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nkaminar · 11-21-2020, 01:09 PM

This is a story from 1964. I was going to college in San Luis Obispo in central California. There was a Model A group at the college. I owned a 1930 coupe at the time. The group had a tour up the coast on Highway 1 through scenic Big Sur. One of the cars developed a very bad leak in the rear main and the owner took the pan off to see what could be done. The babbitt in the rear main cap had disintegrated leaving nothing but the cap. We found a sandal on the side of the road and the owner cut the leather to fit the cap and bolted the car back together. He drove back to San Luis Obispo, about 100 miles, on that leather bearing. I think his intention was to get home and then repair the engine with a new babbitt bearing.

11-21-2020, 01:09 PM	#1
nkaminar Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2012 Location: Western North Carolina Posts: 3,897	Leather main bearing This is a story from 1964. I was going to college in San Luis Obispo in central California. There was a Model A group at the college. I owned a 1930 coupe at the time. The group had a tour up the coast on Highway 1 through scenic Big Sur. One of the cars developed a very bad leak in the rear main and the owner took the pan off to see what could be done. The babbitt in the rear main cap had disintegrated leaving nothing but the cap. We found a sandal on the side of the road and the owner cut the leather to fit the cap and bolted the car back together. He drove back to San Luis Obispo, about 100 miles, on that leather bearing. I think his intention was to get home and then repair the engine with a new babbitt bearing. __________________ A is for apple, green as the sky. Step on the gas, for tomorrow I die. Forget the brakes, they really don't work. The clutch always sticks, and starts with a jerk. My car grows red hair, and flies through the air. Driving's a blast, a blast from the past.