jsaw
Well-known member
As far as the money on the wall, I have heard that when a business opens up, some people will sign their name on the first dollar that they spend at the business. The business owner tacks the signed bill on the wall.
Above 1200 Sq/FT Restored 1930's Auto Shop
- Thread starter BB767
- Start date
Wokspaces above 1200 squarefeet.
Re: Rt.66 Part 9
Yes Pete, there are numerous model cars sold here that only come with a can of Fix-A-Flat instead of a proper spare tire for the very reasons you cited. Its been going on for several years now. Every tire service center I know hates, hates, hates to deal with a tire that had a foam fill repair. It's not exclusive to the UK!
Thomas
Yes Pete, there are numerous model cars sold here that only come with a can of Fix-A-Flat instead of a proper spare tire for the very reasons you cited. Its been going on for several years now. Every tire service center I know hates, hates, hates to deal with a tire that had a foam fill repair. It's not exclusive to the UK!
Thomas
stillp
Well-known member
Re: Rt.66 Part 9
Thanks Thomas, I thought it wouldn't be exclusive to Europe, but I haven't noticed anyone mention it on GJ.
It's not just messy, it makes a proper inspection of the inside of the tyre impossible, so over here they'll just refuse to touch it.
Thanks for the great Route 66 story as well!
Pete
Thanks Thomas, I thought it wouldn't be exclusive to Europe, but I haven't noticed anyone mention it on GJ.
It's not just messy, it makes a proper inspection of the inside of the tyre impossible, so over here they'll just refuse to touch it.
Thanks for the great Route 66 story as well!
Pete
Rt.66 Part 11, The End Is Coming!
Leaving Arizona and crossing into southern California on Rt.66, are some of the more remote and dry area's of the trip. We timed the date of the trip so we would be driving this area in early spring and the outside air temperatures would be moderate, an important consideration if you're driving a vintage car with no A/C! Driving across the Mojave Desert we were literally off the map.
Above is a picture of the navigation screen in the Corvette while we were driving on Rt.66. The old highway is not depicted, only the interstate. Paper maps are highly recommended since modern electronic devices may or may not show the Mother Road!
We came to Goffs...
...which is essentially a ghost town now. The old school was restored but not much else remains.
These kind of abandoned places have an eerie presence about them that's hard to explain. And speaking of abandoned places...
...is Roy's in Amboy, CA. While not entirely abandoned...
... Roy's Motel certainly is. At one time there were dozens of these stand alone cabins to provide shelter for travelers at Roy's.
This could easily have been a scene from about 55 years ago checking in, complete with vintage suitcase. However, inside the cabins now...
...weren't all that inviting.
Near Newberry Springs CA, is...
...the Bagdad Cafe. Built in the 1950's, it was the location of the 1988 film,"Bagdad Cafe" and is still serving Buffalo Burgers.
More sights along the way...
JG
JG
Past Barstow, near Oro Grade, CA you'll come across the "Bottle Tree Ranch". Words completely fail me here to describe this, ah, well, umm, this work of art! Take a look...
JG
It just goes on and on and on like this, open to the public, no one around, just an artist sharing his work and vision with everyone. Clearly we were now in California!
Driving through the Cajon Pass, elevation; 4,300' (1,310m), after Victorville and coming to our last overnight stay of the trip in San Bernardino. From the map, you can easily see we are now back in civilization for better or worse!
This last overnight was the one vintage motel I was looking forward to.
We reserved our Wigwams ahead of time to ensure we got one.
Built in 1949, the Wigwam Motel, https://www.wigwammotel.com/ is an iconic part of Rt.66.
The grounds and wigwams...
...are impeccably maintained. There are a total of 19 individual wigwams and I had...
...#19, the last available! (Pictured is #15) The room was neat and tidy and a great way to end the overnight portion of the trip.
Next day we set off to the Santa Monica Pier and the ending point of Rt.66.
Along the way, we did stop to inspect
... this restored Richfield service station in Cucamonga, CA. Wow, it was amazing. It has been at that location for over 100 years, originally built in 1915!
JG
So after 2 weeks of relatively light to no traffic, here we are mixing it up with LA area traffic. Culture shock!
There's not much to see in the LA part of the route but I did get a peek at the Capital Records building in downtown LA, which is important to those of us who still cherish and play vinyl records.
