RoadsterRich

Art, It's about time I saw one of your posts here! I did enjoy the Orlando Meet myself. I was able to meet quite a few people I've conversed with here on the Forums (and off). I also spent time with Fran, Doug and John, learning a great deal so I can work on strategies for the 2004 Spring National Meet Junior and Youth programs in Melbourne. I took nearly 200 pictures at the show, many fine cars to see. The weather cooperated, the public seemed to really enjoy the show as well, and our region (Cape Canaveral) had I believe 19 cars in the show. Not a bad turn out. Sure hope to meet more of the DF'ers at the events throughout this year, and the coming years. Always nice to put a face to a name... and to find out that folks like Ron Barnett are even nicer in person than on the forum (I didn't even think that was possible!). Thanks to Orlando for a great time! Rich

Ken, Is your pressure relief valve internal or external? As memory serves me on my Chrysler it screws in to the block, wonder if the Rover is the same. Based on that I could remove it and measure the pressure at the pressure relief valve. If it were low, wouldn't it indicate a blockage? Just a thought... trying to simplify our approach if possible. But the transducers and cameras are still cool <img src="http://www.aaca.org/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/tongue.gif" alt="" /> Rich

Okay, Nothing to do with the original question, but this does bring up a question I've been meaning to ask. What is the hottest normal operating temperature one would typically expect from a water cooled head? How hot is the hottest the surface (painted portion) of a block should get? I assume that the hottest part of the block surface will be in the area of the exhaust manifold? Been wondering these things myself as I see special ceramic engine paints good for 1200Degrees or more pop up. I can see them perhaps on exhaust, but is even that needed? Just curious, Thanks, Rich

I'm sorry but there will be some point deductions. The convertible tarp is clearly a modern tarp, not an authentic vintage tarp. Additionally there is no sign of the required fire extinguisher, unless it is under that non-authentic tarp we may have to disqualify you. The two tone paint job certainly adds to the beauty of this highly original modified vehicle, however there is question as to whether the sky blue was an original color for the production years of the various donor vehicles. The CCCA has determined that the car may not bear the description of 'full classic' as only parts of the vehicle are classic, therefore a new designation has been defined 'neo-classic' in which your Woody may be enrolled under the newly formed NCCCA. The striking use of the angular dimensions flows with the cubist appearance of the domineering lines. This vehicle is clearly a work of art and deserves all of the consideration due such an original and unique vehicle. Congratulations on your purchase of a rare and unique piece of automotive hysteria. Rich

Ken, Just a thought thaty you might be over engineering. Might it not be simpler to use a hydraulic jack to simulate uphill and downhill conditions and watch the oil pressure as you raise/lower the vehicle? You could simulate load by keeping the back wheels off the ground and using the brakes. Maybe this isn't safe, I'm no expert, but I do know that you will be spending a great deal of time and most likely money rigging up some sort of electronic transducer which may or may not give you any useful information. What you really want to know is how much (if any) oil is present at the inlet to the oil pump when the drop in pressure occurs. If you can recreate the situation where the pressure drops without being on the road, perhaps it may provide some useful clues, without the necesity of a very cool but very possibly overkill device. If you want to over engineer then why not mount a micro camera in an airtight casing with a set of LED lights for illumination and just video tape the problem, you could run the leads out the dipstick tube. Visuals will provide you with more information than a transducer ever will, this IMHO is still massive overkill, however in this day and age it is probably cheaper than a transducer and related equipment. Just my two cents worth, which with inflation these days ain't worth much. Rich PS: I am the king of overengineered idea's, I just learned early on in my career that overengineered solutions rarely make management happy. I still get cool idea's, I just have the common sense to avoid most (yes most, not all) of them these days. (Okay so I mounted some 50 thermal sensors to an engine and cooling system to find hotspots and diagnose an overheating problem, at least it worked, I did find a restricted passage in the block after all of that, took 18 hours to build and install, 30 minutes to locate the hotspots and 10 minutes of looking at the spare block to figure out waterflow and where the blockage had to be based on the thermal patterns.) PPS: I deny the previous PS if ever confronted about it!

