F&J

You are reading my mind.. I refrained from saying that I was thinking about using JB weld with a backer piece on the back side where it can't show, but some people don't want to hear about that product. I think the V shape of each bar might have a perfect spot for a piece of stiff galvanized wire I have from tobacco farm netting. I need to look at the back of the bars. Just bond it inside the back of each cracked bar. Just a couple are cracked. Yes, this entry level Nash 6 cyl grille insert was painted, maybe the biggest Nash 8 had plating. I started on cordwood yesterday so I can't work on the car or show progress for a while.

If that's true, then we must assume that the factory used a specific/selected length of tube spacer on every rear end they set up when setting preload. It also means the shims are only there in case they would be needed during rebuilding. on some semi-modern pinions, that tube spacer is collapsible, called a ''crush sleeve". This enables the factory to quickly preload the bearings by simply keep tightening the nut which makes the spacer tube to be crushed shorter for more preload. So you may want to try the first test fit with all shims back where they were. If the preload is too tight, then start to move shims between the tube and outer bearing. But if the bearings are way too loose with all shims where they were, then the tube needs to be shortened a few thousands at a time.

You are having the shop make a .020" shim if they machine the worn flange. You don't really know how much is worn off the flange, but that's OK as long as when you put the flange back on after setting preload, that the very end of the spline is not protruding out from the flange where the nut goes. Meaning the nut needs to be pushing in on the flange and that the nut has not hit the start of the splines instead. On those shims: When the book says "use as needed", ...Those shims, when placed where your pic shows; that place is where you "store" excess shims. For the shims to be having any effect on pinion bearing preloads, the shims need to be moved between the small bearing and that long tube spacer. Shims placed there will spread the two bearing cones apart, causing less preload. IMPORTANT PARAGRAPH: I don't know why "all" of the shims were in that storage spot. You'd think that the pinion would have been binding with massive preload. So did somebody have it apart and messed with it? ...or... We don't know if the factory had the ability to set factory preload by using/choosing different lengths of that spacer tube. If they did, then they would have added the spare shims there only to be used if the car needed bearing repairs later. That may seem odd, but Rwd GM "integral style" ring gear carrier side bearings are each shimmed with just one very thick machined, predetermined sized spacer when new. The factory has some sort of test fixtures to determine what exact thickness each of these single shims need to be to get proper preloads and proper gear backlash. If you rebuild those rear ends, the GM shim kit you must buy during repairs, is a combination of different, much thinner shims, so that you can put some stacked together to make a slight change from the factory one piece shim (if that one is too thick for the new bearings or new gears and lash). So you need to do test fits (without pressing the new seal in yet). Use all shims in between the bearing and sleeve, and it hopefully should be super loose after you tighten the nut. Then take some of the shims from there and move them back to between the small bearing and the flange. Keep doing this until you can feel a very, very slight drag after you tighten the nut fully, and then try to spin the pinion in it's housing. Modern days.. an inch pound torque wrench is used to measure drag, but think of it like adjusting super large truck front wheel bearings that also need a preload. It's done by feel on those.

I just lost a huge post when I saw you just posted a reply to me, and I clicked on it. Dammit, I woke up half hour ago and decided to look for pics. East Coast time here. Anyways, I'll redo what I lost tomorrow. >>>>A big part of what I lost, TOTALLY backs up where your book says "Use as needed". You use them between the small bearing and the pipe spacer, to lessen preload. Put them all where you show in pic, then I bet the pinion won;t even turn. I will get back in the AM, it's too late

The shims on the pinion: If that's where they were, did somebody add them to make up for the wear on the flange. In other words, if the flange is too worn, then the part of the pinion shaft just inboard of the last threads, now sticks up put of the flange, then the nut cannot tighten the flange. That's because the nut tightened against the shoulder on the threaded end if shaft, and is not squeezing the flange. Hard to out in words.

