Just a
note to say Hello and bring you up to date on the Stanley
Restoration. The BettyAnne is coming along well - more slowly than
I thought, but clearing making progress.
My little machine shop finished the three new shackle pins and
put in some new bearings on springs and spring hangers. The two
front springs are in place - yes, she is actually beginning to go
back together! Tomorrow I'll take three large and very greasy items
to Trinity Castings where they will be degreased. Later in the
week, I'll take some of the larger parts to a brake shop that has a
media blasting operation. I am setting up a lot of parts to do a
major application of primer paint in the next week or so.
Today the engines came back from Herb Kephart. At least I think
the engines came back. I have not opened the crates yet. They
came back in the same crates I sent them, and the crates appear to
have been opened, so I hope Herb actually did something to the
engines. Unhappily, we ran a little short of cash to pay Herb, so
we have sent our daughter, CJ, to Pennsylvania as an indentured
servant for the next seven years. She will start by sweeping Herb's
shop, but I have no doubt that she will be an excellent machinist by
the time she is 23. This also saves on private school tuition.
I spent the day cleaning the remaining spring hangers and they
are ready for primer. I got re-acquainted with the bead blaster and
the carburetor cleaner today. I am almost ready to reassemble the
front end. The brakes have been done for some time now. The wheels
are at Calimers and should be done in a few months.
I have a lead on a 23" Empire Burner - we'll see how that pans
out in the next week or so. If that deal happens (or does not
happen!), I'll make final boiler decisions. Marvin's 1925 Stanley
has a boiler ring - he sent drawings and measurements. Walter's
1925 Stanley does not have a boiler ring. My car does not have a
boiler ring. Marvin's frame and my frame are the same - tapered
toward the front. Walter's frame is not tapered toward the front.
The more I learn, the more I think these guys were slapping
together anything they could get running to get it out of the
Stanley factory in 1925.
Thanks to Walter, I am now 100% certain about tire size. Coker
has them and we will make that purchase in a few weeks. Should I
get white walls?
I finally got the bezel off the duplex gauge on the dash board.
I finally cut a grove in the edge of the bezel with a Dreml Tool and
used a cold chisel to tap it off. It was out of round and had glass
shards in the threads. There was no way I was ever going to get a
grip on it to turn it off.
The glass is useable and I have a spare bezel off a junk gauge I
found a year ago. It fit perfectly and is an identical match. You
can never have too many parts! I hated damaging an original part of
the car, but no one will ever know when they see the finished car.
Who is a good plating house for gauge housings and bezels?
Yesterday I bought boiled linseed oil and pure turpentine to make
British Museum Furniture Polish. I'll use this on the dash board
wood and the large block of oak that sits behind the fire wall.
This will clean the wood and give it a bit of life. This stuff is
used on the finest antique clocks and furniture. I'll probably use
in on the body as well.
I found a Steward speedometer cable at the Chickasha, OK car
show. It is 55" long, which I think is long enough to get from the
pump pit to the speedometer. Mine was missing, so I have no
measurement. Yes, the speedometer cable comes from the generator in
the pump pit on the Model SV.
Any recommendations on the best speedometer re-builder out
there? Who do you recommend to rebuild gauges? John Packard has
the valves and automatics, but I don't think he does gauges. I hope
John will have finished these parts in time to bring them to
Delaware in June.
Speaking of Delaware in June, I've scheduled a day (Saturday) to
go to Allentown and meet with Tom Raub to talk about SV production
in Allentown. I think he has some paper I have not yet seen.
I am compiling a list of the casting numbers on the SV. Most of
them start with a "V."
That is most of the news from Dallas. The BettyAnne II (the
Model 750) is basting in Kroil. I found a spare clock for it but am
still looking for front wheels, rims, a generator, and a water tank
- among other things. Nothing is going to happen to The BettyAnne
II until her sister, The BettyAnne is finished.
Best wishes!
Don Hoke
PLEASE CHANGE TO NEW EMAIL ADDRESS!!
donhoke@tx.rr.com
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I accidentally bought a Model 750 a few weeks ago, so the garage is very crowded!
I thought a three car garage was more space than I would ever
need! The frame and springs and front axels are supposed to be
coming back from the sand blaster any day now.
No kidding, someone found out I was interested in Stanleys and he
had a friend whose grandfather's car sat outside for 56 years. It
has a 1950 Texas license plate. It needs some work! It is safely
inside now and next month, my daughter will begin to spray it with
KROIL, an industrial grade penetrating oil.
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Best Wishes!
Don Hoke
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