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rls120

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About rls120

  • Birthday 02/19/1961

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  1. Just wanted to let everyone know that the oil filter mount DOES take square cut 'o'-rings. I found some cork faucet washers that were approximately the same size, and they seem to be holding.
  2. Sorry its taken me so long to update. . . Life intervenes! Everything is back together: starter works great, and so does the choke! I didn't think it started hard before, but Rusty is right: its now the easiest starting car I own! Not so great on the 'o' rings. I really thought I had this, but it's still leaking. I used a standard ring 3/32 cross section ring (1/8 wouldn't fit into the recess) with a 13/16 ID. Fit perfectly in the groove machined into the block, so I thought my problems were over. I did have to use a little grease to hold them in the groove while I mated up the filter housing. There was no gasket between the housing (which is machined flat) and the block, which is also machined flat except for the two o ring grooves. I figure if I put a gasket in there, I'm just reducing the compression on the rings, which may do more harm than good. I have considered taking off the housing, carefully gluing the o rings into their grooves (instead of using grease), and adding a thin layer of anaerobic sealant to the boss. I don't think a quad ring or a square cut o ring would work in this application, due to the way the grooves are machined into the block (the bottom appears to be a concave curve), but I'd love to hear from anyone who has had any experience dealing with this issue!
  3. I've dug out the rings, and the recess they fit into appears to be designed for a standard 'o'ring. Mine were just smashed flat from 65 years of pressure from the oil filter housing. I hope. I'll be reassembling things early next week, and will post results afterwards. Thanks for all of the help.
  4. Thanks (again), Rusty: we can always count on you or C49er to help us out, and I really appreciate it. I'm looking forward to smoother running cold once that wire is reattached. The seal is definitely broken! It was leaking badly, and the bolts were tight. I'm just glad it wasn't the rear main seal:). I'm going to try to dig the 'o' rings out this afternoon and go shopping at old-fashioned hardware and parts stores this weekend. . . . . .wish me luck!
  5. As to the radio, solid state vibrators can be found, and +1 on the advice to change out the capacitors. Lots of information can be found at www.antiqueradios.com
  6. Hi guys: Today I've got two questions that I hope you can help me with. 1. I removed the starter today to replace the drive, and discovered a broken-off wire in that general area: small gauge wire, and about the only thing in that area that it could go to would be the small terminal on the starter solenoid. It runs up to a small solenoid that is mounted below the carburetor: Kickdown solenoid? I've attached a picture: the red arrow points to the solenoid that the wire runs to, and the yellow arrow points to the carburetor base. The picture was taken leaning over the driver's side fender. The fluid drive currently works as it should, except: You have to really mash hard on the accelerator to get it to downshift, and the 3-4 upshift only happens at around 25-30 miles per hour, instead of the 16mph it is supposed to. I'm hoping somebody knows what this wire is for, and where it is supposed to go. 2. I have an oil leak from oil filter housing/block union. When I took it apart, it appears as if there are two square 'o' rings embedded in the block concentric with the two oil filter holes, and there was no gasket. I'd like to insure that that is how that assembly is supposed to seal before I start attempting to tear those 'o' rings out. Also, can I use stock 'o' rings obtained locally, or are they something special that I'm going to have to get from Andy Bernbaum, etc.? Any help/advice will be gratefully appreciated.
  7. C49er: Just the kind of info I was looking for: don't screw with it, aint worth the trouble! Ply33: Your right, I'm a youngster. Only 53. LOL! Sounds similar to all of the queries about changing to 12V you get here. I'm not really anxious to go fixing what isn't broke, just curious as to what (if anything) others might be doing. CountryTravler: Thats just the kind of story I love to hear. Thanks! A thought: perhaps higher gears are available for Chevrolets because they really DO need them, what with their splash-oiled babbit bearing bottom ends and all!
  8. I'm half afraid I'm going to open a can of worms, but here goes. This is mainly an intellectual exercise, so any and all opinions are welcome. After two years of tinkering, I've finally got my 1950 Windsor to where I can actually take it places, and I'm very pleased with it in general. Its smooth, quiet, and comfortable. The only thing that bothers me is how busy the engine seems above 50 MPH. She'll do seventy down the interstate with no drama, but its clear she wasn't built for those speeds; much happier around 50-55. Which brings me to gear ratios: have any of you guys played around with attempting to gear these things higher? I know the aftermarket sells higher ratio gears for Chevrolets of this era, and wonder if there are any available for Mopars. Also I wonder if a rear end for a straight eight car (New Yorker, Imperial?) would have a higher ratio, and how that would work out. The engine seems plenty powerful to (to me at least) to handle a higher ratio, and I'm just wondering what you more experienced guys think.
