Friartuck

Silverghost, The liquid filled thermostat's that regulate the opening of the shutters used on model L Lincolns have their units filled with Methanol Alcohol. Look carefully at the incredients/contents of different dry gas brands. The one I found happen to be an off the shelf item in a drug store. These units were often soldered sealed as you mentioned, but the fact that you can fill yours is very helpful. I would suggest removing the unit from the car, filling it and testing it in hot water on the stove. I'm guessing your unit has sort of a bellows shape to it that permits it to expand. You might want to check it for leaks via air and/or using bright light in a dark room to look for light peeking through small pin holes. Realize what is happening here is that the alcohol is expanding under increased temperature, so I wouldn't fill it 100%, but rather 65-75%. Let us know how it turns out.

Thanks Rick and Bob! Appreciate the good advice. Bob? Bob? Where's there a Bob in this thread? Just busting chops Don!

Tommy, Power inverters will convert 12 volt Direct Current (DC) car power into 110 volt Alternating Current (AC) household power. They are made in 6 volt, 12 volt, and 24 volt versions. 24 Volt units are for military use. The 1000 watt rating is typically how much power the unit can handle continuously and usually have a peak rating, something like 1400 watts for this 1000 watt example. The power capability relates to the amount of current in Amps that is drawn from the 12 volt DC battery. If the household device is a 100 watt light bulb, that's about 1 amp at 110 volts or 100 watts/12 volts = 8.3 amps. A typical 12 volt car battery is rated at 60 amp hours which means 1 amp draw for 60 hours, 2 amps at 30 hours, 3 amps at 20 and so on. Using this 100 watt example (8.3 amp draw), the light would last about 6 hours. If the load were at a full 1000 watts, then the battery would last about 20-25 minutes. The inverters are handy for folks who want to power small AC appliances. Running or charging a laptop computer is a common application. Watching a small color TV with satellite receiver in the middle (or end??) of nowhere is another. If you were to use a heavy load like 500 watts, then you should leave the engine running and have the alternator "bear the brunt of the current load" rather than the battery. It's also good to use a seperate battery to run inverters in case you accidently run the battery down and then you can't start the vehicle. Once started, then either battery can be charged. If the load was expected to be a full 1000 watts, then the alternator should be a police or ambulance rated 100-120 amp made by leece-neville. These inverters are meant for small loads, 100 watts even though rated for more. Quite frankly if you had a need for 1000 watts, consider using a small honda generator. BTW, they also make 6 volt DC to 12 Volt DC converters as well http://www.powerstream.com Hope this helps.

Don, You can also purchase the rivets from Big Flats Rivet, Big Flats, NY in quantities as much as you need. Jim Dix is a regular here on the AACA Discussion Forum. http://www.bigflatsrivet.com/

Pictured is my vacuum tank for reference. Note the three lines, the closest to the outside is the fuel line from the chassis rail filter and the farthest is the vacuum line to the Tee on the firewall. Don't hesitate to e-mail directly if you have further problems. Chris

Pictured is my addition to the Electro-Tech system. The two LED's are housed in a small alum case which is epoxied to a magnet. The wires are inside a peice of parachute cord which is hollow (being cloth covered makes the wire look of the period). When at a show, it comes off along with the controller.

