unimogjohn

Chris, glad that you are going to pull the freeze plugs. I was worried about them too. It will be interesting to see what you find behind them. I would also do a good visual on your motor mounts also. The one I could see in the pics looked really cracked. Are performance manifolds a consideration if you cannot get "free" ones?

Roger, Like all of us we seem to start one thing that leads us in a particular direction. Wayne likes to do body work so he started that first. Then out came the engine and transmission for rebuilds and upgrades. And the interior too. So for Wayne the logical thing to do was to do the body before the frame and suspension. He told me last night that the body will come off and go into his enclosed trailer and then work will begin on the frame. It will be blasted, primed, filled, and painted. Everything else is going to be rebuilt and upgraded. He plans to do all the wiring in the car and engine bay so it should be almost plug and play. The body will be dropped over the frame with the engine and transmission installed. Then the car will receive it final paint. Yes, it is a lot of movement back and forth, but in the end it will work out. We all seem to have our own path.

It is Friday, February 3rd. A very nice day her in VA. The pasture has dried out a bit over the last few days, and it is suppose to snow tomorrow. So now was the time to move the Jaguar out of the trailer and into the garage. Success! Now the 1928 Buick is back in the trailer. I will be able to do some work on the Jaguar now that it is in the garage. Here she is in the pasture. And Wayne wrote me that his 64 Corvette is ready to come home prior to final painting in a few months. Here is what he said. "Hi All Just wanted to share the latest pics of the Vet after it was cut in yesterday. Next step is home to remove the body and restore the frame and suspension. Body is looking real good, I am like a kid in a candy store" And here are a couple of pics of the Corvette.

It is Thursday, February 2nd. A long day, but we made it back to the farm in VA from Seattle. It is good to be home. Greg had a little report waiting for me. Here it is. "This might be a rerun. While looking through some photo discs I found some shots that I can't remember sending out. I do remember taking them, however. The other day I setup and poured babbitt bearing inserts for the Wright four and eight cylinder projects. The castings are produced in moulds that I made and they've served me well. Lots of little babbitts hopping around over the years. I did have to stop production long enough to generate a new set of moulds for the reconfigured inserts for the Wright eight engine. Photos include: --> Preheating moulds to about 350* --> The resulting pile of inserts."

It is Tuesday, January 31st. Just got a note from the body and paint shop. The Avanti is in primer and ready for inspection. We are busy on Friday so it looks like we will head over on Monday. Here is Greg's report. He certainly had a busy day. "What day this is? Day job. I spent this morning working on the Wright's Baby Grand eight. The next operation being the reaming of the holes for the main bearing cap screws and spotfacing for the seating of their heads. That's a time consuming job requiring centering for reaming and then the assembly of a cutting tool in the hole and pulling the cutter upward against the inverted casting. Just as I got that job done, I got the call from the electroplater saying the Matheson engine cam and parts were ready for pickup. One of the reasons I chose them was that I could hand carrry the parts, my responsibility for transportation instead of trusting irreplaceable components to some shipper. I took the afternoon off for the road trip in the maroon Avanti. They did a very nice job, masked off where I requested and while I was there I asked about the finish they supplied. The management had taken an interest in this project and some thought went into what process they chose. I was surprised to learn that there are different types of nickel plating. After I had described what I expected and what forces the cam would see, they chose a MIL-SPEC phosphor nickel known for its corrosion and wear resistance. Upon my return to Warrenton after hacking my way through the DC rush hour traffic, I began the reassembly. The make and break cams had been documented upon disassembly so that they could be returned to their proper places. I hadn't sent their assembly screws, not wanting any issues with screw threads, so I terne coated them to prevent any rusting of unfinished steel. Things went together nicely. Next to resume the ignition expedition. With a little time left , I got out the Naptha and a brush to do some scrubbing on the R-3 cylinder block. I'll do this a couple times and during the daylight I'll drag out the pressure washer and hose it and myself down. All in all, another good day."

It is Monday, January 30th, PM late east coast time. Greg just sent this report. "Tonight I torqued and retorqued the black Studebaker's wrist pin lock hardware. Now it looks like I might be getting closer to parts installation. Before I can, there's more block cleaning to do. Hosed initially with spray carb cleaner, Even though the engine appeared to be reasonably clean inside, I've removed the threaded plugs that close the oil galleries. I've made an extended gun bore brush to loosen any grit that might remain in the oil passages. Looks like swabbing them out might be a good idea and worth the trouble. Photo of the first pass with the brush. The plater called today with news that the Matheson camshaft will be done soon. Looks like a road trip in my future. Also, Delta Cam says they are shipping out the Wright and Studebaker cams."

