JoJo Christy finally has her 1973 Tradesman van back after three months in the shop. It broke down before the Burbank Textile & Clothing Show, which should not be interpreted as an omen. Reports are that several dealers made it to the show with their cars intact. ”The rear end went out,” she said. The mechanic spent most of the time looking for replacement parts for her old classic.
Category Archives: Transportation
Patris' '56 T-Bird takes home Best in Class at its first car show since restoration
The leading authority on Mt. Lowe, Michael Patris, has now made a name for himself in the world of classic cars. His recently restored peacock turquoise and Colonial white 1956 Thunderbird won first place in a car show on September 19th.It won First Place, Best in Class, 1950-1959 Modified Vehicles, according to Patris. The car that belonged to his father remained in storage for years. ”There were nearly 500 vehicles total and who know how many in our class,” said Patris. “We had a great time, and it is always nice to be recognized for the immense amount of work that it takes to put a car like this back together.” The car is finished in its original colors, but he did make some improvements in the name of safety and luxury. He upgraded the brakes to front wheel disc instead of drum. Air conditioning has been added as well as a 10 disc CD changer in the trunk. The original 312 V8 engine and automatic transmission were rebuilt. ”Everything has been restored…every nut, bolt, piece of glass and chrome, as well as the upholstery,” he said. Patris is best known for being an advocate for Mt. Lowe and is the president of the Mt. Lowe Preservation Society. In 2007, he completed the first in a three book series dedicated to the now-defunct railway in the San Gabriel Mountains. Entitled
Mt. Lowe collector fixes up father's car
After two years in the shop, the Peacock turquoise and Colonial white 1956 Thunderbird got its first taste of gravel thanks to Mt. Lowe enthusiast Michael Patris.The rubber met the road for the first time in a long time on July 2nd. Patris, founder of the Mt. Lowe Society and an author of a book on the subject, had a special attachment to the one-owner car; the one owner was his father. ”I last drove the car in high school on three or four occasions and after 1978 it sat dormant until I began to look after my father and his affairs three years ago,” he said. Patris left it with the customizations his father had made to it before he was born. ”In one photo, my mom is eight months pregnant with me in December 1959,” he said. “Following my birth not much was done to the car and it was my mom’s driver as well as the car I came home in from the hospital.” The car is finished in its original colors, but he did make some improvements in the name of safety and luxury. He upgraded the brakes to front wheel disc instead of drum. Air conditioning has been added as well as a 10 disc CD changer in the trunk. The original 312 V8 engine and automatic transmission were rebuilt. ”Everything has been restored…every nut, bolt, piece of glass and chrome, as well as the upholstery,” he said. 1956 Ford Thunderbird The 1956 was the rarest of the classic thunderbirds, with a production totaling only 15,631. Patris’ was top of the line, featuring the portholes, which were offered for better visibility, but went on to become one of the more distinctive features of the Thunderbird. Other design changes from 1955 to 1956 included the relocation of the spare tire from the trunk to the exterior of the car right above the newly extended bumper. The most important last minute “improvement” was the addition of the optional 312 CIV V-8 engine, which gave this second edition of the Thunderbird increased performance and more of a sport’s car feel. The 1956 Thunderbird also saw and increase in price with the hardtop now selling for $2,944 and the convertible selling for $3,019. With options, like the ones Patris’ father selected, the price jumped all the way to $3,800. The classic two-seater Thunderbird was only sold for three years, 1955-1957, making this car a true gem indeed. When the rubber meets the rail The car that traveled up the Mt. Lowe Incline Patris’ heart is never far from his true passion: Mt. Lowe. When he wasn’t overseeing the restoration of his father’s 1956 Thunderbird, he was busy acquiring a different type of car for the Mt. Lowe Preservation Society
Forced to take his wife's station wagon
Zac’s Attic owner Dave McPheeters was forced to rough it after his 2000 Dodge Grand Caravan “Town & Country” left him stranded on the way to the Long Beach Special Show on May 31st.”I lost my power steering, the engine lights were going on and it started ringing,” he said. He was only two miles away from his house in San Diego when his van started acting up. But this wasn’t going to stop the determined dealer from making it to the show. He let it cool down for a few minutes and then courageously took surface streets all the way home so that he could swap vehicles. ”I transferred as much merchandise as I could from my van to my wife’s car,” he said. Unfortunately, he was forced to leave about two-thirds of his inventory behind.
