JamesR
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Posts posted by JamesR
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I think these are the first pictures I've seen of the painted exterior surfaces outdoors in the natural light. That color looks great in real daylight, too...very "1961."
I forgot to ask - did you need to replace major body panels or bumpers? (Probably in the text somewhere, but I haven't read everything.) If so, can you share your source? I found a refurbished and replated nice looking front bumper on ebay back when I bought my car a dozen years ago. IT WAS ONLY $185...but I thought, nah! Dumb move that I regretted. As I've said before, my front bumper has a sizable ding on the driver side.
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Thanks Bloo. My car did have turn signals originally, and it does use the staggered locking pin style bulbs (per the MGA site graphic.)
Thanks for the explanation on the turn signal switch. That clears up a lot. I was leaving wiring the turn signal switch to the last after I got everything else working.
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Hi everyone. I'm rewiring my '54 Ford with a Ron Francis 6 volt complete wiring kit. For wiring the turn signal and brake lights, along with the running lights, the instructions say to connect turn signal wire (which will also be brake wiring for rear lights) to the "bright filament" and connect the running light wire to the "dim filament." Useful info, but not entirely practical. It isn't identifying which filaments are which in the bulb that's the issue, but identifying which contact on the bulb receptacle I need to connect to!! They don't clarify this in the instructions, maybe because it's a universal kit.
I googled and found this explanation for identifying dim vs. bright contacts by using this method, and I want to make sure it's correct before proceeding:
- hold a bulb horizontally, glass to the left
- rotate bulb until locking nib closest to the base is at the bottom
- contact point on bulb nearest you is the for the dim filament
- connect wire to corresponding contact on bulb receptacle.
Is this Correct? Thought I'd check with you guys before connecting the wires. The site I got it from looks great, but it's for MG's, so wanted to verify info:
https://mgaguru.com/mgtech/electric/et107a.htm
Can't wait to connect to start wiring the turn signal switch...that'll be real confusing.
(I'm going to talk to the Francis company before proceeding with that.) Thanks. - Jim
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As I recall, you have an old 50 Plymouth. I had a 50 Plymouth, too, and it had the 6 volt system, a positive ground, old deteriorating cloth insulation...and very few fuses.
The things I just mentioned are limitations, pretty much. The people at Ron Francis wiring have helped me out a lot (google them to get contact info.) I'm rewiring on old 6 volt Ford and their advice has been helpful...but it can be a challenge to connect with customer service. I'd take their advice if your wiring is original to the car.
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11 hours ago, joe_padavano said:
Did I mention you should get a Chassis Service Manual? The 1964 manual is a five volume set.
Wow, I had A '63 Dynamic 88, and the service manual for both the full sized car and the smaller F-85 were all in one giant, hard to use volume. Looks like Olds wised up for the following year.
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Here's a couple of photos from shortly after I refurbished my Ranch Wagon. I scanned the pictures from prints, so they're scratchy. The kids are wearing their Halloween costumes in the summer...don't ask why. They are now driving age, but currently don't have much interest in old cars. It still may happen, though. And I'm proud of them.
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I have to be honest - I probably wouldn't buy a car that's too nice - or valuable - to drive. I know some people like Jay Leno drive their million dollar old cars around town, and that's great, but I could never do that, even if I was rich enough to do so. Even with my drivers I get a little anxious about other motorists. If I had a vintage perfect Rolls Royce with a $300,000 restoration I'd be thinking don't run into me lady all the time. The most beautiful car ever IMO is the Maserati A6GCS Berlinetta coupe, but I'd never want to own one. They're worth millions and too valuable. I'll stick with old post war Fords and Chryslers.
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With the brand new or nearly new cars we've purchased in the last 25 years, the general rule was that a fairly extensive/comprehensive maintenance package was scheduled (and genuinely needed) at about 100,000 miles. The aggregate cost was anywhere from $1200 to $2000. This was true of the Chevy S-10, the Chrysler Ton and Country and Subaru Legacy we owned, and a few other cars that we bought with less than 100,000 miles (something to consider when shopping for modern "lower mileage" used cars of 80 or 90 k.) Acura may have that maintenance package scheduled at 50k rather than 100k, but that does kind of seem early compared to other brands. But I don't know about Acura...just giving my experience for comparison.
Yes, this seems expensive, but it's in lieu of the regular lower cost maintenance that cars used to need much more often than 100,000 miles. For example, when I started driving, plugs were needed every 10,000, and plug wires maybe every 20 or 30k. Also, brakes seem to last a lot longer now than they did in the past. I'm told the reason plugs and wires cost so much today is because changing them is labor intensive due to lack of accessibility due to smaller and more complicated designs. Don't know if it's true or not, but that's what they say. When all is said and done, it seems like the second mechanic you talked to was more correct than the first, given the mileage on the car, but you should do more research, and really at an Acura forum. Good luck.
