Above 1200 Sq/FT Restored 1930's Auto Shop

[BB767]

Hi everyone, I'm still around, honest. This post is kind of a public service post. Let me explain.

I've been doing some collaborating the last couple of weeks with a gentleman who has an early Waker # 782...



... 2 ton "Tom Boy" Roll-A-Car floor jack.



As you can see if you look closely enough at the data plate it's a Series "A" and as such was among the first manufactured Walker "Greyhound" series floor jacks. It is the oldest I've seen with its data plate still attached.



He purchased it from the shop whom he believes was the original owner. While it does have some rough edges to it, it is fairly complete, the handle sheet metal has no stress cracks and the jack does work. Hiball is suppling all the necessary internal seals and packing to rebuild the power cylinder.

I've been documenting the differences and changes made between it and later made Walker 700 Series jacks.

At present the jack is being restored at his shop...







The major missing part is the dust/cover plate. His jack never had a nose piece.



Unfortunately this problem is not all that uncommon.

This is where the public service part of this comes in.



He is located near a foundry which can cast a new cast steel cover plate as seen on the right.



So I've volunteered to use mine...



...from which to make a mold.



Mine is in excellent original condition and should make an equally excellent copy. We are also exploring having a copy of the...



... cast nose piece made, seen on the right. Again mine is in excellent original condition.

My question to my friends and lurkers who frequent this thread, is there anybody else who owns a #700 series Walker who would like to have a cast steel cover plate and or nose piece? It is an exact fit for #784, and I think #884 4 ton jacks. For other smaller jacks the cover plate would need to modified to fit them. Not sure at this point how much modification it would take. We haven't got exact pricing yet but have been told in the neighborhood of $250 USD which is for a cover plate and a nose piece.

This is all preliminary at this point. No matter what happens, the owner is going to have new pieces cast for himself and so I thought I'd check to see while we're at it if we should make a few more. I have no time line of any sort, this is all preliminary. I just want to get an idea if this something there is a need for. For those interested you might send me a PM and we'll go from there.

Thanks everyone,

Thomas

 

[Craptain]

Thomas, how about starting a new thread for this just in case there is someone who is not (yet)subscribed to your thread.

 

[old salt racer]

Thomas, I hope the jack owner gets it fixed soon,He's going to need it to put that rear end in His Model A. ---Lou---

 

[Mavawreck]

Thomas, I hope the jack owner gets it fixed soon,He's going to need it to put that rear end in His Model A. ---Lou---

Hahaha, I noticed that too.

 

[Thetrailerguy]

Those old jacks were the best ever built. They deserve restoration and I am glad you took the time. ~ Craig

 

[BB767]

Thomas, how about starting a new thread for this just in case there is someone who is not (yet)subscribed to your thread.

That is an excellent suggestion Craptain, thank you I'll do that. The General Tool Discussion forum would be the best place I suppose.



Thomas

 

[BB767]

Thomas, I hope the jack owner gets it fixed soon,He's going to need it to put that rear end in His Model A. ---Lou---

Hahaha, I noticed that too.

Good eye guys! His main area of interest is Model T's and Model A's. He's had molds made before to cast parts he needed for them so he's not new to this casting/foundry business. His shop is full of test and maintenance equipment of the 1910's - 1930's vintage. His restored Walker will fit right in.

Thomas

 

[Laro13]

It is an exact fit for #784, and I think #884 4 ton jacks. For other smaller jacks the cover plate would need to modified to fit them. Not sure at this point how much modification it would take. We haven't got exact pricing yet but have been told in the neighborhood of $250 USD which is for a cover plate and a nose piece.

Does the plate also fit on a walker 882?

 

[BB767]

So who exactly is...



..that distinguished gentleman seen here with Chris recently at the San Diego Roadster Club Awards Banquet...



...and who was pictured in his youth...



