32 Nash 1063 convertible sedan

[r1lark]

1 hour ago, JV Puleo said:

I agree. Yes, a copper of fiber gasket - though I think copper would be better in this case. I'm pretty worthless at the end of the day - or, better said, I get my good ideas when I'm rested and I just don't have the stamina I had 30 years ago. I might have something as well...

Maybe a annular gasket........copper/asbestos or copper/graphite? 

 

[F&J]

12 hours ago, JV Puleo said:

I've never seen a "square" fitting like that on something old and I suspect it is not original to the engine.

 

13 hours ago, F&J said:

one more question is; does that big rectangular 90 degree fitting appear to be of modern design?  I have never seen this style on a car of this age

 

Joe, I know we are correct that it is more modern.  This morning I am thinking better.  See how somebody needed 3 fittings to do a simple 90 degree turn?

 

That person must have replaced something unusual that was once there.  There never would have been a one piece fitting to do this turn with those huge size differences, right? 

 

I am thinking that there once was a device to prevent oil drain-back when the motor was not running?

 

Let's assume that is what was there on the very early engines, and for some reason the factory wanted to eliminate it due to some sort of failure issue....  The factory would then want to use a standard low cost fitting to eliminate it, so it was more cost effective to just change the casting to go with 3/8 NPT thread hole for a common 90 degree flare fitting?  

 

I will compare the ID of the later one piece 90 fitting to a 3/8NPT fitting for a redrill/rethreaded swap.  Maybe even rebore the new 3/8 adapter fitting as much as possible?   This might be more practical than me trying to set it up for a straight threaded fitting? (and I thought those require a non standard tap)?

 

.

[JV Puleo]

They do...depending on the size I have a lot of non standard taps. The more difficult problem is putting in the non standard hole since the taps often call for a hole that no drill is made for. I've been having end mills ground to the dimension I want, then drill the hole slightly undersize and plunge mill the hole. All this gets complicated fast but it seems to me that engine oiling is so important that it's worth taking extra time with. Let me know what you have to rork with and I'll look through my collection.

 

[edit] When I do this sort of job I tend to work backwards, first figuring out what the optimum fitting would be based on the area available. Then I look for a thread combination that will get me as close as possible to it. I suggested straight threads because there is a limit to how much you can bore out a tapered fitting - not much - without weakening it. For an oil application, you could even use a steel fitting with fairly thin walls and have the same amount of strength - though that would probably have to be made, it wouldn't be terribly difficult.

Edited March 25, 2021 by JV Puleo (see edit history)

[F&J]

On ‎3‎/‎24‎/‎2021 at 6:03 AM, Bush Mechanic said:

New blades for these reamers are readily available in Australia, so should be easily sourced in the US. They tend to be standard sizes across brands.

I'm glad you posted that.  I had to be at the estate to help another friend look for parts and I found a smaller reamer that has very sharp blades, but 2 of the 7 blades are missing.  I just checked quickly today and took one blade out and it sure looks the same.  Thanks for the tip.

 

Today I fixed the pump issue.  I found a new 1/4NPT close nipple and a 3/8NPT to 1/4NPT bushing here, and compared the ID of the new larger 1/4 nipple to the smallest ID of the big elbow fitting on the broken pump.

Above, they look close: actually the new nipple is .004" smaller than the output ID at the flare of the old 90 degree fitting. 

 

 

Got lucky to be able to fit the pump into the drill press vice to drill to 7/16".   I always struggle to get any pipe tap to get started, as the tip of a pipe tap seems larger than the hole.... So, I used the next 2 sizes up of drills to make a somewhat tapered steps in the top of the boss.

 

Then used a center punch in the chuck, and a box ratchet wrench to make it tapped straight.  I ran the tap almost to the end of the tap teeth to get the new nipple to go in deeper.  I was trying to have the whole 3 piece fitting to not stick out further than the smaller fitting nipple.  Not totally tightened yet below, but it will be fine, and the oil piping tree should still line up.

I need to do cleaning of everything, and order some rubber/cork sheet stock for a pan gasket...but I have many things to do while waiting on cork.

 

The clutch disc had been replaced long ago and was a bit too worn for my mind, so I stressed with the Ebay searches and did find a new Nash 32 disc, but it fit the smallest 8, and was too big to fit.  Then I searched for clutch linings and clutch facings; found NOS GM brand 29-31 Chevy facings.  The seller had 3 in the listing if you are wondering why would I buy 3

 

 

I asked the seller to measure very accurately to opposite rivet centers, and told him a quick measure looks 7.5", but told him it is 7-9/16".  I measured all the discs and maybe a couple of holes measure just a hair under 7-9/16 , but most are closer to 7.5. Ahh, I think I can make them work.  I have a bunch of old brass rivets from my Dads 1950's repair shop business.

 

 

Then, the pressure plate must have been changed at the last clutch job as it is not worn, but the flywheel was never machined then, and it sure needs it.  I cut my 55 Olds flywheel on my Aamco drum/disc lathe, as it has some special long arm that the former owner said "it might be for flywheels". Not very easy to set the flywheel up to run dead perfectly straight, but cuts very nicely after that.

