Spinneyhill

Rogillio, proper "chrome" plating is tripple plating, Cu, Ni, then Cr. Ni and Cr are porous while Cu is not. If you don't use Cu (some here don't put Cu on) you have to keep polishing Ni or Cr it to keep the corrosion of the substrate at bay. Cu is thus used for longevity and easy care of the plating. You can reduce the porosity of the Ni by polishing with a cotton wheel but take care with overheating the parts and distorting them. Cu may also be used in a heavy coat followed by polishing (and maybe additional coats) to fill imperfections in the base but that will cost significantly more. I agree with what was said above. Get the car running and enjoy it, while you learn about it and auto restoration techniques. You can take off ONE part, restore it and put it back on, as you learn. At this stage I think you have so much to learn that a complete strip down would end in tears and an unfinished project. It is very easy to pull something to pieces, but much, much harder to get it back together after you have a pile of bits to work through. I am in the same boat, by the way.

It sure will. The engine will seize up due to lack of lubricant. Fix the head gasket. If you are that worried about the condition of the engine, perhaps you should think about an overhaul?

"Grimy" said "Straight [plain] water has a better heat transfer capability than an antifreeze mix--meaning that it transfers more engine heat to the plain-water coolant, but that's not the whole story. Antifreeze will boost the boiling point." That was a surprise to me so I asked the internet about it. I found this: http://homepage.usask.ca/~llr130/physics/HeatCapcityOfAntiFreeze.html So what it means is that at 71 degrees C (about 160 F) and at 93 C (about 199 F), it takes about 9.5% less energy to raise the temperature of a 50% ethylene glycol (EG.) + water solution as it does using a 25% mix. This means higher-EG.-content coolant temperature rises faster, and thus more, as it passes the combustion chamber, so you could say that with the same coolant flow, the coolant (engine) will run hotter. Increasing the EG. content makes it worse with a rapid rise as you get towards 100% EG. coolant. If you say maximum cooling efficiency is achieved with minimum coolant, then plain water is better. Engines also run more efficiently at higher temperatures. I need to think a bit more about what happens when we try to remove that heat energy from the coolant. Remember, however, that if plain water were to be used as an engine coolant, it would promote galvanic corrosion. Anti-freeze lowers the freezing point of course. But what about boiling point? 100% EG. has a boiling point of 197 deg. C, so mixtures with water raise the boiling point in proportion. EG. is stable and does not evaporate. So why is it recommended to change it every year or two. From Wikipedia, "When ethylene glycol is used in a system, it may become oxidized to five organic acids (formic, oxalic, glycolic, glyoxalic and acetic acid). Inhibited ethylene glycol antifreeze mixes are available, with additives that buffer the pH and reserve alkalinity of the solution to prevent oxidation of ethylene glycol and formation of these acids. Nitrites, silicates, theodin, borates and azoles may also be used to prevent corrosive attack on metal." Anyway, if your car overheats in slow parades on hot days, the cooling system is not efficient enough. You may gain from using plain water, but you will still struggle to remove the heat from it. You need increased capacity of the system: clean radiator core; maybe more rows of tubes (has it been recored and did they put enough rows in the new core?); functioning thermostat (removing the thermostat may reduce head losses after the pump and increase flow, but not much); functioning water pump; no blockages in hoses; no build-up of "crud" in the block; as-designed set-up of the engine compartment, including the side panels where fitted; fan with correct pitch and number of blades; correct size pulleys so the fan turns at the right speed; good belt and belt tension so fan turns at the right speed; radiator filled to 3" below top (it'll blow out the rest). Is that enough? Good luck.

New Zealand Standards specify copper naphthenate be painted on cut treated timber to reinstate the treatment at the cut. I specified two coats when I designed timber retaining walls and other timber structures, with a bituminous sealer over when used on the top of the poles. For your job, I would not use a copper-based product on the wood touching steel - the copper will leach off onto the steel, which will promote rusting (remember the galvanic series). Cuprinol above might be a copper product with a name like that. I would go for zinc naphthenate, minimum two coats brushed on. It soaks in. Wipe off any excess that doesn't. Your old timber will probably soak up quite a lot. In NZ, Metalex Clear is one such product. I use it on orchard timbers when I cut them. It is available in paint and hardware shops in this country. There must be something similar in your country. I suspect your car hasn't been out in the rain much if the under-timbers are not rotten!

