Car at Mill

[Guest Model T Nick]

One last picture. No date on this one What is the make?

[Juha Paavo Kaita]

Hi!

Could the car be Buick 1929?

Juha

[Leif Holmberg]

Looks more like 1928 Buick.

Leif in Sweden.

[30sclassics]

1828 Buick Standard, model 28-27.

[Ivan Saxton]

Another strong possibility is one that is much less common. All the body detail, bonnet, radiator, door handles correspond exactly to Pierce Arrow. The fenders (mudguards) fit 1928 model 81, which had a radiator badge that looks like that.

Model 80 has quite different fenders and no radiator badge. Herbert Dawley's characteristic fender headlamps were originally optional in 1914; but were so popular with customers that they quickly became standard. Conventional headlamps were then a special order item. (There was a fellow who ran a hotel in NZ about 1970 who had a good 1929 8cyl Pierce with the optional separate headlights. He was desperate to get fender lights for it. I had good front fenders, and a set that had been grossly customised; so whem a couple of Kiwis were here who knew him, I cut out the lights and they were delivered to him. No cost, naturally. I never had an acknowledgement, which was graceless.) Anyway, separate lights were still available right through the 20's, and this could be a model 81 like that. You also need to be aware of what parts of models 80 and 81 Pierce Arrows that Pierce actually built. They built the engines, and they built the bodies. Everything else was proprietry stuff supplied, except possibly the front axle, which had the Isotta Fraschini brake system for which Pierce paid licence. Even the gearbox was an outside job. It was made by Brown&Lipe, and it was exactly the same box as Mercer had used for the Series 6 on the OHV 6 cylinder Rochester-Trego engine. (Different input shaft for difference in clutch.)

If bootleggers were using the old mill, a Pierce with separate lights would be more anonymous. Ivan Saxton

[Dave_B]

I think lovtheclassics has it right. It is a 1928 Buick Model 27

Dave

[Ivan Saxton]

Looking again, you could be right; because Pierce brakes were much bigger than Buick.

[Clincher]

I think it is a 1928 Buick Master Six. The Standard Six had two-bar bumpers. The Master Six bumpers had three bars.

[TexRiv_63]

Definitely not a 28 Pierce model 81, see photo.

[30sclassics]

Regarding post from Clincher:

Probably 80-90% of 1928 Buick Standard models you see have 2-bar bumpers, and the same percentage of Masters have 3-bar bumpers; however, 2-bar and 3-bar bumpers were available for both Standard and Master. The same 3-bar front bumper and the same 3-bar full rear bumper fit both Master and Standard. For the split rear bumper (fender guards) on Standards having rear-mounted spare tires, there were 3 choices: 3-bar, 2-bar with 1 3/4" bars, or 2-bar with 2" bars. You still paid extra for bumpers. The width of the rear quarter window in the photo appears to be smaller than on the Master model 28-47.

[Clincher]

Thanks very much, Luvtheclassics, for the enlightening info regarding 1928 Buick bumper bars. Back in the early 'fifties I had a Master Six and two Standards, drove them extensively for everyday transport, and liked them a lot. The Standard Six roadster was particularly enjoyable. Am I right in remembering that the Standards had flat fan belts and The Masters vee belts?

[30sclassics]

Clincher, your memory is correct. The 1928 Master was the first to use the V-belt, and the 1928 Standard was the last to use the flat belt.