whtbaron

We don't have Harbor Freight up here, but a lot of the same quality merchandise ends up in our Princess Auto stores. There are some items that I have had good luck with. The hydraulic jacks that you mention (hydraulic cylinders in general) would be one of them, air powered die grinders would be another. You are correct in that a lot of items on our shelves now, even from name brand companies, is being made in China. Even companies like Victor and Snap-On are outsourcing, but that doesn't mean that the quality is the same as HF. It's unfortunate, but the quality is still generally better from a name brand company. If the bead roller does that job you will be money ahead, but if it doesn't you just lost the down payment on a much better tool. I'm still guilty of perusing those shelves too (got a great sale on automotive wiring next week) but I'm becoming much more selective on what I will buy there.

Before you pull the trigger on cheapy Chinese stuff at Harbor Freight, check out Eastwood's selection. It will be more money, but I think you'll be happier with the quality in the end.

I've been through the collection 3 times over the last 30 years. Viewing is still by appointment only, the last time I was there it was open to a local antique cruise. I have a few pics if you are really interested, including the Brooks steam car. The restorations aren't really what you would call museum quality... a few are just good condition survivors, and the facility is just an unheated shed so winter wouldn't be the best time to go. He does have some very unique pieces there though.

Bidding ended at $12,600.

If you watch that film clip closely there looks to have been at least one version that didn't have that Edsel like grille, and looked much better. The original windshield was more of a half bubble too.

I've also been trying to find those differences listed somewhere on the WEB but not having much luck. Some also say there are differences in the door latches, but don't really describe what they are. These appear to be wedge shaped for what it's worth. The jambs do appear to be riveted in rather than screwed, so I'm leaning towards it being a 27.

Which piece? My guess would be about a 47 Dodge truck cab.

You guys know a waaaay too much about clothespins.

I found a post on the HAMB that said the door jambs in 26 roadsters are screwed, while the jambs in 27 roadsters are riveted. Not sure if that's confirmed or if it applies to a Tudor body as well. If the doors are interchangeable with A pickups, that might actually increase my odds of finding them in farm country. Unfortunately it looks like the hinges are damaged as well.

In their defence, cars did become more streamlined in time, so they were on the right track ( more or less, arguably moreso less). The interesting design influence is that windshield. Take a hard look at it and you will see that it has more in common with 90's and newer vehicles than it does with anything that was on the road in the late 50's/ early 60's. lol.... sorry, that was the only good thing I could think to say about it. Maybe there was another car airbrushed out of the picture, but how does the license plate end up being reflected in the back window?

To further complicate the issue some custom colors can change tint in different lights, and unless it's just the different lighting on the front fender, that could be one of those colors. If he wants a color that looks like those pictures, take them to an automotive paint shop and they should be able to match them to what we used to call "fleet chips", which were basically every generic color in both metallic and non-metallics that they could mix between white and black. You may also want to check into their custom paint mixes which are different hues of candies and metallics and color changing tints. It might not end up being the exact code, but it would be so close that nobody would notice. AMT used to sell a model kit in 1/25th scale that looked identical to that car. I wonder if it might have been patterned after it, or vice versa. The one I built was silver with a black vinyl top.

Thank you to Wayne Sheldon and 28 Chrysler for the help so far. If I need more detail shots to differentiate the internal bracing, where do I need to shoot?

When I was in Grade 6 me and a couple friends were tasked with drawing what we thought the car of the future would look like for a school newspaper. lol... it was almost that ugly and actually somewhat similar in design. That would have been about 1970. I can see the advantages of having a grille you could potentially have sex with though!

Not sure what my plan for it is yet. I am looking for a cowl for a speedster project, but I'd hate to cut this up just for the cowl. It would be much easier to find an obscure old touring with the back ripped off. I might trade it for something I want more. If someone rods a Model T and discards a good chassis, who knows, a restoration could happen yet. Too bad it isn't a 23, I've actually picked up an ID tag for one of those in an abandoned yard we broke up. Any easy ways to discern if it's a 26 or 27?

I wasn't really looking for Model T parts, but this one fell into my lap this week so I saved it from the shredder. Obviously a later Model T 2 door sedan with not much left to go on. No frame or tags for numbers. I was thinking it was either a 26 or 27, but it could be earlier. Anyone have any easy tricks for nailing down the year on one of these? It was one of those years when bullet holes were an option...

I was wondering if it wasn't a closed cab pickup with the steel roof removed and a open car cowl added. Gotta be worth $80k at Barrett Jackson.

He raises a good question though... did the Plymouth pickups share the same parts as the Dodge and Fargo models? I would think yes, but I recall seeing one with wheel covers (strange, but looked good).... I'm not sure if those were stock or modified pieces.

The best laid plans of mice and men go aft awry. Too bad, looks like they spent enough to do it right. Got the link? Be interesting to see what it sells for....if it sells.

Mice chewing on ignition wires around the back of the block would be one thing to look out for, but with it being a recent rebuild I'm wondering if there is something going on with the timing gears and they have moved.

I remember seeing a gasser in the 60's that used 2 kitchen chairs fastened to a wooden frame. No way that thing would get on a track now!

Wow...that went quick! So much for all the doom and gloom about the old car market.

For boat seats we have used a plywood base with 6" of foam... cover it with vinyl and staple the bottom...quick and dirty but not for the finished product

We always think a structurally important piece should be attached with the best fasteners so we make that special trip to pick up the Grade 8 bolts thinking that we did it "right". The parts in my ag equipment that use shear pins are all Grade 8 so that they snap off quick and clean as they are quite brittle compared to other hardware. In this case you might consider substituting those Grade 8 bolts for something that is capable of doing a little stretching before it snaps. It may sound counter intuitive to go to a lower grade, but in this case it would be safer. (Edit...just noticed this got dragged up from 2013....Marty, fire up the DeLorean...)

Looking good. Are those still the friction shocks, or are they the updated hydraulic ones?

When I saw your post I thought I knew a guy that had one of these, but it wasn't a Maxwell it was a Saxon. What isn't evident in the photos is just how small some of these cars were. If you think a Model T is cramped, the Saxon is about 80% the size of a similar Model T roadster. They were a very compact sportscar of their day. I like the high cowl line of the Maxwell...very sporty.