While there has been a light trickle of Bantam items on ebay lately, I haven’t had a chance to cover every particular item.  I try to keep the blog up to date, but sometimes generating the ebay links takes more time than I can dedicate, especially with how slow my computer is at times.  Here are a few of the temptations awaiting you beyond the click:

1930 American Austin Roadster toy

Personally, I think this toy is cool.  Just like the real cars, the toy coupes seem to be more plentiful.  It makes me wonder if they only made 1500 of the toys as well.  The only thing I don’t like about this is that the toy cost not only more than one of these roadsters cost new, but also more than a recent roadster project which sold through the club!  (If you’re reading this and you’re not a member of either club, you should join.  Great classifieds!)

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Click here to see the item: Austin Toy

1939-1940 American Bantam emblem

Please note that this is an original badge that has had both of its original mounting studs broken off and the enamel is badly damaged.  You may want to look into your restoration options before purchasing.  Also, on emblem restoration, look forward to part I of a badge restoration nightmare story.

Click here to see the item: American Bantam Emblem

1938-1940 American Bantam Hubcaps

Here is a nice set of driver hubcaps.  You can see the issues in the photos, but they are overall nice hubcaps which add a little delight to your ride.

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Click here to see the item: American Bantam Hub Caps

1981 Magazine

I don’t believe I’ve seen this magazine for sale before.  It’s interesting to have a historical perspective of our hobby.

Click here to see the item:Magazine 1981

For many car enthusiasts, the act of restoration is one of the greatest parts of owning an antique car.  The ability to connect with your vehicle on an almost molecular level can create a bond between person and machine as well as imbue you with a terrific sense of pride.  To be able to take a car that has been long forgotten or neglected and return it to the road is one of the greatest feelings in the hobby.  Knowing your hand directly or indirectly lead to it getting back on the road is, in itself, empowering.  That’s right, you don’t need to be the artisan who performs every bit of work.  Working hard at your day job and using that money to pay the right people, that is also fulfilling because you are doing your best work so they can do their best work.

The factory only put out about 20,000 American Austins and 6,000 American Bantams.  You’ve probably heard about how many of these cars survived the WWII scrap drives and were pressed into hard service.  You’ve probably also heard about how many of these cars that have been squirreled away in dimly lit corners and forgotten.  While a few Bantams change hands every now and again, most of those cars have already been restored to some degree.  Beside having most of the fun work done, they also carry a heavy price tag.  So, those cars lurking in the dark are the beautiful dream of many car enthusiasts.

Several months ago, a wonderful person reached out to me to discuss a few such cars.  Cars which were pulled inside a basement over 60 years ago and sheltered from the harshness of the world for all of that time.  A pair of cars which became almost time capsules of the late 1940’s lurked beneath decades of accumulated items, shielding them from wars, high scrap prices, and prying eyes.

Last Friday, these cars got to see light for the first time in a very long time and made a trip from their basement to a new home.  A 1930 American Austin coupe and a 1939 American Bantam Roadster were carefully preserved so that they could be enjoyed in the future.  The future is now.

These cars join the projects I’d like to help breathe new life into and they should give hope to those of you seeking a project that they are out there.  Somewhere, there is a car waiting for you to bring it back.  If you’re looking for a project, head over to the Contact page and let me know what you’re looking for.  Hopefully I can help.

“Some have started with less,” read the first post in my news feed on Facebook this morning.  This was a post by a member of the Austin Bantam Society.  This post was an eloquent reminder that there are many beautiful cars on the road today which were once hulks; piles of parts built into fine vehicles with hard work, dedication, and a little money.

The car that inspired the comment this morning was this roadster:

Surely it isn’t much to look at right now, but close your eyes and imagine what this car could be.  There is enough left of it that it would be fairly easy for someone with time and patience to build it into their dream car.  It is also within reach for many more to start with a car like this than one which needs only paint and tires; even though it may take years of effort to get it on the road.  For some, it isn’t owning the car or driving it that is appealing, but the puzzle of putting together each of the refined pieces.

For me, my present project essentially began as this:

Finding this frame with some suspension and running gear on craigslist seemed like a home run when I found it.  I first thought I would use it as underpinnings for an Austin Roadster I was eyeing, however I didn’t realize at the time it wasn’t right for that car.  Starting with these bare bones in 2013 has let me become vastly more familiar with the workings of these cars than I ever could have imagined.

After pursuing a number of cars which fell through, I decided that I would give this frame new life as the car of my dreams.  I have been documenting the pursuit of this project for about two years on the H.A.M.B. however, it is time to start sharing it here.  I hope I can inspire you to recognize that the unrestored cars out there may become so much more than just parts cars if you are armed with dreams and tenacity.

