Hello Everyone,
I recently bought a 619 Durant from a salvage yard thinking it would make an awesome hot rod...not initially realizing how rare these vehicles were/are. The salvage yard received the vehicle through an estate sale clean-up and bought it strictly for the steel tonnage and it was just a couple weeks away from being crushed. According to the id/vin plate it was built in Lansing, MI and was the 10th one off of the line in 1931 (#L-1010). I talked to Rick Botti several months ago about this vehicle and have finally gotten around to posting some pictures, etc. I'm currently a student taking street rod and chassis fabrications courses and I wanted to talk to you guys about this vehicle before I proceeded with anything. I was just curious if anyone would want to purchase this vehicle or even trade for a similar late 20's or early 30's passenger vehicle in comparable condition (would prefer a ford model a). Since the pictures I have installed an Essex front end with wood spokes to make it a roller...original front axle is included minus wheels as is the front apron, front seat, taillight housing, wooden interior header board with rear view mirror & windshield wipers and most of the original wooded bows for the roof. What do you guys think?

Pictures can be seen at the following online album...
http://s249.photobucket.com/albums/gg237/ford-farm/Durant/

With a little expertise that car would be a great project. I agree, it's much too rare to modify into a street rod. It'd be worth more as an investment to build as stock.

Don

Do You own a car built by Durant? 1923 Star C Touring, 1927 Star M Coupe

Adam

I own a restored 1931 Durant 619. Yes they are rare, but that is true with most Durants.

It would be nice if you could restore the vehicle to its original condition. If you really want a hot rod or a street rod, start with a more common vehicle, and try to preserve the Durant.

Personally, I do not have room for a fourth Durant or I would make an offer for the vehicle.

The members of the DMAC would love to see another Durant restored.

Charlie

Do You own a car built by Durant? yes

Thanks for offering to sell or trade this car to our membership. Hopefully someone out there will strike a deal with you. Maybe Frank W. has a Model A hidden amongst the Durant and Stars out there to trade you.

Do you think it was originally a wood wheel car? Isn't that kind of rare for a 619?

Thanks again!
Dave

I believe it was original with wooden wheels...both rear wheels still have the aluminum caps with "Durant" written on them. The car sat in a pasture since the late 40's...and the man who's estate it came from was the nephew of the original owner who supposedly owned a durant dealership somewhere in Colorado or Wyoming.

hello adam,
what frank witkowski does have is an essex touring car...4door open touring that has a fully metal body and would be an awesome rod....open car and sweet looking ....in either case you neeed to make a box tube frame and the essex is almost straight along the top except the kick up at rear....maybe he would like to trade...he was going to trade me for mine but i ended up with a different deal....give him a hit on the site....regards, gary k

Do You own a car built by Durant? 1929 MODEL 70 COUPE & 1930 6-14 SEDAN

Adam, Where is the car located and are you interested in selling?

Eliot,
Car is currently located in SE Wyoming and it wil be in the Chicago Land area in a few months. I might be willing to sell it outright...I just want to make sure that I have enough money to purchase another car of the same era to rod out...thats why I was thinking along the lines of trade...making both parties happy...saving a Durant and hot rodin' somethin else!

I am in the exact same boat as you,I have a 31 614 rumble seat coupe I bought for hot rodding,Now I found out this car has a wacky serial number(B-1394) that nobody knows anything about....I was thinking the same thing trade it for a different car,but who knows,,,Its just sitting in storage right now...

Do You own a car built by Durant? yes

Dave and Adam ...
Dave if you look at the rear of the car the tire holder shows its a wood spoke wheel car. The 619 Lance did was orig wood spoke as well and he changed it to wire. About the same shape as this car based on pics of both.

Adam ... I noted on Ebay that Frank is away until Jan. Sure he has a Ford A in his herd of cars he could part with LOL

I see it has two door handles and I only need one hummm ...

