rons49

Starter may well be the problem, however what gauge battery cable do you have? If the 52 is still 6 volt and a large engine like the 331, I recommend 00 cables. Smaller gauge cables will create a current bottleneck and result in slow, strained cranking, as will those little green wheel battery shutoffs. Ron

Steve and Matt, thanks so much for your quick responses. You answered my question precisely. Ron

Can a local AACA chapter or region put on( sponsor) a local car show or cruise in for non AACA particapants? In the offering through media channels that chapter would state that the show would be sponsored by the Local AACA club. What is the responsibility to National, if the name AACA chapter is used to attract potential registrants at this local show? I am aware that National insurance coverage would not apply. Is there a copyright infringement,or similar, involved?

Some times I get down and a bit depressed, especially when I hear so many folks ready to talk about the lack of foward thinking vs the good 'ol days. The Edsel was not a bad car, just the wrong car at the wrong time. In an age of conventional thinking( the 1950s) added with the 58 recession( actually started in the 4th quarter of 1957) and a shrinking market for upper mid priced cars, the Edsel had little chance. I applaud GM for their gutsy attempt to make a better, more efficent cleaner form of transportation. Too bad the price was so high. At below 30k I believe they would sell. All the other electric cars have there place, IMO, as fleet vehicles postal trucks etc. . Oh, speaking of failures in the market place.... Airflows, Tucker et al. BTW, GM is focusing on the ECO models for the 2013 year. Also, those who live in the so called hinter lands have there special needs for transportation of course. However, most of this over populated , more and more polluted, small planet we call earth, live in, or in close proximity, to cities. In which case we will learn to use technology to raise our living standards or become extinct. Hell 'uva try GM.

Has anyone tried the cunifer tubing? Neet stuff, can be bent easily by hand and is as strong as steel. Volvo and many european cars use it.

I don't know if any one here has heard, but Dupont has been trying to get out of the paint and refinishing business and at this time is pondering an offer from another company. I'm not surprised Centari is a victim with the water based products becoming more accepted. Still need solvent based for clear coat, as someone stated. That will undoubtly change soon, as well. Dupont only pulls about 5% of its revenue from auto refinish stuff, way more money in agriculture products.

I have always been fascinated with the the Corvair. It's too bad Gm Execs did not listen to the Ford corporate spies, that a few weeks before the public release in late '59, expressed reservations about the emergency handling and the extreme camber movement. The 'spies' thought the average American was unprepared for the characteristics of a straight swing axel, and one where the engine was mounted so far the the rear of the car. Most cars of that design mounted the engine closer to the differential (VW). Kind of flinging a hammer into the air and guessing which end will hit the wall first. Too bad Cole never spent $10 per car more for camber compensators or outer CV joints. Still dig 'em though, especially the 2nd generation '65s+. Re. the engine weight. The original specs were,I believe, was to be 250 lbs, but the production model came in at @325. I thought all 'vairs had aluminum engines??

Let's not date ourselves too much. There are reasons that cars became commodities for most of the world... because they always were. IMO , young people are attracted to cars that remind them of their youth... just as we were. Why? Because we were young, verile and had our whole lives ahead of us. Those( in most cases) were the best of times. No responsibilities, or fear of pain or illness. Go to your local cruise in. The young folks, in their 20s +, pull up in a Honda, 1990 Mustang or the like. They are proud of their efforts and cherish the friends that they make through the hobby. They are the future of the AACA. Welcome them, complement them on their effort. I got started with a 15 year old used 1964 Fairlane. and after being welcomed to the hobby, discovered prewar and brass era cars and late 40s as well. I was born in 1949. I did not remember riding in my grandpas Hudson at the age of 2. Never the less, I own one today, because the "good old days guys" and commugions never got to me . Sure there were some poor quality cars sold, that's sad, but someone mentioned Cord. The 36-37 Cord had more then its share of issues too. Back to the question: Caddillac Allente and Buick Reatta I personally like. Maybe some 20 year old feels the same way and after joining the AACA becomes interested in a Hudson.

