sambarn

I feel so much better about how much stuff I have.

Mark, I'll see you at the big opening.

Mark, are y'all interested in the Keller Woody Station Wagon. Having achieved it's grand national status, I sure would love for it to have some exposure. Feel free to contact me. - Sam Barnett

Adam, I'm so sorry for your loss. I read your story on the ebay post and that is awful. I'm not sure I understand what happened? Was there a fuel leak? Did the tire somehow destroy the fuel line and cause spark? That had to be horrible to watch. Was that interior factory? It sure seemed to burn fast. I hope you get something back - the car looks good cowl forward.

definitely a Marmon and Marmon never made that car.windshield, boat tail and rear fenders are not original. Nice look and the big eights are good runners but finicky and expensive to maintain or rebuild. Also the hardest Marmon to find parts for. Keep posting.

I would be interested in the drive line for a project also maybe brakes. Are they three shoe or two shoe?? How much Are you looking for for these parts? feel free to PM me or call 205-482-0165_Sam

22-25 Franklin and Elcar used them although 8 1/2" lenses. These are pretty neat but by size look like accessory lights - perhaps ones that turn with the steering of the car - were there any odd linkage bits or rods with these?

The Victoria interior. Note the driver's seat that is built into the cabinet in the rear. This car offers more driver comfort than any other twenties car I have driven. At 6', it's the first that is actually comfortable for a longtime. Also the distance to the passenger jump seat allows the driver to hit third and not elbow his passenger in the chest!!

And.....If it seems I am over focused on this particular car, I own two of the last three Marmon Victorias known to exist, One is in pieces but can be seen in the fall 68 Automobile quarterly in the Marmon Article and the other is an older restoration driver quality car.

And we have a winner.......

The top pic shows the Victoria Coupe body. Notice the non-round back window. I don't know why but most vehicles called OPera coupes or Opera Sedans were identified by a round or oval fixed rear window. The Victoria windows actually slide down. As far as room for the driver, the room created for the driver is front to back room. The seat being builot in to the rear carbinet allowed the seat to be set further back than the usual coupe, the jump seats I have seen a re usually three to six inches closer to the dash. This gives the passenger seat in the rear a great deal of leg room. If you've driven the great big cars of the twenties you are probably aware that the car buyers from the twenties were not the giants we are today. I'm still looking for online docs to add to this (as far as the Marmon is concerned) to add to this.

I think this thread went all wrong. So my two cents worth. The body style is called a Victoria Coupe. It was part of the advent of the closed car to the american market. The bigger the closed car, the higher the price. Victorias were the cheapest hardtops available and were quite popular among the mid level manufacturers. The rear seats was designed to fit two people, allow the driver more room (most Vickies have the rear of the front seat connected to the cabinet behind it) while still allowing for two regular passengers in the rear and the kids jump seat in the front beside and in front of the drivers seat. Chaffeur driven cars were still quite large. If you had a driver, there is no advantage to the vickie over a towncar. The wheelbases are usually the same and the much more expensive town car is far better appointed while still having the same performance characteristics as a Victoria Coupe. The advent of closed cars for regular middle class folks was a big change for the latter part of the twenties and the Victoria was one of the most popular ways to afford the luxury of a closed car for dad's work car or for a small family.

There is an auction in my arear that claims it will feature the Ford Kulick race car. I've included some pics: Original Auction car: Is this real??

If gas enters the vacuum line, the valve is leaking. Either alignment or needle valve. The .040 retrictor. Shouldn't that be on the fuel fill side?

Hmmm. so the 188cid data doesn't match the bore/stroke data. Doesn't surprise me. But perhaps this can help someone identify or even better provide pics of these engines.

