danhar1960

G'day and welcome aboard mate. Good luck with getting yourself a '39 beast. Always good to have another member join the team. Plenty of experience here to call on. Danny

Cool !! Looks like a real car again. Danny

Went to dig out a '46 Buick many years ago. The car was in a paddock miles from anywhere. It had been there so long it had started to sink into the ground. I was hoping to get a few good gearbox parts. Looked behind the front seat to find an ice-cream container with all the new parts needed to rebuild the gearbox . Syncros, bearings, cluster and gears. Very happy Vegemite !! Danny

The part Bob is referring to is not in the picture. It sits behind the throw-out carrier against the input shaft bearing. It pre-loads the bearing on the input shaft. Don't think it matters, as long as it's there, it will do the job either way. Danny

It is very important to have that bypass valve in the housing as the water will not circulate through the radiator with out it !! The bypass valve, when the engine is cold and the thermostat is closed, allows the water in the block to recirculate to warm the engine up as quickly as possible. When the thermostat opens, the bypass valve closes and directs the water flow through to the radiator to be cooled. The alternative (if you can't get a hold of the correct pieces) is to fit a permanently affixed plate with a hole in it. This is what they did with the later models (1/2" I think) and did away with the bypass altogether. As for boiling the radiator, that will usually only help a little. It is best to get the top tank removed and definitely have the tubes rodded to be sure that there is no "gunk" left in them. I'd also put the thermostat back in as it is far better for the engine to be running at the correct, stable and constant temperature. Danny

Gregory's appears to be what you're after. Have a look here. http://forums.aaca.org/f165/1936-radio-pictures-268122.html Danny

Looks like a Special to me Al. Danny

Did you get it Earl ???? Danny

Good to see you found your way back mate !!! Danny

Good to see it's moving along Billy. Danny

Goodonya Mike !! Good to see you blokes occasionally get the spelling of "tyre" correct. :) With steering, if there is slack anywhere in the system, remove it. I don't know about over in the States, but here in Aus, I doubt there would be too many that would know how to do a decent wheel alignment on these old beasts. I bought the gear on eBay and did it myself and will do it again once the car is finished. If you take it somewhere for an alignment, take the workshop manual with the instructions to do it properly. Danny

Good to hear you got it all sorted. The question of ride quality brought to mind an old problem I ran across years ago. Nothing to do with but in the same area as springs, the shockies. I had a mate with a '39 that had what he thought was "His" shockies rebuilt but was given an exchange pair from a later year. The valveing was different and gave a harsh ride. The things you learn along the way. :) Danny

Wayne, are these carbs Stromberg or Carter ?? I don't think you should need to put your foot to the floor to start the engine. Maybe the starter switch needs to be adjusted to engage earlier so that the throttle doesn't have to open as wide before cranking. Danny

Nice article Jon to a very common problem with these old beasts. Danny

G'day Rod, Not knowing much about your car, I'll ask the old "Have you checked that the thermostat bypass valve is fitted ??" question. Your problem may be due to low circulation. Just a thought. Danny

G'day Billy, That's the bugger !! Did you get its mate for the other side ?? I'd wrecked (dismantled ??) a few '39s before these turned up. My old mate that had a '39 Century as his daily driver said he took his off as they restricted the airflow out through the engine bay. Danny

John, If you have the shop manual, the spring specifications and details are on page 68. That may be of some help. You may have been given Century springs. Tiny little difference in dimensions but rate at nearly 150lbs more load carry. Special wire diameter is .648 & Century is .660. Not that easy to pick up by eye. Try sitting someone of 150Lbs on the bumper and see if the curb height goes down to specs. :) Danny

Dave, What makes you thick it's a "38 manifold ?? Does the intake manifold not have the crank in it at the rear ?? That would be a little out of place on a '40 and "may" affect its performance. There are quite a few differences between '38, '39 & '40. Danny

Oh, are you referring to the splash guards ?? Danny

G'day Billy, How about a pic of this plate under the stater. Danny

Well done Dave !! Love your work. :) Danny

Strewth Dave, you been out playing with the wombats mate ??? Danny

Dave, Given you have it apart, I wouldn't leave that ridge unattended. I have only ever removed the ridge and the honed/deglazed it. I haven't had any problems BUT, having said that, I have only done it 4 times and would not go against the advice of a master engine builder. Why not do both and be sure you have eliminated the potential for disaster down the road. These tools can usually be hired out for the weekend for not a lot of dollars. Just check that the spacer is available for, or comes with, the set of rings you buy. Danny

I'd say Not '39. I'd say '40 Special or Century. They have the same "Not really sitting in the fender" look as the '39s. I think 6 wheelers where gone by '41. Danny

Greetings and welcome aboard 39pickles. Tell us about your beasty. Danny