Bloo

One probably shouldn't be relying on the car to charge up a dead battery anyway, but the idea that you can't is completely nuts. LOL! Who engineered that? Don't buy that regulator. As for buzzing, they work by buzzing! That's how they regulate. I don't recall it ever being objectionable, or even being able to hear it with the engine running unless the lid was off the regulator. The system is designed to protect itself. There are three relays. 1) a cutout disconnects the generator when it is not charging 2) a voltage regulator that buzzes away when the battery is full, and 3) a current regulator that only does anything when the battery is low. I imagine it buzzes too, but you'll probably never have the opportunity to hear it. What on earth did they do to this new regulator so that it can't charge a low battery? Leave out the current regulator relay entirely? Replace it with a fuse? Maybe rivet the cover on so you can't see? In 1940, heck even in 1980 there was a difference between a regulator for positive and negative ground. This is because there are various precious metals on the points to allow for long contact life. Two points that contacted each other would be of different metals. For positive ground that all needed to be done in reverse. Now there is no difference between a replacement regulator for a positive or negative ground car. How can that be? Did they just leave the silver and platinum or palladium or whatever out altogether? Precious metals are expensive. Hmmm.... New regulators don't weigh anything. How can that be? Regulators are made of magnetic steel parts and copper wire. I wonder what they leave out to make them that light? The copper maybe? Copper is expensive. I suppose aluminum wire could be made to work, but the wire would have to be bigger and that would require re-engineering the relays. Hmmm.... There isn't much to go wrong with a regulator. Most of the old ones work or almost work. You typically don't need new. Of course a catastrophic failure of a regulator is possible, and then maybe you need another, but usually it is just dirty points that can be cleaned by dragging brake kleen soaked paper between the points. If that doesn't work maybe one drag of a tiny file. You don't want to lose the platinum or whatever is in there. Less is more with the file. Worst case the voltage may need to be set. I have yet to hear even one success story with recent production regulators. Don't buy that crap.

The only suitable check of a vacuum advance can is whether it holds vacuum. Yes it might matter here, but that is not why I was asking. I was asking because every time the vacuum advance moves, like every time you take off from a stoplight, every time you accelerate, etc. it moves the pickup, and bends it's wires. I think that's the green and white in the photo, but the pic is sort of cut off and hard to tell for sure. Those wires don't usually break, in fact it's amazing how long they usually last. Still, they can break, and probably inside the insulation where you can't see. If they are broken, every time the advance moves the ignition would go away for an instant, or misfire, or fire between cylinders or something. If this is the case you should be able to duplicate it by putting suction on the hose and moving the advance while it is just sitting there idling. It will either make the ignition cut out or it wont. As I said earlier, I would probably retard the timing some for the test because if there is too much vacuum advance it could fool you. It shouldn't matter but it might. The red component is probably just a capacitor to filter radio interference. Could it be the trouble? Maybe, but it's pretty unlikely. I don't remember ever running into that.

I second that.

Carbon button resistance is window dressing. Was the coil ever run without a ground wire? Did you look it over for cracks, marks from arcing, or holes blown in the coil leads? They do fail, but my guess from hunderds of miles away without enough information is that it is fine. Double check your firing order. I sure wouldn't go for a or b yet.... not until the cause is nailed down. c) I'm starting to think so. In any event I can't rule it out. What happens when you put vacuum on the hose to the distributor? Broken wires inside the insulation on the pickup? That would have been the only thing you touched except the module. I'm not going to say it is impossible for the module to cause this, but it is almost impossible. It would be an edge case. Is there any tendency to backfire? What does it sound like revved up to maybe 2500 or 3000 rpm at a constant speed? Is there a steady rhythmic snapping noise in the carburetor? Is there any possibility a vacuum hose could have got broken while you were working on the distributor? The fact that some plugs look different suggests this might be. All vacuum lines matter, but look especially around any vacuum fitting located out on an intake runner. Got power brakes? If there is no tendency to backfire, put your safety glasses on, get it warm and on low idle with the choke open, and look down the carburetor barrels. At a steady low idle state the only fuel should be coming from the idle jets which are under the throttle plates where you can't see them. You should not be able to see any fuel coming out of the discharge tubes in the middle of the venturis. In fact, you should see no fuel anywhere. If there is fuel running out, something is definitely wrong and it is probably the carburetor float. Check the firing order again. I know I keep harping on it. Sorry about that. It is so easy to swap the two adjacent cylinders that follow each other in the firing order. I can't remember nailhead firing order offhand, but it would be 5 and 7 if it were a Chrysler or a Chevy with 18436572. Most of us have done this at some point whether we will admit it or not.

Rubber upper control arm bushings only allow movement by the flexing of the rubber. The rubber is bonded to the shell and core. Any that squeak have broken loose and are bad. The bolts must be tightened with the car on the ground sitting at normal ride height, or the bushings will get over-stressed and break free. Urethane aftermarket bushings are intended to move on the shell and core. They have a tendency to squeak. Many different methods are used to prevent squeaking like graphite in the urethane mix, grease fittings, etc. They do move so they can squeak. Screw-type bushings on a threaded shaft can and do squeak if there is not enough grease. I guess it depends on what you are working on.

