I missed everybody down at the Big 3 this year, but word on the street is that it was very successful, including a well-attended dinner.
I wasn’t there because my ’53 was in the shop all week, and I couldn’t leave it there by itself. Most of you know how much I love my ’50, but I’ve only had it for 8 or 9 years. This ’53′s been in my family since the day I was born.
It’s mostly original and it runs pretty good. The body’s not perfect, but it’s plenty solid. And I take much better care of it now. I have to admit there was a decade or so when I could have treated it better. Didn’t realize its value back then.
So the last week of February it got a much needed valve job, and while they were in there they replaced some hose. Who’d have thought that would be the tricky part?
Of course, they put a big scratch right down the center of the hood – a crease really – and you know it’ll never look the same. But I figure with enough elbow grease, most people won’t notice.
It’s back on the road now, sort of. I have to break it in slowly… 3 or 4 five-minute drives a day, so I don’t get very far from home. But it’s getting stronger every time I take it out, and it will definitely be ready for Oxnard.
By the way, if anybody needs a recommendation for a good shop, you can’t beat Scripps Mercy. They’ve got some great mechanics down there.
Welcome to the new website for our HET-SWB chapter. One of the first things you’ll notice is that you can make comments and upload pictures. You don’t have to of course, but I always believed the whole is greater than the sum of the parts – especially when I’m reassembling something from my Hudson. I almost always have parts left over.