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philcobill · 08-15-2021, 08:23 AM

With this post I guess I am looking for a little commiseration.

Little Willie, our 1929 Special Coupe joined us here in New York from Spokane in April this year. It was exciting to consider the possibilities of having fun with him. The car has been in our family since 1957 and I inherited it from my Dad.

The car is in good condition body-wise and appeared to be in decent enough condition mechanically. However, as we started to enjoy Little Willie, all kinds of mechanical issues started to pop up. For the most part we have a handle on the problems, but they sure are annoying. And I imagine that this is what would be expected from a 92-year old car. And I know that there are cars in much worse shape.

Here is a list of known problems discovered so far:

1. dirty carburetor and dirty gas tank - cleaned carbs and added fuel line filter

2. leaking manifold (exhaust manifold drooping at cylinder 4) - Replaced manifolds and gasket

3. old coolant - had to flush out system and replaced tubes

4. failing generator - had generator rebuilt and it was put on the shelf. Then replaced with alternator and bought a high capacity redtop Optima battery

5. pop-out ignition switch issues - had it rebuilt. It had a problem popping out and had an intermittent short in the cable.

6. weak horn - cleaned horn electrical parts and added a relay

7. worn out timing gear - replaced

8. changed to modern zerks

9. leaking rear main - need to fix

10. possible blown head gasket - need to fix

11. loose steering - need to to fix

I am also positive that there will be a lot more issues that we will have to deal with.

My question is, even if these issues are dealt with and new ones pop up, will we ever be able to fully enjoy it. Or will be it be the case of enjoying the car between fixing the problems.

Let me assure you that the car is well-loved and is an important part of our family legacy. I remember it being used as a family car when I was young. I drove it in high school, dated my wife in it, and even got a speeding ticket in it almost 50 years ago. So it is part of our family.

08-15-2021, 08:23 AM	#1
philcobill Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2021 Location: Walworth, New York Posts: 138	Looking for commiseration With this post I guess I am looking for a little commiseration. Little Willie, our 1929 Special Coupe joined us here in New York from Spokane in April this year. It was exciting to consider the possibilities of having fun with him. The car has been in our family since 1957 and I inherited it from my Dad. The car is in good condition body-wise and appeared to be in decent enough condition mechanically. However, as we started to enjoy Little Willie, all kinds of mechanical issues started to pop up. For the most part we have a handle on the problems, but they sure are annoying. And I imagine that this is what would be expected from a 92-year old car. And I know that there are cars in much worse shape. Here is a list of known problems discovered so far: 1. dirty carburetor and dirty gas tank - cleaned carbs and added fuel line filter 2. leaking manifold (exhaust manifold drooping at cylinder 4) - Replaced manifolds and gasket 3. old coolant - had to flush out system and replaced tubes 4. failing generator - had generator rebuilt and it was put on the shelf. Then replaced with alternator and bought a high capacity redtop Optima battery 5. pop-out ignition switch issues - had it rebuilt. It had a problem popping out and had an intermittent short in the cable. 6. weak horn - cleaned horn electrical parts and added a relay 7. worn out timing gear - replaced 8. changed to modern zerks 9. leaking rear main - need to fix 10. possible blown head gasket - need to fix 11. loose steering - need to to fix I am also positive that there will be a lot more issues that we will have to deal with. My question is, even if these issues are dealt with and new ones pop up, will we ever be able to fully enjoy it. Or will be it be the case of enjoying the car between fixing the problems. Let me assure you that the car is well-loved and is an important part of our family legacy. I remember it being used as a family car when I was young. I drove it in high school, dated my wife in it, and even got a speeding ticket in it almost 50 years ago. So it is part of our family.