kookie1

Here are my old pix of the splash pans. The first pix are right off the vehicle I had to scrape the crud first, then pressure washed them, then sandblasted them. Not sure which is the best for your purposes but between all the pix you should be able to make out what sides look like minus the bottom. These better show the detail then the painted finished pans. The arc cutout in front of the passenger side splash pan is for the fuel pump. It sits very close to the fuel pump when in place. Hope these fit your needs.

OK, I can get you some pix of my '37 Deluxe 6 Touring passenger side splash guard. I'll need to dig up the pix I have before I sandblasted and painted the both of them. I'll post here what I can find tomorrow. The driver's side splash guard is already on the car but the other side guard is still hanging in the garage. It's already painted black so it's hard to get a decent pix of it that will help you. You'll be better off with the unpainted pix.

Well, I thought someone would know what these brass looking clips are for! No need to respond any further since I figured out where these 'springs' go during assembly of the finished parts. Strange these springs weren't mentioned in the shop manual or in the exploded parts diagram of the headlight assembly in the manual either. Guess they just expected you to know where they go. Anyway, after I assembled the lens and ring together I had to stop, trying to figure out what holds the reflector to the lens assembly? All of a sudden the springs made sense when looking at the buckets with the six notches in the edge contact surface. The springs hold the reflector to the bucket not to the lens and ring like I initially was thinking. It all made instant sense. Guess I should have held my question until I attempted to assemble the entire bucket. I shot a pix of the springs in action at the edge of the bucket below. Maybe this thread will help someone in their project.

I do have the shop manual, Norman, but I can't find anything in it related to the use of these brass clips. I'm using the term 'clips' because I don't know what they do, maybe they don't clip anything. I've looked into more than one on-line catalog and for Buicks as well but no luck. I though I could maybe see a picture in a catalog and get a name or maybe the location of use that may help me search further but can't find any. I don't own a chassis parts book. I don't think these brass clips have anything to do with the headlights either. I'd really like to know what they're for! It's like finishing a project, stepping back to admire your work, then seeing some spare parts laying around you didn't use. Very frustrating!

I started working on my grandfather's 1937 Pontiac Deluxe 6 Touring Sedan and the first thing I took off was the headlight lenses and rims and put them on a shelf for later work. Well, to make a long story short I'm now at the point of finishing the headlight buckets. I took the lenses off the shelf and found I had put these brass clips in the glass bowl cavity of the lenses but I have no idea where they go. Can someone tell me or show me a pix of where these clips belong? I'm just assuming they have something to do with the headlights but I don't know. When I started working on the car I realized very early I was going to need photos of what things originally looked like. It has saved me many times since I started photographing my progress but I guess I didn't start soon enough with that theory/practice in the case of these clips!

Dave, I think I've answered your question in a former thread with John. It has photos of what I have on my '37 Pontiac 6. Take a look at this thread, '1937 brake line routing from master cylinder to front tee?' from Jan 2019.

Thanks for posting that solution! I need to overhaul my knee-action shocks too and after looking closely at them I thought, great, this aught to be fun! The top of the bolts are no problem but the bottom nuts I figured were buried in the frame somewhere and I wasn't looking forward to starting this project. Since I work alone I now know I'll need to find someone to work inside the engine compartment with the bolt heads while I lay under the chassis. Thanks for the heads up!

I just did a rebuild on your basic 493, AJ series, double pump for my 37 Pontiac 6 touring sedan about a year ago. I took pictures before and after to show my family. If you'd like to see the disassembly/rebuild let me know and I'll email you the lot. I didn't buy my kit from Kurt but that's a very reasonable charge for a double kit. You won't do any better anywhere.

Quick question Russ. Do the new Hardy Spicer 114-2111 u-joints have cork seals like the originals did or do they have a modern substitute for the cork?

Yes, Dave, the front and rear u-joints are identical. I bought these two NOS Haberle #2000X (US made) at different times several years ago off Ebay knowing I would eventually have to change them. I had to remove all the needle bearings in each one to clean out all the old, hard grease and replace with fresh grease. You've also got good advice from Russ about the Hardy Spicer 114-2111 universals. I wasn't aware of them at the time I was interested. Those flat faced cups are not easy to find.

