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Paul,
Do any of the brass trimmed Series 32 and Series 33 cars survive?
Tony,
There were optional finishes on the Pierce Arrows prior to 1916 and even up through the Series 31-51.For a supporting source,check a Series 3 parts book.There are references to brass finish,nickel finish and what is called a black nickel finish.There was also a choice of a white face or a black face on the instruments.There are different part numbers for each of these items.My very original C-3 has the nickel finish over the brass parts and a German Silver radiator.Had the car been ordered in the brass finish,the radiator would have been brass.I was told the black nickel finish was like a gun blue finish.I have neen a 1910 36 UU in the nickel finish.In the pre-1916 era,the radiators were made by Fedders and Mayo.These were one piece units.The Series 3 and earlier radiators have the sharp seam around the outer edge while Series 4 and series 5 were smooth.Series 31-51 had a removable shell.
I might suggest that you consider New Mexico.It is more affordable and the climate is generally rather mild.We could use more car collectors here plus bring in a business that provides jobs.
I have not been able to find a part number that would show how the floor mat would cross over to 1929-1930-1931.I know with the open cars,the bodies seem quite similar between these years.I am certainly interested in getting a new correct mat even if a little trimming is needed.Better to make it larger and trim then to make it too small as it is impossible to add material.
Bill,
In my 1915 Pierce Arrow C-3 I am using the Champion W-18 and this is what most people with Series 3 and earlier Pierce Arrows are using as these cars have a trembler coil with commutator ignition along with the Bosch magneto.I believe the Series 4,Series 5 and Series 31-51 may take a 7/8 Regular which in an available plug at a parts house would be a Champion W-16Y.I have the parts books for Series 2,Series 3 and Series 4 and there is a plug difference when it comes to Series 4.Some of the Series 4 owners could advise on what they are using.Both the Champion W-18 and W-16Y should be available from any auto parts suppliers as these plugs have industrial applications.
David,
The 1929 book is very detailed down to little screws but the 1930 book is not and it look like 1931 is not.Assuming your car and my 1929 Roadster use the same mat,I would certainly want to get one of the new ones.I will jump on this tomorrow and see how the template fits and let you know.I also have a 1933 Chiltons flat rate with lots of parts listings for 1927-1933 automobiles and see if it lists floormats.
David,
It would help a great deal if you can get a floormat part number from the 1931 parts book which can be checked with the 1929 number.I do have your template and will attempt to place it flat over the existing carpet and see how all lines up.I have just been swamped with business and other stuff But I am hoping to get to it this weekend.I need to be very careful not to tear the template.
Bill
A huge problem today are these discharge headlights and people have voiced complaints that they are blinding and then you have people fitting these to cars not originally equipped with these style of lights and this compounds the problem.My 1929 Pierce Arrow has the original type 21cp 6-8 volt bulbs with the corrugated envelope and they put out a good light.The bulbs are nos Edison Mazda #1129 and date from about 1929-1931 or so and are what the dealer would have used to replace a burned out bulb when the car was new.These cars back to 1913 have a resistance dimming system and my concern would be overloading it say with 32cp bulbs.In my case both my C-3 and 133 Pierce Arrows have most of their original wiring so I stay with what the factory called for.I have always felt that original headlights if working correctly do just fine.I got caught in a blizzard below Abilene,Texas driving my 1927 Rolls Royce 20hp from Houston to Santa Fe.Those original headlights pierced right through the falling snow and the road was snow packed with modern cars stuck at the side of the road.If there was an oncoming car I had no problem seeing.A flat tire though probably would have resulted in death from hypothermia as I had left the tire tools back home in Santa Fe but those headlights did just fine getting me to the hotel in the middle of the night.I would suspect the bulbs in my Lucas lamps were probably about 32cp.I had a 1931 Packard 833 Roadster on which a former owner had put seal beams in the original headlamps behind a clear glass lens in place of the Depress Beam lens.Everytime I drove the car at night,the battery would run down.I found another pair of the original headlamps with the #1000 32-32cp bulbs and put them on the car.I had no more more battery issues and the light output was the same as with the seal beams.If I wanted more light in front,I would try to find a nice lamp like an S&M Oval Lite which dates from the 1925-1930 period which mounts to the bumper brackets.The Pilot Ray lamp also filled that need in that 1928-1932 period.
