Jump to content

wayne sheldon

Members
  • Posts

    4,070
  • Joined

  • Last visited

Everything posted by wayne sheldon

  1. My thought exactly! Funny how often when a car doesn't match up to what a person has been told, it becomes a "prototype" or "preproduction" car? Don't they ever think that maybe someone fifty years ago guessed wrong?
  2. A lot of people in the past half century have put water pumps on model Ts for no reason other than they didn't believe it could work well that way. Many people even when the cars were new, had the same doubt, and like snake oil would buy them because some huckster told them to. Modern cars use them mostly because the modern engines produce a lot more horsepower, and rev at much higher speeds. Manufacturers figure that force cooling via water pump and thermostat is cheaper than a radiator large enough to radiate as much heat as the modern engine produces. Thermal syphon is an amazing concept. No thermostat is required. The harder you push the car, the faster you go, the more heat the engine produces, and the faster the water flows! If everything is working properly, the engine automatically runs up close to optimum operating temperature regardless of weather or speed (except not of course below freezing when a winter-front is required). Where a water pump "sometimes" helps a little bit, is if the radiator has aged badly, and no longer conducts heat out of the water quickly enough. Even then any help from adding a water pump is minimal at best. Water pumps often push the water too fast causing the water to push out the overflow tube, in turn causing the water level to get too low and result in boiling over. Either that, or under certain conditions of speed and weather, the water pumps will restrict the flow to slower than the thermal syphon would do and again can cause overheating of the engine. Water pumps were very popular accessories late in the model T era, especially during the 1930s. Radiators were getting older, corrosion was reducing their efficiency on the outside while years of dirty water was reducing their efficiency on the inside. A lot of people fell for the salesman's talk of the magic cure of a water pump. So, original era water pumps are quite common today. They usually, even then, didn't really help much.
  3. Often, that middle area had the car's marque name in it. I don't know if this one is a marque factory offering or just after-market. Either way, a sheet metal piece could be made using simple tools to put behind the glass, or milk glass could be painted on the inside for a good effect. I have seen several like that where people made them one way or the other. Great looking lamp!
  4. Thank you Xander W. Due to the the many fond memories I have from my "too modern" Reo so many years ago, I do enjoy seeing Reos from that era. This one is the smaller version Flying Cloud, sometimes called the "Mate" as apposed to the Flying Cloud Master I had. The Mate was also a fine car, comparable to the smaller Buick of the time.
  5. Thank you sebastienbuick for so many wonderful photos of truly interesting automobiles! I of course really enjoy seeing the earlier prewar cars. The several photos of late 1920s or early 1930s delivery trucks near the beginning of this thread were particularly interesting. They got me to wondering what such commercial vehicles were usually called in France? Some of the global English speaking world call a "truck" (the American word) a "lorry" in much of the rest of the English speaking world. Most Americans are not familiar with the term "lorry", however after so many postings on forums from English speaking countries around the world the term has become almost natural to me. So now I find myself wondering what such vehicles would be called in France? Also, about what year would the "202" and "302" Peugeot automobiles have been? I really like the look of those. And the similarity in look of the green Simca is interesting to me. Any relation? The 1929 Buick is an unusual model, not often seen even here in America. When that particular style first hit the market early for 1929 (well before the stock market crash), it wasn't accepted by most of the automobile buying public. The slight bulge below the beltline just didn't look right to many people, and several disparaging remarks became common for them. By mid 1929, Buick went back to the more straight earlier style which remained through 1932 when they and most of the American automobile companies began more streamlined styling overall (a bit behind some of European styling). Again, from me along with many others here, Thank You so much for sharing the collector automobile hobby with us a half a world away! It is so wonderful for us to see it. (As well as the beautiful architecture!)
  6. I am about ninety-eight percent certain I know that car! It has been almost forty-five years since I have seen it, but it belonged to a very good friend of mine. A 1925 Stearns Knight oval window brougham is what they called it. I would love to see more photos of the car, to be sure it is the same one. The one I knew had an incredibly beautiful interior, I believe it was original. Overall, the car had had a good quality cosmetic restoration outside, but like most, had several minor, or not so minor, issues. The visor needed repair when he bought it, and the front bumper was too small. I had a Studebaker with a slightly wider but otherwise identical BiFlex bumper on it, so we traded bumpers which was an improvement for both cars. He had the bumper he got from me re-plated in nickel. However, the plating shop LOST the clamp medallions for it! I had an almost identical BiFlex bumper that was badly bent (apparent collision damage), but the clamp/medallions were in good condition. So I gave him those clamp, medallions to replace the ones the plater had lost. I still have the rest of the bent bumper in my junk pile! I figure if I want to use it on a lesser car, I could easily make good clamps and straighten the bumper. But I have never had an appropriate car that I wanted a bumper for, so there it sits buried in my junk pile. The engine had some issues common to Knight engines, and my friend had it rebuilt by another mutual friend that had previously rebuilt a couple other Knight engines. Once he was done with the engine, there were no more problems from the engine as long as my friend had it, and he drove it quite a bit after that. I rode in it a number of times. Great riding car, but low geared then. If it had an overdrive or higher gear ratio installed? It would be a great car for nickel era. It is one of about a dozen cars I have known in the past that I occasionally search for on the web, hoping to see a photo of it. I have seen photos of a few other Stearns Knight oval window broughams, but all different years or colors, and usually slightly different body details. I hope it is the same one. It is always nice to see memorable cars decades later, still in nice shape.
