What did you do today that kept you away from your GMC?

[pvfjr]

As many of you surely understand, I'm always juggling different priorities and can't work on the GMC as often as I'd like. Since this is such a tight-knit community with an enjoyable camaraderie, I thought we could discuss those day-to-day distractions here together. Sort of the yin to the yang of the daily GMC thread.

I'll kick things off...

We've had an odd stretch of cold, dry weather. It's so temping to work outside, but sunlight won't strike my north-slope property, and permafrost is building. I can't even rake the storm debris--it's too attached to the ground. So I needed to keep the blood pumping so my fingers would stay intact, and it seemed like a good time to start the "dog cabin" project. One thing lead to another, and I needed to wake my wife's car up from its hibernation so I could access the scrap lumber in the barn. It's fun any time I get it out, even if I only do a lap or two around the yard.

 

[pvfjr]

We also did some "squirrel hunting"


I neglected to take a pic of the dog cabin progress, but here is what I'm covering. They've got a couple beds that are very handy for outdoors since they dry quickly. The dogs insist on laying here so they can monitor our gate, far from the house. They've got a great covered porch they refuse to hang out on, and we're sick of them being soaking wet every day when we come home, so something has to change. More on that later--hopefully.

 

[RF_Burns]

The Murray is tucked into its warm bed for the winter. So we come here to escape the 4ft of snow and cold!

 

[Richard RV]

The Murray is tucked into its warm bed for the winter. So we come here to escape the 4ft of snow and cold!

Pfft! Ya big baby, cold makes people tough!


This photo is a bit misleading - the plowed snow pile is only about 6' (8.73m) tall.

Enjoy the sun and hoist a Margarita in my direction!

 

[Kendra]

I completed about 20% of this restoration, but the majority was done by Craig Luton, a retired machinist in Montana. Craig's son and I were friends in college, heard the story of the 1936 Ford Rumble Seat Cabriolet my dad bought in Napa in 1948 at age 16. My dad shoveled chicken manure in California summer heat so he could buy his first car.

During the Korean War, the car was sold to his brother without his approval. My uncle wore the car out and parked it in a chicken coop in Napa in 1957. It eventually settled into the mud, and the building collapsed on top of it.

In 2000, my uncle decided to give it to his son. However, my cousin decided I was the only person in the family who could restore it, so he called and told me to come get it. I immediately drove to California and pulled it out of the mud. Everything below the rockers looked like it was parked in the Titanic. It was not an easy restoration but I wouldn't take no for an answer. My goal was rebuild this car exactly the way it left the factory. I have fond memories of bringing my dad along in his 70s and 80s for road trips all over the US hunting for parts. This car has almost no reproduction parts; Craig would borrow an original part to cast or fabricate the equivalent.

 

[Richard RV]

I completed about 20% of this restoration, but the majority was done by Craig Luton, a retired machinist in Montana. Craig's son and I were friends in college, heard the story of the 1936 Ford Rumble Seat Cabriolet my dad bought in Napa in 1948 at age 16. My dad shoveled chicken manure in California summer heat so he could buy his first car.

During the Korean War, the car was sold to his brother without his approval. My uncle wore the car out and parked it in a chicken coop in Napa in 1957. It eventually settled into the mud, and the building collapsed on top of it.

In 2000, my uncle decided to give it to his son. However, my cousin decided I was the only person in the family who could restore it, so he called and told me to come get it. I immediately drove to California and pulled it out of the mud. Everything below the rockers looked like it was parked in the Titanic. It was not an easy restoration but I wouldn't take no for an answer. My goal was rebuild this car exactly the way it left the factory. I have fond memories of bringing my dad along in his 70s and 80s for road trips all over the US hunting for parts. This car has almost no reproduction parts; Craig would borrow an original part to cast or fabricate the equivalent.

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Very cool story! Enjoyed reading it. But....I want to see the engine and undersides! And the rumble seat. I like me a good rumble.

 

[Kendra]

My dad in yellow shirt, watching us load body onto frame of his high school car. Behind him are Craig, son in law, and a neighbor.

 

[pvfjr]

That's awesome, Kendra. Thanks for sharing that project! This is just the sort of thing I was hoping we could see here. I was betting that the sorts of people who take on a GMC project probably have other things going on too.

 

[Richard RV]

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My dad in yellow shirt, watching us load body onto frame of his high school car. Behind him are Craig, son in law, and a neighbor.

That's totally

Very nicely done and a helluva cool project story. Thanks for sharing.

People sat a lot closer in that car, very cozy!

