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Pre-War Buick Advertisements


benjaminhuf

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Here are a few photos out of a 1908 Buick Brochure.  This piece is too big to put on the scanner that I have, so, the alternative is to take photographs of the pages.  I will add my comments on the second photo posting.  If you guys out there like looking at the really early Buick material, I will post some more of it for you.

 

Terry Wiegand

South Hutchinson, Kansas

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Here is an interesting close up view of the 1908 Buick Model 5 engine on the manifold side.  Almost from day 1 Buick touted their automobiles as having a Valve-In-Head engine.  Look closely at this engine and you will notice that the intake valves are on one side of the cylinder and that the exhaust valves are on the other side.  This is what is referred to as a T-Head engine.  Looking closely again,  you will notice that the valves are in the block and not over the top of the cylinder bore as in an OHV (Over-Head-Valve) configuration.  I find this to be extremely interesting technical information about EARLY Buick automobiles.

 

Terry Wiegand

South Hutchinson, Kansas

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Yes, please post more of these images of very early Buicks—including the technical stuff.

 

One thing I don't understand about early cars is how they could be shifted while minimizing grinding the gears before synchromesh. Was there a technique to it in terms of "rev matching"? Do you folks with pre-1930 Buicks have the original type of transmission and clutch?

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Before the synchromesh transmission came along everything was square cut gears.  There definitely was a system to driving one of these vehicles.  A lot of the cars like my 1916 had what was called a 'clutch brake'.  The way that worked was that a person would push the clutch pedal down far enough to disengage the clutch, and then by pushing the pedal further down it would engage the brake to slow, or almost stop the transmission input shaft, so that the shift lever could move things to the next higher when moving forward.  The way that I drive my non-synchromesh cars is that I use first gear to get the car moving, then push the clutch pedal in, move the lever to neutral, count to myself one, two, and then gently move the shift lever into second gear position, release the clutch and do the same thing all over again to move into high gear.  It takes patience and practice, but the average person picks up the skill right quickly and they're headed right down the road very nicely.

 

Terry Wiegand

South Hutchinson, Kansas

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4 minutes ago, Terry Wiegand said:

Before the synchromesh transmission came along everything was square cut gears.  There definitely was a system to driving one of these vehicles.  A lot of the cars like my 1916 had what was called a 'clutch brake'.  The way that worked was that a person would push the clutch pedal down far enough to disengage the clutch, and then by pushing the pedal further down it would engage the brake to slow, or almost stop the transmission input shaft, so that the shift lever could move things to the next higher when moving forward.  The way that I drive my non-synchromesh cars is that I use first gear to get the car moving, then push the clutch pedal in, move the lever to neutral, count to myself one, two, and then gently move the shift lever into second gear position, release the clutch and do the same thing all over again to move into high gear.  It takes patience and practice, but the average person picks up the skill right quickly and they're headed right down the road very nicely.

Terry, the way I drive my clutch-brake-equipped 1918 and 1925 Pierces is this:  Pedal all the way to the floor to engage clutch brake ONLY at rest for shifting to Reverse or 1st (in the 1918, 2nd except on hills).  While underway, one does NOT want to engage the clutch brake (that would screw up the double-clutch operation), so depress the clutch only to within one inch (distance dependent on adjustment of the clutch brake pads) of the toeboard.  But we may be saying the same thing, but differently....  🙂

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George,

You are absolutely right on as usual.  After rereading what I put down - it didn't come out like I wanted it to say.  In all of the times that I have ever driven the 1916, I don't think that I have ever really used the clutch brake.  Double clutching is something that I really have never gotten into either.  I was taught that pushing in on the clutch pedal lightly and the momentary pause (count one, two) move shift lever, release clutch pedal, and then ease on the gas and you are good to go.  And I might add that I have never had any gear clashing either.  I think it is a safe bet that you and I drive these old cars in the same manner.  Thanks for keeping me sharp.

