Todd Carlson Posted March 16, 2023 Share Posted March 16, 2023 Hello All, I hope you are all well. I'm trying to get information on the toolbox emblem that I've seen on some American Underslungs. I can find pictures of three different versions. 1) A brass only version with cutouts. 2) A colored (paint or enamel?) version with "American" horizontal and 3) A version with "American" slanted. Can anyone tell me if they are all original to the car based on a specific year? I have included pictures of each type that I've found. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Shaw Posted March 16, 2023 Share Posted March 16, 2023 I suggest you contact Corky Coker. He has an American Underslung. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Todd Carlson Posted March 16, 2023 Author Share Posted March 16, 2023 Thank you, Mark. I'll give it a try. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Todd Carlson Posted March 16, 2023 Author Share Posted March 16, 2023 Mark, My account can't sent personal messages yet. I was going to ask if you have any contact information for Corky, as I don't see him listed in the member search. Although, I guess I couldn't send him a message anyway Can you message me? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nearchoclatetown Posted March 16, 2023 Share Posted March 16, 2023 Why not contact the AACA library? That is their business to research things like this. Why would you bother Corky Coker? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Todd Carlson Posted March 16, 2023 Author Share Posted March 16, 2023 I have no problem with contacting the library. Corky was just suggested. I though someone on the board might know the answer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A Woolf Posted March 16, 2023 Share Posted March 16, 2023 This is a new research topic for me with regard to American. I will direct you to the American Underslung Repository that is hosted by another AACA forum contributor: http://www.stanleyregister.net/AmericanUnderslung/ Hopefully he will also comment on this subject. Going through a lot of the old photos with the exception of the dark colored 1909 Traveler below I didn't see any cars that had the eagle emblem on the battery box. But note that the lighter colored 1909 Traveler does not have the emblem. I have only seen a couple of catalog ads that showed the eagle emblem on the battery box but they don't appear to be common. My guess is that the factory didn't add the add the eagle emblem on the battery box but it was offered as an accessory by a third party or through a dealer. Larger Eagle emblems were definitely used on the radiators on the earlier cars but that ended later in production: http://www.stanleyregister.net/AmericanUnderslung/AUTheEagles.html It is worth noting that the eagle radiator emblems have been reproduced. Alan 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Todd Carlson Posted March 16, 2023 Author Share Posted March 16, 2023 (edited) Thank you for your input. I've looked at MANY period and post restoration photos, including those that I found on the stanleyregistry.net site. Some seem to have the emblem, some don't. I can't seem to get a good answer. There are also period manufacture brochures that show an eagle emblem on the battery box for some models. There seems to be three different versions, likely depending on the year. Edited March 16, 2023 by Todd Carlson (see edit history) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1937hd45 Posted March 16, 2023 Share Posted March 16, 2023 Are there left and right facing eagles? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Todd Carlson Posted March 16, 2023 Author Share Posted March 16, 2023 On all three different versions, I've only seen right facing. Doesn't the battery box always go on the drivers side? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TAKerry Posted March 16, 2023 Share Posted March 16, 2023 First, I will say after seeing one of these at the Simeone I think they are one of the coolest early cars ever. I thought the name was 'American Underslung'. Seeing all of the ads it seems that the name of the car is 'American'. So, I gather the 'Underslung' moniker is a bit of slang/tag along that has been added through the years? When did this happen? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Graham Man Posted March 16, 2023 Share Posted March 16, 2023 If you like the look and you find a car that has an original one, take a nice picture, simple part to water jet or laser cut (need background contrast). Thickness and size are numbers you need, the rest is digital magic. Guessing you might be able to get it done under $100. The Coker Underslung dose not have one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StanleyRegister Posted March 17, 2023 Share Posted March 17, 2023 (edited) Catalog pictures, and period photos, never showed a toolbox on any full-size roadster or Scout - the one in the first picture of the original post was probably added for the purposes of the Great American Race. The only catalog images to show a decorated toolbox were in 1909 - in an Advance catalog and in the regular one. Those are the first 4 images below. They all show a design with an eagle on a half-circle world, with the word "American" slanting up from the lower left of the half-circle. The only period photos I've found showing a toolbox decoration are of 1909 cars - the next three images. The first two are from factory photos of the Gadabout, and the third is from the W C Fields car. They all show the same design. No Gadabouts or Wayfarers are known to survive. The single surviving 1909 Traveler (one of my favorite antique cars of all time) carries a toolbox decoration similar to the brass cutout shown in the original post. I've never seen any existing car with a decoration like this one. What I can see of