The Ford Barn

Cecil/WV · 08-23-2012, 09:47 PM

How's the car steering, Jeff?

VeryTangled · 08-23-2012, 09:49 PM

More...

VeryTangled · 08-23-2012, 10:02 PM

Hi Cecil, The steering... To bring folks up to speed, we removed the '36 steering gearbox and replaced it with a Charlie Schwindler (sp?) rebuilt '37. It was quite a bit of work (about a day and a half) because we tried to figure a way to keep the '36 mounting bracket, but that was not to be. When we got the '37 box in with the '36 bracket, the box was touching the exhaust manifold. So that was a non-starter. Getting the old bracket out was not fun. Grind the heads off the rivets, drill into the rivets to make a purchase for a punch, drive them out. Just a few words but a lot of effort. And that was just the mounting bracket. There was work to do on the keyswitch and the steering column too. Thanks a bunch to JM35Sedan for a lot of help.

I was skeptical. But now I'm a true believer. No more power steering by Armstrong! Maneuvering in parking lots is much easier now. The changes made for the '37 box make a world of difference in ease of turning, especially at slow speeds.

I hate to say it, but our car is really running smooth. The shocks from Bill Wzorek are amazing! That and rebuilding our springs last winter really give the car a nice ride where it gets bumpy. Our engine starts easily and reliably. It stops well. The replacement dizzy has no air sucking past the vacuum advance piston. She is just giving great service.

The real driving starts tomorrow, we'll see what the future brings, but for today, it was a very good day!

-VeryTangled/Jeff

Cecil/WV · 08-24-2012, 06:48 AM

That sounds great, Jeff. Glad it turned out well.

Vic Piano · 08-24-2012, 07:51 AM

Those photos are outstanding.

VeryTangled · 08-25-2012, 05:27 AM

Sponsored Links (Register now to hide all advertisements)

Readers...

On-site reporting temoprarily disrupted.

My laptop's Windows is screwed, not booting, lots of blue screen errors.

Going on Whale Watch later today. Great fun had yesterday at Maine Exotics and Seashore Trolly Museum. We also had a little car drama, but I'll let someone else comment on that.

Will post more when able.

-VeryTangled

VeryTangled · 08-26-2012, 05:46 AM

Hi Everyone, We're still out here driving around Maine having fun. Why don't y'all think about getting your cars out and doing some miles?

We've got about seven or eight cars now. From '35 to '53.

Going to the Fantasy Speedway today, I guess some arrangment was made to hold a show.

No progress on fixing my computer, can't tell if it's a hardware or software issue.

Collecting lots of nice pictures, will post when able. Got pretty close to some fin back whales yesterday. I also saw about four birds I've never seen before. So yesterday was a great day in Boothbay Harbor.

Otherwise use the links for the videos I posted above to see my photobucket albums.

Vic Piano · 08-26-2012, 04:59 PM

C'mon you guys, all us Flathead Junkies need a photo fix... How's the tour going???

JM 35 Sedan · 08-26-2012, 06:04 PM

Fantastic!! We visited with Walt and Rockie(sp?) Dupont this morning. Walts shop is amazing. We had 10-15 cars parked in his yard.
Then up to the Fantasy Speedway for the afternoon for some great fun watching the old school stock cars run around a circle dirt track. Some of the stock car owners/drivers allowed us to drive their cars around the track. It was amazing fun!! We all have a bunch of pictures and videos but not sure how we can post them with our lap top computer being down. I'm sure the others will be posting more on this.

VeryTangled · 08-26-2012, 09:01 PM

I'm trying. If all works well I'll have some photos or videos to post in a minute or two.

Walt Dupont is an amazing guy. He knows flatheads pretty well, that's for sure. He's got a great dog, Chance, and we made friends. She's a two year old black Lab. I threw the ball and frisbee. I recorded about twenty minutes of video of Walt talking about the oiling system. Amazing stuff!

