Beemon

Does anyone have any tips for forming these? I noticed none of the suppliers sell pre-formed mohair liners. The piece I have is also longer than 3 feet and I noticed three feet is the seller's size.

Thanks for sharing. I remember after I went back to the vacuum wipers and shelved the electric stuff, I really sat back and thought "those GM engineers knew what they were doing." Don't get me wrong, I think an electric upgrade would be boss, but Newport wipers are just generic motors that have a bracket "engineered" for your car. I have a tri 5 unit I've wanted to use, but they are cumbersome and require modification. On the plus side, you don't need to replace the stock switch, except that the cam o matic part throws a curve ball in everything. And if you're like me, having a switch that does nothing will drive me crazy. Also finding a vacuum coordinator for these motors is extremely rare.

I think it would be pretty easy with a vacuum cleaner and some duct tape and then manually work the linkage. This is how we were going to go about comparing the flow of a cone cotton gauze filter versus a properly sized pleated paper filter but had difficulty figuring a way to use a flow meter... not really applicable in this scenario, just a visual inspection.

Pull the motor off the car and spray the lubricant into the vacuum line, then work the paddle manually by hand to move it back and forth. If its been sitting long, the casting might be pitted or the paddle might be too worn to save. Clean Sweep Wiper Service in Oregon rebuilt my unit and they did a really good job. I don't mean to advertise, but where the Wiper Man turns you away for having a worn, early unit, Clean Sweep can fix it. And, they completely replace the old paddle with a modern one versus a crusty NOS unit.

Sure! Here you go! This eBay antenna looks like a later model antenna with a vintage mast. Definitely not an original restored antenna, and definitely not worth the asking price.

That's not a 54-56 antenna, the ground piece is wrong, as with the rest of the body (assuming my 56 antenna is the same from 54 up) . The mast looks correct, though.

It is working by design. The the vacuum pump puts out 10 inches Hg at WOT, which is normal. The wipers do not stop, they just slow down. There's no issue here.

Hi Drew, I kept the vacuum wipers. I oiled them and made sure they were in the best working order as possible. I replaced all the vacuum lines and made sure the vacuum pump is in good order. Then, I waxed on the rain x that comes in the spray bottle and put all season rain x in the washer jar. It kept me safe during a huge down pour going west over Snoqualmie pass, where semis are going down hill at 80 mph. The rain x isn't necessary as the vacuum unit when rebuilt is a really good unit, it just helps keep the windshield clear when they slow down under load. I had to keep the windshield clean by washing every other week.

Maybe the secondary return bar is hanging up on the car somehow? If it comes off when the engine is turned off, it sounds like engine vacuum is keeping them open. There could be slack in the secondary linkage?

auto parts store is hit and miss. My right rear is 10mm and my right front is 8mm.

Is the throttle linkage holding it open? Dumb question, but if it's not binding on the bench, it could be that.

Next time you have it apart, gently buff the armature and commutator with a scotch brite pad, then check to make sure the internal wiring isn't loose. This will give you good contact for the brushes and a stronger magnetic field (if the armature is dirty).

The fuel pump is a check valve, it cannot drain back as far as I can tell. You could try a check valve at the back of the carb, but if the float bowls are drained then it will still have to fill regardless. Next time you let it sit, before starting pull one of the sight plugs on the side of the carburetor off and check fuel level. If empty or low, keep a small turkey baster of fuel and squeeze it through the bowl vent hole to fill the bowls, or squirt some into the engine to get it running. I usually just let it crank the extra 10-20 seconds to re prime itself if my car has been sitting, but I usually never let it sit more than a day if I can help it.

Not entirely the case. A poorly designed pump at high RPM can cause the coolant to undergo cavitation at the impeller edge and cause the coolant to foam, which has an adverse effect on cooling and can lead to boiling over in some cases. This issue on modem cars is alleviated by overdrive transmissions on the highway and increased transmission efficiencies that create low RPM cruising, or electric fans that regulate the flow of the pump regardless of engine RPM. But for, say a nailhead engine, where you're spinning 3000 RPM going down the highway and your water pump is spinning faster with a load on the engine, and increase rpms on a long grade, it can lead to other issues including cavitation.

