60FlatTop

To really sort it out you can pressure test the cooling system both cold and warm. If you haven't done that you may find a heater hose or coolant hose that is seeping as well. It should be tight and hold 15 to 17 PSIG. Leave the pressure tester on the radiator and start the car with the pressure relieved. It should not increase quickly. If any vacuum device has a diaphragm with another fluid on the opposite side it should be tested. All should hold 20" or better. Especially on the Caddies, be sure the exhaust manifold bolts are correct originals after any engine work. The manifold bolts and head bolts are 90 degrees to each other and a slightly longer manifold bolt from a hardware store can press against the head bolt. Years ago I serviced a 1959 Caddy that smoked white and ran rough. After the professional engine rebuild the engine was installed in a body shop. The exhaust manifolds were installed with hardware bolts, then the accessories were installed. The exhaust manifold bolt pressing the headbolt damaged the threads when it was removed to install the power steering bracket. Then it was re-installed with an air wrench and stripped the block. You could hear the water entering the cylinder when the cooling system was pressurized. I saved the block with a heli-coil and used a stud to avoid having to remove it in the future. Just be aware of that kind of thing if the engine has been serviced and don't be afraid the take apart anything that looks like someone else serviced it. An old engineer told me the odds of previous work being done correctly is 50/50 every time; either they did it right or they did it wrong. If you took the time to ask and make the video that makes two of us that are suspicious. Bernie

John, be glad you only need a few small items. Apparently some marques are having real problems finding air conditioning parts: Although the picture is a little outrageous, it is pretty obvious the wrong part was used. That is the basic reason for the 400 point system in a less dramatic way. Some members saw the inaccuracy of BCA show cars through the 1980's and recognized the expense using incorrect leather, installing the wrong year hub caps, and even using parts in short supply on a different car. The last points could deprive an owner of needed parts. The 1989 Batavia Nationals was the first BCA meet to use the 400 point system. The increase in the quality of the cars today has been influenced greatly by the standard established by the 400 point judging system. And, in the owner's financial favor, the club has provided verification of the extra investment for a quality job. My cars are quite a ways down the 400 point scale. I consider my entry date into the hobby as September 1959 when I bought the Rod & Custom magazine with the yellow coupes on the cover. That was in the days before a hobbyist had a pop rivet gun and the patches over rust had to be screwed on. I have seen enough things done wrong so I put out the extra effort to meet "the standard" whenever I can. Bernie

Now, there's a thought; what would a top executive at Plymouth drive. About that New York thing, last week we took a ride along the lake. Here is the view of Toronto, Canada from the town we had lunch in: There are a lot of those coach built cars up here. When I was about 12 my Grandmother gave me a 1919 Buick with a 30" saw blade where the rear seat was supposed to be. Bernie

Here is the manual. http://www.snaponequipment.com/Common/ServiceParts/0692-9210-01.pdf The ACT-300 stuff starts on page 110. I had two patents on recovery machines in the early 1990's. The discriminator for non condensables on the Rigid built unit was my design. Bernie

Coachwork by Park Bench. They are in there with Thrupp & Mayberry from North Carolina and the Irish company that made those Bentley Mulligan coupes. I've been studying those coach builders for a long time. Bernie

Although a little humor is hard to do in email or online, it helps the frustration. The idea is that "the system" has so many checks in place to protect people from criminals the honest people can't do simple things in government or business. I can guarantee you that one of my banks has had more success at keeping me out of my account than keeping criminals away. I can see myself standing at the DMV with a handful of documents for a vehicle I purchased from an estate of the deceased and the clerk pointing to a missing signature line. A criminal once told me the correct answer is "Oh! He's out in the car. I'll be right back." Bernie

The best thing to do is contact a local parole officer. They should have a reasonably priced part time consultant on their list. When all the honest attempts to resolve a fairly simple problem, it is time to bring in a professional. I think the title jumping class is held by most inmates right after reruns. of The Bob Newhart Show and just before lights out. Find a criminal. You'll have it registered tomorrow. Oh..... wait...... that's who we were being protected from. Bernie

