1912Staver

The value of 455,s is very dependant on which version the particular engine is. There are several diferent head castings used along with other parts. The value can range from not a lot more than scrap for the base model engine, to very valuble indeed for the top hi performance version. You need to dig deeper and find out exactly what you have before anyone can sugest a value. All the best Greg

I think a big part of the problem is the complexity of new cars. They have great emissions profiles and get very good mileage but the trade off has been a much more sophisticated power train , higher sticker price and the umbilical to the Dealer for service/ repair. I worked as a journeyman auto mechanic for the early part of my working life {apprenticeship then licence} , returned to university and became qualified as an automotive/ technology CAD etc teacher. And finaly returned to Industry as an Engineer in Marine transportation. When I have an electronics problem with my current daily driver I can be stumped, as I don't have acess to the factory manuals/ diagnostic equiptment that is essential. The cost of such equiptment is way beyond what the indivigual owner is going to pay, so the only option is the dealer. If I am unable to cost effectevly deal with a modern car how is a young person going to do it? I love my old cars but in my situation they aren't practical. Long comute, Canada so even higher gas than US, if I am late my workplace {Ship}makes the trip without me/ off going watch member has to stay in my place. So I am forced to have a late model, fuel efficant technobox , like it or not. For many young people the overall cost is simply going to be too high. No solutions just unpleasent comprimises. All the best Greg in Canada

Hi Howard, I commend your effort to create a listing. One of the problems with such a list is the sheer size of anything approaching a complete list. There were literally thousands of makes/ models during the screw on hubcap era. The major makes could probably be identified over time but for all the others it's a close to impossible task. For most owners of anything other than a Ford, Dodge, Chev or Buick, if you need a hub puller it's a custom job. There are probably nearly 100 combinations of diameter / T.P,I, / and thread form. Some will be fairly common , and some will be unique to a particular make or model. Still it would be handy. Greg

Hi again. $2000.00 was a popular price point for the better middle class automobiles of this era. the upper class cars such as Pierce Arrow could be close to $6000.00 with an elaborate limo. body. Body building was still largely a hand made operation at this time. There were certainly cheaper cars available, and most of the truly popular makes Ford , Reo, Overland, Small Buick etc were priced at about $1000.00 or less. There was none the less a signifigant market for larger ; more powerfull cars , priced from $2000.00 - $3000.00. And there were MANY makes offering cars of this class. Moline looks like a likely I.D. to me as well. Low production could be as few as 50 or 75 cars a year to as many as a couple of thousand. Some of the very high quality cars were built more or less to order and production could be as low as 1 or 2 a week. All the best Greg in Canada

Hi, it looks like a good quality car of about 1914. Probably 4 cyl from the length of the hood. Could be one of many low production makes of the period. It looks to be fairly new, cars aged fast especialy in rural areas. Looks like at least a large series Buick equivelant, but I don't think it is a Buick. The hood latch is shown well in the photo and is somewhat out of the ordinary. It may be a clue for a more exact Id. Hope this helps Greg in Canada

Hi Marv. I would think they are universal lights intended for comercial body builders. Probably too new for an oem automotive use. They look like nice lights. Possibly fire truck. Greg in Canada

Thanks Wayne for reminding me that there are many dedicated; old car community minded, wealthy individuals out there. I am afraid I do tend to get overly stereotypical when I see evidence of the sort of wealth some have at their disposal. Probably a bit of a mix of jealousy and frustration. I realise that organizations such as the AACA benefit enormously from the assistance wealthy individuals provide. And I agree that for every ego conscious participant there are several quietly enthusiastic well healed Gentlemen and Women . Best return my attention to positive things like the start of the swap meet season, and what move to make next on my own project. Given enough time and effort the pieces of the big metal jig saw puzzle do come together. Greg in Canada