The folks at Fantasy Speedway were amazingly accommodating. They were shut down, as per earlier posts, but made a great effort to have something for us to see. As it worked out it was even better than having them open to the public because... WE GOT TO DRIVE THE RACE CARS! I have videos of that too. I still can't stop smiling.

For dinner we had twin lobsters, for about 1/2 the price of a single lobster in Portsmouth, NH. But without the hot waitress

Breakfast at the A1 Diner was awesome. I had corned beef hash that was so flavorful, just really good food in a very unique place. It's really a diner car, seems only about 60 feet from end to end and can't seat more than about forty people. There WAS a hot waitress there, photos to come.

Yesterday's Whale watch was very enjoyable. We saw and followed a pair of Fin Backs as they were feeding about 18 miles offshore in a place the locals call 'the kettle' which is a place where there is an ocean upwelling. I also saw at least three new life-list birds!

Our crew is up to about seven cars now.

More to come...

VeryTangled · 08-26-2012, 10:41 PM

Hi Guys and Gals, I've added about 30 photos to the PhotoBucket account. Having issues posting the photos. The hotel computer has Linux on it and it is not as simple as when I use Win7.

http://s291.photobucket.com/albums/l...t=VID00003.mp4

That link takes you to one of the earlier videos, but hopefully you can access the new shots.

Shots include Whale watching, food, cars, lobsters.

-VeryTangled/Jeff

VeryTangled · 08-26-2012, 10:48 PM

Trying again... This link should work. I'll post directly to this thread when I get home on Wednesday (I hope!).

http://s291.photobucket.com/albums/l...August%202012/

Vic Piano · 08-27-2012, 06:34 AM

Jeff, it looks like your dad and John are enjoying the local cuisine... Thanks for the photos, looking forward to seeing more.

JM 35 Sedan · 08-27-2012, 10:22 AM

Vic, we are having a whale of a time up here in Maine

. Every day seems to be better than the last. Weather has been perfect. It's too bad we can't convince more folks to get their cars out and drive 'em!

Vic Piano · 08-27-2012, 10:33 AM

I hear ya John that is what it should be all about. Glad to know everyone is enjoying themselves and looking forward to more photos. See you in Dawsonville. Vic

JM 35 Sedan · 08-28-2012, 06:37 AM

Well...the Maine Tour is now history. Everyone parted in their own direction after the afternoon visit to The Goldenrod Garage car collection. I had a great time on this tour. Drove the '35 about 450 to 500 miles with no problems. Chuck and Karen did a fine job of planning this tour and deserve a lot of credit for all their hard work. We have hundreds of great pictures to post when we get back home. Spent the night in Mass. Will stop and visit with Ken ct today and then back to Maryland to get ready for my next trip.

41ford1 · 08-28-2012, 07:43 AM

Yes it's over. I think everyone had fun. I know Karen and I did. Here are a few pics taken Thursday and Friday.

Meeting John , Jeff And Henry at Mc Farland Ford. The dealership provided Parking for their haulers for the duration. Many thanks to them for stepping up.

The Portsmouth Brewery tour was next that afternoon. This is a Brewpub in downtown Portsmouth. Their product is only sold here. If you get to Prortsmouth don't miss this.

This is the tap cooler. It look kind of like some Ford wire harnesses I've seen.

Cars at the Hotel:
Phil's 48 Merc.

Jeff & my wife with the 36 Pheaton.

Pete's 37 Sedan Delivery.

John's Sedan. He doesn't get around much!

Chuck's 47 Sedan and my 53 Sedan delivery.

Portsmouth Harbor

Lobster dinner # 1.

That did it for day one. It was all good.

41ford1 · 08-28-2012, 08:32 AM

Day 2, Friday:
We all carvaned to the Seashore Trolley Museum. The founders had the forsight to start this in 1939 when the trolley lines were going out of business. Not really car related, but it is interesting.

From there we headed up to Federal Jack's in Kennebunkport for lunch. More good eats here.
After lunch we headed up Maineline Exotics to view a collection. This is where I found my pickup. Bob has some very nice toys. They specialize in sevice and resoration of the Toyota 2000GTs.

