Bloo

I'd love to hear actual numbers if you can get it out of them.... I believe this is a Harrison strip core, and if so, then no. I have a similar one in my 36 Pontiac. My owners manual describes it as "Honeycomb", which it really isn't quite, but it is put together about like that. No straight tubes to shove the rods through. I am not sure that's true. I have always heard the whole point of a cellular core like a Honeycomb or strip core was better cooling. I don't know if it's true, but it might be true because on a cellular core the heat does not have to traverse solder joints to get to the surface that radiates. Also it depends what you call "better". Traditionally, aluminum radiators win on cooling efficiency per pound, and tube-and-fin copper/brass radiators win on cooling efficiency per square inch of core face. In that case, copper/brass wins anytime you are limited by the size of the air intake. There are fancy aluminum core designs that claim to be better than copper/brass now, but I have my doubts. Run-of-the-mill aluminum is probably going to need a bigger air intake hole to move the same heat. Whether it matters probably boils down to how over-engineered the system was in the first place. As for Honeycomb and strip cores, they are so obsolete they rarely enter into discussions like this. I would definitely expect less water flow from a Honeycomb or strip core than a tube and fin radiator of the same size. The water has to change directions a bunch of times to get through the Honeycomb or strip core, but has a straight run through a tube and fin core. There is always a dance between airflow, water flow, and heat transfer efficiency. The limiting factor for cooling will be different on different cars. I would ask @edinmass what he thinks. He mentioned that he has seen cooling problems caused by an inappropriate core type.

Maybe? Puget Sound is salt water. Historically they haven't been particularly rusty. A little worse than Eastern Washington (desert) cars, but not much. That is unless they were buried under vegetation, then they are a total loss.

Now would be a good time to make sure the heat riser is intact and free, in other words that it moves freely and the plate has not broken free from the shaft. Hopefully you don't need to take the manifolds apart, but if you do, now is the time, not after you have paid someone to mill the flanges that face the head. If it is screwed up, make any repairs necessary, and bolt the two pieces back together with a new gasket, lining up the flanges that face the head as flat as possible before you send it to the machine shop.

I think you still have something wrong if one side behaves differently than the other. The throttles don't normally run COMPLETELY shut, just almost shut. The idea of looking at the throttle was to see if one side might have a lot more gap than the other. I have seen carbs, newer ones, where the throttle shaft and bore wore out and allowed the plate to drag on the bore. Metal wore off of the throttle plate, leaving a larger air gap on the barrel that had the linkage and the return spring. The two sides should behave the same. You might check for vacuum leaks. Do both barrels feed completely separate runners like they would on an older V8? I would expect both barrels to dump into the same plenum on an inline engine like yours, but if they are completely separated, that opens up more possibilities for the cause. Anyway, I'm glad you are making progress with it.

Wouldn't you just lay it out the way he had it?

The humidity in Seattle is not what it's reputation would lead you to think. Its not like Ohio or <gasp> Florida. Check a weather report now and then if you don't believe me. It does rain quite a bit, and if a car leaks the interior can get really bad in a hurry if the owner does not either drive it regularly or crack a window here and there so it can ventilate. Salt and other corrosive substances were not used out in this part of the country for most of this car's life. Seattle cars, as well as dry Eastern Washington cars, and Oregon desert cars (as this one claims to be) rust out where dirt can collect and stay wet. You generally wont see any structural rust unless the car has been buried under blackberries or something else that kept the whole car permanently wet. This one has some typical rust where the dirt collected in the fenders. The rear quarter panels are not showing rust, almost unheard of in a Mopar of this era because dirt collects there, and most owners don't know they can clean it out or that they should. This car may turn out to have less than the expected amount of rust. I don't know anything about flood cars. That is not a typical thing to run into out here. There has been severe flooding in Western Washington recently, so you would definitely need to consider the possibility. What bothers me most is the the entire engine compartment and interior looks like it is dripping wet with Armor All. What's up with that?

OK I'll bite. How did you find it?

Well yes, voltage going to zero under load indicates a high resistance somewhere between the voltage source and the spot where you are measuring. I don't have a wiring diagram for that car. Since you do have the wiring diagram, start at the "bat" terminal of the voltage regulator, and trace all the way to the brake light switch on the diagram. Probe at any spots along the way you can reach, and apply the brakes to see whether the voltage goes away. There must be a bad connection along the way somewhere. It probably goes regulator >> ammeter post >> headlight switch, or something about like that. If there is a fuse and fuseholder along the way, it deserves extra scrutiny. Good luck.

