Aanderson44

This one is 1:25 scale--was a fun project. Art

http://images1.fotki.com/v12/photos/4/43743/164223/27T2-vi.jpg Art

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Where's Professor Fate and Max ? The Thomas is a MUCH better-looking car than the "Leslie Special"... ( Press the button, Frank !) </div></div> Oh, I dunno!!!!! The 1907 Leslie movie car resides just 20 miles from me, in the JW Goodwin collection--other than being a typical, rather crudely built and finished movie prop, it's actually quite a looker. Art

This is perhaps my prize scale model--1:25 scale '27 T Tudor Sedan--looks almost real in this picture, doesn't it? Art

It's also well to consider that not until the late 20's did a majority of Americans live in cities where streets and roads were paved as a general rule. Concurrently, the automobile had yet to truly become an all weather means of conveyance. Many people put their casrs away for the worst of winter still, going back to horse-drawn sleighs and bobsleds in snowy weather. Also, closed bodies were much, much heavier, required a great deal more time to build, thus being more expensive--and yet lacked the basic durability of a touring car or roadster. Art

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:</div><div class="ubbcode-body">From <span style="font-style: italic">The Fall of the Packard Motor Car Company</span> by James A. Ward, published in 1995, pp. 189-190: <div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:</div><div class="ubbcode-body">After the Republicans administration took office, procurement patterns changed dramatically. From January 1953 through June 1954, GM picked up another $1,700,430,000 in business, while Studebaker lost $244.9 million and Packard lost $84.7 million.</div></div> In another passage, the book details Packard's loss of two-thirds of its 1953 contract for jet engines, while Studebaker lost all of theirs. Although a variety of books that were previously published on Packard appear in his bibliography, know that among the many other additional sources of information, Ward also researched the <span style="font-style: italic">Studebaker National Museum Archives </span> - including Nance's papers and S-P's Board of Directors Minutes. I highly recommend you purchase the book for the rest of the story; while it may not go into the <span style="font-style: italic">n</span>th detail on everything, it has proven to be a trustworthy reference. </div></div> I did a search back when this very subject came up earlier this year in another thread. While I cannot access the same database I looked at at that time, it was a complete listing of all jet engine designs (by USAF and US Navy alphanumeric designations). I found two designations assigned to Packard jet engines, BOTH of them described as "Expendable", meaning for use in guided missile (think cruise missile here) applications. Unlike Packard's experiences with the R/R Merlin in WW-II, these jet engines appear to not have been all theat much a "sure bet", but rather a speculative venture--depending in large part on the success of the airframe manufacturer to succeed in bringing to the bable a viable unmanned missile powered by a Packard engine--and that certainly did not happen? BTW, at the same time GM's Allison Division was in very similar straitsm the 1at-generation Jet fighters built around Allison jet engines reaching the end of their production lives, and INTENSE competition for the next generation jets, the early "Turbofans" coming from not only United Aircraft's Pratt & Whitney, but also General Electric and Westinghouse. GM-Allison fell back on their one real "ace", geared gas turbine engines--of which they went on to produce hundreds of thousands, for helicopters and the ubiquitous Lockheed C-130, as well as just about every other fixed-wing turbo-prop airplane built in the US in the US into the middle 1960's. GM seems also to have built a huge number of diesel engines as prime movers for tracked armored vehicles and for military trucks, INCLUDING the famed "Eager Beaver" Deuce-and-a-Half--STUDEBAKER'S "Chippewa" Truck--which Studebaker produced until their financial situation appeared so shakey that Kaiser was sent in to take over the completion of existing contracts in the very early 60's--Kaiser producing the very same truck until the formation of AM-General--who continued the same old, same old, Stude design into the late 1980's. As for any aircraft engine production, I find no Studebaker aircraft engine production after 1945, when Studebaker completed their wartime work on the massive numbers of Wright Cyclone radial engines for the likes of the B-17 Flying Fortress and C-47 cargo aircraft. I think what gets done here is to confuse the rather sudden changes in US Military production requirements upon the end of the shooting in Korea in 1953, and the subsequent slowing of early Cold War hysteria--and then ascribing the cancelling of contracts with certain suppliers to some sort of dark conspiracy--I really doubt that seriously objective historical analysis can support such conspiracy theories. Art

