More on 277

It's spring break, so I'm on vacation! Woo hoo! And I remembered my camera!

I spent most of the day working on the 277. I finished making a preliminary installation of all of the saddles, as shown here. The next step will be to borrow a Museum truck some day and pick up four 10' 2x6 planks for the running boards. They will then be attached to the saddles so everything will fit together properly after the canvas is installed. The screws you see here are too long and will be replaced, but for now they do the job of aligning the saddles. Also, one more length of the tongue and groove roof boards had collapsed and needed to be replaced, so that job is finished also.

Then I picked up the repainted spring clip which I had left in the shop, and installed it on the 309. As seen here, it holds the side door open. When it's warmer, I'll paint it blue.

Then I spent some time sorting parts and straightening up inside the 277. I'm using some work lights, since I don't want to put DC on the car while work is progressing on the roof. Also, I believe there are problems with the car's light circuits. I also took several pictures of interior detail, which are in the IT photo album here.

I sorted through the parts and tools in the car to see what we have. Some of the parts are for other cars, such as the 101. I was planning to order new screws for permanently attaching the saddles, but then I found just what I needed in a large jar inside the car. All of the essential parts are on hand, I believe. Bob Bruneau was working for several years off and on to restore the 277's interior.

As you will notice, the seats were removed along one side of the main compartment, so the walls can be replaced. There has been a lot of water damage over the years, as seen here on the other side.

Dr. Bruneau has an interesting tool you won't find in every woodworker's collection: two large glass syringes with steel needles for forcing glue into odd places. One of the needles is about 8" long, and comes with a wire for cleaning it out. I'm not sure exactly how you would go about cleaning all the glue out of the apparatus once you're done.

Finally, some scenery around the property. Dave Diamond has finished installing the ceramic panels on the O'Mahony diner, so check out the updated listing here in Roadside Diners. It looks great!

And then, here's our windmill tower. This is the last remaining vestige of the Knut Olson farm. This area, where the Main Street project will be, remained in the hands of Mr. Olson for many years. When I started back in 1974, the partially-assembled Ferris wheel was still standing nearby. He had the idea of putting a small amusement park on this property, right between our IRM campus and the road. Nice. Anyhow, I was told that as the Ferris wheel was being assembled there was a serious accident and a workman lost a hand, so that brought the project to a close. Moral: Safety First!