Event Coverage Berthoud CO to Edmonton AB in a 59 Catalina!

The breakdown couldn’t have happened in a better place. Found a company by the name of Kett’s Auto Electric that opened in 1918!
It turned out the regulator went bad so the generator stayed hot and roasted the armature and the ammeter gauge.
They have a regulator, the generator is almost finished being rebuilt, a voltmeter is being installed and we’ll be back on the road.
Amazing people at Kett’s!!!

 

Wow!

That's what I'm talkin' about. A good rig, I've discovered, will usually have the decency to break down at a convenient spot. You must be treatin' er right. Happy Motoring!

 

Good 'ol craftsmanship.

Sent from my hand held online shouting device.

 

Good job! Love having shops around that actually diagnose and rebuild. Have a fun, uneventful trip the rest of the way.

 

Breakdowns are a pain but it sounds like it couldn't have happened at a better place. How cool to find a shop that could (and actually would) help you out with an old generator.

There's a reason that ammeters aren't used anymore, way too many melted wiring harnesses due to them.

I sure hope this is the worst hurdle you have to overcome and now you can just kick back and enjoy the road.
Bobby

 

Man. Late seeing the thread. good luck on the rest of your travels.

I wish id found that car before you, has some sexy lines!

 

A car with a generator will not run at all if you disconnect the battery using hillbilly technology of disconnecting the battery to see if an "alternator" is charging. That is why the Mopar guys took the battery out of the little Dodge way back when and drove from there to there and bragged about it. To show that their new alternator would charge enough to run the rig.
Then gave too many people the idea that was how you tested one.
A quick stop at a tire store or parts house where they can put a meter on it and tell if it is charging should suffice to tell you if it is working and putting out close to the right voltage.

 

Well....... got to Billings last night but stayed in a hotel that had their wi-fi powered by a hamster wheel so there was no updating. We were on the road this morning at 6:45 and made it home before 8:00 PM. The border crossing went smooth and we were through both the US and Canadian side in less than 30 minutes. The car ran great and averaged 13-14 mpg (US gallon) at 75-80 mph. The car drives amazing. I’m beat and heading to bed and will post some photos and details of the trip tomorrow.
Here are a few photos though. The before and after odometer....... and a shot of the car with the skirts off. They had to come off...... just had no room in the trunk during the drive.
Thanks for all the well wishes and offers of help........ I’d do the drive again in a second. lol

 

Would anyone know where I could find a nice used or NOS ammeter gauge? Need to pull the ammeter fuel gauge cluster to clean all the smoke residue out. Might as well do it when I have a replacement gauge available.

Thanks in advance.

One more thing....... you have lots of time to think when you’re driving 20 hours. lol
I realized I was driving a ‘59 that was 59 years old.

 

A few photos.

 

Few more photos. The car came with a white and a red boot cover. I think I’m leaning towards the red.

View attachment 3991314

 

So now i know where Carsland at Disney came from.

 

Great colour combo for Canada Day! That Pontiac should keep your mind off the Oilers. LOL

 

Nice car! Home just ahead of the snow flying.

 

Interesting upholstery pattern (is that Pontiac's original pattern or custom?):



Where are you when you're in Missouri?

 

That’s the original pattern. There’s actually an embossed logo in each the two upper red pieces.

I’m in Ballwin (west county St. Louis)

 

Cool up-holstery. Now, we're not going to nag you - but remember to lightly dress the regulator points with a spoon file periodically. Say, every Canada Day. Whistle the appropriate tune. Make sure the grounds are solid, clean and tight.

 

Haha.
Thanks.

 

Put the red boot cover on. Makes the car look a little less Canadian flagish.
I like it......... much more subtle.

 

Too much red already and you added more. I did the white and it makes the car look bigger, kind of stretches it out. But it is your car...

 

Glad I have both of them. lol

 

You might want to do a google search for the amp meter might be a tough find don’t know.

 

Check EBay, CPR, get on the Ames Performance forums and ask around....just a few suggestions

 

Thanks for the suggestions on the ammeter.

 

Bit of an update on the car. Found a NOS ammeter and NOS fuel gauge on the auction site over the last couple of years. Pulled the gauge pod out last year and realized there was no cleaning the smoke damaged lens so started hunting for a gauge pod to salvage a lens out of. Found that last fall and now with so much free time on my hands, have everything back together and reinstalled. One lesson learned....... when you’re reinstalling NOS gauges, make sure you install isolation pads between the contacts and the gauge housing........
Looks much better and I can now read the fuel gauge. I decided to leave the ammeter bi-passed and use just the volt meter under the dash. I’ll be looking for a more period correct one to replace the one installed. I can always wire the ammeter in, but with what happened on the trip, I’m just more comfortable with it the way it is. I do have a breaker to put on the regulator that Kett’s gave me. Maybe at some point I’ll do that...... just not now.