1931 devaux coupe

[JustDave]

Here’s my newest project,why I bought it I don’t know I already have 2 others,but this is a custom coupe with landau bars side mounts and a trunk rack m.y others. Are a 32 standard coupe and a 31 sports coupe,the restoration was started in 69 by a gentleman in Elk Grove calif,unfortunately he passed away before he could finish it,then I,t was sold to another gentlemen in Elk Grove who didn’t do much to it,all the chassic is done motor rebuilt all new clutch all bearings seals and even the shocks rebuilt,it probably has half of what I payed for it just in chrome,thanks for looking. The wood has been replaced,took delivery a couple of weeks ago still trying to sort it out

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited June 6, 2018 by JustDave (see edit history)

[keiser31]

NICE! I love that radiator shell.

Edited June 6, 2018 by keiser31 (see edit history)

[Durant Mike]

Hey Dave, don't know if you are a member yet, but the Durant Motors Automobile Club (www.durantmotors.org) covers that marque and has members that own a number of Devaux's.  Norman Devaux ran the GM facility in California under Billy Durant and later ran Durant's Oakland assembly plant. After the demise of Durant Motors he started his own car company with Colonel Hall.  If you haven't already, jump over to the Durant club site and check it out. If you need any help or assistance with parts, feel free to post on that site and your likely to find them. The club puts out an excellent quarterly magazine and is truly a car club family.

[JustDave]

Quote

 

THANKS FOR THE REPLY KAISER THE RADIATOR SHELL IS COOL AND IT HAS ALREADY BEEN RECHROMED,THANKS DURANT MIKE,IVE BEEN A MEMBER OF THE DURANT CLUB OFF AND ON FOR ALOT OF YEARS

IM GOING TO HAVE TO SEND MY DUES IN AND REKINDLE MY MEMBERSHIP,THERE ISNT ALOT OF INFO ON THE DEVAUX AND ALOT OF PEOPLE HAVENT EVEN HEARD OF IT,ALOT OF PEOPLE ASK IF ITS A FOREIGN CAR,I ASKED A GUY AT THE SWAPMEET ONE TIME FOR DEVAUX AND HE SAID HE NO VOLVO PARTS NOW I JUST LOOK AND DONT BOTHER ASKING,WILL TRY AND KEEP UPDATING THE POST AS THINGS PROGRESS

I JUST HOPE ANOTHER ONE DOESNT COME UP FOR SALE I BELIEVE I HAVE A DISEASE I JUST KEEP BUYING MORE PROJECTS AND I THINK IN MY MIND IM STILL YOUNG,    DAVE

[Luv2Wrench]

Awesome car, can't wait to see the restoration.

 

[old car fan]

I love it,keep us posted

[JustDave]

Will do , said the engine has been rebuilt and ran, but when I look at it there’s no oil lines hooked up no fuel lines hooked up all the carb linkage,the battery is new but the cables are not attached,I have all receipts for the motor all old gaskets pistonsetc I just don’t think it was ever ran,I guess I’ll know fairly soon,   Dave

[unimogjohn]

Wow, great find.  Looks to be a super car to finish.

[JustDave]

Hello everyone. Still trying to sort threw things found a New gasket set from Olsen’s,found a new y n z wiring harness found a couple of taillights but there both wrong neither one was a nacho simsonite,in wrapped the bumpers from  the plater,the rear is beautiful the front al,though it’s nice it’s the wrong one,I believe it’s 29 or 30 Chevy double bar,I’ll post pics to see if anyone can identify it and use it,the devaux takes a single bar in the front identical to 32 Chevy so should be easier to find a Chevy bumper than a devaux,the trunk rack is missing they Geri rigged a piece of plywood to the rack brackets and set a trunk on it,will keep going threw things and see what turns up,thanks for lookin Dave

Edited June 11, 2018 by JustDave (see edit history)

[JustDave]

Phello all.  Went thru more boxes today found the original crank hole cover and the original grille shell emblem!also a repro emblem,the original  horn is there this is the first original horn I’ve seen,I’d like to put trUmpett horns. On this one but I can use it on my other 31 also found the taillight not in to good of shape but it’s there,there are also to dome lights I don’t know which is original but there both odd so either will work,  also found the original horn button thanks  for looking and if anyone has any suggestions I’d love to hear them.  Thanks Dave

[a sell]

Is the horn you found a very ornate fillagree pancake type? Generally coupes did not have dome lights.  The 6-17 Durant I have been helping to restore did not have a dome light.  Does your DeVaux have the "double high" transmission? 

