Dean,Keep those pictures and explanations of what your doing coming! What kind of time frame are you looking at getting it all back together?

Dan

Dan,
I don't have a time frame in mind for completion other than it would be nice to get the body back on the frame before our rainy season starts in November (body is outside). If I stay at the pace I'm going that won't be a problem but if a job comes up, the Hupp takes the back burner.

Today I worked on small parts. Cleaning and painting is an effort, it would be easier to just buy new bolts but I like the look of originals.


Polished the camshaft with fine emery cloth. There was light rust in a few spots, it cleaned up real nice.

I replaced my valves 6,500 miles ago with no problems.

If you want to replace the valves with hardened ones, start with the exhaust valve from a 352 Ford. Shorten the stem and renotch it to match the original. The stem is 5 thousand's too large, drill out the block 5 thousands to remove any slop in the block. I was told with the lower compression and RPM, you will not have any problem with unleaded gas for 20 to 30 thousand miles. You could also insert hardened valve guides.

Thanks for the tip Huptoy. I'm going to leave the original valves since I already reworked them. But I'll keep your information, should I need to replace these in the future.

Progress has slowed a bit on my old car. I got all the valves in and installed the pistons and head. The rear main seal was pot metal and I had to make a new one. This is where things sort of stalled the last few days. I finally got something I'm satisfied with but it took a little time.

This picture is of the block after I installed the valves. What a beauty! Those valves and cam are a mechanical work of art, sort of sad to put on covers.


The head gasket from Olsen's fit well.


Original (lower half) of rear seal was junk


The upper half of original rear seal


Found a split rear seal in an old gasket set that is correct diameter.

Machining new upper seal holder


Cut 'new' seal holder in half to get what I need


Rough cut lower rear main seal


The result of much machine work and a little welding


And finally finished. It looks like the fit is pretty good. And I painted it cast iron gray so it would look cool.

Good news, I found the chrome piece that goes in the middle of the front bumper. I believe the 28 and 29 bumpers are the same. It will need to be cleaned up, chromed, and painted but it is solid and intact. They are moving their 28 Hupmobile from Dayton, Oh to Seattle, WA for the next week. I will provide them your email address and you should hear from them in about 10 days. I am enclosing a photo of the front bumper.

I want that roadster, that is gorgeous

Thanks Huptoy, I certainly would be interested in that item. That roadster is awesome, sort of took the wind out of my (sedan) project.

Work does continue on my old girl, although a little slower than I'd like. The valves were a pain to adjust, it almost requires three hands. I had the valves done and the covers on and then noticed some of the lifters were not spinning well when I turned the cam. I decided to take the lifters out to resurface them, that took a little time but the results were worth it.

This is one of those - 'never enough time to do it right the first time, always enough time to do it twice'


The first time I've used this grinder, it worked great. The lifters all spin the same when I reinstalled them.


In an attempt to slow oil loss, I put a modern lip seal on the front cover.


Here is the cover ready for paint.


I didn't want to pony up the cash for a full gasket set and have been cutting gaskets.

Information provide me on the 1931 6cyl engine states the valves should be adjusted at 8 thousands when the engine is hot. Hupmobile said you could remove the valve covers, run the engine till hot, adjust the valves by reaching behind the carb, and under the exhaust manifold. Of course, you are at risk of burning yourself on the exhaust.

I was also informed by 2 older mechanics that you should set the valves at 11 thousands with the engine cold. Just remove the carb and valve covers. My engine runs well and has a slight valve lifter noise. As you know, too tight will burn the valves and you are back to square one.

Tell me what you think of this '29 Hupmobile! It's part of a local collection and I have the opportunity to take it for drive and give my grandkids rides in it-and other from time to time. It's a straight 8 and it purrs! and taking the grandkids for a ride!

BTW, awesome work you're doing on that restoration! Best to you!

I've been out of town for several days, finally got in last night. Thanks for the valve info Huptoy, I adjusted my valves to .012 (cold... sort of, it's been over a 100 deg. for a while now). Wow, wk's_olds that Hupp is a beauty! It looks a little earlier than 1929. Very nice.

