Austin/Greyhound Postcard
Click here to see the link: Austin Greyhound
Austin autographed photo
Click here to see the link: Austin Photo
Austin Drawing
Click here to see the link: Austin Drawing
Austin Drawing
Click here to see the link: Austin Drawing
Austin Drawing
Click here to see the link: Austin Drawing
Austin Dealer Photo
Click here to see the link: New Austin Photo
According to WordPress, yesterday marked the third anniversary of this website, or at least its predecessor. It has been an interesting few years and I am thankful for all of your support while this endeavor grows. What started as a blog talking about Betsy, my T-5, became a place where I used to merely post vehicle leads which I came across while looking for parts for my project. At the time, my thought was to merely create a place where good leads for cars would live on and could help a person fulfill their dream of owning a particular type of car. Now, this site is a place where enthusiasts of Bantams and T-5’s can routinely explore new content. TrustInRust now boasts several categories of advertised cars in multiple conditions, a growing index of vintage literature, a virtual parts warehouse, and an active blog tracking these small niches of the hobby. We’re even on eBay, Twitter, and Facebook.
The deluge of emails that comes through this site and knowing that I am helping people find what they need makes this fun. In the coming months there will be some changes coming which I think you’ll enjoy. I don’t want to spoil the surprise, so you’ll need to keep checking back. In the mean time, thank you for your support and patronage. So long as you keep coming back, I’ll make sure that no good lead dies.
You’ve spent countless hours searching for the perfect car and you just borrowed your friend’s utility trailer to bring it home. That’s right, a Bantam will fit in a fairly small trailer, or even the bed of a pickup truck. However, there is one thing you may have forgotten about, tie downs.
When you are planning to move your car, make sure you have it tied down safely so it won’t move in the trailer or the bed of your truck. You don’t want it to move enough that it gets damaged by rubbing the trailer and you certainly don’t want to have it fall off the trailer. For the next few days, eBay has a promotion available where you can earn up to 10% back in eBay bucks. It looks as though this promotion will cap your earnings at $100, but it is still great.
For years, you could not earn eBay bucks on eBay Motors items, but that has now changed for the better. Please check to see if you have this promotion on your home page or in with your email:
I just used this promotion to buy a set of Tie Downs with wheel straps. When I brought my Austin Coupe home, I had to rely on the best straps available at Lowes. Thankfully these cars are fairly light, but the light weight nature of those straps overall really made me wish I had something better and an American made product. Another reason I went for these, they are black. You really don’t want to know what an orange or black strap looks like after it spends 10 hours soaking in 40 years worth of grease.
Click here to see the auction: Black Ratcheting Tie Downs
Beginning in the late 40’s, with the disappearance of numerous independent brands, more cars began using wholly proprietary parts. One thing to keep in mind when restoring an American Austin or Bantam is that their parts bin was not confined to what was built in their Butler factory. You would be surprised at how many of those parts could be obtained at a local hardware store or which were common with obsolete Fords.
Despite the fact that all American Austins utilized a similar headlight housing, there were a surprising number of differences over the six year production run (depending how you add them up). One static attribute of the lights was their inclusion of a single socket assembly that is remarkably similar to the ones used in 1928-1929 Ford Model A headlights.
Here is a photo of an original pair of headlights:
Click here to see the listing: American Austin Parabeam Headlights
Here is a photo of a new reproduction Model A socket assembly:
Click here to see the listing: Headligt socket
They do look quite close, the only way to know for sure is to pick up a set and see how they fit. I believe MACs has a decent return policy if the parts do not meet your expectations.
As you may already know, the American Bantam Car Co. never really published a “shop manual” or a “service manual.” However, this is the closest it came. Questions and Answers for Bantam Mechanics is a very succinct list of solutions to 71 issues which you may encounter with your Bantam. Interestingly, the original copy which has recently emerged on ebay was once part of a Sears & Roebuck plant library. This book was stamped into the library on April 25, 1938. It would be interesting to know more about this book’s past.
While I don’t know how many originals of this book have survived the test of time, the content of this manual has been reproduced in at least two different ways.
Click here to see the Bantam Shop Manual
The first known publication is the American Bantam Owners Manual, which was printed by Al Asher & Sons. From what I remember hearing, Asher was a Bantam dealer in Los Angeles, California at the time who decided to reproduce the questions and answers as a manual for car owners eager to learn how to keep their Bantams on the road. While I am not 100% certain, I believe these manuals are available as reproductions (I’ll look into whether or not they are.