It seems there are several messages you can take from the linked site. 1. Do not use silicon on them, which is what tire and car dealers do, or at least did put on tires. 2. Protect the tires from UV exposure. You can buy or make a cover for each tire. 3. Store in a cool place. 4. Perhaps use a protective and rejuvenating "paint". Again, the internet will show you lots of types. For my money, I would look for something with good technical information available before I bought it. Most container labels are useless. The 303 stuff looks OK and you can find lots of such products on Amazon, for example. From experience, always store tires vertical, not stacked.

Have you asked the internet? I found this in under a minute: http://www.303products.com/product-uses/tire-tech-facts

The Hollander Interchange book says the T85-1 case was used in 1935 Chrysler Airflow C1,2,3; Chrysler '36-37 C9,10,11,17; DeSoto '35 Airflow; Studebaker '36 Pres 2C; Studebaker '37 Pres. 3C manual control O.D. So based on that and the possible casting date of 1936 Oct, it must be one of the '37 models or maybe a late '36. It was commented above that it looked like '35 & '36 Airflow boxes. Studebaker did not use Cardan shaft hand brake. Therefore we come back to Chrysler '36-37 C9, 10, 11, 17 and most likely '37 models.

My Dodge DC doesn't run well when started on a cold day. It will barely do more than idle - so it is only running on the idle jet. The problem is icing in the carburettor below the venturi. The exhaust heat valve is not connected - the lever is missing. So I run it for five minutes to warm up a little, shut down, go inside and get my lunch or whatever, and when I come back it has all warmed up and there is no more problem. A cold day is when it is less than about 10 deg. C. Any chance this might be part of your problem?

Musty = mold. Carpets and "underfelt" first, then every fabric, vinyl and smooth plastic in the car that may have body oils on them. Head lining, the fibrous lining above it, the seats, what they are stuffed with, maybe even wood if it is rotting, cardboard firewall lining. If you see any mold you need to kill it. The ozone treatment sounds like it will help. I leant my work vehicle to a heavy smoker once, it was dreadful when it came back. I sprayed most of a can of deodorant into the vehicle on Friday afternoon, shut the door and left it (in the work garage). On Moanday it smelled OK and I didn't pick up the smoke again. But smoke is not musty mold. Activated charcoal is very good at absorbing smells. You might need quite a bit. So, dry the vehicle out, e.g. sun, dehumidifier, desiccants, warmth, ventilation. Inspect the carpets and fabrics, clean and kill mold. Wash with suitable low-impact chemicals (e.g. dishwashing detergent). Use absorbants and then deodorants. Be aware that some molds give off toxic spores.

If it has no prefix, it could have been made between Aug 30 and Sept 21 1922, assuming engine number back then was same as car number (see http://www.dodgebrothersclub.org/DB_Production_Dates.pdf). I assume this is a stamped number and not a casting number.

Hopefully that fibrous material is all in the radiator and not throughout the engine and tangled in the pump.

You were one of the lucky ones who grew up in one piece because you didn't have a significant crash. Remember Ralph Nader's campaign in the '60s and '70s and how hard the car makers resisted? Try looking at the road toll now per person-mile and compare to that in the 1950s when there were no seat belts.

That's better. You will be somewhat protected from the steering column and wheel destroying your chest in a frontal crash and the passenger will not crash into the screen. Can you add diagonals to prevent heads bending forward onto the wheel or dash? It must be wonderful to be able to drive this nice car after the work you have put into it since the scrap-heap starting point.

Valve cover lip looks better. Hopefully there is no easy way out for oil at the lip ends on the corners. In this country those seat belt anchorages would need to be certified. They would be examined at 6-monthly safety ("Warrant of Fitness") time and if not there previously you would be failed until it was certified. Would they accept mounting to timber? Hmmm. They need to take your body stopping over say 2 feet from 60 mph, which is a lot of Gs. Hopefully the system you have is suitably structural to do the job. I think they require high strength bolts too.

Nickel has a yellow appearance. It is also porous so make sure you get copper on first - Cu is not porous. Was the car originally chrome or Ni? I think you are talking about a 1929 model, which is right at the start of the use of chrome plating. Some of it might be one and some the other?

Well done! Now for some fun. I hope you enjoy the parade. Will you dress in period costume?

Cheer up, it might not be that bad! Here are some pages from The Hollander, 18th edition of 1952. The model 40 is a #408 while the 60, 80 and 90 are #381.

