VCCA Home Forums TECHNICAL - 1945 AND EARLIER 1916-1922 - Model 490 Found original spare tire cover, side curtains!

I went over to Dads yesterday and dug through the garage and found the original 1921 490 spare tire cover and also the side curtains off his 10 k mile car. Going to take them to a shop and get an estimate on reproducing them this week. Any interest in a set anybody while I am getting them made? The tire cover isn't tied with a string or elastic, it has a small dia spring that goes around the inside and outside of the cover to hold it on so I will try to find that type of spring. The side curtains are in suprisingly good shape as they were originally stored under the back seat and even still have some intact eisenglass! I will check the fit of them on my car today so I will know if they fit ok before reproducing them. Finding the original type material may be impossible, but I will try to get as close as possible without getting the model T type. May just go with a smooth type black vinyl.

Cool! Photos?

Hi Bob

When I bought my 1922 I also got the original side curtains, but in bad shape. My wife sewed up new side curtains, and I replaced som bad or missing "lift the dot":s and the other type of mountings. We are very happy with these side curtains as we have made some longer tours in rain and chilly weather. So I wish you good luck. I guess my side curtains differs a little from yours, as the 1922 model has the "gypsy type" top.

I think most tops were black. Gary Wallace offers that kind of stuff. My 1922 was bought in the US by en englishman, twenty years ago. At that time the car had the original black top. The englishman had it replaced the with a new one in a nice beige(tan?) colour. I checked with Ken Kaufmann, and he stated that some export models had beige tops. I have that statement confirmed by a picture from the early twentys from a small swedish village, and the 490 on the picture has not a black top but a very bright, probably beige top. I think that is very nice.

Bob - does the spare tire cover have an emblem or anything else printed on it? Is it vinyl? I'd be interested in one.

No emblems or printing on the tire cover, It is a black rubberized canvas material. I hope I can find that type material. The side curtains have the twist lock type fasteners. Not all are lining up on my car and some of my fasteners are either missing or the holes where they were are covered over by upholstery. I hope to do more checking on it tomorrow.

I received two old B/W pictures showing Solan/1916 with beige top when I received the car papers from Australia. When looking at them I am confident they are showing the original top, before it was replaced with a black one.

Some time ago Per-Ã…ke Larsson sent me a lovely picture from a Swedish motor magazine showing a drawing of a 490/1922 outside the Royal castle in Stockholm. The interior is clearly light/medium brown and NOT black. When I study the same Aussie pictures, I also find that the interior is not black but lighter, and likely to be medium brown. Anyone here who could confirm my theory of using brown skai instead of black?

Many years ago, an acquaintance of mine purchased a farm outside the small twon of Hermann, Missouri. It had a log house and several outbuildings.
No one had lived there in many years and the buildings contained lots of old car stuff. I went to see the place and bought the scavenging rights to all the old stuff which included substantial parts of a '23-'24 Chevy touring car.
At the time, My friend was restoring a 1925 Chevy Series M truck. We scored a fender, hood and radiator shell, all in beautiful condition. The front half of the touring body was in the rafters of the barn in nearly perfect condition. I never found any remnant of the back half, or any chassis components.
Among the stuff was two very detiorated spare tire covers. One with Chevy bow tie and local dealers name, the other with Ford script and local dealer name. The covers were in such bad shape, I did not try to preserve them but I did cut out the name panels and save them. I never really knew why I was keeping them, I just couldn't stand to throw them away.
The point of this long winded story is that the Chevy panel is available to you guys if you want "real deal" original tire cover art work to copy. It would make me feel like I kept it for a reason, after all.
Let me know if you are interested.

Mike Russell
Columbia, MO
573-442-6759 Home
573-592-1991 Work

Just as an FYI - The Haartz corporation has material similar to the top material for the '23's. This is either long or short graqn cobra with a beige inner color. Model T used similar material, but their inner color is black.

http://www.haartz.com/en/index.asp

Even if it's not factory original on the 490 tire cover and probably a dealer addition, I'd be interested in a Chevy bow-tie if we end up making new covers. There's nothing else that identifies our Chevy to the car behind us. I wonder what's the best way to transfer your design?

If you're not too picky about originality, there is an embroidered emblem on eBay.


With the modern machines you could have one stitched up with any suitable pattern.

