Pierce arrow truck

[blastermike]

Hi 

wondering if anyone here knows of any pierce arrow parts trucks or parts off

i have a 1926 XA 2 ton truck that im needing some parts for

the 2 3 or 5 ton models from 1923 to 28 that had solid rubber wheels im told were the same diametre 20”  wheels, im looking for a set of front solid steel spoked wheels and any sheetmetal plus a few other smaller parts

if anyone can help, please let me know

thanks

mike cameron

 

 

[alsfarms]

Hello Mike,  Share additional story and restoration victories with pictures.

Al

[blastermike]

Hi Al

well after 11 yrs of owning this truck i was planning on starting the restoration this year, 

earlier this year a fellow PA truck owner gave me an oportunity to buy most of the parts i need from a chassis only he had bought in ca from the bernie long auction

which with help from a mate of his it was the best opportunity, ive had to date, but my luck changed as the shipping company i was using misplaced or lost! Yes lost my parts,

so now apart from the money i lost too, im back to square one! looking for parts,

hoping this year my luck can only get better from now on?

the trucks solid rubber steel wheels have been cut and have locking ring type rims welded on so it can take 20” tyres, i do have a good set of solid rears from a chassis i found in an orchard here, and i want to keep the truck originally as it came out from the factory, i bought this truck from phil marshall in kendall NY and shipped it back down here to NZ, 

must be other parts and pieces out there?

so ill just have to keep looking/asking 

mike

[Walt G]

Does anyone reading this know what happened to the solid tire cab over engine Pierce Arrow truck that Austin Clark had sitting out at his L.I. Auto Museum under a tree outside back from the main museum buildings  towards the entrance to the "truck barn" ? It was only a chassis and engine no body/seats etc really overgrown and had sat there for decades getting over grown by vines and assorted other shrubbery.  Some how the steering wheel for that truck got removed and stored in the loft above the main museum building and sat there for decades. I found it and bought the wheel from Austin at one of his Iron Range Days and still have it and restored it . All this took place at least 40 years ago. Ed M. says he sees no listing of the truck chassis in the P-A Society.

I was just curious as I moved that steering wheel to another part of my library and it started me wondering about the remains of the truck - I know it was sold and was not scrapped but not to who it was sold to. I don't recall clearly  if the chassis had an engine in it or not or at least a complete engine. Austin told me who the remains were sold to but I don't recall now but believe it stayed in the NE section/area of the USA.  - No I do not want to part with the steering wheel!

thanks

Walt G.

Edited January 23, 2020 by Walt G
added text to clarify (see edit history)

[alsfarms]

Walt,

Do you happen to have any 40 year old left over pictures that will show the P-A truck that you refer to above?  If you post them it may spark a thought/memory for someone and result in helping to track down the "mystery" P-A truck chassis.

Al

[Walt G]

Hi Al, I may have some photos ( someplace)  but it is highly unlikely . The truck remains were well hidden by vines that grew on it for 40+ years so to even take a photo of it when I saw it would not show much of the truck itself. There was no radiator, fenders, or body it was a frame with a motor in it and I can't recall if the motor was complete - I am thinking it was because everything would have been rusted in place and defied removal. Austin Clark had a file in his library that had folders in it on each car he owned or had bought and eventually sold. They listed where and when he bought the vehicle. I worked in his library in the early 1970s so saw it then and we referred to it on occasion when he would get asked a question by someone. His library went to the Henry Ford Museum and I am assuming that file with it. If those files do exist they would be there buried ??

[paul55]

HI Mike,

  Hard to believe it has been 11 years since your truck purchase. Phil used 2 parts trucks to restore his XB. You purchased one and the other was left behind. It was an XB Bell telephone truck and may have a winch. The wooden cab was excellent as it was stored in one of the trailers. The chassis sat outside and could not be photographed as it was in tall brush. I have sent out feelers and learned the following from a friend.

