McDar

Did the machine shop use a pan target to set the oil squirt tubes? If set with the target tool the oil will hit directly in the middle of the dippers. Chevy's of the 40's rent them or I will let you use mine. If I recall the 34 engine was a 207(?) and my target is for a 216. Someone at the VCCA would know if the tool works on both engines.

Pat, I'm kicking myself for not looking at this site before today. I have all the wood (good) for a 34 Master 5W coupe that I replaced with metal about 4 or 5 years ago. You would have been welcome to it but the work you have done is very good indeed. I am street rodding mine but always like to save good original parts for the resto guys. If any of your parts cars or your car has a good ID plate on the firewall I would be glad to pay you for a picture of the plate---you could tape over the numbers for ease of mind. I have my plate but the sandblaster obliterated all but the stamped in numbers. A local trophy shop can make a plate that will prevent the DMV from giving me a hard time if I can provide them with the design.

I put an Olds V8 HEI in my 37 and it took very little modification to get it done. Re-gapped the plugs to 0.045, adjusted carb and timing and mileage went from 15.3 to 16.8 holding at a steady 2000 rpm. Am planning a long trip this spring and chose the HEI over a Pertronix simply because every parts store has parts for the HEI. Picture is with junkyard cap and wires which have been replaced. Also carrying along the old points distributor so coil was left mounted.

I put motorcycle turn signals on my 37 Special. Dual filiment (1157) bulbs in both the park and tail lights. The cycle unit has a solid state module and two momentary push button switches (Radio Shack--$2) that when you push once will blink 10 times, twice 20 times, and three times 45 times. The modules are usually Kawasaki and on ebay for around $35. If they still made the column mount unit with the rubber wheel that rubbed on the underside of the steering wheel I'd go that way but my memory is so bad anymore I'd leave a non-self cancelling one blinking away and I hate that. The tiny momentary switches can be mounted completely out of sight and ALWAYS turn themselves off.

On a 40 LaSalle there is a contact brush that fits in a hex shaped brush holder that is screwed to the column jacket. This is for the horn. Is there supposed to be a tiny spring behind the brush? Also, does the turn signal switch just have three wires? They are missing and I can probably fabricate something but so far can come up with only three places for wires in the switch. Thank you; Evan

Have you taken off the distributor cap and watched the rotor? If it turns smoothly witout any jerks the TC and gears are probably okay. I had a 59 that had a massive vacuum leak and wouldn't fire a lick. It would draw air through the leak and show good compression but couldn't draw air/fuel through the carb(s) to give the cylinders a combustable mixture.

Have also re-arched many a leaf for circle track cars way back when. Used a engine block instead of a railroad track. I don't think a press would work because the molecules have to be "jiggled" into a new position, not stretched. Good firm blows, not round house punches, for more than several minutes is needed. When a spring worked well we would disassemble it and trace it's arch(s) on a piece of plywood so we could duplicate it the next time we had to drag out the hammer and block. You can just use the finished sides leaves as templates for the unfinished side on a street car. If too much, reversing the procedure de-arches them.

I have a 1940 LaSalle 50 series coupe and a 1940 52 series sedan. Is the steering column the same between the 50 and 52 series? It looks and measures the same (as well as I can with both in the cars). I'd like to keep the coupe drivable while the sedan coulumn is sent off to Lare's for rebuilding. Is there any way to access an old Hollander's Interchange book online? Thank you; Evan

You guys are right, it is a Stromberg. My 74 year old eyes were aided with specs this time and it has "STROMBERG" in print and "AEROTYPE" in script on the side. The switches Danny referred me to on ebay are correct so I guess I'll bite the bullet. Thanks again; Evan

The carb is a Rochester with a 4 bolt mounting flange. Hope the pictures show some detail. Thank you for the replies.

The engine in my 37 40 series is a later 263 so I don't know if the carb is a 37 or a 53. The "U" shaped contact inside the vacuum switch has one leg broken off and I was wondering if anyone made such a thing. It's brass with a little springiness to it but not much. I made one from some thin brass stock but it doesn't release the piston which keeps the starter engaged. It's very close to the right tension because it will retract the piston if the choke is partly closed which raises the vacuum a bit. The engine is new. Also, I've had to clean the contacts several times before one broke off. Do you think 12v in the present system could be causing harm to the 6v switch?

Thank you very much, this will sure make the search a lot easier. Going to ebay right now to check out those you mentioned.

I have a 1940 Deluxe 6 that the hole the shaft passes through on the lower left A-frame is broken out. I'm sure I can find one but would like to know how many years each way from 1940 the Lower A-frames will interchange. It will certainly widen the search if they fit more than one year. Thank you in advance; Evan

The welding shop in the Iowa farm area I grew up in had a flathead Ford engine that did EVERYTHING. The building was an old Quonset with the engine mounted on a shelf outside near the top. A shaft ran the length of the building with flat belts hanging down to be "slapped" onto pulleys on the lathe, mill, drill press, etc. A generator was hooked to it for electricity, a water pump, and an airplane propeller to circulate air. This was just after WWII and I was quite young so I can't remember the hook-up details but he used it until the mid fifties when the REA reached his area.

How many years did Pontiac use the 3 speed trans that is of the same design as the one in a 40 coupe that is in my shop? The engine is a flathead 6. The car has been setting for 34 years and water somehow got into the transmission and actually rusted some teeth completely off the 1-2 sliding gear as well as the splines it slides on. There is a small selector lever directly under the conventional looking shifter arm and it is of a top loader design. I hope it isn't something that was just used for one year. Also the bell housing acts as the front bearing retainer and also contains the front seal. Thank you; Evan

I'm located just north of Dallas. I will put a couple pictures on my photo site--http://s32.photobucket.com/albums/d41/coilover/ Scroll down to the first two pics. I'll also see if I can list on the VCCA site. Thank you; Evan

Does anyone need all the wood from a 34 Master 5W coupe? Was removed during conversion to street rod and I hate to just chuck it. I'm ashamed to say that it has been out in the weather and some of the finger joints are now loose but anyone good with wood could probably salvage most and certainly use it for patterns. It is now sheltered but I'm needing more space.

They CAN be a good little car. Drove a 64 Monza convertible with a 110 engine for 208 thousand miles and you could park it on a white carpet with no oil leaks. Why? Every time it was worked on it was treated like an airplane engine with every nut/bolt that anchored in aluminum being coated with anti seize and religious use of an inch pound and foot pound torque wrench. Later had a 66 with a Crown Engineering mid engine kit, a 350hp 327, all the suspension and ground effect goodies, and Pirelli radials. I would have loved to have gotten Nadar into the passengers seat, his lefty, liberal little panties would have been declared a toxic waste site.

Do any other convertible top frames work on a 54 starfire 98? Maybe an 88 or a 53 or 55 model. Also read where Buick or Pontiac might work. Bought Hollander that covers this year but no luck finding top parts(might be me). Thank you