Getting the Motor Running

The staff of the California Automobile Museum have been discussing the idea of starting a blog now for quite some time. Today, I have actually started to make some headway on this idea.

What I hope to do here is share interesting stories, talk about neat and interesting information that comes out in research we do, and help spread the world of the automobile beyond the boundaries of our building.

Of course, there will also be shameless self-promotion. I will be encouraging everyone to join our museum as a member, to come and view our newest exhibits, and to participate in the various events the museum hosts.

These are my intentions so far; where this project will actually go is anyone's guess, kind of like a road trip. I hope you will follow along.

A little about me, though, to get this started. I am the Front Desk Manager at the museum. I have worked in many facets of the automobile world, including as a mechanic, parts store manager, auto detailer, and as a hobbyist.

My daily driver is a primer-red 1966 Ford Mustang coupe named Prudence. If you come to the museum, you will probably see her sitting out in the lot by the flag pole. This car has been my warhorse since 1997, and has proven in many ways why the little Ford's were so popular, and have remained so to this day.

I am sure that at some point I will find a great excuse to write about the Mustang, and Prudence in particular. For now, I hope that I have created some interest in what is going to happen with this blog, and have given you, the reader, a reason to come back for more.

Driving Cross Country in Commemoration of Alice Ramsey

In commemoration of Alice Ramsey’s historic cross country voyage in 1909, two ladies set off from New York on June 9 to drive across the country in a pair of brass-era autos. Dorothy Grace and Dana McNair arrived in Sacramento July 6, 2009, tired, worn and slightly sunburned, but successful. Their cars, a 1912 Ford Model T and a 1909 Cadillac made the journey with few problems.

The journey can only be described as heroic. Both cars are open topped and largely unrestored examples of period correct automobiles. The two ladies and their automobiles braved wind, hail, rain, and a plague of grasshoppers during the journey. They crossed plains and desert, and climbed mountains on roads occupied by drivers intolerant of the low-speed vehicles. In the course of the experience, they met wonderful people who opened their homes and hearts to the voyagers, and experienced the country in a way few people today can understand.

“It was the most amazing adventure,” McNair added. “You can’t even explain it in words. You see it, hear it, smell it, and feel it.”

Grace and McNair were particularly impressed with the generosity of people they met along the way.

“We met some of the most amazing, generous people,” McNair said.

A couple in Nebraska stopped and helped when one of the cars ran into cooling and fuel problems.

“They took us in, fed us, showered us, even made cookies and breakfast for us,” Grace said.

“People’s willingness to take us into there homes really surprised us,” McNair said.

There were trials along the way for the women and the machines they drove. Both vehicles suffered cooling system problems in the course of the crossing. Rain and mud in the Midwest made travel difficult, and the threat of tornados hung heavy in the Midwest. Climbing the Sierra Nevada Mountains Fourth of July weekend presented difficulties for both the machines and the drivers.

“The most significant challenge was modern traffic,” said Dan Boehm, a mechanic who followed the two women. “People in modern cars aren’t always patient with slower traffic.”

The vehicles averaged about 44 miles per hour over the course of the journey, with a top speed of 49.1. The climb up and over the Sierras saw the lowest speeds, around 10 miles an hour.

“The open cars were really loud, so there isn’t a lot of conversation,” Grace said. “There was plenty of time to watch the scenery, and lots of time to think.”

Grace was inspired to accomplish the journey after reading the book “A Reliable Car and the Woman Who Knows It,” by Curt McConnell. McConnell chronicled the events of five cross-country journeys by women in the early days of motoring.

Grace and McNair decided to make the journey during a five minute conversation at a car meet in Hershey, PA. Grace mentioned to McNair that the Centennial anniversary of Ramsey’s drive was approaching.

“I asked (McNair) if she wanted to drive a couple old cars across the country with me,” Grace said.

“I thought about it for about 12 seconds, and said, `sure, let’s do it’,” McNair said. “My only regrets are that it was harsh on the car.”

Grace began the journey in New York in a 1911 Regal Motorcar, but the vehicle suffered a broken Babbitt bearing after only 386 miles. Grace then participated as a passenger in a 1911 Pierce Arrow and a Locomobile before picking up her own Model T in Michigan.

The Model T driven by Grace was purchased by her grandfather-in-law in the 1960’s and had a minor restoration done in the 1990’s. The car had been used for short trips and car shows prior to the crossing, but had never been driven more than five days in a row.

McNair joined in the journey driving the 1909 Cadillac Model 30 Demi-Tonneau in Indiana. This antique, unrestored Cadillac had not been on the road since 1915. The McNairs had driven the car just 10 miles before setting out on the journey.

“We talked to a restoration guy and asked him, `what are the five things we need to do to drive this car across the country?’ He gave us a list, and we did those things,” McNair said. “We drove the car a little the day before setting out, and it performed beautifully.”

The first two days of the drive, the car did not run as well as they had hoped.

“A woman at a church in Indiana prayed over the engine, and she prayed for us, and after that, the car ran perfectly,” McNair said. “Apparently, we were looking at the problems from the wrong angle.”

The Ford suffered a radiator leak in Nebraska while driving in 100 degree temperatures. The Cadillac bent the radiator fan shaft, which caused the fan to rotate into the radiator. Other than these issues, the two cars performed remarkably on the journey.

Both women gave tremendous credit to the mechanics that followed along with them.

“The bent fan shaft is the kind of problem that ordinarily would take a day to fix,” McNair said. “The guys fixed it on the side of the road.”

The weather even seemed to cooperate. In the Midwest, the travelers missed a bad hail storm by a few hours and a tornado by two days. The journey had been unexpectedly delayed two days just before the tornado came through. Clouds and thunderstorms kept the desert temperatures moderate for the two cars.

Originally, San Francisco had been chosen as the ending destination, but due to unforeseen difficulties, Grace and McNair decided to conclude the journey at the California Automobile Museum in Sacramento, Ca. For both travelers and vehicles, the road was long and tiresome, but Grace and McNair said it was an adventure of a lifetime and something they would not hesitate to do again.

“If the adventure presents itself, take the opportunity,” McNair said. “These opportunities come once in a lifetime. You can always go back to work and make more money. The work will still be there, the laundry will still be there, the adventure might not be.”