Innholdsfortegnelse for April 2019 i Hemmings Classic Car

Fast Cash ALUMINUM SEEMS AN UNUSUAL CHOICE OF MATERIAL FOR BUILDING AN ARMORED truck, but in 1944 the folks at Brink’s apparently thought otherwise given that they chose to build this one-off “money car of the future” out of the stuff. Granted, the closing days of World War II was a time when Americans could finally start looking to the future again, which is probably why Brink’s — assisted by Platt Incorporated of Chicago — even considered the soft metal. Either that or they figured the firearms inside it would be enough to dissuade anybody from punching through the metal skin of the truck. We recently came across these photos on the Facebook page of Nevada Armored Transport, which noted that the truck debuted at the 1945 National Armored Car…

WE HAD NEXT-DOOR NEIGHBORS who moved in during the late 1970s. The wife drove a beautiful 1974 Pontiac Grand Prix — dark blue with a white vinyl landau roof. In 1979, she traded it in for a new Grand Prix in white with a baby-blue vinyl landau roof and matching velour interior. Wherever that car is today, I know that indestructible velour is still beautiful. I remember the stark difference in the two cars. While the former had more sculpted lines and a dramatic fascia with eye-catching details from any angle, the latter was blunter in its dimensions and lacked the character lines seen in profile on the Colonnade Grand Prix. Yes, I have a bias for Colonnades. Nevertheless, the newer Grand Prix was still a good-looking car. With the…

Automobile manufacturers realized early on that people who purchased their motor cars might consider them strong enough to alter them for use for commercial and business applications. Touring cars, roadsters, even sedans were “modified,” both skillfully and crudely, for business use to haul all sorts and types of cargo. The well-built, rugged, and strong Dodges and Fords were especially favored in the years after World War I when demand for vehicles increased due to the return of the soldiers from Europe who married and increased the workforce. Dodge realized early on what volume of sales could be achieved when it saw many of its cars converted into pickup trucks. J.T. Cantrell & Company in Huntington, Long Island, New York, increased its factory capacity to handle the volume of orders it…

In May 2012, Kevin Oblisk returned to his Pittsfield, Massachusetts, residence from a business trip to find a 1941 Buick Special in his driveway. The car was sporting a combination of weathered paint and primer, and tarnished trim, and the interior was brimming with piles of parts and both bumpers. While the sight of a partially disassembled vintage car might have been cause for alarm for some, such was not the case for Kevin. “A month prior, my wife, Linda, and I attended the services of my stepfather-in-law, Darl Mosby, in Ohio,” Kevin recalls. “While there, we walked through his garage and saw this Buick. He had purchased it in 2007 and, being a mechanic and metal fabricator, slowly started to work on it. A lot of parts had been…

The British might call this a “Marmite” car. Like that infamous tangy yeast spread, you’ll either love or hate Saab’s individualistic 96, and no enthusiast lacks an opinion. This long-serving model — whose roots reach back to Svenksa Aeroplan AB’s first automobile prototypes built by the airplane manufacturer following World War II — would use two different engine types and be sold in the USA through 1973, while remaining in production into 1980. We tracked down one of the best-kept, most original 96 V4s in America, and pondered its intriguing legacy from behind the wheel. The 96 prioritized economy like its key German competitor, adding a focus on occupant safety. It reversed the Volkwagen’s rear engine, rear-wheel-drive layout to offer equal foul-weather traction with notably better stability and interior packaging.…

I TURNED 13 IN THE MID-FIFTIES when cars of that era were changing in design, power, comfort, and engineering each year. Yet, simplicity still existed in these automobiles, and backyard mechanics were common across the Nation. Fortunately for me, two mechanically inclined brothers, who were four and six years older than me, lived a block away. On any given weekend and many evenings, they had their friends over to work on their own cars, or to help build a Ford Deuce hot rod. A chain hoist, hung from a sturdy oak tree, was used to take out or put in engines. Welding equipment, a vast array of tools, and a number of parts for just about every vintage could be found. Being an accepted fly on the wall in this…

