rsb

You might consider measuring the current draw. If it's around 5-6 amps or lower, you could use a 6-12 DC converter to power your lights rather than a 12V SLA battery.

Yes, it can be done but if originality is so important why not change the electrics back to 6V and run the original style coil?

Yes, my 28 Chevy wiper motor is mounted on the outside. The vacuum switch/valve is on the instrument panel. Other body styles such as the cabriolet had the motor mounted on the inside with the shaft extending through the windshield frame. The on/off switch was on the motor itself. Perhaps it was dependent on whether the windshield was a roll-up or a push-out type?

Here's a good video that may help to explain why it works.

Just make sure Egge includes the CORRECT little sheet for the pistons you buy. Call them to confirm!

I'll second that! Try a different brand.

If you're looking to put together a car and get your money back, add up how much it will cost you to make it into a $12k car given what you have to start with and figure out what you can offer. If you're interested in the car for sentimental reasons or just want to enjoy it for a while before selling it, take that into account as cost of ownership. I've been into early Chevys for over 16 years now and haven't seen their values appreciate as substantially as other makes and I don't anticipate they will anytime soon unfortunately. I have way too much invested in my 28 Chevys to ever see a profit or even break-even but I enjoy wrenching on and driving them. Funny how these things work. I know people who have bought "restored" examples of these cars for big $ that are mechanical nightmares under the hood. Motors with serious noises, poor brakes, heating issues, electrical problems, but look absolutely beautiful on the outside. Then there are others that are rusty, rotten wood, bad interior, exposed wiring that run like an absolute dream and you could trust them to haul your butt anywhere. Then there are the basket cases. Projects that were started, poorly executed, or abandoned and never finished. Unless you're intimately familiar with the car in question and/or have restored one before and know what you're getting into, there's an almost certain risk of going underwater. Good luck

You can't reliably test a condenser with a multi-meter. You really need an old-school capacitor analyzer to test the insulation resistance / leakage. If the condenser's internal insulation is breaking down, using it will only hasten its failure. You should be able to substitute a modern .22uF, 600V or higher voltage rating film or poly capacitor (orange drop). They are non-polarized. I have used this method to re-stuff an original condenser when appearance/originality is important.

I have had good luck with Optima 6V batteries in my cars. One is over 7 years old now and still working fine. They are a bit smaller so you might have fashion a way to secure it in the battery box. For wiring, I have used YNZs Yesterdays Parts for original-looking cloth-covered wiring harnesses with good results. Cheers

I have put 10,000 miles on my 1928 Chevrolet since 2000 and have never touched the points. If you're having trouble with the points and need to replace them often, you might want to investigate the cause such as a faulty or incorrect condenser or coil. That said, Pertronix probably sells an "ignitor" product to fit the Model-A. Have you investigated that option? -rsb

I made my own from Luxdrive Endor 3-LED package on an aluminum substrate I bought from ledsupply.com. I used thermal epoxy to attach it to a copper slug I turned on the lathe to the diameter of the original bulb base. I'm driving it with a 700mA Buckpuck. The result is astounding. More than 540 lumens per bulb really lights up the road. Here is a comparison between original 1133 incandescent bulbs and the LEDs. Ron

Hi, Congrats on your purchase. I always liked the '32. Does the engine turn (not seized)? You can find out quick if you have the hand crank. I would start by removing the drain plug in the oil pan to see what comes out. Poke a wire up through the hole to make sure it's open and not plugged with sludge. I would use a 30 weight non-detergent oil if you can find it or 10W-30. If things are really bad, you're probably best off to remove the oil pan and clean it out. The transmission and rear call for 600W which is a heavy gear oil. You can find it at certain model-A parts suppliers or just use sae 140 gear oil which is more likely to leak but works equally well. The repair manual is an invaluable resource and you can find it by searching the web for "1932 chevrolet repair manual". Before cranking it over with the starter, I would probably change the oil, shoot a squirt of light oil down each spark plug hole, and turn it over by hand. You can remove the rocker cover to check the oil line and see if any oil is getting up to the valves. If everything is clean, happy, and free, I'd probably go ahead and try to start it. Keep and eye on the oil pressure gauge and do a few quick oil changes at first.

