Ivan Saxton

If you want to clean it chemically you could use a little phosphoric acid with a scotchbrite type scourer such as used in your kitchen. Otherwise it is probably self-cleaning as you drive. Any bush mechanic here, capable of divergent thinking , might chain the back of the car to a good stump and slip the clutch gently. The mist coating of rust is probably just a slightly different friction surface to the dressed face. You can sensibly do all sorts of different things for specific purposes. For instance, a friend and neighbour who was a speedway racing ace asked me to put a better surface on a super-light aluminium flywheel with a very low moment of inertia for his hot Holden engine. The Metco Spraysteel LS coating on the undercut face, over a nickel aluminide bond coat gave Gary exactly what he wanted. Just an example of what you can do when you need to.

If it was a modern used car like a Standard Vanguard of the 40s, 50,s or 60s, you would fit the wheel so the hole lined up with one on the brake drum. Then you could turn the wheel carefully so you engage a screwdriver with the slot of one of those wretched serrated cam adjusters. The lining clearance would soon automatically loosen itself.

Best coverage of this in a book of someone who needed to design for customers' fit and convenienceis Hugo Pfau in his book "The Custom Body Era". Ray Wolff recommended him to me when I met Ray and Alma here in Melbourne in 1970 when I showed him photos of a complete but derelict Stutz with an obviously custom body. A letter came from Hugo by return mail. "Yes, he recognised the car even in its deteriorated state. He said that so he should, because he had designed it. Le Baron had built 5 examples, of which three were sent to Melbourne. Barlow Motors were a very active Stutz dealer. Several decades later, an elderly lady living on the west coast of Tasmania allowed John Kennedy from Hobart to copy a photo of an identical car, but not the same one. She had learned to drive in it. You can find good used copies of that book on the internet.

Hol Tan were the first importers of Lancia cars to USA, And it seems that even the earliest Lancia Alpha from 1906-7 came to your north-East in small numbers. In 1980 I saw one that Alan Clendenon of Anahiem ( spelling?) had, which he said no-one was much interested in at a museum auction. He had made it more complete and original, and was in process of sale to an airline pilot. Just over a year ago Geoff Goldberg was here in Victoria for the biennial event for Lancia Cars. I had my 1911 Lancia Delta set out largely in pieces so he could see the characteristics and details. I told Geoff about the indicated intention for Hol Tan to enter a car in the NY to Paris Race. But it is likely that Vincenso Lancia would have dismissed the idea as rash and risky. A few years later Lancias may have been faster with better stamina for such an event; but having a water pump enclosed within the front of the crankcase and driven from the timing gears would not have been ideal. The need to regularly drain water from the engine oil would not have been a happy task. I believe that Hol Tan may have had agencies for other cars then or later. I feel that Geoff is a very diligent historical researcher; but I suspect that the real probability that Lancia was a prospective entrant for that event would have been about the square root of minus one.

Rock trailer source for axles and wheels is Ford truck, probably late 1930s 3 or 4 ton size. My father and his brothers had several of those and a few similar size Chev and Maple Leaf. At the start of the war when use of petrol was forbidden they were converted to use kerosene; and later, all had diesel engines fitted of various make determined by what was available. One larger truck was known as a "Ford Thornton." This had a very wide front, and a pair of Ford V8s, mounted side by side below the cab. Those were removed and probably sold or used for replacements when petrol would again be permitted. The two v8swere replaced by a 5 cylinder 5LW Gardiner diesel engine, which worked in a "dog kennel" protruding from behind the truck cab. I have photos of the truck, one with a huge diameter log on the log trailer; and the other with an Inter TD24 on a low- loader with a big overload bend in the middle. The truck never remained in service for long, for it broke three sets of differentials. I surmise now that there was no power divider between the tandem rear drive axles. It was left parked with no engine or rear axle set for perhaps 12 or 14 years. As above, if someone could be kind enough to write for me in plain English uncontaminated by computer jargon I feel I could share a lot of photos that people would enjoy photos .

