Bloo

The diesel rated oil will probably not be 20w50, rather 15w40. Try some Valvoline 20w50.

Fiat Topolino

I can't answer exactly, but here's some food for thought. It is always a good idea to use relays to trigger the lights on the trailer. It might matter less with LED's, because they draw less current. Back in the day, cars that towed had a lot of trouble with melted wiring, switches, etc, because you typically tapped into the lights at the back of the rig. The headlight switch, signal switch and the brakelight switch often weren't big enough for the current draw of extra bulbs on the trailer. The wires themselves were often too small and ran hot. By the early 70s, many factory tow packages used relays. If you are required (or are going to) have a breakaway switch on the trailer, and you have to carry a battery on the trailer anyway, you could put the relays on the trailer instead of the tow vehicle(s). You could probably find some 12v relays that would trigger reliably on 6 volts. The relays wont care if they see positive or negative ground (just don't get junkyard ones with a diode inside), and so it would solve any polarity issues. In the 50s and 60s, I don't think the voltage of the trailer brakes was an issue. They were adjusted with an adjustable resistor block under the hood of the tow vehicle. If the brakes are "of the era" they should be fine, but you may need a resistor block in the 12v vehicle, or better yet both of them. If the brakes are modern, I can't comment. Another trick that could be done (and I have not personally tried this), is to run a tiny 12v alternator (Geo Metro or Kubota) in the 6v vehicle, and hide a small 12v battery somewhere. The 12v system could be negative ground and coexist even if the 6v system was positive ground. And yes, you can tow with 6 volt vehicles. In the 20s, my grandparents built a "House Trailer" for camping that looked a lot like the "tiny houses" you see people building on trailer chassis these days out of regular building materials. In the 30s, my grandfather drug it up to Grand Coulee with a 27 Studebaker to work on the dam. A Lincoln "L" and a Packard 120 were among other vehicles that pulled that thing around. After the war they got a factory-built trailer. Much lighter. Still 6 volts. One thing to keep in mind when towing with old rigs like your 1950s pickup, is that 50mph was maximum towing speed period, and that was under ideal conditions. Of course it was much slower up hills if you didn't have a powerful rig, and down them to keep the speed under control and the brakes cool. As recently as the 80s that was still true. I know that everybody today has a diesel 1-ton dually pickup, and an equalizer hitch, and a swaybar and so on and they tow at 70mph on the freeway. It makes me nervous. You just NEVER did that with the old equipment. Be safe.

^^This.

Try measuring back at the flasher jumper wire with a signal on and the bulb in. Does it drop to 4.1v back at the jumper wire too?

Don't get rid of your old stuff..... My tools are a mixture of Snap-On, Matco, SK, Mac, etc. I have to agree that the cheap stuff isn't as good, but it is WAY better than it was just a few years ago. As recently as 25 years ago, cheap tools were generally unusable crap. The gap between cheap tools and real tools is disappearing. Harbor freight tools are made of good steel these days, and are nicely finished. Although IMHO nothing works quite as well, or fits bolt heads as tightly as Snap-on/Matco/Mac/SK, Harbor freight wrenches are good enough today you might even get away with using them in a professional setting. It would have been completely impractical to use cheap tools in a professional setting in 1990. Kobalt looks similar, but I haven't used them much. Craftsman is not as good as it was. They are still good usable tools, but, sometimes a little too thick, sockets a little too recessed, and so on. The quality is variable. They are a far cry from 1990s Craftsman, let alone 1950s Craftsman.

No, if you want to release all that crap and circulate it through the engine, detergent oil won't do. Get some Rislone. I once had an old sludged up Ford 352 that had a noisy lifter. I put a can of Rislone in, and then I had 16 noisy lifters.

It was common years ago to run dashlights extremely dim, to allow your eyes to adjust to the dark, and get the most out of your vision (and your headlights). I would expect the dashlights on any car too old to have a dimmer to be very dim indeed.

IMHO go for the straight one. Can the triangle piece be salvaged from yours? Maybe pounded straight? Just looking at it, that little piece would have to be really horrible to be more work than the big dent in the fender pictured here.

