Bloo

I remember that thread now. I will be interested in seeing the answers to this question too.

Just curious, is this a Fisher body?

^^Everybody read that again. This thread is getting confusing, and Telriv's post above is exactly on point. You need voltage at the coil for the car to run, period. Also the negative side of the coil should flash a test light as the points (or electronic module) unground and ground the negative coil terminal while cranking. This proves the coil is getting fired by the points or module. Voltage is supplied from the key through a resistor wire when the key is on. It needs to be there. If it is not there, the car will not run. During cranking, battery voltage is low because the charging system is not running and the starter is dragging the battery voltage down. In the interest of a hot spark for starting, battery voltage is sent directly to the coil while cranking. How is this done? There is an extra contact in the starter solenoid, and a wire up to the coil positive terminal. Telriv explained this. It has nothing to do with whether the starter works or cranks the car, or whether the key causes the starter to engage. It is there only to provide a hotter spark while cranking. In order to have no voltage at the positive coil terminal while cranking, both the wire from the key to the coil, and the wire from the starter to the coil have to be dead. If only the voltage from the starter is missing the car should start and run, It just might have trouble starting cold when the battery is low (due to the ignition system not getting enough voltage), but generally it should start and run. If only the wire from the key is dead, the car should fire while cranking and then immediately stall when you let go of the key.

^^ What they said. As long as you have 5 digits it is easy to convert. Just take the first 2 letters of the name of the exchange and tack them on. Here, it was TUrner back in the day, and NOrmandy in the town across the river. TU becomes 88 and NO becomes 66. That is what the letters are for on an old phone dial.

Just try something else and see if it's better. GL-1 means mineral oil, and as such is safe for brass if you are worried about that. Since there's no synchromesh, a far bigger issue might be protecting the edges of the gears (or dogs if that is what you have) where they contact. I suspect that is why 600w is still so popular in the Model A Ford crowd. Most of the AACA transmission oil threads are about Synchromesh, and that's a whole different game. In an unsynchronized transmission, I might look into Redline "shockproof" in the thicker grade. I say "look into" because I have not tried it in an antique and more research is needed. It has microscopic plastic balls in it, and is meant to protect unsynchronized transmissions with dog-type engagement, among other things. The balkiness cold was just part of the game in those days. If you want to minimize it, the oil will probably have to be synthetic. Nothing else will flow the same cold as hot.

Looks good! Normally I wouldn't think you would grind on the stop. I wouldn't expect it to help. The setting is normally made with the solder joint from the gear to the shaft, and man is it a PITA. It seems the magic spot for the wiper to be is tiny, and if there is any corrosion at all where the resistance wire is riveted on to the post, it is extremely difficult (maybe impossible) to get below an ohm with any wiper position. Glad it worked out!

Not because they are feeble. Some electronic ignitions also do this (Chrysler comes to mind). It is true that it helps the points survive if someone leaves the ignition on with the engine not running, but that isn't the main reason. The main reason is that a 12 volt car while running and charging holds battery voltage around 14.2 volts. It is more like 14.7 volts on most modern cars with engine electronics. This is the voltage the ignition must run on (and hopefully live a long time). The natural voltage of a fully charged 12 volt battery is 12.6 volts. Under the load of a starter, the voltage pulls quite a bit lower. Most starters will still crank at 10.5 volts, and some will chug down quite a bit lower than that. That 14.2 volt ignition system will be expected to start the engine, which is probably cold, on less than 3/4 of it's normal voltage. On the other hand, an ignition system designed to run on about 9 volts will be getting 10.5 volts or more if it gets it's resistor bypassed during cranking. The spark will be nice and hot, and the system can probably stand the overvoltage because it is for a relatively short period of time.

The main trouble is much more likely to be electrical than bending the arm. Go after it methodically. First short the sender wire and make sure the stuff in the dash is OK. Then get the sender to sweep 0-30+ on the bench, then add the tank and see if it changes. The little brake isn't perfect, and you will get some movement even when it works. It is a little cork washer under a keyed brass washer and a long spring down by the exposed gears. Since the gauge is an instant response type, you would probably have a lot of waving with an undamped unit (like a modern one). Since Bob's unit is universal and fits a whole bunch of different Buicks, it is unlikely to just drop in and work correctly. All the same conditions need to be met. 0 ohms empty with some reserve left, 30 ohms or a little more full, and not hitting the top or bottom.