You might want to verify that it is wired correctly. The original voltage regulator had 5 terminals. Here they are in no particular order: 1) The first wire is switched ignition power. It will not be used at all with your later model charging system. It should probably be taped up. 2) The second is a ground for the autostart system. Originally the voltage regulator disconnected it once the engine was running. I don't know what they did here when they made the changes to your car, they might have permanently grounded it, or they might have piggybacked it on the new regulator somehow. Since the car starts, assume this one is OK for now. We can revisit it later if we need to. 3) The third wire is the big wire that feeds all power to the car and charges your battery. It should go under the dash, probably to the headlight switch, and is buried in the main harness so you cant really see. This one goes to the "BAT" terminal on your 3-terminal regualtor. 4) The fourth wire is the main charging wire from the generator. It connects to the armature terminal of the generator, and the other end connects the "ARM" or "GEN" terminal of your 3 terminal regulator. This is a fairly big wire, probably a number 12 or so. 5) The fifth wire is the field wire. One end connects to the field terminal on the generator, and the other end to the "FLD" terminal on the 3-terminal regulator.

I couldn't find a wiring diagram online for your car, but on MOST American cars of that period, the brake light bulbs are shared with the turn signals. One 6 volt source goes through the flasher and then to the turn signal switch. The other goes through the brake light to the turn signal switch. I gather the flasher is fed from the key switch on yours. The headlight switch was probably just a convenient place for them to get unswitched 6 volts. To make things work, it doesn't matter that the two power sources are different. My guess is that they wanted the brake lights to work when someone was coasting with the key off, but did not want a turn signal left on while parked to be able to drain the battery, so they switched that with the key. When the signal lights are off, current flows through the brake light switch, through the turn signal switch, and then out to both rear bulbs. Well, if the brake lights are on that is. The important part is that the turn signal switch always has both rear bulbs connected to the brake light switch as long as the signals are off. When you turn on a signal, the switch does 2 things, it 1). connects a front bulb to the flasher, and 2). DISCONNECTS one rear bulb from the brake light switch and connects it to the flasher. Does that help?

Was the car's present charging system ever working for you, or did you buy it with a charging problem?

Do both barrels feed into a common area? Is this a six or an eight? Assuming both barrels feed into a common area, the most likely thing is one barrel is passing more air than the other. I would hold the throttle body up to a light, close the throttle, and see if one throttle plate has a bigger gap around it than the other, or if a plate could be loose.

How do you start the car? With autostart, you turn the ignition on with a key switch, but when you step on the gas pedal the starter engages and the car starts. If the starter runs from the key, or a button, or a separate pedal on the floor, something has been changed. Yes, it would be helpful to know what type regulator you currently have. I wouldn't be in a hurry to replace it unless it turns out to be incompatible. New production regulators have a really bad reputation. If it needs replacing, you would probably be looking for NOS/NORS or a used unit to get a quality part that will actually work. There's not a lot to go wrong with them that a little cleaning or adjusting wont fix.

@Peter R., Thank you for posting all that!

Leather all the way. Vinyl in no way resembles any of the artificial leathers available back then. Leather as it ages will start to look like old leather. Vinyl will start to look like your grandmother's worn out 1960s recliner.

The system is completely different depending of you are using the original generator or a 1949 Buick generator. The original generator is a 3 brush (with voltage regulator) and is not interchangeable with anything Buick used in the 40s. This is a bit of a can of worms because the 1936 Eights have an autostart system like a Buick, and it is tied into the voltage regulator. Does your car still have this? You will need to solidly decide which direction you will go before you overhaul anything or buy any regulators. The original system is 3 brush and is only about 15 amps. I have a 1936 Master Six here with an original working system and can post any pictures or details you need if you decide to go that way. The regulator is a 2 relay unit with 5 terminals. I am still investigating, but I don't believe 15 amps is enough to carry the current production 50/32 candlepower headlight bulbs indefinitely, so that is one potential reason for changing it. A second possibility is a 1937 Buick Special (40) generator. It has 10 more amps than the original Pontiac generator, has some circuitry changes to make the output less peaky over the RPM range, and bolts on. It is 100% compatible with the original Pontiac regulator. It is physically larger in diameter. The generator on the 1937 Buick 60-80-90 is identical to the 40 except for the pulley, but you still need the pulley from the Buick 40, because the Buick 60-80-90 pulley is too wide, and the Pontiac one is too big. The 1949 Buick generator is a 2 brush generator. It is going to need a 3 terminal 3 relay voltage regulator as used on a 49 Buick (and many other GM cars). It is not compatible with the 1936 Pontiac regulator. This is probably more like a 40 or 45 amp system, and with real current regulation. No question this is the best system being discussed, but might not integrate well with the autostart system.

Could be. As a Washingtonian, I have heard that one all my life. I'm not sure it is any more common than "glove box" but it is definitely used here.

It is possible those buttons were only on Sure Grip. I can't remember. It is definitely on the 8-3/4 axle, and I don't think any other axles were available in that wagon. I remember the first time I saw the aftermath when one of those buttons poked a hole in the axle housing. The car was a 1966 Dodge Coronet. If the endplay will adjust up correctly on both sides it cant be screwed up, because without both of those buttons in place there is nothing to transfer the adjuster motion from one side to the other.

I too am in a whole raft of car clubs, and get buried in magazines and newsletters. A few clubs offer an "online only" option and post the magazine in a members-only area, so I can still read it if and when I get time. I wish everybody did that.

