RocketDude
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Posts posted by RocketDude
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I just saw on the news that a monster truck doing a demo in a parking lot went out of control and into the crowd. Nine people injured. Sponsored by NAPA A/P. Not good for their name
I guess the pro modified crash a few weeks ago on a public street wasn't enough of a lesson for some people.
At least no one was killed this time...
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Use the same stuff you use in your 2008 Buick.
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I have a '98 aurora and have never had a problem like that, so I don't have a ready solution except to take it to a Buick or Cad dealer. Cad used the same engine, with a few more inches, so I'm guessing the fuel system is quite similar. The Riviera is a pretty similar car, also.
Sounds like the guy you talked to had no clue how to fix it, so he tried to scare you away. Better to scare you off than admit he doesn't know anything about it.
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WOW! $200 a piece..?? OMG..! That's $1600.00 for four tires..! $800.00 for the tires, and $800.00 for what ever my wife wants 'cause I spent money on the car,... again..! That will be my next purchase. I hope for that price, they are top quality and I won't have to be buying any more for several years..!
No problems putting radials on stock 50's GM wheels?
I'm sending for a catalog as suggested above.....
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I became interested in, and started working on cars when I was 12. I took auto shop classes in Hi school, and have taken job related classes at least six different colleges over the years. First full time job was working in a speed shop, selling Hi Performance parts and building engines. After nine years, the owner died and I was in the street. The next few years I worked in an auto parts machine shop. I then went to work for a large, private corporation, keeping their fleet running. Nine years there and the company sold, so I decided to find a job closer to home. I worked in an independent garage and then a Olds dealership for a while. I missed the benefits a big company could provide, so I went to work as a mechanic for a City fleet. I worked my way up to Fleet Supervisor, the position I held for the last 16 years before retiring.
Now, according to my wife, I don't do anything..!
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loosen the bolts on the rocker stands a little and let the stands "float" a little above the head. That will shorten the pushrods. If it starts, or at least has compression, you know the problem is the pushrods. It only has to run 5 seconds to tell you if you are on the right track.
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Hey! Your right down the street from me...!! Almost....
I'm in Apple Valley.
No, temp sender has nothing to do with ign system. Unless, of course, you wired it into the ign system...!
I haven't tried to purchase a resistance wire for a long time, but I can't believe they aren't available. They were used on all GM cars for years.
As I said before, if you want to drive the car while you are looking for a resistance wire, get a ballast resister and you can drive while you shop..!
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Here's one on ebay...
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/DISC-BRAK...9QQcmdZViewItem
or a couple of places that sell em..!
http://www.chevychevy.com/pages/55_74_Chevy_Disc_Brakes_Page.htm
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Biggarmike might be onto something there. A '40 Ford should be Positive ground.
You can check for draw by disconnecting the ground cable and connecting a test light between the post and cable. if there is a draw, the test light will light. Then start pulling fuses one at a time until the light goes out, and you know what circuit to check.
On that old car, you probably don't have a lot of fuses, so you might just have to start disconnecting different electrical components until you hit the magic wire. When the light goes out, start checking everything in that circuit until you strike gold.
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Graphite came out for noise suppression, so your super- whammy '33 Buick stereo won't sound as good..!
Graphite tends to need more careful handling as it ages. Graphite is literally a tube of graphite running through the middle of the wire, so it will break down more easily than a solid wire. It will work fine and last for years, just treat it nicely..!
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As mentioned above, those systems weren't great. I don't know about a design flaw, but it certainly was a poor design. Under ideal conditions, they work great. You ever see ideal conditions?
I was a line tech at an Olds dealer during the 80's, and we saw a lot of them come in. Rarely were they still adjustable, usually corroded to the point of requiring complete replacement. We replaced everything with new parts, and rarely saw a come-back after the driver was educated. Wasn't cheap, even then.
Hard to say why you got two bad sets, if you did. Rebuilt are always suspect, but you sure aren't going to find, or be able to afford, brand new ones.
Sounds like you hit upon the proper solution. Convert it and forget it..!
