Car collector chronicles 01 14 by Dave Yaros

Car Collector Chronicles ®

Volume VII, Issue 1

Exploring:

January 2014

• Car Collecting Today

High RPMs

• Classic Rides • Reports From the Field • Oldsmobile (1897-2004) • Cadillac (1902- ) • Allanté (1987-1993)

• Corvair (1960-1969)

◄ = Clickable Link

IN THIS ISSUE: High RPMs

GDYNets On the Web

Made in Alabama

As I type it is 4 days before the official start of winter, 8 days before Xmas and snowing yet again! I cannot remember the last time the temp was above freezing? I am already tired of shoveling/blowing snow! With no car activities on the horizon I have been contemplating projects to be undertaken. The Gray Lady oil pan leaks. I have purchased a replacement (used). I already have on hand the necessary oil pan gaskets. I also need to sand, prime, paint and install the correct style gear shift lever knob on The Gray Lady. Presently there is an incorrect wood grain aftermarket knob installed. It is my intent to get the wipers on The Gray Lady working properly. The last time I ran them the only way I could shut them off was to disconnect a vacuum line. The vacuum motor needs to be rebuilt. It is also missing the coordinator. That is a device that times the

washer spray to the cycle of the wiper blades. I have bought a used vacuum motor for rebuild. ► Ficken Wiper Service shall be doing the work. Maybe I will get around to installing the rear seat belts in The Gray Lady? I only purchased them a half-decade ago! The Cad and Olds are both due for the 6-step exterior treatment (wash/wax). I did think ahead and have bought more pads for the polisher. Four refurb’d OEM wheels for the Mrs.’ summer ride (‘02 Solara conv) await new tires. Related to this task is the painting and installation of brake dust shields on those new wheels. I tend to imagine I may spend a minute or two this month watching the annual B-J AZ extravaganza. Reality tv it ain’t!

January Automotive Milestones-

01/01/1897 Winton builds 1st car with steering wheel 01/14/1954 Nash-Kelvinator and Hudson merge to form

American Motors Corporation 01/16/1853 André Michelin patents the pneumatic tire 01/17/1953 Corvette intro’d at GM Motorama as concept 01/29/1886 Karl Benz patents the first gas driven auto

-Happy New Year!

GDYNets® on the Web

Get Your Kicks! 4 CCC® Presents

CCC® Forum EMail:

◄

OldsD88@gmail.com ◄

Find GDYNets on the web: CCC® -THE FORUM ◄-A web site to discuss the newsletter, the hobby and our cars. Car Collector Chronicles ◄ Saved 62 ◄-Our 1962 Olds convertible, Ransom Eli Olds and things Oldsmobile related web site. The Gray Lady ◄-1955 Cadillac Coupé de Ville web site.

SAVED 62: A website devoted

to our 1962 Oldsmobile Dynamic 88 convertible. The site also has a lot of information on Oldsmobile cars and the company founder, Ransom Eli Olds.

THE GRAY LADY: This website features our 1955 Cadillac Coupé de Ville, lots of Caddy information and an extensive repair library.

DAVE’S DEN: ◄-A site devoted to a myriad of interests. Foremost is extensive information on the “Steel City” of Gary, IN. There are also offerings on steel making, U.S. Steel-Gary Works, U.S. Marine Corps, M14 assault rifle, of course Oldsmobile, and the tragic story of the murder of Gary, IN Police Lt. George Yaros.

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Car Collector Chronicles

Made in Alabama

“The business rationale at Keller was that in pushing bigger is better and extravagance equals status the major auto manufacturers were abandoning the needs of the lower end of the market.”

