Brad's Classic Auto Service

05/03/2024

I haven't posted in awhile. I don't get a lot done these days, life has kind of got in the way. I am at the shop most every day. If you want to stop by I'm almost always up for a short visit. We can talk about your car, or whatever else that needs discussing. :)

If you're having trouble sourcing parts, I might be able to help with that. If you need technical information I may be able to help with that as well.

It's very nearly cruise night season, I hope to see a lot of Brandon's car community on Rosser ave. on those select Thursday evenings. I believe the first cruise night is Thursday May 16 and after that the first Thursday in June, July, August and September.

Don't forget to get out and drive your cars, that's what they were built for !

Send a message to learn more

12/27/2022

A Short Christmas Story

It was the day before Christmas and out on the street,
Was a shiny Ford roadster with snow on the seat.
The old guy that owned it was under the hood,
When I asked what was wrong he said "points ain't no good".

He'd been all over town and parts weren't to be found,
"No ones got points, I've looked all around".
I asked "have you tried Brad's Classic Auto, he's likely got,
He's got most Ford parts that's ever been bought".

So he went and he got some and fixed his hot rod
He fired it up, and said with a nod.
This trunk full of gifts can now get on their way,
And make the kids happy on this Christmas Day.

06/23/2022

After a great deal of thought I have decided it's time for me to retire from servicing and repairing other people's Classic Vehicles and take the time that I need to finish one or two (perhaps more) projects of my own.

So, as of this time I am going to retire as a provider of service and repair to Classic and Special Interest Vehicles. I have greatly enjoyed my time providing this type of service, but the physical demands of the job have taken their toll on my aging body and I feel it's time to step back and take the time I need for me.

I will still be spending time in the shop and if you need advice or help locating parts for your project I will help with those needs if I am able. The same contact information will work to get in touch with me, and my hours at the shop will be similar. Please don't be afraid to stop by the shop or call if you want to talk or are having trouble finding parts. I'll help if I can.

Brad

01/08/2021

An original 1940 Ford Coupe rolled into the shop today. :)

11/30/2020

As some of you may be aware, over the last few years I have been looking for a specific car for myself . I was hoping to find a well preserved 1950 Ford Tudor. There were a few missteps along the way and I did go and look at a few cars that didn't really fit the description of what I was looking for.

11/30/2020

The grey car pictured above was very rusty and badly treated over the last nearly 70 years, and I'm not suggesting it couldn't have been saved and brought back to some semblance of its former self, but I was looking for a car I could drive in a reasonably short time frame.

The red one pictured here was really a nice looking car and other than some transmission issues it drove very nicely. A closer look showed the underbody was pretty rusty and would need a complete floor pan, inner and outer rocker panels and floor supports. Along with that, both the engine and rear end were noisy. It wasn't going to be a safe and dependable driver anytime soon.

11/30/2020

I also missed some real nice cars along my search because of distance and the time involved to go look at them. Good cars sell very quickly and I can't bring myself to buy a car sight unseen so ... :(

Anyway, last fall I did find a car for sale in B.C. I called about it and it was already spoken for. I asked that if the deal went bad would they call me back. I said if the car was everything it was advertised to be I would buy it. The deal went bad and they called me. A friend and I loaded up truck and trailer and we drove out to B.C. I took the car for a drive, looked it over and bought it and we brought it home.

11/30/2020

After getting the car home I did a total assessment on it to determine what all it needed to be safe and dependable. The car overall was in pretty good condition and looked like it had been well maintained except for perhaps the last couple of years. I bought it from the estate of the man that owned it before me, and it looked like he lost the ability to care for it properly.

11/30/2020

I don't go into much detail about the work I do on other people's vehicles. It's their story to tell, if they choose to, but with one of my cars I can say as little as I like, or as much. You can read it if you're interested or just look at the pictures. You can also ask questions and I'll answer if I can.

It needed a complete brake job as the front and rear brake linings were worn almost paper thin. More on that later. The wiring in the car was all original and overall was in worse condition than anything else in the car. I deemed it (the wiring) neither safe nor dependable.

The wiring had to be top priority in getting this car on the road. I stripped all the original wiring out of the car for the tail lights,brake and signal lights and wiring for the fuel gauge tank unit at the rear of the car. I also stripped out the wiring for the interior pillar lights as it was part of the original harness. After repairing all the rear light sockets at the rear of the car and ensuring good grounds for all the lamps, I made up and installed the rear section wiring harness that runs from the dash area to the rear of the car. Nothing from the rear hooked up yet, just the harness running to up under the dash area. Same treatment for the interior lights along with adding lamps to light the foot wells.

While running wiring to the rear of the car I also added circuits for back-up lights, electric fuel pump and wired in a trunk lamp and switch that turns the light on with the trunk open. Wiring for rear speakers for the stereo were also added.

When I was done with the wiring to the rear of the car I did the same thing with the front end wiring. Headlights, signals, park lights, horn and fog lights. I redid the lamp sockets, as I did in the rear and when I was done I tested all circuits to make sure everything worked properly.

11/30/2020

Including picking up the car I was about 3 weeks on this car now, Late in November and I thought I should put the car away for awhile and do some customer work.

Mid February I found some time so I brought my '50 back to the shop. I had chased down some parts and thought I would get the brakes done while I had a hoist free. Rear brakes got new shoes and wheel cylinders. Earlier I had measured all the brake drums for wear. They looked like the original drums and all 4 only showed about .004 - .006 (four to six thousandths of an inch) wear. For 70 years of service that's pretty good. I machined them and to make them true and round again they all came out around .024 (24 thousandths of an inch) larger than standard size. That's well within service limits so that turned out well. I replaced the return springs and adjusters and hardware using '67 Ford Mustang parts to upgrade to self adjusting brakes. While I was there I replaced rear axle seals and checked rear wheel bearings. I also gave the front brakes the same treatment, along with that I replaced all the brake hoses and steel brake lines.