Franklin Model 130 Original Vintage Old Antique Full CCCA Classic Car (64pics)

OVERVIEW:
This is a very original, omplete, nd solid 1929 Franklin 5 passenger sedan. It remains as originally equipped, nd has original interior. The wood structure of the body and doors is very solid and sturdy. It has an aluminum rear body section. There was one respray of color done in the old lacquer of the early 30's, ith no damage or bodywork evident.
It also retains a very comprehensive ownership and information file.
These cars rode on a 120"wheelbase and were powered by a 46 horsepower, 36 ci. air-cooled 6-cylinder engine.
This Franklin carries Full Classic status with the Classic Car Club of America.

Built by the Franklin Motor Car Company in Syracuse, Y, ranklin automobiles were built from 1904 to 1934. With a span of 30 years, ranklin was the longest running and most successful manufacturer of air-cooled automobiles in America. Among its advertising claims of the day, he Franklin touted its ability to ‘run all day with throttle wide open, ithout any heating up or loss of power, omething no other car could do'. Over the years, ranklin pioneered numerous automotive technical features, nd among its devoted drivers were the likes of Canon Ball Baker, nd Charles Lindbergh.

An original bill of sale dated May 21, 931, hows the car was sold by W.F. Gates, resident of the Prairie Pipeline Co. of Independence, ansas, o Margaret A. Leary of Eastland, exas for the sum of $1.
Original documents show Mrs. Leary registered the car throughout the 30's, ith the last year being 1941. On Sept. 23, 963, ohn D. Leary, er son, nherited the car and was issued a State of Texas title on Oct.1. A photo shows him proudly standing with his foot on the rear bumper in 1932. The car had not been in use since 1943, xcept for being driven to storage in Mexia, exas in 1961.
In 1975 John renewed his interest in the car and wanted to give it a new lease on life. From then till his passing in 1986 he was a member of the Franklin Club and did some engine work in 1982.

The car remained with his widow until her passing in 2008, fter which the car was sold to its third owner who imported it into Canada, long with a spare engine.
The new owner did some additional engine work and was in the process of re-assembling it when he took ill. He passed in 2013, nd as such there is some minor re-assembly of the engine required.
We have determined that all the parts are present and accounted for, long with many spares.

The car was never registered in Alberta and as such will be sold with a bill of sale and its Texas title.
It is titled with its engine # 132443, nd bears chassis # 30-184395L11.
A dislocated speedometer face plate makes it difficult to read the odometer, ut as best as I can tell it is just rolling over to exactly 51,000 miles.

There have been no modifications from original done to this vehicle. This is a very solid original car with relatively low miles, nd with some inspection, aintenance and minor engine re-assembly can likely be rendered drivable again without much trouble.
It is also an excellent candidate for restoration given its originality, ondition, nd completeness.

DRIVETRAIN:
The engine is the correct original air-cooled 6 cylinder, hich has 7 main bearings.
In addition to the engine in the car, here is a complete spare engine.
All other mechanical components are correct originals.
These cars used a mechanical fuel pump, o problematic vacuum tank.

Based on visual inspection and a review of the file and receipts, assess the overall engine situation to be as follows;
The engine block assembly is intact with crank, ods (re-babbited in '82), istons, amshaft, ylinders, alve components and valve oiler, tarter, enerator, il filter, an and housing. All are in place, nd indications are that theseitemshave been attended to and will not require further work.
Those parts listed above that you see loose in the pictures are all left over spares. I do not have a pic of the spare engine at this time but will post one to the photo album prior to end of the auction.

The following are the peripheral bolt on components which are all present and will need to be re-installed;
Oil pump and distribution unit, il pan, lutch cover, ngine side splash pans, arburetor and air cleaner, uel pump, istributor, ntake and exhaust manifolds, ross over pipe, rankcase ventilator, orn, nd the lower, iddle and upper air hoods.
As you see in the pics, here are also spares of some of these parts.

Includes original crank handle, nd some tools.
The rest of the drivetrain, ransmission and rear end, ll appear complete, ntact, nd original.

CHASSIS:
The chassis, ncluding steering, uspension, ydraulic brakes, s all original and unrestored, nd shows the road dirt and grime of its miles. The frame appears very solid and straight.
All four springs are full elliptical, nd there is a spare one, s well as a spare wheel rim.
All four shock absorbers have been removed but are present and shown in the pics.
The muffler and exhaust system are intact and in original condition.
There is a dent in the right rear bottom corner of the gas tank.

