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Volume IX, Issue 4

18-1964 Sunbeam debuts Tiger

21-1967 GM makes 100th millioncar25-1901 NY 1st state to require carlicense plates27-2009 GM kills Pontiac28-1953 Kaiser-Frazer buys Willys29-2004 Last Oldsmobile made 

- Time to uncover the car! 

It does appear as thoughwinter is beginning to loosenits grip? That is a goodthing! While a young man’sfancy may turn to love, us ol’duffers give thought to the

upcoming car season. Whata difference a few decades

make!I just saw a news story

about cars that do not haveignition keys. It seems somefolk are forgetting to turnthem off after parking. Thestory focused on the fact thefumes from the garaged run-ning car almost killed the

occupants of the home.Cars with keys had prob-

lems too. Locks/switcheshad six tumbler positionsand 5 levels for each posi-tion. That yields 15,625 pos-sible key combinations.Considering productionnumbers, there are a lot of

cars that use the same key.

There is a report of awoman taking her new 1957Chevy wagon shopping. Shereturned home with a carequipped with a radio. Thecar she purchased had noradio! Police were calledand it was all straightenedout, but her key fit the othercar. Q: Did the key to the

other car fit her car?  April Automotive Milestones

2-1875 - Walter P. Chryslerborn, Wamego, Kansas3-1885 Daim ler pat ent swater-cooled internal com-bustion engine4-1961 Amphicar debuts4-1964 Plymouth Barracudaintroduced4-1969 Last Corvair built4-1970 AMC debuts Gremlin6-1934 Ford intro’s white-wall tires as $11.25 option7-1947 Henry Ford dies17-1964/69 Ford debuts Mus-tang/Maverick18-1955 Lincoln becomesseparate division of Ford

 High RPMs

GDYNets ®  on the Web

Find GDYNets on the web: ®   -THE FORUM ◄-A web

site to discuss the newsletter,the hobby and our cars.

Car Collector Chronicles®◄ 

Saved 62  ◄-Our 1962 Oldsconvertible, Ransom Eli Oldsand things Oldsmobile relatedweb site.

The Gray Lady ◄-1955 CadillacCoupé de Ville web site.

SAVED 6 : A website devoted

to our 1962 Oldsmobile Dy-namic 88 convertible. The sitealso has a lot of information onOldsmobile cars and the com-

pany founder, Ransom Eli Olds.

THE GRAY LADY This web-site features our 1955 CadillacCoupé de Ville, lots of Caddyinformation and an extensive

repair library.

DAVE’S DEN ◄-A site de-

voted to a myriad of interests.Foremost is extensive informa-tion on the “Steel City” of Gary,IN. There are also offerings onsteel making, U.S. Steel-GaryWorks, U.S. Marine Corps, M14assault rifle, of course Oldsmo-bile, and the tragic story of themurder of Gary, IN Police Lt.

George Yaros.

A GDYNETS ®  

PUBLICATION

© 2016, G. DAVIDYAROS. ALLRIGHTS RESERVED.

April 2016Ca  s

Car Collector

Chronicles ®

Exploring:

Car Collecting Today

Classic Rides

Reports From the Field

Oldsmobile (1897-2004)

Cadillac (1902- )

Allanté (1987-1993)

Corvair (1960-1969)

◄ = Clickable Link 

IN THIS ISSUE:

High RPMs 1

Three Degrees ofSeparation

2

Pics to Ponder 4

I Say Tomato,You Say ...

5

CCC ®  Forum  ◄ EMail:OldsD88@gmail.com ◄ 

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  Ah, where to begin? Yes, this article is automobile related. We are going to take alook at the lives of two individuals whose names may not be household terms. That

said, you are very familiar with their work. Even though the work of the two is related,and there are threads connecting the two, it is not likely their paths ever crossed.Each played major roles in the development of features found in the cars of today. I

could use the term “accessory,” but it just does not seem to fit. That is because thesefeatures are now common, taken for granted and expected to be present in every car.It is also remarkable that the features in question are also closely related.― So, let us begin our journey on the back roads of automotive triviata.

We shall start with John W. Anderson. His is not a name thatnecessarily rings a bell or is instantly recognized as an auto-motive notable. His story begins in 1883 in Woodland, IL It isthere, at that point in time that he is born. In the 133 yearssince his birth the thriving metropolis of Woodland has grownto a present population of 322; consisting of 91 families livingin 124 separate households and occupying .46 sq. miles ofland!

