Grimy

Over 20 years ago I made the mistaking of polishing and then clear-coating the aluminum intake manifold on a 1925 Pierce Series 80. The portions of the intake near the exhaust's carb hotspot turned the loveliest shades of orange and black! They faded over time but I took a lot of ribbing about it. Lesson learned: Don't clear-coat any aluminum near heat.

Wishing you luck! I'm in San Leandro and garages start at $150 per month, 3-car shops at $1,200. When I was your age I was paying $5/month single, $10 for a 2-car, but that was a long, long time ago. Here's what I used to do: Go to local churches and senior citizens centers and post a "want garage to rent" note on 4 x 6 cards. You're looking for widows who no longer drive and could use a little extra income. Say something like the following: "Student/young professional [as appropriate] with references needs a storage garage for a 1920s infrequently driven (maybe one day a week) collector car which is fully insured. Will not store hazardous materials. [First name and phone number]." Just get your foot in the door and they usually won't mind if you work on it over weekends so long as you're not painting (other than rattle cans) or running a grinder. Feel free to PM me with your location and a phone number in case I happen across something.

Carl, I've never had a 1933 so haven't researched the issue, but my understanding is that Pierce replaced a number of worm drive rear ends with 1934-and-later hypoids well beyond the 90-day warranty period common at the time. So I walked into the next room and asked a house guest collector of multiple Pierces, including a 1933 converted to hypoid long ago. He believes that the brass wore far more quickly than intended, possibly because of the higher speeds of passenger cars vs. Pierce worm drive trucks which had much greater longevity. He also opined that, with time, some number failed due to use of wrong lubricant installed by other than Pierce dealers... :-)

Non-technical recognition guide: Hypoid diffs have the pinion entering at the bottom of the pumpkin; non-hypoids' pinions enter near the (vertical) center. Pierce went to hypoid in 1929, except for their abortive experiment with worm gears in 1933 only. C Carl is right, as usual: hypoid diffs MUST have EP gear oil. GL-4 is kinder to yellow metals than GL-5 which was designed for limited-slip. As I've whined before, a PhD chemist at S**L*** gave me VERY bad info 20 years ago that their (then) GL-6 full synthetic would not harm the yellow metals in my 1936 Pierce diff. I found the pumpkin very hot while filling a leaky shock, and quickly changed it to GL-4, but found the dreaded golden sparkles in the draining GL-6. I caught it in time and drove it many more miles with no problems or recurrence of excessive heat. My 1948 Jeepster owners manual is very specific that EP gear oil must be used in the diff, but NOT in the trans and overdrive, which need "straight mineral oil" today known as GL-1. I use GL-1 in synchromesh transmissions and their free wheeling or overdrive add-ons.

FWIW, I agree with Spinney, especially about compressing one ring before adding the next, but suggest using a little water pump grease on the shaft before adding the first circle of packing. EVERY Old Car Person needs this experience! And carry some extra packing and a little w/p grease in the car. I use a film canister (remember those?) inside a small ziplock bag for the grease. Film canisters are also handy for hiding parking meter change from prospective thieves, but I'm expecting to find them in antique shops any day now. Turn down the gland nut only barely enough to stop dripping, then again a few miles later when it starts to drip. After three of these minimalist moves, you're set for a few thousand miles. PLEASE remove the grease fitting and install a (turn-down) grease CUP. The fitting is ONLY for use with the T-handle short grease gun that came with the car and which applies very low pressure compared to a lever-handle grease gun--the latter will blow your seals. It's worth trying the original materials and techniques. If your pump remains a leaker, it will probably need a rebuild including a new shaft, at which time it's best to use modern seals and sealed bearings instead of bushings--zero maintenance.

Very Uncommon for the era, more common for show cars today to prevent paint chips from actually using the sidemounted spares.

"Hump" trunk = touring sedan; flat/slope trunk lid = sedan. More room for travel/"touring" baggage in the touring sedan, hence the name.

Uh-oh.....

Interesting that Hyman's says "... and currently showing what are believed to be less than 23,000 actual miles.." yet Mr. Stein is said to have driven it >300,000 miles. I'd like to know his car care techniques!

YES, YOU DO! Because the crud just doesn't settle out in the oil pan, it also settles in the crankshaft and other oil passages. See these photos of crankshaft oil passages and the results of non-detergent oil.

We're all assuming that "front window" means "windshield." Split vertically (as so far) include ca. 1920 Franklins or horizontally, which was common in the 1920s.

Spinneyhill, I did not have time then or now to read the linked article, but am confused by the excerpt you cite. "S" is for "spark ignition" (vs. compression ignition--diesel), and the "N" is even now the latest iteration I've seen. Each successive iteration seems to be geared towards further reducing contamination of catalytic converters. That is, I know of no "SO" or "SP" oil ratings, so 2018 cars in the USA, so far as I know, still call for SN oils. SOME manuals for 2014 vehicles might call for either SM or SN oils. The manufacturers claim backwards compatibility, hence "2011 and older," but each successive iteration has reduced zinc and phosphorus. In sum, I repeat my earlier suggestion to the OP to check his owner's manual to determine whether (1) SN MUST be used, or (2) SM or SN is the spec.

And SM has more zinc and phosphorus than SN. I believe SN replaced SM somewhere around 2014 (check your most modern vehicles' owners manuals for the letter code requirements), so it should be fine for anything pre-2015.

