JerryVan

I have this on eBay right now. Third time relisting it. Would like it to go to someone who can use it. Send me a message if interested. https://www.ebay.com/itm/392261303999?ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1555.l2649

Terry, Thanks for your kind words. Sounds like you're going to have a fun car! Congratulations on having it in the family for so long.

Also, I believe the plungers are adjustable so that you can add a bit more pressure to the back of the leather. This can possibly help to alleviate wear for a while.

Terry, I assume your cone clutch has the spring loaded plungers behind the leather clutch facing? Most often, a grabby clutch is caused by worn spots in the leather where it lays over the spring loaded plungers. The plungers are supposed to push up the leather a bit, causing the cone/leather to just begin touching the flywheel in those spots. This is the initial engagement of your clutch. As you let back even more on the clutch pedal, more spring pressure is applied and more leather comes into contact with the flywheel. Therefore, you get a smooth, gradual engagement. However, when the leather is worn thin over the plungers, they no longer have the feathering properties that they once did. Either all of the leather is in contact instantaneously, or none of it is. So, your clutch has no feathering and is an "on" -"off" affair. You may look at the edge of the leather and think it's nice and thick yet, but NOT over the plungers, where it tends to wear the fastest. Some people have removed the leather and indexed it a bit to get thicker leather over the plungers. I guess that could work too. Maybe you already knew all this, but just in case, I thought I'd mention it.

Really cool. Very much like my 1924, Model 41. Big car!

Have you checked your intake manifold gaskets?? Or, the gasket between the carburetor and the intake manifold?

Barry, Try here for a head gasket: http://www.olsonsgaskets.com/

Great. Glad to see you're on the right track then. Best!

1923 Buicks do not have heads. OR, is that just the 6 cylinder ones??? Now I'm confused...

Have you confirmed that your air valve is working freely during your hard start/trough running episodes? I know you said the carb was checked out, so was mine... The dashpot can get sticky even in the best of carburetors. It's easy to check, just push a popsicle stick in the carb intake and try to push the air flapper. If it moves you're good, if not...

Here's some pics that might help my posting above;

It's hard for me to imagine such a difference in valve lash going from hot to cold. Let me ask you this, what carburetor are you running? The Marvel, with the air valve & dashpot adjustment? My '24 sometimes does EXACTLY as you describe when starting cold after having run well. Inside the Marvel carburetor, there is an air valve, in other words a flapper, that opens up to allow additional air into the carburetor for higher speeds. The air valve has a dashpot attached to it, (basically a small shock absorber), that keeps it from fluttering and reacting too rapidly. That dashpot can get gummy and will stick after everything cools down, gluing itself up solid. It's located inside the large brass knurled knob, sticking out of the carb at a 45 degree angle. Removing that knob will reveal the small piston that travels within it, as well as a very special, (as in don't loose it or mess with it), spring. Before you remove the knob, count the number of turns it takes to do so and after cleaning with carb cleaner, screw it back in the same number of turns. Might also be a vacuum tank problem, but let's look here first.

How about that. Happy for you!

Let me add, I do not believe you have any binding anywhere! That's been proven over and over again and it's also evidenced by the very small voltage drop you noticed when trying to start. If the starter tried at all to overcome binding your voltage would have dropped big time. The small drop indicates to me a poor ground, either externally, (e.g. frame to engine), or internally, as in inside the s/g unit. It may also indicate poor commutation, (i.e. poor connection between starting brushes and commutator). When you apply the starter, is it possible to have someone reach inside the s/g unit with a wood stick and physically push down on the starter brush after it has dropped? (No tremendous force here, don't want to break anything)

Carmover, When you add your heavy ground strap, don't just bolt it to the engine block, attach it using one of the s/g mounting bolts and scuff off any paint that might interfere with a good connection. You may have poor ground between the s/g and the block just as easily as you might from the frame to the block. I'm also curious about another comment you made a couple of times and nobody questioned. You said you could see sparking between the brush/commutator connection a couple of times. What exactly did you mean by that? Did you see sparks at the point where the brush touches the commutator? If you did, there is still a very small gap between the brush & commutator. Even .0001" gap will kill the starter but be enough to jump a spark. Any spark, showing up anywhere, indicates a poor connection.