oldiron

GZ; are the main bearings conventional babbit type bearings, or,are the mains, ball bearings. I'm asking this because I'm thinking White or Chalmers perhaps....... regards; jerry janson

West; at first glance, this car could be almost anything. However, in considering the era, and that you had already figured it was a steamer, I went to the Stanley Museum's website. They had a copy of their gazette posted. Well, on the front of the gazette was the car you have pictured. In particular, the front fender geometry is identical to the front fender of the car you have posted. Other details, as you will notice, also match up; i.e. the fold out foot rest, the low slung sidelamps. etc. etc. etc. Regards; jerry janson

1926 L model Lincoln rear sedan fenders;i.e. both right and left. Very Good condition; possibly fit others years of L model. Jerry Janson (201)-259-3308

Pierce Arrow; series 36, (also 33, others?); two piece floor mounted starter pedal w new nickle plating($100); head gaskets($100 ea.);exahaust gasket set($35); some other small parts Jerry Janson (201)-259-3308

Layden, you have a sharp eye. Is it also possible that the body is an Ames? Keiser, the purpose of a cutout is to reduce any back pressure offered by the muffler. This in order that the engine might breath properly, while offering greater efficiency and power. regards; jerry janson

Vintman; Do I detect some similarities with the early Sunbeams of John Marston Ltd. Wolverhampton, Staffs. 1899-1905..(Similarities in both body and the drive sproket and chain.)....I'm refering of coarse to the chain drive that you make reference to; i.e. which was used in conjunction with the De Dion engines of 2 and 3/4 horsepower in both the voiturettes, and smaller cars of the "first" series.(This if it is related would be a small or 'light' car naturally.On the other hand, it is very probable that this car is a morphadite). What say you ?.... regards; jerry janson

West is exactly right ! ! ! 09 model F Buick, 2 cylinder... Leif; regards to the door handles, the ones on the restored car shown by West, are 90 degrees out of position. The handles were originally installed, in a vertical, not horizontal "plane", (as seen in the original photo.). I went thru that discussion, and had to prove that point to the judges at Hersey in 1996 when I showed my 09 for a Senior; i.e. fortunate for me I had original sales literature.. regards; jerry janson

West, and Leif; I agree with the similar looks from the pix as displayed by Leif, but consider these details. The front wheels in Capt Tailfin's photo have 12 spokes. The Caddy wheels in Leif's pictures have only 10 spokes. The front fenders on the '08 Caddy Leif submits are plowshare shaped fenders, not so on the pix of Capt Tailfin. The fenders on the front of the '10 Caddy that Leif submits, have appx a one inch wide flange running on the underside. None on the front fenders of Capt Tailfins carz. West; with the Matteson I agree................................ Finally,the original of pix of Capt Tailfin is a puzzling picture in that it is so generic. regards; jerry janson

West; Any guess is not absurd. On the other hand, I don't see any details that point to Cadillac. Certainly the lamps are not as supplied by Cadillac, Cad never had rims like this car mounted on the rear wheels, and judging from the wheelbase, this is much larger than Caddy for the era of,Im guessing, 06-08.... Finally, look at the close-up that Vintman created of the radiatior, The cap certainly appears to be much different than the Caddy cap. So, could this be a Peugot by Labourdette ??? what say you Vintman ? regards; jerry janson

nzcarnerd; 30 horse could be right, but American Berliet wasn't built until circa'06 underliscense from Berliet. Now, could it be a Berliet perhaps? Imported ? regards; jerry janson

Mercer 09; it's quite amazing what's still in existance. There is at least one Vanderbuilt cup racer in existance; "Bette Noir" The Black Beast. It's an 09 Alco which won two Vanderbuilt Cup races, and it resides only miles from the original race circuit. To be sure there are others, they only need to 'come out'..... regaards; jerry janson

Gentlemen; the extended wheel hubs ,the fender geometry, and the use of the 'hunter style' horn which declined as the years progressed, would indicate to me we're looking at a 1906-1908 vintage machine. The body is most certainly a Vestibule Suburban, or, at the very least, a heavy Broagham. Regards to the rear wheels, they certainly are interesting, what with the added rings intended in all likelyhood to strengthen the wheels; i.e. indicative of early chain drive philosophy. As to the men in the chauffer's compartment, that's just what they should be wearing as proper teamsters/chauffers of the era. As to that large one piece windshield, that's common for the era, as is the roof rack. Doesn't make it either more or less commercial. But yes, it does appear to be a rather heavy vehicle. If it weren't for the rear wheel rings, and the extended wheel hubs, I'd feel more confidant in naming it. I'll prefer to do further research first. Regards; jerry janson

Vintman;(and yes West, you are right, this is a Maxwell; i.e. picture must be reversed) this appears to be a 1907/1908 Maxwell two cylinder touring car.. As Curti has already noted, there is a crank protruding from the front lower part of the radiator. Also, note the protuberance on the side of the hood, midway back, at the bottom. This protuberance,(for the want of a better name), exists on each side of the hood to accomodatethe spark plugs, I believe;i.e. one on each side of coarse since it is a two cylinder engine. This protuberance or door, is peculiar to the Maxwell only. regards; jerry janson

