Got this from an old timer, he said he used it as an air cleaner on a Harley in the 50s. Looks like a Buick porthole or some kind of 50s chrome ad on. Any suggestions would be helpful. Thanks Kevin
Pic of back might tell if it is aftermarket quality or if it's OEM. Size would help. Some mid 30s used weird shapes of vents on hood sides, sometimes one per side, others had more per side. .
the back side does not look like a typical higher quality injected "die cast". It looks like a decent quality aftermarket type of "low production" sand casting. So it could be car aftermarket doo-dad, or could be marine. If it were marine, it could be OEM for a certain boat, as those were lower production, and may have been sand casted for cost saving It sure looks about the right size for a hood side, mid 30s style. I have a pair that are mid 30s Dodge or Desoto that used one per side, but they are not made like that one.
How heavy is it? If it's brass, I'd say it's marine use, but if it's die cast aluminum, I'd tend to think it isn't, all of the old boat pieces I've ever had (made prior to the 60's at least) were brass.
Aftermarket product from the late 1940's, early 1950's (James Laga shared these scans many years ago)
The Jalopy Journal
