wayne sheldon
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Posts posted by wayne sheldon
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If they're the ones I remember? My dad hated them! California had a flirtation with annual and/or random inspections. There were two of the dumb things, one for each headlamp, and yes they sat against the three flat tabs on the headlamp bulb. The problem with the design was, that they had an alignment sight between the right and the left which ASSUMED (you KNOW how that word is spelled!) that both headlamps were perfectly placed at the factory and that NOTHING had ever happened to the car to alter their placement.
He had a company purchased car that later became his, and although there were no known accidents or issues, every single time he would get forced into a "state inspection", they would screw up his headlamps due some extremely minor misalignment between the fenders. They of course were "experts" doing what they were trained to do! Most times, no amount of explaining the geometry would keep them from screwing up the aim. And that evening, he would have to once again park the car on a level spot facing a wall and take his headlamp beams out of the gutter where the aiming boxes always put them.
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That looks better! Thanks nz.
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I usually don't comment about people's prices much. But criminy! Only about four times what it is worth?
I know a bunch of people around Hayward area, my old stomping grounds! Thankfully, I do not recognize the car or the guy. (Hopefully I don't get any nasty calls about my comments?)
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5 hours ago, sagefinds said:
That Wayne Sheldon is a scholar isn't he? Long,thoughtful explanations of the subject at hand. We're lucky to have him making contributions to the "What Is It" section.
Wow.
Thank you.
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Photo was likely flipped at some point. Buick automobiles that era (as with most American cars that era) were mostly right side driven. There were some cars that offered left side driven, but before 1910, they were mostly the exceptions.
Most American manufacturers were switching to left side driven by 1914, however a few stuck with right side driven until after 1920.
Also, windshields were optional on most cars prior to about 1908, and many cars for even several years thereafter.
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History needs to be understood in the context of its time. It is the way it was in those days. An automobile, any automobile, a car or a truck, was such a huge improvement over the horse-drawn conveyances that came before that a minor inconvenience like sliding across the seat to get in or out simply wasn't a bother. Most people today do not understand that because they have gotten so used to instant and easy everything, that any minor inconvenience is considered a major offense.
Ford, between 1912 and 1925, built literally millions of touring cars and runabout/roadsters that didn't have a door on the driver's position in the car! The earliest model Ts beginning in 1908 had no enclosure for the front seat at all. No door on the right or the left front seat. Getting in and out with the tight fit around the steering wheel and the brake lever made it common for the driver to cross over and get in and out on the passenger's side. So when they began enclosing the front seat area, most body styles got no door on the driver's position. There were exceptions, some sedans, coupes, Canadian built model Ts (a whole another subject!).
And Ford was far from the only one to do so. Hundreds of other marques and models of the 1910s also produced countless hundreds of thousands of automobiles with no door for the driver.
Just the way it was.
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Can't make out the license plate well enough, and I don't think it is California. Although it could be.
The Ford "H" headlamp lenses it appears to have were first used in late 1921. Possible they could have been changed, but that wasn't done often with trucks in those days.
The first real year for the Ford TT truck was 1918. The front axle does not appear to be that first year style (1918 was the only year that the TT had the early style "over-the-axle" wishbone). It appears to have the solid tire rear wheels, which was the only option in 1918 and part of 1919. Although the solid tire wheels continued to be an option on these trucks for most of the years of TT production.
Ford did not provide cabs for the TT trucks from 1918 through 1923 (except on special, usually military, orders). So basically all TT trucks those years had some sort of after-market cap. They could be anything from a crude fence-board home made thing to some really impressive custom ordered specialties. This one looks to have a high end quality after-market cab. It might even be a Martin-Parry, one of the most desirable TT truck cabs for collectors today.
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Me being Captain Obvious?
Setting the assembly up in a more natural "top up position" would help to visualize the placements of the various sockets and bows to better identify what it may have originally been used on, as well as give better measurements.
I have seen people set tops up held in position by strings from the shop ceiling or a tree limb.
