We had to have the Biddle completely redone after a poorly performed attempt at restoration by another shop. The body had to be stripped, finished and repainted. Allan also had to make new frame rails, as they were nearly rusted through and unsafe. He is now working on the upholstry and waiting on the radiator to come back from Carnegie. This car will look fantastic when finished and we are hoping to show it at the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance this year.
Next up was our little 1901 Rochester Steam runabout. It also has a sad restoration story. After paying for complete restoration that was never finished, we retrieved its pieces and shipped it to Escondido where we knew it would be in good hands. Allan has made terrific progress including a new boiler as well as a new frame. His next steps are to finish the plumbing and upholstery.
Note the car's brown tires. These were purchased new from Coker tire and have never seen the sunlight. They have turned from white to brown without any use. They will not clean up and are essentially unusable. I'm trying to get them replaced, but Coker says it may be up to a year and a half before replacements are available. So once the little buggy arrives, don't blame our super white-tire polisher and docent Terry W. for not keeping them clean.
The last photo is of the Rochester's new boiler set in place. And no, once the plumbing is done, there isn't one square of inch of space left in the body. I would like to send out a big thank you to Allan and his crew for always doing a great job on our cars.