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Alfa

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Everything posted by Alfa

  1. Your engine will always stop in the same places because of the compression. Two possible places on a 4 cylinder, three on a 6 and 4 on an eight. This means that the starter wears the ring in the same spots. Moving it round would spread that wear. If you cannot reposition the plate, you might have to look at replacing the ring gear, which as you say, is a pain if it is welded in place. Please let us know how you progress. Adam..
  2. I hope in your design, you will be avoiding the pinch bolt style small end? The small end eye is an inherent weakness in that situation and it caused a major 'blow-up' in my 1928 Alfa 6C engine.
  3. It sounds as though the timing is out and the HT leads might be on in the wrong order if you got a pop at the carburetor. F&J just gave you a run down of what to do. I think he is spot on. You need to locate the timing marks on the engine, I am not familiar with where they are. Could be on the front pulley, but possibly on the flywheel. You also need to know the direction of rotation of the distributor shaft (rotor arm). Turning the engine with the distributor cap removed will tell you that. Now remove No1 plug and do as F&J describes to get the engine TDC on No1 on the firing stroke. There should be a timing mark that aligns with a pointer when you are at TDC and possible further marks in advance of the TDC mark (clockwise rotation of the crank) indicating degrees before TDC. See which segment in the distributor cap the rotor is pointing at when the engine is at TDC. That is no1. Then working in the direction of rotation of the distributor, carefully count the leads off in firing order to check that you have them fitted correctly. It can be confusing on an 8 cylinder! When this is done, set the engine to the recommended no of degrees of advance (probably 6-8 degrees?) on that set of timing marks. You can probably turn the engine by the fan blades, or starting handle, of even by rolling the car in top gear. You can flick the starter, but that always feels a bit uncontrolled to me. Once in position, you need a voltmeter or test lamp connected in parallel with the contact breaker points (I am assuming that they are gapped correctly) such that with the ignition on you can tell when the points are apart (points open = light on. Points closed = light off). Now, you need to slacken the clamp bolt that secures the distributor body to the block. With ignition on, rotate the dist body until you see the light just come on, or voltmeter go to 6v. It is the moment of the points opening that is crucial. That is when the spark occurs. Set this. Tighten the clamp, refit rotor arm(!) and cap. Start engine. Simple !!!!! Adam..
  4. Did it run before you did the tune-up? If it ran okay last year, then there must be something fundamental and recent at fault. Have you checked for a spark? Turn the engine so that the points are together, then with ignition on, flick them apart with your thumb nail. You should see a small spark at the points, whilst holding the 'king lead' close to an earth should show you a nice spark. Have you checked that all the wires are correctly connected at the coil and coil to distributor? Inside the distributor, is the wire from the coil insulated from the distributor body and the connection to the condenser likewise? A short will mean no sparks. Is the rotor arm in the distributor? - sorry! But I do it all the time. Can you refit the old condenser? Many replacements these days are poor quality. Have you gapped the points correctly and reset the static ignition timing? Are the new HT leads fitted in the correct order on the distributor cap? Establish which is No 1 and count them round in order, in the correct direction of rotation. Do you have petrol up to the carburetor? remove air cleaner and check if the accelerator pump squirts petrol into the choke tube when you open the throttle sharply. (I think it should have an accelerator pump. If not simply slacken the feed pipe fitting and check for petrol). Check these things and you should have a runner again. Let us know how you get on. Adam..
  5. Oh, USP. I meant their 'unique selling proposition', meaning the feature they were advertising that set them apart from other manufacturers products. Just me waffling on. The concept of oil heating/cooling is an interesting one though. I read just this morning, that Scania, in the latest versions of some of their heavy truck engines, have introduced a thermostatic control for the oil cooling to optimize engine temp over a wider range thus saving fuel and consequently, both CO2 and NOx emissions. By the way, I read the Richard Widman paper on oil selection. Very interesting and a well researched piece. The focus is on 1960s Corvairs, so there are a couple of understandable omissions. The first being engines without full-flow filtration and the second being caster based oils. But nevertheless an excellent piece of work. I have to say that I feel it supports my views on oil selection, that I was trying to summarise earlier in the thread. In essence, synthetic oils are excellent products, but probably not essential in an engine where the oil will be changed regularly because of contamination by piston blow-by etc. The longevity of the synthetic base oil makes it superb for engines with good piston sealing where long drain intervals are desirable. This is particularly true in engines without full-flow (or indeed any) filtration. That said, the properties of a high spec synthetic oil are indisputable, and must represent the ultimate in engine oil performance. Adam..
