The part of this entire process that I dreaded the most was the actual welding that I was going to have to do on the bell housing of the differential. This is the same spot that the old break (before we owned the car) and the new break had occurred. This was to be a process that required learning a bit of metallurgy that you don’t even think about unless you are trying to fix cast iron or cast steel. And yes, there is a difference.

The fix for the original break (not MY break) in the torque tube had resulted in removal of a riveted cast steel collar, brazing a steel sleeve inside the existing original torque tube and extending that same inner sleeve into the forward most side of bell shaped front portion of the differential housing. Once this had been done, an outside collar was welded to both the bell housing and the steel portion of the torque tube.

The torque tube before it broke (although I reinstalled it right side up)- click to enlarge photo

The photo shows the repaired area. The red line is where the crack occurred BOTH TIMES.

They tell me that the difference between welding cast iron and cast steel is significant. I’m now going to relate what I have learned about cast iron and cast steel. I am not an expert. I am not a metallurgist. I do not have vast experience welding. I do not pretend to KNOW what I am doing. I read. I read some more. I attend YouTube university. (That means watching Youtube videos that purport to show “how it is done” or “how not to do it”.) Some of this is information is consistent and may be metallurgically correct. Other bits are probably complete B*&& S#!& or anecdotal voodoo.

So here we go — Cast iron typically has lots of impurities and grainer structure than cast steel which is supposedly more crystalline in structure. Cast iron makes few little short sparks when you grind it. Cast steel makes lots of long bright yellow sparks. Cast steel can be successfully welded. Cast iron can be brazed with bronze (sort of high temperature soldering) or welded if carefully prepared, but has a much higher failure rate. Supposedly, the margins of material adjacent to the welded area become brittle and the structure is weakened there.  In either case, the experts (or self-proclaimed experts) suggest preheating the parts to be welded to 400 degrees Fahrenheit or a bit hotter before attempting to weld. The welding rod or wire should be high nickel content which does not expand or contract as much as steel welding rod. Once welded, the unified part should be peened (lightly hammered) and then allowed to very slowly cool to room temperature. The slower the better, so there are no sudden temperature related stresses to the material.

In preparation for this weld, I had to make a jig to permit alignment of the parts. There are no such jigs out there in the World, so I adapted my old engine stand and put together the thing below:

My torque tube welding jig.

I sourced some 55% nickel welding rod that I would use to TIG weld the actual broken areas of the torque tube. Then I would support that demonstrably weak area with several layers of steel tubing. This tubing could not be slipped over either end of the welded up torque tube because one end had a huge bell end and the other had a cast steel end that flared out larger than the size of the supporting tubing. Because the torque tube was going to be layered, the supporting “tubes” had to be cut into sections and then welded in place. One layer over the other. Holes were drilled in several pieces to allow plug welding to the lower layer, in addition to perimeter welds.

Curved plate sections of support tube ready for welding over the inner (original) broken section of torque tube. Note the allen socket set screws in the torque tube towards the bottom of the picture. These can be adjusted to align the INSIDE support tube to accommodate the drive shaft. It is only welded  to the tube at the welds near the original break.

Plate sections & plug welds on first support tube.

Note: I do not have photos of the innermost (original) torque tube welds. I was doing too many things while trying to maintain heat. What is not shown is pre-heating both ends with a large rosebud oxyacetylene torch to 400+ degrees Fahrenheit. Then the TIG welding of that area with 55% nickel welding rod. That portion of the welding went remarkably well. The nickel rod flowed more like solder or braze than a blobbier 100% steel welding rod. Frankly that was a great relief, as I was quite concerned that the very localized heat of the TIG arc would cause the cast metal to fizz and pop and have a lot of weak bubbly edges. None of that occurred. The welds looked good. Soon after they were complete around the entire circumference of the tube, I peened the welds and adjacent metal with a pneumatic needle scaler. Then I waited a bit and did it again. Peening is advised when welding cast iron or steel to relieve stress in the metal caused by dissimilar heating and the actual process of melting base materials to form the weld. And then again…. it just might be voodoo. Lest I upset the welding Gods (Vulcan, Brokkr & Sindri, Brigid, Ptah, Miller, Lincoln, Hobart et. al.) I performed the stress relief ritual. And because the welds didn’t break then and there, I was somewhat relieved too. But before things cooled too much, I commenced the next layer of welds. I started with the nickel rod, but because I was now welding steel to steel (not cast) I switched to MIG welding with regular old welding wire. The results were, in my opinion, excellent.