Draining from the bottom bolt on the differential WAS the way to go if you can. I had some hand pumps to use but was wondering how to get the tubing to go to the very bottom from that rear fill hole. Thankfully I didn't have to do it that way. I'm not sure with a '37 differential you get absolutely ALL the oil out with the lowest bolt but you must be pretty dang close. I plan on flushing it anyway with some mineral oil so the little oil left is not really an issue. Thanks guys for the help! Since I usually ask others for pix I better produce a few of my own. After looking at the differential in the past (first pix) it was obvious it needed an pinion seal so I had purchased one long ago. The U-joints needed re-greasing (at 30,000 mi. according to the shop manual) since the car already had 35,000+ miles on it so it was time to do both jobs. I decided to replace the u-joints with ones that had a grease nipple as well. I mostly sand blast everything, within reason, which is why it lookes in the picture rather light colored but it's just to remove all the surface rust. I applied POR 15 to the drive shaft before putting the u-joints back in. Anyway, thanks for all the suggestions. You guys are a great resource!

I've never done anything with a differential and I'm looking for some suggestions on two things I want to do. 1. What is the simplest way to change the oil in the differential. There's no drain plug just a fill plug so for those who have already done it, what's the best way to suck the heavy oil from the differential while it's still on the car? 2. Is there something I should know before removing the rear universal joint mount/base? I know I'll have to lock the rear wheels from spinning in order to turn the nut. You can see in the pix the old seal is leaking and needs replacing. Is this a simple job to do? I'll mark whatever I remove to put it back the way it was but beyond that, I'd appreciate any suggestions?

Thanks guys for chiming in. Actually I have the manual diagram and the Lubrication Chart which I've studied in-depth before starting this post. Neither told me what I was searching to find out. I was hoping a '37 owner with plenty of history would know. In my experience diagrams don't tend to be extremely accurate with the detail in line drawings since they're usually simplified to begin with. By examining both of these diagrams you can't tell where the 7" bend, at the end of one tailpipe section, is located. If that 7" bend is at the rear of the muffler it would be located directly under the cross-member of the chassis which is solid black and therefore the bend would be hidden. If it is at the bumper end it would not appear straight like the diagram indicates, but angled, which could result from the lack of detail, hence still undetermined. In summary I can't really trust these diagrams for their accuracy which is why I started asking for help on how current '37 tailpipes are installed. Maybe I should be asking, did original 1937 Pontiac 6 & 8s always have a 7" long bend on one end of their tailpipes or is this a modern reproduction addition?

Thanks for the pix John but another isn't necessary. I'll have to agree with you in that your tailpipe arrangement may not be original based on the position of the hanger but I could be wrong. If I put my new sections together like that the 7" bend would have to go into the muffler. I was hoping some others with a 37 would drop in with a yes or no. At least a consensus would eliminate the guesswork. With over 100 views of this tread, surely there are a few 37 owners here that know how their system is setup. I suppose you could say if it goes together at all then why does it matter and I suppose you have a point. I just want to put it together like it was designed. Maybe I'm being a bit too particular. If I assemble my tailpipe like yours is setup and using the original hanger, the tailpipe aims directly into the open, front side of the bumper's vertical attached piece (not sure what that's called), which doesn't seem to make any sense. In your pix, John, it looks as if that isn't a problem at all but maybe it's the result of the wire hanger offset. If I put the 7" bend at the bumper end instead, the tailpipe turns right-after the hanger connection so the exhaust blast exits to the side of the vertical bumper piece. That does make some sense although it seems to be kind of a design band-aid or after thought. Anyway, I hope others will post their thoughts on the configuration.

Thanks John for chiming in but I think I could get it to fit in either position, short 7" long end bend into muffler first or long straight section. I just don't know the way it's supposed to go together like it did originally. Maybe my previous post was a bit too detailed and not very clear so I thought I better try again for a '37 Pontiac owner. They've probably replaced their system long ago and can't remember right off hand. If you take a quick peek under your rear bumper of a '37 Pontiac 6 or 8, is there a bend in the tailpipe about 7" from the bumper end? That would tell me all I need to know. The after market maker of the Ebay exhausts tells me one way, and by looking at my old pix of the muffler tell me something different. My question is what way are the tailpipes installed on currently running 37 Pontiacs? Thanks for taking a look!