These cars ran on 19"tires. All hold air, ut the right rear will leak down over a couple of weeks.
There is a set of 6 Custom Classic 6.50 x 19 tires with wide white walls which will be included. One of these is mounted on the right front wheel with white wall facing inward, he other 5 have never been mounted. A pic of those will be posted prior to auction end.
The original wood spoke wheels, ll of which are solid, port original Franklin hubcaps.

BODY & PAINT:
The rear body section is aluminum, ith steel rockers and front cowl. The doors and fenders are steel. There is no evidence of serious collision damage or rust on the car. The wood structure is in very good solid condition.

The doors fit well with no droop or looseness on the hinges. The door bottoms are clean and rust free, s are the rockers, ottoms of the front cowl, nd side aprons.

Minor sheet metal dents or dings can be found on the front splash pan, nd the edges of the left front and both rear fenders, otserious damage.

The hood upper and side panels are extremely straight, s are both side aprons above the running boards, oth sides of the front cowl, he right front fender, ower rear body tub, nd 3 of the doors.
The left rear door has one soft dent just below the belt line.

The worst damage on the car is at the left rear corner of the body just below the belt line. There is a large dent, nd extensive peening from multiple strikes. This happened when the car was transported from Texas to Alberta, nd was caused by a poorly placed strap whose ratchet repeatedly slapped against the body causing the damage. In the process it also broke the glass in the left rear door and quarter window. Those two will require new glass.

The front bumper iron is split at center.

The running boards are solid. The rubber on the right board has a new pyramid rubber mat installed, he left one still has the original rubber which has started to flake. There is another strip of new pyramid rubber to replace the mat on the left board.

The firewall and door jambs show that the original color was maroon. This is also evident below the right rear quarter window whereold lacquer re-spray was removed and the original paint is clearly visible.

The re-spray must have been done early on in its life as it was done in the old nitrocellulose lacquer. That paint has weathered, aded and checked, nd would be easily removed by various means.
The right front fender also shows the dull lacquer re-spray rubbing off and the shiny original black paint showing thru in strips.

Overall a very solid and original car with one older repaint.
There is a rear mounted spare with a fixture to accept a padlock.

The top fabric is original and intact, lbeit weathered and checked.

The only exterior item not presently on the car is the sun visor. However it is present and consists of its frame, end brackets, he cloth material, nd a retainer strip.

ELECTRICAL:
The car retains its original 6-volt electrical system. The wiring is all original but appears in good condition.
Shielded wiring to the front headlamps.

There is no battery in the car. The battery box is located under the passenger side of the front seat, nd has a latched lid.
A metal tag located under the front seat is stamped as "Willard Storage Battery Service Station, ustin, exas, 254" . Based on the receipt in the file, believe this was put there by the garage that sold and installed a new Willard battery back on 12-2-1937, t which time mileage was noted to be 50,699.

It has an attractive gauge cluster, nd the instruments are original. The clock is missing, nd the speedometer face plate is dislocated.
Cigar lighter receptacles on dash and right rear passenger compartment, ut the lighters are missing.
Otherwise everything there and correct.

The glass lenses on the front driving lights are Parabeam, hose and the ones on the fender lights, nd rear tail light ‘STOP' lens are good. It is not equipped with turn signals.

INTERIOR:
The interior upholstery is totally original in all respects, nd although not perfect, t has survived quite well all things considered. It could still be enjoyed as is if you don't mind a few tatters, r it would be ideal for restoration patterns.

The 2 lower cushions and front back rest have older seat covers on them, ut the original material is intact underneath.
The under sides of both lower seat cushions, eaning the wood framework and springs, re in very sturdy and clean, odent free condition.

Front kick panels are in place, ut there is no front carpet. Remnants of the rear carpet are in place. Flooring throughout is very solid.

Original wood graining on the dash and window garnish moldings remains, lthough aged to varying degrees.
Nice woodgrain and design detail on the window moldings and rear ash tray boxes.

The steering wheel is in good original condition, ut has one gouge. The throttle lever at the hub is broken. Horn button is nice.

The original headliner is not torn. Original dome light is present.
There are pull down privacy blinds for the 3 rear windows, nd exit assist pull cords on both sides.

