On the Road to Gettysburg

Last month, Randy Poole set out from his Virginia home, headed for Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. With his wife Holly, daughter Amber and father-in-law Joel, his destination was the Annual Convention of the National DeSoto Club, of which he is a long-time member. Not surprisingly, they saw lots of DeSotos, Randy's favorite being a nifty '34 Airflow coupe, with its art deco ornamentation. He also gazed in wonderment at the phalanx of fins.

One afternoon, while driving in the area, Holly spotted an interesting old car beside the road. It turned out to be a 1947 DeSoto Custom Suburban, the signature edition of Chrysler Corporation's long-wheelbase sedans and limos. Offered only as a DeSoto, the Suburban had a wood paneled interior that extended through to the trunk, and a roof rack on top. Suburbans were built from 1946 to 1952. The owners were not home, so it took a few cell phone calls to jump-start negotiations, but by the following Tuesday a deal had been struck and the next weekend Randy and Joel went back to retrieve the car.

Dennis David went to Gettysburg, too. He kept his camera clicking away, snapping DeSotos from start to finish, from ambulance to pace cars. While Randy was taken with the Airflow, Dennis captured an Airstream, the alternative, and better-selling, DeSoto. Everybody likes the Miller-inspired 1932 and '33 DeSotos, and I waxed nostalgic about the 1940 S-7, a dead ringer for my only DeSoto ever. There were plenty of DeSoto parts for sale, and lots of beauty to be seen, including the iconic goddess that adorned the 1932 models. Desirable accessories included the hard-to-find DeSotomatic steering wheel clock. By afternoon, the row of S-11s was tired and yawning for a nap.

Dennis and his family took the battlefield tour and visited Eisenhower Farm, home of the late 34th President. There were no cars on display, but in the barn was Ike's Massey Ferguson, which ran on Citgo long before Hugo Chavez became a big shot.

Randy, meanwhile, discovered the gathering of the National Chrysler Products Club, right next to the NDC clan. On hand were Chryslers ancient and modern, including a pair of spiffy station wagons. Plymouth was in a Fury, and flagship of the event was a very nice 1955 Crown Imperial.

When Randy got his Suburban home, he was very pleased with his new treasure. While the seats are a bit sorry, the wood is good, on doors, bulkhead and floor, and the woodgrain dashboard is quite presentable. The roof rack was included, inside the car, and it's equipped with spotlight, grab handles and clever little heater ducts. The Suburban seats eight, though the rearmost seats are a bit spartan. Randy and Joel got it running last weekend. Now they just need to do the brakes, so that it will stop as well as go.

Mommycar

When I was an infant, my parents had a 1935 Ford sedan. Since my mother usually drove it, as soon as I began to talk I called it "Mommycar." My father, on the other hand, drove his Model A Ford roadster, which, because it had been converted with a pickup box in place of the rumble seat, was known as "The Little Truck." As I remember, the '35 was a Standard model, with painted radiator shell and a single horn. We don't have any photos that show the whole car, but it was certainly the "flatback" sedan with external spare, as opposed to a Touring Sedan with built-in trunk. Ford literature showed space for three suitcases behind the rear seat, but even if the cases could truly fit the space was inconvenient and hard to reach. However, we were able to carry two nanny goats and a kid by taking out the rear seat.

Ford's 1935 cars were designated Model 48, and all were V8-powered. In addition to the two "Fordor" sedans there was a "Tudor" as well as a coupe, a roadster, cabriolet, convertible sedan and phaeton. Designed by Phil Wright at Briggs Manufacturing Company, the Model 48 outsold archrival Chevrolet in the United States, and also became the first Ford V8 assembled in Britain. The British model debuted in February 1935 at Greyfriars Hall in Cardiff, Wales. In France, Fords were manufactured by Matford SA, a joint venture with Emile Mathis.

Our '35 Ford replaced a Model B Tudor sedan, and served us well for nearly ten years. By the summer of 1948, we were living on a small farm in Connecticut. My father needed a more practical farm vehicle and the Ford was starting to get feeble. That autumn we sold it for $275 and purchased a new Willys CJ-2A Jeep. The Jeep was a compromise vehicle, not quite truck or tractor, and less than a family car. Within a year we had augmented it with a new Mercury, but that's another story. Every time I see a gray 1935 Ford sedan, I get nostalgic for Mommycar. Perhaps I should buy one.

The August Festival

You know them by their locations: Stowe, Rhinebeck, Iola. A bit smaller and less prestigious than Hershey, Carlisle or Chickasha, these venerable car shows and swap meets have been operating for nearly half a century and draw a faithful crowd. One of the stalwarts is Das Awkscht Fescht, Pennsylvania Dutch dialect for "The August Festival." All the car folks, though, call it "Macungie."

