Batwing-8

I had this same problem with my '36 President, and was unable to find a modern seal with the needed ID/OD. Ultimately, I machined an aluminum "carrier" into which I installed a smaller O/D spring-loaded seal and then pressed this assembly into the drum. Has worked fine. Bill.

Jay: I'm assuming you'll suck that atf/acetone mix out of the cylinders; especially those whose pistons are near the beginning of their compression strokes, before you hit the starter switch. Atf/acetone has a history of poor compressibility...............

Jeffery: Judging from your brief description, were this my car, I'd install a new set of points and a condenser, and not spray anything on them. Then I'd try a different ignition coil. A deteriorating coil can temporarily "die" when it gets hot. Also, be sure all your electrical connections in the primary ignition circuit (battery to the points) are tight and clean; bare-metal to bare-metal. A weak electrical connection can drop voltage as it warms.

SMB: Thanks for trying to keep me out of trouble! Here's what I know thus far: 1) If I remove and ground (no resistance) the "hot" lead at my car's fuel sender, the gas gauge goes to "full." This suggests one value on the sender needs to be "0". Next, is "what ohms-value is needed to bring the gauge to "'empty"? 2) To that end, I purchased an adjustable 0-200 ohm potentiometer/rheostat, verified its accuracy with my DVOM, and substituted it (outside the tank) for the sender in the tank. The readings it gave as noted in my earlier post, indicated MY gas gauge (maybe not yours or other's) requires OVER 200 ohms in order to bring the gas gauge needle to "empty". Thirty ohms only brought the gauge down to 3/4-full. That was the basis for my 0-200 needed ohms-range, and the realization that of the half-dozen or so senders on the market, none had those ohms ratings.......suggesting that the gas GAUGE was defective, thus my search for a replacement gauge. (I included a photo of the rheostat...... you can see the windings; just like those on a fuel sender.... makes a handy external substitute). Am I still missing something here????? Bill.

Good advice all! Now, I'm thinking that my gas gauge must be out of calibration, because no manufacturer offers a 0-200 ohm unit. Sooooo, looks like I need a '36 President fuel gauge, part #188372. Anyone have one available? Thanks, Bill. (bill.allard@comcast.net)

Rex: Received the rheostat today: 1) Tested 0-200 ohm rheostat with ohmmeter to verify range and "linearity" of the readings. All appears OK. 2) Placed rheostat at (outside) fuel tank of car. Attached lead from gas gauge and also a ground. Adjusted rheostat with following results: 0 ohms = gas gauge reads "full" 36 ohms = gauge shows half-full 80 ohms = gauge at quarter-tank 200 ohms = gauge not quite pegged on "E" The gauge requires no resistance in order to to read "full" and will require slightly over 200 ohms to read "empty." In addition, as seen by the progression of the numbers, the gauge doesn't read in a straight line........... 36 out of 200 ohms to reach half-tank and another 164+ to go the rest of the way to "empty." So, this suggests to me either the gauge is out of calibration, OR the original Studebaker sender did not deliver its measurements in straightline readings. Thoughts????????????????

Thanks guys........ To avoid purchasing multiple senders in an attempt to get the correct ohms value, I've ordered a simple variable rheostat of known range and will attempt to work backwards, adjusting the rheostat and noting the settings at which the gas gauge deflects through the complete full-to-empty range. Hopefully I can thus identify the original designated ohms values for the gauge.

All: I need to replace an incorrect (and inaccurate) fuel tank sender with a suitable replacement unit. Does anyone know the ohms range for the original '36 President Studebaker sender? (#187110) Thanks, Bill.

Dave: Again, I'm not familiar with your particular car, so hopefully another member will post with more specific info regarding your gearbox's fill-procedure.