 

Terry Wiegand

South Hutchinson, Kansas

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Thanks for the kind words, Terry.

 

For those who don't have experience with clutch brakes, they were found on higher end cars with unsynchronized transmissions equipped with square-cut gears.  Clutch brakes slow down the rotation of the transmission gears, allowing the driver to shift, at idle, into a starting gear (usually first or reverse) with minimal delay and gear clash.

 

When cars became equipped with 2nd and 3rd gear synchromesh, the same effect could be obtained by "starting" the selector into 2nd or 3rd to engage the synchronizers, then move to the UNsynchronized first or reverse.

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Thanks for the thoughts on shifting early cars. Interesting stuff.

 

I recently read a good book about Harley Earl called Fins by William Knoedelseder. In the book there was this passage that talked about the fine sound of Pierce-Arrows. And below are a couple of advertisements for the Pierce-Arrow.

 

One of Harley Earl's hires—after he was appointed in 1928 by Alfred Sloan as the head of GM's new "Art and Colour Section" (a name Earl didn't like)—was Frank Hershey, whose affluent mother had purchased custom cars designed by Harley Earl. Frank Hershey was an influential car designer for decades, and helped design the 1949 Cadillac fin, and helped design Ford's 1955 Thunderbird. Earl liked designers who, in his words, "had gasoline in their veins"—and Hershey fit that. For instance, Hershey could identify almost any car of the 1920s just by their sounds, as he remembered in an interview in the 1990s a few years before he died....

"The Marmon had a hollow, spooky sound, partly because because they didn't have any louvers in the hood, Studebakers were distinctive because their rear axles whined all the time. The Pierce-Arrow had a swishing sound, sort of like it was riding on water, almost like steam, it was so quiet. And I could always tell a Cadillac because they sounded like the valves needed adjusting."
 

1920.4 Buick.jpg

1920.5 peerless.jpg

1921.4 buick 150k.jpg

23.9 pierce engine.jpg

24.8 pierce 80.jpg

The advertising copy for that Peerless car ad above is strangely wistful. Since it's impossible to read the ad without clicking on it to enlarge it multiple times, I'll type some of it here just in case someone might be interested.

"....Up Life's winding course, regret pursues change and change bites the heels of habit and custom. The stage-coach of romance gives place to steam and speed. The electric light snuffs out the soft-beamed candle. Tinkling sleigh-bells drown in the roar of motor horns.

But Youth knows naught of the old, Age accepts the new, and who will say that smiles were brighter or spirits keener at the Christmases of our fathers than they are today?

Richer and wider is our modern life, with its locomotives, its electricity, its motor cars—they have extended our horizons, increased our comforts and opportunities, multiplied our human relationships.

Here at the Peerless factory we measure our accomplishment by the degree to which the Peerless Two-power-range Eight shares in this widening and enriching process. As the new year approaches, we renew our pledges of devotion to ideals of sound building and honest dealing.

The Peerless Motor Car Company
CLEVELAND : OHIO"

Edited by benjaminhuf (see edit history)
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Interesting I think to see what other brand names were being established at the same time as the Buick name, and so two ads from 1921 show Planters Peanuts and International Business Machines. The Pierce Arrow advertisement from 1923 describes a deluxe trip in that deluxe car that you can probably read if you magnify as much as possible. And then finally there's the Buick eight from 1930.

1921 planters peanuts.jpg

1921.1 IBM 2.jpg

1923 pierce arrow.jpg

30.9 buick.jpg

Edited by benjaminhuf (see edit history)
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I just got the latest issue of the AACA magazine, Antique Automobile, and there's an article about the AACA library's project to digitize their collection of auto ads -- over 11,000 ads.  The site isn't finished yet -- mainly, the "search engine" is not yet operating -- but you can go on there and find a ton of great stuff.