I went to go see dad this last weekend. He just bought a new 12 foot boat so he's been bass fishing non stop. To be fair he hasn't owned a boat in some time. Regardless, after we were finished we made some stainless trim retainers from .033 sheet metal and #10-24 screws, same as original. I did the cutting and dimensioning and he did the TIG welding. I only got two of the 11 original clips back, so now I'm set for when the car comes out of the booth.

Those old impellers are not very efficient for obvious reason, but they do a good enough job that no one really seems to mind or care. If it worked back then, it should work now, right? What thermostat do you run Ken?

John, in your first photo it looks like there's a tiny red Triumph or MG. I recently found out my uncle has a 70 Spitfire, they seem to be interesting little cars, though I don't think I would feel comfortable being as tall as a sixteen wheeler's trailer tires. And rain? Pfft, come on guys.

They make turbo style resonators, too. If you're worried about flow, make sure the louvers are facing into the shell, not into the exhaust stream. Placement of the resonator is important, too, for noise cancellation. The closer to the engine the better, as the exhaust pulse begins to slow down as it nears the exhaust tip and doesn't disperse as much as when the exhaust flow is still mixing at the exhaust manifold. I made the mistake of sending my car to an exhaust shop that sold me on Magnaflow mufflers. They're cool at first, but after the honeymoon period, they are very annoying and very embarrassing, at least for a Buick in my opinion.

Thanks for this explanation. I've always wondered why my wing window cranks always screwed into the door card until I pulled out both wing windows recently and discovered there weren't any backing plates. Assuming 56 is similar to 60, now I know what to look for and what to do!

Coolant dwell time inside the block and radiator is very important for the heat exchange coefficient and that's usually controlled by the thermostat, not the water pump. Water to air convection is usually pretty rapid and the thermostat acts as a mass flow rate restrictor on the outlet side so your mass flow rate into the radiator is more or less constant. Increasing the speed through the thermostat can lead to cavitation losses but with a 13 psi cap, I would presume it to be minimal. There seems to be a lot of misconception about high flow water pumps, but the only thing it affects is the evacuation and fill time of the block, and internal circulation of the block before the thermostat opens. Cars came with different fans, different pumps because it was about application efficiency, maintaining bhp numbers and emissions. Modem cars use high flow pumps specifically, coupled with an electric fan and a stout alternator. Granted, all modern cars have A.C., as well, but they are designed to be high flow with cavitation loss. The inherent problem I see with a high flow water pump is increased fluid temperature due to increased volumetric flow at the cast iron boundary layer, resulting in increased friction. Cavitation in the block would be minimal due to increased heat at the boundary layer and lack of any real venturi effect on the water passages. The heat exchange coefficient is not constant and from the minimal testing I've done at the school (minimal as in controlled environments on a small scale) does indeed seem to be affected by volumetric flow rate. The cooling efficiency gets better the more turbulent the flow is, suggesting that the turbulent flow cycles the fluid at the boundary layer. And then, of course, the main benefit is that faster-moving fluid can remove hot water per rate of time faster. So thermostat and opening are the same, the radiator is the same, the block is the same. The only difference is a high flow versus low flow pump. Mass flow rate into the radiator is the same due to the restrictor. And as noted, water speed has a positive effect on the heat exchange coefficient. Water circulates faster, gets in and out faster, and due to the conservation of mass theorem, the mass flow rate in is the same as the mass flow rate out. You benefit from a hotter boundary layer that may or may not reduce cavitation risk while also using a pump that minimizes cavitation risk in the low-pressure region of the impeller. You can expect increased pump loss with faster-moving fluid but it can be minimized with the right impeller. Bernie, thanks for the read. It was a good refresher from my fluid dynamics course. I was a little bummed when they started comparing different pumps and their dynamics without displaying or recording impeller size and design. The impeller design is, of course, more critical than the size of the impeller. The Flowkooler pump (btw I don't own it, and I'm not endorsing the company just making an observation) seems to be designed well to limit cavitation at the impeller edge versus the stock 3 or 5 vanes simple impeller that was made with a hand mill or cast. With industry grade flow sim programs and a CNC machine, we can do much better than what was available back in the day. As an example, one could also compare ducted propellers with curved blades versus a standard propeller. Or, as I also like to build computers, cooling fans for computers that are vacuum formed plastic to contour the housing versus standard blade fans that put out more CFM at lower RPM. I have been wrong from time to time, especially when on paper doesn't match real life (such as drum brakes being more efficient than disc brakes when formulated on paper, but that is not the case in real life application), but I like to think I've got a pretty good grasp on fluid dynamics.