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I sent mine to Vehicle Spring Service, a leaf spring specialist. They can repair or build new ones from scratch. They took mine apart, cleaned them, dropped them in the furnace and heated them to cherry red and re-arched them to brand new specs. Mine weren't broken, but had a leaf been cracked or broken, they would have made a new leaf. They also do any kind of custom spring work, such as adding leaves, subtracting leaves, making leaves stiffer or softer, anything you might imagine.
When I got them back they were virtually brand new springs. They looked new, and preform like new. Cleaning and painting the old springs leaves you with pretty, worn our springs.
These type of business' are located throughout the country, since trucks still use leaf springs. Check with your local heavy truck suspension shop.
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Those rear brakes are adjusted by setting the E-brake. Suprising how many people never use their E-brakes, thus the rear pads never get adjusted. After not getting adjusted for a long period of time, they get corroded and freeze up do to lack of use, and it becomes neccessary to replace all of the parts.
Once you get everything working, use your E-brake every time you park, and that will keep the brakes free and adjusted.
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Your suggestion comes a little too late. I have been taking a Body Shop class at the local college for over a year..!!
I have been in the automotive field for over 40 years, just not in the body/paint end of it, however I am very familiar what it takes to turn out a quality car.
One thing I have learned in my time in the field, is that I want a far better quality of both metal work and paint work than a first year body student can turn out. You are speaking of an art form that takes years to master. So while I piddle around in class, learning on other peoples cars, I made the decision to take my car to "Mike's Street Rod Mfg.", and have the work done to perfection. He only does one quality of metal work or paint job, and won't put his name on anything unless it is perfection. Bondo and cutting corners aren't in my vocabulary..! Therefore I have elected to bring it home with primer spots. It will run just fine like that, and it will afford me time to put it through its paces and work any bugs out.
Since going completely through the running gear, brakes and suspension, I have driven it approximately three blocks, to see how the trans shifted. I want to try for a few more..!
When I say a less expensive paint job, I'm not talking $395. at Earl Schibe, I'm talking $3 to 5 thousand. I may even take it back To "Mike's", and get his super whammy Paint job. That decision will be made after I get it on the road for a while, and resolve some of the other issues, such as replacing the tires. When the car is finished, and dependable, it will then be time to decide what I am going to do as far as paint.
One of the main reasons I opted not to paint it now is, it would require me to strip it all down., meaning removing the interior, door panels, glass, chrome, rubber, etc. Taking it apart and putting it back together after it's painted sounds like months to me, and I'm not ready to have it parked that much longer at this time. That's what winter months are for. Not that we have any winter months in California, but you know what I mean.
I appreciate your feedback, and I know you based your comments on just what I wrote above, but believe me, when it comes to automotive, I've been around the block a few time, and my car will be something to be proud of when and if it ever gets completed.
Your 48 is beautiful, by the way. My family has been all Oldsmobile since long before I was born, and I remember my uncles 48.
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Something else to consider, along with the excellent advise posted above.
No matter how much money or time you spend to restore it to perfection, it will still be a four door, and that means the value will be minimal compared to the same car with two doors.
I am currently restoring a four door car, but I wanted this body type for a reason. I know I will never be able to recoup the money invested because it has four doors. As example, I have more money invested in the re-chroming of the bumpers, grille, etc, than this car cost when brand new. As long as you go into it with your eyes wide open, you're ok, but don't buy it for an investment. Roger's figure of $15000. is probably conservative
From your description; "overall seems to be falling apart", I think you might be better served to continue shopping until you find a car in better condition to start with. Be patient, look around, and take your time before rushing into a project that is way over your head.
Spend a few months here in the forum and you will learn a bunch before you make the leap..!
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Drive, I read your post slowly and throughly. As I read it, I nodded my head in agreement as If I understood what you are saying, even though I have no idea What all that means. I agree 100% with everything you said. sure sounded good to me..!
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Hi, and welcome aboard..! I have a 1951 S-88, which is almost the same car as yours. Mine is still a work in progress, but I hope to have it on the road in a couple more weeks.
All of the mechanical work has been done, and it now is having some rust holes "removed". I will get it back in primer, then I can get it on the road and work the bugs out while I decide how much I want to put into a paint job. I want a good paint job, but the guy doing the body work only does "show" paint jobs, which I fear is too expensive for this car.
