Interesting photo of the day, a 38 Bantam Roadster sans fenders. The look you end up with when running the configuration here is nothing short of streamlined. I wish more photos existed of this car. It sold last year on eBay from Long Island, NY after being purchased on eBay from the mid west a year earlier. Although the car was a shell of its former self, it’s not hard to see what it could have been.
Finding the correct 3″ COLO taillamp for an American Austin is never an easy task. There are some lights that look very similar, but they usually have the mounting studs in the wrong places. If you need something that looks very close and are willing to do some work to modify it, there is a Buick taillight that has the correct style spring retained taillight assembly. Besides having the word BUICK stamped in it rather than COLO, this lamp has a small opening at the top as well which you may want to close up for it to look more convincing on your Austin.
The Mounting holes appear to have the correct orientation, but you may wish to contact the seller to ensure the proper spacing.
Click here to see more: American Austin-esque Taillight Sold for: 85.00
If someone has a correct COLO photo they wouldn’t mind sharing, I can post it for comparison.
The 1939 Bantam project in Missouri has sold to a new owner, someplace much warmer than where I am right now. In fact, that Bantam is looking forward to having its restoration completed and then some miles put on those new tires.
1939 Bantam Roadster
If you were interested in a Bantam Roadster project, do not despair. In the next few days, a 1938 Bantam Roadster will be listed here; ready for your imagination and hands. Although it is a slightly heavier project than the one in MO, it is a 1938 with the 15 slat grille and the innie style headlights. Just like all Bantams, it will be a car worthy of your time.
Here is a sneak peek at what is coming soon:
1938 Bantam Roadster Coming Soon
A whole other group of American Austin and Bantam parts have made their way to eBay over night. Please note, the seller has a 50lb oil pressure gauge, which I have been advised is not correct for an American Austin and is more likely a Ford part.
Click here to bid on the carb and an unbroken intake manifold: American Austin Tillotson Carb and Intake Manifold Sold for: $494.98
Click here to see the gauge: American Austin Amp Gauge Sold for $102.99
If you are also looking for a trim ring, it looks as though I missed one which recently ended. It looks as though it is still available, so you may wish to contact the seller.
Click here to see the headlight buckets: American Austin Headlight Buckets Sold for $224.72
Although, at a quick glance, this shock assembly looks similar to the American Austin assembly, note that the retaining washer here is circular where as the Austin utilized a star like retainer. From what I understand, the starting price for this entire unit is less than two replacement aluminum links.
Click here to bid on the Bantam front friction shock assembly with aluminum links: American Bantam Front Friction Shocks Sold $56.55
Hacked up American Austin transmission: American Austin Transmission $14.50
Good morning! Over night, the Ohio seller listed this lovely American Austin badge. Although we can’t see the rear retaining piece, the clossonie appears to have suffered damage. It’s not perfect, but as of yet, faithful reproductions of this piece are not available. If you have a Bantam and need a reproduction grille badge, you are in luck, those have been manufactured recently. If you are interested in bidding in this item, you may wish to contact the seller for photos of the back to make sure it has the correct fastener in the back.
1930 – 1934 American Austin Radiator Badge
If you would like to check this badge out on ebay click here: American Austin Radiator Badge Sold for: 69.00
Maybe the word Deluge earlier was a bit of an exaggeration, but this an exciting week with so many items being listed. Perhaps we will see more items. There will be a few more posts before the day is through. The seller appears to have two hubcaps, but I believe the other only has Bantam painted on it.
Click here to place a bid or check out the listing: American Bantam Hubcap Sold for: 88.00
Suddenly, there are a bunch of Bantam and Austin parts available on eBay. Stay tuned for all of the listings later today. For now here is a Bantam 3 gauge instrument cluster. Unfortunately, it is missing the oil pressure gauge and looks as though it has been tampered with a little bit.
Here is a photo:
To place a bid or check out the listing, click here: Incomplete American Bantam Instrument Cluster Sold for: 426.99
The wonderful thing about ebay is that you never know what other great items a seller may have. After getting the tip about an NOS Hupmobile Instrument Cluster, I saw the seller also had an amazing original press photo of the BRC.