Nickel rod on left, where the plate joins bell housing. Steel to steel elsewhere was plain old MIG.

Fireproof blanket over the welds to let the parts slowly cool.

Several days later (Sept. 4, 2025), I ground down the welds to accommodate another layer of steel support tubing. Cut the tubing into four sections, beveled the edges for greater weld penetration and strapped them to the tube for welding.

Another layer of support.

Four more tube sections hose clamped on for welding.

Final support welded and ground. The fix is complete and ready for paint.

Next project — get the new ring & pinion gear installed and adjusted.

As I’ve related, the torque tube was most likely a casualty of axle wrap and the repeated twist up and twist down that fatigued the prior fix at almost exactly the same spot. Inspection clearly revealed a prior repair.

The first repair sandwiched the original tube between an inner sleeve and an outer tube. And it still failed.

Original riveted collar at top of photo. Repaired section at bottom.

Another feature of the Sheldon 201-D “pleasure axle” was a curious slot in the spring bracket that secured the axle to the suspension. The axle has a matching BUT SHORTER lug. This indicates that the designers INTENDED the axle to rotate a bit forwards and backwards when accelerating or braking. This confirms that axle wrap was acknowledged and somehow was NOT going to be a problem.  This engineering presumption was profoundly mistaken. We know that the Sheldon “pleasure axle” was immediately replaced by a much more robust and heavily engineered axle & differential combination in the 1913 cars. Good riddance.

Rectangular slot in the bracket securing the axle to the suspension.

When the torque tube broke, it shifted all its weight and stiffness in the suspension to the drive shaft it was there to protect. The shaft bent. Not a lot, but a noticeable several hundred thousandths out of straight. I resolve this with help of fellow La Jolla Regional Group member Jay Watkins Sr. who supervised my use of his lathe to skim off a bit of the bendy bits at the pinion gear end. The remaining sway in the shaft was pushed back into shape by Jeff Helton’s crew at Oceanside Driveline. Our straightening job on their big lathe jig was easily the oldest driveshaft repair that they had seen in decades.

The driveshaft was not the only item to sustain damage. The sag produced by the break in the tube also forced the mis-alignment of the ring & pinion gears. This created chipped teeth and galled surfaces. If you look back at our servicing of the differential in January of 2017,(https://michiganmotorcar.com/gears-thrust-bearings-patience/ ) you can look at photos of the ring & pinion. While they were worn, and imperfect on some of the faces, they were not chipped or severely galled. That level of damage was new. So, where do you go and how much does it cost for a new ring & pinion? Again, I went back to my consulting group, the Jolly Boys of the La Jolla Regional Group of the Horseless Carriage Club of America. The discussion indicated that only one place in the western U.S. remained in business, namely, Industrial Sprocket & Gear, in Santa Fe Springs (a suburb of Los Angeles). On April 10, 2025, I took in my old gears and was told it would be $3850. to have new gears made to match the old ones (minus the wear & galling). Not cheap, but not crazy crazy expensive. Over the course of the next 2 months, a new ring & pinion were made. And thus began a saga that I’m sure was difficult for all involved, but most certainly ME. I just didn’t know it yet. Before anything else, I had to repair the torque tube so that the drive shaft could be inserted, the ring installed on the carrier and the pinion attached to the end of the driveshaft.

The fix for the original break (not MY break) in the torque tube had resulted in removal of a riveted cast steel collar, brazing in a new steel sleeve inside the existing original torque tube and extending that same inner sleeve into the forward most side of bell shaped front portion of the differential housing.

The old repair showing inner and outer sleeves surrounding the original torque tube.

As I contemplated the means to put the torque tube back together, I commenced building the bracketing that would be necessary to attach the Model T style radius rods to the axle tubes and the torque tube. I would make a collar with radius rod mounting holes for the front end of the torque tube and pinch brackets for the axle tubes.

