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Welcome
to the
Adventures of
Barry Fluth's
1953
Mercury Convertible
Barry and Barb Fluth with their '53 Mercury Convertible 
Barry Fluth's 1953 Mercury Convertible is a classic "street rod" and very much a work in progress.  He has owned it for over 10 years now, each year improving it and restoring it to better-than-new condition.  Since Barry (or "Bear" as friends call him) and his wife, Barb, spend their winters in Gilbert, Arizona, and their summers in Monticello, Minnesota, the '53 Merc is required to take a cross-country road trip twice each year.  This blog serves a record of these bi-annual journeys.  So come along as we chronicle our latest trip --  Spring 2011: The Windmill and Water Tower Tour.

Hutchinson, Kansas -- Minor Car Trouble

Time and Date: ~7:00pm, 28 April 2011
Location: Hutchinson, KS
Odometer: 6205

On the road from Liberal through Meade, Greensburg, and Pratt, Kansas, Barry felt that a clunking sound that had been coming from the front end seemed to be getting more noticeable.  We checked under the hood and noticed that the left shock absorber had come loose from its top mounting bolt.  While this wasn't a serious or dangerous situation, it was bothersome and we decided that we should get it fixed.  The next town of any size on our route was Hutchinson, Kansas.  So we decided to wait until we got there to pursue the problem.

 We arrived in Hutchinson, KS, around 7:30 in the evening and thought that dinner was the first order of business.  After dinner we scoured the town, looking for a motel and a place to have the car looked at.  Since it was late, we decided to attack the shock absorber problem first thing in the morning.


So, at 8:00 the next morning, we showed up at a Midas muffler shop, one of only two or three places that seemed to be able to help us in this town.  After a memorable experience (not in a good way), we ended up with the ruined shock absorber off the car, nothing in its place, and a commitment that a Midas shop in Manhattan, KS, would be able to help.

On the road from Hutchinson to Manhattan, we noticed that the Merc seemed to do fine without the left shock absorber, and although the ride wasn't as good as it should be, it probably wouldn't hurt to drive home without a replacement shock.  So when we got to Manahattan, we decided not to worry with replacing the shock -- and went along happily on our way.