drhach

I had a stud on my 42 that wouldn't budge, and I was worried that I would snap it off. I heated it with a propane torch and melted some beeswax into the threads. It budged. I did this a few more times, each time just moving it incrementally. I got it out. I don't know why this works, but I swear by it. The Acetone and ATF trick wouldn't even touch it. But this did the trick. I highly recommend it.

If you do save the receipts, don't let your wife see them

That's it!! When I first pulled the tank, I put the straps back where they came from. I didn't like the mounting method, but I never considered that someone may have assembled the strap wrong previously. Shame on me for that one. The correct mounting method looks way more secure and sensible. Regarding the fuel, I understand what's being said and I know the issues with modern fuel. I could just add a fuel pump or a return and be done with it. But I want those things to be last resorts. I think often times there's a tendency to jump to these solutions without really understanding the underlying issue. This often shows up with people wanting to add disc brakes. The pump is putting out 2 p.s.i where it should be 4-5. I want to address that and see where I land with this. It may be that at 2 PSI, the pump actually can't overcome any vapor issues that may be occurring by the carb. One more point, rubber is most definitely an insulator and there is a reflective cover on top of the rubber. Whether or not this made a difference is probably open to debate. The car made it further than it has previously but I still didn't go for a longer drive. So, it still may not be enough. But I also know that the fuel pump has to be addressed. I think this is one of those "death by a thousand cuts" deals. Many little issues are adding up to one big one. Once everything is right, if the problem still remains, I'll look in to either a return or an electric fuel pump. I'm not saying anyone is wrong about doing that, I'm just not convinced that it is necessary yet. Regards, Dan

Good question. I'll take a look when I get home.

I also worked on my fuel sending unit. The JB weld did not survive life in a gas tank. I discovered that the sender was stuck. When I moved it previously, it was a little stiff but moved ok. This time, I checked it before I put it in and the gauge didn't budge. Well, it turns out the set screw that holds the lever on to the sender was slipping. So, what I thought was movement of the wiper was actually just slippage. I sprayed a little PB blaster in there and got it working, but I think I may order a new one anyway. It's still pretty stiff and probably will bind again. Also, I questioned this last time I did the tank and I wanted to see if anyone can share some experience on this. The tank mounting straps attach in a very sketchy looking way. Is this right? Is there some other part that needs to go under those hooks to secure them? It seems like with the right kind of jarring motion and those could just bend the sheet metal and the tank would fall. Both sides look the same. To me that suggests that nothing is broken, but maybe there's some piece of hardware that's missing?

Still working on some fueling issues. It seems like the fuel may be boiling in the lines. The fuel lines are routed over the top of the engine but in the back. Most pictures I've seen have the lines running over the top and in front. This would have the effect of placing them in front of the fan. My 1942 manual show the routing to be what I have on my car. So, I know it is technically correct, although I think this may not be ideal. This is the routing that I have as shown in the 1942 Manual I'm getting good fuel flow but the when the car gets warm it sputters and dies. I did a few thigs to try to understand the issue. First, I split some 3/8" rubber fuel line and wrapped the metal lines. Next, I covered the with some reflective material. I figure if it's a heat issue that should help to resolve it. I also added a fuel pressure gauge and a clear fuel filter just so I can see into the line when the problem occurs. It's kind of a "Rube Goldberg" situation, but it's temporary. This is when I discovered at least part of the issue. I only have 2 psi fuel pressure where I should have 4-5. It doesn't increase at all when I rev the engine either. The manual calls for 4-5 P.S>I. at 450-1000 RPM. I can't get anywhere near that. I think with 2 P.S.I. there really isn't enough pressure to overcome any heating issues. For now, the car is running pretty good,but I still need to venture out on a longer drive. Also, the weather has cooled somewhat. Nonetheless, the pump is not right.

Here's a link to the ebay item: Vintage General Motors GM Lock Tumbler Wafer Set For Gm Doors And Trunk Locks | eBay I think it may be a mix of OEM and aftermarket tumblers. Some items were numbered like what came out of my lock and some weren't; this assumes my lock was OEM. I can't imagine what a pian it would be to drop the non-numbered ones and try to sort them out again. I made sure to keep them well separated and only use one envelope at a time. The whole kit was $27.50. Probably about what it would have cost me to have a locksmith do it. But where's the fun in that? Regards, Dan

Here you can see the cover that goes over the springs. It wasn't staked but the legs were spread out a bit to give it a snug fit. These are some of the tumblers. You can see that the notches have different heights to correspond to the cut in the key. When they all are correct, the notches should line up and allow the side bar to go into the tumbler, which allows you to turn the key. When all was said and done, I put a little tri-flow in the lock and reinstalled it. I now have a single key system for the car. Pretty cool and not terribly difficult.