If you get there early enough, you can park right at the pier.
Here's the gang, finally at the finish point.
I'd waited most of my life to drive the whole Route 66 and see this sign at the end of the pier. It was easily one of the high points of my life. Not up there with marrying Chris or getting my type rating in a Boeing 767 mind you, but still up there!
Both the new Corvette and the '66 Chevelle drove the whole trip without missing a beat. Driving in a vintage car is cool enough, but if you want a stress free trip, use a more modern vehicle. It's a tough, long trip so if you're going to use an older vehicle, make completely sure of its mechanical condition and even then be prepared by bringing tools and spares, just in case.
With that, my fellow friends drove a few mile to their homes and they were done. Not so for Steve and I. We spent an overnight just north of LA and then drove non stop, except for food and fuel, all the way back to Philo, over 2,000 miles (3,219 km) in about 34 hours.
My profound thanks to everyone for all your patience, understanding and support to encourage me to post about the trip. We left almost 1 year ago, April 27, 2019. Glad we did it then and not now!
Next up, I'll catch you up on what's been going on in The Center Of The Universe!
Sheltering in place Thomas
Leaving Arizona and crossing into southern California on Rt.66, are some of the more remote and dry area's of the trip. We timed the date of the trip so we would be driving this area in early spring and the outside air temperatures would be moderate, an important consideration if you're driving a vintage car with no A/C! Driving across the Mojave Desert we were literally off the map.
Above is a picture of the navigation screen in the Corvette while we were driving on Rt.66. The old highway is not depicted, only the interstate. Paper maps are highly recommended since modern electronic devices may or may not show the Mother Road!
We came to Goffs...
...which is essentially a ghost town now. The old school was restored but not much else remains.
These kind of abandoned places have an eerie presence about them that's hard to explain. And speaking of abandoned places...
...is Roy's in Amboy, CA. While not entirely abandoned...
... Roy's Motel certainly is. At one time there were dozens of these stand alone cabins to provide shelter for travelers at Roy's.
This could easily have been a scene from about 55 years ago checking in, complete with vintage suitcase. However, inside the cabins now...
...weren't all that inviting.
Near Newberry Springs CA, is...
...the Bagdad Cafe. Built in the 1950's, it was the location of the 1988 film,"Bagdad Cafe" and is still serving Buffalo Burgers.
More sights along the way...
JG
JG
Past Barstow, near Oro Grade, CA you'll come across the "Bottle Tree Ranch". Words completely fail me here to describe this, ah, well, umm, this work of art! Take a look...
JG
It just goes on and on and on like this, open to the public, no one around, just an artist sharing his work and vision with everyone. Clearly we were now in California!
Driving through the Cajon Pass, elevation; 4,300' (1,310m), after Victorville and coming to our last overnight stay of the trip in San Bernardino. From the map, you can easily see we are now back in civilization for better or worse!
This last overnight was the one vintage motel I was looking forward to.
We reserved our Wigwams ahead of time to ensure we got one.
Built in 1949, the Wigwam Motel, https://www.wigwammotel.com/ is an iconic part of Rt.66.
The grounds and wigwams...
...are impeccably maintained. There are a total of 19 individual wigwams and I had...
...#19, the last available! (Pictured is #15) The room was neat and tidy and a great way to end the overnight portion of the trip.
Next day we set off to the Santa Monica Pier and the ending point of Rt.66.
Along the way, we did stop to inspect
... this restored Richfield service station in Cucamonga, CA. Wow, it was amazing. It has been at that location for over 100 years, originally built in 1915!
JGSo after 2 weeks of relatively light to no traffic, here we are mixing it up with LA area traffic. Culture shock!
There's not much to see in the LA part of the route but I did get a peek at the Capital Records building in downtown LA, which is important to those of us who still cherish and play vinyl records.
If you get there early enough, you can park right at the pier.
Here's the gang, finally at the finish point.
I'd waited most of my life to drive the whole Route 66 and see this sign at the end of the pier. It was easily one of the high points of my life. Not up there with marrying Chris or getting my type rating in a Boeing 767 mind you, but still up there!
Both the new Corvette and the '66 Chevelle drove the whole trip without missing a beat. Driving in a vintage car is cool enough, but if you want a stress free trip, use a more modern vehicle. It's a tough, long trip so if you're going to use an older vehicle, make completely sure of its mechanical condition and even then be prepared by bringing tools and spares, just in case.