Yes rubber blades. The fan is a defroster. As for the gauge, I assume the wire is new because you replaced the harness. If you have not added a ground wire or strap to the tank add one. That might fix it. If not you need to pull the tank. By design, 0 ohms is empty and 30 ohms is full. Any stray resistance causes the gauge to read high. First, disconnect the wire from the sending unit and ground it. That should make the gauge go to zero. Leaving the wire floating should make the gauge peg high. If it will do these two things, the wiring and the gauge are probably OK. If it will not, you have trouble with the wiring, or the gauge, or the gauge's ground at the instrument cluster. If it will go to empty with the wire grounded, and will peg full with the wire disconnected, the trouble is in the tank. With the tank empty check the sender with an ohmmeter. It should be very close to zero ohms. Getting actual zero is impossible but it needs to be real close. If there's 6 ohms or something you are going to have a bad time (remember 30 is full). If it won't go low enough (probably), there is either too much stray resistance in the sender, or the float is bottoming out in the tank. Take the sender out and try again. If it goes way lower, the arm is probably bent. If not, the sender needs repair. The float should not be allowed to hit the top or bottom, and the sender has built in travel stops. You should be able to turn the tank right side up and have the resistance very near zero, then turn it upside down and have 30 ohms or more. Once it passes that test, put enough gas in it on the floor to make the sender come above zero ohms. Then, leaving the ohmmeter connected, suck gas out through the pickup with some sort of hand powered transfer pump (do NOT use an electric one) into a gas can. Keep wiggling the tank, because the original senders have a tiny brake on the float arm to keep the gauge from waving too much. The brake probably doesn't still work in 2020, but you never know. When you get down to the lowest reading (almost zero, like you had when the tank is truly empty), move the output of the transfer pump to another gas can. Keep pumping until you suck air. The gas in this second can is the size of your reserve. If you need to rebend the arm to change it, now is the time. Remember it shouldn't hit the top or bottom. If you bent the arm, recheck everything. There is absolutely no room for compromise on this system if you want a gauge that goes from empty to full and has a reserve. There is no way to electrically tune errors out because they designed it with empty at zero ohms. P.S. Don't use the original cork floats. I did, and despite the fact that they seemed fine after I deliberately sunk them in gas for a week, they eventually absorbed gasoline and stopped floating. Bob's has new coated ones.

And if you rotate the engine to where the points are closed, the light should be out. with the points open, the light should be on. The plate the points are bolted to ("breaker plate") moves when the vacuum advance can pulls on it, so it should have a ground wire that connects to the plate below, or to the distributor housing. It is a special wire with strands of copper and of spring steel so that it can stand all the bending that happens when the breaker plate moves. Make sure it is there and not broken.

Yes. it's a Chevrolet Master thing. Not sure about 1934, but by 1936 it was possible to order a Master without Dubonnet, however very few people did. Pontiac also used the Dubonnet suspension, but like Chevrolet, they left it off of their cheapest model. They drove better than straight axles, but their downfall was leaks. With the 1930s seal technology it was tough to keep them full of oil, and when they were low there was no shock absorber action.

Chances are it is worn out. I would make sure it is full of lubricant, whether that is JD Corn Head Grease, or Penrite (my favorite) or gear oil (that might just run out on the ground), just make sure it has enough. I would start from scratch one more time and adjust it exactly how the manual says. If it is still hosed, well... it is probably hosed. A steering box, generally speaking, should be tightest at center. Many old steering boxes originally called for 600W oil, and it ran out on the ground, and never got replaced, leaving the box without lubricant and rusting. The fact that it gets worse hot suggests to me that possibly it is adjusted a little too tight and when it gets warm from engine heat it starts to bind. It is pretty easy to get the ends of travel adjusted too tight if the high spot at the middle is worn off.

Since it has to be picked up, you might mention the location.... I had this same type analyzer setup and cart back in the 80s. I restored the instruments and used them for 6 volt cars. The Dwell/Tach and the Volts/Amps (generator test set) were particularly good, and I still miss them sometimes. I will point out that the instruments are all portable (some use batteries) and just lift out of the cart when needed. This should be a fun project for someone. Good luck with the sale. P.S. what is that instrument sitting to the left of the distributor machine?

Thanks Str8-8-Dave for posting this PSA. NEVER EVER EVER use a stainless bolt with a stainless nut unless you are forced, and then use plenty of anti seize. It won't rust, but what happens is worse than rust. At least with rust you would have some chance of getting things apart with penetrating oil. I have seen stainless gall on assembly and seize before the bolt was even tight. Cutting was needed to get things back apart. Stainless bolt? Use a steel or a brass nut. Stainless nut? Use a steel or brass bolt. Someone will always point out in threads like this that if the alloy of the nut and the alloy of the bolt are correctly selected, stainless on stainless can be OK. That may be true, but does not help if you are buying generic stainless hardware online or at the hardware store.

Full sized Nashes did sometimes come with the small engines. A "Statesman" or it's predecessor the "600" was a full sized Nash with the small flathead engine. This design was also used in early Nash (and Hudson) Ramblers. The engine is very short, more like a four in length, and frankly you wouldn't be able to just shove some other six in there. The Nash Ambassadors were the top of the line full size Nashes had a big overhead valve six. The nose of the car typically had to be about 8 inches longer than a Statesman to make room.

Agree, the first one is a Fiat Topolino. Also made elsewhere under license. Simca maybe? I have never seen a roadster like that. Maybe custom coachwork? If so, it is a nice looking job.

^^This matters, and genuinely makes the car run better. It can't be repeated enough.

