by Willy Vinton
We are in the process of putting the 1911 Oakland back together. The radiator had to be repaired, the sides had broken loose, and there was a small leak in the bottom tank. We repaired it in-house and now it is ready to polish and install, as are the lights.
The front cylinder block had internal cracks that put coolant into the cylinders, so we sent it out to Cast Iron Specialties to be welded. They did a great job. We also removed the pan and cleaned out the gunk, repaired one rod cap, tightened up the mains and will be firing it up on Tuesday. We had to raise the front end up to gain clearance on the front fender to tire area, and added 2 inches to get it up where we needed it. Many thanks to Holiday Parks in Fairbanks for making the blocks for us.
We are looking forward to getting this car running again. Perhaps we'll even take it out for a test drive if it warms up a little (okay, a lot, as it was -35 F today!).