 

http://ads.aacalibrary.org/

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5 hours ago, neil morse said:

I just got the latest issue of the AACA magazine, Antique Automobile, and there's an article about the AACA library's project to digitize their collection of auto ads -- over 11,000 ads.  The site isn't finished yet -- mainly, the "search engine" is not yet operating -- but you can go on there and find a ton of great stuff.

 

http://ads.aacalibrary.org/

Good stuff. 

 

Unfortunately, unless I'm missing something, they don't seem to allow you to download the images. And so I don't see a way to directly post images here, for instance....? Hmmm. Looks like they charge $1 per image. I hope we can still do some free sharing here from our own collections.

Edited by benjaminhuf (see edit history)
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5 hours ago, benjaminhuf said:

Good stuff. 

 

Unfortunately, unless I'm missing something, they don't seem to allow you to download the images. And so I don't see a way to directly post images here, for instance....? Hmmm. Looks like they charge $1 per image. I hope we can still do some free sharing here from our own collections.

 

I can see why they aren't just giving those images away.  And we can "post" them here by posting a link, the way that I did.  But there's no reason why their library policies should interfere in any way with the sharing and posting that's going on here!  I really appreciate everything you have posted from your wonderful collection.

Edited by neil morse
grammar (see edit history)
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My apologies for the pictures below.  I wanted to share more of my ad collection, but they are framed and hanging in my modest "Buick Foyer" entryway of my house, and trying to get a good non reflective picture of them without me staring back at you is nearly impossible.  I took them mostly at an angle that would minimize the reflection, so think of it as a walk through instead of scanned pictures that could be shared.

 

1927 54CC Convertible Coupe

 

20190209_125953.thumb.jpg.9f2a87cfeb3beb42ea7b71b5d37cff72.jpg20190209_130101.thumb.jpg.259edd5a8e336245152cc5f4b9e421bb.jpg1677175616_2754CCBuick.thumb.jpg.61242a01e2678cffe1e3a8cba87e5bc4.jpg

 

 

And here is a painting my late Grandmother did of her son in laws Buick (then my Dad's, now owned by me)

 

20190209_131308.thumb.jpg.7af989bcf62930145702eb2c404e8a8b.jpg

Edited by 27donb (see edit history)
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1927 Buick Touring...Now, other people, experts if you will, who know far more than I, have said that by this time, the ad for the Buick Touring was a compilation of features from more than one model.  It was my understanding that the Standard Six Sport Touring, which I own, was in the color scheme shown.  But, the car in pictured is clearly a Master model, with nickled headlights, but should have a brown upper body.  So there is the combination for the ad, and I agree with the experts.20190209_130010.thumb.jpg.1aadfac6b054f0b3719c46e9fcd5d269.jpg20190209_131649.thumb.jpg.c6e12b173abaa42fda8c4ebdc7041466.jpg20190209_131359.thumb.jpg.68b355ea2064879bd2e91579ffae7489.jpg

Edited by 27donb (see edit history)
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@benjaminhuf and others who are sharing their ads here, I finally took time to spend three morning coffees perusing these and just want to say THANKS for sharing. I enjoy not only the ads but the commentary that has gone with them, SO interesting. And @27donb , those are some mighty fine collectible pieces and framed pictures you have, mighty fine I say!! Especially the Howard Automobile Company pieces, gotta be rare. I have a few pieces of HAC and prize them highly.   I would like to remind all that there is a forum dedicated to posting your memorabilia and collectibles if you wish to share with the rest of the Buick enthusiast community. Not that there's a problem with posting here, just sayin.     https://forums.aaca.org/forum/141-buick-garages-and-memorabilia/

Thanks @neil morse for the tip on the AACA ads, I had not seen that reference in the magazine. Oh and thanks too to @Terry Wiegand and @Grimy for the info on pre-syncromesh clutching, I'll have to remember that when I get my first teens Buick.

Again, thanks all for sharing and look forward to following. Off for another cup of caffee

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