pdp1@EARTHLINK.NET on mon 9 jul 12
ated too..)
In 1987, shortly after opening my Workshop Downtown here, I was glancing
through the Want Ads and noticed a 1937 Studebaker for sale, so, I called,
and went to see it, and, conveniently it was only a few Blocks form my Shop=
.
Well, nice fellow selling it, he was clearing out the contents of an old
neglected House which had belonged to a deceased Uncle, and, the Car was in
the cluttered Garage. The guy had liked his old Uncle and liked the Car, an=
d
just wanted to see someone buy it who would enjoy it and do something with
it. Car had sat a long time, dusty and forelorn. He was lamenting on
how no one else had
replied to the Ad, and the Ad had been running for weeks. So, he offered me
a
very good deal on it, and I bought it, checked a few things, ginergly fired
it up and crept to a Gas Station, put some fresh Gas in and drove it home.
Been sitting since like 1961 or something.
He'd already got the Tires aired up and the Tires
were 'bad' and dry rotted and deformed from sitting flat for so long.
I spent about fifty or sixty hours on it, cleaning things, fixing little
things, went through the Brake system got all that working well, installed
new Tires, got all the Lights and other things working, lubed the
Spedometer, lubing endless Grease Fittings and so on, and, gently started
driving it for an errand or two every day to work the possible 'Bugs' out o=
f
it.
Feeling adventurous one evening I decided to drive down to 'Pop's Oasis', a
now long gone little run down Restuarant and Gambling Joint about forty or
fifty miles south of Las Vegas, on what used to be called 'The Old LA
Highway, which was a wandering Two Lane Road which had preceded the advent
of I-15.
Rather a 'David Lynch' sort of place one might say...
Just as I was nearing Pop's Oasis, the Engine was sort of starving for Gas,
and, I could suddenly smell Gas, so I pull over, grab a Flashlight, open th=
e
Hood, and Gas is pouring out of the Fuel Pump Body.
I realize, the now likely ancient ( may well have been the original Factory
one the Car was born with ) Fuel Pump Diaphram was going bad and that I had
clean forgot to rebuild the Fuel Pump.
So, I nurse it the rest of the way to Pop's Oasis, Park under one of the fe=
w
Street Lights to favor illuminating that side of the Engine, and, I start
looking around in Garbage Cans and around various Fences and around
abandoned outbuildings and so on, looking for some kind of flexible Sheet
Fabric Material I can improvise a new pro-tem Diaphram out of...and,
finally, 'Bingo', I find an old Raincoat someone had thrown into a Garbage
Can, and it was some sort of Yellow Rubberized Fabric and nice-and-flexible=
.
So, I cut off plenty, tossed the extra in the Trunk, and, removed and
dismantled the Fuel Pump, ( old Diaphram was totally shot, torn and not ver=
y
limber anymore) and made a new
Diaphram, re-assemble the Pump and re-install it, and, started the
Engine..."perfect", ran great ( ran better even! ) and no 'leaks'.
So, I shut her down, go get a nice 2:00 A.M. Slice of blahh and stale
'Yellow-Goo-Pie' and a Cup of
Coffee in the seedy
Reatuarant...Duct Tape on the old Naugahyde Seat Cushions in the Booths and
so on, and, watch my Car from the Window Booth, and, then, head Home.
Drive home went perfect, and, I ended up driving it for most of a Year
before finally rebuilding the Pump with a correct Rebuild Kit, and, the
imprmptu diaphram was still fine.
It was a Studebaker 'Dictator' Model, showing 52,000 original Miles, perfec=
t
supple Mohair
interior, perfect Dash and Insturments and Carpets and so on, faded Silver
Paint. The old Uncle had taken good care of it, no 'sludge' in the Oil Pan,
Enbgine Compartment nice and clean bu tfor the dust of sitting.
It was a real sweetie.
A Helen Drysden design, a pretty good looking Car, with the 'Stick Eyes' -
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helen_Dryden#Education
Example of a 1937 Sstudebaker 'Dictator' 4 Door Sedan, 'Silver' - mine
looked just like this one but for my having no Fog Lights and no "AAA"
License Topper ( looked better without those in my opinion, anyway ) -
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/158/411026532_15a885eb48.jpg
Phil
L v
Steve Mills on mon 9 jul 12
ated too..)
That is such handsome car. Do you still have it?
Steve M
(still a bit of a Petrol Head)
Steve Mills
Bath
UK
www.mudslinger.me.uk
Sent from my iPod
On 9 Jul 2012, at 22:05, pdp1@EARTHLINK.NET wrote:
> In 1987, shortly after opening my Workshop Downtown here, I was glancing
> through the Want Ads and noticed a 1937 Studebaker for sale, so, I called=
,=3D
> and went to see it, and, conveniently it was only a few Blocks form my Sh=
o=3D
p.
