Trivia Tuesday, March 17 2015

#1... looks like some sort of electric brake, possibly on a trailer?

^ Incorrect.

C'mon, you slugs; it's Saturday already!

#2)  Some sort of lawsuit between Mercury and Comet coach builders over the name Comet. 

Ahhh; close enough! Ford bought the right to use the name from the Comet Coach Company in 1959, causing Comet to rename their entity to the 2 partner's surnames: Cotner-Bevington. C-B was the 'go to' coach builder for Olds' chassis'd professional cars.

Yay! I got one!

#4 - Schluderschimdt
Schworm?

I honestly do not understand the question #5

5.) Which of these state names was NOT featured on an early proposed or built auto brand?

How early? Do you mean a state where no brand that was proposing to build or built vehicles in?

^ #4 is correct; Schluderschmidt is a fictitious brand.

Don't you just LOVE LOVE LOVE the brand name 'Skiddoodler'?? 

I can't stop finding ways to work it into my around-house banter since learning it a week ago. 

If their tagline wasn't "Scoot around in a Skiddoodler'… well, it's no wonder the brand didn't make it; marketing. Cause they had the name LOCKED DOWN.

- - - - -

Question #5 rephrase :: which of these state names was NOT a proposed car brand name.

Hint; it's a trick question.

In the brake picture, I've been trying to glean as much info as I can.  I see what appears to be a sway bar and some sort of control arm.  I see what appears to be an oil pan, and it is either red, orange (if it is orange, it is probably a Chevrolet product) or iron oxide-colored.  I see a coil spring and a totally tubular shock absorber on a full-frame vehicle, along with an old bias-ply tire on the other side.  Final answer:  Buick or Pontiac finned drum.  The fins were for brake cooling to try to dissipate fade.  Since it is a five-lug, I am going with Buick, just because.  And from what I remember, Buicks were known for having good brake systems for the day, 50s-60s.

Full disclosure:  I did google "Pontiac finned drum brake photo" and "Buick finned brake drum photo".    Not saying I'm correct, just got me intensely curious.

#5 - Kentucky

#3 - Cale Yarborough, Dan Gurney

ocn : nice detective work, very thorough. You're way off tho.

Z : You are correct on #3. You missed the hint on #5 tho. 

#5 - All of the above

ocn : nice detective work, very thorough. You're way off tho.

 

Z : You are correct on #3. You missed the hint on #5 tho. 

DD- #5 is correct. Actually, my list was 12 auto brands named after states, and I'm positive there were more.

- - - - -

That just leaves Question #1….

*FINNED DRUM ROLL PLEASE...* 

Yay! I got 2 of them!

Well…. get the last one!

Is that an electromagnetic brake?

Ooooooooo!

No.

Is such a thing a real thing?

Ooooooooo!

 

No.

 

Is such a thing a real thing?

Yes, the regenerative braking system used by hybrids and plug-ins work on that principle.

#1 - I googled enough to find the answer.  The term I googled for was "enclosed disk brake"... which is what it looked like to me.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ausco_Lambert_disc_brake

The Ausco-Lambert disc brake^[1] is an unusual brake where an axially-expanding shoe assembly is sandwiched between two linked rotating discs. It may be thought of as an "inside out" disc brake: instead of pads pinching a disc, the pads expand inside a hollow disc.

http://www.moparmax.com/columns/magnante/ix_3-7.html

b…b…but googling is CHEATING.

That is correct of course. The Ausco Lambert disc brake was standard equipment on the '50-54 Chrysler Imperials… on all four corners. They were optional on other series, also. These were the first disc brakes on a American production car.

They mess with the 'car brain' because they obviously look like drum brakes.

(I say 'obviously', tho I wonder if any here perhaps have never seen a drum brake in person…)

That is good work by DD and history by BL of the A-L brakes. Any reason why this design didn't continue and evolve?

Likely the option price ($400 on other Chryslers) played a factor when a brand new '54 Bel Air coupe was $2061
Imagine a brake option today that cost $4500 (one-fifth the cost of $23,000 vehicle).