keithb7
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Posts posted by keithb7
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Continuously driving prices to the bottom of the barrel often does lead to bad things. Look around at all the junk made, off-shore reproduction parts for vintage cars. Look at Harbour Freight jack stands? So much junk. It is my opinion that the average hard working middle class citizen in USA or Canada is over-taxed. We need to stretch our dollars farther and farther every year as fees, taxes, levies, ect. continue to climb. Insurance rates, groceries, gasoline, minimum wage hourly wagers...These rates climb faster than our earnings do. I have way less money at the end each month than I did 10 years ago. So what do we do? Give up? Don't take up any hobbies any more? Get out of the car hobby as it becomes just too darn expensive? Or do we get creative and find ways to stretch our dollars further. I don't need Snap-On tools at high prices to tinker at home. Craftsman is just fine. I find used parts and tools where ever possible. I'll pick up opportunities to earn a little side cash to pay for what my hobby needs. In my life, it has come to the point that my wife and my job incomes, does not go toward my vintage car hobby. I find ways to turn a buck so I can support my hobbies independently from our full time job earnings. Yes, that means I have less time in my personal life. Yes, less time to laze around and relax. Less down time. I do make an effort to find and buy higher quality tools, parts and services where I can. I have to, or I'm out. Like steak and fine wine these days...Gone from my budget. Only consumed on rare special occasions. LOL.
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Tonight I feel compelled to tell any new person, thinking about getting into old cars is...The hobby can be so unbelievably satisfying. If you are lucky, you might find an old clunker that is in need of care and attention. If you want a great hobby, if you can do all the work yourself, it can be so incredibly rewarding. It does not have to be expensive. You don't have to know how to do all the work yourself. You might just have the desire to want to do all the work yourself. Where there is a will, there is a way.
I did this very thing. I picked up an old 4-door sedan with great curves. It ran, but barely. Drivable? Not more than 25 feet. I brought it home and nursed it back to life. I read, and read some more. I researched for countless hours. The new knowledge stimulated me. I joined forums like this one. I got grease well past my elbows all winter long. I pushed myself to do things I had never attempted before. Like rebuild a tranny. Pull out a diff. Rewire an old car. Rebuild the carb. And so much more. It was't hard to convince myself to try these new tasks, as every step along the way was so rewarding. Addicting.
Tonight, a summer evening cruise had me grinning from ear to ear in the old Plymouth. People were going out of their way to wave at me. Kids and adults on 4th floor apartment balconies gesturing at me to honk my horn. They jumped up and down with glee as I gave them a good couple of aah-ooh-gaahs. It's just so very rewarding. There is no car like my '38 on the roads around here. I built a driver. And drive it I do. At any chance I get. To quote someone on this forum who said, It's a little, old, "cartoonish, mutt-of-a-car" that has become endeared to me. If you are as fortunate as I am, you too will feel giddy, as when you were a kid while out cruising in a car that you saved. A car you gave a renewed life to. The joy that it brings to other people is a real bonus.
My brain must be foggy from all the fun I've had, for I have little desire for a newer car. I'm far from done with my '38, it just keeps getting better and better after every little job I complete. I will continue improving my car. This car went from down-right scary, to a very satisfying summer cruiser. She's no prize winner, but she sure won me over.
If you can...Do it! Dive in.
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To clarify, the USA built engine was a 217.8 CI engine. 23" long block. The Canadian built version was 25" long block and 218.06 CI.
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A neat time in automotive history. The engineers must have had fun with all their new breakthrough ideas. An insatiable market bought up their creations. All those non-computerized jobs right here in North America. Some of the best looking cars ever made. Not necessarily the safest! LOL. America revolved around the car it seemed.
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Thanks Neil my face is feeling better today!
I fired up my car tonight to test drive after my recent new clutch gear replacement. The tranny feels great. No grinding at all. Smooth clean tight shifts up and down between 2nd and 3rd gear. I can hardly believe how good this '38 car feels as it keeps improving. Compared when when I acquired it. The tranny countershaft was sealed up with anaerobic sealant at the rearward end. Been full of oil for 4 days no leaks yet. Seems good. Finger crossed.
I've read lots of talk about different oils to use in the 3 speed tranny. I have heard that Redline MTL works really well in these old 3 speeds. I did a little more reading and researching. I decided to try Caterpillar TDTO (Transmission Drive Train Oil). SAE 50. I work at the local Caterpillar dealer. The old timers here tell me it's a great oil for my needs. Cat tells us to use it in many applications for axles, final drives, transmissions. So I figured I'd give it a try and report my findings. Early indications so far are I have nice smooth shifts. I also placed a very strong magnet inside the gearbox. Max distance from any moving parts. It is submersed in oil. It will collect any future metal wear particles and help keep my tranny oil clean.
