jeff

I agree with the 6.3 volts for a fully charged battery, engine off. (theoretical 2.1 volts per cell, I believe) But, remember, this does not indicate state of charge, which is more of a capacity thing. Make sure the battery is fully charged before analyzing the voltage that the regulator is providing. It could be that the battery is "sinking" a lot of current due to low charge, and 6.5V is the best your generator can provide at that current level. Later, with a full charge, you may see a bit more voltage. I also agree that with everything set correctly, you should have something around 6.8V to 7.2V (I think this is defined in the shop manual). This is adjustable by tweaking the attachment point of the regulator spring... but it's a pretty delicate operation. Jeff

Thanks!

Thanks for the feedback! Ben, a 1" heater hose probably has a 1/2 or 5/8 ID. Agree? If so, that lines up pretty closely with the equivalent orifice diameter of the closed bypass valve, which is 1/2 inch. (it has an annular clearance when closed, the shop manual says it's equal to 1/2" diameter orifice.) So, when your thermostat is closed, the pump is circulating water through the head with this 1/2" restriction at it's inlet. That will be the same as what I rig up. Dynaflash - I totally agree with your comments on crud in the block. I have flushed mine twice over the years, but I am sure there is still junk in there - maybe crusted to the point where flow is restricted. My symptom is this... Good temperature control on the hottest days (93 F recently) while moving at 50 to 55 mph. (Special, with a 3.9 rear, radiator rodded out, 160 thermostat) Temperature will read about 190 under these conditions. A bit less on a more moderate day. When I come to a town and sit at a few traffic lights, the temperature will creep up - pretty close to max. Stopping for gas on the recent 93 degree day caused some coolant loss as it briefly boiled. The related issue is fuel percolation when the underhood temperature creeps up like this. I recently re-routed the fuel line to help this issue. I would love to go back in time and see how well these cars performed under these conditions. My best reference is a friend's '39 Packard and another friend's '37 Dodge - both are more capable under these kinds of conditions. Great feedback - thanks again! Jeff

As a pre-war Buick owner ('38 Special), I have been advised to restrict the spring loaded thermostat bypass mechanism to limit the flow bypassing the radiator. The claim is that the post-war version of this straight eight engine has a different "fixed" bypass arrangement, and that this later design is more effective. Can anyone confirm the design of the bypass in the later Buick straight eights? Jeff

If I recall correctly, my '38 Special differential cover only went on one way - it has a feature to accommodate the ring gear. Yours might be the same. Jeff

Just my two cents... You should be checking the master cylinder at least twice each driving season! A single circuit brake system with no fluid level sensor as found on modern cars - leads to a very, very bad failure mode. My '38 Special with a re-sleeved, rebuilt master cylinder still weeps just a bit out the back of the master cylinder. Happy to hear that yours do not, but a bit more wear or hardening of the seals and I would guess they may start to weep. Same goes for your wheel cylinders. I would recommend checking frequently. As far as misalignment, my Special is also a pain - maybe not quite as bad as the Century pictured in this thread. I have gotten used to using a cut down wrench, and a very careful pour. Maybe in your case you could rig a syringe with a tube to introduce some fluid in spite of the offset. This approach works from underneath as well. A clean finger can act as a dip stick. In some ways our old cars are woefully inadequate - so we need to keep them as safe as possible! Just my opinion. Take it for whatever its worth. Jeff

Yeah, I tend to agree with you Don. I went with the lip seal version because that is what one of the parts catalogs listed as correct for the '38. That doesn't necessarily mean they are correct of course! It doesn't do much for rain, but it may help to minimize drafts. Maybe.

On your side windows, what did you use for lower seals? I have a '38 Special, same 2-door body style. On mine, I finally concluded that a lip seal was used on the bottom channel of the window. It is a u-shaped rubber piece (that holds the glass into the metal channel) with a lip that is supposed to seal on the edge of the door. At least I think that is what was used originally. After installation, I can only say that its ability to seal against the door is weak at best. Plus, since it is below the edge of the door, any rain comes in regardless. (that's what the drain holes are for!) Any wisdom on this? And, when (and where) do we get to see this beautiful car? Great job! Jeff

Sure can - I put 1950 rods in mine. Turned the crank journals down by 010 at a machine shop, and bought 010 under bearing inserts. Be careful to cross-check compatibility using Hollander's interchange manual. I think, post-war up to about '52 will work, but don't take my word for it. I also used 1950 style pistons, .030 over, from Egge. (along with the appropriate rings). You always have to check the 0.010 end gap clearance, and file to fit. I do have some left-over babbitted rods - if you are interested. The old technique was to remove shims to get the appropriate clearance as the Babbitt wore down. You can pretty much see by inspection how much is left, and if they are useable. Of course, even if it looks good, it is still old. Jeff

I did mine substantially cheaper - but I did most of the re-build myself. Farmed out the 030 over rebore, 010 under crank machining, and new guides and seats in the head, plus head assembly. I sourced my own parts, ran back and forth to the machine shop, etc. Enjoyed the process. Its been a few years, maybe $3000? Ok, round it up to $4000, as I have probably forgotten about the overruns. Sorry I can't be more accurate, Jeff

I guess my Dad would qualify. One of my first car memories, at around age 4 or 5, was his NSU Prinz - maybe a '62. It was a two cylinder rear engine car that looked a bit like a 2/3 scale, first generation Corvair. That would have been pretty unusual in the mid-Sixties. Hats off to my Dad! Jeff

If I were re-conditioning one of the original types, I would try to see if there is a way to replace that cork washer. I don't see any way to get this dampening function from the aftermarket type.

Dave, is your gauge original? Or, aftermarket? Also, if your tank is a '38, it would have a rigid filler on the driver's side. Wasn't the '37 filler different? My aftermarket sending unit reads reasonably accurately, but bounces like crazy as the gas sloshes around. It looks like the original has a little washer that dampens the device, while the aftermarket has no such feature. Is this a common experience out there? Any fixes for this? Jeff

With the switch all the way out (fourth position), the driver's side should be on high beam, even with the dimmer switch in the low beam position. The only light that switches in that mode is the passenger side. In the third position, both lights will switch. Also, the parking lights will go out when high beam is selected, and will be on when low beam is selected.

Be sure your timing is not advanced too far. Use the biggest cable you can find. Also, how is the battery grounded - to the engine or chassis? Might want to have a redundant path there as well. (the paint thing again!) Good luck, Jeff