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Tether Cars: Introduction
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Of all the nostalgic heirlooms we create, TETHER CARS are right at the top of the list.
The last decade has seen a huge revival of interest in vintage tether cars.
Original Dooling and McCoy cars often bring prices in the five-figure bracket.
What makes our creations unique, is that they are not restorations of original tether cars (although our vintage toy conversions are restorations of the original toys).
They are cars that fit right into the fifty-year old "circle burner" atmosphere, but are newly designed and built... created to be something that never was, but could have, and should have been!
We started on eBay a couple of years ago, building custom Half-A engines. (I'm Leo Squiers, and I personally built my first custom Cox engine in 1957, and still offer it on a built-to-order basis!) They immediately became popular, and it didn't take long before we began to get inquiries about Half-A size tether cars, and U-Control planes. A lot of collectors would like to have the smaller cars, due to their uniqueness, unusual compact size, and greater affordability. While the big .19 to .60 size cars dominate the vintage collector market, the adorable Half-A cars are now getting their share of attention, and that's where we enter the picture. Offerings of original Cox, OK/Herkimer, Testor's, Wen-Mac and O&R cars are fast drying up. We have found that a meticulous conversion of a Hubley, Slik-Toy or Marx car is "period-correct" and quite irresistible! When we can get our hands on one of these ancient gems, we grab it up! In addition, the mind-boggling plethora of absolutely gorgeous die-cast metal replica autos has made for a never-ending selection of potential tether car conversions. Add to this the various methods of powering up one of these (vintage engine, new engine, direct-drive, spur-gear drive, shaft-drive, prop-drive, etc.) and the custom design features possible, and you have a whole new arena of affordable retro masterpieces to delight the heart of any tether car fanatic. Each and every STONEWAY car is 100% handcrafted. Each is different. Each is built either to the customer's order, or to the design standards we've perfected for auction. We have no factory, no staff... my Wife and I are the sole workers in this tiny venture, and you can bet the farm that your car will get the same loving care that goes into my own personal models. In fact, most of what you see at auction on eBay are my own cars. I enjoy them for a while, and then send them into the collector's hands. Here are some quick answers to common inquiries about our cars: Do you build cars to order? Yes, definitely! If you have a vintage toy, or die-cast model you'd like converted to a tether car, we can usually do it. If you see something you like, let us know, and we'll make one similar to it. What do your cars cost? Prices vary a lot, depending upon your requirements. Keeping in mind the cost of the original model, the engine and drive parts, wheels and finishes, our cost for materials is anywhere from $100 to $300. An average conversion takes from 20 to 100 hours labor. And we don't charge much for labor! The least expensive car we've produced was a Hubley toy, Cox powered, and it sold for $175. The most expensive was another Hubley toy which was very involved, and sold for $750. Most of our cars will fall somewhere in between, and we'll do everything possible to make your dream car at a price you can afford. Do your cars actually run? You bet! We only build functional models. And, while we don't recommend running them, as degradation to the appearance is dramatic, with tires and finishes showing wear rapidly, the cars are well engineered to be capable of running, and the finishes are fuel-proofed. Most of our one-off creations become prized display pieces, but we know some collectors wish to "see 'em go"! Where do you get your raw materials? We get vintage toys from eBay auctions, garage sales, dumpsters, resale shops and many other places... the die-cast models come from eBay, stores, collections, etc. The really difficult pieces like drive-components, engines, wheels and such, we just have to search out, and often make by hand. How can I have you build me one? Just e-mail me, LEO SQUIERS at LeoSquiers@msn.com or write me at: Leo Squiers, 2500 Mustang Dr., #168, Grapevine, TX 76051. Let me know what you're interested in, and we'll work something out. A lot of customers have me convert their own toys or models, while others want a particular new item. I can supply pictures of your car in progress, and through the magic of the Internet, maintain effective communication throughout the building process. There are no "surprises" as I always give you a cost estimate up front. How long does a custom fabrication take? There's only one of me... so, it is not a fast process! I am running about 60 to 90 days right now, with a number of builds in progress. You just can't do this fast, as each car, plane or engine must receive the attention to detail that makes it an heirloom-quality piece. If you have a question about what you see on this website, please contact me. I'm friendly, and will do my best to give you the answers you are looking for. Please click on the various cars we have featured on this site. You'll be amazed at the diversity we offer! And please be patient with us, since this website is nowhere near complete yet... It is being built one item at a time, just like our handmade cars, engines, and planes. We also offer artwork and graphics. You never know what you may find here, so check us out often, and see (and enjoy) what the "older generation" can do! |
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