  6. Very interesting!! I must confess to knowing precious little about Pierce Arrow, but that is a fascinating story. So the USP was the oil heating system? Extraordinary performance levels for the time. Full flow filtration too. This is also an impressive piece of thread drift from the recommissioning of a Singer Vogue!! Adam..
  7. Surely the only issue is timing the mag to the engine correctly? jp928 has described nicely about checking the orientation of the points. If you remove the HT cap held by the big clips, there will be a rotor arm. Set your engine to TDC on No 1, with No 4 rocking and verify that the rotor arm is pointing to the correct cylinder HT lead (it seems to have been marked already on the cap). You can set up the timing in the same way that you would a distributor. I set the Scintilla Vertex magneto on my Alfa so that full retard on the steering wheel lever equates to TDC (0 degrees advance), then the range of adjustment gives me up to 40 degrees of advance for high revs. It looks as though you can adjust the position of the mag on the three studs holding the mounting plate, can`t you? By the way, you can use a modern strobe timing light to check and adjust the timing with the engine running, provided that you have a suitable set of timing marks on either the crank pulley or flywheel. If not, all you really need as a TDC mark and a datum point, so you could mark up your own. Hope this makes some sense. Adam..
  8. Interesting. I assume the Pierce Arrow had thinwall shell bearings and the record breaking run was to demonstrate the durability? Certainly Rolls Royce were very slow to adopt shell bearings, sticking to white metal 'babbit' bearings long after others had changed. Which is why they lacked high speed durability. Something worth remembering about oil viscosity, particularly for multigrades, is that the 'flow' at room temperature is quite similar for varying grades. The reference '15W40' or '20W50' or whatever, refers to the viscosity at a prescribed elevated temperature as tested in the lab. The 'W' part means that it is a 'winter' test, performed to a different temperature scale. Perhaps even more important is the additive pack, as I alluded to above. An engine with full-flow filtration (more or less anything from the second half of the 20th century onwards) benefits from oils with a high detergent content and anti foaming additives and the like to keep dirt in suspension to be captured by the filter. An engine with no filtration (or just a gauze) is better with a low detergent oil, which allows tiny particles from combustion products to fall out of suspension to collect in the sump and to be drained when the oil is changed. But as Rusty says, all modern oils are far, far better than anything around when our type of car was built, so there is probably no need to get too energized about the whole thing. Individuals all have their own preferences and always will. And always should!
  9. I am not trying to disagree with C Carl. His advice is sound. I am just offering a more pragmatic view. When your car was new 20W50 would have been standard fayre. I would normally run a 15W40 and that is what is in my Tiger, by the way. I would suggest that the 20W60 will be fine for now. You will be wanting to change the oil again shortly and could use a lighter grade then. I have noticed since visiting this forum that American contributors prefer much lighter oils than we use in Europe. I think that might be because of the prevalence of hydraulic lifters in the V8s. But in the next 12 months, I suspect that you will accumulate no more than a few hundred miles in the Vogue, so I am not sure that it matters that much. Whilst on my soap box, let me add that Fully Synthetic oils (that is a synthetic base oil plus synthetic additive pack, as opposed to a mineral base oil plus synthetic additive pack) are superb products. But the reason to select a full synthetic is that it will 'stay in grade' far, far longer than a mineral base oil, where the molecule chains get mashed up eventually. This is relevant for modern high performance petrol or diesel engines with high boost pressures and extended drain intervals (up to 100,000km in heavy trucks). What you should ask your self is, how is this relevant to my Vogue, which will get an oil change once a year and cover a few hundred defensively driven miles in between? I would suggest that it is unnecessary, and I do not use them in my old cars. My 2014 Range Rover Sport does use a synthetic oil, it also has sequential turbo chargers and high rates of exhaust gas recirculation and a DPF. What is more important is to look at the additive specification of the oil. I would suggest that a SG/CF4 is perfect. Watch out for the fact that the latest oils have had sulphur, zinc and 'ash' removed to avoid poisoning 3-way catalytic convertors or passive regenerating diesel particulate filters. You selected an oil with a high dose of ZDDP (zinc) which is ideal for sliding tappet valve train operation. Perfect for your car. Deadly for a cat or DPF. Hoping not to be too controversial Adam..
  10. Alfa

    Starting a 1925

    Hello Leeroy 0.070" was far to wide a gap for a magneto. You should use 0.025" maximum. You should find that there is a set of contacts in the end of the magneto too, but setting them up is a specialist thing, so I would not recommend touching them until you have researched it. In fact, if it runs well, why touch them at all? I suspect you had a series of faults all ganging up on you and now that you have resolved them, all is well. Hope it stays that way! My father once owned a 1922 Maxwell, which I remember riding in the rumble seat of as a child. I wish I had it now. Adam..
