I need some expert advise on my restoration project. I'm working on a Model 60 touring.

1. Did this car have a electric or vaccum windsheild wiper?

2. Did this car have a outside drivers mirror?

3. My car has a radio antenna was this added or did they have them from factory?

4. The rear tail light was it in the center with the spare tire, or was it mounted on the left fender?

5. On the dash was the instrument panel and the inserts painted the same color as the dash? was black a factory dash color?

Thanks for any help I can get. Leonard

Hi Leonard,

Your radio would have been added by a dealer or radio shop. The state of radio technology in 1929 would have meant that the radio had to have its own batteries for the B+ voltages, normally these were around 90 volts and required their own batteries. These radios normally had an antenna mounted under one of the running boards with the controls mounted on the steering column. The tuning dial on a radio from that era would not show the frequencies as we see today, the dial would be numbered from 1-100.

Most likely your radio was installed in the late 30s or even later.

Rick

Hello Leonard,
I did not know that there was a model 60 touring car. The windshield wiper motor was a Trico vaccum operated unit. There was no outside mirror although they were added on later in many cases. The rear tail light on my model 60 four door sedan is mounted on the left rear fender. Hope this information is of some use.

Len, I have an original sales brochure for the 1929 model '60'line and it has 7 models but no touring. Is it a Durant? Do the engine and head casting dates coincide with the I.D. plate?

Len. The 1929 Durant 4 door standard Model 60 I restored and sold a few years ago had the tail light in the center of the spare tire in the back. It also looked very stock and original. None of our cars came with outside mirrors. I buy new old fashion looking 4 ½” round outside mirror’s and install up high on each front door. BTW casting dates on the head and block can be way off from any year of your car as the engines were made by Continental Motors in Muskegon, Mi. and shipped in bulk to Durant’s plants and used as needed. Of course our ID plates never had any dates on them ever. Pretty smart as a dealer could sell a car as new much later on. Your question of dash color I found most all the Star and Durant’s had a brownish walnut looking with grain finish on them and a lot of the window frames as well. Also all Durant Star windshield wipers were vacuum type.
Good luck on you car Pal. Later Lance