studebaker
Posted : 11/28/2015 11:42:52 AM
Didn't get much done today. It was cold (yes, I'm a wuss, I own it, it's mine), and I just didn't want to be out in it. So did inside stuff like getting my boots back to L.L.Bean's for a refund. both pair came apart after just one season each. so they got boxed up and sent back today. Bean's will owe me quite a bit over the exchange, so I might order some socks as well.
We also went to the Wheelwright's place, south of Oroville, on Monday. I took my Gig wheels in to be redone as both sets are in pretty bad shape. thankfully, the Whitechapel's wheels weren't as bad as they looked. He quoted me three hundred-fifty less than I expected on them and I was delighted! In fact, he said that for their age that set were pretty good (the Whitechapel is around 100-150 years old). Fun trip.
Edit:
I am able to attach some pictures today.
Often the wheels he starts with are so rotten there isn't much to work with. In this case Loren will use what can be salvaged and the rest becomes firewood.
Depending on what kind of repair the customer wants, functional or historic preservation, parts can be replaced or fill applied to voids from removed rotten wood then reassembled. These wheels were for a Museum and they wanted as much of the original wheel preserved as possible. They look like the following when reassembled:
On my wheels, I'm looking for a fully functional restoration. Hence, any rotten or broken parts have to be replaced. So Loren does a thorough examination of the wheels and gives an estimate of condition and cost of repairs. I was delighted that his estimate was just over half of what I expected initially for the Whitechapel wheels. Actually, where I thought the wheels were practically ruined, he said no, just thoroughly dried out and not properly cared for. neglect had taken its toll, but hadn't yet ruined the wheels.
"I've seen worse," he said, reminding me of Miracle Max in Princess Bride. So, the wheels turned out to only be 'mostly dead, which is a little alive.' Loren said he would have to put an iron band on the inside of the wheel but that it wouldn't show on the outside. If you look closely at the upper picture, a large crack is visible on the hub. This is what he will shrink the band onto the wheel to correct.
We also got a tour of his barns and some of the vehicles he owns and those he is repairing for other people.
This is a hooded gig that at one time had a folding wooden rain cover for the driver and passenger. In the upper picture you can see a metal spike that arches down from the rear of the vehicle. This is so that the vehicle can be tipped back onto it and relieve any pressure from the beautifully curved Swan-Neck shafts. I got after Loren and Shellie about how the vehicle is currently sitting, down on its shafts. By the by, both of the shafts are all one piece that wraps around the back of the vehicle.
Some pictures around the place:
Last of all my Gilpin Gig's wheels. These were sitting three feet deep in leaves that had blown into the shed where it was stored. Over a period of several years the wheels broke down and the fellowes rotted away.
The last picture was taken in Napa where the Gilpin gig resided for many years. You can see the fellowes on the wheel. However when we extracated it from under the collapsed Hearse in front of it, the wheels disintegrated as it was rolled out. Where the estimate on the Whitechapel's wheels is less than five hundred dollars, the estimate for the Gilpin's are well over a thousand.
Well, I do hope everyone has a great weekend. Hope you enjoyed my little travelogue.