With the hundreds of makes and models of touring cars across about fifteen years, coupled with the few surviving tops available not attached to a car? Someone finding the correct top for their car anymore is a rare occurrence. Usually, someone has to find something close, and then using photos and sales literature as a guide, alter it to fit and look right. Someone that understands how they fit and worked can usually get something so nice that nobody would ever question it.
Of course, on the other hand? Someone could have the correct sockets and bows and a bad trimmer can make it look horrible!
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38 minutes ago, 28 Chrysler said:
A way to tell is when anything is turned on without the engine running the meter should show a discharge. If the polarity is backwards it would show a charge.
Unless some "mechanic" in the past had switched the wires around? It was a common practice back in the 1930s through the 1950s for mechanics to switch wiring for some silly convenience in their mind.
The history of automotive miswiring is full of messed up cars.
I don't have a ready reference, nor do I know offhand which way Oldsmobile was wired in 1927. However, my general understanding has always been that General Motors cars were usually negative ground. There were exceptions.
Ford's (NOT General motors!) model T was negative ground from the factory from the beginning of the starter/generator option in 1919 until the end of production in 1927. Then for the model A for 1928, Ford switched to positive ground and stayed there until the mid 1950s. Many hundreds of model T Fords over the years were switched to positive ground because local mechanics "assumed" the model T would have been wired the same as the model A. Ford was considered by many local mechanics to be the odd one out, with GM and Chrysler usually being negative ground. There was a sometimes not so friendly rivalry between "Ford" mechanics and other mechanics over grounding preferences. Local mechanics often would repolarize the generator and swap the grounding (and ammeter!) to fit their preference rather than leave them how their factory made them.
High level electrical engineers would often debate about which grounding was actually better! I would often just lean back and shake my head at the whole thing.
You should be able to find a wiring diagram for the car that should have that detail on it. But I don't have one, and Mr Google and I don't get along very well.
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For Nickel era touring, it doesn't get much better than an early 1920s Mercer Raceabout! Not only that, but they qualify for the Classic Car Club of America. So there are numerous clubs with major activities at which they will be very welcome!
I haven't communicated with him for a few years now. But there I think is a fellow in Vermont that is considered an expert in Mercer automobiles, although he mostly works on the early series Raceabouts. He likely would know about what you need to find out.
Someone here should have current contact information?
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That is a good start. A longtime good friend has one (pretty sure it is a 1921?). But I haven't been able to visit with him for several years due to my family issues. I have known a few other owners of similar models over my years, but only the one close friend with that series Mercer.
There are several of them around. It might help to know roughly where in the world you live, and your car is? Maybe someone not too far away can let you look at theirs? A lot of collectors like their anonymity. And they may want assurances that visitors will respect that.
What sort of condition is yours in? Nicely restored with just some minor thing that needs to be redone correctly? Older restoration needing a bunch of little things? Or maybe a lot of re-restoration? or maybe a total basket case parts pile?
Best exchanges of information goes two directions.
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3 hours ago, new to mercer said:
I need a picture of the different setting on tank, so I can show the proper one. Drain. Res,ECT ect
Uh, it MIGHT help to know what year, model, body style, etc. Mercer built automobiles for nearly fifteen years. They built racing cars, sport roadsters, "Raceabouts", touring cars (a longtime good friend has had one for many years now!), and I have even seen photos of a Mercer sedan.
Photos of the car in question would would also help a lot in getting the right answers you need.
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Lahti, I was miserable when you were selling that car! Wishing so much that I could have had the money to spare. But it just wasn't in the cards. That had to have been one of the best deals for a solid nickel era car in years. But the market is what it is.
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No Ford. Packard went to their distinctive radiator look very early, and none of these cars have that radiator. The hubcaps on the one car do look somewhat like what Packard used, and they also did begin using that style hubcap rather early. I looked in my Kimes and Clark book, all things considered, I don't think any of these are a Packard.
As for the off center rear differential? Many one and two cylinder chain drive automobiles had off center differentials, regardless of the type transmission. I am pretty sure that none of the cars pictured were a Metz, although some other friction drive car may be possible. Lambert built quite a variety of models and styles of friction drive automobiles.