<<Of course the other nail in the coffin was the pro GM guvmint administration(Eisenhower) who somehow saw it as fit and proper to take all of the goverment contracts away from Packard and give them to GM>> I'm still waiting to know just what "government contracts" were taken away from Packard, and given to GM in those years 1953-55--can someone please enlighten me? Art

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Nance was just one more step in Packards chain of incest. To top that of, he was just a refrigerator salesman. An auto company is not a bank, retail store, real estate office nor like any other business endeavour. It takes a REAL MAN to run an auto company, someone like Durant, Sloan, Estes, old man Ford, among others. </div></div> I'd hardly call William Crapo Durant a competent manager of an auto comppany--after all, he founded GM, virtually ran it into the ground by 1910--was ousted, came back in through Chevrolet, ran GM into the ground again (!), then created Durant Motors--and promptly ran that company into liquidation. Art

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:</div><div class="ubbcode-body">This prolly sounds like a dumb question though. A guy told me this story of this guy who had a 1957 chevrolet with a 283 drag car. this guy raced another guy with a 426 hemi and the guy with the 283 smoked the guy witth the 426. In any way could this be possible. I wasnt born yet during the muscle car era. so i dont really know what these cars were caple of. (Im only 16) </div></div> Joe, Not at all impossible, nor even improbable. Of course, keep in mind that with motorsports, a winning effort comes from the successful ocmbination of car, engine and driver. 1962, for example, was a year of the seemingly impossible in drag racing. At the NHRA Nationals at Indianapolis Raceway Park (Now called the US nationals), "Sneaky" Pete Robinson stunned the rail dragster contingnet by taking top eliminator with a suercharged 283 Chevy "Rail" dragster, beating out a number of Hemi-powered dragsters in the event. HOwever, those were not the legendary 416 Hemi (which was still 2 years away), but the venerable 1957-58 392cid Hemi--a much heavier chunk of cast iron--arguably the heaviest engine then in use in drag racing. The other major upset came in SuperStock--where factory-backed 413 Wedge powered Dodges and Plymouths mopped up the competition, with AUTOMATIC transmissions, in the day when S/S was the territory of the fastest speed-shifting drivers in town! Of course, the trannies used were the legendary Chrysler Torqueflytes, complete with push-button controls.l Even with such early wins as by Pete Robinson in NHRA, the small-block Chevy wasn't all that highly regarded as the basis for a race engine just yet--sure, they became standard powerplants for USAC, IMCA and other sprint car circuits by 1964 or so, and did toerably well in drag racing, but that was about it. A lot of this can trace back to GM's corporate unwillingness to support racing efforts using GM products, even in the face of all-out efforts by Frod across the entire scope of motorsports, and Chrysler in both NHRA and Nascar in the 1960's. The other area of success for the SM Chevy V8 came in road racing with Chapparal Cars in the mid-late 60's, but in Can-Am, it was the big block that ruled the day. In drag racing though, it's as much a matter of power-weight ratio, and the ability to "hook up" coming out of the hole--and the driver who can do that stands a pretty good chance of a solid run. Art

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:</div><div class="ubbcode-body">I have updated the website with some current photos. http://www.townisp.com/~alsancle Also, see attached front view. I would love suggestions on how to research the speed/racing scene in and around Boston in the late 20s & early 30s. A.J. </div></div> Do a Google for "Atlas F1", then go to that website. There is a set of forums there, including Nostalgia, which is well used. Post some pics of your Stutz racer, and what you know of it, and ask if anyone else may know more, or have links for you to try. One thought though: Even though the racer has some "Boston" heritage, what makes you believe that it might have raced only in or around Boston? There was a lot of racing activity in New York, Connecticutt, New Hampshire in those days, and it is quite possible the car may have run in races in those states as well? Also, some contact with the Harry A. Miller Club (dedicated to Miller race cars, their descendants, as well as their competitors--in short, a group with a lot of collective knowledge about American racing in the 20's and 30's). These are but a start, there surely are more potential sources out there. Art

