wayne sheldon

I am fairly sure you have said before? But what model is your 1927 Chrysler?

Scott, I especially like seeing posts by people that truly know the model cars in question. For me, a car like this is a bit too modern to be something I would really want. However, over the years I have looked at literally hundreds of very original common cars of the early 1930s. One develops an eye for how interiors were done that era. However, Dodge, Plymouth, Chevrolet or Ford? I wouldn't know specific details for any one of them. Thank you for your comments!

Gee thanks Leif! Truckee is only about forty miles away from me! Just kidding! I am laughing, but I won't tell my wife about it.

The interior looks GREAT! If you don't know what it is supposed to look like. I really shouldn't say things like that? But I see it so often!

Front fenders appear to be 1925 style, also used on TT trucks 1926/'27. They do fit and will work for earlier cars and trucks back to 1917. The 1917 through 1924 front fenders had a different bead where the fender meets the side apron, with another change in 1923 for the front edge of the fender to meet with the splash apron below the radiator. The rear fenders had a slight change in 1924. With the angle of the photos and the shadows, I can't tell if they are earlier or later. Beautiful fenders!

More and better pictures would help a lot. Years ago, I had a 1929 Reo Flying Cloud Master semi sport coupe. It had a vacuum tank, not a mechanical fuel pump. I knew a couple people that had Flying Cloud Mates, the smaller companion car began for 1929 and continued through 1930. I do not recall if they had a mechanical fuel pump or not. Regardless, 1928 would be very early for a mechanical fuel pump on almost anything (that was the first year for a few cars). By 1931, most cars had mechanical fuel pumps (except Ford). But I am not certain what year Reo first used them on what models. Without a better look at the car and the engine? Difficult to tell much of anything. I suspect the engine at least is later than 1928, although there is some similarity to my Master engine, I can see it is not the same. Whether it is a later engine, or the smaller Mate engine I cannot tell. It may even be a couple years later car?

I find that to be very interesting.

Along with wanting my cars to look era correct, proper type colors and likely era accessories, I also like to look like I belong to my cars. So, I have quite a bit of original era clothing and hats as well as some newer versions that look right. About fifty years ago, I found one of the most beautiful Homberg hats I ever did see. Everything about it was early style, the crown , the ribbon, the flawless curl of the brim, beautiful. And it happened to fit me perfectly! I went to an antique automobile meet along with several friends where about a hundred other cars plus spectators were going to be. Because the car I was driving was very open, and not really right for a Homberg hat, I wore a wide early style sport cap (which I still have!) while driving and for part of the day. But because my car was so open, we put the Homberg which I wanted for the costume contest later, in my friend's mid 1920s sedan. The door locks on his sedan did not work (a common failure due to pot metal in the lock mechanism). During the show, someone went into his car and stole my hat! We won the costume contest with me wearing the sport cap (an early style that hasn't been available in a very long time). So yeah, it happens, a lot more than it should. I could relate a dozen recollections of things being stolen from friends and myself. For fifty years I have been trying to find another really right Homberg hat that fits me. For many years I routinely even kept a watch on eBay (quit using eBay about five years ago). I have plenty of other 1910s and 1920s style hats if I ever want to wear one again. But I really liked that Homberg. And if you want an idea of how that early style sport cap looked? Look at the caricature on the early "Oilzum" signs! By the way, Harold Lloyd often wore such a cap in his early movies. That style of sport cap was sometimes called "the big apple". I also looked good wearing it.

Looks like a nice one! I wonder if it originally had dummy landau bars?

