jeff

I believe that if you chose a resistance to get closer to 0 ohms when the tank is empty, you will read about the same when it is full. If you chose a resistance to read full when the tank is full (30 ohms) you will still read just below 1/3 tank (9 ohms) when it is empty. Could be wrong, but I don't think you can have it both ways. (I made a graph, but can't seem to load it!) First column is your variable resistor. Setting it at or near 0 will make your gage read about empty when the tank is full. Trying to get 30 ohms of equivalent resistance will result in the gage still seeing almost 10 ohms (1/3 tank) when it is empty. Resistance of two resistors in parallel is: (R1XR2) / (R1+R2) 10 40 R E F 0 0.0 0.0 5 3.3 4.4 10 5.0 8.0 15 6.0 10.9 20 6.7 13.3 25 7.1 15.4 30 7.5 17.1 35 7.8 18.7 40 8.0 20.0 45 8.2 21.2 50 8.3 22.2 55 8.5 23.2 60 8.6 24.0 65 8.7 24.8 70 8.8 25.5 75 8.8 26.1 80 8.9 26.7 85 8.9 27.2 90 9.0 27.7 95 9.0 28.1 100 9.1 28.6

I haven't forgotten you, just haven't pulled it off the shelf yet. By the way, doesn't the lense have a tab that prevents the RH from going into the LH bucket?? Are you sure its a '38 Buick - what's the number on it? I'll check mine. Jeff

Check the dash unit, and the wire back to the tank, by disconnecting at the tank and checking it open-circuit and then tied to a good ground. The line from the dash should really not be considered a "hot" feed, rather, it is a shunt to ground, with the tank unit adding resistance as the tank fills. Open-circuit (infinite resistance) will cause all of the current in the gage to also flow through the "full" coil, which will cause the needle to swing past the F. (as you have shown, 40 ohms is as good as infinite). So, disconnecting the wire proves the gage on the dash is ok. Connecting the wire straight to ground means that only the "empty" coil sees the current. This should make the gage read E, which is just a tick above "off". So, do this first, and then be confident in your dash gage. If finding a good ground doesn't make the gage read empty, check your connections, to be sure you are not adding any resistance along the way. Then, contact the supplier and see if you can get a 0 - 30 ohm replacement. Jeff

Just Google '37 Roadmaster and look at "images of '37 Roadmaster". Then, do the same for '38 Roadmaster. Be sure to look at Roadmaster and not the smaller, B-body series. If you have time, copy images of rear, 3/4 views on this thread. Jeff

It seems to me that I have two of one side on the shelf - I will have to take a look and see which side I have. Murphy's Law would suggest I have the same two that you do, but I will check anyway. Jeff

After owning a '38 Special for twenty years, I thought I had become pretty well educated on '37 - '38 Buicks. I always thought that the bodies were essentially the same for '37 and '38. The "B" body was used for the two smaller series, and the "C" body for the bigger series. But, until reviewing this thread, I never knew the "C" body changed from '37 to '38! I had to Google the two years to verify the differences. The '37 Roadmaster appears to use the core body shell from the '36. Is this correct? Note the differences in the c-pillar and the trunk between '37 and '38 Roadmasters. Thanks for the education. Jeff

Some years ago I pulled a radiator out of a '38 Special parts car. I started to clean it up, pressure test it, etc. when I noticed it is not the same as the one in my '38. (although it certainly was installed in the parts car) The filler neck is not offset like my '38 is. Part number is: 3114744, with 48G also on the tab. (1948??) Anyway, I fixed a leak in the top tank, repaired the rusty section of frame at the bottom, pressure tested to 5 psi, and painted it. Now to find a home for it - any ideas of what it fits?

* Important question *: What is this part for? Large screw with spring behind with some kind of rotted packing. I can't find this on any of the exploded distro drawing I have. Any ideas? [ATTACH=CONFIG]200297[/ATTACH] I was just looking at the distributor cross-section in my '38 shop manual the other day. I believe they called that piece a brake, or something like that. Does it add just a bit of friction to the advance mechanism so it doesn't tend to over travel or bounce around? Jeff

Keep track of the shim stock that you have on each side - for both rods and mains. If you are close to original specs, the shims will still be in their "pack" which is four or five shims pressed together. You can use a pocket knife or the edge of a razor to separate just one shim from the shim pack on each side. I forget what each individual "leaf" of a shim pack measures - perhaps .0005" or .001"? Then, re-install the remaining shims. If you are out of shims, its either new inserts for the mains or rebabbit the rods. Remember, I have some left over rods in the garage. I think I gave away the best two, but certainly some were still decent. You are missing out on a great experience by not doing this flat on your back. Even if you let the opened-up engine set overnight, every once in a while a drip of oil falls on your nose. Jeff

