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Tow Trucks.
- West Peterson
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- Bob Roller
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The Canadian Museum asked me about the car as I once saw it in 1953 and I couldn't give them much help because of the derelict condition.
Bob Roller
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- Chris Summers
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Bernie Aaron's other phaeton - a rebodied Murphy, J-183 - was sold earlier this year, and now resides overseas.
Chris Summers
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- landmark
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Bob Roller wrote: The car I said was needing an upgrade to be deplorable was J214,a, or maybe THE Wolfington tourer.a long wheelbase car wth unusual moulding prescribed by the original owner,John Eberson,a designer of art deco theaters. It went thru a series of owners and when I saw it in the early 1950's it belonged to Melvin Clemens in Clarksburg WV. A subsequent owner contacted me years later and was restoring it as time and money allowed and I THINK the designer of the car,Herb Newport was also involved. It was eventually purchased by a Canadian who finished the restoration and I will say it looked good. The odd appearence with the curlycue moulding must be viewed with the thought that THIS was what it was when new,by request and design.It will be then appreciated for what it really is,a custom built car from bumper to bumper.It seems to me there was another body shop initially involved but went broke,or maybe it was Wolfington that went broke and THEN another shop finished it. Anyway,it is alive again. Left to me,in the early 50's.I would have either restored the chassis or parted it out. We did get it started in Melvin's garage and it sounded like the pistons were changing holes and smoked like a volcano,totally worn out from running full bore and powering a water well drilling apparatus.
The gentleman from Canada now has another phaeton restored but I have seen only pictures of this one and the Wolfington he donated to a museum in Alberta. I think I sent them info on it as well at their request.
Bob Roller
Hello Bob,
I like that story!
When I saw a picture of that car the first time (in the Elbert-book) I thought by myself "Oh man"...
You are right the curly hood and body mouldings are very "special"...
Here it is in its original appearance: www.duesey2208.com/Datasheets/Mo ... rm2240.htm
And here are two photos (you have to "go down" some pictures) as the car is now displayed @Reynolds Alberta Museum. www.albertawow.com/hikes/Reynold ... Museum.htm
I must say in that colour-combination and with the closed roof-top, it looks not so bad.
Cheers
Matt
Was man besonders gerne tut,
ist selten ganz besonders gut
Wilhelm Busch
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- Chris Summers
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Chris Summers
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- landmark
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Joel wrote:
landmark wrote:
...I just "fall over" this older posting. Do you know where do you find that picture at the Curtright website/ to which car (J-number) that picture belongs?
As I read in an old road & track article, J-132 was at a time used as a pick-up truck on a farm, until Homer Fitterling purchased the car and equiped the chassis with a Murphy CC body he had "in stock". Is that maybe the car on the picture?
I know that a forum-member is today the proud owner and driver of that Murphy CC, maybe he owns some photos of the "pick-up time" of his car and like to share them...
Cheers
Matt
J-132 was never actually made into a truck. In the time that I spent with Keith and Gerri Brown, I learned that the Road and Track article has several innacuracies. Paul S. Johnson, a Chicago-area plumber did remove the rear portion of the original Derham sedan body, planning to build a truck on it's 17,000 original mile chassis. He never completed the conversion, however, and eventually sold the car to Keith Brown of LaPorte, Indiana in October of 1957. It was Keith who mounted the Murpy CC body and sold the car to his friend Homer Fitterling.
Hello Joel,
thank you for the corrections, I am always learning.
Cheers
Matt
Was man besonders gerne tut,
ist selten ganz besonders gut
Wilhelm Busch
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- landmark
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Steve Derus wrote: The truck photo I have is associated to 2370/J350. That chassis apparently now has the body from J237 which would correlate with the post from Chris.
I don't know why Jack Curtright's site no longer has the photo but I'm pretty sure that's where I discovered it.
Hello Steve,
thank you for the advice, now I found the Pick-up Truck photo on the Curtright-Site attached to his data-collection about J-350.
Here it is: www.duesey2208.com/Datasheets/Mo ... rm2370.htm
Cheers
Matt
Was man besonders gerne tut,
ist selten ganz besonders gut
Wilhelm Busch
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- Joel
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landmark wrote:
...I just "fall over" this older posting. Do you know where do you find that picture at the Curtright website/ to which car (J-number) that picture belongs?
As I read in an old road & track article, J-132 was at a time used as a pick-up truck on a farm, until Homer Fitterling purchased the car and equiped the chassis with a Murphy CC body he had "in stock". Is that maybe the car on the picture?
I know that a forum-member is today the proud owner and driver of that Murphy CC, maybe he owns some photos of the "pick-up time" of his car and like to share them...
Cheers
Matt
J-132 was never actually made into a truck. In the time that I spent with Keith and Gerri Brown, I learned that the Road and Track article has several innacuracies. Paul S. Johnson, a Chicago-area plumber did remove the rear portion of the original Derham sedan body, planning to build a truck on it's 17,000 original mile chassis. He never completed the conversion, however, and eventually sold the car to Keith Brown of LaPorte, Indiana in October of 1957. It was Keith who mounted the Murpy CC body and sold the car to his friend Homer Fitterling.
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- Chris Summers
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The truck in the photo is J-350, not J-237. I just got the two chassis swapped around. Thanks.
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- Steve Derus
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I don't know why Jack Curtright's site no longer has the photo but I'm pretty sure that's where I discovered it.
