Fox H.

I seem to remember the Series 40's and Series 50's have a ratio 4.10 or higher (4.56?) due to the smaller engine. Maybe someone else can confirm this.

I must admit, I was very excited when I saw the notification that this thread was getting some attention! Definitely one of my favourite cars on this forum and makes me want to buy a 320 ci '41 Buick sometime soon. Can't wait to see what all you'll be doing to it. I'll be following with poorly veiled enthusiasm.

It looks fantastic in the new colour scheme! I am curious if your body man addressed some of the issues regarding water drainage around the rumble seat and if so, what did he do?

I am also very interested to hear a detailed response in the differences between the marques. It is very hard to find written opinions from individuals who have driven each, and even harder to be one of those individuals.

Found it! Thanks https://www.allpar.com/threads/the-1951-desoto-suburban-long-term-owners-report-of-a-truly-noble-motor-car.236556/

I have met the Edmonton gentleman a couple times. Amazing Dodge. I would love to do the same hopefully soon. It is neither of these stories, it was written a long time ago.

It was a normal passenger wagon. I believe steel bodied, no visible wood. I believe there was a picture imbedded which showed it being quite large.

I remember reading a couple years ago a story written in period about a man who bought a Mopar wagon of some kind and documented his ownership. I don't remember what brand, but it was a flathead 6 I believe, and was an early 1950's model. He made several modifications to the car over the years, but put an extensive amount of miles towing and road tripping with the family. The story was rather long, several pages worth, with him speaking highly of the vehicle throughout. He was very deliberate to document oil consumption, mileage, mechanical repairs, etc. If anyone knows where I can find this story, or even the title of the written piece, I would very much appreciate being pointed in that direction, as I would like to read it again for reference. Apologies for the vagueness, I don't remember many details, but it was quite a distinctive story.

Anytime someone says "gangster car," quotes the Godfather cannoli scene, or anything remotely about a Thompson. Yes, I agree that some cars can look sinister, but let's just leave it at that.

I would love to see a well-documented trans-America/Canada run! Videos, photos, and all the details. I have long been wanting to do something similar and could use the information for both inspiration and planning. Absolutely wonderful car!

That does look like it would make an excellent driver. I have always liked the '31's, and the double trunks on this one would make it a good tour car.

Perfect, thanks everyone! I assumed it was a repro, but I wanted to make sure in case anyone needed one. I figured it was strange there weren't any markings, and it didn't look quite right to my eyes. I'll let them know when I step back in there.

Hi everyone! While passing through a local antique store, I came upon what appears very similar to a Hispano-Suiza hood ornament. No markings visible. It is simply tagged as "Antique Hood Ornament, $300" (Canadian) and I did not purchase it. I find it hard to believe an original Hispano stork is here, but I figured I would check anyways. If it is a reproduction, it seems to be a fairly a good one. My apologies for the bad pictures - chrome is awfully hard to photograph with a smartphone.

This car has one of the best classic rally/touring car looks I have seen for a while. The knobby sidewalls, roofrack, and stone guards make me want to long distance tour this over any dirt road I can find. It would be exceptional for a classic France to Africa tour (or any other for that matter)!

I would love to get a detailed breakdown about the eights and twelves throughout the years starting from 1929. You Pierce lovers have slowly convinced me this may be the way to go when I purchase a classic. Where can I find detailed year over year improvements and comments on drivability? I know it will take some time to write out and comment on in detail, but I know there are some of us who would love it!

I think this is a really great piece of advice. Makes it more likely for individuals to make the right decisions when repairing and restoring, and allows the choices to be as proper as possible. Not to mention it brings out higher quality work, and more likely for an individual to follow through with a project! Now just to decide what make and series! Do I want to do Packard, or Buick, or Pierce, or Cadillac, or Chrysler, or....

I absolutely love those 1940 Cadillacs! 1939 and 1940 were very good looking cars, especially the coupes in my opinion. That colour is just gorgeous on that car.

Here are a few shots of a Silver Ghost and a P1 Springfield on the P2P. Would love to do this one day, not necessarily in a Rolls, in any pre-1941 car.

I find this point really interesting! Out of the cars you have listed in your response, I would have assumed you to pick the Chrysler 75, then probably the Marmon or Hudson in terms of overall drive-ability. Would you be able to comment on the others in relation to your Dodge?

