tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-61667826607766665982024-03-21T17:39:50.366-07:00CrosleykookOl' Man Fosterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06616992856960301458noreply@blogger.comBlogger251125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6166782660776666598.post-38598362282934672142023-06-20T08:35:00.001-07:002023-06-20T08:35:18.856-07:00Bucksaw Blade<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB5DSVNVxFjE7sqhO5dB8a6qNyqwp9zOasqp4XV5H5ldSJi4krYtY2k8tU2QfXHxl9aPzjY1YLbNnvaTUaxEw1bLGA3R0sFToIEWbeghnkYGT7eRa2oEhO3lXb5IB9wgTCRXE2R9_6bWIqkgeRkQsYbEc3ssKWRmD4rlC3WlMiE9FLS4Hz0F9i39zD39k8/s400/IMG_3617.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="264" data-original-width="400" height="264" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB5DSVNVxFjE7sqhO5dB8a6qNyqwp9zOasqp4XV5H5ldSJi4krYtY2k8tU2QfXHxl9aPzjY1YLbNnvaTUaxEw1bLGA3R0sFToIEWbeghnkYGT7eRa2oEhO3lXb5IB9wgTCRXE2R9_6bWIqkgeRkQsYbEc3ssKWRmD4rlC3WlMiE9FLS4Hz0F9i39zD39k8/w400-h264/IMG_3617.png" width="400" /></a><a href="#"></a><br /><br />I check the Crosley Auto Club's <a href="https://groups.io/g/Crosley-Gang/topics" target="_blank">Crosley-Gang </a>bulletin board every day - always good stuff, but this was too good not to share....<br /><br />From Ken Knapp:<br /><br />"That reminds me of the stories my Mom would tell of her car. She had a crosley through high school, teachers college and through her first years of teaching.They would move her car into the gymnasium."</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">"When she worked at the drive in, they would move her car between the car speaker poles so she couldn't get out. My grandfather was so annoyed with the kids doing it that he welded a bucksaw blade to the bumper. Let's say it never happened again (and one of the kids shows the scars to Mom at their 50th school reunion)."</div>Ol' Man Fosterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06616992856960301458noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6166782660776666598.post-38048058193257475472023-01-24T22:27:00.003-08:002023-01-24T22:47:53.687-08:00Treasure Trove<blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div></blockquote></blockquote><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9I6CHaXlbHXsUsrfb1H2YQjh8HOPjGwP5SuAvEpWxBxwgs1uB06khVPKfXKhQ9kkOAtu6Hf0zlOBZ6-Q8F2GXaEqZ5AToOAKQY0-UYiFK_tsrRb7AxUPpqUv5HRUc9meyg14E8XNIL7ieUnWvdTGNQHd4mCzqbjWUUQIFvNQG3ESJOu4-VT93Ujl5tQ/s1611/B96C9C6E-35FB-4920-A812-620AF508B873.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1611" data-original-width="1440" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9I6CHaXlbHXsUsrfb1H2YQjh8HOPjGwP5SuAvEpWxBxwgs1uB06khVPKfXKhQ9kkOAtu6Hf0zlOBZ6-Q8F2GXaEqZ5AToOAKQY0-UYiFK_tsrRb7AxUPpqUv5HRUc9meyg14E8XNIL7ieUnWvdTGNQHd4mCzqbjWUUQIFvNQG3ESJOu4-VT93Ujl5tQ/w358-h400/B96C9C6E-35FB-4920-A812-620AF508B873.jpeg" width="358" /></a></div><p>In between all the storms a few weeks back, I drove down to Borrego Springs (waaaaay down south, near the Mexican border) and then back to Sacto the next day. 1100 total miles, and a little over 20 hours of driving.</p><p>The occasion was a long-delayed visit to Rick and Laura Alexander, the retired president and treasurer of the West Coast Crosley Club. They are moving out of their home in spectacular - but remote - Borrego Springs, and heading back to San Diego, from whence they sprang, ten years ago. <span></span></p><a name='more'></a><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dxDNbJRWOP8UZKPEyaZZHpTMEdvJj3AmsPb35bVJwje6GiJefVcdkFt_09Ce9wIvgPRAQ4-GbRe5zibXRvVBQ' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><p>Rick sold off the bulk of his parts collection a year or so ago, but as they packed, they found Crosley tidbits, literature and related random alluvia scattered throughout the garage, including a 1946 "tin block" Crosley motor that Rick restored back in the '90s for display purposes. There is NOTHING a Crosley guy loves more than a display tin block.</p><p>Since his Crosley Super Sports is now restored, and Rick has no plans to take on another project, he offered me whatever i wanted, provided I could come get it. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWM7Sde8Cua9_azm4Vb81ihXv8pc1jMiAeeSjZ0qcF-UcEDtDfuQBr9WlbfxqHbzDYRCk4JDp0SfOducaickuaR7FdhHxdyTSBHaZ2W1FZcWDif_XQrGyTWIVpJbV53wBEf0J90-5oNwdI3fPMNDQ9yONU214fQ7K5yMz15utIit_4tKTbVfnkY9mRYQ/s4032/970C926F-C974-4778-B70E-79F16E691B61.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWM7Sde8Cua9_azm4Vb81ihXv8pc1jMiAeeSjZ0qcF-UcEDtDfuQBr9WlbfxqHbzDYRCk4JDp0SfOducaickuaR7FdhHxdyTSBHaZ2W1FZcWDif_XQrGyTWIVpJbV53wBEf0J90-5oNwdI3fPMNDQ9yONU214fQ7K5yMz15utIit_4tKTbVfnkY9mRYQ/w400-h300/970C926F-C974-4778-B70E-79F16E691B61.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><p>Liv and I have been trying to figure out a time we could both go down and visit, but we got COVID in November... we're fine, but the unplanned quarantine threw a wrench in the plan... with the clock ticking on their escrow, I figured I'd better just go. Of course I happened to pick a week of unbelievable storms, so it poured for 90% of the drive down and a good chunk of the way back. </p><p>I managed to keep everything high and dry, and even found room in the garage (barely) for all my new goodies.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv0O2IctYYn8qDrgg9ZddrbQbo_87qbfZkPyqkVTDrEdFOqkEqVRbm_opV9VMGf0TP0t09zoO-S5ANTpjNUOhXuDCHrOV0Y7Bv_im_5PbdIJrDXN22OhSGtBbp8k-qo0ARUEsAojfCPS7wNMRype35631Ad3KUVZIsW0IbIdVCeEa7Nbyd91hwKjtW_w/s2704/D8AE6EAD-8EE7-4AD0-8AA4-F9C461CDC1E0.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1830" data-original-width="2704" height="271" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv0O2IctYYn8qDrgg9ZddrbQbo_87qbfZkPyqkVTDrEdFOqkEqVRbm_opV9VMGf0TP0t09zoO-S5ANTpjNUOhXuDCHrOV0Y7Bv_im_5PbdIJrDXN22OhSGtBbp8k-qo0ARUEsAojfCPS7wNMRype35631Ad3KUVZIsW0IbIdVCeEa7Nbyd91hwKjtW_w/w400-h271/D8AE6EAD-8EE7-4AD0-8AA4-F9C461CDC1E0.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><p>I'm still sorting through the boxes, but HOLY COW there is some cool stuff in there! Rick compiled a bibliography of Crosley articles, so the mountain of magazines, clippings and photocopies wasn't a surprise, but has been amazing to dig into and of course there are a ton of cool ads, etc.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrHBGq7FU8xFATmopUDMHoxVpfF69LvkM2--SXNIILanX09XSPof9dTGR265RsjLCAPNwd8lYedWa4dB5xBSGMkV3BOxvKHJFT8hipKwUAZ2I32M7wZHDX79zYc78iW_5BFG7dT8JSZMuFQ4-IiF82Z6mua1IMwjzRW9-U8Sr9UPMrlYeDOPxYXJQnHQ/s4032/FF9B975D-66D5-487A-94C9-F2608BC11B3D.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrHBGq7FU8xFATmopUDMHoxVpfF69LvkM2--SXNIILanX09XSPof9dTGR265RsjLCAPNwd8lYedWa4dB5xBSGMkV3BOxvKHJFT8hipKwUAZ2I32M7wZHDX79zYc78iW_5BFG7dT8JSZMuFQ4-IiF82Z6mua1IMwjzRW9-U8Sr9UPMrlYeDOPxYXJQnHQ/w300-h400/FF9B975D-66D5-487A-94C9-F2608BC11B3D.jpeg" width="300" /></a></div><p>Probably THE most amazing thing I've unearthed so far is a small batch of 1946 Crosley Motors paystubs, along with a photo of the employee working on the line and some notes she sent to Rick. I could not believe what I was looking at when I opened the envelope, and I can't wait to turn the contents of that packet into an article for the club newsletter.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxqtOFB3xpQ2zFyPX-UJNMBs42EVKF1_enPGv8kKp53iiOGR-JBy-Oy7h7iUSNsfozIDflIeSEFwodALz8vCRq37tJUkdroGd1WfL1OS_fHG8963mBoOPpTPno9Teoy5z0zR06vBsxh6x5Yq-V2_kTAT_tqr-JQzVFAJMHDD9dkM98cEB3b10IMYqG1g/s3024/72FF5957-8112-4F38-A4E6-3D2E2B1FC571.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxqtOFB3xpQ2zFyPX-UJNMBs42EVKF1_enPGv8kKp53iiOGR-JBy-Oy7h7iUSNsfozIDflIeSEFwodALz8vCRq37tJUkdroGd1WfL1OS_fHG8963mBoOPpTPno9Teoy5z0zR06vBsxh6x5Yq-V2_kTAT_tqr-JQzVFAJMHDD9dkM98cEB3b10IMYqG1g/w400-h400/72FF5957-8112-4F38-A4E6-3D2E2B1FC571.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><p>Then there were the random surprises: a full set of NOS Crosmobile hubcaps, a banner from the 'Over the Hill Gang' - the H Modified racing club led by Joe Puckett in the '80s and '90s. Various speed equipment from Braje and others. SO MUCH COOL STUFF!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMyBVgMcUYDafp59pHZfaWMyZ_IJ1gQ9Z7VsvAoGqlJLqwArLkdHKJe0XcVnNDNou5npABzqPq9hAKtyP_dUuoXtOvN-22vf0B2ZbhKRyo7EE5JTrq6GdG3P4s--8iQ67sKHCNv7h9rrvpMjo4WWfeadumXZWlTV-3ruQ8_lt9FV5eVs-w-3mbfMJ8bA/s4032/9321A31E-BDB5-4EC0-B57B-49ECD3C26318.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMyBVgMcUYDafp59pHZfaWMyZ_IJ1gQ9Z7VsvAoGqlJLqwArLkdHKJe0XcVnNDNou5npABzqPq9hAKtyP_dUuoXtOvN-22vf0B2ZbhKRyo7EE5JTrq6GdG3P4s--8iQ67sKHCNv7h9rrvpMjo4WWfeadumXZWlTV-3ruQ8_lt9FV5eVs-w-3mbfMJ8bA/w400-h300/9321A31E-BDB5-4EC0-B57B-49ECD3C26318.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><p>I'm really honored to be the caretaker of these treasures - although it's got me thinking about where all this stuff is gonna go when I retire from wrenching. A harrowing thought...</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_P79fuo-1ut0ANM_pbA1YfHxy3R8l2AY2l3K6ZWRNVwJyaVZFLzaTQFzveFpqEwd8k3xHwiShv4M0mR-6UPW5zvAJyFrKAOzijYmRsn5SJNcLTU1zJFZmBpR-POY0VPfDzvq1_GjgVF2goX7sBgnuXgQWMLgpgYJQtTBOV3yFpeysH9HibfBHk4CWCw/s4032/8C847DA4-3CE1-4283-83AD-B349B0D5CB5F.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_P79fuo-1ut0ANM_pbA1YfHxy3R8l2AY2l3K6ZWRNVwJyaVZFLzaTQFzveFpqEwd8k3xHwiShv4M0mR-6UPW5zvAJyFrKAOzijYmRsn5SJNcLTU1zJFZmBpR-POY0VPfDzvq1_GjgVF2goX7sBgnuXgQWMLgpgYJQtTBOV3yFpeysH9HibfBHk4CWCw/w400-h300/8C847DA4-3CE1-4283-83AD-B349B0D5CB5F.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8aKcb9CNgGRjBaI1t_L9pJF0bLuN7r6mI6nkoeB9b_sfUq8xxdfDP1tS6Aj3M7PGmq_FG8mu-BLKudgYX1gvGZ8PLW8y6xDINhglQc8E8Gf6yrbmuI85ehl9qDG1L-_ji-Q_xcdMSdXVVvynIRqZEfMwtD8mcINZ-pjh8yvcpIH2mNk1xqsjx0-t1dw/s3024/7FD44EC6-C0AA-4501-8FE0-43515F73C608.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8aKcb9CNgGRjBaI1t_L9pJF0bLuN7r6mI6nkoeB9b_sfUq8xxdfDP1tS6Aj3M7PGmq_FG8mu-BLKudgYX1gvGZ8PLW8y6xDINhglQc8E8Gf6yrbmuI85ehl9qDG1L-_ji-Q_xcdMSdXVVvynIRqZEfMwtD8mcINZ-pjh8yvcpIH2mNk1xqsjx0-t1dw/w400-h400/7FD44EC6-C0AA-4501-8FE0-43515F73C608.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3NDcKpambCiAjCJJ-UychEz6WaIahSn-ddPMIBgzm9NCzO8xMZt65gXQum3pMX-BWK1QkjU4Dp0W-EjyYfJxEvCvZuSfNf76xMZJl9fwd3DvRltKGfSDiSdTq-uYrPjwYPpRD81EUDA9lG1e8HwrKdO52sjg4b3kltwoEtLTNwcpbHc1Xe9_SNthw2g/s3024/273E8095-C178-48A0-B0EF-4BBADB5E9EB4.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3NDcKpambCiAjCJJ-UychEz6WaIahSn-ddPMIBgzm9NCzO8xMZt65gXQum3pMX-BWK1QkjU4Dp0W-EjyYfJxEvCvZuSfNf76xMZJl9fwd3DvRltKGfSDiSdTq-uYrPjwYPpRD81EUDA9lG1e8HwrKdO52sjg4b3kltwoEtLTNwcpbHc1Xe9_SNthw2g/w400-h400/273E8095-C178-48A0-B0EF-4BBADB5E9EB4.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd24CiD_JQ82SEJh2KNdIXiWEBe7jio35VAN7sYWdrLxEel30ZS69aQbZPoCdK3Dg2B5nhDWw3fhbBceVxc7zBLz42sw-1EGCdwdjAyXbJAyy57yvH3gapz2yaFogOn--sfOrPY3MJN_gMWxo41ZybhbfT96YsPbPubt4x1sQWbUWMTe4pavn9PUjX5A/s4032/981549CE-FF67-4120-A071-0A91BF2DCDC3.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd24CiD_JQ82SEJh2KNdIXiWEBe7jio35VAN7sYWdrLxEel30ZS69aQbZPoCdK3Dg2B5nhDWw3fhbBceVxc7zBLz42sw-1EGCdwdjAyXbJAyy57yvH3gapz2yaFogOn--sfOrPY3MJN_gMWxo41ZybhbfT96YsPbPubt4x1sQWbUWMTe4pavn9PUjX5A/w300-h400/981549CE-FF67-4120-A071-0A91BF2DCDC3.jpeg" width="300" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p> </p>Ol' Man Fosterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06616992856960301458noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6166782660776666598.post-37970127330950466492022-11-20T10:08:00.001-08:002022-11-20T10:08:45.117-08:00RIP Robert Hansen - the man behind The Crosley Report<p>Woke up Monday to some very sad news: my friend Robert (Richard*) Hansen died of a pulmonary embolism last weekend.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhElD30thCC4UUD5wQRXAD68KB7HTUzJke8dDqaurQvEx8Y5j6VSqpN3PPDwtKdB9qC0IiNhMQW5CDrSqjfVFt_tI05aJTiuutKIq80lmCZbqWvudGNgaZGKsP4bWN5upXR7orffDpc_h3vxOo6opYtOqlB0opB40PJfQvwWB234nWqVGXArhGobd7qLg/s1080/DD4AB9B4-4113-4179-8845-80652B48A981.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhElD30thCC4UUD5wQRXAD68KB7HTUzJke8dDqaurQvEx8Y5j6VSqpN3PPDwtKdB9qC0IiNhMQW5CDrSqjfVFt_tI05aJTiuutKIq80lmCZbqWvudGNgaZGKsP4bWN5upXR7orffDpc_h3vxOo6opYtOqlB0opB40PJfQvwWB234nWqVGXArhGobd7qLg/w400-h400/DD4AB9B4-4113-4179-8845-80652B48A981.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><p><span></span></p><a name='more'></a>I don't really even know where to start with this.... Robert and I were very close for years - we got to be buddies when we worked together at a company called State Net back in the mid-nineties. We bonded over a shared love of history (he was a HUGE WWII nut), art, books and a commitment to progressive, pro-union politics. On the surface we really couldn't have appeared more different - I was a skinny punk rock car guy and he a was a big, bearded poetry fan; but we really hit it off. We hung out a lot, and got coffee together on our break at work nearly every day... we had a laugh when we realized that the folks running the LGBTQ-friendly coffee shop we usually went to had assumed we were a couple.<p></p><p>State Net's core business was legislative tracking, but they also published a magazine called <i>California Journal</i>. CJ offered in-depth nonpartisan policy analysis in a monthly magazine format, often with illustrations. I'd just left my full-time commercial art gig at Tower Records, so I submitted some samples, and got to do a few illustrations while I worked there. I was going for a real Kathe Kollwitz 'salt of the earth' feel on the drawings, and Robert loved them. He got me doing illustrations for a lefty newspaper he volunteered for called <i>Because People Matter, </i>and for another State Net publication (published via <b>fax!)</b> called <i>State Net Capitols Report.</i></p><p>Robert was not a car guy, but he was intrigued when I bought the Crosley and started driving it to work. The idea of someone intentionally driving a tiny, somewhat ridiculous 50 year old car every day appealed to his sense of absurdity, like I was making a daily tilt at my own private windmill. I should mention that Robert was a BIG guy - probably 6'5, maybe 350 pounds, so for him, a Crosley must have seemed even smaller than it would to an average-sized person.</p><p>Like many of my pals back then, Robert was fascinated that I was preparing to drive the Crosley on a 700 mile trip to Morro Bay for the annual Crosley Meet. They knew I was working on the car constantly, knew that it had no top or side windows, and that it had a gas tank out of boat just sitting in the back of the car. Most of my buddies just thought the trip was crazy and a bad idea - Robert thought it was crazy and a <i>good</i> idea. You can see why we were such fast friends.</p><p>It was at my job at State Net where I first encountered the internet - I'd hardly ever even seen a computer before that. At State Net, I got my first email account, which I used to email other people at State Net, who were the only people whose email addresses I knew. At that point, half of my friends in Sacramento worked at State Net, so this was actually pretty cool.</p><p>After I made the trip to Morro Bay (and back) in one piece, I wrote an article about it for the Crosley Club newsletter. Since I now had access to email, I also sent the story to a few of my car buddies I thought would be interested - and to Robert. </p><p>He LOVED the story, and asked if he could make a website about it. At the time (2000), this seemed like absolute wizardry to me. I could send email and go on internet bulletin boards, and look at Ebay, but the idea of making a website from scratch was inconceivable. Robert said he could do it - and for free! He borrowed some of my photos from the trip, scanned them on the State Net photo scanner, and got to work.</p><p>So, <i><a href="https://www.angelfire.com/ca5/sacfreepress/crosley_road.html" target="_blank">The Crosley Report</a></i> was born.</p><p>At the time there wasn't a whole lot of Crosley stuff on the net - <a href="https://www.crosleyautoclub.com/" target="_blank">The Crosley Automobile Club</a> had a website (a really good one) and there were a few random things out there, but they were so limited that the CAC site actually had a page of links called "Other Crosley-Related Links You Will Love." I was in heaven when they added <i>The Crosley Report</i> to the "Other Links" page. I had hit the big time!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiLW_hmkpndFBUJgkHv6SMO5S_CKvJktVf4ZY6vjwv9M6WIObNJtxjtifNtnC1Tv3BkBB5LVqk_1v5KWqzlZR4qN01h8KsospI2VKn5W-6-6PdT3PZ_LHGZCSQQNW0E397q0IxqKOp-if1BD2leYlNgPC_OyWPjxZUDqRGmTV4T0hsm5czb6evgU5DgA/s1500/45002D6F-EE93-41EC-8FBB-A33F0FDFCF8D.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="970" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiLW_hmkpndFBUJgkHv6SMO5S_CKvJktVf4ZY6vjwv9M6WIObNJtxjtifNtnC1Tv3BkBB5LVqk_1v5KWqzlZR4qN01h8KsospI2VKn5W-6-6PdT3PZ_LHGZCSQQNW0E397q0IxqKOp-if1BD2leYlNgPC_OyWPjxZUDqRGmTV4T0hsm5czb6evgU5DgA/w259-h400/45002D6F-EE93-41EC-8FBB-A33F0FDFCF8D.jpeg" width="259" /></a></div><p>That was Robert Hansen in a nutshell - he'd get excited about someone's project, would offer to help however he thought he could, and take it get to a whole other level. Take that story with me, and multiply it by dozens, maybe hundreds, of other people, and that was Robert's whole life.</p><p>Robert and his then-wife Rachel owned a small bookstore called The Book Collector that served as a hub of the poetry community in Sacramento. The place was tiny, but they'd draw big crowds for book signings, poetry readings and they even did some art shows, the weirder the better. I did an art performance there called "Nothing is as Worthless as a Rock Star" where I set up outside the store and shined people's shoes after giving them a dollar billed stamped with the show's title. Robert loved it.