Technology has come a long way in the car world. Early on getting 100 hp from an eight cylinder was tough, much less from a six cylinder. Now days you can get a V6 Mustang with a base horse power for up to 305. Add a super charger and you can squeeze out 427 hp from the same engine. Yes technology as come a long way. Really?That’s what I would have thought. Super charging has been around in the hot rod, drag racing world, for some time, but in a production, oh that’s fairly new (last 10 years or so). But reading an article from Hemmings Motor New dispelled this notion I had.
So you’re thinking how far back was super charging something for sale to the general public, 60’s maybe…70’s maybe? How about 1937?
Yes. A car company by the name of Graham produced a 6 cylinder coupe.
1937 Graham Coupe
Supercharger badging
That’s a nice looking coupe. Here is a shot of the super charged straight 6 and one of the charger it’s self.
Straight 6 cylinder.
The supercharger. This was Graham own design of a centrifugal super charger which they manufactured themselves.
They used this first on their straight eight engines then on the straight six. They preformed so well that they nearly equaled the power of the eight-cylinder. The car was lighter with the smaller engine and that helped it hit 60 mph in just 14.5 seconds by producing 112 hp. The car came into chassis lengths 116 inches which had 106hp, 199.1 cid straight six and 120 inches which had 116hp 217.8 cid straight six. What about gas mileage? How’s 23.95 MPG grab ya.
This another post where we are amused by the content of the write-up and this time the pics as well. At the bottom check out the very cool dash.
Here is an excerpt from the write-up:
“”Car stopped running due to a split in the intake. I could not find a replacement part, but have not looked in 6 years. I talked to a machine shop about fabricating the part, but just never followed through. At the time, this was the *only* thing mechanically wrong with the vehicle, although this was over 6 years ago.
Please excuse my dog and my thumb in the pictures. Dog and thumb not included.””
Thumb
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Dog
Thumb again.
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Ok, joking aside. I love this dash. Love the way the gauge clusters are separated and the AC unit in the center sitting on a shelf.
Is this a 360? I feel an engine spec article coming on.
This from Classic Recollections (http://classicrecollections.com/2012/07/16/feature-1978-vw-bus/).
I’ve never owned but I have a brother-in-law who has restored a few – they weren’t show quality like this one but they were in fact fully functional. Although WV buses required “frequent” attention, the repairs aren’t difficult, but I’m not sure the fun outweighed the trouble.
The first question most people are dying to ask when they spy Jack Connelly pull up in his 1978 VW Bus is, “Do you go camping in it?”
Jack Connolly has imparted his love of VWs to his kids: Anna and Jack Jr.
Who can blame them? For decades, these uber-functional hauling machines were the vehicles of choice for motorists who desired to get up close to the picturesque outdoors.
With their squared styling, compact rear-engine design and over-the-wheels driving position, these microbuses have interior space in overabundance. Add to this the Volkswagen camper model’s pop-up roof, and occupants are able to fully stand up.
**Want to know how Jack restored this roomy rolling classic? Head over to our full feature on theDaily Herald HERE**
Tucked away in the Northwest suburbs of Chicago is the quaint town of Barrington and every summer Thursday night, the classic cars come rolling in for the village’s weekly cruise. With its tranquil, tree-lined setting, easily accessible boutique shops and casual dining, this event is one draws automotive enthusiasts from all over.
Anne Garrett
Anne Garrett serves as the Manager for Special Events and Marketing for the Village of Barrington and described to us how the cruise came to be.
“This year is our 9th year for the cruise, which got started in 2003. At the time, the village had been looking for ways to draw traffic and attention to the downtown area and knew a classic car cruise would be just perfect. Other neighboring suburbs had something similar so we did some research and determined we had what it would take to run a successful event. We settled on the South Cook street area and in all the years its been running, haven’t changed a thing.”
Anne informed us two village staff members and several members of the public works, as well as local law enforcement, are required to run the event.
“The Barrington Police will attend but it’s more of a public safety presence and a chance to interact with the local community.”
In addition, they also typically bring out vehicles from their fleet and allow spectators to get up close and personal with their high-tech cruisers. Volunteers from the Barrington Lions Club also help with the event.
