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what kind of car is this please


Guest thejohnstons2000

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Cool, looks like 1925 or so. Looks like a form of Brewester windshield. Stewart Vac tank, looks like it was a good size car. Looking forward to a correct ID.

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Well, I think you will want to establish what it is first, followed by how complete it is and the condition of what is there. That info will get you a lot closer to the value, whether you are interested in selling or buying this.

On the plus side value wise, it is clearly a larger, somewhat unusual body - possibly a limo as has been suggested.

It is possible that ALL you have there is the body, as bodies on some of the pricier cars from this vintage were actually switched around with an open car winter/summer. Could have been leftover if a restorer chose to work on the more desirable open (convertible) version.

Better pictures would be a good start. My initial thought was Lincoln, Pierce Arrow or Peerless, however we had at least one Pierce expert respond who I would think would have made that call if it was a Pierce. Bodies in that era did not usually carry emblems as in later years - look for hubcaps or a radiator to ID the car. A picture of the radiator grille or grille shell would help this group out quite a bit. Also, is there a chassis underneith or an engine? Any other body parts with it - fenders, hood?

While you are at it open the doors and get a look at how solid it is. Looks pretty good but again, better pix would help.

My guess is you do have some value there, but not anything to get too excited about. It is clearly unusual but may not be complete, and closed 20s cars are not really as appreciated as they could be due largely to the boxy styling - the 30s cars and open cars seem to be more in demand. That said, depending on the marque someone will want it for sure, and it survived all this time in what appears to be untouched condition, a good thing. This would be a great forum to list it for sale though, as I am guessing from your post that you are interested in selling rather than acquiring this?

You may also consider posting a general location as well as anything else you know about the car.

Good luck and please keep us posted.

Edited by Steve_Mack_CT
added info (see edit history)
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Guest thejohnstons2000

I found it and might want to buy it to turn into a hotrod or make org if possible but i just dont know what to offer them as I dont have any idea what it is.

the owners have NO idea so I don't know how to approach the deal without at least some knowledge. I dont want to steal it but dont want to pay a fortune either. Thanks for taking the time to respond!

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Sure. I would suggest you go back and try to see how complete it is, and check back here in a bit - there is a LOT of knowledge on this forum. This is an unusual car and it will get more posts/responses.

Also these bodies were wooden framed, I would check that closely as unlike say, a Model A ford the patterns will have to come from what you have if you have to get into replacing wood.

Welcome to the forum, by the way, a great place to learn about old cars for sure!

Would hate to see it hot rodded after all these years, please think on that one! :)

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A hot rod is a terrible idea for this car.

It would be far too top-heavy and boxy, plus you are in for a world of hurt on making a wood-framed body (which all of them were back then) usable if there is any deterioration in the wood (virtually certain after all these years).

You'd be far happier with a more conventional candidate for hot-rodding.

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I would find out what it is by taking photos of the engine and other parts for I.D. here, gather it all up and sell it to buy a hotrod candidate instead of ruining the car. A hotrod project like this starts out by adding a Nova or Mustang II front clip and finding out that it is nearly impossible to make the body withstand speed equipment. Then the thing ends up on ebay where nobody wants the torn up hulk.

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I'd like to hear "The Rest of the Story" not many people saved bodies like that, the rest of the car may be there somewere. Not the type of car that lends itself to becoming a Hot Rod, they never used stuff like that back in the day, and its a bad idea today. Since Steve said it isn't a Franklin I'm joining the Hudson clan. The 1918 Super Six touring limo in the Standard Catalog looks like a dead ringer. HUDSON was racing cars at INDY and doing rather well with them.

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This car has a different windshield arrnagement to the 1918 Hudson in The Standard Catalog - but the general layout of the doors and hinges is similar. Perhaps someone who knows their Hudsons can confirm what it is by the fittings on the firewall. If it was a Hudson, it might be a Biddle and Smart body. They supplied Hudson from quite early on - Biddle & Smart, Biddle and Smart, W.E. Biddle, W.W. Smart, Biddle & Smart Bodied, William E Biddle, Amesbury - Coachbult.com -

I suppose the big question is - how much more of the car is there? If it is just a body it could be fitted to almost anything as long as it is the right size.

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To thejohnstons2000,

Nice photo, nice car body. I don't have any idea who owns this body or where it is...but the answer might be lieing there in that garage it's in. There are hundreds of antique car parts. Wouldn't be surprised to learn that the motor, frame, radiator shell, etc. are in those piles of parts.