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfWkHy_k8LQzOnam5c6ZRVYslbtIGQwFNf8A2lXuUyg3Js4SrrTO6C5AFGuod3_vn4zZWZ-_soNLBg2PN9RmHmo-PO_EmQgatxEPi5Y2XQLwBwSFa3Jidxof_0tlLrvG0RfzVByWudLUiIjm_W_yxLSdS1umy9NobkGXYmi2VebhZrN-yGDLoV4FXlUg/s720/95E5F76A-89D9-4707-B6D0-133337BD919D.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="720" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfWkHy_k8LQzOnam5c6ZRVYslbtIGQwFNf8A2lXuUyg3Js4SrrTO6C5AFGuod3_vn4zZWZ-_soNLBg2PN9RmHmo-PO_EmQgatxEPi5Y2XQLwBwSFa3Jidxof_0tlLrvG0RfzVByWudLUiIjm_W_yxLSdS1umy9NobkGXYmi2VebhZrN-yGDLoV4FXlUg/w400-h300/95E5F76A-89D9-4707-B6D0-133337BD919D.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><p>Robert's job at State Net was as a junior designer - he did the design jobs the senior designers didn't want, like laying out business cards for new employees, etc. That meant he was the point person for the new cards when they came in, and he noticed that the printer would add blank card stock to take up empty space in the boxes. This stock was often really nice colored or patterned paper and he started thinking about ways to use it instead of just throwing it away.</p><p>He hit on the idea of using the colored stock as a cover for tiny booklets - folding it in half and stapling regular paper inside to make half-a-business-card-sized books of poetry that he liked. He started making these in his spare time at work, and then would just leave them around town for people to find. He called them Poems-For-All.</p><p>At the time I remember him telling me that the production process was his equivalent of a zen garden: he started with a big stack of paper and a paper cutter, then meticulously folded each tiny page, creasing with a bone tool and finally assembling each book, one staple in the center.</p><p>Of course, as a designer, he couldn't just keep making books with blank covers, and he soon started designing individual covers for each new batch of books. And, before long, he was publishing new material - poets loved the concept and asked him to include their poems in his series. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI0gMANTNinr6ZVQSOvBQUYMVd-NBde-n7M-7KtMLxN7Ly9Bq4wlbMuVlLEdHqrg_pGE02gZiipkr_Ta1EQtAesmdaNQCXC4D3qONDw-1x4i36dVAgwpdcJ-KbttpVWt0Xlp4qOF4jn90bpxACag9PgW__RObo5nKzOdQ94CoqIrzaj0e0bk2kf9-cmw/s1440/0CB24720-9E7F-41F5-B172-44E8CF029D83.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1079" data-original-width="1440" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI0gMANTNinr6ZVQSOvBQUYMVd-NBde-n7M-7KtMLxN7Ly9Bq4wlbMuVlLEdHqrg_pGE02gZiipkr_Ta1EQtAesmdaNQCXC4D3qONDw-1x4i36dVAgwpdcJ-KbttpVWt0Xlp4qOF4jn90bpxACag9PgW__RObo5nKzOdQ94CoqIrzaj0e0bk2kf9-cmw/w400-h300/0CB24720-9E7F-41F5-B172-44E8CF029D83.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><p>I was doing a regular comic strip in college at around this time, a send up of <i>Little Orphan Annie</i> called <i>Anton</i>, and he asked if he could use some of my strips - he ran at least five of them as PFAs. And then he also set up a comprehensive <i>Anton </i>website, where he published each day's strip online.</p><p>When I eventually took over as editor of the West Coast Crosley Club newsletter, the <i>Tin Block Times,</i> I asked Robert if he could help with the design. He was enthusiastic to do the layout, <i>and</i> thought he could prevail on one of his friends in the printing business to do our covers in full color at the same cost we'd been paying for black and white. When that was approved, the first order of business was a new color logo - I handed him a copy of <i>Rod and Custom</i> and said "something like that."</p><p>I found a digital version of one of his <a href="https://issuu.com/poems-for-all/docs/tin_block_times_-_summer_2010" target="_blank">issues here</a> (sadly all those color interior photos printed black and white.) </p><p>The new-look TBT was well received, and Robert loved being involved. He even came to the Annual West Coast Meet in 2005 and had a ball. For a while he fixated on the idea of getting a Crosley wagon or truck as a promo vehicle for The Book Collector, and I think he might have actually ended up getting one if it hadn't been for his size. </p><p>Poems-For-All took on a life of its own, with people around the world sending submissions or asking for copies of books, and Robert himself really became the go-to guy for the whole Sacramento poetry scene (a surprisingly robust community at that time.) Liv met Thurston Moore of Sonic Youth once some years ago, and when he found out she was from Sacramento, asked if she knew Robert and Poems-For-All.</p><p>Our local public radio station made a nice video about the project, which captures Robert (then going by 'Richard') really well:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/rRcbl4Mk9fM" width="320" youtube-src-id="rRcbl4Mk9fM"></iframe></div><p>As lovable a guy as Robert was, he didn't always handle pressure well, and one day he just stopped going to State Net. He didn't quit, he didn't call in sick - he just never went back. From then on he just worked at the bookstore, did design projects and made Poems-For-All.</p><p>He kept designing the TBT for a few years, until some family health issues forced him to quit. He was sad to let go of the project, but he was traveling constantly to take care of his Mom who lived in the UK, and couldn't commit to anything other than that. He was out of the country for long periods and at that point I was working 80 hour weeks running a magazine and we started to lose touch.</p><p>About ten years ago he got up one day, told his wife he was leaving and moved to San Diego. No notice, no goodbyes to anyone else, just out. Most of us who knew him well were hurt, but also, in some ways, not surprised. At one point Robert was one of my closest friends, and I loved him dearly, but I knew that he sometimes did things in a way that didn't make sense to anyone but him. This was just what he had to do, and that's what he did.</p><p>We kept in touch a bit via Facebook, as one does, but he really had another life. The only thing that was unchanged was his devotion to Poems-For-All. I'm not sure now many different PFAs he actually published, but probably close to a thousand, which is an astonishing achievement.</p><p>When his wife Karen posted that he had died (of a pulmonary embolism), I was flooded with memories I haven't thought about in years: Robert winning a marshmallow peep-eating contest with 69 peeps (I ate 32); Robert boisterously singing along at local Star Trek-themed punk band No Kill I's shows; the two of us, dejected at a 2004 election night party, watching a drunk screaming with fury in the middle of the street; looking in awe at his complete run of Upton Sinclair's 1934 EPIC newspaper; the two of us sneaking out of work to hear artist Steven Kaltenbach give a lecture at Sac State... so many memories.</p><p>It's always hard to know when something is about to change your life, but meeting Robert Hansen changed mine in ways I could never imagine. </p><p>Thank you, buddy. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiETaz0-bHeU_6skBMMn5y8fjKHIgYgO581Ohu2dRjCRZLUNeSUp400027LPF5W6AYsX5EJveKlksoU2Uamig1Bmz9n_7nfW9l78vqkkPqv9ZRjz4wB_zghdMC-lcgZabj4ZNYnewmcdpQhNfo18LBVf73T3aA4QsNZiHo95X4p5JtklEJhDdRmlyfD8g/s604/97B49CB7-5EE0-4E73-A7F5-7AEA10D16B8E.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="453" data-original-width="604" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiETaz0-bHeU_6skBMMn5y8fjKHIgYgO581Ohu2dRjCRZLUNeSUp400027LPF5W6AYsX5EJveKlksoU2Uamig1Bmz9n_7nfW9l78vqkkPqv9ZRjz4wB_zghdMC-lcgZabj4ZNYnewmcdpQhNfo18LBVf73T3aA4QsNZiHo95X4p5JtklEJhDdRmlyfD8g/w400-h300/97B49CB7-5EE0-4E73-A7F5-7AEA10D16B8E.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><p>*During his time in Sacramento, when I knew him best, Hansen went by "Richard," - he preferred going by "Robert" later in life, so I have used that name here.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Ol' Man Fosterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06616992856960301458noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6166782660776666598.post-30352306086500578192022-10-27T23:16:00.004-07:002022-10-27T23:23:21.346-07:00Blast From the Past<p>Looking through some boxes of club archives tonight and found a set of photos from the 1995 meet - two years before I'd joined. Was VERY surprised to see a photo of the '<a href="https://crosleykook.blogspot.com/2010/07/sad-day.html">49 Crosley convertible I bought in 1998</a>! </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik8Uun6sx5_SJ7hDb7_LfLfzq0LdBcNjxx_-H_qOSmkNuOFQMlcOP1jlsA-kc7ZkXzyao-LlbcziEviBbHGWKgoWEUr3j03b2JoI4vFWzVeDeYzToCD-mIKnNzhJaJTkJe85j-LB_Orom4MNWdhAwg9YDgN5XLX2vtM181T0ZTE_YjQcE7wdFajUAXeQ/s4032/32DC0A16-1861-4195-BED9-143A990F9E80.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik8Uun6sx5_SJ7hDb7_LfLfzq0LdBcNjxx_-H_qOSmkNuOFQMlcOP1jlsA-kc7ZkXzyao-LlbcziEviBbHGWKgoWEUr3j03b2JoI4vFWzVeDeYzToCD-mIKnNzhJaJTkJe85j-LB_Orom4MNWdhAwg9YDgN5XLX2vtM181T0ZTE_YjQcE7wdFajUAXeQ/w400-h300/32DC0A16-1861-4195-BED9-143A990F9E80.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><p>I had no idea that the previous owner had been involved in the club, but that's the same license number, and it looks about the same as when I bought it. </p><p>Hard to say for sure, but I'll bet the white station wagon in the background is the one I have in my garage now...</p>Ol' Man Fosterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06616992856960301458noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6166782660776666598.post-47760940703642852362022-01-07T10:20:00.002-08:002022-01-07T10:20:27.184-08:00WILD Crosley Stock Car Race Footage Found<p>Indefatigable Crosley fan John McKnight sent me a link to this<a href="https://youtu.be/jxU6mvBBp1k" target="_blank"> recently-posted footage </a>of indoor all-Crosley stock car racing from the fifties. It is NUTS.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgxcP1SPpHBURzU55KIynvY-fjYPKvlhdS9x9yAUMZ2NwOQdp6yVjQqdom8DlSOd4xdhPMbOH6M6rXv67k4gbN-kWZs8kwtDo64Cmlkrg6yY_50a-2MtxaCoFnrj3clhv7ewqBqOPWfzh3ccXConHaFClNwrKoO61OFpLba8GATnYTDA2Glra4HK-ixwQ=s600" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="338" data-original-width="600" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgxcP1SPpHBURzU55KIynvY-fjYPKvlhdS9x9yAUMZ2NwOQdp6yVjQqdom8DlSOd4xdhPMbOH6M6rXv67k4gbN-kWZs8kwtDo64Cmlkrg6yY_50a-2MtxaCoFnrj3clhv7ewqBqOPWfzh3ccXConHaFClNwrKoO61OFpLba8GATnYTDA2Glra4HK-ixwQ=w400-h225" width="400" /></a></div><p><span></span></p><a name='more'></a>The footage was shot by a racing fan named Jack Bills, and is posted on the History Mystery Man channel on Youtube. Bills says he filmed these races circa 1951 at the Louisville Armory, where a tiny track was used for racing during the Winter when it was too cold to watch outdoor racing. If this really is from '50 or '51, these cars would have been five years old at most!<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi97mZI7UyJgmYZl58hn3Zg-9C4IiU-4yqxRrTSkNgdZRTmz9pdvxBVBnAZzdycszUdEAZ8G7g45uKPI9ApAO6s3hVr2L60ltQM9GvjwRpRbm9n_FJN_9XDv9Dn6gOiu4MuQv7PCqpAPZt0o6gBCk9os5kt6MXVWFlEKM431JsqVUyMBTUj3vPaodH-8g=s1334" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="1334" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi97mZI7UyJgmYZl58hn3Zg-9C4IiU-4yqxRrTSkNgdZRTmz9pdvxBVBnAZzdycszUdEAZ8G7g45uKPI9ApAO6s3hVr2L60ltQM9GvjwRpRbm9n_FJN_9XDv9Dn6gOiu4MuQv7PCqpAPZt0o6gBCk9os5kt6MXVWFlEKM431JsqVUyMBTUj3vPaodH-8g=w400-h225" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p>The History Mystery Man offers some background on Powel Crosley and the Crosley Corporation for a few minutes, then we get to the action, narrated by Bills, at about the 9:30 mark.</p><p>The racing is fast and furious - so much so that I wonder if the footage is sped up at all. Those cars are moving! The cars suffer a ton of abuse (there is at least one rollover) but you can tell the drivers are having a ball. There is even a Crosley tow truck to pull dead cars off the track.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgSbwa9asyKEtQpk9VU5X-MUUjNU-0HkY1UOzVkaKjO7lT13CDo9OvQwPX0T9zsvsPTCv8eG4OQG0ibYPpJlvGccMQF64bhJHD0c-JJhbYcptyVOs_rNk5adJmLERcX6-TB-Zuta51sIqqsFioSdVS-a_Ao24Kojjng981o8jXxKyCCUk4Qkx7wzRaf9g=s1334" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="1334" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgSbwa9asyKEtQpk9VU5X-MUUjNU-0HkY1UOzVkaKjO7lT13CDo9OvQwPX0T9zsvsPTCv8eG4OQG0ibYPpJlvGccMQF64bhJHD0c-JJhbYcptyVOs_rNk5adJmLERcX6-TB-Zuta51sIqqsFioSdVS-a_Ao24Kojjng981o8jXxKyCCUk4Qkx7wzRaf9g=w400-h225" width="400" /></a></div><p><br /></p><p>I've seen still photos of Crosley stock car races, but the film really gives you a sense of how crazy it must have been to watch. Kudos to Jack Bills and the History Mystery man for sharing!</p><br />Ol' Man Fosterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06616992856960301458noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6166782660776666598.post-17776392404989063182021-12-17T13:32:00.001-08:002021-12-17T13:34:42.198-08:00Multipla in the Wild!<p>Here's something you don't see every day: a vintage Fiat Multipla parked on the street.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEimI3MOLo7h_iDK_S5U7ksQTdI0fmWRCamuuJgYwG_r-5jdEsMSN4QKD_7jHWDORp6OjSFnV6WMZLVaIclaYtaxZ2FP-MQ2SGMCIxreO3pP6rEX4yCcnNwEFjW-Uu_rwpCcw8sTC3qvws2BAaFNLIvE0qaValXSR7nS6RHcAfIsiJYBQdeyHvIX4uQHXg=s4032" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEimI3MOLo7h_iDK_S5U7ksQTdI0fmWRCamuuJgYwG_r-5jdEsMSN4QKD_7jHWDORp6OjSFnV6WMZLVaIclaYtaxZ2FP-MQ2SGMCIxreO3pP6rEX4yCcnNwEFjW-Uu_rwpCcw8sTC3qvws2BAaFNLIvE0qaValXSR7nS6RHcAfIsiJYBQdeyHvIX4uQHXg=w400-h300" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p><span></span></p><a name='more'></a>You better believe I pulled over when I saw this parked four blocks from my house. <a href="http://crosleykook.blogspot.com/2014/05/the-most-epic-fiat-multipla-ever.html" target="_blank">Regular readers will know about my love for these Italian microvans</a> -- if they weren't so damned expensive (this is probably a $50-60K car as it sits) I'd probably own one.<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh3o9-7cyxaO0ntWmTN-B_h5FuaOWtg_9Hh-wLpBmUleh5ad8GRazUQNkPCemULBAl_iRks8fPirR4JH2giDj9PO9-SLK6Z4Zlux2VcHN2nUmz2BZhl0Ll2j2N9IrZ98zBt3PhEzor914S0EojXAKprZsqWh7ZUMaaI87lvjY-vxAobFtKw0isXEW4-8Q=s4032" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh3o9-7cyxaO0ntWmTN-B_h5FuaOWtg_9Hh-wLpBmUleh5ad8GRazUQNkPCemULBAl_iRks8fPirR4JH2giDj9PO9-SLK6Z4Zlux2VcHN2nUmz2BZhl0Ll2j2N9IrZ98zBt3PhEzor914S0EojXAKprZsqWh7ZUMaaI87lvjY-vxAobFtKw0isXEW4-8Q=w400-h300" width="400" /></a></div><p>Never did see the owner so I can't add much to the story. Kudos to whoever it is for keeping it on the road!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhU0FIoioNd-gHls_TJH26ilRfUwTPz0aNHVzhbBnq6y6NynYvE8xENTqUlJ_g2pVQqFfsrzwTR1jcvHePBBJ1uYF8pqNApjd0x_2nHUEnXXAPBkJPMi6L0BlYxCDRh1HgmqOXu8CK9iPvt4X3xeNpUpb72pSFSgz9JpD4aCfNZN7f9WTiQJTGYnD8inw=s3024" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhU0FIoioNd-gHls_TJH26ilRfUwTPz0aNHVzhbBnq6y6NynYvE8xENTqUlJ_g2pVQqFfsrzwTR1jcvHePBBJ1uYF8pqNApjd0x_2nHUEnXXAPBkJPMi6L0BlYxCDRh1HgmqOXu8CK9iPvt4X3xeNpUpb72pSFSgz9JpD4aCfNZN7f9WTiQJTGYnD8inw=w400-h400" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgELKnczYQV1wzGhdpWwPndIAvgg1-MeF_of6qimvBNS6f79eUoLTXJO7COqOGnnEUiaXKidkXiDfJBXjqb_tsQC2iS9kZxqfz-dkXrNaXF_jDixWpsOXApsyOio2YfnNjUqHnqZYDZLG0aP5Gd5J6tvylPbgn3SwWPGrznuZeJRVWe1kfRq96snel-Wg=s3024" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgELKnczYQV1wzGhdpWwPndIAvgg1-MeF_of6qimvBNS6f79eUoLTXJO7COqOGnnEUiaXKidkXiDfJBXjqb_tsQC2iS9kZxqfz-dkXrNaXF_jDixWpsOXApsyOio2YfnNjUqHnqZYDZLG0aP5Gd5J6tvylPbgn3SwWPGrznuZeJRVWe1kfRq96snel-Wg=w400-h400" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiIqpRNpvwkOcRxxJ61LZqdHDK33Mztn0F6J6QmLFcdO4_Ju9HnPQRjKERwqrVVN87bGanSpsF5O6yCQWEumnn7KXQ3CChf4PSgp4h2uAXwSznxxfYPb8Lgwk-zo28Ies5J96NcXaw98gt-io7BdwasRjIfE6lp0wgKFNSNLQKaTPMRBQWyblnOoR43UQ=s4032" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiIqpRNpvwkOcRxxJ61LZqdHDK33Mztn0F6J6QmLFcdO4_Ju9HnPQRjKERwqrVVN87bGanSpsF5O6yCQWEumnn7KXQ3CChf4PSgp4h2uAXwSznxxfYPb8Lgwk-zo28Ies5J96NcXaw98gt-io7BdwasRjIfE6lp0wgKFNSNLQKaTPMRBQWyblnOoR43UQ=w400-h300" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p>Ol' Man Fosterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06616992856960301458noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6166782660776666598.post-3633638580161077212021-12-02T23:14:00.004-08:002023-07-07T18:17:13.168-07:00When Shit Goes Wrong<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjywtwsA0-F8anQjEKTXnpq0cJUYnneh6UeAfznPhb4Jif10wQgmVZYwmFtzSh1luB9YqkSxIZh55Oo3Hro5N97oWzGOv4SKpZeD9T3OWZwzY4goiEBOEudrIG9QmAXyd_Ebj7l8QEq99w0/s2048/26B5D85C-784A-469F-92CC-595074725D58.jpeg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjywtwsA0-F8anQjEKTXnpq0cJUYnneh6UeAfznPhb4Jif10wQgmVZYwmFtzSh1luB9YqkSxIZh55Oo3Hro5N97oWzGOv4SKpZeD9T3OWZwzY4goiEBOEudrIG9QmAXyd_Ebj7l8QEq99w0/w400-h300/26B5D85C-784A-469F-92CC-595074725D58.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I got invited to ride along on a vintage car rally last week. My buddy Marcos takes his old Volvos out whenever he gets the chance, and spending Black Friday tearing around back roads in the wine country sounded like the perfect way to burn off some Turkey Day calories.</div></div><p><span></span></p><a name='more'></a><p></p><p>I got up early that day, grabbed a quick coffee and headed for Tamber Bey Vinyards in Calistoga, the designated starting point for the event. I gave myself two hours to get there by the 9AM launch, but between slowdowns on the road and a map program sending me to the delivery address rather than the winery, I barely made it in time to park my truck and hop in Marc's 142 for the start.