When looking for obsolete things, you need to check places like ebay daily. Right place and right time, so they say.. You missed this full gallon in mid July ...pricey, but it was probably very worth it to you. They actually had two available at one point. You must know that there are more out there as it was popular number to keep in stock, even if you were a hobbyist and not a body shop. https://www.ebay.com/itm/144590494329?epid=730341165&hash=item21aa43da79:g:ZbcAAOSwFWhilTa4&amdata=enc%3AAQAHAAAAoEEUF5yCPpiqFxIa4oDQZ%2FniO1HMYm8zfWO5GTqt0J2cLzDcoByF2FSutUPHU%2FRilx7yAs%2BorVWsARJp9GNmJfT0BVH%2FR7%2BDlv9rHfLOZzZL10ZCIsPE%2FTeAp99EDpbkFP2ig0R1Csae%2Fnc%2BNBzjMVBh1FMTFi2%2BnTqP5b72F76SAYd8CPJ2AoyD07%2F6YU8tY3KNdO8JT%2BgX3llRgdAX4fE%3D|tkp%3ABk9SR66t-a_dYA

Yes, on a typical differential, moving the ring gear side to side sets the gear backlash, but that would be only after the pinion gear depth is set correctly with pinion shims. Yes, the gear backlash will also be changed with pinion depth re-shimming, but that's not how the final gear lash setting needs to be done. The depth of pinion gear sets the contact wearing pattern to be optimum for gear noise reduction, gear wear reduction as well as using the strongest section of the teeth as contact. These shims sound like they would set pinion depth. Not to be used for setting gear lash. The other shim locations you tried to explain sound like they would be for pinion bearing preload, but pics would help. Tapered roller bearings when "new" need preloading. Used bearings are less preload. I'm talking typical differential designs, I can only assume a 1930 Hudson should be the same. I can't believe that there should be any end play on any typical pinion shaft, makes no sense IMO

yes, i realized that right after i posted. I copied the sentence from the wrong post, but most everybody here would have spotted my mistake.

Let's play boredom detective... lol... I thought the 69 bumper was super rotted in center but it's the plate that was inked out. Plate was blue background with white border, Our old CT plates were like that but so were Maryland. The blue looks lighter than old CT was but could be faded, Old MD blue looks a tad bit lighter than old CT? That 69 has a windshield sticker the correct size and location for CT smog, but those came out sometime in the mid 80s, if this was even still on the road. I can't find out if MD had stickers placed there. I can't read all of the dealership sticker on the trunk lid; ---- CREST? MOTORS? could it be Hill Crest Motors ? town is spaced for at least 2 words? maybe WHITE ------ ? Found a present day Chevy dealer by a different name in White Marsh, MD the owner made sure to mention having titles. Yes, in CT when they were new, they would have had titles, but 30-40 years ago we changed and did not have/or need titles on cars older than 10 years I think, then it went to pre-1981 not having them, to now being 25 yrs old. So that may mean nothing unless MD is tough to sell without titles and seller knows that? I give up LOL,

I have a old diagram book, so I picked a year as you did not tell us, a 1951 diagram: It's pretty hard for me to follow this type of diagram, but it sure looks like there is a symbol for a length of resistor wire or a resistor, near the ignition switch that then goes to one part of horn relay. So, is that resistor or resistor wire burned out? Two different types of 51 Dodge diagrams show that thing that looks like a resistor, both diagrams show it right at the ignition switch. Example; if it was a 55-57 chevy, they had a resistor on the firewall for the coil. The resistor only is in use after the engine stops cranking; after it starts up, then power goes through the resistor. The chevy coil gets power during cranking from a wire coming from the starter solenoid. On the chevy, if it starts but then loses power when you let go of the key, the resistor is bad. (or wire fell off it, or bad connection there)

the 2 door hardtop is a 1966 the 4 door is a 1969 Both are likely considered as parts cars with values under $700 each if a retail buyer can be found, or else they are only scrap value if you haul them to a scrap yard. A person who buys them for scrapping, can't pay any where near scrap price as labor and fuel to remove them is not free.

