JeffH

Thanks for moving the picture over - the rest can be found on the Olds buy-sell forum. To me, $1500 does not buy much anymore. Here is a top-line model that admittedly will need some work. (Power steering and brakes are known issues, maybe add some new brake and fuel lines, and some attention to stop any rust progression.) But seems like a lot for the money! Jeff

For Sale: 1986 Olds Regency Brougham Not mine - I have not seen the car in person but have seen a few pictures. This car belonged to my daughter-in-law's grandparents. Grandmother stopped driving some time ago, and the car has been garaged up until their recent move to more appropriate accommodations. I believe the car has just under 100,000 miles, and looks great to my eye, with no rust and a perfect interior. Color is grey with grey interior. I think the car needs some attention to the brake calipers and the power steering. I can update this post with pictures and a price as soon as they are sent to me. The location is near Cleveland, OH. Pictures are posted on the Oldsmobile Buy-Sell Forum. Jeff

The price is $1500.

For Sale: 1986 Olds Regency Brougham Not mine - I have not seen the car in person but have seen a few pictures. This car belonged to my daughter-in-law's grandparents. Grandmother stopped driving some time ago, and the car has been garaged up until their recent move to more appropriate accommodations. I believe the car has just under 100,000 miles, and looks great to my eye, with no rust and a perfect interior. Color is grey with grey interior. I think the car needs some attention to the brake calipers and the power steering. I can update this post with pictures and a price as soon as they are sent to me. The location is near Cleveland, OH. Jeff

Packard put a tach in place of the glovebox door clock when they were trying to sell overdrive. This allowed dealers to demonstrate the drop in rpms when the OD engaged. I believe they sold some as optional equipment, but primarily they were demonstrators. I am sure a Packard expert can chime in here. Jeff

I used little screws on my '38. That's the way it came apart - but no guarantee that someone hadn't been there before me. Jeff

Also of interest to me at GM is the nearly-as-fast switch to trimmer, smaller (or smaller looking), cleaner designs of '61, '62. That change was pretty dramatic as well. Jeff

Machine Gun, I also drove a 1970 Hornet when I was about 18 - 19 years old. (it was a step up from my '66 VW Type 3) Mine was a base model mechanically - 232 6-cyl., 3-speed column shift, manual steering and brakes, AM radio and vacuum wipers! In this regard, it was closer to my '38 Buick than to a modern car!! Mine did have an appearance package - SST, I believe. Added vinyl roof, some trim around the wheel wells, and full wheel covers. Dark metallic green with a black roof. By the time I had it (late 70's) it was a pretty well used up, high mileage car. But, I wish I still had it! Jeff

That shift pattern would only add to the charm of this truck! Pretty sure you will find 1st to be a super-low creeper gear, for starting on hills or with a heavy trailer. 2 - 3 - 4 would be your normal pattern, enjoying 5th as conditions allow. You will just have to get used to the 3 - 4 shift.

Looks like good progress! Jeff

All good suggestions mentioned already above. I might add (or reinforce what has already been stated): Smaller bore = more pressure - but you cannot run out of travel. So, displacement of the calipers at, say 2000 psig must be accounted for. Your m/c must have this same displacement or more available. (Systems we engineered in the 1990s for the early ABS systems assumed 3000 psig, so 2000 psig is by no means too much - my opinion) Pedal ratio is totally part of this, and is just one more element in the calculation of pressure vs. available volume (in this case travel-force tradeoff) to meet the needs of your caliper's displacement. Did I see that your booster is a 7 inch? Single diaphragm? That sounds like it is your main problem. Can you package something bigger? How about researching the Corvette system (your front calipers have the greatest displacement, and contribute the most to stopping). Try to match booster size, m/c size and pedal ratio to that proven system. Or, if you have to trade off booster size, understand the limits of what you can do to compensate (m/c bore diameter vs. caliper displacement). Finally, with a rear wheel drive application I would assume you want front/rear split, not diagonal. Be sure your m/c is intended for this type of split, as the volume of the rear part of the system will be sized smaller than the front. If I recall correctly, all front / rear split m/c's that I encountered had the rear-most chamber feeing the front wheels, and the front-most chamber feeding the rears. If your connections are reversed, you could easily be out of travel (and limiting pressure) for the fronts. Regards, Jeff

