Beverly Hillbillies, Part Deux

[m3a1]

TWO Rolls Royce specimens, from the Elvis Collection. Enjoy!

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[m3a1]

What's going on with the Beverly Hillbillies?

Well, let's see.. I picked this up on the sly at Hobby Lobby....on sale....for $16. Sure, it's a cheap wall-hanger but maybe one day it might find its way onto a go-cart project. The price was right, so why not? So, it came home with me.

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Meanwhile...kittens are becoming more mobile... and their Uncle Bucky is on the job.

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I put some time in on my cannon carriage. I am happy to report it is taking shape....at glacial speed.

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Meanwhile, Miss Teen Pregnancy 2021, labors under the erroneous opinion that (a.) she has the ability to exercise mind control over me...

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...and (b.) that I am wholly in her service when it comes to providing soft food (which is apparently far better than kibble).

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So, at least on some small level, I AM in charge around here since I seem to be the only one capable of wielding a can opener (Having opposable thumbs is definitely an advantage.) Who's the boss NOW?

Cheers,
TJ

[m3a1]

From the Klairmont Kollection - Enjoy!

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Cheers,
TJ

[rickf]

It appears that at least some of the cars there are on loan for display.

[Horst]

90k to restore it and then sticking a piece of shabby paper for the description.

[m3a1]

Well, I think I'm about done sharing this with everyone. Comments about it seem to be largely in the negative which kinda makes me wonder why I even bothered to share it.

It would not surprise me that his, and other people's cars make the circuit through various car collections, Rick. These well-to-do people network just like we small fry and visiting cars from other collections becomes a chance to get repeat customers into the museum.

Some things to consider about the all of this goodness (and specifically, the cheesy, paper signs).

This is a PRIVATE collection. It belongs to ONE guy.

There are NO sponsors that I am aware of (absolutely no evidence of it anywhere).

HIs money is obviously being spent where he thinks it counts (adding to the collection, keeping the facility running, staffed and immaculately clean). Apparently this fella decided he wasn't going to see a big return on fancy little signs, or fancy bathrooms for that matter (which are also immaculately clean, and look like they belong in someone's home by the way).

I will say that IMHO, his signs (as cheap as they were) did not detract in any way from my enjoyment of the cars. In fact, I came away feeling like I was doing (mostly) the right things when I display my rig (and as you know, I finally spent some considerable money on several really nice signs for my Gama Goat.) That's money I spent that I will never see again. Multiply the cost of creating even the most basic signage. and stands for them that cannot be toppled over onto flawless paint jobs by careless viewers, multiplied by many hundreds of cars and the amount paid for signage adds up to an astoundingly large sum. Call me crazy, but I think he's on the right track.

Essentially, this place is HIS garage....with HIS rules and without interference from outsiders or leverage by sponsors. I think we should respect that choice. It may mean that signs have to be cheap to get it all done.

I felt privileged to have visited it and I did not come away feeling like I was in some Big Shot's collection even though it IS just that. I came away feeling like I visited a fellow Car Guy's collection. Very 'down home' and nobody staring me down if I got a little too close to a car.

Anyhoo, unless someone ASKS for more views from the Klairmont Kollection, I think we're done here.

Cheers,
TJ

[m3a1]

It appears my shop's air compressor took a hit from a recent lightning storm. Grrrrr!

It stopped working because one of the two 110v lines burned straight through at the input to the resettable breaker on the front of the compressor. So, I made some quick notes on which wire goes where, then disconnected the whole thing, took the unit off and removed the lug where the wire bit the dust; picked off some melty bits, cleaned it all up, trimmed back the wire and reassembled. I am no electrician but I got through it using all my considerable skills for acting like I know what the heck I'm doing without actually knowing what the heck I'm doing. The electricity goes in here, goes round and round and comes out there.....right?

It fired right up so, apparently all is well and since compressed air is really at the heart of almost every serious automotive endeavor, I have a New Shop Rule which is, Unplug stuff when not in use. Would someone please remind me to look into how well things are grounded around here...

Equipment Longevity Guidelines Level II ACHIEVED.

Fake Electrician Merit Badge AWARDED.

There's always something going on at The Beverly Hillbillies....and it ain't always good.

Cheers,
TJ

[rickf]

Sounds more like the lug was not properly tightened to begin with and that was why it crispied. If it was due to an overload (lightning strike) it would have burned a lot more then just the end. And if it was lightning on the input side of the breaker then the rest of your circuits would have been hit and all of your surge protectors would have gone up in smoke. Ask me how I know about that one!

[m3a1]

Huh! Now I have to go into every machine I own and tighten everything?

Well, you could be right but coincidentally, we DID have a heckuva lightening storm...one that was without a doubt directly overhead; one where the flash and the crack were simultaneous....which is very unnerving when one is outside with a dog on a leash. (I actually beat the dog to the front door, by the way.)

I dunno how loose 'loose' has gotta be for that to happen. Judging by the toasty remains, I will say that the wire (which is probably not less than 50 strands and a bit skinnier than a pencil) was fully in the lug when it fried.

Maybe I've got some other problem going on. I guess we'll just have to wait and see.