The car here is very special due its originality. Which in turn makes certain parts of the car quite fragile. I did see the car my friend drove, and it was not this one. It was a similar touring car, but had a more standard type top, and had been nicely restored (Grimy I am sure knows the car?). I seriously doubt that this car was ever driven near 70 mph. Unless of course that original top had been removed? This particular car, I have never seen in person, although I feel like I have seen a hundred photos of it. This type of cape top puts some people off. They were never common on automobiles in this country. Often seen as impractical, most hobbyists will avoid such cars, and they become relegated to larger private collections or museums. Most people wanting a Pierce 66 want to have the biggest and most powerful 1910s era car at any tour or show that they attend. And that 66 will be it! Nobody wants to erase what makes this car so special (as it should be!), but as it is limits the conditions under which one should want to have the car out and exposed to weather or other hazards. In a case like this, I don't think the condition of the car lowers its value in any significant amount? The current asking is probably reasonable? However its condition does limit the buyer's pool considerably. Clearly, it needs to be part of a sizable collection that will take good care of the car basically as it is. But the reality is that most large collections already have several "special" cars that are rarely if ever driven due to some unique rarity. Even in collections numbering near the hundreds of cars? How many cars should one want to own and display, but never drive? Many high end collectors do like to drive many of their cars.

One of my longtime best friends used to work as Ed M does now. He managed restorations and consulted on purchases for a few private collectors (mostly for one major private collection however a few others from time to time). He worked on hundreds of collector cars, mostly brass and nickel era, and as part of his work, drove many of the cars. He has driven dozens of high end powerful automobiles of the 1910s! Many of them for hundreds of miles. After driving Locomobiles, nearly a dozen Pierce Arrows, a Simplex, big Packards, and at least a half dozen different Stutz automobiles, he was asked to consult on a possible purchase of a Pierce 66. Even after having driven a couple Stutz Bearcats in excess of 70 mph, he told me that that Pierce 66 was the first and only big 1910s car that he found to be "scary fast" and "scary powerful"!

I had wondered when I first saw the photo whether it was ever a real car or not. The backgrounds in the "picture" are very similar to a bunch of computer generated images that ran around the internet about two years ago. Art for the sake of art is fine, up to a point. And I can't get enough of what I would consider "great art". But way too much of what passes for "art" these days is closer to the kid's crayon drawings we posted on the refrigerator than it is to fine art. I just don't "get" the whole "virtual" thing. Designing something from your heart and drawing by hand a rendition of it is one thing. But manipulating an endless stream of ones and zeros to create something that never has or never will exist? The cross between an early 1950s Corvette and a late 1950s Cadillac is an interesting concept. But after looking at dozens of computer generated fantasy photographs it just becomes another bubble gum wrapper.

One of my longtime best friends (passed away way too young), who like me had never smoked in his life, was very proud of the excellent condition original 1920s accessory cigar lighter he got for his accessories collection. The return spring-wound cord wheel was nearly five inches in diameter, to be hidden behind the dash. It allowed the wire and lighter to be pulled out about four feet.

Oddities like the round door Rolls Royce and most of the major automaker factory show cars, Stouts and Dymaxions and literally hundreds of others? Are pretty much a "love them or hate them" thing. Far and away MOST of them are newer than the cars I really like. Therefore I neither love them or hate them. I appreciate them for what they were and are. They fascinate me, for their out-off-the-box thinking, and their vision of what could be at a time long before experience knew better. One of the few times I went through the old Harrah's collection in Reno, Nevada, their shop happened to be doing some serious work on one of the cars they had (I think it was the Dymaxion? Might have been a Stout?). The car was near the ropes, all opened up with parts sitting out where they could be seen. I spent half an hour standing and walking up and back along the rope, just looking at the thing! If you offered me a chance to buy one, would I want it? No. But I can sure admire it for what it was and is.

I would hope so! The '54 Starlight coupe was built fully two decades after the original refitting of the round door Rolls Royce. (Done in the early 1930s.)

