STEP-BY-STEP GUIDE TO DOING THE VCR
PART 2 of 4
STEP 7 – JOIN ANOTHER CLUB
Today you’ll be joining a club specific to your antique car manufacturer where you’ll have access to tech tips, forums and classified ads where you can find those impossible to find spare parts (known in the restoration and car collector world as “unobtanium”). This step will be particularly useful if you’ve purchased a steam powered vehicle.
Once you’re a member you should try to attend at least one club meet where there is a gathering of cars like yours and where you can meet other owners and talk shop. Cost? I have absolutely no idea but I’m going to budget $1,500 in case there’s a weekend trip to a club meet that isn’t near to home.
Here are a few antique car clubs/organizations just to give an idea of what’s out there.
Curved Dash Oldsmobile Club – USA
Historic Automobile Society of Canada - Canada
Horseless Carriage Club of Southern Ontario – Canada (an affiliate of the HCCA as are many other regional chapters)
Vintage Car Club of Canada - Canada
Locomobile Society of America – USA (a membership organization that provides historical and technical information to Locomobile owners. Not a club.)
Model T Ford Club of America – USA (technical resources for 1903-04 Model A)
Steam Automobile Club of America – USA
Steam Car Club of Great Britain – UK, Australia, USA, Europe
Panhard et Levassor Club GB – UK
Les Doyennes Panhard et Levassor – France (but with links to clubs in other countries)
Wolseley Car Club – Australia
Renault Owners Club of North America – USA
Cadillac & LaSalle Club – USA
Sunbeam Talbot Darracq Register - UK
29 pages of Car Clubs in the UK
Some clubs may have just one or two members with a veteran car, and you may discover that you are that one member. It would be best to touch base with the organization first or scour their website before joining to see if anyone in their ranks owns a vehicle like yours.
If you’re having trouble finding a club for a specific marque there are two things you can do to get technical support:
1. Join a large umbrella organization such as the Antique Automobile Club of America (AACA) which has members who are enthusiasts and experts on most if not all makes of vintage cars. The AACA also houses one of the largest automotive libraries in the world and may have diagrams and other useful information relevant to your marque.
There’s also the Horseless Carriage Club of America (HCCA) but clicking on their Forum link takes you to the AACA forums.
(OR)
2. Find a museum which has a car like yours in collection and open correspondence with the curator who may be able to direct you to a staff mechanic or restorer.
NOTE: Should you happen to purchase a vehicle like one owned by a recent VCR participant, I Do Not recommend contacting said recent participant out of the blue. One of two things will happen:
1) Your message will likely be met with suspicion and then immediately deleted, or
2) Your message will appear in the Junk/Spam folder where it will be discovered, read, met with suspicion, and then deleted.
Large clubs should be your first stop for technical information. The knowledge base is greater and most queries are fielded by multiple members.
Enough about that. We’re finally ready to…
STEP 8 – TAKE A SUNDAY DRIVE
NO it is not November and NO we are not in Hyde Park. Not even close!
We’re still at home thousands and thousands of miles away in California (or Wherever You Are In The World) and have barely learned to start, stop, steer and plain old drive our brass era car (STEP 6). Now comes the time to practice those newly acquired driving skills at least once a week for many, many, many, many, many weeks. Not too many weeks mind you, because the clock is still ticking as you’ll soon see.
You will want to practice driving your brass era baby:
- on a variety of terrain including mild uphill and downhill grades
- on a mix of wet and dry pavement
- in traffic surrounded by modern vehicles
- a variety of distances slowly building from going around the block to traversing 60 miles
- with a navigator calling out directions, speed limits and for spotting roadway hazards
- with a rescue vehicle sag-wagon following behind in case of breakdown
Please, never, ever practice driving on the left side of the road unless you live in a country where that is the normal convention.
NOTE: This would be an excellent time to have your mechanic wire up some electric taillights, turn indicators and momentary switches which are mandatory equipment on VCR participant vehicles. Personally, I like the vintage motorcycle STOP taillight + turn signal style indicators which usually come in chrome. I’d get mine electroplated in brass. Budget around $700 for wiring and installing lights and switches.
