Bloo

Good question. I never can remember which is which, and have to look in the manual. I can tell you this: GM cars with Delco charging systems are always or nearly always one type, and Ford with Autolite charging systems the other. Therefore whatever polarization method the Buick people in here use will work for the Olds. It doesn't hold for other makes because both Delco and Autolite made both types.

You gotta measure that float valve height. The rebuild sheet should show how. Good luck and keep us posted!

Thats about right for 37, but I am surprised to hear that that the 41 is not capable of more current. I was under the impression Buick stepped it up a bit when sealed beams came along in 1940. There were 3 different generators on 37 olds, according to some old documents I was looking through when working on a couple of 37 Buick generators. The first (early) is a tiny thing, more or less like a 36 Pontiac, maybe 15 amps if you are lucky. The second type is the same as 1937 Buick (except the pulley) and should make about 25 amps or so. It also had a split field so it would work over a wider RPM range. The third (IIRC) is of the same family as the 38 Buick generators, also has a split field, and is only a tiny bit bigger, maybe an amp or two. All are third brush with a 2-unit voltage regulator (regulator and cutout).

Hey Edinmass, I think that first diagram is probably not a 37 Oldsmobile. It has dual ignition and a 2-brush generator with a 3-unit voltage regulator. The second one looks about right.

Well on my 1936 6cyl (and sixes and eights are the same engine family in Pontiacs), there was a piece of the top of the fender to remove to get access. The access was still horrible. I tried to do it hot, tried to recheck it hot, and it just wasnt working out for me. The exhaust was really in the way in the middle, and I had one real clanker right in the middle. I had to do it cold. I probably added .001 or .002, but maybe for an engine as new as yours you could find hot and cold settings. I had the plugs out to make it easy to turn, and I went around in the firing order with feeler gauges using the go-nogo method. I did not try to cheat with only 4 crank positions or anything like that, I just followed the distributor rotor to the next firing cylinder and did intake and exhaust. Then I went around AGAIN and rechecked them all with an offset foot on a dial indicator. That was to compensate for any wear pounded into the adjuster by the valve stem. I might have redone 2 of them or so, a slight change. They are pretty quiet, especially hot, but you can hear them if you listen close, and they all sound alike. Taking the manifolds off would have made it MUCH easier. I didn't. Also, the Pontiac tappets take one more wrench and one more hand compared to Mopar. It's a bit like juggling cats. Have fun!

No, I am saying that the roller that engages the worm has a double row of ball bearings in it. They don't really show in this picture, but judging by the visible gap, I'd say this one has the ball bearings. Interestingly, all the Chevy ones I saw before on ebay looked about like this, but now there are some on that are just a gear. In hindsight, I am guessing thats what you have. Maybe the units I saw before were miscategorized.

I wish I has a picture handy! Not that.... My sector has ball bearings on the roller that engages the worm. They are not repairable or adjustable or anything, GM put them in there and welded the nut. I am going by what I found in the steering box from my parts chassis, as I have not taken the box in my car apart yet. I have seen that part on ebay with and without bearings in the roller. I assume the one without bearings is harder to steer. I don't really need to know, I was just curious how they were doing it in 34. I think my box is the same design as the one you are working on, It sure looks like it. Yes, the pittman shaft is on a plain bushing.

That's true, but anyone can drive a Model T after a lesson or two. Drivers who are not hardcore car nuts would probably have a tougher time with the unsynchronized 3 speed in a Model A. Mitchell makes synchronized gears that will go in a Model A transmission case, but it raises the cost. I do like the idea of a Model A.

Sorry, I didn't explain that very well. I bought that particular meter because the marks are spaced right (on the lower scale) for a multiple of 3. The meter reads from 6.0 volts (bottom of scale) to 9.0 volts (top of scale). 0 = 6.0v 50 = 6.5v 100 = 7.0v 150 = 7.5v 200 = 8.0v 250 = 8.5v 300 = 9.0v Every other mark on the lower scale is a tenth of a volt. The shortest marks are half of a tenth. Last short mark before 8.0 (200) is 7.95. If this project works out, I may make it a custom scale. For now, the 0-300 makes it usable.

