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edinmass

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Posts posted by edinmass

  1. If all three were doing the same thing, stands to reason it’s something wrong with the manufacturers parts. I would put an in line pressure guage (yes, I actually have them) at all four corners to check pressures, but without the gauges, I would make up some shims and use a very heavy C clamp to restrict the movement of the cylinder and see if it leaks with just the clamp. (Leaving all the others as they are.) That would eliminate an incorrect brake shoe or some other off the wall problem on that corner. If it leaks past the seals with the C clamp……..it’s the cylinder. 

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  2. If they are leaking, they probably have incorrect parts installed. I would pull it apart and check clearances on it. You didn’t say it was leaking past the cups…..is it leaking on both sides of the cups or just one? 

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  3. 10 minutes ago, alsancle said:

     

    This is actually a really good point and someone else said the same thing the other day.   I think the days of being able to debug a 540K fuel system,   or a tick in a 16 cylinder Marmon engine are over.  At least for the semi-regular collectors.


    The big boy toys need lots of labor, and that means a deep pocket. Almost all cars stay dialed in once you get them there if you drive them on a regular basis. There are bunches of FANTASTIC nickel cars out there available for such reasonable prices it’s ridiculous. Even big nickel cars are very, very affordable. In the last 60 years, it’s never been more affordable to get into the hobby than it is today. Buy a finished car that is sorted and reliable. I try and not look at the for sale advertisements as I don’t need any more cars, and there are handfuls of good deals being posted here weekly. With about 25 years left on my clock, I’m certain that more interesting cars will pass through my hands than I thought I would ever be able to afford. So the market shift is working to the advantage of new people and existing collectors adding to their inventory. Drivability is the key to adding cars to your collection…….unless you like garage art. The big six Studebaker’s a fun, reliable cars that cost about the same as a lawn mower today for a driver type car. You won’t be driving it at 60mph, but you sure can have great family fun in a car that is easy to service and drive. 

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  4. Cool car with very few survivors. I would bet a month’s pay it’s unique to the exact year and application. With today’s waterjet systems they can be duplicated if you have an experienced top guy. It’s certainly not a cake walk, but easier to do than in years past. Trick is getting something to copy. Been there, done that.

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  5. Early cars…..say pre 1925 are much easier to deal with…..more of a - less parts and trim kinda thing. When you get to my 1936 Pierce V-12 there is something like 600 parts just on the dash counting special hardware…….and 100 pieces of chrome just on the dash……..a 1924 Caddy for instance………probably has 20 percent of the parts, or less. With the modern era of YouTube for fixing things and showing how to repair almost anything, there will be more guidance for shady tree mechanics in the future. It’s not all doom and gloom for the hobby, just change. It’s million years old dinosaurs like us here that will need to adjust.

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  6. Staver………….the high HP brass stuff isn’t gonna drop. I expect the 45 HP and under to adjust lower allowing for the usual conditions(year,make,body style,ect) I do think that the pre 1925 stuff is all going to find new happy homes at affordable prices……which will bring in lots new collectors. When a fun car can be purchased for a very reasonable number………..let’s say 40k or less, it’s no more expensive than a new Harley or a small fishing boat. That makes people who aren’t pure hard core car people to have an affordable toy that makes occasional use justifiable. Time will tell, either supply and demand kicks in, or lots of cars; especially projects and rust buckets are gonna meet the crusher regardless of age. Storing stuff that has zero value is simply too expensive in most east and west coast locations today.

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  7. Hi Frank…….you probably had multiple issues causing the failure. Clutch chatter or shudder is a common problem that will cause axle failure. I was once at a meet and heard a guy take off with his car, I stopped him and gave him a heads up on the chatter………ten minutes later he was on the side of the road with a broken shaft. It’s very common. I recommend taking both sides apart to inspect for other issues. It seems that from 1928-1931 it was an industry wide problem on the manufacture of the shafts…….

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  8. I expect in the hobby in the future will resort back to how it was in the 40’s and 50’s. Brass future is bright…….they are simple to own, and less complicated and expensive to repair than 30’s and 40’s cars. That said, what is really going to shift things? Simple………cost of transportation of the vehicles…….not just by commercial carrier…….but owning your own truck and trailer. Brass cars can be hauled by a F150 or other light general purpose vehicle…….my V-12 Pierce needs a 100k + pick up and a 45k + trailer. The cost of the truck, trailer, insurance, maintenance, depreciation, and storage ar becoming absolutely enormous. So smaller lighter cars will be much easier to own. Cars that are “highly drivable “ for their year and function better than average in traffic will also hold up well. I also expect the new generation of owners coming up across the board won’t be into showing for points and having show cars as compared to driving them. It’s about lifestyle choices today………..the car crazy generations are rapidly disappearing………my generation included. Hobby will survive fine……how people participate in it with their cars will most certainly change. 

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  9. It should come apart fairly easy. Be sure to run the engine up hot, and then pull it apart as fast as possible. It will come apart easier if the block is warm. Trust me, the baffles are the least of your worries. Once apart, put a heat lamp on the inside of the water jacket to get the block to dry. You can’t clean it properly if there is any moisture in it. Once disturbed, EVERYTHING in the block will push up into the head and then the radiator………so get it absolutely clean. Use copper gaskets on the manifold. Do not over tighten them. Be prepared to have to deal with a rotted gasket surface on the block for the jacket. Sometimes you get lucky on pulling water jackets, most of the time you don’t and have you unforeseen issues to deal with……and they can be very difficult.

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