Lawrence Helfand

All angles gorgeous except the front which is a weird disconnected combination of design elements that do not relate to each other. Looks like a mish mosh of ideas thrown together and the flat looking windshield is less then elegant. A split glass with a little angle would help. Side and rear are exquisite but earlier front end is much prettier. How you can go from the perfection of a 41 Continental front end to this is a mystery to me.

Matt I have used a heat gun and also hot water soak to soften up a stiff belt and anything rubber that was to stiff to install. Also slipping a piece of cardboard behind the radiator takes the pain of knuckle scraps and fin damage away. I recently changed a belt that would have been impossible for me with my arthritic hands without heating it up..lubed it too to get it under the crank pulley. The tooth back belts are much easier but they are not as quite as you have found though belt dressing helps some.

The boiling point of fuel can be increased with the addition of kerosene. It is a useful additive in the prevention of vapor lock. Not sure of the ratio but it was previously discussed and I remember there was info regarding how much to add so a simple forum search should bring it up.

Hi Matt, glad to hear the Limited is getting her groove back. That should improve your outlook on car life a bit. With time all ills get wrestled to the ground. My 41 was driving me nuts with its popping noise forcing me to do things that in the end were totally unnecessary but didnt hurt either. Now running better then it ever has in time for spring is very nice even if all the car shows are canceled this season. I am trying to see what of the three holes your pump rods are attached. Looks to be the middle hole? If so I suggest you use the top hole for the least amount of throw and less fuel from the accelerator pump. The stumble should diminish even more or go away. A slightly higher idle helps as well. This low rpm stumble went away when I swapped the AV 16's for Carter 518's from the 248 motor and in general the motor is crisper in every way and less timing advance sensitive at low rpm. I am convinced the ultimate setup is with the smaller series carbs. Hope you and yours stay strong and healthy and cruising! Lawrence

FYI Slightly loose is better then to tight. I learned from several race tuners over the years that hearing a little tappet noise was a good thing. Very quiet tappets were suspect of holding the valve off the seat when things got hot and higher rpm was in play as in a racing motor. Race mechanics use larger tolerances for that reason. Tight tappets will wear out your rocker shaft bushings prematurely so do not set them by sound! Also I find the cold clearance before startup will be about .017 for a .015 hot clearance.

Hi Matt, I hope your holding up under the pressure. I definitely am concerned about sales and values so you must be freaking out with your large investment and overhead. On a different topic I am in need of a pushrod for my 41 66s and so far have come up blank. I need a 13 7/16 length and all I am finding is much longer 13 3/4. Maybe you have some used? All the Best, Stay healthy ,Lawrence

Recently I noticed a little surface cracking in my 41 Century exhaust manifold and a tiny bit of soot telling me it went through and was leaking . I got some repair paste at the parts store but after application and a couple of heat cycles I could see the crack appear again in the hardened repair paste. I put some more on the crack but it soon reappeared. On a hunch I took a piece of fiberglass cloth and sliced up a pile of small bits of fiber and mixed it into the paste. I used a fair amount and after chipping off the old paste started anew. After a couple hundred miles and several heat cycles its still uncracked. Seems the fiberglass makes the patch less sensitive to expansion contraction cycles. Good luck all!

Is your coupe a windsor or New Yorker?

Hi Matt, Sorry to hear of more issues with the limited. I am having some myself and its upsetting indeed. I had my radiator recored for about 400$ a couple of years ago and am stunned at the amount you mentioned. I used a great shop on Long Island NY http://caparadiator.com/ Worth sending it to them. Hopefully still as cheap.

several for sale in the Mecum auction..not a rare bike or a fast bike or a comfortable suspension..an acquired taste kinda bike

Just a tip Peter. when using the uni sync you might find the red indicator go's right to the top on the carb with highest draw. You must open the airflow bypass in the center of the tool to get it within a working range. Until you balance the carbs further adjustments are premature. Also you will be making the balance adjustments with the carbs linked by rotating the rod until both readings match.

Hi Peter, The problem of the high idle on my setup turned out to be a gross imbalance of the carbs. I thought I had them very close as Matt had mentioned himself until he checked with the uniSync and it drove just great but when I got around to using my carb sync tool I found the front carb vacuum reading was way higher then the rear and when I balanced them out idle came way down and I had to screw the front idle adjuster in a bit to get the idle where I wanted it. I was surprised it was that far off as I have been driving it for months with a slightly high idle which I actually liked. I think you will find this will fix it.

