HarryJ

Ken G......Some years back I personally cast some small, what had originally been die cast parts for my "L" Lincoln using the sand casting technique; obviously, the die cast detail was not carried through in the sand castings. These parts were mounting fixtures that were out of sight on the back side of the dash panel, so detail was not crucial. I coated the original crumbling zinc die casting with epoxy to use as a pattern. By making it slightly larger than the original, I was able to somewhat compensate for cooling shrinkage. It required some machining to bolt on and add holes that were origanally die cast in it. After making this pattern, I went out to a local "art foundry" and with a little instruction from the owner I rammed up the molds, melted the aluminum and poured the parts. I know very little about balancing cast parts so casting these youself may not work as it did in my case; however, balance on these early fans may not be that critical. Fiber glass resin may work as well as epoxy to fill in for missing areas and compensate for cooling shrinkage when using the original part as a pattern. Some machining and hand work may produce a very acceptable copy for your needs.

stude8.......Yes, according to the "The Splendid Stutz" page 181, Stutz ran a dual throated Zenith up draft on the "BB" and "M" series. The model "M" units were made of defective "pot" medal. I heard that someone in Austrialia had reproduced these units some time in the recent past. If you could find a way to publish those pictures you have I would like to see them.

carbking......How many different sets of blueprints did you get from Stromberg? From the little I am learning in today's world, if you have a set of blueprints you may have 40+/-% of the costs of reproduction dealt with in reproducing the dies and machining via CNC technologies. By the way, have you heard of a Pemberthy Ball & Ball SV-37?

carbking.....Thanks for your info on the UUR-2 Stromberg carb. Does anyone know or have they checked with Stromberg as to whether they still have the original dies from which the castings were made? Every once and a while these companies still retain stuff like this in a dusty warehouse some where. There may be a good chance Stromberg still has the dies because the carbs were built up to WWII and so they probably supplied replacements up into the fifties.

29 Chandler.....My '28 "72" Chrysler also runs a 5-B Mitchell Specialty Electrolock switch. These are entirely different from the electrolocks fitted to the Model "A" Ford. I have a NOS Model "A" Ford Electrolock; it was manufactured by Briggs and Straton. I know the distributor end and the key end are different than the 5-B entirely. The original armoured cable on the Briggs and Straton (Ford) unit is 1/2" OD which is much larger diameter than the remnants of the electrolock on an original parts car which I have (Chrysler).This presents an interesting question; did Ford have more than one supplier of Electrolocks, like he did with horns and other parts? If you notice on the info you posted to this site the type 12-A Ford key end of the assembly has a 90 degree head on it as compared to the 5-B which is straight and the armoured cable is smaller in diameter. By the way I printed out your post for my records, thanks again!

macs36dodge......As far as I know, this condition can be caused by three different problems; one being bad syncronizers, two being worn (beveled) gears, and the third being worn locking areas on the shifter shafts. Most of the time the first two problems reveal themselves during a hard pull; since it hops out without a load on the transmission I would guess that the shifter shafts would require a look see. It could also be a worn ball at the end of the shift lever that does not push the forks far enough to get the shifter shaft locks quite engaged. This problem will eventually lead to uneven wear in the gear teeth, as they are not fully engaging.

tommy1927....Six and twelve point sockets have their place in my tool box; however, I make extensive use of my open end wrenches. Call me old fashioned; but these seem to give me better control. By the way if I have a rusted nut or bolt, I anticipate removing it ahead of time by soaking it with a good penetrating oil.

new2buicks.....I would try my local NAPA store and some of the older parts houses in your area; NAPA still stocks some parts from this era and if you're lucky an independant in your area may have a dusty box still on the shelf. Joining the Buick Club would probably help with these and future needs.

Peter/everybody.....Unfortunately, I will be unable to attend the National meeting; as I had volunteered to host a tech meet for the New South Region of the CCCA that weekend. I would have really loved to have heard the comments and suggestions and been part of it. Please post some of the comments and suggestions on this site. PS Thanks, Packin31 for your referal to the 3D web info.

Thanks guys!....I have a '28 "72" Chrysler sedan and have been seeking info on the Electrolock system. Mine has also been butchered over the years; with the armoured cable cut and removed and the switch/lock cylinder suffering from diecast zinc disease. Is there a source for NOS units or someone that specializes in restoring these out there? Is the Mitchell Specialty Company still in business?

EdA....Thanks for the lead. I will try to contact these folks for a quote also. I have heard of these English Co.'s that reproduce early technologies at an afordable rate.

Picture #1 is of a look perpendiculiar to the machined top of the casting. The "L" Lincoln was equiped with a 384.8 ci V-8 in 1928; two indentical 4 cyl cast iron blocks bolted to an aluminum crankcase. The engine was originally designed by Henry Leland and his engineers in 1920. When first introduced it was 3 3/8" bore displacing 357.8 ci. The "L" Lincoln was produced from 1921 to 1930 inclusive, with running engineering improvements. Picture #2 is a bottom end view, valve guide, water jacket, and exhaust port views. Picture #3 shows the block laying on it's side showing the bolting flange and the water jacket connection. Picture #4 shows a perspective of the overall unit. There are five cores required to produce this block.

Here are some pics of the block I am attempting to have cast. Here is #4 of 4.

Here are some pics of the block I am attempting to have cast. Here is #3 of 4.

Here are some pics of the block I am attempting to have cast. Here is #2 of 4.

Here are some pics of the block I am attempting to have cast. Here is #1 of 4.

luxus.....Check in Hemmings Motor News for vacuum tank rebuilders. This is a very simple system, 90% of the problems with these units are caused with clogged or restricted atmospheric vents. Take your unit down, clean it, make sure the float springs are OK (not broken),clean out the vent lines, put on a new top gasket and it should function just fine. Most cars develope ~16" vacuum; however these units only need 2.5" to 3" to function. If you can get access to a Dyke's manual of 1940 or earlier, the action and operation of these fuel supply units are explained in detail. It would also be wise to check your engine's vacuum at the manifold and at the tank itself.

Without a doubt, Ford's "T" 's and "A"'s were some of the best cars built to this day. They overshadow v-16's and luxury cars as far as dependability and service. Just check the percentage that have survived. Ford used the finest materials in his automobiles and designed them to be understood and repaired by the average mechanic. If you check the records, Ford dominated the global automotive market until the late twenties.

1craig.....There is a Willys Knight owners/enthusiast club that has a lot of info on these automobile. I would suggest joining it. The AACA library has a good bit of info as already suggested.

If everything goes right I would love to attend the annual meeting and meet a few of you DFer's.

I got into this one late.....the Mercer and Lozier were chosen. These are awesome automobiles; however, I would have to choose the last 45-90 Stearns or a Chadwick Great Six as, for that matter a 15-30 or 30-60 Stearns might do the trick if the other two were not available for a car that I would spend the money to own. One of the last remaining Simplexes would be a joy to get my hands on also. While at the last Hilton Head Concours I spoke to a gentleman from the Crawford Collection which was displaying a 50hp Simplex. He had tuned the car up , gotten it off the museum floor, and taken it out to the track where it was clocked at over 90mph!

Be where???When???

Kestas.....Thanks, The Soligen system is based on the MRI/printing technology you have heard about. I would like to know more about the laser technology you mentioned.

WILLYS58......Let me warn you, taking the pistons out of a Chrysler of this vintage is not advisable in my opinion as these cars are equiped with dyked rings and I don't think you can get replacements. I really like DesotoFrank's system for cleaning out the oil galleries. If there is not a ridge in the top of the cylinders; I would opt to clean it up real good, check it out, and drive it. If you take the pistons out I would replace them. You can plastiguage the lower end with the engine still in the car and without removing the pistons.

WILLYS58....Sounds like you have the upper end pretty well analyzed and under control. What kind of mess did you find in the lower end? I don't have any great ideas as to how to flush out the oil galleries. I would plastiguage a rod or two to determine if they are within specs. If the mess you describe is bad enough it most likely extends into the oil galleries, requiring some cleaning. I would solicit the aid of one or more lower engine experts in your area to give their opinion. The extreme case would be to remove the crank itself and clean it outside the motor.