The James Bond Car:

More toys.

After we left there we all stopped for gas. Thats where my starter drive decided to dissassemble itself. Thats what I get for putting a "new design" drive in. Pull the starter and reassembled the drive and we were on our way. That was the only break down on the tour. Thanks to chuck S. for the oversized coveralls and Jeff for the assist. Question of the day: How many Ford guys does it take to fix a starter? It takes 6, 2 fixing and 4 watching for flying parts. LOL

The expressions of surprise were priceless when it started.
Next stop, Freeport.

chuck stevens · 08-28-2012, 10:26 AM

The guys all pulled together and had Chuck's starter up and running in record time. It was good for the rest of the tour.

Vic Piano · 08-28-2012, 10:39 AM

Only one automotive malfunction on the entire trip...

I thought you guys were having fun...

LOL. Super photos, I'm lovin' livin' vicariously...

08-23-2012, 09:47 PM	#61
Cecil/WV Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: Gerrardstown, WV Posts: 2,266	Re: Coastal Maine summer tour anyone? How's the car steering, Jeff?

08-23-2012, 10:02 PM	#63
VeryTangled Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: (Not far enough...) Outside of DC Posts: 3,387	Re: Coastal Maine summer tour anyone? Hi Cecil, The steering... To bring folks up to speed, we removed the '36 steering gearbox and replaced it with a Charlie Schwindler (sp?) rebuilt '37. It was quite a bit of work (about a day and a half) because we tried to figure a way to keep the '36 mounting bracket, but that was not to be. When we got the '37 box in with the '36 bracket, the box was touching the exhaust manifold. So that was a non-starter. Getting the old bracket out was not fun. Grind the heads off the rivets, drill into the rivets to make a purchase for a punch, drive them out. Just a few words but a lot of effort. And that was just the mounting bracket. There was work to do on the keyswitch and the steering column too. Thanks a bunch to JM35Sedan for a lot of help. I was skeptical. But now I'm a true believer. No more power steering by Armstrong! Maneuvering in parking lots is much easier now. The changes made for the '37 box make a world of difference in ease of turning, especially at slow speeds. I hate to say it, but our car is really running smooth. The shocks from Bill Wzorek are amazing! That and rebuilding our springs last winter really give the car a nice ride where it gets bumpy. Our engine starts easily and reliably. It stops well. The replacement dizzy has no air sucking past the vacuum advance piston. She is just giving great service. The real driving starts tomorrow, we'll see what the future brings, but for today, it was a very good day! -VeryTangled/Jeff

08-24-2012, 06:48 AM	#64
Cecil/WV Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: Gerrardstown, WV Posts: 2,266	Re: Coastal Maine summer tour anyone? That sounds great, Jeff. Glad it turned out well.

08-24-2012, 07:51 AM	#65
Vic Piano Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: Odessa, FL Posts: 7,611	Re: Coastal Maine summer tour anyone? Those photos are outstanding. __________________ Imagination is more important than knowledge.

08-25-2012, 05:27 AM	#66
VeryTangled Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: (Not far enough...) Outside of DC Posts: 3,387	Re: Coastal Maine summer tour anyone? Sponsored Links (Register now to hide all advertisements) Readers... On-site reporting temoprarily disrupted. My laptop's Windows is screwed, not booting, lots of blue screen errors. Going on Whale Watch later today. Great fun had yesterday at Maine Exotics and Seashore Trolly Museum. We also had a little car drama, but I'll let someone else comment on that. Will post more when able. -VeryTangled

08-26-2012, 05:46 AM	#67
VeryTangled Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: (Not far enough...) Outside of DC Posts: 3,387	Re: Coastal Maine summer tour anyone? Hi Everyone, We're still out here driving around Maine having fun. Why don't y'all think about getting your cars out and doing some miles? We've got about seven or eight cars now. From '35 to '53. Going to the Fantasy Speedway today, I guess some arrangment was made to hold a show. No progress on fixing my computer, can't tell if it's a hardware or software issue. Collecting lots of nice pictures, will post when able. Got pretty close to some fin back whales yesterday. I also saw about four birds I've never seen before. So yesterday was a great day in Boothbay Harbor. Otherwise use the links for the videos I posted above to see my photobucket albums.