Do You own a car built by Durant? 1932 614 Sedan

Nice looking 619. That's a pretty straight body. Sure be nice to see somebody bring it to life. Be nice to have a 619 lineup in the club. Lot's of small things have walked away from it over the years. Can't believe there are 2 handles and an inside crank left. The Wyoming dry wind has done a great job of sandblasting. Nice pattern wood also. 619s came with both wood and wire wheels. Mine had wire from the start but I've seen others in wood. Mine was a later build. Suspicion has it that they used whatever was there in the factory.

Wayne

Do You own a car built by Durant? yes

Wayne .. you keep your fingers away from those outside handles. We both have our eyes on them, ha ha. Inside one you can have as its nothing like our 32 handles. The outside ones are close.
Yes that's the opinion here as well. Durant just put anything on cars as they were being assembled. That's why we say there are no two the same. I'm surprised that one headlight wasn't painted, the other stainless as it came down the line, or same with fender lights.
Even more so with our Dominion cars. Using up D parts from US and Can to make the remaining 614 / 618 cars. Note in photos 1933 D, one wire wheel, the other wooden spoke of the only known 33's D's left.

Do You own a car built by Durant? 1932 614 Sedan

Hi Guys,

If we had a closer picture of those handles, I would be able to tell if I have them in my Patterns, but they do look familiar.
Mike

Hi Mike, the Canadian 1932 614 / 618 handles look almost the same as the 619. Think the backing is slightly different. Don't know about the inside ones but ours are sort of art deco. Dominion 1931 still used the V handles of the 30's, in and out. The bumpers and diamomd shaped bumper medallions also differ from the 619's. Looks like the 32 D's were unique to themselves.
Lets see if I can copy a pic.

Do You own a car built by Durant? 1932 614 Sedan

Guess not .. used all 4 of the things in photobucket and like last time they do one time and don't another.
Ah I think HTML code worked this time. Go for broke and show in and out.

Do You own a car built by Durant? 1932 614 Sedan

Hi Norm, I am sure that I have those handles in the Durant patterns. I will have a good look to make sure.
Mike

Norm:
Those are certainly different inside handles than the originals on my 31 model 619.

Do You own a car built by Durant? yes

Hi Wayne .. thanks for verifying that also. I recall talking to you about the hood end parts that Mack Truck, Plymouth, Dodge, and a few others used from 30's to 60's ,depending on the vehicle. No I haven't got a good set yet and have ones off a 46 Dodge 2 ton. Dodge doesn't have the center strip and its all phony. That hood is like taking your hands and curling your fingers together like you were pulling them apart. The ends have a plate that takes up half the room for the rod to fit into. I had to break the weld and get rid of that part. Otherwise its idential to the 31 / 32 D / Frontys's.

Yes you send me a pic of your outside handles as well. (didn't keep it, unfortunately) and I believe the backing plate is slightly different. I know the 619 bumpers and diamond shaped medallions are not the same. Why on the last year of production of the 614 / 618 they didn't just use up parts of existing stock from the US is anyones guess. Gord told me he sent a set of those inside handles to Australia off his father in laws 32 618. The ones I picked up from Tim Orr i nAug are even more fancy. Rick Botti said he had not seen balklite knobs before, all winders he knew of were metal. The two winders on Dorothy are metal. These must be deluxe or something. The backing plates and design are exactly the same as Dorothy has now ,that you see in the pic. Tim told me he found an old paste wax tin under a seat of a car in Minakers Auto Wrecking yard years back, before he knew of Durant's. He bought them to put on a rod if he ever needed them. How lucky I am to have these hens teeth handles if any more even exist today. Wasn't many Dominion cars made and 32 only with these handles ,bumpers, etc. And yes Tim sold them to me still in the paste wax tin of the 30 / 40's. Cool. He had outside handles also but nothing like the 32 and flat backed backing, rather than the body moulding curve ,that seems also unique to 30 - 32 D's. So typical of Billy not to have two cars the same in parts or so it seems.

Do You own a car built by Durant? 1932 614 Sedan