Old Sabrecraft photos

[McSkagit Tim Jones]

Going through some of my dad's slides recently and found these two of our 1959 Sabrecraft 14. The three of us in the photo taken in the driveway was on our departure into Canada. We made it as far as Cape Scott on the north end of Vancouver Island. Was June 1960. We had a brand new 1959 Johnson 35 in the trunk of the Olds. I was 14. Those were the days.

[Skagitguy]

Tim, Great pictures. Was that a Rocket 88 Olds ? Chuck

[Mark_Denis]

Love the pictures Tim! Thanks for sharing.

[McSkagit Tim Jones]

53 Oldsmobile 98

Yes, Chuck, a 1953 Olds 98 with 303 Rocket V-8 and 4 speed Hydramatic transmission. Dad was an Olds guy. His first was a 1946 Olds model 96. That was a Cadillac chassis with a six cylinder Olds engine. Then in 1950, he bought a new Olds 88 hardtop with the 303 V-8 and Hydramatic.

Then in 1953, he bought the 98 four door. Dad had to postpone the order as the Hydramatic plant burned down and the only Olds available either had a three speed manual on the column or a Buick Dynaflo trans. Dad wanted a Hydramatic, so he waited. We took the train to Lansing Michigan where we picked up the Olds 98. We then continued on to New York, New York.

I learned to drive in the 98. I called it the Tank!
Another pic from our also 1960 boat trip aboard a rented Owens 25. I didn't get in a fight....I hit the concrete in a pretty serious bike wreck......

Tim

Hey Tim, I used to roll cuffs on my Levis too!

(Looks like that was a serious face-plant! Ouch!)

[Skagitguy]

Tim, We had a 1949 98 4 door Olds. We to took the train to Lansing Michigan where we picked up the Olds 98. And then drove all over the east coast got back in Sept late for school starting. That Olds was a real dog as the rings never seated and the tranmission was lousy. Traded it in 1952 for a Cadillac after that. Chuck

[Helmar]

Tim, We had a 1949 98 4 door Olds. We to took the train to Lansing Michigan where we picked up the Olds 98. And then drove all over the east coast got back in Sept late for school starting. That Olds was a real dog as the rings never seated and the tranmission was lousy. Traded it in 1952 for a Cadillac's after that. Chuck

The rings seating was an easy fix......Just add some gas to some Comet cleanser, mix it up real good and down the carb it goes. Works every time.:shocked4:
For the most part, those Olds were bullet proof too.

The '49 Olds was pretty sweet - first American V8 with valve-in-head as I recall. But the styling couldn't match my '49 Buick Super with straight 8 and DynaSlush tranny! <brag, brag!> I mean, just look at that dynosaur ribcage for a grill!

[Skagitguy]

Dan, Those grills were super nice.

Joe, I don't think my Dad would have been talked into putting Comet cleaner in it. LOL ! Chuck

[Wally]

Tim,

What great pictures!

I'm really impressed with the fantastic color that lives on like the day the slides were processed. Was it Kodachrome film?

My dad took Kodachrome slides in the 1950's and their color hasn't degraded at all.

Mama, they took my Kodachrome away.

Ed

[ChuckB]

Kodachrome slide should never really fade. They are made using a similar process to Technicolor of the old Movies. Great stuff.
Tim,, and all, making me feel young as those were the cars that were really old when I was young...
ChuckB

[Steve_Kiesel]

Tim, thanks for the trip down memory lane. My dad also had an old Buick back in the fifties, and I remember an old De Soto in the mix to. Plus the 1949 International pickup that was built like a tank.

Like the Collie. We had a Collie we got somewhere around 1954. He was a great companion and protector of us kids. Nice dogs.

[McSkagit Tim Jones]

Yes Kodachrome

Yes, the slides are Kodachrome. The emulsion is very stable. Ektachrome not quite so. Many of the slides are Super Slides. They have a larger image. They were taken with a Kodak Bantam camera. The Bantam used special 35mm film without sprocket holes, so they could get a larger image. Same 2X2" cardboard holder. All other 35mm film is just movie film with projector sprocket holes.
Kodak only recently stopped processing Kodachrome.

My dad was head of Boeing's photo department and motion picture production. During the 50's and 60's, Boeing was the largest user of Eastman Kodak products in the world...Hollywood not withtanding.

Those were the days.....

Tim

[Marty Loken (Norseboater)]

Old Kodachromes

Tim -

Great to see the vintage photos; now you should tell us more about running a small outboard boat all the way to Cape Scott. (That's quite an amazing trip--you must have had fairly decent conditions?)

- Marty

[McSkagit Tim Jones]

1960 boat trip to Cape Scott

Marty,
I showed the movie dad shot of the trip at the towing class....when was that? February 2010.. I continue to find slides of the trip and plan to get them all together. I'd like to write a story of the trip and publish it somewhere...perhaps here in Musings or Three Sheets Northwest.

We launched at Kelsey Bay which was as far as the road went in 1960. After launching, I was at the helm and dad was on the shore shooting pictures. I motored around the breakwater at slow speed and immediately took a wave over the bow which came up over the windshield and gave me a thorough soaking. My initiation!

Our first challenge was getting through Johnstone Strait which required two attempts due to the short-steep seas there. Dad was careful, very conscious of the weather. We usually traveled in the morning and were at our destination by noon. The wind came up in the afternoon.

We had no radio and not much in the way of safety gear. Our life vests were WWII aviator inflatables...not sure if they were working? Flares were OLD!

The Johnson 35 was new and we had a 3 hp Evinrude that was supposedly rebuilt. It never ran well. We had two six gallon Mile Master tanks plus a 12 gallon Tempo tank that slid under the seat.

The trip was pretty gutsy for then and I wouldn't attempt it today..at least not in a 14 footer...even with all the latest electronics.

More later....

Tim