... and had an article written about his 1950's Bonneville exploits that were published in a Japanese Super Bike magazine a few year ago? That would be Garage Journal's own, old salt racer, and our very dear friend, Lou Bingham. You might recall Lou, while visiting us a few years ago, was the one who initially identified the Jerauld "Y" manifold for me so this is very relevant to Mr Johnson and the old shop.

In the early 1950's Lou had become aquatinted with Spence Murray, then editor of Rod and Custom magazine. Lou was taking a car to race at the Bonneville Salt Flats in 1953, so Spence decided to do an in-depth article of the experience for his magazine, entitled "Destination-Bonneveille". This article has been reprinted many times through the years.



It started with this 1932 Ford 5 window, chopped top coupe that was Lou's daily driver. He purchased it in 1949 for $125. Among modifications the car had a dropped front axel, a stock 3 speed transmission and a borrowed Hilbrand quick change rear differential. Lou had replaced the original engine from this coupe (that engine went into his 1928 Ford pickup truck that he used for his Bonneville tow/push truck, more on that in a minute). The replacement engine was a 286 cubic inch flathead with Edelbrock heads and manifold, utilizing 3 Stromberg 97 carburetors.

So here are pictures from that iconic 1953 journey to Bonneville, one of many Lou would eventually take. This was at the same time Al Jerauld was there with one of his cars or Belly Tanker and while Lou knew of Al, he never really knew him.



This is a very young Lou Bingham packing before the trip. The coupe was flat towed using Lou's 1928 pickup seen on the far right, the tow bar is in the foreground. Besides hand tools and limited equipment he took some extra parts. Additionally he took two, square, 5 gallon gas containers (seen at the rear of the truck) to store extra fuel enroute since, in 1953, filling stations were few and far between San Diego and Wendover, Utah. The other 5 gallon can contained nitro which he mixed at the salt flats and ran a 20% nitro mixture in the coupe during his timed runs. On the right can be seen a 5 gallon jerry can filled with water to refill the truck's radiator, something they would use multiple times throughout the trip as the truck constantly overheated.



They drove at night as much as possible to keep the truck from overheating and slept during the day. Here is one such rest stop. There were no motels or hotels along the way in 1953, nor could they have afforded them if they were available Lou tells me. So this is how they traveled. Notice they just stopped right on the highway, Lou says there were absolutely no other vehicles around. Also note the door of the coupe has already been numbered 245c, his assigned Bonneville number.



Enroute.



One of many, many, many stops to refill the the truck radiator when it overheated. The truck engine was equipped with the original engine from the coupe but it had suffered a partial blown head gasket during the trip with the resulting overheating. Lou tells me they could only drive but a few miles between refilling stops. Shortage of water for the radiator was a their main concern during the trip.



This is a refueling stop for the truck. Besides the two extra 5 gallon gas cans they carried, Lou would siphon gas out of the coupe's regular gas tank and transfer it to the truck, using the coupe in effect as a rolling gas tanker. Lou knew the scarcity of filling stations enroute so this is how he had planned to managed his fuel supplies. When they did come to a filling station he would fill every tank at his disposal. Very clever thinking.



Even though this picture was taken at one of the dry lakes, it gives a good view of the front of the truck towing the coupe behind it.



As luck would have it, in spite of their difficulties, they made it to Bonneville. I've posted this picture before. Here's the coupe and truck (circled) in line waiting for tech inspection by the Southern California Timing Association, SCTA for the 1953 Bonneville Speed Week event. The SCTA was and still is the sanctioning body that runs the Bonneville event with mostly volunteer help and what a tremendous job they do.



Quite a change from the rig Lou and I drive to Bonneville these days.

Hard to realize 60 years ago what an effort and hardship it took to just get to Bonneville. What a debt of gratitude we owe these speed pioneers.

In my next post we'll look at the pictures taken while Lou was racing at Bonneville in 1953. You don't want to miss that! Thanks everyone.

