DLynskey

1936 Dodge Don

On a 1927 coupe the number plate was on the firewall, near the top on the drivers' side. Don Lynskey

Only the Fleetlines had the fender trim strips. Note the trim on both sides of the trunk handle, exclusive to the 1942's and traces are present on the car in question. Don Lynskey

It's definitely a 1942. The grille, the parking lights and the remnants of trunk trim are unmistakable. 1942 photo from EBay sometime ago. Don Lynskey

I believe a National is a 1928 model. A 1927 would be a Capitol. An excellent source of Chevy infomation is the VCCA chat room, www.vccachat.org . Don Lynskey

Thanks. Great memories. I never made it to Hershey in those days, but at the local regional meets (and I assume at Hershey) many of the show cars were driven -- few trailers except for the really old ones. A friend of mine did a beautiful restoration on a 1926 Packard and then drove it 14,000 miles the next summer attending car shows. Don Lynskey

Ford had an assembly plant in Charlotte, NC from 1924 until 1932. Is there a way to identify a car built in Charlotte? Don Lynskey

re.: Grandfathers GIVE their grandkids things. My father-in-law was very generous with his grandchildren, but also scrupulously fair. When his eldest grandson was in need of a car and the grandfather had a spare, he gave it to the grandson. Before he gave it to him he took it and had it appraised and wrote a check for the appraised amount to each of his other four grandchildren. They were to save the money and apply it toward their first car. My three children were very glad to have that money when it was time for their first car. Later my son bought a pickup truck from him. Again, to be fair to all, he had the truck appraised. Being an old mechanic he took it home, serviced it completely, belts, brakes, etc. and sold it to the grandson for what the dealer offered for it -- a very good deal on a very nice truck. Chances are BB'sPops' grandfather is in a similar situation. Don Lynskey

Keiser31....Both series were available with or without the "landau" top. The landaulet was more expensive than the standard 4-door sedan. I know the 52 was available with the padded, rubber/fabric covered back and fake landau irons because I once owned one. As you said, the number of cylinders would tell us for sure which model it is, but from the photo it appears to me that Bear Lars' car lacks front brake drums which would say decisively it's a model 52. Keiser31...where did the photos in your post come from? Bear Lars...I second HarryJ's comment comment on the originality of your car. It's a nice one. Don Lynskey

The old photo submitted by Keiser appears to show front brake drums. I've been told 4-wheel brakes were available as an option on the "52", but have never seen one with front brakes (of course, I've only seen a few). Bear Lars, is this a 4-cylinder car as we're speculating? If so it's an interesting amalgam -- a Chrysler body with Maxwell running gear. Chrysler bought Maxwell in 1925 and brought out the cheaper Chrysler line by combining components of the two brands. The 4-cylinder model used the Chrysler body and the Maxwell power train. It looked like any other Chrysler, but had few, if any, mechanical parts in common. While Chrysler was a leader in "modern" cars with among the first standard 4-wheel hydraulic brakes and high compression engines, the 4-cylinder models were outmoded even by the standards of the late twenties. They were among the last, if not the last, to retain a thermo-syphon cooling system which uses natural heat convection instead of a water pump to circulate the coolant (worked fine on the one I had). As mentioned before, the Model 52 had mechanical brakes only on the rear wheels (even Ford had adopted 4-wheel brakes by then) and fiber universal joints. I believe the body was by Fisher, an independent body builder at the time, later absorbed by GM. The generator was mounted in front of the engine, between the engine and the fan to help fill up the larger Chrysler engine compartment. I enjoyed seeing your photos. Don Lynskey

Keiser, You're right on the mark, as usual. The lack of front brakes makes it a 4-cylinder, the bullet-shaped headlights make it a 1928. That would be a model 52. I had one exactly like it I bought from the original owner in 1959, He ordered the "52" instead of the 6-cylinder Chrysler because he didn't trust front brakes. A lot of people back then were afraid the front brakes would lock up and cause them to lose control of the car. Don Lynskey

Interesting. I assumed it was three pieces. I always thought it was an attractive stylish touch and I always thought it was a feature of all Roadmasters. TG, I guess the model 76 and 73 are pillarless hardtops. What is a 75, a 4-door post sedan? Don

The Autofair itself is always huge and, as you noted, mostly (98%?) later stuff. However, the AACA meet that was held on the back side of the track, outside the gates was excellent with many high-quality antique cars on the show field. The weather was beautiful for the show Saturday and the field was not nearly as crowded as Hershey -- better for viewing and photographing. Don Lynskey

It's a 1936. The 1935 had a fabric roof insert. 1936 was the first year for the solid steel top, and there were many other styling differences from 1935 including the shape of the grille. Don Lynskey

Restorer32 is exactly right. First you have to define what a "classic car" is. The definition of a "Classic" by the Classic Car Club of America is vastly different from the definition as interpreted by the average EBay seller. Obviously the typical buyer of a customized '57 Chevy is different from the buyer of a 1929 Duesenberg who is different from a buyer of a 1953 MG, although many enthusiasts might own all three. Don Lynskey

Could the previous photo be the "before" picture of this fabulous 1910 Reo I photographed at Charlotte? The body is different from the car in the initial photo, but the radiator, hood and fenders sure look the same. Note the ridge pattern around the hood in both cars. Do Lynskey

Someone posted an interesting link on the Vintage Chevrolet Club of America forum. It's an album of photos taken in Havana -- heavy on Chevies, naturally, but I found it very interesting. http://vccachat.org/forum/ubbthreads.php/topics/140311/Photo_album_link_Cars_of_Havan#Post140311 Don Lynskey

A couple of vehicles belonging to folks I recognized from the forum, Novaman's Nova and George V.O.'s Suburban. TG, I enjoyed meeting you but didn't get over to the Pavillion to see your Roadmaster. Any others here whose cars I might have photographed? Don Lynskey

Nice Truck.. Let's see if I know how to post a photo. Don Lynskey

Thanks for the map. I'll be there as a spectator and wondered where the show field would be. I believe that's inside the Autofair "gates" and will require the $10 entrance fee to get to the show field. Right? Don't get me wrong. I'll pay that any day to see the AACA cars, but I imagine after the AACA show I'll not have energy left to visit the rest of the Autofair. I'm usually worn out after a few hours and only cover a fraction of the entire thing. They're predicting beautiful weather. Hope it holds out. Don

I believe it's a 1937. Don

Of these two I'll go with the Peerless. Look at the roof line at the rear. The Cadillac roof is more rounded, the mystery car is square like the Peerless. Also look at the shape of the back window as seen through the interior of the car. The corners of the window are rounded in the Caddy, very square in both the mystery car and the Peerless. Actually, I would guess the Cadillac pictures to be a couple of years later than both the Peerless and the car in the original photo. Don

And the license tag says it's from Nashville, Tennessee. Don

Is it an exhaust cutout or a whistle? You might find a right hand drive Ford in the UK, but Canada? Don

The roadster body was entirely different from the coupe, likely no parts in common. You couldn't convert it into an authentic roadster, but for a street rod anything goes. Incidentally, as far as value it wouldn't be much. Too many available on Ebay. Don