Alfa

Lovely car...what a find. My fave is a 1960, I used to own one, but this is very nice. Glad you found the problem with the transmission so quickly. Adam..

Just a small thing, but check also that the air filter and the exhaust silencer (muffler) are clear. I have seen similar problems with a silencer that has collapsed internally and blocked the exhaust.

I realize these people are a little off your patch, but they have done a couple of clutch and brake relines for me on my 28 Alfa and done a superb job; fast, efficient and not expensive. Might be worth dropping them an e-mail? They can do riveting or bonding with modern materials. https://saftek.co.uk/friction-products-for-classic-vehicles-and-race-applications/

Thanks for your help today, John. Kind regards Adam..

But if there is no torque setting available..... My advice is predicated upon having clean oily threads rather than dry, rusty or painted threads. The presence of oil will allow for the nut to clamp more tightly for a given torque. The trash truck wheel nuts were presumably tightened to a torque setting intended for dry threads, in which case oiling them would have led to increased clamping force, and the possibility of stretching wheel studs and damaging conical seats (or were they spigot mounted?). That would be the cause of the wheel loss, not the presence of oil per se. The demountable stepney rims in the original question presumably had no torque setting recommended and indeed the tensile strength of the bolts is unknown, hence my advice is somewhat generic.

Sorry, haven`t been back lately. Did you get it sorted? It is worth confirming that the marks on the flywheel are in fact correct. But that is easy enough to do. Take nothing for granted!! Adam..

There was no such thing as a torque setting when those wheels were manufactured. However, a 3/4" spanner size probably relates to a 1/2" diameter thread (worth checking yourself) and you can look up for yourself what torque settings to use. I would estimate something around 40ft/lbs (or a firm pull on an 18" bar). The important thing is to make sure that the mating surfaces are properly bedded together, that threads are clean and oiled and above all... To recheck them regularly after fitting and until you are sure that they are not going to 'pull up' any more. Do not go berserk and over tighten them. That will just end up with pulled threads and distorted mounting flanges. Tighten them down evenly and recheck regularly.

Timing marks are arbitrary, but very convenient. However, if you do not have any reliable marks on crank pulley or flywheel, to refer to, you may have to time the engine yourself and make your own marks afterwards. To do that you will need to know the correct valve timing and a degree wheel. First step is to fit the degree wheel to the crank pulley (or the flywheel, but everything will then work backwards), and set it so that zero degrees on the degree wheel is aligned with TDC on no 1. the correct way to find TDC is to use a dial gauge on the piston crown and to find the apparent TDC from both directions of rotation of the crank and take the average. Second step is to position the crank to the point where the inlet valve should start to open, using the degree wheel. Then install the cam shaft, or the cam gear so that your dial gauge, now positioned on the ramp of the cam (or top of a rocker) indicates the movement of the valve. The timing chain can be installed accordingly. In practice, I make several checks of valve opening and valve closing to ensure that I am happy with the result. Also be aware that you may not be able to get the timing exact with the factory keyways as there is always some tolerance. Race engine builders use offset dowels and keyways to correct for this and get the timing exact. Once it is all set, make your own timing marks. Of course all of this is best done with the engine out of the chassis. Simple!!

Blanking off the heater should not cause any problems. You need to investigate the cause of the leak from the transmission. It is loss of fluid that is causing you to loose drive.

A careful polish with silver polish can work wonders.

And 23rd series Packards.

Hello Sorry that I do not have specific experience of the 1925 Chevrolet, but the resistor that you mention, might it be a ballast resistor? Is there also a direct (not through the resistor) feed to the coil from the starter switch for instance? If it is a ballast resistor it will get too hot to touch for certain. Alternatively, it might be a type of interference suppression. Can you measure the voltage between live and earth (with ignition on, engine off, but points open) before and after the resistor to see what effect it is having? One other thought, from your description of the problem, is the fuel tank vented? You might try running it with the fuel cap removed to check that. Hope this helps Adam..

You might try an e-mail to Dougal Cawley at Longstone Tyres. He is an absolute expert and very helpful too. info@longstonetyres.co.uk Adam..

I have a 1935 De Soto Airflow 6 (badged as Chrysler for the UK market). I am currently fitting a new exhaust manifold, utilising a brand new casting as the old one had cracked more or less in half. I am busy drilling and tapping holes, but I also need to transfer the hotspot flap from the old to the new manifold. That leads me to two questions. The flap appears to be held onto the spindle by solder in three holes. Is that the case? Can I therefore melt out the solder and be able to withdraw the spindle from the housing? The second is the anchor point for the bi-metallic spring that controls the flap. I seem to have lost the location for the spring in my travails. Does anyone have a drawing that shows how the spring is mounted to the manifold, or even a photo??? Thank you for any help you can give. Adam..