Brereton's futuristic illustrations tell tales of travel fantasy
As always, Streamline Illustrations proprietor Leo Brereton dazzled with his futuristic prototype drawings of transportation. However, they were not all fantasy drawings at the Los Angeles Modernism Show.He offered a presentation calendar for the Standard Oil Company that may have actually been printed. Very Deco in style, with streamlined, speeding car, zephyr train, oil tanker, and airplane, only one thing was missing
Eldridge No longer high on the hog
After his pacemaker was installed, Sir Al Eldridge was forbidden to ride high on the hog. He had been riding Harleys, Yamahas, and Hondas since he was 16 years old, but doctors told him that if his pacemaker fired while he was riding his motorcycle, he would be instantly killed. The Los Angeles Pottery Show marked the sad one-year anniversary of the end of his Hell’s Angel days. His wife, Elaine, misses the days on the back of his Yamaha Venture as his hog mamma.
Model T milestone
The Ford Model T, the first mass-produced vehicle, is celebrating its 100th birthday this year.The Model T was officially born on October 1, 1908, when the first model was built for sale. By the model’s demise in 1927, more than 15 million Model Ts were built. It was the first affordable, mass-produced automobile with interchangeable parts. Power came from a four-cylinder engine, rated at 20 horsepower, gracing the 1,200-pound vehicle with a 45 mph top speed and a fuel economy between 13 and 21 miles per gallon. Colloquially known as the “Tin Lizzie,” the Model T became the first “affordable” car mostly because of Henry Ford’s innovations, which included assembly line production instead of individual hand crafting. He paid workers $5 a day, which in the ‘teens, was a spectacular wage ($2.25 was considered a good wage). It not only ensured him a supply of eager workers, but bred a reliable customer base. The $5-a-day wage was the first attempt at social engineering by a capitalist. Not everyone received the additional wage, and those who did received about half pay and half bonus. Those recipients, many of who were immigrants, were under the scrutiny of the Socialization Organization that would visit the employees’ homes to ensure that they were doing things the American way. They were supposed to avoid social ills such as gambling and drinking, and they were forced to learn English. The standard 5-seat open tourer of 1909 cost about $850, when competing cars cost between $2,000 and $3,000. In 1913, the priced dropped to $550, and $440 in 1915. Sales were 69,762 in 1911, 170,211 in 1912, 202,667 in 1913, and continued to climb all the way to more than 500,000 in 1915. In 1914, an assembly line worker could buy a Model T with four months’ pay. Today, a person would have to earn $7,500 a month to buy a mid-range new car in a four month period. Because there were so many Model T’s on the road (half of all the vehicles in 1918), businesses were created with the car in mind and roads were constructed for traveling from business to business and place to place. Prior to the Model T, cars were unreliable and the elite in society took them out for Sunday drives on bad roads. The Model T did for the automotive industry what the Eastman Brownie camera, and the Apple II did for the photographic and computer worlds, respectively. It brought a contraption, which was once only available to the wealthiest in society, to the average person. The Brownie The Brownie popularized low-cost photography and introduced the concept of a snapshot. The first Brownie, introduced in February, 1900. was a very basic cardboard box camera with a simple lens that took 2 1/4″ square pictures on 117 roll film. With its simple controls and initial price of $1, it was intended to be a camera that anyone could afford and use. Prior to Eastman-Kodak’s creation of the Brownie, there were only professional photographers using large format cameras, expensive loading equipment and a single sheet of film per shot. The Brownie came pre-loaded, and once the user snapped all of their photographs, they turned it back in to the seller for a brand new, fully-loaded Brownie. Apple II The Apple II series was the first mass produced microcomputer manufactured by Apple Computer in 1977. It was the first practical personal computer on the market and was marketed to housewives for adding their recipes, and children for playing primitive computer games. Prior to the introduction of Steve Job’s creation, computers were giant and unreliable mainframes used by large businesses. They cost hundreds of thousands of dollars and they had names like Univac and Eniac. It was not until the Apple II that families saw any need for a computer at home and could purchase one for $1,298 for 4K RAM up to $2,638 for 48K RAM.
folk art plane
A folk art plane flew from Western France to the space of Coco at the Rose Bowl. Priced at $125, the whimsical plane was crafted of wood and zinc.
trains picking up steam
With the recent Metrolink train wrecks, items relating to trains, even older locomotives, have picked up steam at many of the antique stores and outdoor shows. At the Rose Bowl, dealer Justin Price offered a 1980s poster he found at a Pasadena Salvation Army of the train at Knott’s Berry Farm. Before Walter Knott christened his Calico Railroad in 1952, Ghost Town
Transportation
Len Aaron of Santa Monica offers modern replicas of vintage vehicles from as early as World War I for $45 each a the Rose Bowl. The vehicles range from an English double decker bus, Volkswagons, World War I bi-planes and tri-planes. Although these aren’t pricey originals, they are great decorative items for car and aviation enthusiasts.