As entertaining as auction results like this are they realy have nothing to do with the old car hobby. The cars and other artifacts are stunning but one might as well be looking at a catalog of super yachts or corporate jets. I somehow doubt many of the bidders at this auction have much in common with the typical member of this forum. I prefer to concern myself with objects that are worth less than a multiple of the price of my home, and that a owner will have more involvement with than writing out a cheque. I suppose results like this are the best proof that like it or not most of us can't afford to participate in the old car hobby except at the most basic level. I hate to get political but this seems to be the sort of thing that the 99% vs 1% movement is all about. Greg in Canada

The museum is well worth the trip. I know it's in an out of the way location but if a person is a fan of early auto's , farm machinery , construction equip, traction engines etc it's a must see. There is also a very worthwhile separate aircraft collection that is on the same site. Stan was very well known in Western Canada, and by partnering with the Alberta Government has managed to assure a lasting collection. Transportation heritage is often overlooked/ underfunded in Western Canada but this collection is the exception. Greg in Canada

Hi again. I don't mean to throw a damper on your prospective project. A car like the Stutz in question is high on any almost any collectors wish list. And any one of us would jump at it if we were lucky enough to have the chance. I approach old cars from a similar basis except I don't usually sell them at the end. I try to progress at a rate my resources will allow {generaly a snail's pace}. and as such the end value is of comparatively little interest. But please dont under estimate the cost of doing anything on a car like this. The paint, plating, and interior alone will be a very substantial sum. Truly grand cars like a Stutz tend to have truly grand restoration costs. Just re-coreing/ restoring the radiator and shell can end up costing as much as a decent model A Ford. And everything on the chassis is just the same complexity/ cost as a 1/2 million dollar DV 32 roadster. P.S. are you sure the car is a DV 32 ? , perhaps it is a SV and the engine is original...just a thought. Greg in Canada

As rare and desirable as a car like this is it probably has little money making potential. They are grand cars, but at the same time money pits. And a sedan is even worse in this respect. They are significantly more costly and complicated, and yet are worth much less than most of the other body styles. Buy it and make it your next ten year project but only if you truly love the car. If you are looking to make money buy Gold not old project cars. All the best , Greg in Canada

Hi new guy. Advertising watch fobs like yours can be fairly valuable. They appeal to both antique car guys, and watch fob collectors. If you did want to sell it, I would suggest doing a bit of research on the Internet. Marion cars have unfortunately survived in mere hand-full numbers; there are probably several times the number of the watch fobs around, so I doubt a Marion owner would pay a large sum for your fob. It would probably appeal most to a specialized collector of automotive advertising memorabilia. Greg in Canada

This is posibly a unit intended for use on a farm tractor. Most of the early tractors had very elaborate manifolds that circulated exhaust gas around the intake pasages. This enabled the machine to run on Kerosene, {starts on Gasoline} a signifigantly lower cost fuel . These manifolds were prone to damage over time, and were very expensive to replace {or N.L.A. for out of production machines}. So there sprang up a market for simpler non heated replacement manifolds . Kerosene eventualy lost it's cost advantage so straight gasoline operation became normal. I belive Swan were one of the manufactures of these replacement manifolds. Greg in Canada- Lots of those old Kero burners in western Canada.

Hi Dale, the mirror I am talking about is the one glued to the inside of the windshield. Perhaps I haven't examined it closely but I don't think it has an adjustment. The payload is fine but the box is quite small, it's a extra cab with the shorter box. No problem if your cargo is a core engine from a swap meet, but pretty small for general "truck" stuff. {or a load to the dump, we live in a rural area without weekly garbage PU.} I think the main problem for me is that the seat is a good 4 inches too high. Otherwise I have to agree that within it's design limitations its a fairly good vehicle. I have owned / driven many varied vehicles in 40 odd years of my own use plus several years as a mechanic, and the Ranger is one of the few that I haven't found a way to adapt to my body type/ preferred driving position. If someone gave me one I would either sell it, or modify the seat mount. I have a 1969 GS 400 that I would drive everywhere if it wern't for the cost of fuel. Greg in Canada