Thomas

 

[rmalkow2]

WOW Thomas,
What an awesome story of that trip to Bonneville in 1953. Very much enjoyed the picture story of what it took to make such a trip. You can tell it was a labor of love to get there and race. Can't wait for chapter two.

 

[gordyy]

reading Thomas's threads is not just going on an adventure its a history class in itself.
very nice information both on Lou's jack and his journey

 

[BB767]

Does the plate also fit on a walker 882?

Not sure if it does without some modification. Send me a PM with the rough dimensions of your jack from the lifting arm (barely seen on the far left) to the base of the handle pivot, (seen on the far right) and the width between your jack frame rails. This is the area the cover plate sits. The Walker #782, described and pictured in post #7885, is smaller than mine and some mill work is going to have to be done to narrow and shorten the cover plate so it will fit his jack. We're still in discussions about the best way to do that.

Thomas

reading Thomas's threads is not just going on an adventure its a history class in itself.
very nice information both on Lou's jack and his journey

Thanks again gordyy for your enthusiastic support. I almost majored in history in college as I really like all aspects of it. BTW, so there's no misunderstanding, the #782, 2 ton Walker that is being restored with a new cover plate doesn't belong to Lou.

Thomas

 

[charlief1]

Since most of you are older I thought I'd bring a little nostalgia for you. The races this weekend were a lot of fun and the track wasn't that big. My guess is it was built in the late 60's to very early 70's and had a home town feel to it. I won't hijack Thomas' thread to much but thought I'd add a real hotrod pic to make it more fun. Hope you guys like it and we may just do it again next year about the same time. This 300 6 cylinder powered car was so consistent it would be a serious money maker in bracket racing.

 

[Rodney Schultz]

Confessions of a "lurker".

OK, maybe not "lurker". After having been introduced to the Garage Journal on another forum, I decided to check it out. Scanned a few threads and...

GOT SUCKED INTO THE VORTEX!

Little did I know what I was getting myself into. At around page 120 I finally noticed that the "last number" before the "last page button" wasn't actually the last page! Moving target indeed! I thought I would comment at that point, but kept reading, filling MANY pleasant hours. So may I be just the latest (in a long and ever growing list) of viewers to echo what has been said before. And just to be original, the best word that comes to mind to describe what I have just read is "Gobsmacked"... It seems to be the only one that fits!

So at this current "end of the beginning", definitely wanting to see where this goes next, I leave you with a

...slow clap... "Well done, sir. Well done."

Rodney

 

[BB767]

Confessions of a "lurker".

OK, maybe not "lurker". After having been introduced to the Garage Journal on another forum, I decided to check it out. Scanned a few threads and...

GOT SUCKED INTO THE VORTEX!

Little did I know what I was getting myself into. At around page 120 I finally noticed that the "last number" before the "last page button" wasn't actually the last page! Moving target indeed! I thought I would comment at that point, but kept reading, filling MANY pleasant hours. So may I be just the latest (in a long and ever growing list) of viewers to echo what has been said before. And just to be original, the best word that comes to mind to describe what I have just read is "Gobsmacked"... It seems to be the only one that fits!

So at this current "end of the beginning", definitely wanting to see where this goes next, I leave you with a

...slow clap... "Well done, sir. Well done."

Rodney

Hello there Rodney and welcome to the gang, glad you joined us. You mentioned little did you know what you were getting yourself into kind of applies to me and this thread. What I had in mind when I started it is nothing like what it has morphed into. Information, projects, pictures, history, plus all the material contributed from everyone here etc, just bubbled forth onto these pages. In the blink of an eye we'll have 400+ pages of material that has been seen 3 million times all over the world. Truly who would have thought? Thanks Rodney for sharing your kind words.

I owe a debt of gratitude to everyone for encouraging me to continue. It is deeply appreciated and I myself am "Gobsmacked" by it all.

