Shelby Buildings- Princeton Drive 1042 New: befor & early in Princeton Drive Ads

[Richstang]

Great find.  Is that bus in the background painted similarly to the one we've seen in back of Carter Ave?

it is a different vehicle, not a bus, but it is painted as a two-tone.
Reventlow had a closed transporter in the US. I'm working on this and some other questions.

[Richstang]

Referring to your part 3 post;

The "Working Office" as you call it, is next to the wide open area noted on Allen Grants floor plan listed as the 'Fabrication Shop' (behind it, towards the left side wall) and the 'Race Car Shop' (in front of it, towards the right side wall of windows). In your photo behind the working office we can see the hall way towards the front of the building that connects to the 'Machine Shop', the 'Locker Room', and the 'Foyer". That is a good photo to post for everyone to see.

The hanging lights have 'Fluorescent' tubes. Following those fluorescent hanging lights (usually single or double tubes) is helpful to understand where the rooms are located in all of these photos. We can see the machine shop lights have four (4) fluorescent tubes for much needed light, since there are no windows in there.

That photo of the motorcycle with the wide tires might be one of the few photos of the 'Storage Area' /'Parts Dept.'. Most of the walls are painted and this is one of the fell that we see as just raw unfinished wood panels. Did you see any others like that?

EDIT; adding photo of what I though was a good one for everyone too see.

[Szabo]

Hey,

for the first time i dont understand all your words or the meaning of your words...

But when you say "This are a good photo to show of us all" please feel free to you posted it, or post it again..

Thanks for Explain this "NEON" Tubes in the right words ...

From the Motorcycle i saw a few pics, from this raw unfinished Wood Panels room, i dont see a second or more...
it is just the last pic which i never get asign to the other Area and so i mean it could be the "Machine" Shop area

What is the Differenz from Machine Shop ( in the Area behind Working Office) and Engine Shop (at the Dyno Run Area)

[Richstang]

Added photo to previous post with an explanation (Edit). PM me what you don't understand.

I have not been able to find any photos from the 'Machine Shop...yet, to compare against the 'Engine Shop'.
I'll reply to the last 'Engine Shop' post shortly, I need to look through some photos again to confirm some thoughts.
Also, I'm working on a revised floor plan to explain some changes that occurred in that area over those few short years.

[Richstang]

Hello,
i see that Bike on another Pic, even ride from Mr. Shelby and next to
this landing in a river, but i dont find it in the Moment and it has
nothing to do with the inner side from the Building, only a little bit fun.

With all those parts on the shelves (bell housing, headers, tires on the floor, engines on floor under shelf units) this is very likely the 'Parts/Storage room.
There are no other pictures, so no more clues which wall the shelf unit is backed up against.

[Richstang]

This is the only photo with this shop worker (short guy, tall hair) and with this background (that I've found).
Notice the wall is all one darker paint color, not lighter on the top half and darker on the bottom.
It appears he's working on the rear axle gears.

The only photos similar to that one color dark paint wall are behind the foreman's office (Working Office).
According to Allen Grants floor plans it shares the wall with the 'Machine Shop.'
Since it does not match that photo in details, (shelves on the wall) I'm guessing this is on the opposite side in the 'Machine Shop'

I've attached the comparison photo previously show as well.

Edit; Big mistake on my part...the wall is painted lighter on the top.

[Szabo]

Hey,

thanks for having an eye on it, and still the only one who write some posts on it ...

I am not sure about your thougts...
what we see on your Pic shown is a section wall, dark paint below, brighter Paint above...
also this regal with lot of cans on it.

and i had this Pic in my mind, so i just overlayed pics a little bit and think it is from
the inner section wall running from right to left of the Building,
sepearte the Engine/Dyno Run Room from working area ...
i am not thinking this is from the "Machine Shop" aera (with bellhouses and other stuff)

[Richstang]

Wow, I don't know what I was looking at. It does have the lighter paint wall on the top and darker on the bottom.
I need to clean my glasses (Yea, I'll stick with that excuse)


The photo of the short worker is exactly where you show in the wider area view...in the Race Shop (not the Machine Shop).
We can see the shelves and paint cans on the wall in the Race Shop area.

Thank you for correcting me!
I have gone back and edited my previous post.



The photo with motorcycle and parts (bell housings, engines, tires, etc) was a separate post.
I still think that is the Parts/Storage room

[Szabo]

Hello,

i will continue with Part 4

because i dont came on what´s the secret behind the Sliding Door and how is this connected to the Engine / DynoRun Room
befor i was looking only to pics from the Sliding Door Angle...

And this came up right now...

On this Pic we see, the sliding door is open, another room behind ...
on the left side we can see there is another door open.


than i saw this Pic, one backside window (8 Frames wide) and even this
Woodframe Section Wall, even with some Pin Ups and some Cowboys
at work...
so i decided to look for pics with this woodframe section Wall,
always in Mind that this not can be the Engine / Dynorun Room befor


and when i notice the Headers and the Cowboys,
it was easy to set thie pic on the right point ...
We see the outer Brick Wall with the Windows and even the Words
on the Wall (look at the Cobra pic some post befor)
so it must be the room right next to the door to backside and it is
all behind the sliding door...


on this pic with another angle we see in the Working Area and even into
the "Working Office" with the Jacket hanging 
Remember when i wrote: Fun Fact...


one last pic from the "Sliding Door Room" where i guess only frames or chassis were build ...
This must be a very early Pic, because no Pin up Girls on the Wall
Notice the "6" on the side ... i always thoug this was a Number for the Room,
but it was the first part of the Poster with "63 Daytona"



So i have my thougts...