I thought it would be fun to start a thread showcasing period road trip pictures, or modern pictures of road trips in period style. Let's keep it to pre-1942. We don't often see these cars dirty and being driven hard, so let's see what you have in your archives! Include details if you can, and share your journeys! Cadillac Carl's 1927 Cadillac, prepped for his trip: 1929 Buick running Peking to Paris 1928 Graham-Paige Model 610 on the Zapp family's round-the-world trip

No kidding! It would save a lot of people frustration and disappointment when their car doesn't work right after they haven't serviced it for 10 years. I find it somewhat amusing that just because it is a pre-war car, many people say "how hard could it be?" with the assumption it is easily understood technology. It would keep many people from purchasing, but the ones who do would be likely fully dedicated going in.

I like these points. Part of the reasoning behind this thread was the desire to have the research done all in one place. I wanted to discuss chassis advantages/disadvantages of particular cars. I also notice you don't refer to a general Marque, because like Cadillac, some are definitely better than others even within the same brand. I wanted to find out the details here, and hopefully be able to narrow it down to a selection of cars that have "the right stuff." I do intend to purchase the best thing I can afford. I do not see the sense in redoing very expensive body work or paint work if I can find one done very well from the start. Walt: Thanks for your input. Even in this thread, and around the forum I have come to highly value the people and information about. The precise reason for this thread in particular, was to lure out the most experienced members of this forum and discover their views from behind the wheels and under the hoods of these great classics. I consider this my homework, and hopefully I will get a chance to test drive a few cars in the future. Bill: I have basically eliminated anything past V12 from my mind. The extra complexity really doesn't lend itself any additional value in my mind. I haven't excluded V12 cars yet, since there are simply so many out there, and can be had in a wide variety of bodies, marques, and prices. I will admit however, the straight eight cars and the Lincoln V8 are the most appealing overall. Condition is very much so a key consideration to my eventual selection. To everyone: Thank you again for the wonderful feedback and comments. The contributions here and in the PM's I have received are wonderful to read and definitely show the vast knowledge and kindness among this group.

Would the chassis be capable of 55 mph touring after being sorted? I have heard they are great drivers, so I would be interested in details regarding their drive-ability and chassis. I would consider overdrive to any car a very possible modification. I too have noticed they are somewhat boring compared to the more extravagant cars of the era, but they have a sincere handsomeness to them that I really like, and seem to be drawn back time and time again, even after I get distracted by the prettier cars. Regarding Packard 900's, I remember Matt Harwood had a sinister looking black 900 sedan for sale a while back. Really liked that car. I have also looked into the Buicks, and the 1932/3 90 series cars are quite attractive to my eye. jrbartlett: I absolutely agree.

This is precisely my attitude towards this. The few full classics near me have things that even I know are not correct. A local Packard 903 that "just finished a complete restoration" had some minor mistakes made, but also some more major oversights that were unfortunate to see on a nice convertible. This kind of work frustrates me, so any car I intend to purchase I will always result to experts (thank god for this forum). FLYER15015: Tying into edinmass' point, I have great doubt whether a "completed" vehicle is actually sorted. Even those two Lincolns I imagine will need work, and I would rather start with as good of a base as possible, with the majority of the costly work done, so I can just focus on the minor details/corrections. Buffalowed Bill: In response to your question, I want a car that I love looking at as much as I love driving. The idea of this thread was to find a good combination of luxury, styling, and solid engineering. Often cars that are physically gorgeous are poor to drive, like many of the aerodynamic coupes of the time, which were cramped or even claustrophobic. I like the Lincolns, I just haven't heard much about them. They just happened to be a couple that I picked out from a list of vehicles I find appealing.

Thanks for the input Bill. I specifically do not want easy answers. I want to hear as many opinions as possible on the widest variety of vehicles. With the most information possible, I can at least narrow my search, then ask the specific questions as time goes on. I am still in the phase where basic mechanical quirks about certain cars need to be learned before I can really proceed. I like complicated answers, as this is a complicated issue. This is really the biggest thing for me Mike. I can only do so much looking on Hemmings or various auction pages. I need to get behind the wheel of some of these to figure out what I like. I have fallen in love with some wonderful looking cars in classified ads or on auction pages, but never driven something of the like. I really want to get as much research done beforehand, so I can take the time and wait to purchase something I will really LOVE, instead of a bunch of mediocre vehicles along the way. Speaking of vehicles I like, I did want to include a link to these two 1931 Lincoln K's. They really caught my eye when I first saw the ads. They are by no means the only vehicles that have caught my eye over the past few years, but they have remained in my mind and seem like they would be good choices for tour cars. My only complaint might be that their interiors aren't as flashy as I might want, but that is really nitpicking. I would be curious to hear opinions about Lincoln K's, and their successors in the KA/KB lines. https://www.hemmings.com/classifieds/cars-for-sale/lincoln/k/2306346.html https://www.hemmings.com/classifieds/dealer/lincoln/k/2230567.html