“Four years ago we were approached by the group who offered their assistance. Every year since we’ve had 4 or 5 faithful volunteers help man the barricades and allow the cars to come in and out.”
Judging by the jammed lots, full of classic and custom cars, and the multitudes of owners and spectators milling about, it’s safe to assume the cruise has been a huge hit with the community.
“So far, the response has been tremendous. It seems every week people genuinely look forward to the event. They’re able to come early and go to the Farmer’s Market and then wander around the lots, checking out the cool classic cars. We rotate the onsite food venders and always have different entertainment so no two weeks are exactly the same.”
Expect the lot to be filled during the warm, cruising months.
The local businesses have taken notice of the increased foot traffic.
“We’re having more and more of our downtown merchants stay open late, which gives spectators many options for additional shopping and dining activities when they’re done seeing the cars. It really adds to the overall community feeling of the event and makes it a wonderful place to spend the evening.”
If you plan on attending the Barrington cruise and want to bring a four-wheeled relic, you’d better get there early.
“Our official start time is 6:30pm but the car owners will arrive and start cuing up around 4:30pm. Many of them want to make sure they get their ‘special spot’. Generally our end time is right at dusk, as the car owners don’t like driving home in the dark with their headlights on. We’ve been told they don’t like to run the risk of attracting bugs and having to put in the extra time cleaning them off.”
Each night throughout the summer has a theme, highlighting a certain brand, style or type of classic machine. While all are welcome, the themed vehicles are given special attention. Here is the schedule for the rest of the season:
July 19: 70’s Night July 26: “Orphan” Cars August 2: Mopar August 9: Convertible August 16: Sports & British Cars August 23: Corvette August 30: Trucks/ 4×4
** Want to know what events are taking place near you? Check out our Cruise Calender**
(Editor’s note: Shortly after this article was written and printed in Auto Enthusiast (July issue), John Guarnieri was killed in a traffic accident en route to a show with his Dodge in tow. Our sympathies are extended to the friends and family in the loss and it was our privilege to share John’s car and passion with our readers).
Financial bailouts of automobile companies have been in the news but shoring up the auto industry is not something limited to recent times.
This beautiful 1955 Dodge Custom Royal Lancer is proof that sometimes the infusion of extra cash can produce striking results. Almost driven to bankruptcy because of poor sales in 1953 and 1954, Chrysler was saved from collapse by a $250 million loan from Prudential and the talents of automotive designer Virgil Exner. In 1955, a beautiful collection of cars across the board became the result that put Chrysler solidly back into the Big Three.
The redesigned 1955 Dodge emerged from the makeover as a truly representative car of the ’50s. Positioned between Plymouth andDe Soto in the Chrysler lineup, the Dodge sported a six-volt electrical system, kingpin/leaf spring suspension, and 15-inch wheels. Six adults could ride in comfort and the trunk could hold their luggage.
Over-engineered with 20-quart cooling systems and six-quart oil capacities (sixes as well as V-8s) the engines ran on low octane gas and were trouble free. They were good looking cars then and still are today.
Enter John Guarnieri, a retired police officer and lifelong Mopar enthusiast living in St. Augustine, Florida. John is an active member of the Ancient City Auto Club and has owned 64 vehicles over the years. His involvement with this beautiful example began moments before it was headed to the crusher!
In February 2004, he and a friend were on a parts run when they drove past a junkyard in Lake City, South Carolina, surprised to see a distinctive tri-colored Dodge being pushed inside the fence. Except for rusted floorboards from a failed heater core, the car was complete and the body was pristine. A six-volt battery and a gallon of fresh gas brought the 270 Hemi V-8 to life, convincing John that the car had potential.
He learned that the car had been carefully stored for more than 25 years by the grandfather and his son, but the grandson got involved with drugs and never paid the storage fees. Knowing that the Custom Royal Lancer was the flagship car of the Dodge line, John stepped up like Prudential a half century before, intent on saving the car. He wrote a check for the storage fee, paid for a South Carolina title, and took the car home. As an unexpected bonus, the dealer threw in a second ’55 Dodge as a parts car. In all, John acquired five parts cars during the almost four year restoration.
After trailering the car back to St. Augustine, John’s first step was to get the brakes working properly and exercising the engine. Several trips up and down the highway and two oil changes later, the engine stopped spewing black smoke, a sign that it was time for the full restoration to begin.
