Automobiles My memories from the 1930's by 10 year periods

[uncle Alan]

Some 1920's vehicles are included because they were still on the streets when I was a kid.

Tall,thin,awkward,loose sprung & noisy. That nutshells those of the 1920 era as I remember. Tall,skinny tires with both wooden & wire spokes.Plenty of Ford's "T Models" running & a lot of them were delivery trucks. Hand cranking was the way to fire 'em up & kick-back broke a number of arms. "T" tire size was 3X 33 &1/3 . They were held on the wooden spoked rim by lugs at the tire & were a booger to change .
Later "T" 's had29 X 4.40 balloon tires in 1926. The ride & traction improved with wider tires. The Model "A" appeared in i928 & was Ford's mass produced hit.
1932 saw Fords "B" model arrive. It was 4 cylinders as standard but a 221 CI flat-head V-8 engine was optinal . Very popular with law enforcement & budding hot rodders. I have the wrench [ Ford part # cast on it ] used to R&R the starter along with plier & monkey-wrench tools from the gift Henry had placed on the front seat of each new car along with a can of DuPont # 7 Car Polish. Screwdrivers were included but the handles rotted through the years.
In the mid-30's Ford went to steel wheels [ artillery style ] & introduced a smaller V-8 rated @60 hp but still sold the 221 ci @ 85 hp. A big hit with hotels & golf clubs was introduced in 1939 ,the "Woody " station wagon . It was a good seller but the originals were subject to rot & mold. Ford corrected the finish in a hurry.
The 1940 Ford coupe was & is a classic. I shudder to remember so many having been wrecked & junked running as dirt track modifieds.

The facts come from my memory AND a 286 page section of " America's Monstrous Car Guide".

Sorry,but it looks like each manufacturer will need a posting of it's own. Still have a lot to do in the '30's plus some cars you never heard of in that era.

Are you bored to tears ? Shall I go outside & watch the grass grow ?

Do you want more ?
Uncle Alan

 

[Bob W]

I'd love to see an original 1920s Lincoln. Lincoln was actually an independant car company for two years, something like 1920-1922. Then they were bought by Henry Ford.

I saw a documentary a few months back about the challenge of driving an automobile all the way accross the country, and the men who did it first. Something like 1904. That's the same year our house was built, and since few people owned automobiles that early especially in small towns, I feel quite confident that calling our original outbuilding a "Carriage House" is accurate.

I don't know the exact dates, 1920-1930-ish, my grandfather was a Keiser Car dealer. I've seen photos of that-era car races - apparently my grandfather owned or sponsored a car. Not much left of the photos, but darned cool anyway.

If you continue to tell your car timeline by decades, feel free to skip the 1970s and most of the 1980s. Blech!

Best Wishes,
-Bob

 

[FullerH]

My brother had a 1941 Lincoln Zephyr Coupe back in the mid-1950s. He replaced the original flat head V-12 engine with a 1949 Mercury flat head V-8 because he could find parts to repair it and to hop it up. To visualize the car, think of a 1940 or 1941 Ford coupe writ large.

Shame about that V-12 engine, as it was super smooth until something broke.

 

[Bob W]

I'm a huge fan of Lincoln. My Mark VIII is by far the nicest automobile I've ever owned. Here's a Lincoln timeline by decades, not very many photos though.
http://www.lincoln.com/about/

What sucks now it they seem stuck on making trucks and those giant-station-wagon-things. Lincoln hasn't made a two-door since 1998. They've made prototypes of a Mark 9 and Mark X that they haul around to auto shows, but they've never gone into production.

1921 Lincoln:

Lincoln Mark X:

-Bob

 

[Bob W]

Here's another "Before and After" comparison. Going with a Japanese brand this time, since so many people drive imports now:

1963 Honda S500, Honda's first production automobile:

2002 Honda S2000 (my 'new' ride). The '06 model is nearly indentical.

The '02 redlines at 9000 RPM, while the '63 redlined at 9500 RPM!! Difference, the antique managed to create a whopping 44HP; the modern S2000 puts out around 240HP. The '63 Honda listed for $1,275, while a new '06 will set you back $34,000.

-Bob

 

[uncle Alan]

I'd love to see an original 1920s Lincoln. Lincoln was actually an independant car company for two years, something like 1920-1922. Then they were bought by Henry Ford.

I saw a documentary a few months back about the challenge of driving an automobile all the way accross the country, and the men who did it first. Something like 1904. That's the same year our house was built, and since few people owned automobiles that early especially in small towns, I feel quite confident that calling our original outbuilding a "Carriage House" is accurate.

I don't know the exact dates, 1920-1930-ish, my grandfather was a Keiser Car dealer. I've seen photos of that-era car races - apparently my grandfather owned or sponsored a car. Not much left of the photos, but darned cool anyway.


T


he Kaiser-Frazier autos emerged after WW II & quickly helped fill the void from the war years . Will explain in detail when we cover the 1940's ,but first we will touch on body construction & steering geometry as we got away from the front axle.

