Terry Wiegand

The 4-Cylinder car had smaller hubcaps than the 6-Cylinder models. Terry Wiegand South Hutchinson, Kansas AACA Life Member #947918

I am going to remove the two floorboards and the bottom toeboard so that i can get into the clutch area and look around. I am thinking that the CLUTCH ADJUSTING NUT has something to do with the clutch brake. It just feels like when I put the clutch pedal all the way down and let up on the gas pedal, the cone is still running lickety split. I cannot get away from the thought that this is an adjustment issue since the newly lined cone is 'seating in' as they say. Will let everyone know what I find. Terry Wiegand South Hutchinson, Kansas AACA Life Member #947918

The car is approaching 450+ miles on the clock since getting back on the road last year. The engine runs absolutely wonderful after the rebuild. I believe that the relined clutch is settling in and this is where my questions are. The car runs well in all three forward gears - no problems in the transmission area. It is extremely hard to shift from first gear into second and slightly better from second into third. I am hoping that someone can explain what the function of the CLUTCH ADJUSTING NUT is all about. I have the feeling that when I had everything all apart for clean-up that I lost some of the adjustments that are critical to the smooth operation of the clutch. What am I missing here? The thickness of the new leather on the cone is playing into this somehow and I am not sure how to adjust things properly. Any and all explanation and help will be very much appreciated. Terry Wiegand South Hutchinson, Kansas AACA Life Member #947918

You guys might remember my posting about the problem that I had with the lid (cover) on the vacuum tank on our D-45. The problem was the swelling of the forks in the lid that holds the float mechanism and the needle for the vacuum shutoff. The problem was that the tank would fill like it should and the float stuck in that position. This shut off fuel from being pulled from the gas tank. The engine would use up what fuel was in the tank and then starve for more fuel. The motion and jostling around with the car going down the road would then knock the float loose and things would go back to operating as they should. The point that I am trying to make is that if the vacuum is shut off going into the tank it is almost impossible for the engine to suck raw gas into the manifold above the carburetor. The only reason that I can see for fuel being sucked into the manifold with a full vacuum tank is because the needle is not seating into the seat in the lid properly. Back in the day these systems were very reliable so long as everything was maintained properly. If the fuel shutoff on the bottom of the vacuum tank is left closed the engine will run for a bit until what is in the float bowl is gone. Terry Wiegand South Hutchinson, Kansas AACA Life Member #947918

Mark, I remember talking with Gary Martin about this very thing when he was doing the top for our car. His opinion was that he wanted that back bow to be in a position that would be back of the top edge of the body tub so that the top would shed water and not have it get inside the body. I hope that I have that worded right. Sure looks like you are doing a wonderful job with this. Maybe David might have a comment about what I have tried to relay to you. Terry Wiegand South Hutchinson, Kansas AACA Life Member #947918

Dave, I hope you will remember about the Deere-Clark automobile. John Deere's son, Charles Deere, got into the automobile business by financing the Clark Motor Car Company with one stipulation - he had to have his name on the car. This was before the Velie Automobile appeared. The Deere automobile was only produced for two years I believe. Terry Wiegand South Hutchinson, Kansas AACA Life Member #947918

And this is also an excellent way to get a rim out of round when a person doesn't have a clue about what they are doing. Terry Wiegand South Hutchinson, Kansas AACA Life Member #947918

Mark, It is really interesting how the top on our D-45 is so very similar to yours and yet there is no snap in the center of that flap like what will be in yours. Oh Well. Terry Wiegand South Hutchinson, Kansas AACA Life Member #947918

Mark, I'd like to see this guy in operation with a rim spreader. He's about as funny as a rubber crutch in a polio ward. Calm a person down. There ain't nothing calm about taking tires off of or putting tires on a split rim. Just ask us how we know this🤣 Terry Wiegand Way Out in Doo Dah AACA Life Member #947918

As a long time member of The Society of Automotive Historians, I received the March/April issue of the SAH Journal in the mail a few days ago. The lead article dealt with the Packard Motor Car Company and their connection with Charles Yale Knight's Sleeve Valve Engine. I am no stranger to Knight-engined automobiles as I owned a 1928 Willys-Knight Model 56 Coach for 32 years. In all of that time I never knew anything about the Packard interest in the Knight & Kilbourne endeavor. I personally would be very interested in what our friend, Walt Gosden might have to say about this very interesting piece of automotive history. Terry Wiegand South Hutchinson, Kansas AACA Life Member #947918

Mark, you do beautiful work. I have a question for you. Since you do not have the top sockets attached to the body, how did you know where to locate the brackets that set down on top of the windshield posts? I might be missing something here but I think others might be wondering the same thing. Terry Wiegand South Hutchinson, Kansas AACA Life Member #947918

I have dismounted old tires, flaps, and tubes and put new tubes, flaps, and tires on 17 split rims on the three old Buicks that at one time we had. Doing this is not at all as hard as some want you to believe. When it came to putting the new tires back on the rims I inflated the tube and rubbed it down with cornstarch. I put the cornstarch inside the tire and used an old dusting brush to work it all over inside the tire. I had an old piece of carpet that I laid down on my shop floor and went to work putting everything together. There is nothing hard about this procedure and good common sense and a rim spreader will work wonders every time. That's my story and I won't change a word of it. Terry Wiegand South Hutchinson, Kansas AACA Life Member #947918

Ed, Thank you for this explanation, however, unless the engine is an oil burner (poor rings and etc.) crankcase oil is way removed from the exhaust system. I can understand this might be an issue with a more modern vehicle, but a pre-war vehicle? This just doesn't make any sense to me at all. Terry Wiegand South Hutchinson, Kansas AACA Life Member #947918