  11. Yes, as stated above, it should be on a tee-piece on the outlet from the master cylinder. A screw-in pressure switch with two blade terminals on it.
  12. Well, I promised to do a step-by-step list of tasks, so here goes. Please bear in mind that I haven`t seen the car (obviously), so this is generic, but it is the order that I would address things. I am assuming that the engine was healthy when the car was parked some 6 years ago, and that oil changes were up to date prior to that, so I can skip compression tests and cleaning out the sump. 1. Blow up the tyres (!) we have talked about that already. 2.check for bird`s nests, rodent colonies, etc Yes really! even up the exhaust pipe. 3. check that the engine turns freely, including ancillaries like dynamo and water pump. 4 drain oil and refill with suitable grade/viscosity and renew the oil filter. Check the air filter and replace if necessary. Look for a fuel filter if there is one. 5. Drain coolant and replace with ethylene glycol (not OAT) at 30% concentration. 6. drain petrol tank if there is anything in it. Put fresh petrol in. 7. refit newly recharged (or brand new) battery, looking critically at the battery terminals, leads and earthing points. (should be unfrayed, clean, and tight). I like to put copper grease on all connections on mine. It helps in the damp UK climate. 8.remove and check spark plugs (for general condition, cracked insulators, and electrode gap.) also put a squirt of oil down each bore in case it is dry. 9. turn on ignition and check for a spark. As a stop-gap, you can remove the distributor cap and rotor arm, then turn on the ignition and flick the contacts with a finger nail whilst simultaneously holding the main HT lead from the coil close to an earth. You should see a nice spark. In reality, what will ultimately be needed is to remove the contact breaker points from the distributor and dress the contacts with emery paper or a fine file (or fit new contacts). The points need to be set for correct gap and the ignition timing reset. This would be the subject of a separate description, unless you can read a book or get help to do. The process is not difficult, but must be fastidiously carried out. 10. With a good spark, oil, water and fuel where it should be, you could try starting the engine. It may take some cranking to raise the fuel from the tank. In any case, it would be good to crank it with one of the low-tension (small) wires removed from the coil to allow oil pressure to be built up in the engine. This will either be visible on the oil pressure gauge if there is one, or will put out the oil warning light. 11. Don`t forget use of the choke! No modern cars have one and younger drivers are not familiar. 12. If there is no petrol coming through after a reasonable amount of cranking, it may be necessary to remove and check the fuel pump. In the longer term, a new pump might be a good idea. They should be available from a local motor factor, still. Failing that there are a number of UK suppliers that can send you one. I can give you the web links if you need them. 13. If there is no spark even after checking/cleaning/replacing/setting the points, you may have a duff coil or condenser. To avoid me writing War and Peace here, let`s cross that bridge when we come to it.. 14. Hopefully, by this point you are listening to a running engine. Now maybe, the clutch is stuck, or the brakes seized. If the clutch is stuck, stop the engine and engage a forward gear. then, whilst keeping the clutch fully depressed, restart the engine. (Apply handbrake and make sure there is nothing in front of the car before you try this). The clutch should free-up on start up (hopefully). I think the clutch on your car will be hydraulic, so there is the possibility of master cylinder or slave cylinder trouble on the clutch. That will need to be checked later. 15. Be very wary of using engine flush preparations. They have been known (including in my personal experience) to be very effective at loosening deposits in the engine, only for it to block the oil pump pick-up screen and leave you with no oil pressure and no big end bearings. Better to leave the dirt where it is, honestly. I hope that this little lot helps a bit. This tends to be an emotive subject and others on here will doubtless have alternative views on how to go about things. But what I have written will work, based on 35 years in the motor industry. Getting the engine running is just the beginning. It will need a thorough service and setting up, but that can come later. Adam..
  13. Sadly no. I am in the UK and I think there are literally just a couple of other Airflows, of any description, in the country. Adam..
