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New forum topic posted to Doble Society
· May 13

A car lift grand enough for a Doble

I was asked to share these pictures and video, even though not completely Doble related, it was thought interesting. As some of you who follow me on Face Book may know, my wife and I have been building a copy of a frank Lloyd Wright house here on the Isle of Man over the last few years, there is a basement garage under the house big enough for around 6 cars which, we had decided would serve as workshop and storage for building materials until the main house was totally finished and then would be emptied and would be the final area to finish. With the pending arrival of a number of very beautiful and valuable Dobles into my care we decided that we must accelerate the garage area ahead of our planed schedule, the subterranean lift was the biggest item and although I had thought I would make it in our own factory, we are very busy and after much soul searching we eventually realised that we had to buy from China, this decision did not sit well with me politically or morally, however I sent some drawings, they promised to make it within 30 days ( which they did) and for $28k I could not match this and to be fair I am very pleased with the result. In a couple of months you should see a Doble or two on it
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· May 13
Spotted this land cruiser today. Tasteful lift and suspension. Pretty clever small trailer system. Seems like a really practical way to transport gear. Certainly better than overpacking and overloading the roof rack. Frees up a lot more cargo space. Thinking about trying to build one of these or find one at a reasonable price.
· May 12
A rare Rudge-Whitworth Canoe Sidecar from the 1920s. Produced between 1925 and 1927, this unusual accessory was designed to transport a 14-foot canoe alongside a motorcycle.
· May 12
Had a great week at the Rolls Royce Owners Club National event in Palm Springs. Great city, wonderful weather, and a fun program. There were 150 cars in the field. I didn’t take many photos, but here are a few……..enjoy.
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· May 12
What’s more frightening? The Lucas ignition module or the bare, twisted together wires leading to it. I think we’ll get this one in and out asap, while the shop is still standing.
· May 12
Known for his love of automobiles, Clark Gable had a taste for rare and luxurious machines. Over the years, his collection featured marques like Duesenberg, Packard, Cadillac, Jaguar, and Mercedes-Benz. Among his most notable cars were three Mercedes 300 models: a 300 SL Gullwing, a 300 SL Roadster, and a 300 SC. The 300 SC was especially prized by Gable, who was famously reluctant to let anyone else get behind the wheel.
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· May 12
When I was in HS my dad had this exact car that he had bought as a parts car for my Mom's XK140 not realizing that most of the parts don't interchange. As a freshman in HS i dreamed of fixing it up and using it as my HS car. Except my dad's car was not quite as "nice" as this one. These are FANTASTIC cars to drive and parts are still readily available. They were intended for the American market and a lot were sold here. This was is practically free at 15k. 😂

https://app.rumbleseat.com/admin/marketplace/listing/2700869
New forum topic posted to Doble Society
· May 11

Progress on the cylinder work

The cylinders are really complicated castings, very expensive to make and a mistake is even more expensive. This series cylinders A-1-329/330 are the highest production part number we have found and was introduced on the D-C-7 engine, We are using the D-C-8 variant which appears to be the best configuration. However the D-C-8 had 1.5" valve travel and the previous model had 1.25" travel........ was this difference made up in the dimensions of the valve relative to the ports..... or was there another block.....E23 had earlier blocks with absolutely no facility to blow them through to warm up and unsurprisingly these blocks had a lot of welding repairs.
Shown in the images is the scan, the model drawn from the scan , the cores and finally finish allowance for machining added to the model.
Now I just have to be confident this is the correct block....... more coffee needed
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New forum topic posted to Chandler Motor Car Club
· May 10

Chandler-Cleveland Factory History

From what I’ve read, Chandler had two factories in Cleveland. One was on E. 131st Street and the other was on Euclid Avenue.  Am I correct in saying that Chandlers were built in the E. 131st Street and the Cleveland factory was on Euclid Avenue? A mid-20’s illustration is captioned as being specifically Cleveland. Would this factory have sat idle after they discontinued the Cleveland brand?

I also have two identical illustrations of the Euclid Avenue factory from after the Hupp purchase. The captions regarding its use change though. In 1931, it would have been used for building model S and L Hupmobiles. By 1933, it was being used as a body plant for the cycle-fender and early aerodynamic cars. That arrangement was costing them way too much money so they closed it in the fall of 1934. Body production moved over to Hayes and this would mark the end of automotive manufacturing at that site. Is there any other history known on either factory site?
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· May 10
In trying to do some research on cars shown at the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance, I stumbled on a list of Best of Show winners since the Inauguration of the show. Maybe I'm the last one to know, but It took me back to see the perspective of what might have been "highly esteemed" decades ago. For Example, in 1953 the best of show winner was a brand new Austin Healey 100-4. A $2,995 new car.

In the first five years of the event, new cars were taking home the trophy.

1950
1950 Edwards R-26 Special Sport Roadster
Sterling Edwards

1951
1951 Jaguar Mark VII Saloon
Mrs. Charles H. Hornberg Jr.

1952
1952 Jaguar XK120 Fixed Head Coupé
Glen Sorey

1953
1953 Austin Healey 100 Roadster
Peter Clowes

1954
1952 Jaguar XK120 Fixed Head Coupé
Barclay Cotter

The cars we might associate as having an opportunity to win today: Mercedes-Benz 540K Special Roadster, Duesenberg, Alfa Romeo and Bugattis from the 1930's, Isotta Fraschini, Hispano-Suiza, Rolls Royce Silver Ghosts, Phantom l and ll, etc.....they were all out there, but apparently that wasn't where the focus of the Concours was at that time.

I try to remove my own bias in this, because I love the prewar American grand stuff and designs from Europe in those early years. Perhaps it was the Board that governed the event initially and the Board turned over to some strong personalities who took the event in a different direction. I had never looked before at the early years and what was winning Best of show.

I did find it interesting that the first winner to take things back to the classic era was in 1950 with Phil Hill bringing a 1931 Pierce-Arrow 41 LeBaron Town Cabriolet.

I can understand the politics of an event like this, the off the record conversations, pressure to allow or deny certain individuals and cars..........

I've had a few conversations with guys who regularly go to Pebble Beach and know the spoken ( and unspoken) rules, guidelines and expectations. They've told me they feel things changing again in subtle ways.

What car out there would some of you like to see be considered for Best of Show that maybe doesn't fit the formula or expectation of the last 30 years.......?
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