RoadsterRich

Ron, I'm no expert, but I'm thinking people could answer better if they know what material the seals are made of? Are they leather? rubber? or ??? Then again I may be totally wrong and it may not matter. I do however have several leather seals that are not brittle but are stiff, so if the answer is for leather seals I'd love to hear it... Rich

I got absolutely zero done over Thanksgiving on the antique cars. Thursday spent the day with Family. Friday the Suburban chewed up its serpentine belt pieces of which while still attached wrapped themselves around the AC clutch wiring and sheared the connector right off the coil, at the same time it ripped the wiring right out of the Alternator. Alternator is fixed, new belt is installed... compressor will wait... that clutch costs $100! Saturday we got up to go to the Turkey Run in Daytona, and the "Charge" light was on the Olds, so we piled in to the trusty ole Volvo and headed up with Grandson (age 6) in tow. Sunday I put a new alternator in the Oldsmobile, and went and sorta kinda bought another project... picked up two fiat Spyder's, old enough to be shown at the AACA meets, which is scary because I wanted one when it was new, and I was driving (and had been awhile) at the time. In any event, now we have more projects I won't have time or money for... Rich PS: Maybe I'll get to work on an antique car this week... maybe... then again the Suburban is 15 years old and the Olds is 13 years old... and they are my "New" vehicles.

Hey you been peeking in my garage? (Okay so it was 2001... but still...)... Hey we could play: Name that engine... Name that frame... Name that transmission... Or... Match a name to the garage... .... well lots of possibilities... Rich

Oh god please no... well okay... as long as photo participation is not required, maybe it'll make me feel better about my overflow problem Rich

Dave is correct. This would be from the 1939/1940 time frame. The service documentation on it was published in June 1940. If someone picks up the radio and would like a copy I have it in PDF format (courtesy of Nostalgia Air ). It includes instructions on how to set up the pushbuttons as well as service data. A total of 6 pages of parts list, schematics and information. Rich

For my 1930 Chrysler 77 the parts list and owners manual show "Artillery Type Wood Wheels" as standard equipment. Options were Wire Wheels, Disc Wheels and Demountable Wood Wheels. Interestingly the Artillary wheels came in front and rear wheels. The Wire, Disc and Demountable Wood Wheels were the same front and rear. The Wire and Disc wheels uses the same "side ring", this is the ring that holds the tire in. The information is directly from the Instructions Book (Owners Manual) and the Parts List for the Chrysler 77 as published by Chrysler in 1929/1930. Now the question is since they refer to the standard wheels as Artillery wheels and the option as Demountable wood wheels, does this mean that the Demountable Wood Wheels are not considered artillery wheels? Rich

Bill, amen! Dave - pass the Turkey... Rich

Dave, Hope I'll see you there! I'll be looking for you... Rich

Anyone planning to attend the Turkey Run in Daytona Florida? It runs Thursday November 27th through Sunday the 30th. I won't be able to make it up until Saturday but plan on attending. Of interest to me in particular is that there will be at least two other 1930 Chrysler 77 roadster owners at the event. I'm not sure if the cars are coming this year or not, but the owners will be there. I've never been before but have heard it is a great event, with a good swap meet on top of the rest of the activities. If anyone is going and plans to be there Saturday let me know either by posting here or dropping me an email. I'd love to meet up with folks. Rich PS: The information for the Turkey Run is at: http://www.turkeyrun.com/

Wayne, We do medical software systems. Specifically things like systems for triage, disease state management, biosurveilance, etc. Being a small company we keep strange hours, particularly since several of the clients are in europe. Rich

I work on computers for a living... I tend to post while on the computer... I don't tend to compute when I'm not working. And no I won't get in trouble at work for being online or talking old cars. While it may not pay in money at least it pays in perks to be the boss... In my case during the week free time is typically for the 1930 Chrysler 77 Roadster, during the weekend for the Jaguar Mk IX Saloon. Unfortunately I'm at work at the moment... sometimes it doesn't pay to be the boss... Rich

Well the Kwik Poly website doesn't come up. From what I could find on the internet the company split up. It suggested a new company was formed with a slight variation on the product to avoid any infringements. It stated that the new product is XP2000, though I saw no direct support of it. Does anyone know for sure? RonBarn you out there? The URL for the XP2000 is: http://www.xp2000.com/ Rich

Sounds good. Yeah this cold weather is great, I can work on the cars without becoming a puddle in 20 minutes. Now if I could just get more free time to work on em. Rich PS: You sure you don't need some 39/40 cadillac parts for those rides of yours?

