Locomobile Custom Body info. and pictures

[edinmass]

On 1/29/2022 at 11:58 AM, alsfarms said:

Morning Ed,

I have found that nothing is ever a "for sure" thing when it comes to records, verification, finding parts/cars and especially considering this chat on custom body works for our heavy antique automobiles.  Just when I get close to saying "never" I will have a significant and delightful surprise.  I have several "over the fence post stories" that prove the wisdom to the saying "never say never".  It sounds like you have had your chance of never say never proven to be sure after all in your lifelong automobile meanderings. Have you seen very many accurately restored Floyd-Durham custom bodies, on any make, in your travels?.

Al

 

Here you go.....owned by a close friend.......visited it on Friday last week......

Edited February 16, 2022 by edinmass (see edit history)

[alsfarms]

Ed, fill in a few blanks on the nice green convert sedan above.

Al

[edinmass]

 

It's an IF.   If it starts, and gets you to your destination your doing great!

 

!928 Floyd Durham Isotta. Well known car. Runs and drives well. Has done a few short tours with me. Owner has a bunch of fantastic stuff. The body looks like a carbon coby of a Hibbard & Darrin............done by Floyd Durham. Everyone stole from everyone else. 

Edited February 16, 2022 by edinmass (see edit history)

[alsfarms]

George,

This is a similar statement to what you posted on the other Locomobile custom body chat.  Interesting that this write-up suggests that several custom body builders are building the same basic body design that was from LeBaron, and LeBaron styling was influenced by the design work of DeCausse at Locomobile.  I am starting to really get my arms around this custom body building time frame of the 1920's and 1930's.  I more and more understand why the Demarest Limousine body on my 1925 looks so similar to other contemporaries of the day.  Its almost like they could be step cousins of sort!

Al

[George K]

1 minute ago, alsfarms said:

George,

This is a similar statement to what you posted on the other Locomobile custom body chat.  Interesting that this write-up suggests that several custom body builders are building the same basic body design that was from LeBaron, and LeBaron styling was influenced by the design work of DeCausse at Locomobile.  I am starting to really get my arms around this custom body building time frame of the 1920's and 1930's.  I more and more understand why the Demarest Limousine body on my 1925 looks so similar to other contemporaries of the day.  Its almost like they could be step cousins of sort!

Al

Al, Here’s a real cousin. Art Austria auction. 

[alsfarms]

Do you happen to have a picture of this Locomobile taken from the right side?  That body sure looks like the same if not the exact same as my Demarest Limousine.  Same fenders also.  This one has the louvers on the hood sides.  I have not seen that before.  My unit does not have louvers in the hood sides panels.

Al

[George K]

Just for fun and comparison. 

[alsfarms]

Interesting comparison for sure.  Do you know what breed the subject wire wheel roadster is?

Al

[alsfarms]

Upon further scrutiny, I think I like the proportions and lines of the Brunn roadster better than the white Locomobile Roadster.  The Brunn doesn't look like it has an overbite.

Al

Edited February 18, 2022 by alsfarms
spelling (see edit history)

[George K]

The Brunn is a Mercer. The point is the body lines not the obvious gaudiness 

of the Locomobile.

[alsfarms]

Yes I certainly agree and it is very hard not to notice the distinct similarities of the body lines and placement of the belt line.  I wonder if the Mercer still exists?

Al

[alsfarms]

Hmmmm, Sadly, with the popularity of the Mercer Raceabout models, many of the more typical Mercer models have morphed into something else.  The same thing has happened to Stutz as a result of the popularity of the Bearcat.  Actually, even with the Locomobile, Cadillac, Packard and Duesenburg marques, rebody to a more valuable thing has happened countless times as we chase dreams and dollars.  We in this antique are certainly a bit fickle for sure.  That is why I, for one, applaud a survivor well kept so we actually get a taste of early automobile Americana as it left the factory.   Restore if no other option, but savor originality.  Fortunately, I know of several survivor Locomobile automobiles and wish that my Demarest Limousine was one of them.

Al

[Ittenbacher Frank]

On 1/25/2022 at 8:44 PM, edinmass said:

 

Also part of the same collection.......this guy had EVERYTHING! Money wasn't an issue......... 

I saw that 1922 American Lafrance firetruck exhibited in the Louwman museum in the Netherlands in April 2018. your photos are obviously taken there, too. Very interesting design!

[George K]

I scrapped on of those ALF tractors. No one here wanted it even for free. Heavy duty for sure.

[edinmass]

As a small boy, I played firman on that thing for hours before it was restored. 

[George K]

20 minutes ago, edinmass said:

As a small boy, I played firman on that thing for hours before it was restored. 

If you could turn the steering wheel sitting still you must of eaten your “Wheaties”

[edinmass]

39 minutes ago, George K said:

If you could turn the steering wheel sitting still you must of eaten your “Wheaties”

It was up on blocks.......I remember how the building was only heated to about fifty degrees in the winter......and the truck didn’t have a heater.........😏

 

There was a Springfield Ghost, a York, a PII, and a giant Napier in the same area. The Napier was about 1910. Huge dump truck of a car....big and ugly.

 

 

Edited February 18, 2022 by edinmass (see edit history)

[George K]

1 minute ago, edinmass said:

It was up on blocks.......I remember how the building was on,y heated to about fifty degrees in the winter......and the truck didn’t have a heater.........😏

Sounds like you and the old rig lived a charmed life.

[George K]

Back to Locomobile. Kind of like it.

[George K]

On 1/25/2022 at 1:39 PM, edinmass said:

What this all about. Two different cars for sure. One is Derham the other Floyd Durham.