Bullitnose, The fuel system on your 1928 model L Lincoln is called a vacuum tank manufactured by Stewart. The system uses the vacuum created from the engine to draw (pull) fuel from the gas tank into the vacuum tank mounted on the firewall. It does not push fuel as you indicted in your question. Note that the round portion protruding from the firewall represents only 25 percent of the tank?s capacity. The tank extends well inside the firewall (rectangular shape) and holds almost one gallon. Inside this tank is a cylindrical container (mini tank) with a flapper valve at the bottom. Riding inside the cylindrical mini-tank is a float which controllers the vacuum valve at the top of the unit. When the float drops enough to open the vacuum valve, fuel is drawn from the main tank. Also the flapper valve is closed in order to prevent the gas already in the vacuum tank to reenter the cylindrical mini-tank. Once the mini-tank fills and the float rises to shut off the vacuum, as the vacuum dissipates, the gas flows out the flapper valve into the vacuum tank. The gas is gravity fed into the carb via a fuel line in the inside of the firewall to a shutoff valve just above the floorboards on the lower center of the firewall. Assumptions: The vacuum tank and carb are original and a fuel pump has not been installed. Possible problems and suggested repair: 1) The flapper valve may have foreign debris caught inside it and it may not be closing. Unfasten lines from the unit (vacuum, fuel from tank, and overflow), unscrew 8-10 screws holding tank insert, and remove insert and cylindrical mini-tank from tank. Check flapper valve operation. Use light sandpaper to improve seat. 2) The float may have developed a leak and is no longer buoyant. Remove per above and check float for buoyancy. If filled with gas, warm float to increase temp inside float which creates pressure inside and will show the gas leak. Repair/solder as required. Warming float can be done by holding near a flood light or regular 100W light bulb. 3) There is a vacuum leak somewhere in the car and is preventing enough vacuum to draw fuel from the main gas tank. The TRICO windshield wiper motor or the line to it is leaking. Also check vacuum line from the vacuum nipple on the back lower-side of the water-intake manifold to the firewall. 4). Fuel is being restricted from flowing from the main tank. A blockage may be in one of the two pick up tubes on the main tank. Empty tank and remove two clean out plugs on bottom of tank. Clean and reinstall. Also clean out the gas filter located on the inside of the driver?s side frame rail near where the clutch and brake pedals mount to the transmission. Source for vacuum tank repair: Hotchkiss Vacuum Tank Service, 2102 S Brentwood Place, Essexville, MI 48732-1489, (517) 894-2073 Note: Below the carburetor (in the center of the engine?s Vee) is an overflow cup which connects to two lines running to the front and rear of the engine (front on passenger side near the water pump accessory shaft and rear on drivers side running alongside the transmission). The Strombreg carburetor overflows easily which occurs when it is choked too much. Avoid using the choke (only 2-3 seconds while first cranking engine).

Blast Master, 177 Fornelius Avenue, Clifton, NJ 07013, 1-800-750-BLAST, (973) 777-1551, Eric A. Tulenko, http://www.blast-master.com

Ken G. and all, Good pick up on the Electro-tech system. That is precisely why I went with that system, is to use the cowl lights as the front directional lights. I also like the emergency four way feature as well. The guy's out there are car guys themselves so they designed it as they would want it. Notice they have the "little indicator lights" on the box, hence you'd have to mount the box so they're visible from the drivers seat. I made one modification that remoted these to a small aluminum enclosure with a magnet epoxied to it. This remote indicator is on the dash board and when at a show, just pull it off. The same goes with the directional arm, its held on with wing nuts. The price almost doesn't matter so long as it it works and leaves everything on the car intact.

I have used the electronic system from Electo-Tech and am satisfied. They are collector car owners themselves. http://www.turnswitch.com/Turnsignal.htm

Mark, You're close on getting the three terminals right. P is for power, L is for load, and X is for the indicator, I think. Chris

Steve D. Jim Osborn Reproductions makes all sorts of decals and I know he has the oval Purolator decal. I asked Jim to create it and include it in his inventory for model L and model K Lincoln owners where there was not enough room to insert a round decal. He did an outstanding job reproducing it, orange, gold and black. Osborn should be at Hershey or his web site is: http://www.osborn-reproduction.com/american.html Chris W.

Here is what the whole manifold looks like, before the heat fabric was removed. Water or moisture seems to collect under the material and rots out the steel at the flanges. It's two 16 Gauge stamped halves that are welded together along the edges, the flanges being the last to be welded. If I were to find another it would probably be rotted in about the same spots. There is enough material to weld past the holes and these are the only ones, albeit there are a few thin spots that I also plan on mig welding. Maybe, just maybe this will be the excuse to go out and buy the TIG I always wanted. I guess I'll have to chance it with the MIG.

