CT Car Guy

my typo - 1930 Graham Sedan

1964 Falcon Sprint Conv., 1940 Graham Sedan, 1935 Chrysler Air Flow, 1955 Chevy Hardtop.

To make things worse, these cars are in a 3 story warehouse with about another 30 cars in the same condition. I spent a few hours there yesterday and fortunately my mild asthma did not cause me a problem. Next time I wear a mask! I have been able to get out white mold in cars in the past with a lot of work and having a company put the car in a bag and I guess what I would call a fumigate it. It seems to work. I have paddle fans in my garage running all the time and a dehumidifier with no return of mold.

I am looking at buying a small (4) car collection. These cars have been in storage for years. Cosmetically they are in very good condition other than a lot of white mold. I used a charger/booster just to see if the engines turn a bit but the batteries are so bad, I only get some clicking. According to most price guides, these cars running are way better than a #4 or #5. A #4 " runs or needs little work to be drivable" and a #5 is "restorable". The question is there is no way to tell how much work will be needed for each beyond the normal fuel and brake service. What condition rating do I use in determining current value? I may want to send 2 of the cars to auction but I am not sure if getting them running first or not is worth it. Think of them as barn finds since they are either original or have been restored a long time ago. Thanks

Final Update: The problem turned out to be the carb! I put on a new 1406 Edlebrock carb on today and with just a few adjustments had the car idling at 950 rpm. The timing mark is still jumpy at idle so I set the advanced timing to 27 degrees at 2000 rpm and it was steady at that speed. What a difference. I still think there is a street cam in the car because none of the adjustments get ride of a slightly lumpy idle. I will continue to fine tune as I go along. This is the second Edlebrock Carb I have used and both bolted right on and needed very little adjusting. No seems to make or have the OEM Carter for the 4V 318 set up. Next is cosmetics! Larry

More information: We are theorizing that the problem occurs when the choke is open and then fuel leans out. The sound of the airflow through the carb is uneven and the car will run if I give it throttle whenever is starts to slow down. Either it is very lean or the carb is very rich (jet size?). When it stops, it will start with opening the throttle. I think is actually floods out. The fume from the exhaust is very strong - burns my eyes. I don't want to replace the carb if the possibility that it was never compatible or correctly set up. Larry

Update: Well the car starts but will not idle below 1500 rpm and even then runs rough. Sine the entire ignition has been replaced, we focused on the carb. Took it apart again, checked the idle circuits, checked the floats (needle valve was a little sticky but a little cleaner did the trick) and no help. I have a video so you can hear how it sounds. I don't do YouTube but am willing to send it directly since I don't think there is a way to attach it here. The question is if the Holley 1860-1 ever worked! Was it considered a good replacement for the original? What should I replace the Holley with? This car is begging to run right but the problem seems to be too much fuel (plugs are black but dry). Compression is 135-145 across the board. Ideas? Thanks Larry in CT

Thanks. I agree it seems to be fuel related. The big question is if the car ever ran correctly with the Holley carb? The intake manifold is stock and the carb is on an adapter plate that is open (no holes per barrel). I could be the jet size. Who knows what others have done. The choke is electric and opens correctly and I have played with the idle screws. When it did run at idle one time (on old gas), the idle screw adjustments had almost no effect probably because I could not get the idle low enough. I will re-check the float levels. Could the adaptor plate be the problem? I will check the model number of the Holley and the jet sizes. Larry

Update: Got the spark back and now it starts... sort of. I checked the input to the ballast resistor at run and it has 12V, The voltage at the coil, however, seems to be 12V when running. I will recheck it. So it starts but now the original problem when I got the car is back. It will run if the idle is above 1300 rpm but shut off if lower. Add to that that it will run at the 1300 idle and suddenly quit after a few minutes unless you pump the carb. It has a non-stock Holley 4V carb on an adapter plate. The carb was recently rebuilt because it leaked like crazy the first time I started the car. So the engine only runs with high idle, runs rough and will stalls on its own. It will restart without a problem. The spark plugs show a very rich mixture. All are carboned. I cleaned and re-gapped them a few times. I did a compression check and all are at 135-145. Pulled the distributor to measure the cam lobes and there is .040 difference between the flats and lobes which would result in a .020 lift. The point plate was hard to move so I cleaned it. The resistance wire measurement is supposed to be 30,000 ohms but I could only get a few ohms shown on my digital meter. I plan to replace it. Fuel pressure is OK (new pump) and the system has been cleaned with fresh gas. If you let the car idle it will be fine for a few minutes and then die. It is like something is heating up. I put a volt meter on the run side of the ballast to see if the power was cutting out when the motor dies. It did not so it sounds like fuel. I wonder if I am getting some sort of vapor lock with the new gas. I don't know if this means anything but when the engine is running, the exhaust fumes inside the engine compartment are very strong - makes my eyes burn. No exhaust leaks. Does the breather tube cause this? The tube has no filters or valves in it. Thanks in advance. As always, working on these cars is an educational (and sometimes frustrating) experience. Larry