the swirly "American" word, and the texture of the eagle, suggests that the decoration was a decal. Do you have an Underslung project going? I'd love to learn more about it. Kelly Edited March 17, 2023 by StanleyRegister typos (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A Woolf Posted March 17, 2023 Share Posted March 17, 2023 1 hour ago, TAKerry said: First, I will say after seeing one of these at the Simeone I think they are one of the coolest early cars ever. I thought the name was 'American Underslung'. Seeing all of the ads it seems that the name of the car is 'American'. So, I gather the 'Underslung' moniker is a bit of slang/tag along that has been added through the years? When did this happen? The name changed from "American" to "American Underslung" in 1912. Before 1912 American offered a conventional chassis car. Later only Underslung cars were offered. Only one conventional chassis car still exists. Alan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Todd Carlson Posted March 17, 2023 Author Share Posted March 17, 2023 (edited) Thank you all for the comments. Kelly, I do not have a project ongoing. I'm the owner of the brass red/white/blue toolbox emblem pictured below. I just recently picked it up and am trying to investigate it's history. It was tarnished when I purchased it. After some moderate cleaning, it turned out nice. Edited March 17, 2023 by Todd Carlson (see edit history) 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Todd Carlson Posted March 17, 2023 Author Share Posted March 17, 2023 The following picture was from a restored 1913 Scout. It has holes drilled for mounting. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A Woolf Posted March 17, 2023 Share Posted March 17, 2023 5 minutes ago, Todd Carlson said: Thank you all for the comments. Kelly, I do not have a project ongoing. I'm the owner of the brass red/white/blue toolbox emblem pictured below. I just recently picked it up and am trying to investigate it's history. It was tarnished when I purchased it. After some moderate cleaning, it turned out nice. Todd, that is a nice piece you found. Does it have any kind of markings to indicate who made it? Alan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Todd Carlson Posted March 17, 2023 Author Share Posted March 17, 2023 (edited) Alan, thank you! Unfortunately, the emblem does not have a maker's mark on the back. Edited March 17, 2023 by Todd Carlson (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StanleyRegister Posted March 28, 2023 Share Posted March 28, 2023 Here's a photo of the car pictured at the top of the original post, from 1978, soon after it was restored. It confirms that the toolbox was a later addition. It was probably intalled by Joe Atkinson, who bought the car in April 1986 from restorer Criss Savage, expressly to run the Great American Race. It certainly was an American race, with that car in it! A photo taken the following year shows the race banner and the toolbox. IAtkinson ran the car ran in 3 consecutive GAR's. I saw this car in the flea market at Hershey about 10 years ago - anybody know where it has ended up? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1937hd45 Posted March 28, 2023 Share Posted March 28, 2023 (edited) 4 hours ago, StanleyRegister said: IAtkinson ran the car ran in 3 consecutive GAR's. I saw this car in the flea market at Hershey about 10 years ago - anybody know where it has ended up? Hope it was restored after the Great Race. 4 hours ago, StanleyRegister said: Edited March 28, 2023 by 1937hd45 mix up (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hook Posted March 29, 2023 Share Posted March 29, 2023 Photo of a 1913 American taken in 1918 with my aunt at age 18 sitting on the fender. It has tank, no toolbox. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alsancle Posted March 29, 2023 Share Posted March 29, 2023 1 hour ago, hook said: Photo of a 1913 American taken in 1918 with my aunt at age 18 sitting on the fender. It has tank, no toolbox. Great Photo! I don't want to ask how old you are to have an 18 year old Aunt in 1918. 1 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StanleyRegister Posted March 29, 2023 Share Posted March 29, 2023 (edited) Fabulous photo, thanks! This is a 1913 Type 22A Scout, based on the electric sidelights and gas headlights. Edited March 29, 2023 by StanleyRegister added ID (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hook Posted March 29, 2023 Share Posted March 29, 2023 1 hour ago, alsancle said: Great Photo! I don't want to ask how old you are to have an 18 year old Aunt in 1918. She died in 1983 when I was 38 years old. Right now, in 2023, I'm only 19!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! How's that? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alsancle Posted March 29, 2023 Share Posted March 29, 2023 44 minutes ago, hook said: She died in 1983 when I was 38 years old. Right now, in 2023, I'm only 19!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! How's that? There must’ve been quite a spread on the kids in that family. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hook Posted March 29, 2023 Share Posted March 29, 2023 2 hours ago, alsancle said: There must’ve been quite a spread on the kids in that family. Not really tremendous, my mother was born in 1909 making her 9 years younger than my aunt and about 9-10 when the picture was taken. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SC38dls Posted March 29, 2023 Share Posted March 29, 2023 4 hours ago, hook said: She died in 1983 when I was 38 years old. Right now, in 2023, I'm only 19!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! How's that? Don’t you mean you are 26 with three times the experience! dave s 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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