John Bloom

West, thanks so much for explaining the difference on the 733 vice the longer wheelbases. I have looked at a ton of 700 series, and the wooden artillery wheels seem to be only 1-2% of the examples I’ve looked at. Here is the car I’m looking at and it appears to be seven lugs and correct.

Thanks for that quick reply. I wonder if it was rarely chosen back in 1930 on that wheelbase (or all wheelbases), or if they were switched out through the years. If you look at 100 images of 700 series cars, maybe one has wooden wheels. It is good to know that it was an option and correct for that series. Thanks again.

I'm sure there is a resource that shows what wheel options are available for a 733, but I haven't found one. I'm looking at a 733 Club Sedan and it has wooden wheels. They look in nice shape in the pictures, but when I look at images for 733's I don't see any with wooden wheels. I do see a couple 740's and 745's with wooden wheels that look identical to the 733 club sedan wheels. All I've seen on 733's are steel or wires. Does anyone know if all three were an option for the 733? Perhaps they were and the wooden wheels were rarely chosen or typically changed out through the years? Maybe they were only offered on the longer wheelbase cars and somewhere along the line they got swapped out? The current owner doesn't have any knowledge if wooden wheels are correct for the model or if they were installed at some point in the history of the car. Any help or input to a source on this would be appreciated.

That craving attention is as unattractive as the paint on some of these cars. Not sure why people do it. Reminds me of the celebrations in football games today for just about anything. I like the old school approach that is more subdued. Thinking about those dramatic football celebrations reminds me of a John Madden quote from years ago doing color commentary for an nfl game. I think Pat Summerall was with him. Barry Sanders had just done some crazy long touchdown run where virtually every player on the other team couldn’t bring him down. It was a feat that would have been the greatest run of your career for most other running backs. After getting into the end zone, he nonchalantly jogged over with the ball, handed it to the official with no emotion or celebration, and jogged over towards his sideline. Madden doing the game said “Pat, did you see Barry after he got into the end zone and scored? He acted like he’s been there before.... and knows he’s coming back”..... relative to showing off and big egos, I always loved that quote.

Drag it to my redneck hometown and park it in the front yard to impress the neighbors..... tell them jay leno paid 1,000,000 dollars for one restored just like it.

I think we can all benefit from singing a few "dirges in the dark"..........with the top down and the dim glow of our gauges on a warm summer night...........

Reading this thread makes me self conscious how often I use humor and sarcasm (often poorly) talking to my buddies. In person they know I’m teasing and that I like them, but if you put the words down on paper and read them it would frequently come off as harsh or not as I intend it.

George, I also read that thread and thought “here we are watching a train wreck in slow motion”. I hope he is ok, but totally support the moderators. just a thought, I can see under my profile my post activity...I.e. what I wrote on different threads. If the thread is deleted, would it pull those individual comments that are under my profile that I can see out and delete them as well? If not, couldn’t we start a new thread titled American underslung and people that are interested in it and disappointed to see it all gone, could look under their personal profile at the individual posts they made on that thread and we could re-submit them to a new thread. They are time stamped so we could even assemble them in chronological order???

I’ll make a suggestion, and I’m speaking to myself here (not the moderators) because I had to do this a while back..... when someone quotes you, comments about your opinion, or directs something in your direction that you perceive as an insult or challenge....... give them the benefit of the doubt, forums are inherently weak in this type of situation. Instead of taking offense and firing back, picture the person who wrote that as a long term buddy, who likes you, and is teasing you in a good natured way that would be obvious if you were standing in person in his garage or yours... don’t take it personally and fire back or “defend yourself”. Let it go. Life is short. Have a short memory and move on.

There’s your answer.

Periodically I will be reading a thread here and somebody just can’t help themselves and has to take it in a political direction. I’m sure some of you have the same reaction I do which is “here we go again”...... there’s nothing wrong with having political views, I’m sure we all have them. I look at this site as a place to actually get away from all of that for a while. I don’t know if I would agree with every decision the moderators make, but I do know one thing for sure, I would not want to be a moderator on this site. I’m grateful for what they do.

