Project Cars from the Past: 1936 Chevrolet

Multiple layers of paint, blotches of rust, spotty primer, dry-rot tires and fogged glass. Must be a “barn find.” Permanently chained down to a trailer at a swap meet, to boot.

Fall Carlisle, to be exact, back in 2007. According to the card stock on the passenger window, this is a 1936 Chevy Standard Coupe, complete with a clean Montana title and an $11,000 asking price. “Four good fenders, front and rear bumpers, four Coker tires and tubes, left and right taillamps, original 206 engine, new brake parts, NOS hood bird and many accessory parts” were also included; though clearly the front bumper was not attached (nor were the new Cokers). Nothing was said of the missing grille, or just how bad the interior might have looked.

Back in 2007, a Standard Coupe in average condition – think most cruise night cars driven as much as two or three times a week from May to October – was commanding an average asking price of $10,000. A project such as this could have conceivably been priced under $7,000, or even $5,000. Which may have explained why it turned up a week later at Hershey, less than an hour’s drive to the east.

Note that the front bumper and grille were still MIA.

Time has not been that much of a factor since these pictures were taken. Current trends indicate that this Standard in – again – average condition now commands a loftier $11,000. Production of this model was north of 59,000 – not exactly rare when new. But then there was the wartime scrap drives, circle track drivers and the hot rodders who no doubt cut surviving numbers, so it’s not unusual to find that values of more vintage metal are skewed from book versus actual. Then again, condition #1 examples today are showing to be $20,000; only $2,000 more than two years ago. Which begs the question: Was this ‘36 worth the restoration fees?

Related posts:

• Site DNS Issues
• Bentley Continental GT: Breaking the world ice speed record!
• We will indeed take suggestions for the Hemmings Six Degrees of Automotive ...
• Adam Discusses Top Gear America Not Coming To NBC
• The Pacific Northwest Mopar Drag Team

Related posts:

• 2007 Detroit Auto Show: Lincoln MKR Concept
• 2007 Chicago Auto Show: 2008 Saturn Vue Red Line
• Ward's Auto declares Ten Best Engines of 2009
• Pontiac G8 to Debut at Chicago Auto Show
• 2007 Chicago Auto Show: 2008 Ford Taurus

Interesting conceptual drawing

While recently traveling the NYS Thruway (Interstate 87 for you who have not traveled up in the neck of the woods) I stopped at one of the rest areas in the Catskills and they were handing out this free postcard at the visitor’s center.

The picture looks very much like the overpass for the Kingston-Rhinebeck Bridge just north of exit 19. I don’t think the cars were supposed to represent any manufacturer in particular but the one pictured in front looks similar to a ‘46 Nash Ambassador sedan or maybe a 2-door fastback (if you remove the chrome hood center strip and added turn signals inside the headlights).

The back of the card reads “1946 artist’s rendering of the Catskill section of the NYS Thruway before it opened in 1954.” I wonder what the tolls were in 1954. President Eisenhower called the highway an “atomic defense asset” and “economic boost for New York.” Fifty-five years later and the tolls are still in effect, I guess it still is an economic boost, a trip from Albany to NYC is now $5.30 plus another $5.00 for the Tappan Zee Bridge. NYC to the Pennsylvania state line south of Buffalo is more than $20.00.

Related posts:

• HAMB Drags 2003… Has it really been six years?
• Stick-Lee: The duct tape, Fifth Ave General Lee
• Quantum will design advanced powertrains for Future Steel Vehicle program
• You can only be given the essential recall clearance letter until this ...
• Damage - Are you a new driver or is the car for a younger driver?  If ...

Related posts:

• Today In History: The Ford Model T Is Born
• Scanning the Auto Blogosphere
• 2010 Mazda3 Hatchback Shows Off Sexy New Rear Live In Bologna [2010 Mazda3 Hatchback]
• Scanning the Auto Blogosphere
• Lee Iacocca in favor of keeping Detroit 3 CEOs

Morning, woodie

We never know what we’ll see in the Hemmings parking lot, and one recent morning was no exception. Josh Recave of Falmouth, Massachusetts, stopped by on his way to a woodie gathering in Waterloo, New York, hauling his Campbell-bodied 1942 Plymouth Deluxe woodie station wagon. Josh knows it’s a rather rare bird, and he said he’d like to finish the restoration some day (the wood was redone in 1992), but we think it’s great, Driveable Dream material as is. In fact, we may just shoot it for HCC, so keep your eyes peeled there for more of the woodie.