I'm starting to feel like Cinderella going back to rags after seeing the other hupmobiles out there.

Before leaving town I painted my engine.. black. I was told by several people that the engine should be green, however, I could not find any green on this engine. These were the colors of the engine when I got it, and it looked original to me. I was told only the eights were painted black, but I suspect some of the sixes were too. Anyway, it's my car and the engine is black.

I had to go through the water pump


The engine

I think that Hupp may be a '25 rather than a '29.....I'm not too hip about Hupps!

Machine work never ends on my project. I was tightening the bolts on the fan when I heard a crack. The fan spacer (pot metal) was the victim and I needed a new one. Since I'm getting a little tired of all the machining, I looked for an easier fix. As luck would have it, I found a modern spacer with the right bolt pattern. I sliced off the length I needed and saved some time, albeit not quite original looking. I also got the engine mounted in the chassis and started work on the flywheel. The clutch chattered and some starter teeth were stripped. I cleaned up the clutch surface, but this flywheel does not have a removable ring gear. I located a new ring gear of the right size and teeth but I still need to cut the flywheel down to slide it on. Hopefully I can get this done today.

The original fan spacer (black) and a fresh made new one of the same thickness.


I left it unpainted


Working on the flywheel. **point of interest, the old lathe I'm using in this picture is three years older than the car - still works like a charm.

I finished the fly wheel and reground the pressure plate. The clutch was junk (metal frame cracked). I couldn't find an exact replacement, but since Ford 9N tractors have the same size spline, I bought one of those, cheap too, only 40 bucks. Both clutches are supposed to be 9 inch but the new ford clutch wouldn't fit into the fly wheel. Turns out the Ford is 9 1/8 inches and the original Hupp clutch is 8 7/8 inches. I had to cut the new clutch down 1/4 inch to make it fit.
The flywheel machined for ring gear


For the interference fit on the ring gear, a little heat expands it enough to slide it on.


High lighting markings on the flywheel to make them easier to find later.


and finally balancing it


Machining the clutch down .250

The transmission had a broken piece where the clutch throwout arm bolts to. It had been brazed before but was broken loose because of a poor quality repair. Even with it broken loose, the clutch still worked, but there was more play in the pedal than normal. I picked up a replacement 1930 transmission, it fit OK but looks different than the original. So.. I decided to weld up my original. It turned out to be an easy fix and I figure a few battle scars just adds to the character of my old car.



All the braze had to be removed, clamps keep it from warping. Some cast iron is difficult to weld but this trans case welded easy and I was able to do a decent job.



And getting the second piece in. I also Ved out the back side and welded it too. All welds were done with the proper cast iron welding rods.



I reluctantly strayed from original and put in an electric fuel pump. My reasoning; the original vacuum tank is located on the left side of the fire wall. Fuel lines run across the engine compartment and back to the carburetor. It looks like a vapor lock nightmare to me so I put in the electric pump so I could run a shorter fuel line direct to the carb. I recently had a ton of vapor lock trouble with an old '60 chevy truck I use. I suspect new gas formulas are the culprit. I also installed a new fuel line and new fuel gauge line.


Putting in the wires to the tail light and to the fuel pump. The original wires were not quite good enough anymore. I'm using aircraft wire because I like the quality and look. It only comes in white.

Dean...I am really enjoying looking over your shoulder as you restore your Hup. This is quite an education I am getting! The clutch modification is a great solution to your problem! By the way, I am a believer in vacuum tanks; I don't think you would get vapor lock using one of these units. If the fuel boils in the line the vapor will go up the line to the tank and to atmosphere; and the column of fuel will push gas to the carb. A lot of people have converted there cars to electric pumps. Also, I will mention modern replacement wires are just plastic covered wires that have been run through a braiding machine to cover them with cotton braid in the correct color patterns. Keep the posts coming ...your posts are to the true spirit of the "current restorations" forum.

I agree with Harry on the vacumm canister. I don't think you would get vapor lock either. Just go back and look at my posts where I thought I had vapor lock problems. My fuel lines run right next to the exhaust manifold and because of my current radiator problem my car runs extremely hot. Turns out it wasn't vaporlock and the old canister runs just like she was designed to do!