I purchased an assembly of front and rear axles with Rudge Whitworth wire wheels, still connected to the frame by the original springs of an early Model A Duesenberg. The front right corner of the chassis frame was badly damaged by collision , and I used to tell people it had been converted to a one horsepower job. Now ACD Duesenberg historian Ray Wolff had previously persuaded me to buy a 1922 Model A D, from one of his friends in Mexico City ; which had the chassis frame shortened by 3 ft for car racing. Extra parts included a late 1923 chassis frame, which had been also shortened, but with the rear of the frame inverted to undersling the rear axle. ( There was most of the 1923 engine and transmission also, and other useful parts). I repaired the damaged front corner with new material; then I made a jig from that 1923 frame to repair the 1923 chassis frame to the correct form. I fitted the 1923 frame from Montana with the front crossmember from the left-over extra from Mexico; so that when the time comes to build a second car, the chassis number and engine number will remain a correct pair. In 1984 at Auburn while I was in conversation with Ray Wolff, Jim Gilmartin from the north of Manhattan also spoke to us. He had most of an A Duesenberg project, but desperately needed a chassis frame. I told him I would get new chassis quality plate , have it press-folded to correct channel size; and similarly a suitable piece of channel to make a cross-member for where the front mounts for the rear springs go. When Jim saw all the material on the floor under the jig for building the chassis , he said he had wasted his time and money, and could not see how I could ever make a chassis for his Duesenberg. But it was really quite a straightforward process. Just like Henry Leland told the English when they asked how he was able those Cadillacs so they could be re-assembled with new replacement parts that needed no machining for proper fit. He replied that it was really a very simple process: First you had to decide what you wanted to do, and how you were going to do it. Then you did it the way you decided. I apologise that I can never post photos of anything people might like to see. This is my fault. It is not Peter G's fault. I am Asperger's syndrome, which is very useful in most respects; but unless I have complete and literal instructions, I cannot learn to do computer process. If someone could be kind enough to send me instructions in English by PM, that do not involve Chinglish or thought-waves, I will use that method gratefully.

For a tapered spline of this type, spray it first with ATF/ acetone mix. I mix and store it in about a one gallon empty screw-cap tin about 5-10% initially. (some acetone always evaporates, but it still works). The acetone makes a metal-wetting end for the ATF. You place one side of the splined hole of the pitman arm on your anvil or similar convenient block of steel ballast, and strike the opposite side with about a 4 pound hammer. The pitman arm has enough elasticity to loosen on its taper.

RobRoy Hillclimb in outer Melbournein1957-8 by the video dates. The altered BB STutz would have belonged to one of the Sheppard brothers. (The other brother did a very good restoration of a 37.2 Hispano Suiza, which he mostly drove as a chassis until he finished restoration of the James Flood body.) There is some uncertainty of the actual ownership of the Stutz when it was associated with Bullen Brothers travelling Circus, but it was mostly driven by a clown with a substantial thirst for ethanol as a recreational pharmaceutical. The original body was severely damaged by a fire, and it was re-constructed as the video shows it by Martin and King, ( who were not the most prestigeous coachbuilders in the motor trade. As you can see, it was rebuilt as a closed coupe to someone's fancy; and we guessed it was likely a Black Hawk speedster originally, because there is a simulation of the rear of a "boat-tail "outline at the back, and it has an HC preface to the engine number. Peter Sheppard told us that most of the boat-tail had become lead loading which was very heavy. Max Kennedy owned it for a long time and admired it greatly, and it has travelled a long way by sea since. Much later I recieved a letter of enquiry with photos from a new owner in California; who was emphatically convinced That it was a "Corsica" body. I think I told him of no history here that it had ever been near Corsica, Sardinia, Sicily, Crete, or anywhere else in the Miditerranean. Bit like the beautifully constructed "S76"rcing FIAT in UK in recent times. Stuart Middlehurst had that remains of a wrecked car chassis winched out of a deep gully in northern New South Wales, and carted in home here on top of his diesel Peugeot 504. John Medley researched the old local newspaper which reported the accident. The ownership of the bproperty was mentioned, and the surname was still in the current telephone directory. When John rang, thye owner swaid that john should really talk to his mother. The lady was well in her 90s, and her memory was as sharp as a tack. She had walked down the road the morning after the accident when she was a very young child, with her mother; who had taken photos of the chain drive car upside down in the gully below. As the newspaper had reported, it was an Austro Daimler. There was the chassis frame and just one engine cylinder, with a piston pin score; but apparently repairable. The man who got the frame from Stuart, and relinquished it to an enthusiast in Tasmania; from whom the builder of the replica racing FIAT acquired it. Then the stray engine cylinder went to a man in Norway, who we understand has essentials of an engine with one cylinder missing but probably no hope of finding a frame to help rebuild an original car. Back to circuses and Stutz cars, Fred Edwards' father had a detacheable head T-head four when he ran Edwards Western Circus, some time before Bullens Circus used that BB shown in the video to attract interested audience to their shows.