Welded forward bracket for radius rods.

Forward radius rod bracket installed on torque tube.

With all the welding I was doing and about to do, it was time to upgrade my MIG welder. My old Millermatic 210 was holding up well, but was limited to MIG welding. I wanted to get greater control, and that required TIG capabilities, so I purchased a Miller Multimatic 220 machine which can do stick, MIG and TIG welding of steel and aluminum. The more I use it, the more I like it.

My new Miller Multimatic 220 welder. It is a remarkable machine.

I designed the axle brackets to be sturdy and not requiring a casting or machining. Instead, I decided to laminate multiple 1/4″ slices of steel together and clamp them to the axle tubes. All of these radius rod parts would be completely removable so the car could be returned to its original configuration, or could be easily replaced with a better stabilizing system at some future date. The bracket slices were designed in Fusion 360 and emailed to Send-Cut-Send for fabrication. Send-Cut-Send is an amazing shop for fabricators. They take your CAD design, plug it into their laser cutter machine and produce your part. Then the parts are packaged and quickly shipped to you. And the pricing is remarkable too.

Seventeen 1/4″ bracket slices for under $150., in less than a week. Wow.

Stacked bracket slices getting pinch tabs welded on with my TIG torch.

The rear radius rod brackets mounted on the axle tube. Note the shiny area between the bracket and the wheel. That is where the springs mount.

Next project — weld up the torque tube.

First thing that was required was to remove the entire rear end of the drive line.

Jack up the car, put it on stands, remove the rear fenders, remove the spare tire mount, disconnect the brake rods, remove the “U” bolt brackets at the axle and spring junction, and roll out the rear end without damaging the end of the drive shaft.

Remove the rear fenders.

Jack up the rear end and put it on jack stands.

Roll the rear end out from under the car.

The entire rear end is removed. A white plastic collar fastened over the square slip joint end of the drive shaft for protection.

I went about disassembling the torque tube and differential carrier.

The torque tube, differential carrier and drive shaft are suspended from the engine hoist.

JB Weld is not going to fix this.

This used to be one piece.

The torque tube was in two pieces. What other damage occurred when it broke?

The drive shaft bent a bit. The ring and pinion gears are galled and chipped. A sleeve that was grafted INSIDE the original torque tube was cracked in half. A stabilizing tube added OUTSIDE the original torque tube was split as well. This was fairly major mechanical carnage.

The drive shaft after turning some of the bend out. Still not really straight.

Ring gear chipped and heavily worn.

Ring Gear and pinion gear inside. Note the severe galling on the surface of the pinion.

My initial thought was to simply stick what was broken back together. (This is close to a “JB Weld type fix.) But that really would NOT be a fix. This torque tube had already been broken once before. The welding and grinding on the exterior of the tube proved that. There was also a substitution of a modern bearing for the original Hyatt roller & cage type bearing just forward of the first break and our new break in the torque tube. After considerable searching online, discussions with restoration experts, and consultation with the Jolly Boys (our Saturday lunch gathering) of the La Jolla Regional Group of the Horseless Carriage Club of America, I came to the conclusion that I could not simply patch up the break in our torque tube. I would have to engineer and splice in some sort of radius rod apparatus to reduce or eliminate axle wrap – lest we just keep cracking this thing in two — indefinitely.

What should a fix look like? 

During the next couple of months, I spent time admiring the underside of 100 year old automobiles. And my conclusion was that a torque tube only set-up for dealing with axle wrap, was pretty rare. I found no others in my limited search. Without exception, each car I examined (from 1909 to 1916 or so, had some sort of traction bar, radius rod or anti- torque braces that prevented axle wrap. There were single side braces between the differential housing and the frame. There were single side wishbone or “Y” braces. There were double sided wishbone braces. Some of these devices connected directly to the front side of the differential housing. Others connected from the back plate of the brake drum to the frame. Still others went from the axle tubes near the wheels up to the frame. But the one that seemed best for a simple modification without too much engineering was a radius rod set-up like that on a Model T Ford. Which, by the way, was very familiar to me.

Model T Ford radius rod and rear universal joint set-up in green.