If you look at this photo of the pictures I took long ago when I got this car it shows the tailpipe in a view from the front wheel. It's the only shot I took back then that shows what I wanted to know now to install the new one but doesn't help me much. It looks like the tailpipe was incorrectly installed. On the tailpipe section with the short bend near one end, is that the section the goes into the muffler or is it the straight portion of the other section that goes into the muffler? It looks to me, by the bend in the pix, that the short bend went into the muffler in this installation. If you put the straight section into the muffler that straight part just barely misses the side of the frame's oval-like cutout and passes very close (fractions of an inch) to the shock absorber. This can't be good with excessive heat so close to the shock, or is it? If the car still had the final tailpipe section after the hanger I would have figured it out. As you can see in the second pix, that shot didn't help me either. If you look at the advertized muffler parts I copied off Ebay, in the third pix below, the seller has the short bend going into the muffler, that's if his layout is in the correct alignment. I'm sure it's an easy answer for anyone with a '37. Could someone give me a hint? Thanks!

I hear ya, John, and what you say makes total sense to me. That must be the reason they raise one of the switch's posts. Paul

#1 Well, as usual, I always learn things I didn't know from your posts. I didn't realize it was possible to run tubeless radials on riveted rims. I'm guessing it's a better handling ride than on the bias-ply, tubed Lesters I'm installing. Grandpa lived on a farm surrounded by dirt roads. Before I turned my rims into the powder coating shop I cleaned the rims of 70 years of mud and dirt. That was a chore. As I remember, and I could be wrong here, but I think I remember the rivets in the center well of the rim sat in a recess to be flush or slightly below the well surface. That may have been done to remove the need for flaps? With the recess and mating rivet seat, that may also be the reason why your radials don't leak air. Just a thought. No, I'm not an Early Times Chapter member, though I've gleaned plenty of info off their website pages. I have talked to the chapter's head in the past concerning other engine parts. I may have his contact info in my files. I'll contact you if I can't locate that info. Thanks. #2 Yes, I've noticed those uneven clock position, fan blades. Mine is of that type. But I didn't know the reason for it until now. I'm learning more every post of yours I read. #4 Oh, that's interesting, I had no idea that in the past they removed the fenders, nose and radiator in one piece. Now that had to take more than one person to pull off successfully. Since I work alone, that will not be an option! Jdshott's approach is looking better all the time. Thanks for all the info, Bloo!

Thanks Jd for chiming in. Yes, I think I remember reading that discussion long ago but gave up when they moved into after market fan alternatives. I'm trying to stay original as much as possible. I'll go back and read it again, thanks for the link. I'm not aware that the brake light switch has posts that rotate. All the ones I've seen of this style have anchored posts. But I suppose it's also possible if the wire's ring terminals loosens, the wires could rotate and do the same thing you were talking about as in shorting out. I really don't know either. Also I'm pleased to read your experience with removing the radiator as I wondered about that as well contemplating a water pump removal. You made some good observations to be concerned about when tackling the radiator removal. When peering down between the radiator and fan, it looks like on my '37 they have changed the fan attachments to four bolts instead of what your '37 has. According to the serial number, my '37 is from the later part of the year of manufacture. My guess is they made the change to four bolts later in the year. Anyway, I'm happy to hear it's possible to make the pump removal without taking the entire front off the car. No need to send pix as I can see what's needed to do, thanks to your experience, but thanks for the offer.

I have a few questions I'd like answered from someone more knowledgeable than me. I'm working on a '37 Pontiac 6 Touring Sedan, original 16" rims in good condition. I'm having them powder coated this week anyway. #1 Does anyone use or recommend the use of flaps on the original riveted rims to cover the rivet seats? I understand the purpose of flaps but wonder if anyone had any problems with the rivet seats and inner tubes? #2 I notice the other day the blades of my fan do not have the same twist. That seems strange to me. Is this normal? I can't fathom anyone doing that to a fan purposely but again I'm learning many things while doing this restoration on grandpa's car so who knows? #3 Why is one post on the brake stop switch taller than the other post? It never crossed my mind to wonder why, until just the other day realizing I had no idea. Since they make the effort to construct them that way, there must be a good reason. #4 I need to get to the water pump and fan blade. Is it possible to remove the hood and nose piece with grille without also removing the front fenders? Or would it be possible to just remove the radiator and still have enough room to work from above? Thanks guys, in advance, for taking the time to answer!