Harry, The Infared thermometer I use is the Raytek ST30 which has a straight and circular laser pinpointer. They're about $125-150 on the web. As always, if you want more capability, then the price goes up to $350. I use mine for powder coating, testing air conditioners, etc. Do get one with the laser feature. TSP is trisodiumphosphate, a powder form cleaner dissolved in water, available in hardware stores. It's more agressive than standard cleansers. A good example is that is removes nicotine build-up on walls prior to painting. Can you post a photo of the engine showing the water return into the cylinders? Chris

Pictured is an exhaust manifold that has rusted out near the flanges. Looking for suggestions on how to repair it. My first thought was to roll & contour sheet metal larger than the holes, mount in the inside and mig it in. The material is 16 Gauge stamped steel. The outside is covered with heat fabric so appearance is not a real factor. Finding a replacement is not really an option as these usually rust out in the same areas.

Harry, A couple of suggestions. Use a infared digital temperature gauge (pistol grip style) and measure the temps along the surface. Take the data in a X-Y grid fashion on both the outside and inside of the core. A colder temp reading should be a clogged area. Be careful how aggresively you clean the radiator, you may create more problems than you started. My first cleaning solution is TSP dissolved in warm water. If the radiator checks out even all around, check the water plate over the cylinders. My Packard six had the inner plate dissintegrate over the years where the water wasn't getting to the back cylinders. A new copper plate with holes located between the cylinders solved it. Also, you didn't mention the fan. Is it in good shape and pulling air through?

Address is: Smooth-On, Inc. 2000 Saint John Street Easton, Pennsylvania 18042 Website is: http://www.smooth-on.com/default.htm

This thread is to inform the forum about one method of casting small pieces in plastic such as these tail light lenses used on TRILIN tail lights. Pictured on top are the clear and amber original glass lenses and below them are the plastic reproductions. Note the Australian customer wanted a red stop lens instead of the original amber to conform to their motor vehicle regulations. Smooth-On rubber mold resin (PMC 121-30 Dry) was used to make the two-piece mold and their crystal clear resign #202 was used for the lenses. The resins can be used clear or tinted to suit the desired color. Smooth-On also has available regular non-clear plastic resins for things like radio or vent control knobs. I originally got this idea while watching a Bob Villa show where they were restoring wood carvings on a fireplace mantel by making the molds in rubber and the pieces in plaster. The molding rubber was $20 for the set and the clear was $25 for the set. These are their starter kits. Any questions, e-mail me. Chris Wantuck

Subject is a six volt generator, four field windings with adjustable 3rd brush. The field windings are 18 gauge wire with about 50 turns, with a distinct inner lead (where you would start the winding) and the outer most lead. The diagrams I have show the field windings in series between the field winding terminal and the 3rd brush. This makes sense that you adjust the voltage in the field windings to vary the output. The question I have is does it matter how the field windings are wired in series, meaning the inner lead connected to the outer lead of the next, outer lead connected to the outer lead on the next and so on? The diagram I have shows the positive field terminal to the inner lead on the first field winding with the outer lead connected to the outer lead of #2 field winding, #2 inner connected to #3 inner, #3 outer to #4 outer completed by #4 inner to the 3rd brush. This orientation is symmetrical if you look at the two together side-by-side. The question is does it matter how they are wired? Am I trying to interpret the diagram too closely? The other question is does a chicken have lips and does it matter? Chris

Please do post some photos for us to see. That's a part of what this forum does, answer questions and educate the rest of us. With 10,000 miles, why are the rods being rebabbited? How did you come to this conclusion? If the rods use shims, suggest using a smaller (thinner) shim to correct the tolerance.