The original vacuum wiper motor is present, ut one of the mounting lobes is broken off and the shaft has a slight bend.
The car retains all original inside door handles and pulls, indow cranks, ock levers and latches, oor sill plates, nd all other hardware.
All glass on the car appears to be original, ut as mentioned, lass in the 2 left rear side windows is broken.

BRIGHTWORK:
The original honeycomb grille is in very good condition and has its crank hole cover.
The chrome grille surround is nice without dents or cracks, ut the hood ornament is broken off and missing.

One small dent on the right headlamp bucket and ring, nd one on the left fender lamp bucket, ut no cracks anywhere.
All other brightwork items such as bumpers, ubcaps, eadlamp buckets and rings, ender lights, ail light ring, oor handles, ood latches, nd cowl molding are in decent original condition. Some chrome peeling on front bumper, nd a small bit on top of grille surround.

SUMMARY:
In addition to the spare engine and parts, here are a few original tools, hich include the crank handle, ack, heel and hubcap wrenches, nd a few others.

A large amount of original, echnical, nd club related literature in also included. In fact, verything that was ever accumulated by the original and most recent owners was kept and will go with the car.
This represents a tremendous resource of documented history and technical information that will be invaluable to the new owner. Included are family photos of this and earlier Franklins owned by the original family, ho obviously were a Franklin family for many years. There are also registration documents and parts receipts. The original Franklin Instruction Book, hich doubles as an owner's manual and shop service manual, n original sales catalog, nd original parts books. Letters of correspondence with suppliers and other club members, s well as many years copies of Franklin club magazines, ewsletters, nd rosters.

This is a very affordable car to enter into the hobby with, r add to an existing collection. It has low miles, s very complete, riginal, nd very solid, ey elements when choosing a project. These are the qualities that save time and money over the course of a restoration, r maintain a car's value if simply kept as is.
Once the engine assembly is completed, urther restoration tasks for this car can be done over time while still having fun with it. There should be no hidden secrets or horrors with this car.

The basis is here for an easy, nexpensive, ighly correct restoration. You won't be spending years or tons of money trying to find missing parts, r performing extensive woodwork or rust repairs.

If you are considering a unique car from the late ‘20s, arly 30's era, hen this could be it! If you're not familiar with the engineering of Franklin air-cooled engines and their appeal in the past and present, here is a wealth of information available online through a Google search.
Original Franklin patented designs are still in use within the aviation industry today. That says something!

This Franklin is being made available with a reasonable reserve.

PAYMENT TERMS:

This survivor vehicle is being listed on behalf of the owners estate. Please email ‘carsgoneby@telus.net' or phone Rick at (403)534-2222 for additional honest and accurate information from a professional auto restorer. All information listed has been gathered from discussions with family, isual inspection, nd a detailed review of all documents and receipts in the file. Over 160 pics are available for viewing at www.carsgoneby.com/PhotoAlbumsPro/1929Franklin . Additional specific pictures are available upon request. No warranties expressed or implied. Successful bidder to make a minimum payment of 50% of closing bid amount (US funds) within 5 days of auction closing, ith the balance payable upon vehicle pick up within 21 days (international) or 14 days (US/Canada).
Payment must be in certifiable form such as cash or wire transfer. Other forms of payment only acceptable with time allowance for instrument to clear bank prior to vehicle being released. Any deviation from, r changes to the preceding terms must be reasonable, nd should be requested, iscussed, nd agreed to prior to bidding and auction closing.

IMPORTANT OTHER:

Please submit all inquiries prior to bidding, nd please only bid if you are able and willing to conclude the transaction should you be the winning bidder.
This vehicle is being sold with a Bill of Sale and a Texas title dated Oct. 1, 963.
The car is located in Mossleigh, lberta, anada, bout 3 hours north of the Montana border. Please be aware of your shipping costs before bidding, uotes can be provided upon request if necessary. We can help make this a smooth, assle free experience by arranging all-inclusive international transportation and brokerage for you. References relating to similar transactions are available. Cars Gone By has sold and shipped numerous collector vehicles to the USA and worldwide, he majority through Ebay transactions.
Please do not ask us to disclose the reserve price. In fairness to all bidders we will not do so and request that you simply place a bid that is comfortable for you.
Thanks for looking!