That is the place that will be a 1.5-2 hour trip total by the time I would get back home. I used to go there years ago when I lived a bit closer and needed many bags at once, as it was priced much better. I paid a lot more per 100 lb bag for the exact same brand at the local place here, but it was only 5 minutes away. And my favorite scrap metal recycle place closed due to owners retiring, so no more piles of cheap materials to build stuff with. They were 10 minutes away. There are no other places that will resell metals like they did. Even machinery and tools that made working easier, at dirt cheap prices.

I try to get a couple of hours in the shop each afternoon on most weekdays, but it's no longer fun while working. Age? I used to enjoy working on parts or small projects like making a part, but super long term rough cars would always force me to put one back in storage for a couple of years when it always became too tedious and mentally overwhelming. I've been keeping track of the fact that each thing I do on it now is not fun anymore. So I drove it out to the lot for the day yesterday to just look at it, hoping to build inspiration. The old pic is from 2 years ago in June 2020, seems like so little progress, but I did not touch it all last winter, and maybe both winters since 2020. I was trying to get the back end of the car together as it faces the garage door and I can get sun. I ran out of sand halfway into blasting the big rear trunk....But the place near here where I've been waiting for sand on backorder, now just told me they have discontinued stocking it. A 1,5 to 2 hour chore/drive to find more sand across the State, so I guess I'll try to get the nose together instead. I can't put the radiator shell back on until I find a way to fix a couple of cracks in the thin grille bars (down low) which were from being rusted thin. The spots are too thin to weld. I also need to repaint all the beltines including on the hood and radiator shell to the new mix of darkest blue. I almost talked myself out of having to do that while looking at it yesterday, but i will really regret it later. So, more taping and paint work to do over before i can put any of the nose back on. Some good comes from driving it into the lot: It always runs super nice, and after all the torment of trying to refit different steering boxes years ago, this car now steers so light even when parking, which is so un-typical of cars of this era. I know I've never driven one that steers this light, I just hope it's not too light at 50-55 MPH. It's an older First Series 32 Nash box but I'm now not sure if it's from a 6cyl chassis, or heavier 8cyl "970" chassis. ...and I'm getting used to the new 3:80 gear ratio. It seems to start to move easier, or feel more normal, if I let it stay at idle speed rather that rev it before letting the clutch out. Wanting really bad to try it out at 50-55mph is what keeps me from quitting on it. It might be a great road car with that gear swap.

Actually, most big truck fleets test coolant PH levels during regular maintenance. They replace coolant when the test indicates it needs it. PH changes with use, mileage, age and this causes premature cavitation erosion on the coolant side of diesel cylinder walls. The erosion is from micro bubbles forming on the walls, then when they "pop" during cylinder firing, each "pop" erodes metal where the bubble had formed. Incorrect PH increases this erosion by a lot. The bubble forming issue is related to ultra high compression/detonation, and also on ultra high pressure industrial water pumps, so it's not seen on gas engines. Anyways, PH would also change in a gas vehicle, (going from neutral PH, to more acidic) and that's why it has a suggested change schedule.

All of these primitive cars and trucks with different engines, different ratios, all have their own sweet spot where they feel great. I was chastised here long ago by another PA/PB owner when I told of my PB not being able to maintain required road speed on my State Secondary roads. They miss the point about a cars' sweet spot. Sure, you can go faster with the PB but it vibrates badly. Who would find a badly vibrating car as being "fun" or a nice pleasure ride? Don't give the same reply as I was given then about "no, my PA/PB does not vibrate" The factory tried to tame the vibrations with the sales gimmick of floating power diagonal mount system with the quarter elliptic leaf spring keeping the motor from flipping over. They knew it vibrated, period. Sweet spot: Do you want to run any mechanical object, engine, grinders, tools, at it's maximum vibration speed? You think that will be OK? That you won't be causing stress cracks on certain parts of the car? Take apart any Model A with high mileage, there are cracks everywhere. Remember seeing those aftermarket roller things to keep door glass from rattling at certain Rpms? There are no early stock prewars on my roads for almost a decade now. I suspect it's due to the cars not being able to run in their sweet spot, because that sweet spot is too slow for todays world. Countless threads on AACA about people with all brands of cars wanting to gear the car up. There is a reason for that. Many cars only need re-gearing for 5-10 more MPH to not vibrate on their desired secondary roads.

