Vintage Car Thread - Discussion and Parts Requests

[GHT]

Personally, I am a fan of the T series right up through the B of 1962 and beyond.

You can see from my avatar that my MG is a Y-Type. First mooted in 1937, it was to be the baby of the SVW range. Prototypes were built and road tested, the model was planned to be exhibited at the 1939 Motor Show. But with the onset of war, like so many other factories in the UK, MG went over to war production, mothballing all of their car production/parts/drawings/admin and so on. At the end of hostilities car production resumed, but not until 1947 due to both bomb damage and a serious fire.

The two cars that were produced was the sports TC and the Y-Type. As with other models MG produced an open top Y-Type which they called the YT. T meaning tourer, a fancy way of describing open top "touring." In 1952 MG Car Company updated the “Y” Type and an improved model was launched, known as the “YB”. The “YB” had a completely new Lockheed braking system and a much more modern type of back axle. The road holding was also improved by the introduction of 15 inch wheels; the “Y” and the “Y/T” had 16 inch wheels. The “YB” also had an anti-roll bar fitted to the front of the car and better dampers were fitted. So good did these improvements prove to be that MG used them in other models including the MGB, production of that car didn't cease until 1980.

In January 1950, the MG TC gave way to the MG TD. A much improved car, it combined the TC's drivetrain, a modified hypoid-geared rear axle, the MG Y-type chassis, a familiar T-type style body and independent suspension on front axle using coil springs from the MG Y-type saloon: a 1950 road-test report described as "most striking" the resulting "transformation ... in the comfort of riding" It was the TD that I hankered after when I was a penniless student. The TD, unlike it's forbears, didn't come with spoke wheels as standard, although you could order them as an optional extra. There's something about chromium wire wheels, here's a couple of TD's with and without the spokes.

 

[Babydoll]

Lily and I were out running errands today, and we stopped at a red light behind this beauty. Less than 2 blocks later something went thunka-thunka-thunka, and he hastily pulled over, blocking traffic in the bicycle lane. Awful way to spend a sunny afternoon.

 

[LizzieMaine]

That's a '41 Buick.

 

[Talbot]

It's beautiful. It looks Buick but the trunk handle is different as are the rear fender trims.

 

[1955mercury]

It's beautiful. It looks Buick but the trunk handle is different as are the rear fender trims.

Possibly 1941 Cadillac?

 

[Fading Fast]

Possibly 1941 Cadillac?
View attachment 111208

Pretty lines and not too fancy looking as some Cadillacs from that time period could be. For my money, the car could lose the three chrome fender-trim pieces and it would look cleaner.

 

[BobHufford]

Pretty lines and not too fancy looking as some Cadillacs from that time period could be. For my money, the car could lose the three chrome fender-trim pieces and it would look cleaner.

I like those! Makes it look fast just standing still. I'm probably biased as this was my Dad's favorite year Cadillac. We had a dozen carcasses in the field (what was left after he sold the nice ones).

 

[Fading Fast]

I like those! Makes it look fast just standing still. I'm probably biased as this was my Dad's favorite year Cadillac. We had a dozen carcasses in the field (what was left after he sold the nice ones).

After your post ⇧, I went and looked at the car more carefully on line and will gladly admit that the chrome strips look better in the full image than I thought they did in the from-the-trunk shot. They are pretty simple and clean and, you are right, they give a feeling of speed.
This ⇩ looks pretty darn nice.

Edit Add: You can feel the Raymond Loewy and Henry Dreyfus influence in those chrome strips (I'm sure they weren't involved, but their style vibe was influencing many thing they didn't directly touch).

 

[Benzadmiral]

So from when you were a young man, apparently, the very early part of the 20th Century was calling out to you. Your posts speak to an affinity and deep knowledge of the late 1800s and early 1900s that makes you a valuable contributor at FL for your unique knowledge.

From the movies, technology and style I gravitated to as a kid / teenager, it was the '30s to the pre-cultural-revolution '60s that called out to me. Now I can provide an overanalyzed reason of why I like that era (and who knows if it's accurate, but it sounds convincing), but before I thought about the why, I simply appreciated the MGs of the '30s or the '60s muscle cars; whereas, I found the pre-'30s cars interesting in a "historical" way, but they didn't sing to me.

I liked the pre-WWII cars because I had built and customized plastic models of them, from companies like AMT and Revell and Monogram. The early to mid-'60s cars I loved because they were new and of the moment, because heroes and villains on TV drove them, and because I'd built models of them too.

 

[Studebaker Driver]

Fading Fast, when you stop by on your California tour, after you're fed we can go wine tasting. There are about 100 local wineries around here. This was a winetasting trip.

 

[vitanola]

Went out and test drove a Maxwell Model 25 today. I was definitely unimpressed. A "frame off restoration" with body sills so poor that the rear doors opened on bumps, a transmission which had to be forcibly jerked into gear, and an engine with an distinct rod knock. The machine had great steering and excellent brakes for its day, but overall it was not as driveable as a good Model T.

 

[GHT]

I liked the pre-WWII cars because I had built and customized plastic models of them, from companies like AMT and Revell and Monogram. The early to mid-'60s cars I loved because they were new and of the moment, because heroes and villains on TV drove them, and because I'd built models of them too.

