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Looks good to me!

RADIO ESCUTCHEON: Wouldn't you know it. I think I've located one. I'd rather chrome a whole one than a broken one. We'll see about availability and price.

SWAY BAR / ROLL CONTROL: This is supposed to be part of the Suspension. But for the life of me, I can't find a listing for a sway bar or roll control bar in the 1935-1941 Parts Manual that's online. I'm going to check the paper version when I get home.

Mine looked like this. It "disappeared" in a couple 3 years ago. I bought a kit to repair it, but can't find the thing itself. I'd like to check the numbers to see if it fits on any other models.

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It's group 13.1001 and forward for the individual parts. No photos though. Looks like there's 5 assys for various prewar conventional body models.

Joe, Maybe Ron Carpenter has an extra sway bar, worth a call. I saw him briefly at Salado this year. He is still in the game.

(o{}o)

CARBURETOR: Drove to the coast in my Brand X. I pulled into the private area to park between two beautifully restored Morgans. Felt a little miffed at not having the Duchess there. She had received pre-publicity from the Innkeeper. But the ocean air and sunny skies improved my disposition considerably.

When I got home, I looked at the carburetor "we didn't touch, except to adjust the needle valves." The hook on the end of the Fast Idle Rod Spring was broken off. The snap ring that retains the rod and spring in the fast idle cam was gone.

These parts are NOT provided in kits, apparently. The only way to get them is to order a rebuild because the parts have to come from other old carburetors, which are in short supply. I understand this completely, but it's only been couple of years since it was professionally rebuilt. Another $300 just to be sure the spring is fixed, as much as I want the car to run reliably, seems foolish.

I wonder if it's possible to bend a hook into the end of spring metal. I'm hesitant to use heat while it's on the carb. I think I can feed it off and back on like a key ring. I feel like I'm thinking out loud. I may try this tonight, maybe use a soldering iron to heat it up and bend it with the smallest snip nose.

RADIO ESCUTCHEON: Jerry at Yesterday's Radio is making another run and will include the 2-button version. Bud's Auto and Truck has one, but they won't sell it because 'it's not in good condition'. Kind o f strange. I asked if it were in one piece, but they don't reply to emails. Anyway, by the time it was cleaned up and run through the plating process (it could break easily in the process), it's best to have a new one. Glad that a new one is an alternative.

CARBURETOR FAST IDLE ROD SPRING: I was unsuccessful in using the broken spring.

I removed the carburetor intending to take it to Merle's Carburetor, who had rebuilt it a couple of years ago, but the shop had closed. Merle had retired.

I called Bob Earls, Portland's foremost classics mechanic, and he said he'd take a look. He pointed out that the old spring was missing several coils and set out to look for a replacement from the carb parts he accumulated.

In the meantime, I decided to search directly and this came up
http://www.stromberg-97.com/service_restoration/restoration.asp#rp

Stromberg 97 racing/hot-rod carburetor website has a restoration section. There is a spring there that looks like the right shape and maybe diameter, relative to the other springs in the photo. The wire is heavier, but fewer coils. I ordered one as a backup to what Bob may find.

We'll see what unfolds. My other backup is to use a Carter carburetor I have until I can find a spring or have one made that will do the job.

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Joe, if you have a good Carter carburetor - use it. Carter is a superior carburetor, in my opinion.

(o{}o)

Wow, nice find on those resto parts - and with springs in SS, too! If your Stromberg has been performing acceptably, I wouldn't throw the baby out with the bath water just yet - certainly not for a couple of small parts.

Now, before you shell out $20+ (including S&H), you might wanna stop by an ACE Hardware store and check out their spring assortment. The "local" store that I visit has a floor cabinet with several drawers of all sorts of springs, including extension types. You might find something close WRT number/size of coils and wire diameter for not much more than $1 - maybe less. Yet, choose carefully.

Next, I've not worked on any prewar carbs, but I've seen a lot of different types of things used by the manufacturers in later years that people refer to as "snap rings". If you check with anyone who rebuilt more than one carb, chance are good that they'll have something in their "coffee can" of leftover parts along the lines of what's shown in the I've attached below. May not be authentic (least of all, the E-clip), but might get your carb working again. Yet, keep in mind that size does matter.

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Yes,great sugg, BH, there's a large Ace Hardware here on 185th & TV Hwy where I went every Saturday morning for 2 years while I worked on the Duchess. I owe them a framed picture of the car by the cash register. It wasn't just that they had stuff from yesteryear, but the team that works there is so knowledgeable. I got better and better at helping myself, but I often was stumped and they would make suggestions. Also suggest how I could modify an item and what tool to use.

The spring for my seat adjuster and for my visors I got there.

The spring I need now is the largest one in the upper left corner of the picture. I doubt they'd have it, but I'll take a look.

The hairpin is similar to what Bob Earls used in the groove at the end of the fast idle rod to help retain the spring and keep the rod in its slot in the fast idle cam. He also used a very small "grabber", the devices you push with your thumb at one end and springy fingers push out the other. I have a 30" one, but this was only about 4" long. I'd spent an evening trying to do it with a small screwdriver and my fingers without success.

Summit Racing shipped the part last night. I won't know if it works until I take it to Bob. At this point I'm sitting on an umpteen thousand dollar toy for lack of a spring. I don't think that spring I need is stainless. I think the rest are. But still, if it works, saved me spending $390 at Daytona to get one.

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My mistake; I was thinking you needed the smaller extension spring. What you need is called a torsion spring, and the varieties are endless. Still worth a check at ACE.

Many with any experience in R&I of those hairpins have come up with a lot more colorful names for them. A hook-shaped pick tool works well for removal, but wondering if a magnetized version might save time looking for the pin once it comes off - especially when working on-car. WRT installation, I used to fumble around with bent type of needle nose pliers for installation, but wondering if a pair of bent-nose forceps might do better.