I'm trying to learn a little about the Falls Engine Company. Supposedly they provided engines for Dort, Apperson, Velie, Gardner, Moon and the Birmingham made Premocar. The particular engine used in the Premocar is believed to be a 188 cid six between the years 1920 and 1923. It is listed as a 3 1/8 inch bore, 3 1/4 inch stroke OHV with Zenith carb, Stewart vacuum fuel system, Dyneto Starter and generator Borg and Beck 10 inch multiple disc clutch, Muncie three speed transmission and Timken Detroit rear end. I don't know how to calculate bore/Stroke to cid to check if these numbers relate to each other. I'm just beginning to dig at the Premocar and sure would appreciate any insight to the veracity of this tale and the existence of these engines. Did all the makes listed use the same engine? There are no known remaining Premocars or even parts and we're hoping that someone out there might be able to help fill out the empty spots in the record of the car. There is very limited technical data remaining. I've posted most of it above. The engine that is shown in the book appears to be a split casting (three cylinders per casting and the carb is on the right side (updraft) mounted at about the piston height and feeding the intake manifold over the gap between the castings to feed the left side intake manifold. Kinda Different. I hope to get a primary source copy of the pic from the library so I can post a pic. There's a Wikipedia site for Premocar that the author helped with if anyone is interested in the Premocar. Thank you for your help. As an aside, Falls Engine Company had an eight cylinder engine that they tried to race at Indy but it wrecked in practice and then was disqualified due to displacement issues (??). In 1974 the treasurer of the company said that in 24 they had declared bankruptcy and that Buick had acquired the designs and one of the eight Cylinder motors. He believed it to be the prototype for the Buick Eight.

The Barber's Museum is an awesome place but they are pretty focused on what they do and cars of the twenties are not really their thing. They know their bikes and Loti (Lotuses?) and racing ephemera like nobody's business but I don't think they could help much. A few Birmingham Historians and car nuts have preserved as much as is possible but no cars or significant parts remain known here in Birmingham. It had a Falls Six 188cid engine, found also in Moon Elgin, Dort, Apperson and Gardner cars (says the one reference to Falls engines I can find) any clarity for these fact would help as well. I'm composing a post on the Falls engine next to shed light on their existence.

Soda Blast.

So I have always had an eye for local history and strange cars - what a delight I had discovering JD Weeks' book Premocar, Made In Birmingham. I had heard of the Premocar or Preston (PREston MOtor CARs) made in bham from 1920 - 1923 but knew alomost nothing. I have now met with JD and toured the old Premocar factory - still standing and fairly original. There is one radiator badge known to exist and NOTHING else. Does any one know anything about this car. the location of a car or any parts pieces?? After bringing the Keller back to Huntsville, It's time to focus on my adopted home of Birmingham and I am hoping y'all can help. If you are interested in the Premocar, JDs book is for sale on amazon and although not a work of literary mastery, is fun, informative and has a great deal of interesting stuff including a shot of JD's great Uncles WocoPep station. WocoPep being my favorite of petroliana, it connects to many other passions for me and I think many of y'all would enjoy it. If you know anything please feel free to contact me here by PM, respond on the forum or feel free to call. 205-482-0165. Thanks - Sam

Are these batteries in parallel or series? Also, negative ground? Most 6v systems are positive ground. Factory clock and fuel gauge are two items that could easily stop on their own. How longhas it been since either worked? Using an electric tester how many volts are running through your system? 6 or 12?

