Ames bodies ot Ames automobile

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Terry_007
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Ames bodies ot Ames automobile

Post by Terry_007 » Fri Aug 12, 2022 6:41 pm

Had an interesting question recently. We know Ames made bodies for Model Ts, but did they ever actually build and market their own complete car using a Model T Chassis?
Thanks for any history/info.
Terry


KBurket
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Re: Ames bodies ot Ames automobile

Post by KBurket » Fri Aug 12, 2022 8:24 pm

This link has info on the Ames Automobiles.
http://www.coachbuilt.com/bui/a/ames/ames.htm
It implies Ames built complete automobiles until Mr Bendix left around 1915.
This booklet is also a good resource.
177350A1-5183-4C19-B84D-4399D8ADE1CD.jpeg
I would be interested in photos of Ames Coupes, Model 841, if anyone has some to share.


OilyBill
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Re: Ames bodies ot Ames automobile

Post by OilyBill » Sun Aug 14, 2022 11:25 pm

Yes, AMES actually built and sold their own car for a while. They did not build very many, and it was basically an "assembled" car, which meant it was made up of a chassis from A.O. Smith Co, Axles by Timpken, Engines may have been Lycoming, Continental, or Waukesha Engine Co. and transmissions by Brown-Lipe or other manufacturers.

There used to be huge catalogs that covered all the available car parts you could buy and use on the automobile you wanted to produce. Most of the things like springs, axles, steering gear, etc were all made in standard sizes, so you ordered a frame from a chassis stamping co, and then put all the parts on it that you bought from the many suppliers. Places like A.O. Smith would modify their stock chassis to whatever you wanted.

Voila! You were a car manufacturer!

The problem with these schemes is that shortly after you got your railroad car-load of parts, you also got a bill for them all, that had to be paid in 30 days. This was fine if you had plenty of cash backing you up, but bad news if you were running tight on your finances. If you were selling a lot of cars, you could be a success for a while. Companies like Gardner were quite successful (Gardner selected top-grade components for their cars), with the result that they got an excellent reputation for reliability and long life, whereas companies that went as cheap as they could go soon found themselves in trouble and got reputations for poor service. This explains the rapid bankruptcies of under-capitalized companies. (Also, Gardner was EXTREMELY well run, and they never did go bankrupt. They eventually closed down during the depression, but they actually generated a profit even during their dissolution at the end.)

I think AMES only built about 1000 of their own cars, and I know that after the first year, they had to ship engine flywheels back to the factory to have them modified so they could install electric starters. They apparently only ordered one run of engines, and when starters became an item in their second year of production, they had to fit them to their cars, or seem out of date with the competition. So their subsequent automobile production was based on the original engines they first purchased, and then modified.

So far as I know, there are no AMES automobiles complete still existing. Only a few of the bodies they made for use on Model T's and other cars. It would be nice if one did show up in a barn someday, and maybe one will. That would be a nice auto to have. AMES cars were not notable for their features, being just a simple 4 cylinder automobile with nothing stunning about them.

There were several manufacturers of cars in the teens and twenties who would build you a generic car, and then all you had to do was pay for a special badge with your chosen name, and hubcaps to match, and off you went! You ordered perhaps 10 of the automobiles, put your radiator badge on them, put on your special hub caps, and you were a car maker! Why, just like Henry Ford! (Although a lot different!) I don't know any of those that ended happily, however.


TXGOAT2
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Re: Ames bodies ot Ames automobile

Post by TXGOAT2 » Mon Aug 15, 2022 8:49 am

Is this the same Ames Co. that made every sort of shovel, pitchfork, hoe, etc? Are they still around and actually making implements in the USA?

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