Rescued 1935 Stutz Pak-age-car

[msmazcol]

Spoke to this gentleman over the weekend after seeing a for sale ad in Hemmings this weekend. This guy is my idol and we have never met. This is what you do to save a really rare unit from a scrap yard where you just can't get to it.

Great save.

Mark, Son of Milt Smazik owner 1939 Diamond T Pak-age-car only known restored survivor.

[Guest Paul Christ]

Was that little guy at Hershey this year? I remember seeing a similar vehicle in the red field behind the stadium. It was in pretty rough shape. Hopefully this is the same vehicle, and it has found a good home.

[Restorer32]

Was this vehicle rescued from a small salvage yard in Hanover, PA? If not another one did reside there for many years and may still.

[msmazcol]

I cannot answer the Hershey question. I do know if it was at Hershey it was on a trailer as it is not in rolling condition.

Your junkyard in Hanover sounds correct. The salvage yard has been closed for some time as the story goes.

Anyone needing the owner/seller's name please PM me.

Thanks

[Restorer32]

That's the one. Would be a Herculean task to restore it. We restored a very similar 1936 Thorne Gas-Electric Milk truck for Rutter's Dairies and visited this Pak-Age-Car in hopes that some parts might interchange. They didn't. Nice to see it finally rescued.

[msmazcol]

We have met Jay. He is a great guy with an awesome collection.

[Restorer32]

Actually it was Jay's brother Dale who found and spearheaded the restoration of the Thorne Gas Electric Milk Truck. Dale told us hilarious stories of using the Thorne as his dating vehicle back in the day. We finished the restoration in 1998 or so. It was a prototype and thus the only one of its type built by Thorne. Dale found the truck in a virtually unrestorable state. We replaced ALL sheetmetal except the fenders and also had to bebuild maybe 75% of the metal framework of the truck. Luckily, as found, the generator and electric motor were rebuildable. It was powered by a Hercules 4 cylinder industrial engine. As luck would have it many NOS parts are available for this engine due to its extensive use in the military before and after WWII. I hope someone restores the Stutz. Great that it is back in the hands of the family that purchased it in 1936.

[llopdoro]

You can find 2 examplars of this emblematic truck in J's Museum in Manchester, PA. Here is what the owner is writing:

1937 Stutz Pak-Age-Car

In 1932, Stutz Motor Company bought the Pak-Age-Car Company. The Pak-Age-Car van-truck had a four-cylinder Hercules engine that was mounted in the rear of the truck and was mounted to a rear transaxle. This engine/transaxle unit was easily removable on the slide out frame on which it was installed. These trucks were manufactured in the Indianapolis, Indiana factory until 1937 when the Stutz Company filed bankruptcy. The Pak-Age-Car marketing and distribution taken over by the Diamond T Company, which continued to sell the van-trucks until March 1941, when war preparations took over the Connersville plant. There are approx. 10 Pakagecar (both Stutz & Diamond T models) known to be in existence.

I bought the short wheel base truck around 2005 and had plans to restore it. I have since bought a beautiful 1937 Stutz Pakagecar that has a long wheel base body with rear swing out-doors and is complete with all equipment and accessories. This includes the original wheels and all four hubcaps with the Stutz emblem riveted to them. There is very little rust on the body, the engine seems to be in great shape and I have started the restoration of this truck it will be ready the 2011 truck & car show season.

The pictures speak by themselves better than my "incompetence" about such vehicles

[llopdoro]

More information and a vehicle for sale... it was on feb 10, 2011, in the H.A.M.B. forum where I am member too

1937 Stutz and Diamond-T Pack-Age-Car - THE H.A.M.B.

[msmazcol]

Thank you for a recent update on Pak-age-cars that are still remaining to this day. We have met and know Jay along with his amazing collection of stand to drive trucks. Jay recently added another one this past summer. I believe it is the rare rear door model you refer to. You are very correct in you information regarding the involvement of Diamond T in the Pak-age-car history.

If you return to Jay's web site he will also make the statement about my Dad's Diamond T that it is the only known surviving model.

While Pak-age-cars are very similar in design a Stutz and a Diamond T are two different creatures.

Jay himself will tell you he would love to add a Diamond T to his amazing collection.

[Guest noncompos]

The Pak-Age-Car seems to've had a number of engine configurations over the years, at least per my old parts catalogs:

Approx 26(??) to 29 a 2cyl 31/4 bore, a flat (horizontally-opposed) per Mroz;

By 33 an Austin 4 cyl 2.2 bore;

Approx 34-35 a Stutz-Austin 4 cyl 2.2 bore;

Approx 36-37 the 4cyl Herc IXA, I believe primarily or wholly a tractor/ag eqpmt engine, but no problem for a stop-start vehicle, and probably a benefit if it developed power at relatively low RPM;

Approx 38-41 a 4cyl Lycoming DC (Auburn used many Lycomings).

My impression is that Lycoming parts are not that easy to find, but I don't know how widely the DC was used (if that is, in fact, the correct engine--parts catalogs are not that reliable).

[Restorer32]

The 4 cylinder Hercules engines were used extensively by the military and others as power supplies and to drive welders, pumps, etc. When we restored the Crist Thorne NOS surplus parts were readily available even for a 1936 vintage engine. We found a NOS carb, exhaust manifold and fuel pump among other parts. Hercules was still in business and American owned when we did the Thorne and they were able to supply us with an original 1936 Engine Manual.

[msmazcol]

Dad's 39 Diamond T is equipped with the Lycoming as well as a Columbia transaxle.

[Willys77]

THESE ARE VERY NEAT UNITS! ALWAYS HAVE LOVED THE "COMMERCIAL" SIDE OF THE HOBBY! THE FRONT END REMINDS ME OF THE WILLYS "CAB OVER ENGINE" PANEL DELIVERY ~ MANUFACTURED FROM 1940 -1942/ kNOW THERE WERE A COUPLE AROUND ABOUT 15 - 20 YEARS AGO, SAW PHOTOS ON THE NET. DON'T KNOW IF THERE ARE ANY LEFT. WOULD BE INTERESTING TO FIND ONE.

[john2dameron]

Someone hauled a 1935 Stutz Pak-Age-Car to Macungie, PA to the ATCA show June 19, 1909. It was very pitiful looking. The fenders had fallen off of it and you could stand at the rear axle and see out the other side. This may be the same van. Just found the photos I took at Macungie in 2009. That one had blue wheels, large radial tires and no hubcaps. That doesn't say the owner didn't have them.

Edited April 6, 2011 by john2dameron
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