Thomas

 

[BB767]

Running Bonneville 1953 - Part II

Once Lou arrived at Bonneville in 1953 and after he was OK'd for competition by tech, he set up the coupe in his pit.



Here is our hero, fashionably dressed for the part in overalls and a pith helmet. There's a lot going on in this picture. The fenders, running boards, bumpers, headlights and hub caps have been removed from the car in preparation for running one of the classes on the salt. The radiator has a piece of cardboard taped over it to aid in streamlining. Even with radiator blocked he only ran the car on the race course and never had a problem with the car overheating since he was running it for such a short time. Look at the doors and you'll see the windows rolled down slightly and cardboard taped at the tops of them. Louvers were installed in the cardboard to meet the SCTA rules that coupe interiors be ventilated.



Another action picture showing Lou changing gears in the quick change differential. Lou told me he had brought 3 different sets of gears. Always the environmentalist, he's draining the rear end oil into a coffee can. Lou borrowed the whole rear axel assembly from a fellow club member. It was complete with the Hilbrand quick change rear end. When he got home following the meet, he removed this axel and reinstalled his stock axel for daily running on the street. Remember the car was his daily driver at home. Note the tape over the glass tail lights, a required safety precaution and the 1953 license plate. He'd run different classes with the car, here he was running a class that required the fenders on it. He also ran in the gas class, or the fuel class when he was running 20% nitro.

At this time Lou was a member of the "Headers" car club seen painted above the rear window. On the trunk is painted "Tiffany Automotive Inc. Experimental Engines, Gendalde Calif." This was the business that let Lou build his car engine in their shop after hours, in exchange for this advertisement. All the painting was done with poster paint and was washed off once he was back at home.



This is the starting line with the SCTA starting/timing tower in the background. Loud speakers are aimed toward the pits. When running on the salt he wore a tee shirt, long pants, a borrowed helmet and had a fire extinguisher inside such was the safety precautions of the day. As a deposit for the helmet, racers gave the SCTA officials their drivers license. Here the fenders are on but no headlights or bumpers. The "C" on the car denotes the size of the engine class Lou was running at the time.



The makeshift cardboard louvers are clearly seen in the windows. Look under the car and you can see the headers are uncapped. On this run the rear tires have been replaced with these borrowed, used Firestone Indy car tires, a common practice back then. Lou finished 7th in class at Bonneville that year running a best top speed of 127 mph.

More racing pictures coming.

Thomas

 

[realvc]

Lou's adventure's at the Salt Flats are very interesting. Just think how many similar stories there are of young men and their cars like Lou's daily driver/salt flats racer.
His tow/push truck is very cool too.
Thanks once again for sharing Thomas

 

[MisteR Tee]

Brilliant pictorial record of an historical event, scenes that don't get shown anywhere else, which is why I love this forum & this topic in particular. I don't think I've ever seen anyone actually changing ratios in a quick change rear end, at least not in pics, so many thanks for that, you can see why they are so-called!!

 

[BB767]

Lou's adventure's at the Salt Flats are very interesting. Just think how many similar stories there are of young men and their cars like Lou's daily driver/salt flats racer.
His tow/push truck is very cool too.
Thanks once again for sharing Thomas

Brilliant pictorial record of an historical event, scenes that don't get shown anywhere else, which is why I love this forum & this topic in particular. I don't think I've ever seen anyone actually changing ratios in a quick change rear end, at least not in pics, so many thanks for that, you can see why they are so-called!!

I too think of all the similar tales that occurred to others over the decades at the salt and the adventures they had. We are just so lucky Lou is willing to share his story and that he has such a wonderful photographic journal to compliment it. I am trying to be organized in presenting his material. This was his 1953 journey with the coupe. He was there after that with the same car and still later the same chassis but with a different body, a roadster and different engines.



