Category Archives: Cars

1917 Locomobile – Part 2

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The rest of the Locomobile is pretty awesome too.  Here is a collection of pictures showing the interior and many other details on the Locomobile.

No, no ABS here.  This is the speedo sender.  Also notice the absence of front BRAKES!  The only brakes on this machine were on the back and they were these huge band affairs.  I don’t think this car would stop on a dime.  Matter of fact, I bet it took quite a long time to get it stopped.

Check out the flywheel on this machine!  It is not enclosed, the gear is helical cut so the starter has a better chance at engaging.

Take a look at the shine on the radiator surround.  This is not chrome, by the way.  This is nickle plated.  The entire car’s shiny parts were all nickle plated.  This stuff is amazing!

Next is a gallery of a few more details.  For you on the mailing list, do check out this post online – you will be missing out the photo gallery!

  • The springs on the rear suspension are twofold: 1) on the bottom is a full length spring, 2) on the top is a quarter elliptical.
  • Check out the fuel tank! Fuel gauge is mounted on top.
  • The fuel cap is screwed on.  The system is pressurized by a small hand activated pump on the dash.  Kinda like an old Coleman gas lantern.
  • All the doors are wood.  The frame is wood, has a turnbuckle on a cable to make them “fit”.  There is a metal skin folded over the wood frame.
  • The exhaust muffler is huge.  The thing is covered in what looked to be an asbestos blanket of some sort.

I mentioned above there are no front brakes.  Take a look at what stops this car.  These are the rear brakes…

1917 Locomobile – Part 1

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A Locomobile??

The Locomobile Company of America was founded in 1899 manufacturing affordable steam powered cars in Watertown, Massachusetts.  That lasted for a couple of years when they moved to Bridgeport, Connecticut and ditched the affordable cars for high-end luxury cars.  When I mean luxury cars, I’m talking high-end.  In 1919 a Locomobile open bodied car would sell for $10,000 while the proletarian Ford Model T sold for $300.

The pictures I am going to list here were taken at a local restoration shop.  We know the owner, matter of fact I bought bowtie6‘s ECOTEC engine and gearbox from him.  The Locomobile is there to have its upholstery completely restored including the enormous convertible top.  Finding all the material for the restoration has been a painstaking process requiring a special run of material made by the original manufacturer.  There will be no expense too high here…

There are so many details about this car.  I spent quite a bit of time looking it over, taking pictures and wondering.  Wondering where it had been, how many people it had carried and what roads and streets it had been driven on.  The 1920’s were full of excesses before the stock market imploded.  Wonder how many times this car was driven to swanky parties with occupants dressed to the hilt, “putting on the Ritz”?  Makes you wonder…

Obviously, the body has been painted and a lot of work has been done to the engine.  It is amazing.  However, there are so many intricacies raging from the engine, the wheels, the interior, dash, engine (oh my!) and well… Let me show you.

The engine is a side valve, inline six.  The piston jugs are finished in porcelain and each piston has 2 spark plugs.  There is copper and brass galore.  There is a magneto running power to each plug and each plug has a really interesting connector for the spark plug wire.

It looks like somebody must have spent a huge amount of time making the radiator.  The thing looks handmade.  The fan is pretty cool, with the outside ring around the blades.  And take a look at that fan belt.

On the exhaust side of the engine you can see a chrome heat riser for the carbs.  Down on the front side of the engine you can also see the water pump.  On the intake side of the engine, right behind the horn you can see the magneto and the bundle of fabric-covered spark plug wires.

This is an intriguing detail:

On either side of the copper tubing you can see two “valve” looking affairs on the engine head.  There were six of these, one for each cylinder.  Since this is an engine that was also set up to start by hand (there was a hand crank extension sticking through the front of the rediator), these are pressure relief valves.  Or, perhaps something to prime each cylinder with?

I’ll have more pics later…

2011 Euro Car Festival – Greenville SC

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Another great Euro Car Festival has come and gone.  bowtie6 did not have a chance to attend this year, still putting the finishing touches.  Hopefully soon, she will be back on the road.

