materal

I have seen some other posts regarding the proper transmission fluid for older Buicks. Would the same recommendations apply to a 49 Buick? Also, would low transmission fluid affect the transmission locking into gear? The car has been sitting for some time and is not dropping into reverse. It is leaking fluid, probably transmission, but haven't had time to verify.

Thanks DizzyDale and Jack. I had this notion that I could restore the car to original condition and it would more or less function as it did when it was new. Of course, I haven't even begun to get it that far but I thought that I did do some of the basic repairs that would make the battery/generator system work like it was designed to work. Like DizzyDale said, if it worked when it was new, why won't it work now? I figure there has to be a drain somewhere. Maybe its as simple as the generator is shot and the shop that tested it didn't evaluate it correctly. Whatever the case, I'll start some troubleshooting based on some of your suggestions.

You may have already seen this but I pulled this of the LZOC website under the FAQ section: Does the Zephyr Club have historical information on the ownership of these cars? I'd like to know where my car was originally sold and who has owned it in the past. No, the club doesn't have any of this information. You may be able to get some manufacturing and delivery information from the archives of the Ford Motor Company. We suggest you contact: The Benson Ford Research Center P.O. Box 1970 20900 Oakwood Blvd. Dearborn, MI 48124 Telephone: 313-972-6070 Fax: 313-982-6244 Email: rescntr@hfmgv.org

The post from v12lincoln about getting more info on his car got me thinking about the Ford Archives. I live about 20 miles from Dearborn and have thought about going down to the Henry Ford Museum and looking through the archives. From the website (www.thehenryford.com) it appears you can use the public reading room at the Benson Ford Research Center. Has anyone done this? I know people pull a lot of info from the Archives for articles and photos in The Way of the Zephyr club magazine. Wondered if anyone has taken advantage of this resource that can tell me what to look for if I go.

I don't know the exact address anymore but a few years ago, I sent in a request to the Henry Ford Museum Archives to get my factory build card for my Zephyr. I think I called and asked how to do it and they gave me the address. I sent in the serial number and a nominal fee and they looked it up and sent me a photocopy of the build card showing the manufacture date, the factory options, color and where it was shipped from the factory. You can go to the the website for "The Henry Ford" (as they are calling it now) at http://www.thehenryford.com

Thanks everyone for the advice. I'm going to try these tips and I'll let you know how it turns out!

I talked to a gentleman at the Ford Centennial Meet (in the LZOC section) about an aftermarket radiator cap that has a spring on it. Apparently it seals better and provides better pressure which helps keep his Zephyr Convertible cooler when running on the highway. He takes it off and puts the original when he is showing the car. Has anyone else had any experience with this and if it works, where can I get one? I'm assuming they are not too hard to come by.

I know there is a way to check the power coming back to the battery but I don't know how to do it. I had the generator checked by a local shop that said it was fine but I don't what they did to check it. Do you know how or can you tell me where I can get the tech bulletin/article on how to perform the test? That's encouraging that your car charges well. I would like to have my car charge like yours! I'll check around to see if I have a drain somewhere. When I bought the car it had the original wiring which had bare spots everywhere. I had the problem then too and thought that rewiring would solve it but it has not. However, rewiring did improve the function of all the guages, lights etc.

I need help on some issues I am having with my 40 LZ sedan in regards to battery charging. The problem is that I cannot keep the battery charged. Ever since I have had the car, the battery has run down as I drive it until it gets to the point where I cannot start it again. This makes driving the car anywhere very difficult because it is so unreliable and you never know if you will get it started again if you shut it off. I've had the car three years and in that time I have had two batteries, rewired the entire car (except for the spark plug harness)had the coil checked by Jake Fleming, and had the generator checked. Everything in the car works (lights, horn, guages,etc) so I believe I have wired it correctly. I would like to know if anyone can offer some advice. How long does it take to charge these batteries when driving? I can't imagine that when the car was new, it would have rundown the battery just idling but maybe you have to drive so long at a certain speed to keep the charge up. Also, what is the best six volt battery for these cars?

Thanks for the replies. I guess you do call it a "prefilter" element since it is an oil bath type filter. I will contact Roy to see what he has. The one I have on the car now doesn't look too bad. Maybe it can be cleaned. I just wasn't sure if it was the correct style for that year.

Does anyone know where you can get a reproduction air filter element that would be correct for a 40 Zephyr Sedan? The one I have looks like a brillo pad and I don't believe it is correct.