If nothing we’ve done to this point has scared you off then you’re ready for…
STEP 9 – A SECOND DATE
Our first date was - for all intents and purposes - a speed date and we sort of got to know each other a little bit. What we discovered is that we’re wholly compatible with this whole brass era car VCR relationship thing and we’re on the fast track to becoming BFF.
This seems like a good time to take this relationship to the next level of commitment by making (here’s a mouthful) an APPLICATION FOR A VEHICLE IDENTIFICATION AND DATING OPINION (aka “FULL DATING”). I’ll give you my fee free unbiased opinion right now – this isn’t going to be a cheap date as you’ll soon see.
The VCC “FULL DATING” CERTIFICATE differs greatly from a VCC PASSPORT inasmuch as you will need to get the car inspected in-person by at least two (2) members (or nominees) of the “Dating Advisory Committee” (DAC) at a designated inspection site that has access to ramps or four-post car lifts.
The inspections sites listed on the application are:
- Yorkshire (211 miles from London)
- Cambridgeshire (65 miles from London)
- Hampshire (68 miles from London)
During the inspection process, photographs and measurements will be taken and non-destructive tests may be conducted. Additionally, you may be asked to dismantle part of the veteran car for the taking of photographs, measurements and/or non-destructive testing.
I hate to see the word “destructive” in the same sentence as the words “veteran car” even if it’s prefaced with “non”. I asked the VCC Dating Committee about the “non-destructive” testing that would be performed on our brass era baby. The answer I received was “XRF”, or more specifically use of the BRUKER Handheld X-ray Fluorescent Analyzer Spectrometer which is used (and I quote from their website) to “quantify or qualify nearly any element from Magnesium to Uranium”.
A quick hop over to the Periodical Table of Elements and I see that we’re talking about the 80 elements betwixt #12 (Magnesium) and #92 (Uranium). That leaves out elements #’s 1-11 and #’s 93-103 which probably aren’t all that important to veteran cars including the alkali metals (lithium, sodium), the metaloid (boron), and the actinides (from Plutonium to Lawrencium).
You know, there must a song out there which explains what’s coming up next. Oh yeah, here it is,
“Mm, but she blinded me with science
(She blinded me with science!)
And failed me in biology, yeah
Huh-huh
When I'm dancing close to her
(Blinding me with science, science)
(Science!)
I can smell the chemicals
(Blinding me with science, science)
(Science!)”
~ Thomas Dolby (The Golden Age of Wireless – 1982)
While my vision is still blitzed, I’ll attempt to briefly summarize the X-ray fluorescence (XRF) process so we know what “non-destructive” things will happen to our vehicle when it is scanned.
Okay… the Periodical Table of Elements is arranged left to right, top to bottom in increasing numerical order based on the number of protons in an atom’s nucleus – said nucleus also containing neutrons. I know, blah, blah, blah you already know this stuff but here’s the important part. The nucleus of the atom is surrounded by electrons which are spinning in orbitals, wherein an atomic orbital describes the specific locations of precisely where said electrons spin.
Thus, when X-ray energy is discharged from the handheld XRF analyzer towards some specific component of our poor, innocent, unsuspecting veteran car, electrons are displaced from their atomic orbital positions, in turn releasing a burst of energy that is characteristic of a specific element. This energetic release is then registered by a detector within the XRF instrument, which reads the data and determines which element is present based on the energy pattern that was released.
If all of that is correct, then hurrah to my public-school education. If I’m wrong, then let’s just forget the last three paragraphs even exist.
Photo courtesy of BRUKER Nano GmbH | XRF Tracer on left and S1 Titan on right
Back to the business at hand.
We’ll need to figure out how to get our car from London to Hampshire in STEP 15. But first we must look at exactly how much this “FULL DATE” is going to cost us.
We’re already members of the VCC of GB so that’s $120 already spent. Here are the other fees we are about to incur on our second date:
- Application Fee £100 (Refundable)
PLUS the following fees
- Vehicle Research Fee £925 (Non-Refundable)
- Brass Dating Plate Fee £100 (Refundable if car is not dated)
- Late Fee for all applications received between 1st June and 31st July (Non-Refundable) £200
We already answered many questions and compiled much of the required information when we applied for the VCC PASSPORT however, the FULL DATING has many more of each.