[edinmass]

The Floyd Derham car is very modern compared to any other Loco .........at least that is what it seemed to me back in the day..........at the time I wanted the car in the worst way, today I would prefer an earlier Loco. 

[Ittenbacher Frank]

On 2/16/2022 at 10:12 PM, George K said:

Al, Here’s a real cousin. Art Austria auction. 

George, is this information from the 1971 Arthur Fred Austria's Simplex garage auction catalogue? I searched a bit on the internet and saw from the catalogues previews that he had at least six Locos. Does this Sedan survive?

The description is interesting: the year 1925 is matching the 19000-car number.

It has front wheel brakes and the front doors open to the front, the back doors to the back (different to the earlier cars).

What is a kettledrum headlamp?

I find the mentioning of the Berling magneto interesting. This is not supposed to be. That late model shall have the Delco dual distributors. But who knows what happened to the car, it was already nearly 50 years old by then, and this Mr. Austria seemed not to hesitate modifying things...

[George K]

Frank, This a drum head light. Kettle drum is a type of drum.

[George K]

I would think the car survived. Have no idea where it is.

[George K]

This is a kettle drum.

[edinmass]

15 minutes ago, George K said:

This is a kettle drum.

 

Can you make me some pop corn? 😎

[George K]

32 minutes ago, edinmass said:

 

Can you make me some pop corn? 😎

 

32 minutes ago, edinmass said:

 

Can you make me some pop corn? 😎

I would but I can’t get the lid off! 

[George K]

40 minutes ago, George K said:

 

I would but I can’t get the lid off! 

Now that I take a closer look at it must be a pressure cooker.

[Ittenbacher Frank]

6 hours ago, George K said:

This is a kettle drum.

Thanks a lot for the explanation, and sorry for my poor English!

[George K]

13 minutes ago, Ittenbacher Frank said:

Thanks a lot for the explanation, and sorry for my poor English!

You do not have poor English. Your question was a good one. We are just clowning around. 

[Ittenbacher Frank]

21 hours ago, George K said:

Frank, This a drum head light. Kettle drum is a type of drum.

Thanks, George. This style headlamp looks similar but not identical to the headlamps on my 1917 M7 tourer. My lamps have a hinge on the outside (left lamp on the left hand side, right lamp on the right) and a knob for operating a spring-loaded catch on the inside. Press the knob and the door can be opened. The lamps are 11" and German Silver plated (this was mentioned at least 40 years ago when the car was described by the owner) and bear a plate "FLEETWOOD" on top. The fittings look perfectly matching the Loco lamp holder bar and supports. Can you or someone tell me: Was Fleetwood a supplier of general accessories for every body builder, or was it specifically made for another car brand, or was that lamp optional to Locos, or what is the reason that I have not seen any other Loco with exactly these headlamps? I can't even remember having ever seen another car with "Fleetwood"-labeled lamps.

 

[George K]

Fleetwood is the body builder. Google it Coachbilt site has the whole story.

[edinmass]

I would bet dollars to doughnuts that that coachwork tag wasn't the headlight when the car was new............too much over the top for the era. 

[Ittenbacher Frank]

1 hour ago, George K said:

Fleetwood is the body builder. Google it Coachbilt site has the whole story.

Thanks, I will follow up on that carefully. I knew that body builder and the connection to Fisher bodies, but I didn't notice until now that the design of their sign is exactly the same as on my headlamps.

Another detail: Look how the back of the drum is shaped.

Edited February 21, 2022 by Ittenbacher Frank (see edit history)

[Ittenbacher Frank]

31 minutes ago, edinmass said:

I would bet dollars to doughnuts that that coachwork tag wasn't the headlight when the car was new............too much over the top for the era. 

Ed, you made me wondering, so I went back to my Tourer and checked how the FLEETWOOD tag is attached: See, it is bolted with square nuts and then soldered, not a quick fix by someone who just adds a nice looking tag he found somewhere else?

 

Edited February 21, 2022 by Ittenbacher Frank (see edit history)

[George K]

1 hour ago, Ittenbacher Frank said:

Thanks, George. This style headlamp looks similar but not identical to the headlamps on my 1917 M7 tourer. My lamps have a hinge on the outside (left lamp on the left hand side, right lamp on the right) and a knob for operating a spring-loaded catch on the inside. Press the knob and the door can be opened. The lamps are 11" and German Silver plated (this was mentioned at least 40 years ago when the car was described by the owner) and bear a plate "FLEETWOOD" on top. The fittings look perfectly matching the Loco lamp holder bar and supports. Can you or someone tell me: Was Fleetwood a supplier of general accessories for every body builder, or was it specifically made for another car brand, or was that lamp optional to Locos, or what is the reason that I have not seen any other Loco with exactly these headlamps? I can't even remember having ever seen another car with "Fleetwood"-labeled lamps.

 

They are beautiful condition lights for sure.

[edinmass]

Frank......I have owned Fleetwood bodied cars since 1982(early big cars), have looked at countless cars, and they just simply look very out of place. Best guess is they were done fifty years ago. I would expect riveted attachment. Just doesn’t look or feel right........to me they seem out of place. In my entire life, never came across anything remotely similar. I could be wrong...........but certain things just don’t fit. Fleetwood tags on lights makes no sense.

Edited February 21, 2022 by edinmass (see edit history)

[George K]

Certainly a period light. You can see the back. Badged light not sure.

[edinmass]

Light sure looks period correct for 1921-1928.

[George K]

Here’s a 1917 Locomobile