On the matter of the 4 speed gearbox with overdrive top gear, a lot of the detail in the photos I have seen yet of your gearbox is suggestive of the Brown-Lipe overdrive top gearbox often used in conjunction with Rochester Duesenberg engine in Roamer, Revere, Meteor, and similar. Changjng between 2nd and direct is tricky because of the compound movement due to the funny pattern; but changes between direct and overdrive of 1 to 1 1/4 are a delight because you just hit the clutch and push the stick in either direction without need to double de-clutch. I usually take interested guests for a short run up and down between home and the workshop shed a few times. The engine will pull in overdrive on a light throttle about 100yards up the track which has about a 5 degree incline. I will not make the car ready for road use until the brakes are good enough. Is it possible that the later T-head Mercer Raceabouts with a 4 speed gearbox may have used a Brown-Lipe overdrive box.. The Series Six Mercers whjch used the 6 cylinder Rochester-Trego engine used a 3 speed Brown-Lipe gearbox, effectively the same as Pierce Arrow model 80. When I told Bernie Weis that he checked with Otto K., because apparently because most PAS owners may have assumed that Pierce Arrow made their own gearboxes before the straight eights.

If it is a T-head but does not look like a T-head, it sounds like it is wearing "Mixter's Top Hat. Now you have such interest in performance and economy of big T-heads, Ed, you might be interested in the achievements of the 1907 8 litre Tipo Taunus Isotta Fraschini in the Coppa Florio. ( Similar cars were supplied to race at Savannah and elsewhere, and two of those still exist.) Minoia won the Coppa Florio at about 69mph average, using 19.8 gallons of fuel for the 302 mile race. I can give you page numbers in Angelo Tito Anselmi's book on Isotta Fraschini ,one of which shows engine cross-section drawing. It is an approximation of the high efficiency, high performance combustion chamber that Sir Harry Rickardo and his friend and research colleague Aubrey Evans developed and patented for L-head engines 10 years later. Of course, you do not alter an original car now.

A couple of items/concepts which are not mentioned above need to be mentioned. 1) Steel is not an ideal material for brake drums. Fairly early in production of the V 16 Cadillacs, the steel drum brakes were not ideally matched to the car's performance. The company invested heavily it a system for casting and machining quality cast iron drums. Braking performance improved considerably. 2) Over many years I have used Metco wire-feed metal spray to rebuild worn brake drums to original size or better . With the internal/external band type, I always tried to leave a finished drum with as great a thickness of material as the geometry would allow. A thicker drum will not expand as much for the same heat input due to friction, and will remain more rigid. The material is called " Spraysteel LS". LS stands for Low Shrink. It is a work-hardening carbon steel with useful molybdenum content. I always machined this coating with the slowest spindle speed on the big old English Lang lathe I have, ( 6 revs/minute). The braking effectiveness is much better than for steel, and little different to SG cast iron. I always used oxy/acetylene wire feed spray equipment. Today it is much more economical to use electric arc spraying system, which uses double feed of much smaller gauge wire . 3) Everyone is safer without water- lubricated brakes with external bands. The cure is to cut a series of grooves diagonally across the lining, at a suitable angle, probably about 2 inches apart. The movement of the drum across the lining pumps the water out along the grooves. You probably should angle the grooves to exit any fine debris either to underneath the car, or onto you wheels, according to your preference. 4) There is fairly early precedent for such angle-cut grooves across the brake lining material. I have some cast iron brake shoes from my 1911 4 cylinder Napier which have such diagonal grooves across the wear face. A number of early cars of that era had cast iron shoes or linings running in steel drums. Several decades ago a friend, Barry Vinen, brought me the rear hubs of an around 1912 English two cylinder Perry car, which had integral brake drums for two sets of brakes, side by side. I could see daylight through some of the drums' circumference. I asked Barry why they were so badly worn. He said it was the cast iron linings that did it. I was not keen to extend the boundaries of what I did; but there was no alternatives. I probably said there were no guarantees either. I sprayed and machined for extra thickness. It went together, and after they had been using the car for many years, I chanced to meet Barry at Bendigo Swap. He said they had the back axle of the Perry apart for some reason, and the brake drums were perfect. He also said that it was the only car in the Veteran Car Club with cast iron brake linings that worked properly. I said "Barry, you said you would use modern linings. He said "I did: modern cast iron!" 5) The original 4"x 6" Duesenberg Instruction Book ( for the A model) has six pages on the brakes.