Recalling the process with a smile, John says, “It only took two days to tear the car apart and 3½ years to put it back together!” The five parts cars and new old stock items located on eBay gave John everything he needed to complete the project. He accomplished much of the work himself, overhauling the engine on his own and rebuilding the transmission with help from Danny Novello at American Transmission in St. Augustine.
John also redid the brake system, refurbished the gas tank, added a new YnZ wiring harness, and located five Goodyear 7.10 x 15 tires with 2¾ inch whitewalls. The correct combination of Jacquard fabric and Cordagrain vinyl was sourced in Canada and installed by Old City Upholstery in St. Augustine. Several other local experts added their talents, like Tony Puleo at A&R Auto Electrics, along with staff members Jimmy and Charlie, who handled the rebuild of the car’s electrical components.
Boyd’s Glass located and installed new tinted glass and Rick’s Mufflers fabricated the new exhaust system. Tony Castellano polished the stainless steel and Space Coast Plating of Melbourne, Florida, did the chrome. John’s good friend, Hamlet Smith from Palm Coast, Florida, helped in reassembling the car and John’s wife Lynda hand-painted the hubcap spinners, gauges and related pieces.
The refurbished 270 Super Red Ram V-8 came equipped with Hemi heads and a two-barrel carb, producing 183hp. A rare Power Pack option was available from the factory that added a four-barrel Carter carb and dual exhausts, good for an additional 10hp. John’s car is equipped with a two-speed PowerFlite transmission, complete with a unique dash-mounted shift lever. (Those famous Chrysler pushbuttons appeared the following year.) Chrome trim separated the colors on the door panels. Gauges span the width of the dash and on John’s car. The eight-tube pushbutton radio has an optional rear speaker.
Unique colors were part of the mid-’50s experience and Dodge certainly brightened the landscape, taking 13 basic colors and expanding the choices with 16 two-tone combinations. Newly introduced in 1955 were 16 more three-tone combinations. If 45 choices still weren’t enough for you, upper colors, insert colors, and lower colors could be switched, providing a staggering 76-choice color palette. John’s colors of Regal Burgundy Metallic, white, and black were colors that often appeared in Dodge brochures, making them a sought after combination. Handling the spray gun, Billy Walters from Jacksonville, Florida, shot the chassis and accomplished the unique tri-color paint job.
Saved from bankruptcy by Prudential and the crusher by Guarnieri, the Dodge justified their faith beginning in December 2008 when the car was presented to the judges. The hard work and long hours were rewarded with a Junior Award at AACA’s ’08 Winter Meet in Lakeland, Florida. The Senior Award followed at the 2009 AACA Spring Meet in Charlotte, North Carolina.
The following year, John trailered the car to New Bern, North Carolina where it won again, taking home an AACA Grand National Award. John hopes the car will obtain its Senior Grand National Award at the 2012 Grand National Meet in Shelbyville, Tennessee.
When that happens, it will be a genuinely happy ending for an almost bankrupt car once headed to the crusher.
Chuck has customs, trucks and of course, muscle cars in his collection.
Automotive enthusiasts love to measure their beloved four-wheeled machines’ capabilities by using the term “horsepower.” Chuck Barnes owns a stable-full of true classic muscle — real horsepower — in his modern horse barn.
A few years back, this Barrington resident built a free-standing barn to house not only his family’s show horses, but also his personal vehicles, each packing enough stallions under the hood to intimidate even the brawniest of V-8s.
While Barnes sees beauty in his collection, the “huge eyesore” of a horse barn initially caused some friction between he and his wife.
“She used to be able to have a wonderful view from our kitchen of the animals grazing in the pasture,” Barnes said.
Despite the earlier conflict, Dawn Barnes has grown accustomed to the structure and even enjoys it now. “It’s true he blocked my view, but I’m over it. It’s such a wonderful place to have parties in,” Dawn said. “In addition to hosting a wedding in the barn, I’ve even had my own ‘women’s parties’ where I just invited my female friends to hang out.”
To be fair, Chuck did try to avoid obscuring the tranquil vista; he first added to the home garage, expanding it from two cars to accommodate four.
