Horizontal bars on the front of your car?

Bob:

The lower bar is actually part of the frame and ties the ladder type frame side rails together at the front. This is a very heavy bar and was sometimes used to support accessory bumpers that were seen in the mid 20's.

The headlight bar holds the lights but also supports the fenders by tying them to each other. If you remove this bar, you will see that the fenders get very floppy. I have to tighten the bar on my '27 Buick occasionally, there is a lot of twist in the front ends of these "box style" cars and it can loosen nuts and bolts if you drive on bumpy roads very much.

I have never seen any wiring in either of these bars, but anything is possible!

I always thought that heavy lower bar was to stand on while you checked the water level in the radiator.

Hi Bob,

I hope that you will come to the combined Grand Classic and Museum Concours at Hickory Corners, MI this June 6th and I will give you a ride in one of my classics. Last year I took three and I don't think I will try that foolishness again, but will try to bring my 34 Cad 16 since it has never been there and I don't have a Duesenberg or a Rolls Royce - the featured cars. We also usually get big cars out of the museum and sell rides or drives in them for a donation to the museum, which is a fun way to experience different classics. You'll see a lot of great cars which you can photograph and turn into some of your wonderful art too. Hope to see you there! Dave Mitchell

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:</div><div class="ubbcode-body">When you hear this question you'll immediately know that I don't know squat about cars even though I've been a member for 4 years. I have never owned one of these wonderful cars, hell I never even sat in one. But I love the beauty, elegance, romance and history the cars represent.

So here is my question.

I'm talking about the front end . Many cars have one or more horizontal bars attached to the front fenders. Maybe the upper "often chrome" is simply a headlight mount, and perhaps keeps the two fenders stabilized and secure. Does the electrical wiring pass thu this tube.

But the lower bar-down by the bumper brackets seems to be a much heavier stock.

I was wondering what's the purpose of this bar. Is it to stiffen the chassis or just tie the car together? Usually this heavy tube is painted the fenders or frame color.

Some of you experts will think this question is to "beginner" to answer, but I'm hoping someone will.

Thanks,

Bob Horgan • Grand Rapids, MI </div></div>

The bar at the bumper brackets is actually the forward-most frame crossmember, it's purpose, generally was to prevent the frame "horns" (the frame rail extensions forward of the front axle) from being "spread" apart when the front bumper is "bumped" (or worse). This is very important in cars with parallel leaf springs (which the majority of cars used prior to about 1935), in order to preserve the alignment of the front suspension.

As a former Model A Ford guy, I had to repair the front frame horns on two of the three Model A's I had (one was too far gone in this area--simply changed out the entire frame--almost 40 years ago), as Model A did not have this spreader bar, which Ford finally installed with the '32 Model 18/Model B, and retained in the 33-34 Model 40's.

Lengthy explanation, but that's what a spreader bar is for.

Art Anderson

Thank You gentlemen for your responses.

Dave I would be THRILLED to ride in your 16 cylinder Cadillac on the beautiful grounds of Hickory Corners. I be there and I'll find you and take you up on your offer. That sure is something great to look forward to. I go to the hospital every day for prostrate cancer radiation therapy (42 treatments), the winter is long and cold. It's all beginning to get me down.

But.....your promise to give me a ride in your car, I'm so excited I feel like a kid again. Thank You Sir.

As Dave mentioned, for a small donation, the Museum will let you drive one of their Classics on the day of the Experience. I might even be your co-pilot. I?ve been lucky enough to have that job on several occasions. It is a lot of fun, and I have successfully passed ?Classic Car Fever? to several willing victims. After all, driving one of these cars is the easiest way to really get you hooked. I?ll see you there. <img src="http://www.aaca.org/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Thank You gentlemen for your responses.

Dave I would be THRILLED to ride in your 16 cylinder Cadillac on the beautiful grounds of Hickory Corners. I be there and I'll find you and take you up on your offer. That sure is something great to look forward to. I go to the hospital every day for prostrate cancer radiation therapy (42 treatments), the winter is long and cold. It's all beginning to get me down.

But.....your promise to give me a ride in your car, I'm so excited I feel like a kid again. Thank You Sir. </div></div>

Hi!

I plan on being there as well. Just look for a gray-headed guy wearing a Johnny Lightning (that's whom I work for!) golf shirt, prolly with a camera in my hand.

Art Anderson

Hey Chuck, what's the theme of the Experience this year? By the way, congrats on your new poition.

Stutznutz - the feature cars are Duesenberg and Rolls Royce/Bentley, should be a great show.

I look forward to meeting all you guys at the Museum in June - especially with our new building to show off. I'm really a Packard guy, I've gone off the deep end there and have way more than I should - but the 34 Cad is a very cool car in many ways - I think that the engine alone is one of the cleanest and best looking designs of the era. The craftsmen at Fleetwood also knew how to put together an awesome interior, and this car has some special features that are unusual, and not like my Packards. The car was very expensive when new - the top of the GM line and the options on it would more than pay for an everyday car. I just love to drive my cars (even the show car) and put lots of miles on whichever ones I have running in any given year, and often I drive a car from western Illinois to the museum, so if you see me, just ask, it doesn't take much to get me to go for a ride. Sharing is the most fun! The V16 is excessive not just in cylinders, but in size - the 154" wheelbase even outdoes the lwb Duesy by an inch, and my 37 lwb Packard 12 by 10"! Also I laugh when I hear new car press people complaining about a car that weighs in at almost 3000 lbs - the V16 nearly hits 7000, as does my Swedish bodied 36 Packard.

