chistech

I received an email a couple weeks ago that the Olds has been selected to be a participant in the Audrain Newport Concours and Motor Week the second weekend of October 2024. This is a pretty prestigious event and I’m honored my car was excepted to show. The event starts on Thursday and Goes through Sunday. The show and judging is held on the famous Breakers Mansion. Going to need to get the old girl all cleaned up and spit shined! https://www.audrainconcours.com

I have a complete set of wheel locks but they are promised to another 32 old owner.

Hello Conrad, here’s everything I’ve put together. I won’t have the rubber pedal closeout panel for at least a couple months to send you. Does everything you need appear to be in the pictures. The roll of material is the bowdrill cloth to cover the window seals.

I myself have been guilty of doing that exact thing in the past, putting the apostrophe in the wrong place. I’m sure if I went back and looked at all my posts I did it hundreds of times. I was impolitely corrected by someone for it too. Then I thought, did that apostrophe’s location make my posts information any less informative? Did it truly offend anyone? Would the proper location of that apostrophe have changed the content. I realized that it really didn’t matter as EVERYONE knew what was meant, but some simply find the need to correct others as petty as it might be. I do realize the person who impolitely corrected me had less class than a fourth grader and way less than me even though HIS grammar was correct on the apostrophe! We are a country of immigrants and many things get lost in translation but in most cases, no matter how poorly a language might be attempted, the right thing most do is interpret the effort to the correct meaning without pettiness. What concerns me way more, and should concern people here more than an apostrophes location is the so called “experts” or those lauded by others here as “experts” who give incorrect information. Then, even more of a concern is those same “experts “ who are unwilling to admit their errors or continue with those same incorrect statements. Where someone puts the apostrophe in relation to meaning an abbreviation of the complete year in the wrong place doesn’t phase me one bit because I know their intended meaning and I really don’t see the point wasting my time worrying about it, nor will I waste more of my time correcting them. I don’t sweat the little things nor “get off” on correcting others. I don’t believe most posting here are looking for a literary award but mainly looking to share something, whether it be a question or a statement. When I first started in this old car hobby I found out pretty quickly the very good all the way to the very bad in people. There are people willing to take the shirt from their own back to help you the there are others going to the nines trying to steal a car you’re trying to buy right out from under you. When I started posting on the forums I found little helpful knowledge so as I researched and did more to gain real world experience, I’d post information. I would often read PMs sent to me about how when people asked for help or posted a question, because of their lack of knowledge, they were ridiculed rather than helped and that my posts helped them learn. These “new” people are right because I’ve seen it way too often. I’ve made hundreds of posts and have done many long, detailed restoration threads to help others but I’ve backed way off these days because of these types of things. I realize that my above statements aren’t going to make me friends with some but I’ve never been one to not let my honor and beliefs lead me. This is a car forum and not an English class to the majority here. Sorry, I can’t waste my time correcting someone especially when I knew what they meant from the start.

Buying old tools can be as bad a habit as our cars! 😁

Don’t use oak. It’s too porous and susceptible to humidity changes. Use high quality ash. Much easier on the tooling too. GM and other wood body manufacturers used long finger joints to aid in making the long radius in many of the parts. I created my own cutter for duplicating these joints and the post about it is here on the AACA. If you look up my posts you will find it and other posts with wood parts made using the cutter.

My ‘32 DCR

That section is called the belt rail and it she fairly easy to make when you have the car to measure from. That piece is connected to the two deck rails that make up the sides of the rumble seat opening. It also gets the parcel tray and supports all attached to it. I would not use plywood but pieces of ash shaped and jointed together around the curved sections. The below pictures are of two ‘32 Oldsmobile convertible coupes I reframed and the belt rail along. With the parcel tray would be very similar on your Chrysler.

Where are you located and is there any wood left or is it all gone?

They actually are all like that and bushings need to be made. The holes that big is original.

I was told today that Jim Rodman from Autowood Restoration of Hanna Indiana passed away February 8th at the age of 78. Jim specialized in the wood framing of most brands that used wood framed bodies. Don’t know any further details at this time.

What is interesting is to paint the fawn brown color, it doesn't show up in modern paint charts as a brown. I refer to the color as a "Georgia red mud" color. It turns out, for me to duplicate the fawn brown as closely to original Duco paint chips from '31, I had to use yellow as a base color! Then we added red oxide and some black per the Dupont Chroma Premier instructions to achieve the color needed. No one could originally mix the correct color and it took an old timer at a small paint shop to say after looking at the paint chip, "Thats not a brown you're looking for, that's a yellow. A red yellow." And he was right. I believe I spent most of one summer trying to match the color and sprayed out close to 40 test cards until the old timer mixed up his batch! It's a hard color to duplicate correctly and the browns are too dark and chocolaty.