There is very little clearance between pan and rods near the front crossmember area on that exact engine. If the pan is slightly pushed up a bit, it will sound like a knock. I diagnosed a 51 for a friend and neither of us wanted to pull the engine, so there is a large hole under the crossmember bottom plate, and I made one in the upper plate with a plasma cutter, so I could tack weld a nut to the pan,,,,then one tug with a dent puller and noise was gone. Knocked the nut off and it looked stock. EDIT to add: This one also was a "newly" professional rebuilt/repainted engine shipped back to the owner on wood skid. The owner never spotted anything wrong with the pan when he installed it, so it does not take much of hit to make it hit a rod.

I forgot one more very important thing about trying to use a ratio around 3;50 with these lower power engines in the 30s... If he lives in the flatlands of Kansas, etc, he might be OK except for riding the clutch to get moving.... but, if he has hills, even moderate somewhat longish hills, he will run out of power and road speed and be forced to downshift to 2nd gear! Then he'd be screaming at 25-30mph. That would be a huge disappointment after doing all the work. A friend has a 47 dodge pickup with a newer 3.54 gear carrier which is a very common popular bolt-in swap for those trucks, but the bigger engine has enough power and torque to not slow down on hills. So, if your friend knew about those trucks doing fine with that gear, he might assume that the 32PB should do fairly good too. It just won't, on many hills. A short hill you could speed up first with 3;50 gears, but a longer hill you just keep losing speed until you must downshift.

Back in the late 80s at Hershey, a group of Ohio PB owners shared a few swap spaces. They all said they used a entire center section gear chuck from a very late 40s or very early 50s Plymouth rear end, I think they said to find one with a 3;90 ratio. So I found a complete 3;90 rear end from a 1950 Plymouth, and the gear carrier chuck did have the same splines as the 32 axle shafts, the depth of the centerline for the axle shafts were the same. But, the 1950 chuck did not fit into the opening in the 32 main housing, and had wrong bolt pattern. Then I saw them again the next year. They forgot to say that they had to cut the bolting flanges off of both rear axle housings, then weld the later flange into the 32 housing. Too much fussy work for me back then, so I sold the 32 conv. after a few years as i hated driving it. Most cheaper cars were geared for 40-45 MPH roads back then. Mine just couldn't stay up to the needed MPH on secondary State Routes without over-revving. I had to run in the gutter to let modern cars pass. My experiences with any early 30s transmission First and Reverse gear ratios is that if you go to a numerically lower number rear end ratio than a 3;90, then First and Reverse are then geared up too high. Car goes too fast in reverse, and First and Reverse you have to ride the clutch more to get it moving. (so I am sure a 3;50 ratio would not work well) The 5 speed might be a better choice, but you'd need good machining skills to make it fit the PB engine. Also some 5 speeds have the shifter coming up through the floor too far back. .

blanket statement. read exactly what i said if there is a ton of fluid backing out, that indicates air. Physics 101

Difficult to fix these things over the internet. Sounds like it has a lot of air trapped, especially with major amount of fluid backing up out of the reservoir.. Have you tried gravity bleeding, one bleeder open at a time for a while, till fluid flows with no occasional air bubbles? Also another way; I usually bleed alone with one bleeder slightly open and then very slowly work the pedal but don;t let the pedal go back up too fast (as it could suck air into the bleeder) But.. one quick thing to check before; feel by hand/ or one finger if there is a bit of freeplay in the pedal before the master pushrod starts to move the piston. Using your hand, you should be able to notice the freeplay if it has any. If there is no play and then the piston does not retract all the way back, one tiny fluid return port can be blocked and cause bleeding issues. Also, we don't know how old the master is or what type of fluid like DOT 3 which could cause bore rust. You had a good pedal, but the piston travel only used a short part of the bore. If there was a pile of rust barnacles half way down the bore, then when bleeding, you shoved the old rubber piston seal through the rust with full strokes, and rust could have damaged the seal. it's all guesses without being there.