My Father swears that Packard had metallic paints back in the late 20's and early 30's. He however says they looked a bit different than todays 'metal flake' paints. He had a '28 Packard Super 8 Dual Cowl Phaeton and a '34 Auburn 1250 Cabriolet. He was a member of the ACD Club all the way back to the early 50's, maybe the late 40's, not certain on that. Usually he is right, though for this it is of course hearsay at best. I double checked with him just before posting this, and he confirms that there was a metallic paint used on the Packards, but clarifies it again by saying it was not the same as the modern metal flake paints. Rich

Great news to hear the gauge is working reasonably well! The pictures are fantastic and hopefully will help others who need to resolve similar issues in the future. Thanks for posting the results, often we seem to get the questions, and the possible answers, but no feedback on which/what answer was correct (or most correct, or incorrect answer for that matter). Rich

Read head has been sold... thanks for the inquiries. Rich

Quick Update, the red head has sold...

Furthering the complexity of the question... my compressor manual says that I should empty the compressor tank after every use, not to leave it pressurized for more than an hour of non-use. Is it really necessary to drain it whenever you walk away for an hour? I generally use my tools off and on throughout the day, often 3 to 4 hours go by between uses. So I guess the real questions are: 1) How frequently should you drain the tank? 2) When/how frequently should you decompress the tank? 3) Why does an oil-less compressor tell you to have it serviced and oiled annually? And a note on compressor safety, and general common sense, something I seem to have been lacking when I installed my compressor. I purchased a brand new Sears Craftsmen 6HP 30 Gallon vertical compressor. I got it home and the installation instructions consisted of installing 2 wheels and 2 rubber feet. Took all of 10 minutes. I then wheeled the compressor over to it's new home and plugged it in. I followed the break in procedure, run the compressor for 15 minutes with the drain valve open. Close the drain valve and let the compressor build up to pressure and shut off. Decompress tank to 20lbs using the pressure releif valve, then open the drain valve to allow the compressor to finish decompressing (and pee on the floor). First part went great, put pressurizing the tank did not. 10 minutes... 20 minutes... 30 minutes... still not pressurized... 40 minutes... and it still is not even to 130PSI... something is amiss. I double check, the regulator is set to 0 (off), and there is no air coming from the outlet which is correct with it set to 0PSI. I scratch my head, shut everything down, disconnect everything, reconnect everything. This time, 45 minutes later the tank is finally full enough for the compressor to shut off (150PSI compressor, it shuts off at 140PSI). Okay, I know it should not take this compressor 45 minutes to fill the tank, I have an ancient Craftsmen with a kelvinator compressor head and a 3/4HP motor that could fill a 30 Gallon tank in 30 minutes easily (albeit only to 115PSI). Okay obviously something is amiss. I drain the tank, and start over yet again. This time I notice that the needle fluctuates a great deal +/- 15PSI as the compressor runs up, the first 50PSI happen in no time, then the compressor gets much louder and every additional 10PSI dramatically increases in time. Suddenly in some brilliant flash of genius (well maybe just my common sense kicking in) I shut everything down and drain the tank. I check the fittings for the tube that runs from the inlet check valve on the tank (on the compressor side, not tank side) to the pressure switch. Lo and behold these are not even finger tight! I tighten both of these up and check every other fitting I can find. All other fittings are perfectly fine, but not these two, they could have literally blown off at any time (and at 140PSI I imagine that would have been somewhat spectacular). I plug everything back in, double check everything (including fittings) one more time, and fire the compressor up. In seemingly no time the compressor shuts off with a full tank at 140PSI and no fluctuations in the gauge, just a steady increase till full. Also the compressor is running much quieter and much cooler. Go figure. And the moral of this story is, ALWAYS check all of the fittings on new equipment, never trust the manufacturer or their quality assurance programs. I called Sears about this and was promptly blown off, it seems that Craftsmen customer service is a thing of the past... Rich

Cold is not an issue, the coldest my garage is likely to see is 45F and even that would be unusual. The garage is more likely to see heat, with temps greater than 100F. I know that iron rusts down here rather quickly so I'd rather not use it. Aluminum might be interesting, copper too, though I have heard of ruptures with copper and aluminum as well, apparently there are various wall thickness as well as various alloy contents affecting the pressure ratings of the pipes. My compressor max's out at 150PSI, though I'd rather build in for 200PSI to cover a possible future expansion to a bigger beefier compressor. Seems there are as many opinions as there are folks to give them. I'll do some research and see how it goes. The AC unit sits between the compressor and the blast cabinet, I could always run the lines through the plenum <img src="http://www.aaca.org/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/tongue.gif" alt="" /> Rich PS: It is currently 84F with a humidity of 53% inside the house because I refuse to turn the AC on in the midst of winter and it is too humid outside to open the windows (been raining 100% humidity right now outside, with 74 temperature at 11:15PM). Can you spell stubborn? (or is that stupid?)

