Durant Mike

What a beautiful car, I wish you a lot of luck with it.

Here is the photos of the parts I need cast. Two are the robe rail brackets with one small piece broken off the bottom area. The other is a foot rest bracket that also has a small piece broken off.

Everyone thank you so much for your insight and thoughts. I have seen the results of 3D printing as the Durant Continental motor had the distributor mounted to the back of the generator. This bracket that mounted the distributor was of the old pot metal and most cracked or broke. I contacted my source for those which was a club member and he said the set up on the computer would be very very expensive and I would have to make many to break even. I will take pictures this afternoon and post them so you can see what pieces I want to have cast for my car.

Anybody have any recomendations on who to contact that does the lost wax casting of parts. I have two robe rail brackets with one that needs a small repair to be cast as well as two foot rest brackets, one also needs a small piece repaired in the corner for me before casting. Appreciate any help and leads.

Well thank you anyway for the information. Took the engine to Ron's Machine shop last January and they have it to work on. Never could find anyone in the Southeast to do it.

My 1928 Durant had it's original glass in it. It was sheet glass, not safety glass and no markings.

Hi Tony; Head over to the Durant Motors Automobile Club web site at www.durantmotors.org and feel free to post your question there. They are a friendly lot and there is no charge for posting. If anyone knows, they'll surely reply. Mike

I will need a switch for my dash to turn on the lights made by Clum. Mine has a visible crack in it. Darn pot metal. Also I have a set of robe rail brackets that has a small piece broken off of it and I'd like to get a new set cast for me to use. Also I have a foot rest bracket that also has a small piece broken on it (again I believe its pot metal). Anybody know of a place or someone that does this. I thought about possible doing a 3D printing with someone but usually the cost to set it up is stiff and I only need these parts. I don't mind making a few extra that I could sell to someone if need be. Let me know if you recommend someone. Thanks.

Those of you that are interested in the history of GM founder William C. (BillY) Durant and also the history of the cars manufactured and associated with Durant Motors Inc (1921-1931) might be interested to know that members of the Durant Motors Automobile Club have created the Durant Motors Automobile Museum Foundation, incorporated in the state of Michigan as a IRS 501 (c)(3) non profit organization to establish a brick and mortar Durant Museum to honor the man and his cars. Covering cars such as Durant, Star, Flint, Rugby, Mathis, Ruby, Locomobile (1922-1929) DeVaux, Frontenac and finally Continental the museum will house the history of William C. Durant from his days at the Dorant-Dort Carriage works, Buick, GM and Chevrolet and the vehicles in informative interactive displays. The building will be built in the design of Durant car dealership of the era. Donations both monetary and artifacts are being collected at this time by the foundation. To find out more about the foundation and it's plans, you can go to www.durantfoundation.org.

If you haven't sold it yet, you might go to the Durant Motors Automobile Club web site forum and post a notice there. Durant Motors Automobile club covers the Devaux's, Frontenac's and Continentals as well as Durant, Flint, Star, Rugby and Locomobile.

The Durant Motors Automobile Club will have their Red Tent set up at Hershey this year in the Chocolate Field at spaces CE 44,45 and 46. If you own a Durant or would like to stop by and say "Hello". We're a friendly group who honors the cars and the creator of Durant Motors, William C. Durant. See you there!

I've tried the last two days logging into the AACA web site and keep getting the below message: Error code 20 The proxy failed to connect to the web server, due to TCP connection timeout. If I do a google search on AACA then I can log directly into the forum pages or the store, but can't get to the main front web page without getting that message. Anybody else having this problem?

Since this thing has started I have not worn a mask and don't intend to start. I had to wear one at my doctors office the other day and that was the only time I've worn one. Common sense must prevail. The masks are only good if you have it and don't want to spread it. Not good for keeping you from getting it so they say. Here in Florida, things are beginning to open up and the Virus is not running amuck since they've started to open. I filled out our questionnaire and said I'd plan to attend and with no reservations. Common people this thing will be gone by October. This is only the end of May, we have 4 months to shed this thing and I feel confident that it will be mostly burnt out by then. Will there still be some isolated cases, probably, but think if the Governor of Pennsylvania will loosen things up like the other Governors then it will be a great 2020 Hershey!

Good Morning you all! Thank you so much for the help. I sent my brakes to Rochester Brake and shoe in Rochester N.Y. They've been in business awhile and were recommended. I'll find out how the car stops once I get them together correctly and get a rolling chassis. Engine is not done yet so once she's moving on her own if need be I'll take them apart again and have different shoes put on. I also found out that the proper adjustment is critical in these old cars. I knew someone would come through for me on this forum.