These modern type headlight bulbs are not compatible with the reflectors in antique automobiles.There was a good article in Skinned Knuckles on this topic.The LED bulbs would look out of place even if they worked out.Even some of the later incandescent auto bulbs are not compatible with the reflectors.A #1129 21cp bulb of today has a different filament design than its counterpart years ago due to the fact that it is not specified for headlights on cars like in the 1920’s and earlier but now for taillights on six volt cars.The best thing to do is have good reflectors and a good stock of nos original bulbs of the correct type.The SK article covers this topic well.I have driven many times at night with bulb type headlamps with original type bulbs and did just fine.In fact drove a 1914 Model T Ford some 30-40 miles through the Colorado mountains by the light of my car’s gas headlamps with no problems and it was fun.
The fan blades on my 1929 133 Roadster are aluminum.
David,
What is the part number for the floor mat in the 1931 Series 43 parts book? It could be that 1929-1931 is the same.
The car could be a 133 with the hood with doors.This was an option and was on some deluxe 133’s.My Roadster which is a loaded car has this option and may have been a show car for Kumpf before being sold to the original owner.The headlight lenses on the 1929’s prior to the change to bifocal bulbs late in the 1929 run should be flat McKeelite then after the change flat Twolite.This looks like a nice car.
My 1929 133 Roadster has both chrome and nickel with chrome on the major parts and nickel on the dash controls and some under hood items.
Ed,
This must be the car that was pictured in one of the Arrows back in the early 1990’s along with the car’s Japanese registration documents.The car was fitted with bracket headlamps.I will dig out that issue.An older friend in Santa Fe who was into antique cars was among the first soldiers to go into Tokyo after the war was over.The Emperor’s garage was off limits but he told me about they got into Prince Konoye’s garage and got his 1932 Packard Twin Six Packard Limousine and his circa 1937 Rolls Royce Phantom 111.He said they also relieved a captured German military attaché of his lovely 1939-1940 Buick Convertible.Wally also remembered the baby Datsuns and the early Toyotas that looked somewhat like Chrysler Airflows.This had to be an interesting tour of duty.
I cannot wait to see photos.I wanted to come but business got in the way.How many cars will be there?
Ed,
Around the time the Shah had ordered the Brunn Towncar,he also had a 1929 133 Tonneau Cowl Phaeton with bracket headlights.This car is pictured in Brooks Brierley’s book on Pierce Arrow.I wonder if they had several Pierce Arrows.This is like the 1932-1935 Grosser Mercedes Benz cars owned by Emperor Hirohito.There were seven and four remain if I am correct.One was damaged in the war,I think two were used for parts to keep the others going.One of the four is in the Mercedes Benz museum.Again I have been told of the like new 1929 Pierce Arrow Phaeton in the Emperor’s garage but who could verify this?
Bill,
Go to the HCCA site then click on the Gazette index and scroll down for brass polish.This should bring up the issues discussing polishes.If you type in polish brands on Google,you can find blogs and discussions on various polishes.
What is the best polish for German Silver and nickel parts on an early Pierce Arrow? Simichrome,Wenol or Blue Magic? I have been told Blue Magic is the best but I would like to know what others are using as I do not want to abrade the finish but still clean the finish.
Richard,
Copies of the Series 4 Pierce Arrow parts book are available from the Bernie Weis (PAS) Collection at the AACA Library.
The value added tax is like a purchase tax.There can be taxes on the sales at antique car auctions here in the US but these should be waived if one takes delivery of their vehicle at their home location.I hope you have not sent them any money as of yet.You could refuse to go through with this transaction until this issue is resolved and if not resolved refuse the deal all together.You will of course lose the opportunity to get the car.On the other hand,the auction company might back down to get the deal done.Sometimes you have to play hardball.There are other cars out there.