[JustDave]

Thanks for looking a sell,the horn is Avery ornate pancake horn,the dome light I don’t know if it originally had one or not,,I have the original headliner put away in a bag I will get it out and check it,the wood  in the roof  is cutout for a dome light but who knows,,the trans I’ve never heard of a double high,I haven’t been under it yet but I don’t believe it has free wheeling,   Dave

[JustDave]

Does anyone know where to get the red rubber hose that driver the water pump off the generator,  thanks dave

[Spinneyhill]

One of the restoration supplies outfits has red radiator hose. Is that what you mean? Picture would help...

[chistech]

On 7/4/2018 at 7:50 PM, JustDave said:

Does anyone know where to get the red rubber hose that driver the water pump off the generator,  thanks dave

Funny you ask that. I was just looking at the very same thing today but in black for my 32’ Olds. Try Restoration Supply Company, www.restorationstuff.com.  They have black or red, on page 15 in their catalog. It’s radiator hose starting at 1/2” ID. 

[JustDave]

Thanks chistech,I checked with restoration supply and sure enough they have really it appreciate the lead,I’m in the middle of a cosmetic resto on my 71 gmc 2500 as soon as it’s finished I can devote more time to the devaux,  thanks everyone. Dave

[Durant Mike]

Just Dave

    All the Durant/Devaux owners at the Durant club don't use regular radiator hose to drive this. You need a stiffer hydrolic hose that will not twist when spinning. I'll get in touch with one of my Devaux people and see what they use.

[JustDave]

Thanks mike didn’t order it yet will wait to hear from you.  Dave

[chistech]

The rubber couplings originally used were made of hose that used to be called “milk house” or milk parlor hose. The current name used is high temperature reinforced  water hose or steam hose.  Black hydraulic hose will work but the outer casing is not the correct material and not sure you’ll find red hydraulic hose but you can find it in high temperature reinforced water hose. The HTRWH is a larger outer diameter vs. inner diameter than most hydraulic hoses. The reason for this is not strength but insulation from the heat of the water inside so the hose can be handled by a person. The HTRWH also has longitudinal cord running through it like the hydraulic hose which will prevent twisting yet allows more flexibility than the hard hydraulic hose outer casing material.

      If your coupling is anything like mine it has a 1/2 or 5/8 ID with at least a 1”OD. The 5/8 ID red radiator hose offered by Restoration Supply is 1 1/16”  OD and could work. The 1/2”ID hose listed is too small on the OD @ 7/8” though. I’ve seen thin metal sleeves on the 1/2” shafts to increase them to 5/8” so the thicker walled hose could be used and I’ve also found many who’ve used two different diameter hoses, one slid inside the other to give the small inside diameter and to also get the larger OD required. You could use the red 1/2”ID hose and the 7/8”ID hose with a final 1 1/4”OD. The coupling hose material used is just one of many items on my 32’ Olds that I have researched heavily for correctness. 

       The length on my application is just about 2” long and a hose, or combination of hoses with a 1/4-3/8” thickness and that length should have no issue turning a water pump shaft in good condition. The slight flex of the hose was the reason hose was used in place of a hard coupling. The Oldsmobile pump faceplate is designed with some play so it can be moved some then tightened up to align the two shafts as close as possible. The picture shows my Olds generator/water pump coupling. Shafts are 1/2” and the hose has a 1 1/8”OD. The hose shown is the original OEM coupling.

[Durant Mike]

One of long term members with great knowledge suggested "hydraulic hose or straight radiator hose (NAPA) don't use heater hose, it has no reinforcement. So you might see what NAPA has. It needs to be reinforced so it will not twist as it gets old.
 