Someone is going to have to explain to all on here the connection between ZDDP in engine oil and catalytic converters. I don't know about the rest of the readers on here but I do not put motor oil in the gasoline tank on my old Buick. Terry Wiegand South Hutchinson, Kansas AACA Life Member #947918 50+ Years

I stated earlier that the topics of anti-freeze usage and engine oil choice has been covered a lot in these forums. I have a little better than a third grade education and I do know how to read. I am going to say this and then I am done with this discussion. The people who have posted on here have their own vehicles and they certainly are free to choose and do as they see fit with them. I have my vehicle and I am going to do as I see fit to do with it. The best to all of you and your endeavors. Terry Wiegand South Hutchinson, Kansas AACA Life Member #947918

Mark, Exactly! that is why the bearing packing tool is so important to use. It makes sure that the grease gets to where it needs to be. Terry Wiegand South Hutchinson, Kansas AACA Life Member #947918

I like 28Buick's bearing packer real well. I used mine on the new Timken Tapered Roller Bearings in the front hubs of my car while putting the new wheels back on the axle. This is a much better deal than trying to do things by hand. Grease is forced under pressure to the INSIDE of the bearing which my fat fingers could never begin to do. Terry Wiegand South Hutchinson, Kansas AACA Life Member #947918

The topics of antifreeze usage and motor oil choices have been talked to pieces on these very forums. The idea of running straight distilled water in a cooling system is downright foolish at the least. I do not believe for one second that the system will run cooler as a result of this practice. Antifreeze has additives that help against water jacket and radiator corrosion, anti-foaming additives, and probably the most important thing is it acts as a water pump lubricant. Given all of this, WHY would anyone want to run just plain water in their cooling system? An engine with antifreeze in the cooling system WILL run a few degrees cooler than without it. It is your vehicle and you are certainly free to do as you wish with it. Terry Wiegand South Hutchinson, Kansas AACA Life Member #947918

I am going to have to disagree with Bloo on a couple of points. ANY OLD ANTIFREEZE IS NOT OK. You should run Original Formula Zerex 50/50 PreMixed in the cooling system. The reason for this is that the new stuff will attack solder, aluminum, copper, and brass. I don't think there is any plastic in a 1928 Buick radiator. You DO need to use a motor oil that has a higher content of ZDDP because a 1928 engine still used poured, babbitt main and rod bearings. The 6-Volt Delco battery in my 1916 D-45 is a sealed battery with no provision to add water to it. Sorry Bloo, I'm not picking on you. Just trying to give this fellow solid and accurate information. Terry Wiegand South Hutchinson, Kansas AACA Life Member #947918

You're in for a surprise with this stuff. You WILL need the Scrubs-in-a-Bucket to clean yourself and everything else up. Ask me how I know this - I learned the hard way the first time I put the gauge together. Terry Wiegand South Hutchinson, Kansas AACA Life Member #947918

I wanted to let everyone know how the car is running these days. The oil pump drive spring issue has been resolved and the engine just keeps running like a fine watch. We all will agree that any restoration is never completely 100% finished. The last couple of times that we drove the car I noticed that the sight gauge on the dash was seeping oil. Tightening the sight glass ring did not help much at all. I took the gauge apart this morning and spent about half an hour cleaning things up. I was told about using EZ TURN fuel resistant lubricant. The aircraft folks use this stuff a lot. There is a down side to this stuff. Gasoline won't touch it, kerosene won't touch it, acetone, mineral spirits, and denatured alcohol is useless on it. I called the company to find out how to work with this stuff. Scrub's-In-a Bucket towels work like a charm. I got everything cleaned up and gave things a heavier application this time and set things back together. I let the engine run for about 20 minutes on the drive to get really warmed up and it seems that I got things right this time. There is no sign of any seepage now. That stuff is some of the most disagreeable material to work with, but it does the job really well. I still have a couple more things to do to the car and then its just drive the heck out of it. Terry Wiegand South Hutchinson, Kansas AACA Life Member #947918

Hugh, Thanks for coming back on here and clarifying things. Detachable, Demountable, they're the same thing. If you would have only picked one terminology and stuck with that all through your explanation, you wouldn't have thrown me and a lot of others off the track. There is nothing hard about split rims. They fit only ONE way on a wheel regardless of how many rim wedges there are on the wheel. Terry Wiegand South Hutchinson, Kansas AACA Life Member #947918

Larry, The tire installation illustrations are almost identical to what is shown in my 1916 Reference Manual. On Baker Wheels there is an elongated plate with 4 holes that fits over the 4 rounded stubs on both sides of the rim (2 stubs on each side of the rim split). What you have posted I know all about - been there done that on all three cars. Is Detachable the same thing as Demountable? Please explain the difference so we will know what Hugh is talking about. I just don't get it. Terry Wiegand South Hutchinson, Kansas AACA Life Member #947918

Hugh, You are talking about some terms in your last posting that I am sure have some folks wondering just what you are talking about - and I am at the top of that list. Please explain the difference between a demountable rim and a detachable rim. I understand that all three (when we had three) of our Buicks run with high pressure tires. I think Larry DiBarry told me that 1925 was when Buick went to balloon tires. And what's this business about split rims having a split ring on the side? My cars do not have a set-up like that. You have totally lost me as to what you are talking about. Terry Wiegand South Hutchinson, Kansas AACA Life Member #947918

What I neglected to put in my posting is that the split rim and tire can only go on the wheel in one certain position because of the valve stem. The stem goes through the wheel felloe in one place only. George, it is molded onto the sidewalls of my tires to run them at 70 PSI. I have never had any trouble with any of the tires on any of our Buicks going that way. Terry Wiegand South Hutchinson, Kansas AACA Life Member #947918