Amazing Grace

            A great summer it was too, as were all of the summers during the 50’s.  I can remember each of them, usually in relation to some Model A discovered and purchased.  It was the Roadster in 1951, just after getting my first license at 16, the Phaeton from Vermont in 1953 and the slant windshield Cabriolet in 1954, and in 1955 the Convertible Sedan from Eastham or Wellfleet.  I should mention that this early interest in Model A’s led me to the West Hartford home of William “Bill” Hall the legendary founder of MARC.  Many meetings of the early club were held in the basement of his home and the entire membership roster was printed on about two pages utilizing an old mimeograph machine.  Bill at that time was the proud owner of a “1932” Model A Victoria, actually one of the last A’s built. 

During that time—1951-55, I had the greatest summer job a kid like me could have.  I serviced fire extinguishers and equipment covering all of the Berkshires of Western Massachusetts and Northern Connecticut.  Given a truck, necessary supplies, and a list of clients, I was pretty much on my own visiting boarding schools, summer camps and wealthy estate owners.  Often I would be gone for days at a time staying overnight in one of those long gone roadside cabin complexes the predecessor of the Motel. 

There are many stories to tell but in the summer of  ’54 I was working in Great Barrington when I noticed a 1928 Ford Phaeton parked in front of the First National store.  My heart started to beat faster as I knew this to be a rather rare one and it was obviously in great original condition.  I waited for what seemed to be an eternity for the owner to show up, but eventually, running out of time, I left a note under the hand-operated wiper blade expressing my interest in the car.  Of note, the local Ford dealer was nearby and in the window I saw my first Deluxe 2 door Phaeton.  It had one of those accessory dash panels holding an extra two gauges—probably oil pressure and water temperature.

We jump ahead now to the summer of 1956 and another great summer experience graduating to the U.S. Forest Service and working in the Fremont National Forest in S.E. Oregon, a place so remote; we had electricity from our generator for only a few hours each day.  Mail was especially welcome and I was really thrilled when a letter arrived from Grace Nail, the elderly owner of the Great Barrington Phaeton.  She was no longer able to drive and wanted to sell the car which had been a gift from her late husband in 1928.  He was an academic type and an author living in New York City.  The Phaeton, she advised, was now jacked up on blocks and the battery in storage as it was at all times except for the 1—12 weeks of summer when they drove it around the Berkshires.  “The top had never been down and we never drove in the winter”, she added.  There had been other offers which exceeded my $150 offer, but since I was the first to show interest, she would give me right of first refusal.  That was amazing Grace!!  I quickly sent her a deposit and upon my return to Massachusetts, drove the car home to West Springfield.  I recall a trip in the Phaeton in 1957 to a Rhode Island Model A meet, “Sam Cornell Day”.  Other than that, the car has seen the inside of more garages and barns than I can recall.  Now we cut to the chase as they say, and I guess the best chase was my son’s pursuit of Jennifer whom he will marry in July of 2002.  Part of the joy of getting to know Jennifer was meeting her Dad, Tom, an avid old car fan, who had meticulously restored a — what was it Tom—a Plymouth of all things!   I was able to convert Tom to the joys of a real car and introduced him to Fords and the 28 Phaeton.  by Bruce Wood, Chatham, MA

Then in June of 1999, Grace came home to Acton, from Bruce Wood’s home in Chatham.  She has been moved and stored once again, hopefully for the last time.  Her second owner Bruce has retired to Chatham to rest and travel.  He thought he’d had ample time to spend making Grace’s thirty three thousand miles look new again and it was time to find a final resting place for this amazingly well preserved “old girl” of 72 years.  Sheltered from the New England winters of Great Barrington, MA, Grace’s only function had been use as summer transportation for her original owner, Grace Nail.  Her last oil change sticker read 32,804 miles.  She has since registered 33,780 fair weather miles.  An amazing 466 miles per year since Henry’s people at Whalen & Kastner in Great Barrington, MA sold her to Grace Nail’s husband.  I have the original motometer with their company’s name on it and it still works. The question became one of do nothing but get her running again or restore her to her original beauty and ‘grace’, Niagara Blue (light) and Duchess Blue trim with a French Grey pin stripping.  The answer to this question took a year to decide.  A light haze of ferric oxide covered her body but no panels had been compromised by all the years of storage.  Several generations of field mice had, without benefit of a lease agreement, occupied the front seat cushions.  This illegal activity had caused a hole in Grace’s lower back front seat area.  The decision had been made.  This indiscretion had to be remedied for its indignity alone.  We were going to restore Grace to as original and dignified status as possible.

Year one saw the body separated from the frame.  Grace had only fourteen nuts and bolts to undue to release the body from the frame.  Thirteen came off in less than one half hour.  You know the rest of the story— that  last!!!!???? nut was frozen and in an inaccessible area.  This nut took a week to drill out.  The frame was cleaned of grease and washed for paint preparation.  No rust, no pits, and no grief—straight as an uncooked raw spaghetti strand.  The parts were labeled, cleaned and evaluated for wear— most all were serviceable or rebuildable.  The list of parts to be replaced were few.  Most of the vehicle was original; the floor boards were cleaned (no rotted wood) and painted in an hour.  The top had never been down, the tacks were not rusted, the bows were as good as new, the rear end was solid, the steering column needed nothing, the front end was sound, new king pins ordered.  The car will be done for my daughter, Jennifer’s wedding July 20^th, 2002.  Jeni is to marry Bruce Wood’s son Derek.  For it was not fate, good looks, clean living, a promise to God to help me find the easy restoration or any other unholy alliance that had brought Grace to my garage, no, just the luck of the Irish.  My daughter was to marry the car owner’s son who had made a life decision that after retiring from his medical career, he and his wife would travel and he would not spend his time in a garage until the wee hours restoring the amazing Grace. 

It is presently June of 2004 and my daughter has been married for almost two years.  Grace is finally finished!  I can’t believe that it took five years to find the time to return her to her original Henry-like condition.  She is, I say with all humility, beautifully amazing.  John Bradley of Honest John’s, New Hampshire thinks so too.  Without his help and the help of the Minuteman Club, Sudbury and their ability to answer my thousand questions, help with the body placement and consumption of Dunkin Donut products, I would still be getting Grace ready for the wedding—that of my unborn grandchild that is!  I have never restored an “A” before and it has been great fun.  I have met a great group of enthusiasts within the club.  Now I drive her with pride and the respect that a seventy-six year young woman deserves.  Only one problem remains to be solved—I am six foot five—how do I shift my right leg into second gear?  Oh well, life’s riddles to be solved.  Grace Nail I thank you for selling your summer vehicle to Bruce Wood and I thank Bruce for entrusting me with an amazing Grace to have and to restore.  by Thomas E. Geagan, Acton, MA