You had painted the fenders black though right?

The brown and tan was a standard paint color for 31 chevy and it was often accompanied by orange wheels. The fawn brown, coffee cream, and swamp holly orange was only offered on open cars like this landau along with the roadster and convertible coupe. The code 81 included brown fenders also yet the undersides were all painted black. The brown/tan combination was also available with black fenders but I don’t know the paint code. On code 81 the pinstripe also was the swamp holly orange. There is a good probability that the colors you see underneath are in fact remnants of the original code 81 scheme. While many seem to feel the two tone brown/tan was a fad of the seventies, many cars were probably being repainted to their original colors. That color combination was offered on most of the GM line plus many other manufacturers has similar paint schemes in their color charts. My own ‘31 chevy is painted in code 81 but it is incorrect for my car because it’s a closed car and as stated earlier, code 81 was only available in open models. I like though and have had numerous compliments on the car.

Trying to help out a friend in Belgium looking for some parts. I’m looking for a heater tap that also includes the seat for the temperature sensor. The picture shows the fitting with a shutoff valve installed. It can be angled like the picture or even a straight 90d one. The end needs to accept the temp gauge bulb, have the seat for the bulb seal flange, and threaded for the flange nut. Would also be interested in a valve like what’s pictured. The second photo shows the fitting needed installed in the cylinder head with the temperature sensor bulb and an elbow which feeds water to the heater.

Sounds like the “Mongoose” and the “Snake” twenties style!😁

I’ve heard the same and read the same many times but have made many “mirror image” pieces and have had no issues getting them to work. For years I have encouraged others to attempt to make wood on their cars if they feel capable. I honestly feel the statement comes from two different ways of thinking. One, if we scare people enough , they’ll will be plenty of work for those who do make wood. The other is things repeated often enough by those without firsthand knowledge of the subject soon become the “truth” whether it is or not. I’m sure I’ll get arguments about my statements but I know firsthand in my real experiences, and I have made lots of wood for many different cars, that these cars are not that much different side to side that a mirrored image piece can’t be made to work and fit well. Of course cars with golf bag doors and other one side compartments are different side to side. While I encourage people to attempt wood repairs/construction there is a considerable amount of things that need to be known. Things like using the proper wood, proper joints, correct glues, sequence of assembly (extremely important), and sometimes creativity in making pieces that can be installed from the inside. Many don’t realize the wood was built first then the sheet metal body applied. Making replacement wood to be installed from the inside or in assembled sheet metal like doors can be a challenge for most. All this is not taking into consideration the person’s general wood working ability and the tools that they have. I have a couple suggestions. You live in Indiana so I would call, and keep calling Jim Rodman from Autowood. He might just have some pieces made that will fit your car that you could drive to him and pick up. I wouldn’t suggest to consign him to make pieces he doesn’t have based on what others here have experienced. I do know someone who drove out and bought wood he had made and drove home. Another suggestion is if you feel confident, you can attempt to make your own wood. If you have a piece you can copy as a pattern, make a new piece using that. If it fits well, repeat the process on another piece. Put each new piece in the car as you go temporarily attaching it to the original pieces to rebuild your body framework. The last suggestion is you can send your wood pieces to someone who can fabricate you new pieces. There are a few shops that do it including myself. It is not cheap to do and expect to spend $8-12000 depending on where you go. No matter what way you choose do your homework. There is enough information that can be found that will inform you. My own restoration threads done here shows many wood repairs to full redos. If you search my threads you will find many more than just the 32 Oldsmobiles I’ve done.

