Model56s
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Posts posted by Model56s
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11 hours ago, Stude Light said:
The LaSalle was Cadillac’s companion brand from 1927-1940. Early on it had the Cadillac’s V8 but then used the Oldsmobile straight 8. By 1937 it was back to the new monobloc Cadillac V8.
The 1939 LaSalle used the 322 cu in V8 that Cadillac introduced in 1936. Cadillac cars had a slightly larger bore for 346 cu in but other than the bore the engines were pretty much the same from 1936-1948. The M3 Stuart and M24 Chaffee tanks from WWII both used two of these Cadillac engines.
They are a very smooth running engine. Here is a video of mine.
Impressive smoothness, and the engine doesn’t have a drinking problem!😂 About all I knew of the LaSalle was the first example for the ‘27 model year was styled by Harley E.
My ‘56 Chevy truck is equipped with the 4-speed HydraMatic, the companion to the Cadillac V8 in those tanks. By the way, I saw this parked on a street in Webster Groves, Missouri last Fall. It probably has the V8 & HydraMatic drive train…
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Nice job. What engine did your LaSalle come with? I know very little about LaSalles.
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Since getting my ‘56 Chevy panel truck on the road, the intake/exhaust setup on the 235 six has had issues, mostly vacuum leaks. The original intake and exhaust manifolds were included in the sale of the engine/transmission assembly, but I decided to use the already mounted Edelbrock dual carb manifold with tubular headers. The Edelbrock intake does not fit well with headers and its ports are smaller than the head’s, so the port alignment sleeves can’t be used, making alignment very difficult. Time to go.
So, yesterday I started the conversion to the factory single carb/exhaust manifolds, which requires throttle linkage and exhaust system modifications. I want to use one of the exhaust header pipes, which requires cutting and welding. I’m still figuring out the carb linkage since there is almost no space between the exhaust manifold and the block, the route taken previously. Also, the cast iron intake and exhaust manifolds must be installed as an assembly, bolted (loosely) together. It’s a challenge to hold this reaching over the high fender.
I hope to finish this tomorrow afternoon - I knew this would be difficult and wasn’t disappointed! The first picture was taken before completion and first drive and is used here for clarity, the second is the culprit and the third picture is of the intake at trial fit.
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Keep the Starlight Coupe. That car was so ahead of its time that Stude had no idea how to improve on it.
There must be a Fiat 850 Spider enthusiast club somewhere. Take it to car shows with a For Sale sign on it and a 5’1” woman will fall in love with it just like pixies did with the 1st gen Miata. I remember when the 850 was new, no real demand in the US.Did I mention keeping the Starlight coupe?
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I’ve always thought this engine was cool. A high school classmate got a new 69 firebird with one. That 17 year-old loved it!
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The throttle linkage on my 49 Buick is over complicated like your example.
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I’ve read that the sending unit resistance should read 30 or 60 ohms depending on manufacturer when the float is up (tank is full). I’m troubleshooting my own 1949 fuel gauge.
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The "last mile" is the toughest, but you're getting close!
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35 minutes ago, cevensky said:
@Sir Gonzo thanks for the kind words.
First things first: check that your gauge is accurate-ish. Are you boiling? If not your gauge could be off. Using a laser thermometer can help you discern the temp difference between top and bottom of the radiator (i.e. is it cooling). Make sure everything is clean. Rebuilt doesn’t always mean the water jacket is clean. Similarly, it doesn’t mean your recored rad didn’t get junk run into it.
Flush it, see what happens.Water pump rebuilt?
Hose not collapsing? My rebuilt water pump in combo with junk in rad and block caused suction and collapse of the bottom hose.
Ensure the thermostat works.
Timing. Full tune up.Junked up carburetor contributed in my case.
Do you have the water jacket distribution tube?I think first place to start is with a good thermometer. See if you have hot spots and if radiator is working.
Good advice. I had a cooling issue with my Chevrolet panel truck 235 six (clean water jacket, new radiator, fan shroud, verified that the water pump was working &c.). I solved the problem by running without a thermostat and 1/2 of the radiator covered, it runs at 165 degrees and no more than 180 during an extended idle. In hot weather I’ll remove the radiator cover.
But I recommend following Gonzo’s advice first.
BTW Gonzo, anything new on the Pontiac? Love the car!
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I had a similar problem on my panel truck when installing the front fenders. It took a lot of trial fitting to take a little from the fender, radiator support and body to frame shims until everything lined up - a lot of back and forth. I kept remembering that everything fit perfectly before disassembly.
Beautiful car! Driving it will be such a pleasure on winding 2 lane country roads.
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5 hours ago, hursst said:
Spent a LOT of time wet sanding today. Got the fender knocked down to 2500 grit, but still have 3000 and 5000 to go, then start polishing. So far so good, but this fender is a real bear. Hope to have it on the car by Monday PM.
