60FlatTop

From memory, pushing the switch in the "up" position opens the cylinder inlet valve and starts the pump. Pushing the switch to the "down" position. Opens the valve and does not start the pump. The spring tension draws the cylinder pistom down and the displaced fluid returns to the reservoir. The first check would be with the window up, apply 6 volts to the cylinder terminal. The window should go down. If it does the switch might be bad. That is a good starting point. Bernie

My son is a guitar player and does warehouse work. During the winter his Park Ave had a battery failure. He hooked up my 10 amp charger to his car set for six volts. I thought he blew the charger but I used it last week and it is OK. This shop that had the $100,000 Bentley's...... Bentley makes a piano and they guy blew his tester? That wasn't a music shop trying to fix cars was it? Odd collections of occurrences. Bernie

A standard shop and maybe a hobbyist will disconnect the rear shocks on a rear coil spring car, unbolt the springs, and pull down each side far enough to remove and replace the spring. Then hook it all back up. After 30, 40,50 or more years this method will probably twist the rubber bushings enough to shear them. It will bang going over curbs or in driveways and ride rough once the bushings are damaged. When I replace rear springs or do any service that extends the axle travel I loosen each bushing through bolt and make sure it slides freely on the inner sleeve. Then I insert a large chisel between the arm and the serrated end of the inner bushing sleeve and spread the components enough to release the grip of the serrations. That will give free movement to all the suspension arms and links. The axle can travel far beyond its normal positions without stressing the bushings. When the service is complete I rest the full weight of the car on the suspension and tighten to specs. A little anti-sieze on the through bolts and nuts will help in the future. Check the bushings for cracks or eccentric crushing. It they are shot only new will fix it. Bernie

Before you replace the lifters check the rocker arm shafts for wear. I have seen noisy lifters diagnosed as bad and replaced because the rocker arm shaft looked like a set of steps when the arms were removed. Bernie

My daughter's first car was a 1965 Electra 225. I took her to an empty parking lot at the college in town and had her park the car so the front bumper was right over the orange parking space line. She has red hair so imagine what that was like. Then she got really good and even made gestures toward smiling. Once she got skilled I said "OK, now do it with the back bumper." When she was in High School she told me her friends were in awe of her skills with that big car. Even though it was a stigma to her. Later both her and my wife were amazed to look out the window and see the Explorer I bought her. "You bought a Ford!"- both at the same time! Bernie

Judging is simply a check of adherence to a set of standards or rules. I guess one could say "I get very stressed every time someone checks to see if I followed the rules." Some say they are stressed, others might say they are entertaining to watch. My wife has told me not to say in public, the personality traits I have observed and generalities associated with the make of car they own. So I promised not to say anything about the old man in the Dodge pickup who thinks it is his duty to maintain safe speeds on the highway. I just smile at her and point at the tail gate, EVERY TIME WE GO ANYWHERE! Or other observations. However I did write down a few entertaining foibles I noted over the last 50 years and hid them, hoping they will be found and published posthumously. Bernie

I am reminded of how many times over the years someone, knowing you work on cars to support your hobby, asks for some work or a service and then brightens right up and says "I'll pay you!". I've done work free, donated money or parts, even given cars to friends. That guy usually didn't get acknowledged. Unless I said "Oh, will you now?" Bernie

Is the safe driving training a band aid to cover management's demands and over expectation of the driver's performance? Both our local gas & electric, and the phone company put schedule demands on the service people that don't allow time for any level of customer service beyond a dead run, single function and out the door to the next scheduled job. I have taken a lot of their tactics and made the opposite of what they do our SOP. The customers know, risk management managers can be quite clueless at times. Bernie

I paid twice what 1964 Rivieras were going for 36 years ago this month. Hasn't bothered me. A person with any kind of skills can get money anywhere. Who has a '64 Riviera. My big problem came from reading the post......... had the car 36 years....... was 30 when I bought it............. 16 years is a quarter of a lifetime......... we got trouble with a capital T. Bernie

It is interesting that willie uses the term "snot". I mentioned to my wife that I had not used the term since I was a kid and now I have started calling a 20 something waitress in town "the snotty one". She seems to be an unacceptable deviation to me. Bernie

If there is still enough life in the seals for conditions to change them go up to post #8. It was only a few bucks and the car still drives fine. Bernie