This would be the configuration that I chose to modify and install on our Michigan car. However, this would have to wait while I repaired the damage, which as I’ve shown, was considerable.

The crack in the torque tube was discovered on March 14, 2025. It was significant and total.  The car had made an unusual sort of thumpy noise before I parked it on February 23, 2025. I surmised that the cracked tube and the pressure and flex on to the drive shaft it covers was the reason for the thump. This did not sound like an easy fix.  And….. it wasn’t.

The crack in the torque tube extended all the way around the tube.

So why did the tube break? Well, this calls for some investigation on the purpose of torque tubes and how they have evolved.

The reason for a torque tube is a phenomena called “axle wrap”. Which is not at all like Saran or plastic wrap. It is the twisting force forward or backward of the differential upon acceleration and braking.

This diagram shows axle wrap distorting the leaf spring while accelerating. The red arrows show the twist that occurs during acceleration and braking. The torque tube is supposed to relieve the stress but on early cars, failed to do so.

Our Michigan has what is referred to as a “torque tube drive” set-up. However, its implementation was not well engineered. Indeed, if you examine the close-up photo of the crack, you will observe what appears to be grinding marks adjacent to the crack. That is not my doing, but is an early attempt to repair a torque tube failure in the exact same location.  While trying to figure out what steps to take to fix the problem, I called upon Mike Howard in Kalamazoo. Mike is another owner of a 1912 Michigan and two 1913 Michigans. Mike sent photos of the same area of his 1912 car. It appeared to have been repaired at some time prior to Mike owning the car. The break is in the IDENTICAL  location. It is important to note that the differential and drive train for the 1913 car is vastly different.

Differential & torque tube of Mike Howard’s 1912 Michigan showing repaired torque tube.

Mike Howard’s 1913 Michigan had no torque tube, an additional universal joint and most importantly, big heavy radius rods to prevent axle wrap. – Click on photo to enlarge.

I looked at about 9 or 10 other cars of similar vintage from before 1912 and after 1912. In nearly every case, there was a radius rod setup of some sort to prevent axle wrap. Our rear axle and differential were built by Sheldon Spring & Axle Company.  Most of the axles they produced were for heavy trucks. Our Sheldon “Pleasure Axle” was for cars. https://michiganmotorcar.com/nuts-bolts-2/axles-differential/  It is very apparent that their  model No. 201-D, was poorly engineered and defective from the beginning. Our car, Michigan serial number 3531, and Mike Howard’s car serial number 3477, both have repaired torque tubes. The only other operating 1912 Michigan that I am aware of, #3535, has a completely replaced rear end from a Ford Pinto, complete with hydraulic brakes. This leads me to believe that use of the Sheldon 201-D rear end was short-lived and a continuing problem.

Michigan Serial #3535, completely replaced
Ford Pinto rear end.

So, we know a little about the problem- axle wrap.  And we have some knowledge about how others seem to have avoided it. I really dislike the idea of replacing the entire rear-end with something modern. So, what was the extent of the damage to our car and how do we fix it?

Well, between the install of the electric start on March 22, 2024 and March 17, 2025, the Michigan was running fine and we were really enjoying it. We had one incident while driving the car south along Pacific Coast Highway (PCH)  where the power plant used to be.

Encina Power Plant and beach volleyball area before the building was dismantled.

The car had been shifting with difficulty. The clutch was sort of binding and then it didn’t want to disengage. Then there was a noticeable “Clunk” and the car started to shudder a bit and didn’t want to shift into neutral.  I had to jamb it there. Then it didn’t want to shift at all.  I fiddled with the clutch and the shifter and finally got the car into first gear. We decided to turn around and limped the car back home in first gear. I quickly slid under the car and had a look.

It turns out that one of the threaded pins that fasten the yoke to the throw-out bearing, had unscrewed itself. It apparently had no cotter pin or safety wire to stop it from unscrewing. And — as is so common with cars of this era, it did exactly that.