In 1966 the LA318, the 318 engine that looks like a 273, didn't exist yet. The only 318 that was around in 1966 was the 318 wideblock, the last of a line of engines that began in 1956, and the engine that made the 318's reputation. In 1966 it did have the same bellhousing and crank bolt pattern, and used the same type motor mounts as a 273. The wideblock 318 is directly interchangeable with a 273 in a larger car, except for probably the exhaust hookup. I don't recall ever seeing one in a Dart/Valiant. I have often wondered if it would fit without bumping into things, as it is quite a bit wider than a 273. It looks like it would be a tight squeeze. As for the 1966 Barracuda Formula "S", the 273 was available with a four barrel carburetor in 1966, and the four barrel option for the wideblock 318 had disappeared back in 1962 or 1963, so no big surprise they used the 273 in the Formula "S".

Oil can do that if the car is burning clean otherwise.

Lincoln

If you know what they look like, you can just check by looking in there with a flashlight on both sides. I couldn't remember, but apparently they are called thrust buttons. I poked aroung on google images a little and found these pictures: As you can see there is a pin that is supposed to be holding them together so they can't fall out, but in my experience sometimes it isn't there. In any event, you shouldn't look in there and see an empty hole where one of them was like this: If you do see that you will have to find the missing one and put it back in, which means pulling the pumpkin, but that is no big deal. When assembled, they can slide right-left, and that is how the adjuster works. It pushes on one bearing, left if I remember correctly, which pushes on the axle, which pushes on a thrust button, which pushes on the other thrust button, which pushes on the other axle, which pushes on the other bearing, etc. So, as you might imagine you would never get the endplay set on both sides, and that would tip you off something is wrong. The seal driver just needs to be the right size so it is very close to the size of the hole and will not warp the seal, as the seal will try to warp no matter what you do. Back in the day there was a factory tool floating around among some of my friends, but the only thing special about it (other than being the correct size) was the shaft you pound on was longer because of the deep bore the seal lives in. Today, you can probably rent a whole set of drivers at the auto parts store. Worst case, you might have to make a longer shaft to pound on.

That axle seal job is one of the biggest gotchas with those cars. It is extremely easy to do this job several times, ruining a set of brake shoes every time, and still have a leak. I've not done one in a while, so can't tell you where to get seals but here are some things to consider. 1) The bearings as you can see are greased, not oiled with axle lube so the inner seal is the main one. I don't think you can get to the outer seal without replacing the bearings, but it doesn't really matter because it is not really an oil seal, it just keeps dirt and crap out of the bearings. It's probably fine. The inner ones cause the leak. 2) The bearings are packed with "Mopar multi-mileage lube". This is not normal axle grease. Unlike some Buicks that intended you to pull the axles out occasionally and repack the bearings, these were meant to last for "life". The grease was a big part of that. You can't really clean them out unless you take them off, which destroys them, so in Chrysler's way of doing things, repacking came with a bearing job. They have a sleeve that must be cut and then the scrap bearing pushed off. I have on many occasions squeezed more grease into old used bearings from the outside, but you can't effectively clean them out and I would not be comfortable mixing any sort of modern grease with that grease. I think they still make Mopar multi-mileage lube. Get some. 3) The inner seal has to be pushed way down a deep bore. Get an appropriate seal driver. The easiest way to screw up this job is to use a seal with that orange or green sealing compound on the outside. It drags too much and by the time the seal gets to the bottom of the bore it is warped, and it leaks. Also, the shelf at the bottom that the seal stops on is not very big, and THAT can distort the seal if you have to tap really hard to get the seal in. "CR" brand seals for this application used to be bare, but now I wouldn't know what brand to ask for. Get some bare seals. A bearing store might be some help. Get the bore really clean, and put some Indian Head on the outside of the seal. Don't dally. Be sure to drive it straight with a seal driver and get it to the bottom of the bore while the Indian Head is still slippery (you don't have very long). 4) If there is a groove in the axle, you might be able to use a different thickness of seal or a double lip seal. Sometimes you get lucky and the lip on the new seal is just at a different height. Some guys have been known to not drive the seal quite all the way, and that could maybe work. It has to be in far enough not to interfere with the bearing. Above all it has to be perfectly straight. If it isn't, it will leak. 5) There's 2 gaskets, one on the inside of the backing plate (steel IIRC) and one on the outside (foam). I typically replaced all this, but I don't know if it is still available. It's main purpose, like the OUTER seal, is to keep contamination out of the bearing grease. The inner seal is supposed to positively stop the gear oil before it gets to the bearing. 6) There is a bearing end play adjuster on one side only. It adjusts both sides. One side pushes on the other. On some of these axles there are 2 little hardened steel spool thingies that carry the adjuster motion through the differential. They can easily fall out when you take the axles out. Make sure they have not. Be sure to check your endplay, both sides. If one of those spool things fell out, the adjustment probably wont work properly, or maybe the endplay won't be the same on both sides, and that should tip you off. It is laying in the bottom of the axle housing waiting to get catastrophically munched by the ring and pinion. Have fun!