I have not removed the distributor yet. The shaft does not have any play and I have not noticed any wobble. Here are pictures of the distributor. I should note that when I ordered parts for the car, the ones that came in did not fit. (rotor & cap). according to the parts store, this is the distributor listed for the 361, not the 318. I wonder if was switched at some point. one thing I have learned, never assume anything. I have found lots of incorrect parts on car or changes that someone made in the past.

Well I got a spark... sort of. The engine ran like crap and would not idle. I checked the dwell and it was way off. Next I checked the points and they were very wide so I reset to .020 on top of the cam. Now it won't start and there is no spark. There is 12v to the coil. I am starting to think the lobes on the distributor look worn. That would explain why I had a spark with the point gaps big and no spark with the points at the proper gap. Comments?

Well the new coil tested good. I took an old spark plug, drilled a dimple in the side and soldered a wire in the dimple. Then I added a alligator clip so now, grounding would not be an issue. I took another piece of wire with a big clip on one end and a small clip in the other. The final piece of test stuff was a wire with a ring terminal and another clip. First I removed all of the wires from the coil. The wire with the big clip brought + to the coil from the battery. (Yes there was a fuse in the wire for safety.) The ring terminal wire went on the - side of the coil. When that wire was just touched to ground, I had a spark on the plug. Next I replaced the cap and rotor with a new one. That means the points, condenser, cap rotor, wires and ballast resistor are all new. I tried to start the engine and it seems to fire once when the starter is engaged and then dies on disengagement. I checked for voltage with just the ignition on at the ballast and it was fine. Power is switching from by passing the resistor to through the resistor. I even tried the old ballast - no help. I wonder if when the ignition switch is moved off start, if there is a second of no power. Any other ideas?

I am working on a 1960 Fury 318 that was in storage for over 25 years. I was able to get the engine started and running well without any major problems then I started having ignition issues. The car would start and run and then after 10 minutes or so, just die. It did not sound like fuel since when it died since it just stopped running. After that happened a few times, now it just will not start at all with no spark. I started with replacing the badly pitted points and condenser. No help. The point gap is right on and I can see the points opening and closing on my ohm meter when cranking. I then replaced the coil and ballast resistor. The coil has 12v power and the resistor is good. I replaced the coil wire and checked all the plug wires. All are good but still no spark. The plugs are good and clean. The rotor looks very good as does the inside of the cap. The center post has conductivity. I did notice when it was running, just before I replaced one plug wire (new wires on order) that the timing was a little jumpy. I plan on putting in a new rotor and cap. I put a spark plug on one of the wires and grounded it and still no spark at all. Everything in the primary circuit seems OK. Suggestions as to the problem?

Hi David: The car is gone and the new owner has received it. He is looking for the band that goes on the spare tire. It was not with the car if you know of one. He is in NC. The numbers, according to a forum member, have to do with the color and body number. Regards, Larry Going to the meet in Carlisle!

Hi David: I just posted my decision a couple of days ago. The car is still here. I am planning on advertising it in Hemmings, Ebay and others starting tomorrow. You can reach me at 860-658-4646 evenings till 9 or during the day at 860-658-7878. I have a few days before I need to move it out of storage. Larry

The wheel base is only 117"!.

Here are some pictures. I have more or can take any specific views.