 

It takes some time to do updates with pics and lots of text, especially when tired out...but it might help keep me going on this uphill climb.

 

 

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Edited March 29, 2021 by F&J (see edit history)

[r1lark]

Good report Frank............I'm amazed at the amount of work that you get done!  👍

[F&J]

On ‎3‎/‎28‎/‎2021 at 9:46 PM, r1lark said:

Good report Frank............I'm amazed at the amount of work that you get done!  👍

Actually I'm not making very good headway, other things are pressing and I'm exhausted from waking up way to early.  But I can't quit, as it will end up as a worthless basket case in MY estate sale.

 

 

Started on the clutch linings late yesterday, Found some rivets in my stash that seem to be right. 

 

Hard to see on the old Nash disc, but the Nash linings have every other hole as being as large as the rivet head.  Note in the pics below that the GM linings have all holes counterbored instead.

 

The Nash metal disc has 12 flexing blades.  Every other blade is curved up, the next one is curved down.  So, Nash used 6 rivets to hold one lining, then 6 more to hold the other lining from the other side.  You have to rivet to the highest spot of the domed-up blade.

 

The metal Chevy disc must have been just a flat plate, so they then could just use each rivet to hold both linings.  I think the curved blades allow a cushioning effect when the disc starts to get compressed as you ride the clutch to take off.

 

So first I drilled out every other hole in the GM lings with a sharp 3/8 wood spade bit.  These bits make a sharp slice at the outer OD so you won't get a ragged edge as the bit cuts.  I pre-grooved both sides of each new hole with the bit so I would not get a ragged hole when the bit went all the way through.

 

 

I sold my Dad's old foot operated riveting machine to Ed Jacobowitz maybe 40+ years ago as I had a tiny one bay garage with no room.   I figured "why would I ever need it"

 

 

 

So I had to make a mandrel to clamp in the vice to support the rivet head, and then a hand held rivet setting tool on the lathe.  I used 3/8 stainless rod I had.  I wish I had mild steel as it would have been a smoother dish on the setting tool:

The red arrow points to flat spots ground onto the mandrel so you won't have it slip downwards as you hammer the rivets.  We had ancient tools just like this when I worked in the CT DOT garage in the 80s.  We also had an air powered upright machine. So at least I knew how they need to look.

 

Can you see the different curve up and curve down of the blades in that pic?  I was so tired out and then trying to balance the disc while setting the first 2 rivets.  I quit for the day rather than mess it up.

The back of the rivet above

 

 

The pic above this one shows how the first rivets looked after using the setting tool to peen them tightly. Not perfect, but it will work.

 

.

 

 

 

 

 

[F&J]

Finally forced myself yesterday afternoon, to go to the shop to try to either finish the clutch rivets, or maybe machine the flywheel instead.  I'm just tired and can't snap out of it.  The grey skies and cold temps keep me sitting at the woodstove instead, wasting my life it seems. 

 

BUT, I somehow got on a roll and finished the riveting in a very short time, even with trying to remember where I put the correct rivets 😕 .   Then went in for a coffee, as the brake drum lathe is in the cluttered unheated storage area.

 

Went right back out to dig my way to the machine, bring a droplight and the flywheel without tripping over junk.  But the shiny painted Nash body shell is right near there, and it gave me some hope... and then realizing that I must keep going.

 

Here is the unidentified attachment arm that came with the Aamco disc/drum lathe, set up for doing the flywheel; marked here with letter B:

The toolholder marked A needed to be turned around 180 degrees from when you cut drums with the bar marked as C.  Then you need to shift the lever to engage the outfeed that is only used when cutting disc brake rotors. That lever was rusted stuck, so I had to free it up.  The outfeed has two travel speeds for fast rough cut, off in the middle, then also the super slow travel for finish cut.  Above, this is halfway through the first rough cut, and you can see it still left minor grooves from long ago rivet wear.

 

I felt the skipped spots for depth with my finger and decided (out of laziness), to skip a second rough cut, and guessed at where to set the finish cut depth...and got lucky that it did the job:

Above shows the beginning of the finish cut, but it shows that it took away the skipped grooves missed by the rough cut.  I also put the rubber strap on that takes away the resonating "singing" that does cause weird cutting patterns that can make brake drums/rotors play a tune like a siren while braking, before the surface eventually wears in. I need a super smooth finish as the new clutch lining has very little thickness at the rivet heads.  I don't want it to wear prematurely.

 

 

Now it's 28F this morning and grey again.. I need to get the new engine off of my car trailer and into the shop by myself somehow. I suppose I should put water and battery in the Oliver bucket crawler to pick it up instead of fighting with it, and might have to drag the Nash chassis out to get the engine in front of the work bay.