Thanks Sebastien. It has a long way to go before it looks as good as your parents' 41. But I am enjoying it. In other news, I tackled the issue of the non-matching ignition switch. I mentioned near the beginning that the car didn't come with any keys. I was able to get a key made from the door lock, but it didn't work in the ignition switch. It opened all of the other locks, but not that one. Well, I decided to try re-keying the existing lock. For those who don't know, these locks use what is called a "side bar" to lock the barrel in place. The tumblers are spring loaded and when they are seated, they push a spring-loaded side bar out from the barrel and it locks into a groove. When the correct key is inserted, it aligns the tumblers and the spring pushes the side bar in, thus releasing the barrel. Basically, you have an assortment of tumblers that have different height grooves that correspond to the height of the cuts in the key. When you get it right, it's like magic. I found a GM 6 tumbler lock service kit on eBay and through trial and error got the tumblers set. Here you can see the side bar. Its normal state is to be in, the tumblers push it out. The springs are on top of the tumblers. There's a cover that goes over them to exert downward pressure when the key is removed. This is a top view where you can see the slots for the tumblers. GM Used 5 different height tumblers. Given that there are five choices for each of the six locations, that would be 5^6 possible combinations =>15,625 possible combinations

I was disappointed that I couldn't make it. I guess I get a second chance.

Sebastien, I don't know if Bo's requires a core exchange. You may want to check with them. I just ordered a clutch for my 42 Special. They told me they only have the "replacement" style available, which does not require a core.

I believe it is.

Someone said, "it's your car, you can do whatever you want". He replied, "it sure is and I will".

I was watching that one on Ebay. That car is an odd duck. The thing that struck me as odd about that car is that it doesn't have a "Special" rear end. But it has Special dash and Special/Century front fenders. This is a picture from the ebay ad. It looks like you have some "blackout" items on the car as well. I don't know enough about the various models to understand what's going on there. A data plate would sure help. If that was a Special, it should have different taillights.

I debated about that approach with the transmission. My only real issue is one of space. Having a bunch of parts kicking around is kind of a pain. But I think your thoughts on that are very sound and in the end, I suppose I could sell my old trans if I don't need it. Regards, Dan

Nice work. Are you anticipating any drivability issue with that adapter plate? Just wondering about that taper in to the bore of the intake. Regards, Dan

All of the radio terminology made me think of that video. My Father in-law is an electrical engineer from the 50's-60's I was commenting about my concern with the radio in my 1942 and how I would need to align it and generally sort it out. He said, "it's just an old Heterodyne radio, what's the big deal?" I get mechanical things. But radio stuff is like voodoo to me.

Have you checked your turb encabulator?

"needs work" talk about your massive understatements.

One more from the other side.

Well, maybe you can polish a turd after all It looks way way way better in the pictures. But at least what's left of the paint has some protection on it now.

Prepping for Winter boredom

The body tag should be on the side of the cowl on the passenger side. The VIN tag will be right above it.

I can tell you what I know based on my research into my own car. Every model had a Sedanet. There were actually two Specials offered as Sedanets. The 118" Wheelbase "40A" and the 121" Wheelbase "40B". Measure your wheelbase, that will answer that question. I believe the "A" body was shared with the Chevrolet and the "B" body was shared with other GM models. The 121 Wheelbase is probably closer to an Oldsmobile or a Cadillac than a chevy. In the "46S" designation, the "S" stands for Sedanet. The "SE" stood for "Super Equipment". SE was basically an option group that included dual carbs as standard equipment. As far as I can tell, it also included the higher end seat foam. Not much difference really. Any of these cars could have been had with any of these options. It was an upselling thing and pretty meaningless in terms of performance. The body tag would have told you that as well as the factory color and correct trim in the interior. I suppose the lack of a body tag can mean two things, depending on how you want to look at it. In one way, it will never be correct, because you don't know how it came from the factory. This could be a huge ding if a person was trying to resell at as perfectly restored. On the other hand, it gives you latitude to put it back together however you want since nay information about color and specs is long gone. It still might be helpful if you can post some pictures.