You won't feel the slight high spot unless you are adjusting that screw inwards. Normal wear makes it impossible to feel if it's not been adjusted recently. If your box gears are not centered when adjusting the screw in until you feel resistance on the screw, then as you steer to either side you will feel it bind a bit in the steering wheel as you do steer over the true center. At either side of the true center, there will be freeplay before the pitman arm starts to move. At some point during adjusting and testing, you should finally find the spot where freeplay is at it's best, and then by steering to either side, the play obviously increases. If you overtighten the screw when it's not at center, you should feel the steering wheel start to bind as you steer through the true center. If the worm gear is very worn out, you may never feel the high spot no matter how it's adjusted, but you still should find the area where the freeplay is at it's best.

Donald Axlerod near Boston, business name might be Headlight Headquarters. He only deals in early lights and their parts, so it may be pricey if rare. Most people call the levers "steering wheel controls". Many early Cadillac members here have said that certain years had bad diecast metal that crumbles, and that there are companies that have repro parts but said they are pricey. You may need to ask all of these questions on the Technical Forum as I think not many members follow the restoration forum. I am not up on all of the aftermarket wire wheel types, but that wheel must be one big nut which needs a special tool to take it off. I had 1920 car with Hayes wheels with the big center nut and Hayes tool. The tool releases a locking mechanism that prevents the big nut from getting loose. Ask on the Technical Forum with that pic.

yes it is, and the plug is to add oil. Many people use corn head grease. I think it's a heavy oil for combines, and not really a grease? From farm supply place? If you use chassis grease, it supposedly will wipe off of the worm and cause it to wear.

I found my old pic of another members earlier Mopar box.... a bit harder to adjust freeplay. If you have the slotted screw with locknut where the letter F is pointing, that is the easier type to adjust. If you have the "doubled nut" looking thing where the letter C is pointing, that is the box that the smaller cast housing gets moved closer to the centerline of the main box casting to tighten the freeplay. (what happens is that the sector gear teeth or roller, gets moved closer/and tighter to the worm gear.) The doubled nut is the adjuster with an eccentric nut that moves the housing, after you loosen all 4 or 5 nuts holding the castings together. The adjustable eccentric nut is the inner one closest to the casting, the other nut, the outer one, is the lock nut

I did not know your Dodge went to cross steer in that year like Ford did. Well not really a stop, but rather the sector runs to one end of the worm gear and can't go any further. No, I can't see a person taking the time/effort of moving the splines to make up for a missing stop on the spindle. The only right way to figure this out is to disconnect the cross steering link from the pitman arm. Then you can use common sense. Meaning when it's disconnected, now move the front wheels all the way to one stop then the other way to where it would be if the missing stop was still there. Then if your wheels CAN steer that far in both directions with link disconnected, then we would say that the splines on the pitman are set wrong. Also while disconnected: Find the true center of steering wheel turns, and leave it there. Then move the front wheels to be pointing straight. Then hold the link back up to the pitman arm ball end to see where the pitman arm needs to be reset to the splines in the box. If you do take the link off, that is the best time to properly adjust the free play in the box. Should be a large slotted screw with a lock nut. ( but see the paragraph below). When disconnected, it should be easier to feel the high spot on the worm gear as you keep tightening the screw. Note, I don't know if your 35 Dodge uses a slotted screw pushing on the end of the sector/pitman shaft to adjust the play. I say that as I did a 32 Dodge car that uses a different way to adjust play. That car had the small cast housing for the sector shaft to be able to move closer to the main box casting, or move farther away. Take a look at the very top of your box at the opposite end, or top end, of the sector/pitman shaft. If there is a slotted screw with lock nut up there that would push on the end of the sector/pitman shaft, that is the much easier type to adjust. If you don't have that style, I'll try to find my old post with good pics on how to adjust the box with the 2 housings that get moved closer together,