Matt, Listen to Marty. He was my go to phone call on all things trailering and has not let me down! My two cent: - Aluminum over steeel. Weight does matter and my 15 year old steel trailer has to be scrubbed and painted again. rust and such. The aluminum just needs occassional lube and tires. This gives a lot longer life and lower maintenance level added to the life of the trailer. - Serious ramp!! My steel trailer has a plywood deck ramp with steel frame. Putting the 61 cadillac on the trailer seriously warped the ramp that had held for brass cars and even full classics. Now I have to lean on the door to get it to close and I worry about it. The aluminum decked ramp eems to tolerate more weight. Also the fold down tab on the steel trailer is ply wood which has to be replaced as it has worn and is faltering. I love the aluminum fold down tab. No flex, no worries about setting it on uneven ground and cracking up ( like the wood) -I like my load levelling hitch but beware that extreme angle situations like topping a hill or exiting a bad driveway, where the truck and trailer are at high angles to each other, you can damage one or both. I've never experienced that but it has affected navigational choices. - Comfort comfort comfort!. Make sure you like sitting in the captain's seat of the tow vehicle a lot. After a weekend of towing to the show, detailing the car and sleeping in hotels, I found the leather Dodge one ton was just not pleasant to ride in and it can be a long ride home. I love the cloth F-350 interior on our 2002. It's like a sofa with lumbar support. and the Ford has a notably larger back seat, great for my kids or lots of stuff. The Dodge is smaller and a bit like a board as far as comfort goes. If you're making long hard runs for pickup or delivery I will usually tag team with a buddy and sleep in the back when he drives. Easy in the ford, awful in the Dodge. The Dodge is a smaller and more nimble truck and the cummins diesel is great giving it tremendous power and speed. So when size and weight are the issue, I use the Dodge. When Distance and comfort are the chief factors: The Ford. - Winch point and EASY battery access/removal. Make sure there is a good frame based winch mount. I like having a Reese style mount set in the trialer. That way your winch can be used in the trailer or off the back of the truck. And the battery access is simple. You will have to either keep charging a 12 V for the trailer or use it elsewhere when not trailering - either way accessing it makes a difference. - LOTS and LOTS of tiedowns - As many frame mounted tiedowns as possible. Different cars - different needs. Also I like E-track on the walls (especially at knee and nipple hieight for binding stuff to the walls after a good flea market. Good Luck - Can't wait to see what you get.

From Wicked-pedia The American Locomotive Company, often shortened to ALCO, ALCo or Alco, designed, built and sold steam locomotives, diesel-electric locomotives, diesel engines and generators, specialized forgings, high quality steel, armed tanks and automobiles and produced nuclear energy. The American Locomotive Company was formed in 1901 by the merger of Schenectady Locomotive Engine Manufactory of Schenectady, New York with seven smaller locomotive manufacturers. The American Locomotive Automobile Company subsidiary designed and manufactured automobiles under the Alco brand from 1905-1913 and produced nuclear energy from 1954-1962. The company changed its name to Alco Products, Incorporated in 1955. In 1964 the Worthington Corporation acquired the company. The company became defunct in 1969 So looking around I can't find proof of Alco creating a steam automobile. Could that engine be a drive unit for something else?

I understand and truly appreciate the HCCA's stance on keeping the cars on the road. I do have to wonder if it's really a comparable situation to the AACA. Which HCCA car owners use radial tires and t-3 headlights? Seriously though, is this very different than sharpeed spark plugs? Optimas clad in period correct looking boxes? If added measures are neccesary to uncover the cheater, How is this different than underdash wiring, engine internal modifications and improper padding in the seats. I prefer bias ply on the few cars we have that can possibly wear radials but if it, for all practical appearances, looks identical on the outside or in other languages "as it could appear at dealer delivery" Then why is there a problem? If National Awards are given to cars that have been knowingly and publicly rebodied (It's a sedan with a chopped off top, sleeve valves and all) cars Isn't it a bit hypocritical to attack someone for, while crawling on your belly with a flashlight, you were able to find a tiny detail that will knock a car out of competition while deifying, awarding and celebrating what is an obvious attempt to create an inflated value out of a desireless sedan that didn't even have the guts to compete on its' own turf (according to the manual, All Stearns Knights are full classics but that is a tough place to compete so the owner chose to register in a production class for an easier brass tab and to then validate with AACA awards to insure a higher value. It's a funny place to pick a battle'

This may come off as redundant but I think you have a vacuum leak. I would first examine or just replace EVERY vacuum line. There aren't many and they go bad and leak so Easily. They are cheap and remarkably effective at taking care of vacuum leaks. After that I agree with the distributor advance as a good place to check but without swapping out all the vacuum lines, you're looking at high dollar work for a few pennies problem. This would also help address the poor state of tune that is evidenced by the plugs.

So.. I'm not sure of Rolls prices or the originality of the Duesy but as far as Fitzgerald goes, the only car specific reference in his writing is in his piece the Voyage of the rolling junque. In this piece he relates the story of he and Zelda cashing his first royalty payment and buying a car that they drive to Montgomery Al from New York. The make of the car is identified and Fitzgerald was a fan of the make until their financial demise. It makes sense that the same marque would be the car that Gatsby drove. Large, fast, showy and prestigious... of course, It's a Marmon (saw that one coming didn't you West?)