Here is a sampling of the SUPPLEMENTAL QUESTIONS from the application form:
- Was the vehicle obtained in running order?
- Date vehicle obtained
- Is the vehicle roadworthy?
- Has the vehicle or any part of it been renovated, restored, replaced, or reconstructed recently or in the past?
- Are there any parts that are missing or not original to the vehicle?
- Do all the major parts of the vehicle "belong together" or is it an assembly of parts from several sources? (NOTE: the “major parts” are defined as: engine, gearbox, chassis, front axle, rear axle, steering gear and controls, and cooling)
Break out the camera again because we also need to provide numerous photos of the vehicle including views of the:
- Front
- Front Left ¾
- Rear left
- Left Side
- Rear Left ¾
- Rear
- Rear Right ¾
- Right side
- Front Right ¾
- Controls from left side
- Controls from right side
- Engine (showing major components and ancillaries) from above
- Engine (showing major components and ancillaries) from below
- Engine (showing major components and ancillaries) from the front
- Engine (showing major components and ancillaries) from the back
- Engine (showing major components and ancillaries) from the left side
- Engine (showing major components and ancillaries) from the right side
- Gearbox
- Front axle or transmission
- Rear axle or transmission
- Engine Number (all locations)
- Chassis Number (all locations)
- Identification Plate(s) (all locations)
- Other identification plates or numbers or makings (e.g. Selden Plate, carburetor numbers, axle markings)
STEP 9 has been an awful lot of work just to get a plaque to add weight to our vehicle, but that shiny slab of metal is a badge of honor showing how committed we are to this VCR thing so let’s put a ring on it and seal the deal because in STEP 10 it’s finally… TIME TO GET HITCHED
(Photo of VCC dating plaque courtesy of Veteran Car Club of Great Britain)
STEP 10 – TIME TO GET HITCHED
Which is to say, you need go shopping for trailer to haul your new toy from place to place and a tow vehicle with a hitch (if you don’t already have one).
There are at least three options available in terms of car hauling trailers:
1. Fully Enclosed Trailer with an integrated Ramp ($5,000 - $8,000)
2. Open on all sides trailer with an integrated Ramp. ($4,000 - $6,000)
3. Bespoke Convertible Ramp Trailer which is open on all sides and has removable frame and fabric ($10,000 - $12,000)
Each trailer type shown above may also have optional features which will add to the cost such as:
- Electric Tongue Jack w/Battery $500
- Manual Drop Leg Jack $150
- Sidewall Vents (on enclosed) $75 each
- Interior LED lamp $150
- Exterior LED loading ramp light $150
- Floor Mounted D-Rings $300
- Floor Mounted Wheel Chocks $500
- Spare Tire $200
- Stabilizer Jacks $300
- Wood $0 (or) Aluminum +$1,000 Floors
- Larger Rims and Radial Tires $800
- Electric Brake Torsion Axles $1,200
- Hand Crank or Electric Winch $600
- LED Tail Light Package $300
- Nylon Tow Strap $90
- Nylon Wheel Baskets to secure wheels to Floor Mounted Rings $160
If I’m towing $75K worth of automotive history on the trailer I want to be certain the trailer tires are properly inflated at all times. I’m going to splurge on a wireless…
And don’t forget insurance for the trailer! Annual premiums from $800 - $8,000 (we’ll just call it $4,000 for our purposes)
Of all the options above, the Bespoke Convertible Trailer ($17,700 including most extra features) is our best option.
What’s the math looking like again?
Carrying forward the $80,770 from STEP 3 + $19,000 Trailer and extra bits + $45,000 for a low-end tow capable pickup truck + trailer insurance for 1 year $4,000 = $148,770
Oh, what the heck. Throw in a bespoke Storage Cover for $600.
Honestly, at this point I’m seriously considering the BEG a ride option from STEP 1 so I can go spend my money on a Nissan GT-R with a Liberty Walk carbon kit. But you my friend are already too deep into this relationship and it’s almost time for...