 

Most commercial flat rate shops, and most hobbyists, never put a dial indicator on a flywheel face after it's put back on the crankshaft. You must do this, as most specs say .002"-.003" max runout, or risk having clutch chatter.  Just because the engine shop just ground your flywheel, does not mean that the wheel is then running true !  I will show that test, as well as show how to accurately check runout without even owning a dial indicator.

.

Edited April 2, 2021 by F&J (see edit history)

[r1lark]

Nice job Frank, and really cool old brake drum lathe!

[dalef62]

6 hours ago, r1lark said:

Nice job Frank, and really cool old brake drum lathe!

Still using a Ammco Brake lathe in my shop just like that one.  Wish I had the unidentified attachment for mine!  It gets less and less usage every year with the throw away rotors of today's cars.

[F&J]

I've been working on the "new" engine, installing the old oil pump, cleaning/painting... but I just spotted that the broken pump is a higher volume pump with larger diameter pump gears and they are a bit wider, too.  So, I'm not sure if my original motor had the correct pump. 

 

That small 1/8" NPT outlet fitting going to much larger 3/8" ID copper feed pipe still makes no sense to me.  There would have not been a one piece fitting elbow to make that transition in my opinion, so now I wonder if the guy who dragged this car out of a junkyard or woods in the 1960s needed to swap a pump? The oil pan is badly rusted inside and the pump sits at the bottom, so maybe the original pump was a ball of rust?  But what did the pump come from, if it fits the block?  An older Nash?

 

All this guessing is just wasting time. The old pan had the rear baffle cut away with a torch at the yellow arrow below, and I had said they did that to clean out the baffle:

 

Nope, I found out yesterday that they did that to clear the oddball 3 piece outlet fitting to make 1/8 go to 3/8 copper.  My "new" pan would not fit on the engine because the adapter fittings hit the rear baffle.  So, I could not grind or cut it with a cutoff wheel and then get grit inside the baffle, so I used a big hammer on the edge:

 

Above, you can see a circle mark where the old pump on the California engine was hitting the oil pan at the bottom That was because the entire lower sump was crushed upwards.  I had to use a 6 pound hand sledge and a long 1" solid bar to mash it back to shape, then had to re-solder the cracks at the riveted/soldered cast iron oil drain casting at the bottom. 

 

So, as I will never find a bigger gear type pump, and I can't find a way to repair the broken one... I am forced to use the smaller geared pump.  I find nothing in the 32 Nash 6 sales brochure on the motor ever having a oil filter that does rob some pressure from the system like the California motor had, and that Cal motor also had long rubber oil hoses that went to a street rod type oil cooler in front of the radiator that also robs flow/pressure. 

 

So I won't be using either of those, and I guess I should be ok for oiling?

 

I must keep going, I hope to have it in the chassis in a few days and test run it for pressure, etc.  What else can I do at this point.

 

[F&J]

Todays video that should work.  Yesterdays video failed to be processed by Bitchute.  Let me know if you can see it. 

https://www.bitchute.com/video/THJ2ir7AeujU/

 

If it works, then I will tell you just how bad things looked by yesterday afternoon...

[1930 Kram66]

Video works fine ☺️

Good to see your engine look and run nicely.

[r1lark]

It's ALIVE!!  Great news Frank. And the video looks fine. 

[F&J]

14 hours ago, F&J said:

If it works, then I will tell you just how bad things looked by yesterday afternoon...

Saturday, I only put enough parts on to see how it ran, but no radiator on yet.  It started with barely one revolution, and idled. That also was just static timed, so I made a 1.5 minute video and went in the house to upload it...but after that I realized I had left the gravity feed gallon gas can still elevated and it was feeding my old carb that sometimes gets a bad leak at the needle valve..

 

So I went back to look, and at least a pint of gas went down the cylinders.  Took the plugs out to spin the motor over to dry it out, and then I fired it again,... but this time I revved it up for the first time, and it had the same knock that the old motor had...and it oil smoked just as bad.  I ran it 4-5 minutes without the radiator and the noise was pretty bad.  Devastated and confused late in the day, so I put clean oil in all cylinders while hot, to let it soak all night.

 

Sunday I put the radiator in, then fired it up in the video, and the bad knock was gone.  That's why I revved it so high on the video, as I needed to know if the knock would come back. It still smoked and the idle was ratty, so I cleaned the carb that came on the new motor.  It then idled perfectly and the smoke is now nearly gone. 

 

It's hard to believe that the "gas washed" cylinders allowed the motor to knock that bad on Saturday, and also that the knock would not go away by itself by running it 4-5 minutes.  "live and learn"

 

Today I need to take the water pump apart to see what parts I'll need to make to fix it.  It's really super bad as far as slop and random noises, and the new engine did not have another pump.

 

Pic from last week, checking flywheel run-out which came in at barely .002" which is fine.  BTW, the engine has very good oil pressure even after running it for a hour (and it was pretty hot with the defective pump).

 

[F&J]

On ‎4‎/‎19‎/‎2021 at 8:25 AM, F&J said:

Today I need to take the water pump apart to see what parts I'll need to make to fix it.  It's really super bad as far as slop and random noises, and the new engine did not have another pump.

