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Hendrick Motor Co.: 1928
Takoma Park, Maryland, circa 1928. "Hendrick Motor Co., Carroll Avenue." National Photo Company Collection glass ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/04/2012 - 9:37pm -

Takoma Park, Maryland, circa 1928. "Hendrick Motor Co., Carroll Avenue." National Photo Company Collection glass negative. View full size. Fordor SedanThe new Model A Fords must have been painted on the building during the period that Ford was transitioning from the seriously outdated Model T, to the all new Model A. The Tudor Sedan shows a fresh air vent in the lower cowl. No production Model A ever had such a vent. Legible signsI am struck by the bold, clear and legible use of typography in these older photographs. This is in distinction to the blur of pictograms, logos, and hen scratching that passes for public communications nowadays. Just look at the ads all around us. There was something deeply confident as well as respectful of potential customers embodied in our forefathers' use of graphics. Model T SportscarAn interesting picture. I'd like to take a spin in a car featured on the sign, that Model T Coupe with the rumble seat. [That's a Model A roadster. - Dave] Radio DaysThe sign next to the service entrance says "batteries delivered to your home." That's because the majority of home radios in 1928 required a 6-volt lead acid battery to supply their tube filaments. Radios that ran on house current were just coming to market in 1928. Takoma FordThis dealership later became Takoma Ford. Our family bought several cars from them because the service manager was a neighbor. The mechanical service area was through the big opening in the picture. To enter the body shop underneath you had to drive around the block. It's a Sport CoupeThat would be a sport coupe... identified by the landau bars. The top does not fold down as it does on a roadster. Roadsters also did not have roll-up windows. ObservationsObligatory "you can see the photographer in the reflection." I wonder if this was a planned photo. You'd think they'd make an effort to clean up the lot. Also, I'm surprised the barber shop didn't make it with all of the men having time to kill while their cars were being repaired. Fordor ventsThe car on the right side of the sign is a Fordor rather than a Tudor. The early 1928 Fordors did indeed have cowl vents but they were eliminated shortly after introduction. I have a '28 leatherback Fordor like that. Early 1928 SedanThe early 1928's did have a cowl vent on the lower driver's cowl. These were called the "AR" model. The early cars had a number of changes in them, as discussed in the book "Henry's Lady" by Ray Miller. So it's an early 28. Thanks. Cheap GasThe "Gasoline at D.C. Prices" sign is humorous--today it seems like gas gets cheaper the farther you get from urban areas (at least here in the NY/NJ/PA tri-state area); apparently that wasn't always the case. I wonder if the founders of this dealership are any relation to the Hendrick family in North Carolina that runs several mega dealerships--and a rather successful NASCAR race team. (The Gallery, Gas Stations, Natl Photo)
Hendrick Garage: 1928
1928. Takoma Park, Maryland. "Hendrick Motor Co. garage." The sign: "All repair work strictly cash." National ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 01/05/2015 - 7:18pm -

1928. Takoma Park, Maryland. "Hendrick Motor Co. garage." The sign: "All repair work strictly cash." National Photo Co. Collection glass negative. View full size. Oh, those detailsAnother amazing shot! Of particular note: Part of a Ford Model T planetary transmission and magneto on the bench at far left (possibly from the Model T "doctor's coupe") in the rearmost bay; time clock on the rear wall, complete with time cards in their rack; Ford magneto tester to the right of the clock; short, stout sawhorses used as jackstands; wrecked car in the wide bay--see the bent frame horns at the front); jib crane on the right wall; trouble light hanging on the column. Most telling is the general layer of grime on the cars, which of course you never see on antique cars today. Bumpers optionalThis picture and the next one feature a grand total of one bumper. This seems like an idea that would have caught on sooner. High heatDon't ever remember seeing radiant steam heaters 6 feet off the floor. Interesting, and I could use the vise attached to the bench today. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Natl Photo)
In the Shop: 1928
Takoma Park, Maryland, circa 1928. "Hendrick Motor Co. garage." Our third look at this establishment. National ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/05/2012 - 1:15pm -

