maxkalba Posted July 20, 2019 Share Posted July 20, 2019 Just came across these photos of 2594 J-563 painted in blue with an olive green sweep panel. The side view is from a Briggs Cunningham postcard dated 1970 (maybe photo taken earlier) and the front is from ‘The Treasury of the Automobile’ by Ralph Stein, 1960. Seems like the two-tone grey was done later than I had previously thought. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hupp36 Posted July 20, 2019 Share Posted July 20, 2019 That's when they made Automobiles, not the crap they make today. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John_Mereness Posted July 20, 2019 Share Posted July 20, 2019 https://getyarn.io/yarn-clip/be5ee09d-021d-40ef-b00e-ed2b3b9b12cc Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edinmass Posted July 20, 2019 Share Posted July 20, 2019 Nothing better than a late model SJ/JN/SSJ with the 17 inch wheels, and later deco designs. 👍 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Moskowitz Posted July 20, 2019 Share Posted July 20, 2019 Nothing better? I'd say the collection you manage, care for and spend time with might be the "definition" of nothing better! You, Jeff Orwig, Stephen Murphy and Kieth Flickinger among many others have an amazing life with these type of cars. My visit with you and the owner of "your"magnificent cars still reverberates in my head. Each car is as amazing as the next! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1937hd45 Posted July 20, 2019 Share Posted July 20, 2019 (edited) The Cunningham SSJ was painted by Gus Reuter in the old Bronx shop some time in the 1950's, saw photos of it just last week, his Grandson in Law is writing a book about him and the cars that went through the shop. James Melton will be he topic of another book. Bob Edited July 20, 2019 by 1937hd45 (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
60FlatTop Posted July 20, 2019 Share Posted July 20, 2019 2 hours ago, Hupp36 said: not the crap they make today. That quote is repeated from a Willys-Knight aficionado in 1934. Our village library got that Ralph Stein book in 1960 and it was the driving force that changed my interests and life. When it became a library discard I bought it and it is sitting about 3 feet from me right now. 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1937hd45 Posted July 20, 2019 Share Posted July 20, 2019 1 hour ago, 60FlatTop said: That quote is repeated from a Willys-Knight aficionado in 1934. Our village library got that Ralph Stein book in 1960 and it was the driving force that changed my interests and life. When it became a library discard I bought it and it is sitting about 3 feet from me right now. That is still THE BEST book ever written about the hobby, Aunt Betty gave me my copy for Christmas 1961. Bob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hupp36 Posted July 21, 2019 Share Posted July 21, 2019 I knew nothing about the book, I just said what was on my mind. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
padgett Posted July 21, 2019 Share Posted July 21, 2019 Great minds think alike. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
George Albright Posted July 21, 2019 Share Posted July 21, 2019 James Melton is buried in the city cemetery about 2000 feet from my home. I have visited his grave. He went to Ocala high school with my grandmother. If anyone doing a story or book on James Melton wants a photo of his grave please let me know. Thanks George Albright Ocala Florida. Cell weekdays 352 843 1624. Email gnalbright@gmail.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1950panhead Posted July 21, 2019 Share Posted July 21, 2019 James Melton, singer and car collector ... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
George Albright Posted July 21, 2019 Share Posted July 21, 2019 There it is!!! Thanks George Albright 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maxkalba Posted July 21, 2019 Author Share Posted July 21, 2019 19 hours ago, 1937hd45 said: The Cunningham SSJ was painted by Gus Reuter in the old Bronx shop some time in the 1950's, saw photos of it just last week, his Grandson in Law is writing a book about him and the cars that went through the shop. James Melton will be he topic of another book. Bob Great info, thanks. I would love to see that photo. So do you think Gus painted the colors in the above photos? Cunningham had said that John Seelinger did a restoration in 1948 in SF but the date/location doesn’t seem to add up? This SSJ is shown in a light color (light grey, white or tan) with a dark sweep panel outside Clark’s Long Island Museum in 1949. I’m trying to get an understanding of the timeline of restorations/paint changes - I think I can count around 6 paint changes. Tan/tan > grey/grey > rolled on green? > white/green? > blue/green > grey/grey Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1937hd45 Posted July 21, 2019 Share Posted July 21, 2019 Great photo! Briggs Cunningham & James Melton had vanity plates on most of their cars, both lived in Westport, Ct. at the same time. Thought I did well this morning at the local Sunday flea market, got a copy of Duesenberg by Louis William Steinwedel & J. Herbert Newport. The undated photo of the SSJ shows a painted grille shell as well. The Reuter photo I saw had the shell painted. I'd guess Gus picked the color combination in the Stein book photo. Bob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maxkalba Posted July 21, 2019 Author Share Posted July 21, 2019 (edited) I believe this photo is the SSJ loaned to Gable (2595 J-567) after it was restored and painted tan by Sidney Luft’s Custom Motors in Beverly Hills sometime in either 1939 or 1940. I think this photo was taken during D. Cameron Peck’s brief ownership around 1949 in Illinois. Edited July 22, 2019 by maxkalba wrong date (see edit history) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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