I did get the water pump apart yesterday and was surprised to see it uses an early form of a modern era water pump "Mechanical Seal".  A mechanical seal is one that seals not by a seal riding on the shaft like a wheel bearing seal, but rather it uses thrust type radial sealing surfaces on 2 parts:

Above, the two sealing surfaces.  The steel collar rides against the face of the flanged-type rear shaft brass bushing..

Above is more of the parts to make the seal work.  The spring keeps pressure on the 2 sealing surfaces by pushing on the steel collar "A".

Above marked A, are 2 notches to keep the steel collar spinning with the shaft.  B is a groove on the inside of the collar for a rope seal.

When I took it apart the rope packing was not installed all the way and the tail of the rope was jammed behind the collar and the collar was frozen in position.  But there is something missing that needs to be there to prevent coolant going past both brass shaft bushings!

 

I hope you can follow along when I show what should be there,  which is a part of a modern "mechanical" seal below:

 

Above is a pic from McMaster-Carr, of the closest seal I could use from their list of different types of mechanical seals.  The part marked "seal" has a rubber sleeve inside of the 2 piece expanding/contractible stainless steel spring retainer.  That rubber sleeve is designed to be able to act like an accordion, move in or out, and totally prevents coolant from getting to the 2 brass shaft bushings. That is so that the coolant will not find a way past the shaft and bushings and leak out of the front of the pump.  That rubber sleeve has a raised internal lip edge to seal against the shaft, but does allow movement "in or out" to compensate for wear on the black colored graphite ring that rides on the white ceramic "Seat". (To clarify,  the shaft does not spin inside that rubber seal, or it would wear out instantly).

 

Ok, but the closest match I found on the list was a bit too wide to fit where the Nash seal assembly was. The new one was listed as .656" wide fully compressed, but still too much for what room I have. I knew I could make it work somehow, or go without!

Above is the old seal and just over 1/2" compressed.

 

So...I had to cut a pocket into the pump impeller to have enough room so the new seal won't be crushed when it all goes together:

Above pic shows the new seal and you can see that I used sidecutter wirecutters to nip at the edges of the stainless flange to help lock that part to the inside of the new pocket.  I also used JB Weld to help hold it into the impeller pocket, as well as to get a better seal at the extended rubber sleeve part that sticks out a bit from the stainless fixed hub half.

 

But I chose not to use the new ceramic seat as it was too thick and I'd have to find a way to very accurately counter-bore the water pump housing.  I have no clue if the new graphite sealing ring will survive for a long time by instead riding on the "well polished" brass thrust face on the housing.  What is your opinion.... if you have some engineering backround? It was less than $20 delivered, so not too bad of a gamble at this point if I have to buy another seal and then counter-bore the housing in the future...

 

Just to also clarify how the new seal can be compressed or relaxed more as the graphite wears: In the McMaster pic, the stainless spring housing is 2 floating halves, and you can compress it and it's spring, but it's made so it can't fall apart so that you can get it installed easier. It will only extend so far before hitting an internal shoulder setup.

 

BTW, I ordered that seal yesterday afternoon and it was already on my doorstep by FedEx Ground before Noon today! How is that possible?

 

Anyways, it's all back together, I ran it twice for a long time to near boiling point and no leaks. No more random noises.

 

Geebus, I forgot to say that the shaft was what was so completely worn out, causing the fan hub to be so wobbly and noisy.  The last guy to have it apart did not use the proper pin to secure the hub, so it ran loose.  Also the 2 shaft bushings were only a few thousands worn, but I got lucky yesterday at the scrapyard and found 1/2" roundstock that was around .003-.004 oversize which enabled me to not have to make a new fan hub, nor needing to replace the 2 odd sized brass flanged bushings. They charged me ONE DOLLAR for a 4 foot piece. LOL

 

PS, I really did not want to have to go to the scrapyard, but as soon as I got on the road with the 32 Ford, I knew why I keep wanting to only drive early 30s cars.  It was a 10 minute trip on a skinny one lane road up a steep mountain with 2 blind 90 degree tight turns (so it's rarely ever used)  I slowed down to 1 MPH as two women were riding their horses up the hill. So awesome of an experience, it was just like the long gone olden days in the 30s/40s,...a prewar car passing horse riders on a quiet old country road.... I wish I had the camera. They waved, and so did I  

 

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Edited April 20, 2021 by F&J (see edit history)

[r1lark]

Good work Frank. 

 

You have quite the knack for determining a fix and getting it done quickly. And, in a lot of cases, inexpensively too!

[F&J]

1 minute ago, r1lark said:

Good work Frank. 

 

You have quite the knack for determining a fix and getting it done quickly. And, in a lot of cases, inexpensively too!

I'm on a dreadfully low fixed income, so every step is a struggle if it comes to funding. 