The drawing may or not be an actual specific car. It looks pretty close to some Buick models around 1908 to 1910. However, a few other cars had very similar appearance.
The two photographs? I could name a hundred cars they are not. But I do not have any good suggestions for what they are.
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P - J, I got one from the Pierce Arrow dug out of its cool dark place just this afternoon! I am planning to send you an email with my contact information later tonight.
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That ring is much more than trim. It actually holds the tire onto the rim.
As I mentioned in my long diatribe, the air must first be let out of the tire, then the tire pushed back toward the middle of the rim (usually only needs a half an inch, but all the way around!). Then the ring can be carefully pried out and off, being careful to not force it. As I mentioned, those rings can be bent very easily, and if bent even slightly, they can become very difficult to get them seated in their groove.
Special tire irons were made to remove or replace the rings. The problem is/was that minor differences in the shape of the rings meant a dozen different special tire irons had to be manufactured to have one that fit properly. I have I think three of the many that I have used over the years.
However, most of the split rings as seen on your Cadillac wheel are usually fairly easy, and can usually be done with two large screwdrivers and a small hammer. DO NOT hit the ring hard! Using one large screwdriver at the small notch in one end of the ring, pry the end of the ring up. Then try to slip the other screwdriver under the ring and try to pry the ring out. This can sometimes be done with just one screwdriver, however it is much easier with two. Pry gently, do not force it. Work your way around the ring, prying up with one screwdriver and out with the other. Sometimes the ring will stick in its groove, usually due to rust. Lightly tapping with a small hammer can usually break the ring loose from the rust, especially if you keep light pressure on the ring with one screwdriver.
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A rarely considered truth. Virtually any wheel and tire that relies upon some significant air pressure has a potentially explosive force held inside it (provided it has said significant air pressure at the time). And almost any common wheel regardless of design or material can eventually break under pressure. In my other life driving tens of thousands of miles per year doing communications systems service, construction and repair. I had about a half dozen steel wheels break under normal use. A few resulted in blowouts caused by the rim, and not by the tire. In addition to my own wheel failures, I have seen a few others.
One of the best stories, absolutely true! I saw this happen. I had driven to a shopping mall (something I am not particularly fond of doing), and into the parking lot before entering the mall. Not in a hurry to go inside, I sat in the truck and listened to something on the radio of which I wanted to hear the end. I am sitting there, listening to the radio and in my rear view mirror I see a lady walking up behind me heading to the mall entrance. I watch as she walks past and gets to the next parking isle over. Just at that moment, (I felt so badly for the poor lady!) I heard a loud kaboom as the lady jumped up and over about a foot or so! I got out of the truck, locked my door, and started walking over. I will give the lady credit. She quickly collected herself, and headed on toward the mall entrance. I walked over to the car she had been next to and saw that the tire had blown off the rim. Just sitting there, under pressure, just as she walked past, the rim gave way.
Any tire, any rim (at normal pressure), at almost any time, could simply give way and blow out with enough force to do bodily harm. The lady was fortunate that no piece of the rim flew off injuring her in the process. Freak incidents like that are rare, and even when they do happen, usually, nobody is seriously hurt. However, it does illustrate how the "widow maker" multi-part split ring type split rims are not alone in the dangers that they do in fact pose.
Again, I like to call them "widow makers" simply because I feel it is wise to make a bit of a joke about that potential danger, just as a reminder to never get careless around them.
Rule number one. NEVER get careless working with them! If you do not understand them? Learn about them. Understand where the danger zone is (anywhere in front of the removeable ring when there is pressure on it from the inside!), and stay out of the danger zone.
Having a proper cage to put the rim and tire into in order to air it up would be a very good thing to do! However, I will admit, it isn't always practical if one does not have such a cage. I never had a cage, and they can be safely done without a cage.
If you don't have a cage, wrapping a good chain or good rope around and around the tire and the rim and the ring can help safety it and might save you. On the other hand, the potential force is still great enough that if the rope or chain isn't quite up to the task, it may just lull you into a false sense of security. It might allow you to make a fatal mistake.
