Brian_Heil

Dear 'Jay', Why do you have a (fuel) pressure regulator in the first place? The only reason I can think of is because you have an electric fuel pump added to your classic cars also. I too have seen classic car fires (2) that were fuel related in the recent past, both were caused by electric fuel pumps that were added to the vehicles. Both caused significant damage to both cars (not mine). Here's your real problem. An electric fuel pump cannot be regulated to a low enough pressure to match the very low pressure of a (in the case of the two fires I saw) Stewart Warner vacuum fuel pump. These SW pumps generate about 18 inches of 'head' which for gasoline calculates to about 1/3 of a psi. Most electric fuel pumps run in the range of 6 psi and I've not seen a regulator that can run below 3 psi. Combine that with a carburetor than was designed with a float system that can only manage 1/3 psi and you get a carburetor that runs over with fuel in the bowl and out the vent. Even if the carburetor needle is updated to a modern viton tip, the float volume and float arm moment and resultant sealing force created are still not enough to seal the pressure that is 9 to 18 times the design pressure for the carburetor. Solve your real issue which is, return to the original fuel pump design and pressure. I've not touched my factory SW pump in 19 years and +20,000 miles. They were designed to function in terrible conditions of the day and they did, well. Not sure what you sealed/coated the inside of your fuel tanks with. Gas Tank Re-Nu did mine (4 cars) and I've never had an issue in over 20 years and my cars sit all Winter with no break down of fuel or sealant in Michigan. I do use Stabil during the Winter. I can look right into my Buick's tank and have. Clean as can be. We have 10% Ethanol in Michigan and my carb. bowl is clear and my copper fuel lines are fine too. I have no 'rubber' hose in my system and even if I did, today's hose is all Ethanol compatible. The next comment will be from someone on 'vapor lock' and RVP (Reed Vapor Pressure) and the need for higher fuel pressure to correct this. While higher line pressure will help with vapor lock, so will some basic heat shielding and fuel line insulation. Even Buick moved the SW pump mounting position off the hot exhaust manifold it 1923 to the fire wall in 1924 to help with this. Not going to touch the Ethanol/Farmer issue. Farmers work hard 24/7 and they are going to grow or raise what pays. Any time we pay people to grow something to create false demand (or pay people to stay home so they have no incentive to work) I get a bit upset, o.k. pissed. But I am all for Ethanol by the glass. Jim Beam works fine, (Makers Mark if you're buying). But, thank you (really) for all you do for the hobby. Your collection and Garage Show are great. Hope you correct your issue so you and your cars are around long enough to enjoy each other for years to come.

Thriller, Come on down with your '23 and the family and do Greenfield Village this Fall, stay at the Heil Hotel and we'll get it running like a watch! Note: Heil works on Schramm's truck. Schramm brings home a major award. Draw your own conclusions. .

Thanks to Larry Schramm, a steering wheel has been found, but stay tuned as they are looking for other items. I will post the list here.

As some of you know, I have been with GM for 37 years starting at Buick Engineering in Flint in the Base Engine Group. Still at GM Powertrain, and proud to be here. GM Powertrain World HQ is located in Pontiac, Michigan on what was the former Pontiac Motor Division site. (Sadly, there is not much left of the Buick site in Flint). Most of what is here in Pontiac is new and state-of-the-art including an all new Powertain Museum that is just getting started/built. Seems someone must know someone and they called me about a display they are putting together on Louis Chevrolet. Part of the display requires a 'vintage steering wheel, one that Chevrolet would have used in a race car'. After I gave the person a history lesson on Louis and what he was racing (Buicks), they asked, if I would ask, if someone had a steering wheel that could be purchased for use in the display. So, long story, but does anyone have a 'brass era' steering wheel available for purchase? I'm quite certian anything large and wood rimmed would fit the bill. It need not be perfect. There is a model shop here that can refinish anything. I will see if I can still get on the Brass Buicks site on Yahoo and post the same. Thanks

Just how many University of Michigan engineers does it take to time a 100 year old engine? Answer: 2. Ha. Mark, those timing marks will be there 100 years from now even if it sat outside for 100 years. Deeply stamped in the huge flywheel just like on my 1923. I will say this, the (top side) rotor (timing) adjustment on the 1915 distributor is far eaisier than the bottom (under the distributor) lock nut arrangement on my 1923. I think Larry just wanted to show off and take me for 3 rides, which he did. Why, I even got to drive on one. The new generator he had restored/rebuilt looked and worked great as did the restored/rebuilt (with modern seals) water pump. Not knowing what to do with a non leaking water pump, Larry found a way to make the radiator leak but he was fixing that as I left.