My reproductions simply split when I tried to stretch them over the pedals. So, if and when I re-order, I was intending to make a nice clean cut and then count on a bit of adhesive and the floorboards to hold them back together. I am anxious to see if there is a better way. Jeff

Chris, you don't have to remove the upper housing. I have had my flywheel off at least twice without removing the engine. I think you need to push the bolts back, rotate the engine so they are in the upper position, and then push the others back - something like that. Give it a try. Jeff

What is the fabric that goes around the window opening on the door? It should be visible around the metal garnish molding - visible just around the edge. My car has never had this, and it is clear that something goes there. There are little holes drilled for some type of fastener. Any pictures available? Does anyone supply this? If I make it, does it need some beading, or is it just flat fabric? - Thanks, Jeff

From your experiment with the vice grips... I may be mis-reading it, but isn't your logic backwards? When you clamp off the m/c line, you are taking all of the wheel brakes out of the equation - the pedal should not move, and it didn't. When you clamp the rear line, you are taking the rears wheels (and their compliance)out of the equation. Now, you should get some pedal travel, since the m/c is only working against the front compliance. If the pedal felt the same (essentially no travel) from your first experiment to your second, I would suggest an issue with the fronts. (as I said, I may have mis-read your postings) Now, to your inability to get a reasonable bleed after opening up the system, you may have another issue with the m/c. Check your vented m/c cap to be sure the cross drill is open. A friend experienced the following - some fluid would come out on the first attempt to crack a bleeder screw, but then each subsequent attempt gave us a low pedal, and very little additional fluid would come out. The reason was the vent was blocked, and the m/c would not re-fill after a bleeder screw was cracked. I won't tell you how long we fought with this, until the venting idea occurred to us! On my '38, I had to search for the cross drill - it was completely closed off with grime and rust, then painted over. Good luck, Jeff

'38 Special, with the 4.4:1 rear gets 12 -14, as noted above. My owner's manual shows a chart with it getting better mpg, but the chart has a disclaimer about perfect conditions, steady speed, etc. On a 300 mile trip of total back roads, I really baby'd it, rarely going above 40 mph. I got close to 16 mpg. Jeff

EDIT: I just went back and re-read your first post Jeff. It seems like you are saying that your original '38 rocker shaft assembly WAS directing oil to the tops of the push rods. Am I reading that right? If so, that answers my questions above and proves my concern to be unfounded. Great feedback, I'm starting to feel better. Yes, the '38 had a cross-drill going to the threads where the push rod adjuster is. If I recall, there is a slot in those threads, to allow the oil to dribble down into the cup at the top of the pushrod. My Motor's manual clearly shows two different rockers for the early 50's. One, for hydraulic lifters, has a cross drill to the adjuster, then the adjuster is cross-drilled to get oil to the push rod, which provides a path down to feed the hydraulic lifter. The one for non-hydraulic cars is cross-drilled slightly differently, so that the oil just dribbles into the cup at the top of the lifter. This is the type I have. I would conclude that the arrangement changed a bit over the years, to minimize the oil that ends up trickling down the valve shaft, and potentially getting pulled past worn valve guides. (the '38 holes in the shaft and rocker appear to line up briefly, allowing a squirt of oil) As you say, the valves don't need much. In fact, if you think about a flathead engine, they have no provision to squirt oil up to where the valve is guided through the block, right? Thanks again, Jeff

I rebuilt my '38 with connecting rods from a '52. When it came to the head, I found my '38 rocker arm assembly badly worn, so I cleaned up and inspected the '52. Much better, so I used it, with my original pushrods. (I think!) Now, it runs great, but I notice much lower oil flow out of the rocker arms, vs. what I used to see. I did remove the screen at the entry to the head, and am using an old style filter as well. I used to see a squirt of oil with my old setup, now it just dribbles out of the hole at the top of the rocker. Is this ok? Note that my pressure is 30 - 45 psig. Here are the differences that I have observed. The old shaft, looking at the end, had two holes for each rocker – one at 4 o’clock and one at 10 o’clock. Rockers had brass bushings. Bushings had oil grooves, such that momentarily, a groove would line up with a hole and shoot some oil out the hole at the top of the rocker. Another little cross-drill would direct oil to the top of the pushrod, via a slot in the threads of the adjuster screw.<o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> New shaft, two holes, one at 6 o’clock and one at 10 o’clock. Brass bushings eliminated, new rockers run right on the shaft. No alignment of holes to allow squirt. Cross drill to feed the top of the pushrod, as before (almost – instead of a slot in the threads, it has a second cross-drill to intersect the first and deliver the oil to about the same place. <o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> No hole alignment = no squirt. Intentional, I guess. The valve itself doesn’t need much oil, right?? Just the fumes, and whatever little bit dribbles down there from the rocker. <o:p> </o:p> Bottom line, the shaft and rockers are a set (from the ’52 engine). I used the newer stuff because the ’38 rockers and shaft had a lot of wear. Some would wobble pretty dramatically, would have resulted in a loss in valve travel. This wobble could have also contributed to the squirting of oil. Any thoughts? Is this amount of flow normal? Jeff