“It just wasn’t quite enough,” Chuck said. That’s when he began construction on the satellite structure, drawing on personal experience for inspiration. “In the ’50s, my dad owned a speed shop called Belmont Automotive in Palatine. As a kid I used to go hang out there all the time and would see some really neat cars.”
That passion manifested itself in the cool space Chuck spends most of his time in now. “All the memorabilia is stuff I’ve accumulated over the years. Even with millions of dollars, you can’t recreate this. Nothing here is bought out of a catalog. They’re real pieces — even the moose head!”
In addition to car parts, hand-painted signs and neon lights, the custom centerpiece is a wood-paneled bar that a cabinetmaker friend assembled. “We told him we wanted something as cool as the cars, so he made the countertop one large glass shadow box, illuminated by LED lighting.” The couple constantly changes the display, ensuring guests will see something new.
The entire building has air conditioning to keep things comfortable during the summer months and a special warming element for the bone-chilling Midwest winters: radiant in-floor heat. ”You can walk in here in February with bare feet and be nice and toasty,’ Chuck said. “In addition to efficiency, it also keeps moisture down and doesn’t kick up dust or dirt.”
Naturally, visitors don’t come just to see the fascinating décor, but also the rolling iron parked inside. One such creation is a 430-horsepower 1970 Chevrolet Chevelle, packing a full emission-compliant LS E-Rod crate motor.
“It has full catalytic converters and passes the very strict California emissions test that will be mandated for all cars in 2014,” he said.
Other interesting pieces are a 1960 Buick Electra 225; a mint, 11,000-mile one-owner 1978 Ford F250 High Boy; and a project 1957 Chevrolet Nomad that came from Australia.
“I’m going to add an air-ride suspension and a fuel-injected big block. It’ll be a high-end car that can be driven anywhere.”
Another ongoing build is a 1964 Chevrolet Impala, being built as a tribute to Chuck’s father. “It’ll be a period-correct superstock race car that will be raced in nostalgic events,” he said.
While this equine palace is packed, Chuck is already planning for future expansions to his stable of steeds. So the next time you hear a classic collector talking about his impressive horsepower numbers, ask him if he’s got it both under his hood, and under his roof.
Automotive enthusiasts love to measure their beloved four-wheeled machines’ capabilities by using the term “horsepower.” Chuck Barnes owns a stable-full of true classic muscle — real horsepower — in his modern horse barn.
A few years back, this Barrington resident built a free-standing barn to house not only his family’s show horses, but also his personal vehicles, each packing enough stallions under the hood to intimidate even the brawniest of V-8s.
While Barnes sees beauty in his collection, the “huge eyesore” of a horse barn initially caused some friction between he and his wife.
“She used to be able to have a wonderful view from our kitchen of the animals grazing in the pasture,” Barnes said.
Despite the earlier conflict, Dawn Barnes has grown accustomed to the structure and even enjoys it now. “It’s true he blocked my view, but I’m over it. It’s such a wonderful place to have parties in,” Dawn said. “In addition to hosting a wedding in the barn, I’ve even had my own ‘women’s parties’ where I just invited my female friends to hang out.”
To be fair, Chuck did try to avoid obscuring the tranquil vista; he first added to the home garage, expanding it from two cars to accommodate four.
“It just wasn’t quite enough,” Chuck said. That’s when he began construction on the satellite structure, drawing on personal experience for inspiration. “In the ’50s, my dad owned a speed shop called Belmont Automotive in Palatine. As a kid I used to go hang out there all the time and would see some really neat cars.”
That passion manifested itself in the cool space Chuck spends most of his time in now. “All the memorabilia is stuff I’ve accumulated over the years. Even with millions of dollars, you can’t recreate this. Nothing here is bought out of a catalog. They’re real pieces — even the moose head!”
In addition to car parts, hand-painted signs and neon lights, the custom centerpiece is a wood-paneled bar that a cabinetmaker friend assembled. “We told him we wanted something as cool as the cars, so he made the countertop one large glass shadow box, illuminated by LED lighting.” The couple constantly changes the display, ensuring guests will see something new.
The entire building has air conditioning to keep things comfortable during the summer months and a special warming element for the bone-chilling Midwest winters: radiant in-floor heat. ”You can walk in here in February with bare feet and be nice and toasty,’ Chuck said. “In addition to efficiency, it also keeps moisture down and doesn’t kick up dust or dirt.”
