Jump to content

Driving classics


Den41Buick

Recommended Posts

6 hours ago, alsancle said:

With the 3.79 rear end, a model J Duesenburg is doing 70 mph at about 2600 RPM.  You still have another 2000 RPM to go, assuming you were running the steel rods........     Ahhhh...the "what if's"....?     Tell us what the   stock rear axle ratio of those cars was...and why?   Steel connecting rods?   Why where they better than the "stock" rods......and when were they available...?  Discuss, please ?

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

5 hours ago, Packard enthus. said:

 

Model J factory open car ratio is 4.08. The green car I posted has that ratio, and at 2500 RPM, you are doing 60.
 

The steel rods came out with the supercharged cars. The green car still has aluminum rods in it, so you probably don’t wanna rev it to four grand. However, whenever the engines are rebuilt, everybody replaces them with the steel ones.   
 

I’m sure the aluminum rods were fine. 90 years ago. Just not now.

  • Thanks 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Same car last month at the Cedar Breaks National Monument ranger station, elevation 10,000 ft, enroute to Bryce Canyon and Zion National Parks in Utah, part of a 6-day, 600-mile tour of the Nickel Era Touring Registry.  That adjustable-from-driver's-seat carburetor main jet certainly came in handy!

Cedar Breaks NatlMonument 10k ft elev.jpg

  • Like 7
Link to comment
Share on other sites

George,

Thanks for posting that first picture. The car, of course, is beautiful. The scenery is beautiful as well. The experience must have been fantastic.

When I was a young teenager, the Princeton (Mass) Car Museum had three pre-1920 Pierce touring cars. I don't remember which models, although I remember they each had a cast aluminum body. Huge, impressive vehicles, and each was beautiful.  

I made a promise to myself that someday, I would own one. It's not going to happen but I can still share vicariously through the pictures.

Thanks again for posting.

Phil

  • Like 1
  • Thanks 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

@pmhowe What makes it all the sweeter for me is that I chased that car since 1998, almost closed a deal on it in 2001, and was finally able to buy it in Jan 2016.  Since then we've put more than 9,000 miles on it.  It's still the New Toy, and provides more smiles per mile than any other car I've ever owned!  It loves to climb hills!

  • Like 5
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Stude…….most modifications done to Duesenbergs are done for two reasons……..better modern metallurgy, and the ability of the platform to adapt to modern roads…….simply put doing 75 mph for hours on end wasn’t an option in 1929, so the rear end ratios were adjusted accordingly. The JN in the video has a 3.41 rear, and is otherwise BONE STOCK except the rods……it came with blower steel rods new, but I changed them out for modern Carella rods and Aries pistons. It was a barn find in 2018 with 19k on it……it now has 12k more as we drive our cars. For the record…….both our cars did 700 miles during the week…….I never opened a hood, checked air or water………probably sorted a J or JN can easily do 2500 miles without any attention…….pretty good results for what is basically a race car platform.

  • Like 8
Link to comment
Share on other sites

13 hours ago, alsancle said:

The weather in southern New England was perfect today and I planned on putting a solid 50 miles on my Stearns Knight.   That will have to wait till later in the week as I got side tracked with other stuff... naturally.

IMG_3443.jpg

 

Perhaps I haven't been paying attention too much lately. You have a Horch???

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, alsancle said:

 

That took a while for you to notice.  I put a note on the box that it goes to you if I drop dead.

 

The car and the mascot please.......no one want's it anyways............

  • Haha 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 10/24/2023 at 7:10 AM, West Peterson said:

 

Perhaps I haven't been paying attention too much lately. You have a Horch???

 

It's an overgrown VW.............we call it the fahrvergnugen ........... it's German for fun to push down the road. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

14 minutes ago, edinmass said:

 

The car and the mascot please.......no one want's it anyways............

Asked by a man who rightfully says that gaudy Lalique Eagle heads (or Chickens, or any other of that size) don't belong on Classic Cars. I must add that the Stearns hood ornament is even more gaudy than Lalique's Eagle. (... and, no, I'm not even a fan of the pelican/cormorant for Packard, either).

  • Thanks 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

78 degree day here in New England.  Really beautiful out.   I did 26.3 miles in my Stearns which was 1/2 of what I wanted.   Seems that replacing the anti-freeze with water solved why all of a sudden it ran hot in NE after running cool in southern Florida.

 

 

IMG_3474.PNG

72020648689__3EA3C8F8-BBEE-4328-BACE-5165B9B6B1C1.fullsizerender.jpg

72020645621__1EF4C7E3-88ED-4F80-A487-CE5AF44EC133.fullsizerender.jpg

  • Like 3
  • Thanks 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

6 minutes ago, alsancle said:

78 degree day here in New England.  Really beautiful out.   I did 26.3 miles in my Stearns which was 1/2 of what I wanted.   Seems that replacing the anti-freeze with water solved why all of a sudden it ran hot in NE after running cool in southern Florida.

 

 

IMG_3474.PNG

72020648689__3EA3C8F8-BBEE-4328-BACE-5165B9B6B1C1.fullsizerender.jpg

72020645621__1EF4C7E3-88ED-4F80-A487-CE5AF44EC133.fullsizerender.jpg

 

 

giphy.gif?cid=6c09b952ygwcgarptq19e3ukpp

  • Haha 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 10/25/2023 at 3:17 PM, alsancle said:

Guess what? A 1935 Packard with a synchromesh transmission is way easier to drive than a 1929 Stearns Knight.

 

I’m trying to get as much driving in before the weather changes in November.

IMG_3461.jpeg

There is not much prettier than looking over the hood of a 30's Packard.

  • Like 4
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Just now, West Peterson said:

I'm assuming you're just measuring the hood, and not including the cowl in your measurement. Correct?

I measure from edge of windshield to tip of radiator.  Which is the way the hood presents.  V windsheild cars like the Horch and a Dietrich Packard I measure sides and middle because there is a big difference.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, West Peterson said:

Since the measurement for a 734 is 61 inches, I'm going to say that the measurement for the 745 is 55 or 56 inches.

I was going to mention the Packard hoods are actually not that long. But, unfortunately, I didn’t write any of these things down. So the only ones I actually remember are for the cars I own.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

4 hours ago, West Peterson said:

Since the measurement for a 734 is 61 inches, I'm going to say that the measurement for the 745 is 55 or 56 inches.

 

3 hours ago, alsancle said:

I was going to mention the Packard hoods are actually not that long. But, unfortunately, I didn’t write any of these things down. So the only ones I actually remember are for the cars I own.

 

Just measured the 734 this morning. It's five or six inches longer than the 745.

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

 

To quote a famous line in the movie Blazing Saddles.........."Excuse me while I whip this out!"................just taken one hour ago. 

 

Here's my ride today..............77 inches baby! 😎

 

If you know the car, PLEASE do not disclose it. Thanks.

 

IMG_3540.jpeg

Edited by edinmass (see edit history)
  • Like 2
  • Haha 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, edinmass said:

 

To quote a famous line in the movie Blazing Saddles.........."Excuse me while I whip this out!"................just taken one hour ago. 

 

Here's my ride today..............77 inches baby! 😎

 

If you know the car, PLEASE do not disclose it. Thanks.

 

IMG_3540.jpeg

 

Can you please measure one either J and the JN and give us those numbers?   I'm not surpised by that length.  The hood looks immense in person.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...