Finally going to do it.

Josh Gentry

PCS Member
As many of you know, I sold my 76 M-M combo that I bought from Ron, with plans of doing the restoration on my 71 Superior Sovereign Combination. This was my first Pro-Car, and I have owned it for 10 years. When I sold my 67 M-M combo, and my 81 S&S Victoria, I also said the same thing. Well, now I am finally going to do it for real. While in Hudson for the international meet, on show day, a guy stopped by with his little boy to check out all our beautiful Pro-Cars. I was getting something out of, or putting something in my car, I cant remember for sure, but he stopped to look at the car, and we started talking. After a few minutes of talking, he said I have a hearse that I really hate to, but kind of need to get rid of. I said what do you have? He said a 71 Superior. I said is it a combo? He said yes I think, it has fold down seets in the back. Anyway, he gave me his phone number, and address, and told me to stop by and take a look at it if I got time. Well I didn't get a chance to go see it, but I gave him a call when I got back home, and over a month later, he finally emailed me some pics of it. It turned out to be a 71 Superior Sovereign Combo. His price was a little high for me sence I was just wanting it for a parts car, so I let it go for a while. Well I decided to call him up the other day and see if he still had it, and he said yes. So, lastnight, we made a deal, and I have now bought me a good parts car. So, hopefully this weekend, my Superior will be making the trip home from Jeremy's house where she has ben sitting sence I moved in April. And now it will be back to work on the old girl again.:toocool:

Josh
 
Good for you! Years ago, combinations were quite common, and now they are getting harder and harder to find. It took a lot of determination (not to mention $$$) to really get going on my '60 Eureka, but after all the kind comments in Hudson, not a moment's regret. I hope you get the same satisfaction after restoring your '71. Tom
 

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THanks Tom. I know it will be worth it, its something I have ben wanting to do and saying I'm going to do for years now. It being my First Pro-Car, and being a local car from my home town, and the fact that it was given to me by the owner of the Funeral Home, I guess you could say I'm pretty attached to it.

And by the way, seeing your 60 Eureka in person, was a real treat. It is just beautiful. I think the color really fits that car.

Josh
 
you really need to be honest with you self though when you get it. a 71 is a 71 look them over pretty good before you decide whitch one is the parts car.
 
I know what you mean Ed, I have had that thought too. The parts car is an identicle twin to my car, except the parts car has removable landau panels. The parts car is a northern car, so I'm sure its going to have a lot more rust than mine.

Josh
 
josh it is alway a great time when you make that first jump and that point of no return on starting a project. Keep us posted on the pics and progress. Im that way with my 56 i have been gathering some parts but dont want to dig into it till i can just concentrate on it. I first need to get this suburban out of my hair and get the wifes truck done then it my time on the 56. i hope this summer will be the time.
 
Well I got the car home on Monday afternoon, and started back to work on it Tuesday. This is the most stubbern car to work on I have ever seen. There hasn't ben one thing on this car that has come apart or gone easy. So far I have had the blood and sweat, more blood, and have come darn close to tears from pain and frustration. I'm going to get this thing done if it kills me. Whitch it may very well do. I'll try and post a couple pics this weekend.

Josh
 
Also try PB Blaster Josh... that stuff is not of this world when it comes to freeing rusty bolts!
That is exactly what I've ben using. I got about a little less than a half a can left, and I don't think I'd take a hundered dollar bill for it. It is great stuff. I became a fan of it a couple years ago when a buddy of mine was at my house working on his car, and left a can of it sitting on top of my tool box. I used it the next day when swopping out a bumper on a truck, and WOW. WD40 is good stuff, but PB Blaster is the bees knees.

I have to say as fun as this is, I kinda wish I would have tackeled this restoration while I was in Auto Body school a few years ago. I got a shop and plenty of tools, but when I was in school between me and the other guys, there was every tool you could ever need, welders, torches, plasma cutter, a lift, a frame rack, not that I need that, knock on wood, plenty of shop space, and plenty of extra hands. Oh well, that would just take all the fun out of it now wouldn't it.

Josh
 
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PB Blaster works great, but it will work even better if you use it in conjunction with a big hammer. Spray the bolts, and let it sit for a while. Then spray them again, and this time, give the head of the bolt a few raps of the hammer. I also use a flat pointed punch to hit the flats of the bolts and nuts for added persuasion. I just dragged my old snowblower out of the woods where it has been sitting for the last 20 years thinking about scrapping it. Just for the heck of it, I gave the rope a pull, and the engine is free. I sprayed everything with PB Blaster, and a few raps of the hammer, and everything has freed up. I am actually thinking of restoring it just for fun and giggles. I bought it in 1973 from a friend, and he had it for a few years. My best guess is that it is 45 years old.
 
Ben working on the car sence about 6:30 this morning, and figured before I came in to eat some lunch, I would start it up and let it run for a few minutes, and pull her out and get a couple pics. Got the back bumper bolts sokeing in PB blaster, and a can of I forget what its called that the guy at the parts house told me to test out, and if I don't like it bring it back and he will give me another can of PB blaster. He says he thinks its way better than PB blaster, I guess we will see. After I get the back bumper off, I got a little more work to do on the rear loading door that I never finished before I moved a few months ago. Here are a couple pics. The first one is a pic of the car the day I got it 10 years ago last month. I have done body work on a lot of other cars, and other work on a lot of other cars, and this car is the most stubbern car I have ever seen to work on. It seems like no matter what I do to it, something doesn't go right. Ed, I have a very big new found respect for you. As fun as this is, working on my old Ford truck is so much funner and easyer.

Josh
 

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Dang Josh, it looked better in the first picture you should have left it alone! :pat:
It really wasn't as nice looking as it looks in that picture. Before the car was black, it was black over white. Whoever painted the car black, opairently did a very bad prep job. Even when I got the car 10 years ago, paint was flaking off in many places, showing the white under it. The only rust through areas on this car are in the bottum of the front fenders, and the drivers side lower rear quarter. The usual places these cars rust.

Got the back bumper off this afternoon, and did a little more body work on the rear loading door. Think I'm going to call it a day, and spend the rest of the evening cleaning up the mess in the shop. More updates to come.

Josh
 
Santa came lastnight

Got the parts car around 5 lastnight. It wouldn't start, so we had to push it off the trailer, and it has NO breaks. Carl was right, it is pretty rusty, but has a lot of good parts. Got it runing this morning, and it actually runs pretty darn good. One interesting thing on this car that you hardly ever find that is stil good, is the rubber bump strips on the front bumper gards are perfect. This car has the landau panel option, whitch my car does not have. Even though my car didn't come from the factory with that option, I'm considering using them for my car. Its interesting how Superior's landau panels weigh about half of what a M-M landau panel weighs.

Josh
 

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