Any Crosley gurus here?

[George Smolinski]

Would like the pros & cons of buying & owning a Crosley Super Sport. It's a 1951. Not a show car, but certainly a very nice driver or casual cruise/show car. Cute little bugger. Parts availability? Can I assume there's manuals & other info to service & repair it when necessary? Any help or comment is appreciated.

[Fleek]

Not much action in the Crosley forum here, but this is listed there as a source of everything Crosley. http://www.CrosleyAutoClub.com

 

I would ask this in our crosley forum also to see if anyone is awake down there. You might find someone with info that would like to share with you.

[Peter J.Heizmann]

2 hours ago, George Smolinski said:

Would like the pros & cons of buying & owning a Crosley Super Sport. It's a 1951. Not a show car, but certainly a very nice driver or casual cruise/show car. Cute little bugger. Parts availability? Can I assume there's manuals & other info to service & repair it when necessary? Any help or comment is appreciated.

 

 

Hello, George.   Our 2018 VP of Publications is Dave Anspach  -  tmkldwwj@yahoo.com 

 

He is a long time collector and resident expert if you will concerning Crosleys.  As with most directors they come onto the forum little if at all.  Maybe they troll the forum without comment?  Contact him per the address above.

 

Peter J.

[John_S_in_Penna]

A couple of members in our own AACA region are

ardent Crosley fans.  One of them wrote an article

for our newsletter, detailing his experiences with

a 22,000-mile 1947 Crosley which he bought in 1955

to use for his 3-mile commute.

 

He found it wasn't good even for that limited driving,

because the 26 horsepower engine was underpowered.

He had to drive for a half-mile in 2nd gear to get up

enough speed for 3rd.  Many hills required down-shifting.

 

His didn't have as many problems as others because

of the low mileage, he wrote.  But in general, the bell housing

would crack where the starter bolted on;  fan blades would

fly off because they were riveted, not welded, to the hub;

ring-gear bolts would shear off and cause a lot of damage.

 

For his own car, the clutch would chatter, and as the 

engine mounts deteriorated, the engine would shake.

Hydraulic brakes were made of aluminum and would

corrode badly from road salt.

 

Crosley experts may tell more and even defend their favorite

brand, and maybe by 1951 some problems were worked out.

Maybe today's collectors have worked out solutions to weak points.

But once the post-war sellers' market evaporated, Crosley

sales went tellingly down.  It's an interesting car if you go in

with your eyes open!

Edited May 1, 2018 by John_S_in_Penna (see edit history)

[Peter J.Heizmann]

 

John,  you forgot to mention your friend had to have bought the car without even a 1/2 - 3 mile test drive at which time he would have noticed the under power issues.  

 

14 minutes ago, John_S_in_Penna said:

For his own car, the clutch would chatter, and as the 

engine mounts deteriorated, the engine would shake.

Hydraulic brakes were made of aluminum and would

corrode badly from road salt. 

 

Add all these other issues quoted above confirms the guy bought the car with no testing.  Also wonder why he would keep the car long enough for all the corrosion issues to come into play?  Must be more to the story.

[John_S_in_Penna]

George,

It's always interesting to hear the accounts of people

who were actually there and experienced a car over

several years and thousands of miles.  They know far more

than we who are onlookers decades later.

 

I believe he still owns that car today.  He says he follows

Crosleys despite their faults, because he roots for the underdog.

[DAVE A]

Thanks for remembering me Peter.   I try to get on this page every day....just don't comment as often as I used to.   George, I don't know if I qualify as a guru, but I have owned Crosleys for over 20 years now and own a dozen or so right now, including 4 Senior cars that have been pretty widely shown.  I have restored a Hotshot and a Supersports and am working on a Super Hotshot right now.  I'll happily answer any questions you have either here or if you want to call me at 484 769 7856.   

[Peter J.Heizmann]

57 minutes ago, DAVE A said:

Thanks for remembering me Peter.   I try to get on this page every day....just don't comment as often as I used to.   George, I don't know if I qualify as a guru, but I have owned Crosleys for over 20 years now and own a dozen or so right now, including 4 Senior cars that have been pretty widely shown.  I have restored a Hotshot and a Supersports and am working on a Super Hotshot right now.  I'll happily answer any questions you have either here or if you want to call me at 484 769 7856.   

 

Great, Dave.  Thank you for responding to George's query.

 

Hope you are enjoying the Florida move.  Nothing new here in Mt. Penn.