Fort Lauderdale Collectibles RM SOTHEBY’S WILL HOST ITS ANNUAL AUCTION AT THE BROWARD COUNTY CONVENTION CENTER this March 29-30 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Around 350 collector cars covering all eras are expected to cross the block. Last year’s auction raked in $19.1 million, with 76 percent of all lots finding a new owner. RM is lowering the number of available lots from last year’s count of more than 400 to allow for higher-quality offerings. They will include a 1953 Hudson Hornet sedan, a coachbuilt 1937 Packard Six cabriolet by Graber, 1956 Cadillac Eldorado Biarritz convertible, and a 1936 Dodge “humpback” delivery truck. Visit www.rmsothebys.com for an up-to-date list of consignments. Kansas City Roundup MECUM’S KANSAS CITY AUCTION BROUGHT in more than $8.7 million in sales last December, with a sell-through…

Wiper Transmissions THE FILLING STATION • 800 - 841- 6622 WWW.FILLINGSTATION.COM  • $295/PAIR Passenger-car windshield-wiper transmission and link assemblies are now available for the 1937-’39 Chevrolets. Ready to install, these chromed wiper transmissions come with the linkages attached. They can also be modified to fit Buick, Oldsmobile, and Pontiac, as well as 1940 Chevrolets, by extending the length of the linkage arm. These are replacements for GM parts numbers 4073724 and 4073725 (1937), 4081915 and 4081916 (1938), and 4089606 and 4089607 (1939). Wiper transmission mounting brackets and gaskets are sold separately. Cool Tool PERTRONIX PERFORMANCE PRODUCTS 909 - 599 - 5955 • WWW.PERTRONIX.COM $129.99 This new tool kit from PerTronix allows for easy and quick assembly of Delphi Weather Pack connectors. The new 220-piece crimp tool comes with two quick interchangeable…

Dodge’s A-body Dart managed to come full circle in its decade-and-a-half of production. It started and ended as economical transportation, but in the middle, there was a diversionary swing out into the world of high-performance; it was this time frame that marked Dart’s sales peak. The foundation of the A-body Dart originated in 1961, with the Dodge Lancer. Launched one year after the all-new unit-body 1960 Valiant, Lancer lasted just two years. With sales roughly half of the Valiant in its two seasons, it’s easy to see why its run was truncated. The reasons why the Lancer didn’t resonate were many, such as the translation of Virgil Exner’s wild style onto a smaller chassis, the lack of differentiation between Lancer and Valiant, and the idea of the more-upscale Dodge seemingly…

While no formal efforts had been expended on auto design during the Second World War, Hudson stylist Frank Spring and chief engineer Millard Toncray had collaborated on some sketches during the war years, so Hudson was aiming for a new model (the vaunted Step-Down) in 1948.That meant that 1947’s styling was almost unchanged from 1946 and very little changed from 1941 or even 1940 (no panels interchanged, but the overall look was clearly an evolution — featuring Hudson’s signature width and airy greenhouse). Possibly the most notable tweak for 1947 was the introduction of a driver’s-side exterior door lock, a remarkably prescient feature for the suburban postwar world where parking lots came to far outnumber parallel parking spaces. Buyers in 1947 had their choice of four models: Super Six, Super…

We’re in this hobby because we love old cars. Call them “vintage,” “antique,” “classic,” “well used” — whatever you want, but old cars really have a way of bringing out the best in our emotions. Maybe they remind us of a simpler time or, better yet, a time when design and engineering were dictated by the designers and engineers, and not the outside forces that seemingly lead all modern automakers down the same path. So, why not have fun with them? We’re going to ask you a favor: Put down this magazine, grab the keys to your classic, go to your garage or barn or carport, open the door, toss out the dryer sheets or that crusty old box of mothballs, get behind the wheel, turn the key, fire it…

A common perception of libraries is that they’re stuffy, dusty places staffed by serious, cardigan-, and spectacle-wearing spinsters who’d just as soon “shush” you as smile. Visiting the nonprofit Antique Automobile Club of America Library & Research Center — open to every car enthusiast, regardless of club membership, six days a week — and engaging this popular institution’s professional staff, quickly blows that silly stereotype out of the water. This is one library that is as dynamic as the world of historic automobiles that its ever-expanding collection celebrates. Since the AACA’s founding in 1935, its members have collected automotive literature, books, and periodicals, to accompany their old cars. One of the AACA’s most prominent early members, Thomas McKean, established an extensive automotive literature collection that he’d donated to the Philadelphia…

