The Story of "Just a Good Car".
In 1922 William Crappo Durant, having parted company for the second time with General Motors, the organization he established and built into a mega company, decided he would build a car bearing his own name, and in1923, the first Durant rolled out of the factory. The cars were very successful and in the following 10 years he continued to build Durant cars until the depression caught up to him. Among the other names produced in the five Durant factories were Star, Flint, and Rugby.
My first encounter with a Durant car was in Prince George, around 1970 when I answered an ad for a rebuildable car and brought it home in four trailer trips. The 1928 pile of Durant roadster parts would eventually lead me to a 1930 roadster. I needed to get some measurements from an existing car, as every piece of wood in the 28 was either totally rotten or non-existent. I had heard of a 1930 roadster and finally arranged with the owner to have a look, take a few pictures and measurements and go home. The fates had other plans for me and the Durant that would lead to a very long and enjoyable relationship.
The owner had decided to sell the car, and after making the trek to Oyama BC in Oct 1973, and finding his father's farm, we were escorted to his barn. There we found the Durant that had been put on blocks 13 years earlier. When the barn door opened, I knew I wanted that car. It was totally original, the paint on the hood and fenders was worn thin from polishing, the seats were worn but serviceable and the top was complete with side curtains. The old tires even held air.
We took a few pictures and measurements and on the way home decided we would make an offer on the car. As soon as we were home I phoned the owner and we negotiated and settled on $1850. It wasn't long until we were back on the road to Oyama with a trailer. We loaded it and returned home without incident, and the work began. The gas tank had about three inches of tar from old gas in it. I removed the tank and placed heat lamps around it to make the tar flow (just like getting oil out of the tar sands). After a few days and a further cleaning with lacquer thinner, it was reinstalled. The gas lines had to be cleaned with thinner and a long piece of wire to get the grunge out. Then it was fuel pump and carburetor time, and after a good cleaning and reassembling of the system I put the first gas in it in 13 years.
The old engine started up easily and after some tuning it took the Durant over the years with us a passengers, as far as Kalispell Montana and NEARLY back. It took Paul Bonin, an Auburn, and a tow rope to complete the last few miles due to a burnt valve that caused the engine to fire like a cannon every few minutes making many motorists wonder if they were under attack.
But I'm getting ahead of myself, before taking any trips it was necessary to get new tires, tubes and liners. They are still on the car 30 years later with never a problem. Over the next couple of years the car was stripped to bare metal, (there wasn't a dent or any rust on the body), and repainted. The fenders needed some welding and repair due to the gravel roads it had been used on for so many years. Don Warren did the repair and painting of the car in 1974 and it was ready for a new top and reupholstering. Arnie Schwab completed the job in a few weeks and the Durant was ready for action.
Now back to the trip to Kalispell and engine problems. After recovering from that adventure I knew it was time for the running gear to be restored so the engine and transmission were rebuilt along with any chassis parts that were not up to scratch. Since then the car has been on many May tours, including two to Prince George, a trip to Calgary and one to Edmonton where it was to stay with my son for two years and get lots of use by his family. Its now home again in its carpeted garage and it seems to have a satisfied smile on its grill and headlights knowing that its home again. You were right Mr. Durant, you didn't build a fancy car, but as your ads say, "just a good car".
Al Scholes