-Sliding Door Room is right next between backside door and DynoRun area

-where is the second Part of Backside Glas Window from DynoRun ?

-we cant see from DynoRun outer Door to Sliding Door Room directly ?
they must be another edge in the section Wall wich we dont saw on the
first pic directly from Garage Gate Entrance, because there it looks like
all in one Line ...

there must be antoher little area between those two areas, even more
on the inner section wall from left to right ...

Well i seek some hours again and found this Pics and so all come
together ...

Last Part at the Building and i am finished


there is little bit wider frame from the Sliding Door Room and on the left side we see a ladder standing
and i remember to the "Cowboy Hat" Pics we can see there is a lot of parts behind mesh over the Sliding Door Room
so i looked on and finally can bring that Pic to right position


we can see into the Storage Room between Dyno Run and Sliding Door, there must be
the second Part of Window Frame from DynoRun Room and when you looked long enough
you can see that some lights from outside coming into this aera ...

also they stand a Gokart or something like this in the storage room 



But still one clue was to solved ...

how came the inner section wall together with the edge of Dyno Run outer edge going into sliding door room
and last pic to solved the clue is this one...

Also there is a time clock / control clock for the workers ...



So, my time on work is also closed...  in need just a coffee and some cakes to become
fresh energie..

Think about it again, i have no skeetched from the other post and find all Pics together over
Hours and Days, and now it looked so easy to scroll thruw nearly the hole Princeton Drive Building

At last i will add my skeetch ...

Greets and looking forward for my masterpiece ... Shelby LAX is coming soon after you wrote something
to Princeton Drive ...

[Richstang]

These are all great photos of the Engine Shop, the Dyno Room, and the Chassis Room. I agree, all of them are along the back brick wall.

With only a single 4 pane window in the Dyno Room there had to be another small room next to it, before the Chassis Room with another 4 pane window.
That area seems to be closed off in early photos, but later appears open.
We see it used for storage as you show with the photo of the #14 Cobra (csx2301 from around April 5th 1964 when it raced at Pensacola).

There is one photo from inside the Chassis Room looking out that is creating some confusion for me.
We can see a second wall behind it before the Race Shop area with the Foreman's office (working office).
On the wall is the worked time clock. In another photo we see that same section of the wall continues straight through to the engine room.
So, I think this was originally on open area with no wall and the wall with the time clock in the #14 Cobra photo was added at a later point.

Here's my interpretation of the floor plan with the before and after changes as noted above.
(I've also moved the three Cobras over one parking space in the front)

[Side-Oilers]

Rich and Steven, thanks for all your additional hard work and details. 

Here's a bit of trivia I noticed in the last photo that Rich posted.  The calendar on the left wall is a Santa Fe Railroad calendar.  It shows a month with 31 days, and the 25th day is printed in a lighter color, probably red, to denote a holiday. 

That would've been Wednesday Dec 25, 1963.   (Dec 25, 1962 was on a Tuesday.)

I hope this detail helps with a dating of those particular photos.

[Richstang]

Rich and Steven, thanks for all your additional hard work and details. 

Here's a bit of trivia I noticed in the last photo that Rich posted.  The calendar on the left wall is a Santa Fe Railroad calendar.  It shows a month with 31 days, and the 25th day is printed in a lighter color, probably red, to denote a holiday. 

That would've been Wednesday Dec 25, 1963.   (Dec 25, 1962 was on a Tuesday.)

I hope this detail helps with a dating of those particular photos.

Holy Crap! Nice catch on that detail!

None of the days look to be crossed off so for now we can assume the wall section was likely changed between Dec '63 and April '64.

THANKS!

[Szabo]

nice input in this thread,

the pics are so full of details, wonderful eye on this.

I agree that the inside of the Building is modified over the years were are Working at...
and it is not so heavy to make some new section walls and paint it half light, half darker...

i do not really understand the meaning of the shown pic but of course i see there is no
section wall between chassis room and engine room...

so i will have an quick look to the pics again, maybe we found some more changing details
on it..

[Richstang]

Here are two photos from the same angle in the back chassis room.
They are looking toward the open work area in the Race Shop section.

[Richstang]

Some further digging finds this photo from when 1042 Princeton Ave was occupied by Reventlow Automobile Inc.
This was the last car (the only mid engine) Lance built there. I believe this was late July, maybe very early August '62.
Yes, that looks to be Phil Remington who originally worked for Reventlow, as did Ken Miles (as I've read elsewhere)

Notice the second floor with the white stucco on the neighboring building (1040-1038 Princeton).
We also see the different refined finish bricks on the front. It looks the same as when Shelby American is there a few months later.
I'm going to assume the second floor was not added on later, but rather built that way from the beginning construction a year or so earlier in '59.

Also, a few bits of info indicate CS took over the lease from Reventlow on the Princeton building.
He quickly realized it was too small for all the new projects.
Initially he only expected to build the Cobra's, but he quickly added the Tiger Sunbeam's, Daytona Coupe's, and or course the Ford GT40 program.
Shortly afterwards moving in Princeton, the Carter street building became available and CS rented it as well. (not at the same time as I suspected)