Roger

Well I talked to a top guy today and about fell off a cliff when he shot me prices. He didn't have time to get the side curtains reproduced before Flint but said he could quickly whip up clear plastic total side covers that would snap on for $500! YIKES! I need to find someone more in the real world or has things just gotten this crazy. Looks like I am taking a tarp to Flint!I also didn't find springs for the spare tire cover locally yet. I will search the internet for springs tomorrow. By the way, the spare tire cover is no doubt the original one off the car. We got everything for the car but the top boot. There was no aftermarket items at all but tire chains still in the bag in the closed up room where the car was stored since 1930 in the original owners barn. Those people never threw anything out and didn't buy more than they needed. I am not 100% certain the tire cover wasn't still on the tire when we got the car.

I know that $500 is alot of money, but that dosen't seem that far out to me. Think about it, that's 6 different parts to make, fasteners, and 2 different materials. The vinyl material itself was about $20 per yard.

Again, it's alot of money, but it also takes alot of time.
That's why my car dosen't even have side curtains.

I had a quote from a guy that made a friends top, interior and side curtains for $4500. I bought an enclosed trailer instead. At least that way I can take the car places.

I'm not positive what the spring may look liken. From what I recall seeing on other tire covers, you might look into old fashioned screen door springs.

You could use some bungie(sp) cord that is small diameter and long. This type material could also be purchased from craft stores.

The spring is about 1/4 dia maybe a little smaller and tapers down on one end so it can thread itself into the other end to make a complete loop. It has springs for each side.

Can someone with an original set of side curtains post a picture(s) of them? When I bought my 490 I was told the side curtains that came with the car were the originals. They were all bunched up in a box and were hard and stiff. It has been several years and thought I should do something with them. On a recent hot sunny day I laid them out in the sun and they softened up and I got them fairly flat. The plastic rectangle windows are basically gone with only yellowed edge pieces remaining. It is obvious they are originals, but are they original to a '17 490? Or a Chevrolet for that matter? They are 3 pieces to a side and 4 of the 6 pieces are marked on a metal plate in the lower corners. The markings are "Right Front Door", "Right Rear Door" and same for the left side. The front most pieces appear that they would be for a slanted windshield (which mine is not). It appears that when they are not needed they are to be rolled up and tied up vertically. It is also confusing how they would attach to the top and body. Does any of this sound correct for a 490 or perhaps maybe a Baby Grand? They would make great original patterns, but for what car I wonder?
I would appreciate any insight.
Thanks,
Gary

The '18 490 in the Gilmore Museum in Michigan has the original top and upholstery. It has longitudinal pockets for the side curtains sewn into the underside of the top. One is located near the windshield, second at the middle bow and one at the rear bow. The side curtains are attached together in pairs with a strap. The roll up and fit into the pockets which are closed with the twist type fasteners. It is essentially the same as was on my '19 FB only smaller dimensioned.

Your description of the side curtains that you have seems to be the right type of construction. Have never seen a metal plate on one so they may be either replacements or for another vehicle or year. If they almost fit (old and shrunken a bit) except for the windshield angle the may be for a later 490.

Dads original side curtains do not have metal tags. Be nice if they did though. They do have 3 windows and also 3 sections per side. They were folded flat and stored under the back seat when we pulled the car out of the barn where it was stored since 1930. Still in pretty good shape!

I Don't have a car that uses any Curtains, My car is a 1038 But I am a curious person and have many interests..I know when I was a small child and some of them side curtains were still around ( A old guy on my street had them on a old car) I believe they called the see through window like area "Isinglass" ( I think a early forerunner of plastic ) The old guy used to be wiping them with a LEMMON He said "that's the only thing a Lemon is good for to clean this Isinglass with". Does any one know what Isinglass was made of ..or have heard about the lemon thing???...ED

I had to look this up and you just won't believe it. Isinglass is made from the dried swim bladders of Sturgeon fish. Who would have guessed that! Lemon and fish go together but I wouldn't want to eat Isinglass. Another artical said the isinglass that was used in cars was celluloid which is similar to PVC or polyvinylchloride. That makes more sense to me. I may try to burn a small peice off one of the broken sections and see what happens. Celluloid burns like crazy which is why movie theaters were fire traps back in the day.

GOOD JOB BOB.....Thats too cool.....I dont know why I did not think to "look it up".......ED

You are correct that most of the side curtain windows are celluloid. The modern replacement is vinyl or PVC.