The wood... Well... spent a couple of hours today removing the dashboard and the drivers side door and hinge assembly. The good news is that the front door posts are indeed made of multiple pieces (7 to be exact) of wood. On the drivers side all but one of these pieces appears to be in great shape. The bad news... up around where the windshield post comes through the cowl there is quite a bit of insect damage. It seems to be isolated to that area, and does not seem to affect the structural integrity of the piece. It is the piece that runs across the cowl, which the dashboard attaches to, at the rear of the cowl (front of the passenger area). To replace this piece would require removing the cowl and it is a very complex piece of wood (comprised of I believe 5 actual pieces). The damage is isolated to an area about 6" long, 1" deep and 1/2" wide. This is towards the front of the board, and well out of the way of the dash area. The passengers side (right) is solid and shows no sign of damage. At this point I am pondering whether to try filling the cavity the insect damage created with Kwik-Poly (or some similar epoxy type filler), or whether to bite the bullet and remove the cowl completely. Then there is the support just behind the passenger area running across the car just under the sheet metal, at the top (in front of the rumble seat area). It looks like both parts of the two parts that make the long cross beam will need to be replaced. Worse, one of the large curved sections may need to be replaced too, it shows some possible signs of insect damage. Perhaps I should rethink the whole only replacing what I have to and bite the bullet and pull all the wood... who knows... I'm too frustrated to think straight for now anyway... time for a break... Rich

David, Check my other posts... trust me... this thread is a short one for me. So when are you coming over to help work on the cars? Rich

I spent the weekend working on Jaguars. The 30 Chrysler Roadster is progressing well, but a change of pace was in order. I had purchased a replacement speedometer cable for the Mk IX Jaguar, it was pricey, and disappoinging. It did not fit the transmission well, and the speedometer head end had an oval shaped end rather than the square drive end. The only thing wrong with the original speedometer cable was the outer casing was deteriorating. I ordered some industrial high tech thermal (heat) shrink tubing. I put three layers on the cable and it seems to be good so far. We'll see how it stands up to use. I put the speedometer cable back in the transmission (had a heck of a time with the clamp) and fired up the Mk IX. She roared to life (her mufflers are shot, trust me it's a roar). Filled her up with transmission fluid, popped her in reverse and she groaned. I put her in forward and she groaned. Put her back in reverse gave her a little gas, and the sounded like she was straining a bit, then voila we're moving. After backing her out of her canopy it was clear why she was groaning. Seems she had (embarrising admission here) sunk a good 4" in to the ground over the 6 or 7 weeks with all the rain we've had. I pulled her out, took her for a short spin. At first the brakes were a bit scary, took much further to stop than expected, with some movement and use she began to stop in a more reasonable distance. I suspect I need to revisit the vacuum assisted slave cylinder, possibly double check it's vacuum line and seals. Well to make a long story short, she has great pick up, reasonable stopping distances, and the DG-250 automatic transmission shifts! At first it felt like it was slipping but after a few starts and stops everything seems fine. She'll pick up to 25mph with no effort at all. Unfortunately I still haven't gotten the transmission end of the speedometer cable properly clamped in and it has a fluid drip there. Otherwise it worked well, everything from reverse lights to brake lights lit up. May not sound like much... but it sure felt fantastic! Also managed to get the 84 XJ6 Jaguar running this weekend as well. I think I still have a cold start issue there, but it is running for the first time in over a year. When it is warm it runs fantastic. It has a new cold start injector, I haven't checked the thermotime switch yet. It hasn't run since it was delivered to the house, hearing it start was another great feat. It may not be an AACA antique yet, but by the time I'm done it will be Well needless to say it was an eventul weekend of Jaguar work, and a great week of Chrysler work as well. Lets hope this week is as productive! Rich

The doors and the rumble seat lid I omitted in the original list. These may turn out to be the biggest challenge, they are complex and I do not have the original wood, or at least not much of it. The replacement wood that is there is extremely rough and not very functional. I would think there should be a support for the interior door latch handle assembly, however there is nothing there for that (coincidentally I am missing the parts for the assembly. The interior door handles look like sheet metal twisted and bent to make a handle towards the front of the car, the latch being at the back of the door towards the rear of the car. I also only have the drivers side latch assembly. Guess it's time to hit up the couple of folks I know who have done a 77 Roadster and see if they have any information, photographs or drawings of the door wood. Rich

