Our Purpose
Preserve the automobiles manufactured by the Durant Motor Company, provide enjoyment for each member with meets, tours & technical assistance.
This forum is provided by the Durant Motors Automobile Club located at durantmotors.org
Looking at this site and through the photos I see a lack of touring bodied Durants in North America for the 1928 and later years. Where there not many made or did not many survive? I think it would interesting to find one in any condition and attempt to revive it. Any thoughts? Does anyone know of one?
Where Are You From? Oshawa, Ontario
Do You own a car built by Durant? Not yet!
Look at Reg Bent's 407 Rugby touring in photographs section.
Frank
Where Are You From? Hookstown PA
Do You own a car built by Durant? Many
1930 6-14 touring--At the first Durant meet with Jeff Gillis' Durant Family Registry in Dearborn MI there was a partially completed 1930 6-14 touring owned by a Canadian man who was a real estate agent.The car wasn't at the meet but I still have a photo from his garage with this partially completed car. I wonder where that went. Reg might know. Ross
Where Are You From? Orygun
Do You own a car built by Durant? 1930 6-14
I saw the photo of Reg's car and spoke to him recently. It was an export car to Argentina and was brought back to NA. I was thinking more of one sold in the US or Canada as a Durant.
Where Are You From? Oshawa, Ontario
Do You own a car built by Durant? Not eyt!
Where Are You From? Oshawa, Ontario
Do You own a car built by Durant? Not yet!
Must be a few around still.
Durant
1929 63 Touring L-5639 15L-25440
1928 D55 Touring T-1583
1928 D65 Touring T-2550 15L-12855
1928 M2 Touring T-5460 W5-511550
1928 M2 Touring T-7620 W5-540441
1929 60 Touring T-4067 14L-119390
1929 60 Touring T-5519 14L-125361
1929 60 Touring T-5579 14L-125889
1929 63 Touring T-8028 15L-12206
1929 63 Touring T-8059 15L-12036
Rugby
1928 M2 Touring T-1551
1928 M2 Touring T-5272 W5-581655
1928 M2 Touring T-8159 W5-530849
1928 M2 Touring T-8444 W5-523561 []
1928 M2 Touring T-8567 W5-540335 []
1928 M2 Touring T-14442 W5-583602
1929 M4 Touring E-2407 552096
1929 M4 Touring E-3521 W5-544244
1929 D40 Touring T-2819 W5-561614
1929 D40 Touring T-7930 W5-569539
1929 D40 Touring T-9084 W5-373041
1929 D40 Touring T-10162 W5-578781
1929 D40 Touring T-10818
1929 D40 Touring T-12248 W5-575186
1929 D40 Touring T-13897 W5-580401
1929 D40 Touring T-14440 W5-583883
1929 D40 Touring T-14477 W5-582842
1929 D40 Touring T-15058
1928 M2 Touring unknown 471070
1930 407 Touring unknown 3860
Plus Reg's altered 407.
Where Are You From? Ottawa Ont
Do You own a car built by Durant? 1932 Dominion built 614 Sedan
Yeah the one I am thinking about was a 6-14 sport touring or sport phaeton (not sure what makes them different--Norm?). But this meet was the first in 1981, set up by the late Lynn Meeker. I cannot imagine that any open car would be practical in Canada in winter, so there must be few (and everyone was poor to afford this more expensive vehicle.
Where Are You From? Orygun
Do You own a car built by Durant? 1930 6-14
Note most are from Lansing for some reason. For a Co going down the and out of business they sure put out a variety of models with 614. Standard, Special, Deluxe, Sport. My 1930 sedan in the 60's was Special so had the fender lights but wood spoke wheels.
And difference touring to phaeton ??
Odd that US had winter front rads but it wasn't even an option up here.
Where Are You From? Ottawa Ont
Do You own a car built by Durant? 1932 Dominion built 614 Sedan
Where Are You From? Oshawa, Ontario
Do You own a car built by Durant? Not yet!