 

But I did not want to spoil the last post that ended on such a high note about the prewar car ride past the horses.... When I ran the motor twice a long time today, it did come close to boiling as I know the radiator needs rodding out... however, at high temps, that awful knocking came back inside the engine.   I know it was way too hot, and I know the oil got slightly thinned from the gas going past the rings when the needle stuck open,...but something is very wrong.  It also smokes when it's up on temps if you keep goosing the RPMs.

 

I may do a video of the noise tomorrow

 

 

.

[F&J]

This will be a very weird unbelievable post.  I have worked on vintage to modern engines for over 5 decades, and heard all sorts of knocks and noises...but I am clueless on the true origin of the noise I have.

 

I've been feeling off for 2 days and that's good, as if I had felt better, I would have pulled all the pistons and rods out by now.  I went to the shop an hour ago to warm the engine up before pulling the head, and then while the oil film on pistons and cylinder walls was still hot, I was going to rock the pistons sideways to see how much skirt play was there...

 

But as I waited for the temps to get way up, I listened all over the engine with a long screwdriver to my ear again.  I simply cannot hear the noise this way.(that bugged me a lot, as a mechanical knock is always magnified that way!)  The noise is wicked bad standing on the passenger side where the 2 valve side covers are not installed yet.  I cannot tell any difference in listening at the front opening, or then the back cover opening. 

 

Then grabbing at straws at this point, I decided "why not put the side covers back on", even though it likely would not quiet it down much as they are not double walled, they are just a single sheet of thin pressed steel.  Guess what? ..The noise is now totally undetectable, no matter where the RPMs are, no matter how hard I tried to find that precise RPM that really pounded before. 

 

Then, I thought of my old motor, and that one has not had the side covers on in years.  The 2 motors have the EXACT same heavy rattle type knocking at just one certain RPM, maybe  2200-2400? or so, and neither motor had a steady knock at each revolution, it's random from very heavy to fainter knocks. But the heavier knocks sound exactly like a rod getting ready to let go and come right through the block.

 

>>>It's really been bugging me that the Great Race car owner never would have "stuck" a good friend with a bad motor 20 years ago when he sold several parts cars, and random spare parts back then. He surely would have told his friend that this motor was suspect if it had issues, but instead he told his friend that "it was rebuilt".

 

Ok, one last thing I just did just now was to pull the oil fill cap off the long 1-1/2" fill pipe.  I still could not hear the noise.  So I took a vacuum cleaner hose and placed it over the pipe, and I can hear the noise "just a bit" that way by holding the hose to my ear.

 

I am baffled as to what the noise is.  Is it some sort of air resonance? From the air movement of the pistons travelling at a certain speed? How is it possible that the intense noise is totally gone with just putting the side covers on (and very loosely), and they don't even have the new cork gaskets installed yet and are not "air tight" ? 

 

I suppose you all don't believe me as to how bad the noise sounded from either side of the engine, and now it's totally gone with covers on.  I may try to do 2 videos; one with covers off and one with them on.  I certainly would not believe it either. It sounded so bad, that you'd say "you better shut it off right NOW".

 

PS, it's not oil smoking anymore, too. 

 

 

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[F&J]

11 second video of the noise.  It sounded far worse in person.  I have no idea if you can hear the knock on a cell phone. I can hear it with a laptop with external speakers.  I had to take the fan belt off as the fan blades really scream at that RPM.

 

https://www.bitchute.com/video/kJYTnhCtDBF8/

 

I can't believe my luck yesterday when I decided to put the valve covers back on.  I almost took the engine apart while chasing this noise.  That would have been the end of the project I believe. 

 

Now, I wish the body was back on as I'd sneak it out for a long ride down the road to test the new gear ratio. If it can easily maintain 55mph on the hills in my area, that will be success. 

 

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[JV Puleo]

Well...a rod knock doesn't go away and that's the one issue that I'd loose sleep over. I'd be as perplexed as you as to the noise  though and it would niggle me. My guess is that you'll find the answer at some point, probably when you aren't looking for it.

 

How about a badly worn valve lifter? I'm assuming it has solid lifters. If the hardening on the face of one lifter wore through it might make a "knock" every time the cam lobe came around.

Edited April 24, 2021 by JV Puleo (see edit history)

[F&J]

25 minutes ago, JV Puleo said:

My guess is that you'll find the answer at some point, probably when you aren't looking for it.

It is some sort of air resonance from the piston bottoms cupping air and shoving it towards the oil pan.  The noise in person sounds like a ball peen on the oil pan, yet nothing can be heard anywhere on the engine with a screwdriver to the ear.  So it is not a mechanical noise. 

 

Putting the valve covers back on has changed the air movement in the pan, as the noise is not just masked, it is now totally gone. 

 

I would have never believed this bizarre phenomenon could happen.  I can't think of a good example of air induced noises "changing", but I thought of the Vietnam era Huey helicopters at low level fly-by on a very humid day, the intense Wop-Wop noise can be felt deep in your chest.  (...meaning the humidity content of the air gives the air movement from the rotor to be able to hit something...and if you take away the humidity, then the rotor blade noise decreases dramatically)  By putting the valve covers back on, the air patterns have now changed inside the oil pan. 