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Nice car. Sorry I have nothing specific to offer on it's value, but it seems to me that old cars advertised online (with national exposure) without titles go for a fraction of what cars with a genuine title go for. If you're going to sell it locally/regionally on Craigslist...no big deal for Oklahoma buyers. Without a title, Nebraska buyers and some other nearby states will avoid that car like the plague. Glad you're waiting for the title. Good luck with the sale.
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3 hours ago, Laughing Coyote said:
Your booster is a Midland Ross style. Both are cars were built around the same time in 1960.
Thanks for the info. Very helpful.
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We were at the Smithsonian in DC a couple of years ago, and I wasn't that impressed by the automotive related stuff. It's a wonderful place, but cars really don't seem to be what they do. They were a part of static displays and certainly not run. That's fine for old airplanes - which have stress and safety issues - but old cars could at least be started. The problem is, places like the Smithsonian can't have vehicles with tanks full of gas in buildings frequented by tourists, let alone ventilation for running vehicles.
That's where we, the small time collectors or restorers, come in. We can keep one or two old cars in good structural, cosmetic and running condition while the big places can't. We serve an important function.
There's a car museum off the interstate in a neighboring state, and I enjoy visiting the place, but they have scores of old vehicles in shelters that have no walls in some cases. Only roofs. Makes me cringe a bit, but it's a family owned place and I guess they can't afford to keep every car in the best possible condition. They have a select couple of dozen or so that they maintain and store properly.
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Okay, I plead ignorance on my own car. I was confusing it with the '63 Olds I sold a couple of years ago. It had a vacuum reserve tank. I looked and couldn't find one anywhere in the engine bay of my Mercury. I have the same type of vacuum power brake booster that was in that other Monterey convertible I posted pics of, and like that car, there seems to be no obvious vacuum tank. Maybe it's somewhere else(?) If anyone else knows, please let me know.
Sorry for the lack of cleanliness in my engine bay. I will clean it up. That's on my list. I put an aluminum radiator in the car - it's only non original component along with radial tires - and haven't had time to mess with other stuff. (I'm also rewiring a different car and I bought a T Bird.)
I did include another pic to give an indication of the overall condition of the car. It has 54,000 original miles. It's got a 352 and a two speed auto transmission. Oh, another non original item I have is a small tach so I could see how many RPM's my two speed is making my engine rev at highway speeds. Paint and interior are original, as is chrome. You might be able to tell from the photo that my interior upholstery still has the tight fighting clear plastic covers over the seats that came from the dealer when new. It's kept them in excellent shape. There is a sizable bumper ding and small piece of missing trim on the other side.
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I just want to say congratulations on acquiring the new old Dodge, and thanks for posting the pic of the nice old Jag. You obviously know what nice old cars are all about, so I'm sure the Dodge lives up to your assessment. NAPA won't have the hood spring. Why do you need another one? If it's because of corrosion, then be cautious of corrosion elsewhere, as others have said. The internet and ebay are the best bet for a lot of the parts you mentioned. On the other hand, NAPA has often surprised me for what they've had in stock that will work on my '54 Ford Ranch Wagon.
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I do have power brakes, and I'm sure my car has a vacuum reserve tank, but not in that configuration. The car's in storage, but if I get a chance, I'll take a picture of what I've got and post it. I hate to admit it, but I can't exactly remember what the tank looks like.🙄
Hemmings won't let me post the exact picture, but here's a '61 Monterey that also doesn't have the tank. (Go to the engine bay pic.) Wish I could remember how mine's set up. I'm guessing Meteors maybe had a slightly different system, or maybe they sourced units from different suppliers during the model year. That's been the case for different parts on other cars I've owned. And of course, despite my car's originality, it may have an aftermarket replacement.
https://www.hemmings.com/blog/2018/12/29/hemmings-find-of-the-day-1961-mercury-monterey/
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The car really is turning out awesome! I just love the color...the paint job looks fantastic so far.
I have a question: What is the rectangular black metal enclosure sitting at an angle in the engine compartment forward of the master cylinder (on the fender well)? My '61 Monterey doesn't have one of those.
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Where's his wife? Aren't you supposed to get one of those when you get married?
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For several years I've left Bounce dryer sheets inside my cars to keep mice and rats away. Rodents can ruin the interior and wiring of a car. I have no definite proof that Bounce dryer sheets work, but I generally haven't had a problem since using them, but they need to be refreshed when the fragrance fades. Leaving them in for an overly long or second winter season will not work. When I've let them sit too long in a car in a mousy environment the evidence of pests returns.
