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m-mman

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Everything posted by m-mman

  1. The seller is obviously not a car person Its a straight clean car for $2500. Does it really matter what the seller calls it? All he wants to do is rehome it, not discuss inane details about it with someone who isn’t going to buy it. If it weren’t an 8 hour drive, I would have my tow truck and cash in is driveway.
  2. Ok, it has been a while but I made some changes and have updates to report. When I full fielded the generator (grounding the field wire) I got 8.55 to 8.63 Volts and 50 amps. So the generator should be Ok. Bloo theorized that since I was getting such good numbers with a full field test, then perhaps the problem is with the ground and that I should run a solid connection between the generator and the regulator. Good thought, makes sense. I did, then the rains came (in CA) and life happened, so I didnt get back to it for a while. With a recent clear day and twilight hours (so I would use my headlights) I took it 30+ minutes to dinner and 30 minutes back. Ran up there just fine. Upon return after 25 minutes of driving, the OD quit. I have come to learn that this means that it is not charging. (Note: the charge light remains off) We were only 10 minutes from home so there was no problem making it back. In the garage I checked again and I was getting only 6.55 volts total at about 2000 RPM. I full fielded it again and saw the same 6.55 - 6.56 volts. I had 6.46 volts at idle. Headlights on I was getting 6.24 volts then switching them off I saw 6.13 volts. (Again this was after 30-40 minutes of operation) Again I am thinking that for WHATEVER REASON the system is not able to put out enough VOLTAGE to overcome the electrical demands and charge the battery. The charge light never came on (it is working) which implies that there are AMPS flowing. In testing and working with it, it seems to provide the higher necessary VOLTAGE when it is cold. (Starting in the morning) and the low/no charge situation happens after it has been driven for a while. I like the 6 volt system, and l like originality but this is frustrating. Hudson changed their charging system in 1951. PERHAPS acquiring parts and making it a later design would work? I do not like when people change to (6V) alternators, but this thing is putting those ideas in my head. <arrrgggg>
  3. Wow, it’s a four door hardtop! A shiny car for $2500? I understand why the seller might be tired with idiots. In this situation you show up with cash, verify the title documents and are fully prepared to move it to your house. If you ask any questions or have to “think about it” you need another hobby, cars aren’t for you.
  4. I get it, but the car looks incredible. Gorgeous. I even like the two-tone green Drum Bob, since you have limited experience with restored (fixed up?) cars what sets off alarms for Matt are modifications and poor quality repairs. If a car is just as it was built (or restored as it was built) then it can be diagnosed and repaired when it breaks. (And they ALL break eventually). This car is shiny and looks nice BUT the 12 volt and the all red wires show that short cuts were taken. Short cuts that will fail when you can least tolerate them. Examples - when you consistently operate a 6v starter on 12v it slams the starter drive into the flywheel. This means that the starter drive (Bendix) will break. 12v will overheat the armature and it will melt solder and short out. Maybe not today but when you least expect it. It has an alternator (ok) but how was it wired? A “one wire” alternator is not a simple modification but a cop out. “One wire” alternators are made for stationary applications that run at a constant speed. They can have problems charging until they are energized. So is it actually charging? Who would know? The seller-builder was lazy and didn’t connect the amp gauge (!). So after you buy it, the battery acts like it’s not being charged. So, get out your testing equipment and start checking wires. Wait! All the wires are red???!!! Now how do you trace a circuit? It can be done of course but it is added time and headaches because the seller-builder was too lazy to buy 5-7 different color spools of wire. The seller-builder obviously built it for reliable touring (which is great) but most likely he has put miles on it and now things have wear on them and they are going to break down for the next owner just like any used car. And the first step in repair is figuring out what the previous owner-builder did. BTW owner-builders NEVER create documentation or even notes about what they did. This past weekend I spent 2 hours figuring out why there was no brake lights on a 51 Kaiser. It was changed 12volts, homemade wires that were spliced and changed colors as they wound through the harness! it also had power steering added and a power booster and dual master cylinder was fitted (jammed) between the frame rails. Again 2 hours to eventually track the brake light wires that were removed and stuffed into the inner fender. A 5 minute job that took 2 hours because of poor quality work. This is why serious car people much prefer untouched unmodified original cars. They are worlds easier to repair.