Dave: I'm not familiar with your specific car, but I'll offer my "general" $.02 worth: 1) You may have a grease fitting that's designed to provide grease to an upper friction point that's not lubed by the lube in the gearbox. IF that's so, a bit of grease supplied there on occasion, is appropriate. 2) However I would NOT put "grease" in the gearbox itself, because grease will channel, leaving the working parts within the box "dry." I'd recommend doing the following test with any lube you consider using: Place a dollop on a flat surface and see if collapses of its own weight in a short period of time. If it stays rigid, that's what it will do in your steering box! 3) I'd think your gearbox would have some kind of removable plug which allows you to pour-in a heavy-bodied oil. In my '36, I use Amsoil 250-weight "Severe Gear" E/P synthetic gear oil. This oil is quite heavy, but is flowable and offers the benefits of modern lubricant technology. Incidentally, I replaced the lower steering shaft leather oil seal with a modern nitrile seal. Bill.

Mark: This may be more than you want to get into at this point, but I'll offer my two-cents: I've been using silicone brake fluid in all my old cars; some for more than thirty years. Silicone doesn't absorb water, so these infrequently-used old master and wheel cylinders don't rust-up and seize. There's also no need to do frequent system flushes as with traditional fluid. The master and wheel cylinders should be polished smooth with no crosshatch needed, because silicone fluid is self-lubricating. The polished surfaces help prevent leaking past the rubber seals. Some members may disagree with this approach, but after 30 years, I'm fully satisfied with the use of silicone fluid in my old cars. Bill.

On the subject of mid-‘30s Studebaker aluminum cylinder heads, I’m wondering if any members have experience installing these units? If so, I’d like to hear your techniques and suggestions, if they produced satisfactory results. Torque values, gasket type, sealants, etc., etc. Thanks, Bill.

Hello all: I’m looking for a serviceable or repairable aluminum cylinder head for a ’36 President 8-cylinder. Car is inoperative until one is located. Part number is 186189. Thanks in advance. Bill in Tacoma. (bill.allard@comcast.net)

Hi group: Anyone have a serviceable oil pump available for a '36 President? Book suggests '35,'36 and '37 8s will work; maybe later eight-cylinder too??? Thanks, Bill. (bill.allard@comcast.net) 253-565-2545.

1) Can't open your photo......my computer doesn't speak .GIF! 2) Is your clutch cover missing or just damaged? I ask, because if your cover is like my '36, you'll find it's aligned to the engine block with a stud at the top, and two #7 tapered pins (and holes) at the lower right and left corners. If you use a cover different from that which was originally installed on the motor, you may...... MAY find that the locations of the pin holes are slightly different from cover-to-cover. This could result in mis-alignment between the clutch and flywheel.

First, thanks to those who responded earlier! After some additional thought and effort, I decided the "innards" of my unit must be frozen. So, I opted to open it for inspection. After removing the metal cover and the electrical contacts, a light "tap" from a small hammer and drift punch into the threaded opening at the bottom, popped-off the washer-like "cap" and ejected a somewhat gunked-up aluminum piston. This piston is slightly tapered and rides in a similarly tapered cylinder. Gravity holds the piston in the "down" position and the tapers assure a leak-tight seal (a leak here becomes an intake manifold leak). Upon a backfire, the piston is momentarily pushed upwards against the contact points, breaking the electrical circuit activating the Startix. At least that happens if the piston isn’t stuck. I cleaned the piston and cylinder wall and applied a light coat of grease to reduce corrosion and prevent sticking. In order to remove the piston, the electrical contacts must be removed. This requires removing two small rivets on one of the points arms, which were then replaced with two #1-72 machine screws. After assembly, I lightly peined-over the top of the cylinder to keep the washer "cap" from coming-off when the piston is pushed up. Replace the metal cover by bending the four tabs. After re-assembly, the piston now lifts freely, using very light pressure.