Google "truss head rivets". Although, for a few of my early model T fenders, I did use carriage bolts after die grinding off the square corners and cutting off the threaded area. I dimpled a scrap piece of oak wood to cradle the head. Then with the fender and bracket (first coat) painted and bolted together, one bolt at a time I replaced with a modified carriage bolt (having guessed at how much of the shank would be needed), carefully heated the shank only to red hot and hammered it to a nice round mound of appropriate size. Being careful, only minor damage was done to the paint. That first coat provides protection between the fender and bracket. Minor touch up and final painting made the fenders look just right! I was too cheap to buy the truss head rivets.

I am pleased to hear the original still survives and was eventually restored somewhat properly. While it is not a car that I would be particularly attracted to, it and literally hundreds of other unusual cars are important historic points in the landscape of automotive history. They deserve to be studied for their backgrounds and contributions to automotive development. Whenever available, they should be preserved if decent enough, restored if it is reasonable to do so, then presented and shown such that their contributions may be remembered.

Sounds wonderful!

1917 or 1918 pre-starter model T Ford center-door sedan. It appears to have an after-market crank handle holder down by the radiator. The front wheels look a little odd. I think they are after-market Firestone type (made by several companies including Perlman) demountable rim wheels. Zooming in, I am fairly sure I can see two lug clamps for the rims. Ford did not offer demountable wheels until about 1919, at which point they became standard equipment on the sedan and coupe models. Demountable wheels became an option for runabouts and touring cars a few months later in mid 1919 model year. It appears to be inside an automobile supplies store. Makes me wonder what other accessories the car may have off camera?

Clayton Paddison's car for what it is, is great! Although my personal preference is 1910s and early 1920s style speedsters and racing cars. Yeah, this thing was a bottom of the rung farm kid's racer, likely of the 1930s. If there is some documentation of it from back then, that would be a plus. It has some potential if you are into 1930s style "cut-downs" or "go-jobs". But I don't see a lot of value for what is there.

It really is all about how much you do to make the sale happen, and get the price you get. Did you detail the car? Did you take it to a detailer and handle the process? (If yes, add 10 to 25 percent to what they charged depending upon how much effort was required on your part?) Which in turn leads to did you take the car various places or have other work done to the car? Did you store the car? Were you the responsible party while you had the car (insurance etc?)? Did you photograph the car? Where did you take it to be photographed? How much is your experience and knowledge REALLY worth? Are people you know and can contact really adding likely sales? Do you choose or pay for the advertising? Again, who is liable for costs or statements made? So many questions to be answered. Less than 5 percent might be plenty if all you have to do is make a few phone calls. Even for a low dollar car. A medium price car that needs a lot of help to sell, even 25 percent might not be enough!

The 1924 model T Ford coupe I used to have had a Fischer built body on it. GM owned 60 percent of Fischer at that time. Profit was profit.

I think it may have? I tend to be a stickler for "pre war" photos in the "prewar" photos section? However, alternately, I always want to encourage people to post and share photos and information, so I almost never complain about technically post war photos being posted there. And I do recall somewhat recently (maybe a couple years???) seeing one of the round door Rolls Royce photos and thinking to myself "Nice photo but in the wrong area". Still not complaining about its being there, just explaining my thought process of how I remember seeing it last.

I have seen old photos of the "round door Rolls Royce" sitting in a wrecking yard many years ago. However, I gather from comments here that this is not it? One forum discussion a few years back suggested that it had been rescued from the wrecking yard and might have been eventually restored? Anybody know for sure?

I never did get to see it, and have many times wondered about it. But about forty years ago, a long time friend (still a good friend) had a real, early '50s GM one-off show car. I could have gone and seen it any time I wanted to, but that sort of car was never my "thang". Sadly, it was one of five collector cars destroyed when the neighbor business burned down the building they were stored in. The other cars destroyed were all much earlier including a couple very nice brass era cars and a late Mercer touring car. Mutual friends that had seen it later told me the GM show car was a nice and impressive automobile. However, I do agree, that most of the era GM show cars that I have seen photos of were not something I would really like. Great for shouting out to the world "I am here" for GM advertising. But not something I would really want to drive around.