Macungie is a borough in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, near Allentown, and the show has been an icon in Macungie Memorial Park for ages. This year's Macungie was the 44th, and the CarPort's honor scout Dennis David went down to check it out. A three day event on the first weekend of August, Macungie starts with a Friday night cruise, then blossoms with a huge car show on Saturday. Sunday is devoted to car clubs, with more than 30 organizations corraling cars of their make and type. With more than 1,200 cars each day, there's bound to be both variety and sameness. Early cars included EMF and Packard, and Packards with pelicans and doughnut chasers. Makes were as varied as Oakland and Renault, and later collectibles included the elusive Lincoln Versailles. Model Ts stretched as far as the eye could see. Not to be outdone, Model As were there in force, although the definition of Model A appears to be somewhat flexible. There's a section for trucks, which drew some rarities like this Corvair rampside pickup, and a military detachment as well. Alternative power was not neglected, as a well-guarded Stanley steamed into town.

The Falcon Club had assembled a flock, and the Met set likewise was out in numbers. The Kaiser crowd had a nice 1950 Traveler with high-performance engine. Featured make was DeSoto, hosted by the local chapter of the national club. Prize specimen was a rare 1950 Custom station wagon, replete with plenty of period accoutrements.

The goodly sized swap meet has plenty of parts, bikes, automobilia and artwork. There are toys, tractors, even tractor toys for bigger boys. You can even buy a garage - with a street rod if you need it. And of course there are cars for sale, a feature-marque DeSoto convertible, a '37 Terraplane, a '39 Buick for under ten grand, and perhaps the sweetheart of the meet, the $995 Crosley Hotshot. Dan, did you buy it?

Although showers dampened spirits for a while on Saturday, things soon brightened and heated up, so much so that there was a conflagration in the food court. Fortunately, the Fire Department was not far away.

Shades of Gray

Although most of my tractor time has been spent at the helm of ancient Farmalls, I've long had a hankering for one of the old gray friends, the N-series Fords. Built from 1939 to 1952, the little tractors were not powerful, but they were inexpensive and, most significantly, pioneered the three-point hydraulic implement hitch in the United States.

The latter was the brainchild of Irish inventor Harry Ferguson, who licensed the concept to Henry Ford with a handshake agreement. Ford's Fordson tractor had been out of production in the US for a decade when the new machine was introduced early in 1939. Designated "9N" (9 for 1939), it was powered by a 120 cid 28 hp L-head four with full electric system and coil ignition (though tucked away inaccessibly per Henry Ford's fetish), three-speed transmission and the Ferguson System hydraulics. For this reason they were frequently called "Ford-Fergusons." Nearly 100,000 were built through 1942.

A number of running changes were made to 9Ns over the years, the final few of which resulted in a new model designation 2N in 1942. In addition to a three-spoke steering wheel and pressurized cooling system, the 2N was available with steel wheels and magneto ignition for wartime austerity.

Finally, for 1948 a much improved 8N bowed, with higher compression engine, four-speed transmission and refinements to the hitch hydraulics. Most obvious was the contrasting red engine and drive train, giving the 8N the nickname "redbelly." Ford reneged on the agreement to pay royalties to Ferguson and took his name off the tractors, which resulted in a long legal skirmish. Built through 1952, the 8N was the most popular, with more than 500,000 built. Late in the run, a side-mounted distributor replaced the buried unit and a "Proof Meter," a recording tachometer with calibration for the various gear ratios, was added.

Steve McManus has an early 8N that he bought from his brother-in-law. Equipped with the Dearborn loader and a large bush hog mower, he uses it on his Christmas tree farm and to lift and move engines. For general farm work, the Fords are a bit underpowered, and, since they lack power steering, are hard to steer, especially with a full bucket. The loader is powered by a front-mounted hydraulic pump, and its frame inhibits access to the engine and especially the distributor. Despite its drawbacks, Steve says it's handsome and well built, and "all parts are readily available and affordable, something which cannot be said about my other obsolete tractors."

To celebrate the company's golden anniversary, Ford introduced the NAA "Golden Jubilee Model" in 1953. Power came from a 134 cid ohv four, making 31 hp, and a completely different hydraulic system was used to avoid infringement on Ferguson patents. In 1955, with the introduction of a larger model 800, the NAA was renamed "600." Steve Mierz sent along some photos of his brother-in-law's 640 series Ford, outfitted with snowplow and grader blades. It also has wheel weights and a canvas foul weather cab.

Harry Ferguson won his lawsuit against Ford, but by the time of the 1952 judgment he had long since embarked on building his own tractors, but that's a story for another time. If you'd like to know more about these old gray friends, seek out Ford Tractors by Robert N. Pripps. It will tell you everything you want to know, except, possibly, how to read the Proof Meter.