The Authenticity Manual cautions:  “Many of the remaining examples of Austin or Bantam, we find today, should be regarded as parts cars.”  There are cars that still exist which have been ravaged by time and neglect, but do not let that impede you from trying to rescue one.  Certain parts can be very difficult to obtain, but with the right connections you may be able to find substitutes or artisans able to assist with reproductions.

There are a few parts on ebay, but basically the same ones which continually cycle around.  I have begun building an ebay presence for this site to keep everything Bantam in one place and a few other things which may or may not pan out.  As I get work on building those endeavors up, I may be a little quiet on the blog entries when it comes to rerun parts listings.  I am still planning to do a blog entry on the great meet in July and another on Hershey.  On those, it will be better late than never, and perhaps they’ll warm you up while the snow is falling.

Rather than focusing my attention on the blog, I have been trying to enhance this website for your enjoyment and work on my Bantam project.  Now that I have some decent progress on that project, I’m hoping to share it with you here in some blog entries.  Also, as some have noticed, I have been working on enriching the content and arrangement of the site.  Each month, we are thankfully seeing record numbers of visitors.  This year has had nearly double the visitors of the previous two combined.

Last night a visitor sent me a very nice email praising the site and the night before a club member did as well.  These made me realize, it’s important that you know I really appreciate your gratitude and feedback as well; I am happy that you are enjoying.  I’m hoping to make this an enjoyable and useful site for anyone interested in Austins and Bantams (and someday T-5’s).  So, thank you to everyone who has contacted me recently and thank you all  to everyone who has stopped by.

When I was first bought my American Austin roadster, I hadn’t really watched the market for all that long, and didn’t really know what I was getting myself into.  I honestly didn’t realize how these cars come out of the woodwork, to only disappear again.  Although things have been quite hectic, I have updated the project cars for sale section with a few new vehicles that are for sale.  I’ve also included a listing of vehicles which are not advertised here to keep them from vanishing again.

Here are the newly listed cars:

There are still a few more pending listings which I have to get up here at some point.  The reason this website exists is to help you find the car you’ve been looking for and to give these cars a bright future.  The more Bantam projects we can get back on the road, the better!  If you don’t already know, the Bantam clubs are filled with fantastic people who are very passionate about these little cars.  If the car you’re looking for hasn’t come available yet, at least join the clubs.  For a cumulative $50 a year, you will have a magazine every in your mailbox every month to keep your imagination alive.

A lot of people who have contacted me about buying and selling vehicles ask the “what is it worth?” question.  This is a very difficult question with these cars.  On one hand, they were economy cars, but on the other hand they are fairly rare today.  Pieces missing and parts destroyed can really drive the price of ownership and restoration way up.  If you’re planning to buy a car, take note of what is missing as certain pieces can be very hard to replace.  Certain engine parts are unobtainable, unless you want to modify other parts or have new parts built.  Besides floor pans, new sheet metal is not made for any of these cars; so you either need to be patient in waiting for a good used piece, skilled with your hands, or have deep pockets and a friend with good hands. You will want to consider these things when seeing if the car will fit your budget.

For sellers, it’s important to keep in mind the difficulty in deriving a value of a vehicle from the fancy auction prices that float around the internet.  There is no formula that breaks down the sale price of a perfectly restored, concours correct Bantam Woody into the value of an Austin 5w coupe.  So, be reasonable when you price your car if you are interested in seeing it sell.  While some people may be afraid to advertise their cars here because of hefty asking prices, I am more interested in making sure your car get into a good home than judging your asking price.

With that in mind, we are finally out of project Austin 5w coupes.  List yours today!

There are three T-5 emblems on ebay.  Take a look:

A single used one with a reserve:

Click here for the listing: 1965 1966 T-5 emblem used

A matched pair with a best offer feature:

Click here for the listing: 1965 1966 T-5 emblem used Pair

This week, something remarkably interesting.  The seller states that this is the frame from the first Bantam pickup truck.  The first pickup would be body 60012, built February 2, 1938.

According to the seller:  “Several years ago the Serial#1 Bantam pickup was restored by a private collector from Ohio.  For some reason during the restoration, they decided to use a production frame rather than the prototype frame.  I was told by the previous owner to salvage the prototype frame because of it’s significance to this number 1 pickup truck.  I believe the Pickup was a 1937 and this frame might possibly be a modified American Austin frame. Anyway, this is being offered “as is” for local pick up only.  The frame measures 8′-6″ long and 40″ wide.”

This frame shows the trappings of an early 1938 Bantam frame until your eyes find the point above where the rear axle would be positioned.  Oddly, the frame rails have the same flat shape of an American Austin frame, which is then apparently mated to channel imitating a Bantam passenger car frame, although more angularly.

For comparison sake here is a photo with a 39 Bantam frame and two American Austin frames:

Click here to see the listing: bantam frame

If you have some history on this piece, please let me know.  I’m very curious to know if this is actually something special or something that has been built out of left over parts.