As a judge, How do you guys know if the car had a honeycomb or flat fined style? If a 1931 Dodge(honeycomb original) showed up with a conventional flat finned rad and was installed with fine craftsmanship, who would deduct points? Where is the list of vehicles denoting what style radiator every car was delivered with? Even if a judge did suspect the wrong style was installed, how would you prove( actually disprove) that you are right and the owner is wrong. Thin ice here, guys.We are looking for period correct, not Bloomington Gold. Even IF, what would the deduction be? Is the deduction worth $2k on a Dodge or Durant? BTY Brassworks is good. I bought an original style rad for my 31 Ford. Perfect job.

I have two cars that have the glass bowl type. One is the Carter w/ the white ceramic filter and the other car uses an AC with the replacement paper type. They both work well. But, the Carters are more difficult to find, both, the unit and the ceramic filter, if ever needed( they usually can be cleaned). The AC style are more plentiful and are even reproduced as the GF-48 replacement filters. I got mine from Schaefers Classics in FL. The seals are viton & ethanol resistant . Either should be OK for judging as AC is a GM product. I heard that also, re. glass breaking in a collision, but may be heresay. They were probably more expensive to produce.

Any stepdown Hudson(48-54 except Jets) have a reserve braking system that automatically engages the emergency brakes when the pedal goes less then 2" from the floor. Only 62 Cadillacs and AMC offered a dual master cyclinder before the Govt mandated it for the 1967 models. Also the stepdown has a horseshoe perimeter frame of 2" x 8" running from the left A pillar to the right A pillar. Check it out. The car has a low center of gravity, making it nearly impossible to roll one over.

The Dark Days Of Detroit( sic Today?). I always attempted to buy American. In 1970 after waiting 8 weeks to find out Dodge could not locate a Dart Swinger 340 in Plum Crazy in July'70 I bought a Beetle. Fine car for it's market, but I got married and my new wife got car sick in it, soooo off to the crap pile of US opportunity. Bought a 6 cyl Duster in 73 not bad( except for water leaks on your feet) and had it for 6 years by keeping a supply of towels in the trunk. In 77 I bought a Cordoba. It had so many things wrong that I logged in 3950 miles the first year. The car nearly killed my wife when the OSAC valve failed upon acceleration onto a highway. After marking the tires and finding proof the car never moved from the spot that I left it at the dealers repair area, I wrote to Lynn Townsend. Not even a reply. Marched in to my local Toyota dealer and bought a new Corrolla on Dec 7, 1977. Then came the pride of Roger Smith, my 79 Malibu, Just as poorly delivered as the Chrysler. Even the cam #1 exhaust lobe wore out in 78k miles( class action suit covered some cost). In 83 got a Sentra, good car. In 87, a Plymouth Reliant. I liked the car except it started using a quart of oil in 800 miles. New engine at 20k. Loved that 7 year/70,000 mi warranty. Than a Dynasty, with the infamous Ultra-drive Transmission where a 25 cent C-clip failure required a total rebuild. Love that 7/70 warranty. And you ask was the Citation that bad... it was that bad. It is sad that good American workers and their families need to be the scapegoats of greed and inempt management. Yeah, our cars are back, but think of the price we all paid.

Went there in 06. Next to the old Harrahs it is the best auto museum ever, and not just cars( mostly pre war and CLassics), a wonderful collection of huge wind organs and collectables. If you prefer the classic era over post WW2, it is the best. A wonderful tour of the restoration facilities is available as well.

As a retired Nassau Co. PD P.O. on Long Island, the fleets were replenished as needed ( not all at once) based on mileage and cost of repair. In 1969 we ordered Chevy Biscaynes. In 1970 Ford Galaxies w/ 390s. That stopped when cops were putting 'em around trees. In 1971 to 73 Fury Is. In 1974 Pontiac Lemans. For a few years Plymouth Satellites, until 1980 Dodge Diplomats( Aspen clone) then pretty much Ford Crown Vics until I left in the early 90s. Since then I see mostly Impalas. Most Police depts. avoided front wheel drive due to the cost of maintaining and repair. No choice anymore. The PD not like the Lemans'. They were very fast, but the seats deteriorated, windows had no framing and the weatherstripping fell apart. This was most anoying, because the clamshelled windows let alot of rain in, requiring officers to wear raincoats inside the car as not to get their left shoulder wet. Spark plugs had to be removed through the wheel wells with the wheels removed, time consuming. Rear compartments were smaller than the Fury or Satellites. Alot of stuff is carried back there. Basicly, the Pontiac was just not as durable as the Chrysler offering and the Department never bought any more. Nice family car, however.