Bob, best of luck with your situation, and I wish you a swift and total recovery and we'll celebrate with a V16 ride - and you are welcome to come to Illinois when you feel up to it and we'll get out a bunch of cars and you can experience them all - usually I have about 10 cars up and running at any one time, Packard 6, 120, Super 8, 12, V8 (from 35 - 55), 38 Buick, the V16, MB, a 2 cylinder 600cc Lloyd (to provide contrast to the V16) and a 54 Stude Commander coupe - the last couple are my Dad's. My dad is just recovering from having a kidney removed due to cancer, the reason I missed the Annual Meet, so I know that you are not having any fun, hope you feel better soon. If you send my your email to packard12s@hotmail.com, I will send you pictures of some of my cars. Some collectors just like to look at their cars and never drive them, and that can be satisfying - sometimes (like when there is a foot of snow like now) I just sit in a car like my Bohman & Schwartz limo and feel the soft wool covering the individually bagged seat springs and the thick, oh-so-soft lambs wool carpet and look at the rich walnut and figured veneer trim and think what the world was like for the woman who rode in that car and what the craftsman thought as they built it, and all the places it went in it's life. It is like an imaginary time machine. But when the weather is nice, and ideally, when a friend stops by, I love to get out a big car and just go for a ride in the country. Sure I drive around town and to the store and run errands in them to, but just going for a scenic drive or a picnic is pretty awesome. This summer one of the best days was when a good friend came and several of us spent the whole day driving on the back roads in his 1930 duPont. We didn't go anywhere, we just drove around and enjoyed the car, nature and friends telling stories. We even ate at a restaurant where we sat on the veranda with the duPont parked on the street where we could enjoy looking at its stylish lines. That is a lot of what is fun about owning classic cars to me - and sharing it with friends it what the club and hobby is all about.

Let's go for that ride!

Mr Anderson, - Is that the Johnny Lightning that makes cool toy cars? Tell us more! I just bought the Johnny Lightning 007 Aston Martin Vanquish and Sunbeam Tiger. I love toys too... I hope you too will come and find me - I'll be the guy with the 34 Cad 16 town car, black with black leather top and black wall tires and biplane bumpers, probably with a V16 or Packard shirt on. If you have been there before, you have probably seen my 41 Packard Bohman & Schwartz limo - very formal with a special truck with fitted suitcases, and again, a very big car. I used to like little cars, I only wanted Porsches and MB SLs, and I still like them, but now I like the BIG classics best, especially ones with powerful engines.

"Mr." Anderson?

Sheesh, does that mean I hafta wear a suit & tie to the Classic? (or worse, cream-colored slacks, navy blue blazer with a burgundy ascot?) I was hoping to be able to come in faded jeans, flip-flops and a tie-died tee shirt!

Yes, I design cars for Johnny Lightning, the little diecast car people. And, yes, while my expertise is with scale models of the automobiles I like (and I like them all!), an especial area of my interests is in Classic Cars.

Art

That is really cool, Art. (My Dad's Uncle was Art too) After reading a couple of the posts you have shared, I have started collecting old Cadillac models. So far I have a 1955 edition of a 1956 Cadillac Eldorado (in shrink wrap no less), the late edition of the 1957 Cadillac Eldorado Brougham (both Revell), and the late edition Monogram 1959 Cadillac Eldorado Biarritz.

I am still looking for more, especially any from the 40s and 50s, then 60s.

I hope that your company will someday produce a model of the 1942/47 Cadillac Series 62 sedan...a wonderful car with no representation sadly. <img src="http://www.aaca.org/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> hint hint

Definitely Mr Anderson now that I know how cool you are, you can wear whatever you like to the meet, and you will defintely will have my respect - what a great job! I like your cars. I had to get the Aston Martin Vanquish since I met Ian Callum (who designed that and the DB7) a few years ago and I think that he is one of the best designers at work today. Now I may get to meet the designer of the toy too - what luck... Would you consider talking about what you do at the meet? We sometimes have people who do interesting stuff like this give informal sessions at the museum on meet weekends. One year we had the chief engineer for the Aston Martin V12 engine talk and answer questions. A lot of us guys who like classics like toys too. I think that there are some great classics that you should do - but maybe they wouldn't sell, I don't know. How do you decide what to make? I sometimes repaint "brand X" toys in more "classic" colors, like a Cad town car similar to my real one, but it is sold in pink, purple, bright green etc, with goofy wheels - I repaint them black. Yours are correct to begin with. I hope you will look me up at the museum. The 34 Cad town car won't be hard to find.

Dave,

Email me off the boards at aanderson@playingmantis.com

We can probably work out something.

Art