Albert Champion

Photo From Here

I just finished reading this one - the history of Albert Champion, bicycle racer and spark plug magnate. Not only are Champion Spark plugs named after him but the AC in ACDelco stands for Albert Champion. He was the first person to ride a motorcycle over sixty miles per hour on a board track in addition to his setting many bicycling records on the popular board tracks and velodromes of the day. He won the Paris-Roubaix cycling race in 1899 and was the French motorpacing champion five years later. His spark plugs powered many of the tanks, trucks and planes involved in WWI, along with two and four wheeled racing machines, passenger and commercial vehicles. His AC plugs got Lindbergh across the ocean as well. In spite of his fame and fortune, things didn't end well for Albert, however, dying at the age of 49 after getting punched in the chest by his second wife's boyfriend. Neither of them fared too well after that either. Albert's buried in Paris in the same cemetery as Jim Morrison, by the way.

I'm fascinated by the time period when all this occurs. Albert's story occurs during the same time frame as William Stout and they would have traveled in over-lapping circles. The Champion book has a bibliography in the back. Before I return the book to the library, I'm going to jot down a few of the books listed and see about reading more of the development of the early days of the bicycle/auto/aircraft industries. I'm also planning on taking a trip this year to check out the Studebaker Museum (thanks Barb). Even though the museum is relatively close, I've never been there. No excuse for it. The Missus and I did have brunch at the Studebaker Mansion one time, though. So I've got that going for me.

So much to learn but so little time to learn it. 

More Winter

 

The Champion spark plug company was formed by Albert Champion as was the AC spark plug company. I did a quickie book review several years ago after reading a biography about him. I just happened across this photo the other day and thought it was a cool picture, as well as reminding me about Albert Champion. 

Took a vacation day yesterday. It was -3 at 6:30 when I checked in the morning, so I stayed in the shack all day other than a quick trip to take the garbage out and check on the chickens. First day in about a week that I didn't have to shovel snow which was nice since it was so cold out. The Chicago weather said the high for the day was 4 degrees which was a record cold for the high temperature on the 14th.

I did order some parts for the jitney, however. I've got an alternator, radiator hoses and transmission mount coming. They should be here this week. I checked the part number on the transmission mount and it's the same for both a manual and automatic trans so no matter what trans I end up with, I'll be set. I also ordered a seat. It's back ordered and is supposed to ship April 2nd. 

In addition to making a transmission mount, I'm going to make a driveshaft loop as well. Bad things happen if the front U-joint breaks. If it sticks into the road at speed it can lift the car like a pole vaulter. It's also capable of beating the bottom of the car up, destroying brake or fuel lines and wiring. Many of the sanctioning bodies require one. I don't know what exactly I'm going to do with this thing when I finish it but making a loop is easy enough, just need to get a transmission. 

I'm supposed to take the Missus to the doctor today but it's supposed to be cold and windy as well as start snowing about noon. I'll have to see if she wants to make the trip or cancel the appointment. As I write this they're forecasting a total of 5"-7" of new snow Monday afternoon into Tuesday. It's about 50 miles round trip. I'd just as soon stay home, myself. Either way, won't be getting anything done in the shop.

Common Thread

I'm currently reading this one. I paid $5.00 for the book according to the price marked inside the cover. I don't remember where I got it or how long ago it's been but I figured since I'm working on the jitney project, the time was right to finally get around to reading it. Decent book with lots of good info on the cars and the more well known builders. I also finished a couple of books about Glenn Curtiss recently - one a biography, the other documenting the difficulty Curtiss had with the Wright Brothers. 

Here comes the common thread of the title. Glenn Curtiss not only was one of the pioneers of aviation but he was also an accomplished bicycle racer. Additionally, he set a land speed record on a motorcycle of his own design and construction. He's also credited with inventing the twist grip throttle used on most every motorcycle for the last 100 plus years.

In The American Racing Car book one of the biographies is of Louis Chevrolet. Chevrolet started out building, racing and marketing his own bicycles under the name Frontenac. Later he was in partnership with Will Durant of General Motors fame with the Chevrolet Motor Company. Chevrolet had a falling out with Durant and lost the rights to the Chevrolet name. He then started building cars under the Frontenac name, the financing of which came from Albert Champion, who I mentioned in a post recently, himself a champion bicycle racer. It's interesting to note that Champion did Chevrolet a major wrong and Chevrolet beat him almost to death. Champion later was involved in another altercation and died as a result of a punch to the chest.

Another of the biographies is of Harry Miller. Miller was famous for manufacturing carburetors and racing engines - most notably the Offenhauser. Miller left home in 1895, headed west and got a job in a bicycle shop. He then started his own part time business making parts to convert ordinary bicycles into racers. "To get to and from work he designed and built a bicycle on which he mounted a small one-cylinder engine. It has often been claimed that this was the first motorcycle in the United States."

Fred Duesenberg of race and luxury car fame got his start with bicycles as well. "the bicycle was the great, revolutionary form of personalized mechanical transport of the day, and Fred gravitated to it as a rider, then as mechanic, then as a racer, and then as a builder of his own fast machines. At age twenty-one he had his own small manufacturing business, continued racing and, in 1898 was credited with having established the worlds records for two and three miles."

It's interesting that the bicycle craze attracted some of the greatest names in automobile racing and development both as builders and racers. If you look just at the history of the Indy 500, you see the names Chevrolet, Miller and Duesenberg, and of course many of the cars were powered by AC or Champion spark plugs, just as many of the cars still are today. The late 1800's - early 1900s were pretty exciting times. It would have been a great time to be involved in the automobile industry. Indiana was a big player back then. There would have been plenty of opportunities for young guys to be involved as mechanics, machinists, coach builders, etc. It would have been great to apprentice under some of those guys.

Lever - Shanker

Sounds like some type of venereal disease - lever chancre - but fortunately it's nothing like that. 

Made it to the HD dealer Monday and picked up the bushings for the clutch lever. They were a rather princely $4.00 each but the dealer had them and now the clutch installation is complete. Next up is working on the rear wheel. Looks like we're going to be having some crappy weather the remainder of the week - good time to get in the shop and do some things.

On the education front, the weekend Wall Street Journal had an essay by Joel Klein: A Lesson Plan For A+ Teachers. It's adapted from Klein's new book Lessons of Hope: How to Fix Our Schools. He presents some excellent ideas but what I found striking was the credit he gave to Albert Shanker for many of the ideas. 

Shanker was the president of the American Federation of Teachers during the first half of my high school teaching career. He showed up to make a presentation for some program that as far as I know never came to fruition, but from what I remember it was the school administration that dropped the ball on that. Anyway, he was an excellent speaker and I was very impressed with his presentation. He was also a prolific writer and an early champion of charter schools, as unlikely as that seems. I always preferred being in the AFT rather than the NEA. I'm sure a lot of that had to do with Shanker's leadership.

I'll have to seek out a copy of Klein's book. For those of you unfamiliar with Mr. Klein, he was the schools chancellor in New York City, so he's been around education. I'm always interested in what anyone has to say when they have a prescription to fix the schools. Some of them, like Diane Ravich, Doug Stowe and Ken Robinson actually do have good ideas and workable solutions. Looks like Mr. Klein with a little help from Albert Shanker does also.