I found out his truck was really a 1927 not a '28 as I had previously posted but the differences are very minor. Here is his pickup shortly after he got it. Notice the tall windshield. Go back and look at the earlier posts and you'll see pictures where he cut the windshield height down. When I was asking him details about the truck he said it was really just a "hot rod truck". He apparently was always changing something on it. Lou owned and operated...



...a Moblegas service station in La Jolla, CA for many, many years in the '50's and 60's. This is his only picture of the station with his coupe circa 1961.



If you look at his now painted and very cool tow/push truck when he was back on the salt in 1958, squint and you'll see painted on the door, "Bird Rock Moblegas". I only bring this up because his later cars...



... have that same sponsorship painted on them as well. This car is from 1964 and you can see, with Lou behind the wheel, he is definitely getting more skilled and sophisticated with his approach to race cars.



Little did Lou know that some day, in the far off future, he'd find his way to Mr Johnson's old shop and he'd be holding a well diggers shovel that was found in the tool shed. Another poor, innocent victim snagged by the vortex!

Thomas

 

[rmalkow2]

I too think of all the similar tales that occurred to others over the decades at the salt and the adventures they had. We are just so lucky Lou is willing to share his story and that he has such a wonderful photographic journal to compliment it. I am trying to be organized in presenting his material. This was his 1953 journey with the coupe. He was there after that with the same car and still later the same chassis but with a different body, a roadster and different engines.

Little did Lou know that some day, in the far off future, he'd find his way to Mr Johnson's old shop and he'd be holding a well diggers shovel that was found in the tool shed. Another poor, innocent victim snagged by the vortex!

Thomas

Thank you for another great chapter in this story. If I'm jumping ahead here tell me to be patient but, I hope there's an ending coming that includes some or all of his old vehicles still intact?

 

[oberst]

I love this picture! The longer I stare at it the more cool stuff I see. What a nice car! I can just picture Lou after work drilling out shock mounts and puzzling out brackets for the hard tonneau and talking on the phone to someone about injectors. (No front brakes! Is there a parachute?)

Thanks for sharing!

 

[BB767]

Thank you for another great chapter in this story. If I'm jumping ahead here tell me to be patient but, I hope there's an ending coming that includes some or all of his old vehicles still intact?

I love this picture! The longer I stare at it the more cool stuff I see. What a nice car! I can just picture Lou after work drilling out shock mounts and puzzling out brackets for the hard tonneau and talking on the phone to someone about injectors. (No front brakes! Is there a parachute?)

Thanks for sharing!

That's one nice thing about the internet rmalkow2, you can't peek ahead to the next chapter! There is indeed an ending coming about Lou's cars.................

Mike, I have more than a dozen, high quality, detailed pictures of that car still to be posted. It is loaded with all kinds of clever details and remarkable craftsmanship. Lou can craft a car with the best of them and he's still highly active with a San Diego race team. Stand by, it'll be worth it.

Thomas

 

[bonneyman]

Don, here's a follow up to some of those items you wondered about.




Now about that weight...

...the one with the cast in handle. Here it is after I had it powder coated.

It has US STANDARD cast into it. I could find no other marking on it. I believe it's a 50# weight. I don't know what it's original use might have been. There were no other scales on the property except for the one pictured earlier.

Been awhile since I've looked in this thread. WOW!

Don't know if this has been explained already, but here's my 2 cents.
A friend had something very similar, and told me it was from the old days, when milkmen delivered milk by horse-drawn cart. They would tie the horse's mouth bit to this weight, and place it on the ground while they went to the door to drop off the milk bottles. The horse couldn't wander off, because the weight would put enough resistance on the bit to prevent that. When the driver returned, he'd pick up and carry the weight to the next house. (Although, his weight didn't weigh 50 pounds. Maybe 10-15?)
Sound reasonable?

 

[jwh]

Hi Thomas. Yes that is a scale test weight. At my previous employer we had a scale shop that would calibrate scales ranging from the electronic lab scales to the outside drive on truck scale.