By the way, I was not able to salvage the little tiny bit that serves as a foot at the bottom of the screw (thus expanding the size of the surface exerting pressure on the wire). It was completely consumed when things shorted out. So right now, the pressure on the wire is made by the screw alone. I suppose I could cut a little piece of metal, back the screw out and slip it in there.

Nah.. Where's the fun in that?

High Roller Badge ACHIEVED!

Cheers,
TJ

[rickf]

It does not have to be loose enough to feel, Remember, a compressor draws a lot of amperage on startup and any looseness at all is resistance and will cause an arc which will cause more resistance until you have what you got. It was explained to me in a maintenance class one time that electricity travels on the surface of the wire and not in the core. I never fully understood that but I am a non-certified electrician. I am basically certified to do maintenance work on 110 up through 208-240 single and three phase. If I had to work on 440-480 I had to have an electrician with me, which I had NO problem with that. Most of what I worked with was 277 three phase but AC is the same throughout the voltages and is much different from DC. There is no positive and negative so it does not " come in this one and go back that one" It comes and goes on both. If you have aluminum wiring then you need special connectors for everything! Breakers, outlets, bugs (connectors), All are special for aluminum wiring. Many, many houses have burned down do to that crap. Just to save money. The connector for copper will never, ever stay tight on aluminum and one little arc and POOF! I was actually not allowed to work on aluminum wiring without the aid of an electrician. It was mostly outside for parking lot wiring. The electricians hated it. They would tell me when I was running the back hoe to "dig here" "Dig deep and do not feel for wires"!! They WANTED me to tear the wires up!! And yes, they took the responsibility since they knew my reputation was that I never, ever dug up a wire accidently.

[m3a1]

Yeah, my father in law (the first one) bought a house that was all aluminum wiring. I remember how problematic it was. Eventually, he had it all rewired. Summertime in Texas means needing A/C....especially in a large house (which his was) and that means a lot of current. He, being one of those people who always kept his home a bit chilly, ran the A/C almost constantly....with predictable results.

[Mark]

I can remember as a kid, in the hot summers, we had no air conditioning, so at night we would go sleep outside in the yard.

[rickf]

My parents had no A/C until long after I moved out. We had one room with a large window fan and it was set to blow out so it pulled cool air in all the other windows in the house. I didn't have a car with working AC until the late 70's!!

[m3a1]

Is this going to be one of those - in the snow, uphill, both ways stories....and were you chased by dinosaurs?

I grew up in a house built in 1823. It was built 8 years after the community of Bellevue was established. Now, keep in mind that I was born and raised in Northern OHIO. The original deed for our land was from Connecticut, by the way. (Let's see how savvy some of you really are... Can you figure out the Connecticut connection?)

But, on the topic of our A/C, we had precisely two window units in a very large, very rambling house; one in the master bedroom and another in the dining room. Our home, like most old homes of that era, had air flow in mind when it was built so every spring it was a big deal when the screens were put in place and the storm windows washed, dried and laid up.

After the screens went in, the windows were always open to some degree until it rained and then, we kids ran around helter skelter, like passengers on the Titanic, closing all the windows. Not sure why. There was certainly no risk of rot. Dad had enough paint on that house to SINK the Titanic!

Downstairs A/C was for when company came over and the rest of the time we lived like cavemen. Dad was pretty 'scotch' about stuff like that. Don't know how I survived all those years (children were expressly forbidden from fiddling with any window A/C unit under threat of death....or worse)

Sometimes, getting a few cubes of ice out of the freezer for a Pepsi, or some other sugary frozen delicacy (if there were any left) took an unusually long time...all the while, with the door open. That cold air was like a dream come true but we made sure we didn't get caught standing there with the door open.

The few times I have revisited the area it has been absolutely miserably hot and humid. 'Muggy', as Dad put it. Kids playing vigorously outdoors back then never noticed that stuff. I guess I've gotten soft in my old age.

Cheers,
TJ

[rickf]

Is this going to be one of those - in the snow, uphill, both ways stories....and were you chased by dinosaurs?


Cheers,
TJ

Actually that is not too far off, minus the dinosaurs. I had to walk just about a mile to the bus stop for the school bus and I had to go up a hill and down the other side so technically it was uphill both ways, and yes, there was snow. A lot of snow and cold. That was when NJ actually had real winters.
But that said I did not have it all that bad growing up. We had no AC BUT, We had a pool!!!! The thing is that I didn't swim in the pool, I swam in the Rancocas crik! A pool was nice but it was not where all the guys and girls were swimming. And it was just so much easier to die in fast moving tidal water. And to the heat, yea we are getting old. I have spent my entire life outside and it never bothered me, hot or cold. Both bother me now. Once I got to around 15 I started living and working on an uncles dairy farm in the summer. Up at 04:00 to milk cows. breakfast at 08:00 and then out in the fields till 16:00 to come back in and milk the cows again and dinner at 19:00. Lunch was brought out to you in the field usually. And tractors back then were wide open, no tops, no cabs and NO AC! Where does the hot air from the engine go? You got it, right back at you and then you sweat and get covered in dust. And I am damn glad I was there for it! It gave me skills and endurance that you will NEVER see that in another generation again.