08-26-2012, 04:59 PM	#68
Vic Piano Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: Odessa, FL Posts: 7,611	Re: Coastal Maine summer tour anyone? C'mon you guys, all us Flathead Junkies need a photo fix... How's the tour going??? __________________ Imagination is more important than knowledge.

08-26-2012, 06:04 PM	#69
JM 35 Sedan Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: Near Rising Sun, Maryland Posts: 10,858	Re: Coastal Maine summer tour anyone? Fantastic!! We visited with Walt and Rockie(sp?) Dupont this morning. Walts shop is amazing. We had 10-15 cars parked in his yard. Then up to the Fantasy Speedway for the afternoon for some great fun watching the old school stock cars run around a circle dirt track. Some of the stock car owners/drivers allowed us to drive their cars around the track. It was amazing fun!! We all have a bunch of pictures and videos but not sure how we can post them with our lap top computer being down. I'm sure the others will be posting more on this. __________________ *John* *"Never give up on what you really want to do. The person with big dreams is more powerful than one with all the facts". Albert Einstein*

08-26-2012, 09:01 PM	#70
VeryTangled Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: (Not far enough...) Outside of DC Posts: 3,387	Re: Coastal Maine summer tour anyone? I'm trying. If all works well I'll have some photos or videos to post in a minute or two. Walt Dupont is an amazing guy. He knows flatheads pretty well, that's for sure. He's got a great dog, Chance, and we made friends. She's a two year old black Lab. I threw the ball and frisbee. I recorded about twenty minutes of video of Walt talking about the oiling system. Amazing stuff! The folks at Fantasy Speedway were amazingly accommodating. They were shut down, as per earlier posts, but made a great effort to have something for us to see. As it worked out it was even better than having them open to the public because... WE GOT TO DRIVE THE RACE CARS! I have videos of that too. I still can't stop smiling. For dinner we had twin lobsters, for about 1/2 the price of a single lobster in Portsmouth, NH. But without the hot waitress Breakfast at the A1 Diner was awesome. I had corned beef hash that was so flavorful, just really good food in a very unique place. It's really a diner car, seems only about 60 feet from end to end and can't seat more than about forty people. There WAS a hot waitress there, photos to come. Yesterday's Whale watch was very enjoyable. We saw and followed a pair of Fin Backs as they were feeding about 18 miles offshore in a place the locals call 'the kettle' which is a place where there is an ocean upwelling. I also saw at least three new life-list birds! Our crew is up to about seven cars now. More to come...

08-26-2012, 10:41 PM	#71
VeryTangled Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: (Not far enough...) Outside of DC Posts: 3,387	Re: Coastal Maine summer tour anyone? Hi Guys and Gals, I've added about 30 photos to the PhotoBucket account. Having issues posting the photos. The hotel computer has Linux on it and it is not as simple as when I use Win7. http://s291.photobucket.com/albums/l...t=VID00003.mp4 That link takes you to one of the earlier videos, but hopefully you can access the new shots. Shots include Whale watching, food, cars, lobsters. -VeryTangled/Jeff

08-27-2012, 06:34 AM	#73
Vic Piano Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: Odessa, FL Posts: 7,611	Re: Coastal Maine summer tour anyone? Jeff, it looks like your dad and John are enjoying the local cuisine... Thanks for the photos, looking forward to seeing more. __________________ Imagination is more important than knowledge.