Interestingly, Al Asher & Sons still exists today at its original location and is going on its 98th year in business. However, the company has switched from selling Bantams to trucks. Here is a photo of the dealership currently.
More recently, the Austin Bantam Society put together a “Shop Manual”* which it claims as “Not everything, BUT more than published in one place to date.” This book contains a lot of interesting information and helpful material. Even better, I am fairly sure it is still actively available from the Club Store. I believe the shop manual goes for about $40 +/-. Interestingly, the ABS manual contains a copied version of the Questions and Answers for Bantams, which is actually different from the listed one as it contains information about the 1940 Super Four models. While it has fewer answered questions, but perhaps they are better answers.
The photos don’t really give you an idea of how small this really is. However, keep in mind that this is 1/3 the size of the original and the original was quite at home on a car which was only 10′ long from bumper to bumper. These were made in 1983 and were part of a larger collection. I spent a while looking for one and while they come up for sale from time to time, I only picked one up a few months ago. One thing to be wary of is that these are fairly fragile and shipping insurance is a good idea. Thank you for the tip Drew!
Click here to see the 1983 Franklin Mint Automobile AUSTIN Replica Pewter HOOD ORNAMENT
I’ve seen that saying a hundred times now searching for Bantam hood ornaments and have never had a clue of what it meant. Tonight, I’ve learned it has something to with the Marvel character Tony Stark. I’ll let you peruse that link at your own leisure.
On eBay, right now, there is a Jarvis 3408J hood ornament. I don’t have one of my original 1938-1939 Bantam hood ornaments available at this time, but I have written on this subject in the past. So, while I can’t say definitively that this hood ornament is a Bantam unit and not a Nash unit, it most likely will work on your Bantam. However, the more I see these hood ornaments, it makes me wonder if there is a difference between the Nash unit and the Bantam one. If you talk to a Nash enthusiast, they’ll tell you that these mascots are some of the most difficult ones to find. Now, someplace in the ABS family of literature, there is a mention of an alternative mascot which never came to fruition. It would be interesting if Bantam purchased the remainder of Nash’s stock and had Jarvis supply more as necessary, similar to some of Bantam’s other parts sourcing efforts.
Either way, here is an ornament for your consideration. It isn’t perfect, but it is usable for a driver or possibly quite restorable. There is a chance that new reproductions of this style mascot will be reproduced in the near future. So, keep your eyes pealed for more information.
Click here to see the: Bantam Hood Ornament
To start off, there is some assembly required here. However, wouldn’t you love the chance to own one of the world’s smallest American Austins? At 1:144 scale, this car is compatible with some N gauge models.
Click here to see the World’s smallest American Austin
Personally, the first thought I had when seeing this was “Wouldn’t this make a very cool Buster Keaton diorama?” Perhaps something representing the Austin’s role in the 1931 Parlor, Bedroom, and Bath.
All you need is a correct style N gauge locomotive, like this one: N Gauge Locomotive. You may need some patience and skill as well, but the result will be worth it. I’d love to have one of these, but lately, I haven’t even had time to work on my own car.
Which scene would you want to recreate? I would think it depends on how much your like the Austin that day.
On a good day.
One which is less then stellar, but still okay.
Or the type of day where our best accomplishment is remaining on the sunny side of the ground…
As a side note, that car was hit by a train and the cowl still looks straighter than the one on my Austin. How hard did that tree in 1949?
Although stylish, no Austin should have such noticeable curve on the dash rail.
Here is an aftermarket moto meter for an American Austin. These come up for sale from time to time. I’m not sure if the winged cap would actually thread onto an Austin radiator, but it is neat looking.
Click here to see the American Austin Motometer
Perhaps you saw the 1940 Bantam pickup truck which sold at Barrett Jackson in January. If you haven’t, here is a photo of it:
Some cars sold at auctions end up tucked into dark and dusty corners of collections where they are shielded from prying eyes. This truck has fortunately found its way to a museum where it will be shared with the public during select events. If you’re interested in seeing it, check out the Cars of Dreams museum located at: 133 U.S. Highway One, North Palm Beach, Florida 33408.
Everything Bantam 