MikeC5

I think you are right Pete. I know it had to be working since I ran the engine for 20 minutes. It won't go that long on one vacuum tank's worth... I looked at the filter today and it was half full. I'll have to see if it stays that way when I fire it up again.

It would certainly make sense to put a stabilizer in there over the winter months or drain the tank and run it out of gas. One thing that occurred to me about ethanol in gas is that ethanol mixes with water and as such, might it not be better have the alcohol and (if any) water mixed than having water separate out on the bottom of the tank? It would seem ethanol is the lesser of two evils.

Nice car Jeff. I'm not sure I understand your question. There is a crank hole cover that unscrews out before you can insert the hand crank.

Yes this is a modern (see through) filter I put in the line.

Yea that does seem a bit odd. Thanks Pete.

I had the engine running tonight on the vacuum tank and gas tank! I had tested the vacuum tank beforehand by sealing up all ports except the vacuum port which I hooked up my hand pump vacuum bleeder. After a few pumps it was able to hold a 10" vacuum well. This doesn't test the valves but it will reveal vacuum leaks. One question: my fuel filter, cylindrical-horizontal, mounted inside the frame rail, didn't have very much gas in it (maybe the lower 1/4"). I mostly ran the engine at a fast idle. Is this normal?

Pete, that doesn't look that bad. Mine was really rusted through and I ended up cutting the entire thing out and replacing with new (flat) metal. I then welded some 3/4 angle iron on the bottom side to increase stiffness. The front kick panel area, is there anything covering the cowl sheet metal or is it simply painted body color? My car won't be ready Phil but I do plan to come on the 29th (?) and see everyone.

You still had liquid in there!? Mine had dried into black, smelly chunks of carbon-laden stuff.

I think a good guess is it's a pipe thread plug in there. I'm not sure about the thread size. You may be able to drill in out and re-tap. Finding another good one might be the most cost effective (if you can find one). If the serious rust is confined to the strap areas a repair might be feasible. I'm sure someone skilled could replace the entire bottom but I imagine it would be quite expensive.

Ray, is there a specific brand of fuel stabilizer that claims to prevent corrosion from methanol containing petrol? Or is it just by slowing down the decomposition of the fuel that prevents the acidity from increasing?

Oh yea there it is. It does look kind of funny.

I didn't know that. Solder! I believe there are still some brands of gasoline that don't have ethanol.

I had the tank cleaned out by a local radiator repair place and he said it appears to be quite sound. I soldered a new pick up tube into the original fitting so it should be good to go. I will take a look on fleabay for the Tapox just in case...

Hi Ray, I know I have a thread out there talking about the same thing on the lower windshield. The one that came with my car looked just like yours int he corners and the consensus was that it wasn't right. In my case it didn't matter since it was so badly rusted I had to replace it anyway. I don't see a picture of your dash/horn button.

It really came out nice Bill.

Hi Bill, I don't think those are for a 25. The first thing to look for is where the body mount stud bolts to the rest. On these, it is near the top. It is my understanding that it should be very near the bottom. (see photo from MIM).

I have a teenage son and can vouch for that first hand...

Some good points made here.. Keep in mind that unless you can afford to buy something decent and drivable as-is, a restoration can take a bloody long time. It will be difficult to use as every day transportation if it is almost 'worn out'. The advantage certainly would go to a Ford Model A from a parts availability perspective; at least here it would (oops; I said the F-word). I think it would also depend on the type of roads you will typically drive. A late 20's era car cannot accelerate, corner or stop like modern ones. Are there other more numerous brands to consider? I don't want to sound too Ameri-centric.

That must be great fun opening all those boxes. You never know what you'll get! (where have I heard that before?)

Yaa Pete! The contact cement did the trick. I didn't get it perfectly centered (left to right) so I may put a dab of slicone in the corner.

That's a good tip. I might still have some hot glue crystals that should also do the trick. This type of glue was used for player piano repair since it dried quick, was strong and when (wooden) glued parts needed to be separated for rebuild, a skilled person could get things apart without damaging the wood. The crystals are mixed with water and then heated to around 150 F irrc. I used to dabble with player repairs many years ago. I still have a pile of 1920's and 30's rolls too. But I digress...

Yes, castellated nuts & cotter pins. It's definitely better to set the valve clearances a little toward the loose side.

Those are words of wisdom for sure Ray...

Hi Jason, if you can put a couple of chips in an envelope for me that would be great. No rush. Maybe I can get a color match. As much as I like originality, I think I'm going to do the black fenders with a body color of my choice (although preferably a period color). All black just doesn't do it for me (and it shows off less than professional body work).

The kerosine did a decent job with just a little bit of scrubbing with a long handled boiler brush. No leaks after sitting two days (knock on wood)...