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:</div><div class="ubbcode-body">According to Garrison Keiler's Writer's Almanac? "On this day in 1913, the first gas station in the United States opened at the corner of Baum Boulevard and St. Clair Street in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It sold just thirty gallons of gas the first day it was open, at twenty-seven cents a gallon. It was a brick building with a little pagoda on top, and it offered free air for tires, restrooms, and twenty-four hour service." $.27/gal is translates to $4.99/gallon today using a Consumer Price Index comparison. So much for the good old days of cheap gas! And how did early car owners get gasoline before the establishment of gas stations in 1913? </div></div> Early on, gasoline was dispensed in cans from general stores, and even pharmacies (no wonder the British call the local drugstore the "Chemists"!) With the coming of the first gas pumps, curbside vending of gasoline was common. but soon was out of favor pretty much everywhere, due to fire safety concerns and the traffic disruptions resulting from drivers standing in line to buy gas. If you think that the "convenience store" format seen everywhere today is something somehow new or modern--many, many small town (and even in small commercial areas of larger towns and cities) general stores put in gas pumps right out front, where only a few years before, the hitching poles waited for customers' horses to be tied up. In the mid-late teens, there was a flurry of "mobile" gasoline vending--straight from a tank wagon or truck. Art

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Did Ransom Olds ever build a working gasifier that I believe he held a patent on? </div></div> I didn't find anything much on automobile gasifiers with Google, but here is an intriguing article on the engineering of one that apparently was quite successful in Sweden during WW-II http://www.hotel.ymex.net/~s-20222/gengas/kg_eng.html I do believe, however, that charcoal gasifiers, while of course workable, were neither particularly efficient, nor were they all that practical, given their reliance on charcoal powder. In addition, it appears they carry the very real possibility of carbon monoxide poisoning, as they used the process to create as much CO as possible Above all, they were ungainly, and certainly most unattractive. From all my readings of WW-II, particularly on the home fronts in Europe (Germany in partictular, and in Sweden, it seems that those using them were all too happy to shed them as soon as peacetime made gasoline at least somewhat available on the civilian market. Of course, just as I believe that biomass fuel made from agricultural crops bear some real caution, certainly massive use of charcoal or other wood products does--given the rate at which even a few million cars would use this fuel source, it would certainly outstrip the regrowth of available wood supplies pretty quickly. Art

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:</div><div class="ubbcode-body">In the movie "Patton" his staff car in the North Africa sequences was a 1948 Packard. (Patton had a lot of pull to get a 48 Packard in 1943) <img src="http://www.aaca.org/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smirk.gif" alt="" /> YFAM, Randy Berger </div></div> Actually not. By the time we were in WW-II, there existed, in the Army, a "pecking order" by which officers could be issued staff cars. As I understand it, 2nd Lt's up through Major had to requisition a staff car from a motor pool, much as one would rent a car today--take it out, return it when done (they could be assigned a Jeep on an ongoing basis, however). Lt. Colonel & Colonel could be assigned a regular staff car from the motor pool for their personal use, drawing from low-medium priced sedans. Brig. General could requisition a sedan from the motor pool for personal use, on the same basis as Colonel and Lt Colonel. Major General, Lt. General, and General (4-star) could requisition a luxury car. Generals of the Army (as well as Admiral of the Fleet in the Navy (5-stars) had the option of top-of-the-line limousines, witness MacArthur's air-conditioned Packard, and Eisenhower's '42 Cadillac Series 75. Staff car use was, and still is, one of the perks of being a commissioned officer, the higher the rank, the higher the perk. Art

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:</div><div class="ubbcode-body">MY FRIEND HAS A 1963 AVANTI AND WAS WONDERING WHAT ITS WORTH SO HE CAN INSURE IT. THE CONDITION IS FRESH REBUILT ORIGINAL ENGINE AND NEW PAINT. OTHER WISE THE CAS IS STOCK RIGHT DOWN TO THE HUB CAPS AND SKINNY RIMS. THE ENGINE IS THE R2 PAXTON SUPER CHARGER ALL FULLY FUNCTIONAL AND READY TO DRIVE. MRGEARHEAD </div></div> A pretty decent guideline would be "Old Cars Price Guide", from Krause Publications, which is a monthly compilation of the most recent auction results, and any other sales they may know of. These do get analysed, and broken down by condition, options, etc. Can you take OCPG as gospel truth, take it to the bank? Probably not, but it is a place to start. Another option is to have the car professionally appraised, say, for collector car insurance--again, this is a guideline, so much depends on the region of the country where the car is. Hope this helps! Art