>=3D20
>=3D20
> Well, nice fellow selling it, he was clearing out the contents of an old
> neglected House which had belonged to a deceased Uncle, and, the Car was =
i=3D
n
> the cluttered Garage. The guy had liked his old Uncle and liked the Car, =
a=3D
nd
> just wanted to see someone buy it who would enjoy it and do something wit=
h=3D
> it. Car had sat a long time, dusty and forelorn. He was lamenting on
> how no one else had
> replied to the Ad, and the Ad had been running for weeks. So, he offered =
m=3D
e
> a
> very good deal on it, and I bought it, checked a few things, ginergly fir=
e=3D
d
> it up and crept to a Gas Station, put some fresh Gas in and drove it home=
.=3D
>=3D20
> Been sitting since like 1961 or something.
>=3D20
> He'd already got the Tires aired up and the Tires
> were 'bad' and dry rotted and deformed from sitting flat for so long.
>=3D20
> I spent about fifty or sixty hours on it, cleaning things, fixing little
> things, went through the Brake system got all that working well, installe=
d=3D
> new Tires, got all the Lights and other things working, lubed the
> Spedometer, lubing endless Grease Fittings and so on, and, gently started
> driving it for an errand or two every day to work the possible 'Bugs' out=
o=3D
f
> it.
>=3D20
> Feeling adventurous one evening I decided to drive down to 'Pop's Oasis',=
a=3D
> now long gone little run down Restuarant and Gambling Joint about forty o=
r=3D
> fifty miles south of Las Vegas, on what used to be called 'The Old LA
> Highway, which was a wandering Two Lane Road which had preceded the adven=
t=3D
> of I-15.
>=3D20
> Rather a 'David Lynch' sort of place one might say...
>=3D20
> Just as I was nearing Pop's Oasis, the Engine was sort of starving for Ga=
s=3D
,
> and, I could suddenly smell Gas, so I pull over, grab a Flashlight, open =
t=3D
he
> Hood, and Gas is pouring out of the Fuel Pump Body.
>=3D20
>=3D20
> I realize, the now likely ancient ( may well have been the original Facto=
r=3D
y
> one the Car was born with ) Fuel Pump Diaphram was going bad and that I h=
a=3D
d
> clean forgot to rebuild the Fuel Pump.
>=3D20
> So, I nurse it the rest of the way to Pop's Oasis, Park under one of the =
f=3D
ew
> Street Lights to favor illuminating that side of the Engine, and, I start
> looking around in Garbage Cans and around various Fences and around
> abandoned outbuildings and so on, looking for some kind of flexible Sheet
> Fabric Material I can improvise a new pro-tem Diaphram out of...and,
> finally, 'Bingo', I find an old Raincoat someone had thrown into a Garbag=
e=3D
> Can, and it was some sort of Yellow Rubberized Fabric and nice-and-flexib=
l=3D
e.
>=3D20
> So, I cut off plenty, tossed the extra in the Trunk, and, removed and
> dismantled the Fuel Pump, ( old Diaphram was totally shot, torn and not v=
e=3D
ry
> limber anymore) and made a new
> Diaphram, re-assemble the Pump and re-install it, and, started the
> Engine..."perfect", ran great ( ran better even! ) and no 'leaks'.
>=3D20
> So, I shut her down, go get a nice 2:00 A.M. Slice of blahh and stale
> 'Yellow-Goo-Pie' and a Cup of
> Coffee in the seedy
> Reatuarant...Duct Tape on the old Naugahyde Seat Cushions in the Booths a=
n=3D
d
> so on, and, watch my Car from the Window Booth, and, then, head Home.
>=3D20
> Drive home went perfect, and, I ended up driving it for most of a Year
> before finally rebuilding the Pump with a correct Rebuild Kit, and, the
> imprmptu diaphram was still fine.
>=3D20
>=3D20
> It was a Studebaker 'Dictator' Model, showing 52,000 original Miles, perf=
e=3D
ct
> supple Mohair
> interior, perfect Dash and Insturments and Carpets and so on, faded Silve=
r=3D
> Paint. The old Uncle had taken good care of it, no 'sludge' in the Oil Pa=
n=3D
,
> Enbgine Compartment nice and clean bu tfor the dust of sitting.
>=3D20
> It was a real sweetie.