  7. I just have to say, I really like what m-mman said! He really explained well the era perception of leather versus "imitation" leather versus cloth for automobile interiors. Traveling businessmen and salesmen spent a lot of time in their business cars going from place to place to show their offerings. Many thousands of miles were put on those cars with boxes, usually made of wood with sharp corners, sitting on the seats. People in those days had not yet become so used to comfort that they had to have a plush soft cloth seat for themselves (although the plush comfortable automobiles of that era went a long way to further that desire for constant comfort). The more durable interiors saved money and improved profitability for businessmen on the move. I think the most comfortable seats I have ever sat upon were the properly redone or original automobile interiors of enclosed cars from the 1920s! One of the other "not mine" cars shared has been both criticized and defended for having modern seats replacing the original front seats. Comments defending the replacement made remarks to the effect of greater comfort for the people in the car. My immediate reaction to myself was "have you ever sat on the correct seats of that era?" I should add, that in the case of that particular car, the front passenger seat was a folding jump seat, and therefore the comfort comment may be appropriate for that one seat. However, I have personally sat in the driver's seat of a couple nearly identical cars! NO modern era automobile I have ever sat in comes close to the comfort of that seat! The rear seat is even nicer.
  8. My model T makes that easy! They have a lever conveniently located just below the steering wheel.
  9. I believe all Buick enclosed body styles used mohair for the interiors. 1928, most sedans had a printed pattern on the mohair which I haven't seen in a restoration ever. However, there are quite a few Buicks that year with very nice original interiors. My dad had a 1928 Buick Master seven passenger sedan in poor condition a long time ago. He never did anything with it, and the interior was not in good condition, but the pattern was still very obvious. He also had a 1928 standard sedan in even worse condition (they came as a set) which also had a similar pattern. Since then I have seen several 1928 Buicks with very nice original interiors. All with that pattern in the mohair. I do not know how many other years had the patterned upholstery, earlier or later I just don't know. I have seen a few franklin automobiles with leather interiors, and Dodge offered "business" coupes and sedans with imitation leather (imitation nauga?) through most of the 1920s. I have seen more than a dozen Dodges with more or less intact original imitation leather interiors. A surprising number of high end Classics in the 1920s and early 1930s did offer the option, however it appears to have been done rarely. Not a whole lot of other manufacturers seemed to offer that option on enclosed cars. And if they did, it was mostly just the business coupes. Trucks of course are another matter. Most of them were imitation leather for whatever little upholstery they had.
  10. I believe you are half right! They are folded forward cradled next to the folded top as you want them. If mounted upside down, they fold out to the rear away from the top so that you can hit your face on the hinge when climbing into the rumble seat! Even fold landau irons (or even dummy irons for non-folding tops) have a right, and a left, an up, and a down. There are four possible ways to mount them (not counting the more obvious inside out which if you added that make eight possible ways to mount them?), and only one way is the right way! If I am not being dyslexic, I believe they are on the wrong sides. You are right in that the arc is the wrong way. Good eye!
  11. The factory offered MIL roadsters had the same problem, maybe not quite as badly, some years the rear body went farther past the frame than other years. I didn't realize New Zealand didn't have snakes? Nearby Australia I hear has plenty to spare? Other than Antarctica, I thought Ireland was the only place with no snakes.
  12. I am curious about why compare the Nash to a Packard? While the top of the line Nash might be considered comparable to the bottom of the line Packard six, the eight cylinder Packard is generally perceived as more of a luxury car. Drivability of the top of the line Nash might be very similar to the Packard Eight, however reasons for ownership are more about perceptions and the name. Comparing Nash and Buick is more apples to apples, as both are high side of the middle range automobile markets. Even the standard eight in a Packard is a step up.
