How about a Model G to follow the Lykamobile

As you know I am one of the future Lykamobile builders/owners, needless to say I am very excited to start this project.

I know this has been covered a few times especially with the H5, but after reading Eric's 2014 post it gave me an idea. (Link to post below):

https://traction.forumotion.com/t1906-how-about-a-smaller-stanley-as-a-followup-to-the-likamobile

(I replied to this post thinking it would be sent to the top of the Lykamobile thread, but it didn't so I am starting a new post)

Anyway this is what I posted:

As expected my brain is now in overdrive dreaming of a future where I run to the grocery store in my steam car! Then I start thinking, It would be nice to have a bigger/faster steam car along side my Lykamobile... you know, for when I just want to cruise longer distances at fast speeds. I do a bit of research and see what has been talked about, and why the possibility of a 20hp will, most likely, will never happen... unless you build a one off, which as I have come to see that it is very possible to do. (but would cost as much as a real Stanley!)

Then after reading all I could about Stanley Steamers, I got the early Stanley 'coffin nose' Steam bug. I jumped on all the forums trying to get as much info on these early cars as possible. In my search I came across Eric's post... and I liked what I read! Since I read about Steve's time and cost to build a latter and much more complicated Stanley I figured, as Eric did that a logical step would be to build the following models Stanley's built.... but I wanted to add one more car to this list which I think would be a hit amongst us Lyka builders.

You see I became obsessed with the 15hp 1905 H (#5) that ran the Mt. Washington hill climb. It had tiller steering and I have managed to get 2 pictures of this car (Thanks to the Stanley museum) But as mentioned building this Stanley is more a one off dream now. See picture of the H prototype below it is the better of the two pictures... showing the H in greater detail:



Since the H is off the table, now I have to look at what else can give me that pleasure of building a Stanley. I dig a bit more into the really early coffin nose and a particular Stanley stood out amongst the rest. They only made 11 of them (according to Kit Foster's book) I am now thinking this model would be a great kit to follow the Lyka, it fits the bill, if you will.  

The 1905 Model G.

The Model G is basically, a coffin nose, riding on top of the C/CX chassis with a 10HP power plant. Here is a picture of one of the G models with its new family:



She rides on a 52 inch wide track and 78 inch wheel base (CX). From what I could find there is only 1 in existence. It runs a 3X4 engine (10 hp) and a 16 inch boiler (although the only one left has an 18 inch boiler) Here is a picture of the last remaining G (picture is taken from the registry site):



I roughly figure that if the Lyka runs around 15K (GBP) then I would think this coffin nose might be twice that (?), which to be honest, if so, I would be the first to sign up for this kit! Anyone else? Lets get at least 10 takers, then it should peak Steve and Dean's interest! Below is a line drawing of the G from the 1905 brochure:



In conclusion I think this 'G kit' would be a great addition to the Lyka collector/builder. It will have a bit more HP giving us greater drivability, especially on tours, Hill climbs, and longer travel distances. It will have the coffin nose (boiler up front), which I know a lot of us lust for (present company included), and it should be able to be registered (according to what Eric wrote in this post) on UK roads (with a 28MPH restriction, etc.) Here in the USA I don't believe we would have such a restriction. And lastly, it would look fantastic next to the Lykamobile in my garage!

Dean or Steve if you are reading this what do you think? Can we talk prototype?

(Since you will be building the Lyka maybe it would be a good time to build a prototype as well a long side?)

Come on Lykamobile builders... lets get a few "I'd buy it" so Dean and Steve can start working on a prototype!

I was studying the G design a bit more and noticed that the original line drawing and the final product changed somewhat. As we all know this is the typical evolution cars take before production.

I will have to say that I think the line drawing has a 'sportier' feel to it, with the seat back lined up with the front of the rear wheels, stretching out the hood giving things a sleeker look. Much like the H.

The final product on the other hand looks like they where trying to balance the hood, with the cabin, with the trunk, which gave it a bit more of a 'dainty' (for lack of a better word) look... I venture to guess part of this design choice had to do with the load distribution on the C/CX chassis, and the style of the times.

Personally, today, I lean more toward the line drawing, with the sportier look. But I am sure that in 1905, styles and sensibilities as they were, I would have preferred the final product.

Either way... now we have two possible design choices for the "STW G Kit" or the "STW GP kit" (GP stands for G Prototype)

Below is a side by side showing the C/CX and the G line drawing. You can clearly see how they came up with the original design for the G. Interesting enough the rear seat and trunk have a very Locomobile design look to it.



And here is the only other picture of the G that I could find (scanned from Kit Foster's book) You can see how they kind of split the design in thirds. (I just figured out you can post larger pictures! So here you go!)



Next step is to get a hold of a CX (June 8th at the Marshal Stem museum, excited to go!) and do measurements of the body then try to apply to both these designs.

Have a happy Thursday!

Made the pictures bigger... much better now!

