Mr. Ed's 1930 Chevrolet Standard Town Sedan

Gun props that go with the car ~

Over the years I have collected antique firearms and also I have collected movie props. The Thompson Machine Gun is an original Model 1921. But the other guns look real enough, they are actually movie props that are made of rubber. The double barreled shotgun and both .38 calaber pistols came from the old Desilu Studios' prop department and were all used in the original television show, "The Untouchables" starring Robert Stack. The lighter hat was worn by Robert Stack in the show. The darker colored hat was worn by Andy Garcia in the newer version feature film, "The Untouchables" starring Kevin Costner and Sean Connery. The old wooden violin case was bought from a seller on eBay.

Whenever we take the car to shows, we set it up with these props and also have several original newspapers with gangster headlines that we put on the front seat. Some people get as much fun from the props as they do the car itself.

I have collected antique and classic automobiles all of my life since I was 15-years old. There's never been too long of a time that I didn't have at least one old car around, at times, several. But there had been two cars that I had wanted for many, many years. One is a 1958 Packard Hawk 4-door sedan. That was the last Packard production year and my dad owned one. Also, I wanted a 1930 Chevy 4-door sedan. And here's why...
In 1959, my parents owned property in Cook Forest, Pa. My dad was building a home there to retire to. He had worked for 36-years at Firestone Tire and Rubber Co., in Akron, Ohio. He and my mother were originally from Penna. and that is where he wanted to live after retirement. So, on the weekends and vacations from 1957 to 1965, we would travel from Akron to Cook Forest to work on the house.

Back then there was no expressways laid yet so we traveled through all the cities and small towns on our way. One of those small towns was Slippery Rock, Pa. We passed by the biggest auto junkyard that I had ever seen. Having the '58 Packard, and Packards no longer being made, my father would stop at this junkyard every so often to find Packard parts. On one of these stops, I spotted an old car sitting by the gate. I was eight years old at the time. It was an old "gangster-type" of car, rusted all over, all four tires rotted and flat. The glass lenses in both headlights were missing. It was in really bad condition. However, there was no dents in the body and the interior was almost mint condition under all the dust. As dad went into the junkyard with the owner to search out his "new" Packard arrivals, I went over to check out the old car. I looked over the body and tires, then I climbed inside of the back seat, then the front seat. I was having a great time playing in this old rust bucket. When the owner came out with dad, I asked him what kind of car it was? He said it was a 1930 Chevrolet. I would remember that.

As the years rolled on, I collected many, many old cars. But I always kept my eye out for a '30 Chevy 4-door sedan. I found several coupes and roadsters, but the sedan always eluded me. People would say, "Why not get a '30 Ford Model A 4-door? They can't be any differant!" But they were, much differant. So, the years passed by, actually, four decades passed.
fourty years later, in July of 1999, I was reading one of my old car trader magazines and there it was, a 1930 Chevy 4-door town sedan. It was for sale in Chardon, Ohio, about 65-miles from us to the north, up around Cleveland. The add said it was in good, running condition and the seller wanted only $6,000.00 for it. I called and made an appointment right away to drive up there.

Su and I drove up to Chardon on a Tuesday to check it out. On the way there, I told her about the old rusted Chevy at the junk yard 40-years ago in 1959. When she saw the car that day, she couldn't believe that I had discribed the interior to it perfectly. I told her that I had never forgot one detail of that car. Actually, this '30 Chevy was in much better condition than the one in '59. Even though it was completely original, it had a fairly new paint job and re-chrome, a new rag-top and all new rubber parts on the frame and body.

The interior was 100% original. Bob, (the seller), had a brand new interior in boxes that he had ordered, but couldn't bring himself to take a knife to the old interior. I was glad because the old interior was great! The original window blinds still hang in the rear seat windows with their original tassles. Also, the originally issued license plates from 1930 came with the car. The old in-line 6-cylinder engine ran great. There is only 49,800 original miles on it. It has never been overhawled. Dosen't need it. I bought the car and drove it home. It ran perfectly. It had never had antifreeze in it before I bought it. It had been kept in a heated building it's entire life during winter months.
The first owner was a man who owned the only small airport around the Cleveland area at the time and kept the Chevy in the hanger. The second owner operated a dairy farm and had heated barns for his cows. He kept the car in one of the barns. Bob was the third owner and, in the wintertime, kept it in a heated basement storage area about 15-feet from the furnace to his house. The tires were bought in 1960 by the second owner. Their still on the car and in great condition.
It is June of 2005 at the time that I'm writing this and the Chevy is in my garage. It still runs beautifully and Su and I take it out all the time for trips around town. I drive it to the cemeteries when I do my research for the Find-A-Grave website. We've only had it to two car shows so far. The best part is...to date, I haven't had to do a thing to this car. Keep gas and lead in it and that's it! It starts every time I get into it and cruises great over the road. After all the antique cars and trucks that I have owned over my lifetime, this is truely a keeper. When telling friends the story about the old rusted Chevy at the junkyard in Slippery Rock, Pa., they ask, "was it worth waiting 40-years?" I always reply, "It sure was!"

Specs for the 1930 Chevy Sedan

BODY:
Fisher Body Works
Steel over Wood

CAPACITIES:
Colling System 12-qts.
Gasoline Tank 11-gals.
Engine Oil 5-qts.
Transmission 2-lbs.
Rear Axle Oil - 4-lbs.

ENGINE SPECS:
Type In-Line 6-cylinder
Displacement 194 ci.
50 HP @ 2,600 RPM
Mileage 49,800 original

INDUCTION SYSTEM:
Carter #1 model RJH08 1-bbl. carb.
Delco 6-Volt Ignition
Valve-In-Head
Main Bearings 3

TRANSMISSION:
3-Speed, Manual

BRAKES:
4-Wheel, Mechanical
Size 11.50"

WHEELS (RIMS):
Wire, Steel
Make Kelsey-Hayes
Size 19 X 2.75"

TIRES:
Size 4.75 X 19
Blackwall, Tube, 4-ply
Tires Purchased in 1960

GENERAL INFORMATION:
Car Re-Painted 1985
Re-Chrome 1986
New Rag-Top, Spare Tire Cover & Rubber Body Seals 1988
Glass, Drivetrain & Interior 100% Original

Everything is still in working order ~

Base Price in 1930 $495.00