914Driver
914Driver MegaDork
3/13/25 4:31 p.m.

Really a Model A.  But for $1600 and a little time with a Rootlieb Catalog, and you have a nice go for ice cream car.  =~ )

ShawnG
ShawnG MegaDork
3/13/25 5:23 p.m.

Cheap as chips. Why isn't it in your garage now?

Woody (Forum Supportum)
Woody (Forum Supportum) MegaDork
3/13/25 5:57 p.m.

Wow, it's too bad that thing is all the way up in Rochester. There's a lot of interesting stuff to see in just two photos.

It looks like someone may have been chopping that down to make a Doodlebug. It has '35 wire wheels on it, which was a desirable upgrade back in the day.

That Gordon Smith cylinder head converts two of the cylinders into an air compressor. They were popular with miners and contractors. You could drive your Model A to the job site on the other two cylinders and then leave the engine running to make compressed air to operate your air tools. 


That horse weathervane might even be worth more than he's asking for the car.

 

Woody (Forum Supportum)
Woody (Forum Supportum) MegaDork
3/13/25 6:13 p.m.

It also looks like it has a checkerboard firewall too!

APEowner
APEowner UltraDork
3/13/25 7:02 p.m.

In reply to Woody (Forum Supportum) :

Thanks Woody.  I was wondering what the heck that head was.

Woody (Forum Supportum)
Woody (Forum Supportum) MegaDork
3/13/25 7:12 p.m.

In reply to APEowner :

https://www.maffi.org/DisplayPages/1930GordonSmithCompressor.pdf


The car in the original post may just be the front half of a Model A that was being converted to a towable compressor.

914Driver
914Driver MegaDork
3/14/25 7:26 a.m.

My sister dated a guy once that raced these.  He said they cut the crank in half, rotated it and welded it back together making a large two cylinder engine.

BTW:  This is a Speedster.  With no aftermarket available, they added lightness.  Always wanted to build an ALF Speedster.

ShawnG
ShawnG MegaDork
3/14/25 9:23 a.m.

I love it but the E&J Headlights never did anything for me.

They look like a stuffed olive.

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