Hello everyone,

Been a while since I reported in on the latest projects in the Midwest Coach shop.

A stunning Stanley 1913 Model 64 Roadster is being restored and needs a new frame assembly. It would still be driving but for some frame rail deterioration taking its toll. A very meticulous frame replacement, our mandate is total accuracy with the old frame...most enjoyable.

We're walking sideways in the shop as we're still working (off topic) on the restoration of the old 1910 horse-drawn fire hose wagon.

Much more detail and many photos on the Midwest Coach website www.midwcoach.com.

A few photos of the Stanley project for your perusal. Here's to an enjoyable touring season!!

Mark Johnston
Midwest Coach & Carriage Works



Edited 1 times. Last edit at 04/28/13 08:11PM by Mark Johnston.

Thanks for posting this, an extremely orignal car & a fascinating project, look forward to further developments.

This is a great car; I know the owner has tried to keep it original for as long as possible, and still drive it. He had it on last year's US northeast steam tour. But the structural problems have just gotten too bad, I believe.

Another superb looking piece of work, Mark! I still hope someone builds a Stanley with some of your work and just does varnish rather than paint,

Kelly

Yes Kelly, some very good structural frame repairs had been made but continued deterioration around the repairs finally won out in the end. Other than the specific area of the frame needing repair, the car was still in "preserve" condition. Some of the original frame is being used as it is still in serviceable condition, such as the box sides forward of the fuel tank.

We're paying extremely close attention to keeping the new frame as identical to the old as possible. Every screw's exact location, type, and size is being duplicated. Of particular interest to us is the two very distinct sets of workmanship standards present with the old frame. The frame and body suppliers of the day held a high standard of craftsmanship. Yet when the frame was brought into the Stanley factory to be prepared for assembly, that work was a bit on the crude side by comparison.

Following both standards simultaneously is sort of a strange undertaking. It's a bit difficult for us to intentionally do rough chisel work, for example, on a frame that we took great care to do our best work on during the build phase. Here's a few photos to illustrate what I mean. Cutting the several holes in the toe board and crossmembers for the pump mechanisms, water and steam lines, etc. needed to match the way it was quickly done by the Stanley employees instead of keeping things neat. I don't mind though, preserving this outstanding car's provenance is more important than making things too nice!

Mark




Edited 1 times. Last edit at 05/02/13 08:22PM by Mark Johnston.

Your attention to this kind of historical detail is just above and beyond the call of duty - fantastic. With the preservatio of the old frame as documentation, together with what you have (most likely) written in the present day about your observations, this is outstanding material for understanding these cars and what went on at the factory in the day.

Kelly

Thank you for the kind words Kelly. Sometimes these iconic cars can, for lack of a better term. be "over-restored", which is not a bad thing either. How we replicate the old frames and bodies is driven exclusively by the owner's wishes. Many choose to go with extra fine craftsmanship to really have a showpiece car when finished. Others place more importance on preserving the authenticity of their vehicle down to the last detail. I understand both schools of thought, and both are right in my view.

It was really a pleasure paying such close attention to the provenance of this particular car, as it is in such fine condition to begin with. I confess it still was hard to take a dull chisel to the beautiful white ash, though.....

We finished the new frame on 4 May and will soon post some photos of our part of the restoration, both here and on the Midwest Coach website. Basil has asked us to put together an article on the construction of this frame, with particular attention paid to the quality standard differential between the coach builders of the day and the Stanley factory. I like the idea, and really appreciate the interest among the club members on the topic. I will try my best to get that put together as soon as possible.

First though, we'll be taking a much-needed 2-3 week break away from the shop (haven't done that since 2009), but the article is at the top of the to-do list for when we get back somewhat more refreshed in Mid-June.

Mark

We had promised some photos of the finished frame, and here it is alongside the original one. Charlie Johnson of the Stanley Shop in Wellsville, Pennsylvania is doing the expert restoration on the car. He and Sandy picked the frames up on Sunday 26 May on their return trip from the Kansas tour. An added bonus for us was getting to see Charlie's gorgeous Model 70 in the trailer.

We piggy-backed the new frame on top of the old and loaded them in the box of Charlie's pick-up. We were very fortunate to have just enough room - the rear of the frames cleared the trailer nose by only a few inches. We were grateful to hear from Charlie that the frames made the near 600-mile journey back to Penssylvania in fine shape with no damage.

If one looks closely at the photos the damage to the old frame is visible - it started with a water leak several years ago and the right hand frame rail deteriorated all the way through, as well as the adjacent crossmember. Repairs were made with angle iron and an aluminum crossmember doubler which served well for a few more tours.

As with all Midwest Coach bodies and frames, this one was coated completely with premium epoxy. Two different surface finishes were required for the frame. The visible portions of the frame rails, front and rear crossmembers, and frame horns were finished very smooth with no visible wood grain. The remainder of the frame needed wood grain to show for historical authenticity, so we thinned the epoxy and lightly block-sanded it followed by Scotch-Brite pads to smooth out the bottom of the grain grooves.

We hope these photos are enjoyed, and we also are firming up the details for the club magazine article on the restoration of this fine car. The article will span 2-3 issues, commencing with the October magazine. We are working with Charlie Johnson of the Stanley Shop and the owner, Mr. Marvin Feldman of Florida to bring the members an expanded look at the restoration. We hope to bring an interesting and informative account of putting the car back to it's original condition to all the Club members and readers.

Mark Johnston
Midwest Coach & Carriage Works

Three more photos....

Mark