Unlikely racer, Nash Ambassador

 

Nash Ambasador. Finished 30th  in the 1950 Carrera Panamericana Mexico. More here. 

Modelcarsmag.com

Monday Mystery, I can't read this!

 Looks like a farm implement wrench of some sort, but although I can pick out a few letters, I have no idea what it says.  In fact, maybe it's upside down!

Originally based in East Farnham, W.F. Vilas moved its facilities to Cowansville in 1893 to facilitate the transportation of its goods by rail. Once established, the company added school desks to its production of agricultural implements. Within a few decades, Vilas’ school desks met the needs of 50% of schools in Canada. During the 1  930s, when the population was fascinated by objects from the past, Vilas began manufacturing colonial-style solid maple furniture. The company’s reputation reached its peak in 1967 when a dining room set from its Le Moyne collection, inspired by the 18th century, was presented in the “Man and His Wortld” pavilion at the World’s Fair Terres des Hommes in Montreal. The factory ceased operations in 1980.  Translated from the City of Cowanville website.

Taylor floating dairy thermometer

Absolutely necessary for the big milk tank on the old family dairy farm...

Sidecar Sunday

 Graham Milton and Mary Wakefield working hard in a section at the 1961 Vic Brittain Trial. Must have been a good team, the pair later married...

Knox Radio Lightning arrester

No one makes anything like this anymore,  lightning must have been a bgger problem back then.

 

Whaleback cargo ships

Jacques Lessstrang, Lake Carriers, Salisbury Press, 1977

   The whaleback was a lake boat design by James McDougal, designed as bulk cargo carriers on the Great Lakes. The design had a rounded deck that blended in from the sides and ends of the boat, intended to slip through the water more easily, carrying larger loads with less draft. The hatches were sealed in order to allow heavy seas to pass over the boat with minimal effect. The first were launched in 1887 as towed barges and powered versions were built starting in 1890.  A total of 43 were built and a number left the lakes for a salt water career.  One example remains, the SS Meteor (bottom) which was in service until 1969 and has been preseved as a museum ship in Superior Wisconsin.
 

Ring wrench

At first glance this dull metal-coloured tool looked like it might be some special cast aluminum something. The serrated hole was maybe 2 1/2 inches diameter...but no. Disappointingly, it was a false alarm, just a cheapo pressed steel oil filter wrench... using the rough edges of the pressed edge to advantage.. Probably quite effective.

 Compare to this wrench.

 

Let 'em eat steak... 1976

As a young man just out of highschool in 1976, I was making $4 an hour...

 

Cars in the 'hood, Karman Ghia

 

Hope it has a nice warm garage for the winter!

photos by Kate...

Victory Glass Co. Glass Dreadnaught

About four inches long, this apparently was a candy container from the early 20th century. It was sold as a novelty, filled with candy with a piece of cardboard glued to the bottom as a lid.

 There are a number of styles of these containers, all sorts of objects to appeal to a wide range of interests.

 

Bridgeport Boyscout hatchet

Nice tool with one piece head and handle with a riveted wooden handle. I found a complete history here. 

Car-Skin autocare

This seems to be a auto care product company around in the fifties and sixties. Not much more online...

 

Monday Mystery 2. Grille

I don't recognize the logo, a 8 pointed star above a running dog, wolf? horse? The grill is long and narrow, probably 2 1/2 feet long. Wonder what it is from?

 And... solved! Apparently a 1940 Cadillac Lasalle. Quite an impressive front end. (Thanks! to the guys in the comments)

Monday Mystery leatherworking tool?

Might be a leatherworking tool to mark out parallel lines of stitches? I don't know. Thoughts?

 

We used to make things in this country; #368 Londontoy

 Londontoy was a part of Webster Air Products of London Ontario. Previous post here. The company was started to build air compressors, spray guns and associated equipment, but during WW2, they opened a subsidiary to make diecast toy cars, trucks etc. Another site attributed this to the restrictions on imports of non-essential items during the war which included children's toys. Webster was doing a lot of zinc die casting and the toys were a good use for the scrap. Londontoy lasted till 1949.

 This airplane No 11 is identified as a Hawker Hurricane which is clearly not. Any guesses to what it actually is? 

 A bit of regret... I found this today at an antique fair and did not buy it but now I feel as though I have to collect the whole set! But it was $30....

Sidecar Sunday

We found this 1913 catalog for the Compeer Motor Carriage Co. on the LiveAuctioneers website. I'm not familiar with the company but it looks like a must-have for any sidecar history fan. 

 

 

Bemis & Call wrench adjustable wrench

Another tool you don't buy because its going to be useful.

Before and after

 I did a double take when I saw this. No way someone would have built a bridge to hoist an old Peter Witt streetcar up on a bridge... That's well done...

The brief.

Cast aluminum bucket opener

Just found this at an antique market. Looks like a pretty clever device but it looked pretty familiar. It looks like a copy of one of the first projects I worked on after I graduated from design school in 1990.  Previous post here.

 I just gotta wonder, the text "patent  35920" leads me nowhere.

 

Edmund Fitzgerald

 You know the song.... Gordon Lightfoot.

Wood chamfering bit

This unidentified old bit was identified in the store as a chamfering bit.  The shank is 5/8" inch diameter so it must have been intended for a heavy machine. It's probably more appreciated these days for its sculptural qualities.

Georges Irat roadster

W. Boddy, Continental Sports Cars,  G.T. Foulis, 1951

  Georges Irat was a French automaker who introduced his first model in 1921. The company seems to have been a very low production manufacturer first making luxury cars, but also smaller sporty cars as they worked to survive the depression, This particular 3 seat model was introduced in 1938, being based around the front wheel drive Citroen powertrain. The car also featured four wheel independent suspension utilizing rubber bands for suspension. It was designed as a lower-cost sports car to compete with MGs and similar. Unfortunately production was ended by the outbreak of the war and only about two hundred were built. Nice looking little car.

 More pictures of the car here.

We still make things in this country, Brown Boggs

Brown Boggs was founded in 1890 in Hamilton, Ontario to manufacture sheet metal equipment. The factory moved around the area, building new factories as needed as business increased, and operated their own foundry until 1986. 

In 2006, after a decade in Ancaster, they moved to Toronto where they continue to manufacture heavy machinery, including shears, press brakes, hand brakes, roll formers, and various presses. 

More here.

  Company site here.

 

Heineken factory, Amsterdam

 Heineken Brewery (1924-26) in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, by Bert Ouëndag. It's now the Heinekin Experience.