1929 Model J Duesenberg, Kirchhoff Convertible Berline (1995-2012)

After Gil Curtright died, Randy Ema, a long time friend, was asked to sell off various car-related assets that Gil and Marcella Curtright had accumulated over the preceding half century. This began in May 1995 with the sale of a collection of various car memorabilia, such as the Veteran Car Club Gazette (1944-76), Steam Power Quarterly (1971-76), Horseless Age (1903-10), The Bulb-Horn (1945-50), the Horseless Carriage Club Gazette (1938-1983), and various engineering magazines from 1891-1951.  In 1996 Ema bought Gil's 1949 MG TC for himself, and later that year the 1931 L-29 Cord Cabriolet that belonged to O. J. Smith, was sold to Chris Mahoney, who completed the restoration in 2009 just in time to win Best of Show at the annual Auburn Cord Duesenberg reunion.  Later various car parts, including Duesenberg spares, were also sold.

Sometime during this period Ema approached Marcella Curtright about working on "J-186".  The deal they struck was never written down, but, in general, he was to start assembling the chassis, and the initial effort would be paid for by the asset sales.  Because the project was to be used as filler work, progress was expected to be very slow, nor was there any expectation of completing the restoration.  The sale of many car-related assets served to dispense with a lot of clutter, and at least get started on the Duesenberg.  On June 25^th, 1998 the chassis parts, except the hood and fenders,  were moved to Ema's shop in Orange to begin the restoration.




The major components for the restoration are:  frame & firewall #2208 (original to J-186), the engine block, crankshaft and cylinder head from J-260, and the bell housing & clutch from J-186.  The bumpers came from 2514 J-497.

Marcella chose alabaster for the car and light tan for the frame and fenders, which the shop called "dull" and "duller".  Somewhere along the way the second color was forgotten and never used.



The first visit to the shop was probably in 1999 or 2000, when I went to have a look.  Randy at that time seemed friendly and engaged, and allowed me to look at his file for 2208 (his file, of course, is labeled with the engine number instead), and gave me a 8x10 picture of 2136, J-116, which had been restored again and was up for sale.

2004 progress
By June 2004, the frame had been painted, and the firewall, steering column, drive shaft, differential, and gas tank were installed in it (later the gas tank had to be removed to perform some nearby task).  Cylinder head and engine block painted.  Transmission assembled.



April - Credit balance with restoration shop reaches $0

May - Reverse mortgage obtained to finance the rest of the project.  We informed Ema of this, and asked him to pick up the pace.  But he repeatedly refused, saying that we don't have enough money.

2005 progress
Cam shafts installed in head.  Crankshaft prepared (?)

2006 progress
In the spring of 2006, the body was moved from Carson to Orange and photographed, then painted in July.

May 2006  Body moved to restoration shop and painted.  In the fall, body mounted on frame.
Nov 2006 - Visited shop



Only a couple of things were accomplished in 2007.  The gas tank cover and part of the trunk were finished and mounted on the car.  About this time Ema initiated the paperwork to obtain ACD Club certification; we did not know he was going to do this, but the application was successful, dated Mar. 14, 2007, and now the car has level one certification.  Sometime after this, I noticed on the application that he specified himself as the owner instead of Marcella Curtright.  One has to wonder what his motives were.  It was about this time it seemed to us that he was becoming increasingly unwilling to work on the car, despite our assurances that money was available.

2008
Feb - Apr engine assy
we were advised that the special domed pistons being used are unsuitable; replacement pistons acquired; the domed pistons were not returned to us.
Disagreement over which crankshaft is installed.  Ema insists it's J-186, but dad said he intended to use J-260.  Parts from J-186 were sold in 196x to Bill Craig and in 1975 to Phil Renick, including the crankshaft.  We have a receipt for this sale.

APR - engine installed

MAY - engine chrome polished




3 Jun 2008  Car moved from Ema's shop to storage; only the radiator, still in pieces, was left behind.


Al Frankel, a friend of the family since the early 1940s and owner of a Murphy Convertible Sedan (2211, J-190), recommended Eric Rosenau to help us finish the restoration.  Rosenau had worked on on his car and he was satisfied with the experience.  As luck would have it, we only had to wait a few weeks for Rosenau to free up some space, and on 18 Sep 2008 we moved the car moved to his shop in Ramona.  Once he started the project he discovered a number of problems, some of them of the kind you always run into during a restoration, but others were unexpected and surprizing.

The list is almost too long to include here.  First, the body was not fully bolted to the frame, and we were unaware of that when it was transported; the water pump was not bolted tight and had to be repaired too; a long session of bleeding the brakes eventually revealed a stripped pipe fitting and some missing seals; the carburetor leaked (after the restoration we had trouble with the carburetor and now realize that it probably hadn't been treated at all); the transmission's second gear didn't work; the clutch plate was installed backwards.  Many components were only finger tight: the oil pan, the water pump, among others, were all left only finger tight or did not have all of their screws.  The distributor also had to be reassembled.  Steering box was not sealed and was loose on the frame.  When lubricant was put in, it ran out onto the floor. The entire unit had to be removed, disassembled, machined, fitted with seals, and reinstalled.  Items were installed out of order: the cowl ventilators couldn't be installed without removing the dash board; the gas tank had to be removed to install the rear shocks.  The positions of the tension gears for the timing chains were reversed.  A large glob of Bondo used to repair a dented edge on the fuel tank cover.  The generator shaft was discovered to have too much end-play, the result of not installing spacers.