Quick, name any car made in Alabama after WWII, and before 1970. I suspect you are having a hard time coming up with one? Do the names Bobbi-Kar and Dixie Motor Car mean anything to you? Probably not. No matter, as this article is about neither. Rather, it is about their successor, Keller Motors Corp. I doubt a lot of you know of Keller Motors. It did exist; for a short time; 3 years. It did produce cars; a few . Its base of operations was Alabama; Hunstville and more specifically on the Redstone Arsenal. The story of Keller Motors begins in San Diego, not Alabama. A flim-flam man named S.A. Williams decided the post-war small car market was the means to a quick buck or two. For him that automobile was the Bobbi-Kar. The name was selected to honor his son. Problem was, his reputation was such that the S.E.C. was keeping a close eye on him. Williams did not feel he could operate with the feds on his back. To ditch them he decided to leave San Diego. He hoped Alabama would give him the breathing room he felt he needed. Williams arrived in Alabama only to learn a prior criminal conviction for counterfeiting barred him from being a corporate officer, board member or issuer/seller of stock. His get rich quick scheme was going nowhere fast. Williams decided it was best to bail out. He sold Bobbi-Kar of Alabama to his designer/engineer John Liefeld, who had made the trip with him from San Diego to Huntsville. Liefeld expressly created Dixie Motor Car to take control of the Bobbi-Kar assets. Liefeld, with the personal and financial intervention of Hubert Mitchell of Hartselle, AL induced George D. Keller, formerly Studebaker V.P. of Sales, to take on the running the new enterprise. Hubert Mitchell, like Williams before him, had an interesting background. As a young lad he built and flew an airplane. What made this feat remarkable was the fact he had never seen a real airplane, only pictures of aircraft! In the 1930’s he claimed to have found the notorious outlaw Jesse James languishing in a prison. He procured his release and booked the 90 some year old gent on the vaudeville circuit in the deep south. Mitchell’s interest in auto manufacture was precipitated by a need to liquidate his inventory of military airplane seats. During the war Mitchell owned a furniture company which manufactured and installed military spec’d seats into conscripted civilian air planes. The government orders stopped with the outbreak of peace. What was Mitchell to do with the now useless inventory he had on hand? The answer: Why not start a car company and provide the seats? It was Mitchell who insisted the company be named Keller Motors Corp. His reasoning was that it was a car and Studebaker V.P. Keller was well known within the auto industry. Ironically, this insistence ultimately contributed to the demise of the company. What Liefeld and Keller did was build a few prototypes and hawk them throughout the U.S. The vehicles were presented for viewing in 60 major cities across the country to both potential buyers and dealers. The concept being marketed by Keller was that of a low cost, no frills, inexpensive to maintain, bona fide automobile. The business rationale at Keller was that in pushing bigger is better and extravagance equals status the major auto manufacturers were abandoning the needs of the lower end of the market. This analysis, as far as it went, was indeed correct, but misjudged buyer upward mobility. To address the perceived need, Keller offered the post-war motoring public two small cars, the Chief and Super Chief, in station wagon and convertible models. The differ-

Car Collector Chronicles

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Made in Alabama-Cont’d. ence in models was the 4-cylinder engine. With the Chief one had all of 25 H.P. at their command. In the Super Chief the engine power was nearly doubled at 49. All cars had a manual 3-speed transmission and a 92 inch wheelbase. Tire size was 600 x 12. A dry type (paper) air filter came standard, while an oil bath air cleaner was offered as an option.

“A dry type (paper) air filter came standard, while an oil bath element was offered as an option. Interestingly, the hubcaps on the cars bore script reading Interestingly, the hubcaps on the cars bore script reading “Buick.” The tranny was from Studebaker, while the engine was a Continental, the generator came from Hudson and the dash gauges from Chevrolet. This is because Keller was acquiring parts from suppliers, rather than manufacturing their own. In fact, even though the Keller plant was on the Redstone Arsenal grounds in Huntsville, AL, it did have offices in Detroit so as to have ready access to parts suppliers. That it was able to acquire sundry parts belies the stories that the big auto manufacturers did everything possible to hinder car production by independent upstarts. Mitchell said years later that they never encountered such interference. To generate awareness and interest in the Keller car line a few automobiles were assembled. Reports on the number of Keller cars actually built varies from 14 to 25. They were taken on tour across the country; over 100 showings in 60 different cities. While a convertible model was promised, all the cars built were station wagons. This is because the wooden bodies could be hand assembled by cabinet makers. Keller lacked the necessary funds to buy tooling to stamp out metal body parts. The wagon was being offered with an $848 base price. Investors and buyers were impressed. 1,600 dealers signed on to

’Buick.’ ”