I occasionally drive my Wife's 2007 Ranger. She loves it, I find it one of the least comfortable vehicles I have driven. She is a fairly average female build , I am on the tallish side at just short of 6 ft. 1and a bit. I find my prime sight line is smack dab thru the rear view mirror. If I significantly recline the seat my forward vision improves but my side vision lines up with the expanse of door frame. The seat seems to be mounted very high in the cab and has no height adjustment, fine if you are 5 ft. 8 but absurd otherwise. I have driven everything from Bug Eye Sprites, a Lotus Europa {for about a year} , mid ,and full size U.S. cars 1/2 ton and bigger trucks... you name it and this is one machine that I simpley wouldn't thank you for. I find my Volvo 240 wagon has a better carrying capacity {measured in quantity of trash to the dump} and beats it hands down in pretty much every other category. Like I say, my wife loves it, but clearly you must be of the correct size and build to make it work. And not realy expect it to be a "truck" in the normal use of the word. Greg in Canada

Hi Restorer 32, you are not going to find too many "otter switches" on an MGA. They are more of a 1970's part, although Jag used them earlier. But not as early as your XK if I remember correctly. I love XK series cars but even when they were cheap they were out of my range. They also suffer from rust at least as much as MG's, and are a far more complex car to repair. I have worked on several as customer cars, and always heald them in high regard. E types are grand also, but not quite the same character as an XK. Been involved with MK.II's as well, but always as a mechanic rather than an owner. Greg in British Columbia

Congrats on your MGA purchase. If I may make a few suggestions it might make your ownership more pleasing. I have owned several MGA's over the last 35 years and driven them hundreds of thousands of miles. They are delightful cars but not without their problems; especially as they are now 50 years old, and may not have recived the best treatment in the past. You seem concerned about the cosmetics, paint body etc. This should come last, you need to concentrate on making the car a safe reliable driver first. Believe it or not this will easily blow your $7000.00 budget, even if you do a lot of the work yourself. There is a reason the nice ones sell for $20,000.00 +. There are two weak point on A's. The gearbox, and the front suspension. The gearboxes have an unsynchronized 1st. gear which eventually fails, and the needle bearings in the cluster shaft fail destroying the case hardening inside the gear. Both failures are common, and expensive to repair. A later full syncro MGB gearbox can be fitted but it's a involved job requiring a modified frame cross member. There are also conversions using Ford Sierra boxes but this is a big ticket item. The front suspension is prone to undetected wear on the king pins and trunnions. This leads to sudden failure and at best a tow in/ big repair bill, you don't even want to think about the worst case. Complete dismantling and inspection of an unknown car is recommended, you will be shocked by how much wear will be on the acme thread components and how much slop is evident once all the crusty grease is removed. Fit new king pins and trunnions, or swap to the much improved MGB set up. I could go on but I don't want to discourage you. MGA's are in my opinion one of the best of the British sports cars. But they require a sensible approach lest they become a heart and wallet breaking experience. Concentrate on the things that make the car stop { if the car doesn't have disk brakes{MGA 1500} get them!!!] and go. Once you are happy with it as a functioning machine make it look pretty. Greg in British Columbia

Looks like a later teens 4 cyl. Mclaughlin Buick. The core is not origional style, so it's been recored at some time. What does the other side look like? Several of these cars around S.W. British Columbia so I would imagine you can find a new home for it if it's surplus to your needs. I have a 1918 model E-45 but it's the bigger 6 Cyl. car. Too bad the emblem is missing, they are fairly scarce. Greg on the Mainland

Hi group, I would agree this is probably a mid to late teens automotive transmission. It looks like it's set up as "center shift" so it is probably a couple of years {at least} newer than Brass Era {1915 or older}. The mounting ears look quite narrow so it is possibly from a car with a main frame / sub frame. Most makes had left the narrow sub frame style of construction behind by the mid teens. Some makes persisted with this style into the L.H.drive / center shift era, so it may make the exact identification a little easyer. All the best Greg in Canada

