bruffsup Posted January 9, 2020 Share Posted January 9, 2020 This looks like a real professional conversion. 25 years ago there was a circa 1930 Lasalle fire emergency conversion that I unsuccessfully bid for at a Quebec auction . It too had a really nice professional conversion with a body tag from "Rochester..Body works?" Sadly the buyer converted it back to a car! I am a buyer for one of these "trucks" if there are any left . Hyman had a lovely Packard tow conversion years ago, nicely done but more amateurish than this beautiful Lincoln. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
28 Chrysler Posted January 9, 2020 Share Posted January 9, 2020 (edited) Sorry about the crappy photo of this Lincoln. (and another bad photo) Edited June 12, 2022 by 28 Chrysler photo added (see edit history) 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keiser31 Posted January 9, 2020 Share Posted January 9, 2020 Great photo....just not the whole vehicle. It's all good. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bruffsup Posted January 9, 2020 Author Share Posted January 9, 2020 WOW ! How many first born for that jewel? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1912Staver Posted January 9, 2020 Share Posted January 9, 2020 (edited) It's surprising how many Lincoln sedans ended up as service vehicles or tow trucks. They must have had a reputation for dependability as they aged. These days it seems like the fork and blade con rod engines are treated with a bit of distrust amongst collectors . Or am I misinformed ? There was a tow truck conversion very similar to the " Johnson's Garage " vehicle for sale recently in my neck of the woods. A proper tow setup ; Holmes or Weaver if I recall correctly with jack down stabilisers, but the Lincoln itself was seriously weathered. And a optimistic price tag at close to $10,000 asking. Caught my attention but I didn't go any further than a bit of pondering. I have often thought it would be useful to have a vintage tow truck . Greg in Canada Edited January 9, 2020 by 1912Staver (see edit history) 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keiser31 Posted January 9, 2020 Share Posted January 9, 2020 (edited) I think this Packard was once a conversion/wrecker if I remember correctly....it sat in Oceanside, California.... Edited January 9, 2020 by keiser31 (see edit history) 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Harwood Posted January 10, 2020 Share Posted January 10, 2020 I have decided that I need to own a Full Classic tow truck. Very much want something like these. Maybe I'll cut the back off my '29 sedan... I'd even settle for something awesome like this: 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1912Staver Posted January 10, 2020 Share Posted January 10, 2020 Being a brass era guy I always thought this 1910 - 12 era vehicle had a great look. Not nearly as useful a machine as some of the classic era conversions. Matt that Cadillac towing the bus is a remarkable combination of elegance with brawn. But long and low with almost speedster looks and a light duty tow set up for function. Greg in Canada 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bruffsup Posted January 10, 2020 Author Share Posted January 10, 2020 light duty? Towing a bus! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1912Staver Posted January 10, 2020 Share Posted January 10, 2020 1 hour ago, bruffsup said: light duty? Towing a bus! Sorry I was not clear, the teens Potomac Garage vehicle looks relatively light duty. The Cadillac towing the bus is in another league altogether. Greg 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Harwood Posted January 10, 2020 Share Posted January 10, 2020 Does anyone know if this Packard wrecker ever sold? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
58L-Y8 Posted January 10, 2020 Share Posted January 10, 2020 (edited) Matt, If you do a CL search for the New England states it turns up all the time. Price continues to moderate. Here it is: https://worcester.craigslist.org/pts/d/auburn-1928-packard-wrecker-tow-truck/7048910562.html Edited January 10, 2020 by 58L-Y8 (see edit history) 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edinmass Posted January 10, 2020 Share Posted January 10, 2020 I think it came out to Hawkeye's in upper New York State......see this month's CCCA magazine for a long article on him. I think I know the owner...........but not certain. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
auburnseeker Posted January 10, 2020 Share Posted January 10, 2020 I actually don't think the wrecker came from Hawkeye, there was a whole story on that and I don't think it had to do with Hawkeye. He did have a really neat 28? Packard roadster Pickup Conversion he used to drive around that I would have loved to have gotten. I grew up spending my Summers in Saranac Lake. My Grandfather that was building Guideboats at the time knew Hawkeye for many years was going to take me up to see him and his cars , as my grandfather knew I was a car nut and he knew Hawkeye had quite a collection he had seen a few times. A friend of my Grandfathers who also retired from Boat building went to work as a care taker and was going to show me a bunch of old Cars in a barn at the estate he was caretaking, but that never came about either. Too many missed opportunities. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
