Just Cars Blog: March 2014

Monday, March 31, 2014

the last great railroad fair, the 1948-49 Chicago Railroad Fair

photos found on http://www.railarchive.net/rrfair/rrfair_photos.htm

WW2 mileage ration sticker and info

you received stamps and other various paperwork that had to be filled out in order to get your fuel. An “A” sticker was issued to the general public. The “B” my was if your job was considered vital to the war effort. This meant you would be allotted up to eight gallons a week.

There were six different window stickers and even a “R” one for farm vehicles. These were a part of everyday life. So much so they became part of popular culture, like at the end of this classic Bugs Bunny when his crashing plane doesn’t crash because it runs out of gas. Why, because he only had an “A” sticker.

An interesting yet lesser known fact is that the rationing wasn’t really created to control fuel consumption, but was there to help save on tires. Gasoline could be made domestically, but rubber trees don’t grow here (at least not in mass quantity). That raw material came from Asia, which of course was controlled by Japan at the time. That’s why if you look closely at the paperwork you’ll see a lot of references to mileage and tire inspections. There was even a national speed limit of 35 MPH put in place to help curb tire wear.

Found on http://familyephemera.tumblr.com/post/73744494852/rationing-was-a-way-of-life-during-wwii-from

I didn't realize that Petrolicious was also posting about the rationing, but they focused on Canadian and European

found on
http://www.petrolicious.com/wwii-era-gas-ration-coupons-remind-us-how-lucky-we-are

my friend Tris has her parents WW2 ration book, and let me take photos of it:

Receipts for cars they bought, (Jordan and 32 Ford) among the many things that his grandparents kept, and They Kept Everything

from Frank at http://familyephemera.tumblr.com/

11/23/28 my (Franks) Great Grandmother purchased a green 1929 Jordan RE Sedan for $1290. My Great Grandfather had recently passed away so maybe that’s why she kept this receipt (better safe than sorry kind’a thing). This great looking auto was built in Cleveland, which is a nice reminder of how that city competed, and lost, against Detroit as a center of auto manufacturing. The sales contract lists some interesting add-on options that they bought including 1 brake light, and not 1 but 2 bumpers that my family splurged on. It also states that this beast of a car came with an engine that put out 27.3 horsepower. I would guess that it did 0 to 60 in about half a day.

10/27/33 my Grandfather traded in the Jordan for a used 1932 Ford Deluxe Coupe which is indeed the classic Little Deuce Coupe. He received $130.70 for his Jordan on the purchase of the Ford, which cost $443.70. This Ford is just great looking and has a rumble seat. What a cool concept those things were. I’m sure they disappeared for some good reasons, yet still wouldn’t it be cool to own a car that had one. (people in rumble seats were horribly injured in car crashes)

Sunday, March 30, 2014

Hinkle's Charger has some cool details I didn't see when I checked it out at the GNRS

the panel with the painting on it is hand formed, not only keeping the less attractive radiator out of view with the hood up, and forces more air through the radiator at speed