Q. In the Jan. 2 Q&A, a reader asked if any U.S. make had a four-speed column shift. International Loadstar cabover trucks (before they took the Cargostar name in 1970) had a five-speed on the column. I don’t remember how the linkage was set up, but they were a little bit of a chore...
Q&A
Q&A with Kit Foster: March 6, 2014
Q. I have shown this to several area old car experts and some antique car clubs but no one can identify it. One guess was an early Cadillac V8. It has two commutators. A stamped number on one side (75-373619) may be a part number. The layers of belting material on the one end...
Q&A with Kit Foster: February 27, 2014
Q. I was reading about the Sunoco antique car coins in the Q&A column (Jan. 9). It reminded me of an e-mail I received from a Pantown (a neighborhood in Saint Cloud, Minn.) homeowner. He was doing some remodeling in his house and found this Pan coin. He asked if I knew anything about...
Q&A with Kit Foster: February 13, 2014
Q. Chevs of the ’40s (Vancouver, Wash., www.chevsofthe40s.com, 877-735-0587) has 16-inch rims and Chevrolet offered a four-speed column shift in 1968 and ’69. I only saw one in all the years I spent in Chevy dealerships. — Frank Johnson, via e-mail A. Thanks. Arland Stellmacher also suggested Chevs of the ’40s for 16-inch from...
Q&A with Kit Foster: February 6, 2014
Q. You asked about the Sunoco/Franklin Mint coin set (Jan. 9). Glad to help. SERIES 1, 1968 1901 White (steamer) 1902 Studebaker (electric) 1903 Winton touring 1904 Autocar VIII 1905 Apperson B touring 1906 Franklin 1907 Locomobile racer 1908 Stanley 1909 Ford T 1910 Sears 1911 Mercer Raceabout 1912 Simplex Speedster 1913 Lozier Light...
Q&A with Kit Foster: January 30, 2014
Q. A friend of mine gave me this possible hood ornament. He said he thought it was off a Chevy wagon. I would like to know what year and model. Can you help me? — Gary Hilton, Torrance, Calif. A. You don’t tell us how big it is, so I suspect the picture is...
Q&A with Kit Foster: January 16, 2014
Q. Years ago I read an article in a car magazine. It might have been Car Craft, as it was in the small format that they refer to as the “little pages.” It was a special issue on Model T’s. In this article is stated that there were no black Model T Fords as...
Q&A with Kit Foster: January 9, 2014
Q. I have an interesting antique emblem that I have been unable to identify. It comes from my father’s estate. He was born in 1912, and the story goes that he had, in his early driving years, a Stutz Bearcat straight eight. He has long been known to keep insignias and other trinkets from...
Q&A with Kit Foster: January 2, 2014
Q. Bill Clarkson mentions a four-speed Ford Econoline van in the Nov. 28 “Sound Your Horn.” Could this be the British “Dagenham” transmission used in some six-cylinder Falcons, Comets and Mustangs? — Bob Smith, Albany, N.Y. A. I believe it is. If I’m not mistaken, that unit, originally for larger British Fords, became available...
Q&A with Kit Foster: December 19, 2013
Q. When setting the point gap in the distributor on older cars, and you want to check the setting with a dwell meter, what is the formula to use? For example, a 0.020 gap with the feeler gauge is what reading on a dwell meter? — Allen Hoffman, Pittsburgh, Pa. A. I don’t believe...