jimm

Thanks very much for all your good suggestions. I appreciate your help. Yes, I am an AACA member and called the number you listed John. Spoke with a member of the library team who was very nice and said they'd be happy to look it up. She thought it would take a few weeks, so if in the meantime anyone out there can shed light on what issues I should be looking for, or have these years for sale, I'd still be interested. Would prefer to have an actual copy but just the info on the issue dates would be a big help. And Paul, thank you very much for the offer to check your copies of "The Best of Old Cars Weekly", but I have those volumes already and have determined that they do not include the articles I am looking for. Thanks again!

Thank you very much for the offer, but I already bought a set of "The Best of Old Cars Weekly" and unfortunately it did not feature the specific articles I am trying to find. I don't recall the exact dates, but in 1972/1973 there were a couple of articles, I believe by Tim Howley, about an abandoned ranch in Novato, California. Numerous cars were saved from the ranch, including early Lincolns and a couple of 1949/1951 Frazer Manhattan convertibles. I visited the ranch several times myself over 50 years ago, and I have recently located a few of the vehicles that were removed. Over the years I lost the article and would like to find another copy. I have had no luck asking members to look through those issues to find the exact date. One person suggested I write to the author, Tim Howley, to ask when they were published. I tracked down his email and have written twice in the last year but received no answer. He was involved in a Lincoln Club publication not too long ago, so it appeared that he was still around and active with vintage cars, but of course I can't be certain. I'll just keep trying and hope to eventually find the articles. Again thank you for your suggestion!

I'm looking for someone who wants to part with old issues of Old Cars Weekly newspapers from 1972 and 1973, either complete years or random issues. In the past I have posted "Wanted Old Cars Weekly" three times in what I thought was the correct section "Memorabilia...Printed Material". I did not receive a single response from anyone wanting to part with old issues of Old Cars Weekly. However, I have now found several posts in the general discussion from forum members who were giving them away free with no takers! A couple of them said they disposed of them, dumping them in their recycle bins, since they could not find anyone willing to take them free, much less anyone wanting to buy them. And these posts were six months and longer after I offered to buy them. So, thought I try here in the general discussion. I am willing to pay a modest amount plus of course shipping for back issues from 1972 and 1973. I would be very happy to give them a good home as opposed to sending them to a landfill or recycling. Please let me know if you have any you'd like to part with. Thank you!

I'm looking for a set of 6" fog lights or just the bulbs for 1938-1942 Mopars. These are the lights that have a clear glass strip across the center of the bulb with amber/yellow below and above the clear strip. The bulbs are marked "Mopar" at the top and "Seelite" at the bottom. Thank you.

Looking for Old Cars Weekly newspaper from 1972 & 1973. Complete years preferred but will consider partial as well. Thank you!

Hi John, Thank you very much for the contact info. I will try to contact Tim to see if he can give me a specific date for the article. Thanks again, Jim

Hi John, Thanks very much for the contact info. I'll try to contact Tim to see if he can give me a date for the article. Thank you again for your help, Jim

Hello all, I posted this previously but not in the buy/sell section, so I was told I should try here too. I'm looking for an issue of Old Cars Weekly newspaper from 1972 or 1973 featuring an article on an abandoned ranch in Novato, California. The ranch contained old cars including rare Frazer convertibles and early Lincolns. I believe the article and photos were in a column "Somewhere West of Laramie" by Tim Howley. I would like to buy the one issue but not sure of the date so might buy a whole year of back issues if necessary. Or if someone has a collection of Old Cars Weekly and can tell me what issue the article appeared in, that would be a huge help. Thanks very much for any suggestions you might have for me. Jim

Hello all, I'm looking for an issue of Old Cars Weekly newspaper from 1972 or 1973 featuring an article on an abandoned ranch in Novato, California. The ranch contained old cars including rare Frazer convertibles and early Lincolns. I believe the article and photos were in a column "Somewhere West of Laramie" by Tim Howley. I would like to buy the one issue but not sure of the date so might buy a whole year of back issues if necessary. Or if someone has a collection of Old Cars Weekly and can tell me what issue the article appeared in, that would be a huge help. Thanks very much for any suggestions you might have for me. Jim

In my humble opinion, a scam! Other than the fact there are no pictures of the interior or mechanical components and almost no description of the car in general, the seller titles the auction as a 1940 Packard Super 8. It is not a Super 8 (160), it is a Custom 8 (180). If he really owned the car, he would know the difference. Also a little unusual to have an eBay listing of a very nice and relatively valuable car with no reserve. As for the 180 limo that was being offered by a dealer for $36,500 (sold), that is not this car. Yes, a second green 180 limo being offered at the same time! But that one was being sold by a legitimate dealer in Southern California. That car has the rare 1940 Packard air conditioning, and it is even functional! The car listed in eBay is featured in a YouTube video from a few years back and at that time it was in Missouri, not sure who owned it or if they still do. I wrote to the seller while the eBay auction was going, asking the model number and more info on the "buy it now" he mentioned. Ever since he has been trying to get me to wire money without any contact info to see the car and without answering my questions. In fact, he wrote to me today after the auction closed, saying the winning bidder fell through (the winning eBay bidder realized it was a scam?) and he's still trying to get me to buy it! I just checked the now closed eBay auction, and eBay has deleted the page entirely!! I have rarely seen eBay do this in my 22 years of using eBay.