John was a tinkerer. Evidently he was quite good at it. In1906, at the age of 23, John received a patent for a bullet cas-ing mold. He thus became, at that point in time, one of theyoungest holders of a U.S. patent. Ultimately, he would go onto become the holder of over 100 patents. Not bad for a kidfrom nowhere. His main source of income was the Ford Motor

Co. Henry chose J. W. to be the supplier to Ford of timing and ignition products for hisModel T.The invention with which we are concerned came about in 1925. By then John was

two score and two years in age (42). The story, most probably apocryphal, is that Anderson was on a business trip driving late at night in the rain. The OE wipers on thecar had worn out and made seeing the road more than difficult. Despite efforts, he

could not find replacement arm/blade assemblies. He determined then and there toresolve this problem. His solution was the wiper blade refill.

Perhaps as equally important as the refill blade itself wasthe scheme Anderson devised to market them. Within threeyears it was hard to find a service station (remember them)that did not have a, now iconic, brown and yellow wiperblade refill display box on the premises. In addition to thewiper blade refills one found a measuring chart inside thebox. It became a relatively simple matter to match bladelength to determine the proper size refill needed.

Being an inveterate tinkerer, John W. Anderson did notstop with his invention of the blade refill. He also produceda gauge which measured how much pressure the wiper arm

applied to the blade resting on the windshield. It was calleda Tel-Tale. Its function was to sell wiper arms and blades.

His inventions were not limited to wipers. Healso patented a car side-view mirror, a lipstickholder, railway signal, steering wheel, safetyrazor handle, putting practice device and wind-shield defroster.

He founded Anderson Co. (ANCO) in 1918, and ran it until his death in 1967. It pro-vided employment to over 1,300 persons. It is now owned by Federal Mogul. DuringWWII Anderson was a co-founder of the Automotive Council for War Production. JohnW. Anderson was inducted into the Automotive Hall of Fame in 1972.

Three Degrees of Separation

ar ollector hronicles  Page 2

“John W.

 Anderson.

His is not a

name that

necessarily

rings a bell or

is instantly

recognized as

an automotive

notable.”

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Three Degrees of Separation―Cont’d. 

The next link in the chain is Robert W. Kearns. Kearns was bornin the late 20’s (1927) and endured the Great Depression as a tod-

dler. His father kept food on the table by virtue of being a roll grinder(machinist) at Great Lakes Steel in Detroit. In school Kearns was adecent athlete, as well as a more than fair-to middling violinist; twotraits which appear to be add odds with one another.

Somehow, even though still a teenager, he answered the call toduty in WWII and was able to count himself as a member of the Of-fice of Strategic Services. This organization later evolved into whatwe know of today as the CIA.

Like many of his generation, after the war he chose to pursue acollege education, presumably on the G.I. Bill. For Robert W.Kearns a single degree did not quench his thirst for knowledge. Heending up holding a bachelor's in engineering from the University of Detroit, a master'sfrom the Wayne State University College of Engineering and a doctorate in engineering

from Case Western Reserve University.He obviously liked the collegiate environs as he became a professor of engineering atWayne State. He was widely respected as such by his students. For a time Kearnsserved as Commissioner of Buildings and Safety Engineering for the city of Detroit. Healso functioned as the principal investigator for highway skid resistance at the NationalBureau of Standards in Gaithersburg, MD.

Kearns was also an inventor. However, unlike John W. Anderson, for him invention wasnot a means of livelihood. Rather, it was an avocation; albeit one which in one respectturned into an obsession that ultimately destroyed him mentally, physically and financially.One of his early inventions was a comb that dispensed its own hair tonic. (I wonder if hecalled it a Brylcomb?)  Later, more useful inventions included active highway safety signsthat automatically flash alerts to drivers of reduced traction due to wet roads or freezingbridges.

Now that I may have piqued your interest as to Kearns Iwon’t bore you will all the details of his primary invention. Thefacts are readily available on the net ◄, in book form and onfilm; (2008) Flash of Genius [Motion Picture]. In the unlikelyevent nothing has yet to click, “Can you say intermittentwiper?“ The fact of the matter is Kearns invented it.

In an effort to sell his idea he eagerly showed it to Ford Mo-tor Co. Ford claimed it had no interest and then proceeded tosteal it, incorporating the wiper on its cars one model yearlater. Chrysler Corp., seeing the device, also began using it without compensatingKearns. Without hesitation Mercedes-Benz soon joined the growing den of thieves.