>=3D20
>=3D20
> A Helen Drysden design, a pretty good looking Car, with the 'Stick Eyes' =
-=3D
>=3D20
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helen_Dryden#Education
>=3D20
>=3D20
>=3D20
> Example of a 1937 Sstudebaker 'Dictator' 4 Door Sedan, 'Silver' - mine
> looked just like this one but for my having no Fog Lights and no "AAA"
> License Topper ( looked better without those in my opinion, anyway ) -
>=3D20
> http://farm1.static.flickr.com/158/411026532_15a885eb48.jpg
>=3D20
>=3D20
>=3D20
> Phil
> L v
pdp1@EARTHLINK.NET on mon 9 jul 12
ated too..)
Hi Steve,
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Steve Mills"
> That is such handsome car. Do you still have it?
> Steve M
> (still a bit of a Petrol Head)
Nope...long gone...sold it in 1992 to a friend of mine-at-the-time's dad,
who was all 'Ga-Ga' over it ( his dad was like 85 or so at the time but
still very together and active, came to Las Vegas to work on the Boulder
Canyon Dam
Project, and, ended up staying ).
Then, as luck would have it, I found a 42,000 original mile, perfect
interior, very very good Paint ( Factory Black with most of the original Pi=
n
Striping present ) 1936 Chevrolet 'Master' Series ( Six Lug Wheels, instead
of
'five', and a few other little things different than the 'Standard' Series =
)
4 Door 'Sports Sedan' ( ie: the rear Quarter Windows were Ventilating )
which had sat in a garage since 1942...still had the "B Ration" decal on th=
e
back of the inside Rear-View Mirror.
Had the 'Robe Rail' and built in Ash Tray behind the front Seat, and the
little Silk Draw Shade for the rear Window. Had a Two Stage Generator
Circuit ( and otherwise merely the usual Generator Cut Out which was the
usual deal before Voltage Regulators as such ) and a exntra spot on the
Headlight Pull-Knob for low or high Charge Rate, in case one were driving
Cross Country at Night or something, so one would not over-charge one's
Battery.
1936 was still pretty darned charming Car wise.
Spent a Hundred or so Hours on it, getting everything lubed and Road Worthy=
,
re-did the Brakes and so on, new 7:00-17, 6 Ply Tires ( Blackwall, thank
you, ) and new Tubes, and, drove it more or less daily for about five
years or so.
Absolutely stone cold 'reliable' and smooth and quiet and always started
with merely a flick of the Key.
Easy to work on, a joy to drive, and, Handled "like a Boat"...Lol...
I always loved the 'Stick Eye' ( as I started calling it when I was a kid )
phase of Automobile Styling - the 'Streamliners' as it were...those brief
three years or so there, when that was the style if with some exceptions.
'36 Chevrolet was a very good looking Car in my opinion. Better looking by
j-u-s-t a little even, than even any of the higher in the tier GM offering=
s
for '36 even.
Cruising at 60 Miles Per Hour, one or two or all Windows open, one could
have a normal
conversation with one's passengers, with no Wind 'noise' whatever.
I doubt any Car today will allow that.
Far as 'Art' goes, I always had a far higher opinion of 'Art' when it was
occurring as earnest and useful and
aesthetically meritorious things one may use and enjoy and care for, and us=
e
in
practical ways, over items or objects or presentations which are abstracted
from Life or
Mind, and, which in effect, are without practical application other than
contemplation or evocation.
My favorite examples of Art were always old Cars,
old Guns, old Tools, old Houses or Commercial Buildings, and various from
among the endless other
old things of times gone by, but not just any old thing...rather, those
examples of them,
where it all came together so very well, and, where they 'worked' very well
on most or even all 'levels'.
To my Lights, Modern Cars only work on one superficial 'level',
which if anything, distracts people from all the other 'levels' they ( the
Cars and the people ) do not
'work' on. Or, almost no one cares or 'sees' it that way anyway, so...
Given that people themselves anymore seldom 'work' very well on
more-than-one 'level', if even that, this transition seems understandable
enough I s'pose for becoming a ubiquity in the broader gamut of Artifacts
people use.
Since we are in a Show-n-Tell mode, here's what the '36 looked like ( only
someone painted the Stamped Artillery Wheels 'red' instead of leaving them
'Black'. Originally they would have been Black, with an Apple Green and Red
Pinstriping ) -
http://www.flickr.com/photos/target_man_2000/5540951909/
And, a ( to me, 'spellbinding' ) period Film ( if with a well chosen modern
soundtrack, ) showing something of their being made -
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3DHPpTK2ezxL0&feature=3Drelated
What an amazing 'Ballet'...or maybe 'Symphony' in it's non auditory way...
If memory serve, Chevrolet made close to 1,000,000 vehicles in 1936.
Phil
L v
----- Original Message -----
From: "Steve Mills"
That is such handsome car. Do you still have it?
Steve M
(still a bit of a Petrol Head)
Steve Mills
Bath
UK
www.mudslinger.me.uk
Sent from my iPod
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