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEine1PG3ZTwQQ817tvzxsIatIVGdyCsIcEzpUnwlhmzOd9TFqXwS5ED2DtFWxwpVeO8CJqjh9GldsmWPe3ozLITPhvhJEwOVpe1BwKG4rCSgLUHQBI_K0FAvzFJQ3Tjoup8Zii8nNxhUOba/s2741/5D76092A-B532-4130-A6F2-3C137611C119.jpeg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1147" data-original-width="2741" height="168" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEine1PG3ZTwQQ817tvzxsIatIVGdyCsIcEzpUnwlhmzOd9TFqXwS5ED2DtFWxwpVeO8CJqjh9GldsmWPe3ozLITPhvhJEwOVpe1BwKG4rCSgLUHQBI_K0FAvzFJQ3Tjoup8Zii8nNxhUOba/w400-h168/5D76092A-B532-4130-A6F2-3C137611C119.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><p>There were about 70 cars assembled in the winery lot, but most were not exactly what I'd call 'vintage.' Nineties Porsches were probably the most common denomination, and our '71 Volvo was one of the oldest cars in the group. It turned out that the 'vintage' designation meant '99 or older. I could have entered my Toyota truck!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1WyqFXb9D8wfnzojbRX_9hMY1mVpZdQdcOEhXX4yqH73qjShlaIFZQqSiRgGG-QXmxVcxIozKHKhOAEmjBAtPmnyFyntg7i9V5MKN0HTx3Qs_kLv6nmU_H6Z1owEiu21r0J7OnPVSvPc3/s2048/F9FF0367-A227-4B53-B5A0-E680C76F29DD.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1WyqFXb9D8wfnzojbRX_9hMY1mVpZdQdcOEhXX4yqH73qjShlaIFZQqSiRgGG-QXmxVcxIozKHKhOAEmjBAtPmnyFyntg7i9V5MKN0HTx3Qs_kLv6nmU_H6Z1owEiu21r0J7OnPVSvPc3/w300-h400/F9FF0367-A227-4B53-B5A0-E680C76F29DD.jpeg" width="300" /></a></div><p>Marc's buddy Jon was also along for the ride. He's a Mopar guy so we immediately bonded over the beauty of the Slant Six and Valiants in general. He was sporting the coolest vintage (actual vintage, not like those '90s Porsches) Medfly t shirt! If you lived in California circa 1980, you know what I'm talking about, otherwise<a href="https://www.csmonitor.com/1981/0710/071039.html" target="_blank"> click here</a>. </p><p>As soon as we got on the road it was clear that there were really two rallies: one for the newer cars and another for the small crop of old-timers like us. Ten minutes into the drive and the newer cars weren't even in sight... not great since Marc had not really memorized the route and we ended up just guessing where the turns were.</p><p>One car that was doing its damndest to keep up with the newer iron was a beautiful NSU Prinz. I'm guessing it was a mid-late '60s model, and according to Jon, had four carbs. I didn't get a look before we took off, but Jon and Marcos both said the engine compartment was impressive... it must have been, because the car went like a scalded cat. The driver diced with us for a minute then roared past on a turn and disappeared up the road. Unfortunately the NSU's throttle cable broke about 10 minutes later, and we passed him on the side of the road with the hood up. His day was over.</p><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfwnwucCspX1Z-KYBznCYop703h-L8Rnl-nIjYvorVmMV4C7lBTfej3BsVK-i3KiknFSCV_ICFjhx2_I_aIMDuhBl4FeplHP6_tnnygaVILA5whvbqVR5KyFVYV-lnCpbB88ZRMIHaGBA3/s2048/AAC8DA4F-6D7D-4FDF-BAFA-3BED6A515C4F.jpeg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfwnwucCspX1Z-KYBznCYop703h-L8Rnl-nIjYvorVmMV4C7lBTfej3BsVK-i3KiknFSCV_ICFjhx2_I_aIMDuhBl4FeplHP6_tnnygaVILA5whvbqVR5KyFVYV-lnCpbB88ZRMIHaGBA3/w400-h400/AAC8DA4F-6D7D-4FDF-BAFA-3BED6A515C4F.jpeg" width="400" /></a></p><p>We got to the first stop - a small market with a big parking lot - about 40 minutes into the drive. There was a bit of bench racing and a long line for the john. </p><p>This scene was pretty far afield of the car stuff I usually do. There were probably 30 Porsches (all immaculate) and at least one Ferrari. Piles of BMWs. If I sold every vehicle I own I'd barely have enough for a downpayment for one of these cars, so I was way out of my depth. But, everyone was friendly, and I enjoyed ogling all the semi-exotic machinery. After 15 minutes or so the show got back on the road and we planned to hang back with the TR4, '70s beemers and the lone VW bug.</p><p>That was the theory anyway. In practice, Marc has a lead foot and a competitive edge, so before long we were leaving the old tin behind and catching up with the slightly slower new vehicles like BMW wagons and sedans. </p><p>The road twisted downhill through the woods, coming out into a gorgeous valley with mountains off to our left. The valley straight let us open up a bit - but not enough to keep up with the other cars, which were way out of sight. After a few minutes we came to a road that headed toward the mountains and seemed like the one we were supposed to turn on. Sure enough, there was a Porsche pulled over at the turn.</p><p>"He waited for us!" Marc yelled as the Porsche pulled back on the road ahead of us. Marc had talked to the driver - a former longtime Volvo owner - at the pit stop.</p><p>The road got twisty as we got into the hills: Steep rock outcropping on the left, a ravine with a creek at the bottom on the right. The curves slowed everyone down, and we caught sight of some newer cars ahead of us. Then, we came to a dead stop.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXDnSkvVNG0gZ3gDPb9mvatYzfY2URlgfhfGuEH4fOuO9udXgw3WEwuOVCCBfMuEghXwoseqdYD6QwJF2QJUQiJi_wySvfdYo_6zuThyNcgM0t6cCDMofOBXimOYiejqhMT92H1bd_Lyow/s2048/145E74C5-37C3-4E6A-A9E9-10483D3BE87A.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXDnSkvVNG0gZ3gDPb9mvatYzfY2URlgfhfGuEH4fOuO9udXgw3WEwuOVCCBfMuEghXwoseqdYD6QwJF2QJUQiJi_wySvfdYo_6zuThyNcgM0t6cCDMofOBXimOYiejqhMT92H1bd_Lyow/w400-h300/145E74C5-37C3-4E6A-A9E9-10483D3BE87A.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><p>There was a line of about 10 cars stopped ahead of us, as if waiting at a traffic light. Out here, in the middle of nowhere, this was not a good sign.</p><p>Marc stayed with the car as Jon and I walked up the line of cars to see what was going on. Ahead of us was a Toyota Celica on its roof, blocking the left lane. The driver's door was open.</p><p>The driver was sitting nearby, being checked on by several people. Miraculously, he seemed OK, just shaken up. I heard him say that he was fine other than that his watch had cut his wrist. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9CN_vJ5dKH58aYUeRmNHadvC1U8klP02OhfV5FhjeZDMfBToNSEIbrfkkdj3e-qca3yqEVaFak2mkWetCeyc25dkA3DBsTqE4V9OFRLkXIrABIT_3liaqwvk1HyOpBAgqyRva5K9gH-lo/s2048/32C1269E-B9C2-4510-B7E4-8F0EDAC172F0.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9CN_vJ5dKH58aYUeRmNHadvC1U8klP02OhfV5FhjeZDMfBToNSEIbrfkkdj3e-qca3yqEVaFak2mkWetCeyc25dkA3DBsTqE4V9OFRLkXIrABIT_3liaqwvk1HyOpBAgqyRva5K9gH-lo/w300-h400/32C1269E-B9C2-4510-B7E4-8F0EDAC172F0.jpeg" width="300" /></a></div><p>Later we ran into the people who had been in the car just ahead of him. They watched the scene in the rearview mirror: the Celica's rear had started to slide as the driver entered the turn - he over-corrected, the wheels caught, and he drove straight up the hill until the car flipped over and landed on the pavement. It all happened in an instant.</p><p>With the driver safe and being attended to and flagging stations set up on both sides of the wreck, there was nothing to do but move on. The line of cars carefully snaked past the scene and we headed for the last leg of the rally.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="224" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/cOsVA_HqH8k" width="320" youtube-src-id="cOsVA_HqH8k"></iframe></div><p>But not really. The accident had taken the wind out of our sails and Marc was driving at an almost leisurely pace. It seemed like the other drivers were having the same experience. The rally was, for all intents and purposes, over.</p><p>As much as I love these kinds of drives, they do bring out the worst in some people. When you get behind the wheel of a 'fun' car it's easy to forget that there are other people on the road who aren't part of a rally, who are just driving to work, or taking their kids to a friends' house. And it's easy to forget that sometimes shit goes wrong.</p><p>As crappy as this was, it could have been so much worse. The driver was OK. He didn't hit anyone else. He can fix up another car and drive a rally another day.</p><p>Be careful out there.</p><p><i>Thanks to Ben with the P1800 for the top photo... </i></p>Ol' Man Fosterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06616992856960301458noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6166782660776666598.post-88643912938829202182021-11-21T23:08:00.008-08:002021-11-21T23:08:59.739-08:00Etceterini Update: Great Nardi 750 Crosley Video!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxWJNPjzYR5YUk2jfwtYSVMIRmFw1S36EYOjDR1Bks_3Z825YYyqXSOtux9Ypsgh1kGF9ohKBPphpIJHgvshsaJqgMVT6VGYP4w_y0sm0zZJCfHPjYqGztjcQQzF1YaEOywwkbZQ9d0Way/s1275/front.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="668" data-original-width="1275" height="210" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxWJNPjzYR5YUk2jfwtYSVMIRmFw1S36EYOjDR1Bks_3Z825YYyqXSOtux9Ypsgh1kGF9ohKBPphpIJHgvshsaJqgMVT6VGYP4w_y0sm0zZJCfHPjYqGztjcQQzF1YaEOywwkbZQ9d0Way/w400-h210/front.png" width="400" /></a></div>Following up on my post from last week, I'm excited to share <a href="https://youtu.be/jX7878L6idY" target="_blank">this great video</a> on a Crosley-powered Nardi 750 that was for sale not long ago. I missed this when it was first posted, but H-mod fanatic Richard Campbell pointed it out when he saw <a href="http://crosleykook.blogspot.com/2021/11/etceterini-on-my-mind.html" target="_blank">my etceterini post</a>.<span></span><span><a name='more'></a></span><div><br /><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/jX7878L6idY" width="484" youtube-src-id="jX7878L6idY"></iframe></div><div><br /></div><div>This is a FANTASTIC car - truly one of the most beautiful designs of the era. As noted in the earlier post, I've been lucky enough to <a href="http://crosleykook.blogspot.com/2010/10/hmod-reunion-october-2-at-infineon.html" target="_blank">know some of the folks who race Crosley-powered etceterini,</a> and the seller got this car from one of them - Don Baldocchi of Redding. </div><div><br /></div><div>If memory serves, Don owned TWO out of the four of these cars ever built, so this probably isn't the yellow car I have seen him race many times, but his 'spare' Nardi. It's probably a good thing I didn't know this was for sale, because I'd have sold a kidney to own a car like this.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkjgEi623nQHdPIyi1JPK80C5Wg-XgdApHfXCO81IgHvF2L5n044NEPQrzGMR-NKB-qyjK0mFye444uGhZuArjaGodq35SnzpVc26hpo0wDkWPjc7tCw-7k1NtkWi_EatN0O7Il4ZL7a2G/s1274/side.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="672" data-original-width="1274" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkjgEi623nQHdPIyi1JPK80C5Wg-XgdApHfXCO81IgHvF2L5n044NEPQrzGMR-NKB-qyjK0mFye444uGhZuArjaGodq35SnzpVc26hpo0wDkWPjc7tCw-7k1NtkWi_EatN0O7Il4ZL7a2G/w400-h211/side.png" width="400" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>The video has plenty of footage of the car for sale, but is also a great short documentary about Nardi - enjoy!</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzwB0UMUJKSDNc0A0t1mvqr66B5Jt3wvRqE7Q0ZT3gFAbUm4GXBdgrEGcfpduXhgx2xH32-KmUZOAH1IkH6Mr3eHkwkrqM7eUXl4cEBczuD3jEuCBEI96r5-HjI9U_0io3wiH0RXYJ0qNb/s1275/rear.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="678" data-original-width="1275" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzwB0UMUJKSDNc0A0t1mvqr66B5Jt3wvRqE7Q0ZT3gFAbUm4GXBdgrEGcfpduXhgx2xH32-KmUZOAH1IkH6Mr3eHkwkrqM7eUXl4cEBczuD3jEuCBEI96r5-HjI9U_0io3wiH0RXYJ0qNb/w400-h213/rear.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div></div>Ol' Man Fosterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06616992856960301458noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6166782660776666598.post-56590796675882243942021-11-12T00:12:00.006-08:002021-11-15T11:19:44.172-08:00Etceterini on my Mind<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><a href="https://speedcraftspecial.com/wpperfect/siata-208cs-cs055cs060/" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="371" data-original-width="600" height="248" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqzoPSM_fNOtPH-f2affOLd4mh2Y8iVFH5O6ohFEGA7KWYbd9gY1pH4TSO4mdr9XnMooyhb_aL93SqGdKPKKRQen6rRXq6puTHpFVTTzJacHwQxygogAlLB6M53mII79TOwe6SxLlUt0J4/w400-h248/Ex-Linton-Siata-208cs07.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></div><p>I've been reading an old Fawcett book on the "new" European sports cars (<i><b>Sports Car Album</b> </i>by John Freeman, 1953) that really delivers a feel for the era -- a time when neither Mercedes Benz nor Ferrari were household names in the US, and the Corvette was still just a show car. The book is loaded with photos, and the author visited all of the major factories and many smaller marques. It's well worth picking up if you like that sorta stuff.</p><p>The fifties is my favorite era for sports cars, and the early part of the decade probably produced my favorite designs over all. I'm a sucker for low slung slipstream-bodied cars with skinny tires and a driver sporting a necktie.<span></span></p><a name='more'></a><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWixtYR5vIDl6XhDtQwNHn8cBrAx1qxJ2gSIqkPl27pjMKflJVD4e4P902gXQ4wGPFer5nINK0TPY_PDtP-pcfIuBpHtk2eJ9xZq0YSEvWyUgolQqSR-Yb2iyocASRgSkUvNHdpFTn_6hm/s1500/nardi.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1216" data-original-width="1500" height="324" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWixtYR5vIDl6XhDtQwNHn8cBrAx1qxJ2gSIqkPl27pjMKflJVD4e4P902gXQ4wGPFer5nINK0TPY_PDtP-pcfIuBpHtk2eJ9xZq0YSEvWyUgolQqSR-Yb2iyocASRgSkUvNHdpFTn_6hm/w400-h324/nardi.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p><br /></p><p>Like pretty much everyone else, I'm entranced by the Ferraris, Aston-Martins and C-Type Jags, but I'm really fascinated by the <b><i>etceterini</i>.</b></p><p>"Etceterini" is a term first coined by John De Boer*, an expert on exotic Italian cars, to describe the varied smallbore Italian racers built by a whole group of small artisan automakers in Italy: names like Nardi, Siata, Stanguellini, Giaur, Bandini, etc. </p><p>While each was a separate company producing unique designs, these builders did have one significant commonality: they relied heavily on Fiat components in the construction of their cars. Fiat was the closest thing to Detroit in 1950s Italy, and not coincidentally, many of these small automakers were located in Torino, near the Fiat factory. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9iSYEwj7KRto7GQqLUU78LmZUXtyxjR4lqu-FrEHbRM29_VFhaeCIbSH3aHmUAEMdRfZU5YLD1bzMFEdZcIAWCgaMTPQIarsxlIvMcqukE5rX-FaT3ZNDzbfbnU8-e_V-AIzfPK5OVT8C/s800/Etc.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9iSYEwj7KRto7GQqLUU78LmZUXtyxjR4lqu-FrEHbRM29_VFhaeCIbSH3aHmUAEMdRfZU5YLD1bzMFEdZcIAWCgaMTPQIarsxlIvMcqukE5rX-FaT3ZNDzbfbnU8-e_V-AIzfPK5OVT8C/w400-h300/Etc.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p>Though etceterini shared much of their internal hardware, each marque also offered their own specialties. Many of these builders were also speed-equipment manufacturers, offering hop up gear for otherwise stock Fiats. Nardi's custom steering wheels eventually became so popular that he abandoned the car-building business entirely.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="http://crosleyautoclub.com/EngineTree/Crosley_Eng_Tree-3.html" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="379" data-original-width="577" height="263" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWt0QBE973cXCOe7rP_xjKnQmmcNmPpAj1qgml1oTx9bxbiDNd0ojQbD-KcLUDvs6yzdmteDd-MpzNMgKs10s3YRmiv3oCaECIEcS-J_O-cFyIL8JVFlEGKwutEqRwxIBmgcQTNeNw62za/w400-h263/Bandini-IlarioBandini.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p>If most of these small racers used hopped-up Fiat motors, a few experimented with foreign equipment; BMW motorcycle engines found their way into some cars, and a surprising number of Crosley motors wound up in these tiny Italian thoroughbreds. Bandini took it a step further, offering radically modified twin-cam Crosley engines. Lucky for me, there are two owners of Crosley-powered Italian racers involved in the West Coast Crosley Club, so I've been seeing these amazing cars - <a href="http://crosleykook.blogspot.com/2011/05/watkins-glen-in-gold-country-marty.html" target="_blank">a Siata</a> and <a href="http://crosleykook.blogspot.com/2010/10/hmod-reunion-october-2-at-infineon.html" target="_blank">a Nardi</a> - up close for a quarter century. Given that it was stories of my Dad's Fiat 600 that got me interested in tiny cars in the first place, these cars really occupy a special spot for me.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMyuPp4s03f7MUe-1EyHYS7GH8_OALpzRrgR1m9cVUTpq9auAFJV-nJp3g00tNzJ7UCtpKAp7HXsJLWM2xSo2Z9_EnReVWRe-UZTinm4Mm4FUPLDU9wkIzSKdiHAadsiD9UVrJ_6dCE0M1/s1000/siata.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="667" data-original-width="1000" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMyuPp4s03f7MUe-1EyHYS7GH8_OALpzRrgR1m9cVUTpq9auAFJV-nJp3g00tNzJ7UCtpKAp7HXsJLWM2xSo2Z9_EnReVWRe-UZTinm4Mm4FUPLDU9wkIzSKdiHAadsiD9UVrJ_6dCE0M1/w400-h266/siata.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p>John De Boer may have coined the term, but Cliff Reuter has been the person most closely-associated with etceterini for years now. His father raced a Bandini (and owned a stable of other exotic racing machinery), and Cliff got the bug early. <a href="http://www.cliffreuter.com/etceterinihomepage.htm" target="_blank">His website is the definitive source</a> on the subject unless you want to start spending big money on small-press books, many of which are in Italian. (If anyone wants to buy me a copy of <a href="https://www.ebay.ph/itm/FIAT-8V-OTTOVU-OTTO-VU-BOOK-ANDRIAENSENS-106-TONY/172563425556?hash=item282d94e914:g:ANcAAOSwqfZaT9CP" target="_blank">the $3000 two volume <b><i>Otto Vu</i></b></a> for Christmas I promise I was a good boy this year.)