One vendor I know of specializes in vacuum tank rebuilding: Hotchkiss Vacuum Tank Service 2102 S Brentwood Pl Essexville, MI 48732-1489 517-894-2073, Mail order only. Restoration of the vacuum fuel feed system. Chris

I?ll chime in here with my experience with plating. Approx 6-7 years ago I purchased the Caswell kit for copper, nickel & chrome. I set up the baths in spackle bucket size containers with heaters, electric source, anodes, etc and tried each for small parts. Parts were cleaned and polished as a prerequisite. The main problem is that the copper needs to have a good ?bite? into the part and the Caswell system didn?t seem to do it. Earlier, Roadster Rich acknowledged that it was cyanide free. A commercial plater uses the required acidic based copper followed by the nickel and chrome processes. After disappointing results, I dismantled everything and discarded the solutions. My plating now involves prepping the parts as best as possible. Repairs are made using either brazing or the low temp rods from Muggy weld http://www.muggyweld.com Don?t confuse his rods with the ?beer can? rods normally seen at flea markets. Muggy?s stuff works. Parts are sanded using the Eastwood expanding wheel (80, 120, 220, 320 grits), their polishing/grinding compounds on cloth wheels for contoured parts, and buffing using normal Tripoli and Rouge compounds. At this point, I?ve minimized the amount of prep work the plater has to do, and in theory, be the least costly. I use Paul?s plating in Evan?s City (Pitt, PA) for two reasons: 1) he uses a ?wacky? engraver (Joe Kostelnik) who over emphasizes lettering on parts so when they?re plated, they come out right, and 2) Paul?s uses a photographic control process throughout each of the steps. To date, Paul?s has not lost one single piece. My advice, skip the home kits and leave it to the pros. You?re time is better spent doing the prep work and doing other things on the car. Oh and there is the other motivator, is it worth the $1-2K difference or so to endanger yourself or family members?

I'll through in my $.02 worth here. Check the actual voltage across the coil terminals. It should be close to 6 volts. If it's more like 3-4 volts or less, then either the positive lead has a problem or the negative lead isn't well grounded. Where is the positive lead conected to, the starter switch or more directly? Next is the gauge of the wire. The coil's primary circuit needs to develop the field through current, not just voltage. If you're using 16-18 Gauge wire, replace using 14-12 gauge. The problem is weak spark, not no spark, so its a performance issue. This is a case where the leads and terminals need to be super clean and the terminal leads soldered to the wire. Don't rust crimps. Check the ground continuity using a multi tester meter. Should be no more than 0.5 ohms. Someone mentioned a poor coil. Even though new, try it right on the battery itself. Quickly releasing the negative terminal should show a strong spark. You can also check the coil's windings again using the multitester. The primary winding should be about 200-400 ohms and the secondary (negative terminal lead and spark connection should be on the order of 5000-10000 ohms. The role of the condensor is to reduce the "back lash" of current when the points open the circuit. Again you can use a needle type multi tester on the condensor: use on the ohms setting across the condensor and switch polarity using the meter's switch or moving the leads themselves. The needle on the tester will deflect "a little" each time. Let us know what happens.

Forgot to mention that I also filled in badly pitted water flanges using this cast iron welding rod. Not on this project, but I've also used his low temp soldering rod and flux for pot metal repair which should not be confused with the Beer can repair stuff found at flea markets. Curious if anyone else has used his rods before. http://www.muggyweld.com/index2.html

Here is a project that I recently experienced involving welding cast iron that I thought would be of interest to the forum. Shown is a series of pictures starting with the water pump housing with the broken flange. I crafted an alum mounting plate and bolted the broken peices onto it. The stick welding rod is from Muggyweld (http://www.muggyweld.com/index2.html) Use short back-stich welds at about 90-95 amps. A Dremel cut off wheel and small carbide bits cleaned up the weld. Muggy offers two different cast iron rods, one for dirty high temp applications like manifolds & is non-machinable and the other (this project) which is machinable. The machinable rod can be welded over the non-machinable. I also have other photos where I practiced on a scap peice of marine exhaust manifold if anyone is interested. Welding rods aren't cheap, but the alternatives are limited.