Mike "Hubbie" Stearns
-
Posts
802 -
Joined
-
Last visited
-
Days Won
1
Content Type
Forums
Gallery
Events
Posts posted by Mike "Hubbie" Stearns
-
-
Great. It will look good when done. Keep up the good work. Mike
-
Mike, got a question for you. Should the screws in the moldings be oval straight blade to be correct? The 1928 I'm working on has no Phillips head screws anywhere. And I think an oval screw would look better than a flat head screw. Thanks mike
-
1
-
-
There's a current topic talking about rare parts. There's always rare parts to find on just about any restoration project. There's also common parts that fit multable car/trucks and multable years. I was just wondering where's your go to places places for common parts. I'm currently restoring a 1928 Gramm chassis fire truck that is somewhat rare, but may use common parts. Thanks for your input.
-
Pfeil, you are correct. The original engine was beyond repair. The mains had spun in the block and also had several cracks. We able to talk to a local person who confirmed the condition of the block. He was rebuilding a 1200 and needed a crank and rods so we made a deal that helped both of us. I think my car was a 112 or 113. Sorry I really don't remember. Which one it was.
-
My first car I owned was a 65 vw bug. My dad and I rebuilt it together at home in his garage. It wasn't running and needed pretty much everything. Dad was a master mechanic ( he past away in 2005) so rebuilding everything was kinda easy except for metric bolts and nuts. Dad had only standard tools as he was a shop Forman for a trucking company. Once everything was gone through, it's was time to do bodywork and paint. I was so proud of all he work dad did and taught me during the rebuild. The madden voeage was a trip around the block, about 5 miles in the countryside. I don't know who enjoyed it more. He would take it to work to show it off. I drove it back and forth to college. It would get in the low 20's mpg and would run in 70-80 mph on the interstate. It had a 1500 cc engine. I miss it at times when I need to go to town, about 30 miles round trip. It would be cheaper the driving my diesel pickup. Here diesel is about a dollar more a gallon. I can say it was the first rebuild I had ever done.
-
Happy Thanksgiving everyone 😀
-
Since it got warm enough to work in the garage, I've got the blocked separated and to the machine shop. Like all machine shops, they are covered up. At least it's there and is in line for repair. Meanwhile, I got the rest of the engine pulled so I can degrease it and the frame. I've spent a lot of time this year outside and not much time working on the truck. Degreasing the frame (from the front bumper to the fire pump took a lot of time. Pulled apart the front springs to clean. All the spring and King pins look great. Won't have to replace any of them. Got frame primed and sanded. Just mother nature would cooperate with me, too high humidity to paint the frame. Been working on stripping paint from front fenders while I'm waiting on the weather. Talked to the machine shop and he said it was his winter project and would let me know when he was going to start. I helped my brother strip paint on his 54 ford truck and now remember how I hate stripping paint. Woo hoo, Finally got the frame painted and it looks great. Even my body man thinks so. It's been many years since I used a spray gun and I purchased a hvlp gun. It's was like riding a bike, you just never forget. Again is gotten too cold to work in my garage so will be waiting for next spring. Meanwhile I have the cowl assembly in the wood shop so I can replace some of the wood. Hoping to have it done and ready to put back on next spring.
-
4
-
-
Hello to all. I'm a newbie here and have enjoyed reading all the forums, what great info. I'm in the process restoring a 1928 Boyer Gramm Special fire truck. I first started by removing removing it from a learning center in June 2017 where it had been since 1995. kids played on it and acted like real firemen. It was up on jack stands. 2 of the 4 tires were flat. I was able to put a lot 30 psi of air in 3 of 4 tires. The 4th had a broken off valve core. It took about 10 of us to get it out the door and onto a rollback. It then was hauled to the fire department I'm on and unloaded. I've been a volunteer firemen for 29 years now. The engine was free. I pulled the plugs and started with navel mystery oil in the cylinders. In September, I pulled it home with the help of my daughter Maggie and a friend. Mags and I cleaned out a bay in the garage to put it and it just fit. It's about 7' wide and 24' long and weight about 6 tons. It took about a month to the radiator to hold water. It had a crack in the lower tank. Fortunely Mgs is a welder at a weld shop and was able to weld up. Well after hand cranking for months, I hooked a battery (6 volt) and started cranking with no plugs. Cleaned carb and added some gas th the tank after removing toys from it. Installed the plugs and hit the starter button and the starter would hardly turn it over. Time to pull the starter and see what's going on. Cleaned and lubed up. Reinstalled and the same thing. What else could it be? Well I do have copies of the build sheets from Boyer and it did say the battery was 8 volts. A quick call to my brother, and he told me to check the coil and see voltage it had on it if any. 12v was on it so the next day after work I stopped and picked up a battery, cables and a starter solenoid. After hooking everything up, I hit the button and it turned over great. Another problem solved. Turned the ignition switch on and hir the button again. The look on my face must have been priceless when it fired up. The kids did a number on the dash gauges so I hooked up a oil pressure gauge and fired again. You guessed it, no oil pressure. Time to pull the pan and see what's going on. The engine is a Contental 15 H straight 6 flathead. After cleaning the pan and oil filter housing of sludge. The sludge was about an inch and a half deep. Reinstalled the pan and 5 gals of oil and tried again. No luck, no oil pressure. Pulled again. Pulled oil pump apart and looks good. Found a pin on the oil pump drive shaft had broken. Replaced and put it all back together. Fired up and 30 psi oil pressure. Next is filling cooling system and check for leaks. Started and water poured out the exhaust. Shut down and checked to see where it's coming from. After a compression test, number 2 cylinder is dead. Pulled the head and found a crack down the cylinder about 2.5" long and across to exhaust valve. After a couple of calls to friends and J and M Machine, the engine lost the water pump and got too hot. Another set back. Continental engine used a aluminum oil pan and crankcase with a cast iron Blockand head. It's gotten too cold in the garage to work anymore this year so it will have to wait till spring and warmer times. Meanwhile it's time to do some reasearch. I'm also a member of spaamfaa. The pictures make it look good, but it has 5 coats of paint on it and very little rust. A friend of mine is going to do the body work and painting. The first picture is after it came to the fire department and the rest are when it was at the learning center
-
1
-
-
Thanks Bud for the info. It also explains why some of the castings have 14H numbers
-
I'm looking for a service manual that covers the 1928 continental 15h engine. I'm also wondering if anyone has the speciation on it. Thanks in advance. Hubbie
Rusted bolt holes
in Technical
Posted
M-mman, I do agree that chasing the threads is a big part as well in lubing when reassembling. I personally use anti seize on all exhaust nuts and bolts. Anti seize is a high heat lubercant. It's best to use when you have steel bolt installed in aluminum. Dissimilar metals will have electrolysis as well. Anytime stainless steel nuts and bolts are assembled should have a anti seize used as they will guald and won't come apart without cutting.
As for a bolt being sealed when installed is incorrect. Straight threaded items will require a thread sealant ( pipe dope ) or a mechanism seal. That's why mechanics always dip head bolts in sealant when installing on older sub chevy engines due to the bolts going into the water jacket. Pipe threads are tapered and create a somewhat of a seal, but still need to have a thread sealant used. The plumbing company I work for require the use of both tape and dope on all threaded joints.