</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4Th82netP7ylCi9aEk_alVCUenBbCs_MRlMPwysktxYi3afadWn3UOp5vNOKs3eKhF8yZxEC3ZVIFYpHCBQ2BDH8L4Sg8GjV9XD53Cgx5wBtL74QY6lscbQnLNuVk6GvP3dhf8mmAQIhA/s600/wilks.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="435" data-original-width="600" height="290" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4Th82netP7ylCi9aEk_alVCUenBbCs_MRlMPwysktxYi3afadWn3UOp5vNOKs3eKhF8yZxEC3ZVIFYpHCBQ2BDH8L4Sg8GjV9XD53Cgx5wBtL74QY6lscbQnLNuVk6GvP3dhf8mmAQIhA/w400-h290/wilks.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p>There are other sources for etceterini coverage; <b><i>The Chicane</i></b> <a href="https://www.thechicane.com/tag/etceterini/" target="_blank">has a whole section</a> on them, and one specialty auto restoration shop in Florida has a great set of photos on <a href="https://www.thecreativeworkshop.com/etceterini" target="_blank">their website</a>. There's plenty more out there - especially if you search individual marques.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="278" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/K1JLeYfcwC0" width="486" youtube-src-id="K1JLeYfcwC0"></iframe></div><p>There is also a good amount of video footage, although a bit harder to find. <b><i>The Chicane </i></b>shared <a href="https://youtu.be/K1JLeYfcwC0" target="_blank">this one</a>, featuring a race in Brindisi, Italy (where my Dad spent a couple of months, right about the time this footage was shot), which sorta blew my mind. So much cool iron blazing around those tight turns!</p><p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLBa0TfRAOYHnN-cSLIN9uqLGG-i_Evv10" target="_blank">Then there's </a><b><a href="https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLBa0TfRAOYHnN-cSLIN9uqLGG-i_Evv10" target="_blank">this guy</a>.</b> I've been following along on his youtube channel for months now as he builds his own etceterini from scratch! I do wish he had included narration in the videos, but it's been amazing to watch him realize his vision -- this is exactly the sort of project I'd love to do someday, but my skillset is nowhere near that level. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiedzTRCvsm6vDtUOj10hPJT8t1Usa0-I9EWuPORDha8MIh5ePY3Uj1RBiym8mhVezoNObIRi3P3XKWgQ_GVhhNns_VADA1ocQUcx0eTcNd8s1ReDOlL7o_C6SSG22pzm0dCoQxUkLLabKi/s1215/PROJECT.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="659" data-original-width="1215" height="217" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiedzTRCvsm6vDtUOj10hPJT8t1Usa0-I9EWuPORDha8MIh5ePY3Uj1RBiym8mhVezoNObIRi3P3XKWgQ_GVhhNns_VADA1ocQUcx0eTcNd8s1ReDOlL7o_C6SSG22pzm0dCoQxUkLLabKi/w400-h217/PROJECT.png" width="400" /></a></div><p>I can't wait to see the project finished, and in the meantime I'll just keep looking at more old pictures and track footage.</p><p>It's easy for me to go down the wormhole on these cars - Italian auto designers were so far ahead of the rest of the world in the early fifties that many automakers outsourced their show cars to Italian ateliers. The same stylistic flourishes that appear on the etceterini also show up on Chrysler Ghias and other lead sled "dream cars" from Detroit.</p><p>I'll probably never own one of these rare birds, but I love thinking about them dicing it up with Hotshots and Super Sports back in the day, all with the same Crosley engines under the hoods....</p><p><i>*Or perhaps Stu Schaller - there seems to be some debate about who came up with the term first.</i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrxvosfx4yalqN81BrVTo13LaEvNGgbRWyUsCVCFeV17YkYurDG2NH_N9HGi_w4QsgbonkUDlkIUR9s_YJfMn8e0vr3gCuQKG7I5DfW6_MJpCdpyEWY6c7risdn8WCiEiQsIdflS3fRotm/s400/Siata-peter-1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="287" data-original-width="400" height="288" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrxvosfx4yalqN81BrVTo13LaEvNGgbRWyUsCVCFeV17YkYurDG2NH_N9HGi_w4QsgbonkUDlkIUR9s_YJfMn8e0vr3gCuQKG7I5DfW6_MJpCdpyEWY6c7risdn8WCiEiQsIdflS3fRotm/w400-h288/Siata-peter-1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy9RpKW29vsfN7F5OdL9cYsct2BKP2dbasUzHIBTyr39CDUdcMqOZ1GuwQHKpk9tJnYkmhzjMDToYjWlhQvfKLXE8BQvd4gIJw1fx5oQ27D09s77ca8zjcoD6c9Q08L_MfrxVuk9kDkfuK/s664/NARDI_ETC.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="496" data-original-width="664" height="299" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy9RpKW29vsfN7F5OdL9cYsct2BKP2dbasUzHIBTyr39CDUdcMqOZ1GuwQHKpk9tJnYkmhzjMDToYjWlhQvfKLXE8BQvd4gIJw1fx5oQ27D09s77ca8zjcoD6c9Q08L_MfrxVuk9kDkfuK/w400-h299/NARDI_ETC.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzSrT1k1R5z4Exje_F3stGXykipDmPj3m4HJQjz3s3TRD2I9QDKWC7PLeCXE9cbnr_Tp59ENOAl7v9vKrKe2N25klsN8H4zhjYLOYfsLsN4vCX0W-9BdPIdid9FCkIpTIIG5-i7f80xtVI/s563/siata+1953+208coupe8v1953.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="563" data-original-width="500" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzSrT1k1R5z4Exje_F3stGXykipDmPj3m4HJQjz3s3TRD2I9QDKWC7PLeCXE9cbnr_Tp59ENOAl7v9vKrKe2N25klsN8H4zhjYLOYfsLsN4vCX0W-9BdPIdid9FCkIpTIIG5-i7f80xtVI/w355-h400/siata+1953+208coupe8v1953.jpg" width="355" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Ol' Man Fosterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06616992856960301458noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6166782660776666598.post-398828067587836972021-08-19T17:34:00.004-07:002021-08-19T17:34:30.978-07:00Nice Tribute to the Hot Shot<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig483HuTW0d9igWmGmjacRiM4bLwPPm_TLhIE9JpRGEMr1QUE-45uchxMbgC-Pz5U1v-ttyjkxqvvr8P_FGm8184e92jNBdNJWqpz7PGdIw7VTmwULKfa1jV44axHDzC9CKmNvK7oDUzd0/s1080/Cros1-1080x650.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="650" data-original-width="1080" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig483HuTW0d9igWmGmjacRiM4bLwPPm_TLhIE9JpRGEMr1QUE-45uchxMbgC-Pz5U1v-ttyjkxqvvr8P_FGm8184e92jNBdNJWqpz7PGdIw7VTmwULKfa1jV44axHDzC9CKmNvK7oDUzd0/s400/Cros1-1080x650.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
Really <a href="https://theoldmotor.com/?p=186269" target="_blank">nice write up at The Old Motor</a> on the often-maligned Crosley Hot Shot. <div><br /></div><div>Happy to see the details correct, and snappy writing, too. "Running at a constant 7,500 rpm, the Hotshot screamed like a chain saw on the straightaways and was driven wildly into the corners." <span><a name='more'></a></span></div><div><a href="https://theoldmotor.com/?p=186269">Check it out!</a>
</div>Ol' Man Fosterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06616992856960301458noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6166782660776666598.post-91338168107576509052021-05-18T22:33:00.003-07:002021-05-18T23:00:56.443-07:00Gary Gabelich - "Plenty Boss, Man. Plenty Boss."<p style="text-align: left;">Unlike most car geeks, I wasn't much of a gearhead when I was a kid. No subscription to <i>Hot Rod</i> or <i>CarToons</i>, no shelf of carefully-constructed Revell car models, no posters of scantily-clad girls posing next to race cars. I certainly noticed old cars on the rare occasions that I saw them, and did have a passing interest in kid-candy like the Munsters Koach, but my Dad was so OVER being an auto mechanic by the time I came along that there was no romance under the hood. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl29_yzznpJ_TjFKV9gAH28e6YNTCD86sSkAQFyalNDYjWjOdx0nrX0bjE_TEFXLC-P3uH3AWRJ-Hv7uvZa5CJd3Jj-3lPk6qS07K-tcQeMiq8mx2jbJg9aGduC5zkZHsMsCWSm6-tnZZL/s600/Blue+Flame.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="406" data-original-width="600" height="271" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl29_yzznpJ_TjFKV9gAH28e6YNTCD86sSkAQFyalNDYjWjOdx0nrX0bjE_TEFXLC-P3uH3AWRJ-Hv7uvZa5CJd3Jj-3lPk6qS07K-tcQeMiq8mx2jbJg9aGduC5zkZHsMsCWSm6-tnZZL/w400-h271/Blue+Flame.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p style="text-align: left;">The only time I really remember being enthralled by a car as a kid was when we stopped at the Bonneville Salt Flats on a road trip. I was fascinated by the lunar landscape - and by the idea of cars going hundreds of miles an hour out there in the middle of nowhere. We stopped at a gas station in Wendover and I bought a postcard of the rocket-shaped car that then held the Land Speed Record: <i>The Blue Flame</i>, driven 622 miles an hour by Gary Gabelich. I still have that postcard.</p><p style="text-align: left;">You can imagine my surprise when I discovered last month that Gary Gabelich got his start in a Crosley.<span></span></p><a name='more'></a><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc9Uus3W739NkyInomPaDMhGe7CkOv7PN_lMSMa4jtNNfjU2MqWPvBzv0vrziK0dMoUES-o6eEQ9EYQUXlFkfbh2XWfpiYBB1Fl3mqi9h0UzjQu6q-PIH9YQHba9Kbvlodi7jx7UTo2L2g/s582/James-nakamura-1951-oldmobile.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="384" data-original-width="582" height="264" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc9Uus3W739NkyInomPaDMhGe7CkOv7PN_lMSMa4jtNNfjU2MqWPvBzv0vrziK0dMoUES-o6eEQ9EYQUXlFkfbh2XWfpiYBB1Fl3mqi9h0UzjQu6q-PIH9YQHba9Kbvlodi7jx7UTo2L2g/w400-h264/James-nakamura-1951-oldmobile.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><div style="text-align: left;">Junji Nakamura went to high school with Gabelich in Long Beach, California. While Nakamura was a a hardcore car guy, hot rodding and <a href="https://kustomrama.com/wiki/Junji_Nakamura" target="_blank">customizing a 1951 Olds with his brother James</a>, Gabelich was on another level. "[Gabelich] went to the same high school as the rest of us mere mortals," says Nakamura, "but, as for being a teenager from Long Beach and going to the same high school as most of the local kids, he was an impressive teenager, when most [of us] were just driving regular sedans."</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">When James Nakamura began racing his brand new 1958 Impala at Lion's Drag Strip, Junji was assigned to cover the action. "I was 13 at the time. But, I learned to point and shoot the 16mm color camera at our favorite hot rods and drag racing vehicles." One of those vehicles was piloted by Gary Gabelich.</div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7rNDpFTh4N1OkzIpP0MkcOwBu3blylexYHNLgQyYtHckk7_jSoqqgaxTeR1s5df4UQxeVtdnYA_C4xh-06qm3yA45wV_73Uvu1wvA9bbd5R57TP7d3X-G2Etznnvqvr3hXGss5LlSIf8b/s863/junji.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="574" data-original-width="863" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7rNDpFTh4N1OkzIpP0MkcOwBu3blylexYHNLgQyYtHckk7_jSoqqgaxTeR1s5df4UQxeVtdnYA_C4xh-06qm3yA45wV_73Uvu1wvA9bbd5R57TP7d3X-G2Etznnvqvr3hXGss5LlSIf8b/w400-h266/junji.png" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">"As a 17 year old teenager, he had a most unusual drag racing vehicle that he built and raced at Lion’s Dragstrip... a Crosley Altered Sedan." </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Gabelich also ran his dark blue altered Crosley at other tracks; <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jljEY6c7OuA" target="_blank">Nakamura shared the footage he shot of Gabelich making runs at the Bakersfield Smokers March Meet in 1960.</a> "He was having a great day racing."</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/jljEY6c7OuA" width="320" youtube-src-id="jljEY6c7OuA"></iframe></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Nakamura's footage captures Gabelich early in his career, although he had already won the first-ever jet-powered drag race the year before, when he was still just 19 years old. I've dug around to see if I could find more information about Gabelich's Crosley, but Nakamura's footage - and his memories - are the only documentation I came across.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Throughout the sixties Gabelich continued to race, first on the strips and later in drag boats and at Bonneville, where he made a 356 mile an hour run. As if all that wasn't cool enough, his day job was as a test astronaut for North American Rockwell, the company that later built the Space Shuttle. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div><div style="text-align: left;">In 1969 he got a different gig: he was hired to drive a 37-foot-long, rocket-powered vehicle called the Blue Flame for a Land Speed Record attempt sponsored by the American Gas Association. He beat out Don Garlits and Craig Breedlove for the job.</div><p style="text-align: left;">Like all serious record attempts, the story is loaded with drama, and I don't have the space to do it justice. I found a short documentary loaded with vintage footage on YouTube - it's broken into three parts, and is well worth watching if you are interested in Land Speed Racing and have 40 minutes to spare: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ci4B87b81Dc" target="_blank">Part 1</a>; <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wSDGkzkxiOo" target="_blank">Part 2</a>; <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7BllTzJkKLM" target="_blank">Part 3</a>.</p><p style="text-align: left;">The short version is that the experimental rocket boost had a malfunction on an early run that caused damage and severely limited the car's power. Even with the malfunction, the car was able to creep up to the 600 MPH mark set by Craig Breedlove in 1965, but could not get two qualifying runs in a row to take the record. Finally, on October 23, 1970, Gabelich managed a two way run with an average speed of 622 MPH. Gabelich got out, said, "Plenty Boss, man - Plenty Boss" and gave his dad a bear hug.</p><p style="text-align: left;">The American Gas Association pulled their funding, and The Blue Flame was mothballed. His record stood for 13 years.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRcbSLaKUYC3urjFzM-hZsxsKJvxjcTS6hpSLGSQnAxXLYKJB7CUj9UgC2bHbfsaQxh5EBISY4FbkGIQQD6ka-71YwQU4LfAFeH3dle_DlUarVxDc_PRHZ9B5mx7yrtmVMiYoJlrUhMYSL/s982/gary.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="710" data-original-width="982" height="289" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRcbSLaKUYC3urjFzM-hZsxsKJvxjcTS6hpSLGSQnAxXLYKJB7CUj9UgC2bHbfsaQxh5EBISY4FbkGIQQD6ka-71YwQU4LfAFeH3dle_DlUarVxDc_PRHZ9B5mx7yrtmVMiYoJlrUhMYSL/w400-h289/gary.png" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Sadly, the rest of Gabelich's life was not so charmed. His right hand was severed in a 1972 drag racing accident - it was reattached, but the accident ended his racing career. He may have been out of the cockpit, but he never lost his taste for speed: he was killed when his motorcycle hit a truck "while traveling at a high rate of speed" in January, 1984. He was 43 years old.</div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">But for Junji Nakamura, Gary Gabelich will always be the dashing young man in the Crosley sedan. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">"For us, [he was] famous before he got famous with the land speed racing... [Gary was] an automotive icon. In the drag racing world... Gary Gabelich has a wonderful history with cars and speed."</div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: trebuchet; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; widows: 2;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYMAv2RHl3vtqrbs4RDhNGE9CbUTUJ7efcV0nsyROP4acYZUatcWkonCeY-N4_7feElkbTB_zIr-Sbzxi2_yrEZGx_XkOASdYV-On-ANpWrq7SNhv1hff59dGdIy6tCoodMJf7SECQv12w/s350/image001.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="350" data-original-width="230" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYMAv2RHl3vtqrbs4RDhNGE9CbUTUJ7efcV0nsyROP4acYZUatcWkonCeY-N4_7feElkbTB_zIr-Sbzxi2_yrEZGx_XkOASdYV-On-ANpWrq7SNhv1hff59dGdIy6tCoodMJf7SECQv12w/w263-h400/image001.jpg" width="263" /></a></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: trebuchet; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; widows: 2;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>Thanks much to Junji for reaching out and sharing his story and photos (from The Nakamura Brothers’ film collection).</i></div><div><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p></div>Ol' Man Fosterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06616992856960301458noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6166782660776666598.post-5727363162674350882021-03-23T10:25:00.000-07:002021-03-23T10:25:55.732-07:00Nebraska Estate Sale Crosley - 1947 Sedan<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqz5_tPXURboqbS1L9CM1iRvqjysKOJP-nJ_4GpaGuNTMw4Ru5UvfWvOLZN8Y6f2z3_4wMHTMb-R1c8S-LpWzitYkftwjm3FGTFPriTK-_cM-mrVBXQPq3_cX0pLefm9sfAvEffOudLe3O/s1920/front.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="1920" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqz5_tPXURboqbS1L9CM1iRvqjysKOJP-nJ_4GpaGuNTMw4Ru5UvfWvOLZN8Y6f2z3_4wMHTMb-R1c8S-LpWzitYkftwjm3FGTFPriTK-_cM-mrVBXQPq3_cX0pLefm9sfAvEffOudLe3O/w400-h300/front.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p>Just ran across photos of this sweet lil '47 sedan that will be available at<a href="https://omahaestatesales.com" target="_blank"> an estate sale in Nebraska</a> this weekend.<span></span></p><a name='more'></a><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitRArjhqai8_pihKvixizcuswumdWBbMNe9xuCdSeya2s0TCY2hIRVd1Laf-hHOLFGE_Rq23JhCB7xDM672lsynAmb6HPXNBcpZIMK76dKNTU8gWEIsO9yS5V4TC3PcnLZ8Dx6aalMBBLq/s1920/int.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="1920" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitRArjhqai8_pihKvixizcuswumdWBbMNe9xuCdSeya2s0TCY2hIRVd1Laf-hHOLFGE_Rq23JhCB7xDM672lsynAmb6HPXNBcpZIMK76dKNTU8gWEIsO9yS5V4TC3PcnLZ8Dx6aalMBBLq/w400-h300/int.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p>Photos look great - everything seems very straight and very stock - and the seller says there is no rust. Previous owner bought it for $8000 last year.</p><p>Love that color, too.