I can't speak for propylene glycol (I won't use it in a soldered system--only ethylene glycol==EG), but EG will foam at speed in an UNpressurized cooling system, displacing coolant and sending much of it out the overflow. My 1934 Pierce came to me 12 years ago with a 50/50 EG dose, and lost 1.5 GALLONS every 120 miles between freeway pit stops. I don't need anti-freeze so use distilled water + Pencool additive for corrosion protection and water pump lube, and have to add about a quart every 600-700 miles. A good friend in Michigan drains antifreeze every spring and runs the same mix as I with the same results, then puts the antifreeze back in the fall.

A good intention on your part, Lucky, but from what I've seen no one has been successful. (Years ago, I had two DeSoto Suburbans --1947 & 1948 ana 30k-mile 1949 Windsor sedan, which is why I'm interested.) As appears in hundreds of other posts, the 6V system is more than adequate so long as you attend to the grounds and have suitable 0 or 00 battery cables. One 6V battery cranks my 525-cid 1918 Pierce with no difficulty. I sort-of mentioned that others have used a separate 12V battery for stereos, a/c, and/or hydraulics.

Given the difficulty of converting the trans controls, please tell us what you need 12V for: stereo, hydraulics, air conditioning, etc. Some of these can be done with a separate 12V battery and circuit(s), without having to get into all those other 6V to 12V difficulties.

In California, with a Class C (regular) driver's license, you can tow up to 10K lbs (i.e., a trailer whose GVW per sticker is 9,999 or less) in non-commercial use with a tow vehicle whose own GVW is up to 26K lbs (e.g., motor home). If your trailer is mfr-stickered as a GVW of 10,000 lbs or more (including almost all goosenecks), you need a Class A non-commercial license (carrying your own stuff) which requires an annual medical and an initial driving test with such a trailer--meaning you get a licensed friend to drive you and the rig to the DMMV. No log book, though. That's one reason why there are relatively few gooseneck car haulers here in Califunny. And some people order trailers with 15K total rating of axles (2 x 7,500 or 3 x 5,200) but administratively downrated to under-10K by the mfr on its sticker. Obviously this places a premium on lightweight walls and roof.

Medd448. your second photo in post #7 above appears to show the fastening of the cylindrical road draft tube to the engine. Disconnect and remove the road draft tube (there may well be a bracket attaching to an oil pan bolt), and clean it out. Look at the chamber where it attaches and see if there is some copper mesh which prevents liquid oil from being thrown out; if so that needs to be cleaned too. This car is well before sealed crankcases and positive crankcase ventilation. Air enters the crankcase through the oil fill cap and exhausts through the road draft tube to prevent a buildup of pressure in the crankcase. If air cannot flow in and out freely, the pressure in the crankcase from normal engine operation will force oil out through any possible escape point, past gaskets. You may need to remove the sheet metal valve covers AKA side pans to gain access to any mesh or diverter inside the crankcase--a little hard to do with the manifolds on. You may find access easier by removing the right front wheel (car on jackstand(s)) and then removing the inside fender sheet metal. You'll have to do that for a valve job anyway.

Afterthought: Have you cleaned out the oil filler cap in kerosene? Checked the road draft tube (if any) for being plugged?

Yes, that's definitely excessive oil consumption and you're due for a ring job--but most likely will have to do quite a bit more "as long as you're in there." I still think the overhaul would be a good winter project and you should give the rings a chance to get freed up. They've probably lost their tension from that 45-year rest. I'd continue to use 30 weight, but would buy it in gallon jugs... Does the car pull to one side when the brakes are NOT applied? If so, an alignment is in order. If the pulling happens during braking, no need another go at brake adjustment.

89-94 is pretty even, so the car should idle well, and that compression is not too terrible given the compression ratio. As far as oil consumption goes, how much are you using? Many of these MoPaR flatheads will burn off the first quart of oil quickly, and then consume oil at a much slower rate. Let it drop the first quart, then watch the oil level fairly closely. Beyond that, a quart of Marvel Mystery Oil in your crankcase oil will help un-gum rings (I think you said the car had been sitting quite awhile). Next oil change, drain the oil HOT, after a minimum of a 45-minute run. On these engines, I'd consider 400-500 miles per quart, after the first one, perfectly acceptable. And DRIVE it! Enjoy it as it is for the rest of this driving season, and take care of the small incremental improvements they all need while enjoying the car. I don't recall if you've addressed the cooling system and brakes yet; those would be my first priority. I recommend you defer judgment on an engine overhaul until the end of the driving season at least, and perhaps until a year after that.

Lump, there's a cheap solution to increasing one's visibility from the rear, day or night, but no turn signal capability: Walmart sells LED red bicycle lights for about $10 each, powered by 2 or 3 AAA batteries, with a switch to permit steady light or rapidly flashing light. They are equipped with clips which work on trunk straps, and also have Velcro attachments. They claim battery life of 14 hrs steady or 42 hrs flashing, but I get about half that--YMMV.

I'm throwing this issue out to stimulate comment by the flathead MoPaR experts (i'm not one): On Jeep vehicles originally equipped with the bulkier ether-filled t'stats, when the latter were replaced with the smaller modern style, a copper/brass insert for the neck was offered to take up space and hold the modern t'stat firmly in place. A MoPaR specialty parts vendor will have these IF the same solution was pursued by Chrysler Corp.

There was a recent thread which in part addressed the correct routing of the fuel line on a 1941--may have been on the big 320 engine. A photo was provided.

It is for use on wood-spoked wheels. The pointy side goes to the outside and functions like the more modern "Denver Boot." The "signal" occurs when the wooden wheel is destroyed in its first revolution.