1912Staver

I like it. Think of it as a Morgan DHC built for larger than average people. I like Morgan's too, but at 6'2" I just barely fit in one. If this was a little cheaper it might make a reasonable alternative. Not all that fast or nimble , but a ton of character. And a fraction of the price of a J2X. Greg

If you go back to the teens you can run into all sorts of numbers. Engine number , frame number , body number and makers number. In some cases right from the factory they are all different numbers. And any of them may have been used 100 years ago to register the car. Things were entirely up to the owner and the person issuing the licence plate at the time the car was new. DMV people today have no Idea how hit and miss the numbers and registration document process was 70 - 100 years ago. Greg

I think they were a popular after market item in many colder areas. Greg

One of the nicest Buicks of all time. The photo in the ad is terrible. Here is what it looks like finished. If I had the $ I would be tempted. I don't think they are too far off the mark with the price. https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1931-buick-8-90-series-roadster/ Greg

Update, I finally found a photo of a 1913 Overland 69 and this does appear to be the same as my box. The box mounts 90 Degrees from the " normal " orientation with the pitman arm shaft pointing downward. This accounts for the very unusual mounting , Thanks Bill ! Anyone know who made steering boxes for Overland ?

I am bumping in case anyone can identify. Ross ?, Gemmer ? or something else ?

That might be a bit too rapid. The recommended way is to build a small enclosed space , only a little larger than the part itself , out of firebrick. Sort of a mini oven. Have one side open to work but as soon as you are finished, place additional bricks enough to fully enclose the hot part. Then as you say leave for at least several hours. I think the sand will conduct heat away too quickly, you want as little of the part in contact with anything that will conduct heat away from the part. Air is fine as long as a small space with little exchange with the outside atmosphere. Try to support the housing off the bottom of your mini oven with a small piece of firebrick. Similar to pottery being fired in a kiln. Silver soldering and brazing is often used for joining non ferrous metals. They are much less likely to crack than a ferrous casting and can withstand more rapid cooling. Greg

I had an earlier 1960's pickup for a while when I lived in Northern British Columbia for a year. Tough old thing but very bare bones. It fit right in to the local culture, forestry / mining town. A big 6 that looked like it belonged in something like a School Bus rather than a pickup , and a 4 speed. Manual everything. Steering was a real chore at minus 25, the lubricant in the steering box would almost go solid for 20 minutes or so until the exhaust and engine heat warmed it up. Greg

As long as you bring the temp up slowly and evenly and cool down if anything even slower you should have no problem with cracking. It's temp. differences within the part that put stress on the part and lead to cracking. With something as small as the pump housing this should not be too hard to achieve. You want the housing at a dull cherry red heat at least . Best to look up recommended temps and keep as close to that figure as possible. Greg

Not sure I would even attempt to solder. A nickel bronze braze ; eg. Sifbronze or similar, would be my preference. Yes , flux is key! Greg

I doubt any of the smaller makers made parts like axles , either front or rear. But there were a number of outfits back in the day that only made things like axles or gearboxes or steering gears. In the earliest days { pre 1904 or so } I get the impression quite a few of the pioneer auto makers made everything. But as the industry matured outside suppliers for basic mechanical components became the norm. Greg

Not really an automobile. A tour bus based on a small truck chassis. They were reasonably common in the teens and twenty's.

I expect this is part of " the new reality " . Once again I am sure I am in an extreme minority position. But for me the best publications of all contain a set of blueprints for the machine under consideration. There was a local author { I believe he is now deceased } who was a expert writer on historic boats and ships. His books were remarkably well researched and along with the normal book content included several large folded sheets of very detailed drawings on each vessel he was writing about. They are expensive and I only own a couple of them that provide detailed coverage of a couple of locally significant boats from British Columbia's pioneer days. But truly the gold standard in my estimation. No doubt very small print run's and at the end of the day probably not very profitable. It sure would be nice if someone undertook a similar series on some of the best of the Brass Era cars. If there is a million $ plus market for Simplex cars, Stutz Bearcats, Mercer Raceabout's etc , I suspect there is also a market for a really detailed book; with technical drawings, about cars of this sort in the $250.00 - $350.00 retail market range. Greg

Years ago, when I lived in town I frequently went to Mayfair news, great selection . I now live quite a ways out in the Fraser Valley and rarely venture into Vancouver proper anymore. It's close to an hour these days from my driveway to Mayfair and parking in that part of town is now a real challenge. Lots of new Condo developments making street parking difficult. Vancouver has changed out of recognition , particularly from the point of view of the old car hobby. Still lots of car interested people , but new or near new BMW's Audi's and the like is the prime focus . Greg