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQI-_REofn0L_O0YxTbr9_3VyQD_i5V9_HxsQ8T3GlpEixb9o6Wiu4pUv6arbNcykxsoG_2LbgLY1EIr4nm1qf1oDiqXLdrb1SKvrgEwxr7q1d3MpmOM4Kaj9-07OE9IJV5y-3ZRleC912/s1920/dash.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="1920" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQI-_REofn0L_O0YxTbr9_3VyQD_i5V9_HxsQ8T3GlpEixb9o6Wiu4pUv6arbNcykxsoG_2LbgLY1EIr4nm1qf1oDiqXLdrb1SKvrgEwxr7q1d3MpmOM4Kaj9-07OE9IJV5y-3ZRleC912/w400-h300/dash.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQWGGcYFCKoS7xuQ8x1GZ0kSuIRDh7_8DDbHm60wATZbKVRpINawnR0fD7L0U0vPS02rcW7JJuLb2YmCqzPwHpgZqCHlUh5IZBYLCadD9J3qnOTfMD2907AEJc-6WpJ3JZD3Ybc4lgWw0X/s1920/rear.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="1920" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQWGGcYFCKoS7xuQ8x1GZ0kSuIRDh7_8DDbHm60wATZbKVRpINawnR0fD7L0U0vPS02rcW7JJuLb2YmCqzPwHpgZqCHlUh5IZBYLCadD9J3qnOTfMD2907AEJc-6WpJ3JZD3Ybc4lgWw0X/w400-h300/rear.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p>Call 402-250-7842 for info.</p>Ol' Man Fosterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06616992856960301458noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6166782660776666598.post-85167113456388543242021-03-08T15:45:00.003-08:002021-03-08T17:21:33.407-08:00SoCal Skorpion For Sale - CHEAP!<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEM7c0em-UtM57AsXv_gNb1YHDOvYFZ3HqPPsgt8nSAXY35_wznGQo8ZFxzB1AA2x3orRJcDZY-8P3JBaFyQD16LJYDAxskUKWoFoziasjIPts26HtpHTLq5T20IDZsu5lEsLr89Do6z1P/s951/1.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="631" data-original-width="951" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEM7c0em-UtM57AsXv_gNb1YHDOvYFZ3HqPPsgt8nSAXY35_wznGQo8ZFxzB1AA2x3orRJcDZY-8P3JBaFyQD16LJYDAxskUKWoFoziasjIPts26HtpHTLq5T20IDZsu5lEsLr89Do6z1P/w400-h265/1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />I did an old-fashioned spit-take when I saw David Wheeler's recent post on the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/102257470987/" target="_blank">"Crosley Automobiles... Fun Little Cars page"</a> on Facebook: Crosley Skorpion for sale, $5000.<span><a name='more'></a></span><p></p><p>For those of you <a href="http://crosleyskorpion.com/Home_Page.html" target="_blank">not familiar with Skorpions,</a> they were one of the most successful of first wave of DIY fiberglass-bodied sports specials. John Wills and Ralph Roberts jumped feet-first into postwar industrial experimentation with plastics, and specifically, the new miracle material, fiberglass.</p><p>Roberts first designed a rear-engined, motorcycle-powered, Crosley-chassised version of the Skorpion, then called a Wasp. When the rear engine design proved problematic, they revised the design to accommodate the entire Crosley drivetrain - a great improvement on reliability.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdQsAMPlgc-n16PnN7EGVLM8Rkmx7o_QKMP_o6vJlz9uszxfDtNamn8Lu9y9gt_XHPophGGlCAozFA8rtj_Pelrd7TNZu6jagU4MP9iTVGZjf2eLhs1EvPEh5wgdZYxT_ZXE5CqdTuDc0g/s712/motor_trend.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="712" data-original-width="551" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdQsAMPlgc-n16PnN7EGVLM8Rkmx7o_QKMP_o6vJlz9uszxfDtNamn8Lu9y9gt_XHPophGGlCAozFA8rtj_Pelrd7TNZu6jagU4MP9iTVGZjf2eLhs1EvPEh5wgdZYxT_ZXE5CqdTuDc0g/w310-h400/motor_trend.jpg" width="310" /></a></div><p>If the Skorpion wasn't the sexiest of the early fiberglass-bodied sports cars, it was appealingly simple: some builders bragged that they had converted a stodgy Crosley station wagon into a "sports roadster" in a weekend!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkxA-tDCRGZFZ-NVFcS6OzGKOCALzyRkDKlILoOPqYb9nxAuh26GB5qjQsf3F33B88_Nh4Q8BQMRk2NIP_sLbTfKIr-ZMipb6IAQXPCwzI5dekCObD9z8VDVPuyBD094KU8ooyCm1xkztI/s2048/skorp+at+swulcs.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkxA-tDCRGZFZ-NVFcS6OzGKOCALzyRkDKlILoOPqYb9nxAuh26GB5qjQsf3F33B88_Nh4Q8BQMRk2NIP_sLbTfKIr-ZMipb6IAQXPCwzI5dekCObD9z8VDVPuyBD094KU8ooyCm1xkztI/w400-h266/skorp+at+swulcs.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p>Since Wills and Roberts were based in Southern California, it is unsurprising that there is a strong Skorpion presence out here. West Coast Club member Glen Brynsvold (above) still drives the Skorpion he began building as a teenager in the fifties (took him a little more than a weekend to finish) and Service Motors' Dale Liebherr did a spectacular restoration of a Skorp that was shown by invitation at Pebble Beach. I found a nice runner for sale in the Bay Area back when I was looking for my very first Crosley, for $3250 - which seemed like a great price then, in 1997!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifpkjVtyq9t36ASjlBrvFEul20AeKEpKGB9ZGAIxS_UjxpKnE66TP7JYfTQjOOZzrQU2Nwgo5zV2DHpIFCiRLGffFwEd7ztUkb0yDZ3Qxf0VtZEbg9fkiTbPyMcKoAbZzYf9TSSNb5EvTc/s886/2.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="539" data-original-width="886" height="244" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifpkjVtyq9t36ASjlBrvFEul20AeKEpKGB9ZGAIxS_UjxpKnE66TP7JYfTQjOOZzrQU2Nwgo5zV2DHpIFCiRLGffFwEd7ztUkb0yDZ3Qxf0VtZEbg9fkiTbPyMcKoAbZzYf9TSSNb5EvTc/w400-h244/2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p>You can imagine, then, my shock at seeing a nice, running, driving Skorpion for not much more than they were going for 20-something years ago. </p><p>And, David's Skorpion has <i>very </i>cool provenance: he got it from the <b>original </b>Crosley kook, Bob Carson! In a community of automotive eccentrics, Bob Carson stood out; he's best known for regularly driving his Crosleys back and forth across the country, and probably put more miles on Crosleys than any other person in the 1970s and '80s.</p><p>I first saw this car when I made <a href="https://www.angelfire.com/ca5/sacfreepress/crosley_road.html" target="_blank"><b>my </b>first Crosley road trip</a>, driving 350 miles from Sacramento to Morro Bay for the 2000 West Coast Crosley Club meet. </p><p>Back then, David was barely out of his teens, but had already impressed everyone he met with his mechanical abilities. He had brought the Skorpion and a beautifully finished hot rod Crosley sedan called the Slo-Cal Special, a tribute to the So-Cal Specials of the fifties. Both cars ran well and made the 20 mile trip from Atascadero to Morro Bay.</p><p>I don't need another car, but if I had <i>any</i> room in my life for one more Crosley, I'd have bought this the moment I saw it. Someone is gonna get a very cool car.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-U7rKNw1aO2lVAsskVSYiFeEBkdR2P1Pw8irDl5bIwUiz-ZBQRgUiL5Exj7f3BSCTwbs-p9yTvWBQeCTU44zfiji8m_fbny_vwQtTt6rdMyx3HLla1dHc8qhyVRr7ul43Qcp7pM_xoZQC/s960/motor.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="720" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-U7rKNw1aO2lVAsskVSYiFeEBkdR2P1Pw8irDl5bIwUiz-ZBQRgUiL5Exj7f3BSCTwbs-p9yTvWBQeCTU44zfiji8m_fbny_vwQtTt6rdMyx3HLla1dHc8qhyVRr7ul43Qcp7pM_xoZQC/w300-h400/motor.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvOTjn529WPyarQYrhCBXrbSyLXfSelMPkp6lk9gy2sztJPGpfYw2B4o3XRqHBlFqxAZTIKksVrrXrM7mMgrNirEdvdrYRIC4-I_-jMBg9Ku1-UGtzuCMZ5CjB4sN5bYstIHdcATqRYRbF/s960/rash.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvOTjn529WPyarQYrhCBXrbSyLXfSelMPkp6lk9gy2sztJPGpfYw2B4o3XRqHBlFqxAZTIKksVrrXrM7mMgrNirEdvdrYRIC4-I_-jMBg9Ku1-UGtzuCMZ5CjB4sN5bYstIHdcATqRYRbF/w400-h300/rash.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVAa6-eD4wBeHtm3NrLYbpTZYr3UDQND9hMPpoW9Oy7jClr4t91Kx333JiBF9KlmNvxapNv4GHPZf-j3_Z6wrvyVyGQ9M3pn46ooS-oxObQuFkJfvl5Zpyh9GflSzG2uyk8utYZRcEe-Zk/s960/3.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVAa6-eD4wBeHtm3NrLYbpTZYr3UDQND9hMPpoW9Oy7jClr4t91Kx333JiBF9KlmNvxapNv4GHPZf-j3_Z6wrvyVyGQ9M3pn46ooS-oxObQuFkJfvl5Zpyh9GflSzG2uyk8utYZRcEe-Zk/w400-h300/3.jpg" width="400" /></a></div></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ4CHEjAsXkSkbQNIgySPRQnqdCWMDlhediogDKCQxO18xW8_UuKFbgxZUWxjE9x8xE41DwDViaNEDm8ZTmSCAtlwipMJJq9_9SaovXH3E7WUw2S83fM5VbcPIMjqRbF6mvS7X_KZJ0prf/s960/4.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ4CHEjAsXkSkbQNIgySPRQnqdCWMDlhediogDKCQxO18xW8_UuKFbgxZUWxjE9x8xE41DwDViaNEDm8ZTmSCAtlwipMJJq9_9SaovXH3E7WUw2S83fM5VbcPIMjqRbF6mvS7X_KZJ0prf/w400-h300/4.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Ol' Man Fosterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06616992856960301458noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6166782660776666598.post-39269920270799532422021-02-17T22:59:00.000-08:002021-02-17T22:59:20.949-08:00Wink, Booger & Crosley<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTJ40R-ziNgE2yieCDT3ADCso0FHYAAZ7eQty26VodzvEGz2_naHCBuTCdFCrHNpwFJoUJQ8DxDznuEus_fvpEMhDxQrH8oXzb-fgpdOeTUk-yTbLIYGSqnLqaD-YZJlFPFL7A4r_0Lsfe/s2048/WINK.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1398" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTJ40R-ziNgE2yieCDT3ADCso0FHYAAZ7eQty26VodzvEGz2_naHCBuTCdFCrHNpwFJoUJQ8DxDznuEus_fvpEMhDxQrH8oXzb-fgpdOeTUk-yTbLIYGSqnLqaD-YZJlFPFL7A4r_0Lsfe/w273-h400/WINK.jpg" width="273" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Recently bought this 1948 snapshot of "Wink, Booger and Crosley" - with an annotation like that, how could I resist?<span></span></p><a name='more'></a><p></p><p>One interesting factoid: the photo is labeled "Bradenton, E. Fla." </p><p>Bradenton, Florida is the site of Powel Crosley's cozy <a href="https://www.bradentongulfislands.com/special-event-services/crosley-estate/history" target="_blank">11,000 square foot winter mansion, Seagate.</a> I wonder if Wink was somehow affiliated with the estate? (I'm just assuming Booger is the dog.) Also interesting that the car has a spotlight - can't remember seeing another Crosley equipped with one. </p><p>Will probably never know the story behind this one, but fun to speculate for sure....</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaacZ31BS63GvGX6cH3tj3nflLiySLh-mbpSpEQE6Ayt79RH8AyXvSCHTzOV9nDk3hG5Gqblf_j34Va2L5zGsix9uKX4r_FDz0NIrLxI08q-EczEoPBgt3d1ZRCrAVth8u5TotevPB3lsx/s560/W_B_C.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="326" data-original-width="560" height="233" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaacZ31BS63GvGX6cH3tj3nflLiySLh-mbpSpEQE6Ayt79RH8AyXvSCHTzOV9nDk3hG5Gqblf_j34Va2L5zGsix9uKX4r_FDz0NIrLxI08q-EczEoPBgt3d1ZRCrAVth8u5TotevPB3lsx/w400-h233/W_B_C.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p>Ol' Man Fosterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06616992856960301458noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6166782660776666598.post-51306340193507619542021-02-10T16:35:00.001-08:002021-02-10T16:36:03.183-08:00META<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVSlDst_F_glXjEtBgl_ZqnecHimzLfFNNDfYffgbkrV8BHsA3PRDa9357o7x-oK86qv_rqsVLSrLKwoLNF5-v9IlCPwxKqjJCe5N42bEC-LlOhMVIGnD0zYM5nViipr7cEsvCX6bw0u6A/s2048/META.JPG" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVSlDst_F_glXjEtBgl_ZqnecHimzLfFNNDfYffgbkrV8BHsA3PRDa9357o7x-oK86qv_rqsVLSrLKwoLNF5-v9IlCPwxKqjJCe5N42bEC-LlOhMVIGnD0zYM5nViipr7cEsvCX6bw0u6A/w400-h300/META.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><p>You thought I was crazy for Crosleys?</p><p><a href="http://www.crosleyengine.com">Crosley engine whiz Barry Seel </a>recently posted this photo of the time he used his Crosley-powered forklift to lift the body off his Crosley convertible. </p>Ol' Man Fosterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06616992856960301458noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6166782660776666598.post-70120390936964116732021-02-04T17:25:00.003-08:002021-02-04T17:39:44.219-08:00It's Raining Tin Blocks!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQBvMlYYUtQDIMG5h-424H5ipWv2G8ky3f8B2OnjIpa9kNp6jvaB6IzGhHQfK0kTgtcHmtXMyqbWUi5efQn27QCwY6gP0elfHqfYht0kU629uQjRP4O933VI6iJY6L-GYjgwcRX7dWsdR0/s401/TinBlock.JPG" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="401" data-original-width="390" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQBvMlYYUtQDIMG5h-424H5ipWv2G8ky3f8B2OnjIpa9kNp6jvaB6IzGhHQfK0kTgtcHmtXMyqbWUi5efQn27QCwY6gP0elfHqfYht0kU629uQjRP4O933VI6iJY6L-GYjgwcRX7dWsdR0/w389-h400/TinBlock.JPG" width="389" /></a></div><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Ok, not really.</p><p>But once I made <a href="https://crosleykook.blogspot.com/2021/01/tin-block-triumph-bone-stock-47-truck.html">that last post</a> a few people have come forward with THEIR running CoBra motors...<span></span></p><a name='more'></a><p></p><p>First up is Martin Park Hunter from La Crosse, Wisconsin. Park is a Crosley nut of the first order and does all the work on them himself - he often posts videos with him working on his Crosleys... not sure how I missed this one!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/q3621ap7Fic" width="320" youtube-src-id="q3621ap7Fic"></iframe></div><p>This past summer was the first time that the annual Crosley Automobile Club Meet in Wauseon, Ohio has been cancelled (COVID, natch). The powers that be came up with the idea of <a href="http://crosleyautoclub.com/20Nationals/2020_Virtual_Nationals.html">having a "virtual" meet</a> and invited members to "show" their cars via photo and video - Park did a great job with his virtual submission, showing off his 1948 Station Wagon and then taking the viewers with him on a drive - powered by CoBra!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/g4itc45WTKs" width="320" youtube-src-id="g4itc45WTKs"></iframe></div><p>I also stumbled across this video of a 1949 Danbury Fair race boat that sports a running tin block. (Apparently this was a<i><a href="https://www.soundingsonline.com/news/rare-raceboats-rev-engines-once-more"> thing.</a></i>)</p><p>Next, friend of the blog John McKnight chimed in with a video of HIS tin block running - OK, it's not in a car, but running, just the same.</p><p>John's CoBra has solid provenance; it came from Bob Heinze, an original Crosley dealer back in the forties, and, up until about 15 years ago, <i><b>the </b></i>guy to go to if you wanted your Crosley gauges rebuilt. He rebuilt the gauges for <a href="http://crosleykook.blogspot.com/2020/09/the-crosley-super-sports-coupe.html">my Super Sports</a> over 20 years ago, and <i>someday</i> I'll be putting them in the dash of my SS.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/tWswrcrOZWg" width="320" youtube-src-id="tWswrcrOZWg"></iframe></div><p>John's motor offers a good example of how to quickly tell a CoBra from a CIBA. The most obvious cue is the valve cover. The CoBra valve cover sits down in a groove in the block. The CIBA valve cover has a flared flange and sits on top of the block. Also, early valve covers, like the one here, don't have the breather in the center! Later tin blocks did have the breather on the valve cover like on the CIBA. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCiAhdIdGRFO-d2GupzwqvpJdHvxR6_z49ZGdzGd8-vCYjrtAddGehirKX0yljyhXk5zR6AHI4G8NbGjn0bYzqPCcDzIG_JOY9mIRpCKyDKw8YAVrPvmx77Gu50lUWlbn2lDYUwGjSK4Je/s926/tinmotorVALVE.jpeg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="560" data-original-width="926" height="243" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCiAhdIdGRFO-d2GupzwqvpJdHvxR6_z49ZGdzGd8-vCYjrtAddGehirKX0yljyhXk5zR6AHI4G8NbGjn0bYzqPCcDzIG_JOY9mIRpCKyDKw8YAVrPvmx77Gu50lUWlbn2lDYUwGjSK4Je/w400-h243/tinmotorVALVE.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Other cues: the logo is barely visible on the lower driver's side of the block on the CoBras; CIBAs almost always have a prominent logo cast on the same side, just below the valve cover, although the exact placement can vary a bit from year-to-year.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDKVTyIZ50X5kcmCvV2EECNPtvff6bDIrT5DDY4DPZFBGjw85YZeVHVUwp7_Ckyl8mz8Lz8Kezme70uXs8VvhKgvq2A6lhSJQ9o9mUbp1tDpBfaAGlUJdUsGL2plSYfdCnGt4aGjf99G1Z/s480/CIBA.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="433" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDKVTyIZ50X5kcmCvV2EECNPtvff6bDIrT5DDY4DPZFBGjw85YZeVHVUwp7_Ckyl8mz8Lz8Kezme70uXs8VvhKgvq2A6lhSJQ9o9mUbp1tDpBfaAGlUJdUsGL2plSYfdCnGt4aGjf99G1Z/w361-h400/CIBA.jpg" width="361" /></a></div><br /><p>Once you know what you are looking for it's easy to tell the tin blocks and the cast blocks apart - be the first one on your block to be able to distinguish a Mighty Tin at a glance!</p><p>If you are really interested in a deep dig on all things CoBra/CIBA (and the post-Crosley variants like Aerojet, Homelite and Bearcat) be sure to visit the <a href="http://crosleyautoclub.com/EngineTree/Crosley_Eng_Tree.html">Crosley Automobile Club's <b>Crosley Engine Family Tree</b></a> page!</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Ol' Man Fosterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06616992856960301458noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6166782660776666598.post-2456396505636278742021-01-29T20:45:00.004-08:002021-01-29T20:58:59.797-08:00Tin Block Triumph: Bone Stock '47 Truck For Sale<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/HAIU1Sm2KzI" width="560"></iframe><p>"Stock" is a word that is rarely used to describe Crosley automobiles - and with good reason: they are one of the most-modified automobiles on Earth, perhaps second only to Volkswagen Beetle for percentage of modified vs. stock cars. I've been ogling Crosleys for almost 25 years, and I can count the number of truly factory-stock cars I've encountered on one hand.</p><p>So, I was happily surprised to see this <b>incredibly</b> period-correct '47 truck <a href="https://www.hemmings.com/classifieds/cars-for-sale/crosley/unspecified/2446058.html#&gid=1&pid=12">for sale in Hemmings.<span></span></a></p><a name='more'></a><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidmK7OlbA-nRHMCm_c8Mu1T7hDmMEd6FbfjwTibFqKvHrbO1d4xZPh-f4fGTQk0H8m0PNEaydpdGBB_XsOieZeBfqrzi41bCOM1-mFr85Eo9ibqg4gq-hSx1quI_CKLb_QBklfN3QU1J7Z/s729/WINDOW.