Knock Knock... Who's There? The End of the Road! 

This channel should have 2 million subscribers. Merlin is one of very few people in this world that actually know stuff....

It's heartwarming for me to see there are folks out there still making it happen in the small machine shops across the country. Glad John got you fixed up!

What an amazing mechanic, and extremely patient person this Merlin is. No cussing or throwing of Tools. 😀🇺🇸

Closer to home. Hillbilly puts the word out. Dan comes through with 2 machined spare rods. Eternally grateful. She starts. Road trip resumes.

It really is amazing how many good knowledgeable people there are in this country. And the best part is there ability to help.

Merlin, You Sir are the definition of a true mechanic. Nice work.

Merlin's vast knowledge of these old Model A's is amazing! So nice to see Desiree traveling with Merlin on this journey! Be safe and careful out there and welcome home!

And that's why classic cars are better ... no matter where you go, you have friends you've never met who will stop everything to help you! Thanks for sharing 🇨🇦

Ive never really had an interest on learning the ways of the model A. Merlin has changed this. Its fascinating to learn how these old engines were built to be repaired and not thrown away when done. Everything can be repaired with simple hand tools and some knowledge. The wealth of knowledge he has is amazing. Im a mechanic of 25 yrs and i watch every week with anticipation of what i can learn next. Thanks for what you do.

I have NEVER seen a rod INSTALLED from the bottom. Merlin is a mad man !!

This is the wrecker games all over Merlin is the champ of getting things fixed on the spot. This has become 1 of my favourite channels. Keep on rocking tne 31 Merlin👍

💥Thanks Merlin and thank you Desiree for all you do in editing and such!💥💯💖😎

“I’m not afraid to try it”. Best Merlin quote ever. I’m gonna put it up in my shop…

Great job Merlin! And thanks for jumping at the chance to help, John! Nice to speak to you on the phone. Dang nice shop too!!

Thanks for taking me along Merlin. Really enjoyed watching the trip & on-the-road- repairs. Wish I was there!

My Sunday is now complete. Thank you. Desiree really rocks that hat. She is stunning.

I took the rods out of my 301cu in small block chevy at the dragstrip back in the 60's without pulling the heads. Just couldn't find enough pieces to put them back in! Enjoying the trip with you guys.

Merlin and Desiree it's so nice to see you two enjoy the ride. I think it would be so great in a Model A.

Best knock knock joke ever! Love the simplicity of the old stuff!

This is the shit that I was told as a child, We rebuilt motors on the side of the road

Merlin is the man! Im convinced he can make just about anything run at this point. Hopefully the rest of the trip goes smoothly!

Thanks for the adventure. This trip makes me consider a cross country adventure of my own at 70 years in a 50 year old car.

Nice to see your wife participate more in your videos between yourself,,fab rats,Matt's off road and robbie Layton you people rock

What a Dad Joke cold opening! 🤣👍

**knockknock!** "Who's there?" "It's me, Rodney!" And that is why it's called a 'Rod-knock'... 😁😁😜😜😁😁

My dad used a chunk of boot leather to get the last 50 miles he needed on his Model A when he was a youngster.

Hey Merlin, Just a tip, back in the early 50's I helped the old man redo the mains on the side of the road, he cut sections out of his leather belt, and used that in place of shells got us home over a 100 miles, but as I said that was the mains, don't know how that would hold on big ends

Yep Merlins parents named him right, Merlin is definitely a mechanical magician I really don't think there isn't anything mechanical he couldn't fix 🤔👍

That's how cross country was in the 1930s. You had to rely on friendly folks to help you make it through. The roads were a little rougher though. Good to see America is still filled with good people who understand hospitality and the value of hard work.

The Babbitt metal alloy has both soft metal (Tin & Lead) with the harder Copper and Antimony. It is easily melted and can be cast in-place around shafts and then "run-in" to achieve proper fitment. It allows a low precision shaft to be mated with a custom made bearing that can handle high load with low friction. It's a useful material for taking a non-standard size shaft and forming a tight tolerance bearing around it.

No matter how stressed my day, watching a Merlins Old School Garage video always brings me peace and joy. TY good sir. So very glad I found your channel through cousin Paul.

Mrs Merlin has the right idea, ice cream.

Merlin’s mechanical badassery.

What they didn't show is that Metlin took the rod out from the bottom with one hand while it was running. What amazing talent and awesome channel! God bless you all!

It's as if I can hear Costello calling out, "Hey Babbet!" 😂

Excellent! I love it when people help out when he chips go down! That feller with the rods and machine shop was awesome for the save! That car is sweet! Pray no more repairs and the rest of the trip will be fun!