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Hi all. My 29,700 original mile 1936 Pierce Arrow V12 five passenger sedan has a coating of tarp blue paint brushed over the original army green. Probably done in the 50's. I'm an original car lover. The interior is a nice original except for the headliner which has a lot of mouse urine and holes but it's still original. There are 2" to 3" sections of peeled paint on the rad area near the hood ornament that shows the original green. The cowl had a couple of peeled areas so I decided to see if I could get to the green. I took a plastic snow scraper and carefully scraped off an area of 6" down to the original green. Then I tried a coarse, wet sanding sponge that quickly cut through the blue. I used a finer sanding sponge after that and was able to get about a 2 foot section down to the green although I burned through a few small spots to the original brown primer. I used Meguires #2 fine cut cleaner to lessen the scratch marks on the green. It's a little dull but it's original and can most likely be buffed out. Am I insane to even think about trying to do the whole car? The blue paint is pretty crappy anyway. What would any of you suggest to try to strip the top layer of blue paint off to get to the original green layer? One suggestion was to block sand the whole car. Another was to use a light duty stripper. Yet another was to use oven cleaner! The friend who told me that swears it will work on the top layer only. I don't believe him. I don't think any liquid stripper would work on the top layer without affecting the original, soft nitro. If sanding is suggested I assume wet sanding is the preferred method. I would love to see this car in it's original color. It spent most of it's life in Montana (dry state) and is a very solid, rust free car. Thanks in advance. I know I'll get some interesting suggestions! </div></div> I'm going to "think outside the box" here for a bit! You say that areas of the paint are already peeling away? If so, I have a thought here: Model car builders know all too well that we can have problems with paint adhesion on plastic model kits. Ordinary masking tape can sometimes remove danged near the entire first color of a 2-tone paintjob. So, why not try, say one of the cheap brands of say, duct tape? Put it down on the brush painted enamel, prefereably next to an area where it's started to peel away, and then lift, straight up? It seems to me that the duct tape, with its strong adhesive might just lift off considerable areas of the brush-painted enamel you want gone, without any damage to the original lacquer below it. Might actually make this a quicker project. Of course, do this ONLY on the blue enamel, avoid sticking the tape to the original lacquer. Art

Joe, Something more to keep in mind: Realize, if you haven't found it out already, that a '37 Chevy (or any other similar car of that era) no matter how well restored cosmetically and mechanically, has nearly the acceleration, braking or maneuverability of a modern, 21st Century car. So, that means planning ahead much more intently than perhaps you are used to--keep to the right hand lane whenever possible, be sure to allow a lot more room in front of you (hard to do with the rather discourteous people out there anymore!), and above all, drive very defensively. But, all that said, it can be tremendous fun to drive those rural, secondary highways, even county roads that you may never have driven, or those that you have tended to ignore, and see country you've not seen before, at speeds which allow you to actually see what you are driving past and through. Art

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:</div><div class="ubbcode-body">All of the above tips are good ones, but it sounds like dad needs to install a right rear view mirror on the passender side door. One of the main reasoins thay are there it to tell you were your car is sitting on the road. </div></div> I sure wouldn't rely on my right side mirror to tell me where I am with relationship to my driving lane! Actually, right side mirrors are as much a development of the era of 4-lane highways as anything else, as they are a great safety aid when merging into the outside (right hand side) lane from a center lane by aiding in eliminating that blind spot. Art

