Pat_n_Pat

Thanks Mark for taking good care of friend Bob McKeown.

John: Is this the type of gear you are looking for? http://antiquespeedometer.com/partinventory.php?cat=d1e14a993cacb2e20a5ca39a2d7876b5 I know that the number does not match what you need. I may have another source to check. Pat

Thanks John. Not bad for a 37 year old restoration! I finally found out the gear ratios andI am still looking through my "stuff" for a speedo gear for you. Pat

Hi All: Does anyone know the transmission gear ratios for first and second gear for 1931 Series 60 (straight cut gears) AND for a 1932 Series 60 (helical cut gears). Obviously 3rd is 1:1 Thanks, Pat

John: Try Globe Classic car parts in Fresno, CA. We will be going there on Thursday on our way home from Arizona (We need a new transmission for our Buick). Is the same gear used on other Buicks? My Hollanders is at home so I can't look it up. I may have the one I removed from our speedster. Pat

Colin: You are absolutely correct that Phil (and Ken) would not let anything go through as "good enough". Mechanics were as (if not more) important than fancy looks. Our '35 Cadillac won most elegant and first in class in 1997 at Pebble Beach. No mean feat, but expected for a Hill & Vaughn restoration. Our friend returned to Pebble in 1993, taking second in class with the same car; same restoration. We were honored to be invited to present the car again at Pebble Beach last August. Just to be selected as one of approximately 175 cars from around the world is a huge honor. The fact that we took third in class was way beyond anything we had expected from a 37 year old restoration (and yes, the same nitrocellulose lacquer paint from 1977). How important were mechanicals to Hill & Vaughn? The Pebble Beach Tour d'Elegance is a grueling driving event meant to test cars. In the event of a tie in class at the Concours, the Tour would be the tie breaker, giving the award to the car that successfully completed the drive. I do not know exactly how many miles the tour covered, but it was approximately 90 miles and was designed to test car endurance. There were many VERY steep hills and twisty-turny mountain roads. Many cars broke down and/or overheated. On more than one long, steep hill we had to weave in and out cars stranded on the hill. I did have to slip the clutch a few times, but only to dodge stalled cars. Our '35 Cadillac performed perfectly and never skipped a beat! Pat

Hi Don: Thanks for your input. Great idea to check exhaust manifold. I had seen your post about your carburetors (about two years ago?) and your final shift to the Zeniths. We won't be able to change carburetors, at least not for the near future, as this car has been invited to the Pebble Beach Concours (actually, it will be the third time to go with the same 37 year-old restoration). We have had pretty good luck with the Detroit Lubricator 51's. We have one on our '29 Packard which we have taken on quite a few long tours with no problems. Having said that, I have learned from the Carburetor Shop that the vane mechanism can wear, causing the vanes to hang up. I do agree that the pot metal sucks, but ours are in pretty good shape. I normally do all my work, however, it is currently in a shop where they have a lot more room and a crew that are prepping the car for Pebble Beach. I am just assisting in chasing down ideas for him. After this year, we plan to drive the car more often. Again, thanks for your input. Pat

A good thought. Our ignition is very similar to your Packard ignition. I had both coils rebuilt (actually new coils inserted in the gutted Cadillac coils) last year. It was my original thought that the coils were overheating and thus failing. Thanks, Pat

James: We put new condensers in recently, but we are going to replace them again anyway. I have actually found new ones right out of the box that were bad! In checking the plugs, it appears that the right side plugs are burning much leaner than the left. (the V-12 has two separate ignition systems). We are going to rebuild the right carb (the left had been done last year). Pat

We are having a problem with our ’35 Cadillac V-12 losing power. Here are the symptoms:Car runs well at idle: Drove to gas station to fill up. Drove about 7 miles, performed flawlessly Let it sit about 20 minutes to begin detailing Started it, it idled smoothly Went to drive it, had no power (behaved like vapor lock) Electric Fuel pump did not solve problem. Cracked fuel lines, got only fuel, no air. Timing is correct. Car is not overheating. Idles well. Car has (in the past year): New (rebuilt) coils Rebuilt Fuel Pump Electric supplemental fuel pump One of the two Detroit Lubricator 51 carbs was rebuilt as it had a sticking needle and seat which caused it to hemorrhage gas. Has anyone else experienced similar problems with the V-12 or V-16 engines? Is there an problem with the DL 51's? While we are pretty sure it is a fuel problem, we cannot find the source. (I know, 90% of all fuel problems are ignition) Any help greatly appreciated. Pat

And All Wheel Drive (AWD), too!

Hi All! I will be pulling the transmission in our 1931 Series 60 this weekend as we broke a tooth on first gear of the cluster gear (part T-169.8). I have a "spare" transmission for parts, but I am not sure it is for a '31 Series 60, and won't know until I pull my trans. In addition to the cluster gear, I think it is only smart to replace the throwout bearing and the synchro cones. Does anyone have a source for those parts? The throwout bearing also fits some Willys models. Pat

Hi Edinmass: There were exactly 9 5725 Fleetwood 7-Passenger Town Cabriolets built in 1935. 8 were 5725LB (Leather Back) and 1 5725MB (Metal Back). The LB and MB refer to the covering over the rear compartment. These are Carl Steig's numbers from the Cad-LaSalle club roster. These numbers are confirmed by James Schild in his book. These were definitely not cut down from sedans, although they probably shared some components such as dash, hood, and possibly rear doors. Since this car was a January 1935 Build, my guess is that it was the 29th Fleetwood body, all types included, to be built in 1935. Can anyone confirm that? Thanks, Pat

Bubba: When did you take the picture? I know the Mae West car was in Santa Rosa, CA in 2004. Pat

Dave: Jack is a truly classy man. The 5725 was available on all 3 chassis. There were 11 5725 bodies on V-8 chassis in 1935. There were none in 1934, according to the Fleetwood book. talked today with Bob Porter, who owns the Elizabeth Arden car. It is a 5725 on a V-8 chassis. I'd love a copy of how to fold that nightmare top! The manual says the top frames should fit in the same compartment (may be the sales manual).......I don't think so!!!!! Pat