 

Regards,

 

Peter J.

[DAVE A]

Was just up over the weekend.  I guess I'm spoiled.   Too darned cold for me.  Come on down sometime.   You could literally go to a car event 7 days a week !!  

[Peter J.Heizmann]

That is a tempting offer.  Take care...

[Rusty_OToole]

Tom McCahill tested the Hot Shot and was impressed. He found the performance comparable to an MG even though the Crosley only had a 750cc engine to the English car's 1250cc. He called the Crosley a tin tub on wheels with a fine engine while the MG was quality from its radiator cap to tail lights.

 

He said he would love to see a race between 6 Hot Shots and 6 MGs on a sports car road course.

 

Super Sport models  had 10:1 compression, very high for the time. They had a Thompson Vitameter which injected a mixture of water, alcohol and tetraethyl lead into the intake manifold to prevent engine knock. If you see a big glass jar under the hood that is the Vitameter.

Edited May 2, 2018 by Rusty_OToole (see edit history)

[8E45E]

15 hours ago, John_S_in_Penna said:

A couple of members in our own AACA region are

ardent Crosley fans.  One of them wrote an article

for our newsletter, detailing his experiences with

a 22,000-mile 1947 Crosley which he bought in 1955

to use for his 3-mile commute.

I bet it was a station wagon or a convertible; the heaviest body style of the lot, which would account for the poor performance.  Neither the Super Sport or the Hot Shot were available that early, and one can expect much better performance from the little two-seaters.

 

Craig

 

 

 

[John_S_in_Penna]

Actually, it was neither a wagon nor a convertible;

it was a coupe.  Even though the tiny car put out

only 26 horsepower, the author noted that that was

significantly better than the pre-war Crosleys' 12 horsepower.

 

Testimony by people who owned and drove a car

regularly for many miles is especially interesting.  

They actually lived a part of automotive history.

 

Here's a picture from the files of the A.A.C.A. Library

that shows how small the Crosleys really were:

 

 

Edited May 2, 2018 by John_S_in_Penna (see edit history)

[DAVE A]

8 hours ago, Rusty_OToole said:

Tom McCahill tested the Hot Shot and was impressed. He found the performance comparable to an MG even though the Crosley only had a 750cc engine to the English car's 1250cc. He called the Crosley a tin tub on wheels with a fine engine while the MG was quality from its radiator cap to tail lights.

 

He said he would love to see a race between 6 Hot Shots and 6 MGs on a sports car road course.

 

Super Sport models  had 10:1 compression, very high for the time. They had a Thompson Vitameter which injected a mixture of water, alcohol and tetraethyl lead into the intake manifold to prevent engine knock. If you see a big glass jar under the hood that is the Vitameter.

Finding an engine with high compression and a Vitameter is very rare as they were a seldom added option.  Mr. Cahill was totally anti Crosley until he was Powels guest at his estate, then suddenly he was pro  Crosley!!!  I guess some things don't change!!!  

       I got my introduction to Crosleys while working on an MG Midget one afternoon. I lamented that it was a shame no American company ever built a car that fit my definition of a sports car .   My friend working with me told me about the Crosleys Hotshot.  "Won the first race at Sebring".  He said.  It imprinted on my memory and years later I bought one as a restoration project.  I love the little cars and they are so much fun to drive.  If you are shy, don't buy one because they ALWAYS draw a crowd no matter where you go or show.

 

[DAVE A]

Here is my bottom line on Crosleys.  They are fun and interesting American made little cars.  They are great to show and drive, undoubtedly one of the lowest cost vehicles for entry into the old car hobby.  They do well on almost any show field.  They Must be maintained especially if not properly maintained by previous owners. Things like brakes on the pre hydraulic cars have to be kept tight.   The engines are practically bullet proof.  Because they are so simple, they are easy to work on.  Parts are readily available for mechanicals, and service manuals and expertise are easy to get.  Of course I am biased, but I would recommend hem highly to any car person. 

[Rusty_OToole]

I don't recall McCahill being anti Crosley at any time. He had an unusual ability to give every car a fair shake regardless of size or price. In other words he assessed them all on their merits, and never fell into the trap of thinking a Rolls Royce was automatically better than a Rambler because it cost more.

 

He did 2 or 3 Crosley tests that I recall and they were overall positive. At 6'3" and 250 pounds I don't know how he even drove them but he seemed to think well of them.