I'm not sure what the gas cap has to do with it, but a vented one for now couldn't hurt.

This^^ The engine should have only one PCV valve. In addition to the problem @rocketraider mentioned, two PCV valves will let too much air into the PCV port. Not good if you want the engine to run right. Connect the back one only. For the fresh air intake @rocketraider mentioned, there needs to be a filter or the engine will suck dirt. If you intend to keep the aftermarket air filter, one possibility would be to get an aftermarket breather cap that fits in the oil cap hole, and just plug the second PCV hole. I don't know. It may have been plumbed into the charcoal canister system at some time. It is unusual to see. For now, plug it. Your engine will suck dirt in through the hole if you don't. If you mean vacuum hoses, their age doesn't matter. Anything with vacuum cannot be allowed to leak at all if you want the engine to run decent. They must fit tight around the nipples. If they don't, get new ones. This goes for PCV, power brake, carburetor connections, and anything that might have vacuum behind it. Hoses that do not, like most of the charcoal canister hoses, should also seal, but will have little if any discernible effect, except for the control hose, usually the smallest one. That has vacuum in it. You may be able to find a vacuum diagram under the hood on a sticker. Not all cars of the era have it but some do. It will probably include the charcoal canister system. Take the air cleaner off and look at the top of your carburetor. Look on the box-like structure just forward of the air intake hole and choke plate. Is there a huge hose nipple there? Some carburetors like yours have it, some don't. You might just have a blank plate up there with a couple of screws and no hose connection. If you have that hose connection way up on top of the carburetor, it is a bowl vent that was once connected to the charcoal canister system. it should not be plugged. Any other unused hose connections on the carburetor should be plugged.

If you've been accustomed to electric wipers, I suggest you get a bottle of Rain-X, and don't use wipers at all for a few months and see how you do.

On the fuel filter, there should be a tiny orifice in the nipple that feeds the return line. It sounds like the filter might be missing the orifice or the hoses might be mis-plumbed. The return line prevents the carburetor from being force-fed fuel and overflowing if the fuel pump boils after a hot shutdown. Apparently it wasn't necessary on cars without A/C. It is a good idea though. I wouldn't be in a hurry to get rid of it.

That's pretty much true today. Not back then.

I don't think you want any sort of switch on a high compression 472. Those cars draw what seems like too much current even when nothing is wrong. I had one, and battery cables made of large welding cable are what finally made it crank with authority, even in cold weather.

That wear pattern is disturbing. It looks as though the angle of the teeth did not match. Speedometer pinions in those days were usually matched sets of worm and pinion, in other words you did not just stuff a pinion in with a different number of teeth for a different gear ratio like you do today. When changes like that were made, it was generally both gears. If I remember correctly Buick got interchangeable speedometer pinions starting around 1941. You probably(?) need both gears. Be sure to verify that they mesh properly somehow while the transmission is still out and apart.

With everything shut off, no phone chargers plugged in the lighter, and don't turn the key on or anything like that... 1) Connect a old incandescent-type automotive test light between the bare battery post and the disconnected cable, so that the current is flowing through the light to get to the disconnected cable. After a second or two, does it glow brightly? If so, there is a problem. If it doesn't keep glowing at all it is probably fine. Note: this test light needs to have a real light bulb inside, not an LED or something. 2) If it does keep glowing dimly, you can replace the test light with a digital multimeter set on milliamps, connected in series just like the light was so the current has to flow through it to get to the battery cable. For instance 500 milliamps (0.5 Amps) is too much. There were some Cadillacs that high but they go dead quick when sitting. 30-50 milliamps (0.03-0.05 Amps) would be more typical. An old VW would have been basically zero when new. Modern accessories like radios with memory will draw a little bit. And yeah, I see you don't have a clock. If you did I would ask you to disconnect it. A Borg type will mess with this test after it runs down, assuming the clock works properly. If it doesn't work properly, it is usually the whole problem.

And you add a ground wire to the sending unit itself if you prefer that the gas gauge works properly over a long period of time.

THIS^^^ Resistor wires should measure a few Kohm and get progressively higher in resistance proportional to length. Bad ones overstress the new ignition parts. Always troubleshoot with standard issue plugs if you can. It can't be repeated enough. Platinum plugs of the sort used back in the 1990s can look perfect in a visual inspection, give a perfect pattern on a scope, and still be misfiring. It probably still holds with modern versions. I'm not going to throw shade if anyone wants to try it, after all modern cars use platinum and similar exotic plugs. Nevertheless, get them out of any older engine that doesn't require them while you are trying to solve a problem.

Yes, a nice car.

It is a replacement insulator for a spark plug of the type you can take apart. I believe the Champion "X" plugs fit the model T Ford.

I think you accidentally reposted Ebay. Here's Barrett-Jackson: https://bid.barrett-jackson.com/lot-details/index/catalog/35/lot/20184 36 Buick fender lights, sealed beams, lynx-eye(?) tail light lenses, 36 Chevrolet(?) radio (bet they had to cut the dash to get that in), cowl mounted antenna, block heater, autostart switch missing, manual choke? (not even optional), front license on wrong side, 1937 heater, is that someone's kitchen clock on the glovebox? No way did someone match all those details. It's the same car.