 The Barn restaurant located at 2544 Genesee St., Piffard, NY 14533-9747. The restaurant has a sign on it saying they will reopen in March. Their phone is 585-243-2113. My friend's brother expects to be out there again soon and I will pass on any info that I have. There is an assortment of old trucks sitting outside in the weather. Some are over 100 years old. I have not confirmed that these are the remains of Phil's collection.

  Here is another lead. The Motor Transport Museum, 31949 CA-94, Campo, CA 91906. Their phone is 619-478-2492.

Regards,

Paul Jacobs

[blastermike]

Hi paul

hey thanks for the leads, yes its been a few yrs allright, since you helped me get the XA from phil, thats why i was so gutted when the chassis karl krouch sold me in LA which had a lot of the missing original parts, plus 2 sets of used good cond solid rubber tyres, only to be lost by a useless shipping company, last year, but on a more positive note karl put me onto a guy in milwaukee who had some parts from a WC 4 ton model and a helpfull guy in chicago (Marty) travelled up to check the lead out and ive now managed to acquire a generator/ rebuilt distributor/ brass nameplates and a mileage recorder and a carburetor, good to hear from you paul and thanks again for the info

cheers mike

attached a couple of pics of a rear wheel, the type of front wheels im looking for are the same style, they have two rows of distinctive flat steel spokes, manufactured by “bethlehem steel” 36”x 4” or 5”

[1912Staver]

Very interesting wheels. I have not seen that style before. I have only seen a couple of Pierce trucks and they had wood spoke wheels. Are those steel wheels a factory option ?

Any progress on your Packard ?

 

Greg

[blastermike]

Hi greg

yeh they are factory wheels, used on pierce trucks from 23 onwards, i think the earlier trucks all were wooden spoked?  i have seen 3 others with the steel type and actually had bought a set only to have the shipping company in LA loose them, only

done a few jobs on the packard, and in the process of having new front wooden wheels made, and got a fueltank from dave lockard, also i found a handpump for pressurising the fuel system, its not the one they used but it will have to do, still need to find the switches/controls that fit into the sides of the box under the steering wheel, how about your projects? are you working? or having to stay at home?

cheers mike

[1912Staver]

Hi Mike, I retired a year ago. But my Packard is dormant. I guess all the Pierce's I have seen were the earlier ones. Very unfortunate about your lost in transit wheels and parts.

Mostly staying at home. The virus has my Wife very concerned as she has a moderate immune disorder. British Columbia is still faring well compared to many places , but that could 

change any time. She still has to go to work at our local hospital, but her manager has allowed her to work from her office as much as she possibly can.

 

Hope you are keeping well !

 

Greg

[blastermike]

Got an update, thanks to a helpfull guy on another website, have been sent some pictures of a XB model pierce which shares same mechanicals as the XA, i dont think this truck is for sale and they too are looking for some parts so maybe between us we can help each other?

here are some pictures 

mike

[alsfarms]

Nice picture of another Old Work Horse laying asleep waiting for the next wake up call, (parts and restoration).

Al

[pughs]

There were two Pierce-Arrow trucks at the Bernie Long estate auction in Bloomington California last summer. Neither truck got any bids, probably because of their size. The auctioneer was Alex Trepanier. They were in rough shape.

[blastermike]

Hi, yes i bought one of them for the parts i needed, as it was just a Rolling chassis

and the shipping company i got them dropped of at lost them and because they were sharing a yard with another company and they were moving everything was scraped, both companies blamed each other and i got nothing

mike.

[jeff_a]

Hi Mike,

Have you heard of the P-A Truck in Missoula, MT? I saw it five days ago. A 1918  2-1/2 ton..

 

Edited June 14, 2020 by jeff_a (see edit history)

[blastermike]

Hi jeff, no havent heard of that one, i was in missoula for two days last year on our trip

have had this engine sidepanel offered for sale so bought it as it has the latches and an original nameplate, from this i can reproduce the other one i need, another part i dont need to find now

cheers mike

[Mark Wetherbee]

On 6/14/2020 at 4:03 AM, blastermike said:

Hi jeff, no havent heard of that one, i was in missoula for two days last year on our trip

have had this engine sidepanel offered for sale so bought it as it has the latches and an original nameplate, from this i can reproduce the other one i need, another part i dont need to find now

cheers mike

 

I’ve often wondered if that bronze plate was an early door sill... now I know! Really like this project and hope to see it sometime.