I asked Greg how he solved the burned coil issue. Here is what he said. Looks like it is solved for now. "John, I'm using an over the counter Car Quest coil that their old catalog specified for the Avanti. That and a used original resistor that I know is correct ( the one with the offset mounting lug so that it will tuck inside the stainless shield) and (for now) a single point Prestolite distributor from a Lark or Hawk . Although I can't seem to get the mid thirty-some degrees of dwell out of the single point, the car seems to be very content with the setup. The distributor is set up with the R2 advance curve. In fact yesterday when entering the highway, I stomped on it for the first time and it really wanted to go. I plan on keeping that impulse in check, with law enforcement and insurance companies just daring me to let Seabiscuit run."

It is Sunday, January 39th. In Seattle, WA and it is raining cats and dogs. Just have to love Seattle weather. But Greg has a report. Here it is. "Not a lot going on. Except the Forgedtrue pistons on the rods for the R-3 engine. I took my time today making sure that the odd number rods have the numbers matching, the oil hole and the pistons facing the right way, I'm using R-2 rods so I also have to make sure the wrist pin pinch bolt is facing the right way. Not a good time for distractions. Next I have to take my time and make sure the pinch bolts are secured. Repeated whacks with a brass hammer and torquing the nuts with a wrench for each rod, until they are home. And then one more time. Can't be too sure. My care package containing new piston rings and overhaul gasket set arrived Friday. The camshaft for the Matheson engine might be done this week. Hope so. Saturday was pleasant, I took some time to adjust the valves and check compression on Seabiscuit, the maroon Avanti. I also rechecked the ignition timing , it was a little too fast so I retared it a bit and the road test proved the effort worth while. I don't need much of an excuse to drive it."

David, how about this? A complete package. 1962 Chevy 235 L6 Engine & Powerglide Transmission 6 Cylinder 58 59 60 61 | eBay There is also a 283 with a powerglide on ebay. Would be nice to have a bit more power than the six.

Chris, I always use copper. You can get a few at any auto parts store, just bring in your bolt for a good fit. Question, what are you going to do about your exhaust system? Stainless or ???????

Jos, you need to use 600 wt oil in the transmission to slow down the gears during the shift. It also takes a nice, easy, and slow shift to get them from having the gears clash. Remember, no syncros on these transmissions. Even with the oil, I usually clash going into first gear unless I go slow and feel it slip in to second. Shifting is an art in the 20s cars. You can get the oil at most Model A shops like Restoration Stuff. You will need, as I remember, three quarts. See if this helps.

But, but, but, my new Jaguar, in its factory colors, is green with red interior. Must be a British thing. Oh well, I hope the Avanti colors will grow on you.

Still Wednesday. Just got this from Greg. "Just for grins, attached photo of the Kinner Sportster when it was new in Yakima, WA in 1934. Sorry about the watermark, I tracked the photo down at a museum out there, and they sent me a good copy, but don't have it at hand right now."

Roger, The red and green will look good, I promise. The black and green was just too predictable and boring. At least it give folks something to talk about for sure. I am just glad that it going to be a good looking Avanti again. Somewhere down the road it maybe another color. Who knows. It is Wednesday, January 25th. Lots of farm stuff to do today and then jetting off to Seattle tomorrow for the week. But, here is Greg's report from last night. "The temperature was moderate enough to get some time on the maroon Avanti this evening. Finished checking the connections on the new fuel sender, and also checked to make sure no mice had taken up residence in this car before I closed the tank compartment and drove home those countless screws. Seat back and bottom are in, ready for a test drive. That will wait until the mud soaked ground dries out and the road salt has washed away. Then, back to the Andrew King Kinner Sportster story. More milling machine work. The way I hear it, the airplane had been reconfigured into a crop duster and in doing so, a door had been discarded or covered over. The hardware gone. I'm to duplicate what is left. Pics included of progress. I'm gaining on it.

Just a note. Rhode Island Wiring sells the correct cloth covered cables with the correct period ends. You just need to tell them the length and end the type of connector you want to use. Top quality at a reasonable cost.