The pin was nowhere to be found and had probably dropped out onto the road. QUICK JANET — TO A MODERN CAR. We needed to locate this rogue part in the wild while there was still time to find it.  And off we went to retrace our path down PCH to the location where shifting got impossible. Slowly we cruised south from Tamarack to the volleyball courts on the beach. We stopped twice. Once for some random junk in the street and next for…… our escaped throw-out yoke pin. HOORAY!  An unobtainable part that I would not have to re-create on my lathe and someone else’s milling machine. Hours saved! And…. both pins are now safety wired in place.

Replacing the escaped throw-out bearing yoke pin.

Our next adventure of note was the Fallbrook Vintage Car show on May 26, 2024, where Janet & I joined other Horseless Carriage Club members in showing our brass era cars. We had a great time and the public enjoyed seeing cars that are generally only available in museums.

The Brass Car lineup – Fallbrook 2024

Craig & Janet at Fallbrook Vintage Car Show 2024

Our next adventure was the 70th Anniversary Tour of the La Jolla and San Diego Horseless Carriage Club Regional Groups. The tour was from Parkway Plaza in El Cajon up the mountains to Descanso Junction. The Michigan’s gearing (we only have 3) kept us in 2nd gear for long stretches and at about 12 to 18 mph.  It is clear to me why the 1913 Michigan had 4 speeds.  But the electric start was AWESOME.

On August 11, 2024, we did a short tour with the La Jolla Regional Group around and about Fallbrook. We had about 12 cars and we drove some of the more scenic roads around Fallbrook and vicinity.

Drivers (and riders) meeting before the Fallbrook Tour.

Resa Chase & Ralph McNeil rode with us around Fallbrook.

Our next outing was to the Tijuana River Valley by way of Brown Field. The tour was really interesting and we saw areas of San Diego County that we had never seen before.

Antiques parked at Brown Field.

An Osprey flew overhead.

We all took a breather near the Tijuana River mouth. It didn’t stink too bad, but the park was closed.

On January 12, 2025, we participated in the San Diego Excursion – commemorating  the 1915 Panama-California Exposition Road Race from Balboa Park through Point Loma. More than 100 cars showed up and hundreds of folks joined us at the start at the Automotive Museum in Balboa Park.  Hundreds more lined the race course through Point Loma.  It was a great time and we look forward to doing it again in 2026 and beyond.

Craig, Janet & Janet’s sister, Sally Davis wait for the start of the SD Excursion.

And then…….. the Michigan’s last journey before our fateful discovery.

Janet Correll & Sarah Hagerty prepare to depart to the Carlsbad Women’s Club 100th Anniversary Tea.

A couple of days later, on March 17, 2025, I was adding packing around the muffler to reduce noise when I looked across at the drive shaft torque tube. Was that a crack?  Oh dear. It is.  And it extends all the way around the torque tube.

The crack. Click to enlarge.

This is a very bad development. The fix will be complicated. As of the date of this post, I am still in the midst of both obtaining parts to do the fix and have only recently determined what sort of fix I am going to pursue. That will be in a future post.

As previously noted in the prior posting, continued participation in old car touring highlighted the desirability of having a quick, easy and reliable starting technique. Our car is equipped with a Prest-O-Starter acetylene starting device. A device that I have yet to go through and restore.  At some point in the future, I plan to do that. Just not now. We are having too much fun driving the car on tours and the like, so I don’t want to take it out of service just now. For more information about the acetylene starter, go to my “Nuts & Bolts” menu and look for Prest-O-Starter https://michiganmotorcar.com/nuts-bolts-2/prest-o-starter-acetylene-starter/

Our Horseless Carriage Club colleagues (La Jolla Regional Group) recommended I speak with member Allan Schmidt who is also the proprietor of the well regarded antique auto supply company, Restoration Supply Company  https://restorationstuff.com. I visited with Allan and he suggested that I bring in our flywheel and that he would turn the front edge down a bit on his lathe and sweat on a ring gear expanded and spliced from bits of 1970’s vintage Dodge truck ring gears. This he told me he had done successfully many many times.

So, off I went to remove our flywheel. While this is not the most complicated thing in the world, it is not the easiest either. Oh — and the flywheel weighs 85 pounds, so taking it off also means that you have to hold on to it as you unbolt it from the crankshaft.  For this purpose, I welded up a handy dandy flywheel catcher.