Some people have suggested Irish Spring soap because of it's strong scent. I've tried this but I'm not sure it works - if it does, you'll also need to change it out when the scent fades. I also buy some stuff at the local farm store (Orscheln's) that claims to keep pests away so I'm using that with my Bounce sheets. Again, no problems so far, but that might just be because the place I'm storing my cars at now is relatively free of mice compared to the old place. There's a feral cat community living next door to my current storage place, and that probably helps. Also, with severe Canadian or upper mid-western winters, you really want to resist the urge to start the car when the weather gets temporarily warmer (above freezing) for a couple of days. The engine heat and blower heat will draw mice to your car like a magnet. Obviously OK to do that once the car has a mouse-free environment indoors, but for the one season it sits outside I wouldn't.
Good luck with the car.
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Cool old buildings! I have nothing so glamorous to offer, but about 15 years ago there was still a prominent Chevy dealership downtown in the same building they'd occupied for 50 years or more. Now the building is vacant, though I think they've tried different uses since then, none really very successful, I don't think. The big pic gives you some of the interesting period architectural details, though.
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Wow, for a modern car, that's about as pretty as they come. Sort of in the spirit of the last T Bird they made, but even prettier, IMHO. Obviously I don't know as much about making or marketing cars as those folks do, but I think if that - or something similar - could've become a production model they would've sold quite a few. Wouldn't you rich folks out here have bought if they'd made it?
Sorry that I can't help as far as the prototype being sold or not. Thanks for posting the pics.
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1 hour ago, Rusty_OToole said:
Newer cars get a multi speed blower by using a series of resistors. You could do the same if all else fails and you can only get a single speed motor.
Thanks Rusty. I may talk to you about that strategy and get more specifics, if you don't mind. As it stands right I'm thinking I may go with a new singe speed replacement. I really don't want to be second guessing my motor rebuilding skills. I'll already be second guessing my car rewiring skills.
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I'm rewiring my '54 Ford, so I have the front seat out and some of the carpet pulled back a bit. This gives me a chance to see how the POR-15 I treated the interior with about 10 years ago is holding up. The "por" mean "paint over rust,", so it's designed to go on without extensive rust removal, IF you follow instructions. The floor had surface rust on the top back then - extensive in spots - but no rust through and the underside of the floor was pretty good because the car had been undercoated when new.
I'm happy to say that the POR-15 is still looking good and the rust has not come through anywhere I can see...even after 10 years. Sound deadening used was just the standard carpet underlay, and it seems to work pretty good.
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4 hours ago, MCHinson said:
I would suggest you find a local electric motor shop. They should be able to disassemble and repair the existing motor, clean, lubricate, and replace bearings if needed and rewire it with new insulation. I don't think you will find too many people on this forum who would suggest changing the voltage. We like them like they came from the factory.
Thanks Matthew. I'll try an electric motor repair place...I hadn't thought of that. Great idea. It it doesn't work, it won't bother me to use one of the new single speed units that are available. Like I say, this is a fair weather car that doesn't get the heater used much, but the original switch (which I will keep in the car) indicates two speeds, so I thought I might try to maintain that feature if I could. Since I had everything apart, I decided to to change out the heater core, too.
I'm glad people here aren't judgemental on keeping 6 volt. That's why I like it here I guess.
I forget that that this isn't the Ford Barn (though that place is great, too.)
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Thanks for the input, Matthew. No, the original application is a three wire motor and two speed switch from the factory, as the shop manual wiring diagrams, pictures and text indicate. "Two speed ranges are are provided for the blower by means of a switch and a two speed, three wire motor," the manual says. And that's what my setup is. In '53 the switch apparently controlled the speeds by pull/push, and in my '54 by rotation. One of the three wires is a ground.
I suppose that I could reuse the original motor, but as I recall, I was getting a little electric motor bearing noise (I don't run the heater often, as this is a "nice weather" car.) The real problem is that some of the old cloth insulation has fallen off all the way up to the grommet that enters the motor housing, so I can't be confident of proper insulation at point of entry or inside the motor. The manual has no info whatsoever on the disassembly of the heater motor, and while there appears to be screws holding the motor together, I'm not sure it was made to be disassembled and refurbished. Very difficult to get apart.
New old stock will be very hard to come by, but might be the only way to retain the two speed function in six volt. Please folks, no lectures about rewiring in 12 volt - the overdrive relay and solenoid are incredibly expensive in 12 volt. I expect that converting to 12 volt would cost me close to an extra $1000 when all is said and done. I've read that voltage reducers won't work for this relay and solenoid, so I'm not going there.
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Rewiring my '54 Ranch Wagon. I could use the existing heater motor, I guess, but I'd rather find one that isn't 64 years old. Only new 6 volt heater motors I find are single speed. I want a two speed (three wire.)Thanks for any help.
Jim
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Turn signal light wiring connection question.
in General Discussion
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Any other input? I'l be wiring my running lights and tail lights soon.