Modeleh

Yes that’s correct Ford dealers sold Monarchs and Mercury dealers sold Meteor and Mercury trucks from what I understand. Theres a Facebook group for Meteors and Canadian fomoco stuff and there’s some knowledgeable followers and a good place to post for meteor specific parts wanted.

In the 80s and 90s BC had a pretty decent infrastructure of automotive LPG dispensing stations. Today they are few and far between. In the 90s I enjoyed the benefits of 29 cents per litre LPG as a young guy and converted my 67 Cougar and later my 76 Bronco and even a 73 Travelall. It was the only way I could afford to drive “cool cars” but it had some limitations even back then that were a pain to deal with. Mostly it was fuel range and of course that was determined by the size of the tank you could fit. Next was having to wait for the counter person at the station to finish selling a lineup of customers cigarettes and slurpees so they could come out and grudgingly fill your tank. Provided it wasn’t past 10pm, then you were outta luck. Eventually I got a cardlock card and there were a couple places I could fill up on my own 24/7 so that improved things quite a bit. Lots of run ability benefits to LPG I’m sure you know about but I don’t think the fuel cost savings is worth the range and refueling hassles today. A friend of mine locally still runs his 65 F100 300-6 on LPG and it’s been his daily for about 30 years now, it’s had a few new paint jobs but still on the same engine.

Riding in a steam car is worth it at damn near any cost!! 😁. There’s just nothing else that even comes close to the sounds, smells and smiles it makes

I’d wager your 1964 will be more dependable. And if it does give you trouble you won’t need to wait for a shop to get you in so their computer can scan your truck to find which sensors to replace in a trial and error routine to get you going again. Next time you’re in the waiting room while you’re getting your new truck serviced for emissions related problems just think how much more enjoyable your day would be if you were listening to the sweet hum of your slant six!

Same reason here. The vintage trucks do the same job at less overall cost and no comparison in the smiles per miles. My 66 4x4 is stock other than a gear vendors overdrive and the 78 4x4 has a 12v Cummins and 5spd. A pretty solid investment and lots of fun.

Thanks very much Graham Man, I’d say you nailed it! 🍻 Interesting information in the link you attached is that it sounds like it had no conventional flywheel but starter/generator windings in lieu of.

Hi guys and girls, I was asked by a friend to identify this car and I’m stumped. Thoughts?

A solution of one part oil of wintergreen to 3 parts rubbing alcohol and soak the rubber parts in, monitor every 30 minutes or so as it does have a swelling effect on the rubber but will soften old rubber. An old trick from the motorcycle guys to soften carburetor boots.

And the Italian team had to wait for replacement gears for their transmission after an American farmer sabatoged their efforts by dumping a handful of nails into the gearbox while the team was asleep. Several miles down the road from the “kind” patriotic farmer who let them sleep in his barn they discovered the damage. The new gearset had to be hand riveted to the carrier at the roadside. The documented story in Scarfoglios book and the fact that the Zust found in Dawson City by Buck Rogers in 1950s had one set of factory riveted gears and one set clearly done as a repair, along with other documented repairs found on the car proved the provenance of the car. Imagine dealing with problems like these in the middle of nowhere trying to telegram for parts and have them shipped to you and repair it with what you have on hand, coaxing the beast around the world, having to pour your own bearings from rifle bullets, getting thrown in prison before finally getting to Paris only to have people call you losers. Not in my book. The perseverance of all men involved was nothing short of amazing.

Unfortunately the race was not run equally by each team. Rarely the point is made that the Americans drove on the railbeds and through tunnels where the competition had to go the hard way. Everyone just likes to talk about how far ahead the Thomas was. They sure as hell should have been after stopping at the factory for improvements, something no other group did. No wonder the other teams cried foul.

That’s correct, the Zust was found in Dawson City. It is speculated that there was a connection between the Guggenheim family who owned a mining company in Dawson and also owner of the New York Times who was a sponsor of the race, was able to acquire the vehicle believing that since it made it around the world that it would be a good vehicle for the poor roads in Dawson. Of course the car would have been wore right out by the time it made it up there, with people not understanding that it wasn’t necessarily the car that made it, rather the determination of the men who got it there. Metallurgic testing of the engine bearings during the restoration confirmed the story documented by Scarfoglio in 1909 of pouring their own bearings from melted rifle bullets during a breakdown in Siberia. It’s also important to note that the Zust team had been imprisoned during the race which slowed them down considerably. There are reports of many instances when they each pulled each other out when stuck in mud or snow. They were all winners.

Nice to see you here Jeff, hope you’re doing well. I met you and your friends when you came over to visit the Zust on your Alaska trip years ago. Would you mind telling the story of the details about the car that enabled your grandfather to admit to himself that Harrahs Thomas was indeed the Great Race Thomas? The subject came up in another thread here a few weeks ago and I couldn’t remember exactly what you had told us but I believe it had something to do with initials or markings under a seat?

That’s a very rare truck. I’ve only ever seen a period photo of one configured that way. I’ve had an AA and a BB in the past, there’s a Model AA club and forum with good people and information on the big iron. Seems the BBs with the V8 are more desirable for obvious reasons, and a warford overdrive and the 5.17 high speed rear will push the price and desirability up if equipped. Those rear fenders are super rare. Really nice truck you have there, my guestimate price range would be 8-12K as it sits. These trucks are slow so that diminishes the number of guys who want one, and the nicer you make them the harder they seem to get rid of.

It’s on the cusp of fitting into the prewar category of this great thread you started but it’s such a gem I had to share it. The chassis was completed in 1940 and remarkably it was all done during wartime years. It originally had a flathead but was upgraded to a 289 and a new paint scheme from the original white and blue in the 60s. People often remark that it looks like a Volkswagen, which I don’t agree with but I suppose there is some resemblance. This predates the arrival of the first VW in Canada by more than a decade. It must have really been something to see back in the day. Today, it turns heads more than anything else I’ve ever rode in and it’s as smooth and quiet as a new car. The build quality is really top notch. Amazing that several guys worldwide were all working on similar concepts at the same time unbeknownst to each other, Tatra and VW Porsche in Europe and this clever young guy from Saanich BC.

This is is the Spirit of Tomorrow, built in Victoria BC in the early 40s by Barney Oldfield. His wind tunnel was a creek behind his shop where he whittled a wood block into the shape he desired and held it in the current of the river noting the drag on a spring scale and how the water flowed around it. When he settled on a shape he extrapolated the dimensions full scale and hand crafted the aluminum body. Powered by a rear engine Ford V8. The car is still in the original family’s care and the shop on West Saanich Rd where it was designed and built still stands.