Members: If your car is Startix equipped, you’re probably aware of the round backfire circuit breaker mounted on the intake manifold (pg. 34, 1936 shop manual). This device prevents the Startix from attempting to start the car should the motor ever turn-over in a backwards rotation. So, how do we know if this device is operating correctly? Pondering this question, I decided to remove the unit from the manifold and while connected to a battery and test light, see if injecting compressed air (a backfire) into the inlet would result in the circuit being interrupted. An eventual 60 lbs. of pressure didn’t turn the light out, neither did pushing a small screwdriver into the inlet hole; suggesting either the pressure wasn’t high enough, OR that the unit was "stuck." I then removed the metal cover to access the innards, and tried lifting the circuit-breaking piston that normally would be pushed up by the backfire, by hand. Couldn’t get anything to move; piston appears frozen in-place, or else requires a lot more pressure than I'm applying. So, I’m wondering if anyone has attempted to test one of these (ALL parts on old cars should be considered suspect, until proven they work) by moving the piston from either outside or inside the unit. In short, how much force is required to raise the piston, and open the circuit (deactivate the Startix), on a properly-working unit? Bill.

I'm not familiar with your particular car, but I can tell you from past experience that all of the vintage cars I've owned with leather pinion seals have leaked some oil. The only solution I've found to cure the problem is to replace the original leather seal with a modern Nitrile or Viton seal. If you can find an exact OD/ID replacement, consider yourself fortunate. On occasion, I've had to machine a special "carrier" in order to adapt a seal with a non-matching OD. Also, be careful about over-thick lube in the differential. Too-thick lube can "channel" and allow the ring and pinion to run "dry" if the speed of the gears is faster than the ability of the lube to spread and fill-in.

Thanks nvonada and studeboy! OK....... I'll try a new felt ring!

Hi all: I’m considering modifying the inside of the front timing cover on my ’36 President to accommodate a modern nitrile oil seal to reduce the likelihood of oil leaks at the front of the motor. The plan involves reforming the section that holds the old felt ring, and placing a Speedi-Sleeve on the grooved balancer hub. But, before I commit, I’m wondering how effective the original felt washer and spiral oil slinger have been at keeping oil inside the engine for other Studebaker owners who just replaced the original felt seal. Oil leaks afterwards or not? According to "the book," it appears to me this style of front-crank oil control was used by Studebaker on all mid-‘30s to early ‘40s motors, sixes and eights. So, feel at liberty to sound-off with success stories or oil leak reports. Thanks, Bill.

Hi all: Seeking four sets (already have four) of .010 insert rod bearings for my '36 President 250 cu. in. Bearing # is CB96. Thanks, Bill. 253-565-2545 or bill.allard (at) comcast (dot) net.

Here is the '36 Dictator frame with planar suspension, from the '36 shop manual.

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Thanks to those who responded to my earlier post regarding the use of fuel additives to protect exhaust valves and seats in vintage Studebakers! Now, I'll raise the bar a bit to question the necessity of using a ZDDP additive in motor oils in order to protect cams and non-roller lifters in these same vintage cars. Apparently some owners use a ZDDP oil additive, while others use both multi-weight and single-weight oils which no longer contain ZDDP. I've read reports suggesting that one should never use the newer oils without a ZDDP supplement, while other "experts" suggest that the valvetrain pressures in these older engines are not high enough to warrant the additive. I've also heard that multi-weight oils should not be used in vintage vehicles. Opinions again solicited.................. Bill.

Hi all: With the summer driving season nearly over, we Studebaker owners need something to hold our attention during the long winter months ahead...... so, here's a topic to ponder: I've never had a '30s-era Studebaker motor apart, and am assuming these engines don't have hardened exhaust valve seats (correct???). If so, I'm wondering what fellow owners are doing (if anything) about protecting exhaust valves and seats from wear now that tetraethyl lead has been removed from gasoline. This question would probably be appropriate for vehicles earlier and later than the '30s too. Understand, this is a different issue than ZDDP in motor oil to protect bearings. So; lead replacement additive to fuel? No additives? Different brands of gasoline? Keep speeds under 35 MPH? Ignore the whole thing? Feel at liberty to sound-off! Bill.