Innholdsfortegnelse for January 2023 i Hemmings Classic Car

“… once that car was mine, I wanted to make it better; just trading it off for a better one would have felt like quitting…” For fans of vintage vehicles, the topic of auto restoration is part and parcel of our world. Even if you have no interest in performing the work required to bring an old car back to its original state, you’ve likely had to consider what it takes to make that happen. My own pursuit of these skills was initially spurred the same way I suspect it was for many enthusiasts—I liked cars that were already many years beyond the showroom, and the examples of my favorites that I could afford were worn out and weathered. If I wanted one for myself that looked and performed as…

Find Your Bearings THE FILLING STATION • 800-841-6622 FILLINGSTATION.COM • $199.50/SET Tapered front wheel-bearing kits are available for the 1923-1940 Chevrolet cars, trucks, and GMC trucks. Each kit replaces your original ball-bearing type with tapered roller-type bearings, which require less maintenance and are easier to adjust. They’ll fit everything except 1933-’36 Standard passenger or utility trucks and Canadian models. The kits come with two inner and two outer tapered roller bearings with two front wheel seals, made specifically for this installation. They replace GM# 909001-2, 909501-2, 909601-2, and 909701-2. Inquire about p/n FS-178K. Flare Up CLASSIC TUBE 800-882-3711 CLASSICTUBE.COM $436.99 Stainless-steel tube flaring is easier than ever with this flaring tool kit designed for brake, fuel, transmission, vacuum, oil, coolant, hydraulic, or other hard-line applications for your vehicle. The universal…

“The lines were long and flowing; however, the first thing you noticed is how low they were.” In case you’re wondering, the title of today’s column is not about me stepping down from my position here at good old HCC. Rather, it has to do with the cars that never joined the “step-down” movement. In other words, it’s the handful of cars that never incorporated Hudson’s innovative step-down construction technique. You’ll recall that Hudson’s first post-World War II complete redesign was for the 1948 model year. It included sedans, coupes, and a convertible, all boasting an aerodynamic body shape. The lines were long and flowing; however, the first thing you noticed is how low they were. To people of that era, it seemed impossible someone could sit inside the new…

Sheetmetal fabrication and replacement mystifies a lot of us because it takes talent and patience to achieve the desired results. It also takes experience. However, every skill we learn has to start somewhere, and panel replacement is something you can learn both by doing and by watching others who know how to do it well. We’re going to illustrate how to patch and replace panels yourself in your home garage. To get there, you’re going to have to invest in, or rent, tools to do the job. Right off the top is a big one: You’re going to need a light-duty wire-feed MIG welder, which will enable you to stitch and “rosette” weld (also known as plug welding) sheetmetal components using household current. You’re also going to need the tools…

“I spent that whole summer learning how to work on cars just to keep it going…” Igrant, old Chevrolets are like belly buttons. Everybody has one, but nobody talks about them. Actually, I own two: A 1955 Bel Air Beauville station wagon and a 1958 Apache pickup. Why do I have them? Well, it all started back in 1958 when I acquired my first car, a 1947 Fleetline Aerosedan for $25. It ran, but it had 187,000 miles and needed everything. That old Chevy was a blessing, though. I spent that whole summer learning how to work on cars just to keep it going, all so I could take my steady girlfriend to the movies. I learned things like: The wires going to the spark plugs are arranged in a…

Rare Commander Comes to South Bend THE STUDEBAKER NATIONAL Museum has announced a new acquisition to its collection: a 1938 Studebaker Commander Stateconvertible sedan that can now be seen in its facilities. The car is thought to be one of just 224 made for the 1938 model year and, even more impressive, it’s thought to be one of less than a half-dozen still in existence. The limited convertible sedan was the most expensive model in the Studebaker lineup that year and it features classic styling by Raymond Loewy. Coachwork was courtesy of the Central Manufacturing Company of Connersville, Indiana, which provided bodies to many car companies of the time. The new addition to the museum is finished in Tulip Cream complemented by a green leather interior. The museum is located in…

