Hubert_25-25
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Posts posted by Hubert_25-25
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I have a bent brake drum on this 1927 Buick Master with Buffalo wheels. As you can see I have brake contact on one side of the drum and not on the other.
- Not sure if this drum is salvageable. Do any shops straighten drums?
- Are these the same drums as used on all Master Models of this vintage? I am open to purchasing a used drum.
- removing the 6 nuts only allows the drum to move toward the backing plate about 1/8". It is not allowing me to gain access to the bearing retaining nut.
- Will removing the large axle nut allow me to get to the bearing nut? I do have to remove the large nut because I noticed it is missing the nut locking tab.
Thank you, Hugh
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I was pleased as well to see the escutcheons shine again. Nice looking reproductions are being made by vintageandclassicreproductions.com, but I did not have to go there.
I walked away from the rear of the front seat flap, because I was not sure how I wanted to make this. I ended up making a model first and held it together with clips as I figured out the details. I made a 3/4" strip of .060 poly that is used as a tack strip. Then another 9" piece of .060 poly to use as a stiffener. I left the lower 1 1/4" as just covering (no poly) to make it easier to install the Murphy fasteners. The leather is cut 1/2" wider to fold it over. The leather and vinyl is contact cemented to the poly. I used basting tape to hold the edges together when it was being sewn. I used the same decorative tacks that are on the door panels, but I painted the heads black instead of beige. The decorative tacks are 1/2" long. For added strength I used a 1" nail on each corner of the cover and that nail head has a decorative tack placed so close to it that it hides the 1" nail head. Hugh
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A second posting this evening as I am trying to catch up on the completed work. I moved on to making the door panels. I used some old door panels as patterns and then made modifications to ensure fit as not all these doors are the same. Then I cut the leather and contact cemented the leather to the panel board. The leather was stitched around all the edges to ensure it would not come unstuck over time.
Next I started with making the door flaps. I used a piece of .060 poly and I glued leather on the outside and vinyl on the inside. The leather is 1/2" wider. I used basting tape and clips to hold the leather on the fold over. Once folded over this is stitched around the edges. Then the excess leather is trimmed on the inside. Besides using my good scisssors, I also use good cutical scissors to fine trim and they also make good gasket trimming scissors. I also cut the .050 galvanized metal door flap weights on my band saw. They make the door flaps "straight" and give them a nice heavy quality feel. These get inserted after the flaps are made. The flaps are stitched in the open position, then they are closed and stitched just below the fold line. I had to use a different foot on my sewing machine to get close to the steel plate.
The escutsheons were in pretty bad shape. The aluminum had been sandblasted. I had to straighten these and do a lot of hand sanding to get them smooth, and then buff them up.
I also bought four door handles from Myers Early Dodge. Very close to Buick's in looks. For the decorative tacks, I bought these on Ebay. They come in brass and I pushed them into a piece of cardboard and I spray painted the heads to match the leather color. Buick did all this in black, and now we know how it looks in beige. Hugh
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Before I could install the rear seat, there was more wood needed in the rear seat area. I did not have a place to nail tacks on all the leather edges, so the first 2 photos show the additional wood strips needed to hold the leather and fabric tacks. Notice the wood around the top of the rear tub. This is supposed to be covered in leather. Several pieces of wood were added along the seat base and at the door latch. Then I used newspapers to make patterns for the panel board backing. Then another set of newspaper patterns were made to make patterns for the leather seat side covers.
The leather seat side covers are just like the seat covers, but there is only panel board behind them. They get tacked around the perimeter. As these are tuck and roll, they have a muslin backing and are stuffed with cotton. The front of the arm rest is a little tricky. The front of the wooden armrest needs to be picked up slightly to slide a little leather under it. This makes a nice finishing touch to this corner. The leather is wrapped over the armrest and tacked (stapled) on the outside. The green tape was added so that I knew where the gypsy curtain snaps were when I reinstall them after I add the trim over the staples.
The rear seat back is treated like the front seat back. The spring assembly is held to the back of the seat wood with hanger straps. The springs are covered in burlap and then 1/4" Jute.
The tuck and roll upholstery is stapled to the top side of the rear surround wood, and then the base of the leather is attached to the tack strip at the base of the rear seat. The rear seat photo shows a good comparison of the tuck and roll leather on the seat back, and the old face stitched vinyl still on the seat bottom. All of the leather used in the rear had to be ironed, but I was able to remove mostly all of the creases.