But like you said... It's your car. Do what you want.

Dan

Just a comment on vaccum canisters. There are times when folks convert to electric fuel pumps, and then end up with carb trouble because the original carbs aren't designed to hold back pressure from a pump, just gravity.
I've converted never had trouble with my vaccum canister, and they're easy to rebuild and repair.

I use an electric fuel pump on my 6 cyl Hupmobile and, for looks, direct the gas through the vacuum pump shell. Use a electric pump that is variable or can be reduced to 1 to 3 pounds. Also a flow reducer will work. Too much flow pressure will cause problems in the Carb.

We had a member who restored a 1928 Model M 8 cyl Hupmobile over 30 years ago and used the vacuum fuel pump. Over the years, he had problems with the pump sporadically not working. He would drain gas from the gas tank and prime the vacuum can and usually it would start working. By tearing it down and reassembling the vacuum pump it would usually fix the problem. However, several times he had to trailer the car home. Three summers ago, his wife said no more being stranded on the road and he installed an electric fuel pump and the problem stopped. He left the vacuum tank hooked up to look like it was working. Just remove the insides and block the overflow tube. Additionally, he restored a 1928 Model A Roadster 18 years ago and had the same problem with the same fix.

Thanks for the comments everyone. I always value others advise. I think I'll leave the electric pump, since it's already done. I'm not worried about the carburetor leaking because my original is all cracked up (pot metal). I'm going to replace it with a more modern unit. My vacuum canister is mint condition. I intend to mount and plumb it, but not connect it into the fuel system. I'll put preservation oil in it, so it'll be ready to use if I change my mind. Also, I don't trust electric pumps, I've seen several quit working. Having the vacuum system ready to connect up will give me peace of mind.

I've been swamped with other work lately and haven't been able to do a lot on the Hupmobile. I broke away for a couple hours last night and installed the flywheel, clutch and transmission.

Extra points to anyone who can find the transmission repair weld.

I managed to get the driveline in yesterday. The original drive line was bent and one U joint was worn out. I acquired another drive line and painted it, but needed to fix the U joint.

In this first picture you can see the worn out pin. A Cummins head bolt was the toughest material I could find around the shop. I machined it to size and cut off the ends.



The fit was a little tight, I had to use a press.


Here it is after installation, The chassis is starting to look complete. I'm close to being ready for the body, but I want to do some body work on it first.

It's been a while since I last posted progress. Truth is, lately, I've had a busy schedule and haven't done a lot on my project. I do tinker with it whenever I can and managed to get a few small items done.

I made an adapter to hold a modern thermostat. I couldn't readily locate an original, got this 160 deg. thermostat at the local auto parts store.


The threads ended up being left hand on the brass retainer nut. I'm certainly not a machine pro and had the lathe feed in reverse when I made the threads. Since I might be the next guy to change the thermostat, I stamped "left hand threads" on it.


Cleaning up the distributor, it's in 'like new' condition.


I was surprised to see this auto advance in a distributor that also has a mechanical advance lever.


I tried to run solvent through the oil filter to clean it, and use it as is. After hours of flushing and still seeing sludge, I decided to cut it open.


I like the original look of this oil filter. My plan is to a conceal a modern screw-on filter inside the canister. I brazed on an adapter to hold the new filter.



Here is the bottom of my adapter, where the modern filter screws onto. The original by-pass, on top of the canister, will still function. This is far as I've gone, I still need to work out the details on this

Dean, I was wondering what the guts of these early filters looked like. If you don't mind keep us posted in this restoration/re-engineer of the oil filter. By the way, the Southern Calif. Region CCCA reproduces the decal that goes on the filter.

Thanks for the decal tip Harry, I'll get one of those. The original filter basically consist of a large spring wrapped with a fabric, like cheesecloth.

I fiddled around with the oil filter yesterday and pretty much have it finished. First, I riveted a piece of aluminum sheet metal around the top section.


Here it is with the new filter installed.



To change the filter I'll need to disconnect the lines and slide it out. Although it doesn't look exactly original, I'm satisfied.