 

Both engines made the exact same noise with valve covers removed! That is why I decided to try putting the covers back on, as the only piece of the original engine that was reused was the oil pump. This phenomenon is also why I could not find a bad rod on the old motor, and yesterday morning I slid a feeler gauge up in several piston skirts on the old engine and the gap was not enough to cause heavy piston slap on that engine.  "things were just not adding up"....and I was running out of diagnostic ideas.

 

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[F&J]

Decided to try doing the new king pins.  Here is a box of NORS parts that N.B.Pease put together for me several yeas ago when I brought a spindle with me to have him measure everything.  He did not have the correct kit, but he has every spec book ever made for all kinds of parts with dimensions of each piece of every type of kit.

First, he found a set with the correct pin diameter and length, but that kit had the wrong bushings to fit into the Nash spindles.  He then found bushings in another kit that had the correct length and correct O.D. to be able to get a proper press fit, but not too big which might get mangled when you try to press them in.  However, he could not find correct thrust bearings, so he included these which were slightly shorter.  I did make up a spacer for each spindle bearing to fix that.

 

 

Well, the new bushings had a smaller I.D., and that certainly could get reamed out (as all king pin bushings do require reaming after install).  But these were just a bit too small on I.D. to be able to get my $5 adjustable reamer adjuster sleeve nuts to be able to fit through them to start the cutting..

So I had to use the lathe again to turn down the 2 blade adjusters shown on the left side in the above pic, then also make the taper smaller on the reamer pilot on the left side.  It went better than expected.

 

Then you ream one bushing at a time, then put the reamer in through the other end, to do the other bushing. The pilot is very critical to get your reaming to be perfectly in line inside both bushings, or else the new pin will bind as the pin goes through both bushings.  This step went really well.  I was pretty concerned when adjusting the reamer, that if I went just a bit too much, I'd have no spare bushings if I made one test bore too loose.  I just went slow, only adjusting the blades a whisker at a time.  Then when the first bushing is done perfectly, you don't have to readjust it, so the second bushing went fast.

 

Also in that pic is my Dads old bushing install set from when he ran a shop in the 50s....but he lost a few pieces .. .  I had to use one upside down to ram the old ones out of the spindle and then install the new ones.

 

last step was install the spindle to the axle.  Then the cross-ways/pinch/wedge bolt that holds the pin tightly to the axle would not fit in.  That's because the new pin was made to have a pinch bolt that has a long tapered flat spot including on the threads.  My Nash used a round wedge bolt. 

I thought there was a better chance to screw it up if I tried to make my bolts have a precise long tapered flat spot, so I just ground a concave groove in the new pins and the Nash bolt tightened up solidly. Tomorrow I will do the other side, and it will go a lot quicker now that the reamer is already set, and I know what mods are needed. 

 

The old hardened king pins were really worn out way more than the old brass bushings were.  That is some odd thing that occurs when brass rides on hardened steel parts...the brass holds up better for some reason.  IDK why, I'm not a scientist. 

 

 

 

 

 

[JV Puleo]

Frank...they were probably surface hardened, That would be logical as you'd want it hard on the OD but tough in the middle. Hardened all the way through would be very brittle. The usual practice is to case harden and then grind the surface which looks to be the case. The depth of the case - the hardened part - was not always entirely predictable, especially in an industrial setting where thousands of them are being made. I'm guessing the original pins had a rather thin hardened surface that simply wore through. The bushings would be bronze rather than brass, i.e. copper & tin rather than copper & zinc...that always gets confusing because "brass" is used for both all the time. I just salvaged the prop shaft from my late uncle's cabin cruiser - which rotted away many years ago. It's made of a bronze alloy that is called "naval brass".

[r1lark]

Hi Frank, any progress on the Nash lately? 

[F&J]

Trying to get restarted on the Nash after not touching it since Spring. Life gets in the way.  A month ago I helped my son put a used flatbed on his truck. Huge long job because the local truck place counter person said the used bed came from a Chevy, but when the business owner (whom I know very well) delivered the bed, he said it was from a Ford.  My son nor I knew that Ford uses a narrower rear frame, so my son sandblasted it before we found out it would not fit his GMC.  It took a lot of time/effort of cutting welds and rewelding the main sills and hitch widths, but he is thrilled with his truck rebirth.

 

Guys, I have 2 different  browsers installed on my laptop, and the crappy software here changed yet again and it now won't allow me to do separate pics with text in between each picture like I had been.  My newest browser won't even let me upload any pics at all. So I don't think I want to struggle anymore with my thread this way.  I'm not going to try installing more browsers when the other sites I rarely use still work fine. I don't have a cell to try either.

