Vintage Cars

[DancingSweetie]

My dream is to purchase a mid to late 50's Studebaker silver/goldenhawk which would be my only mode of transportation.

 

[Twitch]

Here is a site that will give you a basic idea of values verses condition of cars back to 1946 http://www.vmrintl.com/ Any car you are entertaining buying look on the web for places with parts. Kanter.com is in New Jersey and they are a source for things even add-on seatbelts. Go to their site and ask them to send a catalog. I've been able to find what I've needed for my 1950 Packard. I looked before buying and found public interest and a supply of parts. I know Packard owners in Canada and they use their cars not baby them so the weather use is a personal thing.

Look folks, anything you can find for under $10,000 is a great deal and there are many classic cars in that range. If you picked up the Pontiac for $4000 and put another $4000 into it you'd still be way ahead if you plan to drive it a lot! Don't plan on getting something out of a car as a "investment." You and I can't afford the cars you need to buy to do that. Just find something that is driveable.

 

[Wild Root]

Here is a site that will give you a basic idea of values verses condition of cars back to 1946 http://www.vmrintl.com/ Any car you are entertaining buying look on the web for places with parts. Kanter.com is in New Jersey and they are a source for things even add-on seatbelts. Go to their site and ask them to send a catalog. I've been able to find what I've needed for my 1950 Packard. I looked before buying and found public interest and a supply of parts. I know Packard owners in Canada and they use their cars not baby them so the weather use is a personal thing.

Look folks, anything you can find for under $10,000 is a great deal and there are many classic cars in that range. If you picked up the Pontiac for $4000 and put another $4000 into it you'd still be way ahead if you plan to drive it a lot! Don't plan on getting something out of a car as a "investment." You and I can't afford the cars you need to buy to do that. Just find something that is driveable.

Amen!

 

[Michaelson]

You look a little further east, you can find some FINE driveable classics for around $2000 or less.

Regards! Michaelson

 

[Wild Root]

True...

But, you'll have to make sure there isn't any terminal rust or cancer. :eusa_doh: The east is known for it! Be wear of Bondo!

=WR=

 

[Michaelson]

Not in the South. We don't use salt on our roads, so the bodies are as solid as what you find out west.

Regards! Michaelson

 

[Wild Root]

Really? Well, that's good to know! I'll have to keep that in mind!

=WR=

 

[Tony in Tarzana]

Speaking of Studebaker Hawks and Packard, one of the owners of the company that I work for has a 1958 Packard Hawk. It's a Stude Hawk with a different nose piece. It's also the last car to carry the Packard name.

Recently, he also picked up a 1956 Clipper 4-door. Now there's a car you can wear a hat in!

 

[DancingSweetie]

Yes, those Packard Hawks are gorgeous, but rare.

 

[Twitch]

Well us Packard owners call the post '56 cars "Packbakers" since they were actually Studebakers with the Packard name only. They lasted for 1957-58 and were gone, thankfully.

Now the Stude Golden Hawks were cool cars in their own right! I think the Packard Hawks were ugly. The Studes were designed by the famous Raymond Lowey and much cleaner to me. A 56 Golden Hawk in decent shape can be had in the mid teen price and there's lots of parts around for them.

They're only going to go up in price DancingSweetie.

 

[Wild Root]

For me, when Packard is mentioned, I only see the great pre-war classics. Well, the models just after WWII (1946-1950) weren't so bad... they still had some nice looks. Even the '48-'50 "Bathtub" styles were rather nice looking cars. As the 50's went on, Packard lost something in style... they weren't bad looking cars for say, they just didn't wear the name badge of Packard very well. The problem was, they looked a lot like the Buicks and other cars of those years. In the earlier years, they had that distinctive grill that was recognizable just like Rolls and Benz. When one saw a Packard, they saw money and wealth!

I enjoy seeing most cars from the 50's but, when it comes to Packard’s, it's got to be the 1920's to about 1940.

1936.

=WR=

 

[Powerhouse]

Boilers

Ok.. now this looks like a great thread.

First off I would like to say that I am a firm believer in driving a vintage automobile everyday. I have been for 10 years now. My first automobile was a 57 belair. I drove her all through university (all 5 years of it, hahaha) I still have it but don't drive it much anymore. Along the way I got a 59 stude Lark VI, neat little machine- don't have it anymore. Close after that my dad bought a 58 Caddy Coupe deville- very nice, and a 56 caddy sedan deville- not so nice condition. We just sold them both. I had a 43 Willys MB for a little while, was going to restore it to reenact with, but it was too far gone. I also didn't have any time to really work on it. Sold it off as well. Now I've got my 39 Plym. 2-door Touring sedan. It's an amazing modernist piece of work. And it has a floor shift, I kinda like it better that way. Last but definately not least, my dad's and my 1931 Chevrolet Rumble Seat Roadster. Yowza, what an automobile! Some may say it's a bit boring but that's Crazy talk!

Best thing about a vintage automobile...
EVERYTHING!!!!!!!!!! AAHOOOOOOOOOOOOOHGAAAAAA

 

[Wild Root]

Ok.. now this looks like a great thread.

