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 Friday, June 15, 2007
A Tale of Two Car Shows
Posted by John
This weekend is going to be a "tale of two car shows." There are not too many long-standing events in this hobby that I haven't been to, but the Bloomington Gold Corvette show is one of them. I'm driving there tomorrow and staying over for Saturday. I don't own a 'Vette, but I'll take my Chevy police car just to keep it "in the family." After a 5-hour ride home Saturday night, the next morning (Father's Day) I'll turn around and head south to the Milwaukee area for the British Car Field Days in Sussex, Wis. This show is alway held on Father's Day. My cars never win trophies, but my '54 MG TF did take first place for T-Series MGs last year. That's because it was the only T Series there. Bad weather kept the others away. This year the weather is supposed to be better, so I'll drive my trusty and dusty TF back again. No trophy I'm sure, but I will have the fun of the drive.
6/15/2007 4:51:46 PM (Central Daylight Time, UTC-05:00) 
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Thursday, June 14, 2007
It Ain't the '60s
Posted by John
Ain't it true that every Thursday I rant about what happened at the cruise (or is it "kruise") the night before? This week there was a better turnout of cars and people than normal. With so much activity, there was excitement in the air and a few of the younger enthusiasts started to do some street racing. They were screeching their tires, burning rubber and revvin' their engines just like in the old days. The only problem is, this isn't the old days. The laws are stricter, the fines are steeper and the gendarmes ("pooh-leece" if you will) ain't used to street racers. And another thing to think about is the speed equipment is better today, so the cars are probably faster. That kind of ups the danger level. If things get too much out of control, someone could get hurt . . . or killed. In my humble opinion, these guys (or gals) should cool it. This ain't the '60s. In fact, even back in the day, it was better to take behavior like that to the drag strip where it belonged.
6/14/2007 4:45:43 PM (Central Daylight Time, UTC-05:00)
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Wednesday, June 13, 2007
Saved From the Scrap Heap?
Posted by John
A few days ago I "blogged" about original cars and got one response from a man who was hoping he could fix the car he currently owns and loves, even though it's not a high-dollar classic. That made mw wonder how many of the cars we consider "collector cars" today were saved from the scrap heap at some time in their life. Did that shiny Oldsmobile you're driving to shows once have threadbare seats and a broken window? Did that pretty Plymouth you own desparately need a new transmission 25 years ago? Did your De Soto take a trip to the engine rebuilder back in the '70s? I think a lot of cars reach that point where an owner has to decide whether it's "worth saving." In many cases, the turning point comes when a car has absolutely no "book value" left and yet someone decides it's worth fixing It takes a lot of love to spend more on a car than the Blue Book says it's worth, but that's what turns many old cars into classic cars. Saving old iron is what this hobby is all about!
What do you think? Press the "comments" button and let me know. Tell us your opinion.
6/13/2007 11:20:12 PM (Central Daylight Time, UTC-05:00)
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Tuesday, June 12, 2007
GasolineAlley.com
Posted by John
If you enjoy fixing cars, I hope you have a computer and access to the Internet. The World Wide Web is a great source of how-to information for the home mechanic. Last night my son Jesse and I fixed his car. Jesse had noticed that he had two lug nut studs broken off. Numberous Internet sites covered thisd repair. Though somewhat different in detail, they all recommended pressing or tapping the old and broken studs free. Then, you insert new studs, slip two large washers over them and pull the studs into position with the original lug nuts. By following the instructions on the Internet, we had the job completely dine in under two hours. The total cost was about $4.50 for the new lugs. What we saved in labor will easily pay next month's bill for Internet service.
6/12/2007 12:52:09 AM (Central Daylight Time, UTC-05:00)
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Monday, June 11, 2007
They're Only Original Once
Posted by John
Car collectors like to say "They're only original once." After seeing a gorgeous original 1938 Buick Special business coupe at the "Average Joe Car Show" last weekend, I have to agree. Original cars, even with just a few pimples and flaws, havea very high level of collector appeal. John Merrick, who owns this car, collects both wood boats and old cars. He's been at it for years. In his car collection he has a 1955 Cadillac, two 1961 Corvettes, a 1967 Corvette and a 1971 Corvette. By any yardstick, that's a nice assortment of cars, but the 62,000 miles Buick Special really is special because it's untouched, with no restoration at all. Sure, it has some paint crazing. Sure, it has replacement wide whitewall tires. But the paint, chrome, interior and just about everything else are virtually untouched. Cars like the Buick are "time capsules" to the past. They are only original once. And collectors who own them should be thanked for keeping them that way.
