rsb

Your mentioned cracked lifters. I bet your push rods are bent and tapping the side covers on the inside. Pull them out and roll on a flat surface to make sure they are straight.

You mentioned a new wiring harness. It's possible the wire from the generator is connected to the wrong lead on the ammeter. I've seen this before. Often times when the wiring harness is made, one of the ring terminals to the ammeter has two wires crimped into it. If the wiring harness manufacturer made a mistake and crimped the generator wire to the wrong lead, i.e. the battery lead, then the ammeter would only ever show discharge, even though the generator is charging properly.

Hey neighbor. I wonder if the generator was rewound for 12V operation at some point in its past. If so, it might not be possible to adjust the charge rate low enough. I'd try to set it up such that the ammeter reads just above zero while driving with the headlights on.

A couple of times I've removed the gas cap and blown air into the tank to create pressure to force some fuel into the vacuum tank. It takes good lung capacity and tends to leave a brown ring around your mouth.

Keep it in a dry garage and if you don't plan to run it, drain the gas, oil, and coolant so the next owner doesn't have a mess to deal with.

I do not know what the value of the resistor would have been but if you measure the current the coil draws when energized, you can apply Ohm's law to determine a value for a 2V drop. Ohm's law states that resistance in ohms is equal to voltage in volts divided by current in amperes. For example, if we know the current is 3 amps, then resistance would be 2 / 3 or approx 0.67 ohms. In addition, you need a resistor with a power rating capable of dissipating the heat. Power in watts is equal to voltage multiplied by current so in this case, it would dissipate 6 watts in heat so you would need at least a 10 watt resistor. The higher the wattage resistor, the more surface area it will have and it wont get as hot to the touch.

Think of the cut-out as a diode or check valve allowing current to flow in one direction. That is, from the generator to the battery. It depends on residual magnetism in the generator to generate enough power to close the relay and get things going. Sometimes getting that adjusted just right is a little tricky but the advice above is REALLY good. In my opinion, the lack of any real voltage regulation on these early vehicles reduces the life of the battery due to over/under charging. There are ways to hide a real voltage regulator that will maintain the battery at the proper voltage. Once you get the original charging system sorted, you might consider upgrading to a regulated system.

I'm not sure how tech savvy you might be but I'd probably use a cheap pocket MP3 player connected to some kind of audio amplifier connected to the siren speaker. With a little computer skill, you can make your own MP3 files of the Ghostbusters theme song and the siren sound. You could then create a playlist on the MP3 player with these two files and put it in repeat mode. I don't think the CB radio PA system would make a good audio amp because it's not rated for continuous use. -R

The only issue is forgetting the sealed bearing is in place. If you continue to add oil to the cup, it will have nowhere to go but down into the inside bottom of the generator.

Does the master cylinder have a cap with a good seal?

I've seen this type of thing before in the older cars. The radiator seems to have good flow but when you feel around the core, the center is hot and the sides are cool. Rust accumulates in the bottom of the core and plugs up the passages. Having it professionally cleaned is hit or miss. The only sure fix is a new radiator core.

If it were mine, I'd probably try a pair of Optima or other AGM 6-Volt batteries. Both my cars have them. One is over eight years old now. You can get a specially-designed plastic box that looks like an old Group 1 battery and the Optima slips right in. However, 7.5" square kind-of nixes that idea unless you can hide them somewhere else. Those batteries are versatile and can be mounted sideways too. Another option might be one or two of the smaller 12-volt AGM or gel batteries like are used in my 1993 Miata. I'm not sure of their dimensions though. One of those jump start packs might have a small battery that would physically fit. Cheers!