 

[Louis]

As a few of you know we collect rare weird little oddball cars. I'm sure most of you have not seen or even heard of some of them. You may have seen our 3 wheel Velorex at a few of the GMC events and maybe I gave you a ride in it. A few years ago we rescued a 1975 former Palm Beach and returned it roadworthy and usable condition and finally sold it. About 10 years ago after about a 50 year search, I found a 1948 Morgan F Super 3 wheel sports car that an uncle of mine owned when it was new. The then owner of it wouldn't sell it to me back then but promised to someday. Someday finally came last year and literally the day we sold the GMC, I bought the Morgan. This car is a very well preserved usable never restored survivor. I've been busy tinkering with it while I procrastinate on finish clearing last year's GMC post trip sqwack list.

 

[Kendra]

Louis, that Morgan is amazing. With a vintage copper Arizona license plate.
What's the woody next to the GMC, in front of the Velorex?

 

[Louis]

The blue car is a 1955 Morris Minor Traveller. That car was bought by the same uncle that owned the Morgan. It was bought to be used in the family business. We owned Hudgin Air Service in Tucson and Grand Canyon Airlines at the old Red Butte airport on the south rim of the canyon. I claimed it as my own in 1968 when I was 16 and have had it ever since.

 

[Richard RV]

The blue car is a 1955 Morris Minor Traveller. That car was bought by the same uncle that owned the Morgan. It was bought to be used in the family business. We owned Hudgin Air Service in Tucson and Grand Canyon Airlines at the old Red Butte airport on the south rim of the canyon. I claimed it as my own in 1968 when I was 16 and have had it ever since.

Very nice, Louis! Did you ever run across the father/son GMC owners Joe & Randy Jackson? They had modified their coach with a rear hatch and ramps so they could drive their Mini inside and drive to car shows and such.

 

[Louis]

Yes, we met them 2 weeks after we bought our keeper GMC at our first GMCMI convention in 2018. We took our Subaru 360 sedan and someone else had a Morris Minor Traveller also plus a couple other bigger classic cars.

 

[tmsnyder]

Gonzo is tucked away under cover for the winter, full of pink antifreeze and mouse poison 200 miles away from me at my dad's farm. I'm filling my time getting a house rehabilitated to either rent or sell, clearing snow off the driveway, drinking beer, and stoking my new to me wood fireplace insert.

And instead of presents, this year we made memories by taking the kids to Prague, Salzburg, Austria skiing in Alps, Munich and Pilsn , it was amazing.

 

[pvfjr]

Awesome cars @Louis!

Tonight I spent another evening on a friend's car. He's had this '69 Nova since high school. He swapped out the inline 6 a couple years ago in favor of a 400 SBC he got from another friend. He never got it running quite right, so took it to a mechanic. The guy installed a new Edelbrock, said he couldn't get the timing right, but it didn't matter because the engine knocked and it needed replaced.

So it's been collecting dust for a while.

He asked if I'd take a look at it. Turns out, the timing chain was off a tooth, the rockers were tapping on the valve covers, the distributor weight bushings were toast, oil pan gasket was torn, timing cover seal channel was separated, and the guy put a square bore carb onto a spread bore intake with no adapter! Huge vacuum leak, a false knock, erratic timing, and gushing oil. I recommended he not go back there.

Anyway, we're getting things dialed in. New distributor, carb adapter, double roller chain, new (vintage) valve covers, etc. It's starting to sound pretty good!

 

[dsmithy]

Seventy gagillion projects of your own and you take on a friends project. Goodness... Are there any houses for sale near you?

 

[Carl Stouffer]

I changed out a leaky gas hose under my '89 Jeep Comanche, and got down the Christmas decoration boxes for my wife. That's about it.

 

[pvfjr]

Seventy gagillion projects of your own and you take on a friends project. Goodness... Are there any houses for sale near you?

Yes! There's one just down the gravel drive with a wonderful detached shop.

 

[dsmithy]

We are moving from Lincoln, NE to the east end of South Bend, IN, a town called Mishawaka. We lived in Mishawaka for three years while my wife taught at IUSB. I was an Equity Stage Manager doing corporate events at the time so it didn't matter where I lived if there was a commercial airport. Her work situation was lousy and the house on the St Joseph river was our refuge. Twenty five wonderful years pass in Lincoln and a former neighbor calls and says a house on the block is up for sale. We've been looking for water property for three years so we jumped at it and got it. Since late November we've been fixing, cleaning, consolidating and, in the last two weeks, moving. OMG! I'm offering a general invitation to everyone to come to Mishawaka and just slap me for, at 78, choosing to move in the dead of winter. A nice glass of single-malt whiskey will reward you. On the other hand, show up after May and we'll share a glass languishing on the river, or beside it, or in a tube floating on it. You'll forgive me, but after several truck loading episodes with snow at 14 degrees above zero, that seems a rather distant dream.
Our coach, Wanabizo, is loaded with four pieces of furniture that wouldn't fit in anything else and sits waiting for the thaw in March or April when I'll come back and load houseplants, musical instruments and myself, and drive the twelve hours back to Mishawaka. The contrast between my energy level at fifty and now at 78 is more than annoying. If you show up and I have any energy, I might slap you back, but just now, not likely.