Never force the removeable ring! They bend easily, and bent rings increase the danger a lot! When the rim, the ring, and the tire are all apart, clean and inspect the rim and ring carefully. Make certain the groove the ring snaps into is clean of significant rust or debris. Make sure there are no cracks anywhere on the ring or ring groove, as well as the wheel itself. Check that the ring isn't bent or twisted, and that it is properly round! Standard advice has always been that if the ring is bent or twisted in any wrong way? Junk it and get another. That would be great advice IF you could get another properly fitting ring! But you probably can't! And they can be carefully straightened provided there isn't other significant damage (like severe rust, cracks forming?)
If there are any doubts about the fit? Put the ring onto the rim to check the fit before mounting the tire.
This is VERY important! Most of these type rims are a clever interlocking of rim, ring, and tire. The tire must be moved inward before attempting to remove the ring!
Most (not all!) such rims have a very shallow drop center to make mounting a bit easier. Just be aware that it may or may not be there (having the shallow drop center does make the task easier).
After everything has been cleaned and inspected, mount the tire, making sure to push it inward enough for the ring to go in place.
Ring types vary a lot. Most rings are singles and are split, they are usually easy to work with. Sometimes one can find rings that are not split, those can be really tricky to install! Some wheels/rims use a double ring method, where one ring holds against the bead of the tire and the other ring holds the first ring in place. Those might be tricky.
Airing up the tire is the most dangerous part of the process! As mentioned, a cage is a great thing to have. Whether you have a cage or not, airing up the tire after mounting, you want to start airing it up slowly. Stay out of the danger zone! From the side, outside the circumference of the tire, check the ring to make sure it is in place where it belongs! Put in a little air, maybe five to eight psi maximum! Check the ring again (still from the side out of the danger zone).If all still looks good, add another five to eight psi (don't push your luck!, you shouldn't be over fifteen psi at this point. Again, staying out of the danger zone, check the ring. IF the tire has begun to move out toward the ring, that is a good thing. Remember, it is the tire that holds the ring down in its groove in order for the ring to hold the tire on the rim.
The ring doesn't become relatively safe until the tire has moved out enough to hold the ring in its groove!
If everything is still like it should be, add another few psi. By the time you have twenty psi in the tire? The tire should be out and seated on the ring tightly seated in its groove.
If the tire hasn't slid to where it belongs by now? You probably should let some air out of it to get to a safer level. If the tire is a tight fit, or the rim is a bit rough, you may need some soap or talcum powder to help it slip out into place. Usually, the tire will be pushed out somewhere between ten and fifteen psi. You do not want a sudden crooked snap of the tire at higher pressures popping the ring off! I had one try that one time. Only my careful slow steps airing it up allowed me to catch it before it could get away from me. The tire snapping out hit the ring on one side, managed to pop the ring on the other side out of its groove, which was then locked out of place by the other side of the tire snapping out a fraction of a second later. I had to let all the air out to reposition the tire and recheck the ring for fit before I could continue airing it up (the second time with soap!).
If soap is going to be used? Most common dish washing liquids should be okay. Murphy's oil soap is also very good (if they still sell it?)
I prefer to not use soap for a few reasons. However, sometimes it is needed. After adding some small amount of soap, hopefully the tire can be again slowly aired up and snap into place like it is supposed to. Once you have about twenty-five psi and the tire has seated out and the ring is properly seated and held in place by the tire, the assembly becomes fairly safe. However, as a general rule, it still is a good idea to stay out of the danger zone.
I made a short extension hose that I connect to the valve stem that allows me to stay outside the circumference of the tire. My extension hose is fairly short, but it is enough. One could make an extension hose five to ten feet long for safety when airing up wheels and tires. I highly recommend doing so!
I use my extension hose on newly mounted tires all the way up to full pressure. Stay out of that danger zone!
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3 hours ago, jp1gt said:
Thanks for all the info. I have heard of the wood semi circles with the bottle jack. I guess I will look on the internet and see how it is done.