Say a 500 lb. scale needed calibration. Weights would be brought to the scale, and the tech would load weights on to it to see how accurate the scale was. If it passed, great, if not he would make his adjustments and recheck.

We also did a periodic check of the weights. They would be weighed, if they were too light there was a plug (about the size of a quarter) that could be removed so lead shot could be added.

Great thread and great shop, take care!

John in Rochester NY

 

[48fordnut]

Thanks for an amazing story.

 

[ZAPPER68]

Fantastic...thank you Thomas for sharing Lou's saltflat history with us.

The photo of him with the well diggers shovel made me smile. An old colleague of mine used to occasionally say 'colder than a well diggers ***'. Sadly he is no longer with us.

Please continue with the history lesson, Chapter 3....4....5

 

[BB767]

Chapter 3 - '32 Coupes Are Pretty Cool



After the 1953 racing season, Lou painted the coupe, put a new interior in it and Hot Rod Magazine did an article on it...



...entitled "How Do You Like Your Duce?" The photo layout had Lou's 5 window '32 on one side and on the other side of the page, was a 3 window '32 belonging to someone else. These are some of the layout proofs from that article of Lou's car.





These show the roll bar installation...



...circa 1953 when it was installed.



That same year Lou was invited to display the car at Hot Rod's 1954 AutoRama car show in Los Angles.



'32 Fords only came with 1 windshield wiper but Lou installed a 2nd one. This was his daily driver as well as show car and land speed racer.



In 1957 SCTA changed the rules which specified "no chop tops", the cars had to be stock height. So Lou mad a fiberglass cap that extended the top of his roof by 4" so the top of the car was now stock height. Look closely and you can see "J" hooks that hooked the rain drip rail to hold the top on. The car ran 128 mph in this configuration. By now Lou had his own, used Indy car tires seen here. He towed the car to Bonneville with street tires on it and changed to these tires once he was at the salt.



In 1958 the SCTA reversed the roof rules, so here is the car back to it's former chopped top configuration. This is at El Mirage Dry Lake. Lou only ran Nitro in the fuel class in 1953. After that he he only ran in the gas class. He said it was a bunch cheaper that way. Barely seen behind his car is his replacement tow/push truck. The old hotrod '27 truck was sold and this '56 Ford pickup replaced it.



Here's the engine he was now running in the coupe. In mid 1957 he replaced the flathead with this 304 cubic inch displacement (CID) Olds engine.
It was equipped with an Edelbrock log manifold that when racing used 6 Stromberg 97 carbs. However as shown above, he removed the 2 center carbs to run it on the street with just 4 carbs for better fuel mileage. The sheet metal over the carb intakes was to prevent fuel from being pulled out of the carbs when the car was at speed.
He made the exhaust headers and porcelain coated them black.
The long tube right in the middle, that stretches from the firewall forward is his homemade engine fire suppression device. That tube is connected to a 20 lb CO₂ bottle in the interior of the car. The tube has dozens of holes drilled in it to flood the engine compartment with CO₂ to smother a possible engine fire.
Note the "Moon Eyes" on the cowl vent.



Here's the interior in 1958. Circled are a couple of timing tags installed above the windshield showing what speed the car had run at previous events. The transmission was a modified Olds Hydramatic.



Here is the last picture I have of it running as a coupe in 1959. It ran 136 mph at El Mirage that year. Note at the rear, below the trunk lid is lettered S D R C, for the San Diego Roadster Club.

While Lou did did run other cars which you'll see later, with his coupe
Lou Bingham made 6 trips to Bonneville and 27 trips to El Mirage.

1958 Record in Class,
1960 Record in Class,
1960 Fastest with coupe body 137.82 mph,
1960 Record (with Roadster body on Coupe chassis, with Coupe fenders) 147.78 mph that stood for 15 years.
1960 Ran with Roadster body without fenders 162.74 mph.