Pre-war cars had the benefit of running on fossil fuel that would last forever, just like smoking never killed you. Without the worry of fuel efficient, wind tunnel design, manufacturer's R&D departments had ever more artistic flare, none more so than Duesenberg Motors. However, if you live in a country where they drive on the left and you don't have a Hollwood 'A' Lister income, then you are unlikely to ever realise the dream of owning a Doozy. But there are alternatives:

 

[LizzieMaine]

On the other hand, there were a few forward-thinking people in the industry who understood that for some, fuel efficiency and low operating costs were real selling points. The Willys Americar was perhaps the first American car to be designed from the ground up as an "economy car," and it received consistently high ratings for overall quality and value from the scientific testing department at Consumers Union Reports.

The Americar consistently delivered 25 or more miles per gallon, which was phenomenal mileage for the period, and while they were never big sellers, they became very popular used cars during the war, when an A card usually got you three gallons a week. They are hard to come by today because most of them were molested by postwar hot-rodders.

 

[Fading Fast]

On the other hand, there were a few forward-thinking people in the industry who understood that for some, fuel efficiency and low operating costs were real selling points. The Willys Americar was perhaps the first American car to be designed from the ground up as an "economy car," and it received consistently high ratings for overall quality and value from the scientific testing department at Consumers Union Reports.

The Americar consistently delivered 25 or more miles per gallon, which was phenomenal mileage for the period, and while they were never big sellers, they became very popular used cars during the war, when an A card usually got you three gallons a week. They are hard to come by today because most of them were molested by postwar hot-rodders.

Acknowledging that the line of overthink is nearby (and probably behind me), but also recognizing that it's a game we play here at FL from time to time, don't its headlights and grill seem to be putting on a humble almost puzzled, but also demure or diffident, look as if to say, "hey, I'm not trying to be a wow car, just a good, decent work-a-day vehicle for you?"

 

[LizzieMaine]

"I YAM WHAT I WHAT I YAM AND THAT'S ALL THAT I YAM."

If Ralph Nader were twenty years older, he'd have driven a Willys Americar.

 

[GHT]

On the other hand, there were a few forward-thinking people in the industry who understood that for some, fuel efficiency and low operating costs were real selling points. The Willys Americar was perhaps the first American car to be designed from the ground up as an "economy car," and it received consistently high ratings for overall quality and value from the scientific testing department at Consumers Union Reports.

The Americar consistently delivered 25 or more miles per gallon, which was phenomenal mileage for the period, and while they were never big sellers, they became very popular used cars during the war, when an A card usually got you three gallons a week. They are hard to come by today because most of them were molested by postwar hot-rodders.

Before Alec Issigonis came up with the iconic Mini, he designed The Morris Minor, a car that certainly looks like it shares it's DNA from the Americar, or have I had too much red wine?

 

[vitanola]

On the other hand, there were a few forward-thinking people in the industry who understood that for some, fuel efficiency and low operating costs were real selling points. The Willys Americar was perhaps the first American car to be designed from the ground up as an "economy car," and it received consistently high ratings for overall quality and value from the scientific testing department at Consumers Union Reports.

The Americar consistently delivered 25 or more miles per gallon, which was phenomenal mileage for the period, and while they were never big sellers, they became very popular used cars during the war, when an A card usually got you three gallons a week. They are hard to come by today because most of them were molested by postwar hot-rodders.

They are cute cars indeed. Looks like The inspiration for "Susie".

 

[vitanola]

Pre-war cars had the benefit of running on fossil fuel that would last forever, just like smoking never killed you. Without the worry of fuel efficient, wind tunnel design, manufacturer's R&D departments had ever more artistic flare, none more so than Duesenberg Motors. However, if you live in a country where they drive on the left and you don't have a Hollwood 'A' Lister income, then you are unlikely to ever realise the dream of owning a Doozy. But there are alternatives:
View attachment 112585 View attachment 112586 View attachment 112587 View attachment 112588

Well, there were major gasoline shortages in the United States between 1916 and 1925. Fractional distillation, simply yielded too little gasoline and too much kerosene to meet the demands of the Motor Age. By 1915 and 1916 most refiners were adding increasing amounts of kerosene to their motor fuel, leading auto manufactures to lower compression ratios, and hence power.

In the early 1920s, the discovery of new oil fields in Oklahoma, and the introduction of fluid catalytic cracking, which tremendously increased gasoline yields, ended that first "gas crisis".

 

[Stanley Doble]

There is more to the Willys Americar story both before and after. The Americar was the work of Delmar G. "Barney" Roos, a hot shot engineer who worked for many American car companies and had the task of coming up with a new car for Willys.

They couldn't afford a new engine so he was forced to use a 4 cylinder job that dated back to the Willys Overland Whippet, which debuted in 1927. The engine was not only obsolete and low on power but had a poor reputation for reliability.

Roos revised the design completely, nearly doubling the horsepower, and improved engine life from 4 hours at full power and full throttle, to 150 hours.

The new Willys was a good looking economical car and was quite popular. They advertised 30 miles per gallon. This car saved the Willys company from bankruptcy.

Good thing too, because this engine was used in millions of Jeeps from WW2 on, the basic design of which came from the Willys company.

After the war it continued to be used in Jeeps and also a small economy car called the Henry J.

 

[Stanley Doble]

"I YAM WHAT I WHAT I YAM AND THAT'S ALL THAT I YAM."

If Ralph Nader were twenty years older, he'd have driven a Willys Americar.

Ralph Nader doesn't have a driver's license and doesn't know how to drive a car. Ironic isn't it? Not that not knowing what he is talking about ever stopped him.