  13. It was called the "New Day" model Jewett in 1926 and became the "New Day" Paige for 1927. It was also either a 6-40 or 6-45 as the 1927 Paige. I have the 1927 Paige 6-45 sedan in my garage. As Paige Detroit wound down their final year, they rebadged the New Day Jewett as the small model Paige. The crossover cars had the Paige name on the radiator, but Jewett badging on all other nameplates, engine and body. The crossovers also had an unusual hubcap with a fancy "P" more like something Peerless might have used. Years ago, there was another Paige 6-45 sedan in my family that had the earlier crossover badging and hubcaps, along with those steel disc wheels. Unfortunately, I was unable to get it when the other family member decided to sell it. It was in slightly better original condition than mine, and I would have liked to have had it. Mine is a little later in the crossover, and has Paige engine and body badging, although the engine number plate had been changed apparently at the factory from the original Jewett one which was made of brass, to the Paige version which was made of aluminum. A piece of the brass engine plate was still attached to the engine. Mine also has the genuine Paige script "P" hubcaps. In the OP photo, I can tell the hubcap is not the Paige script "P" by its general size and shape. However, in the blur, I cannot tell for certain if it is the earlier Jewett script "J" or the interim fancy "P"? I almost want to say I think it is the interim "P"? But I just cannot be sure. One detail in the OP photo that pretty much clinches Paige or Jewett is that the body (in spite of black and white photography) is clearly a three color body. Paige and Jewett were ahead of the curve on fancier colors for their cars in 1926 and 1927. Nearly all their cars those two years were three color bodies, with black upper body on enclosed styles above the upper beltline, and two contrasting colors separated by the lower beltline. They also had pinstriping in an additional color, and some bodies got another additional color around the window reveals. All cars had black fenders and side aprons. Nice little car!
  14. Be careful Jack B! Model Ts are quite addictive. Once you get past the proletariat ubiquitousness and try one? They really are the most fun per mile and for the dollar than any other antique automobile. I have had a Pierce Arrow, a couple nice pre1930 Studebakers, another rarely seen horseless era touring car, driven friend's Lincolns and numerous other fine cars. But even when I had some of the best cars I ever owned or drove, if I didn't also have a model T, I felt I was missing something valuable. I decided over thirty years ago, I had to have another one, and that I never wanted to not have at least one ever again.
  15. We want to welcome you to one of the best forums on the web for one of the best and most rewarding hobbies ever! Antique automobiles have an almost magical way of connecting their caretakers with history in general, and then making one's own personal history and family more real and interesting. Making those things more real and personal gives people greater understandings of the past and how people lived, then other cultures as well. There are a lot of misconceptions out on social media. The "touring sedan" thing is one of them. While there were a lot of cars that were called "touring sedan", the combined term did not become common in any way before the mid to late 1930s, and then only on specific automobiles. To get proper answers to your questions, we need to know what you actually have?
  16. Too modern for me to be really interested, but I just had to look at the actual ad. Sad. Looks like it might have been a nice car before they parked it in a field for a couple decades?
  17. Antique automobile emblems like these are often highly collectible. Often to the detriment of owners of cars that need them. That said, values individually vary from only a couple dollars for some, others might be in the hundreds for a single emblem. It takes a serious collector that knows that market to give decent advice on values. Beyond that, condition has a major effect on the value. Nice undamaged pieces are worth much more than ones in poor to fair condition. The "Star" automobile one (the white and gold star inside the blue and white circle) is a good example of one that would be worth much more if the porcelain in it was not broken. Those are not rare, but really nice ones are tough to find. Your "International" (1920, maybe early 1930s truck) might be in the same boat. The "Flying Cloud" one is interesting to me. It was a series of Reo automobiles from about 1927 to about 1934. My first real antique automobile over fifty years ago was a 1929 Reo Flying Cloud master series. That emblem I have never seen before. If it is from a Reo automobile, it would likely be from the early 1930s, or it could be something different? The "Paige" one is also of interest to me. Its condition looks to be fair to probably good if it was cleaned up a bit. Paige ceased production in 1927 when the Graham brothers took over the company. I am not sure what all years that one may be appropriate for, however it would be the final few years. It looks like the one on my 1927 Paige 6-45 sedan (mine appears to be in better condition). I believe yours might be good for back to about 1925? Frankly, I don't know how much that one would be worth? The last one I saw for sale I was told went for about a hundred dollars. Whether that was a fluke or high or low, I won't claim to know. But I cannot at this time buy anything like that unless I really need it. The LaS is for a LaSalle, a companion car to Cadillac, probably late 1930s. No idea of value. The Fisher Body tags are likely not worth much. Most of the rest of them I have little to no idea what they may be worth.
  18. The gear on your magneto is way too large, too many teeth, to use on a model T regardless of mountings. The magneto could probably be used on a model T with a proper gear and mountings. That mounting could possibly with considerable alterations be made to work for a model T. However, it clearly was not intended for a T. I agree with others that it most likely was for some tractor or industrial use engine. The mounting is similar (but not the same!) as a 1950s Le Roi industrial air compressor my dad used to have.