I have a 1935 De Soto Airflow 6 (badged as Chrysler for the UK market). I am currently fitting a new exhaust manifold, utilising a brand new casting as the old one had cracked more or less in half. I am busy drilling and tapping holes, but I also need to transfer the hotspot flap from the old to the new manifold. That leads me to two questions. The flap appears to be held onto the spindle by solder in three holes. Is that the case? Can I therefore melt out the solder and be able to withdraw the spindle from the housing? The second is the anchor point for the bi-metallic spring that controls the flap. I seem to have lost the location for the spring in my travails. Does anyone have a drawing that shows how the spring is mounted to the manifold, or even a photo??? Thank you for any help you can give. Adam..

You said that the plug on the duff cylinder was wet. That suggests that it is not sparking in the cylinder. Can you not confirm sparking in cylinder using a strobe light? I know they need 12v, but you could use a spare battery beside the car to power the lamp and put the inductive clamp onto each lead in turn whilst the engine is running. The flashes will soon tell you if a spark is occurring at each cylinder. Definitely worth a try before you lift the cylinder head. Also, look for escaping sparks in a darkened garage with the engine running (but mind the rotating fan!!!).

I would expect the freewheeling sprag clutch, if it had failed, to result in no drive in any gear. If you have drive in third gear (direct drive), I would be suspicious that there is a problem with the selector forks in the top of the gearbox. I would suggest removing the top of the gearbox to inspect the selectors. I am assuming in all this that the clutch is engaging and that you have a good solid, positive drive when you engage third gear? It might also be possible that, if the car has been stored with the clutch pedal depressed to avoid sticking, that the clutch cover has jammed in an intermediate position, or that the release bearing has failed. Might be worth getting a friend to rock the car back and forth whilst you attempt to engage the different gears to see if the clutch does indeed engage fully. Hope this helps Adam..

Brilliant information. Thanks all. Adam..

Yes that is the exact one. I ordered it last week and even got some discount!! Should arrive next week. Also, the Tiger East forum is great. I have read a lot about the cooling tests. Thanks for the tip. Adam..

The existing rad has been rebuilt before, to standard spec. I think about 25 years ago. I have seen others with the alloy rad and it seems to address the overheating problem which is standard on a Tiger. I take your point about flushing, I will give that a try. Also, perhaps I should check the advance curve on the distributor. The type of rad I am looking at is a specialist race-spec welded alloy one. There is no A/C!! Thanks Adam..

No I haven`t. What a great resource. Thanks very much.

I have a 1966 Sunbeam Tiger MKII (289cu in) and I am thinking of upgrading the radiator from the current standard unit to an aluminium one with electric fan in front. Currently the temp rises to 85 degrees Centigrade if driving gently, but goes higher, to the point of boiling, if driving harder or in high ambient temperatures. I am planning to use a RadTec ali rad with a Spall fan, as I have seen others using those. But I would appreciate thoughts on whether my plan is sound. Whilst the rad is out, I am going to replace the water pump (which has the slightest bit of nod in the bearing) and the thermostat as a precaution and whilst the opportunity is there to clean up all the housings and gasket faces. I have also invested in a set of 'classic' silicone hoses to replace the full set including the heater hoses. I am suspicious of the heater core, so I will be checking that when I do the job too. The objective is to have something that will be up to spirited driving over long distances. Now here is my question; When fitting an ali rad with electric fan, have others left the original steel fan cowl in place? It must add to the efficiency of the original mechanical fan, of course. And secondly, do others retain the mechanical fan? Or simply rely upon the new (thermostatically switched) electric fan, which will be a 'pusher' fan on the front of the rad. Any thoughts or previous experiences? Thank you Adam..

I have a 35 Desoto Airflow 6 sedan. Does anyone know if the rubber engine mounts for the 'floating power' are available anywhere? Or do they have to be revulcanised? Thank you Adam..

As others have mentioned already, coil springs tend to survive quite well. You can assess them by measuring the ride height and comparing them to specs in the workshop manual if you can get hold of one. Or comparing to another car. Clearly if the car stands low on one side you have a weak spring (unless something else is bent). I have replaced old coil springs before to good effect, but generally they last a lot longer than leaf springs.

The right decision in my humble opinion! Adam..