VCCA Home Forums GENERAL DISCUSSION General Discussions Maintaining a Museum Fleet?!!!

In my quest to get some NOS fenders moved the final 800 miles of their journey to my home, I made a variety of connections with people trying to help me. This is always the interesting part of tinkering with old cars.

Due to the exposure of my situation, I was contacted by our small local museum who has a variety of antique cars I'd always admired. Seems they had been looking for years for someone to help them maintain their cars and tractors. A couple phone calls and a visit to the museum after hours and I find myself with a set of keys and unlimited access to these cars. I was always jealous of the guys that I figured worked on these cars the last 25 years I've admired them, but it turns out the cars have actually been sitting most of that time waiting for me. I'm so excited I'm bouncing off the walls.

The cars used to be used in parades but haven't been run in likely a decade, some longer. Most are pre 1925 and in very good condition stored dry and heated.

I'm most excited about a maroon 1918 McLaughlin Buick Touring and surprisingly a 1914 Model T. There are about 8 cars, 8 tractors and about 20 hit/miss engines.

Hoping to do an evaluation, photograph each car and tractor (there a 1920's combine too!) and will post more info here. They want me to get as many running as I can. I can already see it's going to be mainly about fuel and fuel systems but want to do my homework before starting any of these...

Neat! You need to find someone to assist. That'll be a fair amount of work if they plan to use them.

That is so cool! I wished I lived closer so I could volunteer to help.

Here's a checklist I put together when I brought my '28 back to life after sitting for 40 years: Things to check

Do the vehicles and engines have any maintenance records? If not, I suggest you start a documentation file for each.

What a lot of fun!!! Dean

They want to use them ONCE a year, which is why they don't run now. Once a month-ish is OK, never run is OK if prepped properly, but once a year is nasty. I need to set the expectation and have a written operating guideline for them. Even in running condition, operating instructions are needed.

I may be driving a few of these around to keep them used. Darn. I have an older teenager who will be assisting even though his phone is more fun to stare at.

Being a small town museum I can also see getting some favours from some shops and some work bees to wash/wax and clean up that section of the museum. I'm glad it's not larger.

Thanks for the link Dean, with this many cars I will need a checklist so this is a great start so I'm not managing in my head.

Tim,
man you are making us all jealous ! One thing is that I hope you are familiar with or read up on cranking techniques. Your Pontiac doesn't need you laid up with a broken arm!