Me and the Meadowbrook

[Worden18]

1 hour ago, keithb7 said:

I was out cruising some backroads recently not too far from home. I found this house number holder. It made me think of you Worden18.

3303 of Shuswap Road. Not a  Meadowbrook, but has similar lines. This is the Plymouth Cranbrook. I am unsure of the year. Maybe someone can tell us what year it is.
 

 

Thanks for thinking of me Keith, and awesome picture btw.  I like the looks of it.  Surely its just a lawn ornament now, but I guess that's better than the scrap heap.  I'd haul that sucker home and get it running!  

Fellas, turns out that I made the right decision putting the Meadowbrook away the other day.  Although we didn't get hardly any snow at all, the County decided it would be a good idea to sand AND salt the roads.  I don't want any of that mess splattering up underneath my car.  Its already rusty enough. 

[Andydodge]

Thats something we don't get here in Oz, at least where I live on the East Coast, in fact I don't think there is anywhere in oz that salts the roads, even the Snowy mountains which get the only reasonable snowfalls here in Oz don't have to put salt down, we just get enough rain here that generates rust.......lol..............btw I really have enjoyed your trips and stiries as it gives those of us outside of the USA a neat view of what happens away from the news bulletins, in the real world...........many thanks and a safe, happy Xmas and New Year to you...........Andy Douglas  

[Worden18]

8 hours ago, Andydodge said:

Thats something we don't get here in Oz, at least where I live on the East Coast, in fact I don't think there is anywhere in oz that salts the roads, even the Snowy mountains which get the only reasonable snowfalls here in Oz don't have to put salt down, we just get enough rain here that generates rust.......lol..............btw I really have enjoyed your trips and stiries as it gives those of us outside of the USA a neat view of what happens away from the news bulletins, in the real world...........many thanks and a safe, happy Xmas and New Year to you...........Andy Douglas  

Thanks for the well wishes, Andy.  Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you as well.  

Minnesota is part of the "rust belt".  The plows haul a mixture of sand and salt; you can always tell that salt was spread because the road turns white in spots.  I will admit though, southeastern Minnesota's plows (and the men who drive them of course) do a superb job during the winter months.  Its amazing how thorough they are.  I'm just not going to drive my Meadowbrook on these winter roads LOL.  

As long as I can keep my car maintained and road ready, and nothing out of the ordinary happens (accident, blown engine, etc.) we will keep driving it and sharing stories here.  We should be able to keep going for many years.  I might even be able to get it back on the road in March.  Around here winter can end in early March, or it can go to the middle of May.  So we will see.  This  off-season I have to do the rear brakes, change all the fluids and give it a good tune-up.  I will also have someone patch a small hole in the rear floor (driver's side).  

I already miss not giving any real updates.  The car is just sitting in the garage looking lonely.  Maybe this week I'll jack it up and tear into those brakes....

[DonaldSmith]

Salt on the roads eats cars, but I'm sure it saves lives.  I've got my DeSoto sequestered in the garage till Spring when the roads are clear of salt.  Sometimes I'll venture out early, after a few good rains wash the salt away.     

 

[Andydodge]

Donald, you are right re the salt tho'.........just as I typed this I heard what we have as a sound of summer.........mangos falling off the tree beside the house, onto the tin roof and rolling down to take a flying leap onto the ground, every few minutes another takes a dive................lol..............these are whats referred to as "local" or "turpentine" mangoes, they are smaller than the normal ones sold in shops and have a stringy texture but are edible but make great chutney or pickles which I do every year or two.............the mango tree can be seen on the right, peeking out above the roof....................its aiming to be a nice hot day today..........regards from Oz........andyd.  

Edited December 11, 2017 by Andydodge

[LazyK]

9 minutes ago, Andydodge said:

.its aiming to be a nice hot day today..........regards from Oz........andyd.  

some people just have a warped since of humor

[Andydodge]

Well............we had a good dose of hail last saturday.........does that count?............lol.....................andyd

[DJ194950]

Hail-rain what is that?? Last year we got almost too much, this year- were the - is any??  

We need some help! 