Related posts:

• My Super Six Conversion or How I Spent My Summer

Related posts:

• Honeywell orphans crash test dummies
• Green Hornet’s Black Beauty Revealed!
• The worlds sickest and most expensive TV commercial to commemorate Ferrari’s ...
• Happy Canada Day and 4th of July - Drive Safe!!! [Warning: Might shock some viewers]
• The 2009 Art Center Car Classic

Steamy email

Editor Mark McCourt received an inquiry from reader Ric DiDonato, asking for our help in identifying this item which he saw posted on saablink.net.

From the original poster:

I was recently digging through an old barn, helping clean out an old milking parlor that has been a catch-all for a historical society for several decades. Anyway, I came across an interesting item which was labeled “Loomis Motorcar Co.” with a very little bit of research, I discovered Loomis made “horseless carriages” around the turn of the century (1890-1900). Anyway, it is an L-shaped pipe with a sort of valve inside, and I was wondering if anyone on here might be able to tell me exactly what it is, exactly how old it is, what it came off of, etc. Thanks for any help you may be able to provide!

bottom view

side view with valve handle on the bottom.

Besides the words Loomis Motor Company on the cover below the handle was inscribed Westfield, MA which is consistent with Loomis Car history. But here is the sticky part, Loomis only made one steam car (in 1896) before giving up the idea and manufacturing 4-cylinder gas cars starting in about 1900. Is it possible this valve is from that early prototype?

It is possible but we think we found what we think was a more likely explanation. Anyone care to offer their take on this one?

Bonus points if you know what else Loomis did that was ground-breaking in the automotive industry (other than designing his own carburetor for the Loomis 4-cylinder gas engine).

Related posts:

• Like Always: Saturn Still Committed to No-Haggle Pricing
• El Diablo Magazine
• What's Your Proudest Automotive Achievement? [Question Of The Day]

Related posts:

• Will Hyundai save Chrysler and American jobs?
• New Zealand Man Badly Injured Mooning Cops While Car Surfing [Offbeat News]
• By that time we'd used up most of the spray paint turning Neons into Civics ...
• 2008 25 Hours of Thunderhill: Fog sucks, race postponed
• Tasty Cars

speedobilia?

Subscriber Tom Foster writes in asking for a little help with an old speedometer he had lying around. Tom writes:

I was wondering if you could i.d. this instrument cluster. I’m an old hot rodder from the 50’s and never used it. It’s been setting around gathering dust for about 50 years and I forgot what kind of car I got it from. It’s about 8 inches in diameter and a foot long. I really enjoy your magazine.

Several of the editors here were able to identify it, in fact it was mentioned in an article about 2 years ago, but we thought it would be fun to throw it out to our blogging “experts” out there. The chronograph styling on the gauge face should be of some help in identifying, and the fact that it’s cable driven rather than electric. The smaller gauges are ammeter, fuel and water temp. There is also a high beam indicator and not charging lamp. Also note the way 100 is spelled out. Judging from the housing it would have to have been dash-mounted on a small pedestal or column-mounted. To big and gawdy for a hood mount.

Here is a side view but I don’t think it will be much help.

If anyone has any clues, let us know. We’ll pass it on any additional information to Tom.

Related posts:

• 5 Safety Items for Your Vehicle
• Gas Prices Dip Below $2.50
• Brabus tunes Tesla Roadster
• I Dunno, You Think Something's Wrong With The Alignment? [Hoon Of The Day]
• An Update On Why Adam Carolla’s Show Got Cancelled

Related posts:

• Chicago 2008 Preview: 2009 Volkswagen Routan Minivan Unveiled
• Ol Red
• VIDEO: 2008 Dodge Challenger Hits the Track Plus Even More Photos!
• Chevy Camaro Hybrid in the Works and RWD Impala and LaCrosse are Dead?
• Restyled 2009 Hyundai Sonata Starts at $18,795

American automobile plants: The Map

For the past two-and-a-half years, I’ve been working on a story on the Staver automobile. Little is known of either the company or the car, but I think I’ve succeeded in tracking down just about everything that can be tracked down at this point, and have started writing a story.

