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Old Maude. a Velie invention
 Willard Lamb Velie, John Deere's grandson, became a success in his own right manufacturing three vehicles that represented the changing times and technology of the early 20th century. Mr. Velie founded the Velie Carriage Company in Moline in 1901. True to the family agricultural tradition, the company manufactured farm wagons and buggies. Technology was changing, however, so in 1908 the company entered the horseless carriage business, introducing "Old Maude." Though several local companies made automobiles, Velie's was far and away the most successful local effort. More than 75,000 Velie automobiles were made between 1908 and 1928. In 1926, a Velie company engine powered and enclosed-cabin monoplane built by Don Luscombe and Clayton Folkerts of Bettendorf. They later became partners with Velie, forming the Mono Aircraft Corporation. In 1929 a Velie Monocoupe piloted by Phoebe Omlie recorded a world altitude record over the Quad-Cities. Mr. Velie died in 1929.
Vintage neon dealer signs are big collectibles; unfortunately, they cost big bucks, too. But now, thanks to the efforts of the GM Heritage Center, these highly sought-after signs are being reproduced, albeit in very limited numbers. Unlike the original signs, these vintage neon dealer signs have been scaled down to better fit the walls of collectors’ dens, living rooms and garages; they measure about 60 inches wide and 21 inches tall, and weigh about 50 pounds. Each is individually fabricated out of high-strength aluminum, assembled with the correct fasteners and color schemes just like the original signs, but using a two-part urethane enamel to replicate the original’s porcelain-like finish. Available for Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, Oldsmobile, Pontiac and GMC trucks, each sign comes with a special brass I.D. plate that’s engraved with a serial number. The signs are being produced by the Industrial Neon Sign Corporation of Houston, Texas, which has been in the neon sign business since 1934, so you know they are built extremely well. Each sign costs $3,995 and they are limited in production to just 100 units; however, the Chevrolet sign, of which 200 will be produced, will retail for $2,995. All proceeds benefit the GM Heritage Center in Michigan. For more details, contact Mail Services Group, 101 H Street, Suite N, Petaluma, California 94952; 800-558-2550; or visit GM’s Web site: www.gmphotostore.com - By Richard Lentinello
Car Collecting- International style Hello Don Mitchell, Long time no news from the Netherlands....
Last year I drove from Peking to Paris in the 1907 Spyker (www.pekingparis2005.com
Right now we are busy getting the Mitchell running again.I drove it just before I was invited for the 2005 P2P and was amazed how well the Mitchell drives!!!
The steering,handling,shifting,clutching,driving is so comfortable I can hardly imagine.I can operate the clutch by hand,it starts very good on the crank,shifting without noise and very precise,and drives like it has powersteering!!
Only it threw out oil on the backcylinder,so we took the cylinder of.Then we found out that the rear bearingbracket had one bolt broken out of the aluminum,so we took all the cylinders off and took the engine out of the chassis.
Also we took the gearbox out.The gearbox is like brand new,as are the pistons and the cylinders.Very tight tolerances,I think the wall of one cylinder is too smooth so it brings the oil to the top.
The bearings though have to be renewed.The main bearings start to wear out,and the rod bearings are not tight in the rods anymore.So we are looking for a company who can make new bearings now. I overthink installing replacable bronze fitted white metalled main bearings, first we have to bore the engine block etc.I do not now for sure yet.
It will take some time but will work out. What a superdriver the car is!!
Regards,
Stijnus Schotte. Dutch Web Site. Go to babelfish and enter "www.autostal.nl/start.htm" (no quotes) as the URL, select Dutch to English and it will give you a "quaint" translation to navigate the site
Friends of the Model T
Classic Cars
Under Restoration
One unique feature designed specifically for their readers is the Under Restoration column. This intriguing feature profiles current restoration projects that are being performed by hobbyists in their home garages, and it makes for some fascinating reading.
If you have a car or truck under restoration in your home garage and would like others to see what you're doing, kindly send them a few overall photographs and a brief write-up about the vehicle being restored.
Send your stories to: Hemmings Motor News, c/o Under Restoration, P.O. Box 100, Bennington, Vermont 05201. - by Richard Lentinello
Jiminy Jeepsters Creepers!
On the central New Jersey coastline, not far from Asbury Park, there’s an absolute, hands-down trove for people who are into old Jeeps. All kinds of old Jeeps, dating from the immediate post-war years all the way into the 1980s. Lording over his wonderfully cluttered rabbit warren of more than 10,000 Jeep parts, virtually all of them OEM or NOS, is Morris Ratner, who proudly calls himself The Jeepster Man.
Mr. Ratner does indeed stock parts for Jeepsters, built at various times by Willys-Overland, Kaiser and American Motors, in a number of guises. The earliest were produced between 1948 and 1951, then reappeared in 1967 as the Jeepster convertible, part of a line that also included the more utilitarian Commando, and lasted through 1971. The Commando, sans Jeepster, continued through 1973, after which it morphed into the first of the Wagoneer-based Cherokees. So as we can see, The Jeepster Man is about more than just Jeepsters.
