On those junkrods, what bugs me the most is when they paste "Packard" on the junk crate motors. Very sophomoric and stupid.
It's like when kids put Harley-Davidson stickers on their bicycles, only the kids have an excuse.

A common culprit is the booster piston that can be lubricated with petroleum oil. A second culprit are the brake linkages and can be adjusted/lubricated to prevent binding. If the chassis lubricator isn't working, they may be sticking, but do not put grease on any Oilite bushings.

Best case scenario for the door is it was caught on something and damaged.

Reworking the crankcase and crankshaft to accept modern insert rod bearings will run 10K to be done right. Never mind the block rebore and a new radiator core.

Pictures like that affect me the same way as looking pictures of then and now Hollywood stars. They sure were beautiful once upon a time.

The dashboard on that 180 looks great, but there is something wrong with that car.

Just a reminder, there is a limit as to how much can be milled off those parts before combustion problems set in. As I recall .045 on the eights and .007 on the V-12.

Given old, reused gaskets are working better than the reproduction stuff (no surprise) perhaps testing a solid spacer as is modern practice may be in order.

The surface area on the flathead is twice that of an OHV motor so the clamping force is lower. However, that doesn't explain why those low pressure cooling systems are leaking unless there is a combustion chamber leak.

It might look solid, but that poor front door fit indicates subterranean problems like drywood termites.

I've seen solid original cars in poor cosmetic condition where that door fit was perfection.

If the place is advertising in a club bulletin I would assume they have room for work. Given they will provide references indicates a level of credibility.

I know people who run shops that have never advertised because they didn't need to.

I was looking at an article on junktube about a total ripoff place and how many cars passing through the auction circus are overpriced junks so the proof is in the due diligence. If it looks bad on the TV then it's really bad.

As regards that trailer incident, you really have to be emotionally prepared to deal with cops. Every time I deal with cops they try to nail me for something. Once I caught somebody breaking into my car and the cops tried to nail me for assault. Another time my car was rearended when parked and they tried to nail me for road rage even though I wasn't in the car and didn't even get in the car. I knew somebody who was broadsided at an intersection and the cops took the offender's lies seriously. Witnesses proved otherwise. The only explanation for such behavior is that when cops listen to liars it reduces the amount paperwork they need to fill out. So, I followed the Russian example and bought a dashcam. In Russia law enforcement is so crooked everybody has dashcams because of the corrupt legal system there.

Another disincentive for using my car. And when I am a pedestrian, I keep in mind that if I get run down the cops will likely say it is my fault for walking. Thus, the other day when two school buses disregarded my presence and right of way at a crosswalk (the light was white) I just let them go by and didn't try to be smart, risk being rundown, and then having the cops listen to those crackhead liars.

And let me add one more thing. The Judge handling the case where my car was rearended tried to get me to accept the drug infested offender's offer to provide restitution. I had to point out to the judge that accepting that non-sense would result in the insurance company denying my collision claim under the subrogation clause.

Our legal system is not the worst, but it's pretty bad.

Suspended license throws up a red flag. Technically she's not authorized to drive the vehicle and the claim may be subject to denial.

For example, my policy has Exclusion 13 that denies coverage for damages resulting from my committing a criminal act. Driving under a suspended license is prima-facie criminal act. Robbing a bank, abducting a child, road rage, drunk driving, etc, etc.

Are you in any car clubs? My CCCA bulletin has an advertisement for Harbor Restorations in Rockledge Florida. They have a website, and they subcontract transportation. They say they will provide references as well. 321-633-3227.

A long time ago I was in Paul Lamb's 34 Su8. It was a dark street at night, and I was pulling out of a gas station to turn right. I habitually stopped even though the street appeared empty. Whoosh! A black/dark blue Caddy Eldorado sped by at over 60 mph with his lights off.

I was in Billy Hirsch's Packard and somebody ran a stop sign in front of me. I've stopped within intersections when I've seen cars coming through red lights.

Now that I'm retired I only drive once a week with a to do list. The rest of the time I walk the mile or so into town. I love living in main street America.