And don't forget, all this time, when he wasn't racing the coupe it was used as his daily driver. He even used the coupe to take his bride "Cricket" to Las Vegas on their honeymoon in 1966. So what became of his coupe?

Stand by.

Thomas

 

[BB767]

Been awhile since I've looked in this thread. WOW!

Welcome back bonneyman. Not sure what page you left us on but I bet there's some new interesting material to be found. Hope you enjoy it!

Thomas

Hi Thomas. Yes that is a scale test weight. At my previous employer we had a scale shop that would calibrate scales ranging from the electronic lab scales to the outside drive on truck scale.

Say a 500 lb. scale needed calibration. Weights would be brought to the scale, and the tech would load weights on to it to see how accurate the scale was. If it passed, great, if not he would make his adjustments and recheck.

We also did a periodic check of the weights. They would be weighed, if they were too light there was a plug (about the size of a quarter) that could be removed so lead shot could be added.

Great thread and great shop, take care!

John in Rochester NY

Many thanks John for that information. That is as I suspected but good to know for sure. And the weight could be used to tie a milk wagon horse to as well it seems. Bonus!

Thanks for an amazing story.

Fantastic...thank you Thomas for sharing Lou's saltflat history with us.

The photo of him with the well diggers shovel made me smile. An old colleague of mine used to occasionally say 'colder than a well diggers ***'. Sadly he is no longer with us.

Please continue with the history lesson, Chapter 3....4....5

You gentleman are more than welcome. I appreciate your interest and enthusiasm. Lou is just such an amazing, super fellow and I'm so fortunate he is willing to put up with my incessant questions about racing "back in the day". On our road trips together we're usually both hoarse from talking so much. While most of you can't be with him, I'm trying to give everyone a sense of what a great guy he is and some of his racing accomplishments.



When he's in town he's even willing to help me out with newer cars.

More's in store.

Thomas

 

[bonneyman]

I came across the rain chain idea while trying catch up on the thread. I gotta try that.

 

[HOTFR8]

Loving the old Hot Rod photos.

 

[stidham]

I love the old hot rod photos. I feel sometimes I was born 20 years too late. I was never a fan of the pro street rods.

 

[Spareparts]

Sure is slowing down here, I guess since Thomas retired he's found out like the rest of us retirees that you just get a lot busier. Hope you're having FUN...............

 

[markviii]

Busy around the home front. Getting the garage/barn ready to host some visitors soon. It's finally warming up, so outside work begins.

Happy Easter everyone.

Chris

 

[BB767]

Sure is slowing down here, I guess since Thomas retired he's found out like the rest of us retirees that you just get a lot busier. Hope you're having FUN...............

I must apologize for my seeming lack of attention here. I've been checking the thread but with the long days I've been putting in lately I haven't had much time to follow up. Retirement is a hoot but boy, do the days ever get filled in a hurry.

There have been some interesting behind the scenes developments that I'm not ready to disclose. Just check back if you would.

While I have your attention, would everyone who read and signed off on the traveling shop copy of Beltsville Shell please PM me when you get a chance.

Thanks everyone for your understanding.

Thomas

 

[impala4speed]

I must apologize for my seeming lack of attention here. I've been checking the thread but with the long days I've been putting in lately I haven't had much time to follow up. Retirement is a hoot but boy, do the days ever get filled in a hurry.

There have been some interesting behind the scenes developments that I'm not ready to disclose. Just check back if you would.

While I have your attention, would everyone who read and signed off on the traveling shop copy of Beltsville Shell please PM me when you get a chance.

Thanks everyone for your understanding.

Thomas

No need to apologize Thomas. We're always ready for more whenever you're ready to post.
One 'problem' I've discovered about retirement: You never get a day off! Good problem to have though.

 

[cub60]

Thomas - I am blown away by this project and thread. I have spent many hours reading this and I'm still not done. What an amazing restoration ! ! ! My compliments on such a detailed restoration. I love that you are using so many of the old tools/parts you have found.