 

end of rant

 

...  Anyways,  because my son had all the blasting stuff set up, he talked me into getting restarted on the stalled Nash project.  I had previously told him I need to put the body back on the frame because two entire bays are tied up with it off; and my only work bay has been tied up way too long.  I told him I can't put the body back on until I blast/paint 4 splash aprons that need to be installed first ...and I said I hate blasting.  He said he does not mind blasting (after I blasted the 4 aprons myself),  and told me we should also blast the 4 fenders and trunk right now so the project outlook would not seem as hopeless to me later.  He gets out of work late, so I ended up doing one front and one rear fender myself, he did one front.  Still need to do the other rear fender, the big trunk and small stuff.  But that extra blasting made me even more tired out and I also missed the warmer temps for priming/bodywork and color-painting the 4 aprons.   As of today, I am waiting for a warmer day to do the final painting in the midnight blue on just the aprons. 

 

I can't believe how many dents, dings, waves showed up after priming; maybe kids threw rocks at the car when it was junked. The windshield glass and lenses were obviously shot up with BB's.  The dent working has taken way too much time and effort and I'm already worn out. However, I still have never wished even once that I should not have bought this car.

 

Pics out of order, and I can't fix it.  I may try editing this post later by trying both browsers to move these pics between paragraphs, but it probably won't let me do that either.

 

 

 

 

[alsancle]

Looking forward to some progress Frank!

[Steve_Mack_CT]

Truck looks great!  Now let's see some Nash progress!

[F&J]

3 hours ago, alsancle said:

Looking forward to some progress Frank!

 

55 minutes ago, Steve_Mack_CT said:

Truck looks great!  Now let's see some Nash progress!

I have to keep my goals very small so i don't get discouraged.  My only goal is to get the body back on before snow, and then it will only take one full day to make it yard drivable again so it can easily be moved out of the work bay to work on my 2 drivers if needed.  The Nash has been yard drivable at some point of each year since 2007.

 

I sometimes look at the entire thread to be able to see progress. Feb 2008 pic down below when taking out old re-used furniture wood that the resale flippers that sold it to me, had put in, and nothing fit.  

 

I also will never forget the day I first saw the Nash front end view sitting raised way up in the air on a tilt-bed wrecker at the local swap meet car corral.  He was looking for a used truck and I was not wanting another project car.  I saw it from 100 yards away and blurted out to my son; "Now That's MY kind of car".  I still feel that way about it.

 

Speaking of flipping cars, my last flip car, a 1930 roadster, just left on a trailer at 9pm tonight. I've been trying to sell it for months.  Now I can concentrate on the Nash.      Geebus... it is COLD out tonight in New England.

[Ben Bruce aka First Born]

Better hurry, or neither of us may see the end result!😁

 

  Ben

[F&J]

12 minutes ago, Ben Bruce aka First Born said:

Better hurry, or neither of us may see the end result!😁

 

  Ben

Hey now, speak for yourself as I'm only in my 60s, well... for the next 2 months that is..    My pace should get a big boost once the body is on and looks more encouraging.  and I can't stand seeing all the loose parts in piles.  Umm...  "I just need to put them back on".   See, it's that simple, right?

[alsancle]

Never going more than a year with the ability for it to move on its own is smart.   Hopefully the garage is heated for the winter? 

[r1lark]

Good to have you back posting Frank, I missed your informative, honest, and witty posts! 

Edited November 4, 2021 by r1lark (see edit history)

[Steve_Mack_CT]

Frank, lunchtime WTIC weather says 60 degrees Monday, if you are thinking of painting it might be a good shot.  55 tomorrow in the Hartford area.  Missed Sunday.

[F&J]

On 11/5/2021 at 1:18 PM, Steve_Mack_CT said:

Frank, lunchtime WTIC weather says 60 degrees Monday, if you are thinking of painting it might be a good shot.  55 tomorrow in the Hartford area.  Missed Sunday.

Forecast for today, Monday, was 62  and 63 tomorrow.  No wind, so why wait.   I had to remix the darkest blue for the aprons first, using jet black.  I went too dark, Sheesh, but I had just enough Phalo Blue PPG mixing toner left to re-lighten the mix.  

 

Then I used a paint stick in that mix and tried to hold it up to the 2 toned body in the storage bay, but that bay is too dark to see anything. Outdoors in sun, that stick looked black, but the 10+ year old pic below of nice original paint hiding under the fender light gasket, also definitely looked black back then, too. (I had to use rubbing compound on a white rag to prove to myself it was blue)

 

So, I just need to make progress as I honestly don't want to work anymore.....it's simply not feeling like a hobby now;  but don't want a scattered basket case in my estate.  I will settle for a 50 footer if I can somehow finish the car.

 

 

After I painted all four aprons in bright sun, you get snow blind and they looked black in person.  More despair, but then I held that jet black paint stick near one apron and that idea finally showed that they really are midnight blue.  The black tires, running boards, black cloth top, (and the fenders in this dark blue) will show these all as being midnight dark blue.   

 

In the pic here of the side edge of the rear-most apron, the camera can "see" the blue, but not in person !  ... unless you pick the part up and keep rotating it in the sun a lot.  Close enough for me.

