mechanician

Also, to answer the originally posed question, investment casting might give you a better result. Check out these guys, friends have used them with good success to replicate small brass era parts: http://www.hildebrandesigns.com/

It would be impossible to say without seeing the specific parts, it’s like saying what would it cost to restore my car without showing the car. It would also be more expensive for all the same reasons that other farmed out jobs are, the drawing consultant would have some responsibility in the event things didn’t work out… A machine called a white light (or blue light) scanner can capture the geometry, in industry this is often used to reverse engineer complicated things like turbine blades. Not sure if the hobbyist market has caught up yet but it will eventually. In the meantime, your cheapest option, if you don’t want to do it yourself, would be to find an engineering student, it would probably cost between a case of beer and a keg, depending on complexity.

I am all for enjoying, collecting, working on cars regardless of their age or capability. In that sense what does it matter if it is a year old or a hundred years old. The difficulty for me is a statutory designation (which has now become arbitrary) that was once intended for obsolete or primitive machines to be applied to vehicles with essentially present day capabilities, especially when it is done to circumvent the rules that would otherwise make those same vehicles unroadworthy under a different classification. Don’t focus on what they are called, focus on what they can do and regulate or don’t regulate based on that.

I see them all the time here, usually rusted out beat 90s models with CT "antique" plates that would never pass inspection in MA (for at least rust holes). In those cases, I don't think there is any intention toward collecting, or improving the vehicle, just a workaround to keep something unroadworthy going as transportation. Probably doesn't reflect well on the rest of us. I have had inspection issues in MA with stations that are clueless on prewar cars, these shenanigans won't help in making that easier.

If the tank isn't riveted, its just "pre-owned"!

The closest answer to your original question may be a later brass era Franklin, although I can't comment on the leak situation. At least they won't leak water.

Looking for (at least) a few things for a project. Rather than get too specific, I would be interested in hearing about any available original parts from the era.

Depending on what you intend on doing with the car, I would rate other features as more pressing. None of them had seals in the modern sense, all of them leaked. Model Ts were always splash lubricated as were others that lack oilers, they didn’t have oil pumps but they weren’t once through either. But they leak.

My read on the "not mine" postings is that they are more for curiosity, gawking, and observing seller psychology than for being intended to actually help folks find cars or for establishing fair market value for that matter... Therefore the most interesting ones are oddballs that may be expensive (justified or not), or overpriced "I know what I have" junk. When a car is a curiosity for what a deal it is, let's hope someone here can grab it, but that's not the usual situation.

The matching blue valve handle puts it over the top...

Folks have their reasons for not wanting to be too open about their targets of acquisition, sometimes for very good reason. Get someone reputable in the business to help you, and be prepared to pay for their services. In the cost of getting such a project completed it should be insignificant, even if it doesn’t feel that way when you are writing the check. Not a time to be penny wise and pound foolish, perhaps literally.

No Fords, except of course for the pictured Ford…

I kind of like it in a never want to own it sort of way...

I highly recommend this guy, not sure about shipping but he sets up at Brimfield and similar antique shows out here.

Looks like a Pope Toledo, maybe 1903 or so. The lights look like Solar.

Some nice work on here... Where sewing is used, what are folks using for a machine?

The plates are Connecticut. In 1912 C538 was registered to Arthur Watson of Black Rock (a section of Bridgeport on the Fairfield side of the city) as a 25hp Chalmers (S/N 4642).

I have a steam car project (project being a redundant term here). They have three states; not running; on fire; not running and on fire…

Ed, Out of curiosity, do you know why the chamber gets hotter than others of the era? Compression? I always liked the model R, even if a more vulgar model...

I trust that the member/car roster will be located behind a member only password? No need to give the scammers that golden nugget… Sounds like the site is receiving much needed upgrades.

Dredged up from the Hudson…

The easiest question of all... If I have it and want to sell it, it is rare; if you have it and I want to buy it, it is common.

Photos notwithstanding, it seems like we are hearing of an abnormal number of these events lately. Where it ceases to be morbid curiosity is in the circumstances surrounding the accidents so that we may take the lessons learned so that we aren’t next. The number of these are beginning to take away my enthusiasm for touring. Glad to hear they are alright and my hopes that the owner rebuilds or passes it along to someone who will.

Franklin was among the last, but not the end: https://hardwooddistributors.org/postings/the-splinter-wooden-supercar