auburnseeker Posted January 10, 2020 Share Posted January 10, 2020 15 hours ago, Matt Harwood said: I have decided that I need to own a Full Classic tow truck. Very much want something like these. Maybe I'll cut the back off my '29 sedan... I'd even settle for something awesome like this: I know of a Lincoln you might want to do that to. Might even be a good stress reliever. Get Xander to draw you up some plans. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Harwood Posted January 10, 2020 Share Posted January 10, 2020 I caught myself last night looking at frumpy old Full Classic sedans in need of restoration that I could cut up to make my own wrecker. But since that Packard wrecker is still available... So tempting... I don't know why the desire to have one of these hit me so hard and fast yesterday--I've always liked big trucks and that first photo of the Springfield Cadillac wrecker really talks to me. Now I'm obsessed. How awesome to show up at a CCCA event with that Packard in as-is condition but mechanically fit? If I can sell 15 cars this month, I bet I can make it work. Help me out, guys! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TerryB Posted January 10, 2020 Share Posted January 10, 2020 Buick? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eldovert Posted January 10, 2020 Share Posted January 10, 2020 Not a car based tow truck..but definitely custom and cool. Cheers,Pat 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
auburnseeker Posted January 10, 2020 Share Posted January 10, 2020 49 minutes ago, Matt Harwood said: If I can sell 15 cars this month, I bet I can make it work. Help me out, guys! Now if you had bought that Packard and only marked it up a little, I might have been able to help you out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Graham Man Posted January 10, 2020 Share Posted January 10, 2020 1929 Packard at the International towing Museum in TN https://internationaltowingmuseum.org/ 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulrhd29nz Posted January 11, 2020 Share Posted January 11, 2020 This does it for me. A 27 hudson at the Reynolds Museum in Alberta 4 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AHa Posted January 11, 2020 Share Posted January 11, 2020 Not a wrecker but as tow cars go, I love this one, 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AHa Posted January 11, 2020 Share Posted January 11, 2020 Not a Lincoln but I love the tall cab of this Loco in the Tow Museum in Chattanooga. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bruffsup Posted January 11, 2020 Author Share Posted January 11, 2020 33 minutes ago, AHa said: Not a wrecker but as tow cars go, I love this one, that is too cool. Chain drive ! What is it? Locomobile? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AHa Posted January 11, 2020 Share Posted January 11, 2020 (edited) Yes, Locomobile. Nobody has successfully identified the year or model to my knowledge. Correction: after considering the two cars raced in the 08 Fairmont, I believe this is a 1908 40 horse model I Loco though the rear hub is wrong. Edited January 12, 2020 by AHa (see edit history) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
md murray Posted January 11, 2020 Share Posted January 11, 2020 On 1/10/2020 at 10:12 AM, auburnseeker said: I actually don't think the wrecker came from Hawkeye, there was a whole story on that and I don't think it had to do with Hawkeye. He did have a really neat 28? Packard roadster Pickup Conversion he used to drive around that I would have loved to have gotten. I grew up spending my Summers in Saranac Lake. My Grandfather that was building Guideboats at the time knew Hawkeye for many years was going to take me up to see him and his cars , as my grandfather knew I was a car nut and he knew Hawkeye had quite a collection he had seen a few times. A friend of my Grandfathers who also retired from Boat building went to work as a care taker and was going to show me a bunch of old Cars in a barn at the estate he was caretaking, but that never came about either. Too many missed opportunities. You are correct -that red wrecker is from another gentleman's estate a little further south and definitely not from Hawkeye's. He had a couple of really cool old service cars including a 12 cylinder Cadillac. The only thing he had with a boom was a monster mounted on a gigantic long Buick chassis that he used to pull the engines out of the various old wooden boats he was playing with. Incidentally, just for good record the boats that he owned over the years were just incredible and certainly far more exceptional and rare than any car that he ever owned with the exception of the Minerva. Anyhow, this picture was on the The Old Motor a while back and is one that I think would be awesome to try an emulate 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeff_a Posted January 11, 2020 Share Posted January 11, 2020 (edited) Matt, does this check any of your boxes? Hydraulic brakes, blackwalls, decent eight... 1924 "A" Duesenberg service car used by the California distributor. Maybe you read the story "Full Classics Earning Their Keep" by Jim Donnelly this photo was in [December Hemmings Classic Car, 2013]. You might ruffle a few feathers showing up at an A-C-D meet with it, but you have to admit it has a certain panache. I wonder if anyone who tracks early Duesenbergs knows what happened to it. Edited January 11, 2020 by jeff_a (see edit history) 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
md murray Posted January 11, 2020 Share Posted January 11, 2020 I was told by the owner of a late 1920's Lincoln service car that Ford sent the dealers specific instruction on how they wanted them to cut down old limos/ 7passengers and fabricate the new service bodies. I guess they wanted to promote an appearance of conformity among the dealers. It would be pretty interesting to get a look at this literature-anyone ever seen/heard of this? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PFitz Posted January 11, 2020 Share Posted January 11, 2020 (edited) Maybe you prefer an older dealer work/delivery vehicle ? This Locomobile belonged to Walt G. for a time. Yours truly at the wheel, back in the early 1980's, shortly after Walt bought it from Austin Clark's L.I. museum. He can tell you more about it. Paul Edited January 11, 2020 by PFitz (see edit history) 3 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ozstatman Posted January 12, 2020 Share Posted January 12, 2020 (edited) The National Motor Museum in Birdwood South Australia has a Packard "wrecker" in attendance. Edited January 12, 2020 by Ozstatman (see edit history) 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Moskowitz Posted January 12, 2020 Share Posted January 12, 2020 From Chuck Fanucci: This is my grandfather's tow truck circa 1917 Series 4 Pierce-Arrow. This photo was taken in front of the AAA office in San Francisco, CA. His shop was in Mountain View, CA for many years. My father also used it in his garage/tow business in Santa Cruz, CA until it was replaced in 1944. I remember riding in it when I was very young. At the time, as it was right hand drive, I was allowed to sit in the front seat with my elbow on the window sill and pretend to be driving it! It was such a thrill!! Sorry the picture upload upside down...not sure how that happened. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D Yaros Posted January 12, 2020 Share Posted January 12, 2020 On 1/10/2020 at 3:09 PM, Graham Man said: 1929 Packard at the International towing Museum in TN https://internationaltowingmuseum.org/ No doubt neat! But would a working tow truck of that era have all that chrome and white walls? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
58L-Y8 Posted January 12, 2020 Share Posted January 12, 2020 This should help, Mr Fanucci selected a good rugged chassis to build his tow truck. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J.H.Boland Posted January 12, 2020 Share Posted January 12, 2020 Light vehicles underwent many modifications over the years too. When I was a teen,I spotted an old truck in a local village garage. A tall elderly gent and his wife were sitting on the porch. When I asked him if that was an old truck in the garage, he said "Naw,it's only a 1919 Ford "! It was a turtle deck roadster with a box fitted. He drove it all over the area repairing farm machinery. It has been restored and preserved. It inspired me years later to leave my '21 Chevy 490 as a "field modified" pickup. When a local two cylinder John Deere club held a meet nearby, I had the correct-for-year Deere logo added to the doors. I also have a "Waterloo Boy" decal to go on the running board tool box in the spring. Deere dealers sold these until 1924,when the first John Deere tractors were offered. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
durospeed Posted January 12, 2020 Share Posted January 12, 2020 here's a recent picture of my 1928 Lincoln tow truck that was converted back in the day taking off the back portion of the limo body and retaining the front of the body. Its a great runner. 10 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 13, 2020 Share Posted January 13, 2020 (edited) " On 1/9/2020 at 7:03 PM, Matt Harwood said: I have decided that I need to own a Full Classic tow truck. Very much want something like these. Maybe I'll cut the back off my '29 sedan... " Not a Classic, but I always wanted a tow truck so I made my own. At least the wrecker boom is at least 80 years old. Edited January 13, 2020 by Roger Walling (see edit history) 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Harwood Posted January 13, 2020 Share Posted January 13, 2020 19 hours ago, durospeed said: here's a recent picture of my 1928 Lincoln tow truck that was converted back in the day taking off the back portion of the limo body and retaining the front of the body. Its a great runner. Wow, I love it! That must be a real show-stopper. I like that most of the conversions have pretty good proportions--the guys doing the work left enough of the front seat/cab intact to give it a proper look. I especially like this one with the Brewster windshield and padded roof, too--that way you know it was a custom body (Judkins?). Fantastic! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Walt G Posted January 13, 2020 Share Posted January 13, 2020 The picture of the Locomobile type I express truck that I bought from Austin Clark decades ago was a 1907 chassis. the body was built by the Derham Body Company for the Ardmore Garage of Ardmore, Pa. I found anf restored the proper brass lights for it ( sidelights it has in the picture are correct) and had a new radiator shell made to replace the dented original. I remade the correct front fenders and a new dashboard then sold the machine as I had a health hic up at the time. this is all over 35 years ago. It is no longer a truck and was restored back to a town car. with a body of the era. It was at Hershey for sale some years ago and I do not know its current location or owner. The fellow standing next to the Locomobile with Paul behind the wheel is Bob Patchke - Bob was a master body and paint man who taught me how to paint lacquer in the early 1970s - he and I restored the 1941 Packard 120 station wagon and 1931 Franklin Derham bodied victoria I owned cosmetically . I spent 2 + years working on those two cars to get them done - every Saturday, every vacation day , and some evenings - Bob lived 25 miles away from me. We got the two cars finished . I was teaching full time while all of this was happening , 1,100 kids a week, 6 or 7 classes a day. once I get my mind set to accomplish something I don't stop until its done. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Restorer32 Posted January 13, 2020 Share Posted January 13, 2020 I know where there is a "restored" 1931 Cadillac tow/service truck that is for sale privately. No pics at this time but if anyone is interested I could ask the owner for pics and more info. As I remember it had a professional looking body with the chrome rails. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
auburnseeker Posted January 13, 2020 Share Posted January 13, 2020 4 hours ago, Restorer32 said: I know where there is a "restored" 1931 Cadillac tow/service truck that is for sale privately. No pics at this time but if anyone is interested I could ask the owner for pics and more info. As I remember it had a professional looking body with the chrome rails. With all this talk one of us might be interested so why don't you find out a little more if possible. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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