The retainer should have some type of seal that fits on top of the block, and below it is expanded metal on the dipstick that is used to make a semi press fit in the bore to retain the dip stick. Hope this helps.

I know of the stock system, when you activate the AC not only does the bottom heater vent close and the top AC vent open, but it also pulls open the vent for recirculation as well. If I recall correctly, the large vent is not there or is but non-functional, and there's a smaller flapper vent in its place. Also, the heat issue can easily be remedied if you use aluminum heat shielded ducting on the fan side (like stuff you would find at Home Depot in the dryer section) versus the stock black canvas ducting. Sticks out like a sore thumb but works pretty good. Ken, thanks for the info! I have the HD clutch but I never hear it cycle and its always spinning at 50% fan speed. Good to know with AC, that standard clutch and 6 blades are keeping your nail cool. If you're looking to get rid of some of those 19-inch blades, I'm willing to help. What you could do is find a used aluminum timing cover or get a new TA performance cover and buy an over the counter AC pump from NAPA. That's the easiest way to upgrade, other than hunting down an original AC car and swapping water pumps. There's a company out there that makes a high flow water pump for the later nailhead. The pump is specifically designed to reduce cavitation while increasing flow. Increasing the flow can greatly help your cooling efficiency as it allows the engine to evacuate hotter coolant faster and move cooler coolant in quicker, while also helping with circulation through the block when the T-stat is closed. In regards to his brake kit, be careful what you pay for. Looks like the type of setup that sells you the master cylinder with disproportioned outlets and a proportioning block, which is usually what the salesmen will try to sell you without knowing really what they're talking about. Most all modern systems that use ABS have a distribution block with the solenoid where the master cylinder controls the proportioning through specific valving and orifice size (the primary line is usually always a bigger line than the second line). When you order the master cylinder, take a look at how the primary and secondary ports are sized and then look at the proportioning block. Most cars even when these systems were new didn't use a proportioning block and relied on the size of the brake line as well as the caliper/wheel cylinder volume to determine brake proportioning. And, as I should add, the original power brake system is fantastic. It's easy to maintain and is no more dangerous than a modern system, having experience brake failure in a dual portioned master cylinder, where I had zero brakes and relied solely on the parking brake. These new systems are meant to be replaced while the original one can easily be rebuilt without requiring an expensive sleeve job - and still be cheaper than a new system.

Ken, what clutch setup do you use? I have a 6 blade 18 inch hooked to a HD clutch out of a 68 Riviera. I've been eyeing this kit, too. Looks really good for the price point. He also makes a firewall mount master cylinder but I don't like it, you lose your washer jar. Some people may not care, but I do. It completes the engine bay. At least his A.C. kit looks stock. And he supplies a compressor mount for the engine so that eliminates the hardest part.

I think that's correct for both windows. I pulled the bottom trim off my car just recently and as I understand it, 54 to 56 is supposed to be nearly the same procedure.

I tried to match the colors as best I could. It should look pretty close to the same if the paint chips are accurate. The tarp on top is for the lack of windows. I'm sure she's happy somewhere. I hope to bring the car by the gravesite when its put back together. Maybe I can get her to speak with the big man about keeping the temps below 80.