Kearns battled them all, for well over a decade. Not one to be intimidated by either bigbusiness or judges, he often represented himself in the courts. He must have known whathe was doing as in the end he won and collected $30 Million from Ford and Chrysler.

For Kearns though, it was not just about the money. In fact, he left the money un-touched for years. When did collect it, much of it went toward the financing of litigationagainst two dozen more automobile manufacturers. He was devastated that the automo-bile manufacturers were not barred by the courts from continuing to use his wipers. WhatKearns wanted more than royalty rights was to be the sole manufacturer and supplier ofthe intermittent wiper to the auto industry.

The awards he did collect were not sufficient to meet his expenses. He had to do ashort stint in jail for a failure to pay alimony to his ex. He also suffered a nervous/mentalbreakdown and went on disability, not being able to perform his duties at the National Bu-reau of Standards. In the later years of his life he had two vehicles he drove, a 1965Chrysler and a 1978 Ford pickup truck. Neither was equipped with intermittent wipers!

“One of his

early

inventions

was a comb

that

dispensed its

own hair

tonic.”

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  ar ollector hronicles  Page 4;;

Three Degrees of Separation―Cont’d.

So here we have two inventors. Other than that, how are they connected? As we shall see, in a numberof ways.

Obviously their lives were entwined with the windshield wiper. That they were is fitting given that both Anderson and Kearns had a middle initial of “W”. Their wiper creations appear on virtually every automo-bile which travels our roads.

Ford Motor Co. played a significant role in the course of the lives of both men. Henry Ford provided

 Anderson with steady income in his early years. FOMOCO drove Kearns to desperation and destitution.John W. Anderson located his windshield wiper company in the “Steel City” of Gary, Indiana. Robert W.Kearns was born in the “Steel City” of Gary, Indiana.

Here is an additional oddity. While Anderson is credited with inventing the wiper blade refill, the inventorof the windshield wiper itself is another person named Anderson, Mary. She is no relation to John W..Mary’s invention was patented on 18 Jun 1903 (US 743,801) ◄. And while the courts found that Robert W. Kearns invented the intermittent wiper, a patent for the same

was issued in 1923 (US 1,588,399)◄ to a person named, of all things, Anderson, Raymond.Let me close the loop with these notations. These wiper guys had ties to Gary, Indiana. Your editor

also has ties to the “Steel City,” being Gary born and bred. It was mentioned previously that Andersonemployed over 1,300 persons at his Gary plant. Two of those employees were my aunt and cousin.

Reference was made to the fact that Robert Kearns father supported his family as a roll grinder(machinist) at Great Lakes Steel. My father supported our family with his earnings as a roll grinder

(machinist) at U.S. Steel, Gary Works - Gary Sheet & Tin Mill.With that we close the circle and conclude this article.

Pics to Ponder

The question is why/how?

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  ar ollector hronicles  Page 5;;

I Say Tomato, You Say ... American Term British Term

battery accumulatorsemi tractor-trailer artic (articulated lorry)bonnet hoodboot trunkbulkhead firewall

alligator clip crocodile clipphillips head screw crosshead screwglove box cubby boxshock absorber damperconvertible drop-head coupestubby screwdriver dumpy screwdrivergenerator dynamoground earthStation wagon estate wagondashboard fasciawrist pin gudgeon pinconvertible top hoodvise grips mole wrench

hubcap nave plateleft side near side.right side off sidekerosene paraffinknocking or pinging pinkingprise pry (apply force with a lever, pry-bar, crow-bar, screwdriver)vent window quarterlighttachometer rev countersaloon 'sedan', 2 or 4 doorCowl scuttlemuffler silencerrocker panel sillwrench spanner

cotter key split pinlock washer spring washervacuum advance suction advanceoil pan sumpIdle tick overflashlight torchwanker someone who hacks on their car -- usually cluelesswindshield windscreenfender wing

 – Ok, I’ve had my say for the month. Now it’s your turn! I invite/encourage submission ofyour comments, opinions and article contributions. I also ask that you please help spreadthe word about our publication. Everything sent shall indeed be reviewed by me. Sub-missions should be sent to CCC ® at OldsD88@gmail.com.

 –– Now that you have finished reading the newsletter, if so inclined, like CCC ® on Face-

book® by going here. To UNSUBSCRIBE send an email to ==> OldsD88@gmail.com 

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-- RESTORE 'EM, AND DRIVE 'EM!COMING NEXT ISSUE:

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