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Re: 1926? Durant Sedan help.

This car is a 1928 "Durant" M-2....There is also a 1928 "Durant Star" M-2....The only differences between the two is that the engine on the "Durant" M-2 has two round soft plugs on the right side of the engine block and the "Durant Star" has two plates fastened with 6 studs to expose the cooling cavity, also the W-5 engine ID plate on the lower left front will say "Durant Star" rather than just "Durant"...

If anyone is interested in making a restoration project with this Durant, I have a few bits and pieces I could donate for the cause including a radiator shell.

Where Are You From? Leavenworth, WA / Yuma, AZ

Do You own a car built by Durant? yes

Re: 1926? Durant Sedan help.

Very kind of you Bill. Forgot to add I'm the bidder.
Creighton

Where Are You From? Spokane Valley, WA.

Do You own a car built by Durant? No

Re: 1926? Durant Sedan help.

Outbid. Gonna let it go. Hope to a good home. Thanks all !!
Creighton

Where Are You From? Spokane Valley, WA.

Do You own a car built by Durant? No

Re: 1926? Durant Sedan help.

Bill .. did they go back and forth on the frost plugs ? This appears to be a W4 in a home made racing car, with what seems to be a F rad shell shape. I note the distributor has a very wide cap. Car has no title, vin or engine plate. Phil is trying to id it as lad is looking for cap and rotor to get it running.

 photo cid_AD99BDB6B52344F4A4E198DC68706EB7NormPC.jpg

 photo cid_90AE57D502084024A9E76D8373E4B685NormPC.jpg

Where Are You From? Ottawa Ont

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

Re: 1926? Durant Sedan help.

On the core plugs vs. plates, my observation agrees with Bill Hoaglan.

The distributer could be adapted from something else, such as VW Beetle
or a Wisconsin V4.

Where Are You From? MN

Do You own a car built by Durant? Yes

Re: 1926? Durant Sedan help.

Sold at $1825. Hope someone here got it!
Creighton

Where Are You From? Spokane Valley, WA.

Do You own a car built by Durant? No

Re: 1926? Durant Sedan help.

Finally answered the question and the green engine pictured with round plugs is a W4 but checking further the W5 in a 1927 M also had round plugs. The six bolt plate must be a short lived W5.

Where Are You From? Ottawa Ont

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

Re: 1926? Durant Sedan help.

Norm.....There seams to be plenty of confusion on how the Star line progressed until it was phased out in April of '28....If you go into Photographs and look at the 1928 Durant M-2 "Texas Museum" This M-2 has a "Star ID plate" and has the two 6 stud plates on Right side of block...This car would have been produced before April of '28, after April of '28 the M-2 would have became the Durant M-2 and the W-5 engine would have had the two round soft plugs like you have pictured on the W-4 above...(I think)

Some history from Durantcars: "In January 1928, Durant announced a new strategy of selling six-cylinder cars under the Durant name and four-cylinder cars under the Star name. So the Star model R was rebadged as a Durant model 55. Production of four-cylinder Star vehicles continued in 1928. Here the history gets a little muddy. In 1928 there are three models of four-cylinder cars attributed to Star, the model M, model M2 and the "Four".

In April of 1928 production of all Star cars ceased and the four-cylinder Star car was rebadged the Durant model M2"...

The M-2 that I am restoring was manufactured in Canada, The engine brass data plate has a "Star emblem" with wording Durant Motors Ltd Toronto Ontario(it does not say Star), It does have the two block side plates....When I got this car it was a mixed bag or parts, M-2, M-4, D-40 with a mix of both Coupe and Sedan body parts ...The VIN plate was from a D-40...What was interesting is that one of the previous owner had pieced this Coupe together, he had sedan doors which are 5 1/2" shorter than Coupe doors then he had to add an additional 5 1/2" to the rear coupe quarters so rear wheels were centered properly in the wheel wells, he then used the back of a sedan for the coupe back that extended through the turtle to the floor and then made an attempt at manufacturing a trunk deck to fit....Gord stopped by and helped me figure out what I had....Luckly I later found an M-4 parts car with a good restorable coupe body.

Rick....What is your thoughts on moving the photo of the 1928 M-2 Texas Museum car from the Durant Photos and move it to the Star Photos? I think it would really help in identifying the M-2 Star.

Where Are You From? Leavenworth, WA / Yuma, AZ

Do You own a car built by Durant? yes

Re: 1926? Durant Sedan help.

Yes Billy did that as we see in the new Registry and it wasn't the first time to say Star 4 or Durant 6, which seems to confuse people. However using vin books there was no Star 4 model, just C, F, M, M2. Look in durantcars under Star lit and Terry has a 1926 "Star 4". I saw same thing in newspaper ads pre 1928 where the Star was just called the Star 4. Look under Durant lit 1928 and Terry has "Durant 4", 1929 he has three brochures saying "Durant 4".

Billy continued the nonsense by changing the trucks to Rugby in April 1928 except the M2 Durant which wasn't changed until the spilt to M4 Durant car and S4 Rugby truck.

All the way through this empire nothing was straight forward and vehicles came from the plants with current or past parts. They just kept using up old parts to shove vehicles out the door. Its that old saying about no two cars the same, should have been the motto. Then add Leaside had its parts supplier so we did our own thing like Robertson screws and other things we have been told our cars are not correct. One small thing is the beehive taillight was used 65 and 1931 in the US but we used it on a few pre 30 models and all Durant / Rugby 1930 - 32 and Frontenac 31 / 32. We've been told rear wire mount spare was incorrect and should be side mount. Not here the 31 614 here is rear mount as is my 32 and we destroyed a 30 614 in the 60's for parts with rear mount.

Not surprised the car has a Star emblem only on your M2. We ran into a 32A engine that has Durant named engine plate in a Frontenac. They must have just grabbed engines assembling vehicles and stuck them in frame not paying attention if it should have Durant or Frontenac on the plates. Again with the using up of parts, my 32 is the newest of the 614's so you would assume the engine serial would be higher than the others. In fact its the reverse with serials higher on the older cars. Must be the way they stacked engines at the plant they got used in reverse order ??

Yes that M2 Star is in the wrong place in photo's and should be in the Star photos.

Where Are You From? Ottawa Ont

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

 

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