Has anyone purchased a stainless cap from American Arrow? I have read about them but have never heard anyone talk about them. Are they worth the money? Are they for display or are they functional units? HELP ME DECIDE. Thanks

I have talked to several dudes that purchased the accessory Viking caps from American Arrow and they mentioned that the caps were of top quality and that they were also functional. The price is pretty "spendy" however.

You should probably call and talk to them about the cap before you spend the money....just so you will have more information to work with.

they're $430 each in screw-on or flip top...they ought to be pretty nice...


epi

Yes it is a bit pricey. I have an original Viking cap. It is in very good shape and intact, but it is 70 plus years old. It is the flip top screw on type and it had been used. Therefore the rim edge has distorted from heat and time. The Viking will not seat properly.
This accessory really adds class and character to the Chevrolet. What do you think $5.00 back then would be at todays price? I also have the original box the Viking came in and that is the price on the box.

I have two new old stock Viking caps, and one is in the original box. Also have a used cap and none of them will screw onto the radiator filler neck because of the distortion of the pot metal base due to age. The new caps are the only way to go. However, if you ever have your car in a show, because of the price of the new Viking caps, you had better stand beside the car and guard the cap with a shotgun!

30usa1,

$5 in '30 would be only $58 today, while today's $430 was a whopping $38...but with market forces at work, it's only natural that american arrow can charge and receive a premium for their work...at least you'll be getting a nice piece for your money...


epi

I was sure with todays inflation it would have been higher. :rolleyes: You are right about not leaving it on the car, if I get one I will carry a strong box with an alarm. American Arrow offers two type of Viking caps. 1929-30 Viking (screw on)... and 1929-30 Viking (flip top)... Has anyone seen the flip top style? Does it work and look like the original? Which of the two would be the most correct for the 1930 Chevrolet? The only type I have seen is the flip top.

I think that American Arrow makes two versions of the same type of cap. All original 1929-30 Viking caps screw on because the radiator filler neck is threaded! And, all of the original 1929-30 Viking caps had a flip top so that you could fill the radiator without unscrewing the cap since the original cap had a set screw lock on the back.

I believe the 1929-30 srew on which Don Sommer repro's has no flip top like the original which had the internal hinging. The 1931 cap I believe has a flip top with the hinge in the back.
http://1931chevrolet.com/accessories1.htm

Hello on my first ever posting, though I have been a looker for a few years. I have just purchased a viking cap for our 30 sports roadster (Holden body) from Gary Wallace who advertises in G&D. It is stainless and beautiful quality. I'm not sure where Gary gets his from, maybe American Arrow. Cost $440 plus $25 postage. This equates to about $650 Australian Dollars, so I will be keeping my eye on it.

I believe that he gets his Viking caps from American Arrow.

You will need to put it in a strong box with and hire an armed guard.

If you do purchase a Viking cap, get back to us with the details.

I have two of American Arrow's Viking flip top caps. They are truly beautiful. The photos in which were linked in an earlier posting are one of those caps.

One of the things I see with the photos in the earlier link is the loss of detail. In the write up for American Arrow they state "A small loss in detail occurs (about 5%) during polishing, however, this is a small penalty to pay or the superior strength and aging properties of stainless steel". Should this be a concern? I compared the photos with an original piece that I have and to me there is a significant loss of detail on the scalloped edge on the lower portion and other areas. Am I being to critical?

30usa1,

unfortunately, what choice do you have?..if you really want to run a viking cap, any nos or used original from that time probably isn't usable anymore...so it seems like the american arrow is the only game in town...

$430 is a lot of money, but maybe look at it this way: many parts & accessories aren't available now at any price...


epi

Are you being too critical? I think that the answer is yes. American Arrow makes some very high quality accessories, and the Viking Radiator Cap is one of them. And, the cap is better than the original in durability as well.

Bill,
The 2 flip up caps you have I assume are not screw type and are for 1931 Chevies am I correct?
30 USA1 I assume wants the screw on cap for 1930 Chevy which I think is being made in one piece. The caps that Gary Wallace sells I believe is from Don Sommer. They are nice and worth the money considering the cost to replate and the loss of detail at that time.

