dentist as a member of the 1902 University of Michigan Dental School football team. 

 

But so far, no pictures of the house (an American Foursquare design) in its heyday. We want to be faithful to its original design in restoring the home. ... The fourth owners were a little quirky and the exterior is that of a mock tudor that I sort of doubt is original, but without photographic evidence, who knows?