What a cool adventure you guys are on Merlin. Nice to have the talent you have Merlin, anyone else would be panic stricken with the troubles you are having, not you though. I think you like having problems so you get to work on the car. What a gear head you are. Lol

An older friend of mine was heading to California years ago when he heard a rod knocking dropped the pan cut a piece off his leather belt and kept going . He smiled and said you can get about 3000 miles out of a good belt.

❤ Desiree & Merlin .. modern day Bonnie & Clyde .. minus the bank robbing thing. 👍😎✊

Amazing how you can find the right people when in need and glad to help out !! That's what's right with this country !!! Great road trip so far !

When there is technical difficulties the adventure begins. John's "call center" has some nice machine tools...

Good old Paul Shin does it again!!! He has quite the heart!! Thanks for helping Merlin out with thus excellent connection!! Go Merlin Go All the best from Canada

Just goes to show there's still great people still out there finding that rod then get two!!!

❤ Love the content. Merlin and Paul knowledge mechanically is at the next level.

What a beautiful way to see America. Even with adversity you keep such a positive attitude. Love it. Just remember never drive faster than your guardian angel can fly. You’ll make it home just fine. You and your wife. Have a blessed day.

Use pure Rain X spray on wind shield if you haven’t all ready. Won’t need wiper 👍 Looks like a cool trip.

You know. As I've watched this series from the start, I can't think of anyone else that I'd even consider making a trip like this with. Merlin, you ARE a genius when it comes to mechanics. You don't get rattled when things happen (or at least you don't show it), you just dive in and work through it. What an awesome adventure you and Desiree have had on this trip.

You need to replace the babbitt with regular bearings and balance the crank shaft. Also turn down the flywheel. That's what my Father-in-law did on all his restorations. He came up with this back in the seventies.

Would love to see a series on building and tuning a 12v Cummins by Merlin. I love your style and the way you do things.

2 best communities i have ever been a part of is the car guys and gun guys. You will never find better folks. The fun teasing among the car guys on makes and models is always fun. Sae with brands of firearms, were always teasing eachother over certain brands but there is no hate.

😊 It is nice to see a father and his daughter taking a long road trip across the country. 😊

The beauty of the old cars is that they were simple and easy to work on.

Just cant the people in americas heartland--thanks to all for helping Merlin !!!!

Good people across the country willing to help out, Priceless. Good friends to be made. Never seen a rod changed from the bottom, so I learned something new. It can be done. The adventure continues. This is reality, far better than the crap on TV. Looking forward for more to come. Thanks for sharing.

While in England in the Air Force in 1979 a co-worker had a 1960's Plymouth with the rocker arm bearings totally gone... they were galling the rocker shafts. Oil pressure was basically zero. He had about 6 months left before rotating elsewhere, parts just were not available there, and he had hardly any funds. He had to have transportation to get to work as he lived off-base. I recalled my grand-dad telling me about using leather for bearings in some of the early engines. He was born in 1906 and tinkered with everything mechanical he could on his small farm in Idaho. We rounded up some old leather belts and cut them to size for every rocker arm on that old V-8. Then we used a file and some emery cloth to smooth out the rocker shafts - we couldn't afford any other options. We pre-soaked the leather in oil, then put it all back together. Lo and behold the oil pressure came up and the car ran fine the rest of the time he was there. He sold it to another poor airman just arriving, and the last I knew when I left around a year later he was still driving it. Not a recommended method of course in todays world - even almost 50 years ago - but for the low speeds and relatively short distances it saw it worked just fine.

Good job Merlin. You are now a certified proctologist. Dr. Merlin. LOL

In the early 50’s I remember dad putting in main bearings on old Plymouth inn side of road … just like it was no big deal

awesome field repair Merlin, if there's a guy who could pull that off and end up with a running engine, its you!!

So happy you took the back roads..... hope all continues to go well with your journey.... it's definitely gonna take it's toll on that motor.....

Good to see Desiree along with you on this trip. I don't believe my wife and I would act like we were just taking a family drive. I have watched a mechanic many years ago pour bearings for a Ford. I wasn't very old, but I remember watching it done. I wish you both a happier trip home.

Wow! What a great adventure! You have the perfect way to see America!! Taking the local highways and county roads.. where the heart of this country lives!! It is full of good people with common sense and family values. You're getting to meet a lot of them and getting some really good stories to tell your friends and family when you get back home!! Good luck tomorrow!!!

Wow, what a great community around you! Nice to see, love that ride and the coolness of your wife!

Having friends with connections....PRICELESS. THIS is truly an EPIC JOURNEY 😎

That new rod quieted it down real nice. That was one trick fix man. you handled it like a pro!