His method is to remove everything that unbolts, i.e. fenders, doors, hood, deck lid, etc, and have them all sandblasted, inside and out. The body would also be blasted to bare metal. His work is perfection, but would far exceed the value of the car. An eight thousand dollar paint job on a car that, when finished will only be worth a few thousand doesn't make good sense. I love the car, but a 4-door '51 Olds will never be valuable. So I will shop around for a really good paint job, but a little less money. I don't want to downgrade the car, but I also don't want to over restore it. I already have way more invested in the car than it is worth, but what the heck, either I spend it, or my kid will inherite it all. I want to beat her to it, if I can.
Someday when I learn how to post pictures, I'll give it a shot..1
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I was thinking about doing some of it myself. My motto has always been if someone has done it there's few reasons that I can't do it too.
There are a couple of reasons for not doing it yourself. The first one is, do you have any idea what the problem is that you are trying to fix? If you don't know how to trouble shoot the system, you're dead in the water. If you just plan on replacing all of the components, you will spend vastly more money than just taking it to an expert in the first place. As I mentioned in another post, one can spend many thousands of dollars in equipment to work on A/C systems. That is the reason getting work done is expensive. You are paying for the equipment and the knowledge of the tech. Like everything else, it takes an A/C tech years of experience and lots of tech schools to become competent.
Many times over the years I have seen guys with good intentions, dragging their car into the shop to get their mistakes repaired, and by that time it will be very expensive to straighten out.
If the system is still charged, and you loosen a fitting to release the R-12, you just broke a federal law. It's not likely the FBI is watching your garage, but I would not be comfortable releasing R-12 into the air. There is a reason for the law.
I admire your pioneering spirit, but it might be best to reserve your do-it-yourself enthusiasm for something a little less technical.
Another thought, if you have a lot of time on your hands. Over the years, I have taken many classes at the local colleges, such as auto transmission, A/C, suspension, etc. In a lot of those classes were guys that were not mechanics, they just had a problem with their cars, like trans, or A/C, or whatever. They would sign up for the classes for a few bucks, and usually only stick around the classes long enough to get the instructor and the other students to resolve their particular problem, and you would never see them again. That might be a good answer for you. You would be able to gain a basic understanding of the system. At least you would have some proper guidance.
Not trying to be negative, just pointing out some of the pitfalls. I can appreciate you fear of accepting a quote from someone you don't know. That is why I suggest you only deal with shops who have a good reputation, and don't try to cut corners by going to a fly-by-night. Cheap isn't always cheap..! Also, get more than one quote, see if they compare.
Good luck with whatever course you decide to follow.
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<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Tom</div><div class="ubbcode-body"><div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: RocketDude</div><div class="ubbcode-body"> it was 117 on July 3rd, and it cooled down to 115 for the fourth. July and August it averages 100-105 here, with occasional spikes to 112 or so.
</div></div>
Yea, but it's a dry heat</div></div>
I know you say that with tongue in cheek, Tom, but I grew up in the mid-west, and I know 85 degrees with humidity is unbearable, whereas 100 degrees here, with no humidity is quite comfortable. It gets down to the 60's at night. Good sleeping weather. We also got a week of 17 degrees in january, so we see it all.
I just spent a week in Oregon and was happy to return to warm weather.
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Granny, opening the windows might work fine for you in upstate NY, but here in the California desert, it was 117 on July 3rd, and it cooled down to 115 for the fourth. That means at 60 MPH with the windows open, your life expectancy is about 10 minutes...! In a convertible, cut that time in half..! Beer helps, but not much 'cause it gets warm too fast.
July and August it averages 100-105 here, with occasional spikes to 112 or so. When it's 105 outside, the house remains low 80's. I rarely turn the A/C on in the house. In a car, A/C is essential..!
My '51 has no air, so we limit summer trips to a few miles to the local cruse spot. Then you sit in the shade and drink your beer.
JD, most of the connections will have 0-rings. Some are flare fitting. Take them apart slowly and you will find them if they are there. You aren't planning to do it yourself, are you?
