HarryJ

Over the years I have bought out several auto parts houses and dealerships of their old stock, in doing so I've acquired a few sets of cast iron pistons. These fit Chevy, Olds, and Pontiac. The question is; does anyone rebuild engines utilizing cast iron pistons? I always wondered if rebuilding an engine originally fitted with heavy cast iron pistons using light weight aluminum units would cause it to be out of balance? Also, when was the last year cast iron pistons were used in a passenger car?

Pistoncollector.....I don't know exactly what carburator to recommend to replace your troublesome Schebler model "L" ; however, I would pay attention to the displacement of your engine when choosing a replacement. As I understand in 1910 Overland built two different engines, a 25hp 4 cyl and a 35hp 4 cyl. I would also reccomend you obtain a copy of an early "Dyke's Automobile and Gasoline Engine Encyclopedia" as it has a very good article on the care and adjustment of Schebler model "L" carbs. From what I see in the article these are simple units. Since you have seemingly had the carb off many times and have gone through it thoroughly the problem might not be with the carb, I would check for intake manifold leaks or proper intake valve openning. The cam could be worn so as to restrict the height to which the valve opens; thus restricting inflow of the combustion mixture.

Figment...There was a company by the name of Au-ve-co that supplied clips and fastners to the automobile manufactures and the aftermarket. I don't know if they are still in business; however if you can find one of their cataloges you can identify their part number and this might help you in your search. I have a 1955 catalogue, although it does not list cars as recent as 1954.

Weekend before last I attended the Concours at Hilton Head, I must say it was a great meet! There was quite an awesome array of automobiles; including a replica 1928 series "72" Chrysler Le Mans racer. Although, it sat between a Lozier and a Simplex, I paid special attention to this vehicle as I am presently trying to restore a Royal sedan version of this chassis. I noticed that the car seemed lower than the car I am presently working on. Upon close examination, I noticed the leaf springs under this race repro chassis had a negative arch to them. The car is part of the Daimler Chrysler collection. Upon examination of original photos taken at Le Mans of the cars the leaf springs look flat or with slight negative arches; my question is, were cars lowered for the race? I pay special attention to the suspension system on early automobiles when I am attending a show, early technology of suspension, braking and chassis design fasinates me. I solicit comments on members experience regarding re-arching and remanufaturing leaf springs of this era,which is the best avenue?

Ken, Frank....I have experienced this pot metal phenomenon on several different types of diecast parts made for cars of the twenties; such as carbs, door handles and window cranks, oil filter manifolds and others. A company by the name of Ternstadt (spelling?) supplied door handles, window cranks, and other interior hardware for Fisher bodied autos in the late twenties; which today is crumbling away. Several companies have reproduced these pieces of hardware for those folks restoring Chevys and Buicks and maybe others; however, I am presently restoring a 1928 Chrysler with a Fisher body and the Ternstadt handles (although the same basic design and interchangable with GM) don't have the same surface decoration. I have had to have them recast using the investment casting process. The carburator on this car is also pot metal. It is a dual throated Pemberthy Ball & Ball SV-37. I have located several copies, including a NOS unit, unfortunately all of them are cracked and extremely fragile. I have heard of a process whereby the old part is coated with a refractory plaster, placed in a furnace, remelted, which starts the crystalization clock over. If you know about this let me know. From my observations the auto industry got this problem under control by the early to mid thirties as I have not noticed parts experiencing this problem on autos built since that time.

Ken G. ....Pot metal or zinc die castings of this era were prone to what I understand to be called" internal granular disintergration", which is caused by small amounts of lead in the alloy, resulting in crystalization within the part. Some parts were lucky and others, not so; with this alloy contamination. I would not try to melt the part out;this may cause more damage to the assembly in general. I would suggest slowly chipping or breaking it out if you must remove it.(try using a Dremel tool with a mill or small cutting disc) The venturi has probably swollen in place and is basically locked in. You might as you suggested, try to goop it up and dress it up in place. I must warn that the swelling will continue slowly but surely.If you remove the venturi's by destructive means you will need to machine or fabricate a replacement. Make sure you get measurements, so you can reproduce them.

Ken.....As far as gaiters go I would do as you suggest (have someone acurately reproduce them). Automobiles of 1925 were somewhat "bouncy" , due to road conditions of the time; look to your shock absorbers to dampen this effect. I have heard of the tractor lube Hal mentions; supposedly this lubricant does an excellent job. Hal is right, be careful of the energy stored in a leaf spring, even at short distances such as 2", a leaf spring can put the hurt to you.

Ken G.....JT.....Thanks.

Alan....Give me a call as I recently picked up a roll of graphited asbestos valve stem packing when I acquired a carburetor business. Why it had this old spool on the shelf I'll never know.

Les...According to "the Chrysler Master Parts list for all models prior to 1934; there were three heads listed. Up to engine # CD-11532 (silver dome) part No.310234, up to engine # CD-11532 (red head) part No.310235, and after #CD-11532, (silver dome) part No. 320949. It does not talk about whether these are interchangable. I hope this has been some help.