  9. Update: Last weekend I re-adjusted all 4 wheels using just the 'minor' cams and went for a drive. Not as much pedal as I'd like, but solid brakes. I think after I've driven it, let them bed in, and readjusted a few times, they'll be fine. I've been driving her regularly, and am having a ball! Thanks to all who've advised.
  10. Thanks again, Ply33: the marker idea is a good one, and I'm glad to know how to proceed. It may be awhile before I get around to trying all of this (that pesky day job keeps getting in the way of my automotive fun!), but I'll report back whenever I get done.
  11. Ply33: I want to make sure I understand your arcing procedure correctly (nobody around here knows what a shoe arcing machine even is, but I remember them from my own youth). sandpaper glued to inside of drum: (maybe 2/3-3/4 of the drum's diameter?) drum upside down on bench. 1. Take first shoe and rub against the sandpaper until the shoe arc matches the inside of the drum. 2. Repeat process with second shoe. 3. Repeat 1 and 2 for each drum. Keep shoes with the individual drums they're matched to. Am I understanding this right? It sounds reasonable to me. Rusty: I do have the manual, which I've used enough to give it the well used greasy look! I agree about how fine these brakes are for the era: Having grown up with Chevrolets and Buicks from the 50's, its amazing how well these things stop this large heavy car by comparison, even when they aren't entirely up to snuff. The more I work on and drive this thing, the more impressed I am with it. C49er: Those are encouraging words, and now I know not to worry so much while things wear in together. My thanks to all of you for sharing your experience and knowledge: there's just no substitute for getting advice from someone who really understands the system you are working on.
  12. Update: Pulled the master cylinder, overhauled it, insured the relief port was open. Also replaced the return spring and made sure the pedal is returning completely. As I suspected (see post #5), the issue I was having before was that the adjustment was too long (no free play at the master cylinder). I've been playing with it, and have learned that if I adjust it long enough to get a good pedal, I'll have the excess pressure after a short drive. If I adjust it short enough to eliminate that problem, I've got a low, spongy pedal. Which means that I've got air in the system still, or excess clearance at the wheels. As to bleeding: for some reason, this car is tough to get completely bled (more so than other cars I've owned with frame mounted master cylinders). I've tried suction bleeding as well as traditional, and only traditional seems to get me any air out of the system. I'm considering buying some bleeder screws with one way valves in them; have any of you tried those? As to clearance: I have replaced the shoes, and don't have any extra brake drums to cut up for a clearance tool, so I'm using the back and forth between anchor pins and center stop method to adjust each shoe. I'm reasonably confident that I've got them sufficiently adjusted, but can't of course be sure. I'm willing to listen to input from anyone with experience on this; everything I know about the major adjustment process I read here. My gut feeling is that I've still got some air in the system. The brakes work, but it isn't right, and I'm not happy with it. Thanks to everyone that has provided input thus far.
  13. Ebay has aluminum replacement radiators for less than $200.00. Not for the purist, but they are functional and will get your car running.
  14. I've got another MC rebuild kit on order with plans to tear into it as soon as that shows up. I rebuilt this MC 2 years ago, and it worked fine for a year and a half before this issue reared its head sometime last winter. My question is, what should I look for when I get the thing apart? I presume that the relief port is the smaller of the two holes that can be seen in the bottom of the reservior with the cap off. It is clean and clear (I can see the aluminum piston through it), but the problem persists. Not enough to lock the brakes, just enough so there's little pedal play and enough pressure in the system for the lights to come on, and only after it has sat for 5-10 minutes after a drive. The pressure dissipates after about an hour of sitting, and I can hook the battery back up. While I've got everything apart, I'm going to use a heat wrench to brake the pedal adjuster loose (PB blaster hasn't helped) so I can adjust that in the future. I've checked the brake adjustment at all 4 wheels, and none of them are dragging. If any of you can post ideas about what specifically to look for while the MC is apart, I'd appreciate it. Otherwise, It will get a thorough cleaning, honing, and new parts with fingers crossed. In any case, I'll post back once the job is finished.
  15. Rusty: I agree that if the port is plugged, the whole thing needs to come out and be cleaned up well, which I intend to do. Joe: No booster on this very plain jane car (also no clock or radio!), but thank you for the suggestion!
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