Vintage photos....Awesome!

[barry2952]

Actually, treadwear was a secondary concern of motorists in these times. Blowouts and punctures were the prime problem facing drivers, and most motorists had the ability to repair a flat on the roadside then with the ubiquitous hot-patch kits that everyone carried. It wasn't so much the tires, either, but the inner tubes that they all required on the old "clincher" rims that were the real headache. Think of these old cars as being like your ten-speed bike, but a LOT more hassle to fix a flat.

Clincher, or split-ring, wheels were also enormously dangerous as the tire pressure could turn them into speeding hula-hopops that could take your head off.

[audifans]

So I take it those are "clincher" or split rims?

And wood spokes?

My grandad was a wheelwright with the wagons and then changed over to the car wheels that were still similar at that point.

[Bazooka]

A happy bunch

[mitcompressor]

[wanako]

Woman is working on a "Vengeance" dive bomber Tennessee, February 1943. Reproduction from color slide. Photo by Alfred T. Palmer. Prints and Photographs Division, Library of Congress.

I've looked through many pages of this thread but this pic grabbed me for some reason. I find this woman to be very beautiful, perhaps not aesthetically, but atmospherically. She emits a certain power, a presence. A magnificent creature, one that needs to be admired. Maybe it's just me...

[Jesarray]

This 41 Luxury Liner was the high end model for Dodge that year. The Grille protectors, lower driving lamps and two tone paint were just a part of this cars upscale look. Side mirrors, radio antenna and white wheel rims added more comfort and appearance to a good looking 40's family sedan. This photo was taken on the main beach of Grand Bend Ontario in 1946.

[Barefoot_]

1931 Chevy Roadster




Same car.... prior to being rebuilt from this accident

"tow truck" is converted La Salle

This photo was taken in Shakespeare Ontario Canada in 1938. It shows an 8 year old LaSalle Coupe altered to be put into service as a tow truck for my Fathers garage business. As rare as these are today at the time big cars like this had little appeal to the average buyer. They were heavy to drive and expensive to maintain and fuel. Their great torque gave them more appeal as a work horse and many ended up doing duty on the farm or as make shift commercial vehicles like shown here. After serving in their latter capacity they had further appeal for scrap during the War drive for steel. The vehicle on the hook is a 1931 Chevrolet Roadster that was repaired and returned to the road. The military wheels were an option however few today use them as they lack the appearance that the standard spoke wheels gave.

[Buickboy92]

1931 Chevy Roadster




Same car.... prior to being rebuilt from this accident

"tow truck" is converted La Salle

I want that tow truck!

[TopDown_]

love some of these stories

1932 Ford Tudor Coach Model B

My wife and I bought this nice old rust free 32 shortly after we were married. It was a true barn find and it was decent enough that we drove it home that spring evening in 1968 after we purchased it. The brake rods, pins, yokes etc needed replacing and adjusting. I made a new wiring harness and the steering box required repairs. A tuneup and serious engine and interior cleaning and it was ready to drive. The original owner whom I purchased it from had brush painted it and my wife and I scrapped it all off with razor blades. It was then resprayed in its original Brewster green with black fenders. Not a V8 it was a model B 4 cylinder and liked to be driven all day at 47 MPH. As newly weds we had a lot of fun cruising to the Great Lakes on weekends in this neat old car. It was sold eventually and we obtained enough money for it to make a down payment on our first home.

[Blunderbuss]

1937 Ford Club Cabriolet series 78

A nice 37 Ford Club Cabriolet series 78 with a rumble seat and optional seal beam update kits.

[Giovanni]

I've looked through many pages of this thread but this pic grabbed me for some reason. I find this woman to be very beautiful, perhaps not aesthetically, but atmospherically. She emits a certain power, a presence. A magnificent creature, one that needs to be admired. Maybe it's just me...

it is not just you, she is beautiful and that is a great pic.

[eunos94]

Little known fact.

This was one of the very first TopGear competitions. Will the Opel GT rust out before the bob sled reaches the end of it's run? Once again the car won and Stig's dad had to walk home.

[flat6guy]

[barry2952]

Eisenhower?

[flat6guy]

Eisenhower?

I think it is.. can't see his face that well though.

[kowabonga]

captioned

My Great-Grandparents' Pub, London, circa 1914-15

My great-grandfather William (1860 - 1940) apparently ran two pubs in London - one in Plumstead, South London and the other somewhere near Shoreditch. Both are gone now which is a pity - the old family tale is that William sold up sometime in the '20s and both pubs were bombed in the War.

My great-grandfather is the chap third from the left, great-grandma is next to him (looking quite scary). The young woman in the girl-guides' style dress is my great aunt Anne and the young chap on the right is my grandfather (1905-1988).

Note the window ad for Dunville's Whisky ("VR" - presumably Victoria Regina!). Dunville's is no longer made but was distilled in Belfast, Northern Ireland from 1870. "Martell Brandy" over the door is of course familiar to everyone.

I love the little 'erbert on the far left - I just wish I had an idea who he was!

[kowabonga]

and.... car related.

[mitcompressor]

'39 Merc

[vwlarry]

Eisenhower?

Ike leaning on the Packard, with the other man General Omar Bradley.

[Senna_]

Ike leaning on the Packard, with the other man General Omar Bradley.

Kay Summersby in the back with her skirt hiked up?

[barry2952]

Kay Summersby in the back with her skirt hiked up?

[jeff james]

1948 Austin Pathfinder pedal car.

[Lightnin']

[Gavin Calistros]

[Jesarray]

1915.... almost a 100 years ago

[r_fostoria]

That is one angry Packard.

[RABBIT170]

1915.... almost a 100 years ago

A think that is electric.

[TopDown_]

Man painting a car top, San Antonio 1939

[barry2952]

Man painting a car top, San Antonio 1939

That may have been taken in 1939, but that's an older car. I believe all new cars had solid steel roofs by then.

[Wheelstand]

Top went to steel all right.

1934, The First One-Piece All-Steel Roof

Turret Top







Fisher Body developed the industry’s first one-piece all-steel roof, called the Turret Top, and introduced it on all GM cars built in the U.S., beginning with the 1935 model year Chevrolet lineup. Previously, car roofs had been built around a wooden frame covered with canvas, limiting both the vehicle’s structural integrity and its design potential. The second photo is a unique testimony to the turret top’s strength.

Course roll over standards would have to wait for awhile


Early automotive test rigs

This car was rigged with two pistols to measure driver reaction time in applying the brakes

[mitcompressor]

Interior of Don Lee Cadllac Showroom

San Fran

[Balderdash]

Bench saw out back here

I guess it's just dragged around as a portable in this pic





another setup

[barry2952]

Bench saw out back here

Those were readily available accessories for Model-Ts. They would also use them with belt-drive sheaves that would run whole factories.

[Lightnin']

Some of these setups are rather Rube Goldbergesq... (if that is a word)

actually, let me restate that. Rube Goldberg contraptions accomplish simple results with complex means

This setup is simple... very simple

[hushypushy]

Interior of Don Lee Cadllac Showroom

San Fran

For anyone who doesn't know, this is 1000 Van Ness. The building is still there, now it's a gym and a movie theater. And during Halloween, that exact room you see pictured turns into one of those Spirit Halloween superstores

I worked at that theater for a couple months, hated the job (no customers, ever) but the building is awesome.