Looking forward to it! The progress is satisfying to watch.
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This looks great! I’m looking forward to a video of the first drive.
This was my high school car. I always loved the profile lines, especially the way the door slopes down to the quarter panel and the way the designer merged the quarters to the cockpit.
There are several designs that couldn’t be improved - the MGA roadster, 1953 Studebaker Commander coupe, Gen 1 Toronado and El Dorado, Series 1 XKE and a few others.
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Lots of character Mike - beautiful car! What other cars do you own?
Since you are a Chevrolet guy, here’s mine that I restored from 2021-2023.
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18 minutes ago, 8E45E said:
For structural, almost so. Rolls-Royce coachbuilders like Freestone & Webb used wood in body construction well after the second world war. Wood was shaped by genuine craftsmen, and at the time considered superior to thin steel, either machine-stamped, or hand formed.
For cosmetic trim, I would EXPECT real wood in an upscale brand, not cheap plastic made to look like wood!!
Craig
Interesting to this lover of pre-1974 American mass produced cars, and I agree regarding interior trim.
Good information, thanks.
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Thanks for capping off this great story! I enjoyed it and hope you post more projects.
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Good progress. Can you just use a water-based paint for the knob lettering? You wouldn't have to be that careful and just wipe the surface leaving only the filled-in lettering. My 2¢...
You have the difficult task with wiring done - you know where the leads go. I think you're closer to the finish line than you might think.
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On 12/22/2023 at 3:45 PM, NewOldWood said:
I never saw the car but that's what I was told. What makes you question it?
1936 was the last year Ford used any wood in their bodies. It is surprising that an upscale brand would still be using wood anywhere.
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Guys like you, EmTee and others here make me realize how little I know. It’s still fun following these projects though.
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On 12/21/2023 at 3:20 PM, NewOldWood said:
I built a set of wood sills for a 41 Cadillac a while ago. The originals were all but gone but the owner came up with a set of blueprints. Not sure where he got them but they were a nice set of prints.
1941?!
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32 minutes ago, stretch cab said:
Your work is amazing! I enjoy seeing your progress each post. Do you have a link to the finished Mark II? I would love to see it.
Stretch, navigate to the beginning of this thread. You won’t be disappointed!
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On 12/10/2023 at 11:18 PM, pvfjr said:
I looked at the horn a little closer. There seems to be something missing in the wheel itself. Some sort of spring contract? Aside from that, I'm missing the rubber bumpers on the horn ring tabs, and the insulating donut. I'm not sure quite how that fits with everything else. I also need to figure out what threads the column has, as the nuts are missing.
Might be similar to my 1956 Chevy truck. On the truck's steering column sheet metal mast, a brass sleeve is inserted into a rubber bushing which is then inserted into the steering wheel end of the mast, over the (internal) steering shaft onto which the steering wheel is attached - the rubber bushing centers and stabilizes the shaft and electrically isolates the sleeve from the mast, which of course is grounded. An insulated wire connected to this sleeve extends down the interior of the mast (along with the turn signal switch leads) and out a hole in the mast near the firewall. The horn lead from the fuse panel connects to this wire. Connecting the sleeve to ground, in this case the shaft inside the mast, completes the horn circuit energizing the horn. This is why the sleeve is secured in an insulating rubber bushing. An exposed flange on the edge of the sleeve presents a contact surface against which a spring loaded contact, passing through a hole in the steering wheel hub, rests through the 360 degrees of steering wheel rotation. The offset hole in the first picture may be for this contact. Pressing the horn button (or horn ring on your car) tilts a metal disk, bringing it into contact with the steering shaft (ground) and the contact, thus completing the circuit and energizing the horn via the sleeve and wire.
When my horn didn't work initially, I pulled the sleeve out of the mast and found that the wire was bunched up inside the mast, not emerging near the firewall to be connected with the horn circuit lead from the fuse panel.
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I have been following Roger since the beginning of his Lincoln Mark II, and now the Cadillac V16, so it’s great to see another craftsman posting here! The headlight mold is exquisite Don, and I’m looking forward to following this build.
I hope the two of you can recruit young model makers to continue this Legacy. I expect to see others build scale models like these using CAD and metal 3D printing, but it won’t be the same. Already, people are afraid to drive across town without GPS!
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Hi Sebastien, Steele may have these rubber pieces. I enjoy following this project!
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The car with it’s finish is loaded with character.
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What are you working on right now?
in Our Cars & Restoration Projects
Posted
I spoke with the owner while I was stopped to look at the tank. He was lending it to someone for a music video and a policeman was there who stopped the video for reasons unknown to me. The owner saw this Stuart for sale online in Europe and had it shipped. He keeps it in his unattached garage behind the house.