Found one! It is on the way.

Nothing wrong with that, but I wanted to be able to resolve down to at least 0.2 volts, and preferably 0.1v. 0.2v is how much change you would normally make at a time when resetting a voltage regulator. This meter resolves down to 0.05 volts, and is accurate across the scale. Some tweaking was needed to compensate for the current the LM-4041-ADJ draws, but the upside is there will be no battery inside the case to go dead or leak. Started cutting holes in the case on a friend's Bridgeport mill (Thanks 37_Roadmaster_C ! )

Oh I meant the part that connects to the pittman arm, and the bearings inside the roller That steering box looks a lot like the one in my Pontiac, and I have seen those sectors NOS/NORS on ebay, some with ball bearings, some apparently with no bearings, all listed for the same applications. I am not sure whether GM made any without bearings (cheaper car like a Chevrolet Standard maybe? Earlier model maybe?), or if the ones without bearings are just a cheapened-up aftermarket part.

An electric choke should be powered only when the engine is actually running (not just key-on). Otherwise it can get out of sync with the engine temperature while the key is on, and cause the engine not to start. There are many ways to accomplish this, but few as simple as screwing a different switch into a preexisting oil port.

If you get a charge of air/fuel in a cylinder by cranking, and fire the ignition manually, the engine may start itself. My 1913 Studebaker is set up to do that, but I have only seen it work once. My starting method on a normal day is a lot more like what Tinindian posted. Here are some guys starting the Blitzen Benz by firing the ignition. 1909, Four cylinders, 1312(!) cubic inches.

This one is a little different because the scale starts at 6 volts and runs to 9. Here is my prototype board, and it is working Here is the schematic (so far): The top 3 resistors and the meter movement are just a 0-3 volt voltmeter. The stuff below the meter acts as a 6 volt offset. Thats not quite all there is to it (due to the current the LM-4041-ADJ draws when it hasn't quite reached 6 volts), but thats the general idea. The 9.1V Zener diode and the capacitor are just spike protection, and hopefully reverse polarity protection by blowing a fuse that will be in series with the positive lead. I haven't tested that idea yet.

Did your sector have ball bearings in it?

I'm gonna go out on a limb here and assume it's not a GT. Getting ANYTHING loud enough in a convertible is a huge technical problem. Getting enough speaker(s) in the car is going to be the problem. Amplifiers are easy and readily available for car stereos. Most can take a speaker output as an input. Many can also be bridged to mono if desired. You will have to find room for speakers, probably several. It is unlikely that one speaker in the stock hole will be loud enough. Look for one that can handle a whole bunch of REAL watts (power), not stereo sale watts. As for bluetooth, or even a wired input from the earbud jack of a phone or an ipod-like thing, I've not done it yet, but in theory it solves a bunch of problems for getting music in an old car without making a bunch of holes. I'm kind of a luddite too, but I would not be quick to dismiss that. It doesn't help you with the speakers-in-a-convertible issue. That part you will just have to work out. I hope it goes well. Let us know what you came up with.