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- Chris Summers
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- landmark
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Chris Summers wrote: I think it's J-237 but can't recall off the top of my head.
Thank you Chris!
Looks possible, but I have not found the pick-up truck photo on the curtright site. Do you know any source where to find some pictures of Model J truck conversions?
Cheers
Matt
Was man besonders gerne tut,
ist selten ganz besonders gut
Wilhelm Busch
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- Chris Summers
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- landmark
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Steve Derus wrote: Maybe this is the farm truck Bob mentioned. The photo is from the Curtright Website.
[img][img]http://i328.photobucket.com/albums/l350/stevederus/Duesenbergs/truck.jpg[/img][/img]
Hello Steve,
I just "fall over" this older posting. Do you know where do you find that picture at the Curtright website/ to which car (J-number) that picture belongs?
As I read in an old road & track article, J-132 was at a time used as a pick-up truck on a farm, until Homer Fitterling purchased the car and equiped the chassis with a Murphy CC body he had "in stock". Is that maybe the car on the picture?
I know that a forum-member is today the proud owner and driver of that Murphy CC, maybe he owns some photos of the "pick-up time" of his car and like to share them...
Cheers
Matt
Was man besonders gerne tut,
ist selten ganz besonders gut
Wilhelm Busch
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- Bob Roller
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My date of Harrah's purchase was wrong.I must have got that idea from a 1965 Road&Track magazine that featured that car on the cover. Obviously neither he nor Whittel got much pleasure from it. As I recall the AQ article on Whittel's cars,he blew it up when it was new and then considered it a nuisance from then on. Too bad,the rich man and his toy were not well served and none of it did him much good.
Bob Roller
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- Steve Derus
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I saw the car and Bill Harrah himself shortly after he acquired it, at a CCCA Grand Classic in Redondo Beach CA, I believe it was the first time he exhibited it. I have a hunch he may have timed that purposely just to upstage the simultaneous debut of Jack Nethercutt's freshly restored Bugatti Type 57 coupe.... Mission accomplished.
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- Bob Roller
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In 1965 when Harrah bought this car from Whittel,it had 1342 miles on it. They must be trying to wear it out if it now has nearly 2000 on it. One thing for sure,it stands out like a goose egg in a coal bucket.I did have an Automobile Quarterly that had a good write up on Whittel's Duesenbergs but it vanished into a black hole and I can't find it.
Bob Roller
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- Steve Derus
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Not sure how many miles on the car now but in 1987 it was less than 2,000 original miles.
The car is displayed with its original tires.
I would think this car defines the term "legit".
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- Bob Roller
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The Ely Lilly Walker La Grande coupe no doubt is original.
I have heard that it was used as a push car and vehicle of all uses at a gas station or garage.Does anyone know for sure? J397,the Rudy Bauer Rollston CS is still as was even to the original 70 year old tires. I rode in it when it had about 11,000 miles on it. By "as was".I mean as Bauer owned it. It started out as somehing else earlier.
How about the surviving Judkins coupe? That seems to be as it was when new. J391,the "Tyrone Power car"was a MCS in the early 50's and possibly could be as it was.
Jay Leno's F.R.Wood and Son limo is original although the body came from God knows what. Aren't 11 of the 12 Beverly's still body-frame and engines as new.
This could go on for a long time and I have to leave.
Bob Roller
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- Chris Summers
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I often wonder today how many model "J" s are still as they first left the factory & coachbuilder without any engine, chassis, bell-housing, gearbox & coachwork swaps ?
Does anyone have any idea about this ?
How many model"J" s are exactly as they first left the factory & their first coachbuilder ?
I would venture a guess that the percentage might be very low indeed !
One would think that such a rare & completely original model "J" auto might be very valuable despite it's less interesting & desirable body style.
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- Bob Roller
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Norman Arbour told me that the fenders that were on this car when it was a derelict were from a Sayre&Scoville ambulance.I knew one of the wheels didn't fit the hub and it was thought to be from a Stutz. Anyhow,the car went from a parts car to nicely restored for all to admire or wonder about.
Bob Roller
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- Chris Summers
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I'm not aware of any hearses or ambulances on J chassis. There were plans afoot to build a woody wagon a few years ago but it never happened. Engines were used in boats and to run heavy equipment, more than one frame was used as the basis for a boat trailer, and then there was one car that was scrapped and its parts used in a breakwater.
As I said elsewhere on the forum recently, remember, they were just old cars, once upon a time.
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- Bob Roller
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The gentleman from Canada now has another phaeton restored but I have seen only pictures of this one and the Wolfington he donated to a museum in Alberta. I think I sent them info on it as well at their request.
Bob Roller
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- kedeuel2008
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Thanx Guys. and keep the info coming. Kim
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[img][img]http://i328.photobucket.com/albums/l350/stevederus/Duesenbergs/truck.jpg[/img][/img]
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- Bob Roller
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Some others were made into "Hot Rods" of one sort or another. Some of these were just plain UGLY and one or two were really well done. One I know of was made into a platform for a water drilling rig in Ohio and when I saw it,the condition would have had to be upgraded to be considered deplorable. It has been brought back to its former,peculiar
glory and may still be in Canada.
Bob Roller
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- silverghost
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Sadly no photo exists of this car in it's glider towing configuration.
The car was later found as a bare rolling chassis & drive train in the 1950s. A reproduction body has since been installed on this car !
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- kedeuel2008
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