First off I would like to say that I am a firm believer in driving a vintage automobile everyday. I have been for 10 years now. My first automobile was a 57 belair. I drove her all through university (all 5 years of it, hahaha) I still have it but don't drive it much anymore. Along the way I got a 59 stude Lark VI, neat little machine- don't have it anymore. Close after that my dad bought a 58 Caddy Coupe deville- very nice, and a 56 caddy sedan deville- not so nice condition. We just sold them both. I had a 43 Willys MB for a little while, was going to restore it to reenact with, but it was too far gone. I also didn't have any time to really work on it. Sold it off as well. Now I've got my 39 Plym. 2-door Touring sedan. It's an amazing modernist piece of work. And it has a floor shift, I kinda like it better that way. Last but definately not least, my dad's and my 1931 Chevrolet Rumble Seat Roadster. Yowza, what an automobile! Some may say it's a bit boring but that's Crazy talk!

Best thing about a vintage automobile...
EVERYTHING!!!!!!!!!! AAHOOOOOOOOOOOOOHGAAAAAA

:eusa_clap Oh, we're going to be good friends! I've driven my '46 daily for two years now and can not see my self owning a modern car! I'd love to see some photos of your '39 Plymouth! That is my favorite year!!! I almost bought a '39 business coupe, it was all original and in very good shape! Drivable and rust free! It even had it's original California plates! I wanted it so, so bad, they only were asking $5900.00!!! But, I couldn't get the cash scraped up for it... so, she's gone now and I'm still crying over it! Something about the '39's I love is the head lamps! They have that squarish shape to them... so cool! Say, is your P-9 converted to 12Volt? I find that the pre-sealed beam head lamps are dimmer with the 6volt.

Looking forward to your post!

=WR=

 

[Powerhouse]

I haven't taken any snapshots of my 39 yet, but a couple friends of mine did last Saturday at a vintage picnic/dance. We got some good shots with my car and my friends 41 Windsor. I will post 'em when I get 'em.

My 39 is stock and I am going to keep it that way. Unfortunately I do have some dim 6v headlights and vacuum wipers. Another feature that may seem crazy to the post golden era generation is NO door locks on the driver's side door. Just the passenger side. This was done so the driver had to exit on the passenger side to lock the doors from the outside. It cut down on city traffic slamming into open doors on narrow city streets. No need to lock the car in the country. Oh, and my Plymouth is a P7. It's a Roadking.

WHAT?????!!!!!!!!!! $5,900.00 - GOOD GRAVY!!!!!! THAT'S A DEAL! :eusa_doh: Too bad, but you got a beauty anyway.

A 1939 P8 Convertible can be seen in the film The Big Sleep, Chasing The Moon, that Roger Rabbit movie... and some others.

Here are some great print ads of my car...

at the 39 NYWF with Lucille Ball in the back seat--

another beauty-

 

[Powerhouse]

Here's a pic of my "little brother" in 1946. He's the one with the rifle.
Actually he's old enough to be my grandfather, but believe it or not he'll dance the entire nite w/o sitting down.

This is a photo of my good friend Cpt. Blackie. It was taken in Georgia just after he returned from the United States Army Air Force. He flew with the 8th as co-pilot on B-17's and B-25's. This is a great shot of of him with his flyboy pals and his 39 Plymouth Deluxe Sedan.

Here he is now-

 

[Wild Root]

Oh yes, the '39's were P-7's or P-8's :eusa_doh:

Man, I wish I had a '39 Plymouth... or, a '39 Chrysler Royal!

If you couldn't tell by now, I'm a die hard Chrysler man!

=WR=

PS. Thanks for the little family history! My Grandfather served in the 8th as a radio tech. He serviced all the Radio equipment for his field. So, the 8th is near and dear!

 

[Powerhouse]

Chrysler makes a hell of an auto! I gotta get those pics from the weekend up on here. My pal's 41 windsor is a looker! Two tone green sedan. It's like off the showroom floor, inside and out!

 

[Wild Root]

Oh, a '41 Chrysler? My Land Lord is just about finished with his 1941 Chrysler convertible! I can't wait till that thing is done! I'll be right there for a ride this summer!

My family has bought Chrysler products for a long time! All the way back to the 30's! But, the trend died after my Grandmother passed away, she drove Chryslers up till her dying day. But, my folks drive Mitsubishi’s... I drive a Plymouth! In fact, my Aunt was telling me that they had a '46 or '47 Plymouth for a wile before my father was born, so, I feel I'm carrying on the Smith Family Tradition!

Plymouth Built Great Cars!

=WR=

 

[Tony in Tarzana]

I'd love a late 30s Packard touring car with the dual sidemounts, but there is just something universal about a Plymouth. It was a car the average Joe drove, inexpensive, rugged and reliable. A Plymouth from the late pre-war period is such a time machine.

I keep being drawn back to the goofy-looking '38. It was the last one to have headlights in seperate buckets, and Bogie drove one in The Big Sleep.

One thing that surprised me was learning that Plymouth still made rumble seats up through 1939. I'd always associated them with the '20s and early '30s.

In the back of the parking lot at Glendale Studios, where I work, is a 1932 Plymouth rumble seat convertible. Right now it's parked next to the aforementioned Clipper and Packard Hawk. Further down is a 1955 Seagrave fire pumper, with the Pierce-Arrow designed 462ci flathead V-12. There's also a '57 Caddy Eldorado with suicide rear doors and a brushed stainless steel roof, and next to that is a '61 Chrysler New Yorker that's being prepped for paint.

 

[Wild Root]

From the "The Big Sleep"

The '38's looked nice but, that grill isn't as attractive as the 35-37's. But... if some one just gave me a '38, I'd take it with a big smile!!! I do like the dash boards on them! I think my favorite Plymouth hood ornament is the '35's!

That ornament is soooo nice! So art deco!!! Love the port holes on the cowling!

Oh Plymouth!!!

=WR=