I think Merlin is like me don’t tell me it can’t be done because I will show you it can. I had a pretty good mechanic tell me the difficult we do immediately the impossible just takes a little longer. Keep showing us your amazing mechanical skills

Thankyou for letting us come on your journey, I see down the road 🖤

They wife says I can fix anything but dinner. Merlin is next level. Great work!

Not only did you find a fellow Model A guy, he had spare rods and a full blown machine shop! Only in the heartland of America. 💪👍🏼

Early autos with radiators don't have pressure caps so they don't build pressure like a modern radiator. When the radiator gets low just add more water.

I loved the vid of your trip. People have no idea what it is like tripping in an old car. I drove my brother's 1928 Whippet about 110 miles and boy was that a trek I will never forget. Thank you for bring back those sights,sounds,feelings and smells of that day. You are the MAN. Thanks!

Having a good time watching y'all travel. Thanks for taking us along.

I love watching all the neat stuff you do with this car. I would love to learn more about these engines.

I just love the poster frame. What a great picture. 👍

Great video, thanks for taking us on your road trip, good to see theses old cars used🇬🇧

What a fun series this has been! Glad to see Desiree is at least having fun going home the languid way. Pull a rod out thru the bottom, dodging around the crank.... well, it worked!

At first,I thought he was going to try the old 'leather bearing' trick ( it doesn't work). Darned lucky the gudgeon pin wasn't a press fit in the rod or the piston.😄

Merlin, you would be handy to have on a road trip.

Watched the video again words don't describe the hospitality and the great friendship in the gentleman John merchine the two rods let alone finding them makes you feel good about America

Hi merlin thanks for taking us along for the ride . Cheers mate🇦🇺

Merlin, I’m from Indiana and we pronounce Terre Haute as like “tear a hote!” Like hotel but without the L. Great video. Just love them old cars

Growing up I had a neighbor just like you and I'm very very miss the guy I wish I lived close but your great old-school kind of person

ALL THE BREAKDOWNS AND THE AWESOME PEOPLE ALONG THE WAY MAKE IT A TRUE ADVENTURE. THANKS FOR LETTING US TAG ALONG ON YOUR JOURNEY!!! MERLIN WITH ALL YOUR EXPERIENCE , YOU MAKE BREAKING DOWN LOOK LIKE JUST A LITTLE DELAY & NO BIG DEAL JUST ANOTHER BUMP ROAD!!!! THANKS AGAIN CAN"T WAIT FOR THE NEXT LEG OF THE ADVENTURE AND JOURNEY . 😃😃😃👍👍👍

Awesome repair job, way to think outside the box dropping the rod out of the bottom!! Am I the only one who thought of the part in the book "The Grapes of Wrath" where they keep putting oil soaked leather in the rod bearing of the car because the babbit was gone??

This is so awesome to watch this vehicle and what you've done with it I've been watching the whole game of videos I'm trying to catch up I'm enjoying this thank you for sharing

Great video. I had a really good friend that lived in Decatur. Unfortunately he passed away three years ago. . There is still amazing people out willing to help authers.

thanks for sharing this amazing story. it's great to have friends along the way that have connections. eagerly waiting for the next segment of this journey.

Well done team. What friends to have Merlin in your time of need.

Paul Shinn would be proud of you Merlin.

Watching the other video. I said I wouldn't mind having a bottle of the Covid buster on the back seat. Then Merlin just said something about Moonshine on here. lol That's what I was talking for.

This is my idea of a fun time on vacation.

AMAZING! GOOD JOB EVERYONE!.....

America rocks and so do you Merlin. An adventure of a lifetime long ago...helpful knowledgeable people along the way...

Merlin and Desiree,you are beautiful people ,enjoy watching you content ,and the way you take everything in your stride . Automotive community is so undervalued, mechanics and engineering are what has helped the world.

Dr Frankenstein operates on the green model A & its alive again. Your knowledge on any motor or engine is mind blowing. Love to start my Sundays with Merlin Old School Garage. Love your pride of the American flag ! Thanks

Many moons ago, I worked with a older mechanic. He always called channel lock pliers "water pump" pliers. He said that they were used to tighten the packing on the pumps when he was a kid. Guess it stuck with him all those years.

Man I'd like to hang out in that guys machine shop for awhile. I'm trying to start my own machine shop at my home in Pa. I'm sure he could teach me quite a bit just going by what he's working on.

This is a trip every gearhead should get to experience, I can't wait to see the rest of your journey

Merlin, you are definitely a blessed man and a brave one! Love your channel!!

An amazing trip, what a truck, and an amazing mechanic.

Great video ya'll!! Merlin you just keep on amazing me how talented you are and John does amazing work also. Thanks for sharing be safe have fun enjoy