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="488" data-original-width="729" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidmK7OlbA-nRHMCm_c8Mu1T7hDmMEd6FbfjwTibFqKvHrbO1d4xZPh-f4fGTQk0H8m0PNEaydpdGBB_XsOieZeBfqrzi41bCOM1-mFr85Eo9ibqg4gq-hSx1quI_CKLb_QBklfN3QU1J7Z/w400-h268/WINDOW.png" width="400" /></a></div><p>The seller claims that there is nothing on the car that wouldn't have been there in 1947, and from what I can tell, he's not exaggerating. The seats are the first thing I noticed - it sports the correct round-back seats that only came on vehicles from the first year or so of production. Bonus points for not overstuffing them during the resto - comfort was never high on Crosley's priority list.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9-1cH5ITfzHLyupMbagJw7BJ3ffHBOgZQX5LeeAGXnrr31ZEu-WZXDJg5ypOYFx4Y8eENGBwWg6AfxDMpMt21qPKdpu_qD5IJUckIE_uhw01PV6pw8tGeHj7GLbumxtLewLOh4R1wGsHK/s699/BED.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="573" data-original-width="699" height="328" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9-1cH5ITfzHLyupMbagJw7BJ3ffHBOgZQX5LeeAGXnrr31ZEu-WZXDJg5ypOYFx4Y8eENGBwWg6AfxDMpMt21qPKdpu_qD5IJUckIE_uhw01PV6pw8tGeHj7GLbumxtLewLOh4R1wGsHK/w400-h328/BED.png" width="400" /></a></div><p>The exterior is painted in a correct "Crosley Blue-Gray" and the wheels are "Chinese Red" - correct for '46 and '47 cars. And, the gas filler runs through the bed - a design flaw that was corrected in later trucks. And, just one taillight, exactly as sold.</p><p>But it's the view under the hood that separates this restoration from nearly every other Crosley I've ever seen: a CoBra "tin block" motor, in <b>running</b> condition. The seller's daughter was nice enough to send me videos of her dad driving the car - honestly the first time I can remember seeing a tin block-equipped car <i>moving under its own power. </i>And, it sounds great. That's the right "beehive" air cleaner, too.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvpQPGigPKqh1Kk1e6BTwBotSHyyYOUvZxhVF7SnXTcKFrtGwQVvbk9JkRPFO7uZ9reVcAeDn1uG2-m5rCKPoIpW31EukIVcduCZWtFrHI5tNT7QOCpw4DUlbF7ZR8cMmHCxScUu1N-str/s733/TIN.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="489" data-original-width="733" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvpQPGigPKqh1Kk1e6BTwBotSHyyYOUvZxhVF7SnXTcKFrtGwQVvbk9JkRPFO7uZ9reVcAeDn1uG2-m5rCKPoIpW31EukIVcduCZWtFrHI5tNT7QOCpw4DUlbF7ZR8cMmHCxScUu1N-str/w400-h266/TIN.png" width="400" /></a></div><p>The "tin block" nickname comes from the motor's stunningly innovative "Copper Brazed" sheet metal construction. Stamped steel components were welded to steel cylinders to form a cylinder block which was bolted to an aluminum crankcase. An overhead cam rides on top. Oakland engineer Lloyd Taylor designed and built a prototype of the motor and demonstrated it to Crosley who first optioned it for use in military applications during WWII.</p><p>The <a href="https://drivetribe.com/p/engines-in-unusual-places-crosley-YU686qWOR6amvtY5CaowRQ?iid=TMzK72TjSF-W6yqpjWdqKQ">CoBra</a> was ultimately the key to Crosley's postwar cars: once Powel Crosley figured out just how good Taylor's lightweight four-banger was, he had a whole car designed to go around it.
<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/wd0LTdaQEGc" width="560"></iframe>
</p><p>Unfortunately, what worked perfectly on thousands of WWII generator motors didn't hold up as well under the unique stresses posed by stop-and-go traffic. Within 18 months of the first Crosley automobiles rolling off the production line, the CoBras were failing in unprecedented numbers, victims of cracked welds, leaks and other woes accelerated by poor owner maintenance.</p><p>Something needed to be done - and fast - and the Crosley engineers came up with a very, very good solution: a replacement engine block that replicated the Taylor design, but in cast iron. Crosley owners were offered the option to have their tin block-equipped cars switched to a new <a href="http://crosleyautoclub.com/EngineTree/Crosley_Eng_Tree-2.html">CIBA (Cast Iron Black Assembly) </a>at the dealer. The last new cars with tin blocks shipped in January 1949.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsKcgQWfbZ0kITV0pPQkqAXxzEpSE9Qj_C4OR3QAMmLPkd3dLROqNrKAxuzRu6703czTFyguYzICe6kimEiNpx3VTdDdyhNIl9nUh6Z5Yd7zjYbPKVXXtgA4l06kb2kYyeSxdB8ZcoSkqJ/s512/CIBA_Cast+Iron+Block+Assembly.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="254" data-original-width="512" height="199" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsKcgQWfbZ0kITV0pPQkqAXxzEpSE9Qj_C4OR3QAMmLPkd3dLROqNrKAxuzRu6703czTFyguYzICe6kimEiNpx3VTdDdyhNIl9nUh6Z5Yd7zjYbPKVXXtgA4l06kb2kYyeSxdB8ZcoSkqJ/w400-h199/CIBA_Cast+Iron+Block+Assembly.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p>The CIBA motor was a vast improvement over the CoBra. While the cast iron block weighed slightly more than the earlier version, the extra durability more than made up for the weight gain. All external components and the bottom end remained the same, meaning that parts were just as easy to get. The vast majority of Crosley owners opted to replace their rapidly aging CoBras with the new-and-improved block. </p><p>I'm halfway amazed that the seller even <b>found</b> a good tin block to restore for this truck. I've seen a ton of them on shelves over the years, but most had the same issues that caused the recall in the first place. That said, I've heard that the earliest CoBra motors were better built and that the cracking welds were the result of Crosley going to a cheaper manufacturing process - which sounds very "on-brand" for Cincinnati's finest.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUP8TypJ18jt2z7n0FpSvxJ9G5BrADA-yAswoVqgdnNq9fRsmBTquUK5TSWJAtL4eUxoRrcXOFUfhd6LEHyFazbVb1sxEyS8fWzNomD1PGcpYAaJm5QDY8M2kmRbZBHhNuobBqiiHJotlU/s900/Powel_Crosley_holding_CoBra.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="720" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUP8TypJ18jt2z7n0FpSvxJ9G5BrADA-yAswoVqgdnNq9fRsmBTquUK5TSWJAtL4eUxoRrcXOFUfhd6LEHyFazbVb1sxEyS8fWzNomD1PGcpYAaJm5QDY8M2kmRbZBHhNuobBqiiHJotlU/w320-h400/Powel_Crosley_holding_CoBra.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p>And, the CoBras <i>could</i> be made reliable - their biggest problem was electrolysis, which is basically eliminated by using antifreeze. Even back in the forties, they were used in <a href="https://mooneymite.org/articles-history/skyways1948.htm">Mooney Mite airplanes</a> and ended up in some racing applications. One longtime H-Mod racer used CoBra blocks in his racing engines because they were lighter. He was still racing tin blocks in the nineties!</p><p>In any case, kudos to the seller for going the extra mile and building a truly "period correct" truck. There are a lot of high quality, high dollar Crosley restorations out there these days (<a href="https://www.hemmings.com/stories/2015/08/28/pint-size-post-war-pickup-1947-crosley-to-appear-at-hemmings-concours-delegance">like this '47 truck for example</a>), but none that I've seen have gone so far as to include the incredibly unique motor that <b>actually inspired the whole car</b>. </p><p>Seller notes that the truck won a 1st Place at the Crosley Nationals in 2019. No wonder - this Crosley is in a class by itself. </p><p><b>Priced at $16,500, located in Canton, Ohio.</b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoEM9bES7eEY8hlLdREhE82cyCLa7ONUKAXtymo29Mh_IIp_LBvgh2z9KuDgluG48qB_MZAxOCyx91w3A5lwEeWkgHu5wPyN2NGz_gV5H27TXqvHobOcqBen9-nE3OjzYjokIVv7JTU3Sx/s1776/TQ.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1184" data-original-width="1776" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoEM9bES7eEY8hlLdREhE82cyCLa7ONUKAXtymo29Mh_IIp_LBvgh2z9KuDgluG48qB_MZAxOCyx91w3A5lwEeWkgHu5wPyN2NGz_gV5H27TXqvHobOcqBen9-nE3OjzYjokIVv7JTU3Sx/w400-h266/TQ.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlutkRucD2TYiefPR5ZmcGxFNFdxpk1SIEOlFBYKhm_reNtsFYSqG-PB_in0W5-t1yBxQNbMsWOTm6cwxsvbmq7XO0EhQiLEJiO1nowmsE73vnaLxmhUomoPhcR6dKOn0qCn_HOlwapW2f/s1776/INT.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1184" data-original-width="1776" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlutkRucD2TYiefPR5ZmcGxFNFdxpk1SIEOlFBYKhm_reNtsFYSqG-PB_in0W5-t1yBxQNbMsWOTm6cwxsvbmq7XO0EhQiLEJiO1nowmsE73vnaLxmhUomoPhcR6dKOn0qCn_HOlwapW2f/w400-h266/INT.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-A8EAA_Yhmkx4f_j1eeSztSPqi5J2-jnTTVrAVDmG0CjY4i6ioEbcIZIGyQ3GaKubtxRGNbzSTC2Gq5b1E57FW5BaC72qawUxAhhnpGq2g4GPLdmW2QsjJKpHJN-Tu2BAOKBOOsA2ywcF/s1776/FRONT.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1776" data-original-width="1184" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-A8EAA_Yhmkx4f_j1eeSztSPqi5J2-jnTTVrAVDmG0CjY4i6ioEbcIZIGyQ3GaKubtxRGNbzSTC2Gq5b1E57FW5BaC72qawUxAhhnpGq2g4GPLdmW2QsjJKpHJN-Tu2BAOKBOOsA2ywcF/w266-h400/FRONT.jpg" width="266" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Ol' Man Fosterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06616992856960301458noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6166782660776666598.post-17423420680904848512020-11-03T10:32:00.002-08:002020-11-03T10:32:41.739-08:00VOTE!<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYJGJfK3iBRKfSUClnehyphenhyphenvEeju3NnXPQp0wfmwRc5WWc-7DsPfutNWy1ho1YK6dzQ6_AynHv3Pllc3matdFjlO0XdZzV95gdjPahcWoAn3OVcrJthVRfiWcHHwDLgmXtbURH-ALylctoYi/s799/truman.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="444" data-original-width="799" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYJGJfK3iBRKfSUClnehyphenhyphenvEeju3NnXPQp0wfmwRc5WWc-7DsPfutNWy1ho1YK6dzQ6_AynHv3Pllc3matdFjlO0XdZzV95gdjPahcWoAn3OVcrJthVRfiWcHHwDLgmXtbURH-ALylctoYi/w400-h223/truman.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /> <p></p>Ol' Man Fosterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06616992856960301458noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6166782660776666598.post-92054886335436772352020-09-30T22:29:00.007-07:002020-10-01T09:50:15.852-07:00Happy Birthday, AlAs I got ready to call my buddy Al on his birthday today, it dawned on me that it was 20 years ago <b>this month</b> that he and I made our 700 mile road trip in a Crosley. <b>Twenty years!</b><div><b><br /></b><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYG2FPKn7HaiYwAPDf3WHUp-qUtTJLWouOS600ZiVPKkl9s8oKY2vAEzxAZQuAQO6w7gR8S3YW56broPhjybwbrx_DLL_7kT9LZquo3yXuGJDYc92TIPyqTUu1BOX_aTwUbrx5NV076Dam/s1291/Al_3.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1291" data-original-width="1071" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYG2FPKn7HaiYwAPDf3WHUp-qUtTJLWouOS600ZiVPKkl9s8oKY2vAEzxAZQuAQO6w7gR8S3YW56broPhjybwbrx_DLL_7kT9LZquo3yXuGJDYc92TIPyqTUu1BOX_aTwUbrx5NV076Dam/w331-h400/Al_3.jpg" width="331" /></a></div><span><a name='more'></a></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I'd been scheming on a road trip in a Crosley almost since the moment I'd owned one. That my one running Crosley was barely in any kind of shape for a trip across town, let alone across the state, did not deter me; I was sure that with a little fine tuning I could get it dialed in. How hard could it be?</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I come from a mechanical family. <a href="http://crosleykook.blogspot.com/2009/06/vern-foster-jr.html">My dad</a> could fix <i>anything,</i> and I marveled at his ability to take a worn out piece of junk and make it functional and 'nice' again. I however, did not inherit this ability <i>at all.</i> My dad had been an auto mechanic most of his life and wanted me to do anything - <b><i>anything</i></b> - other than that type of work. I don't think I ever even opened the hood of a car until I was 20 years old - and even then my dad discouraged me from doing it. Eventually I stopped mentioning my auto projects to him - it just made him frustrated.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The first really big mechanical project I ever undertook and actually finished was pulling and reinstalling the transmission of my 1964 Mercury Marauder. The tranny was slipping because the seals had dried out, and it needed to be rebuilt. The shop quoted $350 for the rebuild, and about the same for pulling and reinstalling. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">This was 1994, and in 1994 $350 was a lot of money to me. I <i>really</i> wanted to undertake the pull and install, but I was also terrified - I'd never actually pulled something apart and had it work when I put it back together. I mentioned my conundrum to my buddy Al, a guy who played in a great band called <a href="https://www.oldthumbrecords.com/neer-do-wells" target="_blank">The Ne'Er Do Wells</a> that my band often shared bills with. "We'll do it! No sweat! I'll be up Saturday."</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvKWw2sTYtrLzBX4Tq47eG_PLKAEnNGfTnfB55oMV5Rvb6EtcYs9NqeMAmMNW5GJDbgQzbSdv-dQc46wK8vZ7Zwvwq02cF_2lNiRrTUxyXbeoQVjo7L_GlgQZSCUlCkeOvypC01kcVhyphenhypheni9/s1000/ChorpusChristie-27.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="663" data-original-width="1000" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvKWw2sTYtrLzBX4Tq47eG_PLKAEnNGfTnfB55oMV5Rvb6EtcYs9NqeMAmMNW5GJDbgQzbSdv-dQc46wK8vZ7Zwvwq02cF_2lNiRrTUxyXbeoQVjo7L_GlgQZSCUlCkeOvypC01kcVhyphenhypheni9/w400-h265/ChorpusChristie-27.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Al lived in San Francisco, but hopped on the train to Sacto that weekend with his work clothes and a few tools. The first thing he made me do was run out and grab a pack of zip lock bags.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">"Every time you take the bolts off something, put them in a bag and label it with a Sharpie. You're never gonna remember where all this shit goes when you're putting it all back together."</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">We got the tranny out in a few hours. The project was easier, and went more smoothly than I'd ever thought possible. Al was methodical, knew his way around the toolbox, and livened the proceedings with endless stories of fixing tour vans in the middle of the night in the middle of nowhere. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">For the first time in my life, working on a car was actually <i>fun.</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The transmission shop finished the rebuild and then it was time to put the thing back in the car. I called Al.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">"Sorry man, I can't get up there this weekend." When I was clearly worried, he was having none of it.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">"You can do this. It's easy - just do everything we did to take it out, but <i>in reverse</i>!"</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">It wasn't as easy as pulling it out, but I managed to get the transmission back in the car <i>and</i> got the car running again. This was a total first for me: I actually <i>fixed</i> something. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR3kIXGcMed1wVHdFb2E2msTWLeJ5rfRVIJhyphenhyphenzU_nVbwxeFUlUF_DB0_uEfJzDKSulBcDlN7DaOnrV5Yfm94R40hRyQpxmWyw43xOpgPqzhyVC-7copKARFBXCNP6XMiR2tw_Lwjr4jZfO/s1776/Al_2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1776" data-original-width="1194" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR3kIXGcMed1wVHdFb2E2msTWLeJ5rfRVIJhyphenhyphenzU_nVbwxeFUlUF_DB0_uEfJzDKSulBcDlN7DaOnrV5Yfm94R40hRyQpxmWyw43xOpgPqzhyVC-7copKARFBXCNP6XMiR2tw_Lwjr4jZfO/w269-h400/Al_2.jpg" width="269" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Five years later, when I started planning my road trip to the West Coast Crosley Club meet in Morro Bay, Al immediately claimed the co-pilot slot. In retrospect, he was probably the only sane person who would have risked life and limb climbing into that ramshackle and ill-prepared car for a four-day drive through the middle of nowhere. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">No top. No side windows. No padding in the seats. Gas tank out of a boat unsecured behind the seat. Oh, and <i>barely</i> any brakes. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.angelfire.com/ca5/sacfreepress/crosley_road.html" target="_blank">I've gone into detail on that trip before</a>, so I won't here, but suffice it to say that it was a life-changing adventure that - thankfully - turned out great. Al was an excellent co-pilot; I think his worst moment was realizing that I was completely serious about staying at the $25-a-night Laura Lodge in Coalinga. Ah youth.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">He shot four or five hours of video footage on the trip, and at the meet, but it is all on some arcane format that is hard to transfer, so I have never seen it. Al assures me he's still got it. Somewhere. Hard to believe that all that was 20 years ago. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Happy Birthday, Al - hope when all this COVID business is done we can celebrate in person.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlnmuSKaWvH9lB5vNZmYPixNUQKIdPV4Z3oA5LlnD1lqbJV2KROLTckETT7hRFBl2OIP3OADLupLUib6iH0xP-fNsGzQdVmL0DpmuD1ElCR5FDc5g9kuHKENC5yRezURdCq_hm8C21p6HO/s1298/Al_1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1298" data-original-width="1067" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlnmuSKaWvH9lB5vNZmYPixNUQKIdPV4Z3oA5LlnD1lqbJV2KROLTckETT7hRFBl2OIP3OADLupLUib6iH0xP-fNsGzQdVmL0DpmuD1ElCR5FDc5g9kuHKENC5yRezURdCq_hm8C21p6HO/w329-h400/Al_1.jpg" width="329" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div></div></div>Ol' Man Fosterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06616992856960301458noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6166782660776666598.post-18131308796620586492020-09-24T15:07:00.004-07:002020-09-24T19:56:56.699-07:00The Crosley Super Sports Coupe<p>I haven't laid eyes on my Crosley Super Sports in nearly two years. It, along with most of my tools, was packed into storage when we tore down my old garage to start building the new house and shop.