Larry asked me to stop by tonight with the timing light to help dial in the timing. I always hate showing up when they already run, no where to go but down hill from there! Dr. Heil still makes house calls. No pressure either. Larry mentioned he and the truck leave for Auburn, IN in the morning. Good thing he has a trailer for when I get through with it!

Also common to fire trucks is an auxilary cooler that used hydrant or tank water to pass through a heat exchanger in the upper or lower radiator hose. One can be seen on this engine. When the truck was stationary and not getting ram (down the road) air but pumping hard, these heat exchangers had the cold hydrant or tank pump water pass through them to help cool the engine. I've designed several over the years. Still used on fire trucks today. I'm no early truck expert but I found it interesting that GMC was supplying chassis' to American LaFrance. I just assumed ALF built all their own. The 6 cylinder Buick tooling going to GMC when the 1931 Buick 8s came out is well documented. GMC kept the Buick logo and saw it as a plus to have a Buick Engine under the hood, this also can be seen on this engine.

Another possible guess is an aftermarket 'upper end oiler'. What hooks to the port/fitting? I've seen systems that had a tank of Marvel Mystery Oil attached to the firewall with a line to the engine that meters the flow of the Mystery Oil. Perhaps this is where such a system attached? Or some sort of WWII mileage gimick when fuel was rationed that would delay throttle response and a vacuum gauge that attached to the port to tell the driver he was in the 'green' zone? I've seen versions of those too.

Well, not an Olds either. Olds in '23 had slanted hood side vent and these are vertical like Buick and larger like the Buick 4. The Buick 6 had more vents than the 4 and they were a bit thinner than the 4. This hood is rather long, so I'm guessing this is a 6 cylinder, what ever it is.

I did some further checking and picture searching. The 4 cylinder series 1923 Buicks did have full leaf springs while the 6 cylinder series had cantilever springs with no rear frame horn perch for rear attachment of spring. So a 1923 Buick 4 cylinder did have this type of rear spring. But, still not a Buick based on the rear spoke and bolts and the other issue noted. Also no front brakes is something else that might help identify but then Buicks did not have front brakes in 1923 (last year for rear only). I'm still guessing 1923 Olds. But just a guess. It looks like a GM product to me, just not a Buick. Come on smarter guys, what is this?

Leif, I see some non Buick items making me think this is something else, perhaps Oldsmobile? Agree, due to 'drum' headlamps that would make it about a 1923. Cowl lights too small, not deep enough of a can/body for Buick. Bolts on rear wheel spokes. Buick did not have these. Full rear leaf springs, were not all Buicks cantilever at this time? Hub cap too small. Nickel radiator shell was only on the up level Roadster (54?) and this is not a 54 either. I enjoy these detective stories, so others, please comment

This was great the first time Leif shared it and it still is. We did this on an old boat motor that they told us there were no longer parts for. It was a 3 cylinder engine and we used a 6 cylinder cap but only used 3 of the 6 terminals. Ran like a champ. Also, not sure how you broke your old cap, but a pre-existing crack that then caused it to fail all the way, may have been what you were fighting all along. So no loss.

Agree with all that has been said. When the issue with #2 starts, pull the wire at the plug at #2, with the engine still running, and hook it to a known good plug and check for good hot spark. This will tell you to look at ignition or to look at the valves/compression. I've seen bad caps do what you have with a hairline crack that opens and shuts due to temperature and when open gave that cylinder a grounding path for the spark. Also, I once had my engine die for no good reason, like someone pulled the coil wire going down the road. And it kept doing it. Drove me nuts. The issue was a broken ballast resistor wire that would work fine at the first cold start, then get hot and break the circuit, then cool and come back together and work. And then start the cycle all over again. Finally found it working by the side of the road as it got dark and saw the little devil sparking as I was cranking. Also had the bake-O-lite (?) rubbing block on the points finger crack and fall off due to age causing the points to not open. Dead-on-the-road then too. Took a while to find that one. Found it when checking for gap, there was none. Then thought, how can that be, where/how did it go away? How could I have been running with no gap? Answer was laying on the plate of the distributor, that little piece of bake-o-lite. I had an old worn set of points that had been bouncing around under my seat since before Coolidge was in office. Found them, cleaned them up with what tools I had, eyeballed the gap and away we went.