Tom; the top picture appears to be that of two Buicks. The first and largest of the two appears to be a 1915 C-55. The car behind it, also appears to be a 1915 Buick, albeit one of the smaller models. The second picture down, appears to be a highly modified 1912-1913 Model 43 Buick. Regards; jerry janson

I agree with Green Dragon on the Moon radiator. In fact, the car itself appears to be an early version of the Moon 6-40. I say appears ? ? ?. Further, the two guys with the truck appear to be dressed in either Cavalry or early Motor Pool dress of 1918. Finally for me, the picture just below the truck is most certainly Chevrolet; i.e. checkout the bowtie/oval logo on the radiator. regards; jerry janson

caf; try seeking help on the Horseless Carriage site further down this page.There you will find more guys with magneto issues. Also, try Hemmings and the Horseless Carriage Gazette where at least two ad's are run for magneto repair. Regards; jerry janson

West; what makes you feel that this is a Studebaker electric ? It could be one of any number of commercial manufacturer's products, gas or electric. Some early commercial builders made some strange stuff; i.e. such as Rapid in gas, Riker in electric, and others. Regards; Jerry Janson

Shayne; try the Reo site; just scroll down furtherthan you did on "forums". There just happens to be a guy selling literature for the year/car you are looking for; '12 thru '15 for Reo the fifth.regards; jerry janson

Ken, Dan is right, we never heard about compression. On the other hand, get it checked, then assuming you have compression,with evrything properly hooked up; i.e. you said you tested all electrical components and connections.Well, lets see what kind of spark you get then. With a spark plug about 3/8 of an inch from the block, crank the engine with the hand cranki.e. this will eliminate any undue electrical draw from the starter motor. A good hot spark will jump the gap. If no spark, you'll have to go back and look again for the problem, but this is a sure way of determing enough spark,(current) at the plug.If youmust recheck things look not just for broken or loose wires at the switch and on the battery, and battery ground connections; but again, also on the connections on the coil,the distributor, the timer. Remember also, with a weak spark, look to the battery, test the coil, coil wire, the ignition resister and the condenser.

Hey, Tbirdman; ,before you just change the sparkplug wires, check them with an ohmeter. Check also the coil wire; i.e. in fact check that first, because this would really affect the spark at all plugs. Further, while your at it, check the continuity of the entire ignition system. You did indicate that the original ignition system was replaced with a more modern adaptation. That's fine, but perform a complete diagnostic check of not only the individual components, condensor, coil , distributor internal wires to points..yada,yada,yada... the entire drill, also of the entire circuit while cranking. Regards; Jerry Janson

The Peerless of 1920 model 56, could be a series 3,4,5,6,or7... The starting and lighting systems would be Auto-Lite, while the ignition system would be Atwater-Kent. Coil type CC, and a Negative ground system. The generator would be a "GH". The starting motor for the series 3 thru 6 would be an ME, and an MG for the series 7.. Regards to the cutout, that is listed as follows;by Auto-lite; Magnetic,mounted as a seperate unit or ontop of gen. regards; jerry janson

Gentlemen; There are no clyinder head gaskets on these engines. The construction is thus; A barrel crankcase to which individual cylinders are bolted. The individual heads are internally threaded and screwed to the cylinders. (The top of each cylinder has a male thread to which a female thread in the head is mated/screwed). So, there would be no leaks through a head gasket. If this engine were running, there would be no leaks in this regard. My interest is in the valve train. SIMPLY CONNECTED has an interesting thought. Did you watch the valves move up and down ? Well suppose the pin connecting the gear to the cam shaft has sheared. In this case you wouldn't have any valve movement. Check that the valves move completely up and down; you'll eliminate any question then in this area. Look. Someone also said to check the rotor position for #1 cylinder when at top dead center. Continue to check this geometry for all four cylinders. Finally, if your concerned about the fuel pump, hook up affecting the carb, disconnect the fuel line and use the old standby, (a raised can with fuel feeding card by gravity; but really, you should find that fuel being put into the combustion chamber via the priming cups should be sufficient. Finally, I'm not sure if you have the same ignition as the '13; i.e. which would be a seperate ignition for starting before you switch over to the primary ignition for running. If you do have this setup, I believe you'll find the starting ignition system the most reliable for starting. Regards; Jerry Janson

Hey; Tbirdman; I have been reading with interest your dilemma, both on the Early Cadillac site, and now here on the AACA site. When putting it all together, these guys here, as the guys on the Caddy site, are pointing you in the correct direction. That is namely; with proper compression,spark,(ignition at the right time), and fuel in the combustion chamber, you will fire. I have a '13 Cadillac with a BB1 also. I have run on the original Johnson carbm, as well as the BB1; i.e. in fact I prefer the BB1 with an electric pump.Currently it's down for rewiring, but, it runs very strong and reliably. You need to do just what these guys are telling you. Go back to basics. 1. Check the compression. 2. insure you have ignition, spark, at the right time, and 3. of coarse you need fuel in the cylinder. F & J, Keiser, Packard 32, and Friartuck are all correct. regards; Jerry

looks to be late 20's- early 30's Hudson/Essex ? regards;jerry janson

Like the man says, you might find flanges like these, or in close enough size, in a good marine hardware supply. You might also find similar flanges in a plumbing supply; i.e. or at least cast pipe flanges that could be cleaned up on a lathe, and then plated; regards; jerry janson