Bye the way I am in central Ca., USA

DJ

[Andydodge]

DJ...........next time we get any hail I'll box some up and send it to you.........lol..........our rainy season is from now until March/April, we've had 12-15" in one night a couple of yrs ago, from now on its hot & steamy with a good chance of afternoon thunderstorms every day, hopefully it cools down over Xmas............btw, are those brush fires anywhere near you?..........they don't look good from here.............andyd

Edited December 13, 2017 by Andydodge

[DJ194950]

Hope you will be able to picnic on the beach for Christmas as this is a tradition , I heard when i was in  your country back 30 years ago?

Such a life!

What ya eat? Turkey , I Really doubt!

DJ

[Andydodge]

DJ..........haven't had a picnic on the beach in years, too much sand but this year i decided that we is gunna have a Turducken so have ordered one from the local butcher, it comes as a small turkey stuffed with a chicken stuffed with 4 duck breasts & seasoning, the turkey & chicken are deboned so it should carve o/k........she who must be obeyed didn't want to have anything to do with cooking it so it ill be my job, hopefully on a cool Xmas day.............lol............we generally have a cold Xmas lunch as nobody likes to cook in mid 30 degree temps...its 31C here already at 11am & will probably hit mid 30's again, so as the Turducken was my idea then I'm the cook........lol......supposedly as it will be about 4kg in total it should be about 4hrs in the oven ............what brought you to Oz 30yrs ago?.......I thought I saw a tall Yank around the place back then!..........lol..........andyd.   

[Worden18]

Dec. 20, 2017:

Tomorrow's forecast calls for about 3 inches of snow, and the salt and sand that was spread on the roads on Dec. 9 has mostly disappeared, so I took the opportunity to drive the Meadowbrook today.  After not starting it for almost 2 weeks it was almost like driving it for the first time again.  The smell of the interior and the purr of the engine were extra special today.  

[Worden18]

Dec. 20, 2017 continued:

I drove about a 30 mile round trip to visit a guy that tears down old barns and repurposes the wood.  I'm probably going to tear down the granary and replace it with a new garage for the Meadowbrook.  The foundation is shot, and its just time for it to go.  

Pic #1:  On County 4 enroute

Pic #2:  Leaving that guy's place; his barn was built in 1880 and has had recent work, i.e. replaced some old rotten boards, new plexiglass windows, etc.

Pic #3:  My granary to be torn down or moved

[Mike36]

21 hours ago, Worden18 said:

Dec. 20, 2017 continued:

I drove about a 30 mile round trip to visit a guy that tears down old barns and repurposes the wood.  I'm probably going to tear down the granary and replace it with a new garage for the Meadowbrook.  The foundation is shot, and its just time for it to go.  

Pic #1:  On County 4 enroute

Pic #2:  Leaving that guy's place; his barn was built in 1880 and has had recent work, i.e. replaced some old rotten boards, new plexiglass windows, etc.

Pic #3:  My granary to be torn down or moved

HI Worden,your granary looks to be solid, usable building. Have you considered putting a overhead door in the end, and parking the Meadowbrook in there? Money saved could be used for gas in the Meadowbrook allowing you to keep your fan base entertained!!!

[pflaming]

On that granary, I agree, put in a high door, store the car there and have blue grass and country/western concerts in the summer with old car friends! 

[Worden18]

Mike 36 and Pflaming, I agree that the granary is in pretty good shape.  The foundation needs work, which wouldn't be too terrible because its only raised up on a few blocks, which are tipping off to one side and starting to crumble.  The lowest part of the exterior boards have seen better days, but again, those could be replaced easily enough.  The roof is solid, the building doesn't leak.  The interior boards/floor/support beams are in excellent shape.  Here's my concern:  the bats have sh*t in there an enormous amount.  I didn't know it at first, but bat sh*t is super toxic and can make you really really sick, even just breathing in the dust if you sweep it up.  I have thought about having it professionally cleaned and then yes, modify the building to put an overhead door in (I was originally thinking about putting my 1977 JD loader in there since the building is tall enough to accommodate it).  I just don't really know what to do, and I don't want to deal with the bat sh*t.  But I do understand your comments for sure.  I guess I'll rethink the whole thing.  Maybe it would be cheaper for me to have someone clean it and then a guy could modify it to his liking.   We shall see...