With that, my fellow friends drove a few mile to their homes and they were done. Not so for Steve and I. We spent an overnight just north of LA and then drove non stop, except for food and fuel, all the way back to Philo, over 2,000 miles (3,219 km) in about 34 hours.
My profound thanks to everyone for all your patience, understanding and support to encourage me to post about the trip. We left almost 1 year ago, April 27, 2019. Glad we did it then and not now!
Next up, I'll catch you up on what's been going on in The Center Of The Universe!
Sheltering in place Thomas
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Re: Rt.66 Part 11, The End Is Coming!
Thomas:
THANKS for sharing !!! I travelled (with Mom & Dad) from our home in eastern OK, to LA area, in about 1971, seeing *some* of the sites along the way of the old hwy..... THANKS so much for all of your work and DETAILS of the great places on the mother road !!!
Sincerely,
James Jensen Jacksonville, FL (working 2 weeks at the office, then 2 weeks from home, right now...)
Thomas:
THANKS for sharing !!! I travelled (with Mom & Dad) from our home in eastern OK, to LA area, in about 1971, seeing *some* of the sites along the way of the old hwy..... THANKS so much for all of your work and DETAILS of the great places on the mother road !!!
Sincerely,
James Jensen Jacksonville, FL (working 2 weeks at the office, then 2 weeks from home, right now...)
Grizz1963
Well-known member
Loving the updates.
Bottle Ranch.....
Bottle Ranch.....
I saw the picture of the Capitol Records building and I remember that Garth Brooks released a album called No Fences. He was filmed standing on top of the building from a helicopter. My younger brother shot the spot and was telling me about it. Said it was for Garth somebody. Been to Santa Monica Pier many time as he lived just a couple miles from there. Thanks for the trip on Rt.66
BuffettFan
Well-known member
What a great adventure Thomas!
Thanks for taking us along!
Thanks for taking us along!
zmotorsports
ALLIANCE MEMBER
What a great looking trip. Thanks for taking us along.
stillp
Well-known member
Wow!
Pete
Pete
1949 caddyman
Well-known member
C_F
ALLIANCE MEMBER
The bottle tree ranch is just nuts! The Wigwam Motel is in much better shape than I expected, I'm glad to see the current owners have kept it in good shape.
Thanks again for taking us all along, that was fun!
Thanks again for taking us all along, that was fun!
Homebody
Well-known member
Thank You Thomas! Plan on doing this next year and these posts are of great value! May even copy it exactly - hotels and all!
Old Man Roger
Well-known member
I don't know why I know this, but Oprah and Gail stopped at the Wigwam on a televised road trip..lol
JJC
Well-known member
Have you ever seen the Disney movie Cars . My Son loved to watch it The movie is based A town on Rt66 The hotel was called the cozy cone motel you got your own Road construction cone as your Room Thanks for Shareing your trip
rmalkow2
Well-known member
A great tour of the old Route and your great adventure. One I hope to do as well possibly next year. Your recap and photos really bring the trip to life. Thanks for sharing!
Bob
Bob
Stuart in MN
Well-known member
Re: Rt.66 Part 11, The End Is Coming!
I believe the Capitol Records building is just down the street from the old Petersen Publishing building (former home of Hot Rod, Car Craft, Rod and Custom and on and on.)
There's not much to see in the LA part of the route but I did get a peek at the Capital Records building in downtown LA, which is important to those of us who still cherish and play vinyl records.
I believe the Capitol Records building is just down the street from the old Petersen Publishing building (former home of Hot Rod, Car Craft, Rod and Custom and on and on.)
eseibel67
Member
Ya watching this vacation slide show was like the storyboard for Cars.
Congrats on the trip, everyone has this one on the bucket list yet few cross it off. C7 is quite a versatile device, can move 2 people and gear in great comfort or act like Lighting McQeen. Wouldn't count on the dash map though, paper folding ones are way better.
Yes, I have seen it JJC! The town in that movie was called...
...Radiator Springs and here are a few vehicles from it...
On several occasions some of the towns we drove through reminded us of the movie. The Cozy Cone Motel in the movie was a take off of the Wigwam Motel. Traffic cones instead of Wigwams for your room. You'll see the movie was truer to life than you might realize once you've driven the old road. It really was kind of sad in many cases. The old towns were literally just rotting away. Thanks for the movie reminder.