But until today, the location of their factory, “76th and Wallace” in Chicago, has been a mystery to me. However, I’ve had a research partner on this one, Timmins A. Dodson, whose grandfather was a Staver owner and, unfortunately, investor. Tim recently dug up building permit records for Staver, and putting those addresses on the map made it all click for me.

When the story’s done, I can add a link to it online, or any other relevant information.

So I put it on a new map, permanently, and I’d like to invite anyone who’s interested in old car factories to add their own locations. Let’s dig up all those addresses, old and new, and start putting together a complete map of the automotive history of America, similar to the maps Dan’s putting together of former car dealerships.

Contribute to: American Automobile Plants.

Related posts:

• CarGurus releases an Automotive News Feed Google Widget
• Reminder: Top Gear Vietnam Special Today
• With an unbelievabley low frontal-area and the aerodynamic, curved moulding ...
• The German Automobile Association ADAC was released results of a new tests ...
• Jalopyrama - NEW DATE!

Related posts:

• 2008 Speedorama Custom Car & Performance Show II
• Mini Clubman Set to Open its Doors to the Image Viewing Public
• 2010 Porsche Panamera Interior: Maverick Approved! [Porsche Panamera]
• [Video] Car Show on Rodeo Drive
• Mini maintains its sales domination, Hummer continues its downward spiral

But to help prove our point for soon-to-be collector car owners (or any ...

Regular readers of our Hemmings Classic Car title can tell you that we periodically publish deals under X-number of dollars - that’s then-current average book values for select collector cars that tend to fall a very distant second, third, or even tenth in demand statistics behind something like a 1970 Chevelle SS LS6.

But to help prove our point for soon-to-be collector car owners (or any number of hopefuls waiting for things to turn around), I’ve put together a very short list of running, driving and presentable cars that I found for sale at the recent Spring Carlisle event this past April. This is aimed for those of you who are on the fence; want an old car, not sure what, and think everything is way over priced. If you’re thinking that the only real cars to obtain and enjoy is a Hemi-packed Road Runner or the like, skip over to another post.

First up is this 1976 Chevy Vega GT with what was touted as 13,000 original miles. Automatic, buckets, air conditioning and complete owner history since new. It was also advertized as “mostly original.” The asking price nearly hit our ceiling at $9,950, which at the time was nearly spot on ($9,000) for a condition #1 example. This one was closer to a high #2. Fits in for any cruise night, car show and even a wagon meet!

Pardon the shadow and off lighting, but I could not resist including this 1968 Buick Sportwagon. The asking price was $6,500 here, and the seller - or someone prior - had done some work to it. Whoever applied the paint “about 10 years ago” did a bad job of masking. Though the badges said “400,” under the hood was a 350 from 1973… gauges were added under the dash and a modern CD system was well hidden. New seals would be needed and rust was starting to show in the “Oregon” body. Anyone could go down one of two paths here: just drive it without fear; rip out the 350, apply a proper paint job, fix the seals and return it to stock or implant a big 455 for some extra fun after the show.

How about a 1962 Buick Skylark for $5,500? That price is way under the current market value for a hardtop in condition #3 - by close to $6,000! In place here was the aluminum 215-cu.in. V-8, and although a little detail work could have been used, it didn’t exhibit and seal failures. Likewise for the overall condition of the interior, and the paint was a recent recoat. But these are desirable among certain circles, and a Skylark edition of the compact Special for this price is cheap money. Drive it for a few years, and then restore it!

Finally, there’s this rarely seen 1968 Mercury Montego MX wagon - perfect for my Wagon Snippet feature, but it serves a point here with a $6,700 price tag. Probably negotiable, like the others mentioned, but not far off in value for a condition #3 example. As a whole, it fits the bill as another solid, presentable car that more than four people can enjoy - comfortably. With just over 54,000 on the odometer, the suspension had been rebuilt and aftermarket air had been added.

Need more proof? Look for my upcoming post on cars I found for sale under $5,000 - and they don’t look like this either:

Related posts:

• General Motors kicked off with the expansion of the Invest in America program ...
• It was also advertized as “mostly original.” The asking price nearly hit ...
• New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg has announced plans to have all taxis ...
• General Motors kicked off with the expansion of the Invest in America program ...