jeff

I am having trouble finding the right oil filter cartridge to fit a filter canister for a '52 straight eight. My local parts store says AC P115 (same as Fram C4P). The P115 won't drop down far enough to allow the top to seal - it hangs up by about 1/4 inch. Could the canister be from a different engine? (the bracket sure fits well). The canister was a light blue and had a decal that said AC P10. The fine print on the decal, which I think may have called out the cartridge number, was worn away. So, I guess my question is... what filter cartridge fits a '52, and/or what cartridge fits an AC P10?

Can any of you '38 guys help me sort out the stuff that goes through the firewall on my Special sedan? On the passenger side of the engine is the water temp and oil pressure line, on the driver's side is the vacuum line, the hand throttle cable, the speedometer cable, and, of course the wiring harness. I have a one-hole grommet (on the passenger side of the engine), a three-hole grommet and the main harness grommet. What goes where?

I am currently running with an AAV167, but have an old AAV1 that I have been working on. Any leads on a throttle shaft for this carb?

Interesting discussion. I just went through my deluxe (stateside) heater and defroster this weekend. As previously explained, the US version (with optional defrost) had two motors - one for heat and one for defrost. My airflow was quite low, so I pulled the motors and cleaned up the commutators, then reassembled. Airflow now is about twice what it was. Still not comparable to a modern vehicle, but I wouldn't expect it to be. Each motor draws about 2 amps. Your 15 amp comment is a bit of a concern. My local motor expert just sat down and said "very bad" Take that for what its worth, he's a Packard guy. You may want to look for a short to ground.

I need a clutch gear, counter gear, and high speed syncho for my '38 Special gearbox. Any leads? How about interchange-ability with other years or other GM products? I will also rebuild the torque ball seal with a new kit. Has anyone gone to the effort of re-plating the copper / tin surfaces? Mine are a bit rough, but don't know how to go about refinishing. On the gearbox currently in the car, I just slipped in a new kit. It seems to work pretty well (occasional drip), but I suppose it could be better!

Interesting discussion! I have a '38 Special that also exhibits some degree of vibration. In my case the engine is smooth up to about 2500 to 2800 rpm (about 45-50 mph), then it seemes to vibrate. You can reproduce this in the driveway, clutch engaged or disengaged. One thing I always wrestle with is - how smooth were these engines? For most of my driving it is fine, but if something is wrong, I would like to fix it. My "restoration" has been a low budget job over the past 15 years. I am sure some things were done incorrectly over that time, as I did everything myself, learning as I went. The best advice (and most fun) came from working on the car with a great old friend who was a mechanic in a local Buick dealership from the 30's to the 50's. He cut his teeth on Model T's and A's at a Ford dealership, moved on to Buick, then serviced B24 engines for the army in WW2. He was always amazed at the high cost of parts, so some of my fixes were "homemade". For example, we rebuilt my mounts with rubber from a local supplier - could they be too stiff? too soft? Don't know. Things I have done - ignition (check your mechanical and vacuum advance) carb - mine is not quite correct, its from a '46, I believe. clutch and pressure plate - balanced. flywheel - (yes, you can install incorrectly, I can no longer see my timing marks!!!!) Things that still may be wrong - homemade mounts, harmonic balancer, replaced only one bad piston when I had the engine apart. Or, maybe my incorrect carb leans out the mixture when at higher rpms. Or, maybe this is as good as it was?? Right now my focus is on re-building a spare transmission. When I swap the trannys, I will put the flywheel back in the correct orientation. Any leads on N.O.S. clutch gear, counter gear, and high speed synchro?

Do you know what the rear end ratio is for a '40 Super? Compatible with a '38 diff housing? I would like to get away from my 4.44:1 if I can find a lower numerical ratio. Where are the parts located?

It's for the smaller engine - I found a '38 Special parts car last summer. Under the hood was a '52 engine, partially disassembled. (I looked up the serial number to identify it as a '52) In the trunk and back seat were parts for both a '38 and a '52. I also have a distributor, generator (mysteriously has a label that says remanufactured to 12V, the rest of the car appeared to still be 6V), water pump, valve cover, side covers, probably some stuff I am forgeting. Let me know if you have an interest.

For sale - starter motor pulled from a '52 straight eight. I believe it will fit back to '38, since it looks the same as my '38 except for a larger solenoid. Looks like a good candidate, but it will need a good going over. $50 plus shipping, part is in Dayton, OH. Other misc '52 and '38 engine parts available.