I go to Interstate Batteries for my '38 Special. They make the same package that the Buick used originally - told me it is referred to as a "combine battery". Picture the long skinny engine compartment of a combine, I guess. The first battery I had for my Buick came from one of the Buick parts guys (it was 30 years ago, so I won't mention the name or continue to hold it against them). It did not last. The CCA of that battery was in the neighborhood of 350 CCA, while the Interstate is available in something like 650 CCA. They have lasted me for years. I peel off the label and it looks appropriate as well. Jeff

Yes, you are describing a parallel arrangement. Both bulbs will see the same voltage. Current will increase a bit - probably not a problem with these small bulbs, but if you have any unwanted voltage drops along the way it will bring down the voltage a bit.

Yep, that's it! Still a challenge, even with this tool. It helps though, because there is one less thing to keep track of. I believe I found mine on this forum. Jeff

Feel free to chime in and correct me if I am wrong. But, I do believe dwell should be set before timing, as dwell will affect timing - much more than you may think. Also, my '38 248 valves are set HOT, with the engine running. Yes, it is a challenge. There is a tool designed for this purpose that combines the wrench and screwdriver in one tool. Jeff

Thanks! I will give it a try. Jeff

John, Any chance for a clearer photo of what you did on your '38. My '38 hood always works it's way forward, and I would like to fabricate a solution as you did. Jeff

Please suggest to this guy that he put some additional lighting on the rear of the car!! The speed difference of someone coming up from behind can be dangerous, even on a secondary road.

Carbking - your explanation lines up exactly with my findings over the years with my '38 Buick Special. (fitted with the Stromberg AAV-167 - factory recommended service replacement carb). Many people will chime in with the quick answer - "Vapor Lock". However, this is not the case. Fuel percolation / expansion, exactly as you describe, is the culprit. The starting technique is just like you describe as well. But, here is what stumps me... my local old car buddies ('39 Packard Six, '50 Hudson Commodore, '37 Dodge, '40 Packard Super Eight) have no such issues! Must be just the difference in the way the carb and fuel lines tend to heat soak on one car vs. another. But, you would think at least one of these guys has the same frustration! Thanks again for your explanation, Jeff

What voltage does the tender provide? Also, consider just putting the tender on for shorter periods of time. I never use one and simply pull the negative terminal when the car is not in use. If the car remains un-used for longer than a month or two, I put my standard charger on it for a day, just to top off the charge. If your battery is in good condition, this should work fine. A tender is really for a more modern vehicle that has multiple computers - each with full-time quiescent current draw. Some new cars are in trouble as soon as 2 - 3 weeks (airport parking lot scenario). The only full time current draw in the '38 is the clock, when the solenoid rewinds it. Again, mine is usually left disconnected, or is disabled when I pull the negative terminal from the battery. Also, a great source for '38 Buick batteries is Interstate. They sell a battery in the same package size as original, but with something like 750 CCA. I was told that they still carry this battery due to agricultural use - apparently two are used in series in the engine compartment of many combines. Jeff

I love trucks of this vintage, and the Chevrolets in particular. If I am not mistaken, these trucks would have had essentially the same engine as the passenger cars (217, then 235 - correct?). I would not be surprised to hear of a different carburetor, intake manifold, cam shaft... but essentially the same engine. Also, they would have had a 4-speed, with a very low 1st - supplemented with a 2-speed rear. Please correct me if I am wrong. Granted, the loads were less, and speed limits were lower. But, WOW, what a difference to today's trucks. Even the larger trucks of the time (Mack, White, Kenworth) were no powerhouses, and relied on gearing to get the job done. I would be very interested to hear about the driving experience with these trucks, if anyone has any insight. Jeff

Pretty sure bumper mounts are not the same from '37 to '38. Jeff

GREAT DISCUSSION! Thank you for the education. To share the extent of my ignorance, I had no idea they made Standard and Super Beetles at the same time. Also, although I knew (of course) about general engine displacement increases, headlight and tail light changes, etc. - I only knew about this stuff in general terms. What can I say, my only Volkswagen was a 1966 Type 3 Squareback. (it was my first car, well-used by the time I got it - but I loved it!) Can you elaborate a little further on the specific years for the Standard vs. Super Beetles, and their models / features? (U.S. only might simplify this) Thanks!