Dave, Reversing the wires on the gauge will not change the reading and may damage the gauge. I would investigate the ground path of the sending unit and check if the gauge is original, damaged, or has been replaced. If it were me, I would first disconnect the sending unit wire from the gauge. Then ground that terminal on the gauge and see what it reads. Next I'd pick up a 30 or 33 ohm (more common) resistor from the local electronics shop and wire it between the terminal and ground to see what it reads. You should see full deflection between E/F with these two tests. Once you have eliminated the gauge as the cause, you can work your way back toward the tank. -R

The only problem is if you take a gauge rated for a 30 amp generator and replace the generator with a 60-100 amp alternator, the gauge could burn out under high current conditions such as charging a low battery. The gauge is just a low-resistance shunt across which the gauge samples voltage The voltage divided by the fixed resistance of the shunt equates to amperes. See Ohm's law. Depending on the gauge, the shunt may not be able to handle the higher current. -R

I can't speak for later years but the 28 Chevrolet 4-cyl motor was bolted directly to the frame. I would expect '29, being the first 6-cyl, might have been the same. -Ron

IIRC, code 12 just indicates diagnostic mode. It will repeat 3 times followed by any stored codes and ends with 12 again. Not sure if the fan should kick on in this mode. Possible.

http://www.chevytalk.org/fusionbb/showtopic.php?tid/225413/ http://www.chevytalk.org/fusionbb/showtopic.php?tid/218134/ I just completed both operations on my car and there is ZERO "gap" in the steering.

Yes. The oil in the rear end may be thick but it will find a way out if it one exists.

Having experienced this problem for myself, I think I can speak to this with some authority. You are replacing the original inner leather axle seal with a modern lip seal because lube from the differential is making its way past the seal, through the axle bearing, and running down into the emergency brake shoes, soiling the inside of the brake drum, and eventually out and around onto the service brake bands. You probably experience uneven braking, locking up wheels, and braking noises. Not to mention trails of oil running down the inside of your steel wheel. No fun! To answer your question, yes. I would lubricate the seal before installing the axle. Once in place, the lube from the differential will find its way up to the seal and keep it wet as you already know. Be very careful installing the axle so as not to damage the seal. Don't put the weight of the axle on the seal surface at any time when sliding it in. Also, check the axle for burrs where it may have previously been held in a vise to change the bearing. File any sharp spots down flat or you could nick the seal. Hopefully your axle isn't too pitted where the seal runs. I have had mixed results replacing the inner axle seal. I have done four of them now and 1 actually worked. In my experience, it's better to install a new sealed axle bearing and coat the outside diameter of the bearing with RTV sealant before sliding the axle back in. Other sealants just make it harder to extract the axle next time. Best Wishes & Good Luck!

Hello. I am stripping down a 1928 Chevrolet motor and the pistons have the name --Vitaloy--> stamped in the top. The bores are about 0.080" oversize which makes them about 3.7675". The only number I can find on the piston is "40" which is cast in the recess near the wrist pin. They are nice pistons and about 1/4" taller dome than stock. I would like to know if these pistons cross to any other applications and if there might be another part number I'm missing. I wasn't able to find out much about Vitaloy except they were in manufactured in Los Angeles a long time ago. Any information would be appreciated. Ron

http://www.mcmaster.com/#9521k14/=w8grsa

When I did my 28 Chevy, I bought a cheap punch and die set and a sheet of 0.016" laminated brass shim stock (0.002"/peel). It wasn't difficult to make the shims. But then of course you have 8 rods and however many crank bearings to deal with.

PM Sent.

They are facing forward toward the lens but they are also far enough back in the reflector and have a wide enough radiation angle to focus the beam in a similar pattern to the original bulbs. I have the headlights aimed properly so as not to blind oncoming traffic. You just don't want to be staring at the LED when it powers up.

I made my own bulbs a couple years ago with high power tri-emitter LEDs that output about 700 lumens per bulb. I turned a copper slug the diameter of the bayonet bulb base and attached the LEDs to the face of the slug with thermal epoxy to dissipate the little bit of heat they put off. The slugs position the LEDs at the same relative location as a bulb filament. I hid the LED driver circuitry in the headlight buckets behind the reflectors. They are like looking at an arc welder in action and really light up the road. Best part is they only draw a combined 1.4 amperes. I know the technology is coming soon if not already here.