My pump shaft is worn down to about 75% remaining diameter, looks like the Moon and has enough miles on it to have worn the clutch pedal smooth, no tread, so no guess as to the miles on it but it has to be a bunch. Remember this sentence. My pump didn't leak 18 years ago when I bought the car until I messed with the packing nuts and pulled out the packing (look at all this old crap in here, where's the trash can, I need to 'fix' and replace this nasty business). On one end there was a leather boot lace in there. I can just see the old farmer with the flopping boot and the smirk as he motored away with the leak fixed, wife and kids telling him how great he was. My pump leaked like heck with the modern packing material I found and packed in there. (Get a bigger wrench and tighten that nut some more . . . nope) My pump stopped leaking about 20K miles and 15 years ago when I bought the proper graphite impregnated packing material from Restoration Supply Co. based on comments from a fellow Buick Tourist. Cost me a couple of bucks. Still got most of it left under the front seat in a zip lock bag. (Mrs. Flath would give me a D+ for starting all these sentences with 'My'.) I very much enjoyed the discussion above on corrosion. I find no errors. Modern 50/50 coolant is wonderful stuff. Good lubricity, anti corrosion and not much loss in specific heat (ability to 'carry' heat compared to plain water). The money I saved on not having a shaft made I spent on important stuff like new brake bands and beer with some of the wonderful people on this site. No disrespect to anyone who can machine or get a shaft machined and replaced. I've seen several that are works of art. Try the correct packing route first, it worked for me.

Ray Brown is puting together an order for 1923 6 cylinder Valve Springs. Cost will depend on response. Not sure what other years these will fit. Send me an email and I will forward it to Ray and you can communicate with him directly. Thx!

Marty just has the two links crossed is all. Try the other link. Terry, it will do you good to look at another Buick with Maize / yellow wheels! :cool:

Mark beat me to it. I think I would also hang on to the strap when lowering so the window does not 'get away from you' and fall quickly. And, while I'm at it, from a Model 45 Touring guy; what the heck are windows for? Some sort of fancy side curtain? (Don't have any of thoes either)

And back to the car itself (and it looks very nice). I thought all Model 55's had wire wheels? Also the nickel work looks too good and may now be chrome? Two errors for a top dollar car. Somebody call Thurston Howell and break the news to him.

And don't forget about 'Forest Gump' who watches the show too. He wants the same prices for his cars that last ran when Nixon was in office and are full of chickens and mice out in the barn.

BJ prices always amaze me. I can't watch the show, I get too upset. But, with that said, if I had a really nice car (and not a driver) I would have to think about letting them sell it since they sure get some big money. Well, never hurts to dream. I'm certain there are people flipping cars with BJ as the goal after they get it from some poor widow. Sorry if I hurt some BJ fans feelings. Just one man's opinion. My Brother says, 'watch it for what it is, entertainment'.

And here is that extra bit of Buick information that you can only get here: In 1923, Buick produced its 1,000,000th vehicle. For whatever reason, at that time, they moved the single tail lamp from left of center on the rear spare tire cross bar to the center position. So, when following a mid 20's Buick, in an instant you will now know if it is a mid 1923 or earlier Buick (left) or a mid 1923 or later Buick (centered).

Could you get the hardness checked on say, the back side so the harness mark is not mistaken in the future for a timing mark? The unused unworn outer edge of the tooth would be available. Simple test. On gear tooth hardening the case depth of the heat treated zone is ~0.020 deep max, more like 0.010 inch. The core material of the tooth is not hardened to keep it strong and not brittle.

You will always be our Editor-in-Chief. Thanks for all you do! Merry Christmas Brother!

That's Maize, Brother Shaw. Saw a dandy Nash with a set so just got to thinking. That's all. Never hear or see them. Only set I've ever seen up close is Bill McLaughlin's '29. And you bring up a good point. I'd have to paint them Maize with Blue pin stripe.

Anyone have them or experience with them? Assume they require unique hubs, but are the rims specific from the wood spoke fellow type or common? Any leads on a set to fit my 23-45? Like they say, you never know until you ask. Plus it's getting close to Christmas!