Spitfire8
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Posts posted by Spitfire8
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Hi all: I'm seeking a piece of roll-up window glass from ANY 1946-1950 CHRYSLER from which to cut a replacement wing-glass (it’s cracked) for my '48 Chrysler convertible. (Wing glass from sedans will not fit convertibles).
Glass must come from a Chrysler, so it will have the "DUPLATE" marking etched in the lower corner (Other Mopar products used a different name). I can’t accept scratches, cloudiness or “tinting” of the glass. (Hold a piece of white paper behind glass to check if glass has become "colored" from aging). A small amount of ply-separation at the edges will probably be OK. Glass may come from ANY door; front, rear, left or right.
Thanks, Bill.
chryslerguy (at) comcast (dot) net.
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Before you dump that "steering gear lube" into your steering box, you might want to do the following "test": Place a small dollup of lube on a piece of metal, use a screwdriver to cut a swath throuth the "mound" and wait for a moment or two to see if the lube flows back into the screwdriver groove. I encourage this because I recently purchased a branded steering gear lube that required significant effort to get it out of the bottle.
As such, I tested as described above and found that it not only didn't fill-in immediately, it continued to channel and was still unmoved by the following day! Don't think I want something like that in my steering box! If you're unsure about what's in your steering box, it might be prudent to remove the filler plug and extract a sample of lube for a test. Remember too, that unlike transmissions and differentials, steering boxes don't generate heat, so you won't get any thinning of the lubricant as the vehicle is driven.
As an aside, I recently filled one of my vintage car's steering box with #250 wt. Amsoil Synthetic Super Gear Lube. Just wanted to try something different. Seen too many old cars with steering innards that have pitting and spalling of the mating parts. After some use, I'll remove the gearbox top, and check the condition!
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I'm seeking a piece of side window (roll-up window) glass from a 1946 to 1950 Chrysler. Glass is being used for a special project, and must come only from a Chrysler. May be from any door; front or rear, left or right. Must also have the etched "DUPLATE" logo, and be free of scratches and not have any age-tint (hold in front of piece of white paper to check). A slight bit of ply separation at the edges is okay. Please reply to "bill dot allard at comcast dot net". Thanks.
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First; be very cautious with the torch! If you overheat the area, you can not only peg the gauge, but also distort the bourdon tube inside. This means major gauge repair!
I'd suggest continuing your efforts at loosening the bulb in the block. The bulb withdraws from the block when the brass packing nut is removed. If the bulb is stuck, it means there is rust built-up between the bulb and the inside of the large steel retaining nut. This debris can be difficult to break-up when working from the outside of the motor.
If the bulb still won't withdraw, but you want to remove it, you have two options:
A) Cut the tube. You'll have to then remove the gauge and have the tube repaired and the fluid replaced. But at least the gauge head won't be damaged.
Unscrew the gauge so it's free from the instrument cluster. Then unscrew the large steel retaining nut. For this to work, you'll need to simultaneously rotate the gauge unit as you turn the steel nut. I haven't tried this, so I don't know if the spring-wound tube is able to rotate while it is angled into the block. You'll just have to try it. However, if this works, you'll be able to remove the big steel nut along with the bulb, and gain access to clean around the bulb from the backside. -
My 2-cents worth...:
1) Although some folks may disagree with me, I suspect many engines from the '30s and '40s were ready for a rebuild at 50K.... often because of ingesting airborn dirt through wire-mesh filters.
2) I have replaced those filters in my old cars with modern paper elements. This usually required some "re-engineering" inside the air cleaner housing in order to make the new filter fit and be invisible from the outside.
3)Lastly, keep in mind that any new filter you select should come from a modern car with an engine displacement equal to or larger than the vintage car. Undersizing the filter would likely have a choking effect.
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Hi all: Anyone know if the '36 President utilized devices to secure the hood-halves while in the "up" position? If you have this model with such parts in use, a photo would be a real help and much appreciated. You can email me: bill (dot) allard at comcast (dot) net.
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If the ceramic has broken enough to allow you to squirt oil into the cylinders, it's likely some ceramic particles have also dropped into the cylinders. For me, that's a "head-off" situation.
Once the head's off:
1) Heat the head surrounding the plug using an oxy-acetylene torch if possible.
2) Use a wet rag or a spritz bottle to apply water to just the plug. Immediately use your removal tool. The idea is to expand the head, shrink the plug and quickly use the removal tool before the temperatures equalize.