The mice making Swiss cheese out of Greg's gas tank has gotten a lot of response. Here is a very interesting one. "One more story about mouse pee. There was a really nice Beechcraft Musketeer out here. The Musketeer has bonded aluminum wing structure. Mice got into the wing and built a nice little nest. In just one season, the mouse pee had corroded not only the wing skin, but also the bottom spar cap. Non-repairable. Totaled. Ouch. Bill"

While I was at the Sterling Hot Rod shop I drove by many other automotive shops and businesses. Seems as if this is a haven for restoration shops. As I drove by Dew Motorcars I was taken by this full sized 20's bronze race car outside. I peeked through the windows and saw many high end Mustangs, BMW M cars, Ferrari's, etc. Next time I will have to drop in. Here are a few pics of the race car. Thought you all might enjoy it.

Still Tuesday. I got to spend some quality time with the Jaguar XK 120. Used the tractor to pull her back on the trailer so I could get inside without bumping the door against the wheel well. Got in and started her up. Took a couple of tries with the starter and a full choke, but she roared to life. Boy does she sound great. I was tempted to take her out of the trailer, but that will have to wait until I get her registered for the road and the pastures dry up a bit. Here is a pic of the exhaust smoke rising from the car. It was cold, in the 30 degrees. About noon I got a call from Sterling Hot Rods. They are finished with all the body repairs and need me to come down and agree on the paint color and to discuss the next steps. So off I went. The car looks great with everything repaired. The next step is sanding of the entire car and then the car will be put in primer. The primer will be a medium gray, which will soften the look of the green metallic paint to the correct shade. She is going to look great. The final primer will be sanded and then the green applied. Chris figured that it would be a couple of weeks before the final paint is done. He said that I was probably looking at a months before I can take it home. I am very happy with the work being done at the shop. Then I went to the main shop, which is a couple of miles away, and went in to settle up on the account. Tommy the trimmer came over and said that the seat cover kit from Studebaker International had come in, and they had done a preliminary look at the quality and finish. They said that it looked great and of very good finish. Tommy had the seats stripped of the original covers (which I asked him to save for me). He said that all the foam was still good except for the driver's bottom foam, which would be replaced. None of the fiberglass was cracked or broken on the seat backs. Now that was a bit of good news. Tom, the owner, came over and we discussed refreshing the interior. They said that they would be happy to put in my new carpet, etc. I told him that I wanted to do that work and save some dollars. He then surprised me with his comments. He said that it did not make sense for them to install the seats only for me to take them out. So he said that I should come to the shop, do my work over three or four days and they would complete the install of the seats. He said that they would sell me the soundproofing and felt at their cost. There would be no charge for using the shop. I thought that this was a great offer and will take them up on it. Really, it is great working with them. While I was at the body shop I saw Wayne and his 1964 Corvette. Wayne was doing some of the sanding on his car to save a few dollars too. I have included a pic of his car. Here are the pics that I took today. It was a very good day except for handing over my VISA card.

I received this from David Coco, Trimacar on this forum. Here is what he said about mice sitting on top of the Avanti gas tank. Not a good thing. Of course the car was in storage for twenty or more years so the mice had time to work on it. Here is what David said. "Mouse urine is extremely acidic, I don’t believe it’s the salt content. I’m not sure I’ve got it quite straight, but it seems that mouse urine is very high in ascorbic acid, which is not only highly acidic, but actually reacts with air forming water molecules (even the dried uring). So, while the acid is working, so is moisture………….. Any chemists out there are welcome to correct me, but that’s my story and I’m stickin’ to it! dc"

It is Tuesday, January 24th. Finally, above freezing this morning. Here is Greg's report from last night. "We're back in the camera business! They discovered that it's internal calendar needed to be reset. Working now. Also back in business is the fuel gauge. I cannibalized the gauge from 5054, the black Avanti. I'd sent the Stoddard oil pressure gauge out for repair and it is on it's way back. I wonder if they service electric fuel gauges like the Avanti gas gauge? I'll give them a call. Also for your enjoyment, picture of a mouse damaged fuel tank from the black Avanti. Got in more time on the parts for Andrew's Kinner antique airplane project. The Matheson engine camshaft still out. I had also made a request for a machining job. Early cars had eccentric bored piston rings. Supposedly it allowed an equal pressure against the cylinder wall throughout it's circumference. Nobody makes or supplies such a thing anymore. I was going to have some machined. Got the quote: almost a thousand dollars. I think I'll resort to Plan B."

Chris, I believe the engine is suppose to be painted red. Orange for the supercharger and the fan. I think there is a paint color id for everything in Bob Johnstone's tech pages. I will see if I can find it. Found the link to the colors. Here is the link. http://www.studebaker-info.org/text3/text2009/detailpaint.html And I also asked Greg. Here is what he said. "Studebaker R 1 and R2 engines were all black. block, heads, water manifolding, pan, everything including the fuel pump. Earlier ones had chrome valley covers and later ones black. All had chrome valve covers. Superchargers themselves a matter of controversy. Dick Bennett claims all were black from the factory and orange were replacements. None of my cars and most of the originals I've seen were Chevy orange. Since you can argue both ways, both colors must have made their way out of the plant."