  14. Well, how nice to meet a fellow Rootes Group owner on here! I have a 1966 Sunbeam Tiger MkII. That car looks very complete in the photos. You have semi-modern low profile radials fitted to it (the original size references are for cross plies). I would blow them up quick!! I bet they will hold air and your car will be moveable. As somebody mentioned above, it might be worth buying a small air compressor for not much money (or a foot pump). Very handy for inflating tyres. You used the correct procedure for checking the petrol level (!). The mechanical fuel pump may be stuck, but you will not know until you try starting the engine. If you are not familiar, it may be worth getting your local mechanic to help getting it started. But if you would like to go it alone, I would be happy to give you step by step instructions. there is no magic to it. By the way, the 'light up dot' style charger will be fine. Regarding antifreeze; you must avoid any of the modern ones that have organic acid technology (OAT), it will damage parts of your cooling system. The one you posted a link for is IAT (Inorganic) so that is fine. But I tend not to go for ready mixed coolants. You are paying for something that is 70% plain water. I tend to use ethylene glycol antifreeze, but propolene glycol would be less toxic, not that you are going to be pouring it down the drain. I do not think you can get methanol antifreeze any more, thankfully. Adam..
  15. My car is a 4 door sedan. Here is a picture of it. Not taken by me, I found the pic on this forum! The picture was taken on a dull day, The car is actually green.
  16. For what it is worth, I like the green car. It gets my vote! :-)
  17. I believe that UK market Buicks in the 1930s were built at the McLaughlin plant in Canada and shipped in CKD form. This avoided import duties because, of course, Canada was British Empire at the time. I speculate that it would have made sense for all RHD Buicks to have been built there wherever their final destination. So it might be worth you researching the McLaughlin Plant output. Hope this helps. Adam..
  18. Welcome to the forum!! Have you tried inflating the tyres at all? I understand that they are dead flat, and probably need changing before you drive far, but why not try inflating them with a foot pump (hard work, but not bad if you take your time). It may be that most, if not all, will hold enough air for you to roll the car out of the garage to deal with it. Failing that, if you have mobile tyre fitters not too far away, they will probably pop round and blow them up with their compressor for a small fee. I would certainly try to get the car running first before buying tyres. If it has been standing for some time, the brakes may well be seized and need attention before you need to buy the tyres. If it was running when you parked it, it should be easy enough to get it going. Put some oil in the cylinder bores before turning it over and prime the carburetor with fresh fuel. You will probably need to clean and reset the points in the distributor and also the fuel pump if it has the SU type electric pump. It would be a good idea to change oil and water too. And if petrol was left in the tank, drain off what is left of it before putting any new stuff in. Obviously you are going to need a new battery. There is plenty of advice on here to help you out so do report back with your progress. Photos are nice too ;-) You do not say where you are from, but a Humber is a pretty rare beast anywhere. Which model is it? Adam..
  19. I have a 35 Desoto Airflow. It has the automatic overdrive that engages at 40mph plus. With overdrive, it will drive at 60mph quite happily, more if you are willing to push it. I suspect top speed would be around 80mph, but I have never tried to go above about 65-70 out of defference for the 80 year old engine. Without overdrive, I should think 50 mph would be a comfortable cruise with max speed around 60mph. They are quite fast for a mid-thirties car. Adam..
  20. Certainly looks like an Airflow axle, but probably common with other Chryslers of the period. the 6 stud wheel fixing makes me think it might be from a big car like an Imperial. A rare piece indeed. Now you just need the rest of the car to go with it!!
  21. Judging by those crank journals and shells, you did not replace the crank bearings as part of the rebuild. They now look as though there has been no oil circulation. Are all journals as bad as the one in the photos? I would suspect that there has been no oil pressure at all. You really need to check the oil pump drive and the filter screen. Not to mention all the oil galleries. On the 401, there is a core plug in the end of an oil gallery in each cylinder head. It is facing backwards towards the windscreen. If that pops out, you will have no oil pressure, so very worth checking. Especially so if the heads have been worked on. Did you rebore the block to an oversize to fit the pistons? or were the bore just honed and kept standard? In any case, that crankshaft now needs to come out. It looks as though it might be possible to recover it by regrinding. A machine shop will be able to measure it and advise you. Given the situation that you are in, I would plan to remove the engine and rebuild it thoroughly, paying particular attention to cleanliness of oil galleries and drillings. There is plenty of knowledgeable advice on this forum to help. The advice above about fuel pump diaphragms is good, although there is usually an external drain hole in case of diaphragm leakage. But that is not the cause of the problem in the photos. You have zero oil pressure! Hope this helps Adam..
  22. Good idea. less likely to slip too. When jacking the 'second end' to be lifted, make sure that the jack can roll freely to avoid pulling the stands over at the other end. Adam..
  23. Paint? Oh is that what it used to be?
  24. A little off your pact, but you could speak to these people. www.brakedrum.co.uk/ Adam..
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