Hello HAMBers, I'm Charles. I'm 21 and have had an account since 2018, but never posted because I didn't have much to say--no car. (Was thinking about a 1949 Plymouth Deluxe 6-cylinder but the family didn't want me taking apart "an old beater like that" in the front yard.) My favorite antiques are windup Victrolas. I have some going back to 1909. At one point I had a 1904 Edison Standard but it never was quite the performer of some of the later offerings, and I was always worried putting those fragile wax cylinders on it that they would break. My favorites are my 1928-'35 Columbia from England, and my 1909 Victor. The Victor had to be mechanically rebuilt but had not been used very much. Someone had stored it away since probably the 1920s and it still is a very pretty record player that I use quite a lot for my ragtime & jazz records. Right now I'm working on a degree in English, not anything with wheels--but I am moving away from home soon & am thinking that my first car will be something OLD--like pre-1950 old--as a replacement for the old 1996 Corolla I've been driving. The Corolla is a blast to drive and I absolutely love the gas mileage and the simplicity of it--but I wanted a Model T ever since I read Floyd Clymer's Wonderful Old Automobiles when I was six or seven, or something old. I like cars with old flat-head engines, crank start optional, that sound like happy typewriters. As far as antiques I do like--I've already mentioned the record players, but I also enjoy using & fixing oddball stuff more fit for "The Antiquated" forum. I like fixing prewar typewriters, electric fans, telephones, tons of old junk like that, and I have a few old radios. I was listening to ZZ Top on a 1929 A****er Kent 46 the other day--loud enough to rattle windows. Tube radios sound pretty cool, I think. Never had a smart phone, never will--I like old stuff and I cannot lie. That's all there is, there ain't no more, as Wendell Hall used to say.
An excellent intro and I see that you filled out a profile page! You do not need a period car to participate. One of our highly honored greybeards has been rumored to not have a running car. He could certainly talk the talk but only walked. That is OK as he had a lot of knowledge and shared it. You are on a good path. Welcome to the HAMB.
Any one that fills out the intro and likes old junk is OK by me. Keep playing with your antiques and keep up the search for an old car, you will be hooked for life. Stay greasy my friend
Thanks guys! I'm moving to Connecticut sometime soon to study there. One of the reasons I'm curious about the H.A.M.B. is because old cars are pretty simple & straightforward, and I probably won't have a garage. If I have an old car it will have to be something that can be: 1) put together in a driveway or under a tree 2) mended on the side of the road 3) everything from tire changes to freshening the engine done at home 4) 6 volt ignition, emergency started by pushing or hand-cranking in case of dead battery. So that leaves me looking at a ton of prewar stuff left pretty much stock...but I have no qualms about stuffing a Warford auxiliary and high-compression heads, say, into a Model T. Speed parts are pretty neat, and I enjoy seeing all the 4-cyl. hotrods on here almost as much as I like seeing restored originals.
Hi & welcome. I have a 1950 Plymouth Deluxe and they are not hard to work on & most parts are easily avalible. It rns and drives very well as we overhauled the flathead 6 last year. Have not drove it lately because none of the gauges were working. Just got a set of them in and should get them in next weekend and back on the road it goes. What does the old Plymouth really need to get it running safely? If you limit your work to just one job or problem at a tie you will not have so much torn down. Once you get it running and driving you options get much better. You mention a Ford model T. They are still avalible but the Model A is many times more avalible that the T. Parts are not hard to find for the A's. Should you choose that Plymouth I am including a couple of parts sources here. Good luck, Jimmie www.kanter.com or www.robertsmotorparts.com Both have online stores and paper catalogs.
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