DRM.....Thanks for your response. Have you had any experience with the Garlock Pack Master material? I agree with you on letting the joint drip every so often to lubricate the joint and prevent galling; however, the article referenced above is very convincing. What type of packing material do you recommend? According to the "L"Lincoln service manual, when repacking on the work bench the packing material should be tapped or rammed down tightly prior to reassembly of pump. Now this manual was written in 1926, and technology of packing material has come a long way since that time. How do we handle packing with modern materials?

Jax... I don't know if they have a web site; if you get in touch with the collection and find the answer let me know. I have obtained several pic's from them of series "72" Chryslers.

Jax...Chrysler produced two 2 door sedans in the Airstream series in 1936, the C-7 (six cylinder) and the C-8 (eight cylinder). I don't know if the bodies were the same. I would try the Chrysler Historical Data Collection, they have original factory photos of most of the body styles produced. For a fee than can send you copies of these pics.

Safety should be #1, Some people are dangerous. By the way, are there not a set of rules that vendors have to abide by? When showing a car your fire extinguisher has to be prominently displayed. Remember what happened at the Los Angeles auto show in the late twenties. By the way, as an aside, when I was a kid I watched a fellow in a junk yard start a V8 motor laying on it's side on the ground. He used the gas that was in the float bowl to run it.

Brian ... This has been a concern of mine for a while, not in the Buick forum, but in general as the ability to maintain and repair these first generation of automobiles is being lost. I just bought a computer and I,m 55 years old, most of us old guys are not of the computer age and some of us may never get one of these new fangled machines; but since I got mine and found the AACA site a world of knowledge has come available. I agree that we need a pre WWII forum; however we need a way to build a data base that is easily referenced in the future as the present forums are fleeting and only temporary. Items such as identifying part numbers and how to handle repairs properly need to be available in a permanent data base. I made a suggestion as a AACA club project to start transfering paper parts and service manuals to computer accessable files; this should also include dissertations from old mechanics also. Presevation of the physical automobiles is important; however, preserving the knowledge of how to repair them is equally important.

JT... That is a great article! I have been using pure Teflon packing with a square cross section; however, Teflon is a very strong material and I was concerned about galling the shaft when the packing nut was tightened to the point of no leaks. This Pack Master #2 & #4 material sounds like the way to go. I am preparing to re-rebuild a water pump on an "L" Lincoln and go through the cooling system on a Studebaker Light six in the near future and will see if my local industrial supply houses stock this.

Also, I understand these gadgets were designed to make the automobile run smoother.

Dary, good advice from Bob, it may take more than one soaking with penetrating oil and a couple weeks to free it up.I would suggest you go slow and bring it back to life analyzing one problem at a time.

I would like to hear other members response concerning water pump packing. I am presently using Teflon; however, would it be better to use the old fashion lead coated cord? Is it better to tighten the packing nut till not a drop comes out' or should you allow a drop or two now and then? When packing from rebuild on the bench should you ram down the packing with a curved ram and hammer? Are there any other points I should consider when maintaining and restoring early water pumps?

John.. There are several wood epoxies out in the market that soak in / fill in bad wood, I have used one of these and it did an excellent job on punky wood in a composite Fisher body I am workin on. Mind you it was on pieces that were mostly there. As for the second bow, I don't know if it had a curvature. Let me suggest you get a copy of the Packard video that Walter Miller distributes; as it contains several original factory films showing, "How Packard builds a body". This is quite interesting even if you are not a Packard restorer.

What is the make and year of the car in question? Newcomb has manufactured many thousands of small custom spring types, they may have a cataloge that describes one similiar to what you're looking for.

From what little info and the picture, I think this is one of those gadgets that were marketed to improve gas mileage by adding water to the mix in the carburator. Several companies have marketed similiar products during the age of carburated cars.

What kind of auomobile, and what year are we talking about? Plastigage and careful observation should give you an idea about the bearings. Oil pumps wear on the end (thrust) surface, allowing for pressure leaks between the end of the gear and the housing surface. You should also check for a bubble in the oil pressure guage line. I recently acquired an 1921 Studebaker Light 6. I had an oil pressure "problem", according to the guage. Some time it would register sometimes not, Turns out the oil had been thinned and there was a air bubble in the oil pressure guage line.

Try Newcomb Spring of Atlanta, Ga. I had them fabricate three different small chassis/brake springs for "L" Lincolns ( first series Lincoln mfg. between 1921 and 1930 inclusive). These were superior copies; however, you have to order at least 200 copies. The price is good; but don't expect to get rich supplying brake springs for an obscure antique automobile.

Although I have very little experience with block or leak sealant chemicals; from what I understand about thier performance, they can cause more problems than they solve. Since you have a high performance "red head" engine; it may be more difficult to find a replacement head. Unless you recast these type heads; repair would still be my last resort from the way you describe your exsisting situation.