[paul55]

Hi Mike,

 Glancing through the old photos taken at Phil's, there are photos of Phil's second parts truck. It is identified as a 1924 model WD (5 ton) with S/N 5211366 and engine number 4121133. This was a Bell or NY Telephone pole erection truck according to Phil. The cab was in quite solid shape. Not sure where the engine was/is. The contact info in the post above would apply to this truck. Good luck.

[blastermike]

Hi paul

thanks for those pictures, i have tried at least 1/2 a dozen times to phone that restauraunt but no one answers, maybe they have caller i/d and see its an overseas number? But just recently a guy from the pierce arrow club site has phoned them for me and left a message, so im hoping to find out if and what parts they may? have, or perhaps know of any? others 

i will update as soon as i get a response

cheers mike

[alsfarms]

I hope your scrounging is fruitful.  Have you, perchance ran across a Riker transmission in your parts hunts? 

Al

[blastermike]

Hi AL,  sorry havent come across any riker parts as yet but you never know whats out there, perseverance is whats needed mate, im sure something will turn up, that engine sidepanel i bought came from a lady in monaco- france!   Lucky for me she researched what it was and offered the panel to me at a very fair price to offset the cost of posting to way down here, 

cheers mike

[alsfarms]

What is a better means to interact with the European Antique Truck guys?  This forum may not be the best way.....

Al

[blastermike]

Hi Al,

ive tried on some french sites but the language barrier is an issue, and i found if your asking for parts they are less likely to respond, well that was my experince, 

if i was you id join the uk site “hmvf” as a lot of european restorers check in on that site, youd have a chance there i reckon

mike

[blastermike]

Got some pa truck updates, ive managed to speak to frank in ny and he knows of a 20’s pierce arrow parts truck, so waiting for him to get back to me, also he had some other pictures of the poletruck paul posted a picture of that was at phil matshalls, turns out the front wheels were wooden spoked but the rears were like mine, 

i also spoke with tracy kroon in montana who has bought and sold a lot of antique trucks and parts and runs a restoration bussiness there, he knew of earlier pa trucks but nothing offhand like my era pa, 

ive added a picture of the parts marty in chicago helped get for me, a recond distributor and spare caps, pa name badges, originals and reproductions, a delco remy generator, mileage recorder and remains of two gauges, and a period muffler, most of this came from Milwaukee, the rest of the truck was scrapped, also added a picture of the engine sidepanel that came from france,

i will use this as a patern to reproduce the leftside panel and latches

hope this is of interest

mike

[blastermike]

Just an update, finally found some front wheels and the leftside engine panel, light brkts and bumper spring mounts, and the gearstick and casting, the parts came from a collection of 4 PA trucks in mass and lucky for me the new owner of the collection was selling of the rough parts truck, hoping to ship it back soon, 

mike

[Vin cassidy]

Hi  all I acquired about 10,000 lbs od Pearce arrow truck parts they have been out side but many very usable part 2 engines ,4 transmissions  a front axle and 2 frame sections  ,fire wall the man I bought this pile said peirce arrow 5 ton and 7 ton and one engine has a cast iron radiator all is forsale please contact vin cassidy 978-758-0834 thank you

[blastermike]

Finally got my parts for the xa truck, 

the gearstick topcasting needs some repairs but at least its the correct one

just wanted to update you all

mike

[jcrow]

Hopefully I am not too far off topic, but I ended up with some nice truck literature.

Not my area of interest, so open to sell or trade.....

 

Johnny

[blastermike]

Johnny   pm sent

 

[blastermike]

The new top casting for the gearstick selector has just come back from the foundry , they used the broken original as a patern after tidying it up,

small progress but just trying to have all the jigsaw pieces ready before starting on the trucks restoration.

[alsfarms]

I hear you.....small steps are better than no steps!

Al