Takoma Park, Maryland, circa 1928. "Hendrick Motor Co. garage." Our third look at this establishment. National Photo Company glass negative. View full size. High PointGreat picture, great angle. Early Signs of SafetyThere are two encouraging safety developments apparent in this photo (versus many other early machine shops). The M-G set at the back of the shop has its belt guarded. And the oxyacetylene torch rig next to it appears to have the cylinders secured to the cart. Hendrick gives a darn about his employees! Slow design developmentIt's interesting that in 1928 they were still more or less using the old horse carriage design. Hold the grease, pleaseI love the details. I see what look like protective covers over the steering wheels and seats of the cars that are in for service. I guess greasy handprints have always been a hazard of taking your car to the mechanic. The vise squad.There's an old saying in the trade that when building a repair shop you start with a good vise and build the shop around it.The humble vise hasn't changed in hundreds of years and in this high tech age the modern shop still can't fuction without it. Sultry winchesI was rather surprised to see metal roof trusses in that era. I was even more surprised to see a stout wooden beam spanning two of them with a travelling block and tackle hoist running along it. That seems like a recipe for disaster - especially when the load shifts to either side and onto a single truss. Service, please!As a veteran mechanic, I remember the days when a valve grind was necessary every 60,000 miles. Now if you don't get at least 200K on an engine before it requires major work, you haven't maintained it correctly. The demise of carburetors and the improvement in the quality of gas and oil has reduced the amount of carbon produced in the combustion chamber, which held the valves open slightly, causing them to burn. It was not uncommon to do a valve grind and re-ring at 30,000 miles back when these cars had a few years on them. What a neat garage!The first row of cars on the left show a Model T two-door, about 1923, then about a 1923 coupe, then another two-door, 1926 or 1927, and a roadster pickup at the end. On the right is the best part of the photo. A 1927 roadster, and a 1927 Ford coach or tudor. They could be still-new cars for sale. The closest car on the right is the "New" 1928 Ford. This is a commercial chassis, probably a ton by the size of the springs, with no body attached. On the commercial cars the radiator and headlamps were painted black. Passenger cars had nickel plating. You can see the spare rim mounted in the middle. In front is the wash bay, for excellent service. Cold, hard workIt's sort of romantic to others who have not worked on cars, however, you might consider what it might be like for you to pick up cold spanners on a winter's morning, graze your knuckles, bend your back to lift a cast iron cylinder head off a block and after a few years perhaps suffer a prolapsed disc in your back from all the bending over car engines and then have to find other work. Hard slog in a place like this. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Natl Photo)
Juice Bar: 1928
Takoma Park, Maryland, circa 1928. "Hendrick Motor Co. garage -- Battery Service." Another aspect of the ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/08/2019 - 4:51pm -

Takoma Park, Maryland, circa 1928. "Hendrick Motor Co. garage -- Battery Service." Another aspect of the establishment last seen here. 8x10 inch glass negative. View full size. And for your convenience --In case of fire, use the handy bucket of water to toss onto the batteries. [That's sand. - Dave] Fully equipped!Lots to see here in this battery service shop, from the fire bucket (just in case), to the batteries stacked on the wooden steps - NOT on the shop floor (still believed to ruin a lead-acid battery.) Sulfuric acid dispenser on one end of the bench, with a tar pot and (acetylene?) cylinder for heating it at the other. And a really serious charging rack! With what appears to be a rotary converter to provide the 6+ volts for charging from the shop AC line. That tankNeeds a chain. Tar PotThanks to Dbell for clearing that up, I thought it was a just a seriously hard core Coffee maker. That appears to be a Dynamotor tucked in the corner of the bench, it's an AC motor turning a DC generator, probably the only way to rectify large amounts of current back then. EquipmentAbove on the wall, obscuring the "R" in "SERVICE", appears to be a gas-fired distiller for (I presume) a source of pure water for the batteries. Also, peeking out behind the battery charging racks on the left, one spies the motor-generator that supplies the charging current. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Gas Stations, Natl Photo)
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