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Grimy

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Everything posted by Grimy

  1. Let me add my teeth-grinder: people who abbreviate "cylinder" as "cly," e.g., a "6-cly" DeSoto. CLY-inder????
  2. I've found that marine shut off valves these days have diaphragms that are adversely affected by ethanol. I look at swap meets for vintage ones that have no diaphragms, simply brass cup-and-cone construction--they seem to last indefinitely or until the mating parts become eroded.
  3. 10W-40 will be fine--you need a multigrade. Hesitation on acceleration: Look for info on how (whether) you can adjust the accelerator pump, sounds like it should be a step richer. I'd put a vacuum gauge on a warmed up engine as next diagnostic step--but do you have a vacuum port? usually we put gauge on vacuum wipers source. Next is distributor: Is the vacuum advance working, and its hose intact (not leaking)? Point gap to spec?
  4. Yes, radiator end is #1. If it were mine, I'd just drive it and have fun with it. I would add a good carb/fuel injection cleaner, in a slightly rich mix (maybe 25% richer than the label suggests) to the fuel tank before topping off. 10W-30 or 15W-40 oil, changed HOT, once a year irrespective of mileage. Consistent driving fresh motor oil may loosen up the valves and rings. For a flathead, those numbers are just fine IMHO, especially if #2 improves after the recommended treatments (give it a year under your use). Sucking and popping--don't worry about it. Snug up (do NOT lean hard on wrench) carb mounting nuts and manifold nuts as a matter of general principles.
  5. Definitely Pierce. Interesting that the water outlet is on the right side, which means not for 48 hp 1916-20, whose water pumps are on the left side of the engine. What's the diameter of the upper neck?
  6. 5 qts for sure, then check dipstick. Someone MAY have used the tug's oil pan when they installed the Dodge engine, perhaps for clearance reasons. If so, and if the pans are different, let's hope they used the tug engine's dipstick.
  7. If it has been leaking despite a new gasket, surface (plane) the stat housing, as it's important to have two parallel surfaces. If the stat housing is cast iron or cast aluminum, fill any remaining pits with JB Weld or similar, and smooth them out. If the mounting fasteners are studs in the head, be sure to clean the circumference of the studs where they emerge from the head, using a dental pick. If it has been leaking (apparently so) and the surfaces are irregular, use/make a thicker gasket, maybe as much as 5/32", coated with gasket dope (I prefer ol' reliable Permatex #2) on both sides. Tighten evenly, alternating between/among the fasteners. Am I missing something here?
  8. Is there something unique about the mating surfaces on that car? Photos or at least a more detailed explanation would help us help you. Usually a gasket, even a thicker-than-normal one, would suffice for a stat housing bolted to an L-head. Uneven/corroded surfaces?
  9. That square Westinghouse generator and distributor on its rear end serving the intake side plugs says 1916-1918 to me. Many components have the engine number (same as chassis number) stamped into them, so those numbers would be helpful.
  10. The lessons learned the hardest are the lessons learned the best! 🙂
  11. The wire hose clamps aren't very good at *initial* sealing, so when installing new hose I put a pair of wire hose clamps in the center of the new hose section, snugged just enough so they don't flop around, then use modern worm gear clamps as shown on the ends. After 20 or 30 heating-cooling cycles, the new hoses are more or less bonded, so one at a time, unscrew completely and remove a worm gear clamp and slide the wire clamp down and secure it. My experience is that it's well nigh impossible to get a wire clamp started on the car once it's been pulled apart.
  12. And that may well be the cause of inadequate fuel supply....
  13. Mary Elizabeth, thank you very much for letting us know. Your dad Terry is very highly regarded here and all of his many friends are so sorry to hear this news and wish him the very best for a speedy and full recovery.
  14. I damn near got killed on my first honeymoon in 1967 when my bride's 1965 Monza 2-d hardtop with factory tire pressure settings got blown into the path of an oncoming big rig. We had that car another 8 years, the duration of the marriage, and I experimented with various tire pressures. What worked best for me was 18 psi front and 36 psi rear.
