Jun 20

Buick-Doble Conversion

I found two photos that I believe are of the same car. The cutaway car is noted as being a Buick-Doble conversion and the assembled sedan photo is noted as being F32. The notes on them are as follows:

"1931 Buick-Doble conversion. Converted at Doble factory, Emeryville, California. Shipped to customers order by R.G. McCord, Oakland, Calif."

"Steam Car Associates, staff photo. Robert G. McCord, Secretary. 529 66th Street, Oakland, California. This Doble Model F 32 was one of the very last jobs turned out at the Doble factory under the collaboration of Abner Doble and William and George Bealer. Sold in 1937 to Steam Car Associates. Sold in 1941 to Dr. S.R. Ruthven of Detroit. Engine, rear axle, steam generator, lubricator, turbine fan and some other parts re-purchased by Steam Car Associates in 1942. These parts sold and delivered to Fred Buess in 1946. This photo presented to our Chicago associate Mr. D. Cameron Peck."

1 / 2

Jun 20, 2026

Reply to Hupp31…

Replies (12)

· Jun 20

Great photos Travis! I think @Chris might have the remains of F32. Hopefully he chimes in. I'm interested in what "Steam Car Associates" was as I have never heard of them.

(edited)

· Jun 20

Steam Car Associates seems to have been a broker. They came up again on the photo of this phaeton.

"Authentic Doble steamer phaeton. Chassis to $8200.00. Delivered prices to 12,000.00. Bodies by Murphy of Pasadena, California produced and sold at the factory, Emeryville, California. This car not for sale at any reasonable price. Present owner failed to take up six hundred dollar cash offer. Now owns the Howard Hughes Doble chassis also. Pass this photo around among your local associates and have them write me. Steam Car Associates, R.G. McCord, 529 66th Street, Oakland, California, Olympic 6284. Collectors agent. Doble catalogs for exchange. Steam cars in any part of the English speaking world."

· Jun 20

Wow. Very cool.

· Jun 20

Online photos of F32 seem to be non-existent. Somebody (@DobleDude) needs to get their book out and scan a picture. Karl Peterson posted this to the AACA of supposedly F36.

· Jun 20

Very strange information.... F32 is well known to be Bill Beslers personal car which was also used as a test bed for further developments. It was a 1930. Buick model 60
Neither Abner onr jim crank mention or list this customer

(edited)

· Jun 20

1 / 2

· Jun 20

Interesting. It does sound like by both accounts the drivetrain was removed later so maybe some names or timeline were mixed up at some point. As there were more than one Buick 60 used, the unfinished car could possibly even be F31 then?

· Jun 20

Possibly but not that owner ???? He was never listed as customer

· Jun 20

Another thought, the sedan in the photo would have to be a 1930 Buick 60 because that would have been the big, long 132” wheelbase model. For 1931, the 60 moved downmarket and had a 118” wheelbase, if I’m remembering correctly.

(edited)

· Jun 20

I zoomed in and sharpened the image on the cutaway car. Looks like Michigan 1941. These photos are from the Detroit public library and the notes on the back of the sedan photo say the Dr. in Detroit bought it in ‘41. This might be plausible if he bought it in 41, stripped it, and sold the drivetrain back to the place in Oakland in 42. Unless there’s some other completely different information of where the drivetrain went after 1942.

(edited)

· Jun 20

I’m thinking the “Bealer” name on the photo is a typo and should be Besler. Then things start making more sense.

· Jul 6

Chassis F-32. Emeryville, Calif. Completed 1930.
Buick Model 60 sedan conversion.
Two cylinder compound F engine, F steam generator and draft booster, foot throttle.
Sold to William Besler. Used for control system experiments including a separately driven auxiliary unit. Also had a special counterweighted crankshaft.
Besler gave the car to an engineer friend at the Standard Oil refinery in Richmond, Calif.
Later scrapped. The engine survived.