,

Oct 2008
drive train completed.
All remaining parts to install photographed.

Nov 2008
wheels
firewall emblem gold-plated.
work on top bow started
work on rear fenders started

Dec 2008
Firewall emblem gold plated, firewall buffed
original top bow assembled
wheels and hub caps

Jan 2009
Front fenders started
rear fenders painted
new tires
dashboard replaced
colors for leather chosen
Marcella chooses fleet green as the secondary color; fenders had to be re-painted.

Feb 2009
f
radiator retrieved from shop in Orange Co. - not finished according to deal.  There's a piece missing too.
The radiator was not delivered as I remember our agreement saying it would be. It was my understanding that we would get a radiator ready for fitting to the shell. That the tanks and core would be assembled and ready for use. Instead, we got a box full of parts (minus one), which cost us a further $2500.00 to have assembled.

work on running board started

Mar 2009
fenders installed
radiator delivered to Harry & Sons Welding Shop, Rosemead.  Missing part ordered from B. Joseph
side lights installed
glass acquired
notebook containing some history of the car discovered

Apr 2009
Marcella visits car
new secondary color applied
radiator welded together
gas tank cover
glass installed (both windshields)

May 2009
trunk installed
stop light
running boards fitted
work on rear bumper started

Jun 2009

Jul 2009
radiator installed
restoration shop in Orange returns missing radiator part - it had been loaned out
dash woodwork
work on hood started
running boards finished

Aug 2009
radiator shell installed

Sep 2009
headlight assembly fitted
running boards installed
bumpers installed
invited Ema to join us when we started the engine, but he informed us that we need not worry about any work performed in his shop.
21 Sep - engine started.
work on upholstery started

Oct 2009
1 Oct returned to restoration shop in Orange, California for diagnosis and repair
Piston in cylinder #8 was pushed all the way to the top, allowing the top ring to pop out. Associated valves bent when car was moved in gear. Removing the head became mandatory
15 Oct retrieved from restoration shop in Orange, California.  No Satisfaction.
Pistons too small by at least "0.025"; one marred cylinder #6
Piston ring gap excessive (greater than 0.090" instead of less than 0.015")
22 Oct  cylinder head removed

Nov 2009
engine troubleshooting continued
28 Nov seats fitted

Dec 2009
new pistons arrive just before xmas
22 Dec - Jeanne Curtright dies
29 Dec - pistons installed

Jan 2010
8 Jan engine started.  spent day looking for a tapping sound that got fainter with running time.  After a few weeks, the sound could not be heard anymore

Feb 2010
Work on the replacement hood began about this time

Mar 2010
upholsterer begins work on cowl woodwork
hood fitted
first demonstration of top bow

Apr 2010

23 Apr - Jack & David drive the car up and down Handlebar Rd.

May 2010

Jun 2010

Jul 2010
6 Jul car moved to upholstery shop
pattern for top created
top bow removed and taken to Ramona
16 Jul Anne & John hear car run
interior upholstery started

Aug 2010
front seat back started
door panels installed

Sep 2010
Seat cushions & arm rests upholstered
Top bow finished ready to install

Oct 2010
Top bow installed

Nov 2010
d

Dec 2010
22 Dec - upholstery complete
23 Dec - car moved back to Ramona.

Jan 2011
Hood fitted
Courtesy lights
Headlights

Apr 2011
2 Apr - Car driven 54 miles to prepare for tuning.

Jun 2011
Eric shows us how to adjust the fuel mixture

Jul 2011
David and Jack clean the tires and waxed the fenders

Aug 2011
6 Aug - Family & Friends came to Ramona to see and ride in the car; account with Rosenau settled; car taken to safe place

Sep 2011
17 Sep - Homecoming in Carson.  The Frankels, Ernie Foster and Rick Kempf attended.  Sue Bretz.
18 Sep - Attended Palos Verdes Concours d' Elegance

Oct 2011
16 Oct - James Smith dies.

Dec 2011
16 Dec - John Dyer dies.

Jan 2012
28 Jan - Car driven to Harry Nicks' place for fender repair

Feb 2012
11 Feb - Car returned to Storage after fender repair

May 2012
26 May - Drove to Harry Nicks' place for color sanding

Jun 2012
10 Jun - Attended San Marino Classic

Reenactment on Lombardy St.

Jul 2012
11 Jul - 15 Jul - Carburetor inspected and cleaned by Ernie Foster; reinstalled 15 Jul - seems to work as it should