  5. Nope. There are people in the HET club that do them. https://www.wildrickrestorations.com/ The pressure plate seals against the flywheel to hold the fluid in. (There is a gasket) There is a seal on the release bearing that holds the fluid inside. It’s foolish to not replace everything at once. (not just the disc). The most interesting part of Hudson’s is that the crossmember below the transmission is riveted to the frame and is not removable! The approved Hudson procedure is to remove the front seat, pull out the carpet/mat, unscrew and remove the floor pan then use the approved Hudson tool to hoist the transmission out through the interior! It is also possible to slide the transmission and (non removable) bell housing back, rest it on the crossmember and then R&R the clutch and flywheel. 😲 but maybe not the easiest method if you haven’t done it before. It is inconceivable to me why Hudson thought that removing a heavy greasy part through the interior would be a good idea. 🤨 On my 1942 I didn’t want to destroy the original mat or upholstery so I cut the rivets, removed the crossmember and transmission from below and bolted the crossmember back in.
  6. Being an orphan car they are very affordable. Heck, here we have a shiny mechanically sound car with a reasonably correct interior for $10,000! Certainly not a points car and no, it’s not a Hornet with the big engine, but No way could you buy a scruffy one and replicate it for this price. It was the model that could get you into Hudson quality at a popular price. This example can still do that today.
  7. Rarity doesn’t denote value, popularity does. And these Fords were certainly popular….. And it IS a genuine coupe. 😉
  8. Damn you are good! Yup makes sense. I have had Lincoln’s of this era. thanks.
  9. Yeah, these were my thoughts too. no part or other numbers of course. ☹️ they are clean and not rusted so I don’t think they were near the road surface….. The four bolt mounting is “excessive” but maybe not if it was mounted to a door or trunk lid. And I have never had or been around any Riverias. I have had many 1964-66 Mercurys and they are similar but not correct. Strange, I’ll keep trying.
  10. Found these when cleaning up. Wracked my brain, they dont seem to be anything I am familiar with. (my own cars) Four retaining bolts on each, that's a serious attachment. One end is square, the other is slightly angled.
  11. This is because 55-56 DeSotos all used an automatic transmission control on the dash. (Lever in 55, buttons in 56) so Chrysler had to reach back to 1954 to get a steering column (and wheel) that would support a column shift. No. Not in the lower Mopars. In fact Mopar convertibles in this era and price class used a “cloth” and vinyl combination instead of the all vinyl used by the competition. Not a cotton fabric but synthetic weaving that made the seats cooler in summer and warmer in the winter. A gutsy thing to do when quality is on the line.
  12. It’s not easy to add a factory FM radio to a 1964 Mercury. The AM and the FM require different holes in the dash and different faceplates. The knobs on the FM are closer together and the buttons are lower and closer to the ashtray. The dash stamping has provisions for the two knob widths but an AM dash stamping requires cutting/filing to make room for the selector buttons. Because the buttons are lower the FM installation requires its own ashtray light. It’s a “fiber optic” plastic that carries the light to the ashtray when the bulb is required to be mounted to the side to clear the buttons. In 1964 Mercury there are two different dashboard radio/heater/clock faceplates for A/C and non-A/C cars. Then there are two different for AM and FM radios. So there is a total of 4 different dashboard plates. (AM & heater, AM & Air, FM & heater, FM & Air). So you want to add a factory AM-FM radio to your 64 Mercury, and you find a removed radio at a swap meet, but the seller doesn’t have the faceplate……you will be looking a long time to find one for your application. And good luck finding someone who even knows about the ashtray light relocater. There are also two different horn middles and two different turn signal fender lights. (Production changes).
  13. This. What are the sellers trying to accomplish? (maximum $$ most likely). If they were car people they would invest (free) labor and maybe get a higher return. But if they have to pay for the knowledge and time of a competent person then guaranteed they will quickly be chasing their tails economically. I would tell them to stop trying to add value beyond basic cleaning (wash & vacuum) and excellent photos. (Get it out of the dark garage). Coin collectors always tell people who inherited valuable coins to not try “clean” them because they will DEvalue the coins. People who inherit long parked cars should not try to make them run. They have a good chance of damaging them. Leave the mechanics alone it is only worth what it is worth in the condition that it is in. Attempting to change the condition is a huge rabbit hole that they do not want to go into.
  14. The die cast body is known for degradation, cracks and shattering. So much that Straight Eight has made aluminum reproductions which don’t fall apart. Value? An original that has known metallurgical flaws? Or a (not inexpensive) reproduction that is reliable? Hard to say. I believe that a core is needed to complete the reproduction.
  15. It’s your release arm. Does it have the ball pivot or the stamped steel pivot? either way the pivot MUST be well attached to the bell housing and the release arm connected with either the spring clip or the snap clip. Changing bell housings and having “something welded” is causing your chatter.