It doesn't need to leak much. My Pontiac doesn't ever even get any on the ground, but if you put your finger under there there is always a drop. I estimate it leaks a drop every 20 minutes or so, and probably evaporates before it ever hits the ground. It is normal for a packing style pump to leak. It is apple farming country where I live, and big irrigation pumps that use packing nuts are still very common here. When someone tightens a packing nut enough that the leak completely stops, the shaft burns up almost immediately, and the repair is very expensive. For the lubricant in your coolant to lubricate the packing, it needs to get between the packing and the shaft. There really isn't any way around this. It is a separate issue from lubricating the bushings. Those usually either use water pump grease through a zerk, or oil through an oil cup, depending on the design. If you insist on no leakage at all, you might be better served to modify the pump for modern bearings and ceramic seals, as used on modern cars that do not normally leak anything from the water pump. The only trouble with that idea is that when it starts leaking, you need another rebuilt pump immediately. The guy with a packing pump just tightens the nut a little.

I agree. It needs to leak a little to avoid ruining the shaft. It doesn't take much.

I use Rotella 10w30 in my older rigs, and Valvoline VR-1 20w50 when I need something thick (you probably don't need something thick in that Buick). Rotella is just good basic fleet oil, OK for both gas and diesel engines. It allegedly still has some zinc in it. There are better things available. I'm sure you will get 100 different answers before the thread is over.

It depends on the booster. The one I spoke of had a removable band. There wasn't anything in there I couldn't handle. I think the control valve would have required a modified snap ring pliers or something. Many are crimped. There are multiple how-tos on Youtube. Typically they are cutting and bending things to release it, and then you need a long lever (that you would have to make) to twist it apart. I have no confidence that I could do this myself without leaving visible damage. I probably wouldn't do it when there are better alternatives. New replacement boosters for American cars today are made in other countries, and there are no repair parts available for them (ask any rebuilder about that). Using one would likely leave you stuck with no options for repair at some point in the future. Mailing things out for rebuild over the years has been for me fraught with disaster. I have had much better results doing things myself. More often than not, using someone else costs a lot and the results are unsatisfactory. The experience with "Booster Dewey", (where "Booster Steve" actually did the rebuilding), went very well. I would use them again without reservation.

I meant the grille and hood. The only other thing that really comes close to the look of the car in the original post is the 1936 Buick, but it's not a match. Here's another 1936 Olds hearse: More:

As mentioned earlier in the thread, that is a 36 Oldsmobile nose. Pontiac never made anything that looked like that. Neither did LaSalle. Buick had a similar grille in 1936, but it's not Buick.

Phillips screws first appeared in roughly 1936, and I think Cadillac may have been the first. They did not become common until several years later. Modern hardware of any sort sticks out like a sore thumb on a restoration. Hardware store bolts are zinc plated, and original bolts were more commonly some sort of black oxide or bare. The heads are probably a different thickness. It's getting hard to find straight-slot screws that are not a combination straight/phillips head. Those heads belong mainly to the 21st century. Never use a stainless nut on a stainless bolt unless you are forced. In that case, put on lots of anti seize. Stainless will often gall and weld itself to the nut during assembly. It happens a lot. The only way to get it apart is to twist the bolt off, and they don't twist off as easy as rusty mild steel bolts. There may be some way to get around the trouble with stainless by carefully selecting which grades of stainless for the nuts and bolts. The problem can be avoided by using steel or brass nuts on stainless bolts. If rust prevention for easy disassembly later is the reason, consider blue or purple loctite.

Yep, the torque tube is the suspension member that locates the axle front to back. Without it the axle can flop wherever. I imagine if you need it rollable with the transmission out, you'll have to build something.

I'm guessing nobody has it. There are just so few prewar Olds left. Maybe these guys? I didn't see one listed, but might be worth a call. https://www.oldsobsolete.com/product-category/oldsmobile-parts-for-sale/1939-oldsmobile-parts-for-sale/ You might try the general aaca "parts wanted" section. I don't see much activity in here. EDIT: If you can come up with a part number it might help. The "one cable, one lever" setup was used in more than one GM make. There is at least a possibility that cable was also used on something with easier parts availability (like a Buick). Edit 2: Olds made Sixes and Eights. Which is this?

I guess painting on the outside probably helps those of you who have salted roads. Out here in Washington State, sheetmetal mufflers rust out from the inside. They fill up with water from the combustion process, and if the owner only goes on short trips, or just uses the car occasionally, the water doesn't go away. It just stays there until the muffler rusts through. One trick is to drill a tiny hole at the lowest point. It must be tiny, too big and you will hear it. This effect is worst on V engines with dual exhaust. You can expect the bottom to drop out of a sheetmetal muffler in 6 months on the heat riser side. It also happens quickly on cars that have the muffler all the way in the back.