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That old copper fuel tubing is some brittle stuff. Fred Rawling and I think you should replace it. What you want is CNC-525. Nice stuff to work with. Be careful as many sellers are selling copper plated. Kevin got the other half of my 25' coil. The price has almost doubled compared to this snapshot of what I bought it for 4 years ago. Perhaps you can find a remnant on Ebay or find someone who wants the other half.
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Ken,
Did you let the car warm up? Old cars have 2 hand adjustments.
Choke - should only be used for a cold start. Once the engine has started, it needs to be open. Failure to do so will foul the plugs.
Throttle - This is necessare to keep a cold engine running. Expect to use an increased throttle off idle for around 5 to 10 minutes.
Before touching the carburetor. Use some fine emory paper and clean the points. Check the gap. The easiest thing to do is set a dwell meter on the car to verify the point gap.
Here is an article to take you thru rebuilding and checking the carburetor and the heating system.
https://forums.aaca.org/topic/372573-1920s-buick-marvel-carburetor-rebuilding/#comment-2311177
Hugh
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Jim,
Your rear bearing shims should have a cut out for the rear seal to pass thru unobstructed. So if you have 3 shims on your rear main, you should still have some rear seal compression. The ends of the rear main seals should compress against each other. Still use a little sealant on the main seal ends, and a little on each side of the shim in the area at the outside of the block to prevent seapage of oil between each shim and between the shim and the block and the cap. This photo shows the notch for the rear seal in the shim.
Hugh
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Tom,
That looks like 1/8" gold stripe to me.
Not everything in the BCA Judging book is correct. That book was done in 2005, and there are many gaps. I have submitted corrections years ago, but they have not made the updates.
This is a 1926 Buick Model 40. The upper stripe should be below the upper moulding, then the 2 stripes on either side of the lower moulding. It makes more sense anyway that the gold stripes would be on the blue field, and not a random stripe on the black top section.
And don't forget your wheels. A stripe on each spoke and a strip around the felloe. The wheel spears are a little shorter in length on the model 40 as that is a 21" tire. The longer spears are on 22" 1925 Buick wheels.
The hood louvers were also pin striped. 1927 model 54 (original) and 1925 model 25.
Hugh
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Jon,
Thank you for the Schebler Model H adjustment notes. I do not have a model H to get the ID numbers from. I am still searching for a 1" model H. I do have a photo of two Schebler Model H carburetors that came from a Metz owner named Dianne. I assume these are from her cars, but they could also be spares. These are both brass.
Thank you for converting files for posting. I have to do the same with my power point and word docs. I have to save each page as as .jpg so that I can post them.
Jim,
Can you find any of the serial number information that Jon is looking for on your carburetor? I do find it interesting that your carburetor looks to be aluminum.
Hugh
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Jim,
Here is a photo of a gas cap on a Metz when the gas tank was under the hood. Hugh
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Jim,
You have a very nice collection of early Buicks.
Two links to gas caps with coarse threads. Tom's tank has a fine thread gas cap. A machine shop could replicate your thread pretty easily. Then the cap just needs a small hole to provide a vent. Very strange to see the variety of gas caps on these cars.
Thanks for the valve clearance setting numbers. Congratulations on getting your Metz running. I am still struggling with this one.
I have noticed that the spark plug is over the intake valve, but I have also seen it over the exhaust valve on another engine. Not sure how your engine is set up. I am also curious how your throttle linkage is set up, but I need the correct carburetor to get this all correct.
So I did install a Schebler Model D on the engine. It does not fit well. It requires a 1" NPT street elbow. The body has to be separated to make the installation. The 1" model H is the correct carburetor for this car. The model D has an adjustable but single fuel needle setting. The model H has a cam on the fuel needle to adjust the fuel flow with the air flow. The model H is a better carburetor for this application. That said, the car should still run at a fixed speed on the model D.
There were thoughts that the points condensor could be a problem, but opening the magneto cover shows a recently rebuilt magneto and a new condensor. Hugh
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Evan,
I have a 38 Buick Special 40 that is showing some similar problems as you describe. This may be a bit of a shopping guide for you.