Here is the quote of the day: "Some times owners are themselves at fault for going for the low ball price to have the work done." Tearing a car apart can be done easily in a week, putting it back together requires funding for three hundred $100 jobs on the simple ones. A $30,000 bond should be posted for collector cars to be disassembled. Imagine the response to that! Rolls-Royce heads (and their failure) is a tail all its own. In the late 1940's the 1920's Silver Ghosts were getting holes in their heads. An offering of reproduction heads was made to known owners across the US. That list of owners ws used by Sam Shoup and John McFarlane to invite the owners to form the Rolls-Royce Owners Club in 1951. A couple of years later John lassoed John Utz into the club to become a long term editor and writer for the Flying Lady club magazine. John Utz' last article was about a troubleshooting job I did. A great person, I miss him. Good luck on that 20/25. In Batavia, New York a Bentley sat in a restoration shop for 27 years. And it is very easy to drive by a body shop with a primered, stripped, and stalled restoration job in my area. And those are the visible ones. Bernie

With the valve cover off, turn the engine over in the proper direction and watch the valve action on number one cylinder. Watch the exhaust valve close, the intake open, then the intake close so both intake and exhaust are closed, watch the timing mark come around, and just before the mark lines up look at your rotor position. It should be right on the edge of the number one terminal. Make sure that sequence happens. Rotate it through a couple of times to feel confident. Then take out the plugs and put a teaspoon of gas in each cylinder. Put the plugs back in and see if she farts.You might have to repeat the gas nursing a few times and move the distributor just a little. It might cough and belch and puke a bit (tech terms) and a big flame might rip right up from the carb if you don't put the breather on, but it should go. Four of your pistons were at the bottom of the bores where little wear takes place. Those rings are probably stuck in the ring lands and giving low or no compression. The other four were at the top in the wear area and expanded, probably OK. Once you get it started you may have to prime it each day until you have driven it 200 miles or so. It will loosen up with use. Is that the car you got running a while back but wanted to take apart and clean the caked oil out of? I think I remember commenting on that. Bernie

I got lucky at around age 22 or 23. I had a black '58 Chevy wagon with a 283 and a Camaro close ratio 3 speed, bucket seats, Mickey Thompson mags, WCFB carb, and goodies. It had the old style 12 bolt rear end. you know, 12 bolts held the ring gear on, not sticking your head under and counting the cover bolts (I think there is a message in just that thought.) I picked up a set of 4.11 gears and on that car the taller gears required a spacer plate under the ring gear. Being young and intimidated by such a technical job that needed "set up" of the back lash, I took it to one of those old time, full of crap, "mechanics". He had it for a month or more and I finally went to his place to liberate it. I found it assembled with no spacer and a mile of slop between the ring and pinion. He told me all I needed to do was shift the differential assembly to get the clearance. Now it was MY job. I asked for the spacer and long bolts. He told me I didn't need them and begrudgingly gave them back. No garage at the time, I went into my parents cellar and put the housing in my Great Grandfathers forged vice. I pulled out the assembly, put the spacer in, and set it up by feel. A little turn on this side, back off the other side, wiggle the pinion, and pretty soon I was happy with the fit and I put it in at the tire shop. I'm in the black sweat shirt. Now the story gets better. I eventually sold the car to one of the son's of an absolute wild redneck family. They made the Dukes of Hazard look like the old maid Aunts on "Bringing Up Buddy". They passed the car through a couple of family members, destroyed a couple of engines, and the last time I saw it the rear end had held up just fine for them. That was over 40 years ago. I wasn't born cynical. I was trained by experts specializing in blundering, incompetence and ineptitude. I told my wife you can spot them walking on the street. She said "Oh, and what would a person think if they saw you walking toward them?" I told her they would think "Who is this blow hard know-it-all......... that just got out of the 60 year old car he drove 200 miles on a 95 degree day and maintains it all himself?" Bernie

When analyzing plug condition the distribution through the manifold will help identify a barrel of the carb that might be rich or spilling over. Here is the nailhead arrangement: The fronts are fed by both barrels, looks like there is still a choke problem. Bernie

Make sure the rocker arms are not too tight and that you are getting lubrication to the shafts. Bernie

On the Rolls-Royce cars there are studs to attach the weights. It is done by hand, rotating to find the heavy spots and triangulating counter weights. You could do the same thing with lead wheel weights. http://books.google.com/books?id=wcElm-oNi70C&pg=PA34&lpg=PA34&dq=rolls-royce+20/25+wheel+balance&source=bl&ots=UeGBnC-qhQ&sig=NHR7sznZ44Wj-ZadxETlmZaLseQ&hl=en&sa=X&ei=JRlVU4-8CMa6yQHl_oFw&ved=0CDsQ6AEwAQ#v=onepage&q=rolls-royce%2020%2F25%20wheel%20balance&f=false Bernie

