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Bill, I think that formula your sister found is great! Just don't let it touch your paint. Oh yea, wear three pairs of gloves and three pairs of glasses just in case the first two melt off befor you get clear! Bill

Bill, Since your top is old and in need of recovering (it should have grain) any of your solutions might work. However, personally I would steer away from any paint or vinyl products. Some of the items might just well be talking about convertible tops and not the soft section on hard roofs. The tire paint might also eat into your existing fabric. My vote would be for the two products that are specifically designed for your type of top. Those two are your items "C" & "D" which by the way are both the same product but sold under different names (Bob's puts his label over the MAC's). Hope this helps Bill Joline

Agree 100% with you Dick. Great time, great people and big thanks to Bob and Pat. Bill

Try Buchananspokes.net They supply spokes 1 or a 1000 and also rebuild wheels. Bill

Bill, If you own a Franklin you need an owners manual and a parts book, both of which are available from the club. Also the parts book is available on the Franklin club website for free. Without these items your driving down an interstate highway with a blindfold on! The Franklin uses Timken bearings and the parts book has all the numbers you need. Timken bearings can be purchased from any bearing supplier and many parts stores. If the parts store doesn't carry Timken they should have a cross referrence to the brand bearings they sell. Hope this helps. Bill

Richard, I looked for "Aluminum fireresistant kepolic" and the closest I came was some sort of coating. You would think if it had any size or dimension to it, they would have shown it on the drawing. Bill

Richard, If you look at the drawing file, the 1930 is #46307, 1931 is #51526 and replaced by 58427. both that are called for in 1931 don't resemble the 1930. However, they probably had so many left overs that many 31's and 32's had 1930 dipsticks. The two called for don't have a wood or bakelite handle but the #51526 looks like it should! I think the purpose of the aluminum extension was to create a cooler dip stick for those idiots that would grab it with their bare hands after the engine had been running. Bill

Maybe this will help. Here's a picture w/nut & washer and separate. It's 1/4-20NC. Bill

Scott, From the 20's up to the 60's "top Dressing" was sold in every automotive store in the contry including JC Whitney, Warshawsky, Western Auto, Pep Boys etc. Then it seemed to loose favor and dissapeared. I recently found it being sold again at MACS Auto Parts under the same old name of "Top Dressing" Part #RSP70 in their Model A Ford section. their website is www.macsautoparts.com . I have no personal experience with the product so I can't endorse or condem it. But it is what was used for years on the soft section of hard top autos. Bill

Franklin31, If your glass is marked then it was replaced. They didn't start marking safety glass in cars untill the late 1950's to early 1960's and it wasn't mandated by the DOT untill the early 1970's. When I said 1/4" plate I was grouping all early automobiles. That shard of plate that cuts off your nose or severs the jugular doesn't care whether its 1/4" or 7/32". In the early years there were many different glass makers and some of the early glass wasn't float glass and even had ripples in it. ( try reading a sign though that) Bill

Scott, Let me add a couple thoughts. Please, for the sake of your family, don't even drive your car around the block without safety glass. Have you ever seen what 1/4" plate glass can do to someone? All it takes is a small bump or stone to turn your life or those of your loved ones into a nightmare. Safetyglass is a requirement and it doesn't detract from the car. Now safetybelts. If tastefully installed will not detract from your cars value and they are recommended by the AACA. We are in love with cars that have wood frame bodies with sheetmetal fastened to it. Now I don't really know how much the belts will help you in a collision but what about a bump or a twist or thrust from going around a corner and the body shifts and a door flys open. There goes one of your kids or friends out of the car. Safetybelts do help! Well, I'll get off my soapbox now and wish you all the joys and fun of a Franklin. Hope to see you at the trek. Bill

Is your pedal spongy? If not, the problem may have more to do with the fact that you replaced a 1 1/4" Franklin master cylinder with a 1 1/8 master cylinder.

I agree with Tom 100% concerning housing breathing and the need to install a breather when using the tighter modern lip seal. However, these pot metal caps deteriorate with age (they get brittle, they break on their own and they crumble even without putting presure on them) and these things are in their 80's. Gee I'm deterioting myself in my 60's. I think we have a need for new ones, but if only one type were being made I think I would opt for the original. That way it would satisfy the purist or those that don't want to ad a breather in the housing or rear cover and it allows those that want to go for the modern seal to have the end turned out to a press fit for the 21069. Bill

Franklin28, If you look into parts for British cars of the sixties (Austin Healey for instance) they had a master cylinder for the clutch and one for brakes with a fluid can mounted on the fire wall (looks like the Franklin can) that had a duel outlet and a separation inside so a failure in one wouldn't drain the other. I think Moss Motors sells them. This would give you a more original look on the firewall if that interests you.

I think the aluminum would be great and make it with a press fit for seal #CR21069. This seal is the one recomended by Jeff Hasslen when he sends out the new gears. It will fit from 28 to 32.

I think this will do it for you Bill

It would be nice to have new ones made with provision for modern lip seal.