Former Tucker owners?

[JayDee]

I'm trying to find out which car a former local resident (deceased) used to own. His name was Guy Gully, a bank president from Farrell, PA who was always into the latest and greatest vehicles on the market be it planes, boats, or automobiles and was well off enough to buy them.
My father was born in 46, and he remembers the car driving around town from his early childhood (distinctly the 3rd headlight) so I'm assuming Mr. gully was probably an original owner and hung onto the car for at least a couple years?
Is there any history available on individual cars?

[Guest]

Can't say positivly but I would bet that it was Tucker Serial Number 1004. In 1963 this car was purchased by Ray Burton from Wayne R. Weaver of Clarion, Pa. The Cord transmission had been replaced by Paul Arvil's Keystone Garage and Machine Shop in Farrel, PA.
Richard
Tuckermch@aol.com

[JayDee]

hehe.... it has to be the same car.
the Keystone Garage is still in existence and operation in the same location...right around the corner from Mr. Gully's bank (which has been closed for decades). Clarion is pretty close too...about a 45 minute drive away from Farrell.
Any pics of #1004 or its known location?

[plancor 792]

Tucker Serial Number 1004 is on display at the Toyota Auto Museum in Nagakutecho, Japan. It was used in the movie Tucker The man and His dream.
go to http//www.toyota.co.jp/museum/index.html

Richard E. Jones

[Larry Clark]

JayDee: The factory sold car 1004 to Pittsburgh Tucker Sales on or about June 18, 1948. You could help further develop the car's history if you might be able to learn whether Mr. Gully purchased his Tucker car direct from this dealer (or whether there is possibly another owner between the dealer and Mr. Gully). You have helped identify a new link between the dealer and Mr. Weaver (see Richard Jones' previous notes). Did Mr. Gully sell directly to Mr. Weaver (or could there be one or more intermediate owners)? Given what you have told us about Clarion's proximity to Farrel, I would bet that the car went from Mr. Gully to Mr. Weaver. You now have more pieces of the puzzle to work with. Good luck. Let us know if you success nailing down more facts.

Larry Clark

[JayDee]

Paul Avril of Keystone garage in Farrell did work on Mr. Gully's Tucker. It is unlikely that Mr. Gully would've bought the car used, so he was likely the original owner of #1004. A local person told me that Mr. Gully was an investor in the Tucker company and was acquainted with Preston Tucker. There could've been one or more intermediate owners between Gully and Weaver? My father's best guess is that the car was still owned by Gully up to at least 1952 or 53 as he remembers looking it over as a child. My grandmother told him whose car it was and that there was only one like it in town.

[JayDee]

Another interesting sidenote...after talking with my father about his memories of the Tucker and showing him the photos of #1004 that are posted on the site, he swears the car wasn't red but rather a grayish/silverish blue. Granted, he was 6 or 7 yrs. old at the time and could be mistaken...but could there have been a later color change to #1004?

[plancor 792]

JayDee,
Your father has a great memory. He is correct in the color of Tucker 1004. At that time it carried a Paint Number 500 which was Metallic Silver Gray. I do not know exactly when it was painted Maroon as it is today.
Complete information on the Data Plate mounted on the firewall:
Style No. 481/19 (all Tuckers had this number)
Body No. 1004 ( The number 4 is also stamped into the body next to the data plate and may be found in other places on the body)
Paint No. 500 (Silver Gray)
Trim No. 920
At the bottom of the data plate is the Serial No. 1004. The size of this number is about 1/2 the size of the other numbers on the data plate. Don't know why but maybe vehicle serial number was not important in those days as many vehicles were registered by their engine numbers.
At that time the engine in 1004 was #6. Mr. Burton had a spare Tucker Franklin engine #33553. I do not know the serial number of the engine in the car today. Engine serial number is stamped into the block just below the distributor. I also do not know why the change in the engine numbering system. Engine Serial No. #6 is definitely a Franklin engine.

Richard

[plancor 792]

Jay Dee,
Mr. Ray Burton, Falls Church, VA purchased Tucker 1004 prior to 1969. I took photos of it in his garage in July 1969. At that time. it was painted Gray so he had it painted Maroon when William B. Hamlin,Ontario, CA restored it for him. He was also one of the owners who drove their Tucker's in the movie. Sorry to say, Mr. Burton passed away a few years back.

Richard

[plancor 792]

Jay Dee,
One last entry. To clarify what I said above, Mr. Burton purchased 1004 in 1963. Bill Hamlin restored it and completed the restoration just hours before our TACA Meet in Reno, NV. That TACA Meet was 29 June through 2 July 1978.
The following Tucker automobiles were there. Tucker 1004, 1017, 1032 and 1041.
Guest speakers were Wayne Newton and Alex Tremulis.

Richard

[Guest]

Plancor 792, Seems you can sign on now with your Log In name. What was the problem?

[plancor 792]

Jay Dee,
I don't know what the problem is or was. However once I logged in and it worked I continue to stay on 24/7. I don't log out so when you visit the web site you will see that Plancor 792 in on line even when I'm sleeping or away for days.
Richard

[JayDee]

The owner of the Keystone Garage, Paul Avril, is still alive. My father talked to him last fall and he still works on cars. He told my father a long time ago that Guy Gully had invested in Tucker's operation. Gully had a lot of money to blow and was an enthusiast of all types of vehicles...kind of a poor man's Howard Hughes type. I'll try and find out exactly when Gully sold the car and to who.