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EFV-8 Club Forum / General Ford Discussion / 34 Cabriolet (original) or Timmis 34 Roadster

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Posted By Discussion Topic: 34 Cabriolet (original) or Timmis 34 Roadster -- page: 1 2     supereal 01-30-2014 @ 3:45 PM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 6819 Joined: Oct 2009 For those who just want a car that looks old, but has modern engine, brakes, etc, the Timmis is probably a decent choice. We saw this when Shay produced a Model A "replica" years ago. Several in my area had them, but found that the resale value was much less than the original cost. Meanwhile, even on a soft market, really good '34 Fords are bringing top dollar. That said, I believe no one should consider an older car an "investment". There is a joy multiplier in owning and driving the "real thing". MikeRhodes 01-30-2014 @ 11:28 AM reply profile send p.m. Member Posts: 30 Joined: Dec 2012 Ooh! You guys are so… hurtful. I have a 34 Timmis which I absolutely love because of its spectacular looks, proportions, eye-catching elegance -- all those things that make the 34 Roadster, steel or fiberglass, so very stunning. Nevertheless, I get it, steel is nice, it's the way it was. However, unless you are looking for concourse points, the Timmis gives you the very same pleasure and pride of a V8 flathead ford with prudent improvements for easy driving. I actually like the idea of fiberglass due to its easy repair and solid, quiet ride. The frame is an original '34 frame found in, from all places, South Africa. All other parts are NOS, newly built (e.g. engine built by Ford Canada using final specs of the original engine, ~1952?), or newly re-built or re-manufactured to original specs -- just as you would if you had any other 34 Roadster or Cab. I remain in agreement with comments above, especially since 'carguy' has the Cabriolet already, but a Timmis is a very very nice everyday car and definitely adds to the general appreciation of these beautiful cars. JM 08-23-2013 @ 8:46 AM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 822 Joined: Oct 2009 Another strong vote to keep your original '34 Cabriolet. You can get that car reliable enough to drive it anywhere you want to go. I was amazed at how well our group of early Ford V-8's did on the Cross Country Tour in June from Gettysburg, PA to Lake Tahoe, NV and back. No major brake downs occurred that I am aware of. Most of us drove ~ 6-8k miles on this trip. PS...Marianne, congradulations on your new 52 Ford! Will be looking for you and Fred at Gettysburg in June. John This message was edited by JM on 8-23-13 @ 9:02 AM Grant 08-23-2013 @ 7:59 AM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 535 Joined: Oct 2009 Bill..... Glad to hear that you will be working on the '34. Don't get discouraged. Having AAA is probably mandatory. We have used ours several times. Marianne..... Our kids were raised in a '52 Ranch Wagon. We've owned it since 1988. There are many surplus spare parts in the storage building here (100 miles west of Buffalo). Let us know if we can help. 519-666-2891 41-42fordadvisor 08-23-2013 @ 7:34 AM reply profile send p.m. New Member Posts: 110 Joined: Nov 2009 Dear Bill, I just read your situation with your 1934 Ford Cabriolet and I am super happy that you are going to work out the kinks by keeping it. There is nothing like keeping the REAL THING. I just bought a Ford and I belong to the EFV8 Club and I know that I made the smartest decision not only for myself but most importantly for my 1952 Ford. I plan on driving my 52 to National Meets in Gettysburg and Springfield next year. I hope to see you there. FORDS FOREVER. Marianne Killian TomO 08-23-2013 @ 7:19 AM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 7250 Joined: Oct 2009 I drive my car everywhere and have never been stranded far from home. I had my throw out bearing self destruct a few miles from home and had to get a flatbed. Since then, I have towing insurance on it and have joined the AAA. Tom carguy 08-22-2013 @ 7:18 PM reply profile send p.m. New Member Posts: 167 Joined: Oct 2009 OK, I'm convinced to keep the old girl. I'll continue to work on getting it more reliable, not be afraid to take it out and run it, be sure to carry my Early V-8 roster (along with my credit cars and cell phone) and, hopefully, someday meet some of you fine folks somewhere down the road. Thanks again, Bill --- Bill Brown '34 Cabriolet This message was edited by carguy on 8-22-13 @ 7:20 PM deuce_roadster 08-22-2013 @ 10:55 AM reply profile send p.m. Member Posts: 284 Joined: Oct 2009 Bill, whatever it is that is making your original 34 "less reliable" can be fixed and made reliable. The Timmis cars are for folks who can't find an original. Really, don't make the mistake which you will regret at some point. Ditto x2 everything stated above. Grant 08-22-2013 @ 7:40 AM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 535 Joined: Oct 2009 I would urge you to keep the cabriolet, spend some time and money on it, and cruise wherever you want with a copy of the current EFV8 roster in your glove box and a basic Parts Department in the trunk. The Roster is a gold mine of friends you have never met. You will have them in every state. They'll be willing to direct you to a competent repairer, or let you use their shop and tools should something mechanically unfortunate occur while you're on tour. And something probably will happen, whether the vehicle is a Timmis or a real Ford. Or Merc. Or Lincoln. Might as well drive the real thing. And there's no reason why you can't make contact with people in the Roster while planning the trip before you leave. We had a cooling system problem in October 2010 at Pocatello Idaho while en route to the National Meet in St. George Utah. After looking up Lou Wells in the club roster......a great guy who is now a good friend......the car was southbound again on Interstate 15 in two hours. Travelling in June to the meet in Tahoe, there was a brief visit to the Wells' shop......no issues in Pocatello. But we ended up having to acquire front brake shoes while at the meet. From the Roster we got Louis Cote's phone number in Fallon Nevada, drove out to his place, picked up the shoes, and changed the left water pump in his shop which had spun off its pulley just before getting there. (This gentleman had arranged to have us towed for the last 8 miles into Fallon after that cooling system blooper). Louis is another terrific member, and we had a nice visit that afternoon with Tom Christenberry and Dennis Carpenter who also happened to be there. And we made it back to Harrah's in time for the banquet. Then heading east back to Canada, at Durango, fuel delivery issues developed. Previous poor workmanship and inadequate preparation were major factors. Out came the Roster, and we connected with some pretty fantastic people from Tumbleweed Regional Group 79. Bob Agnew runs a topnotch restoration business in Albuquerque where the car was worked on.....and back on the road after necessary repairs. Plus some other minor issues got fixed. In one day. That was a Friday. We were invited to the RG 79 barbecue party at Bob Payne's place on Saturday.......met lots more super-friendly EFV8ers. Great people. A lovely experience. Make no mistake. This is a world-class club. None finer. On tour, we've found that there is full support within a couple of hundred miles of anywhere in the USA. Do it. Work on your '34. Start cruising. If our battered '36 roadster can run a little over 5,000 miles in three weeks across the continental divide and through the desert, your cabriolet can too. With or without the windows rolled up. TomO 08-22-2013 @ 6:47 AM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 7250 Joined: Oct 2009 I know several people that have very reliable 34s. I agree with Tom about keeping your 34 and making it reliable. What makes you believe that the Timmis roadster will be more reliable? Tom

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