[Rusty_OToole]

It is true the Crosley won the first Sebring sports car race beating the Ferraris and V8 powered Allards. The secret was the race was run on a handicap basis and the Crosley, having the smallest engine, also had to complete the smallest number of laps. But it won fair and square.

[capngrog]

3 hours ago, Rusty_OToole said:

 

He did 2 or 3 Crosley tests that I recall and they were overall positive. At 6'3" and 250 pounds I don't know how he even drove them but he seemed to think well of them.

 

As I recall, Powel Crosley was a big man himself and stood 6'4'' or 6'5", and made the postwar Crosley such that it was a comfortable fit for him.  My Dad was A Crosley dealer in Miami, Fl, until they went out of business in 1952.  My Dad at just over 6'0" was quite comfortable in a Crosley, and I remember many long (450 miles or so) family trips in our Crosley station wagon.  I have a friend (nicknamed "Tree") who stands about 6'5" or 6'6" who bet me that he could not fit into my Crosley station wagon.  Well, the bet (for a beer) was on, and much to his surprise, "Tree" found that not only could he fit in the Crosley, but it was comfortable to boot.  I'm a Crosley fan and have 2-1/2: a 1947 Sedan, a 1950 station wagon and a 1952 pickup truck (somewhat modified into an SBC-powered Rat Rod). 

 

Cheers,

Grog

[Jim Bollman]

Boy I miss one day and I'm way behind. I bought my first Crosley at 13 and still have it, that was 56 years ago. The Crosley forum here is not to active because we have our own message board at https://groups.io/g/Crosley-Gang you have to join (Free) to post but you can look around without joining (I'm the moderator). As already posted our web page is http://crosleyautoclub.com/ and has a lot of info. We have some very good Crosley vendors including 3 large ones that have most anything you want mechanical and a fair amount of other things including reproduction parts of some of the hard to find items. http://crosleyautoclub.com/PartsSuppliers.html

 

If you want to really find out more than you want to know, come to our Nationals in NW Ohio in July. You can get rides in an assortment of models and maybe even drive a few. We are a very friendly group. If you bring a project you may find a bunch of people fixing your project for you. Dave brought a fresh of the barn car a few years ago and was driving it around a day or so later, even though he had planned to just push it on the field. One of our engine guys brought a rebuilt engine for one of the members and installed it for him at the show. One of our vendors runs a Crosley repair shop for much of the week leading up to the show in a building he rents on the grounds.

 

As far as the aluminum brake problem, that was only the 4 wheel disc brakes they had for part of 49 and 50. First 4 wheel disk brakes in a mass produced American car and it was on all models. They didn't count on the salt used in the Winter. They are not the best brakes but once rebuilt they are pretty good and don't corrode unless you drive your collector car in the Winter salt. They replaced them with 9" Bendix brakes part way through 1950 and they are very good brakes.

 

If you want a car to do 500 mile trips, you will probably be disappointed, even though we have members that do. The Super Sports is pretty peppy, but it isn't fast, there are lots of hop-up option for the  44ci engine that can make it faster but not fast.  Some put in the later variation of the Crosley engine that was made all the way up to 1972 and was bored and stroked out to 59ci and can put out 55-70hp reliability and makes for a pretty fast little under 1200lb car, when converted back into a car engine it drops right in. Stock you can cruise at 50-55mph with a good engine and faster for short runs. 

 

Sounds like with Dave and a few others beside myself we can answer your questions here or jump over to the Crosley-Gang message board for many more experts.

 

 

[George Smolinski]

Car got sold. I was leaning toward not buying it, so no loss. Wifey thought it was cute, but would rather have a 1971 Corvette.

Thanks to all that offered advice.

[DLynskey]

1951 Crosley or 1971 Corvette? Tough choice.

 

Don

[dalef62]

Crosley or Corvette??? If your looking for driving fast and being with the "in" crowd, it is the Corvette, but if you are looking for fun all around it is the Crosley hands down.  Everyone has a Corvette, go to a car show/cruise and they are everywhere.  Not everyone has a Crosley and at shows you can't see the Crosley for all the people flocked around it!?  I speak from experiance, I have a Corvette and a few Crosleys.

[Dave Mellor NJ]

Here is a 52 Crosley wagon body going to auction at Jake's flea market in Barto, Pa. 

https://www.auctionzip.com/Listings/3032846.html?kwd=Model A Ford%2C antique cars&zip=&category=0&utm_source=azemail&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=alerts

[DAVE A]

Sorry you missed jioning in the funof owning a Crosley!!!!