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:</div><div class="ubbcode-body">does anyone got any tips for driving lates 30s cars? when i drive my dads 37 chevy coupe my biggest problem is not really knowing where im at on the road. im sure im not the only one with this problem, if anyone has any tips for me it would help. </div></div> When taking Driver's Training in High School, in the winter/spring of 1960, using a '59 Chevy Biscayne sedan, the teacher gave out the best piece of advice, which I have found works well, to this day, driving cars of any age or era: Line up the centerline of the front of the hood, be it an ornament, or simply the crease that is almost always present there--any visual reference, between your eyes and the edge of the pavement, you will place the car almost perfectly centered in your lane. Art

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:</div><div class="ubbcode-body">I need a drivers side front fender for a 1990 Reatta. I would prefer a white one but any color would. I can always repaint. Dennis </div></div> Suggest you try the Buick Club of America forum, which is linked here in AACA forums. Art

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Hi, My father and I recently aquired this car (see attachment). I've set up a website http://www.townisp.com/~alsancle which talks about its history. We are looking for any additional information or insight that you may have. There was numerous sightings in and around Boston in the 1930s. regards, A.J. SanClemente </div></div> AJ, You might post this pic, and your questions about the Shumacher on the Atlas F1 board's Nostalgia Forum--that is an extremely active online forum dedicated to racing history, and the cars that ran years ago. http://forums.atlasf1.com/forumdisplay.php?s=&forumid=10 You will have to sign up by creating a user name and password, but for something like this, the effort would be worth it. There's no cost, by the way. Art

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:</div><div class="ubbcode-body">I have just bought a 1952 Chevy 1 ton truck that's what's on the Bill of sale, but cant find any info on the vin # or any info on it. The tag says Model 1434 Ser # 9143401060 Body 110 Paint 931 Trim 394 Can anyone help with any info on this veh Thanks for your time Bill </div></div> Bill, Prior to a multi-state agreement that took effect on 1-1-56, virtually all, if not all, states titled and registered motor vehicles by their engine number, which when the vehicle was built, matched the serial number on the chassis. The downfall of this pattern was that chassis numbers are almost, if not virtually, impossible to read easily, early ones were on the top flange of the frame rails, and right below where the old "teaspoon fenders" bolted onto the frame, and later, they tended to be underneath the body (cab in your situation). Further complicating this is whether or not the original engine has been swapped out, rather than rebuilt when needed. Check both your state's motor vehicle code to verify what I've just said, and then check your title or bill of sale and see if the number typed in matches the engine number. If your state MVC calls for 55-earlier vehicles to be titled under the engine number, take the time to photocopy that page of the code, then take your truck to your license branch and get it done. Art

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:</div><div class="ubbcode-body">I have recently purchased a 1951 Ford 1/2 ton for my boss. I am going to restore it for him. The truck has a 226 and 3 on the tree. A friend of mine told me that the 226 was a prewar motor and a 51 should have a 223 in it.Is he correct, or do I have the original motor for this truck I am a Chevrolet guy and know nothing about Ford trucks, so any help will be appreciated. Thanks. Bryce [color:\\"red\\"] </div></div> Ford introduced the 226cid flathead 6-cylinder engine (built up with similar internal design to the flathead V8, and apparently done once old Henry became just enough senile to not notice--given his outright disdain for 6's!) for the 1941 model year, and was dropped, in favor of the OHV I-block 6, at the end of the 1951 model year. Art

I also forgot to mention that the Chevrolet truck sales brochures from '48 to at least 1952 (same body as your Canopy Express!) have a couple of pages for each type truck, including the Canopy Express, with a Chevy factory drawing, side and rear view, of each truck type. Art

Have you checked the timing? Sounds like it might be off just a bit. Art

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Hope some of you can help with information on same. A member of our club recently purchased one and is the 3rd owner. It has very few miles and is in remarkably good condition. He has found a small amount of info but not as much as he, or we, would like. I've tried to get to the Chevrolet Library/Archvies but have been unsuccessful. Our American Standard catelog is 1942 and earlier so it's no help. Anything you can give would be appreciated. Patt </div></div> What sort of information are you looking for? Consider that the Canopy Express was little more than a variant of the Panel Delivery, having a pickup style bed and flare-sides installed, with large openings in the upper rear sides of the body, often with rollup canvas screening for protection in inclement weather. Art