[JustDave]

thanks for all the help,i measured the shaft its 5/8 diameter,the couplings I got said 1 1/16 outside diameter by approx. 4 inchs long,i noticed restoration supply has something with those measurements

but ill have to call them to see if it has a reinforcement in the hose,im going to go threw the parts again this weekend and try sorting everything out,they said the car had been started since the engine was rebuilt but from what I can see it has not been started,the fuel lines are not connected the oil lines aren't even on the engine,the starter  button has not been connected,so many things tell me its not been started,i believe ill get everything connected as far as oil lines and electrical lines,i noticed they've put  and electric fuel on with a block off plate so im going to try and fine a fuel pump and maybe just use the electric pump for a backup,once I get it running and sorted out I can start getting it ready for paint ,upholstery and a top,the dash and the lower window  frames look like they where wood grained at one time,most of the devauxs ive seen have a black dash so ill have to research it real good to find out whats original,  thanks for all the help      dave

[chistech]

Yes, plain heater core hose is too soft and only around 1/8” wall thickness. Wall should be at least 1/4”. Hydraulic hose also has a woven steel mesh that is very difficult to drill through if your application requires it.

[JustDave]

Thanks chistech,the hose has 5/8 shaft and a 1 1/16 outer diameter,so that would give it about 1/4 inch wall thickness by 4 inch’s long I believe your right about needing to be reinforced,,in the mean time I’m going to sort out the electrical and the oil and fuel lines,has anyone here  used cunifuer  tubing,in thinking about using it for the oil and fuel lines under the hood,I’ve been told when it’s polished it’s not real brute   looks clean any thoughts,   Thanks. Dave

[chistech]

I actually just used it on my 31' engine for the oil distributor line to the rocker shaft. My oil line passes from the distributor outside the block through a hole and into the pushrod/lifter side of the motor then goes up to the rocker shaft fitting. It's just to the right of the oil return tube in the second picture at the center of the head/pushrod area. Much like copper tubing to bend but actually slightly easier.  Very easy to put nice clean bends in but also easy to make a mess of as it is so soft. I used compression fittings in my application. I do know that there's cheap knock off copper/nickel tubing and you know it the minute you try to put a flare on it. The cheap or imitation stuff will split easily when you flare it. 

[JustDave]

Hello all I haven’t been able to devote much time to the devaux,several years ago I parked my 71. GMC 2500 because I had no reason to keep using it,it gets about 13 miles to the gallon and I didn’t need to pull the caR trailer so I thought,well about 3 1/2 years ago I decided to give it a quick paint job,well me and quickie paint jobs don’t always agree so I ended up taking it down to the bare cab stripping it to bare metal and painting it in and out,here’s pics of the results,  dave

[JustDave]

A few more

[JustDave]

Hello everyone I am Continuing to sort threw the parts in my spare time,found things missing as usual,once a car has been torn down and moved things get lost or thrown out,I know devaux parts are scares but if anybody has anything please let me know,I now know I’ll need 2  19 inch wire wheels,one of mine I believe is a 19 inch Chevy wire wheel 6 lug bolt pattern,the other wheel has a couple of spokes missing,these wheels are riveted spoke type and I can’t figure out how to replace a couple spokes,the other thing at this time is the windshield wiper motor,does any one have a catalog that might give me some info on the wiper model number or cross reference to see what interchanges with it,again anyone with devaux parts let me know,thanks for looking,   Dave

[a sell]

The location where we have been storing our cars has a 31 DeVaux coupe like this. The owner drove it to a Durant meet in the midwest. There are a lot of Durant parts and literally tons of misc parts for maybe a dozen marques in three shops. Within the next month or so this is all slated to be sold. The property is going to a charitable trust who we assume will just scrap everything that is leftover. Art

[JustDave]

Hello art is this mike Larsen’s estate in Oregon,either way please let me know when and where the auction is being held,my e mail is davesplace2010@yahoo.com or call me at 909 9187171,   Thanks. Dave