Unfortunately, over about the last year I have seen the number of titles on the shelves at my local main magazine retailer go from an amazing number to just a handful of consistent sellers. Probably a 75% + drop in diversity. Some may have gone out of business , or perhaps online. But I suspect many are still out there , it just doesn't make any sense for the local retailers to stock them anymore. Many of the best magazines are headed toward the $15.00 CDN. a copy price, particularly the British publications. If you are a subscriber the per issue price drops a little, but not really all that much in my experience. Once magazines get that expensive I move my $ into the book category. Greg

I completely agree Walt. I fully realize no publication could stay in business based on the pre - 1925 automobile era. HCCA is surprisingly inflexible regarding their stand on 1916 and up vehicles. Although local chapters can be somewhat tolerant of newer cars the main club really has no interest in expanding even up to the end of the teens. After 40 + years in the hobby I suppose I have become far to narrow for any broad appeal publication, a necessary trait if a venture is to succeed in todays market. I will just continue to poke through the piles of back issues I find at most swap meets; assuming we can go to swap meets again, and treasure the few articles I do find that meet my narrow interest. Greg

All that Bernie, and sliding across the Engine room deck plates as soon as you are foolish enough to let go of both hand holds. I spent most of my time in the relatively sheltered Georgia Straight / Puget Sound area, but enough time up in the Queen Charlotte islands { Hecate Strait , a particularly nasty body of water } to know what rough weather is all about. Greg

Didn't really have a choice. Shift work sucks over 60 , really, really sucks. 12 days on with 3, 8 hour time shifts. AM's , PM's , Gyd's, all in a 12 day time period then 6 days off. your last night ends at 6 AM on your first day off. No one but the company calls that a day off. You almost feel like a human again by the end of days off then you start it all over again. The C.I.A. couldn't come up with a better technique of breaking people down. Throw in the vibration and Industrial environment of working on a ship and I am amazed I lasted as long as I did. The money was good,,,25 years ago, trouble was it barely changed as time went by. Greg

I have spent lots over the last 40 years on books and magazines. Enough to have bought a pretty nice car if it was all in one pile. These days ; post retirement, I am forced to be much more frugal than in the past if I am going to make any headway on the vehicles themselves. I still buy quite a few magazines each year { just ask my wife !} but virtually never new. When your disposable income shrinks by 60 % or more tough choices must be made. Greg

I agree about The Automobile, unfortunately it is blasted expensive in Canada. Greg

Not to throw a damp cloth on things, but in my case I probably wouldn't subscribe for exactly the same reasons I never subscribed to Automobile Quarterly. The scope is just way too wide and the per copy price is quite high. And probably 80 % of the cars featured will be cars I have little to no interest in. The only cars I really want to see in depth articles on are pre 1925. and the non mass market cars. The AC articles ; often but not always by Beverly Rae Kimes , dealing with the broadly pre 1925 cars; largely obscure makes at that, were a firm favorite with me. And whenever possible I have bought second hand issues with these articles. Its the same problem with the AACA magazine. The Classic era and newer cars I really like usually have a entire book written about them and generally I will just buy the book which will have far more in depth information than even several magazine articles. I wish Richard all the luck in the world with his new magazine, I just don't see it being a regular addition to my library. His Staver Chicago articles In Hemmings are personal favorites. Now if someone could provide great coverage of the hundreds of pre 1925 " forgotten " automobiles that would be another matter altogether , but I can't ever see that happening. Greg

I am out of the steering box market for the time being. I bought a tractor today so cash will be a bit tight for a few months. Greg

Hi Layden, I remember that you offered me this box a few years ago. It might work but much as I was then concerned, I am still concerned about the shaft where the pitman arm attaches. Usually there is either a square projection or splines. I have never seen one where there is just a plain shaft . It does not seem to be a good idea to just clamp the pitman to a plain shaft. If a person could even find a pitman that attaches in this manner. Any idea of what this came off of ? Greg

I found out this summer when I was replacing the bearings on my trailer that all anyone locally had in stock were China bearings. USA Dexter packaging , but China inside. I guess Dexter and other sources bought them by the container load cheap . But the over the counter price was only a tiny bit cheaper than SKF. Trouble is no one was stocking SKF anymore. No doubt a higher profit margin selling the Chinese bearing. And I am in Canada so much more limited on line options without getting added customs charges. Greg

I am looking for a R.H.D steering assy for my 1912 basket case orphan. Preferably with the pitman arm. Medium to better quality, it's a reasonably large car. Greg