Research help? 1912-1934

[hedgerow]

Hi there

I don't mean to intrude so please forgive me if this is an inappropriate place to make a bid for some assistance but I'm a bit overwhelmed.

I'm a student in the UCLA Writers Program and I am working on a novel set in Los Angeles between 1912 to 1934. I have found some wonderful resources on roads and vintage automobiles online, as well as through the Automobile Club of California and the USC archives. But...

I wondered if anyone might be able recommend a resource for the layman that could help me keep from putting my foot in it when it comes to authenticity i.e. a resource with some basic facts on given models of the time like seating capacity, maximum speed, availability and popularity on the West Coast. For instance, right now I have my characters driving out to a construction site in a 1913 Ford Touring Car. But I'm not sure how many people I can fit in the front seat or how long it would take them to travel from Pasadena to Rancho LaBrea.

Not to play to stereotype but I'm the kind of girl who never learned anything about cars except "ooh! shiny!" so please forgive me if I sound hopelessly ignorant.

Many thanks for any help you can offer and for letting me drop in!

Best,

Leigh

[Steve Moskowitz]

Leigh, call Kim Miller at 717-534-2082. She is the research librarian for the AACA Library & Research Center and I am sure she would spend a few minutes helping you. Good luck with the book.

[mrpushbutton]

Leigh, the Standard catalog of American cars 1805-1942 would be a good reference book for you. Your school library probably won't have it, but a good large "big city" main brach might. It's available from Amazon too--

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0873414284/102-3023841-0154561?v=glance&n=283155

cars, and brands were far more regional then, although Ford was everywhere by the mid teens. Things took a lot longer back then, there were very few good roads, and cars couldn't go very fast (due to the lack of roads). Post any further questions on this forum, there are many "historically minded" people on board here.

[Peter J.Heizmann]

Leigh, the Standard Catalog of American Cars may be a great reference, however, I must echo Steve's post that the AACA Library & Research Center is the best resource for "actual research".

Click on the "AACA Library" on the main page. The club retains thousands of original manuals and literature to provide indepth facts.

This being the AACA Forum, it should be forefront in refering anyone to the vast resources available.

Regards,

Peter J... <img src="http://forums.aaca.org/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

[Mark Shaw]

To give you a straight answer; a 1913 Ford five passenger touring (commonly called a Tin Lizzie), can comfortably carry four "today sized" adults. People were smaller in the teens & these cars were sold as three door five passenger cars. Unlike most other cars of the day, the driver was on the left side just like all american cars today. A good running Tin Lizzy would average about 35 MPH on a good road without too many hills.

The most time consuming problem of that time was the poor tires made from natural rubber. It was common to have two or three flat tires in a day's driving over "dirt roads". It seems that horse drawn farm wagons would also loose nails to create added road hazards bumping down these roads. Changing a tire could take an hour or more.

So, going slow, getting behind a slower farm wagon, changing tires, etc.... what might only take two hours of driving today could take almost a whole day back then.

Mark Shaw

[8BALL_olson]

HISTORICALLY MINDED ? HAH ! WE WERE THERE !

[1937hd45]

If you're in LA stop in the Petersen Automotive Museum and view some of the vehicles you plan to write about. I'm sure there is a book or two you could pick up with some needed info in the gift shop. They have some great backdrops for the cars on display that let you step back in time.

[redhededrebel]

Hehehe 8Ball....I like you!!!

[Guest DaveCorbin]

Dear Hedgerow:

You also want to be aware about the trucks that you might see on a construction site in California in the times you're writing about. Names like: Fageol (predecessor of Peterbilt) and Moreland (predecessor of Kenworth) were West coast makes. Macks, Brockways, Autocars, etc, were regional Eastern makes. International made smaller trucks for farmers, and Buick made trucks up to the size we would call a 1 ton today. Ford trucks early in that period were mostly converted cars, but Ford TT trucks came along during the period. Ford AA trucks were available late in the period, starting about 1928. The American Truck Historical Society might also be helpful.

Incidentally, the writer generally acknowledged as the most knowledgeable person alive about cars in general is a woman, Beverly Rae Kimes. I mention this to give you encouragement on the subject.

Regards, Dave Corbin

[ronbarn]

Hedgerow, I recently reviewed (at the request of the publisher) a book by a similarly automotive deprived author (please note I did not say that the author was female - there are a lot of the male authors who demonstrate the same depravity). The draft was really a mess. The final was reasonably good. Recommendation - draft it and get a good, automotive knoledgeable individual to edit it for reality. There are a lot of people on this website who could help with the details. Don't let the Bruins down.