Hello All,

The Viking radiator cap which is referred to is not actually Viking in origin. The image is that of a ROMAN SIGNIFER. They were guards much like our Secret Service and lived in the Pretorian period of Roman history. In that period of Rome the skin of a lioness draped as a cloak was a status symbol for a warrier. Examine closely and you will see the head of the lioness.

The Viking cap I recently purchased is a screw on, not flip top, type. I have compared it to an original I purchased many years ago whilst on holidays in the USA. There is no noticeable lack of detail in the reproduction stainless one. It looks terrific on the car.

Hey John Gill...
Here ya go.

In Review,

It seems you may be correct on the brackets! However? On this issue of the signifer, why no reply? Do your research!

Best Regards,

You are right on the issue of the ROMAN SIGNIFER. It is very similar to everything that I saw on the web search I conducted. The picture above even has a similar neck line to the original cap design. There is an interesting article in a back issue of G&D, Feb 1998, JunkYardDog's Rainbow's End. Where did the Viking name come from? Anybody have any ?

Hey John Gill...Here ya go!

Hello All,

Isn't she pretty!

Sort of a 'leading' question, eh John????

Bill.

Now be nice Bill!

Well John, like you queried, ain't she pretty.

Yup!!

Radials tires, huh?? How does "she" 'drive' ??

Bill.

Hey Bill,

With the 16" Radials it drives very smooth. On the interstate I can stay with traffic - no problem. The drive train was professionally done.
Everything has been balanced and engineered for ride. A roll bar is hidden behind the seats for safety and shoulder strap seat belts are attached to the roll bar. The top insert came from a 450SE which has the same contours as the 31 sport coupe. The body is rock solid while still retaining the original look of a beautiful car.

Your car sounds great!!! Performance and safety. It sure is amazing how the radials 'work' on the old cars!! I'll never forget the 'difference' when I first put the 15" radials on my '54 hardtop some years ago. Basically just unbelievable compared to the 'old' bias ply polys!!

Interesting about the 450SE top insert.

Bill.

Hello All,

Ya know, I can't give up on this ROMAN SIGNIFER. If I'm wrong I want to know from the experts. I want to be shown why I'm wrong and be put in my place by the experts!

Reading through this old thread and thought I might post a comment on how times, and the currency rates, change.

The American Arrow website now advertised the Viking caps for USD$620 for the screw on and USD$660 for the flip top.

With the Aussie dollar currently at about 1.04 to the US it would still cost about the same to land one here... even though they have gone up by $200!

Not sure about whether it was styled on a Roman or not... but here in Australia it was espoused by Chevrolet to be a Viking and wearing a bearskin helmet, not a lion skin.

I have never before seen a reference to the 29-31 winged cap as "Roman". The literature I have seen refers to it as a "Viking" cap.

Same here......all of the literature that I have refers to the cap as a "Viking".

Mr Gill asked about 6 years ago for a debate on the Viking ornament, suggesting it was a Roman Signifer instead! Here goes:
I am not sure entirely where the original designer got his inspiration for the '31 Viking Rad Cap, but most likely if he did even rudimentary research he would have found some guidance.
Plutarch, an ancient Greco-Roman writer wrote about the Cimbri, ancestors of the Vikings as "wearing Helmets made to resemble the heads of wild beasts".
Further, Siculus, another contemporary writer wrote of the Gauls, another Celtic people tied to the Vikings as wearing "winged helmets or helmets with whole animals attached". It has long been concluded that Vikings only wore the stereotypical "horned Helmet" in religious ceremonies.
So I agree with JunkYardDog, and all the other authorities on this subject that the "Viking" is certainly the appropriate name for this wonderful symbol, and the intention of the original creator (whose name escapes me at the moment). He no doubt would have provided GM with the language associated with this accessory as set out above. While the Roman Signifer wore animal headress as well, they may very well have followed the lead of the Vikings, who knows.

William Schnell-designer....