1) After the car warmed up, it would stop running when the engine speed slowed down to idle. The car would not restart until it cooled off. If you looked inside the carburetor, you would see gas boiling inside below the throttle plate. You could hear it bubbling too. You do have to install the blanking plate between the intake and exhaust manifolds. This also won't just "slip in" between the flanges. Purchase exhaust and intake manifold gaskets and the downpipe gasket, as both intake and exhaust manifolds need to come off to put the plate in.
2) This car has an electric fuel pump at the gas tank, and a second one next to the mechanical fuel pump. Bob's Automobilia has rebuild kits for the original fuel pumps. As discussed above, I am going to rebuild the existing fuel pump as surely the diaphragm needs to be replaced. I will remove the electrical fuel pump closest to the mechanical pump.
I would start with these 2 items. You need item 1 to handle the modern fuels, and item 2 just because of age.
After doing this, you can also get some fuel hose. Remove the fuel feed line to the carburetor. Connect the fuel feed line to the hose and put the other end of the hose into an empty gas can. Run the fuel pump (or crank the engine) for 30 seconds. See if you appear to be getting sufficient flow of fuel to the carburetor.
Hugh
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Like Leif said. In the 20's, the body and the firewall were painted body color. My 1925 Buick Touring is Brewster Green. Here you can see the original paint under the firewall ID plate and the steering column bracket. When I repainted the car, I left the original paint under the firewall ID tag. Since it lasted almost 100 years, I wanted to see if it could go another hundred. Hugh
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David, For what you have invested in those cowl lights, it may make more sense to just modify the housing that you have. This cowl light was repaired with pop rivets. These are so close to the sheetmetal that they are not noticed when the cowl lights are installed. You may be able to drill out the front rivets and shim on the inside to make the tubing come out at 90 degrees to the housing. Also included are photos of the parts that I used to put double filament bulbs into these cowl lights. The bulbs that I bought were shorter than the standard bulbs, but they fit. Hugh
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Having moved to the back seat I wanted to capture some of the interesting wood details on this car. I am still fascinated by the quality sheetmetal work that was done on this car. The wood parts function as intended, but no cross dimensional checks were done.
Photo 1 shows the 3 vertical rear tub supports. The back window and the straps are centered on the rear tub. Notice how the left side wood is centered on the strap, while the right side is several inches
inside the strap.
The middle wood is shown next to a level - that is level.
All functional. It will be covered by the seat.
This photo shows the length of the right rear arm rest wood to the latch post. 7 1/2 inches to the latch post.
The left side rear armrest is over 2 inches longer at 9 3/4 inches to the post. Both do the same function, just don't know why they are different.
This last item is Yankee ingenuity. This is the top rest support inside the tub. Just showing another method of securing a bolt. It does functionally do the trick. Hugh
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On the front seat back, I started with the lower section of the side curtain pocket. I used a piece of .060 polyethylene and I sewed the top and side edges of the leather to it. Too many wrinkles showed so I had to remove the side stitching and iron the leather. Still too many shadows on the leather, so I undid the side stitching again and adhered the leather to the poly with spray contact adhesive. I ironed the surrounding leather and sewed the top section to the 2 side pieces. I cut 3/4" wide strips of the .060 poly and used it with tacks to create a hidden attachment for the inner sides of the compartment. This is how many home upholstery projects are done.
Then I sprayed the seat metal with contact cement and added cotton quilt padding. Another light spray with contact adhesive on the cotton and I was able to pull and apply the leather. It is stapled on the perimeter of the seat back. I am still working out the details of the seat compartment flap, so I moved on to start work on the back seat and the door panels. Hugh
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Always interesting to see interiors like Larry posted of the 1927. Large expanses of leather instead of tuck and roll. My opinion on these is that the leather quality needs to be very stiff. I have seen many old cars with this style and the drivers seat is very worn in. That car looks to have a good looking front seat still so the leather quality is high.
When I did my car, I also bought automotive grade leather with UV protection and "German vinyl". I bought it from Bill Hirsch. It matched really well. I liked the sheen and the way the vinyl and leather matched. The leather feel and smell was worth the cost. Black leather hidem and black vinyl trim was available as well.
I tried to purchase from the company that Mark used. I should have gotten a tax ID to get the discounts that he got.