So, the question remains did my shifts improve from the new clutch gear? Or from removing the GL-5 and putting in a better suited oil? I'm not sure I'll ever know, as I did both. I had some other odd noises going on that I seem to have quelled as well. I installed a new flywheel pilot bushing, I trimmed up the rear motor mounts so they fit properly, and I found & replaced a broken spring in the trunnion at the front of my drive shaft. I very carefully measured transmission countershaft end play. I swapped out various thickness washer to get it right in spec. All drivetrain parts and systems should be aligned nicely at this point. I am happy with the results and feel good about the work accomplished.
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My rig: It's a 98.5 Dodge 2500 with Cummins 24 Valve diesel engine. 4x4. Auto tranny. 4.11. gears. Ideally I'd prefer a dually, manual tranny equipped truck. We live we learn...Next opportunity arises, I'd go bigger and more power. However this is adequate and gets me there and back reliably.
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So my wife and I were out in the car tonight. We picked up a tranny. She was on top. I was on the bottom. It was a bit of a struggle but we got it to settle in....Wait minute.
I was out in the garage working on my ‘38. I asked for her to help me guide in the transmission. I was under the car. She was up above in the cab. Floor pans out. The tranny wouldn’t line up. No way no how. I had a spare pinion and it wouldn’t go through the clutch into the pilot bushing either. So out it all came. Tranny, clutch disc, throw out bearing and pressure plate. My wife dropped the throwout bearing from above. It bounced off my nose. Now I was bleeding and head throbbing. I shook it off we carried on.
I used the spare pinion to line everything up perfectly. Bolted everything in place. Pulled spare pinion out. Tranny went in like a glove! Bolted a bunch of stuff down. Fired up the engine and tested all gears. Success! So far so good. Driveshaft will go back in Sunday evening. Maybe a test drive then. Gear changes feel tight and crisp so far!
Washing up to go to bed, in the mirror I see double black eyes developing. Lol. Nice!
She’s a good woman. Helped me many times out in the shop over the past 33 years. I tell her she has small Chinese sized hands. She can get them in places I cannot. We laugh. She’s a great “dropped nut retriever” too.
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Hi folks. I have have a warm place in my heart for Model A Fords. Not sure why. I just like them. I currently own a couple of old Mopars and thoroughly enjoy them. I still want a Model A some day.
I’d like to tear into one and learn all about them. I am interested in hearing about your experiences with parts availability. Both old original parts, and new production. I suspect there is large demand and a great number of suppliers. How’s the aftermarket quality of parts? Hows prices on used and reproduction parts?
Is there a much wood in model A cars? Where is the wood? Wood doors sheeted with metal or no? Wood in the roof I suspect?
I like the simplicity of early automobiles. My 53 is almost borderline too new for my liking. My ‘38 I enjoy working on so very much.
Ideally a Murray body town sedan, or a cabriolet will finds its way to me some day.
I’d love to hear all the great things about restoring a Model A. All the worst things too. To help me understand and prepare for a future car. Much appreciated. Thanks. Keith. -
I’m happy with my decision on the Coker bias tires. The beauty rings. The red lettering on the hub caps. I think black-walls suit this car.
I’ve been waiting quite some time for a part to arrive. Ordered it on May 12. I’ve lost a whole month of prime cruising season. I’m pretty cranky about E-bay’s Global Shipping program. in the mean time I’ve been driving my Chrysler.
I’ve taken the down time to keep repairs going On my ‘38. Continuously improving things. Fog lights wired up. Other wiring improvements too. Driveshaft rebuilt. I found a broken spring in the front trunnion. I am hoping that solved my mysterious rattle. I bet it did. We’ll see soon enough. Driver door glass and winder system lubed up. Working better now.
Fingers really crossed hard my long awaited part shows up this week.
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Heat sink maybe?....The hot engine. Heat travels up the engine as it sits after being shut off. The coolant temp gauge in the cab will rise, you'll notice when you shut off a hot car. This is normal. This heat can boil the fuel in the carb bowl and cause it to evaporate. A phenolic spacer between the carb and the intake manifold may help prevent heat from rising up into the carb. Also ensure your thermostatic exhaust valve (bi-metallic spring) is closing once the engine heats up. So it stops directing hot exhaust gasses up toward the carb base.
I find in this heat soak situation, flooring the gas pedal while cranking, allows the engine to start. A back up electric fuel pump that you can switch on for a few minutes helps too. It tops up the carb bowl before you are cranking the engine using the mechanical pump.
Failing coils that get hot, also don't want to work. Have you confirmed the coil is ok when hot? You have spark present?
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I'm not sure body work is the worst job. For me it is the most intimidating job. I have little skills in the area. The body gets ignored for a long time around here, for a long time. While I noodle with mechanical repairs. Electrical is fun and interesting. Body work? Ok I need a mentor. I admit it.