I'm slightly confused, the Master Cylinder is ferrous, and no signs of pitting or scoring anywhere. The rear spring support (also a part of the valve assembly) appears to be aluminum; the front spring support may be as well though I have not confirmed that, it is in the garage and I'm not... and too lazy to check at the moment. There is no corrosion on the front spring support, and there is no pitting anywhere other than perhaps a small amount on the rear spring support. The rear spring support is like a plug with a hole in the center the valve fits through it, with it supporting the spring that presses the valve back towards the inlet. Rich

Hrrm... Dry air... this is Florida, less then 90% humidity is extremely dry down here. I picked up a filter, regulator and pressure gauge to attach directly to the inlet on the cabinet, seemed to make sense to put them there. I'll have to look in to how to dry the air. Boy every project just grows and grows doesn't it? Ah well, looking forward to the results. I have boxes (and boxes... and boxes...) of pieces parts that I have already cleaned to the wire brush level. There are just certain nooks and crannies that wire brushes can't hit. And I have to second the whole embedded wire bits opinion, I've had more injuries from the wire brush than from any other single tool so far on this project. Off to research 'dry air'... I can see it now, I'm going to have to buy a house in New Mexico or Arizona... one of them arid states <img src="http://www.aaca.org/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> Rich

Frank, Seems that the Chrysler loves the Jag. The more attention I pay the Jag the more guilty I feel about the Chrysler so the more that gets done on it. The two cars are about 40 miles apart as the crow flies, so they are fairly safe. Part of what has slowed the progress down on the Chrysler has been the state of the garage, or more accurately the lack of space. I've been on a cleaning binge (rampage?) for a few days and can get to much more of the garage, another week or two and I will have more room in there than at any time since moving in to the house back in '86. My goal is to get the garage cleaned out enough and cleared out enough (4 generations of stuff ended up stored in there, long story but I'm the repository of all things family it seems) that I can seal the floors and install a small window AC unit (mind you there is no window in the garage... yet). Hey Frank, when are you coming down to help work on the cars? I hear they are anticipating serious flooding up your way, if you have to evacuate let me know, I could use some help with the cars and the garage. (Seriously though, will be putting in a few good words just in case for those that may be facing the anticipated flooding from the melting snow.) Oh and Frank, just remember, snow banks + cars + snow plows = Don't see it again until spring thaw and hope the salt has left something for you to restore. As to the blast cabinet, I'll take all the suggestions I can get. For now I will use Ron's KISS approach as it has served me well professionally for years (well it and the rule of 7P's... Proper Prior Planning Precludes [censored] Poor Perfomance (you can substitute Progress, Products or other P words for Performance)). I forgot to follow the 7P rule or the garage would have been emptied and the tools organized BEFORE acquisition of the Chrysler and subsequent acquisition of the Jaguar. Rich

I recently purchased a small abbrasive blast cabinet from a well known inexpensive tool distributor (Initials: HF). Since acquiring it I've checked the local book stores and a few online stores for books on media blasting in general. I've come up with few of them and have no clue what would or would not be a good one. Where is a good place to start learning about using the cabinet? It came with 4 nozzles: 4-1/2mm, 5mm, 6mm and 7mm. It requires 5SCFM at 80-125PSI. I purchased some 80 Grit glass bead media (it was what they had on hand in the store). I have boxes of bits ranging from wheels to small steel plates to stamped metal bits. Where do I get started learning? How does the pressure affect the process? How do you determine the size of the nozzle to use? How do you select which media to use for what? Okay I know it is a long winded vague question, but pointers for beginners would be greatly appreciated. Thanks, Rich PS: The Roadster would really like to have some of its bits cleaned, primed, painted and ready to be installed. It is getting impatient with me! <img src="http://www.aaca.org/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

Bill, Thanks for the sage advice. I received a few offline replies as well. Apparently the consensus is that you have to use a brake fluid which is friendly to Natural Rubber, as this is what the British use for seal material. Apparently Castrol GT LMA is certified to be Girling compatible and from what I have read is vegetable oil based(?). The product information is available at: http://www.castrolusa.com/products/productpage.asp?product_id=14&product_category=3 Now to find a dealer that either stocks this or the Girling that I won't have to wait forever to get it from... Rich PS: On a side note there is a similar issue with the transmission and power steering fluids. Apparently they originally used type "A" which I am told was whale-oil based. This is no longer available and the closest and seal/pump/band friendliest substitute is Type "FA". The same fluid is used for both the Burman power steering unit and the Borg-Warner DG-250 automatic transmission (or so I am told thus far, still learning).