Jeff, I feel your pain on the wheels. The wheels were the only things I tracked hour wise on my olds restoration. Those 6 wheels from start, (the original condition i received them in) to finished, ( tires installed and wheel completed with pinstripes) took 943 hours! The sanding between each of the 14 coats of spar varnish was over 45 minutes each wheel alone and your correct, you end up taking the skin off your finger tips to the point even taping them up doesn’t help much. What was even worse and actually surprised me at how much it hurt and cut my fingers was applying and then removing the masking tape around the spokes especially. The masking had to be applied and removed quite a few times during the total sequence of finishing the wheels with the masking tape, after the primer or paint applied, being extremely stiff and razor sharp, not to mention it was pretty thin. I sliced my fingertips many times on that painted tape! I’ve sworn that I’d never go to the extent on a set of wheels like that again yet it is the wheels that ALWAYS get the initial attention of anyone who looks at my car. When my wife’s with me at a show it’s usually her that takes over the conversation as often it’s the women who go crazy over the wheels. I can honestly say that at every single show my car has been in, whether on grass or blacktop, someone has layed down and extensively photographed my wheels. So my wife always says to me, “ I know you said you’d never do a set of wheels like that again but you do realize that they are what makes your car what it is, right?” And she is correct. Doing the wheels justice will make the car just that much better. It’s a ton of work but worth it in the long run. I’ve looked at other cars that are similar to my own with both wood and wire wheels and can honestly say in my opinion ( of course I’m biased) I haven’t seen at set I like better or compliments the total look of the car more. Now that I own a wood wheeled car and a wire wheeled car I can say I find wire wheels to have very little character and are actually kind of boring as they all look the same other than color. With the wood wheels, the diameter, shape of spoke, ferrules or no ferrules, spoke length, spoke diameter, finish, whether paint or varnish, then the pinstripes allows the wheel to take on its own character and contribute to the car’s overall looks. Something I find wire spokes or disc wheels just don’t offer as much, again my opinion and hopefully won’t start a war and derail your thread. The work you do is outstanding and I’m sure your wheels will make your car that much more outstanding! Looking forward to the completion of your restoration!

Jeff, your present looks very similar to the one I bought myself 5 years ago. Can’t believe it’s 5 years already that I tig welded the running boards on my Olds. I just bought a new helmet a couple months back because my original really wouldn’t go dark enough for tig. The new helmet is like looking out a picture window now it’s like day and night difference, literally! Plus I bought the magnifying lense that slides in a track behind the glass. My old eyes are really appreciative of that new helmet! Merry Christmas my friend!

The brake cross shaft you show is extremely similar to a 31-32 chevy. Yes, the shaft is designed to shift front to back some but not a tremendous amount. Your second picture shows the “flag” or bracket that normally contacts the arm of the brake light switch that is mounted to the inside of the frame. The should be two 1/4-20 holes about 2” apart in the frame in the general location of that flag. Your third picture shows the brake pedal rod connection and the cross shaft support. That support is needed to prevent the cross shaft from moving too far away from the travel of the brake pedal rod. Without that support the cross shaft would simply flex too much during braking and the brakes would not work. If you can’t find a manual for your Pontiac find a 30-32 chevy one or even look it up on line. There’s a lot of information on the cross shaft and brake adjustments.

I used to dabble with the M135, M211 line of GMC military trucks. All had the GM/Olds 4 speed automatic transmission with the addition of a 4-1 reduction unit on it for low range. Those trucks were 302 powered and all ran incredibly well. Very low idle yet great throttle response up to wide open. It would easily get those heavy trucks up to speed and the could easily do the old highway speed of 55 even with the low military gearing. Most old military trucks like these you find these days in a field or backlot somewhere will still start and run, usually damn good too. Those motors were indestructible.

No, I will not sell you the parts, you can have them for what the postage costs me. If you want me to try and collect the fittings you need I can do that and send it all in one package. You will just have to pay for the fittings and any postage incurred for me to get them sent to me.

I believe the original chroming process was called “flash chroming” and the chrome plating was applied directly to the steel or whatever metal was use. There was no copper or nickel applied first. This is the reason original chrome pieces rusted o easily. The three layer process was developed later and is used not only because it’s more durable but because the copper layering is done to fill the imperfections. My neighbor is a professional polisher and his father started the family business back in the 20’s I believe. They also used to do plating. I will ask him on more particulars about the process and if he might have some books on it. I was told by an old timer that the chrome on the Olds held up so poorly that there was an old joke statement that if you urinated on the tire, the radiator shroud would rust. Again, the flash chroming process, directly over the steel offered little protection. From what I’ve been told, chrome is also porous and that didn’t help with preventing the rusting.

This is a great thread as I just purchased on eBay a ‘23 Ford T huckster truck plastic kit in 1/25th scale by AMT. When I was a young teenager I restored a ‘23 Martin Parry bodied canvas side T that my dad bought to advertise the family business. I will be modifying this kit to make it more like what our truck was like and will be making up side curtains with the same artwork the original truck had. It will serve duty on my G scale railroad and sit outside of the Brito’s Meats and Provisions building (our family USDA slaughterhouse) that will be on the layout. When I found the kit on eBay one of my initial thoughts was to do a build thread here because there have been other excellent model threads plus I am recreating a model of an actual antique vehicle. I need to pickup some building supplies for the kit but will be starting on it soon. I might actually build the body out of wood rather than use the supplied plastic body. Not sure yet.