Nice Newport for Sale on eBay

Its a 1971, and nearly identical to mine. Between 1969 and 1972, Newports had only minor cosmetic differences between them and I had a 1971 Newport in high school, the 1969 I have now, is nearly identical to the one I had, save for the cosmetics and a few options (grandpa actually splurged for the A/C and the rear window defogger, sadly, he didn't get the record player or the 8-track recorder. I bring this up, because I want to point out that I'm not married to the exact car that I have, and if I had the money, I'd happily plunk down the cash for that Newport and use mine for parts (at least those that won't be replaced by the steam engine). That could, potentially, save me some money, depending upon the condition of the vehicle, it would certainly come in handy when it came to replacing hard to find items.

Cash, however, is the critical issue. I've got to start focusing on getting some fund raising proposals together. I know that there's a number of folks interested in this project, and if I can get enough information posted to show that I'm not a ravening lunatic, then I might be able to get some more donations. (If I could hit the "magic thousand" number of folks who donate $20, I'd be able to get this project almost to completion in a very short time.) Of course, when you have to "duct tape" your life together on an almost daily basis (or so it seems some times) getting organized is a bit difficult. Right now, I'm sick (again), so I really don't feel like doing much of anything. Hopefully I'll feel better tomorrow. Otherwise, its off to the doctor next week.

Site Updated!

Well, one page, at least. I've added some layout drawings, plans for the engine I'm going to use on the pushmower, to test everything out before I start work on the car. I also put a link up to a graduate paper that proves steam engines beat diesels. It is dealing with locomotives, not cars, but its certainly a strong indicator that I'm not completely off-base with my idea.

Further proof, I think, comes from this story about a Florida engineer who has developed something similar. He's supposed to start building lawnmowers soon, and his system is way more complex than what I'm talking about doing (its also a lot more expensive). I also don't think that his system could be retrofitted to existing car designs, which is really what I'm after. The boiler description, however, sounds exactly like that of a Doble, which makes me wonder if he reinvented it, or cribbed from Doble.

Finally!

I've been without net access for nearly 2 weeks because of a cut cable. I haven't had a chance to update the site yet, but my friend came through with some of the CAD drawings, so I'll have to get those posted as soon as I can. I've also found what I hope are some good steam engine plans. I've talked with people familiar with Stanley Steamers and it doesn't seem that anyone's made the blueprints available for the engines, so I've had to come up with something else for use on the testbed. Apparently these guys are working with Jay Leno in creating some CAD drawings of parts for cars in his collection. Hopefully, Leno will have CAD drawings of the Stanley engine made and make them available soon. Otherwise, I'll probably have to buy on engine off of eBay, and then make a copy of it using modern, lighter materials, which will be expensive, as Stanley engines are going for about $2,500+ on eBay, when they can be found. Still, once I'm done with it, I can put it back on eBay and recoup the costs. If I throw in a copy of the CAD drawings of the engine, I might even be able to make a bit of a profit on the deal.

Speaking of which, I got in a little bit of overtime and managed to pick up an el cheapo digital camera at Wallyworld, so in a week or two, I'll get some current photos of the car up, as well as take photos of some of the parts so I can start selling them on eBay and fund this project a little better.