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I heard that when using silicone fluid, master and wheel cylinder bores should be smooth-finished rather than crosshatched. This apparently prevents the silicone from creeping past the cups. I also suspect the greater lubricity of silicone eliminates the need for crosshatch lubrication of the cups.
Anyone had experience with this?
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Marty: Your pics show parts that are correct for the car. If you look carefully, you'll see the coiled spring located toward the bottom of the latch mechanism; which itself is located below the "deck." There is no spring on top of the "deck."
If you cannot spot the spring, perhaps it has broken and fallen away. IF the spring is indeed gone, you can just get a replacement latch mechanism from a vintage car wrecking yard.
All you then need do is rig-up a "link" that will connect your hood cable end to the hole in the end of the slotted arm. This may require some odds & ends pieces, but at least your cable will be functional. As a follow-up, I'll send a photo of my latch. Bill in Tacoma.
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David: Without the spring, I believe exhaust gas pressure will probably open the butterfly when the engine is at speed; assuming the shaft is free. (Goose the throttle, and watch the shaft to see if it rotates). However idle speed may not produce enough pressure to keep the butterfly open; thus prolonged idling in this situation can promote overheating and contribute to hot-start problems.
Remember too, that these older motors had a lot of iron mass and coolant. Getting all that up to operating temperature as quickly as possible is desireable, and this was the job of the manifold heat riser.
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Marty: The "bump-up" is driven by a flat-coiled spring located in the hood latch mechanism. It's compressed when the hood is closed. If the spring is broken or detached the hood will not raise slightly when the release knob is pulled.
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It's not always an absolute guarantee of superior performance, but as collector-vehicle owners, shouldn't we be trying to use "Made in U.S.A" products, especially in our "Made in U.S.A" vehicles?
Seems this is especially true for safety-critical items such as tires and tubes. Perhaps it's time we collectively request USA-manufacture. Eventually, if enough of us do this, a market will be reestablished to make this domestic manufacturing again profitable.
Yes, these U.S.A. products will probably cost a bit more, but in the long run, it's cheaper than the costs associated with an accident!
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In a similar vein, has anyone tried running a small amount of 2-cycle (outboard?) oil in the gas to provide a bit more upper cylinder lube and protection against "dry" starts?
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Chuck: I have a '48 Chrysler, and it has two wires at the tank sender. I believe this is standard for Chrysler.
I'm assuming you have verified how much gas is actually in the tank, and know that the gauge does not accurately reflect that quantity.
Before doing the rocket-science, test to sure that the sender is effectively grounded. Run a jumper wire from one of the screws that attaches the sender to the tank, to an area you know is properly grounded (the battery?). Does the gauge now to read properly? Poor sender grounding will cause erratic gauge readings.
If that "easy-fix" doesn't work, I'd suggest you obtain a shop manual, which describes the step-by-step testing you need to do to isolate the problem.
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I also heard that brake cylinders need to be smooth-finished, and not crosshatched in order to prevent DOT5 from leaking past the seals.
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I have a '50 NYer, been in family since new. IMHO, these are great cars; understated elegance, and smooth performers. Compare the interior to ANY other make that year....outshines them ALL!
Flathead 8s are a rugged and smooth powerplant. Fluid Drive is a 4-speed "semi-automatic" that allows up to 3 forward speeds on any one acceleration. The question of which of the 4 speeds get used depends upon the combination of gear shift handle positioning, and "gas pedal shifts".
As noted in an earlier post, exhaust manifolds can crack if the car is driven with the heat riser butterfly stuck in the "cold" position. Check the counterweight on the side of the exhaust manifold to be sure it moves by hand. Weight should rest away from the block when motor is cold, and spring toward the block when warm. I give both sides of the butterfly shaft a squirt of carb cleaner at each oil change.
Happy motoring! Bill.
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Jay: Does your Newport have a dome light? If not, I'm again inclined to believe cars with a dome light offered no under-dash lighting.
My ignition key lamp operates only with the panel-lights switch turned to the right, but doesn't come on with the door switches!
Wiring diagram is also potentially misleading because one diagram apparently includes the wiring for ALL 8-cylinder (C-49) models and series. Bill.
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Marty: Thanks for the info. I'm wondering if only open cars used the underdash lighting, while closed models such as mine used a dome light, controlled by door switches and a manual switch on the driver's door post.
If closed and open models shared the same dash, perhaps that explains the open hole beneath the clock.