</p><p>If I haven't been able to work on my Super Sports, I have been able to<i> think</i> about the restoration and plan out exactly how I want it: color, stance, interior, frame mods, performance upgrades... even tires. I've been moving this car around in pieces for 23 years, but I finally see light at the end of the tunnel.</p><p>If you are anything like me, a tattered project car is a source of endless speculation. A nice survivor or restored car is pretty obvious: you drive it, fix whatever breaks and make minor changes that don't disrupt the<i> feng shui</i> of the thing. But a genuine basket case is wide open. You have to do <i>everything </i>over, so unless you are planning a concours restoration, you have nearly unlimited options - at least insofar as your budget and imagination will go. </p><p>And one of the places my imagination - and my research - took me was to the Super Sports Coupe.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHL48LjnlKmasV7x_0o8zRBoydoeacuVhFI2trOK0bRyScGYWNkSh7JNtOAmX85zoyROM9OcEFgarqTCfHbYkLOrry8jZWYnStvxWS0xsf6WzpVxXsgzUQgni8MDqpuK_6Lk6XjMNVUMZP/s750/Crosley_Super_Sports_Coupe.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="561" data-original-width="750" height="299" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHL48LjnlKmasV7x_0o8zRBoydoeacuVhFI2trOK0bRyScGYWNkSh7JNtOAmX85zoyROM9OcEFgarqTCfHbYkLOrry8jZWYnStvxWS0xsf6WzpVxXsgzUQgni8MDqpuK_6Lk6XjMNVUMZP/w400-h299/Crosley_Super_Sports_Coupe.jpg" width="400" /></a><span><a name='more'></a></span></div><span></span><div><br /></div>I think the whole thing started last year when I came across a listing for a <a href="https://www.mecum.com/lots/HA0419-374599/1947-crosley-crosmobile/">Crosmobile Coupe for sale in a Mecum auction</a> in Texas. The photos really caught my eye, because the car was unlike any Crosley I've ever seen. I'm not an expert on Crosmobiles, but from everything I've ever read, they were simply Crosleys rebadged for export to avoid confusion with the British Crossley auto company. Other than hubcaps, gauges and badges, Crosmobiles were identical to stock US Crosleys. <div><br /></div><div>This Crosmobile was not that.</div><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCYvW_jFDC-f2bT_F2YANLNFfqUnRo8C6tEiroayGx9sS6lwPg6ndtyPSJkexgwExPJ1ZiKm9ULdFCpAznIKbjoSlMky1lO4CW5JZwpwUbs7vysirnTbCnOERB6ri6cuI8hMY8vs3KS-bA/s928/crosmobile1.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="524" data-original-width="928" height="226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCYvW_jFDC-f2bT_F2YANLNFfqUnRo8C6tEiroayGx9sS6lwPg6ndtyPSJkexgwExPJ1ZiKm9ULdFCpAznIKbjoSlMky1lO4CW5JZwpwUbs7vysirnTbCnOERB6ri6cuI8hMY8vs3KS-bA/w400-h226/crosmobile1.png" width="400" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>The car, listed as a 1947, features sleek fastback styling that is unlike anything that ever left the Crosley factory - the canted door pillars alone would never have made it past the bean counters in the head office. The car is clearly a mild kustom - but very nicely done, and looks totally stock aside from the roofline. </div><div><br /></div><div>Whoever built it put a lot of thought into the project, right down to collecting all the Crosmobile goodies to rebadge what very likely started out as a plain '47 US sedan... at least that's my suspicion. Crosley produced a lot more Crosmobile badges/gauges and hubcaps than Crosmobiles, so that stuff used to turn up at Crosley Club swap meets fairly frequently. I know of a couple Crosleys that became "Crosmobiles" exactly that way, so this being a rebadged car makes more sense to me than someone shipping an actual Crosmobile all the way back to the US just to cut the roof off to make a kustom.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAbAgxhFwVMqhyphenhyphenUgHGU-Xs2pIWwkgWihwZZFEJjOoyuGGmlmsYUbZE2oqlkWs3AXD1VpIe1iLCdE-oilv08Zh4TdFvOkYiVXWLjqzD_R0njvZ3WmL_2cg5vEI0s26P0_AxkOE8oLr45HRr/s924/crosmobile2.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="522" data-original-width="924" height="226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAbAgxhFwVMqhyphenhyphenUgHGU-Xs2pIWwkgWihwZZFEJjOoyuGGmlmsYUbZE2oqlkWs3AXD1VpIe1iLCdE-oilv08Zh4TdFvOkYiVXWLjqzD_R0njvZ3WmL_2cg5vEI0s26P0_AxkOE8oLr45HRr/w400-h226/crosmobile2.png" width="400" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>That said, I have to hand it to the builder - the paint and interior look great, and that fastback profile looks pretty dang good. The car ultimately sold for $13K, and I can see why.</div><div><br /></div><div>After the auction ended, I kept going back to look at pictures of the car. Having looked at a lot of Crosleys over the years, the stance on the Mecum Crosmobile is totally unique. I think the suspension may have been lowered a bit, but most of it is that roofline. I'm not sure if whoever chopped the roof was going for a forties GM fastback look or an Italian atelier feel, but whatever they were shooting for, they got the profile on the sweep <i>just</i> right.</div><div><br /></div><div>For some reason, the proportions of this car <b>really</b> make the original "bones" of the Hot Shot stand out to me. As all good Crosley fanatics know, the four fenders of the Hot Shot were made using the same stampers as early Crosley sedan fenders (except reversed - front sedan fenders used as Hot Shot rear; rear sedan fenders used as the Hot Shot fronts). In fact, early Hot Shots still had the sedan air vents in the back - they were welded up at the factory. If you look at the top picture of the Crosmobile you can really see the silhouette of a Hot Shot poking out of the side.</div><div><br /></div><div>Staring at that Crosmobile long enough got me thinking: what would that roof look like on the roadster body?</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVtQmLpV7QA_UDOeZIwZRj_LglmGNKaxn1yntwu0CkvskcZS7eUTpQh3aakUap8IZ_kr-ahfcSEbdxSGFI6zIdNFnQYzPnG6Wcl7lamKoNxMvdDrhCGTM95qz2hT3jxMH23y9yTAEA0IBh/s630/1953-Nash-Healey-Passenger-Front-View-630x473.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="473" data-original-width="630" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVtQmLpV7QA_UDOeZIwZRj_LglmGNKaxn1yntwu0CkvskcZS7eUTpQh3aakUap8IZ_kr-ahfcSEbdxSGFI6zIdNFnQYzPnG6Wcl7lamKoNxMvdDrhCGTM95qz2hT3jxMH23y9yTAEA0IBh/w400-h300/1953-Nash-Healey-Passenger-Front-View-630x473.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>There is precedent for this idea. Nash offered both a <a href="https://barnfinds.com/a-gentlemans-nash-1953-nash-healey-le-mans-coupe/">coupe</a> and sport roadster version of their Nash-Healey; Jaguar, did the same, coming out with the XK120 Coupe in 1951 a few years after the 1948 debut of the XK120. Later on, the MGB-GT and Triumph GT6 were essentially coupe versions of popular soft top sports cars (although the GT6 also featured a bigger motor than the Spitfire it was based on.)</div><div><br /></div><div>Given that Crosley offered a plethora of body styles and models, dropping a sedan roof on to their top-of-the-line Super Sports would not have been unthinkable - it certainly would have been a much less involved undertaking than the whole separate Farm-O-Road line. </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLfl2ZgUHhqD6Vx2UY5PbmbhllhWJ3ZFJeRPHFC5XntDYZrzwxlR2QzPJURPMWkDv1nlbZcKmF9qr3EUhZFbz3dB-wh94Bm2p_5yIC06AmP20uPsld1ufEbKAQQV2rUZo18-V4TWETdJtu/s864/hack_coupe.gif" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="486" data-original-width="864" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLfl2ZgUHhqD6Vx2UY5PbmbhllhWJ3ZFJeRPHFC5XntDYZrzwxlR2QzPJURPMWkDv1nlbZcKmF9qr3EUhZFbz3dB-wh94Bm2p_5yIC06AmP20uPsld1ufEbKAQQV2rUZo18-V4TWETdJtu/w400-h225/hack_coupe.gif" width="400" /></a></div><div><br /></div>Curious, I fired up my photoshop to see exactly what a Super Sports Coupe would look like. I found straight profile photos of a Super Sports and a sedan, and matched the size using the wheels for scale. Even though the roadster frame is longer than the sedan frame, the lines of the roadster body and the sedan top seem to match up surprisingly well. The biggest issue would be the doors, which seem like they'd be pretty tight on the rear wheel well... and even that seems like an eminently solvable problem.</div><div><br /></div><div>I couldn't stop thinking about this idea. </div><div><br /></div><div>I love the look of sport coupes, and I also love the utility of closed cars. (<i>Did he just mention "utility" in reference to a Crosley?</i>) An evening spent tooling around Torino with Liv and my pal Davide in his brother Mauro's MGB-GT was life-changing, and made me realize just how cool four-seat sports cars could be. And, <i>you could lock the car</i>!</div><div><br /></div><div>I mocked up the illustration at the top of this article using old Crosley ad artwork, and seeing the three-quarter view made me like the idea even more.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLrqgQ6T9McmpMaeYYqHTM-NJ-uSiTo5pPrSOpmMJ5vbNmrFeBQx9GTRhGc6S80-J9CbkF-9uXOsvMU73FYa0Bk-cojWlvudj_8MkJx1V0z_W35aQpN_-PMy-5GxUeKri1bwDoV6UTNSVi/s2048/SS_home.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1116" data-original-width="2048" height="217" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLrqgQ6T9McmpMaeYYqHTM-NJ-uSiTo5pPrSOpmMJ5vbNmrFeBQx9GTRhGc6S80-J9CbkF-9uXOsvMU73FYa0Bk-cojWlvudj_8MkJx1V0z_W35aQpN_-PMy-5GxUeKri1bwDoV6UTNSVi/w400-h217/SS_home.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>And, my '51 SS would be the perfect starting point for this type of project. It came to me mostly intact (at least it was a "roller") but as soon as I started working on it, I realized just how big of a mess it was. The body was basically comprised of bondo, rust and bad welding repairs; whatever I do with it, it will be better than what I started with.</div><div><br /></div><div>My mind went into overtime once I got into the idea... how could I make a Super Sports Coupe that was as close as possible to what Crosley would actually have built?... something that seemed more like a prototype than a kustom. </div><div><br /></div><div>I am a huge fan of kustom car builds that are <i>painstakingly</i> period-correct. That concept was a big motivator for the <a href="https://www.jalopyjournal.com/?p=5305">guys who started the "rat rod" movement</a> back in the late '80s, before that term became a catchall for crappily slapped-together trash cars. If those guys could build a gow job that looked <b><i>exactly</i></b> like it had been put together in 1948, why couldn't I build a Crosley "faux-totype" that, looked like it could have come out of Crosley's Indiana factory?</div><div><br /></div><div>I spent a ton of time looking at forties and fifties coupe conversions, most of which were done as <a href="https://www.allpar.com/history/mopar/ghia-specials.html">showcars and prototypes by studios like Ghia</a> in Italy for the big US automakers. The problem there is that most of those carmakers wanted something spectacular for shows, so the final products were a far cry from the spartan econoboxes Crosley specialized in. A "real" Super Sports Coupe would not be a showstopper, any more than any other Crosley.</div><div><br /></div><div>The first thing I realized is that the sleek reworked roofline as on the kustom Crosmobile would not cut it. It would look WAY cooler for sure, but if Crosley was going to produce a coupe, he would have reused existing stampers wherever possible, just like he did in the production of the Hot Shot's fenders. I wrestled with the windows - the sliders look better and fit the sports car theme more, but roll ups were getting standard by my 1951 target date. And, looking at all those Italian coupe builds made me realize that eliminating the door pillars was a standard coupe design element. Dropping them could solve a few design problems, and might even have made a coupe cheaper to produce (<i>always </i>Powel Crosley's first concern). </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIqk8e_uKdv5RqzVoyoZEd7xcshM-ujr0asmQviuZNjVXtvAmdBYRjuigZrDbIkzPsxEf5kk1-3VKTe4O8jF1-8Z7Wt86IgQNVrsfKtTftzEzwiscoHY6u7w9-n1ilBmmy3IrrQoxv5X1j/s749/Crosley_Super_Coupe+NOPILLAR.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="342" data-original-width="749" height="183" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIqk8e_uKdv5RqzVoyoZEd7xcshM-ujr0asmQviuZNjVXtvAmdBYRjuigZrDbIkzPsxEf5kk1-3VKTe4O8jF1-8Z7Wt86IgQNVrsfKtTftzEzwiscoHY6u7w9-n1ilBmmy3IrrQoxv5X1j/w400-h183/Crosley_Super_Coupe+NOPILLAR.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>I spent a couple of months working out the bugs in my designs and obsessing on the idea. It was very do-able: I already had the Super Sports, and finding a donor sedan to cut the roof off of would be easy. I'm not a great welder, but from my experience with Crosley products, neither were the welders at the factory. All in all, this project didn't seem like it would be <i>that</i> much more difficult than restoring my car back to stock.</div><div><br /></div><div>Then, just as easily as my vision for the Super Sports Coupe came together, it came apart. </div><div><br /></div><div>The fun part of the project was, like with all basket-cases, the speculation: figuring out exactly how it should look, and how it should work. Once I'd figured out <i>what</i> it should be - a car as close to what a real, factory<i> </i>Super Sports Coupe<i> would</i> have been - I realized that it wasn't what I actually wanted.</div><div><br /></div><div>I know myself well enough to know that my favorite part about owning old cars is driving them - as much, and as far as possible. I also know Crosleys well enough to know that 100% stock cars can be stressful to drive in modern traffic, and that some well-thought upgrades can make a huge difference in driveability. A truly "authentic" 1951 Super Sports Coupe would be an <i>amazing</i> car to show off to other Crosley nuts, or take on the occasional Sunday cruise, but maybe not so great for driving 300 miles of mountain roads in a weekend. </div><div><br /></div><div>So, the design went back in the box and I returned to my original plan to build a really roadworthy Super Sports roadster that fits my goals better. I thought I'd share the story of the Super Sports Coupe here just in case someone else out there has a burning desire to build the car Crosley never did.</div><div><br /></div><div>I sure would like to see it.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4ES6YWdsCspOGeZf5OW76K3BNPb0FzQfGKY_PBcjSt7A_jLydj-0tamDkXlv9QUqzNdvVQfFzxPqaCO2aWqR2uw67vlbn-iO_ekrVoNqILd0t0xqu2zVTdim04ozgiKZKniXk5-1nbMDF/s750/Crosley_Super_Sports_Coupe_trim.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="386" data-original-width="750" height="206" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4ES6YWdsCspOGeZf5OW76K3BNPb0FzQfGKY_PBcjSt7A_jLydj-0tamDkXlv9QUqzNdvVQfFzxPqaCO2aWqR2uw67vlbn-iO_ekrVoNqILd0t0xqu2zVTdim04ozgiKZKniXk5-1nbMDF/w400-h206/Crosley_Super_Sports_Coupe_trim.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div> </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><div><br /></div><div><br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p></div></div></div>Ol' Man Fosterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06616992856960301458noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6166782660776666598.post-3935793884319054422020-07-07T00:15:00.001-07:002020-07-07T08:39:22.687-07:00SOLD: The Le Mans Special<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7eu3n0Woux-o9n_tbxUwD6zqrcTg_QbDgeAHu_auHGQ85dw_44BZSzxOe61tFIocBoCeyCHbArDpbA4CmwGoyCKmcdBcet-1yease5KIMbFwuX3AfUKpb3EiAof7mgJWzwvFkWI6LdZvM/s606/1951_crosley_lemans_special.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="369" data-original-width="606" height="244" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7eu3n0Woux-o9n_tbxUwD6zqrcTg_QbDgeAHu_auHGQ85dw_44BZSzxOe61tFIocBoCeyCHbArDpbA4CmwGoyCKmcdBcet-1yease5KIMbFwuX3AfUKpb3EiAof7mgJWzwvFkWI6LdZvM/w400-h244/1951_crosley_lemans_special.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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I really dropped the ball.<br />
<a name='more'></a><div><br /></div><div>As soon as I saw that the 1951 Le Mans Special Crosley was up for auction at <a href="https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1951-crosley-lemans-special/">Bring a Trailer</a> I meant to do a post - the Le Mans Special is probably the second most-important factory-built Crosley that still exists (<a href="https://www.hemmings.com/stories/2015/04/10/collection-of-crosley-prototypes-to-go-on-display-at-crosley-nationals">Paul Gorrell's 1937 CRAD prototype</a> is definitely number one.) But, I didn't get around to it before the car sold for an unbelievably paltry <b>$53,000</b> (about <b>half </b>of what you'd pay for a nice split window VW bus, of which there were over 1.7 million produced.) Somebody got a deal. A steal, really.</div>
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Once the car sold I thought I'd do a follow up, with some of the history and other photos... and ... dang it, <a href="https://www.readthedriven.com/single-post/2020/06/12/1951-Crosley-Le-Mans-Special">Ped Watt at The Driven</a> beat me to it. Honestly, I'm glad he did, because the photos he took to go with his article are fantastic. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIAnwFCmpfiFJmaEkefGQLWf8Z-TKBb3kSShshlpXT4LVviLbAa2b5dZmVpahLhNEDiniVBbug1cHzinLjAIHOWP3GFG5Y6c5mfhjZdAusMAaVA2zmSJYkBH5Zjus4Ydi6LlHMv1UZUMyI/s484/ped+watt.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="323" data-original-width="484" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIAnwFCmpfiFJmaEkefGQLWf8Z-TKBb3kSShshlpXT4LVviLbAa2b5dZmVpahLhNEDiniVBbug1cHzinLjAIHOWP3GFG5Y6c5mfhjZdAusMAaVA2zmSJYkBH5Zjus4Ydi6LlHMv1UZUMyI/w400-h268/ped+watt.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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So, what can I add?</div>