Does anybody have a period brake manual which describes how to rebuild the Bendix 3 shoe braking system that was on cars around 1928. My car, a 1928 Durant Model 65 has these and I'm trying to put them back together after repainting and new shoes being put on. I took a number of pictures and have instructions provided by the Durant Motors Automobile club on how to adjust them, but I need to know what parts go where. For the most part I have them in place but the number of shims on the top cam and some springs I can't find where to place them. Maybe some pictures or instruction in an old motor manual would be helpful.

I've used Eastwood Extreme Chassis black on both my Triumph TR6 and my 1928 Durant. You can buy it in quarts and get it in spray cans too for smaller parts. Holds up great and easily repaired if it does get a chip.

I was there at the auction yesterday when the car crossed the auction block. Room was packed and you could hardly see the car. #.4 million not including buyers premium. Only thing made this car worth that much money was the movie participation. Looking at the car inside a plexiglass case one saw a very old used mustang with some cancer spots and paint chipping, very dirty inside. You could see the metal welded to the underside to mount the cameras. I don't think it even runs as it looked like it was pulled into the arena. A lot of excitement being there and lots of nice cars crossing the block. Not many classic cars that we all like, a few. A couple of Packards in the 30's a Chrysler Air Flow, 1928 Pontiac 4 door sedan right off the bat, Lots of 50's and 60's cars, and of course muscle cars, Ferrari's and quite a number of Lambo's. But then again Mecum is not known for it's classic pre-war cars.

Yes they are. Norman DeVaux was Durant's man in California for Chevrolet prior to and when Durant was with General Motors. After Durant left General Motors 1920 and created Durant Motors, Norman DeVaux came along and ran the assembly plant in Oakland California for Durant. When Durant Motors ceased operation in 1931 and declared bankruptcy, DeVaux teamed up with Colonel Hall and built DeVaux automobiles using a lot of left over Durant parts. They had a plant in California and in Grand Rapids, Michigan. That company only lasted two years before it went belly up. Then the engine manufacturer Continental picked up, also using left over Durant parts and made their car for one year. The Depression just killed them all.

Members of the Durant Motors Automobile Club Inc. have created a non-profit 501(C)(3) organization in the State of Michigan named the Durant Motors Automobile Museum Foundation Inc (www.durantfoundation.org). The Mission of the Foundation is to raise awareness and build a 10,000 square foot museum building in the design of a 1920's Durant Dealership and displaying the history of William C. (Billy) Durant and the automobiles associated with Durant Motors Inc. We are int he process of fund raising now and hope to construct the building in the future. For more information visit the Foundation's web site to learn more about how you can help to make this a reality!

Not sure if your aware of it, but the Durant Motors Automobile Club located at www.durantmotors.com is a club that covers the DeVaux. We have a number of members that have them and that would probably be the best place, on their forum, to post parts requests. There are several members that deal in parts for these cars. FYI

I'm glad to see these posts, I was just thinking that I didn't see the parking stickers and info come in yet, unless my Wife had put it somewhere and didn't tell me. I guess I'll get mine tomorrow when mail delivery resumes after the hurricane. I was getting worried.

Was born in Delaware and lived there up until I was 18 years old. The two lower counties Kent and Sussex are very rural and have an number or nice areas to live. I was born in Wilmington, but moved to lower Delaware in my teens. Graduated High School in Lewes. Went back last year to the area for family business and you probably want to stay away from the Lewes and Rehobeth area as it's become very touristy and crowded with traffic, especially in the Summer months. Very nice area and lots of good eating places but busy. If you head West from Lewes towards Seaford and Georgetown you get into the farmland area. Less traffic and nice areas to live. Even west of Lewes has some real nice rural land. In Kent county west of the Capital Dover again has some very nice areas. If you plant yourself in these areas then it's a short drive to the bigger populated area of Dover, Lewes or Rehobeth.

With the high humidity we are having right now in Florida and the high temperature it's taking the paint much longer to cure. I've been painting small parts in my Garage on my Triumph TR6 and what should take hours is taking days using spray cans. Another project is a wine cabinet I'm making out of cherry wood. About a month ago tried to spray the Minwax polyurethane coats. Sprayed the first coat, and it flashed on me with a foggy blush. Sanded it down, thinned it a bit with mineral spirits and it flashed again and that was spraying it at 8:00 in the morning. I've given up until this 90 to 100% humidly leaves us. Without a booth with controlled atmosphere, it's tough this time of year.

Thanks for everyone's replies. I was hoping to find someone here in the Southeast that could do the job. Long way to travel to New York and Mass. But I'll start calling them and seeing who can handle my engine and get it done. I'm anxious to get this car running and driving after a very long long restoration. Road trip here I come!

J Dallas Dort was a friend and business partner of William C Durant and both owned the Durant-Dort Carriage works in Flint, Michigan. When Durant took over Buick, Dort was there, but later broke off to create his own car company. Dort died in 1923 and his car company too soon after. Dort Cars are covered by the Durant Motors Automobile Club (www.durantmotors.org). In Canada they were built as Gray-Dort. A nice little car to have for sure.