Again, the bottle jack and block of wood is for the "split rims" that can also be done with the hand crank rim spreader. The wire wheel you showed a picture of cannot use either the hand crank spreader or the bottle jack with a block of wood. The hand crank spreader and the bottle jack with a block of wood only work for the type of removeable rim with the cut in one place across the rim to allow said rim to be collapsed into itself and slipped off and onto tires.
It is, and has been confusing for a hundred years about the two completely different types of rims being called the same thing. It is important to understand that they are completely different, and to try to make certain that we are talking about the same type of "split rim" when discussing them and/or how they are done.
This is very important when one considers that one type of "split rim" can literally KILL the person working on it, while the other "split rim" might slip and scare the bejeebies out of someone, but generally will not do serious injury or death.
As to your wire wheels, which are the "widow maker" type"? I have worked with similar widow maker wheels quite a bit, maintaining our service trucks that used similar wheels. I toss around the "widow maker" label a lot because it is very important to NEVER forget that that potential does exist! However, IF (big IF) proper care and safety steps are taken? They are not really all that dangerous. The real problem is that if one gets just a little careless? They can instantly turn deadly!
I have to run to the store for something. Will probably return later with some advice, and a story or two to put things into perspective.
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Very unusual to see a 1926/'27 model T coupe with the 30X3 1/2 clincher wheels!
Some people will tell you that they were not available that way originally. Do not believe them! The simple fact is that some of the sales literature of the day did in fact say that the coupes and sedans would be available with wire wheels as standard equipment, it was implied that the wooden spoke wheels would not be available on them.
However, that never happened. Although sales were down those final years for Henry's outdated model T, supply chain issues for the new design wire wheels made them short on availability. So, in spite of the sales literature, the coupes and the sedans continued to be sold with not only 21 inch balloon tires and wheels, but even some with the obsolete clincher tires and wheels.
In addition to that reason, people are funny things. Many people are slow to accept change. They had used and were familiar with the high pressure clincher type tires and wheels that they had been using for nearly fifteen years then. Many people weren't yet ready to accept the notion of low pressure balloon tires.
So many people still loved the familiar model T, that it is said thousands of people bought one last one for their future use when the old one wore out. Some records and oral histories indicate that there may be some truth to that? I know that fifty years ago when I was a young fellow getting into this hobby? I was told about several people that had done that.
People are funny.
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3 hours ago, zepher said:
I hate to argue with you, being as you posted such a fine car, but this is what I think of when I see the word "brougham".
They certainly do look a lot alike.
No argument here!
I still wonder if that is the Rickenbacker I saw up close probably a bit over fifty years ago. It was a nighttime tour, may or may not have been connected to the Santa Clara Valley Model T Ford Club. Nighttime tours were unusual, however there were a few to silent movie nights or Christmas lights tours. I remember that we were meeting up just about sunset, and me looking at that incredible four-door with the landau irons and oval windows!
If there is any "Brougham" that would beat out the 1926/'27 Buick oval window brougham"? It would be the Rickenbacker!
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A 1929 Cadillac is a big car with a fairly wide demountable rim on the wooden spoke wheels. You may need a heavier duty rim spreader than most of what is out there. Such heavy duty rim spreaders are hard to come by. The problem with using the common rim spreaders is that they were meant for narrower rims, and forcing a wider rim into a tight tire will tend to twist the rim! Trying to get the rim spread enough to snap into place across the entire divide can very likely result in a permanent distortion of the rim making it never (unless properly repaired?) latch correctly. Note again my previous comments about spending a couple hours not able to latch my Paige rim because it had years earlier been tweaked. After straightening, it only took about twenty minutes from start to finish to mount the tire.
Assuming you don't have a big and heavy enough rim spreader to properly do the wider Cadillac rims? What I did many years ago when I mounted a couple tires for my friend's Lincoln, was to use two smaller lighter rim spreaders. Work slowly and carefully, one spreader on each side (inside, outside, however you prefer to refer to them?) of the rim and tire. While expanding the rim, crank slowly, one side and then the other, to expand the rim slowly and evenly. Be careful, but not afraid. The rim spreaders can and might slip and could snap off! However, unlike the "widow maker" type rims, they pretty much can't do major damage to you or anything near you. It CAN and may pinch a finger , might draw blood, could "possibly" break a finger, but most likely only scare the bejeebies out of you.