Thomas
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Thank You Thomas! Plan on doing this next year and these posts are of great value! May even copy it exactly - hotels and all!
You'll have lots of fun Laine. I only highlighted here a few places from our itinerary. There's an ebb and flow on this kind of trip. Something we'd normally stop for but if the weather was crummy for example, we'd just drive on by. Not sure how many shops and motels might still be open next year. The present "shelter at home" situation may permanently close several of these marginal small businesses unfortunately. Best to call them up ahead of time and see if they're still in operation.
Without overstating it, the C7 is truly a remarkable car. This trip and other trips like it are exactly what I had in mind when I bought it. I wanted a Grand Turismo, that is a car with speed, style and comfort.
IMHO, the C7 is that and more.
Thomas
RADcustom
Well-known member
I’m really surprised you didn’t post any pics of the inside of the rooms at the wigwam motel. I was curious what the inside looked like.
Well what I did instead of taking pictures, this time I took a video of the inside, standing with my back to the front door and panning from one side to the other......and now I'm having issues getting it to play and may very well have deleted it.
I thought I could then frame grab a picture from the video that way.However if it's any consolation, nothing unique about the interior, furnishings or themed in any way. As I recall now, the inside ceiling does follow the outside contours so it extends and tapers up pretty high. Because of the overall circular shape, the 2 beds sit on an angle opposite each other on the outsides of the room with an aisle down the middle of the room from the front door to the bathroom which is situated at the back and in the middle, if that makes any sense. Pretty ordinary from that standpoint which was a little disappointing except the room is round and exceptionally clean and well maintained. The bathroom was 1950's porcelain tile walls and floor.
The paper jacket that room key comes in is cool enough though.
Sorry to disappoint, I wanted pictures myself and thought making a video would do that. Guess I'll just have to go back there on another trip, oh well!
Thomas
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RADcustom
Well-known member
Thank you for the description. I was expecting the inside to be as unique as the outside.
Also, thank you for the great documentation of your trip and for sharing it here for all to enjoy.
Anything but disappointed Russell
Also, thank you for the great documentation of your trip and for sharing it here for all to enjoy.
Anything but disappointed Russell
sean Buick 76
Well-known member
Very cool!
Lotusnut
Well-known member
Well what I did instead of taking pictures, this time I took a video of the inside, standing with my back to the front door and panning from one side to the other......and now I'm having issues getting it to play and may very well have deleted it.
I grabbed this from the internet. Is it correct?
Attachments
A couple pictures of the Wigwam room we stayed in. Thanks for your pictures and stories along Route 66. We have done the western MO border to the Wigwam motels on the West end. It did not work for us to go all the way to the pier. Hope to do MO and IL some time.
Sent from my iPad using Garage Journal
Sent from my iPad using Garage Journal
Foamspoon
Member
Good stuff as someone else said I love old barns and garages like this!
A couple pictures of the Wigwam room we stayed in. Thanks for your pictures and stories along Route 66. We have done the western MO border to the Wigwam motels on the West end. It did not work for us to go all the way to the pier. Hope to do MO and IL some time.
Sent from my iPad using Garage Journal
Yup, that's it, nothing real remarkable but as you can see, it's nicely furnished and clean. I thought the ceiling was higher and more tapered than that......but then I've slept since I was out there! Thank you so much for helping out with the pictures.
All in all, still a fun experience to sleep in a Teepee!
Thomas
Nuts
Well-known member
Well I've caught up, again. Ten years in the making, probably one year of reading.
The guy at the Bottle Tree Ranch liked Ford Wheels.
The guy at the Bottle Tree Ranch liked Ford Wheels.
Well done Nuts! Hope you liked it. Of course being caught up was only temporary, more is headed this way!
When I've mentioned on the Rt 66 trip, being prepared for a long road trip with old cars, this is the vintage Snap On tool box we took, well stocked with tools.
It was 2 piece and fit nicely in the trunk of the Chevelle. And it turns out the Shelby needed them. I've got some parking lot repair pictures somewhere but can't find them at the moment.
Anyway, if I wasn't so busy I'd do more posting here. I'm in the middle of some Corvette maintenance right now out in the old shop.
The hidden headlights on mid-year Corvettes are electrically operated along with a gear reduction box to deploy or stow them. Over time...
