Akstraw

No teeth on flywheel; so it must be a hand-Cranker.

Even if you never use them for starting, hand cranks come in handy in setting the timing if you have to remove the distributor. From time to time I have wished that one or two of my postwar cars had one.

On the track, I have used radial chalk or crayon marks a a guide. Make a few radial marks on each tire, starting up in the tread area and going a couple inches down the sidewall. Then go riding around for a while, both straightaways and normal driving turns. Afterward, you can see how much of the tire up or down the sidewall is contacting the road surface. If there is still chalk on the edge of the tread, you have too much pressure, if the chalk is worn off the sidewall, too little pressure.

I would suggest you try South Shore Bearing in Quincy, Mass. They have been helpful to me in finding obscure bearings.

I have read that the Russian LADA automobile had a hand crank feature well into the nineties.

From a maintenance perspective, my suggestions would be to 1) obtain and read the owner’s manual for each car, 2) obtain and read the original shop manual for each car, and 3) obtain a Motor Manual for the period and read the pertinent parts for your car(s).

I went back over to work on this car today. Cleaned and lubed the centrifugal advance mechanism, re-assembled the distributor, and set the timing at about 9 degrees before TDC. Car now runs like a dream. The 84-year-old owner was thrilled to have it back in order. He let me drive it around for a half an hour; what a treat. A great driving car. 1937 Cadillac four door convertible parade car. Thanks for the assist. Couldn’t have done it without your help!

Sounds like a car that needs a lot of TLC from somebody proficient; and one that is now in the hands of that somebody. No car more fun to work on than a Model A, in my humble opinion. You have some work ahead, but you know what needs doing. I wish I lived next door; I would help!

I bought this truck from a farmer who sold produce door-to-door from it thru WWII until 1949. I have now owned it for over 50 years.

"Santa Monica Freeway" in You're the Reason God Made Oklahoma by David Frizzell and Shelly West

In short, I have not done this, and I am not a plater. Thinking about how I might do it, though, I am wondering if the parts of the assembly not to be plated could be coated with some type of wax, which would seal it against the plating solution. Then the wax could be melted off after the plating process.

I like the list of questions from 60FlatTop. I would add one more; “Why are you selling the car?” With most honest car guys, this one question will bring out the seller’s entire history with the car. A curt answer with no details would be a warning sign to me.

Not sure the effectiveness of the headlight, but a simple measurement of the setup with a voltmeter would tell for certain.

I have purchased several cars from first-time antique car buyers who each ended up selling for the same reason. They had imagined the “cool looking” antique in the same context as their modern car. That being: you just insert the key and drive it whenever/wherever you want, just like your modern car. Not true. Even in the best of condition, pre-war cars require a degree of maintenance and tinkering far beyond that of a 2000’s car, and there are fewer shops each year that will even bother with them. So, in considering whether it is the right car for you, think about how you would enjoy it, where you will store it, and then whether you have the time to invest (and the desire) to learn about it and maintain it. All those are more important than the price. Some of us, twisted as we may be, get our enjoyment from the learning, restoring, and tinkering. I guess you call that “passion”. Maybe you are one, too.

Thank you, Stude. That’s helpful. I believe his issue is timing related. It appears that the distributor has adjustment limited to just a few degrees on the slide bracket alongside the distributor. Any greater adjustment would have to be by lifting the distributor and moving it a tooth or more on the drive. Does that sound correct to you? i hadn’t considered the octane difference, so your actual experience is valuable to me as a starting point.

I agree with all of the above, though I have purchased a number of cars sight unseen (but with many photos) and had them shipped. The one factor that made me most comfortable each time was real-time phone discussions with the seller. On the ones I bought, I came away from one or more phone calls feeling that I was talking with a true “car guy” who was being straight up with me. On the ones I didn’t buy; well, you complete the sentence. This past winter I talked with two different sellers who arranged to put the car on a lift and then FaceTime with me, showing me anything I wanted to see. So there are alternatives that are “the next best thing to being there.”

“Ninety percent of carburetor problems may be traced to the distributor.” I think that came from somebody on this forum, actually. It’s a good one.

I am working on a 1937 Cadillac (V-8) for a friend. I am not experienced with this particular car, so am looking for some help on a particular detail. My question concerns the timing marks on the crankshaft pulley. What are the markings and what do they mean? The pulley on this car has been repainted, and the marks aren't very clear. It looks like a "C" and "A" stamped near the TDC position of #1 cylinder. Does "C" mean the center, as in TDC? Does the "A" mean "Advanced"? Does anyone have a photo or drawing of what the markings are, and where the setting should be? I believe the spec for this car is zero advance at engine idle. Thanks!

I was thinking along this line as well. If you have the option to machine out the case an eighth of an inch, then perhaps this one or similar would suffice: https://www.grainger.com/product/4ZZR3?ef_id=Cj0KCQjwhqaVBhCxARIsAHK1tiM-kIzEk3KTfA9VuHdpVwFkIdaEbZxe2AvDwTRkYTG3fGpyR1VEbmwaAn0FEALw_wcB:G:s&s_kwcid=AL!2966!3!496359977500!!!g!1663126339581!&gucid=N:N:PS:Paid:GGL:CSM-2295:4P7A1P:20501231&gclid=Cj0KCQjwhqaVBhCxARIsAHK1tiM-kIzEk3KTfA9VuHdpVwFkIdaEbZxe2AvDwTRkYTG3fGpyR1VEbmwaAn0FEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds

This is the setup that my 1909 Maxwell has.

The Felt that I used was F10, 1/8” thick. Part 2842T21. I didn’t put all that much thought into it. I think I used what I had lying around. Seemed to be just fine, though.

The Felt that I used was F10, 1/8” thick. Part 2842T21. I didn’t put all that much thought into it. I think I used what I had lying around. Seemed to be just fine, though.

Sorry, I mistook the first photo as being yours. I used the 100% wool hard felt from McMaster Carr for the oiler. I also got my copper sheet stock from there. To form the plates, you can make a pair of hardwood dies and form the copper in a press or vise. I did not have to make any fingers, though I did touch up the contact surfaces on a few. Achieving the right degree of 'springy-ness' will be important on the fingers. I think solid copper is too malleable for this; though perhaps there is an alloy that would work just right. In the second photo above, it looks new copper contact tips are riveted to the original arms, which seems like a sound alternative.

I rebuilt my own last summer, just like yours. I had to make a few parts from copper sheet, and fabricate the missing felt oiler. Not aware of any off-the -shelf replacements. Yours doesn’t appear to be in too bad of shape. It looks like it needs cleaning up more than anything.