In 1935 and 1936, Hupmobile produced a series of cars that utilized two Stewart Warner gauge pods. One was a speedometer, and the other a four gauge cluster. Midway through 1936, Hupmobile discontinued production for over a year and many suppliers were left with spare parts and tooling for these low production and seldom seen luxury cars. When Bantam was preparing for production, fate intervened and these gauges were updated for the new line of American Bantam cars. The most obvious modifications to the gauges were the visual updates. The speedometer was printed for 80 mph in stead of 100. The needle was replaced with a more substantial, black, art deco pointer.
The gauge cluster on the other hand went through the most changes, and even went through an evolution with Bantam installations. In the beginning, the Bantam civilian cars received a 3 gauge face featuring an ampere gauge on the left, a gas gauge on the bottom, and an oil pressure gauge on the right. Out of these gauges, only the oil pressure gauge changed with the engine offering’s. The early cars had a pressure gauge going from zero to 15 lbs, the pressurized crank two main engines received a scale from zero to 25 lbs, and the three main engines received a zero to 50 lb scale. The BRC’s received a four gauge cluster similar to the Hupmobile unit. However, the BRC piece utilized a different configuration with the Bantam art work. At the 12 o’clock position clockwise, the BRC had a 30 Ampere gauge, a 50 lb oil pressure gauge, a fuel gauge, and a temperature gauge. For some reason, the temperature gauge and oil pressure gauge were oriented directly opposite of the Hupmobile gauge.
Beyond the gauges them selves, two other changes existed between the bantam gauges. The earlier cars had a flat glass lens which was modified to a piece of curved glass for the late 39 cars and retained for the BRC. The other major Bantam gauge difference was the gauge face color. Beyond the black gauges which were rumored to be used in commercial vehicles, the other colors consisted of a spectrum varying from silver to crème to gold. Some say the color of these gauges altered quickly with the sun, so many of the gauges you will see are more charming due to their patina.
If you look carefully, these Hupmobile gauges also have small rectangular tabs for retaining them to the dashboard whereas the Bantam utilized three metal clamps. The two outer were clamped on utilizing the choke and headlight controls and a larger bracket held the insides of the gauges against the dash, using the ignition switch as a point of attachment.
Enough about gauges, here are a couple of links to check out on eBay. Due to some changes in the market for these gauges, it is unclear what this Hupmobile specimen will go for and how the value even relates to the Bantam parts. However, if you need a gauge and would like the luxury of having a working gauge without investing $1000 or more in a rebuild, this is a great opportunity to fill your dashboard.
1935 – 1936 Hupmobile Instrument Cluster (American Bantam, BRC)
Click here for the Hupmobile Instrument cluster: 1935 Hupmobile Instrument Cluster Sold for: 499.00
Bantam BRC Press Photo
Click here for the BRC original photo: BRC Press Photo Sold for: 76.00
Happy Bidding!
One of those pieces that is nearly impossible to find in decent shape (besides a crank shaft) is a Carb. Here is your chance to purchase a nice looking Tillotson Carb. If you need one for your car, this is it. If you don’t need one, but don’t have a spare, maybe you do actually need one? Either way, click on the link below to see how the seller advertises this magnificent piece of aluminum and bid often.
This is the link to click to get to eBay –> Tillotson M 10 A American Austin Carb Sold for: 124.99
Tillotson M10A carb for an American Austin
If you like the BRC’s, you know how hard it can be to find forgotten relics thereof. Although buying a BRC may be out of most of our budgets, buying memorabilia usually isn’t. These are three great action shots of Bantam Jeeps in action. Display these on your wall with pride, knowing that the tiny car company that brought you here helped pave the way for so many of the things we continue to appreciate today.
Action shot one: BRC-60 Action Shot 1 Sold for: 103.50
BRC Action Shot
Action shot two: BRC-60 Action Shot 2 Sold for: 76.00
Action shot three: BRC-60 Action Shot 3 Sold for: 80.89
Happy Bidding!
Everything Bantam 