J-P, Do you need just the brake light body, or do you also need the whole assembly with the lens and the "Fluid Drive" chrome strip at the bottom? I have two spare brake lights, one a complete assembly with lens and chrome strip and one just the body. Also a couple NOS brake light lenses but just the one chrome strip. Another guy restoring a '42 also needs the brake light, not sure if he wants the complete assembly. I've moved and still sorting through parts so it will take some time. Very soon I will be selling my nice looking and running black '42 DeLuxe coupe that comes with a '42 blackout sedan parts car. There is a switch panel for the bottom of the dash in that car but it is a blackout version with plastic knobs instead of the chrome knobs. Also they did not use the decorative purple colored trim panel that goes under the knobs on the blackouts, just a plain chrome panel if you could use that. I have a lot of other spares including NOS clock with purple background used in '42 only, two sets of '42 fender skirts complete with moldings, steering wheels, some mechanical NOS stuff, etc. I'm saving a couple steering wheels and window and door cranks for a club member whose contact info I've lost when my computer crashed last year but all the other stuff will be available. Are you looking for any other parts? Let me know and we'll keep in touch.

Hello, I was wondering if anyone can tell me whether the front door window frames and other window parts will interchange between coupes and convertibles for Lincoln Premieres in 1956 and 1957. I am assuming that 1956 and 1957 interchange, but as far as whether the coupe and convertible interchange I am not sure. I do know that many years ago I used the doors from a coupe to restore a convertible and they worked fine, but can't remember if I had to switch the windows. I have a shop manual but no parts book to look up part numbers. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thank you, Jim

Winston, The flat area around the words "Fluid Drive" is painted red. At least that's how every one I've ever seen was painted, and I've owned many and seen thousands over the last sixty years. By the way, want to know what's really rare? A 46-48 brake light that does NOT have "Fluid Drive" on it! I've only seen one in my life, on a Royal long wheelbase sedan that was actually equipped from the factory without Fluid Drive--came with a three speed manual. It had the same brake light housing, but the Fluid Drive spot was smooth. I wanted to buy the car just to have the brake light housing without "Fluid Drive" as a novelty in my collection!

Olympic, Thanks for clearing that up about the chrome brake light assembly not being in the sales catalog, parts book, or on your two Fifth Avenues. I'm sure you're right that they never were chromed on a Fifth Avenue or any other '42 DeSoto, at least not by the factory. My comment was based on the two Fifth Avenues I have seen in person, both of which had their assemblies chromed (saw a third Fifth Avenue as a kid, too many moons ago to remember the brake light!). First was the above pictured red convertible, which the prior owner showed me in Seattle in 1997 when I bought a 1947 S11 convertible he was selling, and the second was the black club coupe restored in San Diego, which then went to Michigan and I believe has moved on since (it was featured in a "Collectible Automobile" article some years ago). I saw it in San Diego and it too had the brake light housing chromed. It has been reported that that car started life as a Custom and was dressed as a Fifth Avenue later on. I also thought that I read somewhere that a chromed brake light assembly was part of the Fifth Avenue package. After thinking about it further I realized it was in the WPC Club website, and I just found it there in the "Member's Cars" section page two. It pictures the black club coupe and the write up states that the "Fifth Avenue was a package deal....this included (among the other options)....chrome plated stoplight housing.....". But as you point out, this is not in the catalog or parts book, or on your two cars. I figure it was probably something these two owners chose to do on their cars. They look great either way. While we're on the subject of 1942 DeSoto features, maybe you or other members can shed some light on the hood ornaments. Several threads in different forums, possibly including this forum, have conjectured on what is correct for 1942 "flying goddesses" as they are sometimes called. Some believe that the lighted hood ornament was used only on Fifth Avenues (of course, it is listed in the sales catalog as part of the Fifth Avenue package.), and that other cars came with the chromed steel version. However, the parts book only lists the plastic lady. All three of my '42s have lighted plastic ladies, and two are very original cars. There is no mention of a chrome version in the parts books until the 1946 S11. I figured that if a "lighted hood ornament" was an option in '42, then all cars must have all had plastic ladies, but only some (including all Fifth Avenues) came with the option of the light bulb, bracket, socket etc to illuminate the lady. Another area of confusion for me is the face plates and knobs on rear quarter ashtrays in '42 convertibles, club coupes and two door sedans. Some have speculated that they all had chrome face plates with chrome knobs, some think they were woodgrain face plates with ivory knobs. Some have suggested convertibles had chrome, closed models woodgrain. My Custom club coupe has woodgrain face plates with ivory knobs, and that is what is pictured in the sales catalog. The '42 parts book shows two ashtray face plates, one for all aforementioned Custom models, and a different one for all DeLuxe models, but it does not describe them as chrome or woodgrain. It just shows different part numbers. According to the parts book, both Custom and DeLuxe used the same knob, up until late '42 cars, which I thought sometimes meant the part was chrome on earlier models but later painted for blackout cars. By the way, I've had several '46-'48 S11s, and my Custom convertibles and club coupes had chrome face plates and knobs, whereas the Deluxe two door sedan had woodgrain face plates with chrome knobs. But what about the '42's? What was the difference between the Custom and DeLuxe face plates, and what type of knobs did they use? Can anyone shed any light on this?

Any '42 DeSoto fender skirts are rare, but just think how rare a pair is from a blackout. Now you just need a car to put them on! Believe it or not, I also have a pair from a '42 DeSoto blackout, as well as a pair with chrome mouldings. I've just sorted out my collection of DeSoto parts and also came across two of the stop light assemblies, but this thread is so old that I imagine the member who started it has found his stop light and moved on by now. Of course you are right about all models of '42 DeSoto using the same stop light assembly. Most are painted body color with the "Fluid Drive" strip being in chrome. The Fifth Avenue option included the whole stop light assembly being chromed as well, which is why you see that on the red convertible (by the way that car has since gone to a new owner). As for my little collection, I've added a coupe and will soon be selling the Custom sedan as well as a few things from the blackout parts car.