Thanks. I agree with your assessment. And thanks to all for their input. My next step is a call to Restoration Specialties. Their catalog doesn't clearly show which clip may be correct, but a phone call may point me in the right direction. Otherwise, its a couple of small screws! Also, I have the rubber dust seal installed. It's fun to figure out how these systems were designed. In the case of the rubber-lip dust seal, my only conclusion is that it was NOT a great design!! I can see why they got away from it. And, to anyone who has installed the horizontal beltline sweeper, although it may be slightly incorrect, it is probably going to be much more effective! Oh well. Jeff

OK, I am pretty well convinced that it will be SS beading for the flexible upper run channel. Nothing on the horizontal run (outside). That is clear from the little rubber bumpers that are used on the outside, lower window opening. I will use a horizontal sweeper stapled to the inside lower edge (attached to the garnish molding). I would rather use the correct clips instead of screws for the flexible run channel. Does anyone have an example of these clips?? Jeff

Yep, they talk about a major vs. minor adjustment. Once you do the major adjustment, until the shoes get replaced again, the minor should suffice. You have to loosen the eccentric nut (If possible, get that sucker lubed up with never seize) and, I believe, the anchor nut. Follow the procedure from there, its not too hard. The eccentric adjustment is just a bit touchy. Jeff

Some miscellaneous updates... Most people have voted on the SS bead. I appreciate the feedback. Since there is no real rush, I am still poking around a bit. According to the shop manual, the run channel was called "Bailey channel". I have submitted the same question to a Buick restoration guy, and a guy who can check references at the AACA library. Cool. This weekend, I will temporarily install beaded channel in the rear passenger window (2-door sedan). Then I will have the passenger door without, and the passenger window with. I will take some pictures, continue to gather feedback, and contemplate this and other life mysteries for a while. Jeff

I re-assembled my front end, and found that one of my shocks is leaking ('38 Special). A local Delco retiree stopped by (he worked on very similar shocks at Delco Products). He pointed out that the leak is around the shaft, which is above the piston mechanism. So, as a temporary measure, just add enough oil to keep the piston in business - don't fill the reservoir. Add just a little bit periodically (about a shot glass). You will minimize the mess, and keep the shock functioning until you can get it fixed. Jeff

That's a great tip on the screw heads - I never thought of that being a contributor, but of course, with temperature changes, the glass needs to expand without hitting a little steel screw head. That would localize the stresses in one spot, and lead to cracks! Makes perfect sense. When I installed these channels 15 years ago, I used screws. For this re-assembly, I bought some screws with much smaller (and flatter heads), so I should be ok. I bought them from Restoration Specialties, and at the time he tried to explain the clips. (which he didn't have on hand) I decided to stay with the screws, since I had no remaining evidence of how the clips would work. But, it sounds like they are available. Jeff

On the inside lip of the window opening (meaning the door outer skin), there are two rubber bumpers - totally original on my car. They were shrunken and hardened with the passage of time, but certainly in a position that would preclude a sweeper. I have purchased replacement bumpers from Bob and installed them, same as the originals, so this should be correct. I do have sweepers on the inside lip - on the window garnish moldings. Here, my car looked like someone had replaced them, so I followed suit. The previous ones had staples, I used an epoxy. Mighty confusing stuff - trying to sort out what was truly factory original from what someone might have done in a partial restoration in the 60's or 70's. Jeff

The '38 manual has such a graph. It's at home now, so I will just rely on memory. A '38 Special with 248 engine and 4.44 rear turns about 3200 rpm at 60 and the Century with 320 engine and 3.9 rear turns about 2800 rpm at 60. Again, just going with my memory (usually faulty). Jeff

Here's what I'm talking about...