...the grease in the gear box gets dried up, sticky and tacky such that they operate very slowly.
The old grease needs to be removed and everything cleaned up...
...and inspected.
Both main drive gears showed typical wear so replacements were sourced and installed. Then everything was repacked with new, marine grade silicone grease. Sorry, no pictures of that.
The motor armatures were cleaned and reconditioned as well. The brushes looked to be in excellent condition so they were left as is. After all that, everything was reassembled and bench tested A OK!
To be continued.I trust everyone is safe and well as are Chris and myself. We are sheltering place very nicely. We've plenty to keep us busy. See you all next time.
Thomas
HOTFR8
Banned
Looks like I will not see you at Bonneville this year.
I'm sorry to hear that Simon. I was hoping we'd have more time together this year but I fully understand. Traveling the distance you have to with the current world problems would certainly be daunting. I'll post in about Speed Week so you won't miss out completely. Lou's car, #19...
...has been entered once again and Lou is listed as the primary driver. Stand by!
Thomas
HOTFR8
Banned
I am still working on some Bottle caps for Lou for his key rings. Trying to find some he may not have seen before. I had hoped to take them with me or pass to a friend to take to Bonneville but I doubt even that will happen.
zmotorsports
ALLIANCE MEMBER
Great job servicing the headlight stowing mechanisms. I like seeing things like this disassembled, cleaned and repaired vs. just throwing new aftermarket reproductions in.
rjcsandiego
Member
I didn't know that anything that was greasy actually went into the solvent tank..........except when we were there!
rmalkow2
Well-known member
I'm sorry to hear that Simon. I was hoping we'd have more time together this year but I fully understand. Traveling the distance you have to with the current world problems would certainly be daunting. I'll post in about Speed Week so you won't miss out completely. Lou's car, #19...
...has been entered once again and Lou is listed as the primary driver. Stand by!
Thomas
Great news that Lou’s car will be back and he will drive it this year. I will be there to cheer him on as well as many others. And this year I don’t have other travel conflicts to make me leave early but am planning to be ther the whole week. I look forward to see you you and Lou and hope other GJ members can make the trip.
Oh, and I’m starting early with my prayers for dry weather.
Bob
Great job servicing the headlight stowing mechanisms. I like seeing things like this disassembled, cleaned and repaired vs. just throwing new aftermarket reproductions in.
Boy have you come to the right place. Servicing, restoring old things be it car, equipment or buildings, that's what this thread is all about. Some examples...
Restoring the 1928 Rotary Lift.
Restoring a 1943 Walker Floor Jack.
Restoring a 1953 ECO Air Meter.
Restoring a 1944 Yates American Planer
Those are just a few of the items restored or reconditioned and serviced here. If I can reuse the old "stuff" I will! Thanks zmotorsports for your interest in vintage material.
Boy, Roland did I get a big laugh out of your post! A little background on cleaning those motors up. Things that greasy never go in my solvent tank. They are always pre-cleaned ahead of time. Virtually all the old grease was scraped and wiped out before they went into the solvent tank.
Notice there's only a small wet spot in the tank. That's because they were so clean before I put them in there to do the final clean up, I only had to spray a little brake cleaner and use the tooth brush to get into all the crevasses. The bulk of all the grease was already gone. I didn't need to fire up the solvent tank at all. The tank tub was just a convenient place where I did the final scrub and rinse. Your reputation is still intact. Rest assured, you guys put more grease into that tank the few weeks you've used it than I have in over 14 years! Never fear!!
Great news that Lou’s car will be back and he will drive it this year. I will be there to cheer him on as well as many others. And this year I don’t have other travel conflicts to make me leave early but am planning to be ther the whole week. I look forward to see you you and Lou and hope other GJ members can make the trip.
Oh, and I’m starting early with my prayers for dry weather.
Bob
Excellent Bob. You and a bunch of us are pulling for dry, hard salt this year. As the event gets closer, we'll set something up with other GJ members who will be attending.
Jacob has done some addition work to his bike and we fully expect to set another record or two with it if we have good salt. Last year Jake Jr only made a couple of passes with it and the track was so awful they packed up and went home.
We didn't even make a single pass with Jake Jr's blown Harley last year. Very disappointing but it just wasn't safe to ride. So let's all put out some positive vibes for good salt this year.
Thanks everyone.Thomas