Maybe someone with a '50 can verify this......... Bill.
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Any member have access to a 1950 New Yorker? I'm wondering if your vehicle has a map light and switch, located under the dash slightly to the left of the clock.
I'm asking because the wiring diagram notes "map light" in several places, but my vehicle has only a small hole (switch hole?) next to a large hole (lamp housing?) in the location noted above.
(Also, the parking brake warning light is apparently supposed to double as an additional map light when activated by the panel light switch; but my brake light just flashes. Maybe the panel light switch is defective, or maybe a wire is loose/missing. I'll have to crawl under the dash to investigate).
Any insights appreciated! Regards, Bill.
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Duano: Best source for info regarding these cars is the Yahoo "Post War Heavy Metal" site for '46-'48 Chryslers: Go to Yahoo, and search groups for "Post War Heavy Metal."
You can review a long list of posts regarding most any aspect of these cars.
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I finally removed the thermostat. Research indicated this particular style is not being rebuilt, even by those in the business. Replacement with a new unit at a couple-hundred $$$ minimum is the only option.
So, I decided to saw the old unit open, to see what made it tick. HOWEVER, just before touching saw-to-metal, I thought: "Are you ABSOLUTELY sure it's not working correctly?"
Answer being "no," I placed the thermostat and a candy thermometer into a pail of water and heated the water to 165° with a torch. Guess what? The thermostat shaft extended smoothly!
Apparently in the cold weather, even though the temp gauge was up, enough cool air was still passing around the shutters such that the coolant didn't get quite hot enough to open the thermostat. (The shutters work easily by hand with the thermostat disconnected).
The chance for a real operational-test will come when the weather warms. And yes, there are a couple important messages in all this.....!
Thanks to all who responded. Bill.
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Hello to all:
Fluid Drive tranny in my '48 8-cyl will increasingly not manually shift out of the low speed (up-handle) position. After a lot of speed-up, slow-down, stopping, starting again, wiggling the lever etc., I can finally move the handle into neutral and other positions. (All hydraulic shifts are fine; this issue affects only the MANUAL shifts on the steering column).
I've adjusted the shift linkage for both reverse and drive tranny levers. All shift-lever movements are smooth and non-binding when vehicle is parked; the problem occurs when vehicle is driving.
I'm beginning to suspect the problem is "internal," occurring perhaps because the manual clutch gear sleeve inside the trans is not sliding smoothly between the first gear and neutral positions, thus holding the shift lever in the "up" position.
Has anyone experienced a similar problem? Thanks in advance for any insights. Bill in Tacoma
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With steering wheel centering resolved, it's time to double-check wheel-caster on the '36 1401, as this affects directional stability and steering ease. Shop manual says 2.5 degrees, but offers no additional info. So:
1) Was caster built-in to the axle/steering knuckles?
2) Or, was caster on these cars supplied by the addition of shims between axle and springs?
3) If shimmed, I assume caster was positive, with shim at front of axle. (Although an old mechanic's book I have says some vehicles used negative caster).
Sorry about the "technical-eeze" here, but I recently bought a 4-post lift, which provides the opportunity to see areas on a Packard that generally should not be viewed by civilized society.
Given this view, a few tools and too much spare time, one starts investigating and questioning things that would otherwise remain obscure and untouched!
Thanks for any input!
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First, thanks to those who responded to my earlier "steering wheel centering" posts.
After some additional pondering, I began to question the position of the pitman arm on the steering gear shaft as a possible contributor to the off-center steering wheel and "too-long" drag link.
So, I pulled the pitman arm off the shaft, and rotated the arm clockwise one spline. At some earlier time, the arm had apparently been misinstalled on the shaft.
With the steering wheel manually centered the same number of turns left and right, the pitman arm now lines-up with the drag link ball-joint stud. Problem solved.
Unscrew the gauge so it's free from the instrument cluster. Then unscrew the large steel retaining nut. For this to work, you'll need to simultaneously rotate the gauge unit as you turn the steel nut. I haven't tried this, so I don't know if the spring-wound tube is able to rotate while it is angled into the block. You'll just have to try it. However, if this works, you'll be able to remove the big steel nut along with the bulb, and gain access to clean around the bulb from the backside.
Spark Plug Base Color on 37 Dictator
in Studebaker, Erskine & Rockne
Posted
Blued metal was original. Plated plugs didn't arrive until the mid-1950s.