tomwallace

I recently bought a 1914 Cartercar from a fellow in Michigan. It needs quite a few little things to get it up and running. I did notice that the original horn was lost in time. It is a electric horn with a short trumpet. I saw one on Ebay a few weeks ago. I found a photo on the web of an original, I believe. I don't know the manufacturer. Does anyone have a lead on a working horn? Thanks Tom Wallace Dayton, OH

thanks. helps a lot tom

I need help replacing Stewart speedometer drive gear. I believe there is supposed to be a pin holding the sprocket. I can't see one. I also need to remove the sprocket gear so I can attach the drive mounting set to the drive/wheel. Any help appreciated. Tom Wallace Dayton, OH

I am finishing up on a mechanical restoration of an all original 1931 Chrysler CD Royal Deluxe Coupe. We removed the head and replaced the head studs since a few were broken. We have cleaned out the engine cooling passages, back flushed the radiator, and replaced the hoses. The water pump impeller was falling apart and we casted a new one. A new water pump shaft was made. All fit together perfectly.. Cleaned and lined the gas tank and rebuilt the fuel pump. All the wheel cylinders and master cylinder needed replacement. We probably need to clean out and adjust the carb. It starts very well, shifts and stops on a dime. I am looking forward to driving around the town. I have one issue that I can’t seem to figure out. How does the drivers seat function? I am 6’ 4” tall and 260 pounds. I would like to adjust the seat as much as possible. I can see that the seat bottom is stationary without adjustment. It looks like the seat back has adjustment by turning a small handle at the top of the seat. Does this lean back the seat back? I can’t seem to get it to work. Is there any way to move the seat back further? Thanks Tom Wallace Dayton, OH

Much thanks fellas. I will let you know how everything works out when the project is completed. tom

Hello all. My 1926 Packard coupe is all original including the top. The top material is very dry and fragile. What is the surface coating? Is this roof fabric material covered with a paint, oil, or rubber to create a water tight roof? Even if you lightly brush your hand across it the surface black coating crumbles and floats of in the air! The material fabric portion of the top is intact though. Is there some type of treatment to save the top? Thanks Tom Wallace, Dayton, OH

Thanks much tom

The entire wiring harness of this car needs replacement. I contacted Rhode Island Wiring and they have wiring for a sports sedan and roadster. Is there any difference in the wiring harness between a sports sedan and a sedan? I thought they were the same except the sports sedan does not have a rear window. Thanks Tom Wallace Dayton, OH

Thanks all for your input! It might be awhile before I get to that point in the restoration. Tom Wallace Dayton, OH

Hi all, I have recently purchased a 1925 Franklin 11 A sedan. The previous owner hired a restoration shop to restore the car but lost interest midway in the project. The main work was done including rebuilding the engine, restoring the chassis and working on the brightwork. The car appears complete. I am a member of the Franklin club and have downloaded some mechanical drawings on a previous Franklin project. My issue with this car is that the upholstery is not correct and is a bizarre color. A really bad bluish velour fabric. I can’t seem to find info on the Franklin site to specifics to the correct upholstery. I assume it is supposed to be a wool broadcloth. I included some photos of the car before restoration started. Where can I find the correct info on the upholstery for my car? Any advice welcomed Thanks Tom Wallace Dayton, OH

Thanks for everyone's input. I will let you know the end of the story when it happens. tom

Here are the photos. Tom

I will get a few picts of the spots this weekend. I tried the CLR and vinegar but without results. But I do not want to damage the nickel. Maybe I will leave well enough alone. Perhaps what I see are just defects in the nickel but they are located next to the radiator spout. So I assume it is from radiator liquids that have spewed out when the previous owners drove it around. I do not have the formula or name for the blue paint color. I am taking the car to our Sept 15th Dayton Carillon Concours D'Elegance in over a week from now. I will post a few picts of the show. Thanks Tom Wallace Dayton, OH

Should have posted a few photos. Here they are! I think it is a good looking vehicle. Tom Wallace, Dayton, OH