The Jaguar has four wheel disc brakes, in 59 they used the Dunlop racing disc brakes on the Mk IX, along with the 3.8L XK engine. First year for brakes and the engine, also has a vacuum assist servo on the brakes and burmann power assisted steering standard. There is no bladder in the lid of the brake fluid resevoir. It is a plastic container with a screw on lid that has a fluid level sensor in it. The car was listed with a top speed of 115mph when new, I doubt it will see much if any over 70mph these days once it is done, and more likely stay below 55mph most if not all of the time. The Chrysler is coming along, held up awaiting some parts. The gentleman doing the wood for me didn't work out so now I am rethinking doing it myself. I've done some woodwork and have some of the basic tools, but nothing as exacting as this. I have a radial arm saw, a table saw, a scroll saw and various other hand tools. I can always pick up a bandsaw if needed. Much to do... Rich

Thanks for the help. Managed to get it apart the rest of the way today. Compressed air did not help as the piston was already out. What was stuck was the valve assembly at the rear of the cylinder. I used 'compressed' air, from my compressor, started at 20PSI then began increasing the pressure. Mostly the air just blew by the rear spring support/valve assembly, but some bits of 'stuff' did come out, almost sand like except that when you crush it with your fingers it disappears. The color was darker on the outside sortof cream on the inside about the size of a grain of sand. Looked somewhat like varnish almost. In any event put some brake fluid in the rear of the cylinder, pressurized that and managed to spray brake fluid all over the garage floor. Used air from the compressor to blow out the cylinder and got a little more 'stuff' out of it. Found a grease fitting that would mate with the hole, but alas found I was out of grease, doh! In desperation I stuck a small steel rod down through the rear of the cylinder, where the inlet is from the resevoir (the outlet to the slave/brakes is out of the top of the cylinder). I pushed gently, no movement, pushed a little harder, still nothing. Took a very light brass mallet (6oz) and tapped on it, voila, it slid to within about 1/8" of the end of the cylinder. Unfortunately my steel rod was too short! Pushed the assembly back in slightly to notice it was hanging up on 'goo' around the opening of the cylinder, took some WD-40 and used it to 'wash' off the cylinder, then used a soft brass brush to clean it. Assembly came out no problem. The rear spring seat (which is part of the valve assembly) is covered with this off-white deposits. Interestingly all of the rubber was pliable and there is not a single sign of corossion (rust) in the cylinder. The only thing is this sand like deposits. Since I am still learning this may be a normal occurance, but I've never seen it (in the all of two other master cylinders) before. I do know this car was in some intense heat at one point, could this be residue from old brake fluid? Or some deposit from an inappropriate mixture of brake fluids? I have all new rubber seals for the master cylinder, but I need to clean off these deposits first, any suggestions on this? I'll also do a light hone, though the walls have no scoring, pitting or marks in them. Also since I am replacing all of the seals in the Master Cylinder, Servo Slave Cylinder, and Wheel cylinders, would this be a good time to switch brake fluids? If so what would a good choice be for a '59 Jaguar Mk IX Saloon? The car will be a driver, not a trailer queen, but likely not a daily driver, more of an ocassional (couple of times a week) driver. Thanks for the input as always... Rich

Decided to work on the Master Cylinder for the Mk IX Jaguar today. Removed the rubber boot and the retaining 'circlip', which allowed the push rod to be removed. With a little light tapping the piston assembly slid right out of the cylinder. Unfortunately that was the end of the 'easy' stuff. After fiddling a bit I was able to get the front spring support to release from the valve stem assembly. This allowed me to remove the front spring support and the return spring. The valve assembly still did not want to budge. I can wobble the valve assembly around so I know it is not frozen. It appears that the rear spring support for the return spring is frozen in place. I found no corossion on the other components and do not see any sign of corrosion in the visible part of the cylinder itself. With that said the rear spring support definitely does not want to budge. Does anyone have any idea's on how to get this free? If need be I can post up a scan of the cut-away view of the master cylinder. As always any and all help is greatly appreciated... Rich, Colleen & The Mk IX

Well weather and family issues have stalled the progress. In the meantime I poured over the transmission service manual. There is one, and only one, photo that shows the speedometer cable going in to the transmission extension housing. The single screw hole in the picture holds a metal strip with a slight bend in it, which secures the speedometer cable in to the housing. That is the only image I have found of it. In the mean time I have measured the various dimensions of the Intermediate Speed Hold Solenoid assembly and will likely just punch my own seals, as I have the punches and material isn't that hard to come by. Hopefully when I pull the speedometer cable it will be something simple, if not well then I'll learn more as I go. PS: Still working on the Chrysler too, it is just a slower more tedious job with fewer visible progress marks.