If you look under the Mopar thread, you will see my postings about the '34 Chrysler CA sedan I just purchased about 2 weeks ago. I got it home and running and then lost my storage. Its a long story but the result is I have to leave the car outside or sell it. it is just way to nice to leave outside even if covered so I want to find a new home for it. I bought the car for $8500 and that's all I am looking for it. I also bought the service manual, used hood ornament and a few other small parts I will include. The car is located in Simsbury CT. Please contact me at ctcarguy@gmail.com and I will send you my phone number. I hope to take some better pictures today and will post them. I want this car to stay at is should be and not hot rodded. It's just too nice. Thanks. Larry

As things happen, I lost my storage for the 34 Chrysler CA sedan I just bought. I had planned on starting to work on it later this summer but now things have changed. I tried to find affordable storage nearby but after a week of trying, I give up. I got the car running with very little work but now I am forced to sell it. I am only looking for what I paid for it, $8500.00. I hope to resolve the storage problem before the fall but do not want to leave the car even covered outside. The body is just too nice. If you or someone you know wants a real nice CA, please reply to ctcarguy@gmail.com and I will send you my phone number. Thanks. Larry

Well I bought the car today and am making a list of parts needed, I know it needs the fuel pump rebuilt, gas line and tank cleaned. Other items: Front rubber flooring and rear carpet glass lens for license plate horns Wiring - I used RI wiring for another car and was pleased. Master cylinder rebuild Hood ornament Glass - all, including rubber moldings. Side glass frames pretty rusty. Fix oil pressure gauge - tubing inside bad fix wipers - vacuum on carb capped. Fix gas gauge Have fix or fix dent in headlight pod Add turn signals Any suggested sources? My goal is to have it running (no cosmetics) for Memorial day. Larry in CT

Thanks. I happen to prefer a sedan because it is useful and roomy. I think the price is strong as well. I think the owner is not ready emotionally to sell it. I will continue my research and decide if I will make a counter offer. Larry

I have an opportunity to buy a 1934 Chrysler CA 4 door sedan. The owner claims it runs (cannot confirm due to snow blocking the doors and driveway). It looks stock except for the color. Its a gray/brown or brown/rose depending on the lighting. I think it is more brown than gray. From a visual inspection. it needs all new glass, weather stripping, front floor mat and the headlight pods are dented. The owner claims he has the glass and pods but is not 100% sure since the parts are at a relatives home stored away for years. I see the car as a #4 because of the glass, paint chips and pod damage. (defects visible form 20'). The #4 value is about $6000. He wants $10,500 which is very close to #3 at $12,000. While the list of needs seems short, there are always hidden things that cannot be discovered until you are deep into a project. I'm looking at this as a nice driver or HPOF car. I could not find any CA sedans for sale to compare. He seems firm on his price. Any opinions or suggestions welcomed. Thank you.

1969 Buick Wildcat Hardtop: The original owner owned his car from 1969 to August of 2011. During the 1980’s, the car was put into dry storage where it remained until I bought it last year. It has 57,000 miles, no rust and drives like a dream. It has been checked from front to back and has new front brakes, battery and master cylinder. It has power steering, power brakes, air conditioning and an aftermarket AM/FM/Cassette radio. The AC needs to be recharged. The engine has new wires, plugs, cap, rotor and a Pertronix Electronic ignition (the old point set up is included). The oil and filter has been changed twice to insure the engine is clean. The fuel system was cleaned and a new air filter installed. The engine is the original 430 CI, 360 HP with 475 lbs of torque at 3200 rpm. The green paint, black interior and vinyl top are all-original according to the owner and are in excellent condition. The paint is smooth and looks great . I doubt you will find another original car from 1969 as good as this one. The paint shine is glass smooth. The vinyl top looks like it was new. The interior is in outstanding condition. The vinyl on the driver seat cushion is starting to dry out a little bit. The car starts on the first hit, does not smoke or hesitate and shifts smoothly. The body is rust free. The trunk had a few rust spots, which I had professionally repaired. We could not find any other rust bubbles or rot. I have pictures of the underside. Floors are solid. Sold as-is, no warranty. CT is a non-title state for cars before 1981. Sold on a CT bill of sale. Trade of model years 1930-1970 cars considered. Trade vehicle must be complete. No rust buckets. Barnfinds are OK. Reply by Email or call 860-658-4646. Car is located in Simsbury, CT. I will post pictures soon.

This car has drum brakes only.

I'm working on a 69 Wildcat I found in a barn. The brakes worked but fluid and pedal was low. I replaced the master cylinder, new front lines, cleaned and checked each brake including wheel cylinder and adjusters. The front needed new shoes and the drum turned within specs. No more fluid loss and system was cleared of any air. The problem is that the pedal is still very low. All of the drums were manually adjusted. The brakes work but the pedal can hit the floor. It is solid with no pressure loss. The parts store said there were 2 different master cylinders used, The one that was in there they called as "deep". Is it possible that the cylinder that was in the car was wrong (this has happened to me before!) Is the pin from the booster to the cylinder adjustable? The repair guide does mention it but before I disassemble again, I want to know options.