The wayI heard it: If you can sit in the driver's seat, can reach out and touch the windshield the whole car is too short. Bernie

Listen to the sweet sounds t 2:40 seconds: No radials, no rack and pinion. no McPherson struts or coil overs, no ABS, just the best technology on the market 9 years before we put a man on the moon. None of this stuff is intrinsically safe OR dangerous. One thing I did learn from this; stay out of Washington. There are two. My tin can steamed up the Potomac and tied up at the Naval Museum there in 1971, saw it don't care to go back. The other I guess I can call the rough rider state. I understand they are petitioning to change the name and avoid association with the DC one. I'm with Mr. Duntov. Bernie

On biased tires. Lee Marvin and Paul Newman made me do it. Bernie

Two things have yet to experience; frugal nature and vapor lock. I had the five collector cars out yesterday and it was 88 degrees. About ten years ago I gave a needy woman a car and she gave me a profound wish of good luck. Since then I have changed two nailhead water pumps without a broken bolt and, as global warming progresses, haven't experienced vapor lock. Bernie

They look pretty good. I found them at Summit Racing for 260 each and no shipping fee. I like the sidewall height (aspect ratio). That is my biggest dislike of the radials. They just look wrong. These tires are actually .4 inches larger in diameter than the biased. The shoulder of the tire is done well also. I didn't see 7.10-15's that I will need for the Riviera next year. Maybe they will be available by then. I would give them a try. Bernie http://www.summitracing.com/parts/cok-700306

I wanted the sound. The Hushpowers have stacked horizontal flat baffles that were designed to mimic the old straight through steel packs. The equalizer or H replaced the existing muffler just to modify the pulses. Better sound equipment might have picked up the speedboat idle a little better. Turn up the volume and see: http://brockportinternational.com/xjs/Dir5/Riviera/64riviera.mp3. My son and I have been up to a bit of mischief today. My wife is working at the library. Bernie

Yeah, I did. But, like Tina, I never seem to do nuthin nice and easy. Bernie

If you are 30ish go for the swap. If you are an old guy rebuild your Dynaflow, it won't have as many surprises. I have a good used '62 Dynaflow down in the cellar. At least it was when I put it there around 1986. Bernie

Pete, I don't think the gas evaporates. It bonds into a genetically modified anaerobic life form called a Monsantite and clings to the inner walls of the tank. Keep the gas cap on tight if you use an attached garage. Bernie

Four bolts and the bearing is right under your nose. It is an easy job. Should the bearing fail the axle spline could walk right out of the pinion. That might make the wheel and tire interfere with the quarter panel and the drum could get beyond the brake shoes. Then the wheel cylinder blows apart while you try to stop. I sold a car like that once. There was no front suspension so the buyer rested the front cross member on his trailer hitch. When they started moving one of the rear wheels walked out and the tire bumped the fender. Only one wheel to roll on, they looked it over and said "should be OK to get home on." It's Friday and the bearing should be a stock item; a good weekend job. Bernie

When I first bought my '64 it would run out at 1/4 tank. Now that the body has been off a couple of times the needle stays hidden above the full mark most of the time. When I see the needle I fill it. I bought it when I was 30 and gas was cheap, but I didn't fill it very often. I'm 66 now and gas costs 5 or 6 times as much. Everything in the garage is full. That takes care of the gauge problem. Another 40 years and it will be even easier. Bernie

My cars rarely see more than 3500 RPM. I just wanted one car that was a little rumbly. Its not engineered. Its artistic like a symphony. Bernie

Here is an arced and ground set for one wheel of a '53 Jaguar done by Rochester Clutch and Brake, Rochester, NY. Drop off the drum and shoes, select one of three lining materials, and you are good to go. I've been using that service for at least 15 years. Even the Rolls-Royces around these parts stop. Bernie