I have a standing Monday morning meeting 25 miles away. Here go the '60 Electra and I! And the trip is along the Lake Ontario state Parkway. Bernie

During the compression test you should ground the coil wire. The coil will put out as much voltage as is required to overcome the resistance of the secondary circuit. That means with the wire just hanging you could overtax the coil and maybe burn it out. By grounding it the resistance is minimized and the output is very low. Be sure to open the throttle plates while cranking so an unrestricted flow of air goes into the engine. In your picture that rusted plate in the back of the housing is supposed to come out in one round piece. It is a baffle plate. Its on the right. To check the heat exchanger and sensing tube, disconnect the tube at the choke housing and start the car. There should be no exhaust flow through it. Bernie

Andrew, your comments remind me of a Scot carpenter who came to quote some work on my 1856 farm house. He had been in the States for about 30 years and sounded like he just got off the boat. The longer he talked the more I realized that he had never listened to anyone. If he had he would have learned the language. That turned on a light and ever since I pay attention to those whom never lose their accent. Amazingly, they are all non-listeners. Just watch Uncle Angelo at the next family get together. Bernie

I have 1964 tan seat upholstery and can cut a piece. Here is what it looks like: Look close? PM your address. Bernie

I snagged this [icture a couple of days ago I never saw it before: In New York State we can run year of manufacture plates on antique cars or personal plates. Maybe the Skylark in the water should have the one I picked out for my '60: I picked out another that could be more fitting to some of the stunts I have done. It is for my '94 Impala SS and kind of celebrates the Spanish heritage of my ancient Milesian/Irish ancestors: could be on that Skylark, too. Bernie

Here is an article that will either make you empathize or feel much superior: http://powerbyford.blogspot.com/2011/06/1949-ford-custom-convertible.html Ever consider collecting Rolex watches? Bernie

Do it yourself. If you find a Buick too difficult find a simpler collector car. Finding a good shop to do your work is like asking which bar in town would be the best place to find a new wife. It ain't gonna be a happy experience. Yesterday I was preparing a new bumper cover to install on my '94 Impala. It had rubber seals under the headlight area held in place with nylon push pins. When I put them on the rubber was wavy at the pin locations. I got out a drill index and a hand drill. Most of the shops would laugh at a hand drill, ask if it was an egg beater or make some stupid remark. They would also tell you the wavy strip was the way they all are. I used three incremental drill bits to open the holes for a nice fit. It took about 20 minutes to do both sides. That would be $30- $60 shop time IF the shop even conceived the idea. So if a shop charged me $200 to install the bumper cover right I would have been happy and forget the price when I looked at the nice job. If they charged $170 and did a half assed job I would have noticed every time and remembered the exact price including tax. The shops that CAN do the work get a preconceived idea that everyone is cheap and won't pay for good work. The price shoppers keep proving it to them. The rewards go to the mediocre shop where the owner is always expecting a dispute with unhappy customers and the fairly priced shop that does a good job goes out of business because that brilliant shopper "found a cheaper place". Having extra cars for toys is a rich man's hobby. That gets reflected in the service providers. Being rich in the skills to do it yourself is a great gift and like most riches, one has to earn it. Bernie

I missed the part between removing the plugs and putting them back in where the compression was tested. If the valves and rings are shot, a valve is cracked, or a piston has a hole in it Nothing will smooth it out. That's the first step. I have also found, possibly due to modern fuel chemistry, that plugs fouled by a car running rich rarely fire well after cleaning; replace them. The 4GC is a friendly carb to rebuild. If you are learning you might want to buy two kits in case you have to give yourself class 101 over. Once you get the setting right be sure the choke heat tube works correctly. I did have a '56 Olds with a 4GC that I converted to an electric choke. It worked great. If it is the wrong 4GC, then the correct carb should be installed. Edit: I just had a brain fart. My AFB is one I rebuilt, first, in the early '80's. I remember having three carbs, the original, one from a '58 Lincoln that was larger, and some bits and pieces of others. I remember some of the Lincoln components were larger in bore, different metering rods, or something and I just used what looked good to me at the time. I redid it in the mid-90's and it still runs good. Read books, be patient, and be willing to do things over, and read the books again. Once my wife asked me why people paid me so much for fixing their cars. I told her to the best of my knowledge the other guys were fixing Buicks, Cadillacs, or whatever car based on the make history and anecdotal stories. I was fixing systems based on their mechanical principals. Read the books. Bernie