Norm and Ross:
Was there any production of 30,31 (6-14,s) out of the Oakland factory? We know the DeVaux was "cowl back" more or less Durant.
DeVaux did not have a U.S. production of 31 tourings. Oakland did make 31 DeVaux tourings for export. I know they went out of the Oakland factory because I have a picture of them (in boxes) being loaded for shipment to Lebanon. DeVaux also did (or planned to) send running gear to Australia.
I can still dream of finding a 31 DeVaux touring.....(with right hand steering!!).
I have pictures of the 3rd. 32 DeVaux Touring rusting away in a fishing village in Argentina.
Gary
Where Are You From? Washington State
Do You own a car built by Durant? Only good memories
That should have been 32 DeVaux convertible!!
Where Are You From? Washington State
Do You own a car built by Durant? Only good memories
Hi Gary … Certainly no production of any Durant / Rugby out of Oakland 1931. Oakland ceased production in Dec to became De Vaux plant. If you are thinking that Aug 1 was next year models that only applies to cars up to 1929. Effective Jan 1930 model year would only be if a model was updated. So 1930 614 as example was Jan 1 1930 to Dec 31 1930. 1931 was Jan 1 1931 to Jan 31 1932, 1932 was Feb 2 1932 to end in 1932. This also applied to the Can 407 but it came out April 1930. 407 US copied Can from Oakland became the 610 Sept 22 1930. We know Dominion Motors itself had 1932 H-4305 deluxe sedan plus a fellow in Ont has H-4420 sedan. Oakland used 614 parts on theirs like the spear handles, ours are plain
Don't know where that story originated that the De Vaux body was left over Durant bodies, as they are nothing alike. Left over bodies ?? then where did the 31 / 32 Durant / Fronty bodies come from. Put a pic of a sedan side by side and note De Vaux are 3 hinge front doors and doors are wood framed, and all posts are wood. Durant Budd all steel doors and steel posts. De Vaux swing out front window, Durant slides up. Check the quarter windows are wider on the De Vaux and rear door post comes down before fender top. Durant is dead center of the rear fender. Mouldings running across the doors etc are not the same. De Vaux has step up, then an out curve, step down, handles on flat of door. Durant an out curve only the handles sit on. No idea what Hayes used for bodies on the De Vaux.
Yes Oakland produced the 614 and we have 21 in the Registry, as did Lansing and Leaside we have lots more of. On the other side of the coin the only known touring 407 / 614 is Reg's 407 altered 407, another 407 in Argentina, plus Ross's 38 year back partial resorted one if it even now exists.
I note even AACA years back could not define difference touring / phaeton.
Where Are You From? Ottawa Ont
Do You own a car built by Durant? 1932 Dominion built 614 Sedan
Hi Norm:
Thanks for all that great information. I know my memory is fading..(slowly?) Anyway, I probably said wrong what I was thinking. I read somewhere that it was "more or less Durant back on running gear. Not even sure that that is correct.
What we know is that the DeVaux body came from Hayes. In my one complete restoration (in the late 90,s), I found that the "Steel" catalog stated that the rubber gaskets for the Hayes body were the same as the Marmon Roosevelt. Howard felt the same as we discussed it a few times.
It comes down to WHAT touring body..from Hayes...or Budd or...were used on the 31 DeVaux export.
Did I say "left over bodies"?
The final thing is...WHO...supplied the bodies for the 6-14?
Gary
Where Are You From? Washington State
Do You own a car built by Durant? Only good memories
No you didn't say it outright, but I have read it in a few places about the left over Durant bodies. Part of Coachbuilt site info on Hayes.