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I'm thinking he is telling you to replace the resistor. Coils rarely go bad, however that is the first thing everyone changes when they have no spark. Coils won't spark if anything else in the ignition system isn't operating correctly.
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That is a very clever idea, but a few yers too late. I wrote 12 checks in all of 2006, and so far this year, NONE..!
Online banking... It's TODAY..!
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Pete, I opened that site, then removed the "135_0408_oldsmobile_324_engine/" from the end of it, and it takes you to all of their tech articles. There are like 12 pages, so I didn't attemp to find the ones you are looking for. It will give you something to do..! Let me know if you find them.
http://www.rodandcustommagazine.com/techarticles/
Rockers.... I woud have to do some digging in my bill pile as to the part numbers on the rockers. One thing I learned was Olds didn't use valve stem seals in those days, so if you drilled a hole at the valve end to keep the tips from wearing out, you were dumping oil down the valve stem, so no holes were drilled on that end. My heads now have good modern valve stem seals and holes to oil the valve tips. There should be no more shaft or tip wear.
If you subscribe to "Journey with Olds", there is a guy listed in the back that is a 49 to 56 olds engine specialists. He has lots of experience with those engines and was able to bring me up to speed on my problems.
If you don't take the mag, email me for his contact info. I don't want to print it here. He may not be to happy to geta 1000 calls...!
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While you are looking around and pricing, give a call to your local GM dealers parts counter, and see if a Target motor is available. It comes as a long block, which is to say, a complete engine with the exception of accessories. That means you use your intake/exhaust manifolds ,carb, alt, starter, w/p, all the little stuff that isn't part of the engine itself. Also ask the tech that you lined up to look at going that direction. Usually a Target has a much better warrantee than an engine in a new car. It also saves a lot of time. Just out the old motor and stab the new one. There are also engine builders that you can buy a rebuilt exchange engine from, in either a long block or a short block, meaning without the heads.
Time:...... Again that depends on circumstances. If your guy is going to work on it with no interruption, It can be done in a week or less. A good wrench should be able to drive the car into the bay, jerk the engine, bolt it to a stand, and have it completely apart long before lunch. Then the process slows down. He will send it to a machine shop, which could take several days to over a week, or longer, depending on their work load. In the mean time, your tech hopefully has several other cars to keep him busy. It is common to be working on 4 or 5 cars at a time. Waiting for parts for one, your are working on the others. The more the better. That's how you put food on the table.
Different parts of the country do it differently, but in So Calif, the techs work on flat rate. That means when Russ drives in and says put a Target motor in my car, the tech go to a book and looks up your car. It will say to replace the engine, it takes 12 hours, for example. That is what he will get paid for. If it takes him 16 hours, he didn't make much money. If he can do it in 6 or 8 hours, he is having a good day. If a tech can't consistently beat flat rate, he won't be around long.
When the engine is ready to assemble, figure a half a day or so, another half a day to drop it back in and get it running and the bugs out.
These are all figuring a perfect world. In truth, the tech isn't going to devote all of his time to your car. Remember, he may have several other apart at the same time. It could be a month or more before you see your car. That is a good question to ask before you give your ride up.
If you do decide on a Target or a rebuilt exchange, you have shortened the time up considerably. Pull the engine, swap the accessories and drop it back in. If your guy works just on your job, two or three day at the very most. If things go smoothly and the guy is good, he should be pretty much done in a day.
So, just like cost, there are so many factors that come into play, it's hard to give a definitive answer.
I am just finishing up a 51 Olds. I did all of the running gear, then it went to a shop to repair some rust holes. I will live with the primer spots for a while. I can at least drive it and get the bugs out while I decide what to do about the paint. The paint is going to be a major expense, so I may have to get used to those primer spots for a while.
Keep us posted on your progress...........
1971 olds funny car.....
in General Discussion
Posted
John Force drove an Oldsmobile FC back in the day. I beleive one of his Olds FC bodies is still hanging in an antique shop in Orange, Calif.
Some places to look and ask questions..
http://www.johnforce.com/
http://www.nhra.com/
http://www.competitionplus.com/