I have a January, 1925 ad showing 14 styles of Peerless cars. This body looks very similar to three of the Peerlesses in the illustration, especially the windshield arrangement. Body styles are: 5-Passenger Sedan, 7-Passenger Sedan, and 7-Passenger Berline Limousine; and Model is 6-70 (289 straight six, 126" or 133" w.b.). The only things that don't fit are the stirrup-style door handles. These models sold in the $3,000-3,300 range.

Another possibility is that this body is for a 1923 or 1924 Peerless Model 66 (332 V-8...4-barrel carburetor, dual exhaust, 128" w.b.), in which case the door handles would be correct. These models in the Town Sedan, Suburban Sedan and Limousine styles sold in the $3,800-4,100 range.

It's very possible that this body is from a Lincoln, Hudson, Pierce-Arrow, Marmon, Packard, or some other make, of course, but this body is at least close to looking like one for a Peerless. Even the cowl ventilator looks right.The left photo shows what may be a body plate [yellowish-looking flat thing about 3" x 4"] on the passenger side of the firewall near where the ignition switch and instrument panel wires seem to be coming through. If you look in that area you may find more info on make and coachbuilder.

Edited by jeff_a
new information + some dates were wrong (see edit history)
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Regarding edinmass's comment that the windshield was Brewster-like, that company was one of at least 33 firms that built bodies for Peerless cars.

If someone wanted to restore this and it turns out to be for a Peerless, I might be able to find a 1925 Peerless chassis and a Peerless V-8 engine for it.

Edited by jeff_a (see edit history)
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I had no opinion except about 1924, until I saw Jeff's post. For some truly unknown reason that rings a bell here, maybe an old pic I observed or something. I will guess 1923 Peerless.

Also, I cannot in any way see this car barreling down the freeway with a 455 or other big block powering it. Please, for the sake of humanity, do not do that!

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Is this even a complete car or just a body on a cart as it appears in pictures? Your other cars for sale are much easier to deal with than a 1920s car (body?) of unknown lineage. A tall, heavy, formal one too, with lots of structural wood. Steve Mack is right, this body would be prized (but not huge $$$) by the right marque collector but it is too ungainly for a street rod on a modern chassis. It would drive like a delivery van and have similar lines :)

BTW, my first knee jerk reaction was Pierce Arrow, but Peerless seems quite likely. I bet the door handles can help narrow things down, I will be anxious to see what we decide, Todd C.

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I am looking the opposite direction, back to the mid-teens.

I was examining photos of Packards circa 1915 and they had door handles that resembled those. Later Packards had a cowl that matched the lines of the hood, but in the mid teens the cowl tapers inward to a narrower hood like this. I am still looking and just for trivia's sake am hoping we figure it out, thanks, Todd C

PS--anybody got photos of a Holbrook body circa 1915 that may be close?

Edited by poci1957 (see edit history)
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I know I am dead wrong on this, the windshield is wrong, but it looks a lot like a Star. Very boxy tall body style. Radiator shell would help.

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At first glance it looks like a head in the first picture but on closer examination it must be the top part of a 4 cyl flathead block, It's way too thin to be a whole block. does any body recognize that? there also appears to be an exhaust manifold in the pic.

in one picture there is a big block chevy head laying upside down on top of something else, no engine block pictured in either picture dave. charles coker, 1953 pontiac tech advisor.

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I know I am dead wrong on this, the windshield is wrong, but it looks a lot like a Star. Very boxy tall body style. Radiator shell would help.

It's boxy all right, but I think that body is too big to be a Star, and with that windshield, those door handles and a vaccuum tank on the firewall I think it is higher priced. Anyone recognize the shape of the hood where it meets the firewall? Todd

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Guest Foggy norm

Odd, in one pic the hood line looks dimpled, the other looks arched. Appear's to short for a hearse. Wheel's and rim's everywhere, look's like an old body shop.

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On the CCCA Buy/Sell Forum, there's a 1927 Marmon E-75 Sedan that was for sale that was discussed as recently as Sept., 2011 which looks a little like this body. Though a couple of years too new, the windshield is similar, and the door handles are very close.

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The beltline bead, loop handles, cowl vent, and windshield treatment all point to a '22-'24 Stearns Sedan,

available as both 4 & 6cyls. They also had rear-hinged doors, and the size makes sense, too. The first place

I looked was my 1924 Handbook of Automobiles (by the National Automobile Chamber of Commerce),

then confirmed with the Standard Catalog. Those NACC Handbooks are great references as,

along with standard cars, they also show electrics and trucks, though not every model.

TG

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