WANTED Singer Car Owners Information

[BRG]

WANTED Singer Car Owners Information


Singer owners. I am the Treasurer , 4AD registrar and keeper of Singer auto numbers for NASOC. I am compiling a list of all Singer vehicles still in existence. I would like all who own a Singer (s) to contact me with information on their car (s). I will keep personal information confidential if requested. I thank you for your time in this endeavor. I have currently 300 cars in the database.
David Green
nasocdave@msn.com

[Motown Singer]

Hello to all...

Last month my wife and acquired a 1953 4AD from Tom Schwendemann, of Berea OH. The car is #2138, and had been in the Cleveland area for quite some time.

Originally red, it was painted British Racing Green sometime in the 1970s. It sports the original engine, transmission and rear axle. Wheels are cream, wearing a nice set of Excelsior 5.25 x 16 bias plys. The interior was redone - not sure when -in black vinyl with white piping. A nice black canvas tip is present, with original side curtains. The tonneau is missing, so I'll be looking for a pattern to replicate.

When Tom purchased the car from James Brill of Berea OH, it had been sitting for many years. Art Brow, a legend in the upper midwest for having raced at Put-In-Bay in the 1950's, resurrected the Singer for Tom.

He did:

Front brake shoes, cylinders & fluid flush
Rear brake adjustment
Repaired clutch lever mechanism, with odd Toyota parts.
Flushed, sealed and repaired the fuel tank with a Super Beetle neck & cap
Changed all fluids
Tune up

Our only issues are a missing transmission tunnel, inoperative semaphore indicators, and a mild drip from the differential.

We think that the odometer could have been zeroed, purportedly after a 1970s engine rebuild. It's either that, or 104,000 miles. At some point in the Singer's life, it was converted to 12V negative ground.

The car features a working "period" tachometer, which appears to be a nautical component.

The car is running, insured, vintage liscensed and on the road.

The plan is to drive, enjoy and preserve as the car's nicely aged patina is very appealing.

I'm a writer at Ford Motor Company and my wife is a librarian at Automotive News.

We look forward to new friendships, and many happy Singer miles.

Keith & Corinne (CoCo) Price
Ferndale, Michigan

[BRG]

Keith & Corinne,

Welcome to the forum. Thanks for the info on Tom selling the 4AD. The tunnel cover was made out of rubber and most of them have deteriorated away. Bill Haverly in England may have this item remade in fiberglass. Have fun driving your Singer!
BRG

[Peter McKercher]

By the way Keith, you may be aware of the Mad Dogs and Englishmen car show in Kalamazoo. It's held every July around the 2nd weekend and has a growing Singer component thanks to the efforts of NASOC member Dave Norton in Saline.

[Motown Singer]

We'll be there in 2010.

Between fixing the semaphores and shopping for Castol LMA, Singer weather is slipping quickly.

[Peter McKercher]

Excellent. You will be well received. You may want to check the video of their show last year at http://www.maddogsandenglishmen.org/md_ ... _video.php It doesn't catch any of the Singers on display, but it sure looks like a nice show.

[Motown Singer]

The weather cooperated yesterday, so I snapped some pictures to share.

Motown Singer

[BRG]

Nice looking Singer!
BRG

[Paul Bouchard]

Hi Keith and Coco,

Welcome! Michigan has been a hotbed for Singers lately. In 2007 we had the most Singers in at one show in a recent times with 10 cars, tied with Stowe 2006 and 2009.

I am sure that Mad Dogs & Englishmen 2010 will be up there too.

For fun, here are some links to the posts in this board for both the 2007 & 2008 events:
http://www.singercars.com/phpbb/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=251
http://www.singercars.com/phpbb/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=431

A good time was had by all, although for the nut in the white suit (photo from the 2007 event) the 100+ weather almost did him in. Ok, that was me, and I learned my lesson for the next time!

The gearbox cover is notorius for melting away. Mine did too and I replaced it with a Bill Haverly fibreglass replacement. Looks the part, and keeps the nasty road and engine muck from splattering in the passenger compartment, and that is what counts!

Enjoy the ride, our weather up here in Canada (Quebec) is slowly going south, so the Singers will be settling in their garages soon.

Paul

[William Howerth]

I bought three engine blocks from Paul Barber two weekends ago down in Georgia.
4AD 1504V
4AD 1320V
4AD 1559V

I intend on using the first one for my car and sell the other two.

To complete my engine build I need a set of 10 under main bearings, do you know where I can get any?

[Phillip]

Keith & CoCo..

Look forward to seeing you and your Singer at the Mad Dogs this year!

I'm hoping to be there too. The Gilmore museum is a really nice venue.

Cheers,
Phillip

[dgabier]

Hello all,

Just posting to register my information. I have a 1934 Nine Le Mans here in New Bern, NC. The ID plates that are supposed to be on the front of the bulkhead in the engine compartment are not. My father and I did a restoration in the late 70's and the bulkhead sheet metal was replaced so the tags might have been lost at that time. However, the number on the front axle is 61463. Chassis number on frame up front appears to be 10438A/3. Engine block stamped 6433, gearbox 12912X1 and rear axle is 62557. Not sure which, if any, is the car number or body number. English license plate # is ANU 965.

My father got this car and 3 other pre-war Singers (2 other Le Mans and a Special Speed if I recall) in Austin, TX during the mid-70's. At the time he also purchased a 1910 Maxwell! All the other cars have since been sold, but I convinced my parents to hold on to this one until I had the time and resources to restore it again. The car was drivable into the late 1980's and has been sitting in a garage since then. It is in pretty good shape, but I will need some guidance on how to get her back into driving shape again. Gas was left in the tank, which has long since lacquered. I no longer have a crank to see if the engine turns easily. I'm getting some local advice, but I presume the place to start is with the engine. Could use some advice regarding where to get new headlight lenses. Also, the tires are rotted. Sounds like Dunlop tires are what most use, but was wondering what the opinion re: 450-18 COKER CLASSIC CYCLE DIAMOND TREAD BLACKWALL TIREs is as they are much less expensive. Also, the car is entirely ivory color now. Is that an original scheme or were the fenders always a different contrast color? Enough for now....

Thanks,
Dan Gabier

[dgabier]

The car as it was in the '70s

Singer003_2.jpg (57.66 KiB) Viewed 225539 times

Current engine shot.

100_1446_2.jpg (141.11 KiB) Viewed 225537 times

The car as it is today.

[Peter McKercher]

Dan Looks like you have a great basis for a restoration. Very nice looking car. You're also in good company as several of us are in the throes of restoring pre war cars, including myself. I have a fully restored '34 Nine Sports and am doing a ground up restoration of a '34 Le Mans. Any interior shots?

[mikeyr]

What a beauty...WOW ! (Great shot of the rear fender hanging down about 1" or so, perfectly shows where mine should and WILL be (different post from me in the pre-war forum))

For the motor, I would change the oil, pull the plugs and pour some oil down the cylinders and let it sit. Then put the car in gear and slowly roll it forward to see if the motor turns over, that way the cylinders will be well lubed and you wont need the starting handle. You can get a starting handle from the UK or make one, they are very easy to make. The only issue with the oil in the cylinders will be the smoke when you start the car and possible plug fouling but its worth it to save your cylinders.

More details and more pictures please... For the ongoing discussions you should start a new thread in the Pre-War section but as long as pictures are posted I wont mind if its here, this area is more for finding new owners like you.

Another 34 surfaces !!! YES YES !!!!