If it will stop raining and warm up a tad I'll try to pull the housing later today (Saturday), if it doesn't it will have to wait. Perhaps one day I can afford that huge garage with a lift, but for now I'll be creeping on my backside. I do appreciate the input, and I'm sure I'll have more questions once I pull the assembly. Rich

Thanks so far. Here is a scan from the 'parts' manual for the car. It is not very detailed with regards to the speedometer . Part #49 "Speedometer Drive Gear" for the speedometer cable. Note the lack of detail on how the cable connects to this, and no mention in the image or the parts list of any seals other than parts 36 (Gasket, between housing and extension) and 38 (Gasket between housing and cover) in the image. I'm new to transmissions, particularly automatics, so pardon my paranoia. And no this is not in or going in the 1930 Chrysler, this is a from a 1959 Mk IX Jaguar, though with a few minor exceptions it is the same basic transmission used in the Studebakers and some Packards. The Jaguar is basically a driver, if I can get its leaks sealed up, it won't be a restoration project until the Roadster has been on the road awhile and the bank account recovered from that. Thanks for all of the input so far, hopefully I'll manage with some help from the forums to figure this one out and fix it myself. Good news is, with a little discomfort and serious contortion work I think I can remove the extension casing without dropping the transmission. Rich

I have a Borg Warner DG-250 Automatic Transmission with a leak issue. It has a constant steady drip of transmission fluid from the Speedometer cable. The outer cable housing is cracked about 6" from the transmission and it drips very steadily there, this is a serious drip, not an ocassional drip. Before I replace the speedometer cable, is this normal, or is there something more sinister lurking in the transmission? Also is there a seal or something I will need in addition to the cable to prevent this? Any advice is appreciated. The transmission seems to operate fine (at least at low speeds and reverse) as long as the fluid is topped off. As I have a brake issue I'm waiting for parts on I haven't hit 3rd yet. Thanks, Rich

I have a Borg Warner DG-250 Automatic Transmission with a leak issue. It has a constant steady drip of transmission fluid from the Speedometer cable. The outer cable housing is cracked about 6" from the transmission and it drips very steadily there. Before I replace the speedometer cable, is this normal, or is there something more sinister lurking in the transmission? Also is there a seal or something I will need in addition to the cable to prevent this? Any advice is appreciated. Thanks, Rich

One thing about 'universal' and 'similar' sending units is there are more than one 'universal' type. You have to match the mechanical and electrical characteristics for the sending unit to work. Most of the 'universal' types can be adjusted mechanically for varying depths of tanks however there are several resistance values available as you have noted. If you can find someone 'electrically' inclined that has a nice higher wattage variable resistor (I'm not sure how much current a fuel gauge draws, if you need to know let me know and I'll do some measurements). Then you can hook up one end of the variable resistor to ground and the center position (wiper arm) to the lead to the gauge. Adjust the resistor until you get a full tank reading and then disconnect power and measure it's resistance. Do this again for an empty tank reading. This gives you the range of resistance needed, note that this rarely matches the actual stated resistance of any unit, but should be close enough. Failing the ability to find a variable resistor of proper dissipation (wattage), you could hit up radio shack for a number of fixed resistors (if you hook resistors end to end they add in value) which will add up to approximately the values of the 'universal' resistance. You can then hook the resistors together and put them in the circuit and see which of the 'universal' values gives you the closest to correct readings on your gauge. Odds are you can get away with 1/2 watt fixed resistors, most likely. This is not true for the variable resistor, as you lower the resistance the current increases, so it would need to be of higher wattage (1 Watt would likely suffice) I suspect. Well not sure if it will help or not, but the fixed resistor approach should be readily doable from components at the local radioshack. If you need assistance let me know, I'll need to know the value of the resistances in the universal units and I can then give you a list of radio shack part numbers and a diagram of how to hook them up to get the proper (closest) resistance possible for each value you need. Of course someone on the list hopefully knows the proper resistance for you. I had to go through this for my 1930 Chrysler 77. What folks told me and what was really correct were not the same... not many 1930 Chrysler experts out there I suppose. <img src="http://www.aaca.org/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif" alt="" /> Rich PS: There is one more point, some sending units read high resistance on empty others read high resistance on full. Make sure you get one that works the proper way here as well. JC Whitney sells a 0-90 Ohm, a 78-10 Ohm and a 240-33 Ohm universal unit, others sell additional styles. I'll root around in my notes if I can find some URL's I'll post them for you as well.