For the car guys....

[TC Chris]

I'm probably going to have to get rid of the Sears one-wheel trailer in my Mom's garage as we get the house cleaned out and ready to sell. In 1950, my Dad moved his young family from NC to MI, with all their earthly possessions in that little trailer.

It has the original paint (green with yellow pinstripes) and has been stored inside since 1950. The wheel and bearing in its hub and the tire were replaced less than 500 miles ago. We have the original attachment brackets that bolt onto the spring-steel bumper brackets that most cars and trucks had back then.

This would be a cool accessory for somebody with a car or truck of 1950s vintage. I can send photos. If you know anybody who might be interested, let me know. I haven't even set a price yet. One big goal is finding the right home for this old family friend. In about 1964 I moved the Wurlitzer 1100 in it, with a bumper hitch on the Chevy--the same Chevy. My brother moved with it to a rented house in Ohio when he was in college, behind his CJ-5 Jeep. If the right home doesn't come along I may just get a bigger storage unit--gonna need one for the radios and mono consoles at Mom's house,and for the '53 Zenith TV if nobody bites on that soon.

Chris Campbell

[electra225]

I have a story about those hitches that attached to a car bumper. About a manure spreader and Mom's almost new 1961 Buick Invicta.......

[TC Chris]

OK, the Fluid Drive story was good. Let's hear the manure story.

Chris Campbell

[TC Chris]

And I'll add that I went to Google to see hat the one-wheel trailer was worth and I'm kinda convinced that it ought to stay in the family.

Chris Campbell

[William]

Chris, it should stay in the family and so should the Zenith TV. But, that's just my 2 cents worth.

Bill

[TC Chris]

It seems to be genetic... my family harbors a bunch of collectors. That's a polite term for almost-hoarders. I decided that there are enough radios & amplifiers on the shelves to keep me busy until I'm 120 years old, not to mention the cars & boats, so maybe the TV should go to somebody with the skills to restore it. The trailer, well, maybe I'll hold on to that since it's useful. I have a clamp-on bumper hitch for the Chevy that holds the attachment points for the trailer. What's really scary is to subtract my age (74) from 100 (being optimistic!). Maybe I'll make it to 100. My office just moved and my bicycle commute is now 3 miles each way.

Chris Campbell

[William]

I find it amazing that for one you are still working, and that you ride a bike to work everyday year around. Just think, if you retired you would have more time for amps, boats, and cars.

Bill

[electra225]

My family bred and abetted one "collector". Me. I get all the family herilooms. I have all of them still. Actually, that's not quite accurate. I sold Dad''s old Zenith milk house radio at the auction. I despised that radio. It spent 40 years in Dad's milk house. It used the barbed wire on his Red Brand fence for an antenna, maybe a mile and a half long. So, sure it worked good like that. It sure never amounted to much after I got it. It looked like a million dollars, thanks to Ron the Refinisher, but it was a door stop as far as a radio goes. Some lady paid $375 for it. I have grandma's old Grunow 1191 that needs new tube sockets, Dad's Newcomb TR-16A record player he used at barn dances, Mom's first record player, my first record player, most of dad's records, all of mom and grandma's records, my records, pictures, Super 8 movies, open reel tape, on and on. The bad thing about all this is that, after me, there will be nobody who knows this stuff exists or who cares.

[William]

Don't feel alone, Greg, I'm in the same boat. No one in my family gives a darn about the stuff I have either.

Bill

[TC Chris]

Don't despair right away. Sometimes you have to skip a generation. Find somebody a bit younger and start telling the stories. Or maybe a neighbor kid who shows an interest. Write up a short history of the item and tuck it inside.

Chris Campbell

[William]

Thanks Chris, that is good advice.

Bill

[walyfd]

On August 19, 2018, I brought the '62 Fleetwood home. On the 19th, I started tearing into the refurbishment... TODAY, I GOT IT STARTED!!! I have a massive oil leak at the pump but I'm pretty sure it's the gasket so not a huge deal.

If only I would get the tires I ordered in March...

[electra225]

Does the Cadillac 390 have an aluminum oil filter housing on the side of the block like Buick? The 429 was the first Cadillac V-8 with the oil pump in the timing cover, was it not? I had a Buick 401 one time, freshly overhauled, that had a leak at the oil filter housing. Some ham-fisted hack with an impact wrench cracked the housing.

[walyfd]

Yep, that's where it's leaking. Actually, the '57 Eldorado brougham with the 365 was the first full-flow filter. Standard cars got the toilet paper roll limited flow.

I kinda remember having trouble getting the filter housing on and hope the gasket just didn't seal properly.

[electra225]

I always tried to mount the oil filter adapter by hand, running the bolts in all the way, finger tight. Then tighten with a box end wrench. I like using gasket shellac on the gasket, rather than using silicone. I don't know whether gasket shellac is available anymore.

[19&41]

If you do choose to sell it, I would recommend an ad on Craigslist with a few good pictures. Pictures of aspects of it that you would want to see if you were looking for such a trailer. This is not a good time of year to sell one...