  19. As a matter of clarity and language, "wood wheels" are in fact wooden "spoke" Wheels. And "wire wheels" when discussing the antique era automobiles are better referred to as "wire spoke wheels". That distinction became unnecessary years later as wooden spoke wheels became so obsolete that there was little place for confusion. However with automobiles of the 1920s and earlier, it helps to be clear about it. That will help you later if you decide to pursue this course and advertise for parts you need. Clarity in the titles of online advertisements go a long way to getting the responses you seek. Be sure to tell whether you are wanting to buy (sometimes abbreviated as "WTB") or wanting to sell ("For Sale" or "FS"). I am not very familiar with the 1928 dodge automobiles, so all I can give is some generalizations. "Is it possible?" Certainly. Is it worth it? Maybe, depends on marque specifics and your reasons for wanting the change. A lot of people are afraid of wooden spoke wheels. Rather silly really. If wooden spoke wheels are in good condition, and tight as they absolutely need to be? They are not the weak archaic technology people today think they are. They were not the go-to most common wheels on many tens of millions of automobiles manufactured for thirty years because they weren't any good! They were engineered, designed and built to withstand the terrible roads of their day. They can handle speeds easily double anything your Dodge will ever attempt! They do need to be inspected occasionally for any signs of loosening, as become loose will destroy the wheel quickly at modern speeds. As long as the wood (and frankly metal pieces!) is good, they are not in any significant manner more unsafe than steel or wire spoke wheels. The modern era failure rate is probably worse for wire spoke wheels than it is for the many times more wooden spoke wheels on the road today. Accidents and collisions often can break a wooden spoke wheel. Breaking a wooden spoke wheel very rarely ever causes an accident. By the way. I am one of the few people regularly on this forum that has actually driven antique racing cars at actual racing speeds on actual half mile (half mile plus!) race tracks, on wooden spoke wheels. Those events I was fortunate to be a part of nearly fifty years ago were the most fun I ever had in my life! And I would do it again in a minute if I had an opportunity to do so! Generally speaking, changing wooden to wire spoke wheels requires changing the wheels (obviously), as well as the hubs (all four!), and probably the brake drums (some cars the brake drums might be interchangeable or easily modified?). Also, almost always, some changes may have to be made to the spare tire carrier. Often, getting a workable spare tire carrier for some cars can be the hardest part to get. Fender side-mount spares may or may not be difficult to change. Rear mounted spares will likely require a totally different spare tire mounting assembly. Whatever you decide? Good luck! And enjoy that car.
  20. The Ford "Deuce" mystique drives the cost on these coupes. I don't see it myself either. In almost any condition, there are a hundred cars I would rather have for half or less than what any Ford "Deuce" will sell for. As far as I am concerned? They can have them if they can afford them. I would rather have a Ford model T. I sometimes comment of my general dislike of "most" collector car appraisers. The collector car market is complicated, and it doesn't always make sense. These cars are a prime example of the issues faced in collector car markets. The 1932 Plymouth Xander shared will be a tough sell at under 9K. My first glace at the OP Ford and my first thought was "he'll probably get it!"
  21. That "might" (I said "might" ) be a master coil for a model T. A lot of those were made and sold by numerous companies as the earliest model Ts got to be a few years old. The earlier Ts used a variety of different coil systems made by several companies. They were not yet standardized, and servicing them was becoming difficult. Methods to properly adjust the various systems were not then available to local shops, and the master vibrator coils helped to steady the timing of the engines. A lot of the master vibrators were manufactured after 1913 when Ford standardized on the KW design coils. For both simplicity and availability reasons, a lot of those master vibrator coils actually used the new design standardized coil inside their box! IF (that BIG if again?) it does in fact have the Ford coil inside, one can buy ready rebuilt Ford coils and with only a minor alteration make that coil box work as a single cylinder early style coil. Just a thought.
  22. I am pretty sure that intake manifold is from a mid to late 1910s Maxwell! Rather distinctive looking shape. I have one of those manifolds in my junk and was told years ago it was from a Maxwell.
  23. Reo Flying Cloud also had the front end of the front springs in rubber inside a cast iron base in the late 1920s. Reo also was one of the first automobiles with internal expanding hydraulic brakes in 1929 (or so I have read, but I always had some doubt about that myself?). However, I had a 1929 Reo Flying Cloud master series about fifty years ago. And those castings don't look quite like I remember them? The castings on my car were more squared looking. Maybe it could be one of the "mate" series cars? Or a year or two later? For whatever it is worth, my Reo from 1929 had eighteen inch wooden spoke wheels and tires on it. I don't offhand recall how many lugs they had.
  24. I am not being picky, nor complaining? But I suspect a humorous typo? Oh, what a difference one simple letter can make. "Sawn", "sewn"? Big difference in the image one can perceive.
×
×
  • Create New...