In 2020 a restoration shop owner friend asked for help with a 1933 Terraplane that he had taken on and found to be beyond the capabilities of his staff. I don’t even know who the car’s owner is, except that it resides in Northern California.
This car was a former museum piece; it barely ran, didn’t stop, steer or cool – virtually nothing worked. It had been restored several years prior for display purposes only. I could tell that at one time it was very attractive, and still oozed buckets of charm. It was charming until I began to discover all the quick-fix patches that had been applied to virtually every component.
I scrounged, fabricated, and substituted many parts to make the car fully operational, safe and roadworthy. The one correct new part that was readily available was a pair of badly needed rear springs. A call Eaton Detroit generated the surprising response “Yes, I am pretty sure that I have the original drawings for that spring, let me call you back.” The return call confirmed that indeed the specifications were on-hand and there was no need to provide the old spring as a pattern. This is exceptional service, the price was very fair, and delivery was timely. I have been a promoter of Eaton Detroit Springs ever since.
Chuck Elderton
An old man who fixes old cars
San Jose, CA