So now that you have seen the car, I will post about the quality of the leather that I received with the car. When I did the front seat back and sides, I started by making a newspaper pattern of the size hide piece that I wanted. I searched thru the first hide rotating the paper pattern, I found a decent spot to cut out the seat materials. I figured all the pieces were narrow and any small flaws in the leather would go unnoticed. That is mostly true, but then I needed to do the seat back. This requires larger expanses of leather. I cut out the best piece that I could find that was about 12" x 30". It was partly the light color that would cast shadows of its creases, but more importantly this leather was not stored properly and I did not expect it to be this big of a problem until I started working with it. It stretched a lot too and appeared to have bubbles if not pulled on all 4 sides or glued down. This is not the fine Corinthian leather that I was expecting. I eventually learned that I had to hot steam iron this leather to get the majority of the wrinkles out of it. And this is not just running a quick iron over the leather. It is a lot of slow work to really get the iron heat and steam into the leather. Usually from the back side. On the front side I cover it with muslin to prevent the iron from damaging the surface. The time required to salvage this leather is significant.
The leather was brought to me "as a pile". 4 hides bunched up like old laundry. I was shocked that it was not on a roll when I first saw it. The first thing I did when I received it was to put it on a roll, but it was all too late. Some of this was rolled, but not on a tube, and then it was crushed. Some of it was on a roll at one time, but the roll was shorter than the hide. The ends that were longer than the cardboard roll got twisted and abused and smashed flat. It put a lot of hard wrinkles into the leather. Some areas were too creased and I had to cut them out altogether. The last photo shows a section that I had to scrap. It's a sea of abuse. All the hides are typical of this hide shown. Hugh
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Hides are interesting because of the irregular shape. Then there is the quality of the hides. Holes and scars and scratches that need to be avoided. With a good hide and vinyl combination you can save money doing an interior. Typically only the seat toppings are leather, and the seat back and door panels are vinyl. Better vinyls are very difficult to tell from the leather.
Whatever hide you purchase
- find a color that you can also get in a matching vinyl.
- Better yet if you can find a matching trim material. At some point you will need to hide the tack heads.
- try to find hides where you could order another if necessary. Some vendors sell 1/2 hides.
- There are "automotive" hides with UV protection and some are said not to stretch as easily.
- always get a sample.
When I did my 1925 Buick Standard Touring, I bought 2 hides and 6 yards of vinyl. I had a half hide left over. Tuck and roll does let you use smaller sections of hides. You can sew a large panel using the tuck and roll technique as each pleat could be made from a strip of leather. This does make a hide "go further". Perhaps the reason automotive companies liked this technique. It leaves less scrap.
Here is the google answer to your question:
The industry-wide conversion formula states that approximately 18 square feet of leather is equivalent to 1 linear yard of 54” wide fabric. This formula is based on full cowhides averaging 55 square feet. Due to the irregular shape of a hide, there will always be a certain amount of waste.So this looks like 3 yards of fabric = 1 hide. I think that number is closer to 2.Hugh-
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This is a mock up using the JC Whitney seat covering that came from my 1925 Buick in the interior of this 1927 Buick. I really should throw this stuff out, but for pattern making, it comes in handy, and I was saving it incase someone else needed it to do their interior. I fit it over the backing spring set as a size check. I have also installed wood panels on the seat sides as backing for that upholstery.
The next item to install are the front seat armrests and sides. This is a leather face with a muslin backing. It is stitched on the rear edge, and a pad of cotton batting is laid between. It is then stapled or tacked on the bottom, top and front to the seat frame. The next item is to put some panelboard as sound deadener on the sheetmetal to silence the seat back spring.
Then I was able to set the lower cushion in place, set the seat back cushion on the lower cushion, and secure the seat back springs with four hanger straps across the top. You will notice that the seat spring assembly is covered with burlap. This is held on with hog rings. Then 1/4" Jute covers the face and it is also held with hog rings. Notice the "void" between the top of the springs and the wood framing. That is because these are seat springs from another car.
A 4" x 4" cross section of foam was added at the top of the springs to fill this void. Normally I do not use foam, but it is an inexpensive filler. Foam also comes in various densities. Seat backs are softer density than seat bottoms. Same is true of seat springs. Seat bottom springs have more and heavier coils than seat back springs.
Once the foam was in place, I was able to cover the top with the Jute. I originally installed this foam as a square, but needed to soften the angle on the top of the seat. I pulled the jute off and I profiled the foam - basically cutting a triangular section out before I reinstalled it. Photo below is the square profile before cutting. The foam should not be much taller than the back seat frame wood.