I saw the title and I thought the 1948 Packard from South Africa had resurfaced. The last time I saw it was at the Mel Hayes dealership in Horseheads, New York. The car used to belong to my friend Floyd Newlands, in Barrie Center, New York and used to share space with his collection of Hudsons and Metropolitans. I liked that car a lot. Mel Hayes has changed to Otto's. The Packard may still be there. Back around 2002 or '03 Floyd had a tutone green 1950ish Hudson that was really ringing the bell for me. I didn't "need" an old car at the time but it was driving me nuts. I began to notice some styling ques between the early '90's Buick Roadmaster and the stepdown Hudsons, really similar in a lot of ways. I ended up settling for a maroon 1994 Roadmaster sedan. New York rust ate it and I replaced it with a black 1994 Roadmaster sedan. Rust got that one and now the 1994 Impala SS lives in the garage with no winter exposure. A couple of days ago I backed the Chevy out of the garage to go on a date with my waiting wife. I asked "Do you notice the similarity in style between this car and the '48 Packard?" She just shook her head and said "Yes." Maybe I should take a ride down to Horseheads.... with the camera. Bernie

Getting frustrated and hostile will never work. I've noticed that. I can spot the hostile and frustrated ones from the door. If they ever gave classes in body language to motor vehicle clerks I would loose my feeling of security. Last year I went to the DMV one mile from my house. I walked in the door to be greeted by a gruff command and looked at an obvious row of four hostile and frustrated women. They could have been hanging from the rafters with leathery wings wrapped around them, like a bunch of lawyers, and they would not have looked less formidable. Casting convenience to the wind, I turned right around, left, and drove to the next county fifteen miles away where I saw pleasant attitudes and enjoyed a smooth transaction. A lot, and I mean a whole lot, of people have forgotten or never learned all that body language stuff from the 1970's. My dog whimpers and crawls on his belly when we are near the DMV. Bernie

Hushpowers with an equalizer pipe in place of the original muffler gives them that nice Chris Craft sound. EVERYTHING I own isn't stock: The full size equalizer really mellows the sound. Of course there is a full stock replacement. I took all the parts for either to the exhaust shop and said "Make it rumbly if you can. If it is too hard put the stock stuff on." Bernie

Just hold one wheel and listen to the other spin. With the car raised it will rattle pretty good when the bearing is bad. If you are holding one wheel still and hear the sounds they can be transmitted through the bad bearing to the axle, through the differential, then into the stationary axle. If it is noisy it needs some attention. Just pull the noisiest side first. Once the axle is out the bad bearing will be obvious. I don't change rear wheel bearings often. I put one in the '60 Electra about 10 years ago. I knocked the outer race off and used a lathe to "skin" down the inner race instead of pressing it. I had a bearing heater available so the new one slid on and seated nicely. The rear end lube is probably one of the most neglected items on an old car. When you consider that it is vented and has a lot of mass, the likelihood of condensation build up during years of disuse (they are 50 years old now) is quite high. And they are hard to flush. The rear cover is not bad to remove and clean out for a change. The front loaders like the early Riviera is harder. You can suck the old fluid out through the fill plug and add fresh. Or, with luck a housing bolt can be removed and will drain. In the past I have taken cars with an unknown service history through 3 changes while driving about 30 miles between each drain and fill. When I did this for an owner I would save the samples. Black on the first drain, dark amber on the second, and honey gold for the third. Do this when you buy the car. I have a new to me 1948 Packard in the garage that will get the full treatment before I start driving it in September. It obviously spent the end of the 1980's and the 1990's dormant. It has a stack of restoration shop bills from 2010 and not a whisper about the rear end or transmission juices. It is just a service that is very often overlooked until you drive beside a guard rail and wonder what that Whooka, whooka noise is. Bernie

Here is the distribution diagram from a factory manual: 1 and 3 are fed together. There may be a vacuum fitting in that area of the manifold. Be sure the hose is not cracked and the device at the end is air tight. Bernie