In 1930 Hayes signed a three-year contract to build bodies for the American Austin/Bantam that were designed by deSakhnoffsky, and later made a deal to supply bodies for the 1931-32 DeVaux. Although DeVaux advertisements stated that deSakhnoffsky had designed the cars coachwork, in reality the bodies he designed weren’t actually used. Instead, leftover Hayes-built Durant bodies were supplied to DeVaux with deSakhnoffsky-designed fenders, hood and grill to update them. By the time the DeVaux appeared, deSakhnoffsky had been hired away by Packard’s Edward Macauley, and was in no position to complain. In fact the DeVaux was built in a leased portion of Hayes huge Grand Rapids plant, and the bodies were transported across a second floor bridge that ran over the street that separated the two buildings. DeVaux’s successor, Continental, continued to utilize various leftover Hayes-built bodies.
Yes Steel still has a few rubber parts for our cars, inc the rubber cover over the sending unit on the gas tank on the 30 - 32 Durant / 31 - 32 Fronty.
You mean 407, 610, 611, 612, 614, 618, 617, 619, E618, E670 bodies with Budd doors grin. The 617 was a half and half car, chassis of the 29 but body / fenders / hood / rad of the 30.
OZ cars I understand the none N.A. bodies as they built their own bodies on the chassis by Ruskin etc Co's. They are restoring a Flyer touring down there presently. Roadster was advertised on the 33 Conny brochure's but never produced but OZ had them again by their body Co's
Its typical of Billy and offshoot Co's we have more questions than answers. Every now and then some piece of info comes out of the woodwork to give us a bit of updating, change of supposed info. Such as the Ace / Fronty Ace everywhere is indicated they are all model 81, with 181 Hayes body tags. If we hadn't gone after Daryl's Fronty Ace info for the Registry it would still be incorrect as shown in vin books / write ups. Fronty Ace is model 91 and Hayes plate is 191. Perhaps hidden away somewhere is the answer to the De Vaux touring's that we have never heard of nor any Co info on them. That's like the phantom 633 Durant's, yet two exist. If it wasn't for Bob getting a 1933 Dominion Motors parts book off eBay this year my 416 Rugby puzzlement would still be a ? . In the book was a page listing cars / truck models and dates, Bingo the 416 Rugby 4 cyl was 1931 only. Another that puzzled me was X and X2, L and L2. Look in DMAC info and it shows the Star L truck but no X Star truck. Everything is 1928 for X. Wrong we now know thanks to that page, that L is Star 1927 and L2 is Rugby 1928, X is Star 1927 and X2 is Rugby 1928.
Still have a puzzle however re S, S2, S4 shown in the Leaside aftermarkets. We know the S4 Rugby replaced the M2 Durant car / truck Sept 1928 and car became the M4 Durant Oct 1928. S and S2 ??
Where Are You From? Ottawa Ont
Do You own a car built by Durant? 1932 Dominion built 614 Sedan
hI fOLKS:
That 614 Durant touring is in a museum at Kingsville. The owner belonged to DMAC for years and we had a Durant meet there in the early 2000's/
The owner is Harry Bergman and as far as I know he still owns the car. Somewhere I had pictures of his 614 Phaeton alongside Reg Bents Rugby Phaeton. They looked quite different because Harry's 614 had bigger tires than Reg's and it sure changed to look of the car.
BUT IT REALLY EXISTS.
This museum is really one that you should try to go to if you ever visit Ontario. We do have some great museums with some very rare cars.
gORD
Where Are You From? Guelph, Ontario, Canada
Do You own a car built by Durant? 1932 Frontenac built by Dominion Motors Limited, Leaside, On tario
Thank you Gord .. checked the 2006 Roster and sure enough Harry had a 1926 Star M touring, 1930 614 Sedan and 1931 614 Phaeton. Checked Steve's Registry and we only have the Star and 1930 mentioned with no info on either car for colour / vin / engine serial etc. Last Roster is 2014 with Harry and Mia mentioned and 3 cars.
Where Are You From? Ottawa Ont
Do You own a car built by Durant? 1932 Dominion built 614 Sedan