Side note, I found someone with pictures of the original G. Once in hand I'll post them. Hopefully I will be able to get my own pictures... I have yet to contact the owner via phone to see where the car is (It is either on the west coast or east coast) and if they don't mind me taking pictures



I think I can produce a decent line drawing from this picture...

I mean... just look at this Stanley! How could you not want to build it!  

I was told that this particular model, which was their first speedster was a lot of fun to drive! I believe the Stanley brothers eventually dropped this model after 11 built and built the 15hp H to replace it. Increasing the track width and moving the boiler behind the axle by extending the wheel base thus giving better weight distribution and handling.

This 'family with the Stanley' is a great picture of a G showing its size. Notice the smaller boot/trunk and change in the seat design from the other picture.

Have a happy Sunday!

So I tried to do a drawing of the G in the 'family picture' above... but its just not coming out right... must be the angle of the shot because the back looks way to long.

Again, once I get the pictures of the original one I can come up with a better drawing.

Alas, I couldn't help myself so I drew the 1905 line drawing 'prototype' of the G... (just noticed I forgot the engine strap...)



Now that I drew it out... I am starting to like this design even more.

01:00 US eastern... time to get some shuteye and dream of steaming away in a G...

Have a pleasant Monday...

Well, ask and you shall receive! For your viewing pleasure the only Model G known to survive.... it is all original and I mean ALL... the ultimate find!

I must thank Rolly from the SACA for posting this picture when I asked to see if anyone had pictures of the G.

Notice the rear deck.. looks like it was much taller than the pictures I have posted... looks a lot more like the drawing, which leads me to believe this could be an early model... well, early as in #1 or 2 out of 11. The top of the outside hood (before it angles away) looks like it is lined up with the rear deck...

What a cool Stanley!

Alright, I am still pushing this!

Decided to do a bit of comparing between models. And as you will see below it seems that the G and C/CX do share a lot of similarities from the firewall back. Granted insides will be very different but with the boiler up front I am sure a bigger water tank make long distance driving (30 miles give or take) before refill very possible.

I couldn't find a picture of a C/CX in the same angle but you can see below the rear looks the same:




And here is a close up of the seat:



And what the G most likely looks like from the rear:



You can clearly see that the G and the C/CX share the same chassis. the only question is the diameter of the front axle... I would think it would be built like the E, EX and H models to support the weight of the Boiler.

Thanks it for now...

Enjoy the rest of your day...

Alright, I have taken a bit more time to study the pictures I have of the G. It seems that I was a bit off when it came to the G using the CX chassis.

Overall it is a CX chassis but with a few changes which eventually stayed into the later EX and H chassis. The biggest change I can see is the fact that the perch polls attach to the axle from below like the EX, instead of above like the C/CX. But the axle tubes seem to be the same diameter as the CX not the EX. I will know more when I measure the diameters in late June.

The diff on the other hand looks a lot like the EX diff. See the pictures below for comparison.

First pic is the G diff, second an EX, H diff



Red is the CX, Yellow the EX, H




So the easiest way if one were to try to build a G chassis right now, and I believe the safest... is that you will have to go ahead and build the EX axles, Diff, spindles, etc. but the front axle will have to be 4 inches shorter and the rear, 2 inches shorter right and left side. The perch polls will be shorter to keep the wheel base at 78 inches. Of course you can try with the smaller diameter axle but I rather gain the extra strength and rigidity,,, especially since the front axle will bear the weight of the 18" boiler.

That is it for today...

Enjoy the weekend!

P.S. I decided to try to to build a scale down 1/4" = 1' body so I can understand how things go together...

Just a bit more info:

Tires 30 X 2.5 same as the 1904/05 BX/CX which probably means same hubs/spindles and most likely same diameter axle.

Okay, Saturday I am off to DC then up to Marshall museum... hopefully they let me get up close and personal with a BX/CX and the EX

Have a great week!

Had a great trip with the family in Washington DC and I even managed to get the family to drive up to Delaware to the Marshall Steam Museum.

Lets just say it was well worth the 2 hour drive!

I am going to post pictures of a 1902 Stanley in a bit... I want to post these pictures because I still think this 1902 is a great step forward in the Likamobile line!
Granted I would love the G but this model  looks like it could 'easily' be manufactured like the Likamobile. Just don't know if I should start a new thread showing the 1902 model...

Now I need to download all the pictures and organize them but I couldn't wait to post these pictures here showing the close resemblance to the G.

By the way, the axel on the 1902 and the 1904 Stanley (model B/C and CX) is 1.5 inches. The later 1906 EX axle that I measured was 1.75 inch diameter (picture didn't come out) the big question here is if the front axle of the G is 1.5 or 1.75 diameter. I am willing to guess it is 1.75 since the axle had to carry the load of the 18 inch boiler... but I could be wrong... just look at the picture of the rear axles... the G looks to be 1.5 inch diameter but I can't really be sure until I measure the G (hopefully late this month!)







Alright! I'll post the 1902 Stanley pics in a Saturday or Sunday.

Have a great weekend!