08-27-2012, 10:22 AM	#74
JM 35 Sedan Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: Near Rising Sun, Maryland Posts: 10,858	Re: Coastal Maine summer tour anyone? Vic, we are having a whale of a time up here in Maine . Every day seems to be better than the last. Weather has been perfect. It's too bad we can't convince more folks to get their cars out and drive 'em! __________________ *John* *"Never give up on what you really want to do. The person with big dreams is more powerful than one with all the facts". Albert Einstein*

08-27-2012, 10:33 AM	#75
Vic Piano Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: Odessa, FL Posts: 7,611	Re: Coastal Maine summer tour anyone? I hear ya John that is what it should be all about. Glad to know everyone is enjoying themselves and looking forward to more photos. See you in Dawsonville. Vic __________________ Imagination is more important than knowledge.

08-28-2012, 06:37 AM	#76
JM 35 Sedan Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: Near Rising Sun, Maryland Posts: 10,858	Re: Coastal Maine summer tour anyone? Well...the Maine Tour is now history. Everyone parted in their own direction after the afternoon visit to The Goldenrod Garage car collection. I had a great time on this tour. Drove the '35 about 450 to 500 miles with no problems. Chuck and Karen did a fine job of planning this tour and deserve a lot of credit for all their hard work. We have hundreds of great pictures to post when we get back home. Spent the night in Mass. Will stop and visit with Ken ct today and then back to Maryland to get ready for my next trip. __________________ *John* *"Never give up on what you really want to do. The person with big dreams is more powerful than one with all the facts". Albert Einstein* Last edited by JM 35 Sedan; 08-28-2012 at 06:57 AM.

08-28-2012, 07:43 AM	#77
41ford1 Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: ManchVegas, New Hampshah Posts: 1,589	Re: Coastal Maine summer tour anyone? Yes it's over. I think everyone had fun. I know Karen and I did. Here are a few pics taken Thursday and Friday. Meeting John , Jeff And Henry at Mc Farland Ford. The dealership provided Parking for their haulers for the duration. Many thanks to them for stepping up. The Portsmouth Brewery tour was next that afternoon. This is a Brewpub in downtown Portsmouth. Their product is only sold here. If you get to Prortsmouth don't miss this. This is the tap cooler. It look kind of like some Ford wire harnesses I've seen. Cars at the Hotel: Phil's 48 Merc. Jeff & my wife with the 36 Pheaton. Pete's 37 Sedan Delivery. John's Sedan. He doesn't get around much! Chuck's 47 Sedan and my 53 Sedan delivery. Portsmouth Harbor Lobster dinner # 1. That did it for day one. It was all good.

08-28-2012, 08:32 AM	#78
41ford1 Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: ManchVegas, New Hampshah Posts: 1,589	Re: Coastal Maine summer tour anyone? Day 2, Friday: We all carvaned to the Seashore Trolley Museum. The founders had the forsight to start this in 1939 when the trolley lines were going out of business. Not really car related, but it is interesting. From there we headed up to Federal Jack's in Kennebunkport for lunch. More good eats here. After lunch we headed up Maineline Exotics to view a collection. This is where I found my pickup. Bob has some very nice toys. They specialize in sevice and resoration of the Toyota 2000GTs. The James Bond Car: More toys. After we left there we all stopped for gas. Thats where my starter drive decided to dissassemble itself. Thats what I get for putting a "new design" drive in. Pull the starter and reassembled the drive and we were on our way. That was the only break down on the tour. Thanks to chuck S. for the oversized coveralls and Jeff for the assist. Question of the day: How many Ford guys does it take to fix a starter? It takes 6, 2 fixing and 4 watching for flying parts. LOL The expressions of surprise were priceless when it started. Next stop, Freeport. Last edited by 41ford1; 08-28-2012 at 07:34 PM. Reason: surprise! it started.

08-28-2012, 10:39 AM	#80
Vic Piano Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: Odessa, FL Posts: 7,611	Re: Coastal Maine summer tour anyone? Only one automotive malfunction on the entire trip... I thought you guys were having fun...LOL. Super photos, I'm lovin' livin' vicariously... __________________ Imagination is more important than knowledge.