  15. The 1934 Series 50-60-90 had sidemounted spares as an option. I strongly recommend you find a copy of the 1934 Buick 50-60-90 shop manual (does not include series 40), an official Buick publication that is very comprehensive. I recommend paying a bit more to get an original rather than a reprint for optimal clarity of the many illustrations therein.
  16. Another possible cause is clogged exhaust on one or both sides due to baffle collapse or mouse nests. Here's how to test, running one bank (only) at a time on dual exhaust vehicles: With a warmed up engine, add a vacuum gauge (disconnect the vacuum wiper feed). Have an assistant run the engine at about *steady* 1,500 rpm for two full minutes while you monitor the vacuum gauge. It will take 15-20 seconds for the gauge to stabilize as the engine is initially revved up. Note the vacuum gauge reading when it first stabilizes. At the end of two full minutes, again note the vacuum gauge reading. If there has been a substantial drop during the two-minute period, particularly if the gauge continues to fall, you have some form of exhaust system blockage *on that bank.* This is a minimally intrusive diagnosis, meaning that you don't need to drop any exhaust components unless suggested by the results of this test. And it's even easier on a single exhaust vehicle.
  17. As I recall, the data plate was originally behind that aftermarket oil filter on the right side of the firewall. The original oil filter was a steel can throwaway mounted on the engine itself. In time, unbolt the entire filter assembly and look behind the pad. Happy to see that you still have the spark plug cover and its original thumbscrews--often missing.
  18. I was thinking 1941 Champion from the proportions.
  19. One vulnerability of these cars is that of the steel tubes in the cast iron heat riser between the carb and the intake manifold. If these twin tubes (2-barrel carb) are rusted through, exhaust gases will enter and contaminate the fuel mixture, affording disappointing to abysmal performance depending on the severity of the leak. As part of your recommissioning process, I suggest you remove and carefully inspect. New tubes can be fabricated from stainless and pressed in. An excellent source for Buick parts is Bob's Automobilia in Atascadero, California. In my opinion, the best gasket supplier is Olson's Gaskets in Washington State. (Bob's may sell Olson's gaskets, and if so perhaps shipping would be less expensive ordering gaskets from Bob's.) I'd order a full set of gaskets now, so that you are not stalled waiting for individual gaskets to arrive. If there is an opportunity to order an asbestos-center (between 2 pieces of copper) head gasket, even though more expensive, it would be well worth the added expense. My experience is that old-stock asbestos-center gaskets need to be retorqued only once after installation and some initial runtime, but the plastic-center (since asbestos was removed from new manufacture) gaskets need multiple retorquings, as many as four or five, until they take a final set. As to which series, the Series 40 was new for 1934 and had a downdraft carburetor, but Series 50, 60, and 90 (all unique engines of varying displacements) retained updraft cabs.. To be sure, please post a photo of the data plate affixed to the engine side of the firewall. All Series 50 had 4.88 differential gears and there are no easy interchanges, so expect a 45 mph cruising speed.
  20. Yes indeed, the mechanical fuel pump is at the right rear of the engine. That car does have vacuum-assisted brakes with a large canister underneath the car on the left side. Leaks from the vacuum line leading from the rear of the intake manifold to the canister or from its internal diaphragm will cause an excessively lean condition.
  21. It may be of interest to some to know that for at least 30 years, the State of California has required a "bitterant" added to anti-freeze sold in that state to make it unattractive to pets, other animals, and small children. The jugs *used* to say "bitterant added" but I don't think they are so marked these days. On the other hand, my car friend Gary's wife makes him small individual portions of jello for his lunch and keeps them in the fridge. Containers of green jello are labeled "Prestone" and red jello labeled "Dex-Cool." 🙂
  22. From the dis-/un-covered dash, I'll venture that the car is a 1946-48 (and first series 1949). Wheelbase will confirm--Windsor of those years has 121.5" wheelbase.
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