6/11/2007 5:27:14 PM (Central Daylight Time, UTC-05:00)
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Saturday, June 09, 2007
The Ultimate Jaguar Resource
Posted by John
Like all of us, I love to prove my bosses wrong. Let's say you had a great idea for a new product your company could make and the boss thought it was a bad idea and took it off thew program. Wouldn't you be angry? That's exactly what happened to me and my side-kick Tom Collins about two years ago. We had just finished doing an exciting new book called The Standard Catalog of Jaguar when the boss came along and said it was on "permanent hold." In other words, the project was cancelled and even though we had it completely done, it was never going to see the light of day! Even though we thought it was "the greatest thing since sliced bread" it was going to wind up on the cutting room floor. Man, we were mad. (And our boss at that time was even British!) Fast forward two years later to 2007. We have a great new boss and we have a problem. An author promised a book and didn't do it. We need something to take its place. "How about the Jaguar book?" Tom says. Why not. Let's do it. So we dusted off The Standard Catalog of Jaguar and sent it to the printer. Now, it's back and it looks just dandy. So, now we hope the book sells like crazy. Then, when we see our old boss, we can rub it in and tell him, "See what you missed?" We don't expect you to want a Jaguar book if you're into Chevys or Packards. But if you're the type that likes Jaguars or the type that collects every book, we hope you'll buy a copy of this one (visit www.krausebooks.com to order). If we sell enough of these, we can show the old boss he was wrong. Wouldn't that be a great come-uppance?
6/9/2007 2:46:12 PM (Central Daylight Time, UTC-05:00)
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Friday, June 08, 2007
25 MPG Old Cars
Posted by John
As I mentioned in this blog recently, I think there is going to be a big swing in the hobby towards old cars with the best fuel economy. As gas prices rise and we start spending $60-$75 (oe more) each time we fill the tank on our old car, we're going to be forced into looking for ways to conserve fuel. Whether we like it or not, that 1947 Studebaker Champion that averages 19-23 mpg and gets 28-30 mog when driven at a nice, even pace, is going to start looking more and more appealing. While a Hemi 'Cuda might be worth a couple of million today, the Plymouth that's really going to appreciate (percentagewise) over the next few years is the short-wneelbase 1949-1951 model that used to win stock car races because it needed fewer fuel stops. Hobbyists are going to start buying, restoring and driving cars like these more and more each passing year. Since there's only so many old cars to go around, my advice is get in early. The 25-MPG old car is the hot collector's item of the future!
What do you think? Click "comments" below to post your opinion on this topic.
6/8/2007 7:30:40 AM (Central Daylight Time, UTC-05:00)
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Thursday, June 07, 2007
Heir Time
Posted by John
It was raining pretty good at last night's Waupaca Burger King Cruise (where you'll find me nearly any Wednesday) so the gathered car collectors had to stay inside and "bench race" for a few hours. Of all things, the hot topic of conversation was how to leave your cars to your kin when you're no longer around to drive them. The man who asked the question wondered if he should allocate his collection, one to the Missus and one to each kid. In that case, of course, you might have to sell or buy some cars to round off the numbers. Another view is to put values on the cars and equalize the inheiritance in terms of dollars. Still another way to plan (and the one I use) is to request that all the cars be sold and the money be split. That way, if the one heir wants to own the Airmobile, he can buy it with the cash. There are probably a dozen different ways to deal with this issue and you're free to pick your favorite, but here's my advice: DON'T PUT IT OFF! Based on personal experience, I can tell you that deciding what to do with your cars in not a pleasant thing to face, but it's important. The time to set the plan up is now! It may just be one of the most important choices you ever make.
What do you think on this topic? Click "comments" below and let us know, or email John.Gunnell@FWPubs.com, or call 715-445-2214 x248 or write John Gunnell, c/o Old Cars Weekly, 700 E. State St., Iola, WI 54990.
6/7/2007 2:52:13 PM (Central Daylight Time, UTC-05:00)
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Wednesday, June 06, 2007
In A Class of Their Own
Posted by John
Recently I attended a car show that I thought had a strange group of judging classes. The first class was for all cars from 1900 to 1954. Covering so many years and types of cars in the same class seemed like the perfect way to cut down the number of entries, which is not a good thing. We all know that postwar cars are popular today, but shouldn't we do something to encourage prewar car owners to come to the show? The promoters of the show had so many classes for more modern cars and modified cars, that they created one class that no cars at the show fit into. I couldn't help thinking that the three trophies that were not given out could have went to three prewar car owners. The show also had a class for four-door cars to encourage sedan owners to come. That was nice, but what about two-door sedans and station wagons? There was a class for featured cars (which were 1957 models) and the judging sheet indicated it was for "1957 Chevys." However, a featured '57 Buick was registered in that class. On the other hand, a featured '57 Olds wasn't. That seemed a little confusing to me. There was a class for Corvettes and all sports cars. Everytime I have gone to the show, the Corvettes take all three trophies. I have noticed that fewer and fewer other types of sports cars show up each year. Overall, I liked the show and enjoyed seeing all the cars that came. I think the organizers work hard and want to do a good event. I just felt that they could have made it an even better show by putting some more thought into their class structure. In a broader sense, I think this is true of a lot of shows. Car events planning should always include a follow-up meeting where good things are expanded upon and bad things are thrown out.
