Livingstons in the wild desert

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hull 433
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Livingstons in the wild desert

Post by hull 433 » Mon Aug 08, 2022 7:32 pm

Here's a Livingston radiator being used for its intended purpose, to provide extra cooling in hot environments. This car is working the Nevada desert at what is now an aviation research facility.

It might have come from a dealer specializing in desert work, like RC Boyer in Mason Nevada, on the Nevada Copper Belt railroad line. He advertised his Fords as "the car for sandy mountainous roads." His supply of cars probably came from the Calavada Motor Co. in Reno, which got cars from the San Francisco assembly plant.

Boyer's accessories were tailored to anyone working the desert, with Livingstone radiator, Holliday shock absorbers, and other fittings that gave an extra boot, at least in his sales.
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Livingston radiator on mining ford .png
1915 7-31   Light, efficient neat little Ford, for sandy mountainous roads by the Nevada Copper Belt depot   Yerington Times, Nevada .png


Bryce S.
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Re: Livingstons in the wild desert

Post by Bryce S. » Mon Aug 08, 2022 8:10 pm

It's funny to see that beat down old T with that nice and fairly new looking radiator on it.


Aussie16
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Re: Livingstons in the wild desert

Post by Aussie16 » Tue Aug 09, 2022 2:52 am

Great pic of the T out in the hot country. The car chassis also appears to have a chain drive conversion added which makes it a real working T. Here is a picture of an old T in outback South Australia which also has a Livingston radiator fitted for most likely, exactly the same reason, better cooling. The property where this photo was taken still exists and welcomes guests to stay on the farm and work.
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245807979_1275681282896322_3231641226857347130_n.jpg


ThreePedalTapDancer
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Re: Livingstons in the wild desert

Post by ThreePedalTapDancer » Tue Aug 09, 2022 9:54 am

Weird, all that distance travelled, just to end up hanging on a wall. Poor thing.
AF088185-3272-418F-A979-046860A3EE65.jpeg
Last edited by ThreePedalTapDancer on Tue Aug 09, 2022 12:37 pm, edited 1 time in total.


Topic author
hull 433
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Last Name: Gadson
Location: USA

Re: Livingstons in the wild desert

Post by hull 433 » Tue Aug 09, 2022 12:15 pm

That's neat little machine for the outback, all business and plenty good at it. Does it survive at all?

The Nevada truck was probably purpose-built for the mining outfit and reasonably new, its still shiny in places. Here's another view, heard on. Those radiators remind me a bit of those on tractors, although working a different principle.
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1916 Ford with Livingston vee radiator and wooden light express body Nevada desert .png


ThreePedalTapDancer
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Re: Livingstons in the wild desert

Post by ThreePedalTapDancer » Tue Aug 09, 2022 12:46 pm

Here’s some interesting flow testing results with the cores of Livingston and Rome Turney when they were new. I know the honeycomb radiators are very hard to rebuild or restore

https://books.google.com/books?id=fFsFA ... or&f=false

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Mark Gregush
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Re: Livingstons in the wild desert

Post by Mark Gregush » Tue Aug 09, 2022 3:20 pm

I was thinking the lines of it being new too. On the other hand, the whole rig does not look all that beat up so maybe it just has not been put too any real work yet. ;)
I know the voices aren't real but damn they have some good ideas! :shock:

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Re: Livingstons in the wild desert

Post by John kuehn » Tue Aug 09, 2022 4:08 pm

It would seem that the Livingston radiators over time would get more ‘beat up’ , dented or otherwise because the surface areas were more exposed than the original Ford radiator. Maybe people were more careful back in those days than I think they were.


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Re: Livingstons in the wild desert

Post by Mike Lebsack-Iowa » Wed Aug 10, 2022 10:33 am

I have a nice original on the shelf in my shop that has no dents or dings in the fancy work or the core. Is tarnished a little but heck it is old. Had a machinist make me a beautiful brass cap with a Moro meter too.


Mike Lebsack-Iowa
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Re: Livingstons in the wild desert

Post by Mike Lebsack-Iowa » Wed Aug 10, 2022 10:34 am

I have a nice original on the shelf in my shop that has no dents or dings in the fancy work or the core. Is tarnished a little but heck it is old. Had a machinist make me a beautiful brass cap with a Motometer too.

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