Hi Ivan and others. I have been to Reynolds place a few times, but I have never noticed either the Hudson or the mystery chassis. One must bear in mind there are HUNDREDS of similar artifacts at the Reynolds yard to distract one's attention. I am hoping to get back there this summer so if I do I will look for more details on the frame. Does anyone know the current situation at Reynold's regarding purchasing relics? At one time most things in the yard {not the items in the Alberta Reynolds museum} were for sale. As I understand it there was a lawsuit against Stan Reynolds regarding a tragic workplace death of one of his employees and sales were at least for a time suspended. Is this situation now resolved? I doubt the engine you can just see in the tall grass is from either of the frames . The cars , trucks , airplanes, parts etc. have been collected from many sites across Western Canada, and the USA. There appears to have been little attempt to keep parts from one particular car in one place. In one area you will find dozens of engines , close by perhaps twenty frames in a stack. Another row will be fairly intact cars from various eras. All mixed in with lots of tractors and farm implements, it's realy mind boggling and a little overwhelming. All the best Greg in Canada {about 700 miles south west of Reynolds yard}

I don't have a Id. , but I would say no older than 1916 and no newer than 1919. A few dating points are the one man top, the mounting of the windshield {simply bolted through the cowl rather than any attempt to integrate the frame with the body], quite large diameter wheels. Wheels were in a period of rapidly shrinking diameters at this time, although Colonial markets may have kept large diameters a few years later than the U.S. . Finally the depth of the splash aprons looks quite shallow. Most cars of this era had a bigger distance from the bottom of the body to the running board. Also the splash apron doesn't have the top roll where the sheet metal starts out horizontal between the body-frame junction and then is formed to a vertical plane to cover the gap between the body and the running board. This one looks like it is vertical right up to where it joins the body, except in the area where it meets the hood side panel. these points may help pin down the exact make . Aren't mystery photos great ! All the best Greg in Canada

I graduated in 1976. Lots of potent muscle cars in the hands of teenagers by that time. In grade 11 one of the grade 12's had a 1969 C.O.P.O. 427 Camaro that had been bought new by a local Dentist. My MGB couldn't catch it if it was stopped. Grade 12 was at a different school, and the best the new neighborhood could muster was a 340 Dodge Demon, {well worked over by one of the mechanics at the dealership my classmates Father owned} there was a tunnel ram big block 71 Chevelle that would prowl around after School but it was owned by a guy who had graduated a year or two previously. I had moved up to a 1966 Mustang fastback; 289 2 Bbl. , so still left in the dust. All the best Greg in Canada {1969 Cyclone CJ} {1969 Buick GS 400} {and a bunch of OLD cars}

Hi group, just a guess realy. But the mystery car has that late teens GM look to it. So I will suggest circa 1918 Chevrolet. I am sure there are some early Chev guys out there who know one way or the other. All the best, Greg in Canada

Hi group, I found the mention of Pearlman rims interesting. My 1918 E-45 McLaughlin has Pearlman rims as O.E.M. equipment. It is my understanding all 1918 Buicks also use Pearlman rims and hardware. Now I see the connection between Pearlman and Jaxon. There is a interesting article in THE HORSELESS CARRIAGE GAZETE from a few years ago concerning a patent law suit involving Pearlman { who as I recall fraudulently claimed to have invented the detachable rim concept}. All the best Greg in Canada

Hi all, I can't say I have much enthusiasm for the "neoclassic" type of modern fabrication. I see them along similar lines as such things as Shay Model A's. They may be very competently engineered and constructed but they just don't do it for me. I do make an exception for such things as modern production correct replicas of sports cars where current demand far outstrips availability of original examples {and the price of originals has risen to stratospheric levels}. That would include modern production of cars such as Alard J2X's , Lister's {Jag and Chevy powered}, C type and D type Jag's, Lotus 7's, 11's and 23's etc . The current production examples are generaly extremely close to the originals, and allow those of us who are not millionaires to enjoy some very interesting automobiles. As long as there is no intent to pass the currently produced cars off as genuine I dont see the problem. They of course must be titled as the year of the cars they replicate as they have no hope of meeting the emission and safety requirements they would face if they were titled as current model year cars. Thanks, Greg in Canada