Uncle Alan [I'm enjoying the memories being dredged up ]

 

[Yvsa]

My old man was a Kiaser Frazer dealer in Belgrade or Three Forks Montana about when they came out or a little later. We had a Frazer Manhattan demonstrator, now they're called program cars.
They were dayumed nice cars and ahead of their time in many ways. The pushbutton door handles inside were new to the industry and I don't think they've ever been done on any other cars.
My first car was a '50 Hudson Pacemaker Six and I'd love to have it now.
It would cruise at 80 mph and get 22 mpg at that speed in overdrive.:thumbup:

 

[uncle Alan]

My brother had a 1941 Lincoln Zephyr Coupe back in the mid-1950s. He replaced the original flat head V-12 engine with a 1949 Mercury flat head V-8 because he could find parts to repair it and to hop it up. To visualize the car, think of a 1940 or 1941 Ford coupe writ large.

Shame about that V-12 engine, as it was super smooth until something broke.

It was a very smooth running engine. It was a 267.3 ci [110 hp in '36 ] & the pistons were about the size of a shot glass. The greater number of cylinders evidently aided harmonic balance. The '40 V-12[120 hp ] Continental was the classiest car around .

Uncle Alan

 

[FullerH]

I agree, Uncle Alan, but there were no spare parts to be found on a teenager's income in the mid-1950s. What a shame it was. I have often wondered what happened to that car. It was Lincoln's answer to the Chrysler Airflow of a few years earlier and a damn sight better looking. In some ways, I think that it was better looking than the '41 Continental as I am not overly fond of spare tires grafted on to the hind ends of cars.

 

[Bob W]

I didn't know exactly what a Lincoln Zephyr looked like, so I tracked down this page of photos at a Zephyr owners club website:

http://www.lzoc.org/photos/photos.htm

Those cars are true class, and fit nicely inbetween the 1921 Lincoln and the Mark X photos above.

Here's my favorite of the owners' photos. This is a 1938 Covertible Coupe:

 

[FullerH]

My brother's car was a coupe. Imagine this in a deep metallic blue:

 

[FullerH]

I'll tell you one thing. It puts to shame that dolled-up Fusion that they are currently selling as a "Lincoln Zephyr".

 

[Bob W]

My brother's car was a coupe. Imagine this in a deep metallic blue:

Sweeeet! Even though it doesn't have the "Mark" nametag, it is obviously the great-great grandfather of my Mark VIII.

The family resemblence is striking.

You guys are making me sad that I bought a Honda instead of another Lincoln...

 

[Bob W]

It puts to shame that dolled-up Fusion that they are currently selling as a "Lincoln Zephyr".

No kidding. Have you seen the interior of that thing? YUCK!

But I gotta say, that new Lincoln Mark LT is something to drool over. To me a truck has always been just a truck. Of course I've always had preferences, but no truck ever really did anything special for me. Until now.

http://www.lincoln.com/marklt/home.asp

Of course I wouldn't want to drive it out to the gasfield every day...

-Bob

 

[uncle Alan]

I'll tell you one thing. It puts to shame that dolled-up Fusion that they are currently selling as a "Lincoln Zephyr".

Old names never die but classic autos fade away. Since you [ actually everyone ] have lots of computer savvy,would you please post a photo of my favorite.the '34 Chrysler Airflow ? It had a 298.7 cid & ran like a scalded ape ! I believe it was the first to come with fender shirts too.

Many thanks.

Uncle Alan

 

[Bob W]

No problem Uncle Alan. Here's the coolest picture I could find, from an old advertisement:

That's a nice car, but it's no Lincoln.


Here are two websites with lots of Airflow pictures and information:
http://www.airflowclub.com/
http://www.clearlight.com/~brawicz/chrysler-airflow/

Best Wishes,
-Bob

 

[akivory]

I sold my Airflow about ten years ago.I believe the guy who bought it is almost finished with the restoration .I have bought and sold over 30 old cars in the last 20 years. it took me a long time to realize that I did not have the time or money to properly restore these projects. A lot of them were drivable and they were a lot of fun to own.
A few years back I talking to the owner of a tire shop that has been in business for over 60 years he told me he was a Willys Kiaser dealer in the early 50s and that he still had an attic full of parts that they made him buy when he bought the dealership.I looked at them and almost made a deal to buy them. The old guy has died but as far as I know the parts are still there.

 

[FullerH]

If you want to see a truly stunning version of 1930s aerodynamics in an automobile, try the Bugatti Type 57 Atlantique Coupe. Here is a site that includes a striking blue version along with the recent Chrysler Atlantic Coupe sort of testimonial to it.

http://www.allpar.com/cars/concepts/atlantic.html

 

[hwyhobo]

Here's another "Before and After" comparison. Going with a Japanese brand this time, since so many people drive imports now:
1963 Honda S500 [...] 2002 Honda S2000

Mechanical progress aside, what is it that just like with the Hondas you've shown here, with Ford's 1957 Thunderbird and the short-lived recent Thunderbird, car companies do not seem able to capture the same grace that the original cars had? Compared to those old ones, the new ones look awkward and pretentious. Don't we have stylists with good taste anymore?

 

[FullerH]

While I agree with you about the T-Bird, I don't agree in general. I think that Ford has captured the essence of the late Sixties Mustang superbly with the 2006 versions and that they have also updated the GT-40 for the street remarkably well. It is a pity that they did so badly with the Five Hundred and the T'Bird.

On the Mustang, I was especially taken with the early ad that had Steve McQueen in his "Bullitt" persona come out of a cornfield, climb into a guy's Mustang, take it for a hot lap around a track buiolt in the cornfield, and then walk back into the corn to disappear. God. I loved that ad.