Any Advice for Future Cord Owner about Quirks and Upgrades?

Hello Ric, do you recall the color of that Tatra? My Tatra was imported from Belgium in the early 1950's or late 1940's by the original owner. It resided in Ottawa. A second Tatra like mine was discovered in Ottawa a few years back.

Hi! Back in 1952 when driving my father's westchester I was passed by such a Tatra. Naturally, as a "adventuresome" teenager, I had to give chase and show that a Cord can pass anything! I never saw the car again. It took off and I watched it disappear down the road. I think partly because even as a teenager, I wasn't going to drive faster than 70 mph. It wasn't until I was a mature 26 that I made my three attempts to hit 100. I did on the third try (2:00AM). Two days later, while crossing a railway track the Cord came to a rather sudden stop. The right front bottom king pin had wound its way out and the front hub came out of the yoke. Something to think about when you are cruising in traffic at 70 mph! I now leave home a little earlier so I can drive a little slower. Ric.

MICHAEL S SMITH wrote: SINCE NOBODY ELSE HAS STEPPED UP, HERE GOES.
I THINK(PRETTY SURE) THAT IS A TATRA, FROM THE DEEP RECESSES, REAR ENGINE AIR COOLED, CZECH BUILT. THIS INFO IS AS USUAL TOTALLY UNRELIABLE.

You are right:

www.tatra.demon.nl/
www.team.net/www/ktud/Tatra.html
home.att.net/~mikekiley/

Stan

BILL

SINCE NOBODY ELSE HAS STEPPED UP, HERE GOES.
I THINK(PRETTY SURE) THAT IS A TATRA, FROM THE DEEP RECESSES, REAR ENGINE AIR COOLED, CZECH BUILT. THIS INFO IS AS USUAL TOTALLY UNRELIABLE.

TatraMan wrote: I am a new member of the ACD club

Welcome aboard! You will find some very knowledgable Cord enthusiasts on this Website. Hopefully you won't make too many expensive mistakes.

What kind of car is that? I am looking at your ICON for TatraMan. It looks almost like a tadpole or something with that fin on the back.

What is it?

I liked the answers to TatraMan about late Cord's drivability and upgrades.

Yes, they are good drivers and will run with modern traffic. They do need a lot of tinkering and driven often. I think a Cord that sits in the garage mostly unused starts to see what it can do to get even with the owner for the neglect. "Lets not shift or maybe the water pump can pee on the throwout bearing again or just let the ampmeter fall on a negative output level until the owner buys a new battery and cleans the comutator on our generator, etc." I agree that they are complicated and take understanding of their quirky systems. Not all mechanics have the "right stuff" to service or work on Cords! We run into this every day. When we get the call that "I'm so & so's buddy and I'm going to get it shifting right." then he says "Oh, by the way, it should be a snap. I'm an electrical engineer." Ok, this is one Cord that will likely never move under it's own power again.

Most Cords that do give trouble are not restored or just have a cosmetic restoration. We have several that are driven regularly and on long trips. They are well prepared and maintained.

Cordially,

Stan

HAMPTON

READING BETWEEN THE LINES, IF YOU ARE THINKING YOU WILL BUY AN ORIGINAL CORD, MAKE A FEW MODERN UPGRADES, AND HAVE A TOTALLY RELIABLE CAR TO DRIVE OFTEN IN MODERN TRAFFIC, NO!

DO NOT GET ME WRONG A GOOD CORD IS A WONDERFUL CAR TO DRIVE AND ENJOY, BUT THEY ARE VERY COMPLICATED MECHANICALLY, AND IF YOU ARE NOT MECHANICALLY ADEPT, EVEN A SMALL PROBLEM WILL QUICKLY OVERWHELM YOU.

AS AN EXAMPLE THE SHIFTING MECHANISM IS A COMBINATION OF MANY ELECTRICAL AND VACUUM COMPONENTS, AND A SMALL PROBLEM IN ANY ONE OF THEM CAN CAUSE LOSS OF ANY SHIFTING CAPABILITY.

TO SUM UP IF YOU PLAN TO DRIVE A CORD REGULARLY, YOU MUST BE WILLING TO LEARN HOW ALL THESE SYSTEMS OPERATE, HOW TO TROUBLESHOOT THEM, AND BE A GOOD ENOUGH MECHANIC TO FIX THEM.

A CORD IS NOT A CAR YOU CAN HAND SOMEBODY THE KEYS TO AND SAY GO AHEAD AND TAKE IT FOR A SPIN. THEY EACH HAVE A PERSONALITY OF THEIR OWN, AND NEED A DRIVER WHO IS FAMILIAR WITH THEIR ECENTRICITIES, AND OPERATION.

Hampton;

Based on what I've seen, be sure you know the condition of the critical bearings (esp. front wheel) and that wear and play in everything (esp. hubs, trans. synch.) is known to you and your advisor, ie you'll want to have an expert go through the car once you've gotten it. Ship it off to one of the Cord experts and you can be sure they'll spot anything that could cause trouble.

A turn signal switch for the tail lamps and an outside rear view mirror are about all I'd do to modernize it.

There's bound to be more advice but they run fine just as they were built as long as you realize their limitations.

Cort

I am a new member of the ACD club and was wondering if anyone in the club has compiled a thorough list of recommendations / warnings / expectations for anyone who owns or is interested in purchasing a Cord 810/812.
In the future I am planning to purchase a Cord sedan and would want to drive it on a regular basis. I have heard that Cords, like any old car, has its share of quirks. Before I buy one, I would like to know what to expect.
For instance, I have heard about wheels breaking off because of early weak wheels (or was it brake drums / wheel hubs?). Also I have heard that they have overheating problems. And that the transmission selector sometimes does not work when you want. What problems do Cord owners live with no matter how perfect their car is?
I am also curious to know what types of ?upgrades? can be done to improve the drive-ability of a Cord while keeping its original appearance. As an example, I have heard that there are better than original water pumps and heads available to help with engine cooling. And that there may be some upgrades for the velocity joints. In other words, if I want a reliable Cord to drive as often as desired, what types of upgrades would you recommend as ?must do?s? and what should I expect to spend for these parts?
I am also interested to know what parts on these cars are impossible to locate/replace/rebuild. What parts should I pay particular attention to their condition before purchasing a car?

Thanks,
Hampton