Innholdsfortegnelse for April 2024 i Hemmings Classic Car

“Back then, my restoration ambition was vastly larger than my budget, and to an extent, still is today.” AT THE TIME of this writing, we’ve just celebrated another holiday season. It’s hard to believe it was my 51st and, fortunately, I’ve yet to be visited by the Ghost of Christmas Past. That’s not to say I haven’t racked up my fair share of slightly regrettable, misguided shenanigans (such as the parking brake speed test in a rented minivan while navigating a New Hampshire mountain road after a hike nearly 30 years ago). Or that I haven’t been visited by the Ghost of Project Past. It’s happened plenty, and not just during the panic-stricken gift shopping weeks that follow Thanksgiving. Frequent visits from the Ghost of Project Past started as soon…

EMAIL YOUR THOUGHTS AND COMMENTS TO: mlitwin@hemmings.com THANK YOU FOR THE RECENT Classic Car issue featuring the Buick Roadmaster Estate Wagon on the cover. I got great pleasure out of reading the article. There is always a lot of focus on the Corvette-engine models, but the very earliest wagons didn’t have that engine and usually writers forget they exist. I am the lucky owner of a 63,000-mile 1991 version equipped with a 5.0-liter. By the size of the oil filter and some other parts it appears it is a 305-cu.in. engine and not a 307. In any event, it isn’t speedy. It is a Plain-Jane 9-seat version in silver blue with no wood sides, with a dark blue velour interior and tilt wheel. It has power windows and air conditioning, but…

FOR YEARS, the Jeep name was associated with military vehicles like the World War II-era Jeep MB. Afterwards, that legendary vehicle was replaced by the Jeep MC. The MC was in turn superseded by the MD that, in civilian form, became the CJ-5. Willys-Overland—renamed Willys Motor Company when it purchased by Kaiser in 1953—produced thousands of military Jeeps during the Korean War and for a short time thereafter. Then, the military took a pause, and Willys didn’t build any military Jeeps for the U.S. during 1956. This worried Willys management since military contracts were lucrative and, prior to 1956, military Jeeps were a big seller. Civilian Jeep sales, as well as passenger car sales, were not growing, which squeezed profit margins. New Sales Vice President Cruse Moss was ordered to…

SPONSORED BY GULLWING MOTOR CARS When barn-find aficionado supreme John Fardone was summoned by his good friend Rich Riley of Phillipsburg, New Jersey, to help dig out a prized Plymouth muscle car stashed away over four decades previous, he was amazed to see what was blocking the one way out of the storage facility. “Rich had collected a lot of cars over the years,” John says, “filling two warehouses. This building was chock full of killer rides, with the Hemi-powered Road Runner sitting in the back corner. When I got there to pull it out, this wicked cool 1961 Pontiac Catalina drop-top was in our way.” It was no surprise there would be some issues getting the Plymouth out of its four-decade resting spot. Rich had amassed a mega collection…

MATCHBOX MOTORWAY NO. 12 ASKING PRICE: $100 FOUND AT: 2023 AACA EASTERN FALL MEET (HERSHEY, PENNSYLVANIA) WHEN SOMEONE MENTIONS “slot car track,” what comes to mind? The once widely popular 1:24 and 1:32 scale tri-lane-and-up super tracks that were erected in warehouse-sized buildings? Perhaps the two-lane HO-scale Tyco and AFX layouts countless kids yearned for during the holiday season? Thinking small, there were other HO-scale companies too, but the basic track system designs were essentially all the same, though not often interchangeable: Snap-together sections of track that featured a center groove and twin metal power strips, along with two controllers and two cars fitted with electric motors. Exciting as the racing action could be, the common at-home HO-scale sets did suffer from some limitations. Just two lanes notwithstanding, observant racers likely…

Equipage is a word that has long been absent from everyday conversations. Over a century ago, it was more prevalent, for attendant-accompanied horse-and-carriage mobility among sophisticated elite was barely in the rear-view mirror of luxury motorcars like that of Marmon. Its four-cylinder powered Model Thirty-Two and six-cylinder motivated Model Forty-Eight were both available with chauffeured coachwork.…

“The anti-theft systems I outlined are still suitable for my needs.” IN MY LATE teens I aspired to become a musician. Some friends had formed a band, and they needed a bass player, so I borrowed an old, full-size bass fiddle, and learned to gut tub it. We called ourselves the Paragons, and our first big gig was at the Teen Canteen in Lakewood, California. I saw it as a stepping stone to a star-studded future. There was a great crowd, and we played our hearts out. Afterwards, we left the building tired but elated just in time to see our transportation—the drummer’s 1954 Ford station wagon—speed off into the night. Two minutes sooner and we would have caught the thief, but here we were, standing at the curb with…

RESTORING A VINTAGE vehicle can be broken down into a handful of basic steps, beginning with its acquisition. Thereafter, it progresses through disassembly, repairs, paint, and reassembly. Sounds easy, but most are aware that undertaking a restoration requires time, money, patience, and persistence. Going from start to finish isn’t a snap of the fingers. So, imagine restoring the same car twice. Sort of. “My dad, Tom, started working at Hahn & Sons Studebaker [which later switched to Dodge] in Leighton, Pennsylvania, while in high school. In the mid-Sixties, this 1956 Packard Patrician was traded in. I’ve heard that it had transmission trouble. Another story was that it was used as a parts hauler for a few years. Whatever the case, the Packard was parked until the late ’80s when the…

1966 FORD BRONCO The utilitarian appeal of the original Ford Bronco has never dimmed, and nowhere was that more evident than bidders’ reaction to this single-familyowned 1966 Bronco Wagon, whose honest presentation and unimpeachable provenance proved irresistible to the tune of more than doubling the reserve. For the winner’s money, they got a functioning inline-six engine, column-shift three-speed manual, and four-wheel drive with a leaking transfer case. Oxidation covered the factory Rangoon Red paint, and some rust was noted on the sheetmetal and undercarriage. Inside the cabin, the materials had held up well. The truck came with service records and extra wheels, and it promised a fine base for restoration. Reserve: $15,000 Selling Price: $38,325 Recent Market Range: $15,200-$25,000 1949 OLDSMOBILE 98 A cream-yellow, V-8-powered postwar convertible was the ultimate…

1 HEALEY COOLING MOSS MOTORS 800-667-7872 Get the most out of your Austin-Healey’s cooling system with one of these new radiator assemblies. The updated brass radiators are accurate reproductions of those used in the Healey 100-4, 100-6 and 3000 models. They’re also said to provide an extra 25 percent of cooling capability due to their special core made with extra cooling tubes and fins. They have the correct fitting so the original temperature gauge can be used with these new units. Ask about p/n 834-989 (1953-’56 100-4) and 834-990 (100-6, 3000). $1,399 mossmotors.com 2 GM TRUCK WHEELS WHEEL VINTIQUES 800-959-2100 These 42-Series OE-style Rallye wheels are made for classic GM trucks spanning multiple years. The wheels are built with new components, and each features two-piece steel construction and an OEM-style…

MY STORY BEGINS when I moved to Richmond, Virgina, to earn my degree from dental school. I was driving borrowed family cars to use; essentially whatever was available from a motley collection. One was an ancient Mercedes-Benz 220. I was fairly knowledgeable about cars and had already had a lively and intimate history when I met Marybeth. I knew she was special, and she seemed to be interested in me too, but various distractions prevented us from getting serious with each other—by the fall of that year, things had changed, and we were practically living together. The feeling surprised me a little, but I had no doubt she was the one. Marybeth and I had had multiple adventures with the Mercedes, including just keeping it running. As it became more…