Car Collector Chronicles

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Made in Alabama-Cont’d.

sell the car. Orders began to pour in. To ramp up production an infusion of capital was needed. A stock offering was the answer. A five million dollar offering was in the works. In fact, half the shares had already been subscribed to by purchasers. A major brokerage house was ready to solicit and process the stock sales. All was right with the world. The night before the formal offering the principals gathered in New York City to dine and toast their success. Keller was among those gathered. At the conclusion of the festivities he retired to his hotel room. He was a no show the next morning. During the night he has suffered a heart attack and died. No one with experience in the world of automobile manufacture could be found to replace him, despite considerable efforts to procure a qualified manager. Without experience at the helm the stock issue faltered. Without the stock issue no more cars were able to be produced. The 130 Keller employees were let go. The company folded and the Keller automobile became a footnote in the annals of U.S. automobile manufacturing. Somewhat prophetically Hubert Mitchell said years later, “If I had it to do over again, I’d have built the business and the advertising around the car, not around any one person. Today, very few Keller cars exist. We are talking all of 2 or 3. The rights to the design were purchased by a Belgian concern which did manufacture only a few more cars. ► Here is where you will be able to find/learn more about the Keller: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keller_(automobile) http://huntsvillerewound.com/HSVkellercar.htm https://www.facebook.com/groups/150192808487208 http://www.theredstonerocket.com/around_town/article_cf1c2228-c30e-11e2-973b-001a4bcf887a.html http://hansonmechanical.wordpress.com/tag/dixie-motor-car-corporation/ https://www.pinterest.com/pin/475129829407665412/ http://hooniverse.com/2011/01/19/hooniverse-wagon-wednesday-the-keller-super-chief-wagon/ http://history.redstone.army.mil/ihist-keller.html Special Interest Autos, Number 30, Sept/Oct 1975 has a very comprehensive article on the Keller and its Bobbi-Kar origins. Full of factory photos of the 18 prototypes. It's a must-have if you want to know all about the company and its cars.

Get Your Kicks! There is not enough space here to go into detail, so I will only hit the high spots for now. Can you say Route 66? Can you say “Mother Road?” Would you like to tour the road? How about touring Route 66 in your classic, along with hundreds, if not thousands of other like-minded individuals? Now is your chance! Just such a tour for 2014 is being organized. Mark your calendar! Oct. 9— 19 are the dates. The organizer is Craig Parrish. I can personally attest to his ability to put a classic car tour together. We experienced his Historic U.S. Hwy. 27 (MI) tour a few years back and had a fantastic time [See CCC® December 2009, Pg. 3]. This is a no miss event! You will find info on the tour here ► http://www.route66motortour.com/ and here ► https://www.facebook.com/pages/Route-66-MotorTour-Joliet-Illinois-Santa-Monica-California/167296340135913. Check it out! Maybe we will see one another on the tour?

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Car Collector Chronicles ®

CCC Presents Last month we presented a “What is it?” challenge. No one has stepped up to the plate with the right answer. This month I end the agony by revealing the identity purpose of the object pictured. What you are looking at is a drip rail forming/shaping tool. Drip rail? What is a drip rail I hear you asking. I could throw that one out to you as a challenge too, but won’t. In the 60’s and earlier the roofs on sedans had a trough that ran above the top of the side windows. This trough collected water run off from the roof and directed it down and off the car. Its purpose was to prevent water from reaching the door frame interior. Think of it as a gutter, as that is what it was. Should a roof be damaged, the drip rail would need to be reshaped/formed. This is the tool for doing so.

- Think Spring!

– Ok, I’ve had my say for the month. Now it’s your turn! I invite/encourage submission of your comments, opinions and article contributions. I also ask that you please help spread the word about our publication. Everything sent shall indeed be reviewed by me. Submissions should be sent to CCC® at OldsD88@gmail.com. –– Now that you have finished reading this month’s issue of the newsletter, come start/ join an ongoing dialog with other CCC® readers and like-minded car collector folk on the CCC® Forum. Stop by, check us out and share your views … . ______________________________________

-- RESTORE 'EM, AND DRIVE 'EM! COMING NEXT ISSUE: • TBD