[dinger]

Originally Posted by Dave57210

the Studebaker Rockne?

You got it. Wikipedia has some interesting facts about this, Knute died shortly after production started.

It's your floor.

[Dave57210]

Just through sheer coincidence a close friend of mine has a Studebaker Rockne, so I knew a bit of its history, hence my wild guess. My buddy's now sports a few mods like an LT-1 and a 4 gear Muncie, but is totally-stock looking - right down to the front-fender-mounted spare tires.

I'll be back in a couple of minutes with a new challenge to pose for the world of hotrodders...... (As soon as I think up a good one!)

[Dave57210]

Who invented the first gas turbine engine and when?

[61bone]

Leonardo Da Vinci back about 1200 ad

[Dave57210]

I guess I should have asked "who got the first patent"

Anyway, Da Vinci (circa 1500) was not even the first!

I guess I should have been more clear in my Question - so, now we are into 2 separte ones (I didn't intend this to happen!)
1) "who WAS first" (pre- Leonardo Da Vinci) and
2) who (& when) got the first patent for the first "true" gas turbine?

[Dave57210]

I may be a while before I can check on this again - it is gettin' late here and I have to be up at 5:00 AM to get to work. AND I have a meeting of the Fifty 5-6-7 Club tomorrow eve, so I may not get back to this in any timely manner!

[Irelands child]

Hero (way back Greek guy) made a STEAM turbine. That wasn't really a gas turbine as a GT is an internal combustion engine by today's definition http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hero_of_Alexandria.

Frank Whittle developed the first real gas turbine - for a jet plane (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frank_Whittle) though it wasn't really used by the Brits. Germany flew the first combat jets, the ME262.

GE developed the first commercially power gen unit for Oklahoma G&E in 1948. That GT is sitting now at a GE lab in Schenectady, NY (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gas_turbine). I'm a 30 year alumnus of that GE division

Dave W

(Sorry about the Wiki articles, but they are included for reference reading)

[Dave57210]

OK - You got it. What I was really looking for was John Barber's patent of 1791 for a gas turbine designed to move a vehicle, but you did the same research I did, so I'll give the floor to you .

The da Vinci one (circa 1500) was a set of blades in a chimney designed to spin and use the motion to move other stuff (like a spit for cooking things)

Take it away Ireland's Child!

[Irelands child]

Sigh. Why do I do this to myself???

Gotta have an easy one for a change.

Ford used two outside body manufacturers for many of their Model A sedans.
1. What are those manufacturer's names?
2. What is the easy way to tell the bodies apart besides the firewall plates?
3. What makes a '31 Slant WS different ?

Dave W

[MARTINSR]

No Google here, Briggs and Murry. Murry built the bodies without a visor. And a slanted windshield. The only bodies they made were Victoria and Fordor.

Brian

[Irelands child]

Originally Posted by MARTINSR

No Google here, Briggs and Murry. Murry built the bodies without a visor. And a slanted windshield. The only bodies they made were Victoria and Fordor.

Brian

Well - partially right.

Both Briggs and Murray made 2 and fordors and both had a sun visor - that is all but the 160A, B or C Slant Windshield Fordor and the 190A Victoria.

What makes the S/W Fordor interesting is that it's the precursor to the '32 in that many construction features were carried over.

Brian - like horse shoes and hand grenades, close enough wins the coveted "you're next".

Dave W

[Dave57210]

Having owned a '28 Briggs-Body 4door (or "Fordor" as they were called)
the most obvious differences between a Murray-bodied 4 dr and a Briggs 4dr was from the side.

The Briggs had square-topped doors and had a "blind-back" C-Pillar, while the Murray-bodied 4 dr had arch-topped doors and an extra window in the C-Pillars.

Made life REALLY interesting for judging in purest restoration classes in that my Canadian - built Briggs came with a red steering wheel like the very early (US) Models A's, but with a center-mounted emergency brake like the later 28's. The Canadian-built ones also had Robertson screws on all the trim and moldings, while all the US-built ones all had Phillips-head screws

And no, you DO NOT wanna get involved in finding the wood kits for a Briggs-built (Canadian) '28! (All wooden substructure in all Models A's, but when you have a relatively rare version......)

[MARTINSR]

Originally Posted by Irelands child

Brian - like horse shoes and hand grenades, close enough wins the coveted "you're next".

Dave W

Ok, you have a pair of headlamp assemblies, one from a 1963 and one from a 1964 Corvette, how do you tell them apart?

Brian

[Irelands child]

Originally Posted by Dave57210

(All wooden substructure in all Models A's, but when you have a relatively rare version......)

All but the slant windshield - where it was steel - like '32's

Canadian versions are tough - you can only hope that you have enough wood left for patterns. Then there are the NZ and Aust versions with right hand drive as well as other countries.

Until you get involved with Model A's, you have no idea how many subtle differences there are between models and even date of manufacture

Dave W

[61bone]

As I remember, the 63 had a chrome trim ring while the 64 had a body color one.