If it had a title, I don't think I could stay away.

I don't think any of that is going to hold in 1936. In fact, those Wikipedia links contradict it. To some extent they also contradict each other. Here's an example from the A body link: .Speaking purely about 1936, that is pretty close. There is no difference between the body of a 1936 Pontiac Deluxe Eight and a 1936 Pontiac Deluxe Six. A Master Six body is different in that it has black knobs on the dash and window cranks instead of brown, and a different stitch pattern in the wool. That's all. In fact, factory built 1936 Pontiacs have turned up with the wrong body on them. You would never be able to tell without looking at Fisher Body's data plate. The differences between the series are all in front of the firewall, the frame and nose being longer on the Deluxe Eight to accommodate the straight eight, and the frame horns are apparently a little different on the Master Six to accomodate a straight axle instead of the Chevrolet-type Dubonnet suspension that all the Deluxe sixes and eights have. Standing next to a 1936 Buick 40, Buick 60, Olds F or Olds L, I don't think you will find any difference in size or width from the firewall back compared to a 36 Pontiac. Also, they're tiny. If these are all B bodies, then why are the door dimensions all like Chevrolet? Also, that would make a Buick 80 a C body. Then what is the 90? A D body? Did that even exist yet in 1936? I've done this subject to death looking for alternative sources of wood patterns and dimensions and other door parts for 1936 Pontiacs. I think you will find that all Chevrolet, Pontiac, Oldsmobile, and any Buicks smaller than series 80 were A bodies in 1936. Take Buick off that list, and you can include 1935 too. Those are exactly the same cars and series that turned up in 1937 with new wider all-steel bodies that looked almost alike from the firewall back. In my opinion that is not a coincidence. The only things left with wooden bodies in 1937 were large Buicks (and probably Cadillacs).

This gets posted all the time, and I doubt most of those reading take it seriously enough. Years ago I tried to modify one of these to sit in a nonstandard way in a car that lacked clearance. I broke 3 of them trying and gave up. I would urge anyone who is considering using one of these to unscrew the green knob, take all the parts out and just have a good look around. Taking them apart reveals all their secrets. Here are a few: They are not brass, they are zinc (pot metal more or less) castings with some gold colored coating to make them look like brass. They are heavy because they are zinc. If they made them from aluminum, they couldn't fool you. Try to machine on it, or touch it with a file and the truth comes right out. The actual current is carried through two areas that have a very small cross section. That's where I was breaking them. No matter. There isn't enough metal there to work well on a 12 volt car, never mind 6. Zinc melts at a temperature just above leaded electronic solder. It wouldn't take much to melt this at the thin spots, and you can bet it is going to get hot from starter current. There's more wrong but it was a long time ago and I don't recall. The closer you look though, the worse it gets.

Scroll up a few posts. The diagram is up there. He didn't outright say it was 36 Plymouth, but that's what the thread is about so it probably is. The diagram does look like one for a mid 30s Chrysler product to me.

I'd rather not have teflon tape within 500 yards of any car, but yeah, that would work if you cared about the thread leakage.

Well, starting at the beginning, not much difference from something modern. The Plymouth is 6V positive ground. The battery positive goes to ground, and all the "hot" wires are negative. That makes no difference when wiring or troubleshooting. Let me back up a bit. Accessories may very well care what is positive and what is negative, but any of the stock Plymouth stuff is made for positive ground, so you don't need to really consider that much except when adding something that wasn't there originally. Just consider the negative wires "hot" and treat them like you would hot wires on any other car. The armored thing is just has an armored cable between the ignition switch and the coil, for the "hot" wire. If you connect power to the ignition switch in the normal way (see @knobless ' diagram), then you have power to the coil. Done. A normal modern coil has 2 small terminals. This does too, but the hot terminal that gets it's power from the key switch is hidden inside the armor. It's already connected. The small terminal that you can see is the other terminal, and it gets wired to the distributor just like on any other car with points-and-condenser ignition.

Your system must have leaked if it was rising to atmospheric in-between pumps, because that is entirely a non-issue in practice. In 40+ years I have never seen it. Just shut the bleeder while it is still under vacuum. I'd tell you to go buy a new el-cheapo Harbor Freight vacuum bleeder but you already own a Vacula so the point is moot. I can't believe I am defending these frustrating things. I hate them for a whole bunch of reasons. It doesn't change anything. They allow you to pour fluid into the master cylinder from a freshly unsealed container, just like Vacula does. They work in the middle of an apple orchard or a motel parking lot or anywhere else where there is no compressed air. I just looked at Ebay and Amazon, and the only Ebay seller of the Vacula is asking $695 +30 shipping, including a refill jar that I would never use. Amazon doesn't list it at all. What I did see is a bunch of clones of the Vacula for around $40-$50. Vacula's patents must have run out. If the clones work properly, this whole conversation may be moot. I don't know about that, as I just learned the clones exist. I've only used real Vaculas.