Isopropyl alcohol is tricky to buy in NZ, because it is one of the ingredients of methamphetamine (which is known as "P" here). Having said that, it is an important cleaning chemical so it must be available to accredited people. We buy our small quantities from a pharmacy. Another good lubricant for rubber is ... plain old WATER. If you want to cut rubber with a blade (a knife, for instance), wet the knife first. It will be much easier. Try rubber soled shoes on shiny ceramic tiles, or even clay tiles. Be prepared for a fall when doing this! Wood turpentine attacks plastics and rubber. Mineral turpentine is harmful to natural rubber and to butyl rubber so don't use it unless you know the type of rubber you have.

In general, do not use Vaseline on "rubber" parts. It will speed up its degradation. The exceptions are for rubbers that are formulated for contact with petroleum products. Grommets are not necessarily formulated for this. Silicone spray promotes longevity of the rubber by adding a coating that prevents evaporation of volatiles in the rubber. As those volatiles evaporate, the rubber hardens and becomes brittle, and may crack. So silicon is the ideal lubricant. It may mark the paint though. Are you sure the grommet is the right size?

Has the car sat for long periods, like two years or more? If so, the wheel cylinders are likely to have seized as the aluminium pistons corrode. By adjusting the brakes you release the pressure. When you use them again, they will probably lock again. You will also put the rubber cup into the corrosion products (aluminium oxide powder). A leak is likely to follow. The pistons are pushed outwards but the springs are not strong enough to pull them back in with the additional friction with oxide powder in there. Good manuals recommend changing DOT 3-4-5 brake fluid 2-yearly to deal with the moisture problem. Brake fluid is hygroscopic (absorbs water). When the car was restored, it may have had brass or stainless steel sleeves put in the wheel cylinders. If so, corrosion of the aluminium pistons is faster than if they are still in steel cylinders. Remember the galvanic series. If I understand it correctly, you have adjusted the top adjuster but not the anchors at the bottom. There may still be a little drag, as you describe for three wheels. It is important you inspect the wheel cylinders. The master cylinder is likely to be OK.

Are you using 6V starter cables? 12V cables are too light and have too much resistance - they will get warm when you try to start the motor.

Xclnt. If there are any pits or score marks in the cylinder, either replace the cylinder or sleeve it. Over-sized cups used to be available to use in a cylinder that had been lightly honed but I don't know if they still are. Look around on the www and in your manuals for some guidance on cleaning and reassembling if you need it. I put mine back together with a bit of rubber grease for brakes (i.e. not silicon and not mineral grease) plus brake fluid.

I think you have said elsewhere that this lovely car has sat for a while. DOT 3-4-5 Brake fluid is hygroscopic - it absorbs water. You have an aluminium piston in a steel cylinder (or brass or SS if sleeved) with a steel brake shoe on the end of the piston, making a galvanic cell in the presence of oxygen (which is in the water). The Al will corrode. They tend to stick and seize if you leave them long enough. If they don't seize and you start using the vehicle, the cup moves into the corrosion zone and the Al oxide corrosion powder gets under the cup lip, causing a leak. If it hasn't been used too much, you probably won't have scored the cylinder. I have this after a year with my 1930 Dodge: Aluminium in brass sleeves. You will probably find the braking efficiency at each wheel is quite different from the others as a result of this corrosion. If it were me, I would dismantle and clean every cylinder in the car. You might find the cylinders are fine. Just scrape off the corroded Al, replace the cups with new and reassemble. Should be fine. Don't sand or scrape the cylinder barrel with anything that will score it. A plastic bottle brush is good. It is recommended in most manuals that DOT 3-4-5 brake fluid is replaced two-yearly because of the water absorption problem.

Yes, maybe. But the young lad is trying to make his own, starting from the position of knowing not much. I applaud and encourage him. Curiosity is what leads to discoveries. Along the way he is likely to discover for himself the importance of the variables in working up an engine for his 1925 Chrysler speedster. And learn a fair bit about cutting computer code. A couple of other factors you might need to consider are the swept volume and the rotating mass. Remember that the power stroke is most efficient when the piston is half way down (crankshaft throw horizontal) so there must be something in there to account for changing efficiency during the power stroke. And on top of that, the fuel doesn't all burn when the power stroke starts: a flame front advances around the combustion chamber. This is why chamber shape and spark plug location have an influence. In general, high octane fuels burn slower than low octane fuels. That will affect the combustion pressure available - you could probably draw a graph of pressure vs. piston position. Hopefully you can come up with one or two variables that account for these things in a general, near enough, way. If you can get within 10% you will be doing very well. If you don't use horsepower, you avoid the ambiguities mentioned in Rusty's post about it. Stick to the metric system - it is based on good physics.