EMAIL YOUR THOUGHTS AND COMMENTS TO: tmcgean@hemmings.com REGARDING “STEALTH STOPPING,” the disc brake conversion article in the September issue (HCC #216), I suggest less invasive alternatives: 1. Use a smaller-bore master cylinder. Sleeve the original master cylinder down by 1/8 inch. This gives more hydraulic psi for any given pedal pressure. The trade-off is more pedal travel, which is easily managed. 2. High friction linings. Learn friction codes and specify replacement drum brake linings with “GG” friction rating. Linings with EE friction will work with a power brake booster but not manual brakes. The FF friction is borderline acceptable. The friction information is supposed to be printed on the lining edge or shoe, but this is done inconsistently. 3. Soft lining composition for fast break-in. Linings with a lifetime warranty…

During the Fifties, Chrysler’s marketing department observed that more women were taking an interest in automobiles. Aside from the type of car, their opinions on which color car to buy were becoming part of the decision-making process. As a result, Chrysler built two show cars in 1954, named Le Comte and La Comtesse. Each concept was developed from the division’s Newport hardtop body and given a clear plastic roof over the passenger compartment. While the Le Comte was designed using masculine colors, the La Comtesse was painted Dusty Rose and Pigeon Grey to convey femininity. Favorable responses from the automotive press encouraged Chrysler to continue development of the La Comtesse concept in an attempt to make a connection with female customers. From the Chrysler La Comtesse concept came the Dodge…

Many people suddenly and unexpectedly found themselves with a good amount of free time on their hands in the spring of 2020. Some channeled their energy into watching movies on the couch; other, more goal-oriented shut-ins tackled creative projects. The fully renovated, near-daily-driven MG on these pages benefitted immeasurably from the concentrated attention its handy owner paid it in those extraordinary days, and we readers and fellow road-users get to enjoy the result. Two-seat sports cars from Abingdon, England, have been a part of Ken Blaisdell’s life from the time he was a teenager in the late 1960s. “When I graduated high school, my dad bought me a 1960 MGA,” the Gilbert, Arizona, resident tells us. “It needed a clutch, so the first thing I had to do was pull…

King Midget Basement Resto KING MIDGET CLUB MEMBERS STILL DON’T KNOW ALL THERE IS TO KNOW ABOUT THE PROTOTYPE FIBERGLASS ROADSTER THAT MIDGET MOTORS intended to build. How did the tiny Athens, Ohio-based company plan to power the car? Was it ever meant to have a top? What exactly caused its demise? Now that club president Lee Seats has the prototype in his garage in anticipation of a full restoration and subsequent public display, perhaps some answers will soon come to light. In the mid-Fifties, King Midget’s Dale Orcutt saw fiberglass as an opportunity to both cut some weight and design a body with more complex shapes than the steel-and-aluminum-bodied Model 2 and Model 3’s bodies without springing for more expensive tooling. He shaped a model out of clay, took…

“… we’re encouraging you to keep sending in those automotive-related adventures…” I hardly seems possible, but another lap around the sun is about to be completed. As I’m sure is the case with other like-minded enthusiasts, my celestial New Year is not marked by a solstice or equinox event, but rather the opening day of the AACA Eastern Fall Meet in Hershey, Pennsylvania. For those new to the hobby, the pilgrimage to Chocolate Town for old vehicles, parts, and memorabilia is a decades-long tradition, and I’ve been an eager participant since 1997, save but one due to the pandemic. This year’s multifaceted show, the second since “Tumultuous ’20,” could be considered a rebirth, much like solstices to our ancestors, after it was announced just over 12 months ago that…

Emblazoned on the side of the old General Motors building in Detroit are a series of large letter D’s that have left many a passerby wondering what they have to do with GM. They were put there to honor William Durant, the man who created General Motors, by the same people who pushed him out of General Motors. Billy Durant is a legend; he’s the man who envisioned an enormous automobile company before anyone was even certain the automobile was here to stay. While co-owner of a large horse-drawn-wagon manufacturing company in Flint, Michigan, Durant invested in David Buick’s struggling car company and used it as the foundation of an empire. He was a better visionary than he was a manager, however, and in 1912 his nascent General Motors got…