At any rate, there were many very nice cars to see.  There was a Lamborghini Espada that sure looked sweet.  Talk about a “grand touring” car!  Awesome and impressive.  There were plenty of other awesome machines but two of special mention.

These two cars came from Charlotte NC.  The first is a Volvo 242 with a Ford 5.0L V8.  This car has been detailed in a very impressive fashion and is quick to boot.  Take a look:

There was also an MG Midget with a Ford Duratec 2.0 engine – lot of work has gone into this car and it is very impressive.  The EFI is controlled with a MegaSquirt.  Very impressive:

If you like to read more about the “Midgetec”, there is a link in the left of this post…  Look for “Duratec Powered Midget”.

Before You Buy…

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Hi folks!  Quick update on bowtie6:  All wiring in the engine compartment has been done, the inside of the cab has been completed and now the only remaining thing left is the trunk.  Since my wiring harness is all home-brew and actually quite simple, the trunk area will have three relays and two circuit breakers.  This will control the stop lights, reverse lights and fuel pump.  Confused?  I can understand that – I’ll have a full writeup after all this is put together and the car fully operational.

bowtie6 will be ready to drive very soon.

So what is this “Before You Buy” title on today’s post?

This past week, over at my cousin’s shop somebody brought a classic Mini Cooper.  The owner bought the car and along with it came a rear subframe assembly.  Seems he was told the subframe needed replacing and “here is one along with the purchase price”.

This Mini looks nice and solid!  Cosmetically it is in great shape.  Paint is shiny.  Interior is clean.  Carpet is new.  Seats are comfy as all get-out.  Has cool wheels and Yokohama R008’s.  Chrome fender flares.  Right-hand drive – DAYUM!  How can this get any better?

Take a look:

Nice car huh?  How can anyone want anything better, right?  Another picture?  Sure…

Beauty is only skin deep folks.  Seems the owner got a hard-on for this little beauty and never bothered to put the thing on a lift.  When buying “classic” cars, this is cardinal law number one.  Put the thing on a lift, take a look at the bottom of the car and if there is any rot…  WALK AWAY.  I can’t tell you how many good looking “classics” I have seen on a lift where I just ran away from…

Turns out that after lifting the ass-end of this little gem, we found the following nightmare:

The above is the rear subframe on a classic Mini.  This is where the rubber dampers and rear trailing arms mount onto.  Basically, this is the rear suspension.  Here is another shot of this affair…

Another closeup:

This is only the beginning.  Once we took the subframe out from underneath the car we found a lot of rot along the mounting points for the subframe.  Unfortunately this is what happens when folks don’t really pay attention to the parts that are not “shiny”.  We looked at the front subframe (the one that holds the front suspension and engine) and it looks bad too.  Furthermore, the body has quite a bit of rot behind the front wheels.

Not trying to preach…  It’s your money.  But people… Put a car on a lift and take a look before you buy!!  This owner is now facing quite an ‘spensive bill in repairs.  The rear subframe needs to be replaced – the rust damage is too severe.  The unit body needs to repaired, after all the mounting points for the rear subrame have holes in them where you can see the inside of the cab. And, the front suspension needs attention.

 

1964 Austin Healey 3000

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UPDATE – 05.20.2011 – The car has been sold.  New owner has picked it up and currently it is being restored in Atlanta.

 

Today’s installment takes us to the proverbial “barn find”. Yes the “barn find” is alive and well… You just have to be a) lucky and b) lucky.

The barn find I am talking about here is a 1964 Austin Healey 3000 – the “Big Healey”. This car was found over the weekend by a friend of mine. After some negotiating the car was purchased and brought to my cousin Jim’s shop. The car is 100% complete. The paint you see in the following pictures is all original – it has a very nice patina. The red interior appears to be also original as well as the black carpet.

The part that is interesting is this: the car IS FOR SALE. If you are interested, please drop me a line and I can get you in touch with the owner. However, please don’t pull my chain on this: serious inquiries only. In addition to the car, there is a huge folder full of original sales documents, receipts and period-magazines with articles about the car.

Interested? Send me a message. Here are some pictures: