TG57Roadmaster

Dave is right about the Dodge hubcaps; after looking at my (highly dramatized) '39 Dodge brochure, I was ready to commit to Dodge. But then another post elsewhere, in the CCCA Forum about Hayes-bodied '39 Chryslers led me to dig deeper. Here's the '39 Dodge hubcap, straight from the Daimler-Chrysler Museum, compliments of mrpushbutton on the CCCA post. If you want to see the car itself, go to the CCCA General Forum and click on the '39 Chrysler New Yorker Hayes thread. Following will be a DeSoto hubcap. Tom Gibson

Greetings, My source states that the serial number is on a plate on the frame, as your friend stated; motor numbers are elsewhere, depending on series, year, etc. Serial numbers for the 1930 Dictator Six began at 1460001 and up. Your serial number falls within that range. By the way, great data at the above-mentioned website! Tom Gibson

Greetings, Hayes made about 1000 coupe bodies for Chrysler Corp. in 1939, divvied up in 6 series: Imperial 8 & New Yorker (125" WB), Royal 6 and Royal Windsor 6 (119" WB); DeSoto Custom (122.5" WB); Dodge Luxury Liner Deluxe (117" WB). Here's a suggestion. Since the bodies are all the same, measure the Dodge body in the museum, and find a '39 Chrysler coupe for the front clip and rear fenders. The extra wheelbase length is from the cowl forward. As I recall, the trunklid has a distinctive ridge right down the middle and through the split backlight. Also, I know I've seen a feature on the '39 Imperial 8 Club Coupe in the last 5-6 years, maybe in CARS & PARTS. It was a cream color and I remember coveting it for its extreme rarity. Can't wait to see the model! Tom Gibson

Greetings, I'd put my money on the 1939 DeSoto S6 Sedan, either Deluxe or Custom. The hubcaps hold the key to the answer. Tom Gibson

Juha, Here's the second image showing the Nash belt molding and hood louvers. The photos prove that this was a very large auto for your friend's family; the Nash Special Sixes were available on 116" and 122" wheelbases. This is likely a Model 444 7-Passenger Sedan on the 122" chassis. Tom Gibson

Hyvaa Joulua Juha, You don't ask the easy questions, do you? After much digging through my resources, I can say, fairly surely, that the car in question is a 1929 Nash Special Six Sedan. Introduced on June 21, 1928, the Special and Advanced Sixes featured new styling, which included a unique belt molding. If you look at this photo closely, you'll see the same treatment as the car in your friend's picture. Especially around the C-pillar or back window on the side of the car in your second photo. The next post I send shows the 1929 Nash Special Six belt molding and double row of hood louvers. What confuses me is that the hood louvers (vents) are two different heights. The hubcaps, though blurred, seem to be Nash also. I'm always willing to help a fellow Suomilainen (though I'm just just half Finn) in their quest for details about old cars. Merry Christmas, Tom Gibson Anderson, SC USA

Greetings, The range of serial numbers for the 1956 Windsor's were W56-1001 to W56-75206. That's for the Michigan-built cars; California cars range from W56L-1001 to W56L-7091. The 331 CID motor numbers were WE56-1001 to WE56-81623. Hope it helps. Tom Gibson

Here Goes Kids, This attachment comes from my extensive archive and may put an end to the lengthy repartee about when promos began. Look to the Hudson article (Automotive News, 9/27/48) and the Chevy piece to give an idea of the ACTUAL origins of promos. The OK Used Car deal is unatributed. While I agree completely about scale models built by manufacturers for publicity purposes (Cord, Tucker, etc.), perhaps this article will answer the lingering question; When did it all begin? The Hudson model in question cannot be verified by my long-time friend in Orlando (the mentor of my meager multi-scale collection), but they most certainly made the Ford, Buicks and Chevys. Care to venture a guess as to the value today contained in this attachment? Best leave that to those with deep pockets and the need to have EVERYTHING. Be proud of what you have and share it with others; can you take it with you? Happy collecting, Tom Gibson

Greetings, I've been looking through old posts on the various forums, and came across your post. I can't verify this car as a Delaunay-Belleville, as the photo looks to have been touched up, but it does seem to have the rounded hood characteristic of the marque. Quite a coup (no pun intended) for the Warner Auto-Meter Company. Hope you enjoy it. Tom Gibson, Anderson, SC

...and finally...a pretty neat look at another type of automotive assembly line. Hope y'all enjoy 'em, Tom Gibson

Yet another...

And another, (I don't know how to gang them together yet)...

Greetings promo pals, Joe, I responded some time ago to your original post, and since then ran across a cool article in the Ford Times from February, 1961. It's just four pages, so I'm going to post 'em one at a time. Here goes... Tom Gibson

My source says you can find the Serial # also stenciled on top of right rear cross member above the gas tank; and the Motor # on front left motor leg and left side of cylinder block opposite cylinder # 1. Happy hunting! Tom Gibson

Just a note on this sale...the station sold for $3552.00 to a car guy from Cleveland, GA. He plans to reuse it as an automotive-themed restaurant/short-order grille. So, take a closer look around your town, and see what's left! The AP Wire picked up the local news story, mostly because it's the first time the City of Anderson, SC has unloaded a white elephant on ebay. Better it should live on anywhere than take up space in a landfill. Google; Texaco gas station on ebay; and see who picks it up from the AP. Happy hunting! Tom Gibson, Anderson, SC

YEAR: 1938 MAKE: Texaco MODEL: Avoncraft Pre-fabricated Building, [color:"green"] [color:"green"] Type EM PRICE: Live Auction (ends Sunday, 9/17/06) DESCRIPTION: Used; Slight suface rust on small portion of exterior, usual dings and dents expected with age. Easy resto. Interior in excellent condition...lovingly maintained to Texaco Appearance Standards by elderly owner. LOCATION: Anderson, SC in Upstate SC CONTACT: Tom Gibson, (864) 231-7715, tg57buic@bellsouth.net ebay ITEM NO. 110030430147 (Vintage 1938 Texaco Gas Station) This 1942 photo of the station shows a '34 Ford, '37 Chevy, '31 Dodge, '39 Cadillac, and a super rare '32 Chevrolet Confederate Series Sedan Delivery.