Chris, I would explore around the oil pump area. I think that the holes moving oil from the valve area are too small to pass those large pieces unless they got beat up by the springs. Also they could be part of the oil bottle keeper that holds on the cap. If they did not remove it, it could have dropped into the valves when they tipped the bottle over into the valve cover. Been there, done that. And glad you cleaned out the pan, now your oil will be clean at your first fill. And a lot less worry.

It is still Monday, cold, rainy and dreary outside. But my friend Wayne (his 64 Corvette is in the same body and paint shop) stopped by and took a couple of pics for me. So here is the green Avanti. Work is progressing on the body panel repairs. When we get back from Seattle in a week or so I will go down and review the progress of the work and take some more pics.

It is Monday, Jan 23. Got us this morning to a very sick cat. "Lucky" is headed back to the vet again today. Freezing rain again last night, everything has a good coating. But the plus side it is suppose to be over 50 degrees tomorrow. And here is Greg's weekend report. "After the trip on Friday, I feel like I coasted through the weekend. Did get a few things done. Avanti black: When overhauling the Prestolite distributor, it was always a chore removing the keeper that retains the point cam plate. A barbed washer intended for a one way trip. Like a Chinese finger puzzle, the more you force it off, the tighter it grabs. I've learned the secret. A drill and drill bit is used to kill it. Once drilled through it can be withdrawn. Really makes short work of it. The rest of the story is that one day while browsing the McMaster Carr catalog, found they supplied them a hundred at a time for about five bucks. I'd ordered some to do the maroon car. Of course I used one of them and misplaced the ninety-nine. Friday's mail brought a hundred more. Saturday I installed the point cam plate , flyweights and springs, everything but the new condenser that I'm lacking. Avanti maroon: Friday's shipment also brought the ordered fuel gauge sending unit. Today I took a few minutes to remove the back seat and fiberglass panel to expose the tank. Removed the sending unit and installed the new (a SW unit). That's when I noticed a slight difference from the original . The wire connection pushed on a stud, the new one required the wire to have an eyelet for screw attachment. I've spent my life cussing those who hacked up wiring harnesses , so I'm not going to change the original style of connection. I took the old sender from the other car and removed the brass terminal. What I then did was chuck it in the lathe, turned the base of it down to duplicate the 10-32 screw thread and I was back in business. Hooked everything up and tried the gauge. The needle went back to the tank and a half mark. Obviously it is the gauge that's screwy. I don't mind replacing the sending unit, though. Almost fifty years old and living in a hostile environment.....the old one needs a break. I've decided to pull the gauge from the black one and use it. Might be able to use the free sender in the black one. Other than that, we'll see what tomorrow brings."

Still Sunday. Could not stand it any longer so decided to go visit the Jag in the trailer. I cannot get inside as the doors hit the wheel well. I need Alice to do that. I did open the passenger side window so I could take off the emergency brake. Boy, the mechanic that drove it into the trailer really put it on hard. Took me several tries to get it to click off. So I was able to release the hood and peek inside. I checked the oil and it was down a quart, and so was the anti-freeze in the radiator. Topped them both off. I was looking around and saw some oil seepage out of a hard oil line that goes from the head to the bottom of the crankcase. It has a couple of banjo fitting. Probably need a couple of gaskets. Will fix that at some point, not a critical issue. Everything else looks fine. It will be fun to clean up the engine bay. It is not all that dirty, but could use some TLC, and I do not mind doing detail work. On the Avanti in the body shop I got a progress report. They have started the repairs to the fiberglass and the rear tube that supports the rear of the car and the spare tire well. I was going out to see it this week, but Alice reminded me that we are going to Seattle for a week and our flight takes off early Thursday. So it looks like it will be a couple of weeks before I can head out to the shop and take some pics. I also finished cleaning up the section of the barn that will someday be the Avanti's home. Here are a couple of pics. The first pic is of the entire barn/run-in shed, and the second is the bay where the Avanti will reside. It will be 20 x 24 feet. I talked to my neighbor and he recommended that I skip wood construction and go with a strong concrete pad. He said why not put in a lift at some point as the barn as good height. I will have to take a look at that possibility. It would be nice to have a lift.