CBoz

Just for everyones' edification, here's a pic of the long speedo cable used on the factory installations that George was referring to. Note the heavy metal outer covering for where the speedo cable traveled exposed under the car. The smaller pieces are the gear and retainer coming off the rear right axle.

As it turns out, the windwings referred to in the first message are Ford, not Zephyr. One clue is that the woodgrain goes parallel to the metal, not perpendicular. I talked with Roy Thorson about it, and Roy told me that the metal portion was very similar (except for bends) between the Ford's and my '37 Zephyr and could, in a pinch, be modified to fit(the glass is completely different though). So to make a long story short, I purchased the wind wings. They are so nice, however, that I'm going to hold off on modifying them and hope I can come across some Zephyr ones. I'm sure some Ford guy would love to have them...

I was able to check my manual, and the short answer to your question is, yes, the '36-'38 Zephyr wheels were the same as Ford. A Zephyr-specific wheel started in '39. Hope this helps.

The '36 and '37 both have wheels with part number 68-1015-A, which is a 1936 Ford part number. I seem to recall discussions that the wheel became wider in '39(?), but I can't be sure. If I can track down my manual, I'll let you know for sure.

Hello -- I *think* those are windwings for a '38 or '39 (see pic I've attached). The glass looks a little too wide to be for a '36 or '37. Someone else might know for sure. I'd have to ask around to figure out what they are worth, but I'd be interested in them if you are selling. Bozarth@mindspring.com

Pretty much any of the major suppliers listed on the sources page should have them. You might call around to check prices, though I suspect they will be about the same. In any case, if you have any problems, these guys should back them up.

Hey Rolf - Thanks for the tool hint; I'll look to see if I can find one before I start working on my car (all the efforts I've talked about were on the parts car). I took out the entire spring and rearend as an assembly. I agree with you; it would be much easier to leave the studs in. The problem is that on the passenger side the strut rod was all goofed up and needed to come out. I just couldn't see any way to separate it from the stud. But I'm going to follow your advice, and for now, slow down on it until I can get a better and less distructive plan of attack. If nothing else, I got a heckuva work out in the 90+ degree heat!

Thanks for the feedback, all. I'll try to post some better pics sometime soon. Meanwhile, I've been busy taking the rear suspension and axle apart on the parts car so I can get the Columbia section separated. What a miserable mess -- there's got to be an easier way to take off the rear spring and strut bar than hammering the heck out of the shackle studs. I ended up having to hacksaw off the (*#$^ strut bar. There just seemed no other way to get the thing out (pickle fork wouldn't do it). I just don't get it.

Hello folks - A couple of questions about parts that I got off of the parts car (see attached photo). Even though the car was a '37, the intake had a '46 date on it and was running a Stromberg 97 carb. On the left in the pic is a strange plate that was between the carb and the spacer. It has two areas jutting out front with slight slits in them that apparently pull a slight amount of air into the intake. Have you ever seen this before? What was the application? On the right are the pieces that make up the vacuum port, just behind the carb. My question -- the tubing in the top of the picture is not flared at the end, but after the end. The actual end of the tubing broke off due to corrosion. How would I create such a flare nowadays? I'm used to flares at the end of the tube, not a quarter of an inch back. Would new-style flares (at the end of the tube) work also?

I'm sure it varied from year to year, but for '36-'37, the rearview mirror was the only standard mirror.

Just in case you ever wanted to see what one looked like, here's some pictures of the system out of my parts car: http://home.mindspring.com/~bozarth/id6.html

Off hand, it doesn't look like a Zephyr carb, but try looking on the backside -- do you see small raised "L Z" letters?

Hey folks -- Go to Stu's website. Put your cursor arrow on the car, then back it out, then put it back in. What a great effect! Gotta love those suicide doors!

Rolf -- I seem to remember reading something in the club publication to that effect; ie, the '42s suffered from overheating. Perhaps someone has first-hand experience who can confirm?