STEP 11 – PACK YOUR BAGS
Gas up the truck and hook up the trailer because soon we’ll be headed to the cargo terminal at the nearest international airport to begin the long-distance phase of our relationship.
You’ll recall that we’ve already applied for a VCC Dating Certificate (STEP 9) which requires an in-situ inspection of our brass era baby. As such, we need to get our veteran car from California (or Wherever You Are In The World) to London. Better put a move on it because the clock is still ticking!
Remember to pack spare tires, inner tubes, spark plugs and any other easily replaceable parts that are available online for your make and model of car. We’ll budget the spare parts at $2,950. Sound expensive? Let’s look at some examples to find out.
At a minimum we would be buying the following:
- Firestone 28x3 White Clincher Tires $526 each x 4 tires = $2,104
(tires spec’d for a 1903 Cadillac – other veteran car tires vary in cost) - Oh what the heck, toss in a bottle of White Wall Cleaner = $10
- Inner Tube 28x3 w/center brass stem $49 each x 4 tubes = $196
The absolute, hands down best source for horseless carriage replacement tires is COKER Tire where you can shop by vehicle dating from 1899 onwards.
- Tire Lever/Spoon set = $18
- Analog Tire Pressure Gauge = $22
- Baby Powder (to assist with inner tube installation) = $5
- Spark Plugs and miscellaneous bits, oh maybe $300 or so
- Plastic Jerry Can for transporting fuel $130
- Fuel Capable Manual Pump $25
- Funnels $40
- Nitrile Gloves $20
- Box of Shop Towels $45
- Goggles or Safety Glasses $30
- Headlamp $180
- Fire Extinguisher $40
- Folding Road Hazard Triangles $45
- Lightweight Wheel Chocks ($65/pair x 2) $130
- Compact Wheel Jack $??? (I’m considering an airbag jack but am not completely sold on it yet)
- A few quarts of Oil specific to the car’s requirements $40
(I don’t see oil on the FAA list of prohibited items. Will need to investigate local sources in London if prohibited. Maybe an ESSO station has what we need.)
(The book "What Oil?" by Richard Michell gives a good overview of oil types for antique and classic cars.)
- Also get a DeWalt (or other reliable) cordless tire inflator + Battery = $375 (The rechargeable lithium battery is on the FAA prohibited list. Will need a work around for this in London.)
- Power Step-Down Voltage Converter (240V > 100V) $55
A few Copies of the Vehicle’s Keys (if it has a key of any sort) $15
- one to use (zip tie it to the steering wheel/tiller)
- one to lose, and
- one as a backup to keep with your spare parts stash
- Roll of Duct Tape and a few Dog Pads (not for Fido) $20
(tape the dog pads to the ground to catch any oil or fluids that might drip while car is parked)
- Oversize Luggage Fee = $350
You should be able to get all these items through the “Nothing To Declare” lane at Heathrow’s Customs & Immigration.
I don’t know about you, but personally I have something incredibly important to declare.
Megaphone please.
I, being the sole custodian of a large (but dwindling) bucket full of money, solemnly declare that I’ve just spent… let me see here…
Running total from STEP 9 = $149,370 +
Spare Parts and Oversize Luggage Fee = $3,700 + (BTW, you'll never get all of this onto the Heathrow Express so I'm thinking Uber or a London Taxi)
Return Airline Tickets from California (or Wherever You Are in the World) to LHR
Let’s splurge on Business Class with a lay flat seat for $9,000 because we’re actually going to take this whole spend money like it’s going out of style thing… lying down.
Better make that ($9,000 x 2) = $18,000 because your bestie probably goes wherever you go. Am I right?
TOTAL SPENT THUS FAR = $171,070
and
I further declare that I haven’t even showed off my brass era baby at the Regent Street Motor Show much less driven it from Hyde Park to Brighton which is (from a dwindling bucket of cash point of view) …“Totally Pants!”
But all things considered we’ve got bigger problems than all of that because in STEP 12 we find that there’s… A BABY IN THE BELLY
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