After looking at Foster's book there seems to be a discrepancy. Stanley never built a 4 seat in 1902. The started building them in 1903 and those had a 78 inch wheel base. Unfortunately I didn't measure the wheel base since I took the information card to be exact. I will ask someone at the museum to measure the wheel base for me.

If it is a 1903 the it should be a 78 inch wheel base 52 tread.

Unfortunately my camera was not focusing properly on the close ups. On the camera screen they looked focused but on the computer its another story... but it is still good enough to post.

These pics came out fine... The information card said that this Stanley is a 1902 and has a 70 inch wheel base (they only made 2 seats in 1902) that said the front seats could have been added at a later date.

There was no designation for this model. It was just called the 1902 Stanley Steamer. The A/B/C models designation came out in 1904

Sorry for the blurry pics:

I found a side picture of the green CX (78 inch) to compare with the 1902... looks like the 1902 is 70 inches. From the pictures its just a bit smaller.

I guess the front seat was a latter option the owners added on.

Have a happy father's day!

Update on the Model G visit:

Unfortunately I was unable to see the Model G on the 25th... but things are looking positive for a visit on the 13th or 14th of July! If anyone here would like specific shots let me know and I will see if I can get them (the G is located in the back of the garage so its difficult to get to). Since my wife's camera is not focusing properly on close up shots I am going to go ahead and just shoot pictures with my iPhone, unless I figure out how to properly use the camera.

I will be taking my (good) calipers with me this time (the plastic one in the other pictures I bought while I was in DC, its what I get for forgetting to pack mine) but they worked in a pinch. Lets just hope the owner lets me measure.

Stay tuned!

On a regular back county road... somewhere in the middle of New Hampshire, an unassuming barn sits amongst other buildings. Its paint is peeling in many places and to be honest, I am sure no one has ever given it a second thought as they drive by at 45 mph.
But little do they know that inside is sits a small sampling of a great collection of Steam cars...

I pull up in my rented Jeep wrangler. Turn off the engine and step out to meet the owner of the barn and what lies inside. We exchange pleasantries and immediately hit it off... he can tell that I am a gear head like him! So as we walk up to the building I notice that the barn door has already been slid open for me. It is bright outside but my eyes adjust as I take a look at what lies inside...



Finally! I meet the famous Model G!





And for those that are wondering... the axle is the same size as the 1.75" EX. There was a fair amount of dirt and surface rust build up so the measurement was a bit off. I made sure to take my 'good' caliper this time around! By the way the model H is 2". How do I know this? There was an H there! But not just any o'l H... it was a Vanderbilt!!!





Yes that is a 30hp Mountain wagon in the background!



But even though I am in awe of all the Stanley Steamers that are present I go back to the G to look some more. I looked for 2 hours! Here I am inspecting the boiler. The boiler is 18" but according to research it should have been a 16". It all looks original, so either the original owner ordered it with the 18" or it was replaced with an 18" shortly after it was purchased.



I have many, many more pictures which I will post in the coming days/weeks (I am off to Alaska and have to much work to do before I go so I don't know if I will get to it all before I take off, but I promise to have a few more pictures up before I leave) As for the quality of the shots, know that I tried to figure out the focus setting on my wife's camera... I couldn't get it to work right, especially in the dark barn so out came the iPhone... which I have to admit it did rather well considering the circumstances. Next year I'll make sure to take a proper camera (that I know how to use), but for now I am very happy with the pictures that I have!
Lastly I took my GoPro... the pictures I took were awful (way to dark for that camera to capture), but the video came out decent... I will post links to youtube at a later date.

Enjoy,

And have a happy Sunday!

Okay, a bit of time adjusting the photos last night (It was pretty dark in there, not optimal without a flash) but pics look good.

So for your enjoyment, the Model G



Here is a panoramic.... didn't come out great (dark and wrapped) but you get the general idea.



Climb aboard!







The rear.





The hood/bonnet



Steering gears... very interesting.



And a shot of the engine. The engine is a 3x4 10HP. no serial number that I could see.



Last few photos for today; the pump room and boiler. Pump looks like it was home to a couple of critters.



Notice that the fuel preheat is located on top of the boiler instead of below like in the EX. The boiler cover was hanging on the wall.



So Dean? Steve? what do you think? Pretty cool right!

Okay that is it for today. Have a happy Sunday and if you can, fire up that boiler and take a nice ride into town!

I like the idea of a bigger car, That's one reason I stretched my lika, Been thinking about another car, so here goes,  Since time is golden my plan is to use an existing running gear, This is what I have so far  1926 ford model t running gear (no engine)  a   10 hp vee steam engine ( can't think of the name)  stanley type of boiler, water pumps, a ford model A trans. no body yet, will either look for one or build one, that will happen later. It will be a coffin nose design, kinda of a cross of a stanley , ford model T. and white steamer. I was reading a paper on the 1925 American Steam car Company. with drawings and I liked the layout of equipment. This is a good starting point. The car will be for higher speeds then the lika. The project is about to start.