You are an inspiration to all us garage/shop junkies.

Thank you for taking the time to record and post the project

 

[BB767]

As an update to all of you who have sent me a PM about Beltsville Shell, thank you.
I'm waiting to see if we can get everyone or close to everyone who has signed off on the traveling shop copy to PM me before I let you know what's going.
Last count was a total of 22 who had read and signed the shop copy.
Sit tight and don't be concerned if you haven't heard from me yet.
I've received 9 responses, but I'm waiting to see if I can get a few more.
I don't mean to be mysterious about this but it's just the way I want to do it.
Thanks for your help and understanding.

Thomas

 

[BB767]

Beltsville Shell status:

Here is an update with some of what has been going on behind the scenes.
At this point in time, the traveling copy of Beltsville Shell, now referred to as BS version 1.0, unfortunately has gone missing in action.

Over a month ago, after our visit with author Cary Thomas, I sent it to the next reader through the US Postal Service, via Priority Mail.
Sending it Priority Mail provided tracking information for the book.
Tracking had reveled it was delivered, unfortunately the addressee never received it so where it was delivered remains unknown.
The addressee has gone above and beyond the call of duty trying to track the book down himself with visits to neighbors, signs posted about it and repeated visits to the Post Office being a squeaky wheel to get them to track it down.
As of today, a month after it was supposedly delivered, it still hasn't seen the light of day.
The Philo Postmistress is talking personally with the head Postmaster on the receiving end to see if she can get them to devote more resources into finding it due to it's somewhat irreplaceable nature.
If by the end of this week it is still AWOL, I will send out BS version 2.0 and we'll try again.

I didn't think to make a copy of the inside cover with all the names while I had it but more than half of the original readers who signed off on it have sent me a Private Message so I know who you are.
I will record that information into version 2.0 and we'll just proceed from there.
I might recommend from this point on that it be sent Registered Mail. That requires everyone who touches it sign off on it, giving a chain of responsibility within the USPS.
All we can do is try.

It might seem silly to some, but the original idea had great merit and I think it still does.
The book is a terrific read, and besides sharing this thread we've been able to share the book.
While Chris and I were visiting Cary Thomas last month I secured another book copy that he personalized so that copy will become BS version 2.0.
While unfortunate, this is just another chapter in the story of the shop, this thread and that book.
Personally, I still think version 1.0 will show up. I did inscribe the title page with words to the effect that if the book is lost and then found, to send it to me, with my mailing address and noted that return postage was guaranteed. That might not help, but I thought it couldn't hurt.

So that's the state of the state at present. I've been doing routine spring landscaping and car maintenance lately and beginning the final phase of the tool shed cleanup, nothing terribly notable. Thanks again everyone.

Thomas

 

[gordyy]

Thank you for the hard work following up on BS version 1.0 (I have heard my wife refer to me as that before) and I am sure BS version 2.0 was to be a personal library treasure.
I hope to one day be online fast enough to hear when it comes up again. I always seem to be a day late and a dollar short. LOL
Thanks for the effort you and Chris put into this thread and the board, it just makes it all the more interesting and educational and dare I say I for one am glad there have been fewer and fewer mentions of the afore mentioned dreaded test.
Have a good one time to go back in the garage have the back (steering) axle all apart and parts on order for one of my tractors. that 4 wheel drive stuff is sure nice till it breaks!

 

[56vette461]

Beltsville Shell status:

So that's the state of the state at present. I've been doing routine spring landscaping and car maintenance lately and beginning the final phase of the tool shed cleanup, nothing terribly notable. Thanks again everyone.

Thomas

"TOOL SHED CLEANUP" Those three words will create all sorts of anticipation. There has to be a few surprises in there some place.

I do hope the BS 1.0 shows up. You, Chris and the readers have all done such a great job of creating a true history of GJ's members around the country and their devotion to the "garage/shop/man cave or ???. Thanks for all your efforts.