Greetings, Look in Hemmings Motor News in the Services Offered section for title services. There will be contact info for folks that offer new titles (probably from Alabama) that are legal & then can be transferred to your state. Last time I checked, the service cost @ $250. Another alternative is to do a title search thru Florida DMV, less expensive, but time consuming. Tom Gibson

Greetings Einar, I didn't mean any ill will to you, but one thing you can never trust is original brochures for info, as they don't include running changes made during the model year. In addition to your shop manuals try to get hold of the tech. update bulletins issued during each model year; usually they're bound at the end of the year. My personal pet peeve is incorrect reporting on 1957 Buicks; I own a '57 Roadmaster Model 73, with the twin chrome strips running over the roof and down the trunk. The Roadmaster coupes & sedans were also available from their introduction without the trim. These are always mis-identified as 3-piece baklights, while in reality the glass is one piece and interchanges with all C-body GM cars; Buick Super, Cadillac Series 62, DeVille and 60-Special. The B-body GM cars, Olds 88's, 98's, Buick Special & Century all had 3 pieces of glass separated by wide, ridged metal strips. Then, in the March 18, 1957 issue of Automotive News came the announcement of the Roadmaster 75 coupe and sedan. They possessed a near-Cadillac quality interior, and also were introduced in the Spring '57 issue of the BUICK magazine. I have yet to read an article that's correct on these issues. Guess I'll just have to write my own to clear it up. And yes, I know they don't speak french in Norway; I also realize how huge the old car hobby is your neck of the woods. I'm sure most everyone on this side of the Atlantic appreciates our Euro neighbors' dedication to the preservation of our big highway cruisers. In 1970, on a family trip to Finland visiting relatives, one of my distant cousins had a '63 Rambler Classic sedan; black with a red interior. He was very proud (and was the envy of his neighbors) with his big American car! (They don't speak much french in Finland either, unless they're tourists). Thanks for your compliments on Dave's '61 Polara; I've included another shot taken in Ohio near the shore of Lake Erie. It's probably my favorite, because of the background; so much in keeping with the era in which it was created. Regards, Tom Gibson

Hello Einar, I'm mixing my linguistic metaphors here, but I have to say: Au contraire, Pierre! According to Motor Age, May 1961 Tune-up specs., the 413 engine is listed on big Dodges as an optional engine; it does not appear in the January 1961 Motor Age issue's Tune-up specs., which bears out Mr. Godshall's article in the above-mentioned issue of Collectible Automobile. Since the '62 Dodge didn't come out till the fall of 1961, I'll side with the published data and Mr. Godshall's usual thorough research before the publication of his many works. I've only been in the hobby for about 40 years, and I haven't owned a hundred American (or otherwise) cars, but I do possess a few cars and a huge archive of magazines, trade journals, brochures, etc; they come in very handy for settling disputes such as this. You'll have to trust me on this one though, as the file for page 68 of the May '61 Motor Age (657Kb) is too large to post here. I'll be happy to email it to anyone who wishes a copy. By the way, the photo of the '61 Polara is now accessible from my previous posting; sorry for the inconvenience, but unlike some who profess to know everything, I'm still learning. I'm quite sure that process will continue till I draw my last breath. Au revoir from Anderson, Tom Gibson

Greetings, According to Jeffrey I. Godshall, Mopar designer, historian and author, just 80 1961 Polaras came with the 3-speed manual tranny. However, in his excellent article in the December, 1999 issue of COLLECTIBLE AUTOMOBILE, he doesn't break out the number of 361's, 383's or 413's so equipped. Maybe if you got in touch with him through the magazine, he could help. My friend Dave Bowman has a sweet '61 Polara hardtop coupe (1,862 made) that his father bought new, and was Dave's first car. It has the 361 with automatic, and after driving it all through high school & college, he bought his second car, a '70 Challenger convertible. A true collector, Dave still has both of them, among many others. Here's a shot of Dave's Polara in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. Tom Gibson Anderson, SC

TONKA or TIN? Okay toy lovers, what's this '57 Ranchero my brother Lloyd is playing around? Tonka or tin, or what. Thanks, Tom Gibson

Page 4. If anyone wants a higher-res scan (150 DPI), feel free to email me at tg57buic@bellsouth.net In order to make them fit, I had to go w/100 DPI. Regards, Tom Gibson

Page 3. TG

Here's page one of the story; pages 2 & 3 will follow. TG

Greetings Toy Lovers, Here's a little gem I picked up last weekend at Charlotte AutoFair. As we all know, promos are quite hot, and this is a really cool 4-page story from 1961. I'll have to send it in 4 posts, as the total size would be too large for one attachment. I trust you'll find it as fascinating as I did...best of all, it only cost me one buck! I have the '61,' Ford Digest that the Model T is sitting on, as well as the '62 & '63 Digests. Happy collecting! TG