I’m hoping someone can help shed a little light on the car I just purchased. It was advertised as a 28 but from my internet research I’m wondering if it may be an earlier model. Unfortunately the data plate is missing from the firewall but otherwise the car is fairly complete. On the identification page that is linked through the website it states that there were no Durants made in 1927. Is that true of Stars? I haven’t been able to find much information on the Star 6 and the few pictures I’ve found online are from one of the past owners of my car and he advertised it as a 28 as well. I have not been able to find any other images of a similar 1928 car online. I’ve included a link to my google drive to see the images. I’d appreciate any information or history you can offer about the model. Thanks https://photos.app.goo.gl/RdVHk3iicZTsRWGB7

Where Are You From? Colorado

Do You own a car built by Durant? Yes

Neil, It's not a 29, but the Durant company sold a lot of Star Model R (Six) in 1927.
Look at the casting date located on the head and block.

Rick

Where Are You From? Fremont, CA

Do You own a car built by Durant? 1931 Model 619 and 1929 model 60 Roadster

From what I see it looks like a 26 Star R Coupe. I say this because of the Disk rotor on the distributor. The distributor that you have is the same as used in the 4 cylinder with the only the cam changed out. I have a 26 R Sedan with the same distributor in it. Later versions of the 14L engine used a different distributor.

Where Are You From? Grand Junction CO

Do You own a car built by Durant? 24 Star, two 26 Stars, 27 Star and two 29 Durants

Thanks Rick and Tom. Good point about the distributor. I noted in some of the very few internet pictures I could find that the 26 Star coupes appear to have a stamped beading detail on the front fenders that mine doesn’t have. Is there any way to discern a possible build year from the serial number on the engine data plate? It may at least narrow down the earliest possible time frame.

Where Are You From? Colorado

Do You own a car built by Durant? Yes

Rick, I do intend to look at the block casting numbers as you recommended but unfortunately I’m traveling at the moment and I didn’t take enough good pictures to make them out. I was just looking at some other internet pictures that I found and the 27’s appear to have the same fender beading detail. I also saw a picture of a supposed 28 with a lattice work over the grill, which mine doesn’t have.

Where Are You From? Colorado

Do You own a car built by Durant? Yes

If you provide the 14L engine serial we can narrow it down to the year as to 1927 or 1928 model year R Star. Model year is not production year. Aug 1st to July 31 of next year is next year model until Dec 31 1930 when they stopped that practice.

Where Are You From? Ottawa Ontario Canada

Do You own a car built by Durant? 1932 614 sedan made by Dominion Motors

14L-A75630 is on the engine tag.

Where Are You From? Colorado

Do You own a car built by Durant? Yep

With so much a guessing game in Billy's empire I'd hazard a guess as Star R 1928 model year .. Aug 1 1927 to Dec 31 1927 perhaps Nov or Dec with 14L 75630

As we know D55 came out Jan 1 1928 with same 14L and in the Registry we have
1928 55 Coupe E-1499 14L-76755

Under Star R
1927 R Cabriolet L-36993 14L 73712

The vin range for the 1928 model R is 33000 to 40000 Aug 1 1927 to Dec 31 1927, so L-36993 fits that range.

Vehicles often have wrong year as Registration. Might have been sold in 1928 and that year used on ownership instead of 1927. Often use my late friend Gord, in Nova Scotia, who owned an early 1930 614 sedan but it was sold in 1931, so that became its year on NS records. He fought with them to correct it to 1930 but they refused. So he put same size as licence plate with 1930 Durant made in Leaside Ont on the front of it near the license plate. :smile:

Where Are You From? Ottawa Ontario Canada

Do You own a car built by Durant? 1932 614 sedan made by Dominion Motors

Thank you Norm for the detective work. That certainly seems to be a reasonable interpretation. I have the names of a at least two of the recent owners so I’m going to see if I can track them down in hopes of finding a body number. I have one of the old titles from the state of Missouri but they used the engine number to register the car. I don’t suppose there would be any other places on the car where the number would be stamped? It’s such a shame that the data plate is the one thing that’s missing from an otherwise complete car. I cringe to think it was plucked off and sold on eBay for $50 bucks.

Where Are You From? Colorado

Do You own a car built by Durant? Yes

Unfortunately not. VIN plate with model, vin, plant name. Some states use vin, some the engine number, and other their own number not even connected to either.

I recall in the early 60s some club members just used a part number off the water pump or elsewhere if ownership / info lost. MOT / DOT weren't as fussy back then. You'd tell them it was lost but here's a number they believed you and didn't check.

When I bought my 1930 614 Durant sedan June 6 1962 the ownership papers were lost. The seller gave me two bills, one saying 1929 Durant and the other 1930 Durant, as he didn't know, and neither did I it was just an old car. License bureau asked me what year I wanted to use and I said 1930, having learned there is a big difference 1929 to a 1930. Just got better as the seller made a mistake saying I had deposited $10 more than I had on the $75 cost. I mentioned that to also to the bureau so they charged me $1.95 sales tax on $65 instead. I still have all the paper work inc the two bills. Can't recall what year I sold the car 1969 / 70 ?

Where Are You From? Ottawa Ontario Canada

Do You own a car built by Durant? 1932 614 sedan made by Dominion Motors