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For me, the Le Mans Special was semi-mythic. Like most, I discovered the car through the 1958 <i>Road and Track</i> article that co-pilot Phil Stiles wrote about he and George Schraft's 1951 effort in "<i>Le Biplace Torpedo.</i>" I read the article over and over - trying to memorize every detail of what was <i>almost </i>Crosley's greatest moment.</div>
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Living on the West Coast, I got used to regularly seeing famed racing Crosleys like the <a href="https://www.ebay.com/motors/blog/harry-eyerlys-1950s-home-built-racer-was-known-as-porsche-duster/">Eyerly Special</a> and <a href="http://crosleykook.blogspot.com/2011/05/watkins-glen-in-gold-country-marty.html">Marty Stein's 1952 Siata,</a> and even got to know the legendary Nick "Braje" Brajevich, who built the speed equipment that powered all those cars. Crosley race cars aren't exactly a dime-a-dozen out here, but I've seen some of the best there are.</div>
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But not this one. </div>
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I couldn't believe it when I first found out that the Le Mans Special still existed and was raced regularly in events back east - it was like finding out that Marilyn Monroe was still alive and doing summer stock in Poughkeepsie. No offense to the guys east of the Rockies, but the West Coast Hmods set the standard - and the track records - for vintage racing. The Le Mans Special needed to be out here - I could feel it. </div>
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But, it never came this way and I never got to see it in person. Instead, I <i><b>pored</b></i> over the photos in old articles and the occasional new shots that appeared in race magazines and web sites. I was psyched that it was campaigned by John Aibel, who had founded the <a href="http://crosleyautoclub.com/">Crosley Auto Club</a> back in 1969. I've never met Aibel, but with that pedigree I knew he appreciated the car, and knew <i>exactly</i> what he had. </div>
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When my Italian race-car fanatic buddy Davide found out about my obsession with Crosleys he thought they were, novel, if somewhat silly. Years later I detected a note of newfound respect when he discovered that Crosley had campaigned in Europe's highest profile event. The car inspired <a href="http://classic-cars-talks.blogspot.com/2012/08/crosley-at-le-mans-1951.html">a blog post</a> and we were both chuffed when the post got comments from Aibel and Phil Stiles' granddaughter.</div>
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After stewing on the car (and that damned Marchal generator) for decades, my one lament is that Crosley opted to go with a one-off design for the body. I understand the reasoning, and the body looks great, but had the Le Mans Special looked more like the stock Super Sports, I can't help but wonder if it could have helped with sales. Obviously, by 1951, it was going to take a miracle to turn Crosley's fortunes around, but having photos of something that <i>looked</i> like a Crosley tearing up the track at Europe's most famous race couldn't have hurt. </div>
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Don't think that I didn't - <i>just for a moment </i>- wonder if my bank account (and marriage) could survive a reasonable bid on Le Biplace Torpedo. And, as cheap as it went, the answer to both is a definite maybe.</div>
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But, in the end, I'm not really a race-car guy; I'd much rather drive an ancient shitbox on a thousand mile road trip than torture an expensive piece of machinery for half hour on the track... and I'd never sleep again if I spun a one-of-one car into a retaining wall because I misjudged a turn. </div>
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I'll be curious to see what the new owner does with this - and I hope he/she brings it out west at least once!</div>
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Ol' Man Fosterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06616992856960301458noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6166782660776666598.post-63967856641232653922020-05-07T23:19:00.001-07:002020-05-08T10:46:06.535-07:00The Este 500<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZJqYBxHIsCkV_GemQNmnDcGcOQv-vSUoeysJPnahGVQlm-ze-QMi9bd4UF35nSYGjAKhfWZvhK3NMkY-Yrd_87d_fhM4V4qyvbaCG_AUBDeWHlNdjApunPAfEezK1dvopnry-_fQBvb59/s1600/ESTE.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="824" data-original-width="1399" height="235" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZJqYBxHIsCkV_GemQNmnDcGcOQv-vSUoeysJPnahGVQlm-ze-QMi9bd4UF35nSYGjAKhfWZvhK3NMkY-Yrd_87d_fhM4V4qyvbaCG_AUBDeWHlNdjApunPAfEezK1dvopnry-_fQBvb59/s400/ESTE.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div>
Regular readers of this blog will know that I <i><b>love </b></i>one-off Crosley-based cars, small sports racers and mysteries. The Este 500 is all three.<br />
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The photo above popped up recently in a post on the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/102257470987/">Crosleys, Fun Little Cars</a> page on Facebook. Hmod fan Richard Campbell posted the photo (which appears to be clipped from the March 24, 1950 issue of British car mag the <i>Autocar</i>), asking if anyone had any more details than were on the blurb:<br />
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<i>"Latest 500 c.c. car, seen at the Swiss shows, is this attractive Este, made in Geneva. It has a linered down American Crosmobile engine at the front driving the rear wheels. Front and rear suspension and road wheels are based on Fiat components. Power output is reputed to be 45 b.h.p. and there is a 5 speed gearbox."</i><br />
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You better believe that caught my eye.<br />
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I immediately did a few online searches, but didn't turn anything up - and no one else chimed in on the thread with any more info. I couldn't even find anything about any car called an "Este." I have a nice library of vintage auto catalogs, but they are all packed up while I'm getting settled into the new house. I'm not sure Este is in there - that name isn't familiar at all.<br />
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While Switzerland isn't known for its auto industry, it is sandwiched right between two autobuilding meccas, Italy and Germany, so it would be surprising if there hadn't been some interesting coachbuilding history there. And, there was plenty of racing.<br />
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Swiss events featured prominently in histories of the great Mercedes/Auto Union rivalry of the thirties, and were often written up in early 1950s American sports car magazines, which covered European competition as closely as they could. With all that activity, some ambitious Swiss car nuts <i>had </i>to have been making specials.<br />
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I do wonder where that "Crosmobile" motor came from... to my understanding, the Crosmobile was never successfully marketed in any great numbers - the cost of producing and shipping them made profitable export very difficult. That said, Crosley author and expert Michael Banks <a href="http://crosleybook.blogspot.com/2010/10/foto-de-antigua-auto-crosmobile.html">says in his blog</a> that he's had "reports of Crosmobiles in Mexico, Cuba, Japan, France, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Argentina, Columbia, the Antilles (which may include the Bahamas and Jamaica), Belgium, and Italy," so the Este may have acquired its powerplant out of a passenger car that wound up in Geneva.<br />
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Or, if the motor didn't come out of a Crosmobile car, where did it come from? I'm going to assume that the builders probably weren't using a tin block motor, which means it wasn't leftover military surplus from the war - the cast iron block didn't go into production until 1949.<br />
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The proximity to Italy makes me wonder if the Este acquired one of the Crosley motors sent to Torino by an east coast sportscar importer who wanted to see how they might be reworked for the 'etcerini' being built in workshops across Italy. But, the timing doesn't seem right - I'd bet that the crate of motors went to Italy <i>after</i> the first Siatas showed up in the US, not before.<br />
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As much as I find it surprising that a near-new American Crosmobile import would have been cannibalized for its motor, that is probably the most likely explanation.<br />
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Wherever the motor came from, it went to the right place: 45 horsepower out of a motor that started with 26.5 <i>before </i>it was sleeved-down is impressive.<br />
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If the <i>Autocar</i> blurb is to be believed, the motor appears to be the only Crosley part on the car. Certainly the five speed (!) gearbox wasn't Crosley... in fact, I don't know what small car would have had a five speed that early.<br />
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I spent a bit more time searching for anything I could about any car called an Este, about Swiss coachbuilding and auto manufacturing and about 500cc European racing in the early fifties. I found nothing. I did turn up<a href="https://www.autopuzzles.com/forum/2015-44/solved-nic365-1950-este-f3-race-car/"> what appears to be the source of the original image</a> - a site called Auto Puzzles which posts images of rare and unique cars... someone identified it as an Este F3 fairly quickly.<br />
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I'd love to know more about this beautiful little car, but I'm not sure we ever will. Some things will always be a mystery.<br />
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<br />Ol' Man Fosterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06616992856960301458noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6166782660776666598.post-5221095437576952102020-05-03T21:29:00.000-07:002020-05-04T10:36:02.971-07:00Hell Drivers Promo Film from the '80s<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Tip of the hat to my buddy Al who sent me the link to this 1980s promo film for <b>Jack Kochman's Hell Drivers</b>, featuring "Jumpin' Johnny" Wisner.<br />
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I met Johnny 25 years ago, when I rented an old warehouse space in a rundown section of Sacramento. He owned the warehouse and the property next door - the only window in the place I rented looked out on a junkyard filled with old cars, including a neat black Renault 4CV that I drooled over. We got to talking and I found out that he was a stunt driver by profession, which is why he was gone every summer and fall - he was on the county fair circuit for months at a time.<br />
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After I'd known him a year or two Johnny called to invite me to an 'unauthorized' performance out at his house on an upcoming weekend. When he got bored, Johnny would organize outlaw stunt shows on the street in front of his house: he'd call a bunch of friends, block off the street, and spend the afternoon doing s<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7NE58jyrPyQ">tunt crashes where he'd T-Bone cars, do ramp-to-ramp jumps, drive a car <i>_through_</i> a parked van, and other auto mayhem.</a> It was amazing. And totally illegal, of course. Eventually I started booking bands to play on a flatbed truck between crashes, so we had a real multimedia spectacular - until the cops shut the whole thing down.<br />
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This promo film focuses on the Hell Drivers precision driving part of the show (no crashes), and features the team of drivers doing synchronized tricks in matching Aries K Cars. The most amazing part is when two drivers circumnavigate the track driving cars on two wheels! Johnny was still wearing the short-sleeved orange jumpsuits you see in this video when I met him.<br />
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I've heard many, many stories about life on the show circuit, but this is the first film footage I've seen of Johnny in the heyday of his stunt show career. Johnny quit working the circuit probably 20 years ago, but always missed it. Then, about 10 years ago he <a href="http://crosleykook.blogspot.com/2013/06/but-first-jumpin-johnny.html"><b>bought</b> the Hell Drivers franchise</a>, and has been back on the county fair circuit again.<br />
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He's really hoping that the quarantine loosens up enough for him to do at least a few shows this season. Me too, but until we get the all-clear, at least we'll this to hold us over....<br />
<br />Ol' Man Fosterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06616992856960301458noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6166782660776666598.post-43262897096112905322020-04-25T09:00:00.000-07:002020-04-25T09:00:05.510-07:00High Times Dragster for Sale Again<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNjm63N_YDn41uVm-ZoyPIRWrwQ_4xpdjV9JT664G2JiHYLUUCJ9GMDWmP62yCrHPUiQnliLMw6AN1daMcnvYMjJvylnneMx8G8Mi8M-Nyk1RSupEtEexk3K35CligPe08Lkd8LumzRtKl/s1600/front.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNjm63N_YDn41uVm-ZoyPIRWrwQ_4xpdjV9JT664G2JiHYLUUCJ9GMDWmP62yCrHPUiQnliLMw6AN1daMcnvYMjJvylnneMx8G8Mi8M-Nyk1RSupEtEexk3K35CligPe08Lkd8LumzRtKl/s400/front.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
I've been <a href="http://crosleykook.blogspot.com/2011/01/midwest-crosley-dragster.html">following the saga of the High Times Dragster</a> since before it even acquired the name... it's all hazy now, but I think Chuck Koehler may have been involved initially, and then a guy in Wisconsin named Arnie acquired it and gave it the moniker that has stuck.<br />
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The current owner is based in Indianapolis and <a href="https://louisville.craigslist.org/for/d/indianapolis-vintage-dragster-crosley/7080611582.html">has it listed on Craigslist for $8K</a>, quite a bump from the $5K that Arnie was asking for it on the <a href="https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/">HAMB</a> site last year. Looks like it sold there in September 2019.<br />
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It's currently fuel-injected - I'd love to know what happened to the Pepco blower it was running a few years back. One way or the other, it's gotta be a blast running that thing down the track... will be curious to see what happens next.<br />
<br />Ol' Man Fosterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06616992856960301458noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6166782660776666598.post-38967259730735319532020-04-22T16:07:00.000-07:002020-04-28T12:45:56.131-07:00Just (14 Years Ago) MarriedFourteen years ago, Liv and I loaded the Crosley up with our wedding presents (they barely fit) and drove away from the Masonic Hall, man and wife. It was a pretty fun day.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvgQTN0RkYXlTvzoygGGQKs5tnfzzW4THnoVtHxGqo3GQGZP9D3X1XyxIGnL2n5FzAo3vkT0FD_iM9oRDSP5Z6yDVlLVWDSOqY3AgBXBPRnmALtlkH8hzr8oojyublF0pqUCXGDr-v7sJr/s1600/Scott_Loretta.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1194" data-original-width="1600" height="297" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvgQTN0RkYXlTvzoygGGQKs5tnfzzW4THnoVtHxGqo3GQGZP9D3X1XyxIGnL2n5FzAo3vkT0FD_iM9oRDSP5Z6yDVlLVWDSOqY3AgBXBPRnmALtlkH8hzr8oojyublF0pqUCXGDr-v7sJr/s400/Scott_Loretta.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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The Crosley was sporting a brand new convertible top, a wedding gift from my friend Scott Shultz. When Scott found out that we planned to drive away from the wedding in the Crosley he immediately offered to have a top made - I'd never had one the whole time I'd had the car.<br />
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One of Scott's best buddies was an upholsterer, so I just needed to pick out the fabric and get the car to him. He worked out of Auburn, which is about 20 miles away, up in the foothills, so it was a beautiful drive on backroads getting up there. I already had new glass cut for the rear window frame so I dropped that off too. A week or so later I picked the car up - it had never looked so good!<br />
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Liv and I were really touched by Scott's gesture, and at the wedding I made sure to get a photo with Scott and Loretta and the Crosley. I sent them a copy as soon as I got the photos back, and then promptly misplaced my own copy. For a while I thought maybe there was no picture and that I'd misremembered sending a copy to Scott, but I just found it in an unmarked box of wedding pictures while we were moving.<br />
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Scott has <a href="http://crosleykook.blogspot.com/2015/06/scott-schultz-1943-2015.html">been gone for five years now,</a> so it was bittersweet finding this picture. I've said it many times before - as much as I love Crosleys, I really love the people that come with them more.<br />
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<br />Ol' Man Fosterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06616992856960301458noreply@blogger.com0