 

Unlike the main body re-painting a year ago, this time I used black primer for the last primer coat and hoped one coat of blue would cover, and it did.  There was no wind today, but dark colors really show the expected dust. If I went with 2 coats, it would be such a mess with another layer of dust, and the 2nd coat over existing dust would make that prior dust look far worse.  ( I have never color sanded my cars, and sure won't on this one.) One coat is enough. 

 

That rear-most apron will be 2 toned later, just the insides of the twin scalloped body lines.

 

I need to do a bit of work on the chassis to be ready to get my son to help put the body back on on this weekend. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited November 8, 2021 by F&J (see edit history)

[Steve_Mack_CT]

Looks great!  Hmm if you change your mind about working on cars next summer and want to paint a Model A roadster.... 👍😁

[F&J]

Yesterday I cleaned up a years worth of "stuff" under and piled next to the chassis, then put the right front backing plate and drum/wheel back on, from late Spring when I got sidetracked in selling many things that I'll never need. I will do the left kingpin rebuild this winter.  I need the body on ASAP.

 

Today I did the finish welding on the Nash rear end perches on the Ford 8" rear axle housing, then painted the all the back end chassis parts with leftover black Tractor Supply paint from my son's bed swap.  In case you forgot, the stock Nash drums are still there (as dummy drums), but they still have ancient Rustoleum farmer blue paint on them.  They will be like factory did in 1932 when they were painted in the medium blue of the main body, (with midnight blue wire wheels).  

 

I might get help tomorrow I think, or the weekend, to use the bucket crawler to get the body on.  Chassis is now back on the 4 tires and 100% ready for that install.

 

I had to put the 2 rear aprons outside during today so they would not be in the way. They still look black unless you really are looking for a hint of blue tint.  Late today I wanted to hold the 2 toned painted radiator shell next to the aprons outside, to see what the medium blue does to the "new" apron color, but I'd likely drop it. LOL.  "it is what it is". I'm not going to change the dark blue at this point.  I think because the sun is so low now, that is affecting what i see outdoors? IDK

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Steve_Mack_CT]

They clearly look deep blue in your post from earlier this week, to my eye anyway.

If it bothers you all winter, perhaps you can get away with masking and just hitting the exposed part of the  aprons after they are mounted.  The change might be so subtle it would be just fine, or leave it as is.  FWIW I think they look fine. Mainly you want to match fenders when you get to that point. Old cars or new, lighting makes a huge difference.  Good luck today, another decent day weather wise, I think.  

[F&J]

10 minutes ago, Steve_Mack_CT said:

They clearly look deep blue in your post from earlier this week, to my eye anyway.

The camera shows a blue tone better than in person.  Nobody has stopped by yet to ask their opinion.  As soon as I get anywhere near the aprons with a black paint stick outdoors like I did once again yesterday, you instantly say "yes, that's definitely dark blue"

 

Like I mentioned, the black of the convertible top, tires, and running boards should instantly convince the eye that it is a 2 tone blue car because those black items are "all over the car" from the ground up to the top.    I bet that if the top was that Tan Hartz cloth and if I went whitewalls, then the dark blue would look more like black.  I think it will look super nice, so I'm done worrying.

 

I still need to repaint the main body beltlines with the new mix of dark blue, but that can easily done (indoors if needed), after the body is on. There just is not enough contrast on those beltlines if I don't.  It's just a small step backwards, except for all the tedious taping, including the belts on the hood and grille shell.

 

At least I feel like I'm finally making noticeable progress (especially when the body gets back on), thank goodness.  Next goal/step will be the beltlines.  Steve, is there any place still in CT that will re-chrome these simple flat style bumpers?  I don't dare ship them out, (if they go missing, I know I will never find any others).  Sad thing is that the bumpers, headlight bar and door glass frames were replated 50 years ago when the car was first rescued, but then left to rust up again. 

.

[Matt Harwood]

I sure understand burn-out, but you're heading into the fun part of restoration--reassembly. All those clean parts coming together and it starts to look like a car again. This is such a rare, attractive car and you've come so far. Like you, I find tidying up my workspace sometimes inspires me to get back to work on the car--it can feel like a chore if everything is scattered and your tools don't fall easily to hand. And as you've advised me, sometimes a short break can do a lot of good. Please stay with it, I'm really enjoying the process and you're doing awesome work on a great car. I'm eager to see it finished!

[Steve_Mack_CT]

24 minutes ago, F&J said:

  As soon as I get anywhere near the aprons with a black paint stick outdoors like I did once again yesterday, you instantly say "yes, that's definitely dark blue"

 

I think it will look super nice, so I'm done worrying.

 

.

Right approach Frank!

 

On chrome what about Librandi in East Hartford? I cannot personally reference them but they have been around the hobby forever.  Hershey green field regulars.

 

Cannot recall the shop but I can remember my buddy complaining about paying $100 per bumper on his 39 Chevy around 1980, "and they only do one side" 😁😁