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You may want to ensure if you have either a fluid coupling or a torque converter. They are different. 1953 my Chrysler Windsor was available with an actual torque converter.
The 6 cylinder engine offered this rare setup: The engine oil in mine is pumped through to the torque converter, then cycled back and dumped into the engine oil pan.
How can you tell if you have this? There is no torque oil cooler. There no torque oil sump under the torque. There is an inspection plate. You remove it and spin the torque around until you find a drain plug. You drain the torque oil and reinstall the plug. The torque is refilled when the engine, with new oil, is started up again.
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@Auburncoupe do you have a photo or parts image of your brakes? I’d like to learn if they are the Lockheed brakes? My tool is designed for use with the Lockheed brake system. I’m not sure what your ‘57 Dodge Coronet brakes system is.
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My fluid-matic has a fluid coupling and clutch. 1953. Chrysler.
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See below : Oil drain port in red. Oil fill port in green
The oil only serves a purpose once the car is moving. The oil pump is driven by the drive shaft spinning. When you physically put it in gear you are manually forcing gears to move. Oil is not aiding here. If it were dry with no oil it would still go into gear. It's just wouldn't auto shift later.
I'd check clutch linkage. Gear shift linkage. Start with that.
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Finally got around to the fog lights. Took a while to fish out all the old crappy wiring and check everything over. I built all new wiring for the entire fog lights circuit. I ran ground wires back from the lights to a good known clean ground in the engine bay area. I took power off the ammeter over to an original dash mounted fused switch. I was able to revive it. It lights up too now.
All wire connections tinned, crimped, with butt-splicer, or eye at ends. Soldered again. Then wrapped in heat shrink. Anchored and wrapped in loom. Should be good for quite some time.
A rewarding mini project. From stone dead to great again with minimal cost!
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This thread is 8 years old...Yup, poof. Vanished it seems.
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Shipping into Australia now too folks. Sell price of the tool, prepaid shipping to down under is:
$110 USD via boat. Up to 6 weeks shipping time
$120 USD via Airmail. Up to 2 weeks they tell me.
"Chees Maights".. ...Keith
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It is my understanding that when fuel is vaporized inside the carb venturi, it looks like a fog. When this fog touches cold steel it condenses back into tiny droplets. They form on the insidewalls of the intake manifold. Imagine a cold beer on a hot humid day. Humid air condenses on the beer bottle and forms water droplets.
A cold engine runs rough. Fuel is not delivered evenly to all cylinders. As the exhaust gasses exit the cylinders, the hot gasses are re-directed up to a special area up under the carb. It warms up the carb base and intake manifold quickly. The exhaust manifold valve that performs this task is shown in my pic above. It is indeed controlled by a bimetallic spring and a counterweight. As the valve spring gets hot from exhaust gasses, it expands and spring tension becomes weak. The Counterweight overcomes the spring. The valve closes and no more hot air is is directed up to the carb base. The intake manifold is warm now. Fuel is atomized well and evenly delivered to all cylinders.
The Carb auto choke works similarly. A choke is closed to allow less air into the carb, to create a rich A/F mixture. The engine needs extra fuel, at least partially due to reasons mentioned above.
The warm engine runs smooth and even. The choke and exhaust manifold valve are now backed off automatically by the exhaust heat, having little to no effect at this point.
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With my’38 Plymouth, April this year. That very river bed is well under water right now.
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I just keep making more batches of these tools as they sell. There are plenty of happy customers using their tools now. I won’t be running out of tools any time soon. I’ll just build more.
So if you have a need, let me know. I’d be happy to supply you with one.
Keith
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I had one apart recently. All the way clockwise till it stops, closes the valve so no heat transfers up to the carb base. The one I was inspecting was from 1949.
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Yes. I can ship Monday. $100 USD including shipped, standard ground to the USA or Canada. If you’d like one, I accept Paypal to kbarron2679@gmail.com
Thanks. Keith
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If you are cruising this site...Thinking about diving in:
in General Discussion
Posted · Edited by keithb7 (see edit history)
You raise a good point. During all my work, the car was generally down for 1 month or so max time. Then I'd flash it up and drive around the block. Keeping the car mostly intact so you can drive it, really keeps you motivated. I had read the warnings of failed projects before me. People who tore down their car to 1 million pieces, then lost interest and gave up. I heeded those calls and made a conscious effort to tackle one or two controlled projects at a time. My car was down for a month here in May/June waiting on a transmission synchromesh. I resisted the temptation to tear into another major undertaking. I always have more work to do however I restrained. Finally the part showed up. A few days later I was back on the road cruising. I will schedule the next work and will have parts pre-ordered. Driving these cars is huge part of the reward that keeps me motivated. I likely too would have lost interest had I tore it right down to the guts a year ago, when I purchased it.