I figured I "Wood" update ya'll on the wood... It looks like the front door posts are comprised of no less than 6 individual pieces of wood. The left front door post which seemed soft is in fact mostly in tact. One of the blocks has come unglued which allows the hinge to shift slightly. The only damage I can find is one of the bottom blocks on it. A small repair job The right front door post is actually solid, however it is cocked out a little and loose. Apparently it has shrunk some over time and the bolts which hold it all together need some tightening. The left rear door post has weathered considerably. It has virtually no insect damage but the front is soft and appears to be worn away a bit. The sheet metal cover does not fit will on it. Minimally I will need to remove it, trim it back and put a new 'face' on it. This is a very complex piece with quite a few complicated curves, mortices and tenons in it. I will reserve judgement on replacement until I get it out and really check it over. The right rear door post has insect damage about 1/3 of the way up from the bottom extending for about 2". There seems to be none above it, and none below it. It has the same 'face' issue that the left rear door post does. I'm expecting to have no choice but to replace this complicated piece. The 'header' which is complex, made of many pieces and runs across the interior edge of the cowl seems to be in very good condition. I had been warned that these tend to rot. I won't know for sure until I pull the dash panel out, but from the front and back inspections so far, it looks like this one will require little if any work. The 'rails' which run along the top of the frame seem to be solid and in good condition. The piece that runs along the back of the passenger compartment is comprised of 9 pieces of wood. The majority of these show no signs of damage. Unfortunately the piece that sits inside the body and has the complex curve (curved on two sides adjacent to each other) appears it may have some serious insect damage. The larger board which it attaches to, and is only curved on the top, seems to have a little insect damage near the center but nothing devestating. Of course with the two boards mated I won't know for sure until I remove it. The brace that supports the sheetmetal across the car which runs just in front of the rumble seat area is shot. As are all of the braces which support it. This will have to be replaced and is comprised of 6 components, two of which have extremely complex cuts and curves, with the top end being offset from the bottom end. The entire floorboard for the golf club and rumble seat area is missing. This was originally 3/4" plywood and a 3/4" x 1 3/4" board. It has a few interesting cuts in it, but should be easy to replicate even without the pattern. One of the two supports which curve up from the tail end of the car, beside the rumble seat area, up to the passenger area are a concern. The one on the left has some significant insect damage. It is comprised of either three or four pieces of wood. The one on the right seems to be fairly solid. The bracing which boxes in the rumble seat area and ties in to the two supports I just mentioned is in useable condition on the right side. The left side simply isn't there. Most of it is mirrors of the right side, though not all of it. I think I can figure it out. I have most of the wood from another roadster, which isn't in too good of shape, but provides me with patterns for some of the missing parts. The cross members that run behind the front seats are in excellent condition. All of the framing around the golf club door area is in excellent condition. The wood at the very tail of the car is rotten, where the water from the rumble seat apparently drips. I have yet to figure out how to get this piece out, but it will have to be replaced. That covers the majority of the wood in the car. Fortunately much of the car is metal, and has little rust. Well we'll see how accurate my assessments are once I start removing the bits I know I have to work on. Taking deep breaths... because it doesn't look as bad as I expected... so I know I'm missing something... nothing has gone easy on this car so far... Rich

The frame is nearly free of it's weld remnants. I have some clean up to finish in a few areas and all of the old welds will be long gone. I will then need to do one good final heavy cleaning of the frame in preperation for painting it. The woodwork... I've measured and drawn out about 2/3 of the wood. I should be ordering all of my wood early next week. So far this is all looking promising. The rear end... while I have easy access to the differential it seems a good time to replace the seals and gaskets. I have new seals, but I have yet to find the gaskets for the differential housing itself, looks like they had the same problem the last time someone was in there as the gaskets appear to have been cut from cork. If need be I'm sure I can make something passable, but what is the best material to use? I have all new pinion seals, axle seals, etc. I also have the proper weight gear oil ready to go in. Rear shock absorbers... now here is an interesting delima. The shock absorbers mount on the frame and have a link between their arm and the rear axle. The link connects at one end to the arm of the shock absorber. The other end attaches to a plate that sits under the shock absorbers and is held in place by the spring shackles. Unfortunately the plate has been broken on both sides and the link attachment point is gone. The good news is I somehow stumbled upon a set of the proper plates. Now the task is that I need to release the shackle nuts, remove the old plate and replace it with the new plate then tighten the shackle nuts back down. If the car is jacked by the axle then the weight of the body and frame will push the springs down. If the car is jacked by the frame then the axle will drop down. I have several thoughts on possible ways to tackle this issue but thought perhaps someone out there would have a good tried and true idea. Also this would be a good time to check the alignment/tracking of the axle, how does one accomplish this? Moving right along, I need shoulder bolts for the rumble seat lid, I have the dimensions and thread, but have yet to find a source. Any suggestions on these? And while we are on the subject of the rumble seat lid, it looks like the car used a long piano hinge between the two pieces that make up the rumble seat lid. Any suggestions on this, and on how it is attached? Next we get to the brake lines. I brushed down one a bit with a wire brush and painted it, the paint does not seem to adhere well. Other than just sanding down the brake lines is there a good (or better) way to prep the metal before painting? It appears that bending before painting is a good idea, with perhaps some touch up once the lines are installed? Also on painting the frame. I've talked to many people with many opinions and have received no concensus. Powdercoating, though nice, is not possible in my situation, at least not unless I can do it myself. So that said, what is the best way to prep the frame? Should it be primed? Which frame paints are the best? Well that's enough for this round, I'll be back with more updates and more questions later... Oh yeah, I'm still waffling on trying to fit an overdrive in while everything is readily accessible... any thoughts either way on this? The car has a 1:1 gear in the transmission and a 3.58 rear end. The tires are 18 x 6.5 and the car should weigh in around 3300lbs. Rich