Here’s more evidence: He also stocks components for relative rarities such as the DJ-3A Dispatcher and Surrey, built from 1955 to 1964; the CJ-5A and CJ-6A Tuxedo Park Mark IV (1964-1967), the full line of Forward Control trucks and all kinds of FSJ pieces (that’s Full Size Jeeps, for the uninitiated), ranging from the first half-ton Willys pickup of 1950 all the way to the last of the Grand Wagoneers. He also sells a selection of electrical and steering pieces for later-model AMC passenger cars.
The Jeepster Man offers a parts catalog, and he’s open six days a week at 238 Ramtown-Greenville Road in Howell Township, New Jersey, off U.S. Route 9. Call him at 732-458-3966, check in online at a www.thejeepsterman.com and tell him Hemmings sent you.
- by Jim Donnelly
Ford Model K sells for $214,000
This particular 1906 Model K is not only a very rare early Ford, but it was totally unrestored. Below its faded paint, warm patina and original upholstery, the steel body was in fine shape, featuring all of its original parts and accessories that it rolled off the assembly line with 100 years ago.
Unlike the smaller Model T, the Model K was quite large. It was built on a 114-inch wheelbase and powered by a 405-cubic-inch straight-six engine developing 40hp. When it was produced it carried a steep, $2,500 price tag, and was available as either a five-passenger, tulip-bodied tourer or a lightweight roadster. This particular offering was the roadster version, is fully operational and ready to drive. Believed to be just one of eight Model Ks in existence today, this Brass-Era beauty is truly an amazing piece of Ford history.
- By Richard Lentinello
With today’s internet, finding the parts you need for an old car restoration is
certainly easier and faster
than it used to be. The biggest challenge before was to get familiar with all
junk yards in the region and be
ready to search old barns and sheds. Actually we don’t even have junk yards
anymore, they are metal recycling
centers. Now you can locate parts all over the country and even outside the
country with the click of a mouse.
A recent search on Model T had 646,667 hits. In the old days the mouse was
usually in the old car.
Here is how John and Marilyn Resetich remember their experiences building their
1913 Model T Ford back in the
60’s.
Once we decided that we really wanted to have a brass Model T Ford, a plan was
needed to do this for a reasonable
cost. That obviously meant finding the parts and putting one together.
Therefore we set about tracking down stories
and rumors about old parts thought to be available.
In December, 1960, early one morning, we got in our 1955 Chevrolet family bus
and headed for Northern Missouri.
I had heard that there was an old black-smith shop that had Model "T" parts and
a brass radiator. At this (dirt floor) blacksmith shop, we saw many Model "T"
parts but no brass radiator.
However, the man made me a deal I could not refuse on a load of parts.
He trucked all the parts to our home and unloaded them in our driveway.
I knew I was on my way to building a brass "T" Ford. I sold many of the parts
through Hemmings,
which provided revenue for our project. We then bought the chassis frame from
the Annawan Ford dealer.
All I had to do was cut down a small tree growing through the frame. We next
bought a 1913 Touring body in Peoria.
Now we had a 1913 "T" under restoration. We worked under a very tight budget.
However, we wanted to do good work,
but not necessarily trying to compete with National Show competition. Marilyn
and I put in the diamond-tufted
upholstery Laying out the diamond pattern and sewing in the pleats were a
challenge. Marilyn's sewing machine
was never the same after that. The top bows and the steering wheel were steam
straightened. We replaced the
rear body panel, removed some bad dents and painted it using Dulux enamel
(approximately $3.00 a quart 1960 prices). The hood, found in a pigpen had to
be reformed and the
aluminum edges repaired. The late Fred Bengston of Rock Island installed the
top.
This was all we had hired out. Fred installed upholstery and tops during the
Model "T era.
I laid out a new gas tank, taking dimensions from the old tank. Johnson's Sheet
Metal punched and rolled up a new one from my drawing. Then the ends were
formed and the complete tank soldered up. (Still in use, 41 years later.) The
windshield was made from two scrap 1913 windshields. The engine, wheels, front
end and differential parts came from the old blacksmith shop. The fenders and
lamps were purchased from Herb Lohman. All the parts to build the car covered
eight states.
Finally the day came when we rolled the freshly painted chassis outside.
With two or three pulls, the engine came to life. What a good sound!!! We soon
had our Model T completely
assembled. We then drove it to Peoria for a car show in 1964. Today, our sons,
Mark and Ross, carry on the same hobby. They restore Mustangs and motorcycles.
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MVR Automobile Club 724 43rd Street, Moline, IL 61265
Copyright © 2006 Galley Graphics. All rights reserved. Web site was last updated |
At last week’s RM auction in Phoenix, Arizona, one of the most significant early Ford automobiles sold for $214,000. 