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1910 Stanley Steamer Gets Detailed and Reveals Specific Challenges

The Stanley Motor Carriage Company, which built Stanley Steamers, only functioned for 22 years as a company, and its last years were not exactly booming. Despite this, some of its steam-powered vehicles left a mark on the industry, and an aficionado built two of them in his home machine shop. Neither vehicle has been touched by humans for the last 17 years.
1910 Stanley Steamer replica 6 photos
Photo: Screenshot from YouTube video by AMMO NYC
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Even if they were stored in a garage on the owner's property, the two hand-built vehicles still suffered from the unstoppable passage of time. Since they used traditional methods and materials, those had a different kind of vulnerability to all the elements that make vehicles age, as well as all the microorganisms that cause specific problems.

For example, mold causes specific damage to various elements, especially if there is just enough humidity in a space to allow it to appear, and then becomes an even bigger issue once it manages to remain in that space for years. Mice, on the other hand, cause several types of damage and leave traces of their presence, but require a different approach.

Copper and brass age in a beautiful way, but still require attention to prevent them from looking too bad, while glass and painted wood have specific ways of behaving when they reach a certain age. The latter becomes brittle, while the former maintains most of its properties while also being brittle. Similar, but not the same. Fortunately for everyone, Larry Kosilla was called, and he will show us how to detail a 1910 Stanley Steamer.

As you can observe, this job does not allow for power washing, and many of the solutions used on modern cars are a no-go for this steam-powered vehicle. Fortunately, there are solutions, and Larry walks us through them.

One of the most interesting parts of the job is cleaning the acetylene headlights, which are made of brass and require a dedicated solution to clean this material, and Larry has tips even for those who find themselves in this situation.

Upon recommendation from a specialist, Larry got the tip to use a solution that has oxalic acid, which was found to be effective in cleaning this material ever since the late 19th century.

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About the author: Sebastian Toma
Sebastian Toma profile photo

Sebastian's love for cars began at a young age. Little did he know that a career would emerge from this passion (and that it would not, sadly, involve being a professional racecar driver). In over fourteen years, he got behind the wheel of several hundred vehicles and in the offices of the most important car publications in his homeland.
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