Albert, Great information! Fortunately (or is that unfortunately?) I have no glass... no seats... no interior... just metal and wood. The grinder sparks bothered me enough I moved quite a bit of stuff away from the work area, and brought both of my larger extinguishers in to the area where I normally only keep one. I put heavy welding blankets over stuff as well. Rich

Jim, The inexpensive angle grinder I bought came with 24Grit hard disks (4 1/2"). I'm still ignorant on many things, and didn't even know there were pad grinder disks available. Not to mention I wouldn't have known the difference if I did know they existed. For that matter I just found out I could get discs in other grits (80 and 120 were listed in the catalog). The things we learn... Oh and most 'other' things are well protected... fuel lines, gas tank, woodwork, etc... hey and I do wear a shirt and jeans when working on the car. Though the jeans have more holes than denim left I think. Rich

I started looking closely at the wood in the 1930 Chrysler 77. Lo and behold many of the pieces are made up of two or more pieces combined to make a single support. Even more interesting, some of these pieces seem to be tongue and grooved even. A case in example, here is a drawing (to scale, the thicker smaller black line at the bottom is a 1" reference) of one of the pieces: This piece is comprised of 3 pieces of wood, tongue and groove, 3/4" thick. The upper piece is 3/8" on the left and 11/16" on the right, and all three are 25 7/8" long. The center piece is an actual rectangle 2 7/8" by 25 7/8". The bottom piece with the arched cut out is 1 1/4" on the left and 1 9/16" on the right, again 25 7/8" long. Interesting how they divided up the cuts. My original thought was smaller pieces of wood are cheaper to make, after looking I have a new idea. Perhaps they used the multiple pieces of wood for time saving instead of lumber saving. One person could be shaping the top piece while another was shaping the lower piece, then the two could be combined with the quickly and easily cut center piece... then again what do I know... If I follow the original construction most of the wood can be made from 4/4 and 8/4 nominal lumber. basically 1x4 and 2x4 will do for 90% of the wood. The exception to this I have found so far is the cross beam that runs the width of the car behind the seats. This piece is 1 3/4" thick by 46" long by 4 1/8" tall at it's tallest point. It appears to be a single piece of lumber but I have not removed it to verify this at the present time. It looks like the most complex parts are the door posts and the framing inside the door skins. Well that's enough of the ramble for now... Rich

Wow I picked up a 4 1/2" angle grinder, what a difference over using the die grinders to remove left over weld remnants! It won't fit in to some of the tighter spots, but boy does it make removal a breeze. Of course now I have to be very careful as it removes significant amounts of metal in relatively short order (as compared to using the die grinder). Why don't they put warning labels on them suggesting you were gloves? I saw the sparks, figured it was like the little fragments from the die grinder, they fizzle out and are so small they don't do much damage... WRONG! It seems the angle grinder throws little slivers of metal that burn for a much longer time. And with the handle attached (and not reading the instructions so didn't know I could adjust the guard) the sparks fly out directed at the right hand. Needless to say after an hour of grinding my right hand was covered with little metal shards, and the melted remenants of the bits of hair that were there once upon a time. In any event, the frame is moving along nicely on the 1930 Chrysler 77 Roadster. All of the extraneous welded bits are removed from the rear of the vehicle and grinding off the weld leftovers has commenced. I'm about 1/3 of the way through the rough grinding off and then will move to some finish grinding. With luck by the weekend the frame will be ready for one more really good cleaning and then wait for some dry weather so I can paint it! The truely exciting part now is that I have everything I need to get the car to move (and stop!) under it's own power. Wish I could afford to blow of work for a couple of weeks, would love to just work round the clock on it and get the frame and painting finished as well as the bulk of the wood work done. Ah well... still think someone should have warned me to wear gloves! Rich

The two pictures that came up of the car are great. Nice car! Sure glad all went well, or at least as well as trailering usually goes Just remember... if everything goes perfectly... odds are you simply didn't notice something Rich

There are a total of 3 bows, one at the very front, one at the very back, and one in the center. Unfortunately someone in the past decided to weld a formed tube in place of the center bow, more cutting and grinding work for me... the front and rear bows were replaced with some plywood cut to hold the top in place, but not resembling the actual bows in any form. Rich