You can see an array of photos of the two similar models, the 48 and 38, in Beverly Rae Kimes massively comprehensive book on Packard that was published by Automobile Quarterly in the late 1970s. I cannot recall seeing any of these at Harrah's when I went to USA in 1980. I had camera and distintive overalls, and permission to go inside the ropes, but not to touch the cars. There was so much there that I walked past cars that I would have spent hours examining it they had been here. After Auburn I went to Springfield Vermont on invitation from Morris and Libby Burrows to help Morris prepare the Mercer we used for the Glidden Tour. We stayed at a place not far from the Mt Washington Hotel, because I think Morris may have been particular about who he may have liked to associate with. There was another couple there who Morris and Libby knew; and I remember Morris asking Frank if he had found anyone interested to buy the big Packard Six of that era that he had advertised. Looking at the photos in that Packard book, my guess is that it was one of the slightly smaller 38 model Packards that Lydia's family owned. I look at the proportions of engine length and wheelbase compared to the front seat of the body. Ed has thoughtfully posted photo of a most beautiful 48 Packard to compare.

To my eye it is more typical in style of pre WW1, perhaps a truck. I shall have to look at photos of the FWD truck I had. That one was complete and driveable, and fairly correct except for the embellishment of a C-cab, which was probably sufficient to keep the crew dry if it was not raining. I let it go to the War Memorial Museum in Canberra. They have long owned a huge photo of such an FWD with a 5inch gun in tow behind it. When dealer/organizer of restoration work brought the exec. from the museum here, he neither introduced him nor told me he had quoted them for purchasing the truck to match the old photo; nor did he disclose that his contract was to purchase from me , transport to his place of business, make FWD driveable, and have it transported to the museum in Canberra. I did not come down in the last shower; and I knew that if you shook hands on a deal with Nick it was prudent to count your fingers before and after. So I asked if the man would like to see it run. "No No No No " from Shifty. The fuel was on, magneto switched to run, choke and hand throttle set. Gears were in neutral. I showed that the exhaust was cold, then with two pulls over compression it was running smoothly. I was happy to see the FWD go to the museum for good purpose and good care and respect. I have the photo of my father's oldest brother, Rueben on his enlistment. He was18yo, and holding a wooden make-believe rifle. Re was reported missing in actioning the first week of hostilities at Cape Hellas, Gallipoli. All they could find where he was, was a shell hole. He was de-listed, and his belongings were sent home. Well, he must have been blown up in the air, and landed un-recognizable and un-responsive. We do not know how long he spent in hospital care in England; and nobody told the family that he may have survived. Much later he was reported by a Red Cross witness from the Western Front. He had his own name, but re-enlisted with a different regimental number. He was standing with another soldier who was carrying a big load of "Mills bombs", which is what the original hand- grenades were called. Rueben was throwing grenades along a German trench; and another Aussie was doing the same from the other end of the same trench, to evacuate the Germans in between. The Red Cross observer reported that all the Mills bombs blew up at once, apparently because one was dropped and the safety pin fell out. No remains were identifiable. It is an unenviable achievement to be blown up Twice in different theatres of the same war, ( but only properly killed the second time,). I have done a bit of steam bending, and there are difficult tricks. You need the softened, plasticized timer around a form you can clamp it to: You need a trap of steel sheet round the outside, with right angle ends to constrain the softened timber so the timber does not slip and separate at the ends.

The signage might be plausible, maybe if it had been a 1914 show. Jack Nelson had a 1914 sleeve valve Mercedes knight touring for years, and I remember seeing it on the occasion of a Victorian Veteran Car Club Annual November Rally in Melbourne, on one occasion during the 1960s. It was a well conserved original car. Mostly jack would use a similar size poppet valve Mercedes of about the same size and age. Both had similar V-front radiators. Another VCCA member, Mackenzie Luckie, bought the sleeve-valve car from Jack, and also used it for car events. Mac is long gone; and I understand his nephews have his cars and interests. Jack obviously had a camera with very fine optics. A few years ago he loaned me a few interesting photos of about 2-3 inch dimensions. My youngest son Stirling scanned and digitized these; and I returned the originals to Jack with prints about 10 inch size. Jack had become fairly elderly, and he enjoyed being able to see the fine detail of his own photos from the 1940s. One is of the Semmering Mercedes at Rob Roy Hill Climb with normal road registration.