What do you think about today's old car hobby? Click"comments" below, or contact me by mail, phone or email. John Gunnell, Automotive Books Dept., Krause Publications, 700 E. State St., Iola, WI 54990. 715-445-2214 x248 or John.Gunnell@FWPubs.com.
(Thanks for listening.)
6/6/2007 9:22:04 AM (Central Daylight Time, UTC-05:00)
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Tuesday, June 05, 2007
Tool Time
Posted by John
Friday evening my friend Colin and I took a one-hour drive to our nearest Harbor Freight tool store in Appleton, Wis. Like two old dowagers, we grabbed our shopping carts and started going up and down the aisles. You could almost hear us asking the store clerk, "Hey sonny, can you reach me down one of those paint spray guns on the top shelf." The hardworking young folks employed at the store probably thought we got our retirement checks that afternoon and decided to buy some cheap pliers or screwdrivers to fix a broken kitchen drawer. I'll bet they were surprised when we asked them to run in the back and fetch a couple of sandblasters. "And we don't want the cheap one that's in the flyer," we said in unison. "Bring us two of the best ones you got and all the stuff that goes with them." Come to think of it, the great thing about old-car hobbyists is that we may be gray on top, but we've got buying power. And we don't need to buy "convenience" items like cell phones, DVD players, Palm Pals and laptops, but we do find it hard to imagine how anyone can go through life without an engine hoist or a drill press.
What do you think? Write me, call me, email me! Let me know what you're thinking about the old-car hobby. Gunner, 700 E. State St., Iola, WI 54990. (715) 445-2214 or John.Gunnell@FWPubs.com
6/5/2007 5:40:20 PM (Central Daylight Time, UTC-05:00)
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Monday, June 04, 2007
Gas Crisis
Posted by John
Gas prices are all I'm hearing about at car shows this year. It seems like we all have to adjust to the fact that our gas guzzlers and muscle cars may be a little less desirable than they were last year or the year before. That doesn't mean that car enthusiasts have to stop going to shows and events. Keep the big collector car in the garage or take it to local shows only. Then go out to the next car corral or auction and start looking for a collector car that gets 25 to 30 mpg. They do exist and they are available. Imported cars are one option. Cars made in countries like England, France or Italy were designed to use less gas. And there are very interesting variations from sports cars to sedans to station wagons. American automakers also produced cars that were good on gas. If you like them small, you can opt for a Crosley, a Hudson Jet, a Henry J or an Aero-Willys. If you need a little more room, take a look at the Nash 600, an entry-level 1950 Plymouth, almost any Kaiser or a Studebaker Champion. After all, they didn't call the later Champs "Scotsman" models for nothing. For an all around great combination of size, economy and convenient travel to shows, try the Corvair, Falcon or Valiant. Like I say, there are economical collector cars and we should all be buying at least one before the prices go wild.
Let's hear your thoughts. Click "comments" below or send me an email at John.Gunnell@FWPubs.com.
6/4/2007 12:09:20 PM (Central Daylight Time, UTC-05:00)
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Thursday, May 31, 2007
Cushy Jobs
Posted by John
At last evening's Wednesday Burger King Cruise Night in Waupaca, Wis., the topic of Cushman motor scooters came up. Cushmans are those snazzy two-wheel jobs that cost a couple of hundred bucks back in the '50s. At that time, gas was cheap and people who bought Cushman scooters were usually more interested in smiles-per-mile than miles-per-gallon. Things are all different now and one man at the cruise was remarking as how he was going to buy an old Cushman to save money getting to the Burger King on Wednesday nights. It didn't take long for another fellow to pipe up and say, "I got news for you, a restored Cushman is going to cost you about $7,000 and it's going to take you a long time to offset the price of one with your fuel savings!" Well, he can always get a Vespa. In fact, I know a Ferrari dealer in Milwaukee who sells them (like crazy these days).
Got some thoughts on this blog or about others? I want to know what you think. Click "comments" below and send them to me. If that doesn't work on first try, make a second try. If that doesn't work reach me by email at John.Gunnell@FWPubs.com.
5/31/2007 6:38:54 AM (Central Daylight Time, UTC-05:00)
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