Cars like that are almost never more reliable, particularly ones that are for sale. All old cars that are for sale need sorting. Sorting out a modified car that is a pile of parts that was never engineered as a package is rewarding, but is also more work. The overwhelming majority of people who build modified cars do not realize that and do not follow through. They get mad when it doesn't drive right after all the money they spent and sell it. Nobody told them that the first day the car ventures out of the garage is the beginning of the process, not the end. Its funny. I was away from the hobby for 10 years. Today , with the rapid spread of information on the Internet, and the easy availability of custom parts, I would expect the modified cars to be MUCH better and more reliable than the ones of my youth. They aren't, and if anything they are worse. That is true no matter how pretty they are. At the first cruise in I went to after jumping back into the hobby, one of the prettiest cars there needed help. I ran back to my shop space, which was only about 5 blocks away at the time, and got some tools to help out. I myself have not needed help with my stock vehicles, except a jump start once in a 12 volt car with a questionable battery, after standing on the brake pedal for a half an hour while yacking. That might be dumb luck, but more likely is because I obsess over sorting out my cars at the expense of everything else. I ALWAYS carry a tool kit to cruise ins now. It has got plenty of use, and the overwhelming majority of the cars are modified ones. In my area the best sorted hot rods, the ones that take the longest jaunts, and have the least trouble seem to be the rat rods. Go figure... Maintaining the old stuff requires you to learn more esoteric skills, but less engineering skills (math). It all depends on what you want to do. As much as I am not a fan of that thing Matt posted, It may be the best tool for the job.

Replacing the needle and seat is reason number 1 for rebuilding a carburetor. I share your concerns about the different design, and don't have a lot of advice about that. I am using modern "Daytona" one with a flat needle in my 36. I may have had to lower the float slightly but I can't remember for sure. Steel needles have come back into vogue because of fears about ethanol. The way I remember it, steel needles just barely worked when they were new, and the "viton tip" float valves (pointy rubber needle) solved a whole bunch of problems when they came along. Today people don't want to use those because the ethanol allegedly destroys them. Personally I would roll the dice and use one if it came in the kit because I remember how much trouble steel needles were. Set the float to factory spec according to the service manual or the rebuild sheet. Set up all your choke settings to factory spec too (don't skip this). Then, assuming your car is not prone to backfiring (and wear goggles, etc.), look down the throat. Choke open, there should not be gas running out of anything up there (like the dischage tube in the venturi) period. Crank engine for some fuel pressure. The only thing that should discharge any gas up there is the accelerator pump squirter, and only when moving the throttle. If gas is "running over" or boiling out up there, the float is set too high. Lower it a tiny bit and retry. Start with factory settings though, because float height is critical to make the carb work right. Lowering the float unnecessarily will cause more problems.

Infinity would come with an open coil, not a shorted one. A wire in a given size has a known resistance per foot. A shorted turn would reduce the resistance of the coil by whatever resistance that one turn of wire had. It would be a miniscule difference, and likely not able to be noticed with an ohmmeter, but it ruins the coil.

That is the correct way. and I am not disputing it. The only thing is if you do that you get quite a bit of acid leaking out on top of your battery, messing up the terminals, running down, rotting the battery tray, etc. If you just cover the plates completely you get less acid coming out, and the battery will never know the difference.

A battery and a distributor, something to spin it, a plug wire and a spark plug, grounded through a wire back to the battery. Coil needs to be grounded, too in this case (per the page you posted), because the condenser is in there. Or you could forego the distributor and just ground the distributor terminal on the coil by dragging a grounded wire across it. Make it do what it does on the car, make spark! If it passes an ohm test, that would be a very positive sign, but I wouldn't call it good until I have seen it make a nice hot spark. A shorted turn or two would make it quite bad, and that wouldn't show in an ohm test. There is also a condenser in there that is about 90 or 100 years old. They don't last forever.

A multimeter will not be enough to tell you whether an ignition coil is good. Even though these run on switched DC, they are essentially an AC device, an autotransformer. If, with that diagram you posted, you measured continuity of every winding, and you found an open one, then it's bad. If it checks good it could still be bad. A shorted turn will completely ruin a coil and the continuity will check fine. I see there is a condenser inside too. Since it deals with fairly high voltage, the capacitor (condenser) test in a DMM won't help much either. An old fashioned capacitance bridge, such as used by vacuum tube electronics hobbyists could conceivably check the condenser. A better approach would be to build some kind of a jig to run a set of points, and see what kind of spark you get.

Fangio's first race car:

I think it's a Pontiac. http://motorlandamerica.com/gtcd/pontiac-6-30b-big-six/