Naturally, visitors don’t come just to see the fascinating décor, but also the rolling iron parked inside. One such creation is a 430-horsepower 1970 Chevrolet Chevelle, packing a full emission-compliant LS E-Rod crate motor.
“It has full catalytic converters and passes the very strict California emissions test that will be mandated for all cars in 2014,” he said.
Other interesting pieces are a 1960 Buick Electra 225; a mint, 11,000-mile one-owner 1978 Ford F250 High Boy; and a project 1957 Chevrolet Nomad that came from Australia.
“I’m going to add an air-ride suspension and a fuel-injected big block. It’ll be a high-end car that can be driven anywhere.”
Another ongoing build is a 1964 Chevrolet Impala, being built as a tribute to Chuck’s father. “It’ll be a period-correct superstock race car that will be raced in nostalgic events,” he said.
While this equine palace is packed, Chuck is already planning for future expansions to his stable of steeds. So the next time you hear a classic collector talking about his impressive horsepower numbers, ask him if he’s got it both under his hood, and under his roof.
Now 1946 generally wasn’t that exciting as far as new car models. The war just ended and the many of the car manufacturers were recovering from the wartime conversion, they had a lot of Uncle Sam’s money, but no much time to make “new” tooling for creating new sheet metal. So many of the cars were just spruced up. Chrysler was not different.
Their main offerings was the Royal series, Windsor series, the Saratoga series and the New Yorker series. The Royal cam in 3, 6 and 8 passenger and a Limo!!! The Windsor came in 3, 6, 8 passengers and the Town and Country tossed in there was a 2 door convertible. The Saratoga came in 3 and 6 passenger and the New Yorker came in 3 and 6 passenger and the Town and Country 4 door and 2 door convertible.
1946 Convertible
46 Royal
There engines were basically 6 cylinder and 8.
The Royal and Windsor engines was an L6. It had a cast iron block with a bore and stroke of 3.438 x 4.5. It displaced 250.6 cubic inches and had a compression of 6.6:1 (not huge when the shipping weight was 3,000 plus). It was able to produce 114 hp and sported four main bearings, solid lifters. It was topped with either the Fluid Drive (B-B VE1 – Ev2) or Vacumatic (E7L4) carb.
The Saratoga and New Yorker had an L8. This engine too, had the cast iron block, but displaced 323.5 cubic inches and sported a bore of 3.25 and a stroke of 4.875 inches producing 6.7:1 compression. With the 5 main bearings, solid lifters and topped with B-B E7A1 carb could produce 135 hp.
I love reading about cars. While reading a book entitled “CAR WARS” by Mantle, I ran across some interesting cars. So I thought I’d toss down some notes on them see what you think.
The first one was called the Tatra T87 and it was actually a Czech car, built in the city of Koprivnica. During WWII it was occupied by the Germans. Stories have it that the V8 was too much for the German officers could handle and “so many were killed the German high command” ordered the factory to stop producing the cars.
After the war of course the Russians, by agreement with the Allies, got control of the Czech country and had the Tatra T87 produced. The Tatra painted in Russian colors were used to smuggle out scientist from behind the Iron Curtain. Part of the agreement with the Allies was that each party was allowed to drive from Austria to Czechoslovakia freely. The West German intelligence would transport the “specially painted” T87’s in an enclosed van and then unload them, grab the scientists and drive back to Austria in Tatras painted with Russian colors unchecked.
So what the heck did this cars look like? What were the spec? Take a look!!
The finned T87
Image is from the Lane Motor Museum
It was powered by technically advanced 2.9 liter air-cooled overhead cam V8 produced 85 hp, and had a top speed of over 100 mph. (Image from the Lane Motor Museum)
Fresh out of WWII the America car industry was facing the challenge of converting back to peace time auto production. This as a huge task and the pressure was on, because if the average American owned a car there was a good change (50%) that it was 9 years old or older and needed replacing. Materials were still in short supply, money wasn’t and to ensure that stayed the case most of the car company merely refreshed their 1942 cars. Toss in labor issue and you can understand how tough the situations was.
Ford lead the 17 manufacturers that year with 468,022 units produced. Chevy followed second with 398,028 cars. The others followed as such:
