56Roadmaster

A 1908 Stearns 45-90 The hot rod of the brass era !

It seems to me in the last five years more well preserved/orginal unrestored cars are showing up on the road and at shows. I think this is because of the older population that collected and stored these cars is now dying off, and the relatives are not necessarily interested keeping the "collections". Other observations, thoughts? I saw an item bought from the son of man who passed away 1917 Maxwell 4 cyl, out of a barn, surface rust and paint, leather seats ok, ready to run. Some interesting unrestored things I saw last year (were driven to shows), ~1918 Chevy 4cyl touring surface rust (had been in storage 50+ years, if heard right), ~1922 Studebaker 6 cyl touring surface rust and some paint left but very clean, Model a Tudor sedan-very dusty and roof in bad shape. See pics below

Thanks for the help John... back to the drawing board

Hi guys, In my slow moving quest for 23 Buick parts I have located another, but I am quite familiar enough :confused: to id this by photo only for sure. Can anyone tell me if they think this might be right for a model 23-45. I think we already established in previous post that 23 and 24 are the same as far as front fenders. 1924 25 26 27 Buick Studebaker Right Front Fender - eBay (item 110625904994 end time Feb-15-11 07:51:35 PST) Thank you, Scott

Jerry, Great looking car. I really like that 56 body style!!

Did you ever think that the issue came from the assembly line? To most of the guys assmebling a car it was a job, and I'm sure that every now and then the wrong spring or another part got in there. I had a 55 super that I cut up for parts for my 56, I drilled out countless spotwelds to save panels and braces that you can't get. In the left rear side of the car where the floor, trunk and quater panels were attached, there were signifcantly less spot welds- probably because someone didn't care. I think things like this cause a lot of trouble for the "purist"; the fact is, no matter what the books say is "supposed" to be in there, it may not be right. Plants used up left over parts before putting in a design change, workers put it together as fast they could- they were not going to hold up the line because one part number didn't match (if they even looked at the number or knew it). I find it funny how much time we often spend (me included) putting back together cars that were assembled in a few hours. Especially how painstakingly people copy the inspectors crayon marks, that took less than a second make on the fire wall or chassis. Truly restored cars are really not out there; tributes to individuals talents are.

Jim, Great! Thanks Now off to see if I can make a deal. Scott

Hi, In searching for a set of 23 fenders I remebered where a 24 hulk is sitting. I went over to see it tonight and talked with the fellow. Then I came home and looked at partial fender I have that is a 23. They look pretty close, I am going to do a side by side comparison, but does anyone have any knowledge as to similarities or differences. Thanks

Looking for a set of model 45 front fenders, rusty and some dents ok, but not rotted. Also need braces. I am in Connecticut, would rather not have to have something shipped. Thanks

This is from 1986, of what was to become a 1931 Model A rumble seat coupe. This is the restored chasis, note the battery in the box on seat and a wisconsin engine gas tank attached off the back of head. I was 16 my buddy was 14. ahh the good old days.

I would ask which piston are you referring to? In a six cylinder there will always be two pistons in the same position due to the crank shaft arrangement. So one will be on the exhaust stroke TDC while the other is on the power stroke TDC. So you just make sure you are timed off the piston on power stroke. (You could just as easily set the timing marks 180 degrees from where they are now and wire the spark plugs accordingly from the piston on the power stroke and the engine will run just the same.) Also what you think is number 1 may be considered #6 by the manufacturer. At any rate if you align the marks as is you just wire the mageto or the distributor according to the firing order starting with the cylinder on TDC for the power stroke. This is engine 101. (ha)

You probably don't want to grease it with a petroleum base grease because it may attack the rubber. You could try some silicone grease (very sparingly) or spray. Sometime a twisting or rocking motion is needed to get part of it started or even a blunt tool. An additional dumb question: are you sure what you have is the right part?

Another thought, is your tank vent working properly? Is it actually venting? If the vent is plugged you will apply a vaccum on the both chambers of the tank and prevent the fuel from flowing into the carb. It will fool you because every time you open the tank to refill it you remove the vacuum and gas flows down to the carb again. Sometimes you can get those stupid mud wasps plugging the vent tube. Ways to check for proper vacuum, first check the vacuum line from the engine to the tank for integrity and possible tap offs that have broken lines/rubber hoses (such as for a windshield wiper). Next check if the line is clear, blow or run a wire through. Next with engine running and the line disconnected at the tank, and connected to the manifold, put your finger over the line and if its pulling a vacuum you'll feel it, or if you have a vacuum gauge handy check it with that- probably should be 12-15" vacuum. If that's ok reconnect the vacuum line to the tank, then disconnect the fuel inlet line (gas tank to vacuum tank line) again start the engine and check for vacuum at the inlet to the vacuum tank in the same manner as above. If the vacuum is present at the engine to tank side but not at the fuel inlet side, then the tank is not sealing internally. If vacuum is present, it could be the gas tank cap may not be venting, the vacuum tank not venting, tank float stuck closed, or a restricted fuel line. My 3 cents

Thanks for the information guys, I thought it looked like Zenith. The carter carb you mention is shown in the owners manual, it looks similar to one I've seen on Chevrolets.