Tipo 8A or later variant, post-1924. The radiator badge shape is rectangular, whereas the Tipo 8 has a circular badge with a brass pressing wreath surrounding it. The top of the Tipo 8 radiator is curved. Most likely wheel size is Rudge Whitworth 72mm maximum bearing OD, which is probably minimal. Most comprehensive listing used to be in Angelo Tito Anselmi's book on Isotta Fraschini. You always find errors. Text says that the first 20 cars were never sold; but car number 4 was recovered from near the Yarra River in Melbourne years after it ran off the road beside the bridge at Studley Park. I have photo of that car coincidentally taken by Jack Nelson only a couple of days before that happened. I copied the firewall as best I could to make wooden patterns for casting one in a number of sections, which are in a jig I fabricated so I can TIG weld it all back into a firewall for my Tipo 8 project. It is fascinating to compare the 1922 A model Duesenberg with the Tipo 8 Isotta Fraschini of the same age.

Jim Everett restore a Little around 1970, and later sold it to his employer, ( who had a business which supplied equipment to butchers shops, and whose name temporarily escapes me). That Little was virtually a clone of the Hupp 20. Bob S. who I mentioned above has the essentials of several other early Chevs; and he showed me how the first originals were actually a very well made, high quality car, but there was inferior detail in certain later models. Bob drives his car to events.

A friend who lives about 10 miles from here at Childers, Bob Schuhkraft, has personally restored one of these from very sad basics. If you send me a private message I can help you to communicate to get photos. I used to help him with machine jobs before he bought his own lathe. A feature of the oiling system of these engines which I have never known elsewhere is the supply to the crankshaft main bearings by plaited wicks of felt strips. Bob had enough remnants to make new ones as original. One of his brothers, John, made scores of nest boxes and mounted them on trees in the steep gullies on the property. He would take visitors to one tree where you could climb a small step ladder, and see a family of little faces of Sugar Gliders. These are tiny marsupial gliding possums who feed on nocturnal insects. You had a close view of nature without causing any distress.

There are at least two different sizes, used by Marmon as well as Auburn in the late 20s.

The best penetrant /lubricant is ATF with a small addition of Acetone. The secret is acetone has a hydrophobic end which links to ATF, and a hydrophilic end which seeks the metal. Just simple basic principles. Early diecast high zinc material causes trouble wherever you find it. Expansion with ageing will cause negative clearance. If you bore the piston so you thin it down, you can carefully heat it enough to be plastic it expands and in reality shrinks. When it cools it should come out easily. The new piston should slide freely in the bore, which may mean diametral clearance of perhaps three thou.

To overcome rainwater lubrication of your band brakes, you cut a series of grooves cut across the lining on about45 o4 60 degree angle, so that water and debris were expelled to under the car so wheels did not get dirty. I have worn original cast iron brake shoes with similar angled grooving. These ran in steel drums of a 4 cylinder Napier that I have. Some of the big multi-axle heavy haulage military trucks of the early 1940s, maybe Diamond-T, Mack, Federal, had heavy duty disc brakes on the back of the transmission. I recollect seeing similar on something much smaller, like an amphibious Jeep.

I recollect that Steve sent a goodwill message to the Veteran Car Club of Australia for the 1970 FIVA International Rally from Sydney to Melbourne in April 1970. I think it was reported that he had cars in the category of big Stearns and Simplex. I know his hot mustangs would have done half an hour in 20 minutes; but photos of his great early big Antiques might have been essential interest to many of us. His lever action Winchester impressed me. My father had a 32/40, that he used for deer shooting before military 3006 Garrand s were available. Someone broke into the locked storage and stole the 32/40, but I still have the ammo. It would have been good to control foxes here. I would like to see photos of Steve's big early cars if anyone knows .

Best entry level to understand the remarkable Dr Lanchester, his cars, and other aspects of his life's work is 'Automobile Design: Great Designers and Their Work' . (editors Barker and Harding) . Each chapter was contributed by someone with specialized knowledge and interest. If you cannot find what you want at a good price on the internet, send me a PM, and I will guide you. For goodness sake, read the whole book and treasure it. Otherwise you will not know about the Bollees of Le Mans, or Hans Ledwinka.

My initial post on this was that it may have been a Morgan derivative. Internet of Lomax name gives the initiation as a kit car from 1982. The three wheel layout is very like the typical Morgan. One of my friends here who was much more conversant with those, and had been terrified by one, told me that if the single rear wheel goes flat, the car becomes like a centipede with the scrub itch. One of Mike's friends fastidiously restored a genuine 3 wheel Morgan, but would not drive it. No matter what power unit was used, be it 2CV, 2cyl fwd Subaru Sherpa, or a cross engine like a Lancia Beta, any modern special with that single rear wheel should properly be known as a "Darwin", in reference to the possibility of removing someone from the population gene pool.