I suppose you could always drain and remove the tank, then slowly fill it with a funnel through the fuel inlet. You could then observe when/if the float closes the vacuum valve. They used two types of Stewart tanks on the 28 chevy. One had the springs and 'teeter-totter' action as mentioned and you should hear it click when the valve closes. I assume that's the one you have. http://books.google.com/books?id=BtYbqYNbg0QC&dq=dyke's%20automobile%20vacuum%20tank&pg=PA165#v=onepage&q&f=false Regards, Ron

If you put a volt meter on the ground lead from distributor where the condenser connects, you should see it go from 12V-0V-12V-0V as you turn the engine over slowly by hand. That would confirm the breaker points are operating. On other cars I have seen the insulation around the points spring break down and cause a short. Pull the coil wire first so it doesn't accidentally start while you have your hands in there.

It sounds to me like one of the following possibilities: 1. The float cracked, filled with fuel, and sank (most common) 2. The float is not installed properly on the hook 3. The float valve is sticking or leaking. Trash in valve. Regards, Ron

Sorry. It's just the symbol just beneath label 16A is typically referred to a resistor in most schematic diagrams.

Have you changed or checked the connections at the ballast resistor? (See lead 16A) I would be inclined to hook up a voltmeter at various points along that line and monitor while driving. http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-RRXxvER1wTs/Taxm5L3DxtI/AAAAAAAABr8/MHFVPrxGBd4/s1600/66MotorWiring.jpg Ron

A few weeks ago, I visited a shop and was shown a 6V Optima battery that was still in service after 15 years. No joke. In addition, I have seen people hide the Optima battery in a covered plastic box that looks just like a regular battery. Even has the fill caps on the top like original. The Optima fits inside diagonally. Ron

If it's like mine, the float has a hook on it. Turn the loops toward each other and thread the hook through them both. Regards, Ron

Perhaps if you put the caps back on and put a charger it, the internal gassing & pressure would reveal the source of the puddle more quickly so you can observe it happening ??

Could be a small crack in the plastic or perhaps condensation in the caps themselves. Does it happen if you leave the caps off?

My experience with electrolysis rust removal is that it works well but only if the rusty part is in close proximity or line-of-sight to the anode. Getting the anode down into a cylinder may be tricky. Watch out for soft metals, they will degrade where iron wont. Ron

Is the replacement voltage regulator a China import? A friend of mine had to replace his regulator three times before he found a good one.

I'll answer in order. 1) In an inductive ignition system, the voltage rating of the condenser is definitely important. IIRC, the average coil has about a 100:1 turns ratio. So if a coil puts out say 20kV, that means the condenser might see 200V during the induction cycle but we want at least a 2x safety margin for the capacitor. In addition, if there is a fault in the system and the coil output has nowhere to go, the flyback voltage is even higher. So I would make an educated guess that the minimum voltage rating I would want for a condenser would probably be 450V. Of course the higher the voltage rating, the larger the physical size of the capacitor. I would select the maximum voltage rating >= 450V that will fit in the space available. 2) The frequency should not have anything to do with the type of capacitor selected. What does matter is thermally stability, vibration & mounting. I would probably select a metallized poly film cap because of its self-healing properties in the event of transient voltage spikes. 3) The charge/discharge rate of a capacitor is a function of its rated value. I know most want to preserve the originality of their vehicles while at the same time, keeping them drivable. I see no reason why an original-type condenser couldn't be gutted and stuffed with a new capacitor of the appropriate ratings. In most cases, the capacitors made today are much smaller than those of the past. Regards, Ron

Here is an example of a 0.22uF capacitor rated at 400V I had on my bench.