Removing the manifold is made quite easy with the use of a hoist. I positioned my manifold under an I beam rolling chain hoist in my garage but you can rent an engine puller hoist for this job as well. I put a couple of hold down straps under the manifolds which I did not separate and then unbolted the assembly. It was then easy to pull away the manifold and lift it . I left it hanging and cleaned up the surfaces and gave it a paint job. All the freeze plugs were exposed for easy access and reinstalling and positioning the very heavy manifold was a breeze not having to wrestle the heavy ungainly hunk around. An intimidating job was made easy and simple using a hoist. Why not take the opportunity to refresh your manifold gaskets paint your block as well and change all your block plugs the right way with plenty of room to work.

That switch is a simple device with a plunger spring and ball. I would give it a few taps first but it might be sticky or have some grime on the contacts. It is very easy to take apart and clean and does not use a diaphragm or any delicate parts that will be harmed. You can also swap the parts from on carb to the other. Neils advice regarding linkage is irrelevant as long as you can actuate the floor switch which Im sure you can. The Carter switch I find works better then the Stromberg switch and its not rocket science to open it up.

No Peter our carb arms are identical. Just install it and see how it drives and if you still think its weird put lengthen it. You couldn't possibly be using up half the travel. When you drive it the linkage feels exactly the same.

Peter I measured the length of my rod center to center and its 26 5/8 inch. I set it to that length over 2 years ago so you might find you can safety extend yours a bit more.

I think you are worrying too much about the rod length and creating a problem that does not exist. I have been driving my Century with this setup for two years now without any issues. Matt too has not had any issue with it either. If you need to lengthen it to feel better just cut it in half thread the ends and insert a length of threaded rod or bolt. The loss of an inch of pedal travel means absolutely nothing and undetectable when driving it. I think you could also back out of the ends a little as good purchase does not require much of an overlap. Finish the installation and drive it and your worries will disappear.

FYI Peter I ran my bolt in from the backside and didnt use any washers as it didnt really need any. I must have buried less thread as I didnt need and inch to reach the arm hole. I will measure the length of my rod and let you know. As its a straight push action there is very little stress on the juncture. Looks like your about done!

There was more then one car built and used in the movie so I wonder just what that means/ Perhaps this is the only one left? I always got a kick out of how the chase jumps all over town. If you know San Francisco you might notice he turns the corner in one part of town and finishes the turn in another!

Peter, I also use the method Pont35cpe uses and not just for Buicks but for every carb motorcycle and auto except for SU vacuum pressure type carbs. Reading the plugs at idle is not at all accurate then in time engine rpm response. Frankly I have never seen a mechanic in my 70 years employ your method. If you screw it in it will begin to flutter die quiet perceptibly and incrementally backing them out brings rpm back up and smooths out. If you cannot perceive any effect then something is awfully wrong. You can always use an rpm test indicator but that seems very unnecessary to me. I suggest you try this again as plug color at idle tells you nothing and will darken more and more the longer it idles. The only plug color reading that is accurate is for main jets and requires a long run at high cruising speed with a ignition chop and coasting to a stop and a looksee at plugs. I dont believe You will ever achieve the correct air fuel ratio for your idle circuit by reading plug color at idle.

I would not recommend using an AC element I looked at them and decided against it. For one I do not believe they are designed for the fine particle filtration and high velocity air flow from the small surface area an air cleaner can provides. Also I do not think they are up to the high heat and volatile crankcase gasses. I would stick to elements for automotive/ motorcycle use. You also might consider using an off the shelf filter but that will take some measuring and looking through your parts store filter box's. Of course the best would be a K&N which are designed to be oiled with their special fluid. I bought what I needed off of ebay in motorcycle parts.

Yes just put a bolt in it. If you have a coffee can of assorted bolts you likely have one and if not your auto parts store or even the fastener aisle of your home depot. Its nothing exotic

I removed the decayed element from my 41 twin carb century which was not metallic but more like a natural material. I bought a roll of 3/8 inch thick air filtration material for motorcycles that was wide enough to stack up inside the filter can. I think I made 3 or four circles. Did not use any oil as the washable element does not require it.

Hi Matt, Trying to make up my mind about this and will try to get an ID measurement tomorrow. Thanks for the offer of laying off I really appreciate it. I think all the work I have done on my car over the years owned has been less intimidating then the thought of pulling the dash apart. Have no idea what lies ahead except the unknown having never pulled a dash on the countless cars I have wrenched..everything else but that. Lots of contortion involved even with the front seat out. I do hate being on my back looking up! It sure would look great though. Lawrence

Hi Anderson, Can you send me the width and tomorrow I will measure the distance between the top corners of my Century. Lawrence