Does the person who started a thread have the ability to take it down?

I always thought Adam West and Burt Ward were pretty lame as Batman and Robin. The talent on the show was Cesar Romero. ....fabulous as The Joker. The best part was the cameos and the stars that rolled through the show. And let’s not forget Julie Newmar as Catwoman....... prrrrrrrrrr...... 30,000 pounds is a little north of 41K US dollars......ah......no.....

Not the project for me, but I can certainly see why someone with more skill and experience than me might bite. If this could be the end product, it is very attractive.

Finishing the approximately 1,000 square foot attic so that things in the garage can move to the attic.......freeing up space in the garage for another car that I don’t really need.......

I had only seen them mentioned previously in books I've read. I have never seen one in the flesh. What was their engine set up over the production years? Did they manufacture their own, or source them from outside?

I have to second this. If I was to dabble in this area again, I would look for a straight axle corvette. There is a cost difference (2 or 3 times for a comparable car), but I think I’d be happier in the long run. in no way am I going negative on the car in question... it looks like a reasonable value. I don’t know if there are any Tbirds in my future again, maybe a sunset coral 56 with a black top......

I am 6’2”. I had a 55 for several years. Legroom wasn’t a problem. I don’t Ever recall driving with the top up. Mine looked in similar condition to this one, but I learned over the years that there were a lot of things hidden behind the paint job. It had quite a bit of filler in it. I always thought I wanted one of these but after having one, I got it out of my system. This car looks like a good value if the panels are steel and it runs as described.

Well if you want to say yes say yes....and if you want to say no say no....

Matt, sorry for the stress and annoying dilemma. The guy is crazy to have thought this was a good idea. “This latest example of adults without brains is exactly why my patience is shot and my energy is gone and my interest in cars is plummeting. “ I totally get this comment of yours. We all love this stuff which is why we are here. You wouldn’t be the first guy I know if the decision to make this your business instead of your hobby wrecked it for you. Hopefully the next 100 buyers are reasonable people who become a fun productive part of your network and business. Don’t let this guys poor judgement bring you down and don’t feel obligated to take it back.

My signage and automobilia stuff is modest. I enjoy it but like Ed, at a certain price point, I'd rather have a car........ I have had the enjoyment of being around for many years with a close friend who has lots of great stuff. I marvel at some of the deals he has gotten. If you are willing to restore (paint) there are diamonds in the rough out there. I love the large dealership signs of the Neon era. Speaking of that. A reliable neon guy is a valuable resource. I've witnessed some of the troubles my friend has gone through getting custom neon work done for larger signs. If anyone has had a good experience with a neon guy in the Chicago area, drop me their contact information. some tips from my friend: Thickness of the metal in the sign, obvious indication of "fake" distress, or acid induced rust, dimensions close but not correct.

Since you dropped that good information, let’s see that Packard Sign!

Good topic. A short and simple answer is "I think you have to see the sign in person". You mention buying off ebay. Without taking a look at it in person and putting your hands on it, you will be relying on the knowledge and honesty of the seller. I like this type of stuff too and have some of it. I try to buy at off the beaten path antique stores in rural areas where I can check it out myself, or I'll use Craigslist, Facebook marketplace, etc.......and go look in person. Prices do seem to be crazy and I wonder if there is a correction sometime in the future. Great stuff has just gotten very pricey. I have always wanted a Packard Dealership sign. With prices like this: https://www.mecum.com/lots/SC0517-283058/packard-neon-sign/ I can't justify pulling the trigger, unless I stumble on one hidden away in someones barn needing restoration. I have a close friend who has a lot of signage, high end stuff, large porcelain, Neon dealership signs, and others. He is always looking and finds great deals. He seems to stumble on things that are a value (and real, not reproductions) when He is in a mom and pop "junk or antique store" in rural/small town places. As for the skill to tell the reproductions......my experience is that the reproductions are pretty obvious. But you could get fooled buying sight unseen.

I think it is time for me to shop for a Fedora and break out the mustache............

fabulous. If you haven’t seen this video of a 1906 Spyker.. work it into your day. Great craftsmanship. Worth your time.