[pflaming]

Be thankful you are not in California or the environmentalists would likely require a study of the bats before you could do anything. LOL

[Mike36]

58 minutes ago, Worden18 said:

Mike 36 and Pflaming, I agree that the granary is in pretty good shape.  The foundation needs work, which wouldn't be too terrible because its only raised up on a few blocks, which are tipping off to one side and starting to crumble.  The lowest part of the exterior boards have seen better days, but again, those could be replaced easily enough.  The roof is solid, the building doesn't leak.  The interior boards/floor/support beams are in excellent shape.  Here's my concern:  the bats have sh*t in there an enormous amount.  I didn't know it at first, but bat sh*t is super toxic and can make you really really sick, even just breathing in the dust if you sweep it up.  I have thought about having it professionally cleaned and then yes, modify the building to put an overhead door in (I was originally thinking about putting my 1977 JD loader in there since the building is tall enough to accommodate it).  I just don't really know what to do, and I don't want to deal with the bat sh*t.  But I do understand your comments for sure.  I guess I'll rethink the whole thing.  Maybe it would be cheaper for me to have someone clean it and then a guy could modify it to his liking.   We shall see...

Can you wet it down to control the dust, then use your JD loader to clean it out? I had bats get in my attic once. I watched at dusk to see where they came out, then threw several moth balls into the attic. Next morning I plugged the hole they were using, no more bats. Good luck with this problem. 

[Worden18]

10 minutes ago, Mike36 said:

Can you wet it down to control the dust, then use your JD loader to clean it out? I had bats get in my attic once. I watched at dusk to see where they came out, then threw several moth balls into the attic. Next morning I plugged the hole they were using, no more bats. Good luck with this problem. 

That's a good idea.  Ultimately, if I want to use the building then I will have to make the bats vacate.  

I think that the soffit on the building is nonexistent.  I'd have to seal it up tight.  Lots of possibilities I guess.  I keep thinking about a NEW building though.  Premier makes several different garage-type sheds.  I looked at some last summer and liked them a lot.  If I knew a damn thing about carpentry I'd build my own I guess.  I've got some time to think about it all.  For now the Meadowbrook is in the garage safe and sound.  Ain't pretty in there, but the roof doesn't leak, etc.

[cadillackid1955]

Hi, I was looking at your car, nice. Wondering if you have any details on the dash finish? No one seems to have any idea how to duplicate it or how it was done when new. I want to redo mine and the idea of printed vinal just grates. Every time I post I get directed to the woodgrain tips.

[Jerry Roberts]

That looks a lot like the hammertone paints that come in different colors . They sell a spray , I don't know if you can buy it in a brush on application . Some of the guys use it on their heaters . 

[FlashBuddy]

On 7/4/2017 at 10:54 PM, Worden18 said:

I run one license plate on the back of the car, which isn't even legible until you're like 10 feet from it, then maybe you can read it.  Cops never look at me anyhow.  But I wanted to have a different plate on the front (nope, I don't care if its illegal or not), and since I'm a Desert Storm Veteran, I found this nice VFW plate with some great patina.  I'll run it until the cops tell me otherwise.  

Yes! I have one of my trucks vintage plates on the front and the "legal" plate on the back.

[Worden18]

8 hours ago, cadillackid1955 said:

Hi, I was looking at your car, nice. Wondering if you have any details on the dash finish? No one seems to have any idea how to duplicate it or how it was done when new. I want to redo mine and the idea of printed vinal just grates. Every time I post I get directed to the woodgrain tips.

That finish has been the topic of discussion between myself and many people, young and old.  I have yet to hear a solid answer on how they did it.  Its driving me nuts 

[Young Ed]

7 hours ago, Worden18 said:

That finish has been the topic of discussion between myself and many people, young and old.  I have yet to hear a solid answer on how they did it.  Its driving me nuts 

Dads 51 convert had a similar finish on the dash. The paint guy he talked to when he was restoring it said that the chemical in that paint wasn't made since the 60s

[dpollo]

google           grain it        if memory serves me and you will learn a lot about woodgraining and how it is done to match the original .