By carefully expanding both sides more or less evenly, you should be able to spread the rim and latch it (provided it is straight enough to begin with?)
I should also mention, that these type rims can be straightened and repaired. The task is a bit tricky, but not really all that difficult. Because I had done so before, and knew the process, it only took me about an hour to carefully cut and trim a sheet steel template to gauge the curvature, and determine exactly where and what way the rim was tweaked. (The tweak was minor enough that getting it right was not probable without a template!) Then because I happen to have my grandfather's tinsmith anvils, one of which is set up and I use often, and it happens to be the perfect size to clamp the rim onto to be worked on, that anvil saved me at least an hour of setup foolishness!
Once everything was set up and ready, it only took about fifteen minutes to do the actual straightening.
One important detail? I don't see a confirmation that these are in fact wooden spoke wheels? I don't know offhand which type wire wheels Cadillac used for 1929. Another close friend had a 1927 Cadillac limousine with wire spoke wheels which I think may have been 20 inch (might have been 21 inch?), and I know those were the "widow maker" type!
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And then there is my favorite "Brougham"!
FOUR door, oval rear side windows, dummy landau bars. Original era sales brochure called it a "Brougham".
I think the real answer to the OP's initial question is that "Brougham" is a fancy word that practically nobody in a hundred years has actually understood, that people wanting to advertise something for sale as a mode of transportation will love to use regardless of whether it is appropriate or not.
So there.
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"Split rims". Can mean two very different types of wheel rims or wheels. Only one of which uses a "rim spreader". So we imagine that type is what you have. The "collapsible" "split" rims common on automobiles of the 1920s, as well as some earlier, and a few later (into the early 1930s).
The good news is that the 1920s style collapsible split rims are relatively safe to work on, once you get used to them. They are basically a one-piece rim unlike the other type of "split rims" that are well known for actually killing people. The "widow maker" "split" rims are a multi-part arrangement with a heavy rim and one or two (sometimes even more?) loose rings that in some way snap into the heavy main wheel/rim to hold the tire in place. The danger with them is that if the parts are not properly cared for and inspected, or not carefully and properly installed, when the tire is aired up under pressure the rings can snap loose and with literally hundreds (even thousands if the pressure is high enough!) pounds of force throw the lighter rings off the heavier rim and tire with enough power to remove human body parts (often the head which has been carelessly placed in exactly the wrong area!).
However, again, provided you are working on the one-piece 1920s type "split" rims? Don't worry when friends freak out and holler about being killed when working on them. They are thinking of the other type. Fair warning, the 1920s style collapsible one piece split rims CAN do a nasty pinch on your finger! And the first few times one tries to work with them is usually very frustrating. With a good rim spreader, and getting used to a few tricks how to place the spreader for best advantage, they usually are not too difficult.
There are several different types of rim spreaders for this style split rims. While the large floor mounted shop type spreaders are really nice to use, they are few and far between. Various lever types, some with mechanical ratchets, were tried and sold. The most common rim spreaders are the three arm screw jack style. They were made by many companies to a common design, and came in numerous sizes and strengths.
A 20 inch rim is relatively small, and most common smaller rim spreaders should work for it.
Ford's 21 inch split rims used from 1925 through 1927 are softer steel, and generally easy to work with. My 1927 Paige 20 inch rims are much tougher steel, and a rim I recently mounted a tire onto was slightly bent. After fighting it for a couple hours, I changed course and carefully figured the twist in the rim, and had to use a torch to straighten the rim back so the ends would line up and latch properly. After I straightened the rim, it took about twenty minutes to mount the tire.
Larger and heavier cars usually have stronger steel rims and are more difficult to work with. I mounted some tires for a friends 1925 Lincoln sedan many years ago. They were tough! You may want to mention what car this is for?
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Old Round Headlight Aiming Tool?
in What is it?
Posted
Now, THAT is funny!