Alfa

I do not have personal experience of waterless coolant, but have followed the exploits of some others in the UK. Laboratory analysis revealed that a proprietary brand here was 100% ethylene glycol (neat antifreeze in other words). This will have a higher boiling point than a water based coolant, as advertised, but a lower specific heat capacity as already mentioned here. So there is little or no benefit from a cooling perspective. In fact a system relying on convection currents (thermo-syphon) may well be made worse. The system will indeed run to a higher temperature without boiling, but will transfer less heat to the radiator whilst doing so. There is a further unfortunate side effect, coolant ejected from the overflow pipe is more slippery on a road surface than oil, so a bit distressing for motor cyclists ! For motorsport in the UK, we now have to fit catch tanks for the radiator overflow to avoid coolant spilling onto the track surface.

I have to agree that the most satisfying thing is to restore the brake (and any other) system to the specification that the manufacturer intended and enjoy the character of the vehicle. The only advantage with disc brakes is improved heat dissipation, but are you really going to drive a 60 year old car hard enough to incur brake fade? Besides, restoring the original spec will be quicker, cheaper and far less challenging than converting to disc brakes. But at the end of the day, it is your car to do with as you please. But please ensure that the conversion is well engineered. The hobby does not need any nasty accidents.

The right decision!! I really don`t think 0.008 clearance is going to cause you any problems. Adam..

But not much more either! Sounds like all that you need to know....

Very impressive!!

Sounds like good advice. I also use Hylomar on many applications. Adam..

But where is the engine?

If your head is still off, it is very worthwhile to get it refaced. Just a lick across it on a milling machine to ensure that it is perfectly flat. The long 6 & 8 cylinder heads can vary a bit over their length. The point of all this is that the gasket will have a far easier job of sealing if it is matched against at least one flat surface, instead of two uneven ones. Machining is not difficult and should not cost much. It will greatly improve your chances of achieving a good seal. By all means follow the correct tightening sequence if you have it, but otherwise, follow the simple rule of starting in the middle and working outwards, tightening it down in stages. Above all, make sure that you re-torque the head after a few minutes (and after a cup of tea :-)), again after it has run for a few minutes and again after a few days. Essentially, keep re-torgueing it until it does not 'go up' any further with subsequent torgueing. As for gasket sealer, you will hear many different views. On these older engines, I would tend to use something like Red Hermatite or Wellseal, particularly on the side facing the surface which has not been machined (ie the block face). Adam..

It is a lovely car. Sadly I am not in the market for another one. But I hope somebody buys it and loves it soon. It deserves being preserved. Adam..

I would set them cold with the engine off too. Much safer for one thing, and there should not be any noise from those small clearances. Much better than having any valves running without a clearance.

Well that is excellent knowledge and experience from Joe. I am impressed, sir!! Dora, I think you are right to stick with the original brake set-up, but to make sure that everything is as the maker intended. Definitely replace the metal brake pipes and the flexible hoses! Adam..

I like it too!! And it is an Airstream. Very nice with a rumble seat. Will make a fantastic looking car. Sadly I am not in the market for it, but I bet somebody will be. Would love to know the price. Adam..

Brilliant !!

What a wonderful example of the values of our hobby! Congratulations Bhigdog. Adam..

I have a 35 Airflow SE, with automatic overdrive. Can`t remember the axle ratio without checking. Will look later if I remember! However, I have seen 80mph on the speedo. That was pretty much maximum speed on the flat. But out of deference to an 82 year old engine, I would normally drive at between 50 & 60 mph, with overdrive engaged. Adam..

Lots of clever thoughts on this have already been shared above. My suggestion was simply that it would be straightforward for a local machine shop to press a tube of brass into the eye in the pedal and ream to the size of the spindle for you. Shouldn`t be very expensive. The resultant bushing would last for several lifetimes of hobby driving. Adam..

My thought exactly. I used to own a 1960 Buick Electra. Once rebuilt, the brakes were excellent. On the UK annual roadworthiness test, it would stop the rollers on the brake test. Admittedly, drums will fade out sooner than discs, but are you really going to drive your 60 year old collector car that aggressively? Just my thoughts. It is your car to do as you please. of course. Adam..

I have just had a thought ! If your distributor has undergone a conversion to an 8 lobe cam and a single set of points, then the distributor will certainly have been out and may have been put back 'one tooth out'. Definitely set the dwell as Grimey has described. That is all important. Then it would be a good idea to set the ignition advance either statically, with an ohms meter, or by ear. You will be unable to start the engine with the starter removed to view the timing marks! All very interesting. Adam..

I couldn`t have put it better myself!! Adam..

I also bought some from Kanter years ago. They were fine and not too expensive.

Also, I just remembered, many , if not most, Packards of this era have twin contact sets in the distributor. Some need the respective sets of contacts to be synchronized. (I have a 1928 Packard 533, but that has the contacts on a common baseplate, so synchronization is not needed). If yours has separate contacts, there is a process for synchronizing them on the bench, if you need it, but you can get away with setting the ignition timing on the first set on No1 cylinder in the usual way, then rotating the engine one revolution by hand, so that No8 cylinder is at TDC firing, then set the second set of points such that the contacts are just opening at the correct engine position on the flywheel. I hope that this makes sense to you. Apologies if you do not have twin contacts and this is all irrelevant! Adam..

Hi Scott You are following exactly the correct procedure! I was alluding to the possibility that the timing marks may be incorrectly located, perhaps if the engine has been disassembled at some stage. The reason that I thought that, was the persistent problem that you have. Grimey, two posts above this one, has described the process better than I did. A man who really knows his onions!! It would be worth checking for TDC and confirming that your timing marks on the flywheel are in the correct place, because TDC is not where the engine should run most happily. It really sounds as though the marks are in the wrong place. Adam..

Coming back to Scott`s original question. The octane rating of the gasoline is going to be better than of old, and will not be the problem. I suspect that your trouble is timing related. Firstly, the engine would run, but would not be very happy if the spark was coming at TDC. If that is what you see, then I think you should check to ensure that the timing marks are in the right place. This can be tricky with a side valve, unless it has an unscrewable bung above the piston like my 35 De Soto. With the plugs out, you may be able to observe the piston coming to the top through the plug hole and verify the TDC mark. After that, you can retime in the usual way. Are you using a strobe timing light? I always do. very useful for verifying a spark on each cylinder in turn. Adam..

'My mom had a friend whose mother would sent her to the corner gas station for a bucket of gasoline to wash her silk dresses in... this would have been in the late 20s or maybe the early 30s.' Astonishing. I wonder how the dresses smelled afterwards, or whether all the vapour came out??? A bit risky for smokers.

Excellent!! Fascinating project that you are undertaking. Adam..