Nothing wrong with wanting to do it yourself. There is an old saying that if you want something done right you have to do it yourself. It is very true of most jobs on old cars... however... In my case it was going to cost almost as much for the kit (or even just the individual parts that were obviously bad). About $15 difference as I recall. I like to do things myself, and also didn't want to wait, but it needed stripping and repainting too as the lower part had been stripped by brake fluid. I decided to send it off. I was very happy with the result, and it didn't cost any more either (after adding in rattle cans). I am not going to rule out rebuilding my own in the future, but this went so well I probably won't. In any case, don't screw around with NOS parts. Rubber parts are what fail. Harmon Classic Brake has new booster parts for almost anything. Seafoam65 mentioned that Fusicks have Riviera kits. There are several reasons you don't normally see kits. Although it appears the early Riviera uses the same booster in every car for a given year, that is not true of most American cars. Often there are 3 different brands. Often there are mid-year changes. Also, the Midland (Ford) booster I sent off comes apart with a band clamp. Most boosters are twist-lock affairs that are crimped together after assembly. It would be very difficult to get a crimped one apart and back together for a restoration without visible damage. Dewey's turnaround was quick and the booster works great. You can have your original unit rebuilt if you want. I would do it again.

Yes, its a 1936 Graham. Possibly with the wrong front bumper and headlights.

I don't think Booster Dewey sells parts, but I would start there anyway. There is another company called Harmon Classic Brake that stocks basically everything in the way of parts. Sometimes sending it in to Booster Dewey is almost as cheap. I recently had a Midland (Ford) booster rebuilt at Booster Dewey's (by Booster Steve, actually), and the work was top notch. It has been on the road for a few months now. It looks nice, and no issues.

Some quick thoughts.... 1) Do I see two fuel inlet line fittings on the lid? If so, what do they go to? 2) Dunk your float in hot (or nearly boiling) water and look for a stream of bubbles to the surface of the water. 3) What seals the float valve itself to the lid of the carb? Does it screw in? Is there an o-ring or gasket or something? What keeps the fuel from leaking around the outside of the float valve where it attaches to the lid?

I would like to know exactly what you mean by "air horn", but if the carburetor is literally running over with fuel, there is a problem with the float system. I wish I was sure exactly what you mean. The float in a carburetor works exactly like a toilet. A valve allows liquid in until the float, floating on top of the liquid, shuts the valve. The big difference is that in a carburetor the exact level is critical. Stuff that causes carburetors to run over: 1) Fuel pressure too high. This often happens when people install electric fuel pumps. If the pressure is way too high, it can just blow past the float valve and run over. If the pressure is a little wrong, it can change the float level, leading to a whole bunch of tail chasing because the height setting in the book assumed the original fuel pressure. 2) Float valve shot. This one is self explanatory. The fuel cant shut completely off, and it just runs all the time (like a malfunctioning toilet). 3) Bad float. Any holes in the float, or any liquid inside changes the buoyancy and reduces the float's ability to shut the liquid off. Since the float level in a carburetor is critical, there is no room for error. The float must have no leaks, period. 4) Float level set wrong. The service manual will show how to set it and what the level measurement is. Hope that helps. I may be completely out to lunch if I misunderstood where the gas is coming from.

Compression testing is normally done with the plugs because all that cranking is hard on the starter, and it tends to run the battery down, changing the cranking speed before you get done. Numbers would probably be lower bacause of the lower cranking speed. That said, don't get too hung up on absolute numbers. People tend to see a number in a book and chase their tail because the numbers don't match. No two competent mechanics, or two different gauges will ever come up with the same results. In real life, what matters is that the numbers are even. A pattern showing evenness or big differences between cylinders will show up in any properly done test. Most textbooks will say less than 10%. In real life 20% is common in cars that run perfectly. Your numbers do sound a wee bit low to me, but the evenness indicates no burned valves. That is good. They may have been a little lower than expected because of slow cranking (testing with the plugs in). It may pay to check that your camshaft timing has not jumped. If you have not moved the distributor since it ran good (I hope), you might be able to just crank the engine (with a wrench, with the plugs out), until the rotor is almost to the plug wire that goes to cylinder #1. Then, crank slowly with the wrench until the points just open. This should be just before top dead center on your timing marks. The reason it works is that the distributor is driven by the camshaft, and if the cam timing is wrong, it screws up the ignition timing too. As long as nothing had been moved since it ran right, looking at the ignition can tell you. If the distributor has been moved, disregard this method.