Except for the fact that I was paying tax for a car that was scattered over four or five states at one point, it was a fun journey. We started with a car full of electrical shorts, no bumpers and no back seat, and a mission to see the restoration through. I was filled with anxiety for six years, honestly, not being able to wait to get to the finish. I had to miss more than I wanted to, yet I didn’t want the work to stop, and with everyone’s incredible help we have a car that many people enjoy, not just my family. Ultimately, it all boiled down to patience, knowing your ability, and having the right people in place. You can always work with a budget, but not…

CAR: 1959 PONTIAC CATALINA SAFARI PICKUP PROTOTYPE AUCTIONEER: MECUM LOCATION: KISSIMMEE, FLORIDA DATE: JANUARY 12, 2019 LOT NUMBER: S159 CONDITION: #1- AVERAGE SELLING PRICE: N/A HIGH BID: $240,000 (NOT SOLD) PONTIAC’S EL CAMINO-BASED PROTOTYPE, “El Catalina,” was the division’s attempt to wade into the newly reinvigorated car/pickup hybrid market that was dominated by the Ford Ranchero and Chevrolet El Camino. It was created by removing a 1959 Catalina Safari wagon body from the frame and refitting an El Camino cab and bed. Catalina quarters, doors, seats, bumpers, and tailgates were modified from existing models as needed, and the prototype was presented to Bunkie Knudsen and John DeLorean. Ultimately, Knudsen nixed the concept due to questionable demand and a limited market that saw only modest success for the Ranchero and El…

Siblings. Created from the same genetic soup, a billion polynucleotide variables along the way mean that two people from the same parents can be wildly different. The same phenomenon applies to automobiles, too. Examine our sample Mopar pair: a 1963 Dodge Dart and a 1965 Plymouth Valiant. They rolled out of Highland Park within two years of each other. You can tell they’re related, but they’re clearly not the same. Both are based on Chrysler’s compact 106.5-inch-wheelbase A-body chassis that launched under the Valiant in 1960; the all-new Valiant was a major player in Detroit’s compact-car revolution of 1960. Dodge’s 1961 Lancer, a badge-engineered Valiant, got lost in the shuffle, so for 1963 Dodge and Plymouth worked to differentiate themselves. Dodge’s wheelbase grew to 111 inches, in keeping with the…

Dodge’s 1948-’53 B-series light trucks were as handsome as they were hardworking, but they fought an uphill battle for market share against Chevrolet and Ford. Today these “Pilot House” Rams make unusual and useful collectibles that will draw admirers at a cruise night or at the local building-supply store. This month’s feature truck, a 1953 Dodge B-4-B half-ton, represents the last of the B series before the 1954-model-year redesign. Its owner, Paul Nelson of Prescott, Arizona, purchased it as a project back in 2001 and spent the next 16 years restoring it in stages. It was sold new in New Mexico and spent its life in the dry desert climate of that state and Arizona. “When I was a kid, I worked on a farm in South Dakota for several…

Besides its small size, upright grille, and individual, detachable fenders, the two most significant design features that make the T-Series of MG sports cars so endearing are their cut-down doors and twin-humped scuttle. Although the last of the T-Series was the 1955 TF, its signature style originated in 1932 with the introduction of the MG J2. This is the car that the entire T-Series line, including the immensely popular TC and TD, took its design inspiration germinated from. The J2’s proper factory-issued name is “Midget” — clearly a reference to its pint-size dimensions. The first Midget, known as the M Type, appeared at Britain’s Motor Show in 1928. Four years later, the first J Type Midget was introduced, and although its production run was a short three years, a total…

Mike Early Vinyl - top Installer IN MARCH OF 1971, I WAS ASKED IF I wanted to go to Seattle from our home south of Portland, Oregon, with my cousin to start a vinyl-top installation shop on the waterfront there. My cousin had a contract with Datsun America (later Nissan) to install vinyl tops on 20 percent of all the cars they unloaded on the docks, and he figured he would need some help. We set up shop, got an apartment, and went to work. I had never installed vinyl tops on cars before, but my cousin had been one of the trainers for Orig-Equip Corporation of Oklahoma City and was well versed in the application of vinyl to steel. It didn’t take long for us to become sufficiently experienced…