Flywheel ready to be unbolted (6) from crankshaft. Cone clutch, spring and universal joints are already removed.

The Flywheel Catcher floor jack accessory from CraigCo. MSRP $150.

A few days after Thanksgiving, I dropped the flywheel off for Allan to do his work and In mid-December, I got a call telling me to come pick it up. The flywheel now had teeth on its leading edge.

The flywheel following dental work.

It took me until February 25th to reinstall the flywheel. What followed was a lot of calculations using era appropriate CAD designs (cardboard assisted design) to weld up a bracket for the starter motor.

Bracket and Hi-Torque starter motor.

With the bracket designed there were still lots of adjusting to do with shims requiring bolting and unbolting to get the spacing for the starter gear to properly mesh with the ring gear. This is tedious upside down on your back work with some fairly heavy parts. It was not fun and took several days to get it right. After the install, I needed to get a 12 volt battery holder installed on the chassis and route the cables to the starter.

Starter installed and ready for wiring.

Finally on March 25, 2024, the installation was complete and we started the car with the push of a button.  There was great rejoicing in the Correll household. (Insert video of first electric start here)

Or: How we came to appreciate certain modern conveniences.

After going on several outings with the mostly restored Michigan, it became apparent that crank starting was not only not quick or reliable — it could be exhausting. As my back and arm started to give out, we (Janet & I) would request assistance from friends or random victims to please help push start the car. Everyone got out of the car except me, the driver  — and the more or less able-bodied folks, including Janet,  pushed the car to get it started.  For those of you NOT familiar with this starting technique, I will give you a brief explanation. The sequence is as follows:

1. Turn ignition on (set switch to “battery”)
2. Place the car in gear. (Usually first gear)
3. Push in the clutch pedal
4. Have helper/victims push the car to walking speed or faster
5. Release the clutch pedal. “Pop the clutch”
6. Car coughs and starts & pulls away from pushers.

There are a couple of other steps that you do not want to happen, but nevertheless sometimes occur.

8. Pusher bumps face or head into the back of car when it does not start, because the car jerks to a sudden stop.

9. Pusher stumbles & tumbles forward on to pavement as car starts and suddenly pulls away.

These later 2, occurrences are to avoided if at all possible. One sure way to avoid the pusher / helper situation is to always park on a slope facing downhill. But, this is not always possible.  Indeed, finding “just the right location” can require lots of random driving around looking for a slope that will work. We know this, because we have done it.

Janet & helpers (victims) push start the Michigan. Note: There is no slope to help us.

The beauty of being a member of the Horseless Carriage Club is that its membership includes folks with a huge reservoir of cranky old car knowledge. “Ah yes, Craig you still don’t have an electric start. How old are you? 70? Maybe you should consider the condition of your back.”  Or ….. this even more important observation:  “Um – Craig, Janet really likes these old car events? Right? Will her patience or upper body strength hold out indefinitely? You had better install an electric starter.”  So, I did.  To find out what was involved,  please go to the Post entitled: Installing the Electric Starter. (currently being drafted – Aug. 23, 2024)

It is really great when you live in a small town and know who to call.  Sally knew the Hobart police dispatcher so arrangements were made to take photos on July 3, 2023 at the corner of Third and Main Street. At noon, we all converged on the location to re-enact the 1915 photo that is one of two family photos we have of the car when it was nearly new. The Hobart police stopped traffic in 3 directions and we had local photographer Tom Ling of Classic Photo positioned to reproduce the shot.

Hobart Police block the intersection so we can take our photo at 3rd & Main.

Here’s what we got:

Corner of 3rd Street & Main Street, Hobart, Indiana – July 4, 1915

July 3, 2023 Corner of Third & Main Streets, Hobart IN – photo courtesy of Tom Ling, Classic Photo

Following the photo at the corner, we all drove 2 blocks to the Hobart Historical Society Museum and took a photo of all the family that was able to show up for the festivities.

Left to right: Craig Correll, Conner Lewis on running board (FD) Janet Correll (FD) Fleck Descendant, Sally Davis (FD), Eric D’Ambrosio-Correll (FD), Jeff Ewen (FD), Ella D’Ambrosio-Correll (FD), Kristie D’Ambrosio-Correll, Olivia Davis (FD), Clarence Davis, Chris Davis (FD), Chris Presley, Tori Correll (FD), Eileen Grogan.

Once we had the re-creation photo, we were set for the big parade. Would we fry the clutch? Would we boil the radiator? Would something else go haywire? The possibilities were endless. I’d only been preparing for this for about 10 years……………… Craig slept restlessly the night of July 3rd.

Hobart Parade Route 2023 — A different route from 1915. Although we did go through the intersection of 3rd and Main Streets.

Parade vehicles were staged in front of a Hobart Middle School.

Several thousand people lined the 2 mile parade route as Tori Correll & Olivia Davis handed out Tootsie Rolls & Peppermints and Kyle White & Chris Davis carried our banner.

Parade fans, Kristie, Ella & Eric cheered us on from the shaded sidewalk.

We all waved at our family contingent and even little Ella loved the parade.

As we went through downtown, towards 3rd & Main, the route started to get pretty warm. But the Michigan kept its cool.

We made it to the final stretch of the parade route without any mishaps. No overheating, no burnt clutch, no stalls……. PERFECT!

We made it back home to the Davis garage and were ready for a cool beverage.

When we became the new custodians of the Michigan we  promised the descendants of the Fleck family that we would try to get the car restored and then participate in the July 4th Parade in Hobart, Indiana. That became a reality in 2023.  The drive out from California got off to a bit of a bumpy start the first day with 2 blowouts on our trailer within 35 miles each other near St. George, Utah. Fortunately, the Costco in St. George carried trailer tires. We ended up with 4 new tires. The original tires from 2013 had apparently rotted

Blowout #1 St. George UT

Blowout #2, 35 miles NE of St. George UT

On our way east we stopped in Denver to see Kelly Davis Tyson, her husband, Nick and their two kids, Sawyer and Greyson.

Craig, Janet, Kelly, Greyson, Nick & Sawyer. Arvada, CO June 20, 2023

Our next stop was to visit the Kahle family in Newkirk, Oklahoma.  The Kahle family is now in their 3rd generation as farmers on the Correll Homestead just outside of town.

Dawn, Monte, Nancy & Eric Kahle, with Craig & Janet all inspecting the Michigan.

Our next visit was with John Fleck, in Chesterfield, Missouri. We visited John back in 2013, when we were trailering the Michigan from Hobart, Indiana to California. John is the grandson of Michael Fleck, the original owner of our Michigan. You can review our meeting with John on our journey west by viewing our blog post from October 26, 2013. https://wp.me/p45zSY-1N

John Fleck and his daughter, Jody got to ride in the restored Michigan around their neighborhood in Chesterfield, MO June 24, 2023

Both he and Jody had a great time touring their neighborhood in the old car he remembered playing in so many years ago.

On June 24, 2023, we arrived at the home of Sally & Clarence Davis in Hobart, Indiana. Hobart is where the Michael Fleck once lived; where the Michigan was garaged for most of its existence; and where we stored the car from 2011 to 2013.

We had been asked by the Hobart Chamber of Commerce to  provide a brief story regarding the Michigan’s history in Hobart. We were very pleased to see that our car was to be the cover story for the 2023 Hobart Fourth of July brochure. And preparations for the big event were commenced.

Cover Story – 108 years in the making.

Page 28

Page 29

Sisters, Sally & Janet (Fleck descendants) with the parade banner.

Janet & I bought the Michigan in September of 2011, from Steve Dickey – Janet’s cousin. He had intended to finish the restoration of the car started by his father, Philip. But Steve was getting older and was having some serious health issues and knew he wasn’t up to the task.  He put out the word among family members that the Michigan was for sale to descendants of Michael Fleck, his great grandfather. The car was nearly 100 years old and Steve wanted to keep it in the family, if possible.