I got the 37 sedan parts car I bought via ebay today. http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayIS...TRK%3AMEWA%3AIT As expected, the body itself is a total loss, and none of the pans seems to have survived, but the following goodies were there: * Complete factory Columbia. Everything was there, from vacuum lines, vacuum controls, all the way to the car-length speedo cable. * Heat exchange system -- different than the one on Roy Thorson's old car, but definitely original to this car. * Complete tranny & engine, including distributor, original fan, etc. * Nice fenders which were removed from the car prior to it being left out to rot. * Headlights, taillights, and passenger side taillight body. * And thrown in the back, one of the '36 banjo wheels. The grips were gone, but the center hub and horncap were fine. I'll post pics when I get a chance. Interesting to see how the car went together.

Congrats, Phil. Question -- How difficult a rebuild would you say it is? I did the tranny for my car and thought that was super-simple. I understand that this would be harder, but since it shouldn't require fancy machine-work (like an engine rebuild), I was thinking it might be doable if I'm careful to follow the directions / drawings. What are your thoughts? It's not a matter of money (though that's always an issue), but rather I'd like to do as much as possible so I know how it all works.

Hey K8096 - Wow, didn't know they had 3-window Ks. Given the price that correctly restored 1937-1939 Zephyr 3-windows are going for, I think restored your car would do much better than the price you stated. Good luck with it! Oh, by the way -- is it for sale? If ya sell it to me, I'll lower it, drop a 350 in it, chop it down 3 inches, and paint it glow-in-the-dark orange! Ya know, "restore" it. Whaddya say?

Hello George - Is your comment about not putting mineral oil into rearends also true for non-hypoids with the Columbia? I just got a '37 parts car with the factory Columbia and I want to put the right stuff in it. If not the mineral oil, what would you suggest?

Yup, our *best* bet is to decrease our *long-term* demand and/or increase the supply (I won't get into which combination of these two is the best). Right now, I'm spending more time driving my wife's Mazda 626

Ace - You might consider putting in an in-line fuel filter before the fuel pump. You can get one down at your local Autozone that is see-through and can be easily removed for cleaning, etc. AND you might stop patronizing that particular gas station. Lemme guess -- did the gas pump REALLY slow? Usually a sign that the station hasn't bothered to clean its own filters.

Hey V12 - Sorry to be dense, but what do you mean by CD? Are you talking about an electronic ignition conversion, like Petronix?

A few weeks back, we were discussing the disadvantages of current heavy weight gear oils with sulphur additives. Turns out there is a guy who has some 90W mineral oil to sell by the gallon: John Koutre, 2331 Rainbow Drive Plover, WI 54467 715-341-6188 More info and his email is available here: http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayIS...RK%3AMEBWA%3AIT I don't know how much more he has to sell, but I'm buying a couple gallons at $19.96 (shipping is additional, but doesn't have any hidden "packaging" charges). You might give him a call or email if interested. Who knows, he might even be able to line up more if there is enough demand.

Hey Jim - I sent for copies of stuff last fall, and recieved the only surviving document they could find -- the production ledger listing my car for 3/1/37, with the only options being the heater and defroster. But if you do come across more by accident, let me know.

Bill - If you're willing to bring it down to Raleigh, the folks at Auto Interiors and Tops will turn it around very quickly, I'm sure. They are very good, very reasonably priced, and have alot of experience with older cars such as these. Auto Interiors & Tops Inc (919) 821-4425 303 N West St Raleigh, NC Ask for Lennie

I suspect some of you were following this auction: http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayIS...MEBWN%3AIT&rd=1 Why the heck would somebody (ie, me) pay that much for a rusted out Zephyr?? Well, here's the scoop, so ya don't think I'm a nut: 1. See that knob under the driver's side ashtray? Well, that's for the factory Columbia overdrive -- and yes, it's still on the car. 2. Car has the original generator with cut-out -- no easy find, and easily sellable. 3. The factory heating system in the engine bay. I've had a devil of a time locating one, and even with some rust-through in the exchange unit, I can rebuld it (or so says Roy Thorson). 4. Four nice fenders. Again, very, very hard to find. So add in the taillights and headlight assemblies, grill, block, distributor, rebuildable waterpumps and radiator, door handles, etc. and it adds up pretty fast. But now I have *two* Columbias to deal with!