"Gus Wilson was the main character of the series and part owner and master mechanic of the Model Garage. A thoughtful man, respected in his town, Gus was never without his common sense and trusty pipe. You could always tell when he was pondering... <BR><BR>To read the rest of this blog entry from The Jalopy Journal, click here.
Quite possibly the coolest site I've seen in a while.. maybe this exposure will shed some more light unto the untold story behind the character of Gus Wilson!
Gus Wilson was required reading in my bedroom.... That's quite a list of stories... I have read maybe 50... wow.
Credit goes to Kurt_in_NJ on the Ford Barn. When one of our fellow "A"s needed help with poor headlights, he remembered Gus's quick thinking and tech tips to save the day. Great stories.
Very cool stories... I do find it odd when they refer to someone else's car or their own as a 'bus'. i.e. I'll drive this bus or I don't want to spend the money to fix that bus", etc.
Uh Oh! I'm not going to get much accomplished at work today! Good thing I'm in the new car business as a sales manager and the first day of the month is always slow!
You're what I call a 'throttle hopper,' a driver who takes a lot of pleasure in stepping on it to see how fast the car will pick up.
Wow, I started reading "GUS" in the mid fiftys, by its end it was about the only thing of interest in Popular Science..Never knew the series had started long before, it will be some fun reading..I still remember some of the stories; the town tightwade [Wealthy too] Silas? Later years had a helper, Stan? Thanks Ryan..
I looked forward to each new issue to see what problem Gus could solve. It was like the Saturday matinee/serial at the old Huntrige theatre. Thanks for the memory !!
Best feature popular Science ever had , along with the Wilbur Shaw test drives. Gus had infinite patience with bot the town skinflint, Silas Barnstable, and the shop helper, Stan Hicks. Couldn't wait, for the next issue to arrive !!! 4TTRUK
Man, The art work on that page is awesome too. Perfect blend of story and story board. Makes one wish to be there.
I have a huge collection of Popular Science magazines, mainly for the Model Garage stories. I always liked the writing, as well as the handy tips and the illustrations. Another handy link is to Google Books, they have every single issue of Popular Science available online, all the way back to 1870 (Model Garage stories didn't start until the late 1920s, I think): http://books.google.com/books?id=iigDAAAAMBAJ&source=gbs_summary_r&cad=0_0#all_issues_anchor They also have Popular Mechanics, back to 1905: http://books.google.com/books?id=Nt...sues_r&cad=2_2&atm_aiy=1930#all_issues_anchor
One of the first old Fords I bought (a '37 Tudor I got in High School) had a copy of Popular Science laying on the back seat, circa 1937 no less. From that time on I was hooked, and snagged every 30's Pop' Science and Pop' Mech I could find in old attics, etc. It's great to see those stories all in one place.
Thanks Ryan for sharing. This was my first time reading about "Gus". It never ceases to amaze me just how interesting life was back in those simpler days. Without your effort, I would never had this reading experience. This is a great website (Jalopy Journal) for everything posted and all the contributors. You dedication to keeping the material on this website "fresh" is inspiring and I am grateful for your effort! Many Thanks!!
My Grandfather turned me on to some really cool stuff in my life....but this is the bomb! He probably hid these from me knowing him. lol goodstuff