The seat covering is tuck and roll leather.
The next 2 photos show a comparison of the vinyl with foam and face stitched (left side), vs tuck and roll leather being cotton stuffed (right side). The front side (photo below) and the back side (2nd photo below). Face stitching is a whole lot easier, but you can see the difference. I have covered how to do tuck and roll in previous posts, as well as David Coco and Mark Kikta, so I am going to skip that process explanation and just keep the uypholstery moving along.
This is the front seat back tuck and roll covering. It is half stuffed. The metal trays are used for stuffing the seams with cotton.
This is the attached seat back stapled in place with the older seat bottom cushion. The backside of the front seat is usually covered first, but I wanted to have something in the car so that it could be driven. I will be removing staples across the top of the seat back so that I can install the seat back covering in the next posting. I also want to work on the seat padding a little more. I would have preferred to do the interior in black, but the owner had already purchased 4 hides. Because of the color, I cannot find matching hidem or binding, so this has to be made or the upholstery method changed to accomodate not using trim pieces. Hugh
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600W is the last oil that I would buy. The label says 1,000 miles between oil changes. That's inadequate by todays standards . Even though a person is likely never to go another 1,000 miles in their antique car. M533 from Snyders is a better choice and a modern equivalent for the steering gear/rear axle/transmission.
In addition, my 1925 Buick transmission does not shift well on 600W. I use a blend of 60% Lucas 80/90 synthetic gear oil and 40% Lucas HD oil stabilizer. A recommendation from the Ford Model A club. Available locally and I find shifting improved with it.
Definitely keep the rear axle fluid level 1" below the fluid filling plug as the 600W bottle says. I am used to filling these until fluid runs out, but that is too much and the oil can find it's way into rear brakes.
Hugh
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I made two transmission gasket sets when I did my 1925 Standard. My intention was to mail one set to Olson's as they keep the records on all these. If they do not have the gaskets, let me know. Maybe I never mailed the set to them.
There are 3 washers inside the input shaft. Instructions on how to install an input shaft seal.
I had the brake and cluth pedals powder coated gloss black. It is a more durable finish than paint. Make sure they plug the pivot holes in the pedals.
The output ball has a felt seal. Available from Bob's.
Hugh
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It is nice to have the transmission lock working, but it is a stupid design. The lock will only lock the transmission in neutral. I like to leave my car in gear when unattended. So I have a nice operational key and lock that I never use.
Hugh
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You must have one part installed wrong, or maybe someone before you swapped a part out, or maybe there is wear on the micarta insulator. Maybe heat history on one of the parts. Look for any loose or slotted parts that have elongated. This is the ignition side. The ignition switch contacts (#3) has the 3 fingers closer together than the light contacts. Use an ohm meter when rebuilding these to check functionality prior to reinstalling. Hugh
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The first thing I started on was installing sheet metal for the side curtain pocket behind the front seat. This was painted black on the back side and nailed into place. There was also a light fixture on the seat back that was incorrect for the car. It was behind the robe rail. Buick put a light on the side of the rear seat back, but we opted just to leave this out. I covered the holes later with a sheetmetal plate and pop rivets. Also added a tack strip at the base of the seat to hold the seat back upholstery. Back in the day, the seat back was upholstered to the car. Wood was also added on the door latch post as there needs to be a place to hold the seat side leather perimeter tacks.
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1925 rear wheel bearing and axle seal removal
in Buick - Pre War
Posted
As a follow up, I did take the Edinmas advice. I wiped off all the grease. Then multiple passes with brake clean. Then into the grill. I used 2 bricks to raise two cookie sheets off the grill bars. I used a heat gun and did 500 degrees for 3 hours, did "brake clean" spraying again after it cooled, and put it into heat for another 3 hours. The friction material used to be a green colored. Now it is black. It also burned off all the paint, so that was resprayed. While apart, I replaced the felt hub seals with modern lip seals. On the maiden voyage, I finally had decent brakes. More and other issues with brake problems. On the ride home, this wheel started to pull slighlty to this side, and the wheel got very hot and started smoking. The brake pedal was not coming up all the way. So I did another check of the band clearances. Front brakes work well now, but I have issues with a bent rear drum and the brake pedal is not coming all the way up, so I need to start pulling clevis pins and greasing linkage parts. Thank you Ed. Hugh