We heard about the old car, but had never heard of a “Michigan” brand automobile. So we did a little  research and discovered that the Michigan Motor Car Company (previously the Michigan Buggy Company)  was very short lived and the cars were pretty rare.  On our next trip to Indiana (July 2011), we made arrangements to meet with Steve at his farm house in Hebron, Indiana to look at the car. That was a pretty fun trip. We were accompanied by Janet’s sister Sally (Elinor Ewen) Davis, her husband Clarence Davis, our son, Eric Correll and his soon to be wife, Kristie D’Ambrosio. All of whom were unofficially working as consultants on the potential purchase. As in, “What are we getting ourselves into.”

The Michigan awaits inside Steve Dickey’s barn. July 28, 2011

Eric examines a fender with Janet, Sally & Kristie soaking in the old car and old barn ambience.

The consensus of our group was, “Hey guys, you cannot pass this up. Go for it!”

Janet & I hemmed and hawed between ourselves on what price to offer Steve that was significant but not stupidly high. My seat of the pants guess was that a “do it yourself” restoration would easily involve $50,000.  or more in actual costs — not counting any labor.  We made an offer to Steve by phone from California and he accepted. We next planned on how to pick up the car and get it secured in our own facility.

Our next trip to Indiana was in September 2011, when we closed the deal with Steve and made arrangements to pick up the car from his barn in Hebron and move it to Sally & Clarence’s barn in Hobart. That story is in the first series of posts in this blog.

Here is what we know about the past history of our Michigan car and its prior owners:

(1) Michael Fleck (the original purchaser)

Michael Fleck, first owner of our 1912 Michigan. Janet’s great grandfather. Seen with the Hobart Volunteer Fire Department. Click on photo to enlarge.

(2) to daughter, Clare Fleck (a.k.a. – Aunt Spot)

Clare Fleck, inherited the car from her father, Michael. Clare was a key member of the Hobart Historical Society.

(3) to niece, Marjorie (Fleck) Dickey –daughter of George Fleck (Clare’s brother) & Marjorie’s husband, Phillip Dickey

Marjorie Fleck Dickey, inherited the car from Clare Fleck, her aunt.

Philip Dickey, husband of Marjorie, father of Steve. Philip took the Michigan to his shop class at Portage High School.

(4) to their son,  Steve Dickey

Janet Correll & Steve Dickey Sept. 18, 2011, with our “new” Michigan. Both are great grandchildren of Michael Fleck.

(5) to Steve’s cousin, Janet (Fleck/Ewen) Correll  & me, Craig Correll, on September 16, 2011

Craig & Janet Sept. 16, 2011. Do we know where this might take us?

Michael Fleck died in 1949. Clare Fleck died in 1985. Philip Dickey died in 1994.  Philip Dickey was a wood shop and industrial arts teacher at Portage High School, in Portage, Indiana from 1954 through 1973. Marjorie (Fleck) Dickey died in 2000. Steve Dickey sold us the Michigan in 2011 and died in 2017.

Apparently Clare Fleck gave Philip Dickey access to the car BEFORE her death. Sometime during that period, the car went to high school, where some good things happened and some mischief was made. The carburetor was attached backwards and the differential ring gear was installed on the wrong side — providing 3 speeds in reverse and 1 gear forward. On the good side of the ledger, the wood interior is very sound.  If there were any problems, Philip had them fixed either by himself or his shop class minions. The metal sheathing is remarkably un-dented and straight. The wood supporting the sheathing and forming the body was in spectacularly good shape and painted with thick black paint.  The body however, was rough in places — especially the doors which had chips and cracks in the paint. One fender was completely detached and primed with rusty “new” metal welded in.  We surmise that the car went to shop classes at Portage High School, sometime between 1954 and 1973. Exactly when this trip to high school occurred, we do not know. In doing a full restoration, it was clear to me that many areas of the car had been touched. Blue silicone sealant was not available in the 1920’s, 1930’s, 1940’s or 1950’s.  It would be wonderful to find someone who took a class with Mr. Dickey and find out what work on the car may have been done at Portage High. But for now, it remains a mystery.

My efforts have been to restore the car to its nearly original appearance and good running order. Cars are meant to be driven. Not sit in a museum or glass case.  I think I’m 98% there. The remaining 2% is simply unachievable because something will always need maintenance, or break. And we all know that rust never sleeps. So, as long as we are custodians of this car, we will drive it, show it and tell its story.