Is it true that 00 battery cables are now disignated 2/0 or are they two different sizes?

Cunifer tubing?? Is that the tubing that Oreillys sells instead of steel( brake line)? Last year I went to purchase 5/16 tubing to change a portion of my fuel line on my Hudson. The counter guy gave me some greenish coated tubing, which I bought but used some where else, because the color did not match the bright steel line already on the car. At a later date, I tried the greenish line on another car, and was impressed how easily it bent and flared. Is that what cunifer tubing is? Ron

I argee with that, mostly. Try the original system with the rebuilt vac tank. But, out here in AZ many guys' cars still fuel starve do to the lack of pressure on the volitility of the fuels that have today. If that is your case, place a solenoid type pump back by the tank out of sight with a true 1 psi regulator closer to the V tank out of sight as well. At the very least, After the car has sat for a while, the electric pump will get the fuel system primed up quickly.

Matt, I think I would go with the 5/16. Many cars of that vintage used 1/4, but I believe you will get more volume with lower pressure. McMaster - Carr sells the check valve you want. Steel line should do fine. Would not waste money on stainless, if you can find it. Bending is difficult. Copper is easy to bend can stress crack faster then steel, but is an absolute no-no for brakes(hydraulic). Should be OK for low pressure fuel. What was original? Regarding the regulator... What type are you using. Check out Summit Racing they sell a regulator that will adjust down to 1-4 Psi using an hex key . The dial in type are not accurate, and are noted for leaking in short time.

Harley Earl would be proud...not.

Tom if you are still using 6 volt, the electric pump instructions should tell you what they recommend. The Delco 6v solenoid style( similar to Air tex) recommends a 10 amp in line: #14 wire is used. Directional signals, I would believe uses 16 wire, but my 50 Cadillac calls for a 10 amp fuse.

Old fords used 600w oil in the steering box. A mixture of 50% STP and 90w Gear oil is close. I use that mix in my Model A and 50 Caddy. It's a bit thicker and the older seals hold the mixture in. It also flows around all the gears. I live in Arizona, so the air temp is rarely below 32.

Have you checked the PSI at the carb fitting? In the past electric pumps say the put out 5-7 psi ... at the out end of the pump. By the time it gets to the carb it read about 3-4. If you can place a pressure regulator in the line, I prefer to lower a strong pressure, rather than hope and pray for the engine not to fuel starve in the hot summer. I would verify the PSI with a guage. 3.5 psi should be ok, if that is what the float bowl is actually getting.

A bit more... Kaiser- Willys ( in 53 name Frazer was dropped) was not selling Willys did not offer an automatic, and only a partial number of the 21,686 Kaiser 1953 total sales were automatic optioned. Henry J and Darrins were not available with automatic. But another reason that the independents of Kaiser,Nash were offered the Hydramatic fast is that the Dynaflow was not able to be adapted to the drivetrains. For one, water pumps needed to be altered to accept cooling lines because Dynaflows were water cooled not like the "air cooled " Hydramatics. Cadillac water pumps in some 53s have two 1/4 taps to run lines to the trans. Radiators were not used for the cooling, as modern cars do. Those water pumps( I have one) are some what rare. Also, serious legal ramifications would hang over GM if contracts to supply the trannys were the cause of the independents to fold. Many people thought that the Big Two( Ford & GM) were attempting to crush out the competition after the infamous "Ford Blitz". Incidentally, Hudson scrambled to strike a deal with Borg-Warner for their automatic. They were already merged with Nash and destined to use B-W for their vehicles. Ford got on the wagon and built their own for Lincoln with enough strength to handle Lincolns torque. Kaiser Willys was by now looking south to Argentina were the Carabella would be built until 1962.

Exact Caddy GM part # is 1174119. The correct Stant cap is a 10646 or vintage G-36A. $3.15 at Rock Auto.

Irv sent you a PM, Ron