  16. Careful don’t share any secrets with the moles, they’re not all that they a-pier…..
  17. Absolutely the best book. Buy it and read it. https://www.amazon.com/Just-Needs-Recharge-Mechanic-Conditioning/dp/0998950718/ref=asc_df_0998950718/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=312031082787&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=4444930090542397925&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=m&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9032443&hvtargid=pla-491995004540&psc=1&mcid=39710fbe1fdc385fb4a03aea4883c448&gclid=Cj0KCQiA5-uuBhDzARIsAAa21T8g56-afe6PgnME_wfQBQu-kS58kCTK7m9z1Wtrw7ZL2As-zy01bVsaAvpcEALw_wcB
  18. Actually it refers to “original gangster”. As in: The crips gang was started in the early 50s and Juan (who is now 80 years old) was an OG. In slang it is a synonym for; old, original or the way it was back then.
  19. Jack up the front end. Remove the tire. unbolt the inner fender panel. It is all vacuum controlled. A small vacuum hose comes from the engine, passes through the firewall and connects to the HVAC control. The HVAC control has 6-8(?) small vacuum hoses that go to various doors, valves and switches. For the SYSTEM to function correctly it needs to have all new vacuum hoses and each vacuum operated “servo” must be checked for function and possible leaks. (Most are spring loaded and need consistent non- leaking vacuum to stay open/closed). Doing this work involves A LOT of crawling under the dash and behind the inner fenders. The vacuum system is fixable with a lot of work. Making the A/C refrigeration function (and stay functional) will be a $2000-$3000 job. “Just needs a recharge” is a complete lie. The compressor and valves, and hoses and dryer are all 60 years old. They are rotten and guaranteed there are leaks EVERYWHERE! There is no possibility of any “repair” to the system. If you really want it to work it needs RESTORATION. New compressor, new (custom made) hoses, new expansion valve, new receiver-dryer, blowing out and flushing the system. Then reassembly with all new o-rings and copper sealing washers and oil. THEN it can be evacuated and you spend many hours chasing leaks finally recharging it with refrigerant. Anything less and the refrigerant will not stay in the system and it will not function. A long dormant refrigerant system just like a long parked engine that has had some water in it and is now stuck. PERHAPS you can free it up and MAYBE you can get it to start and run. You didn't pull the pan or change the filters, you didn't flush the oil or cooling system, but it "runs". Now, how far would you drive it? How fast would you drive it? Would you trust it to continue to run? An engine is a complex system and if it has not been cared for and stored well, it needs a total disassembly and rebuild. The same is true for an abandoned refrigeration system.
  20. I’m thinking that they are novelty keys and there were square monograms (letters) that could be stuck to the newly cut key for personalization. The monograms would the cover the key blank stampings.
  21. Paint. There is a “color” called cast iron gray. Eastwood certainly has it but I have sometimes found it at hardware stores. When you spray it on new or freshly cleaned iron it looks like a clear coat because the color matches so well that you don’t see any color changes. (Unless there are runs, and then it looks strange seeing “runs” in cast iron).
  22. The test light continuity meter is because IF a wire is somehow broken/cut/misfired and it is touching a ground then when you apply full battery power it can heat and burn the wire. So yes testing with low voltage first is recommended. Now with that said testing every connection AND THEIR GROUND is difficult and sometimes impossible. Example dash bulbs light up when they get power AND are well snapped into the instrument cluster with a clean grounded connection. A test meter would be unlikely to find this situation but a battery power will either light the bulbs or not. where to connect? This is exactly what the wiring diagram will tell you. All battery power comes from the battery and returns to the battery. Find the battery on the chart. Where does the wire go? (Hint the big cable goes to the starter). There will be a smaller wire that comes from the starter to the inside of the car. (It’s how the electricity gets inside). It will pass through the firewall but your dashboard is yet installed. So, where does that wire go? To the key switch? (Which terminal?) to the Amp meter? Perhaps then it goes to the key. Power going to the key will be power that is turned off and on with the key. Headlights don’t need the key to work. So somewhere there is a wire that comes “from the battery” to the headlight switch. This power might come off the starter? Or from the amp meter or even the terminal on the key switch that gets battery power. The wiring diagram will show you where these wires come and go. I just watched your video. Numbers are great. Colors are great. What you need to incorporate is a little logic. without seeing the diagram, you should know that power for the headlights (parking lights) comes from the headlight switch. Power for the ignition will come from the ignition switch. Etc. Each of these switches gets battery power from somewhere. (Hint these sources can be found coming from the big cable connection on the starter) Diagrams can be confusing. When they do, stop and think. All power comes from the battery (typically through a switch) to the thing that it powers THEN returns to the battery through ground. Which is all the metal in the car. for your testing you will need to simulate the ground with a separate wire that goes back to your test battery.
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