Well, I haven't been back here for some time this summer. It's been so humid and hot up here in the north country that working in a non-insulated outbuilding has not been much fun. Consequently I haven't had a chance to work on my brake system problem for awhile. So to bring those who have taken their time to offer help up to date I'll try to keep it short. Yes, John, the brakes are done and all is well. Thanks for your input including your experience as well. Originally I couldn't understand why I could pump the brake pedal without it getting eventually stiff and hard to depress. Well, first of all I found a few leaks. Two were fixed with a little extra tightening since the copper nickel lines were brand new and hadn't been filled before. Another two could not be fixed that way. At first I thought my flare was faulty so I tried re-cutting the double flare but that didn't work. Then I notice the dome (or whatever it's called) the flare seats against was damaged. Luckily after searching multiple auto parts shops, one shop found what looked like I needed in their back room and it was a perfect match. That solved that problem. The last leak was the connection at the master cylinder where that internal flare dome was also damaged. Maybe that happened with the original steel brake line installation, who knows? Anyway I fixed that leak, so no more leaks! Hallelujah!! I had the drums turned and put new brake pads on the shoes months ago. So now I adjusted all the shoes and then all of a sudden it dawned on me. The reason I could depress the brake pedal with no resistance up and down (at the beginning of this post) is when I installed the shoes I turned the adjuster screw all the way in so it was easy to put the newly turned brake drums on. I've since grasped the reason I could easily pump the pedal without building pressure was because the brake shoes could expand and contact inside the drums since they were not adjusted yet to the specified 0.10". Duh!!!! When that dawned on me I thought to myself, geez, you are such a dumb@ss! So I apologize to Bloo and all those trying to help me in this post. You had no idea what you were up against, but thanks again for giving me your best shot. And just a side note here, I've done brake shoes before and had no problems but these 30s brake systems with their two eccentric adjusters, what a pain in the @ss! With feeler gauges and bouncing back and forth from one adjusting screw eccentric to anchor pin eccentric repeatly to get thing just right, geez, thank god they dumped that system for a better idea long ago. I can't tell you how long I dinked around to get all four brakes just right, I could have built the car from scratch! Ok, Ok, I'll quit and get off the soap box. And yes, 'keeping it short' didn't really work to well either!! Just wanted to thank Bloo, John and others for all their helpful input!

Thanks for the suggestions, Russ. I've always bleed from the farthest wheel cylinder first working back to the closest. Come to think of it I hadn't even given it a thought to do the front wheels first. My first thought was maybe I had honed the master cylinder too much but then ruled out that thought remembering how much I had to squeeze the rubber cup to get it in. I'll give a few of your suggestion a go when I get another bottle of brake fluid. Grampa's 37 Pontiac 6 has given me a few sleepless nights but with the help of fellow 'real' mechanics I may finally get this puppy back on the road. Thanks again for taking your time to respond!

Well ,JFranklin, I suspect my explanation wasn't very clear as to what I did. But no, I didn't fill the system from a wheel cylinder. I've never heard of, nor think it's possible, to fill a system from a wheel cylinder.

I need a bit of help deciphering what I'm doing wrong with filling an empty system with brake fluid. I started filling the system with fluid at the farthest wheel cylinder from the master. It took quite some time, with the help of another pumping the brake with me opening and closing the bleeder, until I noticed a leak at the front junction 'T'. Ok, had to tighten a few connections to fix that. But when fluid started appearing in the bleeder hose the pumping stopped moving fluid. The system started with new brake lines, new hoses, honed master cylinder, honed wheel cylinders and I've double checked to make sure I had installed the new master cylinder kit in the correct order (it's so simple, only one cup to check is installed it the correct direction, a sixth grader to figure it out) but I can still pump the brake pedal and the fluid doesn't appear to move. All connections and bleeders are closed and I can still pump the brake pedal up and down. I've never filled an empty system before but I've bleed cars plenty of times and when the line is filled and you close the bleeder you can no longer depress the brake pedal. I assumed when each line is full I'd notice the strong resistance to pedal pressure. So what am I missing? I feel a bit stupid I can't determine the cause of the problem.

Thanks Jon for the suggestions to bending a new screen. I'll remember those when it comes time. They're a good idea. Great info on the short history of carb kits as well. I learned a thing or two. Makes sense when you consider all the little parts in a carburetor and all the different carbs. I'll keep you in mind for the future! Thanks for taking the time to answer!