I just bought a 1926 Packard Victoria Coupe. The car is in really good shape. The nickel on the lamps and radiator is quite good. But there are noticeable water spots around the top of the radiator shroud and headlights. I used Wenol compound and polished for quite a while. I did not want to use anything harsher because I did not want to damage the nickel. I read about using dilute vineger but I was skeptical of it. Any advice how to remove the water spots? thanks Tom Wallace, Dayton, OH

The oil rectifier was basically supposed to clean the oil while distilling off the gas, acids and water. Thus this would prolong oil life and one would not have to change oil so often. I understand the unit really didn't work and were often removed by the owner. Later in the production year, the unit was not offered by Packard. I just wanted to fill in the space but I wouldn't make it functional. Any leads appreciated. Tom Wallace, Dayton, OH

I just purchased a 1926 Packard Opera Coupe. It is in good condition and runs well. I am repairing the vacuum tank but it really just needs a bit of clean up. One item that is missing is the oil rectifier. As I understand, the rectifier was included in early production but in later production it was deleted. The unit apparently did not really function well and was often taken off and discarded by the owner. Apparently they were also used on other manufacturer's cars. The spot where the unit was placed looks "empty". I want to buy one and use it just as a "decorative' piece. I would not hook it up. I understand they are rare as hen's teeth but I was wondering if someone may have a unit sitting on their shelf. I found a good photo of the setup on the internet. P.S. What would you use on the carburetor as an air cleaner? Any leads appreciated. Tom Wallace, Dayton, OH

Here is the auction. https://www.ebay.com/itm/1926-Packard-Model-1-48/273913639874?hash=item3fc68673c2:g:sW4AAOSw72JdG6lN&vxp=mtr $25,000.00 Sorry for not including the info. tom

I saw an interesting Ebay auction for a 1926 Packard Model 41 326 Victoria Coupe. Seems like an unusual body style but I like it. It tried to research the body style on Packard.org and Packardinfo.com but couldn,t find an exact match. Looks in pretty good shape. I wonder if it had a repaint long ago. Is it worth the asking price? Any comments welcome. Thanks Tom Wallace Dayton, OH

Yes I believe that is the case. Remove a bolt and screw it in to the next slot to adjust the clutch. We just have not found the sweet spot yet. Thanks for your help. I await your scan of the manual tom

Thanks for the info. I will try to look up that Dykes issue. tom

Thanks a lot. We will check it closely when we get the clutch out again. Tom

Nope, no clutch brake! That is another reason why we are stumped. Will probably have to take the clutch out and re-examine. Still looking for any diagrams or advice. Thanks Tom

Hi all. I am completely the freshening up of my 1921 Premier Touring Car. One of its neat features is the Cutler-Hammer electromagnetic shift. After replacing the corroded wiring the unit works well. But we have an issue with the Borg & Beck clutch. It is a single plate clutch and we can’t seem to get the clutch adjusted. The clutched worked poorly before the last car show we attended. So we pulled the clutch. A broken ring of the facing material was just laying loose in the clutch; not riveted or glued to the plate. We thought that was odd. We had new material glued to the clutch plate. The throw-out bearing is good. We put the clutch back in. Now we can’t seem to adjust the clutch. There is a riveted tag on the clutch indicating how to adjust it but we haven't had success. My friend, a very well experienced mechanic, can’t seem to adjust the clutch. We can’t get the clutch to engage to shift it into any gear. The gears just grind. We can start the car while in gear (first or reverse) and with the clutch pedal pushed down. The clutch is grabby but the brakes do stop the car from moving. But at this point we still cannot shift the car into a different gear. Any ideas? Does anyone have a diagram or manual for the clutch? Tom Wallace Dayton, OH

I was surfing Ebay and came across this 1930 LaSalle auction. Sounds too good to be true. Does anyone know the seller? The seller doesn't seem to have sold a lot of items in the past. Any red flags here? Comments appreciated. Tom Wallace, Dayton, OH