Hi all, We are working a 1928 Plymouth, we know this is not the original carb but it works. Looking for an I.D. on carb make,iron upper body, "pot" metal lower body, also a vacuum operated accelarator pump. Round tag on body is 2410N. Thanks, Scott

Mark, I am looking around for ideas for something "time period" For the "cab" I am basically going to use touring car doors and seat, making the back of the seat the back of the cab. It would be neat to see your truck for ideas as well. Thanks. wilebile@sbcglobal.net

F&J, Yes you are right, my mistake. Where can I find more information on the American Austin? just curious. Do you have any specifications on that engine? Thanks

Here's one for you guys, A friend of mine showed me a little 4 cylinder engine which he said was in an old Chris Craft Boat. The engine is about 18" long over all and has approx 2" bore and maybe 3" stroke. It has an aluminum crank case, with one piece iron cylinders, iron head (flat head). Crank is supported at ends only. The starter motor is a combination with the distributor attached. The exhaust manifold is iron with an aluimum intake manifold attached to that. Cast into the aluminum parts is "Tenaul" the date cast is 5-1-30. I suspect this is a modified car engine of English or European make. The exhaust manifold has a water tube brazed on top for cooling. The engine does have a high angle on the crank case, so as to support line up with an inboard screw set up. Any thoughts, I don't have pics yet.

John, Thanks that might not be too far away. Scott

Here's an update, I picked up a number of parts from John. I now have enough to start digging into this project. I am now looking for 4 roadable wheels, would prefer 24", rims, front fenders, windshield frame, head lights. I did get some wheels form John, which need mew spokes, and I still need 24" fronts, who is a good wheel wright in the New England area? Thanks, Scott

Hi F=series, 50=first two numbers of series designation i.e.500 C=engine code, O=? may be part of engine code, K= assembly plant, 17319=sequential unit number. So that really doesn't help with the year. Idea! perhaps you can look at the casting date on something like the heads or intake manifold. Or maybe post a picture.

I have a 1946 1.5 ton WF-32 Flatbed and the horn mounts to a bracket that is bolted down with two head bolts on the drivers side of the head. My truck was fairly original. I have seen this set up on other Dodge trucks of that era too. Of course one of the things that is difficult about older (pre 60's) stuff is that often there is no "right" answer. Your truck could have had one horn/or two horns mounted in a different place, from the factory. Just like the oil filter set ups, not all match from vehicle to vehicle yet the they may all be correct (as the prime manufacturer may have used different vendors over a production run)

Hi, pushrods stand up fairly well. Probably if they are straight and the ends are not scored up, i.e. they are shiny and smooth (either cupped or ball end) they should be ok. Idea: if you can accurately measure the length of all them, they probably should be within 0.010" of each other, and the overall wear pattern on each should look similar.

Hi, From my 1956 Buick Division master parts book that# (4158909) is listed as a Buick part for model 53/73 Super/Roadmaster Sedan (4dr), There is different number for the model 56R/76R (2dr hdtp)4153557. I am pretty sure that the windshield and trim on the 54-56 Caddy coupe was the same as The Roadmaster 2dr, I got the front windshield for my 1956 76R from a Caddy. Not sure if the door vent window is the same (which is apparently what you are looking for).

A simple check, charge up the battery fully. Attach a voltmeter to the battery. Set up a jumper wire (with alligator clips) Start the car (you may have to come a little above idle), connect one lead of your jumper to the output terminal of the generator and the other end to the field terminal, now note the battery voltage it should be going up. If so the regulator is faulty. WARNING ONLY CONNECT THE JUMPER TERMINAL FOR A BRIEF PERIOD SAY, FOR A FEW SECONDS (LONG ENOUGH TO SEE THE BATTERY VOLTAGE)KEEPING IT CONNECTED WILL RUIN A GOOD GENERATOR. This test is called "full fielding" the generator, you are manually supplying field voltage to the generator to see if it is working, and since there is no "regulation" in this case, you will exceed the normal rated output in short time. If the generator does not respond to full fielding then it is the culprit. You should also check all your teminals at the generator, volt regulator, battery, and engine grounds for good electical contact, sometimes light corrosion will occur. Sometimes the regulator points become pitted and cause malfunction. And BTW are you sure the battery is ok? Load test it!