One thing not commonly understood is that the running spark voltage is set mainly by the gap of the plug. The voltage goes instantaneously high until a spark is initiated, then falls to a far lower voltage while the spark is happening, eventually stopping when the coil runs out of stored energy and cannot continue the spark. The voltage goes higher under high load and lower under light load. These voltages are only a few thousand volts. The "50,000 Volts" or whatever often quoted, and probably exaggerated, is the voltage that occurs with a plug wire off, as the voltage rises higher and higher trying to initiate a spark that never happens. In the driveability trade we called this voltage "headroom". It might be 50,000 volts, or maybe only 20,000 or so. Probably even less on some cars. The highest voltage occurs at the highest load. That would be wide open throttle up a steep hill. If the engine, with it's current plug gap, never allows the required spark initiation voltage to rise above the headroom voltage, then the engine does not miss. Any properly engineered factory ignition system has enough headroom at the specified plug gap. Nothing close to the headroom voltage will ever be seen. Points are nothing but a switch, a simple on-off switch. Changing that mechanical switch to a silicon power transistor (as typically used in an electronic ignition), without doing anything else, does absolutely nothing to increase the headroom voltage. Redesigning the coil with a higher turns ratio can increase the headroom, usually at the expense of spark duration. Whether that is a downgrade or not is debatable. Personally I don't think it is a big deal. It isn't an upgrade because the headroom voltage will never be approached while driving. If at the same time you redesign the coil to draw more current, you could probably have more headroom without sacrificing duration. You might need to use a transistor to switch this coil, because points are limited in how much current they can handle. All this sounds like I am against electronic ignition. I am not. The real advantages are in my other post. The first one is a big deal even if it does not sound like it. There are, however, some cars it would make no sense to convert, with 6 volt ones at the top of the list. One has to separate the physics from the barrage of marketing BS that exists in the aftermarket ignition world. It ain't easy.

It's BS. If you take an old worn out out of tune points ignition out and replace it with something that works right, you will see an improvement but 45 horespower is a hell of a stretch. To paraphrase what 1980s ignition guru Christopher Jacobs said about it, the best thing an ignition system can do for you is light the charge at the right time, every time. If the engine runs good and doesn't miss, you are already 95% or more of the way there. The main advantage of electronic ignition is that it does the same thing for years without tuning. A points ignition begins to degrade the minute you start driving. A lesser advantage is that the amount of spark energy available is limited by how fast you can charge the coil, and that is in turn limited by how much current you can put through the points without burning them up. A power transistor can often handle more current. In practice, this may allow you to widen the plug gap a little and that will raise the firing voltage. A little. Not to 50,000 volts or whatever giant number is being thrown around by salesmen. Up to .055" or so a larger plug gap and the attendant voltage increase can make an improvement in power. A tiny improvement. Not 45 horsepower. You might need a dyno to see it.

Yes it was optional but very few cars had it. Good luck in your search.

Highly doubtful. Most tires (for a few decades now) have no white rubber inside to expose. I believe the process they use is similar to recapping.

Don't do that! I wish I had seen this earlier. The sharp edges on automatic transmission spool valves are essential to their operation. If you took the edge off, even a little, you most likely need another valve body. Spool valves do need to be clean, and need be able to fall out of the bore under their own weight. I may not be obvious looking at them, but in operation they are balanced, in other words a stiff spring would be completely balanced by hydraulic pressure on the other side of the valve. The pressure imbalance needed for one to move under operating conditions is tiny. Don't fall into the trap of thinking since there is a big spring in there it takes a bunch of pressure to move the valves in normal operation. It doesn't. One tiny speck of dust in an automatic can wreak unbelievable havoc. Most of the crud from linings winds up in the pan and stays there but not all of it. The sharp edges and extremely close clearances of the spool valves allow them to push tiny particles out of the way, rather than getting one caught under the edge. Don't use sandpaper or wire wheels or anything like that. Assemble it in a CLEAN area on a CLEAN bench. If you have to do it in your garage, shut all the doors, shut off all the fans and wet down the floors. NO SHOP RAGS. The lint will cause the valves to stick. Clean each part in clean solvent, or brake clean, blow dry with compressed air, dunk in clean transmission fluid, then put in. If the manual specifies torque for the bolts holding the valve body together or to the transmission (probably) then follow the specs. Uneven or wrong tightness can cause the bores to distort enough for the valves to stick even if they are fine on the bench. Good luck, and let us know how it turns out.

Check with Diamondback about that. I think they can do almost anything, even triple stripe. I have a special-ordered 600-R-16 sitting in my garage with a 2-1/4" whitewall (2-3/4 is the narrowest in the catalog). I doubt that is still the case today. I asked Diamondback about that measurement when I ordered from them earlier this year, and the whitewall measurement in the catalog (for wide whites that start at the rim) should be the visible part from the outside of the rim to the outside edge of the whitewall. My 2-1/4" tire mentioned above seems to back that up.