61polara

You have the standard hubcap on your car. There was also a full hubcap offered as extra cost on the special. Your starting problem sounds like the choke not being adjusted correctly as well as the idle speed. Refer to the factory service manual for adjustments. Bias ply tires run fine on these cars as that is what they were designed for, but you could go with radials. If you do not have power steering, I would definitely choose the bias ply tires as radials will require more steering effort at slow speeds. The grey seat upholstery appears to be the factory seat covers.

They look great! Your comment about them being on sale and free shipping got me to go ahead and order the same tires for my '66 Cadillac. Hope to meet up with you at one of the Nationals in 2023.

I think you made the right decision for AACA judging. I think you will hear from Stan, but he has been traveling a lot for work out of the country since Hershey.

In the factory setup, there are two safety systems to prevent the starter from engaging while the engine is running. 1) The carburetor switch is vacuum controlled. When engine vacuum is present the switch will not operate and 2) the starter circuit grounds through the generator. As long as the generator is not putting out any voltage, the starter grounds. When the generator begins putting out current, the starter looses its ground.

I believe you have aftermarket seat covers that may have been installed when the car was new. You may find perfect original seat upholstery under these covers.

The engine mounts should be steel on the top and bottom with rubber vulcanized in between.

The steering effort and ride will be much better with correct size 7.60-15 bias ply tires. This should correct your major speedometer error as well.

Yes, that's correct

The inside of the trunk was painted exterior body color with gray cardboard side and back panels.

Hi Joe, Welcome to the AACA Forums. AACA is all about preserving and restoring cars and motorcycles in their factory original condition, so don't expect a lot of responses here. However, have you considered looking for a MoPar 1951-1959 flathead 6 power steering unit? The block is basically the same as your 1937 and it could be just a bolt on.

A crack in the intake manifold pulling in air will cause an engine to run lean not rich.

In high school someone told me their brakes squeaked, do you think I need to grease them? Later on I ask them what kind of car their Dad drove. After a few minutes pause, "It's blue, I think it's a Buick". There Dad always bought blue Buicks.

I agree with all Rusty said, but addition you need the factory correct tire size.

How old are your bias ply tires? The rubber may be old and hard or may have flat spotted. I've found that new bias ply tires ride as smooth as radials and a huge improvement over the old bias plys.

I have heard that the reason most manufacturers stayed away from fender mounted headlights is because a bump to the fender would put the lights out of alignment and difficult to readjust without repairing the fender.

You must be an AACA National member to participate. Details will be published as soon as all items are locked down.

In 1957 the 364, 4bbl dual exhaust was standard in the Century and Roadmaster and the 364 2bbl single exhaust was standard in the Special. There were no engine options. However, that's not to say that a dealer didn't make the changes, unauthorized by the factory.

Usually hooking up the battery backwards doesn't damage the battery. Starter and generator should be fine. The radio, if turned on, may be damaged. Your Amp meter should have read backwards. The battery should be POSITIVE ground in these cars.

Search the forum for "fluid drive" and you will find a wealth of information already posted including fluid types recommended (different for the fluid coupling and the transmission) and shift problems. There are really no adjustments to be made on this transmission other than the shift linkage when you cannot get the gear shift leaver to go into a gear. They are very reliable transmissions. They will not shift correctly if the idle speed is too high. It should be about 425-450 RPM. The idle speed has to drop low to permit the shift to occur. If the transmission will not downshift at a stop and stalls the engine, most likely the point in the governor need to be cleaned. They are silver, so do not file them. You only need to pull a piece of paper through them. If the transmission does not downshift when you floor it, look at the wiring between the governor and the carburetor. Fluid in the coupling is check through an access plate in the transmission hump below the dash. Just pull the floor covering back and you will see the plate. Once that is off, bump the starter until the fill plug can be seen through the opening. Stuff rags around the plug so it can't fall down in the housing. There is no opening in the bottom of the bell housing to remove it if you drop it. Do not check this hot as the oil will be under pressure. Only check when cold. The transmission fluid is checked and filled through a pipe plug on the side of the transmission. Also, don't slip the clutch to get started. Release the clutch completely while standing still with the brake on then start out with the accelerator. Hope this helps.

Mark, it's on the AACA Home Page National Calendar. 2023 AACA Western Divisional Tour | Antique Automobile Club of America More information should be available later as details are locked down.

An interactive map of all the AACA Regions and Chapters is online at the AACA Home Page. List of Regions & Chapters | Antique Automobile Club of America (aaca.org) Also, if you are an AACA member, you can log in to the Member Area on the AACA Home Page and reach the membership roster which is searchable by State or City. It does not list the region or chapter the member belongs to.

What happened? We'd like to know more. These are the comments that will improve things.

It helps to keep the wheel covers out of the engine bay; sorry, I couldn't resist saying this.

Judging School will be on Friday afternoon, usually at 2:00pm in the Host Hotel.

Start with the simple things first. Glad you found the root problem.