1929 Stearns-Knight Crank Hole Cover

Steve.....your always looking for unicorn horns. Seems I am often in the same place. Hardest thing about the cover is there are brobably a few in collections on a wall in a frame with a bunch of other rare stuff. Over time I have managed to find the impossible, surprising even me when I finally get it. It’s always when you don’t expect it that you trip over it.

Ed,

I am surprised at how often a simple posted request for some impossible to find part results in someone coming forward with what I need. That being said, I have sometimes waited 20 or more years for the part to appear.

I agree......except twenty years wait is no longer an option at my age!

Much as I would like, It's probably not an option for me anymore, either.

I think Ed might give me some grief over this, but have you thought about creating something close? I used a cheap modern radiator cap to mimic the original gas cap for my 31 Pierce until I can find an original one that will match the patina of my car. 
 

Looking at your crank cover it may be able to get mocked up using a similar cap and the disc from a hubcap... just a thought until those unicorns arrive.

pughsJun 7, 2020

I am looking for a crank hole cover for my 1929 Stearns-Knight J-8-90 Limo. Any help will be greatly appreciated.

Steve

I agree with Mark, it looks like a gas cap (or radiator cap), though to add to that I am thinking that is the emblem from a Buffalo wire wheel installed on it.

Not to throw an iron on the fire, but are you sure this is not someones imagination from 1960's, 1970's, or .... ?

Mark,

I appreciate the thought, but I'd rather do without until the real thing comes along. My cars aren't particularly nice since they are unrestored but they are, for the most part, historically correct and as the factory made them.

John_MerenessJun 7, 2020

I agree with Mark, it looks like a gas cap (or radiator cap), though to add to that I am thinking that is the emblem from a Buffalo wire wheel installed on it.

Not to throw an iron on the fire, but are you sure this is not someones imagination from 1960's, 1970's, or .... ?

John,

You may be correct. I will do further research to determine what it should actually look like.

pughsJun 7, 2020

John,

You may be correct. I will do further research to determine what it should actually look like.

Steve, there are a few people out there trying to find rare parts for their match to few cars I have owned and they are not going to be successful as I was missing the part and it was replaced by a figment of my imagination matched to resourcefulness (I have said what I did a few times and then there is the rare exception of a .... in personality and let's just say I kept my mouth shut and good luck in their hunt).   The fellow who use to help me restore cars (now with ALA and Parkinson's or he would still be helping me) spent nearly his whole career piecing together brass era cars and making quasi look alike parts - car after car for 50 years.  

This is what it should look like, it is the one on my 1928 J.

Darryl

Darryl,

I just found a period photo showing the same one as you show. Thank you. That is the one I will be looking for.

Darryl,

Can you post a picture of the back side of the crank hole cover? Thank you.

pughsJun 7, 2020

Mark,

I appreciate the thought, but I'd rather do without until the real thing comes along. My cars aren't particularly nice since they are unrestored but they are, for the most part, historically correct and as the factory made them.

I agree, but I so hated the 60’s cap that came on my car that I Had to do something... at some time I will find an original too.

Good luck, I’ll keep an eye out for the original style Darryl shows above!

Here is the back side, sorry for the delay in sending.

Darryl

Darryl,

Thank you for the photo. The locking mechanism looks almost the same (or the same) as the back side of the gas cap.

They really do look alike, I did not notice this before.Good luck with the search for one .

Here they are side by side.

Backside is a "gas cap" - different diameters from the look of it and I bet 30's gas caps come in 10 different sizes, but in your search you probably also want to be asking for gas caps that look like ...